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“It's not a travel ban,” Spicer said, adding: "Because when we use words like 'travel ban,' that misrepresents what it is."
At least, that's what he said Tuesday. On Monday, he used the term himself. At an appearance at George Washington University, he said that “the ban deals with seven countries that the Obama administration had previously identified as needing further travel restrictions.”
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He wasn't the only member of the Trump team to embrace the word:
Trump also called it a “ban” on Saturday, saying “We're going to have a very, very strict ban, and we're going to have extreme vetting, which we should have had in this country for many years.” And Kellyanne Conway used the b-word Sunday, saying, "This is a ban on travel, prospective travel from countries, trying to prevent terrorists in this country..."
So four times in three days.
When the tweet above was pointed out at Tuesday's briefing, Spicer insisted Trump was just “using the words that the media is using." (We assume the press secretary would say he was doing the same thing himself Monday.)
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“But it can't be... a ban if you're letting a million people in, if 325,000 people from another country can't come in,” Spicer said. “That, by nature, is not a ban.”
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NBC's Kristen Welker asked if the message was getting confused.
“I'm not confused,” Spicer said. “The words that are being used to describe it are derived from what the media is calling it. He has been very clear that it is extreme vetting.”
Except that the administration also kinda, sorta says it's not “extreme vetting,” either — or at least, it did when that characterization didn't suit its purposes.
In its memo announcing Acting Attorney General Sally Yates's firing late Monday, the White House seemed to take issue with that adjective.
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“Calling for tougher vetting for individuals traveling from seven dangerous places is not extreme,” the memo reads.
Okay, on this latter one, maybe they get a pass. They seem to be saying that although the vetting will be “extreme,” the policy itself isn't (?). It's still very mixed messaging.
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But the first one just doesn't make sense. If it's so wrong to call this a travel “ban,” the White House's three leading public messengers should know not to call it that. They both did... on Monday. That's Political Messaging 101. And although it's perhaps understandable that Trump would goof and use the wrong word, Spicer knows better. If avoiding the word “ban” was the strategy, he wouldn't have used it Monday. And we would have seen pushback on its use earlier than five days after the ban was enacted. | 1,270,200 |
A day before the non-waiver trading deadline, talks between the Red Sox and New York Mets on a potential deal for righty reliever Addison Reed are intensifying, though not to a point where a deal is close, an industry source with knowledge of the discussions said.
It’s known that the Red Sox are seeking potential bullpen upgrades in advance of the deadline, with an eye toward obtaining an experienced arm which could help with eighth inning set-up duties. The Sox have one of the game’s best closers in Craig Kimbrel, but could use some reinforcements to help set-up Kimbrel.
To date, the Sox have mostly used Matt Barnes, and, before he was injured, Joe Kelly. Kelly is set to rejoin the club from the DL by the end of the week, but the Sox want to give themselves more options.
Reed, who is eligible for free agency after this season, would be strictly a rental for the Red Sox, which limits how much they’d be willing to sacrifice for him.
Recently, the Mets had a scout follow a number of Red Sox minor league affiliates in preparation for a possible deal.
The Sox are hardly alone in their interest in Reed. Tampa Bay and the Los Angeles Dodgers are just two of a handful of teams who have checked in on Reed. Reed, 28, has appeared in 48 games for the Mets this season with a.257 ERA. He's averaged nearly a strikeout per inning (48 in 49 innings) while showing superb control (six walks).
Reed served as the Chicago White Sox closer from 2012-2013 and then closed for Arizona in 2015. He's filled in that same role this season with the injury to Mets closer Jeurys Familia, notching 19 saves. He has 125 career saves, which would allow the Sox to use him in the ninth inning in games in which Kimbrel is unavailable.
A number of other relievers are on the market, but many of the other bigger names – including Justin Wilson with Detroit and Brad Hand with San Diego – are likely to return a far bigger return of prospects because they can be controlled beyond this year.
With Carson Smith due back perhaps by Sept. 1 and under control for several more seasons and Tyler Thornburg due back next year after thoracic outlet surgery, the Sox are less motivated to acquire relievers whom they control past the end of this season.
Having sacrificed a number of prospects over the last two years to land Kimbrel, Thornburg and Chris Sale, the Sox’ prospect inventory has been significantly depleted, making them especially wary of thinning the stock further for short-term gain.
One veteran evaluator said neither team appeared desperate to get a deal done, but talks are ongoing.
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ダイハツ工業は7月10日、ハイブリッドセダン「アルティス」をフルモデルチェンジして発売した。価格は349万9200円。
モデル ハイブリッドシステム 駆動方式 価格 G 直列4気筒 2.5リッターエンジン+リダクション機構付のTHSⅡ 2WD（FF） 3,499,200円
アルティスは、トヨタ自動車からのOEM供給を受けて発売するハイブリッドモデルで1グレード展開。
今回のモデルチェンジでは、新開発の2.5リッターエンジンを搭載したハイブリッドシステムにより燃費を向上させ、JC08モード燃費は28.4km/Lを実現。さらに基本性能についても上質な乗り味を実現すべく、NV性能、操縦安定性、乗り心地を向上させたとしている。
エクステリアは低重心フォルムとワイドなスタンスを取り入れたデザインを採用。インテリアは上質感を向上させて広がり感のある空間を実現させるとともに、ドライビングポジションの最適化による視認性を向上させた。ハイブリッドシステム用のバッテリーをリアシート下に配置したことでラゲッジ容量を拡大させている。
安全装備では、「Toyota Safety Sense P」を採用するとともに、JNCAP 5相当の衝突性能を目標に開発した。 | 1,270,202 |
for the dental association, acknowledged weak evidence, but he blamed research participants who didn't floss correctly.
Even companies with a big market share of the flossing business - by next year, the global market is predicted to reach almost $2 billion, with half in the United States, according to publisher MarketSizeInfo.com - struggled to provide convincing evidence of their claims that floss reduces plaque or gingivitis. Yet the industry has paid for most studies and sometimes designed and conducted the research.
Procter & Gamble, which claims that its floss fights plaque and gingivitis, pointed to a two-week study, which was discounted as irrelevant in the 2011 research review.
Johnson & Johnson spokesman Marc Boston said floss helps remove plaque. When the AP sent him a list of contradicting studies, he declined comment.
The floss-making companies partner with the ADA through its Seal of Acceptance program. The ADA promotes the seal to companies as something that "directly affects the purchase decisions of consumers;" each manufacturer is charged $14,500 for the evaluation. If it approves the product, the ADA then charges an additional annual fee of $3,500.
The ADA says it rigorously evaluates products and makes no profit from the program. However, floss companies themselves are allowed to design the studies.
"The funding can come from companies - no problem at all," said dentist Marcelo W.B. Araujo, vice president of the ADA's Science Institute, who joined the organization after serving as an executive for Johnson & Johnson. "The design can start from the company."
When flossing first gained acceptance, no proof was required of remedies. Dentist Levi Spear Parmly is credited with inventing floss in the early 19th century. By the time the first floss patent was issued, in 1874, the applicant noted that dentists were widely recommending its use.
The ADA has been promoting floss universally since 1908. "They just looked into what they did every day in their clinical practice and what they would recommend for patients," said Araujo.
Count dentist Damien Walmsley, scientific adviser to the British Dental Association, among the skeptics. "It's important to tell people to do the basics. Flossing is not part of the basics."
Floss can occasionally cause harm. Careless flossing can damage gums, teeth and dental work. Though frequency is unclear, floss can dislodge bad bacteria that invade the bloodstream and cause dangerous infections, especially in people with weak immunity, according to the medical literature.
National Institutes of Health dentist Tim Iafolla acknowledged that if the highest standards of science were applied in keeping with the flossing reviews of the past decade, "then it would be appropriate to drop the floss guidelines."
Regardless, he added, Americans should still floss.
"It's low risk, low cost," he said. "We know there's a possibility that it works, so we feel comfortable telling people to go ahead and do it." | 1,270,203 |
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It's hard to believe that a company that has booked Kurt Angle, Cody Rhodes, Bubba Ray Dudley, Bret Hart, Rey Mysterio and a host of wrestling mega-stars within their first year of existence could outdo themselves for ambition.
But that's just what they've attempted to achieve in organising the first ever 'Pro Wrestling World Cup'. After teasing an announcement yesterday and sending the internet wrestling community into a frenzy, the company officially released details of the revolutionary tournament.
The competition will begin with 64 wrestlers from around the World battling in eight different preliminary rounds. Each round will see eight men competing in a single fall elimination tournament.
Each preliminary round will consist of competitors from a single country: Canada, England, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Scotland, USA. A mini-tournament will also be held for competitors from the Rest Of The World, with eight further countries represented. Two winners will proceed from each round.
(Image: WhatCulture Wrestling/YouTube)
Kenny McIntosh, speaking with Irish Daily Mirror, said: "Since day one, we at WhatCulture have been interested in all forms of wrestling not exclusively American stuff,
"There's never really been a World Cup in wrestling. We love the World Cup in football, rugby and basically every sport. It adds a sense of excitement to get people from all over the globe... We're looking forward to being able to crown something different to a 'world champion'."
McIntosh is one of a few fan favourites on WhatCulture's main wrestling channel, which has garnered almost 1,000,000 subscribers, but he was keen to ensure that this tournament will be more about in-ring action than the weekly WCPW product Loaded. "The World Cup is about wrestling... This won't be about the WhatCulture personalities and the stories, it's about finding the best wrestlers and them having the best matches.
(Image: © TNA)
"What we're most proud of at WhatCulture even above the massive names that have performed is the stars we've built ourselves. Martin Kirby, Joe Hendry, Gabriel Kidd, Joseph Connors to name just a few. We don't bring the likes of Kurt Angle in so we can make a buck, we utilize these guys to help build up our own talent... If Hulk Hogan was available for this tournament
The first show of the competition will take place in Nottingham on March 21 and will be the regional tournament for England and will culminate with a two-night final in the UK to be broadcast live online.
Every match will be shown on WCPW's official YouTube channel, which has amassed over 130,000 subscribers in the half a year it has been live, not their paid subscription service WhatCulture Extra.
The final will be broadcast live, following the success of their iPPV shows and live specials such as Delete WCPW, True Legacy, KirbyMania and many more | 1,270,204 |
, Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) will vie for a chunk of the Kurdish vote. Its politicians — including Erdogan, who is likely to make a bid for the presidency — will want to point to some signs of progress toward meeting these voters’ grievances. "The unresolved Kurdish issue, with the PKK in a position of escalating its violence, it’s not a very conducive climate to have elections," says Candar.
Of course, there is no shortage of spoilers who could attempt to sabotage the talks before they get off the ground. One potential culprit is a group of hawks within the army, police, and judiciary that last flexed its muscles in February 2012, when a prosecutor subpoenaed Fidan on suspicion that the intelligence chief had exceeded his authority during the secret talks with the PKK. A hard-line faction within the PKK may also be keen to destroy any attempt at peace. On Jan. 7, a group of PKK members attacked a gendarmerie outpost in Turkey’s southeast, killing a Turkish soldier. Two days later, in what appeared to be a direct provocation, unknown assailants shot dead PKK co-founder Sakine Cansiz and two other women in Paris.
Candar is confident that PKK fighters will abide by whatever deal Ocalan hammers out with the government. "I don’t buy the argument that there is Ocalan and there’s also the PKK, that it is a two-headed organization," he said. "Whatever Ocalan decides to be done will be implemented by the organization."
Yildiray Ogur, the journalist who broke the news of Ata and Turk’s visit to Imrali, agrees. "If Ocalan says that the military operations are ended and we’ve passed into the political arena, the PKK will accept this," he says. "Ocalan is a demigod for the PKK."
At some point, however, Ocalan’s larger-than-life status among the Kurds may become part of the problem. Leading PKK members and Kurdish politicians have previously warned that no solution to the Kurdish issue would be viable unless it involves freedom for Ocalan or, at the very least, his transfer to house arrest. Whereas the conditions reportedly outlined in Ocalan’s road map might appear palatable to Turkish public opinion, this one is certainly anything but. "House arrest," Erdogan said this week, "is out of the question."
Ocalan may have a narcissistic streak, says Ogur, but he is too smart a politician to make himself the subject of negotiations right from the get-go. If the issue of his future does ever come up, it will be at the end of the process — after the PKK disbands. "Maybe after that the public view of Ocalan may change; maybe then the public will accept the move to house arrest," says Ogur.
"Yes," he says, "our prime minister said this is impossible. But in Turkey there isn’t much that is impossible." | 1,270,205 |
'If you loved the first UNIT set, you will absolutely love this latest addition to the universe. How could you not enjoy a conspiracy story involving Alien Ninja Warriors?' Sci-Fi Pulse
'Exciting, exhilarating and with a proper international feel, this is a fantastic entry to the UNIT files.' Mass Movement
'With the Tengobushi and the alien leader Dokan, Big Finish has added a well-defined and definitely alien race to the mix.' Red Rocket Rising
'Jemma Redgrave and Ingrid Oliver remind us just why they were cast as UNIT scientists Kate Stewart and Osgood in this rip-snorter of an audio drama.' Blogtor Who
'A highly recommended listen for any UNIT fans.' The Host Productions
Kate Stewart and her UNIT team investigate and confront alien attacks on the planet Earth in this new 5 disc boxset.
2.1 Power Cell by Matt Fitton
Osgood and Captain Josh Carter are sent to investigate the disappearance of a UNIT scientist.
Meanwhile, alien technology has fallen into the hands of Lyme Industries, and Kate Stewart can't persuade the company’s CEO, Felicity Lyme, to give it back.
But UNIT find themselves fighting a third battle when innocent people start to die. Who are the mysterious assassins? And what does Felicity Lyme want with top secret alien technology?
2.2 Death in Geneva by Andrew Smith
With few people left to trust, and with assassins on their tail, Kate and Osgood race to UNIT Command in Geneva. Will General Avary be able to help them?
But when death follows UNIT all the way from the English countryside to the snowy slopes of the Alps, Captain Carter finds himself in a race against time.
As the body count rises, Kate struggles to separate friend from foe, danger circles Osgood ever closer, and, high in the mountains, Josh comes face to face with the enemy...
2.3 The Battle of the Tower by Andrew Smith
The threat is now clear, and Kate Stewart retreats to UNIT HQ with her most trusted colleagues. She has no choice but to place the Black Archive into lockdown, and the Tower of London is where UNIT will make its stand.
While the capital sleeps, an alien horde is gathering, ready to rise from the shadows to attack Earth’s greatest defence force inside its own stronghold.
The Tower is infiltrated, and UNIT must hold the line. At any cost. Lock and load...
2.4 Ice Station Alpha by Matt Fitton
Caught between human greed and an unstoppable alien power, Kate Stewart leads her closest allies on one final, desperate mission. This could be the very last chance for the human race.
But the UNIT team has been declared rogue, and ruthless military forces are in pursuit as they race across the globe. Kate calls Lieutenant Sam Bishop to their aid, while Josh and Osgood head out across the frozen Antarctic plains to try and prevent a disaster no-one else knows is coming. | 1,270,206 |
European Environment Agency finds adapting to climate change now on political agenda but action on ground still rare
This article is more than 5 years old
This article is more than 5 years old
Three quarters of European countries have placed adapting to disruption from climate change on the political agenda, but the same percentage cite factors such as time, money or technologies as a barrier to taking action, in the most comprehensive survey of the issue to date.
The European Environment Agency survey shows “uncertainties about the extent of future climate change” and “unclear responsibilities” are seen as blocks to action by a large number of countries.
But as freak weather events increase in severity and frequency, climate change adaptation is increasingly focusing minds in government. Climate change was partly responsible last year for heatwaves in Australia, Korea and Japan, floods in Northern India and a drought in New Zealand, according to a report by the UK’s Met Office and the US’s Noaa.
“Attention is often on efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and for good reason. But adaptation is inevitable, so it is positive that there is now political focus on this issue across Europe,” said Hans Bruyninckx, the agency’s executive director. “Many countries now need to turn plans into action.”
The agency surveyed 30 European countries, of which 21 nations had declared national adaptation strategies, and 13 – including the UK – had begun implementing adaptation policies.
Some broke new ground. In Roskilde, Denmark, a storm water drainage site doubles as a skate park for teenagers, while a flood protection system in Bratislava, Slovakia combines four meteorological radars, 65 automatic weather stations and portable flood protection barriers. When the Danube burst its banks in 2013, the system cut the cost of damage to Bratislava by 98%, compared to a similar flood in 2002.
Across Europe, the agency found that most adaptation work and funding has gone to water management, followed by agriculture, forestry, human health, urban planning and coastal areas.
But concrete actions are still rare, and implementation more commonly involves ‘soft’ measures such as providing information. Laws and budgetary support remain the exception rather than the rule, and activity is more likely to be found in cities and regions than at national level.
If rising sea levels, droughts, heatwaves and floods increase in severity and frequency however, as scientists expect, this picture may change. The agency’s climate indicators released last month show that the global mean sea level rose by 19cm between 1901 and 2013 at an average rate of 1.7mm a year.
Mainlanders may also find it increasingly difficult to stay dry, as heavy precipitation becomes more common across northern climes.
“The length of the wet period has significantly increased in north-eastern Europe and decreased in south-western Europe,” one indicator says. “Available studies generally point to a trend over recent decades towards more heavy precipitation, in particular in central and eastern Europe in winter.” | 1,270,207 |
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“It has always been the prime function of mythology and rite to supply the symbols that carry the human spirit forward”. This is what Joseph Campbell said, the professor of mythology whose work on comparative mythology is vast and illuminating.
India and Greece both boast ancient civilisations with deep, rich mythologies. Like many mythologies around the world, Hindu and Hellenic mythologies too share some fascinating similarities. Here are our top picks:
1. Krishna and Achilles
Both heroes of their respective mythologies, Krishna and Achilles were both killed by arrows piercing their heel — the only vulnerable part of their body.
2. Indra and Zeus
Both Indra and Zeus are the “kings” of the gods. In addition, their weapons are thunderbolts (in Indra’s case, called the Vajra). Both of them slay a sea-monster: Indra’s opponent is the serpent Vritra; Zeus fights and vanquishes Typhon.
3. Yama and Hades
Both lords of death, they preside over the netherworld. They also share other characteristics — both decide the fates of the souls that pass into their realm, and both are deeply concerned with justice.
4. Cerberus and Sharvara
The hounds of hell, Sharvara was Yama’s dog, and in Greek mythology, Cerberus is depicted accompanying Hades. They guard the gates of their respective netherworlds.
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5. Sita and Persephone
Both Sita and Persephone were abducted against their will — Sita by Ravana and Persephone by Hades. The myths also tell of both of them disappearing under the earth, albeit under dissimilar circumstances.
6. Arjuna and Achilles
Before the Kurukshetra War, Arjuna is reluctant to fight. Before the Trojan War, Achilles is reluctant to fight. Both, however, are extremely skilled warriors and heroes and do ultimately take part in war. During these wars, both lose men who they deeply loved. Following his son Abhimanyu’s death, Arjuna pledges to kill Jayadratha. Following his comrade Patroclus’s death, Achilles pledges to kill Hector.
7. Kamadeva and Cupid
The gods of love and desire, both Kamadeva (also known as Manmatha) and Cupid shoot arrows into the hearts of unsuspecting people to make them fall in love.
8. Mount Kailasha and Mount Olympus
Kailasha and Olympus are both real mountains that exist today; both are also deeply significant in their respective mythologies. Kailasha, the home of Shiva, is described as one of the pillars of the world. Similarly, Olympus is the setting of many Greek myths, and the home of the twelve Olympian gods.
Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: [email protected], or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia). | 1,270,208 |
GURUGRAM: A rap on the door followed by loud moans coming from outside woke up a 52-year-old woman in her house early on Wednesday.
It was 5am, still pitch dark, and the neighbourhood completely silent, amplifying the noise.
When she opened the door to check, she found a man and woman having sex in a car parked right outside the main gate.
The woman in the car was her 26-year-old neighbour, but she didn’t immediately recognise her and, to get their attention, asked loudly what their names were. But the two in the car just ignored the 52-year-old’s remonstrations.
When she raised her voice a second time, the younger woman allegedly threw a volley of abuses at the 52-year-old and, when she approached the car, even quipped, ‘Why don’t you join us, why don’t you have some fun too?’ The man, she alleged, grabbed her hand and tugged at her dupatta.
The woman then woke up other neighbours, who called the police. The man and the woman in the car were arrested and charged with obscenity in a public place and, later in the morning, produced before a local court, which sent the man to judicial custody and granted bail to the woman. The man, who police said was a 20-year-old Najafgarh (Delhi) resident and is at present a Class XII student, was also slapped with molestation charges under Section 354 of the IPC.
Police said both were found to be drunk at the time of arrest, and it appeared the woman had knocked on the older woman’s door, believing it was her house (the younger woman lives in the same area, in a house just behind the 52-year-old’s, according to local residents).
After that, the two had moved to the car, but the knock had woken the older woman up, who had come out to check, a police officer said.
By the time cops reached the spot, the woman’s family members had also arrived there, police said.
The young man and woman seemed dazed and were taken to the police station by women cops, a police officer said.
“It was shocking when I opened the door and found them nude and in an objectionable position,” the woman said in her police complaint. The woman abused me and the man caught hold of my hand and tried to pull me into the car.” She also said she spotted a liquor bottle, a packet of chips and playing cards in the car. ASI Rajesh Kumari, the investigating officer, said they would look examine the car.
“The two were arrested from the spot. They were produced in a city court from where the man was sent to judicial custody and woman was granted bail. The probe is on,” said sub-inspector Madan Singh, additional SHO of Civil Lines police station.
| 1,270,209 |
Texas athletics to seek regent approval of new basketball practice facility UT System Board of Regents asked to approve talks to build a 64,000 square foot facility for UT basketball Posted November 5th, 2019
A new basketball arena is coming to Austin. Still, there’s always been a lingering question: where will the Longhorns practice once Cooley Pavilion is demolished to make way for the expansion of Dell Medical School.
A plan for a new stand-alone facility is coming into focus.
Texas athletics will ask the UT System Board of Regents for approval to start working with Oak View Group to build a 64,000-square foot basketball practice facility, according to the UT regents agenda posted Tuesday.
When asked to comment, Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte said, “I’m not commenting on anything that’s going before the board of regents for approval.”
Texas has already engaged Oak View Group LLC to build a new $338-million basketball arena scheduled to open in 2022. The groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for December.
Initially, there were plans to put a practice facility underneath the new arena. But that plan was considered unworkable. Another plan called for portions of the Recreational Sports Center to be converted into a full-time practice facility.
Now, it appears a stand-alone facility will be built in an area bound by East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, the Interstate 35 frontage road, Clyde Littlefield Drive and the redesigned Robert Dedmon Drive — essentially in the same area as the new basketball arena.
It’s unclear how the practice facility would be funded. Texas Tech is close to finishing a new basketball practice facility that cost approximately $29.5 million, as a comparison. Texas’ practice facility would likely be funded by private donations, several UT sources said.
Financing for the new basketball arena is accounted for. In an innovative partnership for UT, Oak View Group has agreed to build the new basketball arena and allow UT have to have access for about 60 days per year.
The initial agreement is a 35-year pact, and UT would control the building when that term expires. The two sides still have not finalized a contract, although a school spokesman said one could be finished by the end of this year.
Most of those 60 dates would be used for UT men’s and women’s basketball games and university ceremonies like graduation. The rest of the year, Oak View Group is expected to attract concerts and other events that would typically fill arenas.
The basketball seating in the new arena is set for about 10,000. However, the full configuration for bigger events is expected to be 15,000.
A practice facility would be a place where the men’s and women’s basketball athletes could go 24 hours a day, like they can currently in Cooley Pavilion. That 44,000-square foot facility is located adjacent to the Erwin Center.
Contact Brian Davis at 512-445-3957. Email [email protected]. | 1,270,210 |
The Granite Vs. Quartz is the most debated topic you will ever come across and probably will remain one. There are some homeowners who highly prefer granite material for their kitchen or bathroom countertop while there are others who prefer quartz over granite. The base of this debate is typically about the unique properties and benefits of both the stones. Well, if you too are confused about which countertop to go for let’s look at some categories which can help you decide the best countertop material for your kitchen renovation or installation. But first let’s see what exactly granite and quartz is:
Granite is a 100% natural hard stone which is mined from quarries from around the world. It is then cut down into different shapes and sizes and which are then polished according to the specific requirements.
Quartz is not 100% natural stone and when it comes to using it as a countertop around 95% of natural quartz is mixed with 5% polymer resins and then used as kitchen or bathroom countertops.
Read below to find out the difference between granite and quartz:
Appearance: Granite is available in so many colors and patterns (rich swirls and variations) that they are like a beauty to behold. You will find a plethora of options to choose from if you are considering them for your kitchen’s or bathroom’s countertops. Whether you need something exquisite or an exceptional granite slab you will find such and much more options when it comes to using Granite For Kitchen Countertops. As granite is natural and mined as large, single slabs, no two slabs of granite are exactly the same.
Quartz stone is 100% artificial and is manufactured by mixing crushed quartz and resin or some other agent. This is what gives the customers the option of getting their preferred quartz stone customized, which makes quartz a popular countertop stone.
Maintenance: When it comes to looking after a granite slab installed in a kitchen or a bathroom: you will need to make sure that you clean the surface with mild cleaner and water. Know about the oil and acids which can permanently damage the slab. And to add to the shelf life of the slab, consider getting them re-sealed once every year.
However, while caring for quartz does include the cleaning with mild cleaner and water you don’t need to reseal them.
Durability: Granite is a durable material which is resilient to heat and other kitchen components. However, owing to its porous nature if spilled liquids are not attended to on immediate basis can stain your slab.
Quartz is more durable than granite and is almost unbreakable. Unlike granite, it is non-porous but does require some look after when placing hot pans directly on the surface.
Eco-Friendly: As Granites are a natural stone, lots of resources and energy is required to get them quarried and this is what makes them less eco-friendly when compared to its counterpart.
Well, quartz is an engineered material and when we compare it with granite, we can say that it is more eco-friendly than granite. | 1,270,211 |
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Formula E team NEXTEV TCR is considering dropping its twin-motor powertrain for season three.
The Chinese team ran Nelson Piquet Jr to the Formula E drivers' title in the championship's single-make inaugural season but its NEXTEV TCR 001 has toiled in season two.
It is believed to be the heaviest car on the grid, with each motor weighing at least 20kg, and that has severely compromised performance as the team has scored a best result of sixth across the first three races.
The final homologation of season three powertrains is not due until July 1 but crash testing must be completed by April 1, after which any changes will be limited to fine-tuning.
Team principal Steven Lu told Autosport the decision had not been made yet but would be taken before the end of 2015 so the team could test its season-three powertrain on track as soon as possible.
"Weight is one of the things we have to improve for season three," he said. "The next thing we have to work on is the efficiency.
"There are a few options for us right now, we're trying to make decisions on what to do. We've got something really innovative so we're trying to see if it works or not.
"By the end of this year we'll make a decision."
NEXTEV TCR and DS Virgin Racing were the only teams to adopt a dual-motor approach to the powertrain for season two, but Lu's team has struggled more than its Anglo-French rival.
It made progress in last weekend's Punta del Este ePrix and post-race test, with Oliver Turvey achieving its best qualifying result of the season in 10th and both drivers running in the points before hitting trouble.
That step came after a series of software updates, while in the build-up to the race engineering Gerry Hughes joined from Team Aguri with immediate effect.
Lu confirmed his focus would mainly be on season three and beyond but hoped he would be able to aid turning season two around as well.
"Right now we're just trying to make what we do here [relevant] for season three," he added.
"Gerry is looking more for season three but also to try and find solutions for the current season."
NEXTEV TCR in 2015/16
Best grid: 10th (Turvey, Punta del Este)
Best result: 6th (Turvey, Beijing)
Teams' championship: 9th (12 points)
Best-placed driver: 13th (Turvey)
After three races in 2014/15
Best grid: 2nd (Piquet, Punta del Este)
Best result: 2nd (Piquet, Punta del Este)
Teams' championship: 7th (22 points)
Best-placed driver: 5th (Piquet) | 1,270,212 |
The Canberra Raiders will take their best available squad to Bega, for Saturday’s trial match against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
The likes of Jarrod Croker, Josh Hodgson, Aidan Sezer, Josh Papalii, Elliott Whitehead, Nick Cotric and Sia Soliola will all have their first hit out for the season, while Joe Tapine will back up from his strong performance for the Maori All-Stars on Friday night.
Michael Oldfield, Joey Leilua, John Bateman and Jordan Rapana will miss the match with injury, but all players with the exception of Jordan Rapana will be available for selection in round one.
A number of the clubs’ younger players will get the opportunity to back up from Friday nights trial win against the Eels, with Corey Horsburgh, Hudson Young, Ryan Sutton, Bailey Simonsson, Seb Kris and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad all selected for the Bega trial.
Experienced players Sam Williams and Luke Bateman will also play a part on Saturday.
Raiders Coach Ricky Stuart said he was happy with the performance of the team in their first trial match and the Bega Trial would now feature a stronger squad.
“I was very pleased with how our younger players performed against Parramatta’s NRL players,” Stuart said. “The team we take to Bega will be our strongest team that we have available.”
“We will be looking to give our main squad around 60 minutes and we will be looking to field our strongest team while we’re down there.
“What I really like about our squad is that there is a lot of young players coming through pushing a couple of our senior players which is really healthy competition.”
Stuart said the Raiders were looking forward to getting amongst the community while they were in the region.
“We enjoy getting out to the country areas, we will be heading down for the whole week, we want to buy into the community, all of our training sessions will be open so we would love to see a lot of kids come out and meet the players.”
Raiders v Bulldogs
Saturday February 23, 5.00pm
Bega Recreational Ground
Luke Bateman
JJ Collins
Nick Cotric
Jarrod Croker ©
Emre Guler
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad
Seb Kris
Siliva Havili
Josh Hodgson ©
Corey Horsburgh
Royce Hunt
Dean Matterson
Jack Murchie
Josh Papalii
Tony Satini
Aidan Sezer
Bailey Simonsson
Sia Soliola
Tom Starling
Harley Smith-Shields
Ryan Sutton
Joe Tapine
Matt Timoko
Elliott Whitehead
Jack Wighton
Sam Williams
Hudson Young | 1,270,213 |
"They were covered in goo and had to hose themselves off and that makes sense now because it was probably coral tissue that was sloughing off."
Underwater heatwaves on the rise, experts say
The Federal Government's Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority concluded the bleaching in 2016 was caused by a record-breaking marine heatwave, caused by a combination of climate change and the El Nino weather cycle.
Water on the reef was more than a 1 degree Celsius warmer than the average for that time of year, and for much of it there was little cloud cover that would offer corals respite from the heat stress.
"We're anticipating more of these events as global warming continues," Professor Hughes said. "We're into a new system.
"The Great Barrier Reef of today, or certainly in 10 or 20 years' time from now, will be a very different system from the reef that we've been studying for the last 30 or 40 years."
Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick from the Climate Change Research Centre at the University of New South Wales recently published work showing underwater heatwaves have increased in both their duration and frequency over the past century, with a sudden uptick since the 1980s.
As a result, on average around the globe, there are 54 per cent more days each year that are subject to a marine heatwave.
The main areas of coral bleaching in 2016 and 2017. ( Supplied: ARC Centre for Excellence for Coral Reef Studies )
"The sorts of events that cause coral bleaching will occur more often in the future," Dr Perkins-Kirkpatrick said.
She added she was shocked by the results of Professor Hughes's paper.
"I've got to say, it's catastrophic. Seeing all the news articles and seeing it evolve, it looked catastrophic," she said.
"But there might have been a glimmer of hope that it wasn't as bad or might recover faster than we thought. But this paper made the reality very present. The bleaching will forever change the Barrier Reef."
Reef threatened with collapse
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is in the process of developing a Red List of Ecosystems, which mirrors their influential Red List of Threatened Species.
Professor Hughes said his new paper should allow the Great Barrier Reef to be assessed in that framework.
The IUCN will categorise ecosystems that are threatened with collapse as either critically endangered, endangered, or vulnerable.
Professor Hughes said the Great Barrier Reef as a whole is likely in the endangered category.
"We showed that 29 per cent of it exceeded the threshold for collapse in the north. So the data we have for the Great Barrier Reef meets those criteria," he said. "It's certainly threatened."
Dr Ward agreed.
"We're not going to lose it tomorrow, but we're at the point where if we don't make some really dramatic changes to our emissions, then we are at risk. We're at risk of having a barely recognisable reef." | 1,270,214 |
So many beer emojis.
The gloating crested over the weekend. On Saturday, once Justice Kavanaugh was a sure thing, Senator John Cornyn tweeted out the #beersforbrett hashtag, along with a picture of a glass of champagne. The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, thanked the “clowns” who protested Justice Kavanaugh’s ascension and helped unify his party. Senator Marco Rubio complained about the “angry mob” that “stormed the steps of the Supreme Court building,” while Senator Rand Paul praised the “incredible group of kind and friendly” women in pro-Kavanaugh T-shirts who showed up at his office. “What a difference from the other violent protesters we’ve seen around here.” For the record, the “clowns,” the “angry mob,” the “violent protesters,” were the women who confronted elected officials in office halls and in elevators. Many are survivors of sexual violence, the same kind that Christine Blasey Ford testified that she endured. They were trying to get the men in power to hear them and act accordingly.
Clearly, that did not happen. Emotional women, loud women, angry women get ignored. Emotional, loud, angry men get to sit on the Supreme Court. They rise ever higher, borne aloft on gusts of male laughter. The spectacle of Justice Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing reminded us that, for so many conservative men, and the women who support them, women’s suffering is still a joke.
What am I supposed to tell my daughters about all of this?
Of course, I already know. I’ve been talking to them about it for years. Be aware of your surroundings. Make sure someone knows where you are, and when to expect you back. Don’t drink too much. Don’t put your drink down. Don’t walk or run or bike the same route. Don’t stay out too late. Don’t walk alone in the dark. If a guy asks you out and you’re not interested, don’t hurt his feelings, and don’t laugh at him, because a humiliated man is an angry man, and, sometimes, angry men hurt women.
Our girls will learn to police their clothes, their words, their drinking, their behavior, their choices, because they’ve been watching, and what they’ve seen is this: If you get hurt, it’s probably your fault, and if you tell, probably no one will believe you, and even if people do, probably nothing will happen.
It’s the old Ginger Rogers chestnut: To get where men get, to be believed as men are believed, women have to do what men do, only backward, and in heels. Our behavior must be impeccable; our manner, above reproach; our back stories, pure inspiration; our histories, spotlessly clean. | 1,270,215 |
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) came out against impeaching President Trump in an interview on Monday.
“I don’t think we should go down that path, because it divides the country.” Pelosi said in an interview published Monday in the Washington Post.
“Unless there’s something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan,” Pelosi said, adding, “He’s just not worth it.”
This isn’t the first time Nancy Pelosi, who is third in the line of succession to be President, admitted Trump has committed no crimes.
TRENDING: BREAKING: Senate Finance and Homeland Security Committees Release DEVASTATING Report on Hunter Biden, Burisma and Corruption -- CROOKED BIDEN FAMILY ENRICHED THEMSELVES AND OBAMA KNEW!
But can we really believe Speaker Pelosi?
Special Counsel Robert Mueller has given no indication that he intends to release an honest report.
Mueller stacked the Special Counsel full of highly partisan and conflicted Democrats.
Mueller’s top attorney Andrew Weissmann attended Hillary Clinton’s “victory” party on election night!
We also know…
More than 100 Times the FBI, DOJ and/or Mueller Gang “Deviated from Standard Practice” or Committed Crimes in Effort to Exonerate Hillary and Indict Trump
Author and attorney Sidney Powell spoke about the much anticipated report during her interview on the Mark Levin Show on FOX News.
Sidney Powell is an expert of Department of Justice corruption and has followed the career of Democrat hatchetman Andrew Weissmann who has destroyed thousands of lives during his career as federal prosecutor only to see his cases overturned years later by superior court rulings.
Sidney Powell wrote LICENSED TO LIE: Exposing Corruption in the Department of Justice after seeing a core group of federal prosecutors break all the rules, make up crimes, hide evidence, and send innocent people to prison in the Enron case.
Sidney warned that the report, which will likely be authored by Andrew Weissmann, will destroy Trump. That is the goal and that is why Democrats are looking forward to its release.
On Monday Speaker Pelosi suggested she will not seek impeachment proceedings against President Trump.
Democrats have nothing they can pin on President Trump to impeach him.
Pelosi’s statement infuriated her unhinged colleagues.
But can we really trust Robert Mueller, or Andrew Weissman, or Speaker Pelosi?
Don’t count on it.
Pelosi’s statement was most likely a ploy to the American public to make it sound like she cannot push impeachment unless the Mueller Report includes devastating charges against President Trump and his administration.
Pelosi knows what the report is going to say.
And she is plotting to remove President Trump.
It’s all the Democrats care about.
It is the only plank of their platform that matters. | 1,270,216 |
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Iran continues to develop technologies that “could be applicable to nuclear weapons,” including ballistic missiles, at the same time it’s working to complete a deal to curb its nuclear program, the U.S. Defense Department said.
Iran has “fulfilled its obligations” under the Joint Plan of Action reached with the U.S. and five other world powers and has “paused progress” in parts of its nuclear program, according to an unclassified summary from a Pentagon assessment of Iran’s military capability.
The conclusions are similar to those in last year’s version of the annual report mandated by Congress, but the new summary took into account the nuclear talks that are heading toward a self-imposed June 30 deadline. The full report, dated in January and including classified details, was submitted last week to congressional defense committees.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters Wednesday that while he hadn’t seen the Pentagon report, the potential military dimensions of Iran’s nuclear program are “one thing we have indicated would need to be resolved” in any accord with Iran. He also said that even successful negotiations on nuclear issues wouldn’t resolve all the U.S. concerns about Iran’s actions.
“Covert activities appear to be continuing unabated” as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps remains a key tool of Iran’s foreign policy and power projection, “particularly in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain, and Yemen,” the Pentagon report found.
According to the assessment, Iran’s military doctrine is primarily defensive, intended to insulate the regime “from the consequence of Tehran’s more aggressive policies, such as use of covert action and terrorism, rather than as a means to project Iranian power.”
“The ongoing civil war in Syria and the instability in Iraq have tested, but not fundamentally altered, this posture,” it said.
Russian System
The doctrine “is designed to deter an attack, survive an initial strike, and retaliate against an aggressor to force a diplomatic solution to hostilities,” it said.
One example of improving its chances to survive an initial strike is Iran’s success in reaching an agreement to buy Russia’s air defense system, the S-300. Vladimir Kozhin, the Kremlin’s top official for the arms trade, said in an interview on Tuesday that Russia plans to start shipping the systems to Iran by next year.
Iran also continues to develop its capabilities to control the Strait of Hormuz -- the No. 1 global choke point for oil transit -- and avenues of approach in the event of a military conflict.
It’s “quietly fielding increasingly lethal weapon systems, including more advanced naval mines, small but capable submarines, armed unmanned aerial vehicles, coastal defense cruise missile batteries, attack craft, and antiship-capable missiles,” the Pentagon said.
For more on Iran, read this next: | 1,270,217 |
People who are irregular blood donors are now being told by text where their donation went as part of a new national campaign for the Australian Red Cross Blood Service.
Just 3 per cent of Australians give blood, but 25,000 donations are needed each week.
Like many people, I have often wondered where and how my blood is used once I've left the donation centre — now I know.
I recently gave blood in Ipswich, west of Brisbane, for the first time in many years.
I did not book a follow-up appointment, but one week later I got a text message saying that my blood donation was already at work, saving lives at Logan Hospital, south of Brisbane.
I must admit, it gave me a boost — I felt like I had made a difference in someone's life.
It is irregular donors like me that the blood service is trying to target in its national SMS campaign.
ABC reporter Ellie Sibson gives blood at the Ipswich donor centre. ( ABC News: Stephen Cavenagh )
Text messages help donations frequency double in NSW
People who roll up their sleeves to donate whole blood or platelets are now sent a text message, telling them which hospital their blood was used at.
Australian Red Cross Blood Service spokeswoman Jemma Falkenmire said when the campaign was trialled in New South Wales last year, donation frequency doubled.
"We were overwhelmed — we received more than 10,000 positive responses from our donors almost as soon as we implemented it, which is what motivated us to roll it out nationally," she said.
"We know that people come in to donate blood — not only to save lives but because they feel good when they do it — so that text message is really a reminder of that good feeling of what it was like to save lives."
Donor Stacey Cornford's blood was sent to Redcliffe Hospital, north of Brisbane.
"At first I looked at it and thought: 'is that for real?' And then figured that yes, it was," she said.
"It's personal and they've taken the time out to match your donation with where it is going and to let you know that as well — it's not often that you get feedback about those kinds of things."
Stacey Cornford's blood was sent to Redcliffe Hospital, north of Brisbane. ( ABC News: Ellie Sibson )
Fellow donor Karrie Brennan said her blood was used locally.
"It's gone to a hospital in Brisbane which is right near where I live — it could have been someone I knew even, which is crazy," she said.
"It makes me feel more inclined to donate as well because the blood is being used and I know it's gone somewhere special."
Blood text'made a difference'
I'd like to think I would not need a personalised reminder to make sure I booked an appointment to give blood again, but I have to say it had made a difference.
My next appointment is booked for four weeks' time. | 1,270,218 |
The homes of hundreds of East Jerusalem Palestinians are slated for destruction after a court rejected an appeal against the demolitions.
The Jerusalem District Court court upheld some of the demolitions because the houses, built in the neighborhood between Silwan and Abu Tor, are on part of what is considered a national Israeli “peace forest.” Two weeks ago the municipality tried to change the forest’s zoning so that Elad, an NGO that moves Jewish residents into Palestinian neighborhoods of East Jerusalem, would not have to destroy some of the illegal buildings it has put up there.
The houses were built without licenses, as are many buildings in East Jerusalem. Palestinians say it’s impossible for them to obtain building permits and therefore they must build illegally.
“It’s not that we didn’t want to obtain a building permit, they wouldn’t allow us to,” said Walid Shweiki, a resident. “Your family grows, you have a wife and children. Where can you go and live? On the street? You need some place.”
More than 60 buildings have gone up in what has been zoned as public space or forest.
Through the years, residents with the assistance of architects and lawyers, have tried to advance new construction and to authorize buildings that were put up without permits.
In 2008 their plan was rejected for allegedly contradicting a new zoning plan for Jerusalem. District Court Judge David Cheshin recommended examining the plan again to prevent demolitions. Former Mayor Nir Barkat had promised to advance the plan. But “in the end they told us they don’t have a majority to pass the new plan in the city council, we presented a new one, but they kept putting spokes in the wheels,” attorney Ziyad Kawar said.
The city has filed indictments in a local court against the home owners and has obtained demolition orders. But the process was delayed as three families appealed to the district court, then their appeals were rejected two weeks ago.
The court’s ruling is expected to affect some 60 buildings that are home to 500 people. But the judge wrote that despite the harsh repercussions “there are clear planning and construction laws and the High Court has ruled that whoever decides to build without appropriate permits can complain only to themselves for deciding to take the law into their own h ands.”
But while fighting against the Palestinian residents of the neighborhood, the city has advanced a plan to cancel the area’s zoning, per a request from Elad. Haaretz reported a week ago that Elad has also illegally built camping and tourism structures in the “peace forest.” Demolition orders have been issued but the city has granted a request by Elad to permit the illegal structures to remain standing.
The city says in response: “The Jerusalem Municipality sees great importance in carrying out city zoning plans, alongside law enforcement against illegal construction.” The city added that Elad’s plans did not involve construction but the development of land for leisure and sport activity. | 1,270,219 |
Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiPelosi: Trump Supreme Court pick 'threatens' Affordable Care Act Sunday shows preview: Lawmakers prepare for SCOTUS confirmation hearings before election Will Democrats attempt to pack the Supreme Court again? MORE (D-Calif.) has formally endorsed California state Rep. Christy Smith's bid to fill the seat vacated by former Rep. Katie Hill Katherine (Katie) Lauren HillObama counsels NBA players on forming a social justice committee Republicans cast Trump as best choice for women House GOP campaign chairman insists party will win back majority MORE (D-Calif.).
Smith has emerged as a leading candidate to replace Hill, who resigned in October following a House Ethics Committee investigation into allegations of inappropriate sexual relationships with staffers.
“California State Assemblywoman Christy Smith is a proven leader. We need her in Congress so that she can help advance our for the people agenda in Washington. I am proud to endorse Christy Smith because she will work to fight corruption, lower the cost of prescription drugs, fully fund public schools and build a strong middle-class economy that works for all Americans,” Pelosi said in a statement shared by Smith’s campaign.
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Smith launched her campaign for Hill’s vacated seat just one day after the lawmaker announced her resignation.
Hill flipped the seat from Republican Rep. Steve Knight Stephen (Steve) Thomas KnightThe Hill's Morning Report - Presented by The American Investment Council - Pelosi touts T bill as Fauci stresses go-slow openings The Hill's Campaign Report: A Los Angeles House seat is in play for Republicans Democrats on edge over California special election nail-biter MORE in 2018, and the March 3 special election to replace her has already drawn several GOP challengers, including Knight.
Smith has already received endorsements from several prominent Democrats, including both California senators, Dianne Feinstein Dianne Emiel FeinsteinHawley warns Schumer to steer clear of Catholic-based criticisms of Barrett Senate GOP set to vote on Trump's Supreme Court pick before election Trump taps Amy Coney Barrett for Supreme Court, setting up confirmation sprint MORE and Kamala Harris Kamala HarrisPelosi: Trump Supreme Court pick 'threatens' Affordable Care Act What Kamala Harris' VP nomination means to us Harris slams Trump's Supreme Court pick as an attempt to 'destroy the Affordable Care Act' MORE.
In the special election, a candidate who receives more than 50 percent of the vote will serve out the rest of Hill’s term, which runs through January 2021. If no candidate clears the 50 percent threshold, the top two will face off in a May runoff.
The Young Turks founder Cenk Uygur also filed last month to run for the seat. The left-leaning commentator aligns himself with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, and in 2016 endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersTrump, Biden will not shake hands at first debate due to COVID-19 Sanders tells Maher 'there will be a number of plans' to remove Trump if he loses Sirota reacts to report of harassment, doxing by Harris supporters MORE (I-Vt.) in the Democratic presidential primary. | 1,270,220 |
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The Republican-dominated Sunday morning shows got a blast of liberalism as Bernie Sanders stormed Fox News Sunday and showed the conservative Fox viewers what liberalism really looks like.
Video:
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Host Chris Wallace tried to use Sen. Sanders to attack Clinton, but the Vermont senator turned his question towards a discussion of the billionaires and Citizens United. Sanders said, “My point is it’s not just Hillary Clinton….Well, the answer is that I think that is the fight we have to wage if we are going to save the middle-class, and I do have doubts about whether Hillary Clinton or any Republican candidate out there is willing to take on the big money interest who control so much of our economy, and as a result of Citizens United, so much of our political process as well.”
Sanders added, “But what we need to do, Chris is to understand that in America if we’re going to be successful in taking on the billionaire class, we need a strong national grassroots movement, and what the Secretary will have to convince the American people is in fact based on her past record and her views today that she is in fact going to break up the major banks on Wall Street. That she is going to ask the wealthiest people in this country to start paying their fair share of taxes. That she’s going to end the abomination of major corporations making billions of dollars, stashing their money in the Cayman Islands and not paying a nickel in federal income taxes. That in fact she is prepared to deal with our disastrous trade policies.”
Host Chris Wallace tried to divide Sanders and Clinton on the TPP, but Sanders talked about how trade agreements don’t create jobs and have driven wages down, “I think we don’t need to be sending more jobs to low-wage countries. I think corporate America has got to start investing in this country, and create decent paying jobs here.”
Sanders turned around a question about Vermont dropping their idea for single payer into a discussion of the dysfunctional U.S. health care system.
Sensing that some of the common sense ideas of Sen. Sanders might be popular with their audience, Fox News Sunday tried to poison the well by inaccurately suggesting that Sanders wanted a fifteen percent cut in military spending. The Vermont senator responded by highlighting the need to eliminate excess and waste in the budget.
Fox News Sunday viewers got a dose of the real face of liberalism, which was much different from the bastardized and demonized version of the left that Roger Ailes markets to his 2 million or so viewers every day.
Fox News Sunday hosted Sen. Sanders because they are trying to create conflict and divide on the left, but they got for their efforts was a healthy dose of the populism that Republicans despise with a passion. Bernie Sanders will not be the tip of the media’s spear against Hillary Clinton, and Fox News Sunday’s plan to create divide and discord was blown to shreds by Sen. Sanders. | 1,270,221 |
re bringing Shariah with them. Someone who agreed with Miller’s assessment would do what Trump just did.
Just about any time a refugee living in the U.S. was charged, implicated, or otherwise connected to terrorism, Miller emailed his list about it.
Another Sessions press release, sent jointly with Sen. Richard Shelby, also included ominous intonations about refugees and Muslims.
“Congress must cancel the President’s blank refugee check and put Congress back in charge of the program,” Sessions and Shelby said. “We cannot allow the President to unilaterally decide how many refugees he wishes to admit, nor continue to force taxpayers to pick up the tab for the tens of billions of unpaid-for welfare and entitlement costs.”
“The omnibus would put the U.S. on a path to approve admission for hundreds of thousands of migrants from a broad range of countries with jihadists movements over the next 12 months, on top of all the other autopilot annual immigration—absent language to reduce the numbers,” the release continued.
That same statement also suggested that refugees were robbing elderly Americans of their benefits.
“Refugees are entitled to access all major welfare programs, and they can also draw benefits directly from the Medicare and Social Security disability and retirement trust funds—taking those funds straight from the pockets of American retirees who paid into these troubled funds all of their lives,” Sessions and Shelby said.
Now that Trump is president, those numbers are getting reduced—and fast.
Another foreboding subject line from Miller showed up in reporters’ inboxes on Nov. 20, 2015: “ICYMI: Each 5 years, U.S issuing more new green cards to migrants from Muslim nations the population of Washington, D.C.”
Sessions also took to the Senate floor to argue that Muslim immigrants are uniquely dangerous. On Nov. 19, 2015, the Alabaman said the following about Muslims:
“It is an unpleasant but unavoidable fact that bringing in a large unassimilated flow of migrants from the Muslim world creates the conditions possible for radicalization and extremism to take hold.”
In the speech, Sessions argued that the U.S. should set up safe zones in Syria where refugees could settle—instead of allowing any of them into the United States. Miller emailed reporters as Sessions spoke to highlight his argument. Now it’s Trump’s position.
At Breitbart, Julia Hahn covered Sessions’ speech in an article headlined “AFGHANISTAN MIGRATION SURGING INTO AMERICA; 99% SUPPORT SHARIA LAW.” News broke earlier this week that Hahn got a job in the White House as an assistant to Trump and senior advisor Stephen Bannon.
And on and on and on, for hundreds of emails, without even a whisper of flip-flopping.
Trump’s crack-down on Muslims and refugees shouldn’t surprise anyone. He’s just taking his advisors’ advice. | 1,270,222 |
Written by JUSTIN WINGERTER on Jan 3, 2019. Posted in Latest news
University of Oklahoma meteorologist Kelvin Droegemeier has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be President Donald Trump’s top science adviser.
The Senate used a voice vote — an expedited process for uncontroversial nominees — to approve Droegemeier on Wednesday night, the final night of the current Congress.
Droegemeier was nominated Aug. 1 to be director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Trump has worked without a formal science adviser during the first two years of his presidency.
It will not be Droegemeier’s first time advising a government executive. He was named Gov. Mary Fallin’s secretary of science and technology in March 2017.
He also served for 12 years on the National Science Board under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
In August, Droegemeier stepped down as vice president for research at the University of Oklahoma to prepare for the Senate confirmation process.
Later that month, he faced a confirmation hearing in the Senate Commerce Committee, where he defended scientific freedom.
“I welcome all points of view…science rarely provides immutable answers about anything,” Droegemeier said in response to a question about climate change.
“I think science is the loser when we tend to vilify and marginalize other voices,” he later added, “and I think we have to have everyone at the table talking about these things and let science take us where it takes us.”
Droegemeier had the support of Oklahoma’s senators throughout the confirmation process. Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma City Republican, said on Twitter Thursday that “Dr. Droegemeier is a highly qualified scientist and researcher, and I am confident he will serve our nation well.”
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, a Tulsa Republican, also congratulated Droegemeier on Twitter, calling him a good friend. Sen. Jim Inhofe, another Tulsa Republican, said the OU professor is the right person for the job.
“The president requires the most well-qualified advisers and Dr. Droegemeier provides the experience and ability necessary to get the job done right,” Inhofe said in a statement.
An expert on extreme weather, Droegemeier has an undergraduate degree in meteorology from OU, along with a master’s degree and a doctorate in atmospheric science from the University of Illinois.
He will be the first meteorologist to serve as a president’s science adviser; all others have been physicists.
Between 1999 and 2001, Droegemeier wrote a daily weather column for The Oklahoman.
Read more at News OK
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could change entirely if they win out and beat Stanford along the way on Nov. 3. Washington is No. 11 in strength of record, and can still boost its case if Oregon, Colorado and Stanford all stay ranked.
What's missing: Just about everything else. Schedule. Big wins. Heisman candidate. Strength of record. Offensive and defensive efficiency. Scoring margin. While the Huskies' 35-7 win over independent BYU was impressive, they are missing the nonconference win against a Power 5 opponent because of the loss to Auburn. Of the past 16 semifinalists, 2014 Ohio State (vs. Virginia Tech) was the only team to lose its nonconference game against a Power 5 opponent. The committee will consider how far away Washington had to travel, and the loss was only by five points, but as far as what we've seen from the committee in past years, Washington's résumé doesn't stack up right now. Washington is also outside of the top 15 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, and No. 11 in SOR and No. 33 in scoring margin (17 PPG).
9. Michigan Wolverines
Chance to make the playoff: 8.1 percent
Chance to win the title: 1.1 percent
Trends in their favor: Michigan is No. 11 in defensive efficiency, and we saw that strength in its win against Northwestern.
What's missing: A head coach who has previously won a conference title. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is 1-5 against Michigan State and Ohio State and hasn't won the division yet. The Wolverines also don't have anyone currently in the Heisman debate. Michigan is also missing wins over ranked opponents, as it lost the chance for one in the season opener against Notre Dame. The Wolverines have a three-game stretch beginning Oct. 13 -- against No. 16 Wisconsin, No. 20 Michigan State and No. 11 Penn State -- that will define their season.
The others
It's a common theme here -- and also to be expected, considering we're entering only Week 6 -- that some of the best teams in the country are still in need of résumé-boosting wins. There are ample opportunities, especially in the Big 12, Big Ten and SEC. Two more teams that were just on the verge of making the list were LSU and West Virginia, which both have a 6.4 percent chance to make the playoff but only a 0.6 percent chance to win it all.
WVU coach Dana Holgorsen knows how difficult it is.
"Every kid is going to say two things: They're going to say they want to go to the CFP, and they want to win a national championship," he said. "I'm like, 'Well, that's all good, but you've got to get to the Big 12 championship game first.' I like goals that you can achieve as opposed to just the ultimate one. That's everybody's ultimate goal, but it's very, very unrealistic to about 98 percent of the teams out there."
Which is why we're already down to nine. | 1,270,224 |
Although his immediate focus is squarely on Thursday's semi-final with France, Spain forward Suso is already dreaming of a final encounter against England.
Spain reached the finals with a 100% record in the elite round, Suso – otherwise known as Jesús Joaquín Fernández – featuring in every game and scoring in the 2-1 victory against Armenia. The Liverpool FC striker has also been ever-present in Estonia and believes La Rojita's progress through Group A has come thanks to a strong team bond.
"We have a great side and are good team-mates," the 18-year-old told UEFA.com. "We played three difficult matches here, beating Greece and Estonia and drawing with Portugal, who were very good and quite similar to us."
Although eager to take the chance to immerse himself back into a Spanish environment every time he joins up with his country, Suso feels his decision to leave his home city of Cadiz to join Rafael Benítez at Liverpool in 2010 was one of his best.
"Before I made the choice to move to England I thought to myself that joining Liverpool and Benítez was a once in a lifetime opportunity," he said. "I felt that if I kept improving throughout my career I would have the opportunity to play for a big Spanish team but the Liverpool offer might have never come around again. Going to play football in another country and learning English was something I wanted to do and I am glad I did; I love England."
Still awaiting his first-team chance on Merseyside, Suso is hoping his performances at this year's finals will catch the eye of new manager Brendan Rogers who took over from Kenny Dalglish last month. "I hope I get some minutes and a chance to show what I can do," he said. "I am really happy at the club and I want to stay."
A more pressing matter for Suso is the semi-final against France at the Lilleküla Stadium in Tallinn on Thursday and the attacking midfielder was impressed with Pierre Mankowski's side when the teams met in a friendly in Paris last February.
"We played against them and won 2-1 in the winter; they are one of the best teams I have seen," he said. "I didn't expect them to lose against England the other day but it happened and now they will face us in the semi-finals. We will need to do what we do best which is to play the ball around the pitch. Hopefully by doing that we can win."
While the primary aim is ensuring Spain reach the final, Suso will have one eye on the semi-final between Greece and England and will be keeping his fingers crossed that some familiar faces also make it through to Sunday's showpiece.
"I know most of England's players but especially Conor Coady and Jack Robinson, who are with me at Liverpool," he explained. "It would be strange to see them on the opposing side in the final but it's an experience that would also be very enjoyable for all concerned." | 1,270,225 |
Jeffrey Morrow
My daily life as a downtown business person would be made more pleasant if I didn’t have to constantly deal with Dumpster divers and their trashy behaviors, their needles, their nasty feces, their rude, f-bomb laden insolence. I could use some help on this issue.
It is permissible for Dumpster diving to be illegal in Redding. Federal and state laws allow municipalities to make that decision. Other California municipalities have made Dumpster diving illegal. Cities the world over have cultivated a reputation for cleanliness by focusing attention on trashy behaviors. Redding could move in this direction simply by making Dumpster diving a crime.
A Google search on prohibiting Dumpster diving provides the necessary language for an ordinance "prohibiting anyone, except authorized employees of a city (Redding ) to rummage into, pick up, collect, move or otherwise interfere with articles or materials placed in a Dumpster or on... any public street for collection."
More:Redding's no-trespassing law to take effect in July
The rules of evidence for issuing a trash citation could be as simple as the ordinance. A picture of a diver diving could be sufficient for issuing a citation. Police need not witness the crime to issue a citation. The witness need not confront the diver. The witness could photograph the act, call the police, and then patiently wait for an officer to arrive.
Imagine this scenario. Let’s say I come across a diver in my Dumpster enclosure. I know this problem diver to be a drug addict based on the orange caps and needles he leaves. I want this diver to leave my area, to leave my town. I quietly take his picture, move away, and call the police. Of course, the police don’t come right away. This is a very low priority issue. So I wait or quietly follow the diver should he leave, calling dispatch to let them know where I am and where the diver is.
After about 45 minutes, the police come. With the picture as evidence, the officer confronts the diver with the evidence, and issues a citation. What follows is a court date, which is likely missed, and ultimately a failure to appear arrest warrant. Next time the diver comes in contact with the law, an officer can arrest the diver. Searching for weapons, chances are good that something illegal could be discovered. Now we’re getting somewhere. If that druggie diver could sit in jail a few days, his addiction would come into play. Without drugs, a short stay in jail would be quite unpleasant.
Bottom line, Redding would become far less desirable for individuals with druggie, trashy behaviors.
Redding could do something about trashy behaviors. Will we? Is Redding a town of whiners or is Redding a town that takes steps toward a cleaner, more tourist friendly future? A social scientist would offer the hypothesis that Redding will not take moves to combat trashy behavior, and welcome proof otherwise.
Jeffrey Morrow lives in Redding. | 1,270,226 |
If you were one of the many X-Men fans that found 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse to be subpar, it sounds like the folks in charge of the franchise have heard your cries, and the upcoming X-Men: Dark Phoenix will apparently be vastly different from its predecessor.
Evan Peters, who portrayed Quicksilver in both X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse, is set to return to the franchise with Dark Phoenix. During an interview with Collider, he explained that, this time around, things feel a lot different, and the vibe is closer to First Class than any of the other X-Men installments:
“I think it’s the classic X-Men: First Class tone, where there’s a bit of humor thrown in there, but it’s much darker than the previous one, Apocalypse. Apocalypse was the ‘80s, so there was a lot of room for goofy stuff in there. This one is a much more serious film about the internal struggle of Phoenix and Jean, so it’s a dramatic film. There’s nothing very comedic about it, other than the few moments that are in there. I think it’s gonna be a powerful one. It’s Dark Phoenix. I think it’s gonna be darker than we’re used to. It’s gonna be a change, but it’s gonna be fun for everybody.”
According to Peters, this shift tone can be attributed to director Simon Kinberg, who has spent years producing the X-Men franchise.
“Awesome! It was incredible. He was very prepared and he knew what he was doing. He’s surrounded himself with a great team that’s been there for years. Everybody knows each other. It was a great environment for him to step forward. He knows the characters and story better than anyone because he wrote it. I think it was easy for him and it was very calm. It’s always been a fun experience, but it was also a calm experience, this time around, which was a relief. I’m sure there was a lot of pressure on him, but he’s such a nice guy and so cool. You didn’t see him being stressed or nervous, at all, on set, so it was very cool.”
Considering the delays and production troubles surrounding the film, I remain cautiously optimistic about the latest tale featuring the X-Men. Kinberg has said in the past that this project is incredibly important to him, given the butchering of the Dark Phoenix Saga storyline in X-Men: The Last Stand. Maybe Fox and Kinberg just want to take their time to make sure they get every story beat of the iconic X-Men comic narrative right. For me, take all the time you need… just don’t make Last Stand again… please…
After a delay in post-production, X-Men: Dark Phoenix is now set to hit theaters on February 14, 2019. | 1,270,227 |
The leadership campaign has now merged with pop culture (Picture: BBC)
The battle for the Conservative leadership has reached outer space, thanks to a viral twitter thread.
It comes as the race for Number 10 hots up with candidates vying for support before two days of hustings begin this evening, allowing the prospective Prime Minsters to be grilled by MPs.
But before the first votes are cast on Thursday Doctor Who fan David Lewis injected a bit of pop culture into the race.
Pairing up each current candidate with a monster from the sci-fi series, Mr Lewis wrote ‘a thread I’m knocking up in two seconds because why not.’
The magnificent thread will test your knowledge of Doctor Who monsters, and maybe even how well you’ve kept track of the contest to become the next Prime Minister.
Sajid Javid as an Alpha Centauran
Tory leadership candidates as Doctor Who monsters – a thread I’m knocking up in two seconds because why not pic.twitter.com/Z34M1W89d1 — David Lewis (@davidclewis) June 10, 2019
A one-eyed alien from classic Doctor Who gets paired up with the current Home Secretary.
Dominic Raab as a Silence
Former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab is matched up with the Silence, eerie monsters whose presence is forgotten the second you look away from them.
Boris Johnson as the Judoon
Former Foreign Secretary and current front-runner for the leadership Boris Johnson is given the Judoon, a race of mercenary rhino-like soldiers.
Rory Stewart as Dalek Sec
The Secretary of State for International Development gets matched with the unique Dalek Sec, a former killing machine who learns empathy after merging with a human.
Matt Hancock as a Weeping Angel
The Weeping Angels, a race of aliens who appear to be made of stone until you look away, are matched up with Health Secretary
Mark Harper as a Osirian service robot
After launching his leadership bid formally today, the former Chief Whip is paired with another vintage monster, a robot disguised as a mummy.
Andrea Leadsom as a Pting
Ms Leadsom also officially launched her leadership bid today and was given the Pting, small adorable creatures who excrete poison.
Jeremy Hunt as a Slitheen
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt gets matched with the slitheen, a criminal race who disguise themselves using the skins of their victims.
Esther McVey as a Cyberman
Former Secretary of State for work and pensions Esther McVey gets paired with one of the Cybermen, emotionless space-warriors who frequently invade the earth.
Michael Gove as Abzorbaloff
The Environment Secretary is given one of the less flattering comparisons with Abzorbaloff, an alien who absorbed victims into his body.
The thread was well appreciated on Twitter, gaining hundreds of retweets and well over 1,000 likes. | 1,270,228 |
Yup, there's an S in longboards… Martin got very nostalgic after Wille got his, having been a skateboarder back in the days when they were all the rage the first time around (many, MANY moons ago). So he wished for one as a 51st birthday present from his mom. Mom complied as moms do and suddenly there were two and my old system didn't work any more.
Martin and I discussed what to do and because we both agree that they are not nasty to look at at all we wouldn't hide then away but rather display them.
Said and done, hooks were bought, 2x4s cut and we were on our way. Martin soon abandoned the project in favor of a fancy regatta party in Finland but I soldiered on because I now had two boards on the floor in the hallway. No sense in hanging one when I'm tripping over the other so I might as well trip over both, right?
Anyway, for one board I needed two pieces of wood, one with the hooks for the front wheels and one to support the back wheels so they won't touch the wall behind. The width of the wood was determined by the space in between the wheels of Wille's board as his were more narrow than Martin's and I wanted both hangers to look the same and be the same size.
Here's a nifty little hand tool by the way. It countersinks screws. Of course you can do this with a big drill bit over a narrow hole but if you just need a couple sunk it's much more convenient than changing bits back and forth. I wanted these screws sunken because I wanted a nice finish after filling and sanding.
So, here are the for basic pieces drilled and ready. I painted a coat with a color which is very similar to the wall color in the hallway as I wanted the construction to be as invisible as possible. It's not 100% the same though so to make sure I wouldn't accidentally get this paint on the wall when trying to get the wood covered it was a good idea to put a base coat on and do touch ups when on the wall.
Here's how the top bit was assembled. I screwed in the long screws into the wall first. Those screws were then hidden by the hooks that were screwed in on top.
The bottom bit was them screwed into the wall, the countersunk holes filled and sanded and the paint touched up.
This is what this simple construction looks like without the boards. It doesn't make much sense empty…
… but once the board are up it's functional and I think it looks pretty neat. Wille and Martin both love it and so do I, I must admit. Better than expected.
I was a little worried that I might be bothered that the fronts of the boards are not super clean hanging there but actually I'm totally ok with it and since the wheels don't ever touch the wall I'm a happy roomie to my two skateboarders. | 1,270,229 |
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has brushed off claims of racism over his plan to resettle "persecuted" white South African farmers in Australia.
Key points: Peter Dutton said white farmers in South Africa facing "horrific circumstances" deserved special attention from Australia
Peter Dutton said white farmers in South Africa facing "horrific circumstances" deserved special attention from Australia The comments drew criticism from political opponents and the South African Government demanded an apology
The comments drew criticism from political opponents and the South African Government demanded an apology Home Affairs Minister says he is pushing ahead with ways to help with humanitarian visas
Mr Dutton faced fierce backlash after he argued the farmers needed "special attention" because of increased violence towards them.
His comments also sparked a diplomatic row with the South African Government, which demanded an apology and strongly refuted claims of "torture and abuse".
Mr Dutton has told 2GB despite the criticism, he is pushing ahead with ways to help the farmers come to Australia under humanitarian visas.
"All the criticism over the last week has meant nothing to me," he said.
"We're looking at ways we can help people to migrate to Australia if they find themselves in that situation. We've been inundated with messages of support and references for particular cases.
"I'm completely blind as to somebody's skin colour, it makes no difference to me.
"It concerns me that people are being persecuted at the moment, that's the reality — the number of people dying or being savagely attacked in South Africa is a reality".
A day after Mr Dutton publicly revealed the plans, Canberra's High Commissioner in South Africa was hauled in for a diplomatic ticking off.
Greens leader Richard Di Natale also labelled the Minister "racist" and argued the resettlement would amount to a return to the White Australia policy.
Sorry, this video has expired 'The bloke is a racist' Richard Di Natale slams Peter Dutton
Mr Dutton said he was unfazed by the commentary.
"There's lots of outrage from some of the crazy lefties at the ABC, The Guardian and The Huffington Post can express concern and draw mean cartoons about me and all the rest of it — they don't realise how completely dead they are to me," he said.
"That's the reality; if people think I'm going to cower or take a backwards step because of the nonsense fabricated fake news criticism, then they've got another thing coming."
In response to the plan, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Australia's humanitarian visa program was non-discriminatory.
A number of Mr Dutton's colleagues threw their support behind the push.
Mr Dutton said regardless of skin colour, the farmers needed Australia's help.
"I'm bringing people to our country solely based on what's in our national interest, what's in our national security interest," he said.
"I want people who can settle here, I don't want people coming here as criminals — if they commit crimes here they are out." | 1,270,230 |
WASHINGTON - Russia is seeking to boost its power in Europe and grip over Ukraine with the proposed Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline, the top U.S. energy diplomat said on Monday, in a step-up of Washington's rhetoric against the pipeline.
"Through Nord Stream 2, Russia seeks to increase its leverage of the West while severing Ukraine from Europe," Francis Fannon, the U.S. assistant secretary for energy resources at the State Department, told reporters in a teleconference.
The pipeline has been opposed both by President Donald Trump, a Republican, and his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama as a political tool for Russia to consolidate power over Europe.
Much of the gas that Europe currently gets from Russia via pipeline goes through Ukraine, which collects billions of dollars in transit charges making up to 3 percent of its gross domestic product.
If Nord Stream 2, which aims to bring Russian gas to Western Europe via the Baltic Sea, and TurkStream, a pipeline to bring gas from Russia to Turkey, are completed it would mean transit revenues would evaporate, "It's kind of just what's left over that would be transited, potentially transited, through Ukraine," Fannon said. "Even then that's only based on whether we can trust (Russia President Vladimir) Putin, I don't think the record should indicate anyone should."
Putin has said that Nord Stream 2, a consortium of Russia's state-controlled Gazprom and five European companies, is purely economic and not directed against other countries. Russian gas could continue to go through Ukraine if the pipeline is completed, Putin has said.
But Russia has stopped shipments of gas to Ukraine in winter in recent years over a series of pricing disputes. Critics of Nord Stream 2 say it could increase Russia's ability to manipulate European energy markets. In an increase in tensions, Russia last month seized three Ukrainian naval ships off the coast of Russia-annexed Crimea in the Sea of Azov after opening fire on them.
FILE - Steel pipes for the North Stream 2 pipeline FILE - Steel pipes for the North Stream 2 pipeline are stacked in Mukran harbor in Sassnitz, Germany, May 8, 2017. FILE - Steel pipes for the North Stream 2 pipeline are stacked in Mukran harbor in Sassnitz, Germany, May 8, 2017.
Germany's foreign minister, Heiko Maas, said this month that Berlin will not withdraw its political support for Nord Stream 2 and that German Chancellor Angela Merkel had secured a pledge from Putin in August allowing gas shipments across Ukraine's territory.
Fannon made his comments after traveling to Eastern Europe to discuss projects that could offer Europe a more diverse natural gas supply. Those included a floating liquefied natural gas terminal on the Adriatic island of Krk that could one day receive gas imports from the United States, which is increasing its exports of the fuel, or the eastern Mediterranean.
Fannon said he expected Russia's aggression in the Sea of Azov to boost support for several bills in the U.S. Congress that include new sanctions on Russia's energy sector, though he refrained from commenting on any particular legislation. | 1,270,231 |
overriding issue, though, seems to be that the electrical utility industry just isn’t buying what the president is selling, in part because its leaders assume that future presidents won’t share his head-in-the-sand attitude toward climate change but mainly because burning coal to generate electricity makes less and less economic sense amid a fracking boom that has kept natural gas cheap and technological progress that has driven down the cost of wind and solar. In short, promising a coal revival was a shortsighted, ill-informed and unrealistic thing for the president to do.
These promises do seem to have helped create and sustain a couple thousand coal mining jobs for a couple of years, which is something. Now, though, those jobs are likely to begin disappearing just as the president ramps up his reelection campaign. This should be a warning to anyone who ever banks on what Trump says, such as the stock market investors who bid up prices every time the White House says something hopeful about trade negotiations with China. It probably won’t have major consequences in the 2020 election, though, given that the three states with the most coal miners — West Virginia, Kentucky and Wyoming — don’t have a lot of electoral votes and are highly unlikely to flip to the Democrat under any circumstances.
Pennsylvania, the state with the fourth-most coal miners, is a more interesting case, in that it’s big, it’s a swing state and it’s an epicenter of the natural gas fracking boom, with three times as many people now working in oil and gas extraction as in coal mining.(1) Democratic contenders Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have both said they would move to ban fracking, with Warren pledging last month that she would do so on her first day as president. A fracking ban could help coal miners, at least temporarily, but would be a disaster for natural gas drillers and for the gigantic new Royal Dutch Shell plastics plant under construction near Pittsburgh, and would probably mean higher electricity prices for everybody. It’s also something that neither Sanders nor Warren may be able to deliver. Donald Trump does not have a monopoly on unfulfillable campaign promises. So what’s a Pennsylvania fossil-fuels worker to think?
(1) That's according to the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, and includes support activities for oil and gas extraction and coal mining as well as the extraction and mining themselves.
To contact the author of this story: Justin Fox at [email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Sarah Green Carmichael at [email protected]
This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.
Justin Fox is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering business. He was the editorial director of Harvard Business Review and wrote for Time, Fortune and American Banker. He is the author of “The Myth of the Rational Market.”
For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion
©2019 Bloomberg L.P. | 1,270,232 |
In today's life, our smartphones and tablets are not only used to call and text, but for many other ordinary things like playing games, playing music and videos and more. Even we can make notes on-the-go with the brilliant note-taking Android apps on our Android gadgets.The note-taking apps are really useful and innovative.And following just check out my favorite Android note-taking apps.1. Evernote Rated high to 4.7,Evernote is without doubt the king of note taking apps. It has everything you need for note taking – picture capture, voice reminders, to-do lists, search, and much more.You may like its special feature which isits ability to sync with all of your devices and make all of your notes searchable.Besides, the app also includes an automated transcription service which turns speech into text.And you can share notes with friends and colleagues by Email or Facebook or Twitter.2. Microsoft OneNote If you want to take note on Android just like PC, then pick up Microsoft OneNote, which uses a classic way to help you do the job.You can manage up to 500 notes on your Android device. All notes sync with Microsoft’s cloud service, SkyDrive. What OneNote offers that the others don’t is the ability to create Microsoft Office charts and diagrams.To edit the files, open Office Web Apps on your phone browser and you can change text, create tables, make slides and many other functions that Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint has all in one program.3. SpringPad Worked as both a note-taking app and bookmarking app,SpringPad is really amazing.You can do all of the normal note taking things, plus add collaborators to your notes, and make your notes look absolutely stunning. You can clip an article, snap a photo, record a voice memo or save a nearby place through the app, which then shows you “the right information at the right time.”The most important part of the app is it can gather contact from the web and aggregate and embedded it into your personal notes.4. Google Keep For a simple app for taking notes and making to-do lists on-the-go, get Keep.Users can type out notes, take photos, make lists, and record voice notes in a colorful, neat, easy UI. Like Evernote, Keep also transcribes voice notes into text for you. All notes sync back to your Google Drive account so that you can view them on your PC.5. Any.DO With an alarm reminder,Any.Do is a reminder (to-do) comes note taking app.You can pin your notes/to-do on your home screen,set the alarm to ring only once or you can set it to recurring. Any.Do allows you to use the speak feature as well if you do not want to type.Besides,you can arranged your notes according to dates or you can store it in folders. When you don’t need the notes or you have completed all the tasks, you can delete all the completed note and task by shaking your phone. | 1,270,233 |
Some neighbourhood liquor stores across Alberta will be converted into cannabis dispensaries when one of the country's largest medical marijuana producers buys a stake in the business.
"We're looking to convert a number of the existing liquor stores in the West to cannabis-only stores," said Cam Battley, chief corporate officer for Aurora Cannabis.
"There won't be a co-location of cannabis and alcohol. In fact, we're going to have stand alone cannabis stores."
On Monday, Edmonton-based Aurora announced it will acquire a minority share of Liquor Stores N.A, an Alberta-based chain that operates 231 retail liquor stores across North America, with dozens of outlets in Alberta and B.C.
The capital from the $103.5-million deal will be used to refurbish existing liquor stores to meet the demands of a new consumer — the legal cannabis buyer.
'We're looking into our crystal ball'
"They will look different," Battley said of the soon-to-be retrofitted storefronts. "The products are quite different, so we have to take into account the tastes and the preferences of cannabis consumers of the future.
"We're looking into our crystal ball and trying to figure out what the right layout and the right design of the store will be."
Liquor Stores N.A, a publicly listed company, has 178 locations in Alberta, 34 in British Columbia, and a presence in Alaska, Connecticut, New Jersey and Kentucky.
In Alberta, the company operates primarily under the brand names Liquor Depot and Wine and Beyond.
'We're going to be ready'
The chain has a vast retail footprint in Alberta, one of the few provinces that will allow private retailers to sell recreational cannabis when it is legalized in Canada this summer.
Aurora is building a 800,000-square-foot medical marijuana facility south of Edmonton. As part of its retail operation, the company will focus on training liquor store staff in different cannabis products and strains soon to be made available on the legal market.
Liquor Stores N.A will focus on day-to-day operations of the new cannabis outlets, he said.
As legalization looms, the partnership is a huge growth opportunity for both businesses, said Battley.
"This is something that we've been looking at for some time," said Battley, who noted that the deal had been in negotiations for several weeks. "They understand the retail space, and that's what we were looking for.
"What you see here is two strong Alberta companies coming together to build what the future will look like."
The companies have not said exactly how many stores will be retrofitted and have not clarified their timeline for construction.
Battley said he expects there will be legal hurdles as the companies navigate through new federal regulations, laws and bylaws.
"We're going to be ready for day one of commercial legalization," he said. "We want to make sure that there will be no wait time and we will be able to enter that market immediately." | 1,270,234 |
As it has done every 90 days since the law was first passed, the Obama administration asked the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to renew a key provision of the PATRIOT Act — Section 215 — which allows for the bulk collection of Americans’ phone records.
That provision, among others, is set to expire June 1 — a deadline that has been looming large as Congress has tried, and so far failed, to pass new legislation that would maintain some form of those surveillance powers. In the absence of any new legislation, those powers will simply lapse.
Intelligence officials say that the loss of these surveillance capabilities would put national security at risk since the data collected — the who, when, and where of phone calls, but not the content — is key to ferreting out terrorist plots.
The USA Freedom Act was one attempt to reform the NSA program before the deadline. That bill would have ended the bulk phone records collection and would have required a court order to get records from private phone companies. The bill was sponsored by Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont and did manage to attract some Republican support. In the end, however, it garnered only 58 of the needed 60 votes to pass the Senate in November.
And the clock continues to tick, pressure is mounting on lawmakers to agree on a solution or face losing the programs altogether, an option with little support within the government. Civil liberties and privacy advocates may be calling for the programs’ expiration, but the White House and most lawmakers want to preserve some form of the surveillance powers they established.
“Congress has a limited window before the June 1 sunset to enact legislation that would implement the president’s proposed path forward for the telephone metadata program, while preserving key intelligence authorities,” said White House press secretary Josh Earnest in a statement on Friday. “The administration continues to stand ready to work with the Congress on such legislation and would welcome the opportunity to do so.”
The Obama administration did enact some mild reforms of the NSA programs on its own. Under new regulations, the National Security Agency “will require a written statement of facts showing that a query is reasonably likely to return foreign intelligence information,” according to a report released in early February.
However, further reform — and the very existence of the program at all — requires legislation from a notoriously unproductive Congress. Though privacy advocates have pointed out that if the White House really wanted to put an end to practices they are trying to change they could simply stop applying for the 90-day renewals, the Obama administration has not chosen that option, insisting parts of the program are too important to lose.
“[T]he Administration welcomes the opportunity to work with the new Congress to implement the changes the President has called for. Given that legislation has not yet been enacted, and given the importance of maintaining the capabilities of the telephony metadata program, the government has sought a reauthorization of the existing program, as modified by the changes the President directed in January,” read a joint statement posted on the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s Tumblr page. | 1,270,235 |
One commuter recounted to WTOP his experience Tuesday, when a shuttle bus driver that was supposed to go toward the Pentagon ended up at the Anacostia Metro station.
The Metro shutdown impacting six Yellow and Blue Line stations south of Reagan National Airport until Sept. 8 is still testing patience and extending commute times for many riders.
Randy Lilleston usually takes the Metro from the Huntington station to Gallery Place. On Tuesday, which marked the start of the workweek impact, Lilleston arrived at the station and waited for his shuttle. He eventually boarded but said after a few blocks, things started to go downhill.
“The bus driver turned around and said, ‘I’m not sure how to get to the Pentagon. Can someone give me directions?'” Lilleston said, recounting the commute.
He said a sense of doom and audible moans swept through the bus as the unexpected drive through the District, Maryland and Virginia began.
“She turned up Telegraph Road and headed toward I-95, and people were trying to give her directions, but then she took the wrong on-ramp and started heading on 95 North toward Baltimore,” he said.
Eventually, Lilleston said riders began to yell for her to get off but they ended up on the other side of the Anacostia River. “Considering it was a packed bus and it could’ve been an ugly situation, people were mostly calm about it,” Lilleston added.
Commuters eventually got off the shuttle, but not at the Pentagon station. Instead, they were left at the Anacostia Metro station.
It worked out for Lilleston; he was closer to work, but that wasn’t the case for many other riders on the bus or those who were stuck in traffic along I-395, or left standing in long lines at other stations.
“I think Metro has gotten significantly better … but this was pretty bad, I think kind of embarrassing,” Lilleston said.
NBC Washington’s Adam Tuss told WTOP that many of the shuttle bus drivers are contractors from other states who are unfamiliar with the routes.
Metro has since responded to the day of mishaps, acknowledging some drivers were not on their intended routes, saying, “There have been some operational issues that will generally be smoothed out during this first week … we will continue to make adjustments where needed, including additional buses, staff and resources.”
Full WTOP track work guide: Summer 2019 Blue and Yellow Line shutdown
Metro is also encouraging riders to consider travel alternatives.
Overall, Lilleston said he will make it work until Metro gets it right. “You know, I get why this has to be done, and I’m basically going to build this into my life.”
WTOP’s Jennifer Ortiz contributed to this report.
Editor’s note: Randy Lilleston is the husband of WTOP reporter Kristi King. | 1,270,236 |
It is almost clichéd to criticise Peter Dutton. The man is a moral void. His actions as a minister have debased this parliament. He is a cartoon of overreach and indifference, the proud jailer of innocent refugees.
It is a grotesque spectacle that this man now seeks to interfere in the education of children, that he is willing to use children to start a sly war over nationalistic values.
In his first major speech as minister for Home Affairs, a position that should never have been created and much less given to him, Dutton argued that children should “talk more about our story, about our history and our core values”.
He wants children to pledge their allegiance to Australia, a process that dresses up its jingoism as a kind of inclusion. “In my view,” he says, “there is a place for the pledge in a broader rejuvenated civics effort with school-aged children, regardless of their background.”
As minister for immigration, Dutton is directly responsible for the children imprisoned on Nauru. He has failed them. He has ignored credible reports of rape, ignored self-harm. He has divided families to see if they will break. For political gain, he has stolen childhoods. These are years and lives that will never be got back.
This is the man who now seeks to dragoon schoolchildren into his culture war, who claims the capacity to teach values. He cannot be trusted with this.
Against all advice, Malcolm Turnbull created a super ministry for Dutton. This is the tenuousness of his leadership. The prime minister would sooner disfigure this country’s security agencies than risk his hold on power.
Dutton lives in a fantasy of control. He wants facial scans and the rote learning of identity. Like most demagogues, he operates without an intellectual frame. His only guide is his own shamelessness.
In criticising the country’s judiciary, he disgraces the traditions of our democracy. In torturing refugees – and it is torture – he turns this country in from the world. His borders are a kind of cage, to keep out reality.
Dutton has militarised once-open bureaucracies. He now threatens the independence of our spy agencies. He has the brute simplicity of the Queensland cop he never stopped being.
The Australia Dutton hopes for is a horrific one – a fantasy place without private reflection or independent thought, a place of constant surveillance and enforced values. His fetish is for a uniformed dystopia.
This may seem hyperbolic. But the horrors of the Nauru files would seem hyperbolic if they were not also true. The misery of those documents, the beatings and rapes and deprivations, should see anyone responsible drummed from the parliament and the damage done by them righted and righted urgently.
In the Australia of Turnbull’s cowardice, however, those same documents are a brief for promotion. We live in the paradox of a man without morals seeking to teach them. | 1,270,237 |
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
Like graffiti sprayed by an unknown artist, unexplained arc-shaped, reddish streaks are visible on the surface of Saturn’s icy moon Tethys in new enhanced-color images from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft.
The red arcs are narrow, curved lines on the moon’s surface and are among the most unusual color features on Saturn’s moons to be revealed by Cassini’s cameras.
Images taken using clear, green, infrared, and ultraviolet spectral filters were combined to create the enhanced-color views, which highlight subtle color differences across the icy moon’s surface at wavelengths not visible to human eyes.
A few of the red arcs can be seen faintly in observations made earlier in the Cassini mission, which has been in orbit at Saturn since 2004. But the color images for this observation, obtained in April 2015, are the first to show large northern areas of Tethys under the illumination and viewing conditions necessary to see the arcs clearly. As the Saturn system moved into its northern hemisphere summer over the past few years, northern latitudes have become increasingly well illuminated. As a result, the arcs have become clearly visible for the first time.
“The red arcs really popped out when we saw the new images,” said Paul Schenk of the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston. “It’s surprising how extensive these features are.”
The origin of the features and their reddish color is a mystery to Cassini scientists. Possibilities being studied include ideas that the reddish material is exposed ice with chemical impurities, or the result of outgassing from inside Tethys. They could also be associated with features like fractures that are below the resolution of the available images.
Except for a few small craters on Saturn’s moon Dione, reddish-tinted features are rare on other moons of Saturn. Many reddish features do occur, however, on the geologically young surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa.
“The red arcs must be geologically young because they cut across older features like impact craters, but we don’t know their age in years,” said Paul Helfenstein from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, who helped plan the observations. “If the stain is only a thin colored veneer on the icy soil, exposure to the space environment at Tethys’ surface might erase them on relatively short time scales.”
The Cassini team is currently planning follow-up observations of the features at higher resolution later this year.
“After 11 years in orbit, Cassini continues to make surprising discoveries,” said Linda Spilker from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. “We are planning an even closer look at one of the Tethys red arcs in November to see if we can tease out the source and composition of these unusual markings.”
| 1,270,238 |
Charlton Athletic appeared to be drawn twice in the draw for the first round of this season's EFL Cup after a technical error occurred during the ceremony in Bangkok.
According to on-screen graphics displayed during the draw, the Addicks were handed both a home tie with Cheltenham Town and an away trip to Exeter City.
The draw was streamed live by the EFL on Facebook but, due to an audio problem, viewers were left to rely on on-screen graphics to learn who each team had drawn.
The graphics then erroneously showed Charlton playing in two ties, with the gaffe causing significant confusion among those watching from home.
Shaun Harvey, the EFL chief executive, compounded the error by reading Charlton's name twice when re-capping the draw.
In actual fact, Oxford United were the team drawn to play Cheltenham, while Charlton will only travel to Exeter.
To add to the confusion, a separate graphical error during the re-cap of the draw swapped Forest Green Rovers and Yeovil Town.
Forest Green appeared to be drawn away to Wolverhampton Wanderers, when the newly-promoted League Two club were in fact handed a trip to MK Dons.
There were inaccuracies – as a result of human error – in the live graphics output... EF statement
Graphics also claimed AFC Wimbledon and Swindon would play each other, despite both being unseeded teams.
In a statement the EFL said: “The EFL would like to apologise for a number of third party technical issues that affected the coverage of this afternoon’s Carabao Cup Round One draw in Bangkok.
“There were inaccuracies – as a result of human error – in the live graphics output that resulted in confusion and incorrect ties being displayed on screen.
“In addition, some users did experience difficulties in accessing the stream on certain external platforms. Both issues are currently under investigation.
“The EFL can confirm that the draw was not compromised in any way and all Clubs have received confirmation of the Round One ties.”
The draw was held in Bangkok to promote a new commercial partnership with Thai energy drink company Carabao, the competition's new title sponsors.
This was not the first time that one of the competition's rounds has been drawn abroad. Donald Trump, now President of the United States, famously drew the 1991 fifth round from Trump Tower in New York City.
EFL Carabao Cup round one draw
South Section: Birmingham v Crawley, Exeter v Charlton, QPR v Northampton, Southend v Newport, Bristol City v Plymouth, Cardiff v Portsmouth, Millwall v Stevenage, Oxford v Cheltenham, AFC Wimbledon v Brentford, Norwich v Swindon, Bristol Rovers v Cambridge, Peterborough v Barnet, Wycombe v Fulham, Colchester v Aston Villa, Wolves v Yeovil, Reading v Gillingham, Forest Green v MK Dons, Luton v Ipswich | 1,270,239 |
The National Indian Education Association awards the William Demmert Cultural Freedom Award to Ke Kula ‘O Nāwahīokalani‘ōpu‘u immersion school.
A K-12 Hawaiian language laboratory of the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo is the recipient of one of the highest awards given by the National Indian Education Association (NIEA). The school, run by UH Hilo Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘elikōlani College of Hawaiian Language, is being recognized for its work in Hawaiian medium-immersion education in Hawaiʻi.
Ke Kula ‘O Nāwahīokalani‘ōpu‘u will be awarded the William Demmert Cultural Freedom Award in October 2018 in Hartford, CT. The award is an NIEA board-nominated award that recognizes an organization for its success and the positive impact it has on native student academic achievement.
“From humble beginnings and through the tenacious commitment of its leadership, teachers and families, Ke Kula ‘O Nāwahīokalani‘ōpu‘u has been a trailblazer in the advancement of Hawaiian medium education,” says Keiki Kawaiʻaeʻa, director of Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘elikōlani College of Hawaiian Language. “William Demmert was a strong advocate of language revitalization programs, which makes this prestigious recognition a special honor.”
Ke Kula ‘O Nāwahīokalani‘ōpu‘u is a laboratory school of UH Hilo and an extension of the Pūnana Leo language preschools, contributing to the P-20 mauli ola education system. Established in 1999, the school is located in Kea‘au, Hawai‘i Island, and operates as both a charter and state school within a single K-12 campus.
“Nāwahī is a model for indigenous language and academic success with over 85 percent of its students continuing on to higher education,” explains Kauanoe Kamanā, faculty at Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani and director of Ke Kula ‘O Nāwahīokalani‘ōpu‘u. “Nāwahī is designed for families, teachers and staff who have chosen to speak Hawaiian as the first and main language of the home, and also for those who are in the process of establishing Hawaiian as the dominant language of the home. Academics and global learning are developed and applied through economic, social and cultural interaction with the broader world.”
–Media release
Oct. 18, 2018: This post was revised to correct the name of the award to the William Demmert Cultural Freedom Award. | 1,270,240 |
ALMA, Ark. (KFSM) — Thousands of people who live in federally subsidized housing, or HUD housing, are facing threats of eviction as the partial government shutd...
ALMA, Ark. (KFSM) — Thousands of people who live in federally subsidized housing, or HUD housing, are facing threats of eviction as the partial government shutdown continues.
Property Manager Annette Cowen of the Linenwood Apartments in Alma sent out a warning letter to tenants saying if they can't make up the difference in rent, they can't stay.
Tenants received this letter on their doors late Friday night.
It states that due to the shutdown of the Federal Government your rental assistance portion of your rent is not being paid. Until the government opens again, you are responsible for all of your rent by January 20th or you could be evicted.
Cowen says she's not kicking anyone out right now and understands their situation.
"I can not provide rent for them," said Cowen. "The only way my company makes money is the management that we receive from the managing each apartment."
Cowen says it's a trickling down effect.
"If the people can't pay their rent, I can't pay bills...if I don't get paid I can't pay my people," said Cowen. "I have to close doors and go home."
Tenants at Linenwood Apartments said they're scared that they will be put out on the street.
One tenant, who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, said she has to now come up with $300-$400 dollars and isn't sure she can figure out her finances in time.
"It's right after Christmas, everybody spent after Christmas, it's the winter utilities are high so the electric is high...we all have our own bills," she said. "We don't have it or we wouldn't be living here. If we didn't need assistance we wouldn't be living here."
Cowen says she is willing to hold off evicting tenants until February 9, but that is the latest she can afford to go.
"Personally I have to close my doors also I cannot pay my people who work for me. I cannot make payments on the vehicles that my people have to travel complex to complex," said Cowen. "I cannot pay the insurance and neither can the insurance on the complexes by paid. It's just a dominoing effect that is happening, the government workers and the TSA people in the airports. It's happening to all over the people in the state of Arkansas."
The anonymous tenant says she hopes and prays the government will open back up soon because she is running out of options.
"I don't have anything else to do. I don't have a truck, we don't have any family to move in with here," she said. "I have a daughter but she lives here. We personally could live in our cars but what's gonna happen to our furniture...so I guess we will just wait and see." | 1,270,241 |
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August 12, 1968 was a summer day like any other in the northern theatre. When suddenly, two Syrian Air Force MiG-17 jets penetrated Israeli airspace, but instead of commencing combat protocol as expected, the two jets landed in the abandoned Betzet runway. It did not take long for a large group of civilians to arrive and gather around the jets. Two enemy jets landing in an abandoned runway, isn't an everyday sight...
Following an investigation, it became clear that the pilots were in the midst of a navigation flight in Syrian skies based on outdated maps from 1945. They entered Lebanon and instead of flying north and landing in Tripoli, Lebanon, the two turned to the south and landed in Betzet. Until after the land, the pilots were certain that they had landed on a Lebanese runway.
Archive Photo
Both pilots, Lt. Walid Adham and Second Lt. Radfan Rifai were taken captive and released two years later as a part of a prisoner exchange, while their aircraft remained in the IAF's hands. This was the first time that West block was able to acquire this type of aircraft, which at the time served in Syrian, Egyptian, Iraqi and other Arab Air Forces.
The jets were transported to Ramat-David AFB and underwent a series of tests and a special ground team tested their technical aspects. The aircraft's aerial abilities were tested by Col. Danny Shapira, who was then the IAF's leading test pilot and a young pilot, the late Lt. Col. Ehud Hankin, in order to discover its secrets.
Col. Danny Shapira wrote: "I heard great praise of the MiG-17's excellent maneuverability and aerial combat abilities from our fighter pilots, so there was a fierce desire to discover its secrets". "The MiG-17 is not the epitome of elegance or refined design. But its repulsive figure on the ground conceals its true advantages: the MiG-17, in the hands of a skilled pilot, could be a true bird of prey in the air".
Archive Photo
On October 21, 1968, two months after the jets landed in Israel, the test flights began. "Lt. Col. Hankin and I flew in both jets, one against the other and against other aircraft as well. We tested the MiG-17's reactions when chased and chasing. And surely, the jet had amazing maneuverability. The controls were very efficient up to 400 knots and between 200 and 350 knots, the speed in which tight 'dog-fights' are conducted in, we found that it had amazing stabilized turning abilities".
"Nevertheless, it also had its weaknesses. In speeds over 400 knots the controls became very stiff to operate. We also found that when flying at a speed of 600 knots, full throttle, it would drop its right wing and you had to invest a lot of effort with both hands in order to divert the stick and exit this dangerous situation. It had another prominent disadvantage: the engines rear afterburner was especially gluttonous and emptied the aircraft's tank in a very short time". | 1,270,243 |
worth careful examination of the role that fatigue, pressure, and stress played in Smith and Warner’s decision-making. Greg Chappell has stated that he was in no fit state to be captain when he made the ill-fated decision to ask his younger brother Trevor to bowl the infamous underarm delivery against New Zealand in 1981. Every Australian captain since then has had moments where the demands of their role reduced the quality of their judgment. Given their actions, one has to conclude that Smith was in a similar position during this last Test match.
We always joke that the captaincy of the Australian cricket team is at least the second-most important job in the country, but for many it’s number one. The captains have little formal leadership training, and are just expected to do the job. Easier said than done. At the same time they have to maintain their own high levels of performance, which demands a huge commitment of physical and mental energy.
Yes I know what you are all saying. These guys get paid millions of dollars to shoulder the responsibility. But no amount of payment or sponsorship will endow players with superhuman physical and mental powers. They remain as human as the rest of us.
Smith, in particular, has gone from being probably the most popular sportsperson in the country (Australian of the Year, according to one newspaper), to being a figure of ridicule and contempt. I would argue that neither extreme is appropriate. Smith is a decent man putting his all into a difficult job. In a desperate attempt to turn around a Test match that was slipping away, he suffered a serious lapse in judgment with disastrous consequences for himself and the game of cricket in this country.
We must try to learn from this, and ensure that future captains are given more support and not put in situations where their judgment can be so clouded. The players should be playing less cricket, and breaks away from the game need to be included in the schedules of all senior players. Perhaps it is time to consider complete separation of the Test and ODI/T20 teams.
The culture of win-at-all costs needs to change. As part of that, the Australian public need to accept that defeat does not mean the players are not giving it their all. The public and media are all too happy to pile on the pressure and expectation, and then call for heads to roll when its effects take their toll.
I worry about these young men and how they will handle the enforced break. Hopefully they will take the opportunity to broaden their life experiences and equip themselves for the pressures they will be under if they return to the Australian Test team. And I hope they do return. They are not bad people. They just made a very bad decision in a very stressful situation.
For now, they are having the book thrown at them, and rightly so. But when the catharsis is done, it’s time to take a look at the pressure we put these people under and understand how to create a better environment in the future.
Peter Brukner was Team Doctor of the Australian cricket team from 2012-17. | 1,270,244 |
Officials are increasingly getting sick worldwide with COVID-19. The first to start this dangerous new trend was Iranian Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi the head of Iran’s coronavirus task force who revealed Tuesday he tested positive for the illness just one day after appearing visibly sick in a press conference organized to dispel the idea that Iran had been lying about the scale of the outbreak.
Presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg canceled plans for two fundraisers scheduled for Wednesday evening at private residences in Palm Beach and Wellington citing an unspecified illness.
Hadi Khosroshahi, former Iranian ambassador in the Vatican was reported dead today.
Italy is in the midst of a coronavirus outbreak with 14 deaths and over 500 reported cases and towns in lockdown in Northern Italy, the governor of Lombardy, the main region at the center of Italy’s coronavirus outbreak, Attilio Fontana, has placed himself in quarantine yesterday after one of his staff was reported to have contracted the novel coronavirus.
Incredibly, Pope Francis decided on Wednesday to kiss heads and touch faces with crowds in St Peter’s Square in solidarity with those suffering from coronavirus despite warnings from his close advisers to not do so. In the evening, Pope Francis was pictured by the media already coughing and blowing his nose repeatedly during Ash Wednesday Mass, in what seemed a similar episode to that involving Iranian Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi before he was hospitalized. Today, Pope Francis has been forced to cancel a planned Mass in Rome with another clergy after suffering what has been described as a “slight illness” by Vatican officials.
Pope’s idiotic stunt with the crowds in St Peter’s Squarewas not a good idea as he has lost part of one lung as a young man because of respiratory illness, and might risk death if he has COVID-19. Bergoglio has had a busy schedule lately that might have also helped him to contract the novel coronavirus, including his public general audience yesterday, and the Ash Wednesday service later in the day in a Roman basilica.
If Pope Francis has COVID-19 it will indeed destabilize the Vatican and symbolize the messianic nature of this virus underlined a few weeks ago by noted messianic era expert, scholar, and international speaker Rabbi Mendel Kessin who spoke of the spiritual significance of the coronavirus, linked with the advancement of the messianic era.
Imagine if Pope Francis suddenly dies leaving Ratzinger in charge. It would be seen by most traditionalist Catholics as a sign of God’s will to save the Church from the anti-Christian ways of the Argentinian Pope.
This article first appeared at LeoZagami.com.
Greg, Savanah, and Leo Zagami discuss the current global events such as the Harvey Weinstein case, coronavirus, pedophile elites, and how it could all be connected.
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today! | 1,270,245 |
Eric Longenhagen is publishing brief, informal notes from his looks at the prospects of the Arizona Fall League and, for the moment, the Fall Instructional League. Find all editions here.
Braves 2B Travis Demeritte has looked tremendous at second base this fall. Not only has he made several acrobatic plays but he’s handled some bad hops and sucked up errant throws on steal attempts as well. While his hands remain somewhat rough, Demeritte’s range and athleticism have forced me to reckon with the idea of plus-plus defense at second base — as well as to remember if I’ve ever put a 7 on a second baseman’s glove before. I don’t think I have, and I suppose it’s worth asking if such a thing even exists, as one might wonder why a 70 or 80 glove at second base couldn’t play shortstop in some capacity. I think the right concoction of skills (chiefly, great range and actions but a poor arm) can churn out a plus-plus defender there. I’d cite Ian Kinsler, Brandon Phillips and Dustin Pedroia, and Chase Utley as examples from the last eight or 10 years. It’d be aggressive to put a future 7 on Demeritte’s glove right now because his hands and arm accuracy are too inconsistent, but those are things that could be polished up with time.
Tigers RHP Spencer Turnbull was up to 94 and mixed in five different pitches last night. Nothing was plus and Turnbull doesn’t have especially good command but I liked how he and Brewers C Jake Nottingham sequenced hitters and how to and that Turnbull was willing to pitch backwards and give hitters different looks each at-bat. He and Rays RHP Brent Honeywell have the deepest repertoires I’ve seen so far in Fall League.
Giants righty Chris Stratton sat 89-92 last night with an average mid-80s slider that is good enough to miss bats if he locates it, and last night he did. I think the changeup is average, as well, while Stratton’s curveball is a tick below but a useful change of pace early in counts. He looks like a back-end starter.
Quite a few defenders got to air it out last night. Here are some grades I put on guys’ arms:
Dawel Lugo, 3B, ARI: 6
Miguel Andujar, 3B, NYY: 6
Pat Valaika, INF, COL: 5
Gavin Cecchini, INF, NYM: 45
Christin Stewart, OF, DET: 4
Angels CF Michael Hermosillo, who was committed to Illinois to play running back before signing with Anaheim after the 2013 draft, displayed tremendous range in center field last night. He looks erratic at the plate but he hit well at Burlington and Inland Empire this year and is an obvious late-bloomer follow as a two-sport prospect from a cold weather state. | 1,270,246 |
How we learned that Stripe alone was costing us customers
Like most of the tech world, we love Stripe for processing payments. The API? Great. The integration? Painless. Unfortunately, we discovered that going with an all-Stripe solution was costing Blurity customers.
People just wanted to fix their blurry photos — and pay us money! — but we were turning them away. Unknowingly.
We first got the inkling that something was amiss when we looked at the map of Blurity customers. Although there were many international customers — mostly in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia — there were some big names missing. Germany, in particular.
We could see that many Germans were finding the Blurity web site and trying the Blurity demo, but nobody from that large, prosperous, technologically advanced country was buying. We chalked it up to a language difference, and wrote off as a fluke the fact that we had many customers from Spain.
The problem escalated when German users started emailing to ask about possibly paying with PayPal. Were they simply reluctant to use their credit cards? Did they have an aversion to buying anything on the internet except via PayPal, perhaps reinforced by too much time on eBay?
No. The real reason: they didn’t have credit cards.
Unlike people in the United States, where seemingly everybody has at least one credit card or Visa/MasterCard-branded debit card, that is not the case throughout the rest of the world. It turns out that credit card penetration is remarkably low in some surprisingly large countries. For example, according to payments company Adyen, only 26% of Germans have credit cards.
Users from those countries were practically begging to buy Blurity, and because Blurity supported only Stripe, they were getting the door slammed in their faces. That’s not good business.
After getting a dozen such emails, we decided that something needed to be done, and that something was PayPal. Though it’s clunky, expensive (1% higher for international with PayPal versus Stripe), and sometimes irritating, PayPal does have one, huge, colossal advantage: you can use it to take just about any form of payment, from just about anywhere. Also, its name recognition is hard to beat.
So, begrudgingly, we opened a PayPal account and spent 10 minutes adding a “buy with PayPal” button on a child page of the main Blurity purchase page. It went live on September 20th, and the results were amazing. Since we added the option to pay with PayPal, 26% of the purchases have been made using PayPal.
It’s hard to say how many of those users would have purchased anyway using Stripe, but based on their email addresses, IP addresses, and the prevalence of credit cards in their associated countries, my wild guess is that somewhere around half would have been lost sales without PayPal.
Though it seems to be popular in tech circles to hate PayPal, it has its place. For us, that place is alongside Stripe. | 1,270,247 |
Paradise PD is the irreverent, raunchy comedy from the makers of Comedy Central's 'Brickleberry.' It follows Kevin Crawford (David Herman), a young man trying to follow his father's footsteps on the Paradise City Police Force, despite having shot his father's balls off as a child the first time Kevin handled a gun. Kevin reports directly to his father, Chief Randall Crawford (Tom Kenny), the police chief with anger issues who needs to take testosterone patches because of the aforementioned accident.
Season 2 of the show is set to release on March 6 and we'll be updating the page with trailers, news, and any information you need to know in the lead-up to the series.
Release Date
'Paradise PD' Season 2 releases on March 6
Plot
'Paradise PD' is rather a continuity light, as a comedy show, but the overarching plot saw Kevin trying to gain the respect of his father as a police officer, while the Paradise Police Department attempts to find out where a new product known as 'Arygle Meth' is coming from.
Cast
Tom Kenny
Tom Kenny attends New York Comic Con 2019 - Day 4 Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on October 06, 2019, in New York City (Getty)
Tom Kenny voices Chief Randall Crawford of the Paradise Police Department. Tom Kenny is most famous for his role as the voice of Spongebob Squarepants, another irreverent comedy, albeit one aimed at a much, much younger target audience.
David Herman
David Herman attends Bob's Burgers x Shake Shack Pop Up during Comic-Con International 2018 at Shake Shack on July 20, 2018, in San Diego, California (Getty)
David Herman voices Kevin Crawford, Chief Randall's son, who is trying to make a name for himself on the police force. David Herman also voices several characters on the popular 'Bob's Burgers' animated series, as well as lending his voice acting talents to 'American Dad' and 'Disenchantment.'
Sarah Chalke
Actress Sarah Chalke attends the 2018 Vulture Festival Los Angeles at The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on November 17, 2018, in Los Angeles, California (Getty)
Sarah Chalke voices Gina Jabowki, a gun-loving, trigger happy cop with an overzealous approach to fighting crime and apprehending suspects. She's most known for her role on 'Scrubs' as Eliot Reid but has more recently starred in 'Rick & Morty' as Beth Smith.
The show also features Kyle Kinane, Grey Griffin, and Cedric Yarbrough.
Trailer
There is no trailer for the upcoming season, but Netflix has released a short clip featuring Lance Reddick as Agent Clappers.
If you liked this, you'll love these:
Brickleberry
South Park
Rick & Morty
American Dad
Family Guy
If you have an entertainment scoop or a story for us, please reach out to us on (323) 421-7515 | 1,270,248 |
Credit: Dartmouth College Library
BASIC creators John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz.
The mainframe isn't the only technology hitting the ripe old age of 50 this year. On May 1st, the BASIC programming language, first developed by Dartmouth College Professors Thomas Kurtz and John Kemeny, celebrates 50 years.
At the time, computers were highly serial. You loaded punch cards and waited your turn to run the application. That was known as batch processing. As computers matured from vacuum tubes to silicon semiconductors, they became more powerful and gained the ability to run multiple programs at once.
Kemeny wanted a language that would allow people to write their own programs and execute at the same time. Kemeny and a programming student both ran a program at the same time written in Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code, and both got their responses back. BASIC was born.
BASIC lived up to its name and was fairly straightforward, making it much easier to program than writing in assembler language or punch cards. It would start on minicomputers like the DEC PDP line. It would be released on the growing number of personal computers in the 1970s.
RELATED: The mainframe turns 50, or why the IBM System/360 launch was the dawn of enterprise IT
When the Altair 8800 came out, there were actually two BASIC compilers for it, both inspired by the minicomputer version of the language: Tiny BASIC, a simple version of the language, and Altair BASIC, written by a company called Micro-Soft. You may have heard of them.
Radio Shack's TRS-80, Apple Computer's Apple II, and Commodore's PET 2001 all came with BASIC built into the firmware, and IBM would release a BASIC interpreter for its Personal Computer as well. BASIC would eventually be overshadowed in significance with developers by C and later C++, but it remained a popular first language for many programmers to grasp the concepts of programming.
Microsoft would return to its roots, breathing new life into BASIC in 1991 with the release of Visual Basic, which helped developers write Windows-based BASIC apps that were actually compiled, not just interpreted. Thanks to the power of the VB compiler, it found favor as more than just a teaching tool, and commercial apps were soon being developed with VB. Granted, many if not most were freeware/shareware, but it was more than anyone expected out of BASIC.
BASIC is still alive and kicking. Wikipedia lists 33 different compilers, plus there is True BASIC, the direct successor to Dartmouth BASIC from a company co-owned by Kurtz. There are even a few in the iOS App Store. It doesn't look a thing like the AppleSoft BASIC I was learning 30 years ago, but that's why it survives; BASIC adapted and grew.
Dartmouth will be holding a series of events to mark the anniversary on the campus, but they will also be broadcast on the Internet. | 1,270,249 |
セキュリティ企業のパロアルトネットワークスは4月20日、国内の大手製造やハイテク企業を対象にした5つの標的型攻撃が行われたと発表した。国内企業への攻撃に特化した新たなマルウェアが使われていたという。
同社によると、攻撃は「DragonOK」と呼ばれる中国の攻撃者とみられる集団が1月から3月にかけて実行した。訃報を知らせるメールを企業に送り付け、WordやExcelファイルに見せかけた不正な添付ファイルを開かせる手口でマルウェアに感染させる。マルウェアは攻撃者の命令を受信してコンピュータの権限を奪い、ユーザーがキーボードなどで入力した情報や画面、ファイルなどのデータを盗み出す。
DragonOKは、これまでも国内企業を標的にサイバー攻撃を実行してきたとみられ、2014年9月には履歴書に偽装したファイルをメールに添付して送り付ける攻撃手法が報告されている。
パロアルトネットワークスによれば、今回は国内企業を攻撃するために開発されたとみられる「FormerFirstRAT」が用いられ、今後も同様の攻撃が行われるだろうと注意を呼び掛けている。
Copyright © ITmedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved. | 1,270,250 |
, made a phone call to Rounds in early December to discuss the sensitive nature of the decision politically, Krabbenhoft was ready to declare victory.
"People should not be surprised if the Vikings decide that South Dakota is a good place to spend the next four years," he said. "I'm as optimistic as I've ever been about this."
Reality takes hold
That optimism started to wane as the Vikings continued to delay an announcement, especially since Sioux Falls needed to start construction as soon as possible at Howard Wood Field.
Krabbenhoft called it "unsettling" when McCombs said the decision wouldn't be made until after that 2003 NFL season, which could have stretched into January. The Twin Cities media focused on the stadium issue and downplayed the South Dakota bid, with veteran sports columnist Sid Hartman saying that such a radical training camp move would "never happen."
As it turned out, he was right. McCombs placed a phone call to Krabbenhoft on Jan. 12 and informed him that the Vikings would sign a four-deal to stay in Mankato, with the understanding that the longtime training camp site would make facility and operational improvements.
"I'm really sorry to make this phone call," he told Krabbenhoft. "You guys gave us a plan and vision that we know you would deliver on, but there are other forces at work here that came into play."
If the Vikings hadn't been in the market for a new stadium, which will finally be unveiled in 2016, who knows what would have happened? The concept of Vikings fans flooding into Sioux Falls from all over the Upper Midwest for three weeks each summer is a tantalizing vision, but that's all it is.
Current Vikings owner Zygi Wilf briefly considered Sioux Falls again in 2006 after relations with Mankato went sour, but the stadium issue loomed large and training camp stayed in Minnesota.
"We won the bid but lost the politics," said Krabbenhoft after the 2003 effort fell short. "When in the order of things did that become the right way to go?"
Soon, disappointment was replaced by the realization that a new era had dawned. With public-private partnerships, rising health care and banking industries and NCAA Division I plans already in place, this was no longer a rural state relegated to the background.
Corporate and taxpayer support for sports facilities and events became the norm, with Sioux Falls luring the Summit League basketball tournament to set a trend of NCAA basketball and other sports coming to the Premier Center and Sanford Pentagon.
Sioux Falls didn't stagger the NFL world by securing a training camp, but we impressed ourselves with how close we actually came.
"As a community, we learned a lot," says Krabbenhoft. "In a weird way, I'm thankful to the Vikings for giving us that chance."
Argus Leader Media city columnist Stu Whitney can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @stuwhitney | 1,270,251 |
New consortium to develop advanced water splitting materials for hydrogen production
(Nanowerk News) The U.S. Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has formed a new consortium with five other national labs intended to accelerate the development of commercially viable pathways for hydrogen production from renewable energy sources. The consortium, named HydroGEN Advanced Water Splitting Materials Consortium (HydroGEN), also includes Sandia National Laboratories, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Savannah River National Laboratory.
HydroGEN is being funded by the Energy Department's Fuel Cell Technologies Office in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) at approximately $10 million per year (subject to appropriations) including investments in national lab capabilities and funding opportunities for the general public.
Currently, the Energy Department funds research to develop low-carbon hydrogen production pathways including advanced electrolysis, photoelectrochemical hydrogen production, and solar thermochemical hydrogen production. By establishing HydroGEN, the department intends to accelerate the development of these pathways by enhancing the accessibility of national lab resources to external stakeholders and establishing robust online portals to capture and share the results of non-proprietary research. The consortium's newly launched website details mechanisms for external stakeholders to leverage HydroGEN's capabilities.
Dr. Huyen N. Dinh, from NREL's Chemistry and Nanoscience Center, will be the director for HydroGEN.
"HydroGEN brings together capabilities that can only be found in the national lab system and makes them easily available to material developers in academia and industry," Dinh said. "Our research strategy integrates computational tools and modeling, material synthesis, process and manufacturing scale-up, characterization, system integration, data management, and analysis to accelerate advanced water splitting material development."
In February, the Energy Department announced the launch of the Energy Materials Network (EMN), an initiative crafted to give U.S. entrepreneurs and manufacturers a competitive edge in the global race for clean energy. EMN focuses on tackling one of the major barriers to widespread commercialization of clean energy technologies-namely the design, testing, and production of advanced materials. By strengthening and facilitating industry access to the unique scientific and technical advanced materials innovation resources available at the Energy Department's national labs, the network will help industry bring these materials to market more quickly.
As part of the EMN, the HydroGEN consortium will provide industry and academia the expertise and capabilities to more quickly develop, characterize, and deploy high-performance, low-cost advanced water-splitting materials for lower cost hydrogen production.
HydroGEN will address advanced water splitting materials challenges by:
Making novel national lab capabilities, expertise, techniques, and equipment relevant to advanced water-splitting materials research more accessible to external stakeholders, including researchers in industry, academia, and other laboratories Establishing robust online data portals that capture and share the results of non-proprietary research Facilitating collaboration between researchers working on the three water-splitting pathways and addressing common materials challenges and resource needs, such as high-throughput synthesis techniques and auxiliary component design. | 1,270,252 |
Bikes vs. Cars; screenshot from Bikes vs. Cars trailer courtesy WG Film
The battle between bikes and cars comes to the big screen
This Friday, July 31, acclaimed Swedish Director Fredrik Gertten's new documentary Bikes vs. Cars will be screened at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema.
The film travels around the world to look at how different bike metropolises work and what cycling activists are doing to try to improve cycling int heir city. The film features such cities as Mumbai, Sao Paulo, Copenhagen, Bogota, Toronto (and many more!); specifically focusing on Toronto's cycling situation during Rob Ford's time as Mayor of the city. The film will give Torontonians the rare chance to see how Toronto compares to other cities when it comes to cycling infrastructure.
In the documentarey, we meet many bike advocates including Aline (pictured above) at Sao Paulo’s Ciclofaxia, the weekly Sunday ride where one lane of Paulista Avenue is devoted to bikes. The Italian-born activist remains positive and motivated as she loses close friends to the carnage on the roads.
Apart from just looking at cycling infrastructure in different cities around globe, Bikes vs. Cars also looks at several other issues surrounding the struggle between drivers and cyclists; including the auto industry, increasing number of vehicles on the road and ultimately the environmental impact on our earth.
Bikes vs. Cars was recently honoured with a Green Award special mention at Warsaw’s Docs Against Gravity Film Festival.
The film will be screened at The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema from July 31 to August 6. Bike valet will be provided by Cycle Toronto and valet stubs will get cyclists discounts at the cinema's concession, so be sure to bring your bike! Tickets for the screenings can be purchased online at www.bloorcinema.com.
Director Fredrik Gertten will participate in Q&As on July 31 and August 1 and 2.
“It’s not a war per se, even if the title implies it, but more a David and Goliath story,” Gertten says of Bikes vs. Cars. “Road rage and poor city planning creates daily death amongst bicyclists. And they demand safe lanes. It’s an uneven fight. Activists and politicians that work for change are facing a multi-billion dollar car, oil and construction industry that use all their means to keep society car dependent. But the bicycle is an amazing tool for change. It’s a growing movement, which I’ve now seen around the world – a project of passion.”
For more information about Bikes vs. Cars visit the film's www.bikes-vs-cars.com.
Check out the film's trailer www.vimeo.com
Related on the dandyBLOG:
SERIES: Exiting Toronto by bike – Western Waterfront Route
Bike Lanes on Bloor
Banking on Bike Share: TD CEO likes bikes | 1,270,253 |
#1 Set up a compost bin in your kitchen. Kitchen scraps are a goldmine for composting. Vegetables and plant-based scraps like banana peels, eggshells, tea bags, old bread offer a great source of nutrients. You can either pile up the compost in your outdoors or hand it over to municipal compost centers.
#2 Be mindful while grocery shopping. Buy products like cereals, rice, grains, beans, granolas in bulk. This way you reduce the consumption of disposable containers and plastic packaging required in single-servings. Additionally, fewer trips to the grocery store will help you cut down fuel consumption and save money.
Take your own reusable containers, like mason jars, to store loose items. Keep in mind the purpose of the jar and bring a suitable size accordingly.
Also, carry a reusable bag when heading out. You might be tempted to opt for disposable plastic bags, however, remember that there are simply too many disposable bags to recycle.
#3 Eat sustainably healthy food. As a matter of fact, food production contributes approximately 30% of the total greenhouse emissions and uses about 70% of freshwater. Eating mindfully by adopting sustainable eating habits will not only protect your body but also the planet.
Cutting down on meat and having plant-based meals are two crucial elements of eating sustainably. Read this guide on how to follow a sustainable diet and live an ethically healthy life.
#4 Replace paper towels and napkins with cloth towels. As opposed to plastic, paper is biodegradable; however, the fossil fuels involved in its production and transportation are not completely environment-friendly. Use reusable dish towels in your kitchen. They are washable and cost-saving compared to the disposable versions.
#5 Eat the uneaten. Did you know 40% of all the food goes to waste in the U.S.? Let’s change this habit and learn to love our leftovers. Scour the magical world of internet and you will find a gazillion leftover recipes on it. From potatoes to turkeys and seafood – leftover lovers can get their hands on every recipe right here.
#6 Switch to green kitchenware. There’s an entire world of reusable kitchenware made from bamboo and other eco-friendly alternatives out there. Of course, it requires a bit more on your part as you need to regularly clean the utensils since they are non-disposable. But, on the brighter side, you get to contribute your bit in saving the planet in a convenient and fashionable manner.
#7 Turn your grease to green. Do not dispose of leftover oil down the drain. Instead, donate it for recycling into biodiesel.
Yes, you heard that right! When combined with alcohol, vegetable oil and animal fat can be converted into biodiesel (an eco-friendly substitute for petroleum).
Inquire at the local restaurants near you if they participate in this kind of recycling program. There are several waste management initiatives and government aids that support leftover cooking oil recycling. Get rid of the grease and save nature! | 1,270,254 |
t.Errorf("%v", err)
} else {
r.Header.Set("If-None-Match", etag)
...
The last thing to do is to check this time that the response.Code is equal to http.StatusNotModified.
This is how our test looks now:
package main
import (
"net/http"
"net/http/httptest"
"testing"
)
func TestBlackHandler(t *testing.T) {
blackHandlerFunc := http.HandlerFunc(blackHandler)
var etag string
// first request
if r, err := http.NewRequest("GET", "", nil); err!= nil {
t.Errorf("%v", err)
} else {
recorder := httptest.NewRecorder()
blackHandlerFunc.ServeHTTP(recorder, r)
if recorder.Code!= http.StatusOK {
t.Errorf("returned %v. Expected %v.", recorder.Code, http.StatusOK)
}
// record etag to test cache
etag = recorder.Header().Get("Etag")
}
// test caching
if r, err := http.NewRequest("GET", "", nil); err!= nil {
t.Errorf("%v", err)
} else {
r.Header.Set("If-None-Match", etag)
recorder := httptest.NewRecorder()
blackHandlerFunc.ServeHTTP(recorder, r)
if recorder.Code!= http.StatusNotModified {
t.Errorf("returned %v. Expected %v.", recorder.Code, http.StatusNotModified)
}
}
}
Let's see our coverage now:
$ go test -cover
PASS
coverage: 69.2% of statements
ok local/cache 0.010s
That is better, lets check the coverage of the blackHandler function:
go test -coverprofile=coverage.out
go tool cover -html=coverage.out
That looks nice! :) As I said before, the reason why we do not get 100% coverage is because there is no test covering main() and error handling code in writeImage(). But the important part was to properly test the blackHander function.
The final example is available in this gist
I hope you found this post useful and that this will help you build proper tests for your applications.
Here are some resources that helped me come up with this article:
Santiaago
Follow me at @santiago_arias to be notified about more posts like this. | 1,270,255 |
“Dan was country-western all the way,” said Eisnor on Tuesday.
Dan was renting one of the five rooms in the motel that Eisnor’s mother ran.
Raymond was 26 then and he met the man who would become a lifelong friend.
Together he and Dan, their wives Betty and Jane, would grow up and grow old, raise families together and plot efforts to improve the lot of their community.
On fair Sundays, they’d picnic on Oak Island.
On Saturday nights they went to local dances where Jane and Dan would waltz around the hall.
Dan and 14 locals founded the Western Shore and Area Improvement Association, seeking to develop their community. Jane helped run a fundraising bingo.
All the while, Dan and David dug for treasure.
Jane was quoted in a 1976 article about Oak Island saying she didn’t know whether she preferred worrying about her son and husband while watching them dig, or worrying about them while they were out of sight.
A year earlier, while hanging in a cage 43 metres down a half-a-metre diameter hole, Daniel started hollering to David above ground to haul him up.
The steel casing was collapsing above him.
RELATED: Oak Island property owner’s new website displays 20-plus years of found artifacts
David turned on the winch and Daniel was yanked to the surface in 17 seconds, just quick enough to look down and watch the entire shaft cave in below him.
They then began digging with a jack hammer, picks and shovels a 2.4-metre diameter hole that was 54 metres deep.
“We found dirt and rocks and mud,” said David.
“There were three ways of doing things. There was the right way, the wrong way and dad’s way. Dad’s way was always the hardest.”
After Jane’s death in 2011, Daniel slowed down.
He’d find a spot of shade at the campground Eisnor runs with his son, David Eisnor, and talk to campers.
“He loved people,” said Eisnor.
“He was like a celebrity and people loved him.”
Now brothers Marty and Rick Lagina have become the face of the search.
And the legends of what the treasure may consist of have been added to the History Channel show.
For his part, David doesn’t share the obsession.
“I’ll break the chain,” said David.
“I can walk away from it. I was just part of it for my dad.”
To which his wife, Garnette, added, “You’d better, because if you don’t break it, I’ll get the hammer out.”
But they’ll both stay on the island.
RELATED: | 1,270,256 |
FIFA, the Local Organising Committee (LOC), the Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI), and the Russian Construction Workers Union (RBWU) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate in ensuring decent and safe working conditions for the construction and renovation of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ stadiums. The first joint meeting of all parties to develop a work plan to implement the MoU is taking place in Moscow today.
Among the concrete measures that have been agreed to support the monitoring system implemented by FIFA and the LOC, the BWI and RBWU will cooperate on the visits of 2018 FIFA World Cup stadium construction sites. The signatories to the agreement will also facilitate the negotiations to address and resolve workers’ complaints on serious violations of decent working conditions.
“As we are strengthening our approach towards safeguarding human and labour rights, the collaboration with independent stakeholders is of key importance. The signature of this MoU marks a significant step towards bringing on board important partners such as trade unions and working together to ensure decent and safe working conditions at FIFA World Cup stadium construction sites in Russia,” said FIFA’s Head of Sustainability, Federico Addiechi.
“In September 2015, the LOC and FIFA set up monitoring systems relating to the working conditions at 2018 FIFA World Cup stadiums. One year later, we have completed two rounds of visits to all stadiums under construction or renovation. We are delighted to announce this partnership with the BWI and RBWU today, which will bring us additional tools and best practices to monitor the labour conditions at construction sites for the 2018 FIFA World Cup,” said Milana Verkhunova, the LOC’s Head of Sustainability.
FIFA and the LOC conducted an initial visit for the monitoring of labour conditions in St Petersburg in February 2016 and two months later launched a system to monitor working conditions at ten World Cup stadiums either under construction or renovation together with the Klinsky Institute of Labour Protection and Working Conditions. The second round of evaluation visits has just concluded, with the experts analysing working conditions for approximately 9,000 workers employed at construction sites by more than 100 construction companies.
“The MoU is an important step forward to ensure decent work and safe working conditions for all construction workers working at 2018 FIFA World Cup stadium construction sites. We hope it will lead to a fall in the incidents of worker rights violations that we have witnessed in recent months. The BWI will work closely with the RBWU, FIFA, and the LOC to implement the MoU so that the lives of workers on the ground can improve,” said BWI General Secretary Ambet Yuson.
“I cannot stress enough the importance of the event in which we are engaged today. It is vital to the RBWU that all of the signatories to the memorandum are taking responsibility for its implementation, which should ensure that there are no more deaths and that there are decent wages paid on time, labour contracts with all employees, and decent working and living conditions for all workers, including migrants," said RBWU Chairman Boris Sochenko. | 1,270,257 |
Democratic New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker had barely finished defending former Vice President Joe Biden when he attacked him Wednesday, suggesting he was not a “dynamic leader.”
Booker joined the ladies on ABC’s “The View” to make the case for his own presidential aspirations, and Joy Behar challenged him to explain what set him apart from Biden.
WATCH:
“The way I see it, you’re positioning yourself or pitching yourself as an alternative to Joe Biden, as a moderate Democrat, right? Am I right?” Behar asked.
“I’m positioning myself as a person that can bring all sections of our party together,” Booker’s response was diplomatic. (RELATED: Meghan McCain Asks Cory Booker 5 Times About Gun Buybacks, He Wants To Talk About Other Things)
Behar protested, “He’s like that too though.”
“Okay,” Booker agreed.
“You guys are similar in that, I think,” Behar insisted.
“Yes. I’m the younger version with less hair,” Booker laughed.
“But here’s my question. What exactly is the biggest difference between you and Joe Biden then in that case?”
Booker tried to highlight policy differences, referencing mass incarceration and appearing to take a veiled swipe at Biden’s support for the 1994 crime bill.
“What about another topic?” Behar pressed.
Booker pivoted to his experience as mayor of Newark, New Jersey. “When it comes to transformative change, I was a chief executive in a city in the worst economic crisis we have seen since the Great Depression. We transformed the outcomes,” he explained.
Behar again touted Biden’s record, saying, “He was part of a team with Obama who had a terrible deficit, and brought us back to life.”
“If Obama was on that stage, I wouldn’t be. Obama’s not running,” Booker protested, offering to defend Biden while in the same breath suggesting he wasn’t “dynamic” as a leader. “I think my strength over Joe Biden — I respect him. I think anyone that wants to tear down his character, I will fight against you, but I’m running because this country needs a dynamic leader who can inspire and engage the electorate.”
“The implication of what you are saying is he’s not dynamic,” Behar noticed. “And you are. That’s what it sounds like.”
Booker clarified, saying, “I feel like I’m the better candidate to him or else I would not be running. I think we need to have somebody who can excite the whole breadth of the electorate. Beating Donald Trump is the floor, not the ceiling.” | 1,270,258 |
per 100 people in 2018. Only about four vehicles for every 100 people were hybrids or zero emissions vehicles, however. And Californians are increasingly gravitating toward light-duty trucks — a category that includes pickup trucks, minivans, and SUVs — which made up more than half of new vehicle registrations in 2018.
There is a hint of good news buried in the stats about climate-warming tailpipe pollution. Californians drove more miles in 2017 compared to 2016. But the miles Californians drove increased faster than greenhouse gas emissions — which means Californians are driving cleaner, Fowler said. “The standards and policies are having a bit of an effect,” said Fowler, who called the trend “a hat tip to our fuel economy standards.”
Graphic courtesy of Next 10 and Beacon Economics.
Still, they won’t be enough to staunch the flow of greenhouse gases from tailpipes, which Nichols said in 2018 will require a “deep transformation. And changing California’s car culture — that transformation Nichols wants — is widely believed to be a significant challenge on its own. Add to that the state’s battle with federal regulators to manage its own clean-car rules and the goal becomes even more difficult.
When the federal Environmental Protection Agency last month yanked California’s special authority to set its own tailpipe emission standards, officials said they would take the fight to court. “There’s just no way we can reach our goal unless we are able to move forward with that waiver and the provisions that it allows us,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said at an environmental summit, according to The Los Angeles Times.
California shouldn’t bank on winning that fight if it heads to the Supreme Court, according to Michael Wara, director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program at Stanford University. “I don’t think we can count our chickens,” he said. “We need to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and have a plan that doesn’t depend on everything working out.”
That plan, he said, could include cleaning up freight, for example, and letting car dealers cash in on the rebates that the state deals out to people buying clean cars. It could also include improved housing density, although an effort by Democratic state Senator Scott Wiener from San Francisco to bolster housing around public transit stalled in the state Legislature this year.
California’s air board points to recent “examples of California’s full-throated commitment to transforming the transportation sector, where we face the biggest challenges.” That includes Newsom’s recent executive order to reduce emissions from state-owned businesses and vehicles and to develop a framework for investing pension funds in greening California.
Getting California on track to meet its climate targets won’t be easy, Wara said. “Let’s roll up our sleeves. This is not a reason to pack our bags and go home and be sad. This is a reason to double down.”
| 1,270,259 |
Though unusual yet, you can find absolutely unique and interesting headstones at certain cemeteries. So, shown below are some bizarre and extravagant gravestones.
The Davis Memorial
Image Credit: www.neatorama.com
Ads *As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
The Davis Memorial in the Mount Hope Cemetery is one of the most famous attractions in Hiawatha, Kansas. It was erected by John Milburn Davis in memory of his wife Sarah who died in 1930.
The memorial features 11 life-size Italian marble statues of the couple. The cost of this massive memorial is estimated to be about $200,000, during The Great Depression, the deepest economic crisis in the history of the US.
Fernand Arbelot gravestone
Image Credit: mysendoff.com
This is the tombstone of a musician and actor Fernand Arbelot, buried in the Pere Lachaise cemetery. The tombstone shows him holding his wife’s face as he wished to gaze at her face for eternity.
Pool table gravestone at Floral Hill Cemetery in Illinois
Image Credit: www.findagrave.com
Unusual child in a crib headstone from Calvary Cemetery, St. Louis, Missouri
Image Credit: deathby1000papercuts.blogspot.com
BMW headstone
Image Credit: www.telegraph.co.uk
This life-size BMW M3 headstone belongs to Steve Marsh, a huge fan of BMW automobiles. It is located at Manor Park Cemetery, East London.
Tomb of Yuri Nikulin
Image Credit: gabrielle418.blogspot.com
This gravestone monument belongs to Russian comic actor and clown, Yuri Vladimirovich Nikulin. He was also the theatrical manager of the old Moscow Circus which is now referred to as Nikulin Circus in his honor.
Marble computer tombstone
Image Credit: 1funny.com
Strange empty chair tombstone located at Hope Cemetery in Barre, Vermon
Image Credit: www.findagrave.com
The grave of the sleeping girl
Image Credit: mysendoff.com
Located at the Alter Friedhof cemetery, this grave belongs to Caroline Walter who died in 1867 due to tuberculosis.
After her death, her sister hired a sculpture to create a life like sculpture of Caroline, as if she had fallen asleep in her bed while reading a book.
Unusual gravestone from graveyard of Basilica di San Miniato al Monte in Florence
Image Credit: www.trendhunter.com
Gladys and her piano memorial in the City of London cemetery
Image Credit: cemeteryexplorers.blogspot.com
Funny headstone in Mexico
Image Credit: www.shinbow.com
You can also check out pictures of weird caskets and cremation urns on our site. | 1,270,260 |
creamy. So find a happy middle ground and stir it every so often.
You want to cook the rice on medium heat until it is al dente or has a bit of chew. The risotto should not be so thick that it sticks to a wooden spoon but not so thin that it’s runny. Cook the rice perfectly when you make this pretty green Fiddlehead Fern Risotto.
6. Adding Veggies and Stuff
Of course, we are adding veggies. Ideally, vegetables should be cooked separately before being added to the risotto. Other than onion, celery, carrots or any mirepoix you add in the beginning, vegetables should be added at the end, right before the rice is done. If you add the veggies at the beginning, they will be mushy by the time the risotto is done. This is also true for fresh herbs and lemon zest as well as vegan butter and vegan cheeses. Turn off the heat before adding these things. In this Creamy Pumpkin Risotto With Sweet and Spicy Roasted Pepitas, the pumpkin is added at the end of the cooking process.
7. Variations
Using brown rice is not the only way to break with tradition. It’s also possible to bake risotto or make it in a slow cooker. See the how-tos and recipes in How to Make Risotto 5 Different Ways.
Another way is to not use rice at all. What? That’s right, we can make risotto without rice – just don’t tell the chefs in Italy that! We can use other grains like barley, oats or millet or skip the grain entirely and keep it all veggies. When cauliflower or carrots are processed, they get the look and texture of rice. Recipes that break the rules include this Mushroom Steel Cut Oatmeal Risotto, Lentil Kale Risotto, Lemon Asparagus Steel-Cut Ris-Oat-To, Creamy Mushroom and Spinach ‘Orzotto” and Barley Risotto with Fava Beans, Corn and Mushrooms.
8. More Recipes
If you want even more delicious risotto recipes, we have them. Try this Sweet Potato Risotto with Sausage, Brussels Sprouts and Cranberries, The Grand Budapest Beet Risotto, and this Eggplant Ragout with Risotto. Adding butternut squash is a great way to add color and creaminess. Try this Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash and this Butternut Squash Risotto. Mushrooms are so good in risotto. Make this Mushroom and Leek Risotto with ‘Parmesan’ as well as this Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto.
When it’s cooked correctly, risotto is creamy, chewy, and decadent. It’s an elegant-looking dish that can be made any night of the week.
Lead image source: Artichoke and Spinach Risotto With Lemon Cashew Cream | 1,270,261 |
Justice’s dereliction of duty. In 2011, the Electoral Board in Fairfax County, Va., sent the Justice Department, under then-Attorney General Eric Holder, information about 278 noncitizens registered to vote in Fairfax County, about half of whom had cast ballots in previous elections. There’s no record of anything being done.
A 2011 study by three professors at Old Dominion University and George Mason University used extensive survey data to estimate that 6.4 percent of the nation’s noncitizens voted in 2008 and that 2.2 percent voted in 2010.
This study has been criticized by many academics who claim that voter fraud is vanishingly rare. Yet the Heritage Foundation maintains a list of more than 700 recent convictions for voter fraud.
A postelection survey conducted by Americas Majority Foundation found that 2.1 percent of noncitizens voted in the Nov. 8 election. In the battleground states of Michigan and Ohio, 2.5 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively, of noncitizens reported voting.
The best argument for a real investigation into just how big voter fraud is stems from the refusal of the general public to believe the media’s claims it is insignificant.
The Washington Post conducted a poll last October using the Pollfish firm that found 84 percent of Republicans believe that a “meaningful amount” of voter fraud occurs in U.S. elections, along with 75 percent of independents. A majority of Democrats -- 52 percent -- also believed there was meaningful voter fraud. When it came to types of fraud, nearly 60 percent of Republicans told Pollfish they believed illegal immigrants were voting, but so too did a third of independents and a quarter of Democrats.
One Democrat who has personal experience with voter fraud is Bruce Franks Jr., a 31-year-old Black Lives Matter activist in St. Louis, who ran for state legislature last year. Last September, he got a local judge to call a new primary election after irregularities in hundreds of absentee ballots were found. He went on to win the new election with 71 percent.
Conducting an investigation that will help resolve the size of the voter fraud problem is straightforward. The Department of Homeland Security should cooperate with states wanting to check the citizenship status of voters on their rolls.
The Justice Department should put pressure on, or sue, counties and states that refuse to clean up their rolls.
The IRS has issued 11 million Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers, most of them to illegal immigrants so they can file taxes. Privacy rules allow the IRS to share information for some law enforcement purposes, but not in a way that results in deportations. Those rules could be tweaked to allow states to compare the names of illegal immigrants the IRS has with their voter records.
Our honor system for voting doesn’t work. We don’t know how big of a problem voter fraud really is because no systematic effort has ever been made to investigate it. But the public doesn’t think it’s as insignificant as the media insists.
It’s time to learn more about just how many people are exploiting weaknesses that damage election integrity. | 1,270,262 |
prosecutors have. I felt my prosecutor [Robert Lund] was out to get me.” While they phrase it differently, several legal scholars agree and say Angelos’, who has become a poster boy for groups like Families Against Mandatory Minimums, isn’t the only case of injustice.
UP IN SMOKE: ANGELOS
Still in his early 20s, Angelos’ music career was budding. He owned his own record label, Salt Lake City-based Extravagant Records, and released several albums, one of which contained a track by legendary rapper and marijuana enthusiast Snoop Dogg. Angelos hung-out with gang members, and pictures shown at his trial show him flashing the gang sign of Varrio Loco Town, a local gang the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office says is unaligned with any larger gangs. Angelos maintains he wasn’t in a gang, but the community he lived in was steeped in gang culture.
His sister, Lisa Angelos, agrees. “In the apartment we grew up in [in Midvale], there were gangs and wannabe gang members. That’s pretty much the people we knew. You can either shun them and get beat up every day, or just be friends with them.”
Angelos was also a gun fanatic, a trait he inherited from his father. “They put into evidence that even at 15 I had guns,” Angelos said from within the Davis County Jail, where he’s been held for much of 2009 while his appeal is heard at the federal court in Salt Lake City. His “home” prison is in Lompoc, Calif., where he will return if this—perhaps his last— appeal fails.
He is the father of two boys and a girl. Angelos agrees that there is “undisputed proof that I was involved with marijuana.” He’s never denied that, perhaps, in part, because it was guns, not pot, that allowed for his harsh sentence. By 2002, he says, his rap career was flourishing and he was phasing marijuana sales out of his life.
Then, “good friend” and VLT gang member Ronnie Lazalde enters the story. According to court testimony, Lazalde asked Angelos for a drug hook-up, and Angelos obliged. On three occasions between May 21 and June 18, 2002, Angelos sold Lazalde 8 ounces of marijuana for $350. He refused to sell to Lazalde a fourth time, but it was too late. Lazalde, allegedly facing his own weapons and drugs charges, was cooperating with federal investigators.
Investigators searched Angelos’ home and found three pounds of marijuana, $20,000 cash and three firearms. They found another pound of marijuana and a revolver in the trunk of his car. They found more marijuana and more guns at an apartment he rented on Fort Union Boulevard. But despite all that evidence, Angelos’ major crime was the sale of small amounts of marijuana to Lazalde while carrying a gun. | 1,270,263 |
it!
Caterpillars can taste sweet, salty, and bitter, and umami tastes (Glendinning et al. 2007; Pszczolkowski et al. 2009), but mainly, the caterpillar is most sensitive to sweet and bitter tastes. These tastes serve the same function in caterpillars as they do in humans, dogs, chickens, bears, and most other animals. Generally, when a caterpillar encounters a sweet taste, its brain tells it to continue eating. When it encounters a bitter taste, its brain tells it to stop eating and move on, because, as you read above, bitter things tend to be toxic (Schoonhoven and Blom, 1988; Glendinning et al. 2002).
In summary, caterpillars can taste their food, but they don’t have tongues, proving that it is possible for some animals to taste their food without tongues. The next time you see a caterpillar, remind yourself that they care about how their food tastes, just like you. Also, remember that without them, we would not know nearly as much about how our own sense of taste works. Hooray for the little guys!
-Ben Marcus
Do you have a science question that you’d like answered by a scientist at the ISC? Ask it here, and you might see our answer on our blog!
Sources:
Glendinning, John I., Adrienne Davis, and Sudha Ramaswamy. “Contribution of different taste cells and signaling pathways to the discrimination of “bitter” taste stimuli by an insect.” The Journal of neuroscience 22.16 (2002): 7281-7287.
Glendinning, John I., and Thomas T. Hills. “Electrophysiological evidence for two transduction pathways within a bitter-sensitive taste receptor.” Journal of neurophysiology 78.2 (1997): 734-745.
Glendinning, John I., Adrienne Jerud, and Ariella T. Reinherz. “The hungry caterpillar: an analysis of how carbohydrates stimulate feeding in Manduca sexta.” Journal of Experimental Biology 210.17 (2007): 3054-3067. Pszczolkowski, Maciej A., et al. “Pharmacological analysis of feeding in a caterpillar: different transduction pathways for umami and saccharin?.” Naturwissenschaften 96.5 (2009): 621-624.
Schoonhoven, L. M., and F. Blom. “Chemoreception and feeding behaviour in a caterpillar: towards a model of brain functioning in insects.” Entomologia experimentalis et applicata 49.1‐2 (1988): 123-129.
Author(s) Ben Marcus Ben Marcus is a public relations specialist at CG Life and a co-editor-in-chief of Science Unsealed. He received his Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Chicago. | 1,270,264 |
* EU-Vietnam FTA will remove tariffs on 99% of goods
* Deal still needs European Parliament approval
* FTA is EU's first of its kind with developing country in Asia
* EU is Vietnam's second-largest export market after U.S.
By Khanh Vu and Phuong Nguyen
Hanoi, June 30 (Reuters) - The European Union signed a landmark free trade deal with Vietnam on Sunday, the first of its kind with a developing country in Asia, paving the way for tariff reductions on 99% of goods between the trading bloc and Southeast Asian country.
It still needs the approval of the European Parliament, which is not a given as some lawmakers are concerned about Vietnam's human rights record.
The European Union has described the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) as "the most ambitious free trade deal ever concluded with a developing country".
The two sides announced the deal in a statement.
It was signed in Hanoi between European Union Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom and Vietnam's Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh, three-and-a-half years after negotiations ended in December 2015.
It will eliminate 99% of tariffs, although some will be cut over a 10-year period and other goods, notably agricultural products, will be limited by quotas.
Vietnam, which has one of the region's fastest-growing economies, backed by robust exports and foreign investment, has already signed about a dozen free trade pacts, including an 11-country deal that will slash tariffs across much of the Asia-Pacific, known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
The agreement with the EU is also expected to open up public procurement and services markets, such as for the postal, banking and maritime sectors.
The EU is Vietnam's second-largest export market after the United States, with main exports including garment and footwear products.
In 2018, Vietnam exported $42.5 billion worth of goods and services to the EU, while the value of imports from the region reached $13.8 billion, official data shows.
Story continues
The Vietnamese government said on Sunday that EVFTA would boost EU exports to Vietnam by 15.28% and those from Vietnam to the EU by 20.0% by 2020.
The agreement will boost Vietnam's gross domestic product by 2.18%-3.25% annually by 2023 and by 4.57%-5.30% annually between 2024-2028, the government said.
On Friday, the EU and South American bloc Mercosur agreed a free-trade treaty following two decades of talks.
In Asia, the EU has trade agreements with South Korea, Japan and Singapore, and it has launched negotiations with Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand.
The EU-Singapore deal is set to come into force later this year. (Reporting by Khanh Vu and Phuong Nguyen Additional reporting by Kham Nguyen and Thinh Nguyen Editing by James Pearson) | 1,270,265 |
25,000 Cell Battery Power Plant Switched On In Germany
September 19th, 2014 by Jake Richardson
A huge battery plant with 25,600 lithium-manganese cells was switched on Germany recently. Samsung made the cells. It is the largest commercial battery plant in Europe. The purpose for the plant is to fill in gaps in electricity production that occur sometimes. The area where it is located gets 80% of its electricity from wind turbines. It is expected that soon 100% of the area’s electricity will be generated by wind power. There is an intermittency issue when winds die down: so does electricity output. That’s where the huge battery comes in. It has 5 MW of storage capacity, and cost six million euros. The power plant is connected to regional distribution by five, four-ton medium-voltage transformers.
Its location is Schwerin-Lankow, in the northern region of Mecklenburg. Considering the role it plays in adding electricity to the community when needed, the price is not too bad. With more research and development, the dimensions might decrease along with costs.”This is an interesting alternative to conventional power plants and the regional utilities have come up with an interesting project here,” said German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel.
Germany is planning to get 55-60% of its energy from renewable sources by 2035. So, these kind of enormous battery plants might become more commonplace there. The size of the battery plant is similar to a gymnasium.
Of course, most people are familiar with much smaller batteries like the one used in their cars and cellphones, but this vast one is a utility-scale battery. Younicos AG constructed it for Wemag AG. Wemag supplies power to an 8,600 sq km area in Germany.
“Up to now the power grid has been largely stabilized by inflexible coal-fired power plants, which can only use a fraction of their output for control power. This blocks space in the grid, increasingly forcing wind and solar generation to be taken offline,” explained Clemens Triebel, CTO of Younicos.
It will be fascinating to see how much battery power production might ramp up in the next five to ten years as solar and wind power continue to expand. Battery power sometimes is criticized for being too feeble, and therefore not a viable backup to renewable energy sources, but battery technology is improving. Eventually, battery storage may catch up to solar and wind enough that there are no more naysayers. Battery storage might become fairly common, both for utilities and homeowners.
Image Credit: Younicos
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The world’s most popular cartoon television channel, Cartoon Network, has announced its decision to go off Indian television, following the arrest of Indian cartoonist and IAC activist, Aseem Trivedi on grounds of sedition.
Justifying the decision on business grounds, Ted Turner, founder of the Turner Broadcasting System which runs Cartoon Network, explained, “Well, first of all, cartooning in India has just become an an extremely hazardous and risky business. I remember reading reports of Kundanklum villagers protesting against a cartooning school under construction, as they thought it to be more dangerous than nuclear plants. I also read somewhere that Hafiz Saeed is launching the LeT cartoon wing to terrorize Indian politicos, as routine acts of terror have failed to grab their attention. Given Indian politicians’ peculiar sense of reasoning and our lack of proper knowledge about the Indian constitution, we feel that certain cartoons which we air, like Courage the Cowardly Dog, may actually be perceived as mocking the office of the Prime Minister, which I am told, is a constitutional body. So is the case with Johnny Bravo, which, some people may misconstrue as a parody of ND Tiwari.”
“Who knows which cartoon of ours can actually amount to sedition? That’s why, even though we hear that in Aseem’s case it is the police who may be convicted for mocking the constitution, we don’t want to take the risk. Hence, after more than a decade, we’ve decided to pull out of Indian television. I’d just like to thank the Indian kids and tell them that we love them a lot and will miss them,” he added sentimentally.
The media mogul said his firm had explored the possibility of getting their cartoon business in India insured but insurers say it is impossible to price products for this market since the Mumbai police are known to act in extremely random ways. “So we are opting out of India. Instead, we’ll focus on safer markets in the neighbourhood, possibly even Afghanistan.”
When asked about what other options Indian kids had after Cartoon Network exits the arena, Turner said, “Oh! There are some wonderful Indian cartoon channels that have come up. Lok Sabha TV is one of the best ones. Rajya Sabha TV is not bad either. Sometimes, even CNN-IBN has a lot of really good cartoon shows, especially Face the Nation. Hey, wait! Did I just imply that parliamentarians are cartoons? Oh my God, is that seditious?! Damn! I should’ve just stuck to calling them ‘dacoits, rapists and murderers’ like Arvind Kejriwal. Woe betide me! I’m gonna be behind bars soon.”
The arrest of Aseem has also plunged a lot of rioters and rapists into depression, as their offenses go totally unnoticed by the State. Many children among the impoverished have also reportedly taken to cartooning, as nothing else seems to be drawing the attention of the government to their plight. | 1,270,267 |
The US government has announced plans to open more than 3m acres (about 5,000 square miles) of Alaskan wilderness to logging, mining and road building, angering environmental campaigners who say it will devastate the region. Supporters say the plan for the Tongass National Forest, a refuge for grizzly and black bears, wolves, eagles and wild salmon, will revive the state's timber industry.
The Bush administration plan for the forest, the largest in the US at nearly 17m acres, would open 3.4m acres to logging, road building and other development, including about 2.4m acres that are currently remote and without roads. About 663,000 acres are in areas considered most valuable for timber production.
The move, the latest in a long-running saga over the Tongass forest, effectively reverses the "Roadless Rule" protection given to the area by President Clinton.
Denny Bschor, Alaska regional forester who approved the Tongass plan, said it would sustain the diversity and health of the forest, provide livelihoods and subsistence for Alaska residents and ensure a source of recreation and solitude for forest visitors. "What is significant in the amended plan is our commitment to the state of Alaska to provide an economic timber sale programme which will allow the current industry to stabilise, and for an integrated timber industry to become established," he said.
Environmentalists said the plan continues a Bush policy of catering to the timber industry. Robert Vandermark, manager of the Pew environment group's heritage forests campaign, said: "In its final months, the Bush administration is attempting to give logging and mining industries the keys to the Tongass National Forest, the world's largest intact temperate rainforest. Wild areas like the Tongass contain watersheds that provide clean drinking water, wildlife habitat and outstanding outdoor recreation opportunities that should be kept safe for generations to come."
The Alaska Wilderness League said logging made up only 1% of the region's economy, much less than commercial fishing and tourism, which could be damaged by increased development.
But the Alaska Forest Association, an industry group, said the plan, which will not increase the timber take allowed from the forest, fell short of its needs. Owen Graham, the group's executive director, said: "It is critical that the final plan allows our industry to survive. Survival means returning to a realistic timber supply level in south-east Alaska, not a continuation of the starvation level we have been struggling with for the last few years." Both sides could challenge the decision, announced last Friday, in court.
The new plan stems from lawsuits filed by environmental groups in 2003 that have since shifted the Forest Service's timber sale programme away from roadless areas to land that can be reached by roads that meander for 3,700 miles through the forest. The plan does offer some protection: it puts aside 90,000 acres of old-growth reserve as off-limits to the loggers, and protects 47,000 acres of vulnerable limestone formations called karst lands. The Forest Service said it would consult with Indian tribes to protect and maintain sacred sites in the forest. | 1,270,268 |
Despite Paul McCartney telling the world Yoko Ono “certainly didn’t break the group up, the group was breaking up,” the conceptual artist will likely forever be associated with the Beatles’ demise.
The Simpsons infamous made a joke about the band’s breakup in the classic episode “Homer’s Barbershop Quartet,” in which Homer, Barney, Apu, and Principal Skinner form their own band, The Be Sharps.
The group immediately rise to fame, naming their second record Bigger Than Jesus - a controversial phrase once uttered by John Lennon in an interview with London’s Evening Standard.
Another joke playing off the Beatles came later on when Barney starts dating a Japanese conceptual artist who looks a lot like Ono.
After the group split, Barney enters Moe’s Tavern to order a beer: his girlfriend order “a single plum floating in perfume served in a man’s hat.”
Twenty-three years on, and Yoko Ono has referenced the joke in her latest exhibition Yoko Ono: One More Story at the Reykjavik Art Museum. On one plinth, stands a single plumb, floating in perfume, held within a man’s hat.
According to the exhibition’s description, One More Story “aims to reveal the basic elements that define Yoko Ono’s extensive and diverse artistic career – a voyage through the notion of art itself, with a strong social and political engagement.”
Best moments from The Simpsons Show all 10 1 /10 Best moments from The Simpsons Best moments from The Simpsons 1.Spider Pig Homer's 'Spiderpig' in The Simpsons is arguably one of the best moments of the past 25 years of the show. The Simpsons Best moments from The Simpsons 2. Planet of the Apes: The Musical "He can talk! He can talk he can talk he can talk he can talk he can talk! I can siiiiiiiiiing!" YouTube Best moments from The Simpsons Mr Burns starves Springfield of electricity Featuring some of the best dance moves ever seen on the show. YouTube Best moments from The Simpsons 4. When Homer met God "God I gotta ask you something - what's the meaning of life?" YouTube Best moments from The Simpsons 5. The entirety of the Streetcar Named Marge episode Whatever would Tennessee Williams make of this. YouTube Best moments from The Simpsons 6. Homer reacts to Lisa's perpetual motion machine "In this house we obey the laws of thermodynamics!" YouTube Best moments from The Simpsons Ned Flanders plays the devil in Donut Hell "Homer...did you eat that donut?" YouTube Best moments from The Simpsons Homer reacts hilariously to Man Getting Hit By Football "Football... his groin...it works on so many levels!" YouTube Best moments from The Simpsons Kodos at the Democratic National Convention "Forward not backward! Always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom..." YouTube Best moments from The Simpsons "Happy birthday Lisa" It's Michael Jackson, singing Lisa Simpson 'Happy Birthday'. YouTube | 1,270,269 |
Page Content
Finland takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union at a defining moment for the EU. The Union turns over a new leaf in light of the results of the European election: there will be new leaders at the helm of the EU institutions who will deal with major issues such as the next EU budget, as well as take responsibility for defining the content for the next EU programme period. This is a time for renewal.
These six months must focus on delivering for every citizen. Through the European Committee of the Regions we - the local and regional leaders - have a voice to contribute to setting the priorities for the incoming policies of the EU institutions. Cities and regions are at the heart of responding to the major societal challenges of the 21st century, whether it be climate change, job creation or community cohesion.
They must be partners in the co-creation of smart solutions to deliver the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals which need to be mainstreamed into all policy areas, and at all levels of governance. The Finnish Presidency has prioritised sustainable growth: by working together with industry and universities, cities and regions are the powerhouses in driving forward innovation. By supporting SMEs, entrepreneurship and start-ups, local and regional actors are contributing to sustainable development.
That is what citizens are waiting for. It requires strengthening synergies between the various EU programmes, integrating the use of all public and private financing instruments, and increasing European partnerships based on regional smart specialisation strategies. It means maintaining the current leve of EU investment for cohesion policy for all regions and cities, rich and poor. Tackling regional disparity and supporting all regions is the ultimate sign of European solidarity. Without cohesion, we will have no Union. Without sufficient investment, regions and cities will be unable to help overcome our shared challenges.
Sustainable and inclusive growth needs sufficient local investment in education and innovation, including digitalisation and artificial intelligence. Digitalisation will play a crucial role in many societal challenges such as security and the fight against climate change. Cities and regions – with their businesses, universities and citizens – are the key to helping drive the digital transformation of the EU increasing cooperation and partnerships. Political leaders at all levels of government must come together and think local to make the changes Europe urgently needs.
The Northern dimension is also important not only for Finland, but for the whole Europe. It is becoming extremely central in terms of global trade routes and natural resources. It is also a stark reminder that we need higher ambition on climate change. The Arctic environment is already extremely vulnerable and this vulnerability will affect the whole planet if it is not tackled right now. We, local and regional actors, cannot stand still and wait. We are ambitious, inclusive and innovative. We are ready to deliver on climate action and demand a carbon-free Europe by 2050.
The Finnish Presidency can rely on European cities and regions to make the Presidency a success. Much can be achieved within the next six months by working and investing locally, together.
Karl-Heinz Lambertz Markku Markkula
President of the CoR First Vice-President of the CoR
| 1,270,270 |
PORTLAND >> It’s a routine that Paul Pierce is getting used to. And, it’s a habit he’d love to break.
At the end of the season, after getting eliminated from the playoffs, Pierce walks away from the team. He heads to the comforts of home and faces the most important decision of his career.
“Is this it?”
With his 18th season now over, Pierce is set to go through the steps once again, and he doesn’t know what he’s going to do.
“Each and every year for the last couple years, I’ve thought long and hard about walking away from the game,” Pierce said after the Clippers were eliminated Friday. “The process is going to continue this summer, as I think long and hard, step closer to getting older in age. (It’s) seeing how my body feels, talk to my family. I just don’t want to make an emotional decision right now. I’ll just take some time off, sit down with my family and think long and hard.”
Pierce has two years and $7 million left on his contract with the Clippers.
If he made a decision today, he might be back because of the pain that comes along with losing.
“Every year when you lose that game, when you say it’s time to go home and no more basketball for the year, and you’re not holding up that trophy, it’s a tough pill to swallow,” Pierce said. “If you’re any type of competitor, if you have any type of dream, you’re always thinking about winning that championship.
“ … I don’t want to make an emotional decision. Every heartbreak makes you want to come back.”
And, to be clear, this was a heartbreak.
The corner of Pierce’s eyes were red and filling with tears as he talked about the Clippers’ Game 6 effort, one that came up a little short.
“You saw it in everybody’s eyes – this group didn’t have no quit in them no matter what the circumstances are,” he said. “ … It didn’t take away from the guys’ effort. … I’m proud of everybody. It was great being able to play with a good group of guys like this.”
Pierce, like everyone in the Clippers locker room, believed the Clippers had a chance to win. And, Pierce probably didn’t think he’d struggle as much as he did to make that happen.
Pierce had career lows in virtually every category, and that, certainly, will be a factor in his decision.
“There’s some evaluation that needs to be done,” Pierce said, “so I’m going to take my time and figure that out.” | 1,270,271 |
SEATTLE -- A former Uber driver pleaded not guilty to a second-degree rape charge Thursday after a Kent passenger accused him of sexually assaulting her.
Uber said the accused driver, Ismael Moussaoui, no longer works for the company.
Q13 News obtained the 911 calls from the Sept. 4 incident. The first call is from a woman who said two of her friends took an Uber home to Kent. When they got to the destination, one of her friends came inside the apartment but the other one didn’t make it. The caller said the Uber driver disappeared with her.
“We don’t know where they went,” said the caller.
The caller said right before they vanished, the Uber driver was seen carrying their friend, who was intoxicated, toward the apartment building. But when they turned around, the two were gone.
A short time later, there were more 911 calls.
“I just heard a loud scream,” said one caller
“She’s still on the lawn,” said another caller.
Kent Police say they found the rape victim on the street with numerous scratches and bruises on her body. She told detectives she was intoxicated and woke up to Moussaoui sexually assaulting her. When officers caught up with the Uber driver, he was bleeding from the face but claimed it was consensual sex.
Women who use Uber say the news is disturbing and surprising.
“I’ve never had a situation where I felt unsafe,” Uber customer Joan Born said.
Uber says they do a thorough local, state and national background check on all of their drivers. They also do a sex offender check.
Moussaoui has no criminal history.
But at least one attorney in California, Lisa Bloom, says the company needs to do more.
Bloom is representing eight different women across the country now suing Uber over alleged sexual assaults.
Bloom says she wants Uber to put panic buttons and cameras in every car and maybe give female clients the option to choose female drivers. Born says she likes the idea of a panic button but not the other options.
“It’s a little too far in my mind,” Born said.
Q13 News did inquire about whether Uber is considering safety features like a panic button. We could not get a specific "no" or "yes" on the question but they did say they are constantly brainstorming ways to keep customers safe.
While riding Uber, the company says, make sure you get in the correct car identified in the app because Uber does track drivers using GPS.
Court documents say the women were having difficulty with the app but managed to flag the driver down in Seattle.
They agreed on a $40 ride home back to Kent.
It is company policy not to accept cash and not to pick up random passengers not matched through the app.
| 1,270,272 |
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie took Texas Senator Ted Cruz to task over his lack of support of funding relief packages in the wake of Hurricane Sandy as the debate over providing aid to Hurricane Harvey victims continues.
Christie, appearing on MSNBC's Morning Joe on Wednesday, criticized Cruz for his recent pleas for disaster relief funding in his home state of Texas, despite Cruz's track record of having voted against a Sandy relief bill in 2012, a move Christie slammed as "disgraceful."
"He talks about playing politics -- that's what he did with people's lives in 2012 and 2013. He was trying to play politics to make it look like he was the most conservative guy in town," Christie said on Tuesday.
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During his own MSNBC appearance Tuesday, Cruz repeated a claim he's made that two-thirds of the bill had nothing to do with Sandy and instead was filed with "unrelated pork," which Christie strongly disputed.
"Almost all of the spending in the 50 billion dollar bill was for New York and New Jersey and some of the other areas that got affected by Sandy for hurricane relief," Christie said. "He knows it. The worst thing about it -- and this is why politics has got so cynical in Washington -- is statements like that. He should just stand up and say, 'You know what? I was wrong, I was wrong in 2012, It was the wrong thing to do and I hope that the people of New Jersey and New York are willing to let bygones be bygones and vote for relief for Texas,'" Christie added.
Meanwhile, on an appearance on Fox News, Cruz responded directly to Christie's claims, saying the focus should remain on the people who are impacted by the storm.
"I'm sorry that there are politicians who seem really desperate to have their name in the news and saying whatever they need to, to do that," said Cruz.
Cruz, speaking from Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center acknowledged during an interview with CBS News on Wednesday that FEMA funding for Texas relief will incur massive costs in terms of damage, amid what he referred to as "political sniping" over Hurricane Sandy funding.
"Every Texas Republican in Congress supported giving aid to the people of Sandy, to the victims of Sandy, all of us spoke out enthusiastically in support if it," said Cruz of the relief bill, which he says "got loaded up with 70 percent" of non-emergency aid.
In regards to Congress' future plans for Texas relief, Cruz said "federal formulas lay out what that compensation will be, and I'm confident we'll see Republicans and Democrats coming together to draft a bill."
Cruz told CBS that he would help lead an effort with fellow Texas Senator John Cornyn, "following federal laws and statutes," to craft a relief bill that provides "very significant resources" for storm victims.
"We are going to craft a bill that is dedicated to repairing the damage from Harvey, that's dedicated to the victims of Harvey," he said. "That's the focus and what we should do." | 1,270,273 |
U injection will have a slower release, so it’s anticipated that that could be [like] a Depo-Provera for men, as opposed to needing to take a pill a day,” Page said. But that theory still needs to be tested.
3) A nonsurgical vasectomy looks promising in animal studies
A vasectomy is a surgery that involves cutting or tying the vas deferens to stop sperm from entering the urethra and getting passed along to a female sex partner.
Researchers in India have gotten fairly far in the development of a nonsurgical vasectomy called RISUG, which stands for reversible inhibition of sperm under guidance.
The idea, discovered by biomedical engineer Sujoy Guha of the Indian Institute of Technology, involves injecting a polymer gel into the vas deferens to block sperm, rather than cutting or tying the vas (a vasectomy). And the treatment can be reversed with a shot that breaks down the gel.
According to Bloomberg, RISUG should launch in India within the next couple of years:
The procedure is 98 percent effective at preventing pregnancy — about the same as condoms if they are used every time — and has no major side effects, according to R. S. Sharma, head of reproductive biology and maternal health at the Indian Council of Medical Research. About 540 men have received it in India, where it continues to prevent pregnancies in their partners 13 years after treatment, he said. A submission to regulators this year will seek approval for RISUG as a permanent method of birth control. That will be appended with clinical data supporting reversibility, Sharma said. India has more married women with an unmet need for family planning than any other country, and social stigma and a lack of privacy in stores has kept condom use to less than 6 percent.
But it won’t hit the US market anytime soon. A Berkeley, California-based nonprofit called the Parsemus Foundation has licensed the RISUG technology here. And the related product they’ve developed, Vasalgel, is only in the preclinical phase of testing.
According to Parsemus, the results from rabbit and monkey studies are promising. But there’s no human trial scheduled yet. So despite the hype about Vasalgel, it’s still much further off than the pill and gel methods of male birth control.
Still, in the next decade, the male contraceptive landscape should look more like the female contraceptive landscape — and it’s about time, said Page. “Men, like women, should have choices.”
More choices would also benefit women. Researchers who have modeled the impact of a new male contraceptive estimate that even if only 10 percent of interested men took up the novel method, we’d see unintended pregnancies fall by up to 5 percent in the United States and South Africa and by as much as 38 percent in Nigeria.
“The more choices we have, the less likely we are to have unplanned pregnancies,” Page added. “And I think that’s what everyone wants.” | 1,270,274 |
The Federal Council
Bern, 01.02.2017 - During its meeting on 1 February 2017, the Federal Council initiated the consultation on amendments to the Banking Act and Banking Ordinance in the fintech area. The revision should ensure that barriers to market entry for fintech firms are reduced and that the competitiveness of the Swiss financial centre is enhanced. The consultation will last until 8 May 2017.
The proposed amendments to the Banking Act (BankA) and Banking Ordinance (BankO) aim to regulate fintech and other firms which provide services outside normal banking business according to their risk potential. A form of deregulation with three supplementary elements is being proposed:
First, the exception provided for in the Banking Ordinance for the acceptance of funds for settlement purposes (Art. 5 para. 3 lit. c of the BankO) should apply explicitly for settlements within 60 days (instead of only for settlements within seven days as was the practice up to now). For securities dealers, what should remain crucial is that the planned main transaction is organised and directly foreseeable. This change requires an amendment to the BankO.
Furthermore, an innovation area should be created: the acceptance of public funds up to CHF 1 million should not be classified as operating on a commercial basis and can be exempt from authorisation. This change should allow firms to try out a business model before they are finally required to obtain authorisation in the case of public funds of over CHF 1 million. This change also requires an amendment to the BankO.
Finally, there should be simplified authorisation and operating requirements relative to the current banking licence in the areas of accounting, auditing and deposit protection for companies that accept public funds of up to a maximum of CHF 100 million but do not operate in the lending business. This requires an amendment to the BankA. Less stringent requirements particularly in the areas of minimum capital, own funds and liquidity would have to be regulated within the scope of implementing regulations to be issued later.
A dynamic fintech system can contribute significantly to the quality of Switzerland's financial centre and boost its competitiveness. Against this backdrop, the Federal Council called for an easing of the regulatory framework for providers of innovative financial technologies on 2 November 2016. This easing should reduce barriers to market entry for providers in the fintech area and increase legal certainty for the sector overall.
Due to the rapidly progressing digitisation in the financial sector, in particular in the blockchain area, it can be assumed that business models will develop which are not yet conceivable today. The Federal Council will follow these developments closely also in the future and will swiftly propose the necessary regulatory adjustments if required.
Address for enquiries
Beat Werder, Head of Communications, State Secretariat for International Financial Matters SIF
Tel. 058 469 79 47, [email protected]
Publisher
The Federal Council
https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start.html
Federal Department of Finance
https://www.efd.admin.ch/efd/en/home.html
| 1,270,275 |
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The father of a little boy whose life was saved by an illegal immigrant in France was playing Pokemon Go at the time, according to prosecutors in Paris.
Lawyers said the man left his son alone while he went shopping, and returned later than planned as he got carried away with the smartphone game.
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In the meantime, the four-year-old boy almost fell to his death from the fourth-floor balcony at the family’s home in the capital.
However, he was saved by Mamoudou Gassama, an illegal immigrant from Mali who risked his own life to climb the block of flats and rescue the boy.
The hero has been hailed as France’s real life Spider-Man, and has been offered citizenship in France by President Emmanuel Macron.
Mamoudou Gassama was honoured for his ‘courage and devotion’ after rescuing the boy (Picture: AP)
The hero of Paris has been offered citizenship and a job by French President Emmanuel Macron (Picture: Rex)
But the boy’s father has been arrested and could face jail time for leaving the boy in the potentially dangerous situation.
Prosecutor Francois Molins told BFM-TV: ‘His behaviour constitutes an offence, failing to honour parental responsibilities, which carries a possible sentence of two years in jail.’
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He was detained overnight for alleged parental neglect and is due to appear in court in September.
The circumstances surrounding the child’s mother are unclear.
Incredible video footage showed 22-year-old Gassama scaling the building at speed to reach the boy before he could fall, as a crowd of onlookers nervously watched from the street.
Gassama scaled the building with incredible speed (Picture: Habib Bibou/Facebook)
Newspaper Le Parisien quoted him as saying: ‘I did it because it was a child. I climbed… Thank God I saved him.’
Macron told Gassama ‘bravo’ and commended him for ‘an exceptional act’, while vowing to give him a job with France’s emergency services.
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The president added: ‘We’ll obviously be setting all your papers straight and if you wish it, we will start the process of naturalisation so that you can become French.’
Gassama told Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo he arrived from Mali a few months ago and wished to stay in France.
Hidalgo said: ‘I replied that his heroic gesture was an example for all citizens and that the city of Paris will obviously be keen to support him in his efforts to settle in France.’ | 1,270,276 |
Lucien Neuwirth, the Gaullist politician responsible for the 1967 legalisation of the contraceptive pill in France, died Tuesday at the age of 89.
News of his death, from a lung infection, topped the morning news bulletins as commentators reflected on the impact of a landmark reform that was hugely controversial at the time.
Neuwirth, born in the industrial town of Saint Etienne on May 18, 1924, was also celebrated as one of the longest surviving heroes of the World War II Resistance, which he joined in 1940 at the age of 16.
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For the final two years of the war, he served as part of the Free French Forces contingent in Britain’s elite Special Air Service (SAS), repeatedly parachuting behind enemy lines on daring reconnaissance missions and seeing action during the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes in 1944-45.
During another mission behind enemy lines, in The Netherlands in April 1945, Neuwirth was part of a group of 15 paratroopers taken prisoner by German forces. Fifty years later he recounted how a number of his comrades had been shot and how he had escaped death because the bullet that would have killed him struck a coin in his pocket.
After the war, Neuwirth worked in local government in his home town and became a prominent parliamentarian.
In the mid-1960s, many in France were still preoccupied by the need to maximise a national birthrate that had been decimated by two World Wars.
That, coupled with the Catholic Church’s hostility to all forms of contraception, ensured the bill that made Neuwirth’s reputation encountered ferocious opposition, not least from his own political allies.
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He was denounced as an “evildoer” in the upper house Senate. But, crucially, Neuwirth had secured the blessing of Charles de Gaulle despite the then-president’s initial reservations. By the end of 1967 his bill had become law, although it was to take another two years for it to be applied in practise and another decade before the legalisation of abortion gave French women full control of their fertility.
Years later, Neuwirth was to reveal how his commitment to women’s rights had been born of his experience fighting alongside female comrades in the Resistance. “For me, men and women were the same,” he said.
In exile in London as a 17-year-old, he discovered that some women were using a spermicidal pessary, gynomin, and he became so enthusiastic about sharing them with friends that he earned the nickname “Lulu the pill.”
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His commitment to the contraceptive cause was strengthened by his work in Saint Etienne after the war, recalling later that he had been greatly influenced by one woman telling him: “I’ve had enough. Every time my husband comes home drunk, he gives me a kid.”
[Image via Agence France-Presse] | 1,270,277 |
Dear Boston and Boston TV Meteorologists, The children and families of Boston haven’t seen the Milky Way in many years, but this natural wonder is right there waiting to be discovered. As a community we are asking for a little cooperation from our local TV meteorologists to draw attention to the possibility… Wouldn’t it be great to have a monthly weather forecast segment identifying a night good for seeing the Milky Way? Well it is possible! Every month we have the new moon phase of the lunar calendar that produces the best conditions. The next such period begins July 20, and lasts for approximately 6 days, with the new moon (no moon) on July 23. Within that window a meteorologist can forecast the best atmospheric conditions for Boston’s Star Light Night.
This request came about as a result of our ongoing canvassing of Boston area residents for their novel ideas on how to improve community in Boston. One of the most popular suggestion was for a coordinated lights-out for 30 minutes so families can go out into their neighborhood and view the Milky Way – something that so many young people in Boston have never seen. But what night, and how do we get the message out? All it will take is a little coordination, a little cooperation and some trial and error in discovering good viewing spots. That’s where Boston TV meteorologists can help, by setting a date we can coordinate around.
We envision working with a Boston area TV meteorologist that viewers can tune in to and get the forecast for Boston’s next Star Light Night. As a star gazing community, we can then organize local viewing parties and find the best spots away from street lights. Of course, some months, because of prolonged cloud cover, there will be no suitable night – but that anticipation is part of the fun of watching the weather forecast isn’t it?
I would like to introduce Scott Feierabend, he’s the executive director of the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) – the recognized authority on the night sky and light pollution. IDA is a member based organization widely supported by astronomers with many members in the North East. We reached out to Scott and the IDA about this proposal and they are keen to cooperate! They are offering our local TV meteorologists any technical assistance they might need, and are happy to provide background resources on the night sky and light pollution.
Interest in astronomy is likely to get a boost in the coming weeks with the approaching solar eclipse on August 21, 2017. We believe that this is a great time to trial this idea and get the children of Boston excited at the prospect of viewing the Milky Way.
Let’s make this happen Boston! Over to you TV mets…
Sincerely,
Cooperation Day Boston
P.S. We have initially contacted channel 5 and channel 7 meteorologists and hope to get an answer soon. You can help to encourage them by sharing on social media. Thanks!
**Update** 11pm Thursday, 7 July. Boston channel 5 chief meteorologist Harvey Leonard has contacted us to say they are reviewing our request. Thanks Harvey! | 1,270,278 |
FORMER first-round draft pick Jordan Gallucci has paid the price for an average summer, the Adelaide forward on the outer heading into the Crows' first pre-season game.
The 21-year-old wasn't even named in the emergencies for the Crows, who open their Marsh Community Series campaign against Melbourne at Casey Fields on Saturday.
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Out of contract at the end of the year, Gallucci – the 15th overall pick in the 2016 NAB AFL Draft – has the task in front of him if he is going to force his way into the side this year.
"Jordan just hasn't quite got to the point where he was up for selection this week. His pre-season has been OK without being to the level that he would like, or we would like at this point," Crows midfield coach Michael Godden told SEN SA on Friday.
"He has still got to work on his consistency, so what he does is bits of individual bits of brilliance … but the reality is that the game goes for longer than that, so he needs to keep working on his consistency.
"He is working hard at it, the coaches are working hard with him, but he hasn't quite made that jump at this stage."
(Gallucci) is an explosive athlete, so to be able to maintain his effort throughout a day is a difficulty for him, so he is working hard on it - Michael Godden
Gallucci managed just 10 senior games last season, taking his total to 27 in his three seasons at the club.
He might have been hoping for a fresh start under new senior coach Matthew Nicks, but was left out of the extended 26-player squad that will face the Demons, along with the four emergency spots.
That was even with the Crows having seven players unavailable – including fellow half-forward Riley Knight – for the clash with the Demons, while new faces such as Ned McHenry, Shane McAdam and Ben Crocker have leap-frogged him in the pecking order, along with 2018 top-10 draftee Chayce Jones.
"(Gallucci) is an explosive athlete, so to be able to maintain his effort throughout a day is a difficulty for him, so he is working hard on it and a lot of players are in that same boat," Godden said.
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Copy link Link copied to clipboard Speedy Gallucci's polished finish Crow Jordan Gallucci slots a brilliant goal on the run from 50m
"It takes them a while to keep that endurance in their game … and the other side is just maintaining his mental application.
"The game continues, it never stops, whether you're in defence or attack. Modern day football you have to be up the ground and back down the ground and at times, he lapses in applying that.
"He is progressing in that area, just hasn't quite got to that level yet." | 1,270,279 |
Rush Limbaugh disclosed his opinion of Facebooks’s meeting with conservatives during his Thursday show.
“Zuckerberg at Fakebook had the meeting with conservatives. Chatsworth Osborne Jr. was one of them, he accepted the invitation and went out there,” Limbaugh joked. “I was not invited, folks. No. No. No. Again, it’s what we talked about yesterday. I think Zuckerberg, the people he invited — I would not have been invited to this.”
“I’m too famous to go, too big for something like this. That’s not something that I could be invited to. Never gonna happen,” said Limbaugh.
Limbaugh stated “there’s no such thing as an algorithm that’s not biased.”
“An algorithm is nothing more than a computer program written by human beings,” he explained. “And if a bunch of liberals are writing the algorithms, and if they don’t think they’re liberals, and if they don’t think they’re biased, and if they don’t think there’s anything particularly ideological about ’em, you have to understand a lot of people grow up liberal, that’s all they know. That, to them, is normal. That, to them, is what is.
“And anything that’s not that is the circus act,” he said. “And so they grow up, they are normal, and there’s no reason they would include conservatism or whatever they think it is in their algorithms.
“There’s no such thing as an apolitical liberal. They are defined by it. They’re governed by it,” Limbaugh argued. “Fakebook and Google may as well have offices in the White House, in the West Wing, they’re there that much.
“There are more Google visits on the White House logs than anybody else. And Fakebook is in there as well,” he said.
Breitbart News was contacted about attending the meeting with Zuckerberg but declined, with Executive Chairman Stephen K. Bannon and Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow describing the event as a “pat conservatives on the head” session and a giant photo-op.
Breitbart Tech editor Milo Yiannopoulos also mocked the meeting, claiming that the attendees had been “cucked by Zuck” and “used as window-dressing by a corporation’s public relations department”. CPAC organiser Matt Schlapp and Sean Davis from The Federalist agreed, as well as Matt Drudge from the Drudge Report.
Editor of the Daily Signal Robert Bluey, The Blaze founder Glenn Beck, and President of the Media Research Center Brent Bozell fought back against these allegations, however, with Bozell calling Yiannopoulos “silly” and “an embarrassment to Breitbart” for criticising the meeting. | 1,270,280 |
Morehead State coach Sean Woods is a Kentucky basketball legend. Woods was a member of the “Unforgettables,” a Wildcats squad that endured the aftermath of a major scandal that hit the program with a postseason ban until the 1991-92 season. That year, Woods and Co. reached the Elite Eight, where they were defeated by Duke via Christian Laettner’s famous buzzer-beater.
Woods’ jersey hangs from the rafters at Rupp Arena.
So how will Kentucky fans react to his criticism of the current Wildcats squad, a team his Eagles will face Wednesday?
Woods told the Louisville Courier-Journal Monday that the Wildcats had “a sense of entitlement” when he encountered some of the squad’s players during a fundraiser for victims of Hurricane Sandy:
Morehead State University basketball coach Sean Woods said he will always be a University of Kentucky Wildcat at heart. But the former UK star was critical of the current crop of Wildcats. Two days before Morehead will travel to Rupp Arena, Woods had some somewhat harsh words about UK’s players. He said he encountered some of the Wildcats while participating in the UK telethon at WKYT in Lexington earlier this month to raise funds to benefit the victims of Superstorm Sandy. Woods said he didn’t like “the vibe” and sensed a feeling of entitlement. “These kids don’t know anything,” the Indianapolis native said. “I’ll bet you any type of money that besides the kids from Kentucky that are on UK’s team, they couldn’t tell you anything about one player in the history of Kentucky basketball. When I walked in the door (as a UK freshman) I knew about every player.”
Less than an hour after the story was published, however, Woods backpedaled via Twitter (@SeanWoodsMSU) with the following tweets:
“In no way were my comments meant to offend or insult the current players at UK. Simply an observation of today’s youth everywhere.” “I greatly admire Coach Cal and what he has done for the University of Kentucky and college basketball.” “I will always be proud to have worn a Kentucky Wildcat uniform and to be the head coach at Morehead State University.”
Perhaps Woods will get a pass based on his standing with the program and subsequent comments about his alma mater in the Twittersphere.
But the pregame dialogue intensified the buildup, if any previously existed, to Wednesday’s game.
It doesn’t appear, however, that Woods was speaking as an opposing coach as much as he was offering his perspective as a former Kentucky star. One of those uncle-nephew moments. It seems as if his greatest concern was with the current players’ sense of history.
Based on freshman Willie Cauley-Stein’s thoughts on Laettner and his game-winning shot in 1992, he might have a point. | 1,270,281 |
“Thomas Drake is exhibit A of someone who goes through all the appropriate channels,” said Jesselyn Raddack, a national security and human rights lawyer and the director of ExposeFacts’ whistleblower and source protection project, during the panel.
This week, America Tonight caught up with Drake to discuss the PEN report, the weight of the burden taken on by whistleblowers and how his life was rocked in the last few years. Answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.
On the findings of the PEN report: Probably the biggest takeaway for me is it’s one of the first reports that actually pulled this information all together in a cogent fashion. It gives a history. It shows the dynamics. It shows how things have evolved. It shows how far the administrations, particularly President Obama, have gone in pursuing those who would dare hold up a mirror to power. It talks about the lack of protections for sources. It highlights the risks to journalism, as sources, like myself, are considering engaging in criminal activity. It raises serious questions, extraordinarily disturbing questions, about the government.
The irony of it, in my own case, was that the media was largely my saving grace. The media began to put a spotlight on what was happening. What’s at stake here is free press, to conduct aggressive journalism when dealing with very sensitive topics. National security has an extraordinarily overwhelming influence right now, and it tends to get what it wants. There really is no limit in terms of how much security you want. You want a perfectly secure society? Then I have to give up all rights and all freedoms, but what does that look like? I can play that game, the what-if scenarios. What if? What if? What if? Is it really worth it?
We need a robust press, because that’s the foundation of our form of government and the foundation of any free and open society. But what we’re seeing is a very disturbing trend, as there’s a much more autocratic presence that’s exerting itself. It’s a control mechanism that’s born out of fear, and I think it speaks, very disturbingly, to the darker sides of the human condition.
On the burden of being a whistleblower who talks to the press: The burden is huge. My act was a singular choice I made. I spent several months pondering this, even before the stories came out. I knew I’d end up in a criminal investigation. Why? Because so few people knew about the secret mass surveillance regime, those who did know about it or had been associated with it, they’d be fingered as possible sources automatically. I had to weigh what’s in the public interest, because this was for history. So I made contact with a reporter, but in doing that, I put everything at risk, literally — my entire life, my family, ability to earn a living, current livelihood, my pension, my job. And ultimately, my own freedom and liberty was on the line. I knew that then. | 1,270,282 |
index soared and continued soaring even higher in 2016. I am expecting that trend to continue until the table gets turned over, despite any short term movements along the way. We also saw increased tensions between the American people.
Deutsche Bank is a huge part of the equation, so trouble there could cause the problems to spread. However, I don’t believe they will go bankrupt this year because that would be too big to fit the sequence of events I am expecting. For example, one of the next major signs I am watching for is in the currency markets with the U.S. dollar/ Swiss franc (USD/CHF). I saw the price for this pair spiking quickly up to $1.35. A failure of Deutsche Bank would likely send that pair much higher than that, so I am expecting that to come later.
In another dream in 2014, I was taken into the future where I saw the United States had been through a series of severe problems. Rachel Baxter’s word confirms we are right on track to see those problems beginning soon and continuing for an extended period of time. She heard, “there will be no slowing,” which fits what I saw, a series of problems that kept getting worse. I believe it is going to be like a series of dominoes falling, one after another. Once it starts, there will be no turning back.
Action Plan:
I believe the best way to prepare for these events is by pursuing righteousness, right standing with God in every area of our lives, because God will take care of those who walk uprightly before Him. The world is entering a time of great darkness, which means many people, most people, will be confused. We can expect the mainstream news media to help spread the confusion, so it would be wise to ignore them. Meanwhile, the righteous will be given insights to know what is coming before it happens and how to best position ourselves for it.
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)
The wise man sees the evil and hides himself, but the foolish go on, and are punished for it. (Proverbs 22:3)
Author: James Bailey James Bailey is a blogger, business owner, husband and father of two grown children. In 1982, he surrendered his life to the Lord Jesus Christ. In 2012, he founded Z3news.com to broadcast the message of salvation by reporting end time news before it happens.
© 2017, Z3 News. The first 200 words of Z3 News articles may be shared online in exchange for a clickable link to our site. Please include the author name and do not make any changes to text or titles. No image files from our site may be shared because we don’t own them. For permission to use our content in other formats, please contact us.
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ES News email The latest headlines in your inbox twice a day Monday - Friday plus breaking news updates Enter your email address Continue Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid You already have an account. Please log in Register with your social account or click here to log in I would like to receive lunchtime headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts, by email Update newsletter preferences
Former Tory leadership contender Sam Gyimah will stand for the Liberal Democrats in key battleground Kensington, he told the Standard today.
The fervent anti-Brexit campaigner is quitting his East Surrey seat, where he had a massive majority of nearly 24,000 as a Conservative, for a constituency where his new party has previously trailed in third place.
“I want to roll my sleeves up and fight on issues and values that I stand for — openness, inclusivity and the fundamentals of liberal democracy that I know a majority in Kensington aspire to,” he said.
Mr Gyimah, 43, a father of two, was a rising Tory star destined for Cabinet until he rebelled over Brexit and finally lost the party whip for joining the vote to prevent a no-deal departure from the European Union.
He then defected to the Lib Dems and was quickly promoted to Jo Swinson’s shadow cabinet as business spokesman.
Asked why he thought the Lib Dems could win in a seat where they took 4,700 votes in 2017 compared with over 16,000 each for Labour and the Conservatives, he said: “The choice facing the country is as stark in Kensington as elsewhere.
“You have the Conservative Party pursuing a reckless hard Brexit, which has turned its back on business and is out of touch with modern Britain. Then you have a Labour Party led by Jeremy Corbyn who is unfit to the Prime Minister and stands for an assault on property rights and people’s pensions. What we bring are sensible pragmatic policies and getting things done. Throughout Brexit I’ve shown that I stand for the values that diverse, forward-looking people in Kensington share.”
Mr Gyimah is the latest defector taking part in a “giantkiller strategy” being pursued by the Lib Dems in London. Labour defectors Chuka Umunna and Luciana Berger are fighting in seats where the party came third in the past, Cities of London & Westminster and Finchley & Golders Green.
Conveniently, the Kensington candidate previously selected by the Lib Dems, Rabina Khan, is to take up a new role as the communities adviser to Lord Newby, the party’s leader in the House of Lords.
Kensington was a Conservative stronghold until 2017 when Labour’s Emma Dent Coad seized it from Victoria Borwick by a wafer-thin majority of 20 after two recounts.
Liberal Democrat sources claim their private polling analysis shows the party currently tying with Labour, with the Conservatives fallen “to a distant third”.
However, they have not shared the data with the Standard for verification. | 1,270,284 |
upon a peaceful world of intelligent beasts. A gathering of wizards hopes to save the dying world by bringing forth a long-forgotten hero: a human, whose arrival has dire, unexpected consequences. In spite of the animal cast, there’s nothing cutesy about this epic tale set in a world growing increasingly brutal. Ben Dewey’s lush art brings to life a beautiful and often bloody world.
Also worth checking out: David Peterson’s Eisner Award-winning Mouse Guard is as innovative and entertaining as its tiny, armored protagonists are adorable.
Urban Fantasy!
Shutter, by Joe Keatinge and Leila del Duca
For fans of: Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files
Calling this “urban fantasy” is cheating a little bit. It largely takes place in a city, and it’s loaded with fantasy elements, but there’s really nothing else like it. Kate Christopher is a second-generation professional adventurer, with hints of Indiana Jones, who lives in a world where mutants, talking animals, and sentient clocks serve as friends and antagonists. The story opens with an intelligent cat trying to blow up Kate’s apartment, sending Kate on an adventure that leads her deep into the secret history of her late father. It’s a mash-up of elements that probably (definitely) shouldn’t work, but, as in the best fantasy, all the wildly imaginative elements come together to create a story that makes you care.
Also worth checking out: It’s got a very different vibe, but Kieron Gillen’s The Wicked + The Divine takes place in a similarly off-kilter version of our modern world.
Legendary Heroes!
Fables by Bill Willingham
For fans of: Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, William Goldman’s The Princess Bride
And, finally, the 800-pound (talking) gorilla in the room: Bill Willingham’s Fables, the popular, long-running, just-concluded series from Vertigo, DC’s mature reader imprint. Its 13-year run, including various spin-offs and a video game, looks intimidating, no question. Here’s the thing: the book is beloved for a reason, with a large ensemble cast of mythological characters banished to modern New York City following the conquest of the fairy tale lands by the ruthless, if mysterious, Adversary. Willingham clearly loves the earliest, bloodiest versions of our favorite bedtime stories, so the book has plenty of action and blood, along with a surprising amount of heart and a truly sick sense of humor. Don’t be put off by the number of volumes. You’ll want to start at the beginning, but that first taste (Legends in Exile) is fairly self-contained.
Also worth checking out: The tone is very different, but Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman series also stars a large cast of mythological and religious figures.
What are your fantasy comic picks? | 1,270,285 |
Bill Bowden reports in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette this morning that a planned Sister Cities visit by people from Ghana was scrubbed because Harrison leaders feared the Ebola virus.
No Ebola virus has been reported in Ghana, though it is on the continent of Africa, where other countries have experienced the disease.
It is another embarrassment for a city long held up to unflattering attention for its ill treatment in years past of black people. It is doubly embarrassing because resistance to the visit reportedly included the North Arkansas Regional Medical Center, the Harrison School District and North Arkansas College. If medical and educational leaders can’t stand up to unfounded fears (risk of Ebola entering Arkansas from any source, including countries where it has been reported, is slight, much less from a country where it hasn’t been reported) who can?
Still more embarrassment comes from the back story that a white supremacist had been actively attempting to stir up opposition to the Sister Cities visit since April. Why not get some white visitors from Europe instead, he suggested.
Happily, Jacksonville, Ark., wasn’t hysterical. It received a delegation from Ghana Friday and they’ll also be visiting North Little Rock.
Jacksonville Mayor Gary Fletcher said he did his own research and saw nothing wrong with the Ghana delegation visiting his city this month.
Harrison Mayor Jeff Crockett, who’s worked mightily to reverse views about his city on racial issues, said he hopes the group will visit next year. He told the Democrat-Gazette:
“It’s hysteria in my book,” said Crockett. “It’s hysteria that’s built up, and it’s not based on fact. And I have trouble going along with that kind of thing.” … “I’m just hoping that this wasn’t too big a slap in the face,” he said. “I just pray that it doesn’t get blown out of proportion, and they realize what the concerns were and forgive us for not following through.”
Amen.
PS — Something like 140 comments and 46,000 visitors so far to our Facebook post on the subject.
PPS — UPDATE ON MONDAY, Aug. 25. Though the Democrat-Gazette article quoted the Harrison mayor as listing the college as among the partners who’d “backed out,” the college president Jackie Elliott, wrote me Monday to take exception, saying, in part:
.
.. the College did not participate in the discussions to postpone the Ghana visitors. I was not at the meeting where the decision was made to postpone. At the time of the decision, the College was still in the planning stages for the visitors.
This is an opportunity for me to share some travel photos of my brief stop in Ghana and the universally warm welcome I received in Takarondi and Sekondi. Perhaps the Methodist church we visited in Sekondi can offer up a prayer for greater understanding. | 1,270,286 |
On Friday, The Inquisitr reported that a Ukraine government official confirmed that Donald Trump was “looking for kompromat” on leading Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden. Meanwhile, other media reports separately revealed that in a July 25 phone call, the president allegedly pressed Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky eight separate times to open an investigation on the former vice president. Now, a news story from one week ago suddenly resurfaced, offering what some commentators believed may complete the picture of what took place during that phone call.
According to an Associated Press report (via ABC News) first published on September 13, Zelensky revealed in a speech last week that not only had the Trump administration released the previously pledged $250 million in military aid to Ukraine, but for reasons that remain unexplained, also threw in an additional $140 million, bringing the total aid package to $390 million.
As The Inquisitr reported on September 6, Trump had been blocking the release of the $250 million even though the sum had already been approved by the Pentagon, leading The Washington Post to accuse the president of attempting to “extort” the 2020 election help from Ukraine. But last week, not only did Trump release the $250 million, but now appears to have sweetened the deal quite substantially.
But the Trump administration announcement of the Ukraine aid package made no mention of the extra $140 million.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed that the Trump administration sent an extra $140 million to his country. Featured image credit: Sean Gallup Getty Images
“There is very credible evidence that the President of the United States gave a foreign power a $140,000,000 bribe to investigate his political opponents,” wrote Forensic News founder and reporter Scott Stedman, via Twitter.
“We can say we have very good relations with the U.S., because now we will get not only $250 million but [an additional] $140 million,” Zelensky said in last week’s speech, as quoted by Radio Free Europe. “When you are waiting for $250 million but then have the possibility to get $390 million, I like this sort of relationship.”
So far, however, no direct evidence has connected the additional $140 million to any agreement by Ukraine to investigate Biden over the dismissal of a prosecutor who was probing an oil company with which Biden’s son Hunter was involved. In fact, Anton Geraschenko — a senior adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister, who would be in charge of any investigation into Biden — said on Friday that there was no ongoing investigation into the former vice president, simply because the country’s government had not received a formal request to open one.
In 1998, the United States and Ukraine signed a Mutual Legal Assistance treaty. That treaty designates a specific process through which one country may request an investigation of one of its citizens by the other country’s government. But there has been no indication that the Trump administration has filed or plans to file such a request under the treaty. | 1,270,287 |
Reports are emerging from Los Angeles of advance planning for a series of ops at the end of May, code name: Operation Angel Basin. Initial reports were sparse:
Operation Angel Basin is a series of linked missions set in a neon and chrome cyberpunk Sprawl. In this setup session we will collaboratively create the Sprawl that will serve as the core setting. We’ll create the important sections of the Sprawl, the global megacorporations that control it, and the badass professional operatives who move in their shadows.
Here’s what we’ve been able to piece together.
This will all go down at Gamex in Los Angeles. Missions will take place in several sessions over the course of the weekend and the operatives undertaking those missions can recur in multiple missions, building up a coherent shared story. (This makes it similar to the Living Dungeon World series from a few years ago. There are a few important differences though, which operatives who remember that series should note.)
Most of the sessions are Mission Sessions, but the first session (Friday, 8pm) will be a special Setup Session.
In the Setup Session, everyone who wants to participate will collaboratively create a world and characters.
Players will each create a Corporation (or similarly dominant organisation) using the usual rules for The Sprawl.
Players will divide into groups and create characters and detail part of the overall Sprawl that will serve as the game’s setting.
Players will create relationships between their characters by playing a few very short missions. (This will be a slightly more involved version of the usual Links phase of character creation. In this version, some parts of these missions will be fully played out using a custom variant of Conduct a Mission.)
After the players have created their characters and the setting, players will be able to register for Mission Sessions to be run throughout the convention.
The Mission Sessions operate much like a normal one-shot of The Sprawl. Players will use the characters and setting they made in the Setup Session, so each game will get to the Mission quickly. We will use the additional time to chrome everything and bathe the setting and characters in neon to a greater degree than is usually possible in a convention slot. We will also fully explore the post-mission complications and discuss the ramifications of the mission to the entire sprawl.
NOTE: There will be no pre-registration for Mission Sessions. Attendees at the Setup Session will register for Mission Sessions after character generation. If there are spaces in any given mission, players can register at the RPG table in the usual way after the Setup Session (from Saturday morning on). We will prepare a number of partially generated characters for drop-in players.
The number of games in each Mission Session slot will be somewhat flexible, depending on interest of the pre-registered players in the Setup Session. So if only 4 players want to play in the Sunday morning game, then that slot might be full and no drop-in players will be able to register.
Stay tuned to this feed for further information as this breaking story develops. | 1,270,288 |
Undated handout photo issued by Metropolitan Police of Martin Kelly as police are "increasingly concerned" for the safety of a missing pregnant mother, Krystal Gibbs, and her two young children. Metropolitan Police/PA Wire
Undated handout photo issued by Metropolitan Police of Jayden and his sister Sienna as police are "increasingly concerned" for the safety of a missing pregnant mother, Krystal Gibbs, and her two young children. Metropolitan Police/PA Wire
Undated handout photo issued by Metropolitan Police of Krystal Gibbs, 25, her daughter Sienna as police are "increasingly concerned" for the safety of the missing pregnant mother and her two young children. Metropolitan Police/PA Wire
A pregnant woman and her two young children have gone missing from their home in north London.
Police say they are “increasingly concerned” for the safety of Krystal Gibbs, 25, her three-year-old daughter Sienna and four-year-old son Jayden.
The family are believed to be with Ms Gibbs’s boyfriend Martin Kelly.
They were last seen at their home in Northumberland Park, Tottenham, on 20 May.
Expand Close Undated handout photo issued by Metropolitan Police of Jayden and his sister Sienna as police are "increasingly concerned" for the safety of a missing pregnant mother, Krystal Gibbs, and her two young children. Metropolitan Police/PA Wire PA / Facebook
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Whatsapp Undated handout photo issued by Metropolitan Police of Jayden and his sister Sienna as police are "increasingly concerned" for the safety of a missing pregnant mother, Krystal Gibbs, and her two young children. Metropolitan Police/PA Wire
Concerns were raised after Ms Gibbs did not turn up for a maternity appointment and Jayden failed to attend school.
Many of the children’s clothes and belongings were still at the address when police visited.
Expand Close Undated handout photo issued by Metropolitan Police of Martin Kelly as police are "increasingly concerned" for the safety of a missing pregnant mother, Krystal Gibbs, and her two young children. Metropolitan Police/PA Wire PA / Facebook
Twitter
Email
Whatsapp Undated handout photo issued by Metropolitan Police of Martin Kelly as police are "increasingly concerned" for the safety of a missing pregnant mother, Krystal Gibbs, and her two young children. Metropolitan Police/PA Wire
Ms Gibbs, who is six-months pregnant, is described as white female with dark hair.
Sienna is described as mixed race with brown eyes and dark brown hair. Jayden is described as mixed race with brown eyes and short brown hair.
They are believed to be travelling in Ms Gibbs’s silver Nissan Micra, registration KB53 DZF, which was last traced in Hampshire.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “Officers are increasingly concerned for their wellbeing and would urge anyone with information on their whereabouts or sightings of their car to call police.”
PA Media | 1,270,289 |
We know America is a hopeless kleptocracy, but if Corzine does not go to jail, given the revelation that he approved the raiding of a customer account of $200 million, it means that no one in the officialdom is interested in keeping up the pretense that we have a functioning regulatory and judicial system.
The revelation per Bloomberg:
Jon S. Corzine, MF Global Holding Ltd. (MFGLQ)’s chief executive officer, gave “direct instructions” to transfer $200 million from a customer fund account to meet an overdraft in one of the brokerage’s JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) accounts in London, according to an e-mail sent by a firm executive. Edith O’Brien, a treasurer for the firm, said in an e-mail sent the afternoon of Oct. 28, three days before the company collapsed, that the transfer of the funds was “Per JC’s direct instructions,” according to a copy of a memo drafted by congressional investigators and obtained by Bloomberg News.
The transfer occurred on October 28, when the firm had an overdrawn London account with JP Morgan and JP Morgan was holding up business in the US as a result. It isn’t hard to imagine the firm would have failed that day as opposed to on the 31st, and with lower customer losses, had the pilfering of the account not taken place.
This was also the same transfer in which JP Morgan asked for written assurance that the funds were not coming from customer holdings. The assistant treasurer, Edith O’Brien (who was also the author of the e-mail saying that she had the approval of Corzine for the action) never provided the requested confirmation.
Note that this e-mail contradicts Congressional testimony by Corzine:
Corzine testified that he never intended a misuse of customer funds at MF Global, and that he doesn’t know where client funds went. “I did not instruct anyone to lend customer funds to anyone,” Corzine told lawmakers in December.
It isn’t hard to anticipate that Corzine will deny the O’Brien e-mail, but with the CFO on holiday during the meltdown and O’Brien an assistant treasurer, it seems entirely credible that she’s seek senior level approval for an action like this. And we have this tidbit:
The memo’s account of the e-mail exchanges aligns with what Terrence Duffy, the executive chairman at CME Group Inc. (CME), told lawmakers during a December congressional hearing. Auditors at CME, which had authority to oversee MF Global, learned from an employee of the brokerage that Corzine knew about the loans involving a European affiliate, Duffy told committee members.
Put it another way: if there isn’t some serious action after this revelation, between this and Obama’s Make America Safe for Bucket Shops Act, investors can no longer regard themselves as having adequate protection from broker chicanery. | 1,270,290 |
Yesterday, my colleague Don Reisinger wrote about Jeff Bezos's annual letter to shareholders. It's an interesting read, but there was one thing that Bezos mentioned that I think is worth a deeper look, especially in the current moment.
Obviously Amazon is in an interesting position right now. The company has to balance the needs of its customers who have created an online shopping surge with those of its workers who are on the front lines of making sure people have the things they need when they are staying home to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
As the conversation has increasingly turned to what government and business need to do to restart our economy and get people back to work, there's plenty to debate about what's right and what might work. I just want to look for a minute at what Bezos had to say in his letter to Amazon shareholders (bold emphasis is mine):
Regular testing on a global scale, across all industries, would both help keep people safe and help get the economy back up and running. For this to work, we as a society would need vastly more testing capacity than is currently available. If every person could be tested regularly, it would make a huge difference in how we fight this virus. Those who test positive could be quarantined and cared for, and everyone who tests negative could re-enter the economy with confidence.
It's no surprise, then, that Amazon has started building out its own testing infrastructure to manage the needs of its hundreds of thousands of employees. The Wall Street Journal reported that the company is building the capacity to test all employees, including those who have no symptoms.
Can anyone imagine what kind of shape we would be in if Amazon had to close down multiple distribution centers because of an outbreak like the one affecting the Smithfield pork processing facility in South Dakota? That facility processes some 5 percent of pork sold in the U.S., while Amazon, on the other hand, is responsible for roughly a third to half of all e-commerce shopping in the U.S.
Clearly Bezos' immediate concern relates to keeping Amazon running at full capacity. The company announced it was hiring 100,000 workers, followed by the hiring of 75,000 more after filling those positions.
At the same time, the company has faced criticism that it isn't doing enough to protect workers. Some of those workers even organized a strike at the company's Staten Island warehouse. The company has also taken heat over how it has handled the criticism, with some employees claiming they were terminated for speaking out.
Those are very real issues that Amazon has to deal with. A company of Amazon's size owes it to its team to provide a safe place to work while meeting increased demand from customers sheltering in place.
Bezos's insight, however, has far-reaching implications for all of us. Getting every business up and running means having testing available on a massive scale that simply isn't yet available.
That matters because as a business owner, your primary responsibility right now is to balance a range of competing needs and interests. That balancing act can be difficult under ordinary circumstances, never mind during a pandemic. | 1,270,291 |
with a deep reliance on philosophy. The main points it stresses are the high cost of war, the unpredictability of battle, the correlation between political and military policies and the ineffectiveness of setting hard and fast rules. Not only has it influenced Asian military thinking for centuries, but it has also formed the base of the military strategies of Napoleon, Mao Zedong, General Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. and Henry Kissinger. In more recent times, The Art of War has been adopted by business students in Tokyo, New York and London as a text on business strategy.
2. Leonidas I
Best known for his heroic last stand at the Battle of Thermopylae, Leonidas’ early years have barely been documented although legend has it that he was the descendant of Heracles. His reign began somewhere around 490 BC and he shared control with Leotychides, as was Spartan custom of the time. The Persian army, led by King Darius, had been conquering Greece for close to ten years when Leonidas became King. When Darius died in 481 BC his son Xerxes continued his father’s expansion into the Greek mainland. In an attempt to stop the advancing army in their tracks, Leonidas (despite warnings by the Oracle of Delphi that told of his death) went to meet Xerxes with 7000 troops including the famed 300 Spartans, at the Pass of Thermopylae (aptly nicknamed the Hot Gates). Xerxes sent in wave after wave of troops including his Immortals who were in turn slaughtered by the Greeks. After a few days of fighting a Greek traitor told Xerxes of a mountain trail which he could use to outflank his enemy. Leonidas learned of the betrayal and sent away most of his men keeping only the 300 Spartans that made up his personal guard. Leonidas’ 300 valiantly fought off the advancing Persians down to their last man. Leonidas was killed and his body was beheaded and crucified which only served to anger his fellow Spartans who expelled the Persians from Greece a few months later at the Battle of Plataea.
1. Alexander the Great
Arguably one of the greatest generals of antiquity, Alexander’s conquests extended the Macedonian kingdom from Greece to India, almost the entire known world at the time. Born in 356 BC his early years were spent under the tutelage of the philosopher Aristotle. His early military career was spent releasing Greece from the grasp of the Persians. From there he moved through Syria, Egypt (where he founded the city of Alexandria and visited the oracle of Ammon and claimed his divinity), and Asia Minor before his final conquest into India. He then returned to the west and began making preparations to invade Arabia but before he could achieve this conquest, he fell ill and died in June 323 BC. Throughout his reign, the casualties of his troops compared to those of his enemies were considerably less, mostly due to his quick tactical thinking and his love for the men who fought under him.
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Other Articles you Might Like | 1,270,292 |
5:20pm, 27 November 2018
Owen Farrell’s controversial tackle on South Africa’s Andre Esterhuizen ought to have been a penalty, according to the referee who initially spared the England fly-half any punishment.
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England were leading 12-11 at Twickenham earlier this month when, with the clock having ticked beyond 80 minutes, Farrell put in a strong, shoulder-led challenge on the Springbok.
On-field official Angus Gardner consulted the TMO but decided there was no foul play, allowing Farrell and England to celebrate a narrow triumph to kick off their November series.
Farrell’s challenge caused widespread debate and, with the benefit of hindsight, Gardner believes he should have awarded the visitors the penalty that would have offered a chance to kick for the posts and snatch victory.
A winning start to the #QuilterInternationals? This is what it means to the players…#CarryThemHome? pic.twitter.com/R3dPGT6scN — England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) November 3, 2018
“I think in hindsight now, having discussed it with some other referees…I think the general consensus would be that a penalty was probably the outcome there that should have been given,” the Australian, crowned Referee of the Year at the World Ruby Awards, told the Will Greenwood podcast.
“I think we need to see a wrap with both arms, and I think in hindsight – although he got pinned – there wasn’t a big enough wrap from both arms, really. There was a wrap with one arm, but there wasn’t a wrap with the other arm.”
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When asked why that had not been his opinion at the time, Gardner said: “The angles that I saw with the TMO, which were the head-on angles, showed a clear wrap of the front arm, but it was the back arm which got pinned.
“Of the angles that I was showed in the stadium at the time, that seemed to me to be enough of a wrap for me to constitute a legal tackle.
“It was never high and so all we were looking at was the tackle technique. The collision itself also kind of swayed my decision because it was a big rugby collision and we see these hits in the game.
“We don’t always get it right and we understand that there are going to be decisions that are going to heavily influence the game. At this level the expectation is that we do get it right – and that’s what we’re striving to achieve – but we don’t always.
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“I suppose that’s the best way, just to be honest about it. If I made a mistake, I’ve got to put my hand up and say I was wrong, and hopefully if I see that again then I’ll know where I’m heading.”
In other news: | 1,270,293 |
HILLSBOROUGH, Calif. (KGO) -- It's one of the most lucrative matchmaking events on the planet where realtors from 26 countries meet some of the wealthiest people in China. An invitation-only real estate trade show, highlighting elite properties from around the world, was held last December in Shanghai.But American realtors have the upper hand. Overseas Chinese spent $22 billion buying homes in the U.S. from March 2013 to the same period in 2014. That was up a whopping 72 percent from the year before and California is their most popular market."Offers are coming in from Chinese nationals. They're all cash. They can close in seven days," Michael Repka, the CEO of DeLeon Realty in Palo Alto, said."There's no loan contingency, no inspection and no appraisal," Michi Olson from Alain Pinel Realtors said. "We just had one in the East Bay with 53 offers and the property went for $200,000 over the asking price."Olson said the one who bought the East Bay property was from China.At these trade shows, potential buyers look at videos showcasing homes from the Bay Area. Some buy them sight unseen."So they watch these high-end videos that walk people through the property and they a sense both the neighborhood and the house and then they will just wire the money in," Repka said.Competition among realtors is stiff. DeLeon's marketing strategy includes videos and a website in Chinese. They also bought a Mercedes van to take buyers to open houses and have a plane to show Chinese the splendor of the Bay Area. The plane has a lucky Chinese number on its identification markings -- an eight, not one but two of them. Local realtors are doing just about everything to get a slice of the Chinese pie.Realtors are even asking cities to change addresses of homes Chinese are interested in, with the number four. That's because the number four means "death" in Chinese -- a definite no sale.Hillsborough realtor Stanley Lo, from The Green Banker, has represented Chinese buyers for some two decades. He sells luxury homes that can go for $7 million and include six bedrooms, two dining rooms, a pool and a two-story guest house. The seller is a Chinese who wants a bigger home. So who are his clients?"It's a combination of entrepreneurs, businessmen, developers and real estate tycoons," Lo said.Many of the homes they buy remain vacant most of the year. They're called "ghost houses." We saw one example that is $9 million property bought by a Chinese family."They actually came and purchased the home, but their purpose was only to come here next summer," Olson said.A burgeoning middle class is now looking to invest their money in a safe haven, away from China's polluted air and political and economic uncertainties. Additionally, in China you never have home ownership."In China, it's a 70-year lease, so there are uncertainties. Nobody knows what's going to happen 70 years from now right?" said one realtor.That's another good reason to buy American. | 1,270,294 |
As Bayern Munich dropped from third to fifth in the Deloitte Money League, the club on Wednesday confirmed a "Platinum-Sponsorship" agreement with Hamad Airport in Doha, which is believed to be worth several million euros.
Neither the value nor the duration of the deal was disclosed by the chief executive of Qatar Airways, the owner of Doha Airport, Akbar al-Baker. Bayern Munich chief executive, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, explained that "this partnership is another step in our internationalization strategy" at a press conference in the oil-rich Gulf state.
Rumennigge added: "Part of our cooperation agreement is that we will jointly support social projects and a dialogue concerning critical community and political topics."
But Bayern's decision to strengthen ties with Qatar, amid criticism over the country's violations of human rights and treatment of migrant workers, has provoked extra debate on the topic. The club faced particularly scrutiny for its decision to hold a friendly match in Saudi Arabia last year, but has continued to make Qatar its winter training camp for the past six seasons.
Public pressure on Bayern
Dante on Bayern's Qater-based training camp in 2014
Qatar, host nation of the 2022 World Cup, faces investigations into its successful bid to host the tournament, while its recent bids for the 2017 and 2019 World Athletics Championships are similarly subject to bribery allegations. Fans and politicians have perennially questioned the moral obligations of the club, which now adds the Qatari Airport as its 10th 'Platinum Sponsor'.
"As if there were no other countries in the whole world for a training camp," tweeted Özcan Mutlu, a Green Party member of the Bundestag lower house of parliament who has vociferously criticized the club for its connections in the Middle East.
But German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told the "Bild" newspaper earlier that "Qatar is a strong investor in Germany" and "from a foreign policy point of view, there is nothing wrong with there being exclusive economic relations between Bayern Munich and Qatari companies." Germans companies, such as Volkswagen and Deutsche Bank, have received considerable investments from various Qatari corporations.
The additional negative scrutiny is yet another smirch on the reputation of the club. In 2013, Rummenigge was fined €250,000 for failing to declare to customs two gold Rolex watches he had brought back as gifts from Qatar, while current Bayern coach Pep Guardiola was an ambassador for Qatar's World Cup bid.
Influential supporters group "Club Nr 12" admitted it took note of the deal with "more than a little astonishment," while said it was surprised at the pace of the club's internationalization.
In a statement on their Facebook page, the group said the club cannot simply select partners for economic reasons, saying moral concerns should also play a role. However, the group also said that they believed Bayern's management would shared this opinion.
The supporters group also wants to be part of the discussions around the political discussion in Qatar and will hold a podium discussion in March. | 1,270,295 |
Wayne Rooney is hopeful of being fit for Sunday’s Manchester derby following an injury scare on Monday when he was seen limping at a sponsors’ promotional event at Old Trafford.
The Manchester United captain is available after a three-match suspension and while the club have remained tight-lipped regarding the precise nature of Rooney’s fitness or otherwise, Louis van Gaal is preparing for the game with him in mind. If the 29-year-old is fit he is expected to go straight back into the starting XI as the manager has stated that as his captain Rooney has “special privileges” regarding always being selected.
Rooney’s availability would provide Van Gaal with a sizeable boost as the forward is the record scorer in Manchester derbies, with 11 goals. In his absence United have been unbeaten, winning once and drawing twice, the last of them Sunday’s home game with Chelsea when Robin van Persie equalised in injury time to give United a psychological fillip before the trip to the Etihad Stadium.
City are enduring patchy form. Last week Manuel Pellegrini’s team allowed a two-goal half-time lead at CSKA Moscow to slip and the Russians drew 2-2 in a Champions League group game. City then lost 2-1 at West Ham United on Saturday, so United will be hopeful of going to the home of the champions and putting in a good performance, especially if Rooney is the lineup.
While Pellegrini admits to doing extra work to try to tighten up City’s defence, the manager claimed he would not make any special plans for Rooney, despite his prolific record against them.
“We really don’t change our way to play for some player or other player. If it’s not Wayne Rooney it will be Ángel di María, Juan Mata or Robin van Persie,” he said. “They have so many creative players that they have a lot of different chances [to score]. We cannot prepare for a game talking about one player because after it can happen that he doesn’t play and we have to change all of what we do. We really try to have a style of play every game. I am sure Wayne Rooney is one of the important players of Manchester United but, I repeat, also other players are very difficult for us.”
In Rooney’s absence, James Wilson has managed two league appearances as a replacement, the second of which came on Sunday when he came on for Juan Mata after 67 minutes.
Previously he replaced Radamel Falcao in the 2-1 win over Everton at the start of the month. Of having to compete with Falcao, Van Persie and Rooney, the 18-year-old said: “It’s great to be in contention with such names in the world of football as theirs. Obviously, with the competition in training and even in the games as well, if I can just get a few minutes here and there then hopefully I can get my chance further down the line.” | 1,270,296 |
This is post is the first in a series of 6. For the next 6 days I will be posting the meals I made from yesterday’s Grocery Haul.
For posting ease I will only include one recipe at the time, but the other ones will come in the near future!
Today, Sunday was the first day I ate the following:
Breakfast:
2 duck eggs boiled and deviled with Fire Cider and Chile de Arbol Powder.
Lunch:
Grilled Asparagus with leftover London Broil (recipe coming up next week)
Dinner:
Crock Pot Gizzards (Moellas) and a cup of beef bone broth.
Plus 3 tablespoons of coconut oil between meals.
Crock Pot chicken gizzard recipe in the style of “Cravinho”
This Chicken Gizzard recipe is one especially dear to my heart.
First it brings back all kinds of fun memories, but also it tastes incredibly good.
The original recipe comes form the most popular “Boteco” in Salvador Bahia, Brazil: the Cravinho. A boteco is a place where you go to drink and eat bar snacks. In Brazil both the drinks and the snacks are quite different from here, but they are all incredibly delicious.
Cravinho is so famous that on almost every night of the week it is hard to find a seat and the bar is just packed. They are famous for the Cachassa (brazilian rum) and for the moellas (gizzards).
I have been trying to replicate this very secret recipe for a long time, but not until I used the slow cooker it achieved perfection!
The gizzards will just melt in your mouth, as tender as it gets, without any trace of gaminess of funky flavor. The special sauce creates a rich flavor that perfectly complements the meat! (if you are not on the diet you can sprinkle some cassava flour on it!!)
Slow Cooked Gizzard Recipe Author: Vivica Menegaz Recipe type: Main, Appetizer Cuisine: Brazilian Save Print This one of my favorite recipes of all. It comes from a very famous bar in Salvador Bahia (Brazil). After many attempts I have finally replicated their very secret recipe. You will never taste a more delicious gizzard in your life, I promise!! Ingredients 1 bunch of organic cilantro, washed and cleaned from stems
3 large cloves of organic garlic, peeled and sliced
1 small organic onion
1 pound of free range chicken gizzards
¼ cup Passata di Pomodoro
½ cup white wine
¼ cup water
a good pinch of celtic sea salt Instructions In the slow cooker add all the ingredients and mix well so the gizzards are moistened and partially submerged. Cook on low for 6 hours. Serve with cauliflower rice or cassava flour. 3.2.2310
This is Monday’s meal plan! | 1,270,297 |
The new target for WordPress 3.5’s release is Monday, December 10, at 11 a.m. Eastern time.
I badly wanted to release today, just as I did yesterday, and the day before. I want this thing kicked out to the curb as much as you want it running on your sites. But the entire coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. team is exhausted, and we’ve made too many changes this week on too little sleep to risk dropping 3.5 without an adequate code freeze and a few days of quiet. #22803 was downright frightening to see, while #22790 was just absurd on a number of levels. I wanted to go to bed at 11 p.m. last night and instead four of us worked until 7 a.m. The responsible voice in my head says without a doubt, that code needs to soak longer (and should probably sit in a corner with a dunce hat on).
Plus, let’s face it, it’s late Friday afternoon on the east coast of the United States. I don’t want to do that to support teams, hosting companies, or translators. In the end, the extra few days can only help.
So: we’re going to branchbranch A directory in Subversion. WordPress uses branches to store the latest development code for each major release (3.9, 4.0, etc.). Branches are then updated with code for any minor releases of that branch. Sometimes, a major version of WordPress and its minor versions are collectively referred to as a "branch", such as "the 4.0 branch". 3.5 now. I’m currently aiming for a code freeze that lasts 65 hours and fifty-five minutes in length. We will reconvene on Monday at 10 AM Eastern time (1500 UTC) and start working our way through the release checklist.
Tomorrow evening, a few of us will touch base to see if anything has come up we need to deal with. By Sunday morning, we will know whether anything needs to change. Until then, we rest. I know, it’s lame we’re not shipping 3.5 yet. But a few more days will be forgotten sooner than potential egg on our face if we ship it without clear heads.
In the meantime: Go update your WordPress.orgWordPress.org The community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/ profile with your full name so it can make it on the credits page. And enjoy the weekend!
I’ll leave you with this:
Woke up this morning to find @nacin @koop & others still working. Heard they punched a duck? I'm glad I wasn't awake to witness this. — Keri Kae Almstead (@heykerikae) December 7, 2012 | 1,270,298 |
Independent MP Kerryn Phelps says "dirty tricks" are behind the removal of hundreds of political posters promoting her campaign for the federal seat of Wentworth in Sydney's affluent eastern suburbs.
Key points: Campaign posters were taken down at Rose Bay, Bondi and Elizabeth Bay, Dr Phelps has alleged
Campaign posters were taken down at Rose Bay, Bondi and Elizabeth Bay, Dr Phelps has alleged Liberal Party candidate Dave Sharma denied removing them, saying his have also been taken down
Liberal Party candidate Dave Sharma denied removing them, saying his have also been taken down A similar claim was made during last year's by-election in Wentworth by Dr Phelps, Labor's Tim Murray and the Justice Party's Ben Forsythe
Dr Phelps is fighting to retain the seat she won after a resounding 20 per cent swing against candidate Dave Sharma in the October by-election.
But on Friday night her posters were taken down in several locations along New South Head Road at Rose Bay, at Bondi and in Elizabeth Bay, Dr Phelps said.
"Well I think it's pretty obvious that there are some dirty tactics afoot and obviously in a grass roots campaign we rely on donations, we rely on volunteers," she said.
"For our posters to go up and then to be taken down … this happened in the by-election [and] it's happened again, it's incredibly frustrating."
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The Liberal Party's posters remained in place, Dr Phelps said, adding: "So you can make your own conclusions about that."
But Liberal candidate Dave Sharma flatly denied having anything to do with it, saying his posters had suffered the same fate.
"I completely reject Dr Phelps's intimation that me or my team had anything to do with the removal of posters. It's nothing more than an unfounded and baseless allegation," he said in a statement.
"I too have had some of my posters stolen overnight. We absolutely condemn the removal of any candidate's posters."
'I am the incumbent'
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A similar claim was made during last year's Wentworth by-election, with Labor's Tim Murray, Dr Phelps and Justice Party candidate Ben Forsyth all blaming Mr Sharma's team over the disappearance of their posters.
Mr Murray attacked Mr Sharma on Twitter and even alleged Labor posters were taken down and replaced with Mr Sharma's.
He shared two photos — one showing a power pole with Mr Murray's poster attached, and then another showing Mr Sharma's in its place.
Dr Phelps said it was clear the motivation this time around was to reduce her visibility as a candidate.
"The people who are taking down these posters clearly feel threatened — it's a tactic of desperation," she said.
"I am the incumbent member for Wentworth, I am defending that role and the Liberal Party don't want me to win the next election."
Wentworth is the country's second smallest electorate, covering 38 square kilometres, and includes some of the country's most exclusive and expensive real estate in areas such as Vaucluse and Double Bay. | 1,270,299 |
Subsets and Splits