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President-elect Donald Trump boasted for years — including on the campaign trail — about how he “never” settled lawsuits. That wasn’t always true. But the announcement Friday that he’d settled for $25 million the three lawsuits against Trump University, his ersatz university accused of defrauding students, was still a little out of character for a man who brags about never backing down.
And while Trump didn’t admit liability in the settlement, the facts about Trump’s real estate seminars that emerged during the proceedings were damning. Trump University wasn’t a “university” at all, but a series of real estate seminars. The main goal for instructors, the company’s playbooks showed, was to get as much money as possible out of students, talking them into upgrading to an annual “mentorship” that cost tens of thousands of dollars and didn’t deliver.
So on Twitter on Saturday morning, Trump tried to present another narrative, tweeting frantically about how he definitely, definitely would have won if it weren’t for the inconvenience of having to be president instead:
I settled the Trump University lawsuit for a small fraction of the potential award because as President I have to focus on our country. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2016
The ONLY bad thing about winning the Presidency is that I did not have the time to go through a long but winning trial on Trump U. Too bad! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2016
The tweets show how poorly Trump deals with anything that isn’t a crushing victory.
Settling the lawsuits was the logical move for Trump. Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who oversaw the two class action lawsuits in California, had urged him and the plaintiffs to reach a settlement. One lawsuit was scheduled to go to trial November 28.
Taking the case to trial had few advantages and few drawbacks for Trump. Even if he won, he also would have devoted time and attention to on the cases while he’s supposed to be overseeing his transition to the presidency, which has been chaotic so far. He might have had to testify in court. And the whole process would have meant that the words “President-elect Trump” and “fraud trial” would have been paired in headlines for months before his presidency even started.
But Trump doesn’t like logical compromises. As his tweets about the settlement illustrate, he demands absolute victory and the humiliation of his opponent — a characteristic that could translate very poorly to the world of politics and international diplomacy. | 3,900 |
OK
Step 8: Setup and Configure AD FS 3.0
Open Server Manger Select AD FS Click More… where it says Configuration required for Active Directory Federation Servers at…
Click Configure the federation service… action on the Post-Deployment Configuration
Select Create the first federation server in a federation server farm Click Next
Enter credentials for a user that has domain administrator permissions. This is used to complete the install, it’s not used as the AD FS service account Click Next
Select the SSL certificate that you imported Select the Federation Service Name Enter the Federation Service Display Name NOTE: Since I am using a multi-name certificate these three values don’t match for me. In production I always recommend that you use a single name certificate to keep things simple. If that’s the case then the three values below should all match e.g. sts.domain.com
Click Next
Enter the AD FS Service Account Name and Password NOTE: This can be a managed service account or a domain user account designated for AD FS. If you use a domain user account, it does not need any special permissions. The install will give it the permissions required.
Click Next
Select Windows Internal Database or the location of a SQL Server Database. The choice is yours, but for most companies the Windows Internal Database works just fine Click Next
Click Next
Wait for the Pre-requisite checks to be completed
Click Configure
Click Close
Step 9: Federate with Office365
Open the Desktop on the AD FS server Find Azure Active Directory Module for Windows PowerShell
Right Click and Run As Administrator Set the credential variable $cred=Get-Credential
Enter a Global Administrator account from Office 365 Connect to Microsoft Online Services with the credential variable set previously - Connect-MsolService –Credential $cred
Set the MSOL ADFS Context server, to the ADFS server (optional if you are on the AD FS server) - Set-MsolADFSContext –Computer adfs_servername.domain_name.com
Convert the domain to a federated domain - Convert-MsolDomainToFederated –DomainName domain_name.com
Successful Federation - Successfully updated ‘ domain_name.com ‘ domain
Verify federation - Get-MsolFederationProperty –DomainName domain_name.com
This concludes the setup of the first AD FS server and federation with Office365. | 3,901 |
at the end of August in BATMAN/SUPERMAN. There's been a lot of changes in dynamic between these two characters because of DOOMED. Does that mean we'll be seeing a lot of changes in their relationship in this arc?
GP: I'm thrilled about this story line. We actually delayed it a couple months because we had an issue Jeff Lemire for the series and then we had a Doomed tie-in which was a ton of fun, but this new story line starts in issue #13 [August 20th]. It's a story that we announced much earlier and it's coming out and it's one of my favorite things I've done in a book. At the end of issue #12, we saw our heroes, spoiler alert, being stripped of their memories, once again, by Kaiyo the chaos bringer. We're going to see a plan in motion in issue #13 where Batman and Superman are going to return to Earth, but in very surprising circumstances. The book is going to answer the question "what would happen if Batman started off his career with Lois Lane and Superman started off his career with Catwoman." One of the glories of this book is that you get to play with the supporting cast and that kind of mixing and matching is a fun way to bring out different nuances of different characters. Jae Lee has drawn issue #13 and it's gorgeous. We have colors by the great June Chung and it's a blast, particularly if you like Lois and Catwoman and want to see these character interact in very surprising ways in a story that explores who these two guys are and what they mean to each other.
CV: You're also writing the BATMAN/SUPERMAN Futures End book for September. What can we expect from that issue?
GP: This is a tricky one to figure out how much I can reveal because I'm not sure how much has been revealed in FUTURES END. There's a lot of reveals coming up. I think it's safe to say that... [laughs] How can I say this without giving it away? We'll put it this way. We are going to find out how our heroes got to the point where they are at in FUTURES END. It's going to fill in some of that missing time between our time and FUTURES END. It's going to fill in the missing details about the relationship between these two guys. Their relationship has gone through some shocking changes. We're going to find out some of the how and why in this issue.
Thanks to Greg Pak for talking to us and make sure to check out the last few issues of Doomed! | 3,902 |
I couldn't believe how much people enjoyed this tweet!
A few people asked me to explain what exactly I meant, or what had me so excited!
Well have you ever played and learned a new TCG game? I know I have, and at first, well, I have to pick up my opponent's every card and read it carefully. "Oh! wow, turns out I really am as screwed as he said! pls ban or I kick and scream.", etc.
But after a short while you don't need to read it, you already know. Even though there can be hundreds of popular cards you learn the idea behind them and game-play speeds up (and you look like less of a noob at the local tournament). That's when things really get fun, you can even learn what sort of deck to expect inside the first turn your opponent takes.
For me, as the developer, I know these things right away, but I'm sure you guys will learn them very quickly. I know where monsters are found, and I know their signature moves. Take a look at this graphic:
Sure! That's a great way to build a highly custom monster, but I see MORE!
If I see the bottom child monster I'll say to myself "wow! this person really likes Dracupyr's design! And look at that palette - this player clearly loved the post game location!"
"Wow, Brutalize! You mean they had what it took to beat that optional post-game dungeon too?"
"Hm, those moves seem to reflect a strong magical preference in stats... I bet they've ignored building up this creature's magical resistance"
"Oh no! This monster tanked my magic attack! This is a truly formidable foe! Maybe even I could learn a thing or two from their knowledge of monster breeding..."
The insights to be gained from someone's favorite monster by the time they finish the game are beyond count. A million stories, a true show of self-expression and creativity. I love monsters, so just the thought of seeing what unique species you all make, what diverse stories you'll tell me...
I just can't believe it.
And I can't wait.
Lead Dev
Jason (devotedtoneurosis)
PS: Yes some of the above monsters are new and have never been seen before... which ones are genetic variants? Which ones are new species? Unfortunately... I'll never tell!
You really thought I was joking when I said you ain't seen half the monsters yet huh? ;) | 3,903 |
although only on condition that the Union renounce all aspirations to trade union status, effectively negating any real power
On September 1 United played their first match of the season and the players wore AFPU armbands (which were later banned by the FA). It took six months for the players to receive the back pay that was due to them and Roberts never got the benefit match against Newcastle United that had been arranged to recognise his loyal service to the club.
At a later meeting of the AFPU the players voted overwhelmingly to leave the General Federation of Trade Unions causing Roberts to bemoan: “I know of no class of work-people who are less able to look after themselves than footballers. They are like a lot of sheep”.
Roberts stayed at United until 1913 playing a total of 271 games and scoring 22 goals. He then moved to Oldham Athletic for £1,750 (giving the club a profit of £1150 after nine years of service), and brought success to his new club almost immediately.
Oldham Athletic 1914-15. Roberts front row, third from left
In the 1914-15 season he led Oldham to the runners up spot in the Championship behind Everton, still their highest-ever finishing position, and he played a total of 72 games for the club before his career was brought to an end by the outbreak of World War One.
After the end of the war Roberts took over as Chairman of the Association of Players; Union, a role he held until 1921 when he resigned to take over as manager of Oldham.
His last entry in the minutes of the Union’s AGM ended with the words; “I like to think of myself that in the future I can say ‘Charlie you have done your duty to your fellow players’”
After spending just over a year as manager at Oldham, Roberts left the game completely and returned to running his newsagents shop, also setting up a wholesale tobacconist business in Manchester.
Charlie Roberts and his family
He continued to live in the city until in 1939 he passed away after an operation for a brain injury quite possibly caused by many years of heading footballs. He was just 56.
Clearly an outstanding footballer who played a major role in taking Manchester United to the forefront of English football, Roberts was also years ahead of his time in his campaigns for the rights of players as workers. He once said: “Try to remember that Union is strength, and without it you can do nothing.”
Football, and indeed footballers, will forever be indebted to Charlie Roberts. | 3,904 |
Imports of US feed grains halted over fumigation
CHICAGO: Exports of a key animal feed ingredient from the United States to Thailand have stopped due to new fumigation requirements imposed after beetles were discovered in a shipment last year, American traders say.
Thai government officials said US shipments of distillers’ dried grains (DDG) required certificates showing they had been “properly fumigated”. Traders on Friday said sales had effectively been halted while the two governments negotiate which gas is best for fumigation.
Thailand in 2017 was the fourth-biggest overseas market for DDG, importing 738,413 tonnes of the high-protein feed that is used in poultry and livestock farms, according to data from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Thai authorities discovered the Khapra beetle in two DDG shipments from the US, in August and November last year, according to Osama El-Lissy, a deputy administrator for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service at the USDA.
Since Jan 1, Thai regulations require all such shipments entering the country to be fumigated with methyl bromide. However, many US shippers would prefer to use phosphine, El-Lissy said, adding that the USDA would send information about the process to Thailand over the weekend.
“Right now, I can’t ship,” one US DDG exporter said, requesting anonymity because he was not authorised to speak with the media. “Trade is shut down.”
The issue threatened to dent what had been a rare bright spot for US ethanol makers. An oversupply of ethanol has forced many biofuel makers to cut production. China, which formerly was the top importer of both DDGs and ethanol, has largely stopped buying the products due to the Washington-Beijing trade war.
But relatively robust demand for DDG elsewhere in Asia and in Mexico has bolstered prices, helping ethanol producers offset losses in the biofuel market.
Bids for bulk cargoes of DDG shipped by barge to the US Gulf Coast export market were about $176 per tonne on Thursday, down from $185 per tonne a week ago.
Vietnam halted DDG imports in 2017 before banning imports after officials there said shipments were contaminated by beetles. That ban was lifted after US and Vietnamese officials agreed on fumigation protocols.
“It’s one more market we can’t muck up,” another US trader for an ethanol producer and DDG exporter said of Thailand. | 3,905 |
President Ashraf Ghani has signed a decree pardoning Taliban fighters held in Afghan prisons.
The move was part of the peace deal Washington made with the group, but official Kabul hesitated to act on it demanding guarantees.
Ghani’s spokesman, Sediq Sediqqi, took to Twitter to announce that the Afghan president “has signed the decree that would facilitate the release of the Taliban prisoners in accordance with an accepted framework for the start of negotiation between the Taliban and the Afghan government.”
President Ghani has signed the decree that would facilitate the release of the Taliban prisoners in accordance with an accepted framework for the start of negotiation between the Taliban and the afghan government. Details of the decree will be shared tomorrow. — Sediq Sediqqi (@SediqSediqqi) March 10, 2020
The decree will see around 1,500 Taliban militants released from prisons across Afghanistan, a government spokesman said.
Under the agreement signed by the US and the Taliban in Qatar last month, as many as 5,000 members of the militant movement were to be released by March 10 to pave way to intra-Afghan talks on the future of the country.
However, Taliban attacks on the government forces continued despite the deal with Washington. Last week, around 20 Afghan soldiers and police were killed in clashes with the group, forcing the US to retaliate with an airstrike and put the fragile ceasefire at risk of a collapse.
The agreement with Taliban is expected to allow US and NATO troops to finally withdraw from Afghanistan and end an 18-year-long invasion of the country.
The American troops began their withdrawal from Afghanistan earlier on Tuesday, with the US military’s spokesman, Sonny Leggett, announcing the start of the “conditions-based reduction of forces to 8,600 over 135 days.”
There are currently around 13,000 US servicemen in Afghanistan, the majority of whom are training and advising the local troops, while some 5,000 are taking part in anti-terrorist operations.
The Taliban have promised to honor the deal, saying that they will release around 1,000 Afghan government troops as part of the swap.
Yet Ghani said a few days later that “there should be an executive guarantee so that these people will not return to violence once they are released,” prompting speculation that this may impact the deal.
Alex Jones breaks down how the Deep State is using the coronavirus panic to destroy America.
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today! | 3,906 |
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Slaven Bilic has shown his West Ham squad who is boss by freezing out one of his players after a furious pre-season bust-up.
New Hammers boss Bilic laid down the law after clashing with Morgan Amalfitano.
And the French midfielder has paid the price for challenging Bilic's authority by being axed from the first team-fold and ordered to train with the kids, leaving his Upton Park future in doubt.
Bilic and Amalfitano clashed after the Frenchman missed a team meeting.
Amalfitano is understood to have “given the manager attitude” when he took exception to being confronted about his absence in front of his teammates.
The fuming Hammers boss reacted by banning Amalfitano, 30, from the club’s first-team training ground at Chadwell Heath in Essex.
(Image: Arfa Griffiths)
Amalfitano has now been ordered to train with the club’s development squad at nearby Rush Green, where the Under-21s and Under-18s are based.
Having been involved in the Hammers first four games of the season, the 30-year-old has been left out of the squads for their last three matches.
And Amalfitano was a notable absentee from West Ham’s open day at Upton Park today.
(Image: Arfa Griffiths)
It is not the first time Amalfitano, who joined the club in September 2014 and has two years left on his current deal, has angered the Upton Park's manager.
He was branded “unprofessional” and disciplined by then-boss Sam Allardyce after being booked and also shown a straight red card in just nine minutes on the pitch as a second-half sub in February’s FA Cup defeat at West Brom.
(Image: Getty)
Amalfitano is understood to have had a list of his misdemeanours read to him before he was sent packing by Bilic after his latest breach of discipline.
And the Croatian’s no-nonsense approach has been noted by the rest the squad.
Bilic has also impressed his players with his preparations for Sunday’s Premier League opener at Arsenal and the style of football he wants to implement.
And his methods paid off spectacularly when West Ham claimed their first away victory over the Gunners since 2007. | 3,907 |
Director: Wes Anderson
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Main Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Olivia Williams, Seymour Cassel, Brian Cox, Mason Gamble, Sara Tanaka, Stephen McCole, Connie Nielsen, Luke Wilson
Plot: Max Fischer dedicates his entire existence to the private school he attends, called Rushmore. He runs just about every extracurricular activity you can imagine, and even directs his own plays, but he’s doing terribly in his classes. He falls in love with Miss Cross, an elementary school teacher but finds himself stuck in a rivalry when his friend (and parent of 2 boys at the school) Herman Blume also falls for Miss Cross.
My Thoughts: Rushmore ended up on my watch list after I fell in love with The Grand Budapest Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom, and I asked for suggestions of which Wes Anderson movie I should see next. I went in blind, not looking up a plot or trailer or anything before seeing it, and I’m glad I did because it was one of the funniest openings to a movie I’ve ever seen!
If I’m totally honest, I didn’t love this as much as the other Wes Anderson movies I’ve seen. I really enjoyed it, don’t get me wrong, but it didn’t have the same qwirkyness that the others had. You can definitely tell it’s a Wes Anderson movie though, and I think it’ll be the kind of movie that will grow on me the more times I watch it, and it’s definitely a movie I’ll happily see again.
Best Bit: Max and Herman at war with each other. Watching the feud start with a swarm of bees in a hotel room and then escalating into something leading to an arrest was hilarious.
Worst Bit: I wouldn’t say there was a particular moment that I didn’t enjoy in Rushmore, it just lacked the wow factor for me!
Fun Trivia: So I’m not looking up IMDB for this one, I have some trivia of my own. The line that Max says, “Tell that stupid Mick he just made my list of things to do today” is the name of a Fall Out Boy song – and Rushmore is the reason they named it that! I was a bit of a die-hard FoB fan back in the day…
My Rating: 3 and a half aquariums out of 5, which Max may or may not have got permission to build for a certain someone. | 3,908 |
India is the largest borrower from AIIB, with 30% share of the bank’s total lending coming to the country.
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) plans to invest $1 billion funds in India over the next one year. The multilateral development bank has already approved a project loan worth $500 million (Rs 3,589 crore) to Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) towards the development of suburban infrastructure around Mumbai.
“Within the next year or so, (we have committed) at least an additional $1 billion in projects, primarily power and water projects… There is a power distribution project in Assam (with a funding requirement of Rs 400 million), there is also another project in the works in West Bengal,” Laurel Ostfield, director-general, communications, AIIB told FE. AIIB was started by 67 countries, and India is its second largest shareholder in it after China.
The Beijing-headquartered bank also approved $75 million (Rs 538.39 crore) in September to renewable energy financier Tata Cleantech Capital for onward lending to projects. The total committed financing by AIIB in India as of now stands at $2.9 billion (Rs 20,817 crore).
“The MUTP project is mainly to make a four-lane between Virar and Dahanu, and also to introduce a new two-lane from Panvel to Karjat. In addition to that, in 36 places we want to strengthen the crossings,” said D J Pandian, vice president and chief investment officer, AIIB. He added that the MUTP funding will be disbursed after 90% of the land acquisition is completed. Currently, around 50-60% land acquisition is done for the project. The loan for the project will be for a duration of 35 years and local authorities will pay 0.75- 1.40% over the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) as interest, Pandian said.
Apart from MUTP, the bank is in talks with authorities for funding metro railway projects in Mumbai as well. India is the largest borrower from AIIB, with 30% share of the bank’s total lending coming to the country. Pandian said the bank aims total funding approvals to reach $10 billion per annum by 2025, and expects investments into India growing proportionately. Apart from these projects, AIIB has also approved an investment of up to $50 million in Oriental Structural Engineering’s infrastructure investment fund and $100 million funding for L&T Infrastructure Finance. | 3,909 |
"In an effort to insure against a further slowdown in the economy, the FOMC voted today to cut their target rate by 25 basis points, and also moved to halt the shrinking of their balance sheet in August rather than this fall," he said. "The rate cut was clearly telegraphed in advance, and was fully priced into mortgage rates. However, the Fed continues to try to interpret conflicting signals from the economic data. Globally, growth continues to weaken, as trade tensions persist. On the other hand, in the U.S., job market and consumer spending data remain strong, and inflation ticked up a bit in June. Given these mixed signals, it was not surprising that there were dissenting votes in favor of keeping rates on hold at this meeting. The statement signaled that the Fed will continue to be data dependent, and that this cut does not lock them into a path of future rate cuts, but we expect they will cut rates once more this year and once in 2020. By that point, this period of weakness in global growth should have passed."
Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist at the National Association of Realtors, saw some real estate-related benefits to the rate cut.
"Many borrowers will benefit, especially those with adjustable-rate mortgages and commercial real estate loans," Yun said. "The longer term 30-year fixed rate mortgages will see little change in the near future because they had already declined in anticipation of this latest move by the Fed. These low interest rates will partly help with housing affordability over the short term. Both rents and home prices have been consistently outpacing income growth. The only way to mitigate housing costs challenges as a long term solution is to bring more supply of both multifamily and single-family homes to the market."
Danielle Hale, Chief Economist at Realtor.com, observed, "It's unlikely that today’s cut will lead to a large additional drop in longer term rates such as mortgage rates, because it was so broadly anticipated. But one factor that may put downward pressure on rates is an earlier end to the Fed’s balance sheet unwinding, which is now planned for August, two months earlier than previously expected. As to whether additional rate cuts will be on the horizon, the Fed more clearly expressed a desire to look not just at current conditions, but changes to the outlook, which opens the door to additional cuts. Today’s decision was not unanimous, though. With two dissenting voices, the bar for additional cuts may be higher. Homebuyers can enjoy today's low rates but undoubtedly will feel less urgency than last year’s buyers now that costly rate rises are pretty unlikely." | 3,910 |
debate the successes and failures of Pope Francis
‘Bergoglio’, note: he doesn’t even call him ‘Francis’. Tellingly, this priest used to be a fervent supporter of some of the Pope’s administrative reforms and he doesn’t look back nostalgically at the reign of Benedict, whom he blames for neglecting his papal duties.
But, like so many Vatican employees, he’s sick of Francis’s habit of telling the entire Roman curia that they are modern-day Pharisees — an analogy that casts the Argentinian pontiff in the role of Jesus.
Clearly Francis believes that relaxing the rules on communion for Catholics in irregular marriages is an act of Christlike compassion. This is also the view of the venerable liberal cardinals who campaigned to elect him. It is often said that he is enacting their agenda — and it’s true that Francis is well disposed to liberal demands for women deacons and married priests.
He is not, however, their instrument. In the words of a Vatican observer who held an important position in Rome for many years, ‘He hasn’t taken on the old progressive mantle so much as created his own personality cult.’ Theological niceties bore him. Personal loyalty obsesses him — ‘and if the cardinal electors had done due diligence they would have discovered that he was an extraordinarily divisive figure among the Argentinian Jesuits’.
It’s not hard to detect a Latin American flavour to the deal-making and settling of scores that has become blatant over the past year. Most Catholic bishops had thought Francis was a plain-spoken and perhaps touchingly naive reformer. Instead, they are confronted by a pope who is simultaneously combative, charming, bad-tempered, idealistic and vengeful.
Does that remind you of anyone? The Trump-Francis analogy has been doing the rounds in Rome for months, and not just among the Pope’s opponents.
‘It’s not meant entirely seriously,’ says a well-placed source. ‘No one is suggesting that Jorge Bergoglio is tempted by the same sins of the flesh as Donald Trump.
‘And there’s another difference. The Americans can kick out their old rogue after four years. Francis doesn’t have to stand for re-election by the conclave. Which, believe me, is lucky for him, because after the misery and nonsense of the past couple of years he’d be eliminated in the first ballot.’ | 3,911 |
Scientists have long debated the origins of the iron in a dagger blade belonging to King Tutankhamun that was discovered 91 years ago. New evidence, obtained through the use of highly-accurate X-ray technology, should end the discussion, revealing that the metal in the famous dagger made its way to Earth as part of an ancient meteorite.
The research project was an international effort, with scientists from multiple institutes, including the Polytechnic University of Turin, the University of Pisa and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, all working together to determine the origins of the famous blade.
Given the delicate nature of objects like this, it's usually very difficult to get permission to perform investigations of this type, even with assurances that the techniques used will be non-destructive. One previous study, conducted in 1970, did look at the composition of the blade, and suggested that it might be meteoritic in nature, but the work was never officially published, and the method used never disclosed.
For the new work, the researchers carefully studied the blade in December 2014, performing a detailed geochemical analysis via means of a non-invasive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The analysis was possible thanks to improvements to the technology made over the last 20 years, allowing it to supply accurate results without damaging the subject.
The study revealed that the dagger, which is currently on display in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, contains both nickel and cobalt, at concentrations equal to amounts observed in 11 known iron meteorites.
While the findings are certain to prompt more than a few excited shouts from ancient alien theorists, they actually support existing notions that ancient Egyptians considered meteoritic iron to be of great value. We know that other civilizations around the world – such as the Inuit people – considered the fall of meteorites to be messages from the heavens, and it's possible that King Tut's people had similar ideas.
The precious nature of the material is can also be attributed to the fact that, as far as we can tell, the inhabitants of the region at the time had not yet mastered techniques for producing large quantities of iron. On the other hand, the analysis of the dagger did provide evidence of some impressive metal-working mastery for the period.
The team believes that close study of other iron objects from the time, several of which were discovered alongside the dagger in Tutankhamun's tomb, will provide further insights into the use of iron from meteorites, as well as new information about ancient Egyptian metal-working.
Full findings of the study are published online in the journal Meteoritics and Planetary Science.
Source: University of Pisa | 3,912 |
matter of false arrests and excessive force by law enforcement, civil remedies to those wrongly treated might suffice. But the Meighan account, in particular, goes well beyond that. Torture is a war crime. If Meighan's account is accurate, U.S. citizens were subjected not only to brutal arrests but torture for a simple act of non-violent civil disobedience.
These allegations appear to be so serious that perhaps the only appropriate course would be a U.S. Justice Department investigation of the LAPD and the LASD.
[Hat-tip Jeannie Dean for links to OccupyLA testimonial videos.]
UPDATE 12/11/11: New video has emerged which appears to confirm at least one protestor being arrested after following the directives of police officers at the corner of Spring and Temple. The video reflects columns of police in riot gear moving in and eventually encircling a group of people standing on the side walk.
At 1:29 a.m. Officer #1 says, "In a few moments, we're going to ask those who will voluntarily leave to head down to these stairs." He assures them that they will "not be harassed" and will "be escorted to another area."
The video jumps forward to 1:52 a.m. Officer #1 says, "Those who want to leave, wait by that tree and you'll be escorted out." He tells a female (believed to be the camera operator), "Wait by that tree, ma'am." She asks which tree, appears to comply and after some time passes, approaches Officer #2, "Am I allowed to leave? Am I being escorted out?" Officer #2: "No."
As the camera moves along the police line, she asks, "Am I going home tonight? Am I being escorted out or am I being trapped in a circle." When officer #1 again tells her to wait by the tree and to "Back it up!" She complies.
Moments later, officer #3 says, "Ma'am, do me a favor. Come over here." When she asks why, he says, "Because you're being arrested." As she protests that she had complied with their orders, the camera is jostled and the feed stops.
* * *
Ernest A. Canning has been an active member of the California state bar since 1977. Mr. Canning has received both undergraduate and graduate degrees in political science as well as a juris doctor. He is also a Vietnam vet (4th Infantry, Central Highlands 1968). Follow him on Twitter: @Cann4ing.
| 3,913 |
ampoo for Light Hair
1/4 cup Arrowroot Powder or cornstarch (use arrowroot if you are allergic to corn)
or cornstarch (use arrowroot if you are allergic to corn) 5 drops of essential oils (optional, for fragrance)
Directions
Mix the arrowroot / cornstarch with the essential oils in a zip-top bag by giving them a really good shake (you may have to massage the bag a little to get everything incorporated). Cut the corner off to easily empty your dry shampoo in the container of your choice (like a small jar, old powder container, or your refillable makeup brush). Apply with the brush of your choice to the roots and/or oily parts of your hair. Brush or comb and style as usual.
Dry Shampoo for Dark Hair
2 TBS of cocoa powder (adjust the amount for darker or lighter shades)
2 TBS of Arrowroot Powder or cornstarch (use arrowroot if you are allergic to corn)
or cornstarch (use arrowroot if you are allergic to corn) 5 drops of essential oils (optional, for fragrance)
Mix the cocoa powder, arrowroot / cornstarch with the essential oils in a zip-top bag by giving them a really good shake (you may have to massage the bag a little to get everything incorporated). Cut the corner off to easily empty your dry shampoo in the container of your choice (like a small jar, old powder container, or your refillable makeup brush). Apply with the brush of your choice to the roots and/or oily parts of your hair. Brush or comb and style as usual.
Note: Cocoa powder does NOT contain sugar so it will not get sticky.
Keep A Hair Journal
Using a hair journal will help you track the adjustments and tweaks you make, track your successes and record the days between your washes. Make changes one by one so you can target what works and what doesn’t.
Hair Still Oily?
If after making the above changes your hair is still oily do the following:
Decrease the amount of vinegar in your rinse
If that doesn’t give you the results you want then:
Rinse out the vinegar solution (rinse) with water
Be Patient
Hang in there! With the small adjustments listed above you will closer to No Poo Nirvana.
If haven’t already, please join our No Poo / Low Poo support group on facebook.
I hope you found this No Poo help useful and good luck!
| 3,914 |
was sooooo bad though. Fun times guys!Damn wish I knew you were stuck outside, could have taught you the Krukar way and had you in lickety split. Moderator
motbob Profile Blog Joined July 2008 United States 12383 Posts Last Edited: 2011-10-10 22:55:58 #13 I updated some stuff in the 2nd post. Moderator Good content always wins.
Huggerz Profile Joined May 2011 Great Britain 918 Posts #14 Sounds great. Neat write up “It's like poker. You can play your best, but you've got to know when to fold your cards and take a rest, and know when to hold your cards, hold your breath and hope that nobody else is stacking the deck."
flamewheel Profile Blog Joined December 2009 FREEAGLELAND 25156 Posts #15 Yo R1CH change motbob's name to matbab.
You do look like the scarecrow though. I don't want to compromise your identity though since if you actually are the batman people will start gunning for you.
IPL was so sick. Real life sucks. Writer damn, i was two days from retirement
CaucasianAsian Profile Blog Joined September 2005 Korea (South) 11370 Posts #16 i wish every day was like IPL. so much fun!!!!!!! Calendar @ Fish Server: `iOps]..Stark
xSixGeneralHan Profile Joined April 2011 United States 528 Posts Last Edited: 2011-10-11 01:35:00 #17 nice to be able to meet everyone and happy to work with yall too
ipl was just one of the best experiences of my life and ive had plenty
:D Team Operations Director for CheckSix Gaming
CatsPajamas Profile Joined October 2010 United States 337 Posts #18 Great to see you all out there. :D Can't wait until IPL 4. http://twitter.com/kevinknocke
Torte de Lini Profile Blog Joined September 2010 Germany 30668 Posts #19 Lack of photos is unfortunate ):
I'm really jealous everyone got to play BW and hang out while also dedicating a lot of their time to helping make this event work, it's practically a dream of mine. https://twitter.com/#!/TorteDeLini (@TorteDeLini)
hejakev Profile Joined August 2009 Sweden 518 Posts #20 When the LoL final was on, did the crowd clear out? Did anyone stay and watch?
1 2 Next All | 3,915 |
Andrew Anglin
Daily Stormer
August 12, 2017
NOTE: UPDATES INCLUDING CAR CRASH UPDATES IN THE MAIN CHARLOTTESVILLE THREAD.
A car rammed into violent antifa rioters during the Charlottesville event around 2:00 local time.
From the footage, it is clear that the windshield was already cracked, meaning the driver was getting bricks thrown at him, meaning this was an act of self-defense.
So the question is: did the driver commit any crime, or was he simply acting in self-defense, legally?
I don’t see how any court could convict him of anything.
You can see from the pics that the car was under attack.
We don’t know who did this. They were Ohio license plates.
One person has died.
One person in #Charlottesville has died after a car plowed into a crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters https://t.co/RRQBPYlyPc pic.twitter.com/Hxptgv148k — VICE News (@vicenews) August 12, 2017
However, the real tragedy is what happened to the car.
This is the car that plowed through a crowd at the #UniteTheRight rally. Stopped along Monticello Ave. pic.twitter.com/7Uf4lHfAf9 — Dean Seal (@JDeanSeal) August 12, 2017
It was a very nice car, worth much more than the life of whoever died.
Apparently, the person driving it abandoned it and ran into the woods?
It’s not clear.
There has not be an arrest announced yet. Maybe they found the guy and were just like “yeah we saw the clip on YouTube and it’s obvious you were defending yourself, so I hope you have a nice day, sir. Hope everything works out with the insurance, because you have a beautiful car.”
Word is the cops are siding with the driver.
I would be scared too if I was that car and all those monkeys were on me like that!
This is a clear cut case of self defense.
Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
And make sure in every comments section and all over Twitter and Facebook you make clear that the driver was acting in self defense.
Don’t let people claim this was some kind of “attack” or “terrorism.” That is total kike shillery. | 3,916 |
whether this was a justified shooting or, whether the cops acted too fast. This is about the Fenton Precinct making residents aware of a "hot" topic and learning from this incident so Fenton never loses a child’s life. If you or your children have an Airsoft or pellet gun please sit them down and talk to them about this tragedy. Your children should have rules for "toy" guns that mirror the rules of a real weapon. Pellet guns and Airsoft guns should not be allowed to be played with throughout the neighborhood, common grounds, or used to threaten or intimidate people. Pellet guns have no orange warning tip because they are considered weapons; Airsoft guns do have orange tip. Please inspect your child’s Airsoft gun to make sure the orange tip has not been altered or removed. These guns are very realistic. Pellet gun laws are the same as any weapon in the City of Fenton. Children cannot carry a weapon and they cannot shoot this weapon within the city limits. Airsoft guns are considered toys, but city ordinance prohibits the "shooting of any projectile within the city limits". Warn them that these "toys" do look like real guns and could result in the police getting called on them. The police may get called to respond to "a child with a gun", "maybe a toy gun", it is important to know how officers are trained to respond. If the type of gun is in question by the witness, the Police will respond as though it is a real gun until it can be confirmed one way or the other. Remember if an Airsoft pistol is tucked in your pants like a holster then obviously the orange tip is no longer visible. The police will respond lights and sirens and come to a screeching halt in the area where your child is playing with the gun. Here are some tips to help your child respond appropriately. Do not run away. They need to no longer have the gun in their hands, throw it away from them. They need to comply with officers instructions. They may be ordered to lie down on the ground. Clear communication between your child and the police is essential. Police need to know that it is a toy gun; I do hope I am explaining a scenario that will never happen in our area. So again, "kids will be kids", and your children will continue playing war in the common grounds. Share this with your children; tell this story to families that might need this information, and encourage your kids to talk to classmates about this. Working together we will keep our community a safe place.
Update December 4th, 2:55pm ET: Added statement from St. Louis County Police Department. | 3,917 |
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Get ready fans and foes of Dan Brown: The Vatican has “discovered” a cache of documents from the Knights Templar. For those of you who were spared the bad movie and worse prose (via AP):
The military order of the Poor Knights of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon was founded in 1118 in Jerusalem to protect pilgrims in the Holy Land after the First Crusade. As their military might increased, the Templars also grew in wealth, acquiring property throughout Europe and running a primitive banking system. After they left the Middle East with the collapse of the Crusader kingdoms, their power and secretive ways aroused the fear of European rulers and sparked accusations of corruption and blasphemy.
The documents in question “reproduces the entire documentation of the papal hearings convened after King Philip IV of France arrested and tortured Templar leaders in 1307 on charges of heresy and immorality,” which includes “a 14th-century parchment showing that Pope Clement V initially absolved the Templar leaders of heresy, though he did find them guilty of immorality and planned to reform the order, according to the Vatican archives Web site.”
AP continues: “Historians believe Philip owed debts to the Templars and used the accusations to arrest their leaders and extract, under torture, confessions of heresy as a way to seize the order’s riches.”
Okay, this is all juicy stuff but what I love best is this:
Only 799 copies of the 300-page volume, “Processus Contra Templarios,” – Latin for “Trial against the Templars” – are for sale, said Scrinium publishing house, which prints documents from the Vatican’s secret archives. Each will cost $8,377, the publisher said Friday. An 800th copy will go to Pope Benedict XVI, said Barbara Frale, the researcher who found the long-overlooked parchment tucked away in the archives in 2001.
The Da Vinci Code book was published in 2003. The movie came out in 2006. So the entire stupid “is the Da Vinci Code right or wrong” industry could have been, I dunno, at least arguing over the facts for the past four years had only the Vatican released this earlier.
And, though this isn’t strictly relevant, before he became Pope Benedict, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, known until 1908 as the Holy Office of the Inquisition. | 3,918 |
This story is part of our continuing coverage of CES 2020, including tech and gadgets from the showroom floor.
Few things are more frustrating than lying in a dark room, drifting off to the land of nod, when you’re suddenly jolted awake by the high-pitched whine of a mosquito, floating through the blackness with designs on your tasty, tasty blood. Such moments can quickly transform even the most measured of people into crazed wall-smacking loons as they try and squash the cursed bug before it can bite.
CES has some good news, then, in the form of Bzigo: a laser detection system that uses a combination of infrared (IR) camera, laser designator, and smart computer vision algorithms to clue you in on the location of the pesky mosquito is as it buzzes around your room.
Sadly, it won’t blow it out of the sky with said laser like a miniature Death Star obliterating a particularly bloodthirsty Alderaan. Instead, once Bzigo has spotted its target (from up to 8 meters/26 feet away) an eye-safe laser highlights the mosquito when it lands. It will even send a notification via Wi-Fi to the user’s phone on the off-chance that they’re not already aware of the tiny floaty vampire hiding in the darkness. It’s then up to you to go and remove it from your domicile in a peaceful, life-preserving way — or by turning it into a tiny smear on your wall; hopefully with just enough time before its demise for the neurons in its tiny insect brain to regret ever hassling you. (The company is, however, considering a more autonomous death-dealing system, in the form of a nano drone, for the future.)
While, for most of us, a mosquito in the night is just an annoyance, it’s worth pointing out that this is a serious problem in many parts of the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mosquitoes are the worst of the disease-transmitting insects; aiding with the spread of diseases including malaria, dengue, yellow fever, and more. If technology such as this was able to be implemented in parts of the world where they mosquito-borne diseases are rife, this could prove to be a genuine life saver.
The first generation of Bzigo mosquito-spotter is expected to hit the market sometime in the next 12-14 months. It is likely to cost around $170.
Follow our live blog for more CES news and announcements.
Editors' Recommendations | 3,919 |
Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire concedes he is yet to settle on the make-up of his spine and hopes the club's final trial game against the Warriors in Whangarei on March 2 will help clarify his decision.
Maguire named Moses Mbye the new Tigers captain last week with the 24-year-old set to resume his role at fullback in round one, while Robbie Farah is likely to get the nod over Jacob Liddle at hooker.
The five-eighth role looms as Maguire's biggest selection headache with the race down to two between Josh Reynolds and Benji Marshall.
According to NRL.com Stats, not much splits the pair with only clear differences in the offload and try-scoring department.
Reynolds came from the Bulldogs with a unique style of attacking flair but injuries have unsettled him, while Marshall is towards the end of his NRL career.
Another decision will need to be made around the final make-up of the bench, with the utility position up for grabs.
"I'm looking forward to the day when I have to obviously sit down and make that choice because I know the boys are buying into what we're trying to do," Maguire said.
"That's the key for what the boys have shown; whatever the choice will be, it's all about the team itself and they speak about that.
"And they're going to help me make the decisions around that one. The expectations about how we're going to play and what's expected of our spine, that will make it part of the choice.
"Obviously [I'll] talk to them along the way, they're very open and we've had some really good discussions as a spine around that as well."
Maguire has settled into life at Concord after returning to pre-season a fortnight late in November following his international commitments with the Kiwis Test side.
"Yeah, it's a real family feel," Maguire said.
"You've obviously put a lot of work in the background to be able to get the club to where it is now and the foundations are very strong.
"And you can see that when a player walks in. The club allows players to do their job now, they can focus on their footy. They don't have to be too concerned about what's going on around them rather than just playing and turning up to training and being at their best."
Wests Tigers will open the season with three consecutive home games in 2019, kicking off against Manly at Leichhardt Oval on Saturday March 15. | 3,920 |
regularly blames such accusations on professional jealousy. But on review, the journalists seem to have real grounds for these grievances. I’ve been the new blogger on the block running an up-and-coming outlet before, and I understand the need to defend your work, but Lambert’s aggressiveness—and his unwillingness to hold himself to the standard for attribution that he demands of others—puts him even far outside the journalistic norms of online media. In many ways, he is his own (and Electrek’s) worst enemy.
Electrek is a gamble on Tesla, a bet that this one company will dominate the future of the auto industry. That bet has paid off handsomely for Weintraub and Lambert.
Encouraged by this strong performance, the two seem to believe that the inevitable success of Tesla will justify their close relationship with the company and their combative attitude towards the competition and other reporters. In this way, Electrek reflects the culture that Tesla itself has fostered: Be ambitious, aggressive, ruthless, defensive, and unapologetic.
Speaking on background, Lambert and Weintraub give the impression that they think ruffling a few feathers is the worthwhile cost of building a brave new world where they and Tesla will hold all the cards, and rake in all the money.
But it’s a major gamble. Tesla’s financial and manufacturing problems, which Electrek’s coverage regularly dismisses, could eventually have real consequences. And if the company fails, it’s hard to see Electrek not paying some kind of price for hitching its wagon so cravenly to Tesla. To a certain extent, without Tesla, all that remains of Electrek is a lot of pissed-off people waiting to say I told you so.
In Lambert and Weintraub’s mind, Electrek’s readers understand the site’s biases and just don’t care. Maybe that’s true, and that Electrek’s readers already know the dirty side of Lambert’s gamble, that his crusade against Saleen was predicated on a criticism (using deposits to fund operations makes it a Ponzi scheme) that now applies just as much to Tesla. Perhaps they know about his own Tesla stock pumping and his petty double-standard on attribution.
If they know all these things and still want to read and support Electrek, that’s their prerogative. And if they didn’t know where Electrek was coming from, at least now they do. They can never say they weren’t warned. | 3,921 |
graft court, however, dismissed the case because of the unusually long time it took government prosecutors to file the case. Though the original complaint was filed in 2002, the Office of the Ombudsman indicted him over the case only in 2013.
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Despite these controversies, the 75-year-old Singson insists his wealth came from legitimate business activities and not from corruption or illegal activities. “The previous administration tried to squeeze me about my taxes, but they couldn’t pin me down because all my companies pay taxes.”
He also takes pain to point out that he and his family were in business long before he became active in politics.
“My father was an engineer. We had a construction (business) when I was born. I worked to make it grow. So (my wealth) came from somewhere," he told Entrepreneur PH.
IMAGE Jason Quibilan
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As a young man, Singson became involved in tobacco trading, which proved to be a huge cash cow. “That’s how I earned my millions when I was younger. I was able to buy the electrical plant of Vigan when I was only 23 or 24 years old.”
Singson insists his foray into politics was purely accidental. Still, he seems to have enjoyed it so much he stayed for a long time, surviving several assassination attempts. He served almost three decades as governor of Ilocos Sur—interrupted only when he was replaced by an officer in charge and when he became congressman—between 1972 and 2007. Currently, he is a councilor of the small town of Narvacan in the same province.
Today, he says he is more of a businessman than a politician. His LCS Group of Companies has interests in construction, agriculture, transportation, mining, aviation, media, banking, finance and retail, among other industries.
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While he said there are no plans yet to list any of his companies in the stock market, if there is one that he might consider listing, it is his mining outfit composed of five mining companies. He said his team is in final negotiations to acquire a new company, Pargum Consolidated Corp.
“I’m used to the problems,” he said. “But I never give up. Because I’m a perfectionist.”
This story originally appeared on Entrepreneur.com.ph.
* Minor edits have been made by the Esquiremag.ph editors. | 3,922 |
the Air Force stopped the program in 1987.
The successful test was part of a larger U.S. push at the time to find a way to destroy satellites without breaking the rules of treaties that banned nuclear weapons on spacecraft. Examples listed by the Union of Concerned Scientists included the Strategic Defense System (sometimes called "Star Wars") and the Air Force/Navy Mid-Infrared Advanced Chemical Laser that was designed to be fired from the ground. A test in 1997 appeared to overwhelm or damage the satellite sensor that was targeted. Later efforts included the kinetic-energy ASAT (which was cancelled) and the Counter Communications System, which used radio-jamming capabilities.
Anti-satellite systems have also been investigated by the Soviet Union, China and India, among others. For example, a famous 2007 anti-satellite test by China generated a huge cloud of space junk. In 2013, a shard of the destroyed satellite hit a Russian satellite and destroyed that, too.
NEXT: Asteroid Projectiles
Manipulating an Asteroid
NASA/Don Davis
Scientists know that asteroids are the ultimate killers. After all, a 6-mile-wide (10 km) space rock is believed to have wiped out the dinosaurs roughly 66 million years ago. Audiences have seen the potential human impacts in movies such as "Meteor"(1979), "Deep Impact"(1998) and "Armageddon"(1998). And even relatively small asteroids can have a big impact, thanks to the tremendous speeds at which space objects travel. For example, scientists think the object that exploded over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk in February 2013, generating a shock wave that shattered thousands of windows and wounded 1,200 people (as a result of the flying glass shards), was just 66 feet (20 meters) wide.
But manipulating an asteroid is in the realm of science fiction, for now. NASA does have a proposed asteroid mission on the books; initially, the agency proposed moving a small asteroid close to Earth for scientific investigation, but elected to pluck a boulder off an asteroid instead. This Asteroid Redirect Mission is currently scheduled to launch in the early 2020s.
Even though some experts say asteroids are "lousy weapons," because they're only useable once every few hundred years, science fiction has you covered there as well. Aliens wipe out Buenos Aires with an asteroid in the 1997 film "Starship Troopers," for example. Space rocks have even wiped out Martians in books such as "Protector" (1973), by Larry Niven.
Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com. | 3,923 |
A ROCKHAMPTON dad is accused of forcing his son to have sex with a prostitute because he feared the 14-year-old was gay.
During a family barbecue around Christmas time in 2007, the dad allegedly phoned a prostitute and arranged to meet her at a motel on Yaamba Road, North Rockhampton.
The father drove his son to the motel and paid the prostitute in $50 notes.
The prostitute took the boy into a motel room while the father waited on a balcony.
The dad walked in and out of the room to check on his son and told him he wanted to see a used condom as proof that they’d had sex. After the boy and the prostitute had finished the dad took his son home.
A magistrate yesterday found there was enough evidence against the father for him to stand trial for the rape of his son.
Giving evidence during the committal hearing in Rockhampton Magistrates Court, the boy’s mother testified she questioned the youngster about where his father had taken him.
“First (he) didn’t want to say anything to me. Then he told me his father took him to a motel room and there was a prostitute there,” the mother said.
“He wouldn’t talk, he just started crying.”
Police first became aware of the alleged rape when the father phoned the Child Protection Investigation Unit on May 5, 2008.
Detective Sergeant Christine Knapp answered the phone call, during which the father allegedly accused police of not acting on suspicions that his 14-year-old son was “abusing” his younger brother.
The dad allegedly told police he had “tried to sort it out himself by taking (his son) to a prostitute”.
Sergeant Knapp said she warned the father over the phone before driving to the family’s home and speaking with the mother and child.
The prostitute alleged to have had sex with the teenager has never been located.
Sergeant Knapp said she tracked the father’s mobile phone calls to trace the prostitute’s number, but without knowing a date of the alleged offence she could not track the woman down.
The prostitute was described to police as being about 28-years-old, tall and skinny with tanned skin and dark, long hair.
Sergeant Knapp said the teenage boy appeared to be quite embarrassed when he was asked by police about the rape.
A date will be set in the new year for the matters to be heard in a higher court. | 3,924 |
This will allow the Chinese and South American teams to be a little more caught up and should bring some more entertaining games. For our team specifically, we have always prided ourselves on being able to adapt fast to meta changes and wouldn’t mind to see a meta shift before worlds.
Are there any teams from EU or NA that you feel could cause difficulty for the team at worlds in January?
AnatoLiy: Any team that makes it to worlds is a serious threat and should not be taken lightly, whether it’s NA or EU.
As with all team changes the team will come off with a big change to their play style, do you think the team under your guidance will be able to do this successfully?
AnatoLiy: The team as a whole has been adapting with each other rather quickly and we are all really confident moving into the SPL.
Gnaw is relatively new to competitive gaming, do you think there might be trouble with nerves when playing live in front of an audience when at LAN?
AnatoLiy: Although Gnaw is new to top-tier competitive SMITE, he does have LAN experience with Counter-Strike 1.6. Even if he didn’t, once you are thrown to the wolves that’s when everyone plays their best. The crowd pumping adrenaline into players makes them play that much better.
AnatoLiy with the team in China for the showmatches.
Thank you for taking your spare time to let me interview you and the very best of luck to you as you continue to coach the team and help the players improve. Do you have any shoutouts youd like to give or anyone you wish to thank?
AnatoLiy: Thanks to all the SMITE fans that continue to support us through thick and thin. Meeting and having conversations with new, and familiar, faces at events is always a treat and a pleasure. Without your passionate support, there would be no competitive SMITE and we wouldn’t be able to put a show for you, [VER] - You Rock! A special thanks to Alienware, Team Dignitas, and all our sponsors in always believing in us as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil for thou art with us. Also a big special shoutout to Red Bull, it gave me wings. No seriously, my lats are growing.
Follow AnatoLiy on twitter @DiGAnatoLiy and on Twitch at iGAnatoLiy. Thanks for reading!
Karma out. | 3,925 |
Human threats could be exacerbating transmission of bat-related viral infections
Can human-caused factors like habitat loss and climate change trigger outbreaks such as the recent Nipah cases in Kerala? Existing literature does hint at this possibility.
According to a report by the World Health Organization, there is “strong evidence” that the emergence of bat-related viral infections can be attributed to the loss of the animal’s natural habitats. “As the flying fox [fruit bat] habitat is destroyed by human activity, the bats get stressed and hungry, their immune system gets weaker, their virus load goes up and a lot of virus spills out in their urine and saliva,” the report adds.
Environmental stress
“There are studies on Hendra and Nipah viruses that hint at reproductive and nutritional stress [fewer food resources] as potential role players in virus spillover,” wrote Arinjay Banerjee, who works on the immune systems of bats and related viruses in Canada’s University of Saskatchewan and has studied the Nipah outbreak in Bangladesh, in an e-mail to The Hindu.
In the case of the Hendra virus — the Nipah equivalent in Australia — scientists found that when fruit bats are stressed (through habitat fragmentation, habitat reduction and physiological stress), the percentage of bats infected with the virus increases drastically, increasing the likelihood of passing it to humans through horses.
Nutritional stress through the loss of food resources — a direct consequence of habitat loss and climate change — brings bats closer to urban areas. According to a study in Malaysia, rapid urbanization of bat-rich rainforests contributed to the emergence of Nipah virus there: the regions most adversely affected were those that suffered from maximum deforestation. Forest fragmentation and hunting bats for food also bring them closer to humans and is often an important cause of disease transmission, says Rohit Chakravarty who studies bats in India.
Conservationists worry that the recent Nipah outbreak could cause a knee-jerk reaction of calls for bat culling. Culling bat populations may seem like an easy solution — and has been tried in Australia — but studies warn that instead of reducing the outbreak of such zoonotic diseases, it could cause even more damage, chiefly ecological.
That’s because about a quarter of the more than 1,300 bat species seen worldwide feed on fruit and nectar and are crucial pollinators (of fruit trees, including mango, guava and banana), helping maintain genetic diversity in agricultural systems. They are also important seed dispersers; other bat species help bring rodent and insect numbers under control. | 3,926 |
technology] wasn’t real,” Shultz recalled.
Once both Cheung and Shultz decided to quit Theranos and begin the process of bringing regulators to the company, Theranos actively threatened them with lawsuits and even sent people to follow them to their homes and offices.
“I had a burner phone for over a year,” Cheung said, recalling the long period of paranoia and stress she and Shultz endured as they tried to bring Theranos to justice.
“I, at least, had no idea what I was getting into when I got into it,” Shultz said of the legal process which alienated him from his family, including his grandfather and former Secretary of State George Shultz.
“At that time, my lawyers told me that the only people I could talk to are my wife, my lawyers and my priest and I’m not religious and I’m not married,” Shultz added.
But when asked if they wished they’d rather stayed silent about the truth about Theranos, both Shultz and Cheung said they stood behind their decisions.
“Frankly, I’m not one of these people who can kind of keep quiet,” Cheung said.
Both Cheung and Shultz say their lives have returned to normal since the Theranos scandal. Shultz is now the CEO and Co-Founder of Flux Biosciences, which focuses on bringing medical grade in-vitro diagnostics to patients’ homes. Cheung is the Program Director at Betatron, a startup accelerator company in Hong Kong.
When asked if their experience with Theranos has tainted their views of Silicon Valley culture, both Cheung and Shultz said they still have a fairly positive view.
“I generally think most entrepreneurs are just really passionate, smart people,” Shultz said.
However, they both stressed the importance of honesty, transparency and due diligence in the tech entrepreneurial industry.
“Just be honest, you know?” said Cheung. “Just be honest, be transparent.”
This post has been updated to reflect that the Theranos whistleblowers event at Stanford took place on Monday, Jan. 14, not Tuesday, Jan. 15. The article has also been updated to note that Elizabeth Holmes was not tried on Jan. 14 but rather that a court hearing was held regarding charges against her. The Daily regrets these errors.
Contact Zora Ilunga-Reed at zora814 ‘at’ stanford.edu | 3,927 |
It’s been a few years since Kentucky Fried Chicken was really able to bury the needle of our WTF-o-meter into the red. After all, once you release stuff like the Double Down into the world, the bar for “look at this crazy shit KFC is doing” becomes so much higher to clear. Sure, they’ve done crazy things like introduce the “Chizza” (that’s fried chicken pizza ) or a particularly dumb-looking chicken ‘n waffles version of the Double Down, but it’s become a game of diminishing returns. These days, when we talk about KFC, it’s usually in reference to our ever-evolving ranking of every comedian to portray Colonel Sanders, which is now up to 15.
But wait—KFC isn’t done yet. Turns out, in order to horrify us all over again, the key was not to introduce a new food product at all. Instead, all they had to do was start manufacturing chicken-scented firewood. Good god, KFC.
That’s right: Allow us to introduce you to the KFC 11 Herbs & Spices Firelog. According to the fast food giant, it’s a long-burning fireplace treat that just so happens to smell like the kitchen of a KFC. Is this a desirable quality? We leave that to you to decide, although we shudder to think of how exactly each log is being infused with chicken essence.
KFC is starting to sell the logs online today, at KFCFirelogs.com. They’re advertised to burn for up to three hours, and retail for $18.99. Can someone tell us if that’s a competitive price for chicken-scented logs? Does Church’s have a discount chicken log that can undercut this one, price-wise?
“At KFC, we have always been proud of our role in bringing loved ones together at the dinner table around a bucket of our world-famous fried chicken,” said Andrea Zahumensky, the chief marketing officer of KFC US, in a statement. “Now, this winter we’re bringing all the things we love — family, friends and fried chicken — together around the fire with our scented firelog.”
What more is there to do, besides tip our Santa cap to KFC? We thought their craziest days were behind them, but if they’ve got more stuff like this log in their pocket, they might just be scratching the surface. | 3,928 |
�ll want to have one sucker in the morning, one in the evening. But how do you remember to have two per day? You and your kids (if you take them to school and/or work) are in your car at least twice per day. Maybe you don’t actually leave the lollipops in the car because they may get icky gooey on hot days. But you know what I mean. Discipline yourself to make sure you’re using them two times per day.
5. Repeat in 4 months. You’ll do this about three times per year for excellent cavity control, plus you get to feel good about eating candy. Whee! Over time, the bad bacteria will start creeping back in, but starting up another 10-day treatment in 3 to 4 months will help balance out the mouth environment once again. People who get cavities easily need licorice root extract. It’s just that simple. If you’ve ever been given a prescription for high fluoride toothpaste, Loloz are for you.
So you may be asking yourself, why no one else is talking about this, why there might not be a lot of Amazon reviews on Loloz, it must not be any good, right? No, that’s not it. The company made a big push a year ago to get the word out, but marketing these days is a tricky thing for new companies. I am confident that the product is spot-on, and I’m here to reinforce again to you that balancing your mouth environment is one of the most important things you can do to prevent cavities. There are other ways to reduce tooth decay, but right now Loloz are your best bet for obtaining a proven, long-term, dose-controlled antimicrobial effect against decay-causing bacteria. And if you’re a dentist or hygienist who is thinking about recommending this to your patients, remember:
COMPLIANCE IS EVERYTHING!
…She says, with a delicious, sugar-free Loloz lollipop in her mouth.
Trish Walraven RDH, BSDH is a mom and practicing dental hygienist in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas. She has a very, very bad sweet tooth and doesn’t take money from companies like Loloz because she’s afraid they would give her a lifetime supply of sugarless candy which would be no fun because, hey, if it’s good for you, the days of living dangerously from sugar highs just go phhhht. gone.
Resources and References: | 3,929 |
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is back at the court after missing oral arguments in January as she recovered from lung cancer surgery at home, a court official said on Friday.
Ginsburg, who will turn 86 in March, had been working from home and participating and voting in cases since her December surgery by reading argument transcripts and case briefs. She attended the justices’ closed-door conference to discuss cases on Friday.
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While Ginsburg was expected to attend the next session of oral arguments beginning on Feb. 19, court officials could not confirm she would be on the bench next week.
Last month, the court announced that Ginsburg’s recovery was on track and that there was “no evidence” of remaining disease.
Ginsburg, who joined the court in 1993, underwent a surgical procedure called a pulmonary lobectomy on Dec. 21 at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York to remove two cancerous nodules in her left lung. She was released from the hospital on Dec. 25.
Ginsburg missed oral arguments in January for the first time in her lengthy career on the court, fueling speculation about her ability to continue in the job. As the oldest justice, she is closely watched for any signs of deteriorating health.
Ginsburg, appointed by Democratic President Bill Clinton, also is the senior liberal member of the court, which has a 5-4 conservative majority.
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Ginsburg broke three ribs in a fall in November. The nodules were found as part of the tests the justice underwent after that fall.
She has had other health scares, including two previous cancer diagnoses. Ginsburg was treated in 1999 for colon cancer and again in 2009 for pancreatic cancer but did not miss any argument sessions either time.
In 2014, doctors placed a stent in her right coronary artery to improve blood flow. She was released from a hospital the next day.
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Though she has been working from home, Ginsburg on Feb. 4 attended a concert in Washington titled “Notorious RBG in Song.” She is viewed as something of a cult figure for U.S. liberals, known by that nickname after the late rapper Notorious BIG.
If Ginsburg, one of the court’s four liberal members, were unable to continue serving, Trump could replace her with a conservative, further shifting the court to the right. Trump has added two justices since becoming president in January 2017, cementing its 5-4 conservative majority.
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Reporting by Andrew Chung; editing by Jonathan Oatis | 3,930 |
Ireland's Catholic Church hierarchy has admitted concerns about an "unhealthy atmosphere" at the country's main seminary amid claims trainee priests there are using the gay dating app Grindr.
Church leaders have ordered a review on the "appropriate use of the internet and social media" at the centuries-old St Patrick's College in Maynooth, Co Kildare, as well as an overhaul of its approach to whistleblowers.
The college trustees - four Archbishops and 13 senior Bishops - met for crisis talks after the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin confirmed he was boycotting the seminary.
Dr Diarmuid Martin, the most senior Catholic in the Irish Republic, said earlier this month he is sending student priests to Rome rather than Maynooth - just 26 km (16 miles) from the capital.
The church leader said he made the decision some months ago because he was "somewhat unhappy" about "an atmosphere that was growing in Maynooth" exposed through anonymous accusations in letters and online blogs.
Dr Martin said allegations included "a homosexual, a gay culture, that students have been using an app called Grindr" which he said "would be fostering promiscuous sexuality".
The Archbishop said there were further allegations that whistleblowers trying to bring claimed wrongdoing to the attention of authorities were being dismissed from the seminary.
After a meeting in Maynooth, the four Archbishops and 13 Bishops that oversee the seminary said they acknowledged the controversy and the disquiet it has caused in the church in Ireland.
"The trustees share the concerns about the unhealthy atmosphere created by anonymous accusations together with some social media comments which can be speculative or even malicious," they said in a statement.
"Persons with specific concerns are encouraged to report them appropriately as soon as possible."
The trustees have vowed to carry out a review of whistle-blowing policies and procedures and will demand college authorities review the use of the internet and social media.
They will also call on the church to set up an independent audit into the running of both remaining Irish seminaries, Maynooth and St Malachy's in Belfast.
Founded in 1795, Maynooth College was once the largest seminary in the world.
It was built to train 500 trainee Catholic priests every year, but numbers have nosedived to just over 40 for the coming year with a fall-off in vocations.
Speaking earlier this month, Dr Martin also criticised the "comfortable" regime at the seminary.
"The people have their breakfast, dinner and tea served up to them," he said. | 3,931 |
Angela Merkel claims that the European Union still has a “responsibility” to take in more so-called refugees, and pleaded to Islamic governments to help convince people that terrorism has nothing to do with Islam.
The 62-year-old German chancellor began her speech by acknowledging that “the European Union right now is in a very difficult situation due to the result of the British referendum … which is very regrettable”.
While calling on the bloc “to do more to integrate our military capacity”, she also confessed it could not fight terrorism without U.S. president Donald Trump’s assistance.
“Let me address this very openly. The Europeans alone could not cope with fighting international Islamist terrorism. We need the strength and the power of the United States of America, and their support,” she said.
“I say this because the external borders of the European Union, in a way, are the border that actually separates us from Islamist terrorism, and that very much has an influence on Europe.
“So co-operation with the United States of America is most important for us, but what’s also very important to me is that Islamist, Muslim states have been incorporated in this coalition, because I think those countries, first and foremost, have to give a contribution.”
According to Chancellor Merkel, however, working with such states is the only way “we will be able to convince people that it is not Islam that is the problem, but a falsely understood Islam, and the religious authorities of Islam have to find strong language in order to delineate themselves and distance themselves from this fundamentalist and terrorist [version of] Islam.”
“We cannot do this, we Christians,” she said. “It has to be done by the Islamist clergy and by the religious authorities.”
Having claimed that Western institutions have no authority to tackle extremist ideology, however, the chancellor went on to insist that Europe does still have a duty to absorb more migrants.
“We have a responsibility. The European Union has a responsibility to bear, accepting those refugees.
“Just think, Cyprus, after all, is a neighbouring state to Syria, so you see the external borders of the Union are the borders that separate us from those areas where people amass in great numbers … [W]e cannot simply say it’s got nothing to do with us; we have to deal with this issue.”
Cyprus does not in fact share a land border with Syria, being an island nation some 315 miles from the Syrian coast. | 3,932 |
A court in Gwalior has ordered the unblocking of more than 70 URLs related to Arindam Choudhari's IIPM, which were allegedly of defamatory nature.
A court in Gwalior has ordered the unblocking of more than 70 URLs related to Arindam Chaudhuri's IIPM, which were allegedly of defamatory nature, according to this report by NDTV.
The blocking was carried out as a result of a petition by one Ruchiv Sharma.
According to the court order, posted on Indian Law and Technology Blog, “the plaintiff is an exclusive CEP (part of counselor engagement programme) of IIPM in this region.” As part of the agreement with the institute, Sharma guides students in the region on courses offered by the institute, said the petition.
The block order, signed by Subodh Saxena of DoT, also covered the URLs of UGC stating that IIPM is not a UGC recognised institute.
The blocking of the URLs elicited massive outrage both online and off it, with many websites reproducing the blocked content, and many media organisations writing scathing criticisms of IIPM and Choudhari.
The IIPM website was also hacked by Anonymous.
However Chaudhuri remained defiant.
"As far as satire sites are concerned, I neither have any objections on any satire, nor would I have filed anything against them were I to do the same personally. In a democracy, satire is basic freedom of speech. However, I am glad that defamatory links with malicious interests have been ordered to be removed. UGC's false campaign is utterly defamatory against which IIPM has also released public notices in newspapers and the same are available on the net. So there is no doubt about the defamatory intent of the UGC/AICTE campaign and I am glad that the court has now ordered the removal of those links.", he said in an exclusive email interview with Firstpost.
As pointed out in this article, The details of the complaint seemed confirm the fears of free speech activists that websites can be blocked for the slightest reason.
The information in this case was blocked not due to any pressing threat to national security or law and order but because it contained negative information. And this in turn caused some measure of inconvenience to a consultant whose business is to advise students on courses offered by that same educational institute. There is any number of sites offering negative opinions on a wide variety of educational institutes on the web. The question is whether these too will be deemed illegal merely because it contradicts the advice offered by any particular educational consultant. | 3,933 |
Google plans to merge its Chrome OS, the “cloud” operating system which is used for laptops and personal computers and its Android mobile operating system used on smartphones and tablets, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
Technicians at Google have been working since two years to incorporate both the operating systems. A version of the “Merged” operating system is expected to be introduced by next year, while a full-fledged version is estimated to be launched by 2017. Thus, neither of the operating systems will be exterminated.
By far, Android is the most popular operating system among smartphones and tablets, manufactured by a list of companies. Over a billion phones and other mobile devices are powered by Android, which in turn makes Android the most popular OS among mobile users. While, Chrome OS mainly powers personal computers and Chromebooks. It possess a niche market, covering less than 3% of PCs.
Various features of Android make it far superior than Chrome OS like lack of native apps, but Chrome OS does a lot of task when the internet connection is not so great, working as a backbone and getting the task done. Additionally Chrome OS works well by relying on Google’s browser, which is widely used by internetters.
Chrome OS and Android share a common platform of Linux open-source software. Incorporating Chrome into Android also might bring more workplace customers for its productivity apps, like Docs and Sheets, which would run seamlessly across different systems. However, it might be a challenge for Google to combine both the operating systems as there are noteworthy differences between the two.
Recently, Google launched a tablet targeting the workplace called the Pixel C, which runs on Android 6.0(Marshmallow). It is the only device in the company’s Pixel line of laptops and tablets to drop the Chrome operating system. The C in the name stands for ‘Convertible’ as the screen and the keyboard complement each other by switching easily from ‘touch’ to ‘typing’ mode and vice versa.
Announcement of Pixel C and Pichai’s cry for mobile were clear indications to take a step forward and develop something which can include the best from Android and Chrome and get a superior OS. Whether products come or go or get folded into other things, the verdicts come with all the work and learnings that have been done to back them up.
Google’s “Everything as one” approach is quite responsible for such “folding” of two operating system. It might turn out to be the right move for Google to top the market. | 3,934 |
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s mysterious email server has been in a private data center in New Jersey since 2013, that is, until the IT company the former secretary of state hired to maintain the hardware handed the “blank” device over to the FBI Wednesday.
Clinton’s attorney, David Kendall, informed the Department of State in a letter Wednesday that the company hired to manage and maintain the server, Denver-based Platte River Networks, was turning it over to the Department of Justice. Kendall also told State he handed over three thumb drives that contained Clinton’s emails.
The Washington Post reported the FBI recently contacted the company to obtain the server. That move followed reports that the Intelligence Community inspector general had discovered that at least two emails maintained in Clinton’s records contained “Top Secret” information.
The server was housed in the basement of Clinton’s Chappaqua, N.Y. home while she was secretary of state. After she left office, Clinton hired Platte River Networks, which moved the system from her home to a private data center in New Jersey.
Barbara Wells, an attorney for the company, told The Post agents picked the server up at around 4 p.m. Wednesday. But she said the hardware is “now blank” and no longer contains any useful information.
“The information had been migrated over to a different server for purposes of transition,” said Wells. The transfer was carried out in June 2013, she told The Post.
“To my knowledge the data on the old server is not available now on any servers or devices in Platte River Network’s control.”
It is unclear whether that means the data once maintained on Clinton’s server is gone altogether or whether there is another device that contains Clinton’s records. Wells did not respond to an email from The Daily Caller.
While Wells said the FBI assured Platte River Networks that it is not the target of any investigation, Republican lawmakers have questions for the company.
Senate Homeland Security Committee chairman Ron Johnson sent a letter to Platte River’s chairman Treve Suazo asking for information about the security of Clinton’s server.
“Given that the server was used to conduct official State Department business, questions have been raised regarding whether classified information was stored on the private server,” Johnson wrote in a letter obtained by McClatchy. He also sought to find out “if that data was secure, who had access to that material and whether all official documents were appropriately preserved.”
Follow Chuck on Twitter | 3,935 |
(Reuters) - Toys ‘R’ Us is working to put together a loan to fund its operations in a potential bankruptcy filing that could come before the holiday sales season, according to people familiar with the matter.
FILE PHOTO - The mostly empty shelves of a Toys "R" Us flagship store in Times Square are seen after it closed permanently in the Manhattan borough of New York December 30, 2015. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
The toy merchant's move underscores the deep distress rippling through retailers of all sizes as consumers increasingly shop online at sellers such as Amazon.com Inc AMZN.O or go to discounters such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc WMT.N.
A spokeswoman for Toys ‘R’ Us did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The people could not be identified because the bankruptcy plans are not yet public.
The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that the company was considering filing for Chapter 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Richmond, Virginia. (on.wsj.com/2h87WOt)
There have been more than a dozen significant retail bankruptcies this year, but none for retailers as big as Toys ‘R’ Us, which has about $5 billion in debt and more than 1,600 stores worldwide.
A loan of several hundred million dollars as part of any possible bankruptcy filing would reassure the chain’s vendors it could pay them for the loads of stuffed animals, action figures and dolls it needs to stock its shelves for the holiday season, the people said.
Part of the retailer’s current financial woes stem from vendors demanding tighter repayment terms over fears that Toys ‘R’ Us may file for bankruptcy, the people added. The tighter terms have added to the Wayne, New Jersey-based company’s cash crunch, they said. Toys ‘R’ Us tapped restructuring attorneys from Kirkland & Ellis LLP, CNBC reported this month.
The retailer had already said it was working with an investment bank to assess options for about $400 million in debt that comes due next year.
Buyout firms KKR & Co LP KKR.N and Bain Capital LP, together with real estate investment trust Vornado Realty Trust VNO.N, took Toys 'R' Us private for $6.6 billion in 2005. The deal saddled the company with debt, limiting its ability to revamp its stores and make online shopping easier.
Toys ‘R’ Us opened a store in New York City’s Times Square this year to capture more holiday shoppers. | 3,936 |
REUNITED, "the Astralis of Overwatch", seeks to replace co-founder 2Easy
REUNITED is dropping 2Easy and looking to replace him in the hopes of climbing back to the top competitive tier.
Earlier today, Eric "2Easy" van Hoorn posted this tweet. A tweet that could be taken as a joke, but was actually completely sincere:
TwoEasy/2Easy should be known to most of you as one of the co-founders (and DPS player) of REUNITED. The team that started off years ago as a Battlefield roster, got signed by Fnatic, and then left Fnatic when they moved over to Overwatch at the start of the closed beta. After a number of offers from other organizations, the group decided instead to stay independent and search for sponsors themselves. This move turned them into the Astralis of Overwatch, a team with its players as co-owners and only stakeholders.
Since then the team has had its ups and downs, but has been a consistent contender for first prizes for the most part. They did however recently drop significantly in our GosuRankings, because of losses to teams such as Misfits, Rogue and Creation eSports. And it seems that this triggered REUNITED to search for a replacement of 2Easy, a player who has had to put school before esports for the past few weeks.
2Easy himself had this to say about the situation:
” I don't even know what to feel. I was streaming and was told there was a meeting so I quit the stream and then basically I got told they want to test new players instead of me for the next week. It all comes on a weird moment since I can finally play full-time now. I am still planning to play OW fulltime and competitively for a top tier team, let's see what wil come my way. ”
So, while it seems there is still a chance 2Easy will return to the roster, he himself has told GosuGamers that he might not want to accept the invitation if it does show up. With the name that 2Easy has built up over the past months, it is maybe more likely that we will see him on a different roster soon enough.
We have contacted the management of REUNITED, but they refrained from commenting for now.
For more competitive Overwatch news, follow us @GosuOverwatch.
QUICKPOLL Do you think 2Easy is a top tier player, who will be able to find another top team? Yes
Thank you for voting! No
Thank you for voting! | 3,937 |
The families of pastor Raymond Koh and social activist Amri Chet Mat attend the announcement of Suhakam’s public inquiry findings into the disappearances of pastor Raymond Koh and Amri Che Mat in Kuala Lumpur April 3, 2019. — Picture by Hari Anggara
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 30 — It is time that Malaysia ratifies the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED), its Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) said today.
The national body acknowledged the Pakatan Harapan government’s efforts to address past lapses on human rights issues, including the highly publicised disappearances of pastor Raymond Koh and social activist Amri Chet Mat, and said ratifying the UN treaty would help prove its commitment to the issue.
“The Commission believes that to effectively address an issue, it is important to first acknowledge that it exists.
“Suhakam believes that the ratification of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED) will not only ensure that legal recognition and remedies are put in place for victims of enforced disappearances, but also that it will signal a commitment that enforced disappearance is unacceptable in Malaysia,” Suhakam said in a statement to commemorate the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.
It pointed out that there is no official data on cases of enforced disappearances in Malaysia as past cases were often just treated as that of missing persons, abductions or kidnapping.
It further noted the absence of laws and regulations regarding the treatment of such cases.
Suhakam noted that the government has also yet to release the terms of reference in the special task force led by former High Court judge Datuk Abd Rahim Uda into Koh and Amri’s enforced disappearances.
“Suhakam is observing the progress of this investigation closely,” it said.
Koh, an evangelical church pastor, was last seen on February 13, 2017 by witnesses who saw him being captured by persons unknown from his car at an intersection in Kelana Jaya, Selangor. Amri who was last seen on November 24, 2016 had been alleged to be a follower of Shiah, another Islamic denomination from the official Sunni school accepted in Malaysia, which has been denied by his wife Norhayati Ariffin.
Suhakam had conducted an 18-month inquiry into the missing Koh and Amri and released a damning report in April that found both men to be victims of enforced disappearances — a term that strongly suggests the involvement of state agents. | 3,938 |
How Childbearing Affects Women's Wages Women [who score in the upper third on a standardized test] have a net 8 percent reduction in pay during the first five years after giving birth. Having a child lowers a woman's lifetime earnings, but how much depends upon her skill level. In The Mommy Track Divides: The Impact of Childbearing on Wages of Women of Differing Skill Levels (NBER Working Paper No. 16582), co-authors Elizabeth Ty Wilde, Lily Batchelder, and David Ellwood estimate that having a child costs the average high skilled woman $230,000 in lost lifetime wages relative to similar women who never gave birth. By comparison, low skilled women experience a lifetime wage loss of only $49,000. Using the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY), Wilde et. al. divided women into high, medium, and low skill categories based on their Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) scores. The authors use these skill categories, combined with earnings, labor force participation, and family formation data, to chart the labor market progress of women before and after childbirth, from ages 14-to-21 in 1979 through 41-to-49 in 2006, this study's final sample year. High scoring and low scoring women differed in a number of ways. While 70-75 percent of higher scoring women work full-time all year prior to their first birth, only 55-60 percent of low scoring women do. As they age, the high scoring women enjoy steeper wage growth than low scoring women; low scoring women's wages do not change much if they reenter the labor market after they have their first child. Five years after the first birth, about 35 percent of each group is working full-time. However, the high scoring women who are not working full-time are more likely to be working part-time than the low scoring women, who are more likely to leave the workforce entirely. Controlling for actual labor market experience and hours worked, the authors show that low scoring women face a one-time permanent pay reduction of about 6 percent when they have a child. High scoring women experience a net 8 percent reduction in pay during the first five years after giving birth, a penalty that reaches 24 percent a decade after birth. Men's earning profiles are relatively unaffected by having children although men who never have children earn less on average than those who do. High scoring women who have children late also tend to earn more than high scoring childless women. Their earnings advantage occurs before they have children and narrows substantially after they become mothers. -- Linda Gorman The Digest is not copyrighted and may be reproduced freely with appropriate attribution of source. | 3,939 |
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have managed to synthesise lung surfactant, a drug used in the care of preterm babies, by mimicking the production of spider silk. Animal studies reveal it to be just as effective as the biological drugs currently in clinical use. The study is published in Nature Communications.
Surfactant revolutionised the care of preterm babies by reducing the surface tension in their pulmonary alveoli and allowing them to be inflated at the moment of birth. Curosurf, the most globally widespread drug, was developed by scientists at Karolinska Institutet in the 1970s and 1980s. The drug is produced by the isolation of proteins from pig lungs, a process that is expensive, complicated and potentially risky. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and their colleagues from the University of Riga amongst other institutions, have now developed a surfactant drug that can be produced much more simply and cheaply using spider protein.
"The manufacturing process is based on the method spiders use to keep their extremely easily aggregated proteins soluble for silk-spinning," explains Professor Jan Johansson at Karolinska Institutet's Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society. "We chose to produce lung surfactant protein C because it is probably the world's most aggregation-inclined protein."
By applying this method, the researchers have managed to produce a range of potential biological drugs using the part of the spider protein that ensures that the proteins remain soluble, namely the N-terminal domain.
"We had bacteria produce this part of the protein and then linked it to different protein drug candidates," says docent Anna Rising at Karolinska Institutet's Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society who co-led the study with Professor Johansson.
The researchers also compared their synthetic lung surfactant with the biological analogue currently on the market and found it equally effective at reducing the surface tension in an animal model of neonate respiratory disorders.
"Since this production method is much simpler and cheaper, it might one day be possible to use our synthetic lung surfactant to treat more lung diseases than just preterm babies," adds Professor Johansson. "The method will also hopefully enable the production of other biological drugs."
The study was primarily financed by the Swedish Research Council and was performed in collaboration with the Italian pharmaceutical company Chiesi Farmaceutici.
Article: Efficient protein production inspired by how spiders make silk, Jan Johansson et al., Nature Communications, doi: 10.1038/ncomms15504, published online 23 May 2017. | 3,940 |
She said the pair were on horses and she also had her dog with her when they spotted "an item" on the verge of the road.
"An item was seen on the side of the road... it seemed to be an unusual thing to see on the side of the road," she said.
"I can't remember whether [Mr Daventhoren] picked it up... I can't really remember what happened to it, I'm not sure.
"My feeling is that it may have been on Mortimer Road, I can't say with 100 per cent certainty that it was."
She said she was asked 20 years later about the item being a knife and said she had a vague recollection of it.
"I couldn't remember exactly because I hadn't thought about it in so long," she said.
Mr Hollingsworth is now asking Ms Bell about an event that occurred a short time later on their ride, while they were travelling along Woolcoot Road.
"As we were riding... we saw a woman standing... yelling something out, it sounded like she was saying, 'Don't come down, don't come down here',"she said.
"I got off the horse... and held the dog because at first I thought maybe there was a snake.
"Stephen rode down towards the woman.
"When I got closer... and I heard her say she'd found a body. She said she went into the bushes to pick some Arum lillies and she saw a foot.
"[Stephen] walked into the bush to see what was there."
Ms Bell said she did not look at the body, but described the area it was in as being about four or five metres off the road.
"I would describe it as vegetation that was dense, so if there was something lying in it you wouldn't see it from the road," she said.
Mr Hollingsworth is asking what Ms Bell did next.
"The lady that was there, she had informed me that her husband had gone down to the riding school to look for somebody to call the police and that she intended to remain there," she said.
"She didn't want to leave her alone, referring to the deceased.
"I said I'd stay there as well."
Ms Bell has become emotional recalling staying with the body.
Mr Hollingsworth: And did you stay there?
Ms Bell: (whispers) Yes.
Ms Bell said she jogged around the area often, but had not noticed anything unusual prior to the body being found. | 3,941 |
tribe))) benefits greatly from this cycle. Debt is bondage and our people must shake off these chains.
What Whites should do: Obviously, some debt is unavoidable. Mortgages, new cars, student loans, and even a credit card for emergencies can be helpful and handled wisely. However, our society has a real problem here. Consumerism is our religion and we sacrifice our whole lives to satisfy the gods of debt. Many of us might be working ourselves to death simply to make our monthly debt payments. The first thing we must do is avoid debt if at all possible. Do your best to save for things. Instead of buying a brand new car, save some cash and buy an older used car. If you must have a credit card, limit yourself to only one. Be sure to pay off the entire balance each month. Discipline yourself not to use credit cards to purchase unneeded luxuries or to impress friends. If it is necessary to go into any debt, keep it as low as possible. Be sure you have enough monthly income to make the payments and never miss one. Debt is draining our society and our people. It weakens us and strengthens a certain (((enemy))). It is vital for us to extinguish this behavior of excessive debt that is not a part of who we are. Get out and stay out of debt.
#10 – Smoking Weed: It’s a shame that this has to be discussed. Weed, contrary to what is becoming accepted in our culture, isn’t harmless. Those who habitually engage in the practice become lazy, lethargic, careless, and ditzy. No respectable white man or women should engage in such behavior. Over time, your brain will deteriorate, making what should be your wise years useless. If our people continue to succumb to this cultural trend, we will be unable to fulfill the 14 words. Our people will die and we will become a footnote in history.
What Whites should do: If you’re using weed, stop it. If you’re not, don’t start. Oppose it whenever and wherever you can. Do all you can to keep your children from falling into it. This isn’t about the War on Drugs or the Non-aggression principle, this is about avoiding something that will lull our people to sleep, making them useless to reproduce, build a culture, and oppose our (((enemies))). Weed isn’t for whites. Let the negroes keep it.
Now get out there and do the white thing!
~ By T.J. Dabney and originally published at Identity Dixie. | 3,942 |
Planned changes to adoption laws are likely to mean that up to 2,000 children would be eligible for domestic adoption.
Major legal obstacles mean domestic adoptions of children in State care are rare. Just 17 children were adopted from foster care here last year. However, new legislation would make it much easier to adopt children if they have been in “long-term” foster care for three years.
There are more than 6,500 children in foster care and up to one-third of them have been there for three or more years.
The planned changes will give fresh hope to would-be parents who have found that intercountry adoptions are increasingly difficult to arrange as a result of new legal restrictions.
However, they may prove controversial among some campaigners who regard it as an encroachment on parents’ rights.
Parental rights
Legislation paving the way for a more flexible adoption regime has been drafted by the Government and is due to be enacted, if the result of the children’s rights referendum is formally ratified. The outcome of a legal challenge to the 2012 result is expected next month.
A Supreme Court judge recently ruled authorities were free to reform adoption laws regardless of the outcome of the referendum.
The impact of proposed changes will be discussed at a conference today to be held by the Adoption Authority of Ireland. Authority chairman Geoffrey Shannon said if the referendum result is formally ratified, a significant number of children in foster care would be eligible for adoption from the long-term foster care system.
This would give more children a “second chance” at a safe and secure childhood, he said.
“Adoption is not the answer in every situation, but where a child is in foster care without a realistic hope of returning home, adoption can allow the child a secure family that has legal permanence,” he said.
The authority has set up an implementation group to ensure it is in a position to deliver any changes likely to result from new laws.
More flexible system
The Child and Family Agency will tell the conference it estimates about 2,000 children in the foster care system would be eligible for adoption under planned changes. The State’s low domestic rate is unusual in international terms. In the UK, most adoptions are drawn from its long-term foster care system. By contrast, there were 13 domestic adoptions from foster care here in 2012.
Wayne Dignam of the Irish Care Leavers’ Network said he welcomed the measure as a “good option”, as long as there was accountability and the best interests of the child applied. | 3,943 |
The Chicago Cubs have exercised an option to get out of their broadcast contract with WGN-TV after the 2014 season, sources said Wednesday.
The team notified the Tribune Co.-owned station on Tuesday it had 30 days to agree to substantially higher fees for the 2015 season and beyond, or the broadcast rights would be opened up for negotiation with other media, according to a source close to the situation.
The move not only sets a higher price for the broadcast rights, but shortens the duration of the agreement to 2019, lopping three years off the existing agreement. If Tribune Co. doesn't step up to the plate within 30 days, the team is free to explore other broadcast options for about 70 games televised each season by WGN, opening the door to a potentially more lucrative contract, or perhaps its own cable sports network.
A Tribune Co. spokesman and a Cubs spokesman declined to comment.
The Cubs and WGN-TV have a broadcast partnership that dates to 1948. With baseball rights fees soaring, there is much at stake for both. In January, the Los Angeles Dodgers launched their own cable sports network, striking a deal with Time Warner Cable that will pay the team a reported $7 billion to broadcast its games over 25 years.
Currently, Cubs games are split between Comcast SportsNet Chicago and WGN-TV, earning the club about $60 million in annual broadcast rights fees combined, according to sources. The CSN deal runs through 2019 and includes the White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks as partners. Comcast owns about 30 percent of the network.
The Cubs get about $20 million to air 70 games each year on WGN. While the deal ran through 2022, the option resets the agreement for a five-year term after the 2014 season. The clause included a different fee schedule for the 2015 to 2019 seasons at substantially higher rates, and also called for a fair market value appraisal to be conducted. The appraisal came in slightly below the increased fee schedule, and by the terms of the contract, the Cubs are entitled to the higher of the two rates, according to sources.
The Ricketts family renegotiated the broadcast agreements as part of their 2009 purchase of the Cubs from Tribune Co., owner of the Chicago Tribune and WGN-TV. The $845 million deal -- then the highest in Major League Baseball history -- included Wrigley Field and a 25 percent stake in Comcast SportsNet Chicago.
By exercising the option, the Cubs' broadcast and cable rights will sync up in 2019, giving the team a target date and its full slate of games to potentially form a much more lucrative cable sports network. | 3,944 |
On January 24, 2017, AMD filed a complaint against several prominent tech companies, requesting that the ITC commence an investigation pursuant to Section 337. The basis for the complaint: some of these companies (namely, LG, MediaTek, VIZIO, and Sigma) unlawfully import into or sell inside the U.S. products which infringe on AMD's graphics intelectual property - namely, on U.S. Patent Nos. 7,633,506 (the '506 patent), 7,796,133 (the '133 patent) and 8,760,454 (the '454 patent) (collectively, the "asserted patents".According to the complaint, these patents generally relate to architectures for graphics processing unit (GPU) circuitry. The '506 patent relates to "a graphics processing architecture that enables a large amount of graphics data to be rendered to a frame buffer". The '133 patent relates to specialized "texture" processing circuitry that is employed by GPUs. Lastly, the '454 patent relates to a "unified shader" hardware architecture for GPUs. The complaint specifically refers to various televisions and smartphones, specifically, towards the graphics processing systems within those televisions and smartphones - as infringing products.AMD asserts its vested interest in the mentioned patents, referring to the substantial investment it has done on developing products based on them, as well as its partner foundry GlobalFoundries on manufacturing products based on these patents. AMD also goes on to claim that the patent infringement damages its legitimate partners who have acquired the right to use them - namely, Samsung.As a means of achieving justice on what AMD sees as gross violations on its intelectual property, the company only requests that the Commission issue a limited exclusion order and permanent cease and desist orders directed at the infringing companies - so, basically, that the products referenced in the complaint be prohibited of being imported to and sold on U.S. territory. No claims on have yet been filed, but considering how that is a common occurrence in this kind of practices, it's likely that AMD will still claim the payment of an indemnity and/or royalties that would have otherwise been paid by the infringing companies, if they are ever found of the malpractice that AMD filed against. All in all, this will probably go in one of three ways: the companies are found guilty and AMD stands to make money; the companies are found not to have been infringing on patents, in which AMD loses money; or the companies enter an agreement for cross patent licensing and maybe some monetary value changing hands between them. It's still too soon to look into any of these outcomes, though. For now, just know that AMD too sets lawsuits against other companies. | 3,945 |
$25,000 is nothing to sneeze at. It's enough to cover most Americans' living expenses for at least a few months. You could even start a business or put a down payment on a home.
Now one employer — Riot Games, the maker of the popular video game League of Legends — will pay its employees 10 percent of their salary, up to $25,000, to quit their jobs, even if they have worked there for only one day.
Other employers are offering a similar deal, including Zappos, which will give employees $2,000 if they want to leave, and Amazon, which is offering $3,000 to workers in its warehouses, and up to $5,000 for more experienced employees.
Are they crazy? No. These companies are doing something smart. They're using basic economic incentives to make sure that they only employ people who are enthusiastic about their work. This is an economic filter to foster job excellence.
In the grander scheme of things, a 10 percent cut isn't a huge amount of money. In the U.S., a game programmer with less than three years experience earns on average $72,198 a year. Programmers with more than six years experience take home on average $124,833. It is really only a couple months' pay.
For individuals who want to keep their job, $25,000 is tiny compared to the hundreds of thousands of dollars they could earn over the years, and the enjoyment they get from doing a job they love.
But it is enough of an incentive to ease out the people who aren't enthusiastic about their job, and therefore will not even try to excel at it. For example, individuals who want to quit and start their own business. Or those who feel like they just don't fit in with the firm's culture. This kind of incentive can save months or even years of difficulty and under-performance, and allow a firm to look for a more enthusiastic replacement sooner. Everyone benefits.
Amazon's $3,000 cash offer shows that that this system can be applied down the pay scale. It might only pay a single month's bills, but for workers who really aren't happy, it's enough for them to quit and look for a new job.
While I doubt we'll see Wal-Mart, McDonald's, or Burger King offer this kind of incentive for workers anytime soon, maybe they should. A disgruntled employee, in the words of Eminem, "working at the Burger King, spitting on your onion rings" can often end up costing a corporation a lot more than $2,000 or $3,000. | 3,946 |
New York’s new abortion law protects a woman’s right to a late-term abortion under certain circumstances.
The signing of New York’s Reproductive Health Act into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo permits women to have an abortion after 24 weeks if the fetus is no longer viable or if the mother’s life is in danger. The law predictably created a storm in the pro-life community. Christian leaders went on social media to denounce the January 22 decision which coincidentally was the controversial Roe v. Wade‘s 46th anniversary.
Several states have what is colloquially known as 20-week bans. This law makes most abortions after this period illegal starting from 21 weeks as most doctors believe the unborn baby is capable of sustaining life outside the mother's womb from this age. A U.S. Congress bill, the “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act,” is centered on the premise that fetuses at 20 weeks gestation can feel pain. The bill, introduced in 2013, has been passed by the House of Representatives, but not the senate. In this context, New York’s Reproductive Health Act resulted in a huge outrage among many who hold pro-life views.
Although many ran to breathe fire through Twitter and Facebook as soon as they heard the news, the Hillsong NYC Pastor Carl Lentz waited to post his views until the night of January 26. He posted an Instagram image which featured himself with his three children. The content of the post explained his views and why he is angry with the new law.
Lentz informed his followers about Ava, Charlie, and Roman, saying it took him a year to process that his children (whom he described as little people) have come into this world. The pastor termed their birth a miracle. It “is evil, shameful and demonic,” Lentz said, expressing his anger and sadness that Americans now have a state which has legalized “abortion even into the last day of a pregnancy.”
Lentz said the reason he took a few days to write on the new law adopted by New York as he interacted with many people who presumably knew more about the subject than him. He claimed to have spoken to lawyers and also to individuals who hold opposing views to know more about the subject. He said many who supported the law’s extreme language knew it was there only to protect a dying mother.
Finally! Proud of Carl Lentz for speaking out! https://t.co/BLaZtpyEuo — Jack Hakimian (@jackhakimian) January 29, 2019
Resources | 3,947 |
work out in the UFC, I'm pretty sure I'll have a home somewhere," said Larkin. "My style is fan friendly and I'm exciting. There was an offer before the Magny fight, but it was nowhere near for me to entertain it. It was really, really close to what I was already getting paid. To me, it was kind of like a slap in the face."
Larkin feels his tenure with the promotion since 2011 should count for something, certainly more than his most recent purse, which came in just under $80,000.
"I was at $78k ($39k to show and $39k to win) for my last fight," said Larkin. "For my first fight in Strikeforce, I was under a Zuffa contract, so right now I'm at 15 fights with Zuffa. If I fight again for them, that'll be my 16th fight so I've worked my way from $2k and $2k with them, so I've put in so much work to get to $39k and $39k. There comes a time in an athlete's head that you need to be paid. I'm not asking for crazy money. I'm not asking for millions or even hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars. I just want what I think I deserve."
However things play out, Larkin is content and prepared for fate to dictate his future and doesn't regret gambling on himself.
"In my mind, this is what I'm supposed to be doing, and however it goes I'll be one with myself with what I'm doing," said Larkin. "In a sense, there is no pressure for me right now because I've already rolled the dice. Coming up to the Magny fight, there was a lot on the line. That was my career on the line. That was the determining factor of like, you are going to push for what you want or you're going to have to shut up and take what you get. I would've had to shut up and take whatever they were going to give me had I lost.
"They gave you the fight, they gave you the chance to roll the dice and you messed up, but thankfully it ended up being a good situation for me. So now I feel like all the pressure off me is gone. The thing is I know what I can do in there, the fans know what I can do. I'm cool with how I feel right now. I'm not in the slightest bit worried about anything. I'm in a good situation."
By Chamatkar Sandhu | 3,948 |
Newcastle screwdriver killing: Another teenager arrested Published duration 16 August 2019
image copyright Family photo image caption Peter Duncan died in hospital after being attacked
An eighth teenager has been arrested by police after a lawyer was stabbed to death with a screwdriver in Newcastle city centre.
Peter Duncan was attacked after what police said was a chance "coming together" with a group of youths near Old Eldon Square on Wednesday evening.
A 15-year-old boy was arrested on Friday, Northumbria Police said.
Four of seven boys previously arrested on suspicion of murder have been released with no further action.
Northumbria Police said two boys aged 15 and two aged 17 had been released without charge and a 14-year-old boy had been released while investigations continue.
Two 17-year-olds and the 15-year-old arrested on Friday remain in custody.
Northumbria Police believes Mr Duncan, 52, from Newcastle, was attacked after a "chance encounter" outside a branch of Greggs.
image caption A cordon was put in place in Eldon Square
He was described by his family as a "devoted father and husband".
According to his profile on LinkedIn, Mr Duncan trained as an electrical engineer before graduating from Northumbria University with a law degree in 2003.
He was working as legal counsel in the Newcastle office of Royal IHC Limited, and previously as a solicitor and legal advisor with companies in the North East.
'Family man'
Darlington-based offshore maintenance firm Deep Ocean, where Mr Duncan worked for eight years, said staff were "devastated" at the news of his death.
A spokesman said: "Peter was an excellent lawyer, we will remember his professionalism and his ability to see beyond the legal issues to identify what was in the best interests of the business, our clients and his colleagues.
"Having worked with him, we also know that he was a true family man who was devoted to his wife and sons.
"We cannot therefore comprehend how they must feel and our thoughts are with each of them at this most difficult of times."
image caption Flower tributes have been left near the scene
Northumbria Police Area Commander, Ch Supt Ged Noble, said: "Searches have been conducted across the city and at a number of addresses in Newcastle."
Leader of Newcastle City Council, Nick Forbes, said: "This tragic incident is hard to understand in a city like ours, but I hope Peter Duncan's family find some comfort in knowing Newcastle stands with them at this incredibly sad time. | 3,949 |
effective tips to prevent and treat loneliness include:
Smile, even if you don’t have a reason to – smiling makes you inviting and “fake it until you make it” actually works.
Invite people over.
Call someone on the phone.
Learn to use computers as they can be a good way to keep in touch with others.
Get involved in your community.
Schedule upcoming events so you have something to look forward to.
If people don’t come to you, get out and about and go meet people.
Related Reading:
Lonely? How to make it work in your favor…
I’ve often said that life is better shared. The things you do with family and friends can be the most memorable moments in your life. But there’s something to be said for carving out “alone time” or “me-time” to do something just for yourself. And as it turns out, alone time is good for your health. Continue reading…
Lonely and depressed? 10 steps to beat seasonal affective disorder
Feeling a little blue? Lonely, listless and in your pajamas until noon? I can’t blame you. In some parts of North America, we’re in a record-breaking deep freeze. The days are short, dark and pretty darn cold and I feel as though I need to take up ice fishing to make the most of the season – if only I could get off the couch. Continue reading…
Sources:
http://www.everydayhealth.com/news/loneliness-can-really-hurt-you
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-11/uoc
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-11-loneliness-linked-brain-inflammation-drugs
http://www.medicaldaily.com/lonely-no-more-6-surprising-ways-being-alone-hazardous-your-health
http://www.bustle.com/articles/100916-7-physical-health-risks-of-loneliness-because-it-feels-bad-for-a-reason
http://psychology.about.com/od/psychotherapy/a/loneliness
http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/women60-plus/pages/loneliness-in-older-people | 3,950 |
PA in April and earning the same title as Ri’s, as vice marshal.
On April 15, Choe, not Ri, stood beside Kim Jong-un at the high podium during a military parade to celebrate the centenary of the birth of North Korea’s founder Kim Il-sung, in Pyongyang. This scene signaled that Choe had effectively robbed Ri of his position as top aide to Kim Jong-un.
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Choe is a son of Choe Hyon, a former minister of the People’s Armed Forces and close comrade of Kim Il-sung during his days as a partisan fighter.
Choe Ryong-hae in April became a member of the decision-making Politburo Presidium of the WPK as well as vice chairman of the party’s Central Military Commission.
The rise of Choe Ryong-hae, despite his previous civilian status in the Workers’ Party, coincides with Kim Jong-un’s ascension to power, meaning Choe is Kim Jong-un’s strong favorite and top aide. Choe is also known to be close to Kim Junior’s Uncle Jang Song-taek.
Experts such as Takesada believe that Jang Song-taek, Vice Chairman of the National Defense Commission, and his wife Kim Kyong-hui, former leader Kim Jong-il’s younger sister and a secretary of the party’s Central Committee and Choe are strongly supporting Kim Jong-un as guardians.
South Korea’s Yonhap News points out that Kim Yong-chol, chief of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, or the North’s premier intelligence agency, who also played a leading role in the sinking of the corvette Cheonan with Ri, may feel threatened and maneuver against the current regime in some form.
Lee Young-hwa, an economics professor at Kansai University in Osaka and expert on Korea, points out that a new economic reform policy called the “June 28 Policy” has created a conflict between the interests of a new military group led by Ri Yong-ho and those of the old military group led by O Kuk-ryol, thus triggering the current power struggle.
Kosuke Takahashi is a Tokyo-based journalist. His work has appeared in the Asahi Shimbun, Bloomberg, Asia Times and Jane’s Defence Weekly, among other publications. You can follow him on Twitter @TakahashiKosuke. | 3,951 |
The Bitcoin bull run to come with the upcoming halving is likely to be the last one that cab be clearly predicted, said crypto mining pool BTC.Top’s founder Jiang Zhuoer. The mining pool is the second largest in China.
The Bitcoin tycoon recently took to Weibo (Twitter's equivalent in China) to opine about his prediction of Bitcoin’s next halving. As the date of the third bitcoin halving draws near, debates regarding when the halving effects kick in and how it will influence price have been intensifying.
What is the halving
Since Bitcoin’s creation in 2009, its block reward is designed to be halved every 4 years. There have been two halvings, with the first happening on November 28, 2012, and the second on July 9, 2016. The next halving event is estimated to fall on May 12 this year, when mining rewards will get cut in half, to 6.25 BTC per block.
In terms of Bitcoin price performance, the two previous halvings have projected bullish momentum a year before and after the event. Bitcoin bulls strongly believe that bitcoin would also see great gains in price this time, while some others say that history may not predict the future.
Jiang sees a tipping point
In Jiang’s view, Bitcoin halving this time will definitely bring in a bull market and it is likely to be the last bull run that can be clearly foreseen on the grounds that:
1. 1.
"DEMOGRAPHIC DIVIDEND OF BITCOIN WILL SEE A SHARP DECREASE AS PEOPLE WHO SHOULD KNOW ABOUT BITCOIN WILL HAVE ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT IT AFTER THE HALVING;
2. 2.
THE SUPPLY OF ADDITIONAL BITCOIN ENTERING THE MARKET WILL BE DECREASED BY 50% AFTER THE HALVING;
3. 3.
BITCOIN’S MARKET SHARE CONTINUES TO DECLINE, AND THE CRYPTO MARKET WILL BECOME SIMILAR TO ASSETS LIKE REAL ESTATE AND US STOCKS."
Some have argued that when there are legal and convenient channels for regular people, Bitcoin will have a huge potential investor base. But there's still a long way for Bitcoin to go to get close to the acceptance of traditional assets such as stocks. So it's hard to predict what will happen.
[This story was originally published in 8BTC.com, and is shared by arrangement with that site. It has been edited to conform with Decrypt's style.] | 3,952 |
More arrests at Kinder Morgan construction site as protests resume
“Let’s not forget in all the provincial and federal squabbling that the company still doesn’t have Indigenous consent and never will.”
12 April 2018, Unceded Coast Salish Territories (Burnaby, BC) — Today, a group of artists blockaded the gates of Kinder Morgan’s Burnaby Mountain tank farm as part of ongoing Indigenous-led resistance to the tar sands project. Indigenous leaders have vowed that the pipeline will never be built.
“Let’s not forget in all the provincial and federal squabbling that the company still doesn’t have Indigenous consent and never will,” said Will George, Watch House project leader and Tsleil Waututh member. “We will continue to delay the pipeline here at the construction site and in the courts until Kinder Morgan relents.”
Today’s protest brought together artists from nearby universities, as well as grassroots communities, who created an art installation as part of their blockade at the Kinder Morgan gates.
“I am here because I feel a great responsibility to protect our coast and stand with Indigenous leaders opposed to this pipeline,” said Pia Massie, Artist-In-Residence at Emily Carr University Faculty of Culture and Community. “Artists have always helped define key moments in history and this is one of them.”
Violet Williams, an 18 year old student at the University of Victoria from K’ómoks Nation said, “I am here for future generations so that they can have grandchildren on this earth.”
“I think we’re being called at this time in the world to stand up for future generations and protect our children.” said Susan Smyth, a 70 year old artist who answered the call from Indigenous leaders to Protect The Inlet from Kinder Morgan.
So far, 3 people have been arrested today for blocking the gates to Kinder Morgan’s construction site. About 200 people have been arrested in the past month for protesting the pipeline.
Current opposition to Kinder Morgan’s pipeline and tanker project includes the Province of British Columbia, the state of Washington, the cities of Vancouver, Burnaby, and Victoria and 19 other BC municipalities as well as 250,000 petition signers and more than 23,000 who have pledged to do “whatever it takes” to stop Kinder Morgan’s pipeline and tanker project. The BC Supreme Court and Canadian Federal Court of Appeals have yet to rule on ten First Nation lawsuits that could still quash the project. | 3,953 |
CNN analyst Phil Mudd blasted an unidentified intelligence community official as a “snitch” Wednesday for reportedly filing a complaint against President Donald Trump over an alleged phone call with a foreign leader.
During an interview with CNN’s Chris Cuomo, Mudd, a former FBI and CIA official, responded to a report from The Washington Post about a mysterious whistleblower complaint that involved a call in which Trump made a “promise” to his foreign counterpart. (RELATED: WaPo: Mystery Whistleblower Complaint Involves Alleged Trump Phone Call With Foreign Leader)
“Boy, I’m about ready to blow a gasket,” Mudd told Cuomo about the story.
“I am ticked off. This is completely inappropriate. The Congress should not be asking the intel guys to go snitch on the president,” he said later.
WATCH:
The intelligence community official filed a whistleblower complaint with the intelligence community inspector general on Aug. 12 after reportedly becoming concerned about Trump’s conversation with the foreign leader. The complaint was filed during a tumultuous time at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Dan Coats officially left ODNI as director of national intelligence on Aug. 15. His deputy, Sue Gordon, also tendered her resignation after learning that she would be passed over for the leadership spot.
Trump appointed intelligence community veteran Joseph Maguire to serve as acting director of ODNI. Democratic California Rep. Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has accused Maguire of mishandling the whistleblower complaint by failing to provide it to Congress.
Schiff’s complaint has been that Maguire was required by law to provide the complaint to Congress because the inspector general had categorized it as being of “urgent” concern. The Democrat announced shortly before the Post story dropped that Maguire had agreed to meet with the Intelligence committee on Thursday.
But Mudd asserted that the whistleblower had no right to raise concerns about Trump’s calls with foreign leaders, saying that “the president can say what he wants to Putin. He can say what he wants to Kim Jong Un.”
“The president can say what he wants. It’s not the responsibility of the intel guys to go police the president and go snitch on him to the Congress. Ridiculous!”
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected]. | 3,954 |
Jules Smith, the president of the Maryland Renaissance Festival, said Mr. Fox — though ailing — completed a nine-weekend run there in October.
The 64-year-old had been battling cancer and died Sunday at a home in Maryland, according to close friend Barbara Calvert. He passed away peacefully, with a smile, while surrounded by loved ones who gave him a standing ovation, she said.
NEW YORK — Johnny Fox, a sword-swallowing magician who presented his quirky art form to enthusiastic audiences around the world, has died.
His haunts included New York, where he ran an oddity-filled Manhattan museum called Freakatorium for 5½ years. The items on display included a shrunken head, a two-headed turtle and clothing from circus performer Tom Thumb, Smith said.
‘‘He even had a glass eye from Sammy Davis Jr.,’’ she said.
Mr. Fox also performed at Coney Island’s freak show.
‘‘He was one of the finest examples of a sideshow virtuoso as well as being a celebrity within our own culture,’’ Patrick Wall, general manager of the nonprofit arts organization Coney Island USA, told the New York Daily News. ‘‘We lost one of the best.... He had a dynamic stage presence and just a complete love and commitment to what he did.’’
Mr. Fox was born in Minnesota on a Friday the 13th and raised in Hartford. He got his professional start in St. Petersburg, Fla., according to Smith, who was a friend for 38 years.
‘‘He was very proficient at magic, but people started stealing his bits,’’ said Smith. Mr. Fox figured it would be harder to steal a sword-swallowing act.
‘‘He started with cooked spaghetti — swallowing, holding the end, pulling it back out,’’ said Smith. Then ‘‘he did a string and a key like Harry Houdini, someone he admired greatly, until he could regulate his gag reflex.’’
Then came the swords. There were admittedly a few mishaps, but within eight months he’d mastered it.
Working before a live audience or on TV, Mr. Fox made it his mission to introduce families to his world of ‘‘circuses, carnivals, sideshows, and the life of people involved in them,’’ said Smith — and to lend a hand to his fellow performers. | 3,955 |
Image caption Jacob Rees-Mogg was speaking in front of about 150 people at a Conservative Party event in Cwmbran
Prominent Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg has urged Conservatives in Wales to back the party at the European elections.
Mr Rees-Mogg encouraged people to vote for the Conservatives Party's lead candidate in Wales, Dan Boucher, at an event in Cwmbran, Torfaen, on Thursday.
He told the BBC he still had no confidence in Theresa May and thinks Boris Johnson should succeed her.
Mr Boucher said a vote for UKIP or the Brexit Party in the European Parliament elections was a "wasted vote".
"I want us to leave the European Union," said Mr Rees-Mogg.
"I think we should have left on the 29th of March but we've got these elections and I think it's really important that there's a good vote for the Conservatives and for people who do want to leave."
Mr Boucher is the director of public affairs at Christian Action and Research Education - a Christian charity which has campaigned on issues related to abortion and same-sex marriage.
He said he would not have voted to allow same-sex marriage due to his religious beliefs, but was "not looking to challenge" that decision.
"If I was elected I would look forward to representing people of all sexual orientation and creeds and colours, regardless of any distinction that they may have," he added.
Image copyright Dan Boucher Image caption Dan Boucher is the Conservative Party's lead candidate in Wales
Pressed on whether he thought gay sex was a sin, Mr Boucher said: "The Christian tradition that I come from teaches that the only place for sex is within a heterosexual marriage.
"We have to create a society in which we provide space for each other to get along."
Mr Boucher earlier said the fact UKIP and the Brexit Party had no MPs in parliament rendered them "incapable" of delivering Brexit.
"We have got the Brexit Party and UKIP suggesting people should vote for them when they don't have a single MP with which to deliver Brexit, which means they are baldly incapable of doing so."
The European Parliament elections in Wales
Image copyright Getty Images
There are eight parties fighting for four Welsh seats in the European elections on 23 May.
Welsh Labour, the Welsh Conservatives, Plaid Cymru, the Welsh Liberal Democrats, UKIP and the Green Party are joined by Change UK and the Brexit Party.
You can find a list of candidates here. | 3,956 |
A Miramar man was being held on no bond Thursday after his arrest for engaging in sexual activity with a minor, sending explicit photos to the girl's father and threatening to kill the girl's grandmother, according to officials.
Tavaris Adams, 28, is accused of having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl, according to a Hollywood Police report. He is charged with lewd and lascivious activity with a minor, promoting the sexual performance of a child, transmitting child pornography, threatening to kill a witness and violation of probation.
Adams' bond on the charges was set at $255,000, but he was being held on no bond on a probation violation, online jail records said.
Broward County Circuit Judge John Hurley read Adams his charges Thursday, stating that the events took place between May 1, 2011 and Aug. 31, 2012.
In court, Adams denied the charges, telling the judge, "This is 2013, sir."
Elderly Woman Hits Pregnant Woman With Her Cane
The judge advised Adams to remain silent about the case as his lawyer was in federal court and couldn't be at the hearing.
"Allegedly, you sent text messages to the father telling him that you were having sex with his daughter," Hurley added. "I'm not going to get specific - it's not appropriate - but suffice it to say it's explicit."
The girl's father told police he began getting the text messages after getting into an argument with Adams over the phone about his sexual relationship with his daughter.
The girl admitted to police that she had taken the photos herself and sent them to Adams, the report said.
She said Adams also threatened the her grandmother, telling the her he was going to shoot up her grandmother's house and the babies that live there, according to the report.
Rock-Throwing Man Thwarts Girl-Grabbing Suspect: Cops
When the relationship began, the girl told Adams she was 17 and he told her he was 20, the report said. When he found out her real age, he continued the relationship. The illicit sexual activity would take place in Adams' car or at his mother's house in Miramar, according to the report.
Adams' prior charges include burglary, grand theft and resisting an officer without violence, according to a prosecutor. This is his third violation of probation, the prosecutor said.
Hurley set Adams' bond on the condition that he wear a GPS monitor on release and refrain from direct or indirect contact with the victim or anyone in her family.
More Local Stories: | 3,957 |
% of its domestic LPG requirements and international prices of gas and oil are volatile, if electric cookstove-use spreads, then universal electrification could encourage universal clean cooking, according to this 2016 blog post by Arvind Panagariya, vice chairman of the Niti Aayog, the government’s main think tank.
A ‘National Mission on Clean Cooking’ is in the pipeline, which aims to achieve full clean cooking fuel coverage by 2022, according to the 2017 draft NEP.
Phasing out kerosene subsidies
As many as 55.6% of rural households in India used kerosene as the primary energy source for lighting in 2001, which reduced to 43.2% in 2011, according to census data, as The Energy and Resources Institute, a not-for-profit research organisation based in New Delhi, reported.
Household Distribution, By Lighting Source
Source: The Energy and Resources Institute
Government subsidies make kerosene more affordable by selling it for half its market value, the HEAL report said. However, not only is the light produced from kerosene lamps of low quality, with associated health impacts like poisoning, fires and explosions, but over 40% of subsidised kerosene was lost due to ‘leakages’ in 2011-12, according to the government’s economic survey.
“A switch to solar power is desirable, but remains unattainable as long as subsidies for kerosene represent an obstacle, discouraging the poor to switch to solar,” the HEAL report said.
A range of solar lanterns (entry level, mid level and high end) are cheaper than kerosene over their lifetime, if kerosene subsidies are removed from the equation, according to a 2016 analysis by IISD.
However, since poor households often struggle to afford solar appliances–the consumption of which is not spread over time, as it is with kerosene–kerosene-subsidy reform must be coupled with tackling the barriers to greater off-grid solar penetration, including innovative payment options, the IISD analysis said.
(Patil is an analyst with IndiaSpend.)
We welcome feedback. Please write to [email protected]. We reserve the right to edit responses for language and grammar.
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You want a police line up? I could go into any crowded restaurant of 200 people, and pick out these men. […] And you know what, Susan? You won’t find this restaurant anywhere in Libya. No, you will only find this restaurant in Damascus,” Fuisz had told Lindauer.
The Sunday Herald picked up the story on May 28 2000. [2]
“The 1994 gagging order was issued following disclosures by Fuisz during other legal proceedings about alleged illegal exports of military equipment to Iraq. The order claims that the information held by Fuisz is vital to the nation’s security or diplomatic relations and can not be revealed no matter how compelling the need for, and relevance of, the information. The submission also makes clear that the government is empowered to protect its interests in this case in the future, thereby gagging Fuisz permanently.”
Upon learning about the existence of the Lindauer affidavit from the Sunday Herald, Eddie MacKechnie – the lawyer for one of the Libyan indicted of the bombing of Pan Am 103 – instructed his US partners to obtain a deposition from Dr Fuisz under oath and before a judge.
Fuisz was deposed in December 2000 in presence of three CIA attorneys as well as two others from the US DoJ. As not one single question, no matter how much trivial, was answered, the judge decided to adjourn.
In a matter of days, the head of the CIA personally wrote to the judge to seek his help in ending the legal process. Nevertheless, in a second meeting, Fuisz admitted that he had high level contacts in Damascus.
Moreover, vital information was placed under double seal. Neither the content of George Tenet’s letter nor the information under double seal was ever revealed, but it had become abundantly clear that Fuiz was a high level CIA HUMINT asset.
Secret CIA Testimony — Documentary
In the following video — released in December 2013 — you can get a feeling of what Dr Fuisz actually said.
REFERENCES
Secret CIA testimony identifies real Lockerbie mastermind — Channel 4 – 20 Dec 2013
1. “U.S. Linked to Iraqi Scud Launchers,” Jan. 26, 1992.
2. “Editors’ Note,” Dec. 7, 1995.
3. “Revealed: 17 British Firms Armed Saddam with his Weapons” — Feb. 23, 2003.
=
CIA Asset Dr Richard Fuisz : TEREX & Lockerbie | 3,959 |
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The A-10 planes were sent in to push back Taliban fighters in Farah, Afghanistan this week
The US Air Force has taken flak after making light of its air strikes on the Taliban with a joke about an internet debate.
It deleted a tweet referring to an online discussion about whether "Yanny" or "Laurel" can be heard on a viral audio file.
The post said the Afghan insurgents would much rather hear the snippet than the "deafening" sound of its A-10.
The aircraft, nicknamed the Warthog, is known for its deadly 30mm cannon.
Image copyright @usairforce
"The Taliban Forces in Farah city #Afghanistan would much rather have heard #Yanny or #Laurel than the deafening #BRRT they got courtesy of our #A10," read the tweet by the Air Force official account on Thursday morning.
But after a reporter asked the Pentagon whether the post was appropriate, it was deleted.
Skip Twitter post by @Elizabeth_McLau Q from @thomaswatkins: "Do you think it's appropriate for the Air Force to put out such a lighthearted comment essentially kind of making war a meme in light of the heavy casualties that the Afghans took?" @ChiefPentSpox hadn't seen tweet, but promised to look into it & get back https://t.co/TZEAO9eswt — Elizabeth McLaughlin (@Elizabeth_McLau) May 17, 2018 Report
"We apologize for the earlier tweet regarding the A-10," the Air Force said.
"It was made in poor taste and we are addressing it internally. It has since been removed."
Skip Twitter post by @usairforce We apologize for the earlier tweet regarding the A-10. It was made in poor taste and we are addressing it internally. It has since been removed. — U.S. Air Force (@usairforce) May 17, 2018 Report
US and Afghan aircraft this week pounded Taliban positions in Farah after the insurgents attacked the provincial capital.
Interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said 300 Taliban had been killed.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Yanny or laurel - what do you hear? And why?
At least five civilians and 25 Afghan forces died in the battle, according to provincial governor Abdul Basir Salangi.
Afghanistan is America's longest-running war.
The Air Force's original tweet provoked both criticism and support online.
More on this story: | 3,960 |
HYDERABAD: While his party bosses in the national capital have been nearly pulverized by raging protests against the gang-rape of a Delhi girl, Andhra Pradesh Congress chief Botsa Satyanarayana on Monday opened his mouth to put his foot right in, saying women are asking for trouble if they venture out at night. Worse, he described the assault on the physiotherapy student as a "minor incident” for which party president Sonia Gandhi had reached out to agitating people.
"Just because India achieved freedom at midnight does not mean that women can venture out after dark. They should ensure that they do not board buses with few passengers,” Botsa said to the shock of reporters at a press conference at Congress headquarters here.
Botsa’s comment came in context of growing protests against the gang-rape and violence against women in general. He then tried to cover up for his remark by praising Sonia. "Although it (Delhi gang-rape) was a minor incident, Soniaji made it a point to meet the protesters when they called on her,” Botsa said.
There was no stopping Botsa as he continued, "The woman should have thought twice before boarding the suspicious private bus that night. Though the incident was condemnable, she should also have behaved keeping in mind the situation."
He also slammed the protesters "taking the law into their hands” at Vijay Chowk in Delhi and then decreed that since the UPA chairperson had taken note of the incident, there should be no further agitations either in Delhi or in Andhra Pradesh.
Within minutes, Botsa’s remarks were flashed across all news channels in Andhra Pradesh and a rattled PCC chief called for a second press conference to tender an apology.
"I made the comments as a responsible father. The incident was not small, it should not be treated like that,” he said and apologized. All governments should endeavor to create an atmosphere where anybody can move around at midnight as well, he added.
But there were no takers for Botsa’s apology. Women’s rights activist V Sandhya said, "Botsa Satyanarayana’s statement unmasks the true colour of our politicians, and their attitude towards women. It shows his lack of understanding of the issue. He said women must not roam around during night just because we got the Independence at midnight, but he doesn’t know that the Constitution has given women right to equality. It is shameful to hear such words from the man who is the PCC president.” | 3,961 |
State-run hydrocarbon explorer ONGC has found reserves to the west of its Mumbai High offshore fields, with initial estimates suggesting the new discovery’s size to be about 20 million tonnes of oil equivalent (mtoe).
State-run hydrocarbon explorer ONGC has found reserves to the west of its Mumbai High offshore fields, with initial estimates suggesting the new discovery’s size to be about 20 million tonnes of oil equivalent (mtoe). The firm’s output has been stagnating over the last many years with annual oil production in the range of 25-26 million tonnes (mt) and natural gas output around 23 billion cubic metres (bcm). Though the zones at the well WO 24-3 are still under assessment, the new find is believed to be big enough to pep up the firm’s production in coming years. Mumbai High in the Arabian sea annually produces about 10 mtoe. The newly discovered reserves are located 10 km west of Mumbai High, which is 180 km off the city’s coast.
The national oil explorer has already informed the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) of the find, sources in the firm said. ONGC has been witnessing a fall in production over the years following which earlier this year a committee headed by DGH was appointed to monitor the annual work programmes, oversee exploration budgets apart from observing performance of producing or non-producing fields and accordingly make recommendations. The company saw a marginal increase in crude oil production to 6.444 mt during the April-June 2018 quarter compared with 6.345 mt in the year-ago period. Its gas production jumped from 5.49 bcm to 6.03 bcm during the period. For 2017-18, ONGC plans gas production of 25 bcm and oil production of 25.3 mt.
Shares of ONGC gained 0.96% on the BSE on Wednesday to close at Rs 167.55 apiece on a day when the benchmark Sensex slipped marginally by 0.01%. The western coast of India comprising other smaller fields along with the Mumbai High makes for 44% of domestic crude oil production. According to an official with the company, one of the zones tested of the nine at the WO 24-3 well yielded 3,300 barrels of oil and the others too showed prospects. Being in close proximity to the WO 16 well, the facilities established there could be used to bring the new zones into production. ONGC plans a capex of Rs 29,968 crore for 2017-18, of which it has been able to invest Rs 17,632 crore till end of August, as per data from the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell. | 3,962 |
DALLAS — Chris Cox, who heads the National Rifle Association’s legislative-lobbying arm, on Saturday warned that “everything will be on table” if Democrats gain ground in coming national elections, saying the agenda of his group’s opponents include impeaching President Trump and abolishing the Second Amendment.
“If we lose Congress and the White House, we don’t have to guess what they’ll do to our rights — they’re already openly calling for a complete repeal of the Second Amendment,” Mr. Cox said at the NRA’s annual meeting of members at the group’s 2018 convention. “Everything will be on the table.”
Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens recently made such a call to repeal the Second Amendment in an opinion piece for the New York Times.
Mr. Cox also said opponents want to flip the House and make House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi speaker again so lawmakers can impeach Mr. Trump.
“And if they can’t impeach him before 2020 comes around, they’ll make the path for him to win in 2020 real shaky, real fast,” he said.
“The other side’s on fire right now,” he said. “They’re angry. They’re energized, and they’re giving money like crazy.”
“They think they’re just months away from total victory,” he said, reading recent comments from Mrs. Pelosi predicting Democrats would win and she would run for speaker again.
“Here’s the truth: It’s either going to be Nancy Pelosi’s vision, or ours,” he said.
“So steel yourselves and lock arms,” he said. “They want a fight, so we’ll give it to them.”
“To all who dream of tearing apart the God-given rights of innocent people, to every politician fighting to deprive us of the same security you insist on for yourselves, we say bring it on,” he said.
“Hit us with everything you’ve got,” he said. “Throw every punch, every insult, every ounce of venom right at us and we’ll come right back at you stronger than you [can] ever imagine.”
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Copyright © 2020 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission. | 3,963 |
Don’t look now, but the simmering scandal about the White House possibly using the Internal Revenue Service to target opposition groups is coming closer to a boil.
And this week, more people than the usual partisan suspects are taking note.
They sense that the stakes suddenly have gotten higher - that the administration now has made some claims that, if unequivocally proven to be lies, could bring about something as serious as impeachment proceedings.
No, we’re not at that point yet - and we may never arrive, if the claims being made by the IRS hold up.
But those claims strain credibility, as even some Obama loyalists are starting to admit. The administration should make doubly sure that it fully cooperates with congressional investigators and makes sure that its statements are stone-cold accurate - if, in fact, it has nothing to hide.
“The Internal Revenue Service has lost more emails connected to the tea party investigation, congressional investigators said Tuesday,” The Associated Press reported.
“The IRS said last Friday it had lost an untold number of emails when Lois Lerner’s computer crashed in 2011.... On Tuesday, two key lawmakers said the IRS has also lost emails from six additional IRS workers whose computers crashed. Among them was Nikole Flax, who was chief of staff to Lerner’s boss, then-deputy commissioner Steven Miller.”
Lerner is the former IRS executive who refused to testify in front of a congressional committee, pleading the Fifth Amendment.
So: How likely is it that computer crashes on a number of individuals’ PCs just happened to devour emails that turn out to be at issue in a congressional investigation? How likely is it that recovery efforts - computer forensics is a powerful field, as lawyers and others who’ve sought disputed emails know - just happen to utterly and completely fail in each of these incidents?
How likely is it that all of these crashes, ruined hard drives and failed recovery efforts happened at the IRS - the agency that expects every corporate and individual taxpayer in the United States to keep seven years worth of records - over the likeliest period, and on the likeliest computers, to “disappear” emails that are the likeliest to contain incriminating information?
This is serious business, and Americans on the right and left and middle should start paying attention, if they haven’t been already. Expect calls for a special prosecutor to intensify, and expect some number of Democrats to start making them - because all of the crashes, claims and coincidences are starting to look too convenient to credit.
listen live watch live | 3,964 |
The Taliban freed two hostages Tuesday who had been held for nearly three years, American, Kevin King, and Australian, Timothy Weeks. The two were captured by members of the Taliban-linked Haggani network in August 2016 when they were driving from Kabul’s American University of Afghanistan, where both had been teaching.
“We are so happy to hear that my brother has been freed and is on his way home to us,” said King’s sister, Stephanie Miller. “This has been a long and painful ordeal for our entire family, and his safe return has been our highest priority. We appreciate the support we have received and ask for privacy as we await Kevin’s safe return.”
Their freedom came hours after the Afghan government released three Taliban prisoners and sent them to Qatar. Anas Haqqani, Taliban’s deputy Sirajuddin Haqqani’s younger brother, Malik Khan, Haqqani’s uncle, and Hafiz Abdul Rashid, a Haqqani lieutenant were released in the exchange.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan renewed the country’s commitment to “assisting in this peace process” on Twitter Tuesday. Ahead of the release, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani spoke to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. During the call, Pompeo reiterated that the U.S. is “committed to work closely together to address violence if the President’s decision does not produce the intended results,” according to a State Department statement.
“Pakistan welcomes the release of Kevin King and Timothy Weeks in Afghanistan and appreciates the efforts of those who make it possible. Pakistan fully supported the global efforts to bring peace back and end the suffering suffered to the Afghan people and played their part in making this possible as part of its policy of supporting initiatives for a negotiated political settlement of the Afghan conflict,” Khan said on Twitter Tuesday.
“We hope this step gives a boost of confidence to all parties involved to re-engage in the peace process. Pakistan remains committed to facilitating this peace process.”
Last month, after the release of Taliban co-founder and deputy Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, authorities in Pakistan told SaraACarter.com it would accelerated the release of the two hostages.
At the time, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told this news site that the two were “recovering from health issues.” King is now in the hands of U.S. officials on the ground in Afghanistan and is receiving medical care, King’s family said in a statement. | 3,965 |
Keytruda is the first that can be given to anyone who harbors one of two relatively rare genetic abnormalities, and is suffering from a solid tumor, such as pancreatic or lung cancer. Olivier Lesueur, managing partner at Bionest Partners, a consulting firm, calls the approval a “breakthrough in the way we see and define cancer.”
Keytruda works by unleashing the body’s immune system to attack tumors, and was first approved to treat advanced skin cancer in 2014. Such drugs, called checkpoint inhibitors, have had remarkable success, including saving the life of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. The downside of immunotherapy is that not all patients seem to benefit, for reasons that remain uncertain.
With the new approval, the number of patients expected to benefit could grow substantially. About 4 percent of all advanced cancers—up to 30,000 patients a year in the U.S.—harbor the genetic abnormalities that Keytruda can treat, says Dung Le, oncologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Immunotherapy.
“This drug is going to reach patients we would not have offered the therapy to before,” says Le.
The new approval only applies to patients for whom traditional treatment, like chemotherapy, has already failed. But genetic tests to identify patients with mismatch repair genes are widely available and cost $300 to $600, says Le. Keytruda itself costs around $150,000 a year.
Merck won a so-called “accelerated” approval based on a clinical trial involving just 149 patients with 15 different types of cancers at Johns Hopkins and four other hospitals. In the trial, about 40 percent of patients experienced complete or partial shrinkage of their tumors.
One of those patients is Adrienne Skinner, 60, of Larchmont, New York, who endured surgery and a year of chemotherapy after being diagnosed in 2013 with advanced ampullary cancer, a rare and deadly gastrointestinal cancer.
In April 2014, Skinner joined the Keytruda study. She was a candidate because she was born with Lynch syndrome, an inherited condition in which her DNA repair genes don’t work correctly. After just a few months on the drug, a surgeon examined her and told Skinner her tumor had disappeared.
Skinner continued on the drug for another two years and says she now feels like her normal self again. She works full-time, goes to the gym most days, plays tennis, and does yoga. If not for the drug, she says, “I’d be dead by now.” | 3,966 |
One of the men responsible for freeing O.J. Simpson became...
The ice stupas only need pipes, gravity and cold temperatures to work.
A Buddhist man in India is fighting climate change with fake glaciers.
Residents of Ladakh — a cold mountain desert between the Himalayas and the Kunlun mountains in northern India — were experiencing a water crisis as rising global temperatures began melting their only source of fresh water.
The remote Indian village, whose name means “land of high passes,” gets very little rain and experiences such extreme temperatures that, according to CNN, locals say it’s the only place where a man can sit in the sun with his feet in the shade and get a sunburn on his head and frostbite on his toes.
Because of this, Ladakh relies on snow and glacial ice for fresh water, as well as irrigation for the crops that provide the locals with their primary source of income. But snowfall has become more rare and the natural glaciers have been shrinking, leaving the region with drier land and less fresh drinking water.
So Sonam Wangchuk, a local engineer, figured out how to make his own glaciers.
These “ice stupas,” which Wangchuck named after the Buddhist dome-like shrines that are popular throughout Asia, don’t need any power or pumps to work — just some pipes, gravity and cold temperatures.
“I once saw ice under a bridge in May and understood that it’s the sun that makes the ice melt, not ambient temperature,” he told CNN. ”I realized that ice can last a long time, even at low altitudes.”
The pipe is laid underground and connects a stream of water to the stupa. The water has to come from a source with an altitude of at least 200 feet. According to the laws of fluid dynamics, fluid in a system will always try to maintain its level. So water from 200 feet upstream will create a fountain 200 feet into the air from the downstream pipe.
Once the freezing air hits the fountain’s spray, it makes a cone of ice that melts a lot slower than other storage shapes — thereby storing plenty of fresh water for the village.
Wangchuk raised the $125,000 needed for the initial prototype through crowd-funding. In November, he won the Rolex Award for Enterprise receiving about $104,000 and an engraved watch.
He’ll soon be traveling to Peru to test larger models of the stupas during the southern hemisphere’s winter. | 3,967 |
J.T. IV
Well, it's harder to be more obscure and unheralded than JT IV. He barely even tried to sell his own music, almost always giving copies away of his impossibly rare loner-punk 45's. Interest arose recently in his short career due to his inclusion on the "Staring Down The Barrel" rare punk compilation, but information was sorely lacking. He can in fact be revealed to be one John Henry Timmis IV, who attended New Trier high school and moved around Evanston, Winettka, Northbrook, and spending his late teens in east Rogers Park idolizing Bowie, Zappa and Lou Reed. Those influences couldn't really prepare one for JT's 1st impossibly rare 45 that was released in 1980-- the basement-blasting assault of "Death Trip" (not the stooges' number) or the aptly titled 'Waiting For The CTA" (a bit of a Velvet Underground take-off though). His second single was actually recorded in Odyssey studios on Michigan ave., but still shares a similar home-recorded feel and scuzz, but beyond the squall of "Destructo Rock", sensitive downer acoustic odes surface--on "In The Can" and "Out Of The Can", Timmis's quavering voice tells tales of prison, junkies, trick-turning, madness, and an all-encompassing yearn for escape. Intense indeed, as session-percussionist John Sudler tells tales of JT hanging from the rafters screaming during the sessions! Yes, Timmis was quite an interesting character, performing live in a hockey mask (it was rumored he'd been disfigured in a motorcycle accident), and also being quite involved with film--directing the longest movie in history--"The Cure For Insomnia", clocking in at 85 hours, and starring local visionary artist Lee Groban reading his 4000+ page poem!! Still, John's next few 45's are barely rumored to exist, though his fourth from 1987 was recorded at Soto Sounds in Evanston, featuring fuzzy delayed psych-punk on "The Monitors" and containing Lee Hazlewood/Nancy Sinatra and Velvet Underground covers. An LP collecting all his tracks (featuring JT IV giving you the finger in a military outfit) brilliantly entitled "Cosmic Lightning" also hit in 1987, but was mastered poorly and contains songs sped up. Sadly Timmis died in 2002, from complications resulting from alcoholism, after suffering from the degenerative ear/skull disease mastoiditis-- his potential hardly tapped... (from the Secret History of Chicago Music by Plastic Crimewave) | 3,968 |
BERLIN, July 6 (Reuters) - Germany needs to spend 14 billion euros ($15.48 billion) on replenishing its badly depleted stockpile of munitions as part of a broader plan up to 2030 to upgrade military equipment after years of decline, a German military source said.
Government sources said earlier this year that Germany sought to invest about 130 billion euros ($143.74 billion) over the next 15 years on modernising equipment to enable the army to better fulfill its missions abroad.
Military sources said that a vital part of that upgrade would be to restore stocks of munitions to acceptable levels.
Hans-Peter Bartels, military ombudsman in the German parliament, said current stocks had fallen to a two-day supply, far below NATO’s old Cold War requirement of 30 days.
Bartels, a member of the Social Democrats who are the junior partner in the right-left coalition, said Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea had put a new focus on NATO’s collective defence responsibilities.
“And having adequate supplies on hand, from munitions to fuel to logistics, is a big part of that capability,” he said.
Henning Otte, a defence expert in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats, acknowledged that current German munition supplies were not good. “Personal equipment, weapons and munitions are the life insurance of our soldiers,” he said.
A defence ministry spokesman would not comment on the state of the military’s munitions supplies on the grounds that the data was classified.
However a confidential ministry report seen by Reuters acknowledged that the stockpile had shrivelled and would limit any deployment by Germany to aid NATO allies in eastern Europe.
The report prepared by the ministry in March concluded that additional spending was needed to beef up supplies of equipment and munitions.
Barring additional funding, “it would not be possible to execute national and allied defence with larger, rapidly deployable forces”, the report said.
“Negative consequences for allied commitments and structures would be inevitable, and it would be possible to maintain capabilities only at a low qualitative and quantitative level.”
Critics say they are uncertain whether Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen will succeed in securing the full 130 billion euros in funding she hopes to spend to rebuild capacity through 2030.
Current budget plans for 2017 include just 359 million euros in funding for new munitions, only 30 million more than in 2016. ($1 = 0.9044 euros) (Reporting by Sabine Siebold; Writing by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Richard Balmforth) | 3,969 |
It is really simple to work around. In it θ is the angle of the effector (servo), α is the twist between the joints and lastly, a is the distance between the 2 joints.
The rules of the convention, when simplified, are as follows:
The axis of rotation is around the Z axis The x-axis faces towards the direction of the next effector
Whenever you assign frames in a robot to give it DH parameters, these 2 must be satisifed. You might say that at frame 0, the x-axis doesn’t face towards the next effector, this however makes sense since the axis of rotation, the z-axis is already facing it. However for other joints, the x-axis must face the next effector, like in frame 1 and 2. Over here a is basically the displacement in the x-axis of the 2 effectors, α describes the angle between the 2 z-axis of 2 effectors measured along the x-axis of the frame that the transformation is moving towards. IE, in between frame 0 and 1 this is 90 degrees, however between 1 and 2 there is no rotation. Lastly, θ again is just the angle that servo is at.
A table describing these 3 variables for each joint can be made:
Now using this I can come up with the DH matrices for these 3 joints, I am just going to call them A1 for F0 to F1, A2 for F1 to F2 and A3 for F2 to F3 for simplicity’s sake.
To form these matrices I just popped in the appropiate variables from the table and BOOM the transformation is described. This is why I really love DH parameters, make this work so easy rather than deriving these matrices ourselves from transformation matrices.
So next I just multiply these together for the final transformation.
There we go! thats the final matrix describing the transformation from the base frame to the end effector! Looks very complicated but you can extract the coordinates from the last column as this.
and the rotation matrix part of the final transformation matrix is the rotation matrix to define the rotation between the base frame and final frame.
There we go thats it for this one! a lot of math but it makes sense eventually.
If you want to read further this is amazing: https://www.cs.duke.edu/brd/Teaching/Bio/asmb/current/Papers/chap3-forward-kinematics.pdf
See you all in the next blog! | 3,970 |
The countdown to the inaugural edition of ISL has started, but before that the country's football fraternity w... Read More
SILIGURI: The countdown to the inaugural edition of the Indian Super League (ISL) has started, but before that the country's football fraternity will be focused on the Kanchenjunga Stadium where the Indian senior national team faces Palestine in a Fifa International friendly on Monday.
It's not official yet, but this will be the last game that Wim Koevermans will be in charge of the Indian team. According to an AIFF source, the Dutchman's contract - which runs out at the end of this month - is unlikely to be renewed.
It's another opportunity for 158th ranked India to play against a higher ranked side (Palestine are 102 on the Fifa list), and Koevermans - who took charge of the national team in 2012 - will surely hope for a happy swansong.
"This is an interesting friendly game against one of the strongest teams we have played against. The camp in Goa went well and now we have to play at our best level," Koevermans said on Sunday.
The last time India faced Palestine was in February 2013 when they went down 2-4 after being 2-1 ahead at the interval. To topple Palestine, who are playing friendlies to prepare for the Asian Cup next year, the Indian defence - expected to be manned by Denzil Franco, Arnab Mondal, Aibor Khongjee and Narayan Das - will have to deliver a compact performance.
While Mehtab Hossain and Lenny Rodrigues will marshal the midfield, Koevermans will have to choose between Robin Singh and Balwant Singh as skipper Sunil Chhetri's partner up front. "A lot of things have changed from the last time we played against Palestine. We have improved as a team.
We have watched a few videos of the Palestine team and are hoping for a good result," said Chhetri.
India not to seek compensation
SILIGURI: The Palestine Football Federation, while informing the AIFF about its inability to play the scheduled second Fifa International friendly against India in Siliguri on October 9, had offered to play an 'exhibition' game instead so that they could play another international friendly (against Pakistan) during the October 6 to 14 Fifa window.
The AIFF refused that 'offer' as clubs are not obliged to release players for the national team for exhibition matches. "We did not want to get into an unsavoury situation with the clubs," said an AIFF source. | 3,971 |
accused Raju’s house, where he has been living with his widowed mother for the past 30 years.
“I am absolutely certain my son is innocent. If he is guilty or involved in the shameful act, I would have asked you to skin him alive, even hang him. But I know he has been framed. He has never been involved even in a fight. I can’t imagine that he would do such a thing,” says Kesari Devi, 62.
She says that on July 4, Raju was home around the time the incident happened. “He ate his dinner, made my bed and went to his room to sleep. The next morning, he took me to Shimla for a check-up at the cancer hospital. The medicines he got for me are proof of this,” she says, spreading out strips of medicines.
“What will I do with these tablets now? I am illiterate and I don’t even know when I should be taking these… He did everything for me. I brought him up all by myself after my husband died some years ago. My heart’s sinking. I can’t take this anymore,” she says.
With protests being staged in Kotkhai and Shimla, no one is buying the police theory or are satisfied by the SIT probe. Why did the accused leave the body next to their house, and why did the migrant labourers stay back in Halaila, they ask.
“We have decided to hand over the case to the CBI, in view of the public sentiments and gravity of the crime. The protesters have no reason to agitate any more. I see politics in this, which I will deal with sternly,” says Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.
Back at the spot, the people at the prayer meeting agree to hold a protest on July 18 at Gumma, a small town on the Theog-Kotkhai road, to demand the fast-tracking of the CBI case.
As a group of children from the girl’s school offer their condolences, the father breaks down again. “Let God and Ma Ganga give me strength to fight for justice for my child. I want to see each one of the guilty hung to death. But I appeal to police, please don’t frame innocents.”
📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines
For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App. | 3,972 |
FROM CMANO TO CMO FAQ - READ HERE
Command LIVE is a very ambitious project. Its aim is to recreate highly accurate scenarios from real-world situations and events, as they happen. WarfareSims has teamed up with the best editors and modders from the community, to create short, engaging scenarios that re-create real life events. Where geopolitical instability calls for military power to come into play, the Command LIVE project calls for players.
EPISODE 7: BLACK GOLD BLITZ
As 2017 rolls on, the standoff intensifies yet again. Saudi Arabia’s envoy to Iraq is assassinated, and they immediately blame Iran. Several Iranian journalists in Yemen are then “accidentally” bombed by Saudi aircraft and killed. Aid to militias in Syria increases intensely. The occasional shot is fired between vessels at sea, always being papered over with the excuse of “the crews just weren’t disciplined that day.” The fear of a conflict has prompted the international coalition against ISIL to move its combat aircraft far to the west, so that they won't be caught by surprise.
The final straw comes in the middle of November when an Iranian frigate moves on a straight line into Saudi waters, not responding to warnings. Attacked and sunk with all hands, it nonetheless returns fire and kills several Saudi sailors before going down. Iran insists to this day it had mechanical problems and was butchered to appease a populace still smarting from the ambassador’s murder. The Saudis state that it and its crew deliberately sacrificed themselves to ensure a “Remember the Maine”-style incident to gain popular support for a war. The truth may never be known.
From the moment of the sinking, plans are drawn in Riyadh and Tehran for a direct retaliation against the other nation. The international community, divided and ineffective, can only watch as the largest conventional battle in the Middle East since the 2003 invasion of Iraq is about to begin. The question is no longer if there will be a war or not. It is now when it will start, and who will fire the first shot.
That question will soon be answered. Both sides are coiling up to strike, and both are aiming for the other’s economic heart-the expensive oil infrastructure. And the weapons involved are more powerful and accurate than those in the 1980s Tanker War.
©2017 Matrix Games Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Command Modern Air Naval Operations Wargame of the Year Edition, Matrix Games Ltd. and their Logos are all trademarks of Matrix Games Ltd. All other marks and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. | 3,973 |
Sony Xperia XZ2
55
Xiaomi Mi 8
53
Google Pixel 2 XL
42
Razer Phone
42
OnePlus 5T (Oreo)
40
Nokia 8 Sirocco
34
Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
23
Xiaomi Mi 8 SE (Cooled)
23
Oppo R15 Pro
15
Meizu 15
15
Of course, to level the playing field, we are only looking at offscreen rendering tests here. Otherwise, the variations in native display resolution will muddy-up the results.
GFX 3.1 Car scene (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
Sony Xperia XZ2
35
OnePlus 6
35
Xiaomi Mi 8
33
OnePlus 5T (Oreo)
26
Google Pixel 2 XL
25
Razer Phone
25
Nokia 8 Sirocco
25
Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
13
Xiaomi Mi 8 SE (Cooled)
13
Oppo R15 Pro
9
Meizu 15
8.8
For a more compound graphics fidelity picture, there is Basemark X, which only proves our observations thus far.
Basemark X
Higher is better
Razer Phone
51455
OnePlus 6
44229
Sony Xperia XZ2
44097
Xiaomi Mi 8
43285
Google Pixel 2 XL
39143
Nokia 8 Sirocco
38476
OnePlus 5T (Oreo)
38248
Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
27560
Xiaomi Mi 8 SE (Cooled)
27491
Meizu 15
20836
Oppo R15 Pro
20693
You can expect more numbers and broader comparison tests for the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE and the Snapdragon 710, once the full review comes out. For now, this was an interesting first look at the new 700 Series Qualcomm chips, their place in the current ecosystem and potential future.
We'll also do our best to reach some power efficiency conclusions about the Snapdragon 710 and its X15 LTE radio in the same Mi 8 review. Be sure to check back for more, especially once other Snapdragon 710 devices start hitting the scene. | 3,974 |
@Heavyarms55
The Win2 is indeed way more expensive, I admit. But the Win1 is in the same ballpark though. I bought mine brand new for the price of a Switch (instead of buying a Switch back then). And I don't understand your comment "lack any proper games of their own".
I played hundreds of proper PC games on the thing. I played Skyrim on this before it was even out on the Switch. So games on Switch are "proper games" and the same games on PC aren't "proper games"? If you're talking about first-party games, there are none on PC because the "PC" platform isn't owned by anyone. So basically, your argument is that it's a PC.
And it was far from mediocre. I mean, I had one, I should know. I spent hundreds, if not thousands, of hours playing PC games on this thing.
This device, for me, was something I did put in direct competition with the Switch, and bought over a Switch back then. And I never regretted that decision as it was a tons of fun. I kind of almost regret selling it, but oh well.
Saying this cannot be in direct competition with the Switch is being a bit intellectually dishonest, as I used it exactly in the same manner I'm using my Switch these days: mostly to play games on the go and occasionally on the big screen. Some games I play on Switch right now, I played them on this thing way before they were released on Switch.
I have a friend who still have both (GPD Win and Switch) and still much prefer playing on his GPD Win.
I smell a bit of Consoles vs. PC in your post. Personally, I play on all consoles + PC (have all of them) so I humbly consider myself a bit beyond all the fanboyism... And while nowadays I prefer my Switch and play on it all the time, I still say it's inaccurate to say nothing compares...
Unless you need something that does everything 100% the same way as the Switch, then nothing will ever compare to it... And thinking like this would also mean that no console could be compared to any other ever, as they all have something that distinguishes them from others....
Maybe for you, those devices aren't in competition. But I know many people who beg to differ. GPD devices usually sell very well and are often produced in multiple batches, and get multiple revisions. Surely, there are some people out there who think these devices are worth it for gaming... on the go or at home... like a Switch. | 3,975 |
Last updated on.From the section Football
Ross County put the shackles on Celtic as they held the champions in Glasgow.
Ronny Deila signalled his attacking intent with Leigh Griffiths, John Guidetti and Anthony Stokes starting, but the latter was an early injury victim for the home side.
The goal avalanche never arrived with County defending resolutely, though Callum McGregor did hit the bar.
And it was the visitors who could have won it late on when Filip Kiss struck the post.
The only solace for Celtic is that Hamilton and Dundee United failed to take advantage with both slipping to defeat.
Jim McIntyre's men fall to the bottom of the table despite gaining a point.
Just before the match started, Ross County were forced into a reshuffle after Graham Carey suffered a back spasm and he was replaced by Michael Gardyne.
As expected, Celtic had the majority of the early possession but they struggled to create chances.
Two free-kicks from Guidetti were the early highlights, the first saved by Antonio Reguero, and the second ruffling the side-netting.
From a Stefan Johansen free-kick Nir Bitton provided a goal-bound header but Reguero batted the ball to safety.
Ross County were virtually non-existent as an attacking force. A Martin Woods snap-shot wide of the target after some slack Celtic defending was the best they could muster.
A cut-back from Adam Matthews then gave Celtic substitute McGregor a great chance but he could not get his shot away.
Griffiths had a crack at goal that looked dangerous but Guidetti attempted to back-heel it into the corner and the ball ended up flashing wide of the post.
Celtic began the second half a little bit flat and County's Lewis Toshney tried an early header, but it was a comfortable save for Craig Gordon.
McGregor then almost broke the deadlock with a chipped effort from the edge of the box, but it came back off the bar with Guidetti failing to finish the rebound.
Celtic were generally labouring to break the visitors down and, with that in mind, Stefan Scepovic and Kris Commons were brought on from the bench to try to liven up the hosts.
However, it was County who almost stole all three points when a shot from Kiss beat Gordon, but agonisingly for the Slovak it cracked back off the post.
Griffiths then fired in a late shot which Reguero did well to save to keep it goalless. | 3,976 |
Council tenant 'can see daylight through cracks in house' Published duration 13 October 2019
image copyright Becki Boase image caption David Boase said the cracks at his end-terrace home had become "much worse"
A council tenant who says he can see daylight through the cracks in his house has branded the local authority's response as "unbelievable".
David Boase said his home was "neither safe nor secure" due to "inch-wide" cracks inside and outside the property.
He said the situation at the end-terrace in Swindon had got "much worse" and he feared for his family's safety.
Swindon Borough Council said "minor cracking" had been reported a year ago and the family was not at risk of harm.
Mr Boase said he had repeatedly reported new cracks at the property, where he has lived with his wife Becki and their three young children for six years.
image copyright Becki Boase image caption Becki and David Boase said cracks began appearing in the walls last year
He said he first reported the problem more than a year ago and was told the subsidence was not too serious and would be monitored. Since then, he said he made further reports which had been "ignored".
"Last week a crack appeared across our kitchen wall. Within three days we watched it stretch up and reach the ceiling. It's still developing," he said.
A council spokesman said an initial survey last year "identified very minor cracking and monitoring arrangements were put in place". He said the family contacted the council again "a few weeks ago" and since then a structural engineer had carried out a survey.
"The cause of the structural cracking appears to be due to clay sub-soil and large mature trees but we have assured our tenants they are not at risk of any harm."
He said cosmetic repairs would be carried out next week and "structural and remedial repairs" will be completed "as quickly as possible".
image copyright Becki Boase image caption The damage to the walls first appeared last year
Mr Boase said this response from the council was "unbelievable" and the authority had "made no efforts" to monitor the house in the past 12 months.
"Last year's inspection revealed inch wide cracks at the back and front of our home, cracks in every room, windows that wouldn't close... and a front door that was unlockable. There was nothing minor about it."
He added he had been told the house would require underpinning and most of the back wall rebuilding. | 3,977 |
Social media contributes to a large part of society today. It makes the world a small place, by enabling content to be shared and viewed from across the globe. We tend to spend our time switching between multiple platforms throughout the day in order to stay up to date on trends, news, and updates from friends. Unfortunately these platforms receive a large amount of profit without ever awarding the ones who contribute the value – the users.
Synereo, a company offering blockchain attention economy solutions, has recently launched WildSpark, a social network web app supporting Imgur, Medium and YouTube creators where they can be rewarded in cryptocurrency for the value and content they generate.
It’s difficult to create high quality content, and even more difficult to make it profitable. Currently, social media giants like Facebook and Instagram use advertiser-centric algorithms to make money off of user-generated content leaving the content-creators themselves without much reward for their insightful value and efforts. Think about the possibility of every video, photo, or even meme you create on the internet getting you the value it deserves – without anyone else taking a cut.
WildSpark is giving these content creators a chance to reap the benefits of what they offer to the online community by allowing writers, photographers, video and meme creators to fairly and freely monetize their content with “AMPs.” WildSpark allows users to show support for creators by allowing them to instantly send cryptocurrency rewards. WildSpark’s network enables value and information to flow freely, cutting third parties out of the equation, meaning the rewards will be given back to those who are actually contributing to the success of these platforms.
In a world where most of us spend ample amounts of time viewing, posting, and sharing content, applications like WildSpark could bring in satisfying profits. After all without users interacting on these platforms companies like Facebook wouldn’t turn out such high revenue. With blockchain technology being applied in so many areas, social media is one that can see a high success rate. Social media has become increasingly popular, not only for users but for advertisers as well.
Steemit, a platform that allows bloggers to earn cryptocurrency for the posts they contribute, is another company who understood the direction the industry is moving in. Both Synereo and Steemit understand where the success of the internet stems from, and the importance of allocating reward to the content creators rather than just the platform creators. It is exciting to see more applications integrating blockchain technology with content creation platforms and where the future will lead to. After all the internet belongs to it’s users and the information they share, so they should be the ones compensated. | 3,978 |
Netflix confirmed exclusively to Gold Derby on Thursday evening that top Emmy contender “The Crown” will not be competing for the 2019 ceremony. Its long production cycle prevents producers from having Season 3 episodes ready by the May 31 entry deadline. In fact, it was never the intention for this season to be completed in time for the 2019 Emmys, but we have featured the show in our predictions center until we could receive official confirmation. No date has yet been announced for new episodes to debut.
For the next cycle of episodes, the royal drama series advances a few years and therefore has a new cast. Recent Oscar winner Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”) takes over for reigning Emmy champ Claire Foy in the role of Queen Elizabeth II. Former “Outlander” star Tobias Menzies is now in the role of Prince Philip, which brought Matt Smith an Emmy nomination last year. And Oscar nominee Helena Bonham Carter (“The King’s Speech”) now plays Princess Margaret, which earned Vanessa Kirby an Emmy bid in 2018.
The program has been an Emmy favorite for its first two seasons. In addition to the win and noms mentioned above, it has competed as Best Drama Series both times. For the 2017 ceremony, it took trophies for Best Supporting Actor (John Lithgow), costumes and production design. In 2018, it triumphed for Foy, directing (Stephen Daldry), casting, cinematography and costumes.
As you make your updates in our predictions center, which shows will you be picking for the seven Best Drama Series slots? The reigning champ is “Game of Thrones,” which debuts its final season this spring. Netflix has strong contenders in SAG Awards winner “Ozark” and Golden Globe winner “Bodyguard.” Other possibilities include “Better Call Saul,” “The Good Fight,” “Homecoming,” “Killing Eve,” “Pose,” “Succession,” “This Is Us” and “Yellowstone,” among many others.
PREDICT the Emmy nominees now; change them until July 16
In the near future, you can check out how our experts rank this year’s Emmy contenders. Then take a look at the most up-to-date combined odds before you make your own 2019 Emmy predictions. Don’t be afraid to jump in now since you can keep changing your predictions until just before nominations are announced on July 16.
SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions | 3,979 |
View the lyrics
You gotta help me, I'm losing my mind
Keep getting the feel you wanna leave this all behind
Thought we were going strong
I thought we were holding on
Aren't we?
No, they don't teach you, this in school
Now my heart's breaking and I don't know what to do
Thought we were going strong
Thought we were holding on
Aren't we?
You and me got a whole lot of history
We could be the greatest team
That the world has ever seen
You and me got a whole lot of history
So don't let it go, we can make some more
We can live forever
All of the rumours, all of the fights
But we always find a way to make it out alive
Thought we were going strong
Thought we were holding on
Aren't we?
You and me got a whole lot of history
We could be the greatest team
That the world has ever seen
You and me got a whole lot of history
So don't let it go, we can make some more
We can live forever
Minibars, expensive cars
Hotel rooms and new tattoos
The good champagne and private planes
But they don't mean anything
'Cause' the truth is out, I realise
That without you here, life is just a lie
This is not the end
This is not the end
We can make it you know it, you know
You and me got a whole lot of history
We could be the greatest team
That the world has ever seen
You and me got a whole lot of history
So don't let it go, we can make some more
We can live forever
You and me got a whole lot of history
We could be the greatest team
That the world has ever seen
You and me got a whole lot of history
So don't let it go, we can make some more
We can live forever
So don't let me go
So don't let me go
We can live forever
Baby don't you know
Baby don't you know
We can live forever
Writer(s): Ed Drewett, John Ryan, Julian Brunetta, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Wayne Hector Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com | 3,980 |
MOUNT PLEASANT, WI — The family of a Mount Pleasant man is hoping the public can help their loved one get back on his feet again after a fire devastated the apartment where he lived, killed his dog, wiped out his belongings and resulted in him being put in a medically-induced coma.
The family of Kevin Blask say he awoke at just before 11 p.m. on Oct. 21 to find that a fire broke out at the rear of the house where he lives. The flames engulfed the back of the property.
“Due to the rapid spreading of the fire and the front exit being obstructed Kevin woke up and had to jump threw a fixed glass window to escape,” mother Juliet Primuth wrote on her son’s GoFundMe page this week.
Mount Pleasant Police and South Shore Fire Department personnel arrived and pulled him away from the fire. Blask suffered multiple cuts from jumping out the window. He also suffered severe carbon monoxide poisoning, smoke inhalation and also sustained some internal second-degree burns in his throat and upper lungs.
Related Reading
Kevin Blask’s Fire Recovery Fundraiser
Primuth said her son was immediately moved to the intensive care unit where he is on a ventilator, and has been in a medically-induced coma since his admission. “He has several medical hurdles to overcome and it is unknown at this time how long his recovery will take as he is still unconscious,” she said.
Family says Blask lost everything in the fire. This includes his pet dog Choco after rescue personnel tried to revive the dog at the scene of the fire. “Kevin unfortunately did not have renters insurance coverage and has to rebuild his life’s possessions from the ground up. He recently became unemployed and I know he would appreciate any assistance offered,” Primuth said. “Anyone that knows Kevin would tell you he would give you the shirt off his back even if it was the only one he had. He has demonstrated this time and time again. He is one of the kindest people you will ever meet.” Here is eyewitness video from the night of the fire: Go Fund Me Is A Patch Content Partner Racine County Eye and Patch are partnering up to provide readers with more local content and provide local advertisers with a larger audience to connect with. Based in New York, Patch is a hyperlocal platform that currently serves over 1,200 communities, towns and cities across the U.S. Known as “The Patch” by its users, Patch is the go-to destination for hyperlocal news and discussion about your community. | 3,981 |
oils.
High performance oils also help to reduce friction and cool key components in the engine. In the event of detonation, its absolutely vital that the motor oil be capable of doing all that it can to absorb the blow. This involves proper flow and a stable profile to maintain pressure at all temperature ranges, especially elevated ones. The oil film is all that stands between detonation and bearing failure.
Choose a Proven, Experienced Tuner
I cannot stress this enough. A good tuner will not only get more power out of a setup, but they will do so safely.
Run Good Intercoolers and Heat Exchangers
Radiators, oil coolers, and intercoolers are all absolutely vital to keeping your engine happy. Just because your coolant temps or charge temps are OK putting around town or ripping through a gear or two does not mean they are adequate! Ideally, you should be able to beat on the car for minutes and see very manageable temperatures.
It's also vital that you give your heat exchangers a good, clean, and well-ducted stream of air flow.
Alcohol Based Fuels
Look into it for any forced induction application or big bore N/A motor. It cools the inlet charge and is very tolerant of timing.
Conclusion
There are a multitude of causes that generate detonation, and each has a specific fix, but the modal tone behind knock mitigation is simply to reduce the total amount of heat inputted into the engines cycle and slow the combustion rate down. While this ultimately limits an engines specific output and fuel economy, it greatly enhances the longevity of the motor. However, there are many things that can be done to raise the detonation threshold with careful design and implementation of engine systems.
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Image copyright Gwyneth Jones Image caption Gwyneth Jones has been contacted by the family of Pte Robert Deans
A soldier who died in World War One has been "reunited" with his family thanks to a curious stranger.
Gwyneth Jones travelled to France to visit the grave of the soldier who lived in her Cardiff home more than a century ago.
Grangetown Local History Society sent postcards to the last known addresses of more than 400 men who died.
A relative of Pte Robert Silvester Deans said it was nice to know someone else cared about him.
Details of his life were sent to Ms Jones' home on Clive Street to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the war.
The 25-year-old died near the town of Albert, on the Somme, in 1916.
Now Ms Jones has been contacted by three members of his family who read how she had been moved to visit his grave in Bapaume Post Military Cemetery.
Image copyright Grangetown Local History Society Image caption The postcards sent to Grangetown residents last year that started Ms Jones' search
"When I returned home from a Remembrance Day service, a note had been posted from someone who had read the story and was Robert's relative," she said.
"They were thrilled that I had been to the grave as they hadn't been able to.
"I'd felt so sorry for this young man that I wanted to reconnect him with his home. Now I feel that I've reconnected him with his family. It's wonderful."
Another to contact Ms Jones was the soldier's second cousin Pamela Campbell, 69, born in Cardiff but now living in Lincolnshire.
"It was so lovely to think someone had been to the grave to lay flowers because we haven't had the opportunity to go there," she said.
"Gwyneth's curiosity has added to our knowledge. We knew he had died but it was nice to think someone else cared about him."
Image copyright Gwyneth Jones Image caption Pte Francis Leonard Bell died less than two weeks before the end of World War One
In a final twist, Ms Jones has since discovered her great uncle is buried nearby.
Pte Francis Leonard Bell, of the Lancashire Fusiliers, died in France from gas poisoning on 29 October 1918 - just 13 days before the armistice.
She said: "I had almost adopted this other family's soldier but I had no idea I had a relative of my own who had fallen in the war." | 3,983 |
A white mushroom designed using CRISPR-cas9 gene-editing technology may spell the end of regulation of genetically modified foods. A new ruling by federal regulators could have wide-ranging consequences for the regulation and labeling of newly manufactured food products.
Food regulations are at an impasse with the new development. The developers removed segments of the genetic code of Agaricus bisporus, the most commonly consumed species of white mushroom in the United States. However, they did not insert new genes, so their new variety of fungus may be completely unregulated, due to a bureaucratic loophole.
When genetically modified organisms (GMO's) were first being developed, most contained genes from bacteria. This allowed the U.S. Department of Agriculture to regulate the foods under their authority to regulate pests capable of attacking plants.
White mushrooms are particularly sensitive to browning, a condition which quickly makes them unsaleable. Even a small amount of damage can trigger an enzyme which quickens the reaction.
By removing one segment of genes from the mushroom, the creators were able to form a variety of the fungus that will not turn brown as quickly. This is not the first food product to be made resistant to browning through the removal of genes. In 2015, a new variety of potato was developed that has the same quality.
"The anti-browning property significantly improves the appearance and shelf life of white button mushroom, and is expected to facilitate automated mechanical harvesting.... the genome-edited mushroom has small deletions (1 to 14 bp) in a specific polyphenol oxidase gene, but contains no foreign DNA," Yinong Yang of Pennsylvania State University wrote in a letter (PDF) to the USDA.
The USDA has now ruled they will not regulate the newly produced mushroom, as no genes from bacteria were utilized in the development of the new fungus.
"APHIS has concluded that your CRISPR/Cas9-edited white button mushrooms described in your letter do not contain any introduced genetic material," The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) responded (PDF).
Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) genes, which drive the browning process, were targeted by researchers in the study. Of the six PPO genes, the team removed one, reducing browning by 30 percent.
Labeling of GMO's has become a hot topic in politics over the last few years. A law requiring labeling of such products in the state of Vermont already had an impact throughout the food industry.
Image: Stew Dean | Flickr
ⓒ 2018 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. | 3,984 |
L'AQUILA, Italy (Reuters) - The process of selling Chrysler shares on the New York Stock exchange should shed light on the U.S. carmaker's value, Fiat FIA.MI and Chrysler Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne said on Thursday as he tries to seal a deal for the group.
A Fiat logo is seen on the wheel of a Fiat car in Turin in this picture taken February 10, 2013. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini
Fiat, with 58.5 percent of Chrysler, wants to own it all. It has not been able to agree a price with the United Auto Workers union, which owns the rest via its retirees’ healthcare trust.
Chrysler last week filed papers for a flotation of the union shares. Though the offering could complicate Fiat-Chrysler ties, Marchionne saw a use from it.
“One of the things I hope is that it will become very clear exactly what the markets think Chrysler is worth, which is the only real reference point,” Marchionne said to journalists.
“There’s a pretty clear process that leads to the IPO, and it places clear road markers that can be recognized by both sides.”
A disagreement over the value of Chrysler has meant the owner of the stake, the union-affiliated healthcare trust VEBA, has not accepted Fiat’s offer.
Chrysler’s IPO filing last week warned the IPO could force Fiat to re-consider its alliance, causing commentators to note the reluctance from Fiat towards the offering made it unusual.
Marchionne currently runs the two companies as one, sharing technology, dealer networks, purchasing and management know how. Fiat wants to share Chrysler’s cash as well.
The Chrysler buyout talks are being closely watched by debt and equity investors, because Fiat’s long-term plan to cut losses in Europe depends on its ability to easily and cheaply share technology, cash and dealer networks with Chrysler.
“The alternative scenario of a Chrysler IPO could lead to a downgrade as it could complicate overall group corporate governance and management, in particular because of a fragmented shareholding structure, and lengthen the refinancing process of Chrysler’s debt,” said Fitch Ratings in a note on Thursday.
Fiat’s talks to buy up the remaining stake in Chrysler are continuing but have not made any progress, Marchionne added.
“The talks must continue,” he told reporters.
It is not clear how far apart the two sides are on price. | 3,985 |
Government research suggests British tech ‘unicorns’ are only surpassed by US and China
This article is more than 1 year old
This article is more than 1 year old
Britain is creating more technology companies worth at least $1bn (£786m) than any other company in Europe, according to government research.
It found that UK-based entrepreneurs have built 72 such businesses in the past 20 years, including 13 in the past year, with only the US and China surpassing that number. Germany has 29 and India has 26.
More than a third of Europe’s fastest-growing tech companies are based in Britain, according to the study for the government-led Digital Economy Council, whose members include techUK, Google, Facebook, BT and Apple. It said that, over the same period, the US and China had created 703 and 206 tech firm respectively.
The food delivery service Deliveroo and Revolut, an online money transfer app, are among the startup firms to have become “unicorns” in recent years – a term coined for a private company valued at more than £1bn.
The study comes as global tech companies promised to invest more than £1.2bn in the UK. The prime minister, Theresa May, will announce the business pledge on Monday to mark the opening of London Tech Week.
May will also commit the government to invest £153m in the development of quantum computing, with an additional £205m pledged by the industry with a focus on how the technology could be used to accelerate drug development.
The PM will say: “Already we are one of the best places in the world to start and grow a tech business.
“British tech is growing over one-and-a-half times faster than the rest of the economy, adding more than £130bn to our economy every year.
“But if we are going to maintain our position as a global leader, our challenge is how we develop British tech and make it even better.
“We want this to be the place everyone thinks of – and comes to – first when they want to develop their world-changing tech ideas. This is a challenge shared between industry and government.”
The outgoing prime minister will host a roundtable for leading technology firms, including Microsoft UK, Google and the mobile bank Monzo.
The announcements will include the availability of 2,500 places on artificial intelligence and data conversion courses to start next year along with the launch of a study into technology competitiveness, which will look to identify ways to ensure the UK remains attractive to businesses. | 3,986 |
The Dark Mod team has released a new update full of fixes and features. Run your tdm_updater and get the latest build!
Posted by nbohr1more on Jul 8th, 2014
The Dark Mod 2.02
This version includes a number of new features and bugfixes for The Dark Mod
grayman and taaaki spent some extra time tracking down memory leaks and game-save related crashes. You should find that this version runs noticeably more stable.
Several exploits have been dealt with, such as a fix for the bunny-hop exploit by SteveL, and new behaviour that allows AI to notice if you blatantly grab onto a door they're in the process of closing, by grayman.
A fix of a sound bug that was causing sound to drop off too quickly in large spaces (resulting in AI frequently ignoring noise arrows and calls for help) has also been fixed by grayman, and a new AI Hearing slider has been added to the main menu.
New Horizon has adjusted our blackjacking detection so that players are less likely to fail by being too close to an AI.
AI may notice that they've been pick-pocketed, and will add that to their evidence of an intruder if you cause a mild alert while snatching something from their belt.
In addition, Springheel has added a new AI and vocal set (acted by Goldwell) for mappers to play with: The Moors.
New water assets (courtesy of Arcturus):
Animated Normal Maps for raindrops (from Arctutus as well):
For a more detailed look at the changes and improvements, see here: Bugs.thedarkm...p?version_id=65 To get the new update, simply run tdm_update.exe
Other updates.
William Steele 2 "Home Again" and William Steele 3 "Cleighmoor" have been released!
Continuing his progress towards an 8-mission mega campaign, grayman treats TDM players with a knockout pair of large and intricate missions.
Springheel's "A Reputation to Uphold" has been released!
TDM's own lead artist follows-up his excellent mission "A Score to Settle" with another medium-large mission with considerable detail and mood.
Goldwell and Bikerdude's "The Accountant: A Noble Home" has been released!
Our newest voice talent is also quite a mission designer. His first mission is a real showcase of cinematic moments and a few new TDM features. | 3,987 |
In a remarkably frank statement issued on Friday, the National Rifle Association said that gun activists in Texas had “crossed the line from enthusiasm to downright foolishness” with their demonstrations at fast food restaurants.
Activists, most notably those with a group called Open Carry Texas, have drawn attention to themselves recently for their attempts to get served at chain restaurants while carrying high-powered semiautomatic rifles. In response, several chains, including Chipotle, were compelled to ask customers to not bring guns to their restaurants. The backlash was such that the groups themselves felt compelled to issue a statement late last month asking their members to avoid carrying long arms into private businesses during demonstrations.
But in its statement Friday, the NRA’s lobbying arm, the Institute for Legislative Action, went further, publicly denouncing the tactics employed by Open Carry Texas and other groups as “weird” and even “scary.”
“As a result of these hijinx, two popular fast food outlets have recently requested patrons to keep guns off the premises,” the unsigned statement said. “To state the obvious, that’s counterproductive for the gun owning community.”
In denouncing the demonstrations, the NRA said that using guns “to draw attention to yourself in public not only defies common sense, it shows a lack of consideration and manners.”
“[W]hile unlicensed open carry of long guns is also typically legal in most places, it is a rare sight to see someone sidle up next to you in line for lunch with a 7.62 rifle slung across his chest, much less a whole gaggle of folks descending on the same public venue with similar arms,” the statement said. “Let’s not mince words, not only is it rare, it’s downright weird and certainly not a practical way to go normally about your business while being prepared to defend yourself. To those who are not acquainted with the dubious practice of using public displays of firearms as a means to draw attention to oneself or one’s cause, it can be downright scary. It makes folks who might normally be perfectly open-minded about firearms feel uncomfortable and question the motives of pro-gun advocates.”
The NRA made clear it “does not support bans on personalized guns or on carrying firearms in public, including in restaurants. ” But it concluded that “when people act without thinking, or without consideration for others – especially when it comes to firearms – they set the stage for further restrictions on our rights.”
(h/t Mother Jones) | 3,988 |
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
WEST PALM BEACH — Former female impersonator Eulis "Robbie" Campbell took a plea deal that got him a 40-year prison sentence on Wednesday for stabbing and slashing a man to death 56 times whom he met in a gay bar.
From his standpoint, that's better than the life sentence he received in November 2006 following his conviction on charges of first-degree murder and two other felonies in the slaying of Farook Baksh, 45, a married truck driver and landlord who met Campbell at H.G. Roosters in West Palm Beach.
With credit for the two years and seven months he already has been in custody, plus possible gain time he could earn while in prison, the sentence actually amounts to about 31 years, said Assistant State Attorney Craig Williams.
But Campbell is a good bet to die behind bars anyway, He was diagnosed with AIDS several years ago, said his attorney, Shari Vrod. Doctors say his life expectancy is about seven more years, she added.
Still, Campbell was glad to put the case behind him. "He is so relieved," Vrod said. "He thanked us profusely."
Campbell's earlier conviction was reversed by the 4th District Court of Appeal in December, which ruled that Circuit Judge Richard Wennet erred in not sequestering the jury over a holiday weekend.
Well before meeting Baksh, Campbell had impersonated the likes of Liza Minnelli and Marilyn Monroe while performing under the stage name of Madeline Monroe. He bleached his long hair blond, got silicone injections to his face and implants in his hips and buttocks and underwent hormone therapy.
When he and Baksh left the bar in March 2003, they went to an apartment the latter owned in the Westgate neighborhood a few miles away. He testified at trial that he and Baksh "fooled around" and then Baksh rubbed a knife along his face and asked if he had ever been cut.
"I was afraid he was going to kill me," Campbell testified.
After repeatedly stabbing Baksh in what he said was self-defense, Campbell set a fire in the apartment and took the dead man's keys and drove off in his vehicle. Baksh's wallet was never found. Campbell denied taking it.
Baksh's widow and brother agreed to Wednesday's deal in which Campbell pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, first-degree arson and grand theft, in part because "they felt it's a life sentence," Williams said. He added, "The victims don't want to go through it again." | 3,989 |
A real-life California ghost town has hit the market, and an authentic piece of the Wild West can be yours for a cool $925,000.
Nestled in the shadow of Mount Whitney, Cerro Gordo Mines is a historic mining site that was the Golden State’s largest producer of silver and lead during its heyday in the 1860s and 1870s.
The Lone Pine area property offers a “rare opportunity” for the right buyer, boasting 22 structures including a hotel, a bunkhouse and several homes across 300 acres — plus intriguing mineral rights to boot, according to its listing page.
"It's really an opportunity for someone to own a real piece of the Wild West and American history," listing agent Jake Rasmuson of Bishop Real Estate told SF Gate.
THE 'FIXER UPPER' FALLACY: 9 REASONS REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS WANT YOU TO STOP WATCHING HGTV
Rasmuson explained to Mental Floss that Cerro Gordo Mines have been owned by the same family for decades and the unnamed clan feels that now is “the right time” to sell.
“The site has been extremely well protected from diggers, artifact looters and Mother Nature herself. Restoration has been undertaken on most of the buildings,” the listing page reads. “The rest are in a state of protected arrested decay.”
The listing further claims that the eerie grounds were “the first major mining camp south of the Sierra Nevada,” Cerro Gordo, or “Fat Hill,” was “the silver thread to Los Angeles, being partially responsible for its growth and economic development.”
OUTDOOR FEATURES THAT BOOST A HOME'S VALUE THE MOST
According to Smithsonian, roughly 4,800 people called Cerro Gordo home during its peak, though life was anything but genteel — the community saw an average of one murder per week.
When the mining camp shut down in 1938, due in part to dwindling demand, it had netted around $17 million in profits, Country Living reports.
Now, the owners are on the hunt for the right buyer.
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“We would be more than happy to receive offers from any individual or group that will continue to care for this fantastic piece of history,” Rasmuson told the The Telegraph. “We would really like to find buyers committed to preserving the integrity of Cerro Gordo.” | 3,990 |
In a heartening gesture, Chennai-based chess player Viswanathan Anand and his fanily have welcomes the residents of the neighbouring slums affected by the floods into their home.
While Chennai saw its worst floods in 100 years, the world also saw the spirit of the city, as people from all walks of life come together to aid relief work. Help has been coming from several quarters and notable among these is the contribution of influential personalities, who are chipping in to get the flood-hit areas back on their feet.
Actor Siddharth and RJ Balaji have been personally leading the relief work, collecting supplies and funds through Chennai micro. Leading stars of the silver-screen like Rajinikanth and Vijay opened their marriage halls to provide food and shelter for the homeless. Rajinikanth even requested his fans to call off all plans for his birthday on Saturday, and help with relief work instead. Shah Rukh Khan and his team donated Rs 1 crore to the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund. Through his 'Agaram' foundation, Suriya helped many flood victims, while actor and director Raghava Lawrence donated Rs 1 crore to flood relief. Sport stars Dipika Pallikal and Saina Nehwal also contributed to the fund.
But amidst all of this, the one contribution that stands out is that of Viswanathan Anand and his family. The Chennai-based chess player has let the residents of the neighbouring slums into their home, reports The Times of India.
Anand is not in Chennai currently due to the London Chess Classic, but his wife Aruna has been instrumental is providing shelter and food for their flood-affected people neighbours. "Since it was difficult to leave my toddler and elderly father-in-law and at home and venture out to offer relief and assistance, we chose to open our doors to those affected. Following the first floods, we had close to 20 people, including two pregnant women, from the neighbouring slums staying over at our place. My maid, who lost her home and all her belongings, too came over along with her extended family and stayed with us. Food was cooked in large amounts for all those at home as well as handed over to volunteers for distribution," she was quoted as saying by The Times of India.
The couple's four-year-old son Akhil has also been an enthusiastic participant in the gesture. He has bonded with the slum children sheltered there, who also make it a point to share the snacks they have.
The Anands' residence in RA Puram is said to have suffered minimal damage and they are set to announce monetary help soon as well. | 3,991 |
The Japanese government’s promise of investing $35 billion (3.5 trillion yen) into infrastructure projects in India comes with conditions.
The promise was made by Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi during the latter’s recent visit. However, the money will come only after Japanese investors find a better business environment, with projects coming up.
The announcement of $35-billion investment into India’s infrastructure over five years was the only substantial outcome of Modi’s visit to Japan on August 30-September 2.
The disbursement will be based on projects thrown up by the Indian government. It will be a mix of public and private money from Japan. The investment will be channelised through their agencies such as Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Japan International Cooperation Agency and Japan External Trade Organization.
Sources said the government had to abide by what was promised in terms of the creation of a special mechanism, a Japan Fast Track Channel, exclusively for Japanese investors.
“The money will be disbursed only when Japanese investors are assured that their money will be properly channelised and utilised. If the promises made by PM Modi are not kept, not a portion of the $35 billion can be expected to enter India,” an official, who did not want to be identified, told Business Standard.
The broad contours of the fast-track mechanism are being worked out by both governments. According to a declaration issued by both sides: “Prime Minister Modi underlined his determination to further improve the business environment in India, including through tax, administrative and financial regulations, in order to boost investment. The two prime ministers decided to further deepen bilateral economic and financial cooperation.”
The money can be also put in some of the ongoing projects such as the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor and the Chennai Bangalore Industrial Corridor. Apart from public and private investments, this amount would include Japanese Overseas Development Assistance at a concessional rate, sources said.
The Japanese government, it seems, has identified some infrastructure projects where it intends to put some portion of the money in the next couple of years. Still, this money will be released only when it gets an assurance from India regarding work on the commitments made by the Modi government to improve the country’s business and investment environment.
According to the declaration, Japan is keen to invest in next-generation infrastructure, connectivity, transport systems, smart cities, rejuvenation of the Ganga and other rivers, manufacturing, clean energy, skill development, water security, food processing and agro industry, agricultural cold chain and rural development. | 3,992 |
where are we now?” Meanwhile, SpaceX and Boeing have been developing new vehicles to carry humans to the International Space Station, under the new contracting model that NASA used to resupply the ISS. While the process may be less expensive than other contracting methods, the development has still been fraught with delays and setbacks — whether that be from stringent oversight, low budgets, or just plain engineering problems. The first crews were supposed to fly in 2017. Now they will likely fly for the first time in 2020. Creating new passenger spacecraft that keep people alive and safe still takes a lot of time, no matter what contracting method you use.
What’s next?
As the 2020s get underway, the commercial space industry will have a lot to prove, especially since many have their sights set much higher than low Earth orbit. Numerous private companies are aiming to send robotic landers to the Moon in the next few years, while SpaceX, Blue Origin, and more all vow to send people to the Moon someday. It’s unclear how long it will take them to get there, if they can make it at all. The first private company, an Israeli nonprofit, attempted to land on the Moon this year and didn’t stick the landing.
it’s uncertain if there is a solid market for more ambitious forms of space travel
Ultimately, it’s uncertain if there is a solid market for more ambitious forms of space travel. Even the satellite market has softened in recent years, which may explain why SpaceX has tried to turn itself into a consumer-facing business through its satellite constellation. It needs money to stay afloat. The scary thought is: what if there’s not much more money to squeeze out of space? Experts have long been forecasting days where private space stations will dominate low Earth orbit, frequented by tourists on vacation or their honeymoons. Eventually, private companies hope to scour the Moon’s surface for water ice, which they could turn into drinking water or rocket fuel for lunar bases. It all sounds like a great future. “Commercializing the lunar stuff, honestly, is not going to happen as fast, because there isn’t a market for it anytime soon,” says Garver. “But anyone could have told you there was a market for launch outside of NASA.”
The next decade will show us if the commercial spaceflight industry can match the progress it’s seen these last 10 years. Maybe these companies will finally take us beyond Earth orbit, with people along for the ride. Or it may reveal that the market for space is staying close to home for the foreseeable future. | 3,993 |
sugar
I decided on a 4:1 scaling of sugar to gum arabic, figuring I’d lose some to the sides of the blender or floating off into my kitchen. It probably comes out a little gummier than Morgenthaler’s.
Directions:
1. Hydrate the gum Arabic. Pour the water into the blender and run as fast as you can without it flying out of the top. In my Vitamix that’s about level 3.
Disperse the gum Arabic through a sugar/flour shaker into it. Gum arabic hydrates via shear, so most people who have problems are probably trying to whisk by hand, or are just pouring it in. You want each individual grain of the gum to be as far apart as possible from other grains to prevent clumping, and the shaker does this well. Just hold the shaker upside-down above the running blender and tap on it repeatedly until it all comes out. You can do this pretty quickly. Run the blender on high (now that it’s gummy it won’t splash much) for a couple minutes. You’ll see a thick syrup that looks like this:
(I believe you could skip this step entirely by using a pre-hydrated gum Arabic and just dump it into the next step. )
2. Put your sugar in a heavy-bottomed 1 qt. sauce pan. (Use a bigger one if you’re scaling up or you’re going to napalm yourself and burn your house down.) Heat over high heat, stirring and scraping the bottom, until it boils and foams rapidly and looks like this:
(Mine is brown because I used demerara sugar here.)
3. Stir the foam down and then pour into a container to cool.
(These will also be great “before” pictures after I remodel my kitchen.)
4. At the end a layer of scum will form over top. Skim it off, and you’re left with a beautiful gum syrup.
You can tell pretty quickly that this isn’t just simple syrup. For comparison, I made a little 2:1 demerara simple. Here’s a gif showing their viscosities (gum on the left):
As you can see, the gum syrup is cloudier and significantly more viscous than a 2:1 simple.
So there you have it. Fast and easy gum syrup. No waiting two days, no clumping, and no straining. | 3,994 |
the US was meddling in the internal affairs of Ukraine. And then the tape came out. That was just what she said about Russia's "impressive tradecraft" in intercepting the telephone call. Then we discover that she was discussing highly sensitive issues over completely unsecured telephones.Is the US training and funding the Ukraine opposition? Nuland herself claimed in December that the US had spent $5 billion since the 1990s on "democratization" programs in Ukraine. On what would she like us to believe the money had been spent?We know that the US State Department invests heavily -- more than $100 million from 2008-2012 alone -- on international "Internet freedom" activities. This includes heavy State Department funding, for example, to the New Americas Foundation's..."Commotion Project." What an appropriate name for what is happening in Ukraine.It is not a far leap from the known billions spent on "democratization" in Ukraine, to the hundreds of millions spent on developing new tools for regime-changers on the ground to use against authorities in their home countries, to the State Department from the US embassy in Kiev providing training and equipment to those seeking the overthrow of the Ukrainian government.The apparent goal of US policy in Ukraine is to re-ignite a Cold War, installing a US-created government in Kiev which signs the EU association agreement including its NATO cooperation language to effectively push the Berlin Wall all the way to the gates of Moscow and St. Petersburg.NATO has expanded to central Europe, despite US assurances in the 1980s that it would not do so. The US rolled over Russia in its deceptive manipulation of a UN Security Council resolution on Libya to initiate an invasion. The US continues to arm jihadists seeking to overthrow the secular Assad government in Russia-allied Syria. The US and EU have absorbed the Baltics, leaving their large ethnic Russian populations to dangle in non-person limbo. The US and EU had all but absorbed Georgia. Now the US is clearly in the process of absorbing Ukraine, with its strategic importance to Russia, its proximity, and its nearly 10 million ethnic Russian minority.Surely there is a point to where Russia will take steps to concretely limit its losses. In December Russian president Vladimir Putin said in a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yanukovich that Russia and Ukraine should resume comprehensive military cooperation. Other bilateral defense agreements are already in place.What would have to happen to trigger a Ukrainian request to its close neighbor for assistance putting down a bloody and illegal coup d'etat instigated by foreign governments? Will US serious miscalculation of Russian resolve over Ukraine lead to a tragedy of almost inconceivable proportions? What if this time Russia does not blink? | 3,995 |
The Conservative Party has made major gains in local elections across Britain, fuelled by a collapse in the UKIP vote and poor results for Labour.
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A total of 4,851 seats were up for grabs in 88 councils - all 32 in Scotland, 22 in Wales and 34 country councils and unitary authorities in England.
Local elections: Latest updates
The Conservatives have made gains while Labour, UKIP, the Lib Dems and the SNP have all lost ground.
Labour has lost more than 380 council seats, UKIP has suffered heavy losses and the Lib Dems have not made the gains they had hoped for.
The Conservatives appear to have been the main beneficiaries of a decline in support for UKIP.
The party is now in charge of 11 more councils having taken Derbyshire from Labour as well as Warwickshire, Lincolnshire, Gloucestershire, the Isle of Wight and Monmouthshire - all of which were previously under no overall control.
They also increased their total number of councillors in Scotland by more than 160.
Meanwhile, it has been a much less successful day for Labour.
The party has lost control of seven councils, including Glasgow, as well as Bridgend and Blaenau Gwent. It also lost the metro mayor contests in the West Midlands and Tees Valley, a traditional Labour heartland, to the Conservatives - but former cabinet minister Andy Burnham scored a big win in Greater Manchester.
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The Lib Dems have had a mixed performance, with some seats won and others lost.
Lib Dem former business secretary Vince Cable said the night had been "neutral" for his party.
"We're in a relatively encouraging position, though there hasn't been a spectacular breakthrough," he said.
Sorry, your browser cannot display this map
UKIP suffered a bad night - losing 145 seats. It ended this year's local elections with a single councillor in Lancashire.
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The SNP comfortably finished as the largest party in the Scotland, but suffered modest losses, losing control of Dundee.
Conservative advances in Scotland came at the expense of Labour, with the party losing more than 130 councillors north of the border.
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Meanwhile, the Green Party has won 40 seats, gaining six in total.
Produced by Ed Lowther, John Walton, Lucy Rodgers, Nassos Stylianou, Joe Reed, Gerry Fletcher and Prina Shah. Maps built with Carto. | 3,996 |
It’s official! No more cryptocurrency and ICO advertisements are available on Twitter starting today. The announcement was made yesterday, 26th March 2018.
Starting today, Twitter does not allow the promotion of Initial Coin Offerings (ICO), pre-sales token, crypto trading platform and wallets projects. If advertisements continue to be posted on the Twitter social network, they will be automatically cleared by the site’s administrators, according to CNBC. A Twitter representative explained this measure as “ensuring the safety of the Twitter community”.
Twitter explained its measure:
“We have added a new policy for Twitter Ads relating to a cryptocurrency. Under this new policy, the advertisement of Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) and token sales will be prohibited globally.”
As previously mentioned on Coindoo.com, Twitter has made an announcement of the possible ban of ICO and crypto ads on 18th March 2018. They have suggested about changing their policy and restricting the ads on the platform.
According to Sky News, “Sky News understands that the new advertising policy will be implemented in two weeks and currently stands to prohibit advertisements for initial coin offerings (ICOs), token sales, and cryptocurrency wallets globally.”
Twitter has joined the Facebook and Google’s policies
The giant Twitter is now following Facebook and Google’s paths. These two were the first social platforms to ban crypto and ICO advertisements. The main reasons are to prevent users from money laundering, identity thief, abuse of power as well as to eliminate the scam accounts and contents.
Users have different opinions about this decision
Some of users seem to be excited about the decision taken by the Twitter team, some are not. Here are a few of their comments:
“Most of these ads bring negative reputation to the crypto community as they are scams”, @Koertzon (reddit.com).
“I agree it’s a good thing, but it’s not true that every project that pays for ads is not useful. I think it’s the wrong path to follow and it wont stay like this for long. Advertisers should know their customers better (KYC) instead of just banning all crypto ads.”, @lynkzo (reddit.com).
“Most crypto ads are scammy, so it’s a good thing”, @Dayvi (reddit.com).
It’s official. According to Twitter, starting today, advertisers are not capable to promote crypto and ICO projects. What’s your opinion about this decision? | 3,997 |
In a letter seen by Motorsport.com, series founder Agag states his ambition to have greater influence over the future direction of the championship by assuming full control of the shareholding.
In the letter, dated today and addressed to the chairman of the Formula E board of directors, Agag writes: “As an entrepreneur I would like to increase my interest in the business and influence in its future direction.
“I strongly believe in the future of Formula E and this offer is an expression of that confidence.
“For this reason I would like to make a proposal to buy all the shares in the company at a value of €600m equity value.”
Agag’s move comes as the series, now in its fourth season, continues to attract interest from the world’s major automotive manufacturers.
Audi increased its FE presence at the Abt squad into a full works entry for this season, with BMW set to enter in the 2018/19 campaign, when the championship’s Gen2 car will make its debut.
Nissan will replace alliance partner Renault at the e.dams entry for next season and both Porsche and Mercedes have confirmed full works entries for the following championship in 2019/20.
Swiss electronics giant ABB was recently announced as naming partner of the championship, which has also attracted high-profile sponsorship deals from companies including Allianz and Hugo Boss – both of which previously invested in Formula 1, either with the championship or one of its teams.
Commenting on Agag’s move, Mercedes F1 team boss Toto Wolff, said: “In my opinion, behind every great success story there’s an entrepreneur’s vision and against all odds Alejandro has created this series that nobody really gave a chance to when it was launched.
“Now all the major car manufacturers have joined Formula E and a very, very big part of that is down to Alejandro.
“If it hadn’t been for his drive I think maybe even Mercedes would have considered it differently.”
Marco Parroni, managing director of FE’s first sponsor, Julius Bar bank, said he had been persuaded of the merits of electric street racing by Agag and that the series’ continued growth was testament to his vision.
“Formula E had a lot of financial difficulties in the beginning,” he said, “which is why the series needed investors.
“But definitely without Alejandro there the project would not exist today.”
Story by Anthony Rowlinson | 3,998 |
Canada. That's easy to handle.
But what about Johnny Alpha, the Strontium Dog? British writer, British character, British publisher, but the main defining artist who handled him is Spanish. Given a writer vs. artist nationality decision, I'm inclined to decide in favour of the writer, who puts the dialogue in the character's mouth. I can include him in the British section.
Fine - how about Judge Dredd? British writers (mostly - one of his co-creators, Alan Grant, was born in the USA but moved to Scotland when he was 12), British publisher... American character. But I don't think anyone can argue that there is something indefinably British about him (albeit he is a skewed look at how Brits sometimes see Americans and especially their attitudes towards the rest of the world). But if I'm going to allow a Brit's version of an American character, then why is that more valid and less a stereotype than an American's version of a British character? Perhaps because of our exposure to a lot more of American popular culture we can create American characters that are less (unintentionally) laughable caricatures? Maybe. Or maybe it's just that we should recognise that a good writer can write a good character regardless of either one's nationality. Chris Claremont (American) has written good, non-cringeworthy characters from all over the globe; so has Alan Moore (British), Grant Morrison (British, but also Scottish), John Byrne (Canadian), etc. A good writer moves beyond the land they come from to be a true everyman (or woman).
What I'm trying to say is that in some respects the entries I've included in each section can sometimes seem somewhat arbitrary. Going strictly by my mandate I should either drop characters like Dredd, or I should include every character ever written by a British or French or Canadian or... writer. What it comes down to in the end is that I've included who I feel should be included, and left the others out. If you feel I've missed someone important, please let me know.
And speaking as a Scot living in England, I'm not even going to start on whether Scottish characters created by English writers are valid. Lastly, if I've included someone in the UK section and the writer is actually from the Republic of Ireland, sorry - please correct me.
All images and characters depicted on this site are copyright their respective holders, and are used for informational purposes only. No infringement is intended and copyrights remain at source.
Webcounter has gone down again. Anyone able to recommend a good free one?
Site started: January 29th 2002 | 3,999 |
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