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The flow of Polish and other economic migrants from eastern Europe has fallen by more than 40% as the recession in Britain bites, according to the latest immigration figures published today.
The Office for National Statistics said the number of work applications from the EU's former communist countries dropped to 29,000 in the last three months of 2008, down from 53,000 in the same period in 2007.
The immigration minister, Phil Woolas, said this was the lowest level of registrations since Poland and nine other European countries, including Malta and Cyprus, joined the EU in 2004. Research suggested that many of those that came have now gone home.
ONS figures published today show that the majority of workers from eastern Europe are young – 78% are aged 18 to 34 – and only 11% said they had brought dependants with them to work in Britain.
The home secretary, Jacqui Smith, announced at the weekend new measures to block tens of thousands of foreign workers from outside the EU coming to work in Britain.
But the new immigration figures show the government is failing to meet its targets on removing failed asylum seekers and other immigration offenders. Removals of those who were turned down for asylum for the last quarter of 2008 are down by 16% compared to the previous year, to 2,570. The number of other immigration offenders deported rose slightly over the same period, to 13,950.
Woolas highlighted the fact that 5,395 foreign prisoners were sent home in 2008, exceeding the UK Border Agency's 5,000 target. The resources devoted to this task were switched from pursuing failed asylum seekers. Although ministers claimed success, the ONS said the 5,395 figure should be treated only as provisional as it had not yet passed their quality tests.
The asylum figures for the last three months of 2008 show the first fall for five years in the number of new claims for refugee status – with a 2% drop to 6,735. The largest numbers came from Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Eritrea. Last year, 30% of asylum applicants were granted refugee status or humanitarian protection. A further 25% of appeals also succeeded.
The UK Border Agency said it had passed a key milestone in concluding 60% of all new asylum claims within six months by the end of 2008.
The number of people from outside the EU granted the right to settle in Britain rose by 17% last year to 145,965. Just over 60,000 were the result of people moving to the UK for work, while 52,000 were as a result of family reunion cases. Only 3,860 refugees were granted the right to settle in Britain, down from 67,000 in 2005. | 4,100 |
動時にシステム深部へと感染してしまうリスクがある。駆除できると信じてWindowsを起動してみるのも手だが、駆除しきる前に感染してしまっては目も当てられない。
こんなときに「ESET SysRescue Live」を使えばWindowsを起動する前に検出・駆除でき、より安全に対応できるわけだ。また、Windowsが動作しなくなった場合でも関係なく起動して内部のストレージにアクセスできるため、いざという時のファイル救出用としても活躍してくれる。
日々のセキュリティを高めるようなツールではなく、マルウェアに感染した後、Windowsが起動しなくなったときに使うツールとはいえ、使い方を覚えておいて損はない。
とはいえ、Windows上で動作するソフトではないため、アイコンをダブルクリックすれば使える……というわけにはいかない。また、起動にはCD/DVD-Rなどの光学メディアとドライブが必要となるだけに、使いづらく感じてしまうのも事実だ。
そこで、この「ESET SysRescue Live」をUSBメモリーから起動できるようにする方法と、基本的な使い方を紹介しよう。 | 4,101 |
× This page contains archived content and is no longer being updated. At the time of publication, it represented the best available science.
High-pressure weather systems often bring fair weather and relatively clear skies. In early June 2012, a high off the coast of Tasmania did just that...and in spectacular fashion.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this view of a hole in a cloud formation at 3:00 p.m. local time (05:00 Universal Time) on June 5, 2012. The weather system over the Great Australian Bight cut out the oval-shaped hole from a blanket of marine stratocumulus clouds.
The cloud hole, with a diameter that stretched as far as 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) across, was caused by sinking air associated with an area of high pressure near the surface. Globally, the average sea-level pressure is about 1013 millibars; at the center of this high, pressures topped 1,040 millibars.
Sea-level pressure maps published by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology on June 5 showed that the shape of the cloud hole matched the shape of the high-pressure area. However, the center of high pressure and the cloud hole didn't match precisely; the center of the high was near the western edge of the clear area, about 100 kilometers from the cloud edge.
In general, winds blow outward and away from areas of high pressure. As a result, areas of high pressure pull air downward. As the air sinks, it also warms, increasing the rate of evaporation and making it difficult for the air to sustain clouds. Areas of low pressure, by contrast, pull air upward and generate clouds and stormy weather.
While low-pressure systems often produce circular cyclonic storms and clouds, high-pressure systems (which are sometimes called anticyclones) can yield large circular areas of clear skies. “You could call it an anti-storm,” quipped NASA Langley atmospheric scientist Patrick Minnis.
According to NASA Goddard atmospheric scientists Joanna Joiner and Arlindo da Silva, weather models simulated the cloud formation quite accurately. “We checked the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) forecast, and it really nailed the system,” Joiner said.
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE MODIS Rapid Response. Caption by Adam Voiland with information from Patrick Minnis, NASA Langley; Joanna Joiner, NASA Goddard; Steve Lang; NASA Goddard; and Heather Hyre, NASA Goddard. | 4,102 |
developers with multiple consensus models, but also meet the need for data structure differentiation and functional diversification on other chains.
Two new resource models are supported in the latest version of the EOSForce multi-chain Protocol. One is EOSIO’s mortgage and leasing resource model and the other is a free resource model. When launching a public blockchain based on the EOSForce multi-chain protocol, developers can choose one from three models, the EOSForce fee model, the EMLG mortgage leasing model and a free resource model similar to the consortium blockchain. Many people of public blockchain community look down on the consortium blockchain, but the consortium blockchain is the fastest one to embrace the block chain technology, and also the fastest one to produce practical applications.
Ethereum makes issuing tokens a kind of inclusive right, and the EOSForce will make it easier to launch a public blockchain of diversified consensus, while making it convenient for multiple chains to interoperate.
8. What is the VISION of EOSForce Team?
The vision of EOSForce development team is to explore a more open crypto economy infrastructure in practice. We continue to develop multi-chain and cross-chain protocols based on EOSForce.io to promote the application of blockchain in various industries.
This means that whether it is POW or DPOS, or multiple resource model requirements in DPOS, we need to explore and develop. So we made a series of initiatives:
Launched EOSForce, an EOS parallel mainnet, and assumed responsibility for network upgrade and iteration
Publicly support the “competitor” ENU
EOS EMLG is also supported in the smart contracts tutorial
Support BCH to develop a peer-to-peer electronic cash system
Provide the service of one-click to launch public blockchain
Follow us on GitHub: https://github.com/eosforce
Contact EOSForce
Twitter | English Telegram | Reddit | Github |Korean Telegram
EOSForce blockchain explorer: https://explorer.eosforce.io/#/en
Wallets
https://github.com/eosforce/wallet-desktop
EOSC token is distributed in accordance with the EOS genesis mapping. You can activate your EOSForce genesis account here.
Scatter 10 has minor compatibility issues with EOSForce blockchain. Join the Telegram Channel here: https://t.me/Scatter. Visit the Scatter website at: https://get-scatter.com/
Exchanges
Bitforex | Akdex.io | 4,103 |
Raimo Summanen of the KHL’s Avengard is one of our favorite coaches because he’s basically John Tortorella with an impulse control problem. Let that sink in for a moment.
There was the time Summanen challenged Jaromir Jagr to a fight during a playoff series, when Jagr was playing on his team. Most recently, he took one of his players’ sticks and waved it at the referees to argue that they missed a spearing penalty.
One really, really gets the notion that Summanen has a slight lack of respect for on-ice officials, and his actions in a KHL playoff game on Thursday did nothing to dispel this.
In an elimination game against Ak Bars, Summanen watched his team go down 1-0 on an Oscar Moeller goal. His shot hit goalie Konstantin Barulin’s right pad and appeared to trickle through him a second before an onrushing Petr Vrana made contact with the goalie just outside of his crease.
The referees allowed the goal. Summanen … disagreed.
He stood inside the open door to the bench and waved over referee Alexei Belov, yelling at the official as he arrived. When Belov skated away following their intellectual discourse, Summanen screamed out “HEY!” to recapture his attention and then stuck his hand inside his jacket to pull out his wallet, with some money visibly sticking out from it – “enough for a light snack from the snack machine,” according to the game report.
Summanen held his wallet on top of his game sheet for the cameras to see, and again showed it off to the referees as he watched them from the bench. Alas, they didn’t take the financial incentive, and Avengard was eliminated from the postseason in a 2-0 loss.
What was Summanen thinking? Did he really expect Belov to become the first Russian official ever to take a bribe? (Ahem...)
When asked by SovSport about the stunt, he said (translated):
"I have all the time in the pocket wallet, I always use it - sometimes it falls. I've got two pens, wallet, keys and hockey book. I always use it."
Frankly, if this were the regular season, we’d like to think Summanen would have just taken out his wallet and made it rain on the ice. But everyone’s on their best behavior in the playoffs, apparently. Even him.
MORE FROM YAHOO HOCKEY: | 4,104 |
Terry Firma
A cold case heats up.
All evidence pointed police to one conclusion: A priest had killed a beautiful 25-year-old schoolteacher. [In 1960,] searchers had found the lifeless body of former Miss South Texas, Irene Garza, face down in a canal in her hometown of McAllen. She’d disappeared on the day before Easter after going to Sacred Heart Catholic Church for confession.
An autopsy determined Garza had been raped while in a coma, and then had died from suffocation. Near Garza’s body investigators found items that belonged to the church, including a candelabra. One item, a metallic Kodak slide photo viewer, belonged to a 27-year-old priest who was assigned to the church: the Rev. John Feit.
Feit failed lie detector tests. Adding to the suspicion was that just 24 days before Garza’s murder, Feit had been arrested for attacking a young woman at a church in a town about 10 miles from McAllen.
[In that case,] Feit pleaded no contest to misdemeanor aggravated assault. A judge found him guilty and fined him $500 with no prison time. To this day, police officers and law enforcement agencies that have dealt with the case say they believe Feit killed her.
So why was he never put on trial?
It was unthinkable that a Catholic priest would commit such a crime. That’s the way Garza’s cousins remember it. “We were accusing a priest — in those days, priests were infallible, ” said Lynda De La Vina, who was 9 years old at the time. Another cousin, Noemi Sigler, was only 10 when Garza was killed. “It was impossible for a priest to do such a deed. I mean, if you thought of it, that would be sacrilegious.”
Some 42 years after the murder of Irene Garza,
Two surprise witnesses independently came forward — each separately claiming that they heard Feit confess.
One of them was Dale Tacheny, who was Feit’s spiritual counselor at the Missouri monastery where Feit had been sent a few years after the murder. Guilt compelled Tacheny to finally come forward.
But the county district attorney, not believing the case for the prosecution strong enough, declined to plow ahead.
To this day, John Feit, now in his eighties, says he didn’t kill Irene Garza. He remains a free man.
[photos via CNN] | 4,105 |
The Snapchat empire will soon expand into physical products. On Friday, company founder Evan Spiegel unveiled the company's first for-sale product: Spectacles, a $129 pair of sunglasses with a video camera built into their front. (UK price TBC, but probably around £110.)
Instead of being announced on Spiegel's wildly popular social-media app, Spectacles were announced through an exclusive report published by the Wall Street Journal. The report confirms some of the glasses' technical details, including a 115-degree camera lens, a fisheye rendering effect on any videos taken, and three color options at launch (black, teal, and coral). Tap a button near the hinge, the WSJ reports, and Spectacles will record exactly 10 seconds of video. (A leaked promotional reel for Spectacles that turned up at Business Insider before the WSJ's report went live shows what the glasses' video footage will probably look like.)
The glasses, as shown on Spiegel's face, contain pronounced bulges on both halves of the frame and an apparently dime-sized circle on each lens' upper, outer corner. We only have two official photos and a brief, leaked promo video to go on—and no further technical details from the report—so we'll have to wait to learn how much on-board memory fills those bulges, what resolution the video will be captured in, and whether the glasses' processing unit communicates with a nearby smartphone to upload those video captures to Snapchat.
In the report, Spiegel describes the first time he tested the hardware on a vacation with his girlfriend in the admittedly Snap-worthy locale of Big Sur, California. "When I got the footage back and watched it, I could see my own memory, through my own eyes—it was unbelievable," Spiegel tells the WSJ. "It’s one thing to see images of an experience you had, but it’s another thing to have an experience of the experience. It was the closest I’d ever come to feeling like I was there again."
Spiegel tries to lower expectations for Spectacles when he compares them to a "toy," while the article's author compares the glasses to Google's ambitious but woe-ridden Google Glass wearable hardware. "[Spectacles] risk provoking, as anyone who recalls the saga of Google Glass knows, a fair amount of ridicule the moment they begin to appear on the pimpled faces of America's teens," WSJ reporter Seth Stevenson writes. He also reported the company's official name change to Snap, Inc. "because its offerings now go beyond the Snapchat app." The article didn't hint at any further app or hardware announcements to come. | 4,106 |
JORGE SILVA / REUTERS A man stocks up on toilet paper at a supermarket in Caracas on May 17, 2013
Venezuelans are used to going without staples like milk, coffee and butter, thanks to the country’s frequent food shortages. But now they’re dealing with a much more urgent crisis: a lack of toilet paper.
Stores have run out, and each new delivery sees a rush to supermarkets. The demand is so great the government has now been forced to order 50 million rolls to appease desperate shoppers. One woman standing in line at a Caracas supermarket that received a fresh delivery told the Associated Press that she had been scouring the capital city’s shops for two weeks. “Even at my age, I’ve never seen this,” another, 70-year-old shopper told Sky News.
(MORE: Kansas Woman Discovers Circus Tiger in Bathroom)
Economists blame Venezuela’s shortages partly on price controls, initiated by the late President Hugo Chávez, to make goods affordable to the poorest people in society (in a government store, a kilogram of pasta costs $0.30, writes the BBC). But that has also led to countrywide shortages of staple items, and Venezuela’s “scarcity index” is currently at 21% — meaning that out of 100 basic products, 21 aren’t available in stores, notes the BBC. “State-controlled prices — prices that are set below market-clearing price — always result in shortages,” said Steve Hanke, professor of economics at Johns Hopkins University, told the Associated Press. “The shortage problem will only get worse, as it did over the years in the Soviet Union.”
(MORE: Domestic-Abuse Charity to Use ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ as Toilet Paper)
But socialist President Nicolás Maduro (who was hand-picked by Chavez to succeed him) blamed the toilet-paper shortage on “antigovernment forces,” reports the Associated Press. While pledging to rectify the situation, Commerce Minister Alejandro Fleming pointed the finger at the media, which he accused of purposely creating “excessive demand” for toilet paper in order to disrupt the country. Whatever the cause of the current crisis, Fleming confirmed that he was taking drastic action: “The revolution will bring 50 million rolls of toilet paper,” he said, adding: “We are going to saturate the market so that our people calm down.”
PHOTOS: In Caracas, Tensions Simmer Over Venezuelan Election | 4,107 |
Hollow Knight is a Metroidvania video game developed and published by Australian studio Team Cherry. The game’s gorgeous visuals, excellent soundtrack and the sheer amount of content with various levels, hundreds of enemies, memorable bosses and a beautiful heartwarming tale for the price of only $15 is absolutely amazing. The game is my personal game of the year for 2017. Oh, and did I mention it has free DLC? Yes, you read that right, for a game that only costs only $15, it has free DLC as well. Nintendo fans can rejoice because the absolutely amazing Metroidvania is coming to switch and we’ll be showing some off-screen gameplay here. Check out the details for the upcoming free DLC and Hollow Knight Switch Version here.
Hollow Knight: Gods & Glory
This is the third free content pack released by Team Cherry for Hollow Knight, check out the fantastic trailer below and details ahead
Free Content Pack 03 – Coming to Hollow Knight early 2018, for all players!
New Character and Quest – The Godseeker arrives (and your romance options expand). Track down this disturbing yet alluring being, break her chains and aid her in an ancient duty.
New Boss Fights – Hallownest’s greatest warriors raise their blades. Prepare yourself for giant new boss fights against the ultimate foes. Each new battle intertwines with the Godseeker’s quest. No specifics on how that’ll happen, but it may not be as you expect!
New Game Mode – Hollow Knight receives a third game mode. This one’s been long requested and is a classic for the genre. Complete the Gods & Glory story to unlock the new mode.
New Music – Christopher Larkin is going all out for Hollow Knight’s final free pack, with new soaring boss tracks and giant remixes of some beloved classics.
Glorify Charms – Prove yourself and uncover a whole new depth to your charm collection. Gods and Glory can be accessed at any point in your Hollow Knight journey. Prepare to ascend, Early 2018, free for all players!
Hollow Knight Switch Version
The highly requested Switch version of the game is in progress and you can check out the off-screen gameplay provided by Team Cherry here
As you can see the game is running beautifully and it’s making me want to get back to the game as soon as possible. For more details keep following The Nerd Mag
You can grab the Steam version here
Are you excited to play the Hollow Knight Switch Version? Will you be playing the free DLC? Let us know in the comments below | 4,108 |
A state of the art gigantic 21-acre park is being planned for the downtown area of Toronto.
A view of the downtown Toronto area rail corridor. CC BY 2.0 Image by Nick Harris
The Rail Deck Park plans are part of the TOCore initiative, a city project formed in response to rapid development of Toronto's downtown area that is placing pressure on physical and social infrastructure.
Mayor John Tory and Councillor Joe Cressy announced the City of Toronto’s intention to protect the land in the downtown core for the future development of an iconic city park in the current rail corridor that acts as a physical barrier between the King-Spadina neighbourhood, City Place and the Waterfront.
Proposed plans for the new Rail Deck Park in downtown Toronto. Image by Toronto.Ca
"Great cities have great parks. As Toronto grows, we need to take bold action to create public space and make sure we build a city that makes future generations proud,” said Mayor Tory. “This is our last chance to secure a piece of land that could transform the way we experience our city.”
With the population of Toronto expected to double by 2041, planners are anxious to create a dynamic space for those living in the downtown district of the city, an area that has the lowest levels of parkland in the city.
Before image of the park plans. Image by Toronto.Ca
Artist's rendition of after the plans are put in place. Image by Toronto.Ca
“More and more families are choosing to call downtown home, and they need somewhere to play with their kids, enjoy the outdoors and relax with friends," said Councillor Cressy. "Turning this underutilized part of our city into a beautiful and sustainable public space is truly a win-win, and will complement the transformative work being done with The Bentway and Fort York.”
A size comparison to other secured parks in the downtown area since 2005.
To protect the rail corridor, the city will have to secure the air rights and create an Official Plan Amendment to ensure it is developed for public use only. A long-term vision would see a park created from decking over the corridor, creating a marquee green space that will serve the high-density surrounding neighbourhoods and help connect the city to its waterfront.
The park would act as a gateway between neighbourhoods in the downtown area. Image by Toronto.Ca
The development would show Toronto following in the footsteps of other large cities that have transformed rail corridors into public spaces such as New York’s Hudson Yards and Chicago’s Millennium Park. | 4,109 |
The Russian military seizure of Ukrainian military assets in Crimea took an unusual turn this week with reports of Moscow’s takeover of a secret combat dolphins programme.
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The dolphins first hit the headlines on Wednesday, when the state-run Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported that the combat dolphin programme in the Crimean city of Sevastopol will be “preserved and redirected toward the interests of the Russian navy".
In other words, if the Russian news agency was to be believed, Sevastopol’s military dolphins had switched allegiance from Kiev to Moscow.
Not so, said a former Ukrainian defence minister. Ukraine’s dolphins could be seized, but they would not be traitorous.
"Dolphins get used to the people they work with," said Yevhen Marchuk, a former Ukrainian defence minister and army general, in an interview with the Washington Post. “It's not so easy for them to change allegiance."
Soviet-era programme runs out of funds in Ukraine
The military dolphin programme has been shrouded in secrecy since it was launched by Soviet authorities in the 1960s. Following the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine acquired the cetaceans and their handlers. That’s where they stayed until this month’s Russian takeover of the Crimean peninsula.
While the Ukrainian Defence Ministry confirmed to CNN that the country has an ocean dolphin facility, officials declined to provide details, saying they're classified.
Dolphins can detect sounds and objects in murky waters that human beings can't, making them uniquely effective at highlighting dangers on the sea floor. The Soviet-trained dolphins were apparently trained to kill frogmen with special harpoons fitted to their backs, or drag them to the surface to be captured, according to reports, which have never been officially confirmed.
The only other country known to train military dolphins is the US, which runs a marine mammal program in San Diego, California.
But Ukraine’s military dolphin unit had been suffering from a lack of funding and resources in recent years. In 2000, Boris Zhurid, a former submariner who ran the training program in Sevastopol, told the BBC the lack of tourists in winter meant there was no money for fish or nutritional supplements. Zhurid reportedly sold 27 marine animals including walruses, sea lions, and a Beluga whale to Iran, saying he had run out of food and medicine for them at the Sevastopol base.
It is unclear whether the animals were used or are still in the service of the Iranian military.
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning Subscribe | 4,110 |
Very close to Caen in the last days of the transfer window, Adrien Regattin will join FC Cincinnati in Major League Soccer
Adrien Regattin in the TFC jersey against Nice at the Toulouse Stadium, May 23, 2015. - F. Lancelot / Sipa
This Monday, Adrien Regattin and his family leave France for the United States. The 28-year-old attacking midfielder must commit to FC Cincinnati for one season, plus another as an option. Free since the termination of his contract with the Turkish club Akhisar Belediyespor, the former Toulousain will join defender Mathieu Deplagne, who arrived last year for the first season of the Ohio club in Major League Soccer (MLS).
“I spoke with Mathieu and Nicolas Benezet [Toronto then Colorado Rapids], whom I knew as young people in Montpellier, explains the Moroccan international. They told me a lot about the championship. I visited the facilities in October. I also wanted to have another experience, to discover another country, another language. "
Adrien Regattin leaves the TFC and leaves a moving farewell letter https://t.co/hAFgfQwF1C via @ 20minutes pic.twitter.com/FQDXhkP93U
- 20 Minutes Toulouse (@ 20minutestoul) May 16, 2016
Before crossing the Atlantic, the ex-TFC player (2009-2016) had a lot of touches this winter: in Turkey, in China, in Saudi Arabia, with the Greek club of Atromitos and also with Caen, trained by Pascal Dupraz, whom he knew among the Violets. "It went very well with the coach, sports director Yohan Eudeline and president Fabrice Clément, but there was a misunderstanding on the last day of the transfer window [Friday]", notes Regattin.
Debut in New York
The current 14th in L2 had to reduce his payroll before recruiting, and the attacking midfielder decided for the American offer, which will also allow him to discover a third championship, after Ligue 1 and the Turkish Süper Lig. FC Cincinnati will start the season on March 1 with the New York Red Bulls.
Sport
Mercato ASSE: All Sainté already regrets the departure of “the man from the derby” Robert Beric
Sport
VIDEO. "I am a Ferrari in the middle of Fiat"... The melon of Zlatan Ibrahimovic did not deflate in MLS | 4,111 |
By Louis Charbonneau and John Irish
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Dozens of nations signed on to a French proposal on Wednesday that the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council refrain from exercising their veto in cases of mass atrocities and genocide.
Some 75 countries in Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia backed the proposal, and French officials say they expect more nations to join. There are 193 U.N. member nations.
"We hope there will be more commitments to ensure that these situations, like in Syria, where there are mass atrocities and the U.N. Security Council is paralyzed by a veto, disappear," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told reporters.
He said France, one of the five permanent members with veto power, had already committed to not using its veto in case of mass atrocities and potential genocide, and hoped others would soon follow suit.
None of the other four veto powers - the United States, China, Britain and Russia - have formally signed up for the initiative, according to a map of countries that have joined the initiative provided by France.
"We... consider that the Security Council should not be prevented by the use of veto from taking action with the aim of preventing or bringing an end to situations involving the commission of mass atrocities," a French-drafted declaration on the veto limitation said.
"We underscore that the veto is not a privilege, but an international responsibility," it added.
In the case of Syria, Russia and China have used their veto four times to block Security Council action, three times to strike down threats of sanctions against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and another resolution that would have referred the Syria conflict to the International Criminal Court for possible crimes against humanity.
U.N. diplomats say that Britain supports the initiative, while the United States is considering it in a positive light. Both Russia and China, the diplomats say, have suggested they dislike the idea.
Story continues
Human rights groups have long called for limits on the use of the veto, saying it enables the five veto powers to shield governments guilty of grave crimes.
"The veto... should not be used to defend an ally, which is what we are seeing with the Assad regime today," said Kenneth Roth, head of Human Rights Watch, a New York-based advocacy group.
While Russia, with the backing of China, has used its veto power to shield the Syrian government from criticism, the United States has repeatedly blocked council action critical of Israel, Washington's chief ally in the Middle East.
(Reporting by Louis Charbonneau and John Irish; Editing by Jonathan Oatis) | 4,112 |
As the 2016 Republican National Convention rolls on, the US Secret Service has launched an investigation into comments made by a Donald Trump adviser calling for Hillary Clinton's execution during an interview on the Jeff Kuhner show.
New Hampshire state representative Al Baldasaro, who serves as an informal veterans affairs adviser to Trump, said in a radio interview on Wednesday (20 June) that Clinton "should be put in the firing line and shot for treason" over her handling of the Benghazi attack in which four Americans were killed.
"The US Secret Service is aware of this matter and will conduct the appropriate investigation," said spokesman Shawn Holtzclaw.
The Secret Service is charged with protecting US federal officials and candidates. Agents also investigate death threats. Despite the uproar his "kill Clinton" remarks triggered, Baldasaro - who is also a Trump delegate at the Republican National Convention - was happy to expound on them in more comments to the Daily Beast.
"Anyone that commits treason should be shot," he emphasised. "I believe Hillary Clinton committed treason. She put people in danger."
He claimed in his latest comments that Clinton was also guilty of treason for keeping classified emails on a private server. "When people take confidential material off a server, you're sharing information with the enemy. That's treason," he told the Daily Beast.
Earlier he had called Clinton a "piece of garbage" for the "lies that she told those mothers about their children that got killed over there in Benghazi."
You know what calling for the execution of your political rivals looks like? It looks like fascism.https://t.co/mfR0vYLOwr — Joker-Joker-Deuce (@CombatCavScout) July 20, 2016
In its final report, the House Select Committee on Benghazi criticised the State Department for the lack of adequate security at the consulate ahead of the 2012 attack, but did not find that Clinton was personally responsible for making security decisions.
Trump campaign spokesperson Hope Hicks told NH1 News concerning Baldasaro: "We're incredibly grateful for his support, but we don't agree with his comments." He "doesn't speak for the campaign," she added.
She would not say if Baldasaro will continue to travel with the Trump campaign or remain an adviser.
Trump supporter and Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, who spoke at the 2016 Republican National Convention, said on CNN that Baldasaro's "...rhetoric has no place in American politics."
He explained: "That's not keeping with the best traditions of American politics. We have opponents. We have adversaries. We don't have enemies in American politics." | 4,113 |
" myself!), I went to sit down at a table to eat. Beside me was a table of kitchen staff who were sitting on a break, from where a woman signalled to me that I wasn't to sit beside them but to go up to the back of the room. Confused, I decided to follow her instructions as I am new and she knows what she's talking about. As I began to walk up to the back it became clear what she was talking about as I saw that there was a false partition with a sign saying "MPs only beyond this point". The minute I clicked to the division I did a U-turn and walked straight back beside the table of caterers. As I sat down I said to the woman, "If they want us to be snobby you'd think they would go all out snobby and get a different room instead of a half effort partition?!" to which the whole table responded with rapturous laughter. As we began to speak more they told us of how many MPs take their position so seriously that they refuse to sit anywhere unless it is exclusively for MPs or Lords. I expressed how ridiculous I found such a position as it actually reminded me of an episode of Friends where Joey can't sit with Ross when he begins working as a tour guide in the museum because, "blue coats don't sit with white coats". After good banter the woman said to me, "You're quite down to earth aren't you?" to which I responded, "'Normal' is the word I like to use" to which she smiled, winked and wished me a good day.
Thursday:
Once I arrived back on Thursday morning, and despite the fact all I wanted was my bed, I had to get an early train into Glasgow to carry out my voluntary work as I knew they were due to be understaffed. The full day was quite embarrassing as all the service users I have been working with for months were all ripping in about me for wearing a suit, "I saw you on the telly! Since when do you wear smart shirts?!" Although they were joking, they too could only remind me of the huge task we have in front if us as MPs. They are the real, first hand examples of just how much austerity damages people's lives - and now that people have entrusted us to make their voices heard, we must do just that.
After I had finished my shift I made my way home as I had to begin filling up the mountain of paperwork required to declare any financial interests I have. Although considering my last job was in a chip shop, I think I should be fine.
Friday:
I did paperwork and studied! | 4,114 |
PHILADELPHIA — Danilo Gallinari was a jarring addition to the Nuggets’ injury report Friday. Left knee strain, it said. But he managed to play Saturday against the 76ers.
Still, he’s not out of the woods.
“My knee, it’s painful,” Gallinari said.
The veteran forward said “it’s a deep bone bruise” that he picked up during the Nuggets’ loss at Chicago on Wednesday night.
“I fell down bad,” Gallinari said. “It’s a deep bone bruise that I have on the femur, so the upper part of my knee. If I rest, it’s going to go away sooner. If I play, it’s going to stay there for a little bit.”
Gallinari, who scored 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 39 minutes of Saturday’s game, doesn’t plan to rest. He tested the knee before the game against the 76ers just to make sure he was good to go.
“I’m good with pain,” Gallinari said. “I’ve played with fractures and other stuff. Pain is not a problem.”
He understands the gasps that any knee injury associated with him can cause. He has had two ACL surgeries on his left knee.
“I was a little scared when I fell because it was a bad fall,” Gallinari said. “But doctors did a great surgery on my knee. My knee is very stable.
“I’m really not worried.”
Nelson gets nod. For the second consecutive game, Nuggets coach Michael Malone sat first-round draft pick Emmanuel Mudiay down the stretch of a tight game. The coach went with point guard Jameer Nelson, part of an all-veteran lineup to close out the victory over the 76ers.
“For me it’s always going to be a balancing act, Emmanuel or Jameer,” Malone said. “I just felt down the stretch once again, Jameer, Randy (Foye), Will (Barton), Gallo, Kenneth (Faried), those guys have a lot of experience and have played in big games. I trust Jameer with the ball in his hands.”
Mudiay finished with 10 points, six assists and seven turnovers in 31 minutes. Christopher Dempsey, The Denver Post | 4,115 |
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices ended slightly lower on Wednesday as record high U.S. crude supplies tempered expectations that the market will rebalance as evidence emerges that OPEC producers are complying with an agreement to cut production.
Chevron Corp's refinery is shown in Richmond, California August 7, 2012. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith/File Photo
Crude stockpiles in the United States, the world’s top oil consumer, rose 1.5 million barrels last week, less than forecast, but touching a record at 520.2 million barrels after eight straight weekly builds.[EIA/S]
The consecutive increases have fueled worries that demand growth may not be sufficient to soak up the global oil glut despite a deal by major oil producers to cut output during the first half of the year.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures for April delivery CLc1 settled at $53.83 a barrel, down 18 cents or 0.3 percent. May Brent crude futures LCOc1 dropped 15 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $56.36 a barrel.
“The EIA stats don’t offer much in the way of surprises this week,” said David Thompson, executive vice-president at Powerhouse, an energy-specialized commodities broker in Washington.
“Lack of weather-generated demand for heating oil will be offset in coming weeks by agricultural demand, but with refineries coming back into service, the market looks capable of meeting any increased demand.”
Despite the reaction to the data, oil remained locked within a tight trading range as some investors took heart from strict OPEC compliance with its pledge to cut output.
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries reduced its oil output for a second month in February, a Reuters survey found, showing the exporter group has boosted already strong compliance to around 94 percent.
Heftier cuts by Saudi Arabia and Angola helped offset weaker compliance by other members that agreed to limit their output.
However, oil production in Russia, which pledged to cut its output by 300,000 barrels per day under an agreement with OPEC, fell in February to around 11.1 million bpd from over 11.2 million bpd in October, two sources familiar with the data told Reuters, showing weak compliance with agreed supply curbs.
The market offered little reaction to news of a rise in North Sea crude supply next month. Loading programmes for the four crudes that underpin dated Brent showed a rise to 908,000 bpd from March’s 884,000 bpd. [O/LOAD] | 4,116 |
Florida, last week told residents that they "should" wear masks in stores, on public transit, and at construction sites and other public places. In Lake Worth, a city in Palm Beach County, Commissioner Omari Hardy tried pushed for a tougher ordinance that would have fined store owners who allowed unmasked patrons in to shop, but he was voted down.
Hardy's mother gave him a stack of masks weeks ago, along with a pile of bandannas, and he started using them.
"It was strange for me, without a doubt," he said. "But you have to get over it. This isn't a fashion show. You're wearing a mask to protect your family and your neighbors."
Palm Beach Town Manager Kirk Blouin said that even without a mandate, residents of the wealthy island have been calling police to report people who have not been donning masks.
"There are people who are very rules-based, and they are inundating law enforcement with phone calls, and even pictures, of people not wearing masks," Blouin said. "Some people drive around looking for violators. That isn't unique to us."
In Laredo, where masks are mandatory, those who defy the order face a visit from law enforcement. Police Chief Claudio Treviño said off-duty officers working security at grocery stores have handed out hundreds of warnings and about two dozen citations to unmasked customers. He said the reaction has not been divided by politics; the most conservative parts of town complied early and well.
Benavides, the mayor's spokesman, said he went out for breakfast tacos and "everyone had a mask on. Only one person was there without it, and the customers shooed him out. For the most part, people want to comply."
Back in Florida, Kim Rommel Enright, an attorney with the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, had trouble finding masks, so she is making her own. She is also artistic director of the local Maplewood Playhouse, where she helps make costumes. She has made about 200 masks, and she is giving them away, or asking those who want to pay to donate to her theater.
Enright sports a rainbow Pride mask when out in public.
"I hate it," she said. "I can't stand it. Nobody can see me smile."
But she wears it.
- - -
Rozsa reported from Palm Beach, Florida. The Washington Post's Annie Gowen in Lawrence, Kansas, and Arelis R. Hernández in San Antonio contributed to this report. | 4,117 |
The United States is set to deploy about 1,000 additional US troops to northern Syria, according to a Pentagon official, following reports that the Trump administration is planning to send thousands of soldiers to the Arab country.
The official told AFP on Wednesday that President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis are yet to approve the provisional plans drawn up by the Pentagon.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "That's one of the proposals that's on the table for discussion."
Washington has currently between 800 and 900 Special Operations troops in Syria, according to AFP. However, their activities have been limited to what the Pentagon describes as training and assisting Kurdish forces in their battle against Daesh and other terrorist groups.
General Joseph L. Votel, the top US commander for the Middle East, said last month that more American troops might be needed in Syria to step up the war against the Daesh terrorist group in the country.
According to reports, the Pentagon might persuade President Trump to authorize sending thousands of combat troops to Syria.
“It's possible that you may see conventional forces hit the ground in Syria for some period of time,” CNN reported last month, citing a US defense official.
The decision is ultimately up to Trump, who has ordered Mattis to put together a viable proposal to resolve the ongoing crisis in the Arab country, the official added.
Read More:
During the presidential campaign, Trump had openly supported deploying a large contingent of US troops to Syria.
“We really have no choice, we have to knock out ISIS (Daesh),” Trump had said. “I would listen to the generals, but I’m hearing numbers of 20,000-30,000.”
When authorizing the limited deployments, then-US President Barack Obama had stressed that ground troops were not an option.
'US troops in Syria are invaders'
Syrian President Bashar Assad (L) talking to a correspondent from Chinese TV station Phoenix.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has called the US troops in Syria invaders, because under international law foreign governments can’t deploy troops to sovereign countries.
Assad told Chinese TV station Phoenix last week that "any foreign troops coming to Syria without our invitation... are invaders.”
Since March 2011, the United States and its regional allies, in particular Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, have been conducting a proxy war against Syria. The years-long conflict has left more than 470,000 Syrians dead and half of the country’s population of about 23 million displaced within or beyond the Arab country’s borders. | 4,118 |
. He then published And the Band Played On, a controversial book that highlighted some of the major contributors to the spread of AIDS in America, including casual sex and the Reagan Administration. It spent five weeks on the New York Times Best-Seller list and was named one of the "Books that Changed America" by the Library of Congress. His final book, Conduct Unbecoming: Lesbians and Gays in the U.S. Military, Vietnam to the Persian Gulf was finished in his hospital bed. To explain why he kept his illness a secret, he said, "Every gay writer who tests positive ends up being an AIDS activist. I wanted to keep on being a reporter." - Randy Shilts.
Tennessee Williams
Photo of Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams was best known for his critically acclaimed plays that were quickly adapted into films in the 1950s and '60s. A Streetcar Named Desire, which "thrilled and shocked audiences," won a Pulitzer Prize and a Drama Critic Circle Award before being turned into a film with Marlon Brando. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof won a Pulitzer Prize and a Dramatic Critic Circle Award before being adapted into a movie with Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman. His other two Dramatic Critic Circle Award winners, The Glass Menagerie and The Night of the Iguana, were also released as movies. Tennessee Williams wrote scripts for MGM, memoirs, poems, short stories, and two novels. Most notably, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Carter.
Truman Capote
Photo of Truman Capote
The final member of our list of most influential LGBTQ authors is the winner of three O. Henry Awards, two Edgar Awards, and the nominee for one Emmy. Truman Capote truly was a literary star. His southern roots and preference for high society led him to friendships with influential figures like Harper Lee, Jackie Kennedy, and Andy Warhol. His articles were published in Mademoiselle, Harper's Bazaar, The New Yorker,Esquire, and more. His classic novella, Breakfast at Tiffany's, was swiftly adapted into a movie with Audrey Hepburn (instead of Capote's requested Marilyn Monroe). The Innocents, his adaptation of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw, is often recognized as his best screenplay. After years of fiction writing, he took on his biggest project. Capote spent six years researching In Cold Blood, a "nonfiction novel" that detailed the gruesome facts of a murder in Kansas in the style of a fictional story. It was an international success and is "considered one of the greatest true-crime books ever written." | 4,119 |
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi set for a second term as Prime Minister, it appears that the BJP’s gamble of holding simultaneous by-polls in four Assembly constituencies in Gujarat with the Lok Sabha elections has paid off.
The decision to hold simultaneous polls was taken after a number of sitting Congress MLAs defected to the ruling BJP ahead of the general elections. Congress MLAs Jawahar Chavda (Manavadar), Parshottam Sabariya (Dhrangdhra), Vallabh Dharaviya (Jamnagar Rural) and Ashaben Patel (Unjha) had switched to the BJP.
The Narendra Modi “tsunami” enabled the BJP to win all 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat, with the party set to also win four Assembly seats in the bypolls as well.
Trends suggest that the four BJP candidates fielded from Assembly constituencies were leading with a considerable margin against their rival Congress candidates.
Interestingly, a few of these candidates had faced protests from within the BJP after they defected from the Congress. But the Modi juggernaut helped these four candidates comfortably win the Assembly bypolls.
The BJP fielded Chavda from Manavadar, Asha Patel from Unjha, Sabariya from Dhrangdhra and Raghavji Patel from Jamnagar Rural Assembly constituency in the bypolls.
Chavda, an Ahir leader, had been inducted into the Vijay Rupani government hours after joining the BJP. The leader has been a four-time MLA from Manavadar constituency.
Early in February, Congress MLA from Unjha in Mehsana district Asha Patel had resigned and joined the BJP. PM Modi’s native Vadnagar also falls in the Unjha Assembly Constituency. In the 2017 Assembly polls, Asha Patel had won this seat on a Congress ticket.
The police had arrested Sabariya in October 2018 for allegedly demanding Rs 40 lakh in exchange for not exposing a purported scam in repairing check-dams and minor irrigation schemes in the district. He is currently out on bail.
In Jamnagar Rural assembly seat, Congress MLA Vallabh Dharviya had switched to the BJP last month, but the party has not fielded him in bypolls as he was assured that he will be made chairman in one of the boards in the state government. The BJP instead fielded Raghavji Patel who had left the Congress ahead of 2017 Assembly polls to join the BJP. He had contested on BJP ticket against Dharviya, but lost. | 4,120 |
I wrote about Free Electrons several times in the past due to their work on porting Arm SoCs to mainline Linux. Free Electrons is no more. But don’t be sad, as it’s not because they closed shop, but instead they changed their name to Bootlin due to trademark trolls.
Free Electrons Bootlin intensively worked on Allwinner processors, for example working with Next Things Co. to add CHIP board to mainline Linux, or more recently adding support for OpenGL ES in mainline Linux, albeit with closed-source user space binary blobs. The company normally work with partners for their work, but for their latest initiative aiming to bring Allwinner VPU (Video Processing Unit) to the official Linux kernel there’s asking funding from the community through a Kickstarter campaign.
For those who do not know, the VPU is the IP block within the SoC used for hardware video decoding of codecs such as MPEG2, MPEG4 or H264.Bootlin already showcased a demo with Cedrus open source VPU driver on C.H.I.P board in 2016, which supported and still only supports MPEG2 codec. Now as stated in their blog, they want to bring more complete support by working on the following if they can reach 17,600 Euros in funding:
Finish MPEG4 decoding support
Implementing H264 decoding
Optimize the rendering of video frames in cooperation with the display driver, and upstreaming the driver
Make sure the above works on Allwinner A10, A13, A20 and A33 SoC
They also have stretch goals:
22,000 Euros – Support for newer SoCs such as such as the H3, H5 and A64
30,800 Euros – H.265 video decoding support
44,000 Euros – H.264 video encoding support
That’s the first time the company tries to fund upstream Linux kernel development through a crowdfunding campaign, so it’s unclear whether there will be interest. I’d assume it might be difficult to get it funded by individuals only, but if some companies are not satisfied with the closed-source Allwinner VPU driver that’s a good way to get open source software developed since costs are shared. Pledges start at 4 Euros, and go up to 1,024 Euros. The campaign will last for 45 days, and estimated delivery is scheduled for June 2018 for the main goals, and if all stretched goals are reached full development should be complete around December 2018. If the campaign is successful, a weekly progress report would be provided on the company website. | 4,121 |
. Brad eventually nodded off in the seat next to me. I stared blankly out the window, the beginnings of a headache coming on courtesy of the endless loop of news reports piping out from WJR. Newsradio to a grade-schooler is the equivalent of heavy metal to an octogenarian.
But that night, we fought through the fatigue. It was a time to rejoice, to celebrate, to revel in our Lions finally coming through when it counted. We crammed into a booth at Mr. B’s in West Bloomfield and recounted all of the afternoon’s highlights. For us Lions fans, this seemed like the first day of the rest of our lives.
The NFC title game was in a week. Barry Sanders, the game’s elite ball-carrier, was a spritely 23, another decade of brilliance just waiting to break free into the open field. Erik Kramer, who at one time was a replacement player for the Falcons during the 1987 strike, had finally found his foothold in the league. Ray Crockett, George Jamison, and the rest of the Lions defense was was just hitting its stride.
Now that the first domino had fallen, the sky was the limit. More playoff triumphs were sure to follow, and with a break or two, maybe even a parade down Woodward.
That was the plan, anyway.
It’s been 25 years since that glorious day at the Silverdome. The second postseason win is still just a dream.
That can all change on Saturday night in Seattle, but by no means will the game be easy. In fact, the Seahawks are a terrifying 9 and 0 in their last nine home playoff games. A Lions win would land on the Upset Scale somewhere between USA-USSR in Lake Placid and the time Rick Moranis coached a couple dozen misfits to victory over a borderline NFL team in "Little Giants."
Let’s leave the last word to Coach Danny O’Shea (Moranis) from that oft-forgotten, but wildly underrated 1994 sports comedy classic.
“Wait a second, guys. Who ever said you had to be good to play football? You play football ‘cuz you want to. You play football ‘cuz it’s fun. You play football so you can go out there and pretend that you’re Joe Montana throwing a touchdown pass or Emmitt Smith going for a long run. And even if those Cowboys are better than you guys, even if they beat you 99 times out of 100, that still leaves...”
One time. | 4,122 |
A former Justice Department attorney said Monday that he left the agency over President Trump Donald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE’s policies and rhetoric toward immigration judges.
In an opinion piece for the Los Angeles Times, Gianfranco De Girolamo described several policies and incidents that he characterized as a “mean-spirited and unscrupulous campaign” against immigration judges by Trump.
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After less than two years on the job, De Girolamo resigned in July after the implementation of policies such as the Justice Department’s decision to impose individual quotas of 700 cases per year on judges who handle immigration cases.
De Girolamo listed the quotas as one action among “a series of demoralizing attacks on immigration judges this year” from the Trump administration.
He also cited limits placed on immigration judges’ abilities to delay deportation orders and the removal of a judge in Philadelphia from an immigration case.
De Girolamo wrote that the actions, supplemented by “a barrage of disparaging comments” by Trump about immigration judges, sunk morale among judges to “an all-time low.”
“I’ve long admired the independence and legitimacy that the judiciary enjoys in the United States, so I found the attacks on judges deeply disturbing and troubling,” De Girolamo wrote.
Unlike federal district and circuit courts that are part of the federal judiciary branch, immigration courts fall under the control of the Justice Department. Immigration judges are Justice Department employees and do not serve lifetime appointments like federal district and circuit court judges.
De Girolamo, who is from southern Italy and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2015, compared Trump to former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, someone who “spent most of his tenure as Italy’s prime minister fighting off lawsuits by delegitimizing and attacking the judiciary,” according to De Girolamo.
The former attorney said he had “hoped to serve this country for the long haul.”
“I couldn’t stand by, or be complicit in, a mean-spirited and unscrupulous campaign to undermine the everyday work of the Justice Department and the judges who serve in our immigration courts — a campaign that hurts many of my fellow immigrants in the process,” he wrote. | 4,123 |
highlighted in K. Shankari’s blog post, which prompted the AP report in the first place, and which picks up on issues with Android that users have actually been noticing for years: Google Play Services will still gather up some location data for Google and related services (like Maps and the Google Assistant), as long as location access is switched on at the phone level.
Screenshot : Gizmodo
Google can even do this on iOS, with the help of the Google app—you’ll notice it requests to log location information at all times, even when it’s in the background. At least on iOS you can block the Google app without disabling phone location services completely, whereas on Android it’s kind of all or nothing as far as location goes.
This is all laid out in Google’s Privacy Policy, which covers all of its products and services, including Google Maps and Android. “The types of location data that we collect depend in part on your device and account settings,” says Google—which is a lot of settings to stay across, and even then you’re only controlling location tracking “in part”.
Screenshot : Gizmodo
You can read Apple’s Privacy Policy too, which makes it clear that data from Location Services on iOS can be used to learn about places you visit a lot, serve up location-based ads in Apple News and the App Store, and make location-based suggestions (like the Siri prompts to visit your local coffee shop in iOS 12).
This information is shared across other devices connected to the same iCloud account, as Google shares account information across multiple devices, though Apple makes it clear that it’s not interested in storing this data for itself—it stays locked on your device rather than beamed back to Apple. Any data Apple sees is anonymized and grouped with data from other users.
Screenshot : Gizmodo
Like using Facebook, or connecting to public wifi, it ultimately comes down to how much trust you’re putting in the companies providing these services. Are you happy for Google or your iPhone to know where you are in return for step-by-step directions home, or local weather reports, or recommendations about a new restaurant in town?
So, if you want to block a specific app from knowing where your phone is, you can switch the permission off at the app level. If you want to stop Google and Apple from gathering any location information from your mobile device at all, then you need to disable the device’s location feature completely. Or maybe just go back to a dumb phone. | 4,124 |
This year's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will bring back killstreaks, publisher Activision has revealed.
The rebooted boots-on-the-ground shooter is the first in a while to include the feature. Other recent games have used a simpler "scorestreak" system which tracks other actions as well as kills.
In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2019, you'll be able to unlock the hulking Juggernaut armour and drive a tank. But perhaps most eye-openingly, you'll also be able to call in a burning white phosphorus smokescreen.
White phosphorus is an extremely horrible material I encourage you not to Google, and which you may remember from a harrowing scene in Spec Ops: The Line. The chemical is banned for use against civilians (but not soldiers), and its recent deployment in Syria prompted Amnesty International to suggest its use against the country's general population there constituted a war crime.
"Cover the battlefield with white smoke flare canisters that will disorientate the enemy," Activision's killstreak description reads, "and burn any that wander too close."
Own the opposition - reap the rewards.
Killstreaks make a return in #ModernWarfare. Tune-in August 1st for the full Multiplayer Premiere. pic.twitter.com/dUy6ZrkNzJ — Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) July 29, 2019
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The chemical is most frequently used as a smokescreen, as is described here, but it can also be an incendiary weapon which does enormous damage to human skin. It's this latter application which was memorably featured in Spec Ops: The Line - a game Eurogamer reporter Emma Kent has written about previously - and where its usage is questioned. (Avoid the following paragraph if you care about spoilers.)
"In Spec Ops: The Line, the player is faced with an impossible situation where they must use white phosphorus in order to progress: but the player must also face the consequences of their actions," Emma told me this morning, "and is forced to walk through a gory scene showing the civilians they killed with horrific chemical burns. As the decision to continue playing rather than walk away is the player's choice, Spec Ops asks whether the player is truly the hero, and questions the uncritical use of warfare as a subject for light entertainment."
Call of Duty: Modern Warefare is, of course, no stranger to controversy. Expect more from the game's full multiplayer reveal later this week. | 4,125 |
raised salmon that are released into California rivers and the ocean every year survive.
Salmon survival is a huge issue for the state and federal governments, which are obligated to make sure the pink delicacy still exists in the future. The hatcheries were created in an attempt to help the salmon after dam construction, irrigation and pollution contributed to an enormous decline in the fish’s population over the past century.
Tony Lombardi, left, Omar Jimenez and Joe Amoroso, with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, move fish from the raceway into a fish truck at the Feather River Hatchery Thermalito Annex in Oroville, Calif. on Monday, March 20, 2017. less Tony Lombardi, left, Omar Jimenez and Joe Amoroso, with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, move fish from the raceway into a fish truck at the Feather River Hatchery Thermalito Annex in Oroville, Calif. on... more Photo: Chris Kaufman, Special To The Chronicle Photo: Chris Kaufman, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Measures save young salmon after failure of Oroville Dam spillway 1 / 8 Back to Gallery
Even with the hatcheries, the Sacramento River population hit rock bottom in 2008 and 2009, when so few salmon came back to spawn that commercial fishing was banned off the coasts of California and Oregon.
The state has been experimenting with different ways to release salmon — in the rivers, delta or ocean — in an attempt to optimize survival rates. But the work hasn’t helped salmon populations this year, according to Amanda Cranford, a natural resources specialist for the National Marine Fisheries Service.
The lack of chinook in the ocean now is likely to result in severe restrictions on salmon fishing along the California coast this year.
“It’s been a pretty dismal year so far, likely because of the drought,” Cranford said, citing estimates by the Pacific Fishery Management Council. “We have to give these fish an opportunity to rebound.”
A group of third- and fourth-graders from Yuba Environmental Science Charter Academy who were watching the release Monday were clearly rooting for the salmon’s recovery.
“They are hopping like little frogs,” shouted a gleeful Marly Terry, 8, whose class was there to release 25 fish of their own. “It’s so cool. Now they are out in the river to make homes and babies.”
Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @pfimrite | 4,126 |
Bitcoin Cash, the controversial Bitcoin fork that took place in August of 2017, has seen its first halving event today. The halving sees the reward for mining a new Bitcoin Cash block reduced from 12.5 BCH to 6.25 BCH, a reduction of 50 percent. This halving event is vital to Bitcoin, as well as its associated forks, as it adds to scarcity, but it also makes mining far less profitable.
For the original Bitcoin chain, the halving is seen as an event that can cause a renewed price action as the scarcity of the coin could lead to a spike in demand from the reduced supply and thus boost its price. However, for Bitcoin Cash, famously not seen as a commodity, this halving may have adverse consequences.
For the incentives of miners, there is now 50 percent less money to be made mining Bitcoin Cash, and with mining profits such a fine margin already, many miners of the BCH blockchain would have seen their profits stripped to zero and less.
In fact, a closer look at the block explorer for Bitcoin Cash shows a bit of a slowdown straight after the halving as no blocks were mined for over an hour and a half an hour after the block halving took place.
Dropping interest
In the run up to the Bitcoin Cash halving, there were a number of issues that were worth considering that showed less interest from the miners. First of it, it was seen that even with the mining halving for the original Bitcoin being months away, it was still more profitable to mine Bitcoin.
Additionally, the Bitcoin mining difficulty has been in a steady decline in the run up to this halving, dropping from around five exahashes per second (EH/s) in mid-February to 3.3 EH/s recently. This is against what would be expected as Bitcoin’s mining difficulty has been steadily increasing barring the fall from the market conditions.
Based on data from F2Pool, at BCH’s current price and the network’s latest hash rate, a wide range of the mining equipment that was launched in 2018 and early 2019 are now generating negative daily profits, if assuming an average electricity cost of $0.05 per kilowatt-hour (kWh).
Dynamic adjustment
However, it is not all doom and gloom for the BCH mining ecosystem as even with the now unprofitable miners unplugging due to reduced margins, the mining difficulty will drop significantly which will dynamically increase the mining revenue for those who can afford to stick to the game.
When the difficulty drops enough, it could reattract some of those miners back | 4,127 |
Male prisoners have been able to access the women's compound at Canberra's jail, one of the few prisons in the country that still houses men and women together, according to newly released government documents.
Key points: A male inmate jumped a fence to the women's compound to have sex with another prisoner
A male inmate jumped a fence to the women's compound to have sex with another prisoner Corrections officers are unsure how many times male and female prisoners have been able to meet up
Corrections officers are unsure how many times male and female prisoners have been able to meet up Several fences have since been raised to prevent a repeat incident
An internal investigation found in April a man jumped the fence of the women's cottage at the Alexander Maconochie Centre to meet three women in a restricted area, where he then attempted to have sex with a female inmate.
Documents released under freedom of information laws detailed the pair were able to find a CCTV black spot where they were out of sight for 14 minutes.
But an investigation into the incident determined the 14-minute "tryst" was ultimately unsuccessful, as the male prisoner said "all the cottage boys were calling out from the landing window", and the woman was "shit scared" of getting caught.
Corrections unsure whether prisoners have been meeting for affairs
In response to the incident, jail director Jon Peach immediately suspended access to the respective yards where the pair met.
But it revealed to prison officers that men had been able to get into the Special Care Centre, which has housed women since 2017.
"It is now known that male detainees can breach the Remand Cottage fence and enter the female compound. It is unknown if this has occurred before," read one security report.
Corrections officers only became aware of the April rendezvous a week afterwards, when another inmate told them about the incident.
At the time officials were also unable to figure out how the prisoners had been able to arrange the meeting.
CCTV footage (with redacted information) suggested it was highly likely inmates were able to disappear unnoticed to have sex. ( Photo: ACT Government )
The male prisoner ultimately confessed that the pair had laid on the ground and held hands through a gap beneath the fence, where they arranged to meet later in the day.
Documents also indicated one of the pair had handwritten a letter to the other — which is permitted in the jail.
Corrections Minister Shane Rattenbury said fencing at the remand centre and the women's compound had since been raised.
Mr Rattenbury said recent adjustments have also been made to remove line of sight for men into the women's compound. | 4,128 |
The CDC released a new report today, "Sexual Behavior, Sexual Attraction and Sexual Identity in the U.S.," which looks at sexual activity in young Americans -- some 13,500 of them, age 15 to 44. Among the big highlights? Abstinence is up among teens and 20-somethings, which could have implications for the state of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the U.S.
The new study (which also looks at sexual attraction "trends" among 18 to 44-year-olds) comes on the heels of the biggest-ever sex health study, published last year in the Journal of Sexual Medicine (and sponsored by the makers of Trojan condoms), which revealed facts like the number of sexually active teenage males dramatically increases between the ages of 14 and 17.
So why should we care about the sexual behavior trends of this particular age group?
According to the CDC, the new data, compiled between 2006 and 2008, should prove particularly useful to public health researchers who want to better understand and target populations that are at high risk for contracting sexually transmitted infections -- i.e., teens. The center estimates there are some 19 million new cases of STIs in the U.S. every year -- over half of which occur among people age 15 to 24.
Which is why it's notable that abstinence seems to be on the rise among Americans within that age range. Bill Albert, chief program officer for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, told U.S. News and World Report that he is encouraged by the news that more teenagers and 20-somethings are abstaining. He says that the general view among adults has been that teenagers are having more and more sex, but the new data appears to contradict that.
Anjani Chandra, a health scientist with the National Center for Health Statistics, which helped compile today's report, told CNN that she has a slightly different take on the new information. By abstaining from vaginal intercourse, many teens think they're being safer and they certainly eliminate the risk of an unplanned pregnancy. But, Chandra says, if they engage in oral sex -- which the findings show many of them do -- they're still at risk for STIs.
One such STI that can spread through oral sex is HPV, the virus that can lead to genital warts and cancer in both men and women. Recent research suggests that HPV has infected 50 percent of men in the U.S. Scientists are currently working on tests that can help detect the virus in its early stages.
PHOTO GALLERY Sexual Behavior and Identity In Young Americans: By The Numbers | 4,129 |
. Some Bitcoin observers with a reasonable economics background may have begun from this general image and then assumed that since intervention is something only a government can do, the block size limit could not be considered such because it emerges from the non-compulsory sector.
Nevertheless, in a market with multiple sources of supply and demand and with prices and quantities supplied, a production ceiling still stands between service suppliers and their customers and still prevents new entrants from joining to break the ceiling. The economic analysis of that policy on this market (the on-chain Bitcoin transaction inclusion market) should be the same as if a government agency had imposed it, even though the “normative” (actually, legal theory) status of the two cases differs.
The two cases are clearly separate under legal theory, but not nearly so much under economic analysis. Government action to impose an output ceiling can only succeed through the threat or actual implementation of officially sanctioned violence against any would-be innocent resisters. In contrast, Bitcoin participation remains wholly voluntary regardless of this or that setting within the code. At the economic analysis level, however, the results of a production ceiling are the same regardless of its source and implementation method.
This case also fails to fit the (mythical) model of a stable free market cartel. Such theoretical arrangements are naturally unstable. Absent legal enforcement, any participant can gain by dropping out and exceeding the ceiling. Any new entrant can start producing without ever joining the cartel. In the current case, however, no particular renegade or newcomer alone can make a hard fork happen so as to break the output ceiling.
So the situation, although certainly novel, remains economically closest to a legally enforced industrywide output ceiling. One implication of this, while fascinating, is not especially encouraging: Not only has Bitcoin demonstrated that some good things that many had considered impossible without government are indeed possible—namely the production of money—it is also threatening to show that some bad things some had considered impossible without government could indeed be possible—namely, successful imposition of a cartel-style industrywide output ceiling.
This begins to make Bitcoin that much more a “mixed-economy coin” in this non-normative, but economic sense, and that much less a free-market coin. The advantages of allowing market coordination and innovation processes to function at their best are partially denied. If Bitcoin’s protocol is analogous to “the law” of this new land, then we are witnessing a particular slow-motion conversion from enabling natural market evolution, to implementing a mixed-economy style environment around the transaction-inclusion market.
Continued on the next page. | 4,130 |
Julianne Moore to Play Chloe Moretz's Mother in Remake of 'Carrie'
One hell of a young actress has already been lined up for the remake of Carrie with Kick-Ass and Let Me In star Chloe Moretz taking the titular role of the high school student pushed to the edge in the adaptation of Stephen King's best-selling novel. Now the cast is beginning to fill out around her with the integral role of Carrie's overbearing, abusive mother next in line. Bloody Disgusting has exclusively learned that Julianne Moore, fresh off her fantastic turn as Sarah Palin in the HBO film Game Change, is in talks to take the role. This would be the second high profile horror remake Moore's taken on after playing Lila Crane in Psycho.
The role of Carrie's mother is an important one as she's just as important in pushing Carrie to the iconic final moments of the film as the students who bully her around school. Piper Laurie played the character Margaret White in the film and came through with flying colors. This time around it will be interesting to see how the character is handled, not only by Moore as an actress, but by Robert Aguirre-Sacasa, who is scripting a version that is more faithful to the book. The writer is also a producer on "Glee" and is no stranger to plots dealing with bullying, a hot topic that should make this remake all the more relevant today. The film is slated to hit theaters on March 13th, 2013, a month that has become a prime release time.
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January 28, 2019
By admin
In Fiber Optic Cabling 659
Why is Fiber Optic Cabling Ideal for Effective Cloud Computing?
3 Ways Fiber Optic Cables Installations in Dubai can benefit cloud computing
Cloud computing has become the way to handle business requirements spanning services, storage, servers, software, etc. Without much management effort, cloud computing enables you to share the resources over the internet. It is when the fiber optic cables are installed instead of the traditional copper wires for the internet connection, the true scope of cloud computing can be realized. Find out the three reasons why fiber optic cables are the most efficient means to utilize cloud computing. At Techno Edge Systems, we offer Fiber optic cable installation in Dubai for effective Cloud computing apart from the structured cabling services for small businesses to enterprises.
3 Reasons why Fiber optic cables installation is a superior choice to access cloud
As of today, there is no technology existing which can better deal with cloud computing than the fiber optic cabling for the internet services as it is the only one with the bandwidth to carry trillions of bits of data per second.
• Fiber Optic Cables give you quicker access to the cloud: As it is understood that to access the cloud, one needs a reliable and fast internet service. The lightning speed internet connectivity can produce quicker results in fetching the information from the cloud. And the fiber optic cables are synonymous for quickest transfer of data. With the highest bandwidth, low interference, and high-speed data transfer properties make the fiber optic cables the ideal choice for accessing the cloud.
• Fiber optic cables are resistant to natural disasters like hurricanes: Made with the plastic and glass fibers for data transfer, the fiber optic cables are less susceptible to disaster situations, unlike the copper cables, which are more vulnerable in similar situations.
• Fiber optics offer better data security: Copper cables can be prone to data leakage, hence, it leaves scope for eavesdropping while transferring the data from the cloud. In contrast, there is minimal to no data leakage with the fiber optic cables making it almost impossible for the hackers to steal the data during the data transfer from the cloud.
Also, it has been found that even during the category 4 hurricanes like Irma in Florida, the companies that switched to fiber optic cables were reportedly least affected. If you are considering migrating to the cloud, the first step should be to check if your infrastructure supports it, else it is highly recommended to opt for fiber optic cabling for best results.
Contact us at +971-50-8740112 or visit our website www.structurecabling.ae for more information. | 4,132 |
Sports
Bret Bielema pushing for Michigan State job after joining Giants staff
Late last week, Joe Judge put the finishing touches on his 20-man coaching staff. The rookie head coach may have to make an alteration, as one of his defensive assistants could be headed back to college.
Bret Bielema, hired by Judge as the Giants outside linebackers coach and senior defensive assistant, has a long history of playing and coaching in the Big Ten and that might be a draw for him to return to that prestigious conference, as there is a head-coaching opening at Michigan State.
Bielema, 50, has “definite interest,” according to the Detroit Free Press. The Michigan State job opened up last Tuesday when Mark Dantonio retired after 13 seasons as head coach of the Spartans.
A search for a replacement began with Luke Fickell, but he is staying at Cincinnati.
Bielema played at Iowa and went 68-24 in seven seasons at Wisconsin, leading the Badgers to three straight Big Ten titles. He was less successful (29-34) in his five years at Arkansas.
“I think Bret brings a great personality to the group, brings a great perspective on how he sees the game,” Judge said. “He’s coached the front for some time, he’s coordinated defenses at a high level. Players respond to Bret in a positive way. He has a great way of teaching, he has a great way of getting the guys motivated, and he gets the most out of his players. He brings experience from the NFL, as well as college, so not only does he understand what’s going on in the league now, he understands what the players coming from college are used to and how to better translate the trends they’re going to see.”
Judge replaced Pat Shurmur, who was fired two years into his five-year deal. Shurmur, hired as the offensive coordinator for the Broncos, played at Michigan State and is also considered a candidate for the Spartans’ opening.
If Bielema does leave, an interesting and familiar option just hit the open market. Pepper Johnson was abruptly fired Monday by the Los Angeles Wildcats one game into their XFL season — a 37-17 loss to the Houston Roughnecks. Johnson is a former Giants linebacker and he worked with Judge for two years with the Patriots. Johnson, 55, coached inside linebackers, the defensive line and the entire linebacker position on Bill Belichick’s staff in New England.
Share this: | 4,133 |
and there were already attacks on the nominee by some on the left. Some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have already taken to the Senate floor to attack and mischaracterize Gorsuch’s record.
Though we expected it, these scurrilous attacks are untoward and misplaced.
After all, those on the left trot out the same tired arguments against every Republican nominee.
They attacked Justice John Paul Stevens because he “revealed an extraordinary lack of sensitivity to the problems women face.” They called Justice Anthony Kennedy a “sexist” who “would be a disaster for women.” And they said there was “ample reason to fear” Justice David Souter.
This morning, The Washington Post editorial board noted that while we argued last year that the president shouldn’t fill a Supreme Court vacancy that occurs during a presidential election year, Senate Republicans “refrained from tarring Mr. [Merrick] Garland personally.”
In contrast, they noted that “trashing Mr. Gorsuch as an outlandish radical, despite his impeccable credentials, the wide respect he commands in his field, his long service as an appeals court judge and the unanimous voice vote he received the last time the Senate considered him for the federal bench, is at the very least premature.” Our friends on the other side of the aisle would do well to take note of this observation.
If the process we’ve witnessed for Trump’s Cabinet nominees is any guide, I’m quite confident we’ll hear all manner of reasons and arguments about why we should delay a hearing for Gorsuch.
But, as my friend and former chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Patrick Leahy, often notes: Supreme Court nominees don’t have the opportunity to respond to personal attacks outside of their confirmation hearing.
I’m going to consult with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., ranking member on the Judiciary Committee, about the timing for Gorsuch’s hearing. But I can tell you what we aren’t going to do. We’re not going to delay this hearing, especially in the face of all of these attacks on his record and character.
I met with Gorsuch yesterday. He’s as impressive in person as he is on paper.
I expect that as my friends on the other side of the aisle meet Gorsuch and actually review his record, they’ll find him to be an eminently qualified and universally respected judge whose decisions faithfully applying the text of the law place him well within the judicial mainstream. | 4,134 |
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If you're making the world's largest walking robot, obviously you go all out and make it spectacular. Something that can shoot flames. Otherwise, what's the point?
After more than a decade of planning and work, the "Tradinno" project received the recognition it deserved. Listed in the newly released "Guinness World Records 2014," the 11-ton mechanical dragon, 51 feet long with a 40-foot wingspan, is the "world's largest walking robot."
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The remote-controlled megatronic behemoth is the reptilian child of Germany's Zollner Elektronik AG. Built for show business, Tradinno — its name a mashup of "tradition" and "innovation" — won't be seen on "Game of Thrones" or challenging Harry Potter as part of the the Triwizard Tournament. Instead, this four-legged, wing flapping robot will replace the aging star of Germany's oldest folk play, "Drachenstich," performed each August in the Bavarian town of Furth im Wald.
"Paging Daenerys Targaryen... Daenerys Stormborn Targaryen... " Guinness World Records
The previous dragon is a mechanical model made from a design that hasn't changed much in 35 years. It requires four inside operators, which negate any robotic status.
"Realizing a radio remote-controlled, outdoor-capable four-legged robot walking robot in unheard-of dimensions, was what really motivated the developers and designers at Zollner Elektronik AG," the company writes.
The dragon is "driven by a 2.0-liter turbo diesel engine... a robot outshining all human actors," the website boasts.
Mechanics aside, Tradinno is, above all, a showbot. With polyurethane and glass reinforced plastics skin, veins that bleed 21 gallons of stage blood on cue, and liquid gas for fire-breathing pyrotechnics, the only thing Tradinno can't do — despite the wings — is fly. But then, would we really want 11 tons of flaming cyberdraconian rage swooping and diving overhead?
via Cnet
Helen A.S. Popkin goes blah blah blah abut the Internet. Tell her to get a real job on Twitter and/or Facebook. | 4,135 |
CHILDREN are being lumbered with hours of homework every week - but the extra slog doesn't do them any good.
Research reveals primary school homework offers no real benefit - and only limited results in junior high school.
Only senior students in Years 11 and 12 benefit from after-school work, associate professor Richard Walker said.
"What the research shows is that, in countries where they spend more time on homework, the achievement results are lower," Dr Walker, from Sydney University's Education Faculty, said.
"The amount of homework is a really critical issue for kids. If they are overloaded they are not going to be happy and not going to enjoy it. There are other things kids want to do that are very valuable things for them to be doing.
"I don't think anyone except senior high school students should be doing a couple of hours of homework.
"At the moment homework (is often) an add-on because parents want it."
NSW public schools each set their own homework policy after consultation with teachers and parents.
Teachers are advised to keep homework levels low in primary school but are permitted to increase the study load by Year 7. Data from the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) found 95 per cent of 10 and 11-year-old students are given homework.
Dr Ben Edwards, manager of the AIFS's study of 10,000 children, said a small portion of children did more than seven hours homework a week but that could be attributed to extracurricular studies such as music classes.
While the majority of 10 and 11-year-olds - 59 per cent - do less than two hours of homework per week, 22 per cent do three or four hours a week. Five per cent do seven or more hours a week.
It's not only kids who get tied down with homework - parents are also heavily involved. Dr Edwards said almost half of mums and dads - 41 per cent - helped out three or four days a week, with 15 per cent also chipping in on five or more days.
"A little bit of homework is probably OK at all ages, if part of the reason is to help kids become self-directed learners," Dr Walker said.
"But what the research shows is that only happens when upper primary and middle school students are given some assistance.
"If we (ask) if homework benefits outcomes, then it is pretty clear it does not at primary school and has pretty limited benefits in junior high school and some benefits in high school from Years 11-12."
Originally published as The real truth on homework | 4,136 |
KomodoKMD secures the anon tech of zcash with Bitcoin's hashrate, and it's fairly distributed with the block rewards going to the people.
Two weeks left!You will have to make the investment risk analysis yourself, but I can tell you the situation.From the komodoplatform.com website you can see how many BTC we have raised, then you can scroll down and download our ICO calculator. Then you can insert the numbers from the post above and try to speculate what we could raise during the last two weeks.With the calculator you can calculate how big our market cap would be. With the amount we have raised today it would be ~ 8,000,000 USDThen you got to understand our vision, who's in our team, and keep track about how our development is going. We try to our best to communicate that, but the project is large in scale. I recommend you visit our website and then the OP of this thread & the very first comment below it. From there you can find everything we have published during this ICO.First and foremost I recommend two links:1) A Guide to Better Understand Komodo 2) /cnpupr]Our latest newsletter I hope you found this helpful!Best regards
Ethereum - 1319k BTCMonero - 100k BTCDash - 93k BTCWaves - 51k BTCEven if 15k BTC were raised here, KMD would have plenty of room to more than double. More BTC raised would equal more profit because more developers could be hired.More BTC could also be used to provide liquidity for KMD/BTC trading pair on Easydex. Then people could easily transfer in and out of KMD in place of a Bitcoin mixer, without having to deal with KYC exchange and withdrawal limits.
If 15K BTC is raised (let alone 30K BTC), I would stay away from KMD ICO. There will be no reward for investors if that much is raised. Don't forget 6K BTC is already raised from the BTCD swap.The sweet spot is anywhere between 3K BTC and 5K BTC.
Agreed.Supernet has been on a hot streak of picking winning projects lately.Iota, Waves, Stratis, Heat - All profitable winners that SuperNET invested in recentlySuperNET is getting ready to make its biggest investment yet of 322 BTC worth of BitcoinDark going into Komodo.Even if maximum cap of 30k BTC were hit, I think we would still see a nice profit with KomodoKMD secures the anon tech of zcash with Bitcoin's hashrate, and it's fairly distributed with the block rewards going to the people. | 4,137 |
Microsoft has flicked the switch on an enhanced version of its Azure Site Recovery (ASR) for VMware customers.
ASR is pretty simple in concept: the service allows you to replicate virtual machines into Azure, update them and then run the VMs in Azure as a disaster recovery option. You pay US$54 a month per instance stored in Azure, but don't pay any compute or storage costs until you run the VM.
VMware offers a similar disaster recovery service in its own vCloud Air cloud. But VMware can't match Microsoft for cloudy scale or reach: ASR is offered in 18 locations compared to the nine (plus two government-only sites VMware operates.
VMware does have a network of partners who operate clouds running its wares. That network, according to analyst firm Gartner's late 2015 Vendor rating for VMware, is a strength, because the likes of CSC and CenturyLink “have a broader range of capabilities and also offer additional services that are important to midmarket and enterprise buyers, such as security services and managed services.”
Gartner's rating ranks vCloud Air as “underperforming” and urges “caution” for the company's hybrid cloud portfolio.
“The turmoil surrounding the Dell-EMC merger, the announcement of the Virtustream joint venture and the subsequent dissolution of the joint venture's formation will require VMware to consider anew its cloud strategy,” the firm writes.
But back to Microsoft's new toy, which no longer requires a virtual appliance to run in Azure to deliver the disaster recovery service, saving a few shekels along the way. There's also the ability to test disaster recovery rigs non-disruptively, support for vCenter 6.0 and VMs running RHEL 6.7.
Microsoft may not have been able to dislodge VMware from its niche in server virtualisation and if news of Hyper-V 2016's new features is any guide, Redmond isn't about to open a new front in the on-premises data centre.
Microsoft does, however, look to be outflanking VMware in the (hybrid) cloud.
Virtzilla remains steadfast in its belief that an all-VMware hybrid cloud makes life marvellously pleasant for vAdmins, because if the cloud and on-premises kit behave a like then that's got to be simpler? Right? Microsoft clearly cares little for such arguments: it's just given VMware users a broad, simple DR service that not only hurts Virtzilla but must also have storage vendors and DR software software vendors wondering where their next quid is coming from. ® | 4,138 |
TWT #217 –
On August 5th, 1981, US President Ronald Reagan personally fired 11,345 air traffic controllers in one fell swoop.
Honestly, I don’t even want to give any context or story behind this one. Let’s all just imagine that Reagan woke up one day and said “These 11K people… get rid of em!”
And that concludes today’s article for Today Was Terrible.*
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*Okay, okay fine, I’ll give you more of a story.
The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization, or PATCO, was a union with approximately 13,000 air traffic controller members.
In early 1981, PATCO began contract negotiations with the FAA. PATCO was asking for a reduced work week (to 32 hours), pay bumps of $10k/year for every member, and better retirement plans.
The FAA essentially said “nah” and agreed to some pay increases over a three year period. PATCO in turn also said “nah” and rejected the offer.
Thus, on August 3rd, PATCO’s 13,000 members officially went on strike.
Unluckily for them, it’s pretty clear that federal government employees legally cannot strike. So Reagan issued a statement giving the strikers 48 hours to get back to work, or face the music.
About 1,300 PATCO members went back their jobs… the other 11,000 did not.
Reagan making his speech telling PATCO employees to get back to work…
And so, exactly 38 years ago on August 5th, 1981, Ronald Reagan fired the remaining 11,345 air traffic controllers in one fell swoop.
Oof.
He also banned all 11K from ever serving in the federal government again.
Ouch!
Not to mention the PATCO union was disbanded later that year.
Now we could get into the fact that it took over 10 years to fully replace all of these lost air traffic controllers, and that eventually Bill Clinton lifted that lifetime ban. But that sounds boring and I’d rather leave you with the simple image of one man firing 11 THOUSAND people in an instant.
Sheesh.
(but really, sign up for the newsletter for exclusive Terrible History!)
Email address: Leave this field empty if you’re human: | 4,139 |
tech2 News Staff
Chinese smartphone maker and electronics giant Xiaomi is likely to launch a new smartphone in the Indian market on 14th March.
This news comes days after the company launched two variants of Xiaomi Mi TV 4A, the 32-inch version and 43-inch version for Rs 13,999 and Rs 22,999.
Global VP for Xiaomi and the Managing Director for Xiaomi India, Manu Kumar Jain took to his Twitter handle to tease the launch well in advance. He added in the tweet that the device will be ‘Slim, sleek and compact!’ while managing to be a ‘true super power house!’. The image accompanying the tweet shows an outline of a device with a tall display with compact bezels. Judging by Xiaomi's other launches this year, the phone likely has an 18:9 display.
#CompactPowerhouse is launching on 14th March! Slim, sleek and compact! Yet a true super power house! Guess what this is? RT if you are excited pic.twitter.com/kusimWUC2B — Manu Kumar Jain (@manukumarjain) March 8, 2018
It is likely that the company is launching the Xiaomi Redmi 5 but we would only be speculating at this point in time. Xiaomi India has not announced any details about the upcoming device at the time of writing.
The Xiaomi Redmi 5, launched in China, packs in a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 SoC with a CPU clocked at up to 1.8 GHz along with an Adreno 506 graphics chip. The Redmi 5 comes with a 5.7-inch screen HD+ resolution (1440 x 720), 282 PPI, 450 nits brightness and an 18:9 screen ratio. Given that the company launched two variants of the device in China, we can expect the same in India. The variants include a 2 GB / 16 GB option and a 3 GB / 32 GB option.
The device is powered by a 3,300 mAh battery while sporting a 12 MP f/2.2 camera unit with phase detection autofocus(PDAF) on the back of the device and an LED flash unit. On the connectivity front, the device will come with Dual Nano-SIMs, a microSD card, GPS and Bluetooth v4.2. The smartphone will also come with a fingerprint scanner on the back of the device.
This comes weeks after the company launched its budget and mid-range devices, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro. The company already launched the Redmi 5A back in November last year. | 4,140 |
About This Content
PLANNED FEATURES
On-going bug fixes and improvements via the 3.x game kernel
Over 70 scenarios exported from previous Universal Combat games
The Lyrius Conflict, a 16 mission campaign scenario based on the conflict that led to the events in the Line Of Defense game
Updated graphics engine (SM 3.0 graphics card required)
Updated planetary terrain engine, including new texture and mesh assets
Updated character animation engine
Updated shader and special FX assets based on the improved graphics engines
Improvements to the AI engine
Improvements to the audio engine
Improvements to the UI and first person interface
Improvements to planetary terrain mission zones and bases
Improved art assets for all NPC crew and key characters (officers, pilots, crew etc)
Improved model assets for all game objects. This includes characters, weapons & inventory items, vehicles, space/air craft, stations, starbases, all terrain objects etc
New craft UI interface, including 3D rendered cockpits and bridge for capital ships (x28), fighters (x29), shuttles (x3), gunships (x5) player assets. Ground vehicles and naval assets don't need these since they use the first person UI
Full version of the Game Builder System (GBS) for user created mission script content
Being the only game of its kind, the all encompassing Universal Combat CE v2.0 game is in need of a makeover, and the sales of this DLC will hopefully make that happen.Due to the massive scope of the game, we decided to improve on the game via DLC releases. This means more frequent updates in the months to come. For example, this first DLC, contains no new gameplay features. It focuses purely on bug fixes, tweaks, as well as UI, engine, art and visual improvements.As these games are developed using a suite of custom game engines, they cannot be ported easily to third-party game engines (e.g. UE4, Unity, Lumberyard etc) without a LOT of work. So for this first 3.0 iteration, we’re going to be porting it to use the more improved space and planetary terrain engine and art/model assets used in the All Aspects games.If successful, we plan future DLC which may include multiplayer (like the original 2004 game), new features, content etc. More info on the game's official web page In addition to on-going tweaks and revisions to the base game, this DLC also has lots of additional content. | 4,141 |
Cruel and Unusual: Prison Console for Inmates Only Has Mad Catz Controller
ALLENTOWN, Penn. — Alleghany County Jail admitted today, in a shocking revelation, that the XBOX it allows prisoners to spend their “positivity” token to play only has Mad Catz controllers for use.
“I mean, is there really a big difference? Before I donated this old thing to the prison, my grandkids would play it for hours and seem to have a good time,” said warden Kyle Woodson who is set to appear before court for video game related prison torture by 2018. “Isn’t it neat how they are see-through?”
Once word got out to the inmates about the new bittersweet reward on offer, tensions rose.
“This is just another example of the inhumane treatment inmates face on a daily basis,” said prisoner Carl Moss who is serving a ten year sentence for identify theft. “I understand I need to pay a debt to a society but not even murderers should have to use these garbage controllers.”
Read More From Hard Drive, The Only Ethical Gaming Journalism Site on The Internet:
Tensions almost spilled over when convicted arsonist James Fisher attempted to shank the Mad Catz controller after he was playing Halo: Combat Evolved and his A button got stuck resulting in him being unable to jump at all.
“The only thing I regret about my crimes is that, instead of burning down that GameStop after they gave me only $12.38 for my childhood memories, I wish I had found out who created these impostor controllers and set their house on fire instead,” said Fisher.
The horrible conditions were brought to light due to an exposé on the horrors of prison torture by the New York Times in August.
“I have been to prisons all across the country where inmates were forced to starve in solitary confinement in total darkness for months… but no torture compares to watching someone being unable to move sideways in an intense game of TimeSplitters 2 as a result of a Mad Catz analog stick that appeared to be somehow chewed off,” said New York Times reporter Clare Aeuyong.
At press time, the New York Times writer set off to the Middle East to write an even more eye opening piece about how ISIS is torturing journalists by forcing them to play Overwatch online with blind teammates.
Article by Mike Amory @TheMikeAmory
Hard Drive is the most ethical gaming journalism on the internet. Follow us on Facebook to keep up. | 4,142 |
The American government has revealed they have “credible information” Islamic State and al-Qaeda are planning to attack Christmas celebrations in Europe this year.
The warning comes days after French counterterrorist police seized a haul of weapons and arrested seven people, taking orders from Syria, thought to have been plotting to hit Christmas events.
With a “focus on the upcoming holiday season and associated events”, the State Department in Washington D.C. said organised attacks, such as those in Paris last November and in Brussels in March, as well as lone-wolf attacks, were possible.
“U.S. citizens should also be alert to the possibility that extremist sympathizers or self-radicalized extremists may conduct attacks during this period with little or no warning,” they said.
#Europe Travel Alert – heightened risk of terrorist attacks throughout Europe, particularly during holiday season. https://t.co/f3t3LtaTC3 — Travel – State Dept (@TravelGov) November 22, 2016
The jihadists could use “non-conventional weapons and target both official and private interests”, they claim, continuing: “U.S. citizens should exercise vigilance when attending large holiday events, visiting tourist sites, using public transportation, and frequenting places of worship, restaurants, hotels, etc.
“Be aware of immediate surroundings and avoid large crowds, when possible.”
The terror suspects apprehended in France were of French, Moroccan, and Afghan origins and are thought to have been planning their attacks in Strasbourg and Marseille, whilst taking orders from Syria, Le Parisien reports.
Four men were apprehended in Strasbourg over the weekend, and police recovered four handguns and a submachine gun during house searches. Several mobile phones, SIM cards, encrypted messaging software, and jihadist propaganda were also found.
One of the men, named as B. Yassin, 37, a civil servant in a local primary school, is believed to have travelled to Syria via Cyprus in 2015.
In Marseille, three men were detained, who had already been reported to the authorities as “radicalised”.
Following Monday’s arrests, Patrick Calvar, the director general of France’s internal security operations, warned of a “dark period” during which “our enemies will stop at nothing to try to terrorise us”.
He added: “The level of the threat is such that we cannot rest on our laurels… There is no need to hide it: the challenge is immense, and we still have to redouble vigilance.” | 4,143 |
Abstract
Background Low-carbohydrate diets have recently grown in popularity among endurance athletes, yet little is known about the long-term (> 4 wk) performance implications of consuming a low-carbohydrate high fat ketogenic diet (LCKD) in well-trained athletes.
Methods Twenty male endurance-trained athletes (age 33 ± 11 y, body mass 80 ± 11 kg; BMI 24.7 ± 3.1 kg/m2) who habitually consumed a carbohydrate-based diet, self-selected into a high-carbohydrate (HC) group (n = 11, %carbohydrate:protein:fat = 65:14:20), or a LCKD group (n = 9, 6:17:77). Both groups performed the same training intervention (endurance, strength and high intensity interval training (HIIT)). Prior to and following successful completion of 12-weeks of diet and training, participants had their body composition assessed, and completed a 100 km time trial (TT), six second (SS) sprint, and a critical power test (CPT). During post-intervention testing the HC group consumed 30–60 g/h carbohydrate, whereas the LCKD group consumed water, and electrolytes.
Results The LCKD group experienced a significantly greater decrease in body mass (HC − 0.8 kg, LCKD − 5.9 kg; P = 0.006, effect size (ES): 0.338) and percentage body fat percentage (HC − 0.7%, LCKD − 5.2%; P = 0.008, ES: 0.346). Fasting serum beta-hydroxybutyrate (βHB) significantly increased from 0.1 at baseline to 0.5 mmol/L in the LCKD group (P = 0.011, ES: 0.403) in week 12. There was no significant change in performance of the 100 km TT between groups (HC − 1.13 min·s, LCKD − 4.07 min·s, P = 0.057, ES: 0.196). SS sprint peak power increased by 0.8 watts per kilogram bodyweight (w/kg) in the LCKD group, versus a − 0.1 w/kg reduction in the HC group (P = 0.025, ES: 0.263). CPT peak power decreased by − 0.7 w/kg in the HC group, and increased by 1.4 w/kg in the LCKD group (P = 0.047, ES: 0.212). Fat oxidation in the LCKD group was significantly greater throughout the 100 km TT. | 4,144 |
Egypt detected 260 new novel coronavirus cases on Tuesday, the highest infections toll reported since the outbreak, surpassing the 5,000 mark to report a total of 5042 cases nationwide, a statement by the health ministry said on Tuesday.
The ministry also reported 22 new deaths, the highest single day reported deaths, bringing the total deaths from the virus to 359.
The statement said 68 cases have been discharged, bringing the total number of recoveries to 1304 cases to date.
The ministry said 17 of reported death cases on Monday and Tuesday have passed away before arriving at hospitals.
30 percent of total deaths due to the pandemic have passed away before admission at hospitals, while 20 percent have passed away after 48 hours of admission due to a deterioration in their medical states, according to the statement.
Egypt first hit its 1,000 benchmark on 4 April, with infections tally continuing to rise despite imposed restrictions since March to stem the spread of the pandemic in the populous country.
Several healthcare facilities in Egypt have detected cases among their doctors and nurses in the past few days, triggering fears that the outbreak would hit the country’s overwhelmed healthcare sector.
Last week, Egypt shortened the nighttime curfew by one hour for Ramadan, amending curfew hours to begin at 9 pm instead of the previous 8 pm.
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly had warned last week that the number of infections is expected to rise, yet assured the public that the government is still able to contain the virus.
If the rate of infections surges significantly and gets “out of control,” however, the government will take immediate measures that will be stricter than those currently in place, he said.
Egypt is seeing an unprecedented Ramadan this year as restrictions to contain the pandemic are expected to take a toll on the cherished rituals of Islam’s holiest month.
Egypt has banned all public religious gatherings during Ramadan including public iftars – fast-breaking meals – and the communal Taraweeh prayers. The ban will also include the itikaf ritual in which believers seclude themselves in mosques for an extended period.
However, Egypt has indicated that it will take slow steps to return to normal life after the Eid Al-Fitr religious holiday, which marks the end of the holy month.
Financial losses in some of Egypt’s main vital sectors, including tourism, have pushed the country to resort to the International Monitory Fund (IMF) for a new one-year financial assistance deal along with technical support as a proactive step to counter the negative economic repercussions of the coronavirus outbreak.
Short link:
| 4,145 |
On November 8, 2013 by Jason Rechtman
Nintendo has put itself out there in some very elaborate ways over the past year. The company set up Wii U mall kiosks shaped like the system’s logo, stuffed living rooms inside giant cubes, and attended countless conventions all in the name of hands-on time with the Wii U and 3DS. The latest in this series of events was a new mall tour that just wrapped up in sunny Southern California. Sharing the same name as June’s E3 events at Best Buy, the Nintendo Experience tour brought Wii U and 3DS demos to twelve different malls across the country, but without the glitz and glamor of the other events. We recently took a trip to the final stop in Torrance, CA to see what Nintendo had on hand and to bring you photos of the event.
By far the smallest of Nintendo’s recent event onslaught, the Nintendo Experience tour was confined to a simple rectangular booth with four Wii U kiosks and six 3DS demo units. Since the tour only lasted from September through this past week, Nintendo chose to use it as an opportunity to highlight its Fall releases instead of upcoming holiday titles. This meant that while there were no Super Mario 3D World or The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between World sightings, there were plenty of just-released games on hand. Specifically, Nintendo used its four Wii U kiosks to show off The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD, Pikmin 3, and The Wonderful 101 (the latter of which had the privilege of being playable on two kiosks). On its six 3DS units, Nintendo only demoed Pokemon X & Y and Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. Of note, however, was the inclusion of two 2DS units. The new 3DS family member received by far the most attention at the booth, as it provided the first opportunity for many people (ourselves included) to go hands-on with the slate-like device. Some stops of the tour also included a special Animal Crossing: New Leaf lounge, but the one we attended unfortunately did not.
Even with its limited size and selection, the booth still accomplished what Nintendo wanted: it got people playing Wii U and 3DS. Nintendo knows that it takes events of any sort, be it flashy or not, to help grow mindshare of the Wii U and to end any lingering misunderstandings about it being a new console. This is likely why we have seen the number of events greatly increase throughout year. We expect Nintendo to continue into the holiday season with even more events, which we will cover as well. Until then, get a taste of the Nintendo Experience tour via our photo gallery. | 4,146 |
of four raiders, perhaps those I exchanged fire with. The turrets, my neighbors, and even the normally dormant Codsworth pitch in to defeat them. I spend the rest of the day dragging bodies, and parts of bodies, into vacant houses. Just feels weird leaving them lying in the street. My settlers keep saying things to me like "You should have seen us fight off those raiders!" I did see it, I was right here. Do I need to cut some new eyeholes in your sack-mask, you idiot? Now get back to melon farming.
More days pass. I've scrapped just about everything there is, and my sixth new neighbor has arrived. I feel like this is a decent little town now, really, but I still haven't had a single merchant come by, and I'm worried the game might not actually spawn them until you meet one somewhere out in the world, the world I have no plans to ever visit. I have a last ditch plan: raise my level to 14, enough to unlock the second rank of the Local Leader perk, which lets me build a store (it's not a real store, it just generates income). Maybe if I have a fake store, and staff it with a settler, the game will spawn a traveling merchant for me? I'm not particularly hopeful, but it's all I can think of to do. Only thing is, stores need 300 caps to even be built and I've only got about 60. And I can't get more without selling stuff to a merchant. It's a Catch 22 of my own making.
I spend my time in Fallout 4 building and recycling stacks of floors. That is what I do.
I start level-grinding in earnest, building stacks of wooden floors and metal signs, scrapping them, then building them again. It's slow and about as dull as it sounds, but I do kick over a few levels. Scrapping only returns a portion of the materials, however, so it's not long before I've completely run out of metal and wood. I craft the few things I can, I cook and perform acts of chemistry, and I cover most of the town with crops. I'm midway through level 12, impressive considering I haven't left Sanctuary, but it's still not enough to build the fake store that probably won't attract the merchant I need to afford to build the fake store.
This stinks. I think I'm screwed. I've simply run out of things to do, and there's still no traveling merchant in sight. That's where I'm at, right now. Waiting in Sanctuary. Waiting for someone who will probably never arrive. | 4,147 |
A man protects his ears as he sits in front of loud speakers during an opposition rally in central Yerevan May 13, 2007.
A man protects his ears as he sits in front of loud speakers during an opposition rally in central Yerevan May 13, 2007. Reuters/David Mdzinarishvili
A clinical trial on human subjects to reverse hearing loss would soon be conducted by Audion Therapeutics, a Dutch company, after a successful trial on mice. The 2013 study regrew hair cells in the rodent’s cochlea.
The reversal is dependent on a notch inhibitor found in some animals such as birds and fish which allows the regrowth of inactive sensory hair cells after loss of hearing, reports Music Feeds. Unfortunately, humans and mammals do not have the notch inhibitor which is why hearing loss becomes permanent.
In humans, sound vibrations cause the small field of swaying cilia deep in the skull to bend which opens pores that activate electrical signals sent to the brain. Although humans are born with 15,000 hair cells in each ear, these cells do not turn over or replenish themselves. When these hair cells are lost over time, the result is age-related hearing loss which affects about 33 percent of people aged 65 to 74 and almost half of people over 75, according to Audion Therapeutics.
In 2013, when an Audion team of researchers, led by Dr Albert Edge grew and regenerated hair cells in mice’s cochlea, the rodent increased its ability to detect different kinds of sounds. The breakthrough was a result of the team’s observation that side effects of dementia treatment and treating deafness led them to testing the mice’s response which were successful.
For the human trial, Audion would use compounds developed by pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and with Frequency Therapeutics which would develop the treatment – using a tube or piece of foam in the middle ear to stimulate regrowth of hair cells damaged by sound.
To fund the human trial, Audion raised €2.5 million (A$3.69 million) Series B investment from INKEF Capital, a venture capital firm based in The Netherlands. Audion was also awarded another €5.8 million (A$8.5 million) grant through the Horizon 2020 program.
The combined funds would allow Audion to lead the clinical Proof of Concept of a treatment which targets sensorineural hearing loss. Reversal of hearing loss would benefit not only the elderly but the 900 million people expected to suffer from age-related hearing loss by 2050.
VIDEO: Hearing Loss is Way More Common than You Think | 4,148 |
A Few Notes On Maclin
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A few notes to pass along regarding Jeremy Maclin as the free agency period approaches:
— When Maclin addressed the media a day after the Eagles’ loss to the Saints he informed us that he had started running, and that the next step in the process was to begin working on lateral movement. He has since reached that stage, we’re told. He is rehabbing multiple times a day. Per team policy he can only be at the facility during certain hours. When he is finished there he’ll head home to do more work. The knee is said to be responding well.
— Maclin’s agent and Howie Roseman have had some preliminary talks. It has been made clear that the receiver’s first choice is to stay in Philadelphia. That doesn’t mean it’s a lock that he is back. Maclin will probably have several suitors, some of whom might be willing to offer more years and money than the Eagles are. What happens if he receives a multi-year deal from Team X and only a one-year deal from the Eagles? Depends on which team we’re talking about and how much money is on the table. Maclin’s camp will evaluate each scenario from a variety of angles before making a decision.
This doesn’t feel like a “highest dollar” situation. Fit is important. The 25-year-old is open to playing on a one-year deal if need be.
— Maclin tore his right ACL back in 2006 as well while playing for Missouri. Roseman was asked how much that factors into the thinking when deciding whether to commit to Maclin moving forward.
“We rely on our doctors and our trainers. When they tell us the guy is healthy and has a good prognosis going forward, we trust that,” he said.
The procedure for a second ACL tear can sometimes be more complicated. Frequently, a doctor will use the patella from the injured knee to repair the tear. If it was used in the first operation they’ll often take a graft from healthy knee, so you are essentially recovering from two knee surgeries. Such was the case for Robert Griffin III, apparently.
For Maclin, they used a ligament from a cadaver the first time around, therefor the right patella was available to the surgeon for his most recent procedure.
The wideout anticipates that will be able to fully participant in OTAs this spring. | 4,149 |
What to look for in today’s release of the 2018 ELMS full season entry list, expect first details just after 4pm UK time, 5pm Paris.
LMP2
How many cars?
Widely predicted to be a bumper crop in 2018. How many of the aspirant entries have pulled together a programme in time, 15 or more look likely.
New Teams in the Class
There are likely to be a number, some returning, others coming from some differing parts of the sport.
Doubling Up
We already know that United Autosports are set to double up from a single car to a pair – and IDEC Sport look set to do so too. There’s at least one more to be announced!
LMP3
How many cars?
With an increase in LMP2s almost certain how will the ELMS look upon their junior prototype class. Numbers could/ should be around the same as in 2017.
Variety
Last year saw the number of Norma M30s increase through the season but with DUqueine Engineering taking a step away as the new organisation marketing the M30 are there any new customers, and if so are they new team, or converting from the Ligier JS P3.
Promotion/ Relegation
Unlikely to be referred to but it will be interesting to see how many teams step up from Michelin LM Cup (there will be at least one or two!).
GTE
Clues to the FIA WEC entry tomorrow?
How many, if any, of the cars that we know have applied for the 2018/19 FIA WEC ‘Super Season’ will emerge on the ELMS list instead?
JMW Doubling Up?
With a pair of Auto entries for Le Mans will Jim McWhirter and co double up for the season to ensure they can take both up (a team taking an auto entry MUST enter a full season car per entry in a sanctioned Championship to take up the LM24 invitations). Early signs are that we will see a pair of 488 GTEs from the reigning ELMS and Le Mans GTE AM Champs.
Aston Martin
With Beechdean AMR seemingly taking a sabbatical will TF Sport enter a car in the ELMS in order to take up their second Auto entry? If not will Aston Martin feature at all?
New Porsches
Proton Competition intended late last season to enter a pair of new 911 RSR in the ELMS. Will they, and will anyone else? | 4,150 |
While he’s currently appearing in Humans as policeman Pete Drummond, Neil Maskell is best known for his role in sci-fi drama Utopia.
The actor played wheezing hitman-turned-hero Arby in the cult Channel 4 series – and Drummond has some ideas about why it came to an abrupt halt after two series, ending on a cliffhanger.
“I’m very proud of Utopia and think it was a great thing to be involved in, but people didn’t watch it and past two series you can’t keep asking for the money,” Maskell told RadioTimes.com while on the set of Humans.
“I think maybe it was London-centric or something. It’s like that series Nathan Barley by Charlie Brooker and Chris Morris; someone said to me no one watched that because it was so ‘in’. You got it if you were in our industry and you had contact with advertising people.
“But if you worked in a factory everyday and you lived just outside Wigan you wouldn’t know who these people were and why they were funny. Maybe Utopia had elements of that. The media set made it feel like it was a much more popular programme than it was.”
Written by playwright Dennis Kelly, the series was about a group of young people attempting to bring down a deadly conspiracy, with cast including Alexandra Roach, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Rose Leslie and Adeel Akhtar (who was nominated for a Bafta for his performance in series two).
The series was popular with critics, but dwindling ratings led Channel 4 to pull the plug and leave some of the story unresolved, despite Kelly’s efforts to finish Utopia with a one-off finale.
“I know that Dennis was keen to do an hour and a half or two hour special to wrap it up and I do think – perhaps this is too strong a term to use – it was a betrayal of those people that gave you 12 hours of their lives in watching it,” Maskell went on.
“To say that we’re moving on and we’re doing something else now, that seems callous to me. So that’s slightly annoying. But I do also understand that you can’t keep banging out six-part series for millions of quid when it’s only watched by nine people who love it, so that’s what you get.”
Humans is on Channel 4 on Sundays at 9.00pm | 4,151 |
Simon Dawson | Bloomberg | Getty Images. Economic confidence in a post-Brexit U.K. fell sharply in the second quarter of 2016, the latest YPO Global Pulse survey found.
U.S. stock index futures indicated a higher start to Wall Street trade on Tuesday as markets in Europe rebounded after the two-day sharp selloff.
The pan-European STOXX 600 (^STOXX) index traded 2.4 percent higher on Tuesday, with the U.K.'s benchmark, internationally focused FTSE 100 (FTSE International:.FTSE) up 2.5 percent.
Dow futures held about 200 points higher, while S&P and Nasdaq futures gained 22 points and 48 points, respectively.
Gains on Tuesday would come after a record 2-day global market cap loss of $3.0 trillion, according to Howard Silverblatt of S&P Dow Jones Indices.
"Markets are bouncing, and can bounce further but the clouds on the horizon are dark, and they're real," Kit Juckes, strategist at Societe Generale, said in a note on Tuesday.
"There's a pattern for Monday mornings to extend moves of the previous week before Tuesday sees everyone take stock," he added.
The dollar index (Intercontinental Exchange US:.DXY), which tracks the greenback against a basket of major currencies, declined early on Tuesday, after four days of gains. Similarly, U.S. Treasury bond (U.S.:US10Y) yields rose and gold traded lower, as the surge in "safe-haven" trades that followed the U.K.'s "Brexit" vote waned.
In economic news, the final revision on first-quarter U.S. GDP came in at 1.1 percent versus the prior read of 0.8 percent.
The S&P/Case-Shiller 20-City Composite Index rose 5.4 percent year-over-year in April.
Other data due for release include consumer confidence.
Carnival (CCL) will report earnings early in the day and Nike (NKE) will report after the markets close.
Despite the rebound in markets, the fallout from the U.K.'s surprise vote to leave the European Union (EU) last week continues. On Monday, the U.K. lost its final triple-A ratings, with Standard & Poor's and Fitch Ratings both announcing downgrades. A two-day EU summit will kick off on Tuesday.
Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook.
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that must exist but is not understandable will need clarity. Make sure you create documentation that clearly explains its purpose.
Stage 3: Revising Taxonomies After Implementation
Please note that the most difficult time to get buy-in for research is going to be after the content is live. This is for good reason. There will be a daunting amount of work, picking through all your content. And then creating new terms. Keep this in mind as you redesign or design a taxonomy. Do everything in your power to refine and test a taxonomy while the system is being designed.
But, if you think your live taxonomy isn’t up to snuff, here are things you can do:
Review terms and categories
If you find changes in the taxonomy or additions made over time, you might want to consider some revision. Establish the problem space. Then you will be able to relabel taxonomy terms and categories. Always test any changes you make to ensure that you are moving in the direction of improvement.
Define, develop, and deploy staff training
You don’t have many options for taxonomic revisions? The problems occurring are severe? Consider assessing how the current system could be best employed. Introduce a new training guide. This will put the bulk of the burden on the content managers. Provide them with as much support and documentation as you can.
Burn the website and start over from scratch.
Alright, so this is a little dramatic. But, it’s worth pointing out that this is a viable option. Particularly if the site relies on a system that isn’t working.
How to Test Taxonomy at Any Point in the Process
Building a taxonomy is a great exercise in team communication. It’s also an excellent place for researchers to assist in discovering user understanding. Your taxonomy may take a day to build and work fine for a simple website. Its development could also take months for a more complex project. Above all, there are three principles to follow in your journey.
Regularly gather feedback. Communicate with your design and development teams. Test with internal and end users Be flexible in revisions. The taxonomy will need to support the content needs of the website, so don’t get attached to a single idea. It may not work out in practice. Research other systems and guidelines related to your framework. Both WordPress and Drupal have excellent resources available. They can help with using and building taxonomies within their frameworks. If you aren’t the developer, you will want to review these.
Thanks for reading and happy categorizing! | 4,153 |
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) condemned her colleague Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) after a woman alleged that the Minnesota senator groped and kissed her without her permission.
“The behavior reported today is unacceptable and deeply disappointing,” Warren said in a statement, quickly joining her other Senate colleagues in denouncing Franken’s alleged conduct.
Warren’s Republican challenger for U.S. Senate, Geoff Diehl, called for Warren to denounce Franken’s alleged conduct after Franken admitted to sexually harassing the woman.
After the Massachusetts senator released her statement condemning Franken, Diehl suggested that Warren has not gone far enough in denouncing the Minnesota senator because she has not removed videos of herself with Franken from her Facebook page.
“Warren has made numerous videos with Senator Franken on a variety of issues. She knows him well. I am asking her to address the issue,” said Diehl, who also serves as a Massachusetts state senator, in a statement. “Will she continue to make videos with him? More importantly, does she believe Franken should be able to serve in the Senate or not? Should he resign?”
Warren’s remarks come after Los Angeles-based journalist Leeann Tweeden accused Franken of fondling her breasts while she was sleeping and aggressively shoving his tongue down her throat. The two had apparently been on a USO tour overseas in 2006 when the alleged incident took place.
The December 2006 photo showing Franken grabbing the woman’s breasts surfaced, fueling the allegations against him.
Franken verified that the photo was accurate after it surfaced and apologized for taking the picture with her. In an updated statement, he apologized to Tweeden and everyone he has ever worked with or represented.
“The first thing I want to do is apologize: to Leeann, to everyone else who was part of that tour, to everyone who has worked for me, to everyone I represent, and to everyone who counts on me to be an ally and supporter and champion of women,” Franken said.
Tweeden responded by accepting Franken’s apology.
Franken took things a step further and called for a Senate ethics investigation into his behavior after several senators asked for an investigation into Franken’s conduct.
Warren acknowledged Franken’s apology and used her statement as an opportunity to praise the “brave” women who speak up about sexual harassment.
“I am glad Senator Franken has acknowledged as much and has agreed to cooperate with an ethics investigation. Women who come forward are brave and deserve to be respected,” Warren said. | 4,154 |
by and shape the subjects that use them. Destroying the apparatus would entail destroying in some ways the subjects that create and are in turn created by it.
A mass Luddite movement to smash all smartphones, laptops, GPS devices, and so on would ignore the fact that it is no mere accident of history that millions of us have chosen to live with and through these devices. These devices require and in turn produce trackable, numerable and, therefore, surveillable subjects. As such, technocapitalism is a situation in which the question of whether surveilled subjects consent to their own surveillance is moot.
Which is not to say that anger should not be directed at the corporate-government subterfuge that has undergirded the post-9/11 development of vast spy dragnets. Quite evidently, we did not consent to these bulk collections by government agencies; we didn’t even know about the programs. Just this month, the beleaguered James Clapper admitted that the NSA should have been more open with the public about the ubiquitous hoarding of their communications. “If the program had been publicly introduced in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, most Americans would probably have supported it,” he said. But Clapper cannot help but resort to a perverse conditional logic in which the public would have consented to what they could not, in fact, consent to. Clapper’s post hoc assertion that the public would have agreed to mass government surveillance, had they been given advanced warning, is untestable—we can’t go back to that moment. As Ben Wizner, legal adviser to Snowden and the director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Speech, Privacy and Technology Project commented in response to Clapper, “Whether we would have consented to that at the time will never be known.” We have not consented to our own constant surveillance, even if the way we live has produced it.
The spy chief’s remark truly reflects the issue at hand: We only become aware of the notion that we might have consented or refused to do so in the past tense, when surveillance technologies are so tightly sewn into—and give shape—to the fabric of daily life. The state, in its rhetoric at least, has thus de facto solved the problem of consent when it comes to surveillance: not because consent has been expressly or tacitly given, but because it has been mooted as a fulcrum. The challenge, then, given our hopes and our hubris, is to experiment with whether we can live together, as numerous, without the inescapable fact of being enumerated. | 4,155 |
cnxps.cmd.push(function () { cnxps({ playerId: '36af7c51-0caf-4741-9824-2c941fc6c17b' }).render('4c4d856e0e6f4e3d808bbc1715e132f6'); });
A day after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani boldly declared that Tehran will continue to produce nuclear-capable missiles, an activity Israel has been warning against for years, a video of an Iranian diplomat urging for the destruction of Israel started gaining traction online.The diplomat and imam Hormoz Gharemani made a hate speech against the Jewish state at an Al-Quds Day event in June 2017 at an Auckland, New Zealand mosque, but his words only started coming under public scrutiny this week.In the video, which was translated by MEMRI, Ghahremani can be heard saying: "The Zionists make divisions in the Muslim world to achieve their goals."He also described a "Zionist conspiracy to infiltrate Muslim countries" and attributed to Israel "terrorism and extremism in the region [as] fueled and funded by the enemies of Islam and the Zionists."Next to speak at the event that was hosted by the lslamic Ahlulbayt Foundation of New Zealand was Imam Hojatoleslam Shafie, who stated: "As you all know, Israel and the Zionist regime hide behind a fake phenomenon...described as the Holocaust, and do not let anybody investigate the Holocaust....Why weren't the Jews given a piece of Germany? Why should [did] they come to Palestine?"The imam said that Al-Quds Day (Al-Quds being the Arabic word for Jerusalem) was founded by the late Iranian Supreme Ayatollah Khomeini with the intention of "dealing a powerful punch to the mouth of the cancerous tumor known as evil Israel."Over the sounds of children playing, Shafie continued, "As Imam Khomeini once said, if every Muslim were to spit in the face of Israel, Israel would drown."He returned to familiar language, describing Israel as a "cancer" which needs to be "surgically removed."Without citing an explanation, Shafie said, "In my opinion, the countdown to the annihilation of the Zionist regime has begun."As the video continues to spark controversy online, the prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand (from which both imams operate) are slated to lead the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Beersheba tomorrow, and delegations from down under are currently touring Israel before the event. | 4,156 |
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The Bullet R1 is a good option for the home roaster who wants more control and capacity, or light duty commercial roasting. The machine can easily roast at its top capacity of 2.2 pounds per batch with its induction heat technology, and offers a new level of control of roast parameters from the touchpad controls or USB connection to a PC. We received our test unit a couple months before our first batch of Bullets arrived for sale on Oakland and it has inspired a lot of enthusiasm around the warehouse. Roasting test batches on the Bullet became a bit of an obsession actually, and in attempting to write a good, dispassionate description I (Tom) find myself fighting to restrain myself a bit. I don’t like to say things like “the best” or “the finest”... but I really think this is a big step forward in small roasting machines. I was traveling down dirt roads in south Ethiopia collecting coffee samples, and found myself thinking about how great it will be to get these home to roast in the bullet! 500 grams is a nice batch size for the machine and I made sure my farm samples were at least that much. The basis for this excitement is in the roast quality and control. The solid steel drum and dynamics of heat transfer, as well as full control of the induction heat, air flow and drum rotation speed, has produced some roasting magic in the cup. The ease of use, to “record” and “playback “ roasts (and share them with any other Bullet user), live logging of roast settings and ROR (rate of rise) on the beans, and the fact you can do back to back roasts ( start a new batch while cooling the previous one) are all frosting on the cake. Plus it is built to last and looks pretty damn good too! The machine is designed by Jonas and Jacob Lillie in Denmark and built in small batches in Taiwan. Nearly every part for the Bullet build is sourced by Jonas, even down to the screws, to ensure the quality and longevity of the machine.
Connect the R1 to a PC via micro USB (type A), and you can view your roast profile on a graph in real time using the free proprietary "Roast Time" software program. You can then save your roasts, allowing you to "plug & play" successful profiles, or exchange roast data with other R1 users | 4,157 |
Shares of AMC Entertainment are diving by 25 percent Wednesday after the company revealed it expects a dramatic second-quarter loss, and believes the third quarter will be equally unrelenting.
AMC said the expected loss reflects "industry box office trends." American box offices declined 4.4 percent in the second-quarter compared with the same period last year, according to AMC.
Against this tide of declining moviegoing, the second-largest movie theater chain in the U.S. is attempting to curtail costs by cutting back on both its staff and operating hours, as well as through a new pricing strategy. But the cost reduction initiatives have yet to bear fruit this year.
"We were caught by surprise when AMC pre-announced second-quarter results over 30 days after the close of the quarter, and were further surprised by the magnitude of the top and bottom line miss," Wedbush Securities' Michael Pachter wrote in a note, along with a team of analysts.
AMC's adjusted projection for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization "shocked" Pachter, who anticipated adjusted EBITDA of more than $200 million. Instead, AMC expects adjusted EBITDA to come in between $134 million and $136 million – or about $65 million short of Wedbush expectations.
With AMC's second-quarter report still to come, Pachter said "something doesn't sound right" before speculating that the company's expenses may be to blame.
"We can only surmise that the company had some unusual expenses during the quarter that it plans to eliminate in the next six months," Pachter said.
Wedbush is maintaining an outperform rating on AMC's stock, while the firm "anxiously awaits a more detailed explanation from management."
Eric Handler, media analyst at MKM Partners, told CNBC's "Power Lunch" on Wednesday that he does not see "a massive issue long term" for the movie theater chain and declared "the industry as a whole is healthy."
"People love to say the industry is dying if they have one or two bad quarters in a row. The year is still tracking flat, and when you look at the last two years, you've had record years," Handler said. "I think you're going to see another record year in 2018."
AMC's stock is down more than 53 percent this year, when it began near its 52-week high of $35.65. The company is expected to formally report second-quarter earnings Monday after the market close.
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that it is solely about AMC Entertainment. | 4,158 |
With countless medical advances and efforts to curb smoking, one might expect that life expectancy in the United States would improve. Yet according to recent studies, there's been a reduction in the rate of improvement in American mortality during the last three decades. According to a new study, a rise in obesity is to blame.
The research was performed by Samuel Preston, a sociology professor in the School of Arts and Sciences; Yana Vierboom, a graduate student in demography at Penn; and Andrew Stokes, assistant professor of global health at Boston University. They used data from successive cohorts of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1988 to 1994 and 1999 to 2010, as well as from the NHANES linked mortality files, which include follow-up into death records through December 2011. The final sample consisted of 25,269 adults aged 40 to 79.
Rather than use a typical measure of obesity, body mass index, or BMI, recorded at baseline, the researchers calculated each person's lifetime maximum BMI. They found this measure to be more successful at predicting mortality because it is less susceptible to weight loss associated with illness, which biases estimates of the link between BMI and mortality. It also conveys important elements of weight history which may have enduring effects on health.
"We established a time trend of mortality within this data set," Preston said, "by dating every observation as it moved forward. We estimated that the impact of rising obesity was about twice as important for mortality trends as the impact of declining smoking. Smoking is such an important variable in mortality analysis, and U.S. mortality is improving faster than it otherwise would because of reductions in smoking, but it's not improving fast enough to offset the effect of obesity."
The researchers estimated that the mortality decline in the U.S. would have been about a half-percentage point faster than it actually was if obesity hadn't risen. According to the data, if age-specific death rates had fallen at the BMI-uncontrolled rate of 1.81percent per year, life expectancy at age 40 would have risen from 37.6 years in 1988 to 41.4 years in 2011. If death rates had fallen at the BMI-controlled rate of 2.35 percent per year, life expectancy at age 40 in 2011 would have risen to 42.3 years. This comparison suggests that rising BMI reduced gains in life expectancy at age 40 by 0.9 years during this period.
"These results underscore the importance of the obesity epidemic for American health and mortality," Preston said. "When it's having this large an impact on the national level of vital statistics it puts the spotlight on the importance of stopping and reversing the rise in obesity." | 4,159 |
making enough time to unwind. Make sure that you stick to your lists that you've made though as it can be addictive to get stuck partying and let the real work fall behind. I think the hardest part about time management during college is actually putting your nose to the grindstone and getting everything done that needs to be done. If you stay optimistic and manage your time properly, you will have no problems getting through college or university and you should still have plenty of time for socializing and partying.
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I find that a good old-fashioned day planner was the easiest way to plan my time. Just this year I have started studying online to get my online education degree and it has kept me organized and been a big part of the reason I'm still kicking. I have used numerous electronic organizers and found them to be a little bit more time consuming than a pencil. I made a habbit of never leaving the house without it and it paid me back in spades. Every time somebody would ask me if I could attend something, I could just crack it open and let them know. It was also fantastic for keeping a random to do list so that I never really forgot anything that was worth remembering.
I didn't but I know of people who have attended time management seminars. I assume these are going to be highly detailed and tested methods that would be fantastic for what you might need. On the other hand, they are usually quite costly and I was in no position to be spending any more money.
Although it may seem a daunting task, managing your time properly is really quite an attainable goal. You have to always keep it in the back of your mind that prioritization of all your activities is essential. Every time you do something you should be asking yourself if there's something else more important that deserves your attention. Get your obligations out of the way first and you will actually be able to enjoy your social and personal time without knowing in the back of your mind you've got other things to do.
I think you will find that the methods you tailor to your own personal life will stay with you not only through college or university but for the rest of your life. I use my little system every single day and I know that I would be completely lost without it. I'm the first to show up at a party and constantly calling my friends to see if they want to come over but I make sure that I don't allow myself these luxuries without having all my necessary work done. If you stick to getting the hard stuff out of the way first, you will have no problem succeeding in all your college goals and still have some time left over for fun! | 4,160 |
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The audit
Wallin’s final audit is scheduled for release on Aug. 13. The three-member executive of the internal economy committee, known as the steering committee, is scheduled to meet the evening of Aug. 12 to review her audit and draft a report with a response and recommendations. That report and the audit will be given to the full committee the morning of Aug. 13 before a scheduled meeting.
The audit and report, when finalized, will be tabled with the clerk of the Senate that afternoon, which make the documents public.
The housing issue
The Constitution states that senators must be “resident in the province” for which they are appointed. However, since being appointed to the Senate, there have been questions about whether Wallin met this qualification, with critics arguing that she does not because she spent years away from Saskatchewan. Wallin owns a home in Wadena, and has said she spent 168 days in Saskatchewan in 2012 as part of her argument that she is a resident of the province. Wallin’s lack of a provincial health card and voting records further inflamed questions about whether she met the constitutional residency requirements for senators.
As well, questions were also raised about her housing after it was shown that her home town was listed as Toronto on financial documents filed by Gluskin Sheff and Porter Airlines.
The Senate has never re-interpreted this meaning in a modern context. Questions have also been raised about whether Duffy meets the residency requirement.
What we don’t know
Whether the RCMP are planning to pursue charges against Wallin: In the lead-up to the release of spending audits on senators Mac Harb, Patrick Brazeau and Duffy, the RCMP’s sensitive investigations unit in Ottawa began collecting publicly available documents and information on the three senators as part of preparations for an official investigation. Court documents filed by investigators outline these actions, and experts suggest the Mounties are likely doing the same for Wallin.
The RCMP does not usually confirm or deny it is conducting an investigation, nor does it usually comment on the status of an investigation.
How early the committee was made aware of concerns with Wallin’s spending: The committee was purportedly told in the fall of 2012 about Wallin’s spending habits, and it was left to the steering committee to take care of it.
Apparently, then chairman Tkachuk didn’t take care of it to the full confidence of the other two members of the steering committee — senators Carolyn Stewart Olsen, a Conservative, and Liberal George Furey — and they agreed to order an audit. | 4,161 |
It surprises some readers to know that the same reporter who broke the story about Mrs. Clinton’s private email server when she was secretary of state also broke the big stories last year about why Mr. Trump fired James Comey and the president’s efforts to shut down the federal investigation into Michael Flynn.
Our approach may strike some as old-fashioned. But we believe it’s the most important role the news media can play in supporting a healthy democratic society.
I’m always sorry when readers feel let down by our coverage. We work hard every day to earn your trust. We have devoted tremendous reporting resources since the election to examining every part of this political moment — the anger, the divisions, the rise of both anti- and pro-Trump activism.
These are crucial stories for us and, we think, for the country. And I think if you began reading The Times again, you would find that coverage deep and insightful and informative. I very much hope you’ll return as a subscriber in the future.
_____
As a longtime subscriber, my faith in The Times was deeply shaken when the Hillary numbers we saw every day leading up to the election turned out to be so incredibly off the mark. It was 82/18, 84/16; Hillary was going to dominate. After Trump won I kept asking myself how my dear New York Times could have gotten it so wrong.
What kinds of things will you do in the future to improve the accuracy of these types of polls?
— Andy F., in Vietnam
Because I’m not a polling expert, I asked Amanda Cox, who as the editor of The Upshot oversees much of this coverage, for her insight. She responded to your question about how something with 16 percent odds — in this case Mr. Trump winning the presidency — could have happened:
Sixteen percent is like rolling a die and looking for a three to come up. If it happened, you might feel surprised — chances were against you — but you wouldn’t feel like the entire system was broken. But I also understand that lots of our readers do feel let down, and that saying it was probability, not prophecy, doesn’t help them … I still believe that “What do all these polls mean?” is basically a noble question, and that models are a rigorous and disciplined way to think about it.
I personally think polls can provide useful information and insight. But regardless of where you come down on that issue, I can assure you that our editors are actively examining the lessons from the last election and are committed to using those insights to update our approach. | 4,162 |
One of the things the Z Man has learned in life is that the salesmen for a company will be the most honest with you about their company:
That’s not to imply that salesmen are all honest in their sales pitch. That’s not what I mean. I’m talking about life inside the company. Ask a sales guy, who is not selling you something, about his boss and his co-workers and he’ll usually give you the unvarnished truth. Often, they are the guys who know the flaws best, because they have to work around them to make deals.
That’s the thing with sales people. They work for themselves, even though they take a salary and are employees. Some portion of their pay, maybe the bulk of it, is derived from their performance as a salesman. All sales people have quotas and have to produce. Otherwise, they get fired. There’s no hiding in the bureaucracy for them. That means self-deception is not of any use to them. They have to know the defects of their firm and its products in order to mitigate them in front of clients.
The weird thing about salesmen is they never assume they are the cleverest guy in the room. Paranoia is a healthy trait in sales, as there are a million little things that can scuttle a deal. Working from the assumption that there could very well be someone in the room who knows something you don’t is a good way to avoid surprises. You ask more questions and you listen better. If you’re walking around thinking you are Wile E. Coyote, a safe could fall on your head.
I used to fish with a guy who made his living selling cars. He got into it as a way to pay for college. He would sell cars on the weekend and at night, while going to school during the day. When he finished college, he found that he could make a better living selling cars than anything else so he kept selling cars. Eventually he settled into selling BMW’s and Mercedes. He was able to make a nice, middle-class living at it, without too much stress.
Making small talk one day I mentioned something about lawyers and he laughed and told me that lawyers are his best clients, followed by stock brokers. I naturally assumed it was because they made a lot of money and had expensive tastes. That was not it at all. He told me that overselling a lawyer was one of the easiest things to do in car sales. They walk around thinking they know everything and so they fall for every car sales trick in the book. | 4,163 |
It can be hard for original anime movies to get mainstream attention in America. If you're not an Academy Award winner (like Spirited Away) or you don't have an already-big name like Dragon Ball Z, the chances of escaping the niche anime section of Best Buy aren't great.
Your Name hasn't won an Oscar and it isn't part of a big franchise, but it's one of the biggest movies (animated or not) to come out of Asia, and it's worth taking a look at.
Known as Kimi no Na wa in Japan, Your Name has been brought over to America by Flower Mound-based company Funimation. It's available in both subbed (subtitled, with the original Japanese audio) and dubbed (with new English audio) versions, and it's in select Dallas-Fort Worth theaters through the end of April.
The movie has a very impressive 98 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and even before its U.S. release (save the couple of showings it had for Oscar eligibility) it earned the title of highest-grossing anime film of all time.
Your Name has earned that success not only for its gorgeous animation (which is excellent), but for its wonderful story. It's a romantic drama about two teenagers in Japan -- one who lives in Tokyo, one who's more out in the country -- who find themselves swapping bodies every time they go to sleep. There are plenty of fun Freaky Friday-esque antics to be had with the situation (even moreso due to the gender reversal), but there's a serious mystery to the situation as well.
'Your Name' (Funimation / Toho)
The protagonists, Taki and Mitsuha, are forced to deal with the already-complicated circumstances of being teenagers with the added wrinkle of having a stranger live in their body every other day.
But there are higher stakes than it initially seems, and there's a greater and more emotional story to be had than the first 20 minutes might have you believe.
There's a lot of magic at play in Your Name, but it stands out as being more grounded than many people would expect from popular anime. There are no giant robots, no huge fight scenes with people who can fly. When it all comes down to it, Your Name is a love story, and it's a very good one at that.
Your Name is better than your typical young adult romance movie, and it's well worth checking out if you can make it to a theater by the end of April. If not, cross your fingers that a home release comes out soon. | 4,164 |
, the student-teacher ratio has gone up to an average of 24.8 in its high schools, says chair Jan Johnstone.
“We don’t have enough caring adults in secondary schools” given all the challenges teenagers face, she said, and programming has also been impacted with the loss of teachers.
At the Upper Canada District School Board, some 160 positions were cut, including 42 teachers, said chair John McAllister. He said secondary class sizes there remain the same at an average of 21.
“There may be some fewer course offerings, but the fact remains that we are still providing students with the courses that they need to graduate” — but not always the courses they want, he said.
In the Halton District School Board, Cindy Gage heads the local Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation. She said a number of her members have been left without jobs, and others given fewer hours.
With fewer teachers, extra math help at lunchtime will be axed because they are needed for other duties like cafeteria supervision, she said.
“Students are going to struggle,” she said.
Halton chair Andrea Grebenc said “it’s early days” and the board should have a better sense of how things are shaping up sometime next week.
“My own daughter, in Grade 11 math, has 35 kids in her class and she’s concerned … she’s very anxious,” said Grebenc. “She’s in an older school, and classrooms are a bit larger, and she says they’re stuffed in there. I can’t even imagine some of our newer schools, that were built to a much smaller benchmark, how they’re doing.”
The Peel District School Board says this year’s start-up is no different than usual. Spokesperson Carla Pereira said some high school students will have holes or alternate courses in their schedules as schools work through reorganization this month.
Taylor Dallin, who is in Grade 12 at Toronto’s Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts, said “students don’t have the flexibility they have had access to in the past in terms of switching courses because many are full” or cancelled. Some students have even been placed in courses they didn’t sign up for.
“This can potentially have dire consequences, because these education changes have the power to heavily impact students’ futures,” said Dallin, a Toronto Catholic District School Board student trustee. | 4,165 |
Augustus "Shorty" Schilletter (March 25, 1865 - November 28, 1929) must rank as one of Clemson's top rogues.
Serving as dining hall steward from Clemson's earliest days, Schilletter scammed the college for thousands of dollars annually for fifteen years until President Walter Merritt Riggs hired a private detective out of his own pocket in 1912 so that no school funds would be involved, and Schilletter's little enterprise was uncovered. In the spring of 1902, pilferage on campus had been detected and the Board of Trustees hired a private detective to try to identify those responsible. But suspecting the faculty as ring-leaders, he focused on the professors and turned up - well, pretty much nothing.
Once the real culprit was identified, not wanting to bring undue attention to the college, Riggs handled the matter internally, not bringing charges against "Shorty", but removing him from the supply chain and cashbox. On June 19 of 1912, President Riggs informed Senator and Trustee Benjamin Tillman that Schilletter "must have knocked down between five and eight thousand dollars a year. This was during the time he was allowed to purchase thirty to forty thousand dollars worth of supplies used in the mess hall."<ref> Riggs, Walter M., letter to Senator Benjamin R. Tillman, Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina, Clemson, S.C., 19 June 1912, pages 1-2.</ref> At this time, Riggs' salary is $3,500 per annum. Schilletter was generally well-liked on campus and he would remain an employee until Riggs eased him out in 1919. After his departure from campus, Schilletter opened a bakery (in the location of the current TD's) in the Clemson community (it was not officially Clemson until 1943) and advertised in the early 1920s in The Tiger.
So effective was President Riggs' cover-up of the scandal, that a dining hall was erected on campus in 1968 on East Campus, named for the scamp.
Schilletter, 64, suffered a heart attack during the second quarter of the Clemson-Furman football game, November 28, 1929, while sitting on the bench with the Clemson players, just prior to the play that led to the Clemson touchdown. Schilletter, who served as mess steward at Clemson from 1893 to 1919, had suffered from heart disease for several years. (The Tiger, "Augustus Schilletter Dies At Game", Wednesday, 4 December 1929, Volume XXV, Number 12, page 1.) He is buried in Woodland Cemetery.
References | 4,166 |
, Gehrig or DiMaggio. It takes a village to raise a star and we have plenty of rising stars to surround you with. The Dodgers aren’t winning a ring next season, the Cubs don’t need you-you’re a “nice to have.”
Chicago is a world-class baseball city. The sport is etched into our bones. We’re born Cubs or White Sox fans. While, yes, we do live in the shadow of the Cubs, the White Sox fans are there, we’re just not coming in by the busload from Iowa or whatever flyover state those assholes in blue grew up in. Also, our pizza and hot dogs are light years better than that trash they serve in New York.
Bryce, you and the monolithic Scott Boras probably talk about your deal every day. About what your feelings are, who’s making what moves to get you. I can tell you this as someone who doesn’t have skin in the game except that the minute you sign, I’ll buy a jersey and scream my head off when I come up to see my White Sox in April:
The White Sox fans do not play. We live and die by our team and when we give you our hearts, you have it for life. We have a bunch of statues around the park because we respect dedication, loyalty, and staying true. We have a checkered past with up and down seasons, but the diehards never waivered. We’ve got a young squad that’s coming up and sooner rather than later, we’ll be the next Astros, Royals, or goddamn Cubs.
If you want fast money, you’ll get it. We’ve got the checkbook open. If you’re going to become a Cub, you’ll be another guy who wants to play at Wrigley and like Dodger fans, they’ll forget you; you might get a little respect when you leave town, but you’ll never be beloved. The Cubs won their series. They’re no longer this mythical beast, but just another big MLB team no different than Boston or the Yankees.
If you play for the White Sox, you’ll get that statue next to Konerko and Thomas. You’ll see your number hanging in the outfield, and you’ll make a fan base believe that we’re running down the hallway, ready to beat the ever-loving fuck out of anyone who dares enter the House that Harper Saved. | 4,167 |
o speaks of is an idea they developed symbiotically at an early age. In it, downtrodden, colourfully dressed vandals, gostosas, musicians, children, and other assorted neighbourhood characters are all presented with a playful dignity. It’s the sort of work Diego Rivera might have produced if he’d watched Wild Style on Repeat during an ayahuasca trip.
Today, their surreal visions are in such great demand that people come at OSGEMEOS’s noncommissioned street work with masonry saws and dreams of selling the slab of concrete at Sotheby’s. But the two are quick to point out they don’t believe their career is simply some Basquiat-esque rags-to-riches transition to becoming contemporary-art-world darlings.
“Our school is from the streets, but we see our work as more than painting a wall or painting inside a gallery. It’s more spiritual for us. We need to find space that we can create our universe, this universe that we believe. That’s why we started to work with galleries, because we get the empty space, white space, and could transform all this into the world we believe in sharing with the people,” Otavio says. “Spirituality for us is positive vibrations—bring positive things and give positive change. This is one of the important reasons to make art.”
With Emily Carr University of Art and Design poised to relocate in 2016, OSGEMEOS and the Vancouver Biennale are ensuring that art will always be an important part of Granville Island. While the two don’t have immediate plans to give our city walls any additional gifts, the Biennale is running a crowd-funding campaign on Indiegogo to help offset the costs of the endeavour. (The budget is only about $28,000 more than the poodle’s.) One of the donation perks is a limited-edition lithograph of the finished mural, which is sure to sell out and be much easier to frame than a slab of concrete.
However, if, over the next few weeks, you see a pair of similar-looking fellas with a ladder around Main and 18th, and then hear the unmistakable rattle and hiss of spray cans, don’t call the cops. It likely means OSGEMEOS are giving that bloody mutt a much-needed make-over.
OSGEMEOS’s mural is scheduled to be unveiled on September 7 at Ocean Concrete on Granville Island. | 4,168 |
If you didn't hear the news, conference registration for LISA13 is now open!
There are discounts galore, too. Register before October 15th to save hundreds of dollars by using the Early Bird discount. You can also save if you work for the government, or a nonprofit, or if your employer sends more than five people to LISA. Check out the registration discounts page for more info.
The conference is being held in Washington, DC this year, from November 3rd - 8th at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park. As always, there's a great conference discount on rooms, and the location is great. We're not deep in tourist central, but we're almost across the street from the National Zoo, the National Cathedral, and the United States Naval Observatory, which you probably know from its famous NTP service, tick and tock.
Training starts on Sunday as always, and we've got a strong opening session. Two full day courses (including a new class called SRE University!) as well as eight half day classes are a heck of a way to start a conference. It doesn't lighten up at all as the week progresses, either.
Something I'm really looking forward to seeing is the new concept of a Hack Space. The idea is kind of like an applied hallway track, where you learn, discuss cool tech, and implement it. Some things will be guided, others will be free-form, but the idea sounds great, and it's a welcome addition to the LISA experience!
What also caught my interest was the addition of a new conference-within-a-conference, SESA'13, the Summit for Educators in System Administration. The idea behind this mini conference is that it is really hard to teach system administration, and we can only get better if we work at it together. For this reason, people interested in how to teach system administration to young sysadmins and to those who only want to become sysadmins are getting together at SESA'13. If this is something that you're interested in, then you need to sign up right now.
It's held on November 5th at LISA'13. Whether you come for the training, or you come for the awesome technical program (with keynotes by Jason Hoffman of Joyent or invited talks featuring Theo Schlossnagle of OmniTI), you can be sure that your time and money are well-spent, and you'll have a ton of new ideas to take back to work and implement. Because that's what it's all about, isn't it?
Register for LISA today, and I'll see you there! | 4,169 |
Police in Janesville, Wisconsin, are searching for two Donald Trump rally attendees who pepper sprayed and sexually assaulted a 15-year-old anti-Trump protester outside the Republican presidential frontrunner's rally on Tuesday. Video of the incident shows other apparent Trump supporters shouting "bitch" and "nigger lover" to the teenager as she attempts to walk away with pepper spray in her eyes.
“Damn, Donald, back at it again with the white supremacy," read 15-year-old Alex Drake's topical protest sign, according to video that captured the incident. As another protester raised a sign that read, "Black Lives Matter," the crowd of mostly older white Trump supporters began chanting "All lives matter," attempting to drown out the Janesville teenager:
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Law enforcement in Janesville, home of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan, said that "a male in the crowd groped the 15 year girl, when she pushed him away; another person in the crowd sprayed her." Video of the incident shows Drake confronting a man she says touched her breast before she reached out to strike him:
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Another video shows one Trump supporter yelling to "get that bitch out of here," after the teenage girl stumbles from being pepper sprayed.
"Goddamn communist, nigger lover! Get out of here," another Trump supporter can be heard shouting:
EXCLUSIVE vid shows teen get pepper sprayed after shoving protester, called a bitch & "n****r lover" at Trump rally pic.twitter.com/kB4GqQbbaG — Candace Smith (@CandaceSmith_) March 30, 2016
Janesville Police Chief David Moore told WKOK-TV that another teenager was treated for second-hand pepper spray injuries at a local hospital.
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Inside, the Trump rally was hardly more civil. Speaker Ryan's hometown booed him when Trump merely mentioned his name -- and continued to boo him to the surprise of even Trump. Ryan, of course, has been out publicly bemoaning the “ugliness” that has befallen the Republican primary, a not-so-thinly veiled jab at Trump.
“I’m sure I’m going to get along great with him," Trump recently said of Ryan. "And if I don’t? He’s gonna have to pay a big price.”
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Janesville Police additionally reported that they had to turn away two people last night who had concealed weapons, and two others who were openly carrying firearms.
Watch the entire incident here: | 4,170 |
A Gold Star mother is the latest to speak out against Nike’s latest “Just Do It” ad campaign featuring former NFL player Colin Kaepernick for making light of the word “sacrifice.”
Trina Hart, who lost her 21-year-old Marine son Ty Hart when his helicopter went down off the coast of the Hawaiian island of Oahu during a mission in 2016, is blasting Nike for using Kaepernick as its spokesperson for an ad about “sacrifice,” KOIN reported.
The Nike ad, which Kaepernick narrates, features stories from athletes who overcame illness or disabilities.
IT'S OUT: @Nike just released the full Colin Kaepernick ad and the internet is buzzing over it https://t.co/g3KhxMaTcL pic.twitter.com/5cQb9u8Tq3 — CBS News (@CBSNews) September 5, 2018
“Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything,” Kaepernick says.
But Hart said the ad belittles those like her son, who made the ultimate sacrifice in fighting for the U.S.
“Everything is your life,” she said. “My son sacrificed his life. Those other 11 men the night my son died sacrificed their lives. I’m sorry, I don’t find any ‘sacrificing everything’ in what Colin Kaepernick did.”
Hart said she wants Nike to use its influence to apologize to Gold Star families whose family members made the ultimate sacrifice.
“They need to fix what they did,” Hart said. “They owe America an apology. They owe Gold Star families an apology.”
Nike had received a barrage of criticism and protests since the company released its ad with Kaepernick, who made his claim to fame in August 2016 by kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality.
Fans, many of whom believe that the former NFL player disrespected Americans by refusing to honor the flag, began burning their Nike gear to protest the company’s decision to use Kaepernick as a spokesperson for the brand.
Celebrities and other organizations launched boycotts of the brand, including Big & Rich singer John Rich and the National Police Organization. Veteran actor James Woods even decided to dump his Nike stock out of protest.
The backlash to the campaign featuring Kaepernick hit Nike right in their purse-strings when shares of Nike stock tumbled by three percent on Tuesday. President Trump even tweeted Wednesday that the company was getting “absolutely killed” because of the boycotts. | 4,171 |
IN stunningly quick time, Tony Abbott’s popularity has plummeted to the depths that saw Julia Gillard pack up and move out for Kevin Rudd’s return.
There isn’t a Rudd-like contender hunting Mr Abbott’s leadership, but his election triumph nine months ago hasn’t been followed by solid opinion poll rating, with 70 per cent of voters not satisfied with his performance.
He is considered the better option for Prime Minister by just 34 per cent of voters, according to a Newspoll published in The Australian today, with Labor’s Bill Shorten at 44 per cent.
A tick over 12 months ago, Ms Gillard lost the Prime Ministership when her preferred ratings fell to 33 per cent against, 45 per cent for then Opposition Leader Abbott. That’s when a majority of Labor MPs decided she was taking them to electoral disaster and had to be removed.
The Newspoll parallels are spooky, but there are differing circumstances at play.
The current Government is not dealing with leadership instability; certainly nothing like the bar-room brawl that afflicted Labor for much of its six years in power.
The Labor Opposition is chipping away at the Government, but Bill Shorten does not have a huge personal rating. Newspoll today showed 66 per cent of voters could not say they were satisfied with his performance as Opposition Leader, compared to 69 per cent for Mr Abbott in his role.
While Abbott’s leadership is not under threat, there is discontent both within his party and in the electorate. The Abbott government introduced a bludgeoning Budget with little forewarning of specific tough measures, and the hope within Liberal ranks that voters will soon accept the necessity of the pain is starting to droop.
It is as if Mr Abbott convinced himself of the need for tough provisions, and assumed the electorate would automatically follow, as it did for much of 2013 when he faced Ms Gillard and Mr Rudd.
However, it could be argued Mr Abbott has never been a favourite son of voters ever since he took the Liberal leadership in late 2009.
Even as Ms Gillard struggled with a seemingly never-ending opinion poll slump he could not get majority approval as preferred Prime Minister, or for his performance as Opposition Leader.
Labor would win the hypothetical election held by Newspoll, with 37 per cent of the primary vote to the Coalition’s 35 per cent.
The worry for Mr Abbott is that 28 per cent would give their first vote to the Greens or “other”, which includes Clive Palmer’s outfit, and that proportion has been steadily rising since the election. | 4,172 |
be the only difference in the cells, and the reason for their “immortality.” In all other ways, she says, they are exactly the same as the “normal” cells from the original sample.
But, she insists, she did nothing that might have caused that mutation.
It apparently happened, she adds, while the cells were in the petri dish, but at this point no one knows why the mutation occurred, or why it should have affected the life span. The research moved beyond the excitement of finding something new earlier this year when she met with Michael Schurr, a surgeon in the university’s burn center.
Schurr asked her to sit in on an operation.
The patient was a farmer who suffered burns over 98 percent of his body when a propane tank exploded last year. “The only part of him that wasn’t burned was the part covered by his boots,” Allen-Hoffman says.
She watched as Schurr attempted to spread thin sheets of skin, the best that could be obtained from the victim’s feet, over various parts of his body. The sheets were about the texture of “wet tissue paper,” she says, illustrating just how difficult the surgeon’s task was.
Skin Factory Possibility
It was an electrifying moment for Allen-Hoffman, who realized that if the immortal cells she has in her lab can be used for human skin grafts, Schurr someday will have a ready supply of disease-free human skin that could improve a burn victim’s chances of survival immeasurably.
Schurr is now a member of the research team, gearing up for tests that could lead to human trials. It remains to be seen whether the cells will be rejected by the victim’s body, and whether the new skin will, indeed, perform as expected.
It’s all a bit mind-numbing, Allen-Hoffman says, since she is convinced she did nothing to cause the cells to become immortal. What she did, however, was exactly the right thing.
“Our contribution to this whole thing is a very humble one,” she says. “And that was we recognized what we had,” and took the necessary steps to protect and preserve it.
Bravo, no matter how it eventually turns out.
Lee Dye’s column appears weekly on ABCNEWS.com. A former science writer for the Los Angeles Times, he now lives in Juneau, Alaska. | 4,173 |
the Syrian refugees into the country. Politicians in both parties say the U.S. has a moral obligation to take in those refugees. But the number one moral obligation for the United States, or any government is to protect their citizens. Since there is no way to vet those refugees before we allow those thousands of them to live in the U.S. we can’t bring them here—France did, and so far we know that at least two of the eight Paris terrorists snuck into the country as part of the Syrian refugee onslaught.
For decades’ terrorists have been feeding at the teat of western government. They cynically support the “political wing” of terrorist groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and Fatah, acting as if they had no connection with the military wing. It’s just a semantics subterfuge– dangerous claptrap allowing governments to seemingly support “good behavior” while they are only denying the truth. Even here in the United States groups associated with Hamas, such as CAIR and the MSA are treated as legitimate human rights groups. And of course our recent love affair with Iran, the number one terrorist supporting country supports to the radical Islamist effort.
Isn’t it well past time for western nations to say, “We will not stand with any group or country that supports terrorism?” Why are our leaders working with Iran, talking to Qatar and ignoring the fact those countries are supporting terrorism? Instead of a political photo-op, why aren’t the countries who are supposedly fighting terrorism, saying they will not support the government of Lebanon as long as Hezbollah is part of the leadership, we won’t support the Palestinian Authority or any other group, as long as they have a “military wing?” Instead by our actions we are teaching radical Islamists that terrorism is a legitimate form of political expression.
In the end, America and our western allies are framing the question of “who is our enemy?” all wrong. Our enemy is radical Islam, and because when you frame it correctly that answer is scarier than first thought because it is not a rational war (if any war can be rational). More than any war in American history this is a war of ideology. And the ideology of radical Islam is in direct conflict with western values and culture. Or to paraphrase Sally Field, “They hate us, they really hate us.” Hiding that fact with silly games of political correctness prevent us from identifying and crushing radical Islam. This linguistic dishonesty of western leaders is accomplishing little beyond guaranteeing additional deaths of innocents and the eventual destruction of the western world. | 4,174 |
But to know that the academics, the people who are supposed to charge these places with their intellectual energy, feel that it is legitimate to shut down certain points of view is worse. They are supposed to be Open to challenging ideas. But reluctant to venture beyond their own ideological comfort zone, they are, instead, closing young minds.
Bristol University student union recently proposed a policy to ban any feminist who refuses to accept that trans women are actual women. The policy was drawn up after a major kerfuffle was caused when a group of women organised an event to discuss controversial proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act. They were met with blockades, pickets and major disruption by trans activists and allies, including local university students.
Later, when news that disciplinary procedures had been initiated against a PhD student involved who attempted to stop the group from meeting, an open letter to Bristol University Vice Chancellorwas signed by numerous senior academics protesting the assault on this particular student’s ‘freedom of speech’.
So there we have it – major support from spineless academics for a student who did their level best to prevent a women’s group from being able to speak out and address the 100-plus citizens who wished to hear both sides. It’s Orwellian, hypocritical, and Closed. It’s all part of a pattern which includes the pandering to the Rhodes Must Fall mob and the no-platforming of Theresa May’s portrait.
It is to our great shame that universities have become such Closed, ideological echo chambers -
Once, universities were places where unpopular views – from either Left or Right – were welcomed and challenged. Today, the left-leaning ideologues steering these supposed bastions of learning aren’t just set against conservative soft–right views, but also those of radical feminists such as myself. Prejudices are reinforced by curricula and differing opinion silenced by the drawing up of the drawbridges.
It is to our great shame that universities are becoming such Closed, ideological echo chambers – places were students will tolerate you only if you think like them.
Where do we go from here? How do we break down the walls of their ‘safe spaces’? I would never advocate blanket freedom of speech, and I do recognise that some speech can be incitement to criminal activity. But I do believe we need to stop encouraging or accepting those Closed prejudices so prevalent on university campuses, which are inculcated and inflamed by the academics. This enforced ignorance is taking our kids in the wrong direction. It is anti-intellectual, anti-progress and anti-democratic. I despair. | 4,175 |
ेषु सर्वदा”
22. Bal Ganesh…Photo by Shantanu Gole
23. Morya… Photo by Siddhesh Karandekar
24. Parel cha raja 2017…Photo by Ninad Karale
25. Ganpati Visarjan… Photo by Gopal Khandelwal
26. Kasba Ganpati…Photo by Pratik Parab
Pune Manacha Pahila.. SHREE KASBA GANPATI
27. Colourful invites for the one who brings Colours in Our Lives.
Ready for Worship!! As the 10-Day Ganesh Festival nears, Mira Bhayander Cha Raja makes its way towards the Pandal from Bakri Adda Workshop.
28. The creator of God…Photo by Sujeet
29. Kalachowki Cha Mahaganpati…Photo by KAPIL RANE
Aagman Sohala 2017
30. All set…Photo by Kevin Kishore
Shot at Kosapet, Chennai
31. Smoke…Photo by ROHAN RAO
32. Ganpati bappa…Photo by Akshay Chavan
33. Ala re ala bappa ala!!…Photo by Mihir Sathe
The beginning of the most beautiful festival especially for all the Maharashtrian people… The enthusiasm, unity and celebration begins as soon as you start seeing ganpati idols in stores!!
34. Navsacha ganpati…Photo by Sandeep Mane
35. Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati…Photo by Ninad Jeevan Deshpande
The only way in which i can describe this photo is in one word : Magnificent. The way they had created the stage and the path towards it was simply beautiful.
36. Khetwadi Cha Ganraj…Photo by Satyam Jaiswal
37. Ganpati Bappa Morya…Photo by Harish Ghodki
Lord Ganesha in the house :)
38. Ganpati Arrival in Pune…Photo by Tushar
Girl was really enjoying the arrival of ganapti bappa with Dhol pathak.
39.Ganesha Almighty…Photo by Nayan Jain
40. Dagdu Sheth…Photo by Sameer Pawar
Tell us which one you like the most… | 4,176 |
Singer Joy Villa, who recently gained international fame after wearing a jaw-dropping “Make America Great Again” dress to the Grammy Awards, has released a video documenting her experience walking the streets of New York City in a blazing pro-Trump outfit.
Villa donned a “Make America Great Again” hat and Trump/Pence campaign t-shirt, accompanied by American flag-themed jumpsuit and backpack, and ventured out to gauge the public’s reactions – with some surprising results.
The response to Villa’s outfit was balanced, with the expected “f**k Trump” outbursts, but also some genuinely intrigued observers, and even admiration and support.
One man, a retired Army sergeant, expressed his appreciation for her ensemble, pulling a new MAGA hat from his bag and requesting a nearby store employee to take their picture, who responded semi-jokingly, “I’m probably gonna get fired.”
Another man told Villa that he does not like Trump because of “the way he talks,” before admitting that he primarily gets his (fake) news from CNN.
It may not have hurt Villa’s cause that she is an attractive mixed-race woman – her bio lists her as African-American, Italian, and Choctaw Indian – but the social experiment provided a promising glimpse that anti-Trump furor may be cooling off with the election nearly three months in the rear-view mirror.
As a whole, New York City voted overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton at over 78%, and the borough of Manhattan, where much of Villa’s video was shot, eclipsed 86% vote support for Clinton, despite Trump being arguably the most famous and productive thoroughbred New Yorker of our time.
Ms. Villa’s decision to wear a custom-designed, pro-Trump dress to the Grammy’s was highly effective in exhibiting the power of the Silent Majority, as sales of her albums and singles exploded by more than 54 million percent on Amazon in the days following the awards show, pushing her to dominance at the top of multiple charts in the process.
Making The Grammys Great Again! pic.twitter.com/ozvbj0evoN — Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) February 13, 2017
The latest video from Ms. Villa is a play on a viral video from 2014 called “10 Hours of Walking In NYC As a Woman.”
Dan Lyman: Facebook | Twitter
The Save Infowars Super Sale is now live! Get up to 60% off our most popular products today! | 4,177 |
83.2 mph 14.8 sec @ 94.7 mph 15.3 sec @ 90.8 mph 14.1 sec @ 98.4 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 145 ft 116 ft 126 ft 136 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.68 g (avg) 0.69 g (avg) 0.73 g (avg) 0.61 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 29.9 sec @ 0.56 g (avg) 29.2 sec @ 0.57 g (avg) 28.3 sec @ 0.59 g (avg) 30.7 sec @ 0.53 g (avg) TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH 1,750 rpm 1,700 rpm 1,500 rpm 1,400 rpm CONSUMER INFO BASE PRICE $42,940 $66,485 $86,375 $125,495 PRICE AS TESTED $55,400 $80,210 $86,375 $145,265 (est) STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL Yes/Yes Yes/Yes Yes/Yes Yes/Yes AIRBAGS 4: Dual front, front side 7: Dual front, front side, f/r curtain, driver knee Dual front, f/m side, f/m/r/head, front knee 8: Dual front, front head, f/r curtain, front knee BASIC WARRANTY 3 yrs/36,000 miles 4 yrs/50,000 miles 4 yrs/50,000 miles 4 yrs/50,000 miles POWERTRAIN WARRANTY 5 yrs/60,000 miles 4 yrs/50,000 miles 5 yrs/70,000 miles 4 yrs/50,000 miles ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 5 yrs/60,000 miles 4 yrs/50,000 miles 6 yrs/Unlimited miles 4 yrs/50,000 miles FUEL CAPACITY 21.5 gal 23.5 gal 24.6 gal 26.4 gal EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON 22/24/22 mpg 16/21/18 mpg 13/18/15 mpg Not Yet Rated ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY 153/140 kW-hrs/100 miles 211/160 kW-hrs/100 miles 259/187 kW-hrs/100 miles Not Yet Rated CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 0.85 lb/mile 1.08 lb/mile 1.31 lb/mile Not Yet Rated RECOMMENDED FUEL Unleaded premium Unleaded premium Unleaded premium Unleaded premium | 4,178 |
whiffies fried pies cartopia
Customers line up at Whiffies Fried Pies, one of several food carts at the Cartopia pod at Southeast Hawthorne and 12th.
(Faith Cathcart/The Oregonian)
A popular Southeast Portland food cart pod may be headed for redevelopment as an apartment building.
The pod known as Cartopia at Southeast 12th and Hawthorne had assembled a lineup of carts including Perierra Creperie, Potato Champion, Pyro Pizza and Whiffies Fried Pies.
Plans submitted to city development officials describe a four-story apartment building with ground-floor storefronts on the site.
Contacted Wednesday, developer Vic Remmers said he had a contract to buy the site. The lot's owners couldn't be reached.
Remmers said the project was still in its design phase, led by TVA Architects of Portland. The project has been complicated by a sewer line that runs thought part of the site, but he expects the building will include 27 to 30 apartments in an L-shaped building with an outdoor courtyard.
"We're really trying to provide a cool outdoor experience for people to be able to enjoy living in the building or eating at a restaurant," he said.
The building won't include parking. Remmers said he doesn't expect many of the residents to own cars.
"We've really been trying to improve the bike-friendliness of these buildings," he said.
Gregg Abbott, who opened Whiffies Fried Pies at the lot in 2009, said he'd seen pre-development work at the lot in recent months and had expected a sale was in the offing. He said it was disappointing — though maybe inevitable — that food carts like his would be displaced by new development.
"With all the stuff that was happening on Division... the writing was sort of on the wall that anything that was flat and empty was going to get snatched up soon," Abbot said.
The Oregonian reported last month on plans to turn the North Station food cart pod in North Portland into condos.
Remmers said he was approached to buy the lot. He said his company's practice has been to approach tenants at redevelopment sites about leasing retail space in the new building. But including carts is likely out of the question because of the size of the lot.
Abbott said he hadn't figured out what might come next if his cart were displaced.
"Retire on my Bitcoin money," he said. "Maybe move to Detroit."
-- Elliot Njus | 4,179 |
of noise.
Birkenheaders are used to taking a few hard knocks over the years so there was no chance of them giving up here.
A curling free kick from Andrade was pushed around the post for a corner by Davies, before Rovers were forced to deal with a two more – the last of which was spilt by the goalkeeper but cleared to safety.
Rovers fought back. A deflected shot from Jennings skipped across the penalty area, only inches away from the outstretched foot of Norwood.
From the subsequent Jeff Hughes corner, Norwood headed wide.
When Davies dropped a corner with quarter of an hour to play, he was indebted to Jennings, who cleared the danger.
But with nine minutes remaining in the most dramatic fashion incredible Tranmere retook the lead.
A cross from Jennings took a nick off a defender that lifted it higher into the air before Norwood directed a brilliant header past Smith into the corner of the net, sending the Tranmere fans – and without apology the Rovers press box media representation – wild with delight.
The closing stages were nervous but Rovers saw it through and will now be elevated back into the Football League alongside National League champions Macclesfield Town.
The victory atoned for defeat at the same stage 12 months ago to Forest Green Rovers.
It is a day that the football club and it’s amazing supporters will remember for years and years to come.
Match stats
Boreham Wood 1 (Andrade 45+8)
Tranmere Rovers 2 (Cook 6, Norwood 81)
Half-time: 1-1
Referee: Neil Hair 5/10
Attendance: 16, 306
Match rating 5/5
Star man: Manny Monthe (Tranmere defender).
Boreham Wood: (4-4-2): Smith, Woodards (Thomas 83), Ricketts, Stephens, Shakes, Champion, Murtagh, Andrade, Balanta, Folivi (Andrade 70), Doe
Subs not used: Harfield, Burbidge, Davey
Tranmere: (4-4-2): Davies; Monthe, McNulty, Sutton (Harris 45), Ridehalgh; Ginnelly (Jennings 33), Hughes, Norburn, Cole (Clarke 9); Cook, Norwood Subs not used: Taylor, Mangan
Bookings Boreham Wood – Balanta, Folivi; Tranmere - Jennings
Red cards Tranmere - Ridehalgh | 4,180 |
Democrats nominated Letitia James, the New York City public advocate, for state attorney general on Thursday, putting her on track to become the first African-American woman elected to statewide office in New York.
James won with 40.5 percent of the vote, the Associated Press projected after 94 percent of precincts reporting.
In winning the nomination, James beat out three other Democrats, with law professor Zephyr Teachout winning 31.2 percent and Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) winning 25 percent. Verizon Executive Leecia Eve ended a distant fourth.
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James will be the overwhelming favorite in November, when she will face Republican Keith Wofford, who did not face a primary challenge
Like the other Democratic candidates she beat in the primary, James has vowed to go after President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE and his business interests in the state.
Former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who resigned in May amid allegations that he abused multiple women, had sued Trump University, the business mogul’s for-profit real estate training program, in 2013, alleging illegal business practices.
He later launched an investigation into the Trump Foundation and participated in a number of lawsuits challenging Trump’s policies as president.
Schneiderman’s successor, Barbara Underwood, filed a lawsuit earlier this year against Trump for alleged “improper and extensive political activity” and “self-dealing” by his now-defunct charitable organization, the Trump Foundation.
At a recent debate, James suggested that the attorney general’s office should be investigating the president on a wide range of issues, including about potential collusion between his campaign and Russia, which is already the subject of an investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller Robert (Bob) MuellerCNN's Toobin warns McCabe is in 'perilous condition' with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting The Hill's 12:30 Report: New Hampshire fallout MORE.
“With respect to Donald Trump, we need to follow his money,” James said. “We need to find out where he’s laundered money, we need to find out whether he’s engaged in conspiracy and whether or not he’s colluded, not only with Putin, but also with China, as well.” | 4,181 |
Alwar (Rajasthan), July 22: The Alwar mob lynching victim Rakbar Khan, who was beaten up by an angry mob on the suspicion of him being a cow smuggler, had died before the cops took him to a hospital. An NDTV report said that the cops had beat him up after taking him in custody for nearly three hours 45 minutes and even stopped for refreshments before it was decided that grievously injured Rakbar should be taken to a hospital for treatment. Khan had already died by then! Also Read - SIT to be Set up to Re-investigate Pehlu Khan Lynching Case, Says Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, Days After 6 Accused Walk Free
While one of the eyewitnesses told the news channel that he had seen police beating up Rakbar Khan in the vehicle, the police claimed that the mob lynching victim had died on the way to the hospital. While the incident was reported to the police at 12.41 AM, they reached the spot by 1.15 or 1.20 AM, and took Khan to the hospital only at 4 AM in the morning. All the while, the report said, Khan complained of the pain. Also Read - Dalit Blind Man Commits Suicide in Alwar Over Police Inaction in His Son's Lynching Case
On Saturday, a BJP leader had also claimed to have spoken to a few village people after the Alwar mob lynching incident who told him that Khan was not lynched but was rather beaten up by the cops after he was handed over to them. Speaking to India Today, the BJP MLA Gyandev Ahuja also said that the cops had beaten him up to “show off the public”. Also Read - Pehlu Khan Alwar Lynching: Six Accused Walk Free After Court Gives Them 'Benefit of Doubt' | 5 Points
“Rakbar Khan wasn’t lynched. He was beaten up by the cops to show off. I spoke to the villagers and they told me that he was conscious when they handed him over to the police. The police then beat him up,” he said.
Rakbar Khan (28) was on Friday lynched to death by suspected cow vigilantes in Rajasthan’s Alwar district. Three persons have so far been arrested in the Alwar lynching. Khan, a resident of Mewat in Rajasthan, was transporting the animals to his village along with another man when they were stopped by a group of villagers near Lalawandi village in Alwar. When the cops reached the site, they found Khan lying in mud. | 4,182 |
out there and maybe inspire people to do the same.
Gavin: Going more statewide, what's your take on the street art you've seen in SLC and Provo, both good and bad?
Leuven: I haven't seen very much in Provo. Every now and then a stencil pops up, or someone pastes over my stuff. That's cool. Even if it's not my taste, I like that people are creating art and putting it in the city. I love the stuff in SLC. There are some great murals. Every time I visit, I find the most perfect blank walls.
click to enlarge
Gavin: Is there anything you believe those artists could do to showcase themselves and the art better or make themselves and it more prominent?
Leuven: I don't think I'm very prominent, but I think putting work all over your city will eventually get people to pay attention. I feel the primary goal of a street artist should be to enjoy seeing art in their community. Street art doesn't pay very well.
Gavin: What's your opinion of our art scene as a whole and the impact it has on our community?
Leuven: There is a lot of talent. It would be cool if Provo suddenly transformed into this art hub in Utah. I think the city should get more involved in promoting art. It's an investment, but I think it really pays off. I would love to see Provo get covered with street art.
click to enlarge
Gavin: In recent years, our street art has jumped to become much more active in political and social causes. How do you see this as benefiting those causes and the art itself?
Leuven: I think when you offer people on the street something to think about, it makes the area so much more interesting. Street art can have an entertainment value. I don't think it has to be political, but it is a powerful way to make a point. It seems like people pay attention to graffiti more than they do to flyers or advertisements.
Gavin: What can we expect from you over the rest of the year?
Leuven: I guess just more street art. I really do hope to branch out to other areas besides Provo.
click to enlarge
Gavin: Is there anything you'd like to promote or plug?
Leuven: Try doing graffiti and don't get caught.
| 4,183 |
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LAS VEGAS — President Donald Trump tuned into the Nevada Democratic caucuses on Saturday, tweeting that "Crazy Bernie" was doing well and telling the Vermont senator, "Don't let them take it away from you!"
"Looks like Crazy Bernie is doing well in the Great State of Nevada. Biden & the rest look weak, & no way Mini Mike can restart his campaign after the worst debate performance in the history of Presidential Debates," Trump tweeted, short before NBC News projected Sanders would win. "Congratulations Bernie, & don't let them take it away from you!"
Since the 2016 primary, Trump has frequently suggested that the Democratic National Committee is working against Sanders to keep him from winning the party's nomination.
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A scenario receiving increased attention involves Sanders arriving at the Democratic National Convention this summer having won more delegates than any other candidate but not enough for the nomination and then being outmaneuvered by Democratic deal making to give the nomination to someone else because they believe the democratic socialist and self-proclaimed revolutionary can't beat Trump.
Many Sanders supporters felt that the DNC favored Hillary Clinton in 2016 and again prefers a more centrist candidate this time around as the nominee — a chasm in the Democratic Party that Trump frequently likes to capitalize on.
"The Kremlin is reportedly backing Bernie Sanders bid to win the White House," Trump tweeted. "Why didn't somebody tell me this?"
“The Kremlin is reportedly backing Bernie Sanders bid to win the White House.” Jon Scott @FoxNews Why didn’t somebody tell me this? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 23, 2020
On Friday, The Washington Post reported that Russia was attempting to help Sanders' campaign. Sanders and Trump, along with other lawmakers, had been briefed on Russia's efforts. Intelligence reports have also shown that Russia is interfering in the election to benefit Trump.
"Democrats in the Great State of Nevada (Which, because of the Economy, Jobs, the Military & Vets, I will win in November), be careful of Russia, Russia, Russia," Trump tweeted earlier Saturday morning. "According to Corrupt politician Adam 'Shifty' Schiff, they are pushing for Crazy Bernie Sanders to win. Vote!"
Although there are no Republican nominating contests being held in Nevada this weekend, Trump held a campaign rally in Las Vegas on Friday.
Trump lost Nevada to Hillary Clinton in 2016 by roughly 2.4 percentage points. | 4,184 |
What is the 'Fence' route?
Click here for the entire Inside the Playbook series.
On Thursday, I went to my defensive notebooks to write up a Mike Shanahan game plan when he was coaching the Broncos. Offensive tendencies, the run game, route schemes, crucial plays, etc. And after posting the piece, I received multiple questions via email on the “Fence” route. A vertical concept out of Regular personnel from Shanahan’s playbook that sends four strong and puts stress on the top of the defense.
Let’s check it out on the chalkboard and break it down vs. Cover 3.
Personnel: Regular (2WR-1TE-2RB)
Formation: Pro (Strong I)
Route: “Fence”
Route breakdown: Similar to the “999” concept (Cover 2 beater) when we focus on the vertical routes. The No.1 WR to the closed (strong) side of the formation (Z) will run the clear out 9 (fade) route with the TE (Y) running the inside vertical seam (post route vs. Cover 3). The FB (F) will release vertically up the field with the RB (R) on the swing route—giving the offense a “4-strong” look. To the open (weak) side of the formation, I have the X running a “choice” route (Slant, Curl, Smash) based off his pre-snap read of the defensive scheme.
F Alignment: This is key from a defensive perspective when you break the huddle with Regular personnel on the field. The FB (F) is in a “chowed” alignment (outside leg of the tackle) for a reason: to release into the route scheme. Know the difference between a run alignment and a pass alignment when you go through your pre-snap keys as a defensive player. This alignment here has to be a pass alert on the field.
Beating Cover 3: We can also draw this up vs. Cover 2 or Cover 4, but let’s stick with Cover 3 (3-deep, 4-under). With both the FS and the closed side CB occupied by vertical concepts (and the SS widening to play the R on the swing route), the offense wants to target the FB. If the closed side “middle hook” defender (S) doesn’t get enough depth in his drop, this will turn into a productive play with the FB splitting the FS and CB.
Follow me on Twitter: @MattBowen41 | 4,185 |
I always like coming up with different ways to eat chicken breast. Chicken is one of my favorite foods and even though I try to add some variety to my meals and try different cuts of meat I almost always go back to chicken. Boneless, skinless chicken breast is so versatile and it is the star of this semi-fancy dish.
I used the following ingredients for Low Carb Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken Breast: 6 thin cut boneless skinless chicken breast
3-4 slices of Prosciutto
1 3/4 cups of chicken stock, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 sprigs of fresh Thyme
1 tsp Dijon mustard Place half a slice of prosciutto on top of each chicken breast. Starting from the smaller end roll the chicken to the wider end. Secure the chicken with kitchen twine or toothpicks. Heat 1-2 Tbsp of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. Sear the chicken for 2-3 minutes on all sides. Add 1 1/4 cups of the chicken stock (scrapping the browned bits of the bottom of the pan). Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken and keep warm. Add the remaining chicken stock (1/2 cup), garlic, and the leaves from the thyme sprigs. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until reduced. Add the Dijon mustard and stir to combine. Serve the sauce over the chicken. Served with steamed broccoli.
Net Carb Count*:
Low Carb Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken Breast : 5 net carbs (for the entire recipe)
*Note carb counts are estimated based on the products I used. Check nutrition labels for accurate carb counts and gluten information.Comments: If you do not have thin cut chicken breasts, regular can be used, but pound the chicken to about 1/4-1/2″ thickness. It was much easier for me to just use thin cut. Also, if you eat dairy it would be great with a piece of Swiss cheese rolled into the chicken. It was almost like a Chicken Cordon Bleu. The Dijon mustard adds a lot of flavor and creaminess to the sauce. It’s just perfect over the chicken. Enjoy! ~Karen
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The 2018 StackOverflow survey has just been published, with good news for PostgreSQL.
http://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2018/#technology-most-loved-dreaded-and-wanted-databases
StackOverflow got more than 100,000 responses from people in a comprehensive 30 minute survey.
PostgreSQL is the third most commonly used database, with 33% of respondents, slightly behind MySQL and SQLServer, yet well ahead of other options. Early in January, the DBEngines results showed PostgreSQL in 4th place behind Oracle, yet here we see that actually Oracle heads up the Most Dreaded list along with DB2, leaving PostgreSQL to power through to 3rd place.
PostgreSQL at 62% is the second most loved database, so close behind Redis (on 64%) that they’re almost even. But then Redis is only used by 18.5% of people and its very much a different beast anyway – yes, its a datastore, but not a full functioned database like PostgreSQL and others.
The distinction for some people will be PostgreSQL is relational, Redis is not. For me, that is not enough since PostgreSQL is and always has been “post-relational” and we know it can handle many different data types and use cases, such as GIS, full-text, documents stores (JSON and XML) as well OLTP, business intelligence with parallel query and even has the ability to handle graph models with recursive graph-search queries.
Notice that neither MySQL nor SQLServer are well loved, yet enough people use them that we can be pretty certain of that as a collective opinion.
Later we learn that SQLServer has a strong correlation with C# and that MySQL has a strong correlation with PHP/HTML/CSS/WordPress, so they are both the main database choice for those software stacks. What’s interesting there is that PostgreSQL doesn’t have any correlation towards Java, Python, Ruby etc. Or if I might interpret that differently, it is equally popular amongst developers from all languages who aren’t already using LAMP or MS stacks.
SQL is the 4th most pervasive language in use, behind Javascript, HTML and CSS. At 58.5% it is way ahead of 5th place Java at 45%.
Later we learn that 57.5% of people love SQL, which is pretty much everyone that uses it.
We’ll do some more analysis when the anonymized data is available, just to double check these analyses. | 4,187 |
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium is removing the observation deck from the African Painted Dogs exhibit following the tragedy last month that left a 2-year-old boy dead.
The announcement was made Thursday morning immediately following the Allegheny County District Attorney’s visit to the zoo.
The D.A. had a meeting with the zoo director and the police officers who responded to the tragic accident. He’s now reviewing how to prevent future accidents.
Sources tell KDKA’s Marty Griffin that the observation deck will be removed fairly quickly. It looks like the platform will be replaced by a glass wall but there could be a fence.
In another major development, sources say the District Attorney Office has agreed to provide high-powered rifles for the zoo.
Sources tell KDKA’s Marty Griffin that the number of.357-caliber rifles that will be purchased for the zoo has not yet been determined.
Sources also say a highly-trained zoo response team, that apparently already has weapons, will most likely be trained in the use of the.357 rifle by Pittsburgh police at the city’s gun range.
“We are going to work together with the zoo and with these administrative and regulatory agencies, and we’re going to do as best we can to prevent this type of tragedy from ever happening again,” said Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala last week.
He went inside the zoo Thursday morning to meet with zoo officials.
Along with plans to provide the zoo with rifles, the observation platform at the exhibit will also be taken down. It was there on Nov. 4 where the African Painted Dogs mauled 2-year-old Maddox Derkosh when he fell into the exhibit.
The District Attorney’s Office released this statement after the two-hour meeting that included the zoo’s CEO Dr. Barbara Baker.
“Dr. Baker advised the District Attorney’s Office that out of respect to the community and for the Derkosh family, the observation platform of the exhibit at issue would be removed.”
Sources close to the investigation tell KDKA’s Marty Griffin that right now it looks like platform will be replaced by the type of glass wall used at other exhibits around the zoo.
The zoo offered no comment on the meeting other than to say they will cooperate fully with agencies investigating the incident.
RELATED LINKS:
Zoo Exhibit Platform To Be Removed (12/6/12)
Pittsburgh Zoo Tragedy | 4,188 |
In the normal course of American political life, Tax Day plays a fairly limited role—an ideological emblem either of the yoke of government power or the obligations of citizens to contribute to the common good. President Donald Trump’s secrecy, and his unprecedented financial entanglements, have expanded that role dramatically. This year, the approach of Tuesday’s tax filing deadline inspired anti-Trump protests across the country, and renewed demands for the president to do what every president since Richard Nixon has done voluntarily and release his recent tax returns.
I did what was an almost an impossible thing to do for a Republican-easily won the Electoral College! Now Tax Returns are brought up again? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 16, 2017
At his Monday briefing, White House press secretary Sean Spicer repeated the justification Trump has offered for withholding those returns from the public all along. “The president is under audit,” Spicer said. “It’s a routine one, it continues, and I think that the American public know clearly where he stands. This was something he made very clear during the election cycle.” Trump has asked the press to take this audit excuse at face value for almost two years, even as it is now within Trump’s power to ask the IRS to certify that he is, indeed, under audit.
Spicer, along with other White House officials and Republicans in Congress who are abetting Trump’s corruption, must be incredibly confident about the outcome of next year’s midterm elections.
Only the majority parties in the House and Senate have subpoena power. The chairmen of the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees have power under the law to secure Trump’s tax returns and make them public. So although Democrats can’t promise voters huge legislative gains while Trump is president, they can credibly promise to address many of the ethical questions that have swirled around him since last year’s campaign—and that, if they’re not given control of one or both chambers of Congress, those questions will continue to go unanswered.
Trump’s tax returns will play a starring role in 2018 if for no other reason than that they symbolize the concrete stakes of the midterms: that only the Democrats will reveal his returns, if so empowered by voters; and that only Democrats will get to the bottom of Trump’s corruption more generally. It is an issue that will continually resurface until the election, after which the White House had better hope Republicans still control Congress. Because if they don’t, the potential consequences for their party in 2020 are nearly bottomless. | 4,189 |
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the world-leading security organisation has warned the spectre of terrorism will continue to haunt Europe for many years to come against an increase in radicalisation in European nations.
Speaking with Austrian foreign minister at the Vienna launch of the new OCSE report Friday, academic Peter Neumann said the threat of terror “will continue to occupy us for many, many years,” as he warned of the enduring danger of hardened militants returning to Europe from the Islamic State.
Stating the trend for the coming years suggested more low-tech, easy to execute but difficult to stop attacks, Neumann said while defeating the Islamic State was an important goal it wouldn’t immediately solve the security situation as other groups would rise to take its place.
Socialist ex-prime minister who said France should "learn to live with terrorism" wants to join Macron's party. https://t.co/jAfxh7fQb5 — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) May 9, 2017
The report itself also revealed startling new figures on the extent of terror attacks in the past year. Taking in all attacks by extremists across the 57 nations that make up the OCSE area — broadly Europe, North Africa, and Russia — the body stated there had been 1,000 extremist related deaths in 2016 and “destroyed billions of Euros worth of property and infrastructure”.
Making clear how widespread a problem such attacks had become, the report stated: “There is practically no country in the OSCE that has not been affected by violent extremism.”
Hitting out at the often half-hearted approach of European governments toward fighting the causes of terrorism, which can be hobbled by concerns of racism, cultural insensitivity, and political correctness the report called for “participating states to be genuine — and forceful.”
Polish Prime Minister: ‘Impossible Not to Connect Terrorism with Migration Policy’ https://t.co/iliIXl4NMS pic.twitter.com/xNcPrij0be — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) March 23, 2017
Making clear that the work needed to defeat terrorism wouldn’t necessarily be easy, the report stated nations would have to be committed, “even if it means having to change course or re-examine their own policies and actions.”
While the report cites the many attacks and incidents in OSCE countries in 2016, it comes as Europe has experienced a major year of terror attacks in 2017 including the Manchester Arena bombing, the London Bridge attack, and the Barcelona attack. | 4,190 |
Top Customer Reviews
Customer reviews are independent and do not represent the views of Zavvi.
Star Wars Force Awakens well protected with cardbord slip case packaging for overseas mail Was this helpful? Yes (1) No (0) Report this review
“The droid…stole a freighter?” Three stars is for the steelbook not the film. I loved The Force Awakens. The front cover of steelbook is great and is why I bought it but why did they put Captain Phasma on back? I don't know...It should have been Rey, with the lightsabers joining up, that would have looked awesome! Was this helpful? Yes (3) No (1) Report this review
A must-buy for any fan For any Star Wars fans out there, this simply is a compulsory purchase. A presentable cover, with a bonus feature disc, I managed to buy this when it was available on sale. Was this helpful? Yes (0) No (4) Report this review
Fantastic! Looks really nice! It is exactly what I hoped for and expected! No complaints! Shipping and delivery is excellent and very quick. Was this helpful? Yes (0) No (2) Report this review
Delivery so fast,Awesome I'm living in Thailand,So my item arrived just 2 weeks,Too fast,and my item is awesome! Was this helpful? Yes (0) No (1) Report this review
ok lets be honest... This steelbook would not get any Oscars for 1. The Light saber colour, or the cover in general. With my hand on the good book, I say this without reservation. But because I have seen other countries & their steelbook versions, believe they are worse by a miles. I will give the film ★☆★☆★ & the Steelbook itself ★☆★. The price I purchased this is a mighty plus!. It arrived today. Was this helpful? Yes (0) No (2) Report this review
Fantastic! I bought my partner the Steelbooks for Episodes I-VI last Christmas so I was keen to complete the collection this year. Fantastic price, fast dispatch and well packaged to avoid damage. Arrived before expected date. Was this helpful? Yes (0) No (1) Report this review
Great value Fantastic steelbook with interesting additional features. Great addition to my collection. Was this helpful? Yes (0) No (2) Report this review
Awesome Steelbook I am a fan of Star wars and steelbook is in my collection Was this helpful? Yes (0) No (1) Report this review | 4,191 |
Image caption Mr Gruebel was brought out of retirement in 2009 to reform UBS after it almost collapsed
The chief executive of Swiss bank UBS has resigned over an alleged £1.5bn ($2.3bn) rogue-trading loss.
The move is part of a major shake-up at the bank which will also see it shrink its investment banking division to reduce its risks.
"Oswald Gruebel feels that it is his duty to assume responsibility for the recent unauthorised trading incident," Chairman Kaspar Villiger said.
London-based trader Kweku Adoboli has been charged over the affair.
Rogue trader
Mr Adoboli was arrested last week and charged with fraud and false accounting. He has been remanded in custody until 20 October.
Mr Adoboli, from east London, made no application for bail and gave no indication of how he would plead when he appeared in court on Thursday.
His lawyer, Patrick Gibbs, said Mr Adoboli was "sorry beyond words for what had happened".
"He went to UBS and told them what he had done, and stands now appalled at the scale of the consequences of his disastrous miscalculations," he said.
UBS changes
UBS said Europe, Middle east and Africa chief Sergio P Ermotti would take over as interim chief executive.
The trading losses are an embarrassment to the bank which is still recovering from its near collapse during the 2008 financial crisis.
UBS's investment bank will be shrunk significantly - it will take less risk, have a smaller balance sheet and use less capital Read Robert's full entry
The firm's biggest shareholder, Singapore Investment Corp (GIC) has expressed its "disappointment and concern" at lapses at the bank which may have led to the losses.
The bank's board said it would seek to adopt "mitigation measures" to deal with any failures.
Mr Villiger also promised the bank would be more 'client centric' in future.
"The Investment Bank will be less complex, carry less risk and use less capital to produce reliable returns," he said.
This is likely to mean the bank will take less risk, especially in its investment banking division.
Mr Villiger praised the work of Mr Gruebel, 67, since he was brought out of retirement in 2009 to reform UBS after it almost collapsed under the weight of more than $50bn of toxic assets.
A regular UBS board meeting that had been scheduled to finish on Friday is continuing by conference call, reports said. | 4,192 |
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British Columbia’s film and television industry continues to be a major contributor to the province’s economy, but overall Canadian-based content may be suffering.
According to a report released by the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), the budgets of film and TV production Canada increased by 5.9 per cent to an all-time high of $8.92 billion in 2018.
B.C. is home to 40 per cent of Canada’s film and television production, with Ontario accounting for 32 per cent and Quebec 20 per cent.
WATCH: End of an era in Hollywood North
2:03 End of an era in Hollywood North End of an era in Hollywood North
“These impressive numbers illustrate that our incredibly skilled workforce, underpinned by strong production infrastructure, have built Canada’s industry into one of the world’s foremost production sectors,” CMPA CEO Reynolds Mastin said.
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The report shows the largest contributions to film and TV in Canada came from outside the country, while Canadian-based productions have suffered decreases in funding.
Investment in Canadian theatrical feature films decreased by $5 million in 2018 while financing of Canadian television programs fell by $127 million.
“The numbers show there are clouds forming on the horizon, which require attention if we are to strive for a balanced sector, where Canadian and international productions reinforce one another, and where there is opportunity for Canadian stories to thrive in the digital era,” Mastin said.
Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Lisa Beare highlighted the importance the B.C. government places in keeping Canadian funding for Canadian-based film projects.
“This report was just released yesterday so we are going to be reviewing it and all of its findings and making sure that we are working with Creative BC to ensure that we continue to strengthen film development,” Beare said.
According to Creative BC, the industry’s growth in the province is due in part to the increasing use of visual effects in feature films and TV programs. Evidence of B.C.’s prominence in the visual effects industry lies in the Oscar-winning animated feature film, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
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“A number of the effects were done out of Sony Images offices here in Vancouver so we’ve got a huge amount of talent, a huge amount of studios choosing to make B.C. their home, which are resulting in us being a top choice,” Beare said. | 4,193 |
The world's largest fund manager has sounded a warning to company boards that fail to stop awarding bosses bumper pay packets.
BlackRock has told the chairs of the UK's biggest companies they must stop making big payments when executives leave, and in lieu of pensions.
It would only approve pay increases for directors if workers' wages also rose.
BlackRock is a major shareholder in almost every company listed on the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250.
It could vote against the re-election of directors if its advice is ignored.
The fund manager wrote in its letter: "Where we determine that executive pay is not aligned with the best long-term interests of shareholders, we will also consider this in our voting decision for remuneration committee members' re-election."
Pay packages for bosses should be "strongly linked" to "sustainable returns" over the long term, BlackRock added.
"We consider misalignment of pay with performance as an indication of insufficient board oversight, which calls into question the quality of the board", it said.
The fund manager has also said that severance payments should no longer be made to executives who are sacked, choose to leave, or retire.
However, its demands would only apply to new pay packages, rather than executives already in post.
Chief executives of FTSE 100 firms now have a median pay package of £4.3m, which is 140 times that of the average worker, according to the High Pay Centre.
'Hold executives to account'
Some companies may heed BlackRock's calls given increasing political attention on the issue.
Dozens of big companies will also put their executive pay plans to a binding shareholder vote this year under existing rules that require them to do so every three years.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Business Secretary Greg Clark wants to give greater powers to shareholders
Soon after Theresa May became prime minister in July, she said there should be annual binding votes on executive pay.
But a consultation announced in late November indicated that ministers had rowed back from that stance.
Greg Clark, the Business Secretary, said he wanted chief executives to be paid in line with performance. "The right thing is to give greater powers to shareholders to hold executives to account," he told the BBC then.
The government does not plan to force companies to put workers' representatives on boards - a practice that is common in countries such as Germany.
Among other measures under consideration are pay ratios, which would show the gap in earnings between the chief executive and an average employee.
The consultation will run until 17 February. | 4,194 |
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany will move forward this week with plans to set up a joint fleet of Lockheed Martin Corp C-130J transport planes with France and join a Netherlands-led fleet of Airbus A330 tanker planes, defense ministry sources said on Monday.
A German soldier holds NATO flag during a ceremony to welcome the German battalion being deployed to Lithuania as part of NATO deterrence measures against Russia in Rukla, Lithuania February 7, 2017. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins
Those and several other initiatives with Norway, Romania and the Czech Republic are part of a broader drive to expand European defense cooperation to be announced at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, the sources said.
The agreements come as Germany and other NATO members face increasing pressure from the United States to spend more for their own military and reach NATO’s target of devoting 2 percent of gross domestic product to defense spending.
Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, who last week said U.S. demands for greater burden-sharing were “fair,” will sign an expanded declaration of intent for a joint C-130J fleet with France, a plan first floated in October, the sources said.
The declaration calls for Germany to buy four to six Lockheed planes from the U.S. government and pool them with France’s fleet. France is buying four C-130Js from Lockheed and could purchase several additional aircraft in coming years, according to an additional source familiar with the program.
A Lockheed spokeswoman referred questions to Germany and France but said the company looked forward to supporting those countries’ airlift needs.
Germany will also sign a declaration of intent to join a European multinational fleet of Airbus tankers that is led by the Netherlands and already includes Luxembourg.
If Belgium and Norway also join the group, the Multinational MRTT Fleet (MMF) could expand to cover 8,800 flight hours a year, according to documents provided to German lawmakers last year. That would equate to about eight tankers.
The ministry said last year it could spend up to 1 billion euros in coming years for use of new Airbus planes that would be bought for the joint fleet.
The planes would be based at Eindhoven Air Base in the Netherlands and at a German military base at the Cologne-Bonn airport, the sources said.
Germany will also sign an expanded defense cooperation agreement with Norway that includes already procurement plans for submarines and missiles, as well as joint training, logistics and maintenance efforts.
There will also be declarations of intent for joint training and deployments of land forces with the Czech Republic and Romania, the source said. | 4,195 |
THE contract has been signed for two new fleets of electric trains for the Scottish central belt.
Hitachi is to supply its AT200 units for the Edinburgh-Glasgow electrification as 46 three-car and 24 four-car sets, which will mainly be assembled at Newton Aycliffe in County Durham. They will be delivered between 2017 and 2019 for use on the main Edinburgh to Glasgow Queen Street line. They will also run to Stirling, Dunblane and Alloa when electrification of those routes has been completed.
The lease is unusual, because after 25 years the Scottish Government would be able to buy the fleets for just £1. The deal has been completed as new ScotRail franchisee Abellio prepares to take over from FirstGroup on 1 April. The contract includes a 10-year maintenance deal.
Scottish transport minister Derek McKay said: “With the new ScotRail franchise, a number of impressive infrastructure projects and these slick new trains, we are giving Scotland a railway to be proud of.
“Abellio’s winning bid for the ScotRail franchise included several exciting proposals and I look forward to seeing it all take shape from their takeover of the service in just a few weeks.
“Passengers will love using these new trains with many more seats, but the benefits go far beyond that. The use of electric trains on Scotland’s busiest route will help reduce our carbon footprint. The improved journey times and connection can only be good for our two biggest cities. And the innovative contract has reduced the cost of the finance, as well as guaranteeing a great deal for Scotland in the longer term.
“This is real evidence of Scotland’s railways being fit for the future.”
The first seven trains will be built in Hitachi’s Kasado factory in Japan, with the remaining 63 coming from Newton Aycliffe.
Abellio chief executive Jeff Hoogesteger said: “This is an important deal for passengers and for Scotland. New trains for Scotland were a key feature in Abellio’s bid for the franchise and we are excited to be pressing the button on the delivery programme.
“The arrival of 24 Hitachi AT200s by Dec 2017 and a further 46 by Dec 2018 will ensure that the full benefits of the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme are realised for passengers; delivering faster journey times, greater capacity and higher service quality.
“And the effects of the investment will spread much wider than that. The new trains will be more energy efficient, and innovations in design and lightweight construction will reduce the impact of services on important infrastructure.” | 4,196 |
LONDON (Reuters) - Ford Motor Company F.N said on Saturday it will take bids on some of its advertising managed by WPP WPP.L, adding to uncertainty around the British ad giant after last week's exit of founder Martin Sorrell.
The Ford logo is seen at the New York Auto Show in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., March 29, 2018. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo
While Ford’s decision does not affect all of its accounts with WPP - and the agency will be able to bid for the rest of the business along with everyone else - it comes at a difficult juncture for the world’s biggest advertising firm.
Sorrell, who over 33 years built the firm into one of Britain’s biggest companies, quit last week as chief executive officer after an allegation of personal misconduct that he denies.
Saturday’s announcement is part of a review of Ford’s strategy that has lasted since November, when it told long-time partner WPP that it was considering its future ad model.
“We are going to place some portions of our advertising business up for bid with other agencies, including WPP, beginning in the coming weeks. No decisions have been made,” Ford Britain said in a statement.
It added that WPP is a trusted partner of Ford and that it had offered the agency more detail about its marketing aspirations.
WPP, which counts Ford as a major client, declined to comment.
WPP staff were sent a memo on Friday outlining Ford’s decision.
“WPP will have an opportunity to compete with other firms to retain these portions of the business, and will remain Ford’s agency of record in some other key areas,” a copy of the memo seen by Reuters said.
Ford’s review of its ad operations does not include accounts with WPP in China, public affairs, U.S. dealerships or WPP’s Hudson Rouge agency that handles Ford’s luxury Lincoln brand, the memo said.
WPP and its major rivals Omnicom OMC.N, Publicis PUBP.PA and IPG IPG.N face challenges on every front, from the might of Google and Facebook - whom Sorrell famously dubbed "frenemies" - to the rapidly encroaching consultants Accenture and Deloitte.
With clients demanding ever-lower fees, big advertising groups are grappling to become more nimble and efficient to protect their revenues and avoid pressure on them to break up. | 4,197 |
Following the destruction of the second Death Star (a much bigger version, at a cost of $419 quintillion) and the fall of the Galactic Empire, I presumed there would be an immediate default on imperial debt, a drop in asset valuations (comparable to equities after Sept. 11) and a potential for cascading defaults in the financial sector. Because the financial system in “Star Wars” lacked any meaningful regulation, the resulting financial crisis was larger than I ever imagined. Without a financial bailout of 20 percent of the entire galactic economy, the victory of the Rebel Alliance would cause a galactic depression that would compare to the Great Depression, or worse.
When the Rebel Alliance emerged victorious in “Return of the Jedi” and, presumably, chose to repudiate the imperial debts from both Death Stars, there would have been a drop of nearly 8.5 percent in gross galactic product (G.G.P.), according to my analysis, an almost sure path to economic depression. In only 40 percent of my simulations, the financial system absorbed this shock to the banking sector. However, the other 60 percent of cases set off a systemic crisis that crippled the galactic economy.
Did the Rebel Alliance foresee the economic consequences of destroying the second Death Star and take steps to mitigate an economic collapse? Without intelligent economic policy, a bailout of 15 percent to 20 percent of G.G.P. would have been necessary simply to limit the galactic economic fallout to something comparable to the gross domestic product decline at the heart of the Great Recession.
Fortunately, “Star Wars” is a work of fiction. Unfortunately, as we witnessed in 2008, financial systemic risk is a very real threat to the economic well-being of the United States and the world. As with a medical epidemic, understanding the causes, symptoms and progression of a contagious event is necessary to prevent economic illness. Financial contagion is the spreading of losses of individual institutions to other firms, and ultimately to the whole economy. That contagion can occur through local or global interactions: for example, locally through direct financial obligations, and globally to any bank through the impact on asset prices.
BECAUSE of the large cost to society, it is important that we accurately model what occurs in a systemic crisis. This is why my model of the “Star Wars” economy — a system of mathematical equations — is not entirely silly. Financial-contagion models provide a glimpse into how the financial sector can affect the health of the entire economy. Just as I made simplifying assumptions to price the Death Star, researchers construct mathematical models (in all fields) by looking at the world and translating what they observe into mathematical formulas. | 4,198 |
It might surprise you to learn that the parathyroid glands are secretly one of the most important glands in your body. The four little glands in your neck control your body’s calcium levels, and calcium in turn controls everything from bone strength to muscle contractions to cognitive function.
Doctors have long realized the importance of these glands, as well as the vital importance of removing them should they become diseased.
Historically, parathyroid removal was fairly invasive, as it usually required exploratory surgery. The average person has two parathyroid glands on the right side of the neck and two on the left. The only way to tell which gland or glands were diseased was to cut open the neck and look at them.
This method was less than ideal, obviously.
Doctors began searching for a less invasive means of identifying diseased parathyroid glands in the late 1970s. They did this using nuclear imaging. Early imaging for parathyroid disease primarily focused on functionality – that is, it located the diseased glands. What that imaging didn’t do, however, was give surgeons a sense of the anatomy of the gland. They could tell which gland wasn’t working, but they didn’t necessarily know its precise location, or its anatomical makeup.
“The early parathyroid imaging scans looked like the Rorschach ink blot tests that psychologists use,” said Dr. James Lee, Columbia Medical Center’s Chief of Endocrine Surgery. “Even in the best of hands, the accuracy of these tests were only up to about 80%.”
Doctors at Columbia University Medical Center sought to change that. Dr. Lee and several other surgeons from the Department of Surgery collaborated with doctors in the Nuclear Imaging Department to invent a new type of parathyroid imaging, which fuses key aspects of both the nuclear medicine scan and the traditional CT scan, allowing surgeons to not only tell which parathyroid gland was malfunctioning, but also where exactly it is located and what its shape is.
They call this imaging technique the “parathyroid series.” Here’s an example:
“This scan done here at Columbia is about 96% accurate. It’s by far the best method we have to localize parathyroid disease. Up to 80 to 90% of patients who had negative test done elsewhere, when they get tested here at Columbia using our 4D CT scan, they have positive imaging that localizes to a single diseased gland.”
To learn more about Parathyroid Imaging and Surgery, please visit the New York Parathyroid Center. | 4,199 |
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