text
stringlengths 245
34.4k
| id
int64 0
1.27M
|
|---|---|
This article was co-authored by Melissa Jannes. Melissa Jannes is a Licensed Esthetician and the owner of Maebee's Beauty Studio in Philadelphia, a single practitioner space providing quality services with individualized attention. Melissa is also a National Educator for Universal Companies. She received her esthetics degree at The Beauty School of Middletown in 2008 and is licensed in both New York and Pennsylvania. Melissa won the "Best of Beauty" award from Allure magazine in 2012 for the quality of her bikini waxing. This article has been viewed 6,247,538 times.
X
To apply makeup, first prepare your skin by applying a light moisturizer or sunblock followed by a makeup primer. This will protect your skin and help your makeup last longer. Next, use a sponge, makeup brush, or lightly dampened beauty blender to apply a light layer of foundation. Then, use concealer to cover any blemishes. A green concealer helps reduce the appearance of redness, and a light concealer helps brighten under the eyes and dark spots. To emphasize your cheekbones, nose, and jawline, consider contouring. Simply dust bronzer along your temples, the hollow of your cheeks, and the sides of your nose. Then, dab highlighter on your cheekbones, the tip of your nose, and the tip of your chin. To add some more color, you can also apply blush to the apples of your cheeks in an upward sweeping motion. For your eyebrows, start by gently brushing them in short, outward strokes. Line the outer edges of your brows with a colored brow gel, powder, or pencil to accentuate the natural shape of each brow. Finish with a clear brow gel to hold them in place. For your eyes, start by applying a light dab of concealer or eyeshadow primer to your eyelids. Then, using a brush or your finger, dust eyeshadow in a light circular motion. Start from the center of your lid and work your way outward toward each corner of your eye. Then, with a steady hand, use a liquid or pencil eyeliner along your upper lash line. For a more dramatic look, consider winging the tips of your liner up and out. For an edgier look, you can smudge pencil eyeliner around the outer corner of your top and bottom lash lines using a q-tip or your finger. For a daytime look, consider using white eyeliner along the waterline of your eyes to make eyes look bigger. Finish your eyes with one to two coats of mascara. Finally, apply your favorite lipstick or lip gloss, and you’re ready to go! To learn more makeup tips, read on! | 4,900 |
,' J. R. A. S. 1880, p. 180.
30:4 Svakrita and sukrita are constantly interchanged. They mean the same, good deeds, or deeds performed by oneself and believed to be good.
30:5 At the Agnihotra, the first of all sacrifices, and the type of many others, two portions of âgya are sacrificed on the right and left side of the Âhavanîya altar. The place between the two is called the Âvâpasthâna, and here the oblations to the gods are to be offered. There are. two oblations in the morning to Sûrya and Pragâpati, two in the evening to Agni and Pragâpati. Other sacrifices, such as the Darsa and Pûrnamâsa, and those mentioned in verse 3, are connected with the Agnihotra.
31:1 The seven worlds form the rewards of a pious sacrificer, the first is Bhuh, the last Satya. The seven worlds may also be explained as the worlds of the father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, of the son, the grandson, and great-grandson, and of the sacrificer himself.
31:2 Or Visvarukî, if there is any authority for this reading in Mahîdhara's commentary to the Vâgas. Samhitâ XVII, 79. The Râjah of Besmah's edition has visvarukî, which is also the reading adopted by Rammohun Roy, see Complete Works, vol. i, p. 579.
31:3 The commentator takes the eighteen for the sixteen priests, the sacrificer, and his wife. But such an explanation hardly yields a satisfactory meaning, nor does plava mean perishable.
32:1 Cf. Kath. Up. II, 5.
32:2 According to the commentator, this verse refers to those who know the uselessness of sacrifices and have attained to a knowledge of the qualified Brahman. They live in the forest as Vânaprasthas and Samnyâsins, practising tapas, i.e. whatever is proper for their state, and sraddhâ, i.e. a knowledge of Hiranyagarbha. The wise are the learned Grihasthas, while those who live on alms are those who have forsaken their family.
32:3 That person is Hiranyagarbha. His immortality is relative only, it lasts no longer than the world (samsâra). | 4,901 |
Blowback to the political donation is immediate, and shocking.
Statement from Phil Griffin, President of MSNBC:
I became aware of Keith’s political contributions late last night. Mindful of NBC News policy and standards, I have suspended him indefinitely without pay.
More coming, obviously.
Ok, let’s decompress. First of all, “indefinitely” is David Shuster language. That’s a big statement.
> Update: Some notes: Chris Hayes fills in tonight, the show will remain Countdown during Olbermann’s absence, and unsurprisingly, there is no date for his return yet.
> Update: First of all, Hayes gave money to Democrats, but actually Hayes isn’t hosting tonight, via Brian Stelter’s Twitter.
Here’s the backstory:
Politico reports Keith Olbermann did last week, in the maximum amount, to three Democratic candidates. This donation came to one candidate directly after his Countdown interview that night – and it may be in violation of NBC’s rules. Rep. Raul Grijalva was a guest on Olbermann’s MSNBC show last Thursday (video below), lamenting the campaign waged against him because of immigration-related SB-1070. “It comes at the end of a campaign when many of us have been battered for six months because of our opposition to 10-70,” he said on the show. It was the sixth time the congressman had appeared on the show in the last sixth months, according to Politico. In the end, Grijalva ended in a too-close-to-call race, eventually pulling out the victory on Thursday night. But that night, Olbermann concluded his show, went over to Mailboxes Etc. around 30 Rock, and donated $2,400 to Grijalva, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and Jack Conway (running against Rand Paul). “Giffords had appeared on Olbermann’s program in May, as did Conway,” reports Politico. So what does this mean? NBC has rules regarding employees donating to political campaigns, discouraging it and impressing that it’s a “a breach of journalistic independence to contribute to the candidates they cover.” Here’s a key part of that policy: “You should report any such potential conflicts in advance to, and obtain prior approval of, the President of NBC News or his designee.”
—–
» Follow Steve Krakauer on Twitter
Have a tip we should know? [email protected] | 4,902 |
STAFF at Captain Cook's cottage have defiantly covered up anti-Australia Day graffiti with a painting of the Endeavour, the ship responsible for bringing Cook to Australia.
The home of Captain Cook was vandalised overnight with anti-Australia Day slogans.
Workers at Captain Cook's Cottage cover anti Australia Day graffiti with painting of "Endeavour". #7NewsMelb pic.twitter.com/7FjX8Fry82 — NickMcCallum7 (@NickMcCallum7) January 23, 2014
Victoria Police confirmed authorities attended the scene at 7:45 this morning and found the cottage, based in Melbourne's Fitzroy Gardens, sprayed with graffiti.
One message reads "26th Jan Australia's shame" while another says "F@#$ Aus Day".
Police are hoping CCTV cameras will lead them to the vandals.
According to the Herald Sun pedestrians walking through the gardens stopped to see the damage.
This is the second year in a row the historic cottage, has been targeted.
BIG W JOINS ALDI, RECALLS 'INFLAMMATORY' AUS DAY SHIRTS
Last year it suffered a similar fate, with vandals paint-bombing the structure on January 28, and another on February 4 with the words, "Cappy Cook was a crook killer liar thief"(sic) sprayed across the brickwork.
The anarchists who claimed responsibility for last year's vandalism said the cottage was an "absurd shrine to genocide".
The recent attack comes ahead of Australia Day plans for the landmark, including "stories of the famous explorer in the Discovery Centre", according to the City of Melbourne website.
Built in 1775 in Yorkshire by Cook's parents, the cottage was transported and erected in Fitzroy Gardens in 1934.
"The cottage was taken apart brick by brick and packed into cases and barrels to be shipped to Australia, along with cuttings of ivy that originally adorned the house, which were replanted when the building was erected in Melbourne," said the website.
Captain James Cook was the first recorded European to sail into the eastern coastline of Australia on April 19, 1770.
'PROPERTY OF AN AUSSIE BOY' SINGLET PULLED FROM ICE STORES
Of his first encounter with Indigenous Australians on April 23, he wrote in his journal, "…and were so near the Shore as to distinguish several people upon the Sea beach they appear'd to be of a very dark or black Colour but whether this was the real colour of their skins or the C[l]othes they might have on I know not." | 4,903 |
The state’s high court has agreed to consider a change to an attorney ethics rule which, in its current form, has sent shockwaves through the law enforcement community and also led the Colorado Attorney General’s Office to halt undercover probes by its in-house investigators.
The adjustment would explicitly say attorneys can engage in dishonest conduct, deceit or misrepresentation in situations where they are directing or supervising law enforcement officers who are conducting “lawful investigative activities.”
Questions over prosecutors’ and lawyers participation in undercover operations began in December 2016 after the Child Sex Offender Internet Investigations Unit — in the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office and known as “CHEEZO” — was shut down following a grievance filed by the defense lawyer of a man convicted after a probe by the team.
The Colorado Attorney Regulation Council, which fielded the complaint, found there was sufficient evidence to explore whether attorneys, who are barred from dishonest conduct, are allowed to participate in or oversee probes by units like CHEEZO, which use subterfuge or officers taking on pretextual identities. That includes cases where investigators seeking out child sex predators pretend to be a teenage girl or officers purport to be searching for a new home in order to root out discrimination.
Under Colorado law, deputies and officers can lie during investigative work. Lawyers and their staff, however, cannot.
The Colorado Attorney General’s Office petitioned the Colorado Supreme Court last month to take up the issue after it and other top prosecutors in the state opted to halt any involvement in undercover probes out of fear of violating the ethics rules. CHEEZO, for instance, has been moved into the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
District attorneys across the state have in-house investigators and they, along with many law enforcement agencies, have asked the Colorado Supreme Court for the ethics rule change. The court is taking comments until Sept. 8 and has scheduled a hearing on the proposed rule change for Sept. 21.
“Public law offices like mine need to provide advice to law enforcement to ensure that undercover investigations, which are a crucial law enforcement tool, are done effectively, comply with the letter and spirit of the law, and protect the rights of all citizens,” Attorney General Cynthia Coffman said in a written statement. “The Court’s announcement is a welcome step in the right direction and I look forward to participating in the Court’s rulemaking process.”
The Colorado Criminal Defense Bar has said it’s against “letting prosecutors lie,” with president Darren Cantor explaining “that really changes the law and not for the better.” | 4,904 |
The Israeli Security Cabinet decided Wednesday to form a committee to monitor Chinese investments — a decision Israeli officials say came after strong pressure from the Trump administration.
The state of play: The Trump administration first raised the issue of limiting Chinese investments in Israel two years ago, and President Trump himself raised it with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu several times.
Netanyahu promised Trump in June that he would pass a Cabinet decision on the issue before Israel's September elections — but it didn’t happen, prompting U.S. frustration and pressure to grow.
Last week, Israeli national security adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat was in Washington for his first meeting with his new U.S. counterpart, Robert O'Brien. Israeli officials say a substantive part of the talks dealt with the American demand to curb investments from China.
The big picture: Earlier this week, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin met with Netanyahu and Israel's Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon in Jerusalem. In both meetings, Mnuchin demanded that Israel make good on its promise to form a monitoring mechanism for Chinese investments, Israeli officials tell me.
According to the Israeli officials, Mnuchin raised concerns over Chinese investments in Israel's tech industry due to the fact that many Israeli companies are cooperating with U.S. companies or work in the American market.
Kahlon told Mnuchin that regulating Israel's tech industry could drive Israeli startups out of the country and badly damage the Israeli economy.
Both Netanyahu and Kahlon told Mnuchin they would pass a Cabinet decision on Chinese investments to address U.S. concerns.
Yes, but: The newly formed committee will only have an advisory role. Government regulators don't have to consult with the committee or accept its recommendations.
The committee will monitor Chinese investments in the areas of finance, communications, infrastructure, transportation and energy — but not in the tech industry.
The new committee will include representatives from Netanyahu's office, the Defense Ministry and the Finance Ministry — with each of the representatives having veto power on deals with China.
The Foreign Ministry, which pushed for accepting U.S. demands on the issue, will only have observer status.
The bottom line: It's still unclear if the new committee's mandate will satisfy the Trump administration, which demanded stronger restrictions on Chinese investments, especially in the tech industry.
Israeli officials tell me Netanyahu wanted to address U.S. concerns but was also worried that any decision would anger China and drive out Chinese investors completely.
The officials added that the Cabinet decision was a compromise between national security and relations with both the U.S. and China.
Go deeper: Israel scrambles to avoid Trump blowback over Chinese investments | 4,905 |
Dozens of New York City police officers turned their backs on Mayor Bill de Blasio during services Sunday to honor and remember a police officer who was killed while on the job last month. The protest defied a request from the city’s police chief not to use the funeral to protest the mayor.
“This city welcomed detective Liu,” de Blasio said, delivering a eulogy at the service. “New York stands a little taller today because of the time he walked among us.”
READ MORE: Why New York Cops Turned Their Backs on Mayor de Blasio
Officer Wenjian Liu was shot and killed along with his partner Rafael Ramos on Dec. 20 by a man who targeted the officers. The funeral for Liu had been delayed to allow family members to travel from China for the services. Liu himself moved to New York from China before joining the NYPD. Both the officer’s father and newlywed wife also delivered emotional eulogies for their fallen loved one.
“To me, he is my soul mate,” said Pei Xia Chen, Liu’s widow. “Wenjian is an incredible husband, son, co-worker and friend. My best friend.”
News of the protest added an unusually prominent dose of politics to the somber affair. As de Blasio praised Liu, officers from the NYPD and elsewhere turned away. William Bratton, the city’s police chief, had sent a department-wide memo Saturday asking that the funeral be about “grieving, not grievance.”
Read More: NYPD Chief Calls for Respect at Slain Officer’s Wake and Funeral
“I remind you that when you don the uniform of this department, you are bound by the tradition, honor and decency that go with it,” he said in the memo.
[NYT]
Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Now Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME. You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder.
Write to Justin Worland at [email protected]. | 4,906 |
CAIRO – 30 June 2018: Egypt has announced rejection to the concept reached by European leaders of establishing “controlled centers” and “disembarkation platforms” for migrants, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid announced Friday.
In a statement to the AFP, Abu Zeid clarified that Egypt’s rejection is based on an utter rejection towards isolating or rejecting migrants.
European leaders on Friday reached a deal on migration that foresees EU countries voluntarily establishing "controlled centers" on their soil to process migrants.
The deal also called the European Council to “swiftly explore the concept of regional disembarkation platforms, in close cooperation with relevant third countries as well as UNHCR and IOM.”
Abu Zeid pointed out that Egypt deals with migrants by integrating them into the society while providing them with their basic needs.
On June 20, Egypt called on the international community to share the collective responsibilities of hosting refugees in a bid to renew Egypt’s moral and legal commitment towards refugees in the territory.
On #WorldRefugeeDay Egypt stresses need to share the collective repsonbilities of hosting refugees. We renew our legal & moral commitment towards refugees on our own territory and keenness to integrate them into society, despite high burdens &economic difficulties @UNHCREgypt — Egypt MFA Spokesman (@MfaEgypt) June 20, 2018
Abu Zeid’s tweet coincided with the World Refugee Day, an international observance that marks June 20 and is dedicated to raising awareness of the situation of refugees throughout the world.
According to The Guardian, campaigners have said “secure migrant processing camps that may be set up in Europe under a deal reached by EU leaders risk becoming de facto detention centers breaching basic human rights.”
Last August, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Egypt reported that the number of refugees and asylum seekers in the country was about 209,000 refugees. Unofficial estimates however indicate that there are more than 300,000 refugees in the country, including those who are registered in the UNHCR.
The UNHCR's annual "Global Trends" study found that a staggering 68.5 million people worldwide had been forcibly displaced by the end of 2017.
According to UNHCR, around 68.5 million people worldwide had been forcibly displaced by the end of 2017 –http://www.unhcr.org/globaltrends2017
“Nearly a quarter of them were uprooted just last year, either for the first time or repeatedly. That's an average of one person displaced every two seconds of the day,” the study says. | 4,907 |
One of them hails from an area believed to have been haunted many years ago – Arnish Moor on the Isle of Lewis.
However, there have been no reported ghostly apparitions on the roadside since a body was discovered on the moor in 1964...
Before then local folklore claimed a ghost had been seen by a distinctive white rock at the bottom of a hill (thought to be Creag a’Bhodaich).
It was said to be the spirit of a local young man who had been murdered there in the 1700s.
Here the story of how he died can be recounted. Apparently two young men, who should have been at school, had been on Arnish Moor looking for grouse eggs.
They ended up arguing over the collection and one of them reached for a rock before hitting the other on the head, killing him.
He dug a hole and buried him by the rock before heading out to sea to escape what he had done.
He stayed away for years before returning one day as an adult. He wasn’t recognised by anyone and decided to stay at a local inn for the night.
He was given his supper and this arrived along with some unusual cutlery....
He enquired about the strange handles on the utensils and the landlady who had served him explained they had been made from sheep bones discovered on Arnish Moor.
He then noticed how the cutlery handles began to bleed when he touched them and it transpired that the sheep bones were actually the bones of his former friend – with an old legend recounting that the corpse of a murder victim will proceed to bleed if touched by the victim’s killer.
The man was shaken to the core by this and proceeded to confess to the killing. He was then hanged for his crime at the gallows in Stornoway.
For many years it has been said that the the white rock was reputed to be haunted by the victim, with the murderer reportedly seen where he was hanged.
In the mid 1960s a skeleton which was thought to be that of a young man was found by two men on the moor.
The remains were analysed by staff at the Forensics’ Department at Edinburgh University, who discovered the body was that of a young man who had died after receiving a fatal blow to the head.
The clothing found on the skeleton is believed to have dated back to around 1700, at around the time when the murder is understood to have occurred on Arnish Moor...
This story is featured in the latest issue of our sister title ‘Back in the Day’ which is out now. | 4,908 |
Bell Canada: weaponizing copyright
We thought we'd seen it all, but Bell has pitched an outrageous proposal to protect its outdated model and censor the Internet... Through NAFTA
Last week Bell pitched an outrageous plan to start censoring the Internet, just to protect their outdated business model. We thought we had seen it all from them – but even WE are shocked!
Bell told the Standing Committee on International Trade on NAFTA that it wants to enshrine mandated website blocking in the trade agreement – a proposal so outrageous it goes beyond even what their U.S. counterparts have asked for. And it gets worse: Bell also asked the government to implement new radical copyright rules that could criminalize our everyday online activities, leading to a major chill on free expression in Canada.
This is a prime example of how corporate lobbyists use free trade agreements to expand their power grab and trample the public interest. Take my word, Bell will use every opportunity it can to lobby for its interests at the expense of our digital rights. But the government said it wants a “progressive" trade deal and we’re going to hold them to it.
Will you speak out right now, and tell the government to stand up for our digital rights, and reject Bell’s absurd proposal?
Bell has a long history of lobbying government in secret discussion, and this is not the first time Bell has gone over the heads of decision-makers engaged in democratic processes. But now they are going even further: trying to use an international trade deal to sneak in laws that would wreak havoc on carefully crafted made-in-Canada policy, in a way that would never work through fair and open processes here at home.
Bell’s plan would establish criminal provisions attached to ALL commercial infringement, which could cover a wide range of common activities online. This would lead Internet users like you and I to censor ourselves online out of fear of criminal liability for copyright infringement – especially without any judicial oversight.
Our pocket books are already at the mercy of Big Telecom – let’s not let them have even more control over what we can and can’t see online.
Tell the government we won’t let Bell sacrifice our digital rights in NAFTA!
Bell’s NAFTA proposal is an unbelievably bold move. Attempting to sacrifice our digital rights while bypassing public consultation and democratic process is the worst kind of trickery. These sorts of censorship activities are what we see in authoritative regimes. Bell’s truly shocking proposal would erode our free speech and control over our online activities.We cannot let Canada go down this path and must stop Bell from using NAFTA to strip us of our digital rights. | 4,909 |
WAYNE, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – His passion for the game began as a young boy.
“I’ve had a club in my hand since I was a little kid,” Tyler Hall said.
But Tyler Hall didn’t know he could make a career out of golf; that is until he was in high school and was serving as a caddy for his dad.
“My dad qualified for the 1996 U.S. Amateur. The last one Tiger Woods won as an amateur.”
Now 20 years later, the 37-year-old Wayne, New Jersey native will be competing against Tiger Woods on one of the sport’s biggest stages – the PGA Championship – at Bethpage Black on Long Island.
To make things just a little harder, it’s known as one of the toughest courses in the country.
“Thanks for reminding me!” the golfer joked.
The husband and dad qualified by sinking a clutch putt in South Carolina this week.
“I’m trying my best to take it as what I’ve done for 20 years, show up like any tournament, dial down the circus and focus, play golf, and enjoy the experience,” Hall said.
This one week will be unlike any other week of his year, when he’s an instructor at Upper Montclair Country Club.
“It’s just managing everything around me and giving it my best shot.”
Hall’s boss at the club was kind enough to give him a few days off so he could prepare for his first major tournament. They will be bringing members to Bethpage Black by the busload in support of the hometown hero.
“It’s the coolest feeling knowing I have a ton of support directed at me, being a hometown kid, it will be a magical week.”
His number one fan – his father – will of course be there too.
“I’m so proud of him, he’s everything I hoped and more. I get choked up when he does so well,” Larry Hall told CBS2’s Jessica Layton.
“My dad always says ‘you’re Tyler Hall when you start and you’re Tyler Hall when you finish. Don’t lose sight of that,’” the PGA competitor added.
Good advice from the man who knows him best, and before 200,000 spectators and millions more watching on TV get to know him too. | 4,910 |
If you're afraid of being in a bank during a bank robbery, don't go to the bank on Friday mornings between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Banks used to have more money on a Friday because it was historically a payday. Also, bank robbers believed that there's more money in the bank at the beginning of the day rather than the end. Interestingly, banks in the supermarkets are actually safer than a regular bank branch. (Source)
The photo is the infamous Duct Tape Robber, read more about him and other stupid criminals in Neatorama's Top 10 Stupid Criminals of 2007.
Two more bank robbery facts:
The Largest Bank Heist in History
The largest bank heist in history occurred in 2003, when nearly $1 billion was stolen from the Central Bank of Iraq just hours after US bombed Baghdad in the Iraq War. The culprit was Saddam Hussein and his family. Only about half of the money was recovered (source).
The First U.S. Bank Robbery
The first bank to be robbed in the United States was the Bank of Pennsylvania. The vault was robbed of $162,821 ($1.8 million in 2006 dollar) in 1798.
Because there was no sign of forced entry, the authorities believed that it was an inside job (locks on the vault's door was just changed). The blacksmith that changed the lock was Pat Lyon, who left Pennsylvania to escape a raging yellow fever epidemic that swept Philadelphia. Lyon suspected that a carpenter was responsible, and went back to Philly to clear his name. The authorities didn't believe him and threw him in the Walnut Prison.
The culprit turned out to be someone who earlier had visited Lyon's shop, named Isaac Davis. He and a partner (an inside man, the bank porter who later died in the epidemic) pulled off the heist but did something monumentally stupid: he started to deposit his stolen money back in the bank! Confronted by the authorities, Davis confessed and gave back all the money. As part of a plea deal, he never served a day in prison.
Even after that confession, the authorities refused to release Lyon. Later, charges against him were dismissed and Lyon sued the bank and law officials. He got $12,000 (a large amount at the time) for false imprisonment.
Pat Lyon at the Forge by John Neagle (1892)
Pat Lyon, who became a hero after his trial, was immortalized by a painting by John Neagle titled Pat Lyon at the Forge. If you look closely, there's a cupola of the Walnut Prison in the background. | 4,911 |
We are excited to be heading back to Chicago for C2E2 2020. Those brave enough to combat the cold are in for a treat as we have a jam-packed schedule with premieres we can’t wait to share with you!
Check out this sweet panel lineup we have going all weekend!
Crunchyroll Industry Panel, Friday, 1:30pm - 2:30pm, Panel Room S404
Crunchyroll Presents: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Friday, 4:15pm - 4:45pm, Panel Room S403
, Friday, 4:15pm - 4:45pm, Panel Room S403
Crunchyroll x WEBTOON Presents: Tower of God Ep. 1 World Premiere, Friday, 4:45pm - 5:15pm, Panel Room S403
Crunchyroll Presents: "The 8th son? Are you kidding me?" Ep. 1-2 Premiere, Saturday, 3:00pm - 4:00pm, Panel Room S403
Crunchyroll Presents: A Destructive God Sits Next to Me, Sunday, 1:45pm - 2:45pm, Panel Room S403
, Sunday, 1:45pm - 2:45pm, Panel Room S403
Space is limited so be sure to get there early to be the first to see some new shows (or eps of your favs this season)!
And don’t forget to check us out on the show floor! Crunchyroll is sitting pretty at booth #937. Take a breath and relax with our open air zen garden, the perfect place to snap a pic with your friends. And we’ve got a Boruto photo op for any ninjas looking to assemble their squad.
But wait, there’s more! We’ve got an awesome prize pack that one lucky fan will get to win. All you have to do is sign up at our booth to take our post-con survey! We’ll reach out to the winner after the show, so you don’t need to be present to win. And if you don’t win the prize pack, you still have a chance to win one year of Crunchyroll Premium when you complete the survey! That’s two chances at some awesome prizes.
And there’s some sweet free posters you can snag too!
C2E2 2020 is being held February 28 - March 1 in the South Building of McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.
| 4,912 |
PETRA, Jordan -- President Barack Obama set aside the Middle East's tricky politics Saturday to marvel at the beauty of one of the region's most stunning sites, the fabled ancient city of Petra.
"This is pretty spectacular," he said, craning his neck to gaze up at the rock faces after emerging from a narrow pathway into a sun-splashed plaza in front of the grand Treasury. The soaring facade is considered the masterpiece of the ancient city carved into the rose-red stone by the Nabataeans more than 2,000 years ago.
Obama's turn as tourist capped a four-day visit to the Middle East that included stops in Israel and the West Bank, as well Jordan. The White House set low policy expectations for the trip, and the president was returning to Washington with few tangible achievements to show. Aides said his intention instead was to reassure the region's politicians and people - particularly in Israel - that he is committed to their security and prosperity.
Curious residents and picture-taking tourists lined the streets of modern Petra as Obama's motorcade wound toward the entrance to the ancient city. The president, dressed in khaki pants, a black jacket and hiking boots, began his walking tour at the entrance to the Siq, a narrow, winding gorge cutting between two soaring cliffs.
The path opened into a dusty plaza with the massive columned Treasury as its centerpiece. Obama declared the carved monument is "amazing."
The Bedouins named the building the Treasury because they believed that urns sculpted on top of it contained great treasures. In reality, the urns represented a memorial for Nabataean royalty. Over time, historians have disagreed on the Treasury's purpose. However, a recent excavation proved that a graveyard exists underneath it.
The Nabataeans established Petra as a crucial junction for trade routes linking China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome. The city flourished until trade routes were redirected in the seventh century, leading to Petra's demise.
Petra is Jordan's most popular tourist attraction, drawing more than a half million visitors yearly since 2007. It may be familiar to many people who saw the 1989 movie, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." Some scenes were filmed in the ancient city.
High winds and overcast skies nearly grounded Marine One, the presidential helicopter, in the Jordanian capital of Amman, which would have forced Obama to scrap the tourist stop. But the weather cleared enough for him and his delegation to make the hour-long flight across Jordan's rugged landscape, arriving in Petra under bright sunshine.
The president departed Jordan after the tour and was due back in Washington late Saturday. | 4,913 |
There are times when a straightforward design model will do – and there are other times in which realism and modeling of potential real-world conditions are extremely important. To provide high quality project visualization for professionals in urban planning, architecture, design and construction, gaming company Epic Games has released a new version of its visualization tool, Twinmotion 2020. Armed with the best technologies from gaming – including the Unreal Engine – Twinmotion 2020 is raising the bar for realism.
Adding new computer-generated lighting controls, improved plants and vegetation, more material options, the 2020 release further blurs the line between computer-generated models and envisioning a model in the real world.
Lighting features include a new global illumination method for simulating indirect lighting, as well as a sun and sky model that gives more realism to building and outdoor renders, and even controls to adjust light at different times of year.
The people have gotten better, too. The 3D animated characters are all new, with photo-scanned character assets. 62 animated and 82 posed characters are available and look more realistic and less distracting than previous versions.
The vegetation, while probably not important to the actual designers/owners/builders, is impressive, with realistic trees, individual grass blades, and detailed shrubs of all kinds. A new vegetation growth tool can model how vegetation will look within a property over time, from first planting to full growth.
Marc Petit, General Manager of Unreal Engine at Epic Games says that the architectural industry, in particular, has been very interested in these types of renderings. Twinmotion delivers real-time, final-quality rendering through a simple and intuitive interface, with the ability to quickly produce a variety of presentation options including images, panoramas, videos, and virtual reality content.
“We have seen incredible adoption of Twinmotion within the architectural industry, with almost half a million Twinmotion registrations since it joined the Epic suite in May of last year,” says Petit.
“It’s always our mission to make high-end visualization more accessible to all users regardless of experience, and Twinmotion 2020 is the most robust release to date – enabling high-quality visuals in real-time, while still being extremely intuitive and easy to use.”
Licenses of Twinmotion 2020 are available to new users at a 50% discount off the US $499 purchase price, plus free upgrades through December 2021. Early adopters using previous versions of Twinmotion get access to Twinmotion 2020 free of charge, and free upgrades through December 2021.
Please see https://www.unrealengine.com/get-now/twinmotion for a full list of pricing and licensing information. | 4,914 |
Stupid For Jesus: A Tennessee lawmaker refuses to support a resolution about the Cumberland Plateau because he doesn’t believe the Earth is 500 million years old.
Tennessee State Rep. Chris Todd argued against a resolution in support of the Cumberland Plateau because the resolution cites scientific research showing the plateau’s sandstone and shale are 500 million years old.
Commenting on the resolution, Rep. Todd said he rejected the science, declaring:
(The resolution is) claiming that these sandstone and shale areas date back 500 million years and I take issue with that because I don’t believe we have any solid evidence that the Earth is that old so I don’t want anything to do with with a statement like that.
The Tennessee Holler reports on the story:
WATCH: “I don’t believe we have any solid evidence the Earth is that old.” Rep. Chris Todd opposes a Rep. John Ray Clemmons resolution about the Cumberland Plateau’s beauty because it says sandstone shale there is 500 million years old
For the record, Rep. Todd is wrong. Earth is approximately 4.5 billion years old. Scientists have calculated that Earth is 4.54 billion years old, with an error range of 50 million years. Regardless of the exact age, it is significantly older than 500 million years.
The Nature Conservancy reports on the Cumberland Plateau:
Stretching across eastern Tennessee from Alabama north into Kentucky, the Cumberland Plateau rises more than 1,000 feet above the Tennessee River Valley to a vast tableland of sandstone and shale dating as far back as 500 million years.
The resolution in question, House Joint Resolution 826, is offered “to recognize the beauty and cultural heritage of the Cumberland Plateau region.” The particular passage troubling Rep. Todd reads:
WHEREAS, the Cumberland Plateau was formed by flowing water and now rises more than 1,000 feet above the Tennessee River Valley to a vast tableland of sandstone and shale dating as far back as 500 million years;
As for Rep. Todd, according to his official website, in addition to being a state representative, he has also been a Deacon at the West Jackson Baptist Church for 21 years. Thus, the man’s devotion to religious superstition may explain his willful ignorance when it comes to science.
Bottom line: Tennessee lawmaker Chris Todd rejects scientific truth and refuses to support a resolution about the Cumberland Plateau because he doesn’t believe the Earth is 500 million years old.
The stupid, it burns. | 4,915 |
Stanley Dance is a former boxer who is down on his luck.
He’s looking for redemption but isn’t above taking a free meal where he can. Reduced to living out of a trailer, he’s on his way back to good ol’ Las Vegas because an old friend needs his help. He wasn’t planning on ever setting foot in that town again; he’s not exactly welcome there anymore. For what reasons, we’ll probably soon find out. It’s clear that Stanley is a risk taker, some might even say he’s an asshole. A bit charming, a bit care free and a bit of a con man, you know his luck is about to run out but the reasons why aren’t exactly clear at the moment.
Slots is the brain child of Dan Panosian, a long-time veteran of the comics industry. Known for mostly his artwork, Panosian is not only responsible for the artwork in Slots but for the writing as well. Having never read anything he’s written before, I came away pleasantly surprised at the writing’s pace and smoothness. It’s incredibly easy to follow and conveys character traits with ease. Writing the first issue in any series can be tricky. Dealing with exposition as well as furthering along a story can be problematic but it’s handled here very nicely. You get a sense of who these characters are but are left with many questions concerning their backstories and motivations.
What we do know is that Stanley was called back to the city because he owes a favor to an old friend named Betsy. The details surrounding their relationship is anyone’s guess at the moment. In no time Stanley is reunited with some other old associates while a scheme seems to be coming together. Its exact nature is still a mystery as Stanley has one last reunion of sorts towards the story’s end.
Slots is definitely a title that I’ll be keeping my eyes on. Panosian seems to have found something personal here that he can mold into something unique; a journey through Sin City taking chances, riding your luck all while living (and dying) with the consequences.
SCORE: 8.5 OUT OF 10
An advance copy of Slots #1 was provided to Pixel Related for review.
WRITER: Dan Panosian
ARTIST: Dan Panosian
LETTERER: Pat Brosseau
PUBLISHER: Image Comics & Skybound Entertainment
PUBLISHED: Oct. 4, 2017
PRICE: $3.99 | 4,916 |
China has slammed a new U.S. funding law that will tighten scrutiny of information technology purchases from the country, and said it could severely damage the mutual trust between the two nations.
"The contents of the U.S. congressional act sends a very wrong signal, and could directly affect normal trade between Chinese enterprises and U.S. business partners," the country's Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on Friday.
The funding law, signed by U.S. President Barack Obama last week, includes a provision that U.S. authorities will vet all IT system purchases made by select federal agencies, including the Commerce and Justice Departments, NASA, and the National Science Foundation.
As part of the vetting process, the U.S. will consider "cyber-espionage or sabotage" risks to the IT system purchases, as well as if the system was "produced, manufactured, or assembled" by companies with links to the Chinese government.
The funding law only extends to Sept. 30. The nation's Ministry of Commerce, however, said it opposes the provision, and accused the U.S. of discriminating against Chinese companies.
"This abuse of 'national security' measures unfairly treats Chinese enterprises," it said. The provision also presumes all Chinese companies are guilty of security risks, and this violates fair trade principles, the ministry added.
The complaints were made as the two nations are facing growing friction over alleged cyberthreats coming from China. In February, U.S. security firm Mandiant alleged a military unit of China's People's Liberation Army may have in fact spearheaded hacking attacks against 141 international companies.
U.S. lawmakers have acted by scrutinizing Chinese technology firms with alleged links to the nation's government. Both Huawei Technologies and ZTE came under fire last year, when a U.S. congressional committee claimed the two companies could be influenced by the Chinese government to undermine national security. The committee recommended U.S. firms buy their networking gear from other vendors.
Both Huawei and ZTE declined to comment on the U.S. funding law. But analysts expect the security concerns will hurt prospects for Chinese tech firms wanting to do business in the U.S. Last week, Sprint Nextel and Softbank pledged to keep Huawei products out of the Sprint network, according to a U.S. lawmaker.
"This security problem for the Chinese vendors will get worse before it gets better -- it's almost inevitable," said Matt Walker, an analyst with research firm Ovum. "There are some legitimate concerns from the point of view of U.S. policy makers. I'm not sure the tech companies themselves can do much to address them, unfortunately." | 4,917 |
about
Four long-form, heavy instrumental songs, written in December of 2014 and produced over 2015 and 2016. Each song is a narrative; three are essays in the form of music. One is a short story.
There are two extra songs. One is a thank you and goodbye to the late, great Keith Emerson. One is a composition by guitarist Daniel van den Berg.
Heavy piano, synthesizers, samplers, bass guitar, and drums. This is not your usual heavy music. It defies convention and conventional wisdom, and trades 7 strings for 88.
credits
Jason Rubenstein: Keyboards and composition
Tom Hipskind: Drums
Shawn Sommer: Bass and Bass Synthesizer
(Bonus Track)
Veils in the Serpent Wind, Part II:
Daniel van den Berg: Guitars and composition
Mirko Borach: Bass
Tom Hipskind: Drums
Jason Rubenstein: Keyboards
Produced by Jason Rubenstein (ASCAP)
Published by Gearhead Music (ASCAP)
Artwork and Design by Toshi Onuki
Publicity by Fly PR:
Ilka at flypr [@]
+US 323-667-1344
All songs (c)(p) Gearhead Music, Tonecluster Music LLC, except for "The Barbarian", (c) Bela Bartok, Adaptation Emerson, Lake, Palmer (Music Sales Corp. OBO Leadchoice Ltd) and "Veils in the Serpent Wind, Part II", (c) Daniel van den Berg. released May 30, 2016Jason Rubenstein: Keyboards and compositionTom Hipskind: DrumsShawn Sommer: Bass and Bass Synthesizer(Bonus Track)Veils in the Serpent Wind, Part II:Daniel van den Berg: Guitars and compositionMirko Borach: BassTom Hipskind: DrumsJason Rubenstein: KeyboardsProduced by Jason Rubenstein (ASCAP)Published by Gearhead Music (ASCAP)Artwork and Design by Toshi OnukiPublicity by Fly PR:Ilka at flypr [@] flypr.net +US 323-667-1344All songs (c)(p) Gearhead Music, Tonecluster Music LLC, except for "The Barbarian", (c) Bela Bartok, Adaptation Emerson, Lake, Palmer (Music Sales Corp. OBO Leadchoice Ltd) and "Veils in the Serpent Wind, Part II", (c) Daniel van den Berg.
license
all rights reserved | 4,918 |
Misty Robotics, a spinoff of Sphero, has just announced Misty II, the second generation of its programmable robot it initially displayed at this year’s CES.
While Misty I was a beta model meant for select developers to tinker with, Misty II is more polished and created for a wider audience. Misty II still retains the adorable form of its predecessor with a screen featuring expressive cartoon eyes, but now, it looks more complete, thanks to new white-and-gray housing.
Much of what Misty I was supposed to do in theory can now actually be done with Misty II. The robot is powered by two Qualcomm Snapdragon processors and runs on Windows IoT Core and Android 7 operating systems. It boasts a far-field array mic, a 4K camera that can be streamed over Wi-Fi, facial recognition, two speakers, and a bunch of sensors for mapping space and avoiding objects. Oh, and this version has arms. The whole point of Misty II is that you can take advantage of all these features to download skills of your choice or create your own, using visual block-based programming or JavaScript APIs.
So, on top of some of the basic things Misty II is capable of, like recognizing specific people, autonomously navigating spaces, and docking itself for charging, you can tailor the robot to perform any number of advanced jobs. Some of the ideas Misty Robotics gives on its website include having it patrol the perimeter of your house while you’re gone, taking inventory of groceries on open shelving, or playing with your dog if it’s home alone. Additionally, if you’re extra motivated, you could do things like 3D print an arm for Misty II with a drink holder or add additional sensors like one to monitor air quality.
Though the Misty II is definitely a more commercial-looking model, the company says it’s not a product for the average consumer. On its website, Misty Robotics says, “Misty II is built for software developers (corporate and entrepreneur), STEM students, makers, and passionate programmers interested in robots but have never been able to ‘program a robot’ because they were either too expensive, required a degree in robotics, or lacked useful skills for everyday tasks.”
Misty Robotics has launched a 30-day crowdfunding campaign that’s offering a 50 percent discount on Misty II. While it will eventually retail for $3,200, the first 250 buyers can currently snag a model for $1,499, while the next tier bumps the price up to $1,599. The company has set an expected ship date of December 4th, but, as always, be mindful when buying into crowdfunding projects. | 4,919 |
statement: As the chief executive, it is my duty to enact this legislation, passed through the democratic process, and to reject the illegitimate ruling of Donald Trump’s Supreme Court. The federal government, acting on orders of the president, opens enrollment, and Congress appropriates the funds as planned. What can the Supreme Court do? Send its tiny police force to storm the White House?
Or imagine if the court abolishes affirmative action, and some state—say, New Jersey—refuses to comply. Or what if the court strikes down California’s independent redistricting commission, granting state legislators untrammeled ability to gerrymander congressional districts, and the governor insists on preserving it? The same goes for all manner of progressive reforms that could be on Kavanaugh’s chopping block, such as minimum wage laws and public financing of elections. Blue states may be pressured to disregard his decisions. And the president could decline to compel them to follow the high court’s rulings.
In 2003, Justice Stephen Breyer referred to the “miracle” of national compliance with the court’s edicts, even in the wake of “controversial decisions” like Bush v. Gore. There is nothing inevitable or self-sustaining about this “miracle.” Courts do have some tools to mandate adherence to their orders—namely, their ability to hold individuals in contempt of court. But judges will surely hesitate to hold governors, legislators, and Cabinet secretaries in contempt. The truth is that we haven’t seen massive resistance to the Supreme Court since the segregation battles of the 1950s and ’60s. And despite two presidents’ celebrated efforts to integrate schools with the help of the National Guard, the South’s resistance succeeded in slowing the pace of desegregation.
This precedent is appalling. But it demonstrates that the playbook can work. Progressives should recognize the danger in adopting the tactics of segregationists. Getting to the point of massive liberal resistance to the court would require a significant psychological shift, since the left has long viewed the Supreme Court as a saving grace. Kavanaugh’s confirmation alone won’t bring Democrats all the way there. But if he leads the court into a frenzy of reactionary jurisprudence, progressives may feel they have no other alternative.
No matter the end result of liberal defiance, it will likely transform the Supreme Court’s legitimacy crisis into a full-blown constitutional crisis. Kavanaugh’s confirmation will have poisoned the foundation of the judiciary’s authority. The Supreme Court derives its power from the belief that it sits above the political fray. Brett Kavanaugh is poised to shatter that illusion. | 4,920 |
(and your wife) raise money by working when you’re not playing (I have to admit, I felt a bit downtrodden when I realised that my character makes more money than I do in the real life), but your house is still susceptible to burglary when you’re not playing. It’s quite a shock when you jump back online and find that your wife and children have been murdered (no, they don’t respawn), and it’s even worse when you watch it all fold out through the game’s security tape system.But even with its addicting system of robbing and protecting houses, it’s painfully difficult to love (or recommend) The Castle Doctrine, mostly due to its high barrier of entry and complete lack of handholding. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate games that don’t take you by the hand and shovel tutorials and text dumps down your throat, but The Castle Doctrine simply drops you in your house and leaves you be. After searching through various internet forums, subreddits, and watching a YouTube video or two, I finally got a basic grasp on the game’s various mechanics, but even now I still feel in the dark sometimes. This is not helped by the game’s adherence to permadeath. While it works well enough for games like The Binding of Isaac or Spelunky, whose focus on quick restarts and short game length work in tandem with constantly dying, it’s a bit baffling to have it in an MMO, where months of hard work can be undone with a simple button press. Not only can you die when invading other houses, you can also undo all your progress during the ‘self-test’ of your own home. After managing to steal a couple thousand dollars and some vanity paintings on a routine expedition, I lost it all in a run through of my own house, simply because I pressed the “right arrow” key one too many times, leaving me cornered by my own vicious pitbull. You have been warned, this game is for dedicated players only.After two solid weeks of robbing houses, setting up traps, and getting mauled by pitbulls, I walked away from The Castle Doctrine with mixed feelings. It’s easily Rohrer’s best game to date, and fans of his work will enjoy the game for what it is, flaws and all. But for the casual, or even hardcore gamer, its brutal difficulty and dedication required will most likely prove to be too much to handle.Now if you’ll excuse me, I have more houses to rob, more money to be stolen, and more rage quits to be had. | 4,921 |
Donald Trump said the idea of shutting down mosques should be considered, like some European countries have suggested in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks.
Appearing on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Monday, Trump said, “I would hate” to shut down a mosque “but it’s something that you’re going to have to strongly consider because some of the ideas and some the hatred, the absolute hatred is coming from these areas.”
“And you know, New York City as an example, we had a group of people from what I understand that really knew what they were doing, that were really studying the situation and they’re not doing that anymore under the new mayor, they’re not doing that anymore,” Trump said. “And I think that’s a mistake.”
Later Trump back-peddled his approval of shutting down mosques, saying, “So it’s something that many people, not me, it’s something that many people are considering, and many people are going to do.”
Panelist Chris Jansing, NBC News Senior White House Correspondent asked Trump, “But are you concerned at all about the backlash that can create? And the hatred that can breed,” if mosques are shut down.
Trump responded, “There is already hatred. The hatred is incredible. It’s embedded, it’s embedded. The hatred is beyond belief. The hatred greater than anybody understands and it’s already there. It not like, what, do you think they think we’re great people? It’s already there. It’s a very, very sad situation. And I know so many people, Muslims who are such unbelievably great people and they’re being so badly tarnished by what’s happening now. It’s a shame.”
Host Joe Scarborough then asked Trump, “You would agree, Donald, that this is just a small percentage of these radical Muslims are a small percentage of the entire Muslim population?”
Trump replied, “Yes, but it’s a tremendous amount of horror and damage and vitriol. I mean you look at what’s happening. This is not, this is something that has to be stopped and we have to be very strong, we have to be vigilant and we have to be intelligence. We need to bring back our intelligence agencies and bring them to a much higher level. They’re using the internet better than we are.”
Follow Steve on Twitter | 4,922 |
Who do Liverpool need to sign to retain the title? Keep up with all the Reds news with our free daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Liverpool FC is opening the doors of the dressing room and even the boardroom to television cameras.
ITV is in talks to buy the rights to the reality show, which is thought to feature Anfield stars, including captain Steven Gerrard and striker Andy Carroll.
Liverpool chairman Tom Werner said: “I expect it will be compelling programming as Liverpool will provide unprecedented access.”
Filming of six-part documentary Our Liverpool: Never Walk Alone began at the end of last season when the players were preparing to face Chelsea in the FA Cup Final.
The programme, being produced by US channel Fox, captures a period of change in which Kenny Dalglish was axed as manager and replacement Brendan Rodgers took the reigns.
Mr Werner said: “This will be an amazing opportunity for our fans to see a new side of the club and for us to reach out to potential supporters worldwide who will come to understand what makes Liverpool FC so special.”
(Image: Getty)
Reality shows featuring Peter Andre and Katie Price as well as The Only Way Is Essex have aired on ITV2 but the Liverpool show would get a primetime ITV1 slot. It is hoped it will be the first of many series. A TV source said: “TOWIE is popular with female viewers but this could be a reality show for men.”
Liverpool FC managing director Ian Ayre said: “This project creates a fantastic opportunity to allow people across the world to have a glimpse of the inner workings of the club, following the lives of our staff, our players and our fans, all of whom make up everything that is Liverpool Football Club.”
Channel 4 reality show Desperate Scousewives was set in Liverpool but did not feature the city’s footballers.
One previous effort to go inside a football club was Premier Passions, broadcast on BBC1 in 1998.
It chronicled Sunderland AFC during the 1996-97 season, when the club was relegated from the Premiership and included foul-mouthed team talks by manager Peter Reid.
Read more:
A Liverpool FC fan racially abused rival Manchester United supporters and their club captain Patrice Evra, a court has heard.
David Moyes believes both Merseyside clubs could catapult themselves back into the big time by SHARING a state-of-the-art new stadium.
Liverpool have made an approach for young Italian striker Fabio Borini. | 4,923 |
Experienced NRL Grand Final player Kane Linnett signs
Hull Kingston Rovers are excited to confirm the signing of former Sydney Roosters and North Queensland Cowboys centre / second rower Kane Linnett on a three year deal, following the news earlier in the week of the signing of fellow Australian Mitch Garbutt.
Linnett, an NRL winner in 2015, began his career with the Sydney Roosters in 2010, he remained with the club until the end of 2011 and represented them on twenty-three occasions, scoring four tries. As well as being a powerful ball carrier, Linnett also provides some versatility for the Robins with his ability to play both centre and second row.
At the end of the 2011 season Linnett moved to North Queensland Cowboys where he established himself as a first-grade regular, over the next eight seasons Linnett went on to appear for the club one hundred and sixty-two times, scoring an impressive fifty-four tries. The most famous of these appearances being in the clubs thrilling NRL Grand Final victory over Brisbane Broncos in 2015.
As well as appearing in the NRL, Linnett has also made six representative appearances, five of those for Scotland, who he qualified to play for through family links, and one for Country Origin back in 2016.
Rovers Head Coach Tim Sheens commented on the signing “Kane is obviously a very experienced NRL player with over 180 first-grade games, he’s 29 years old and plays both centre and second row which will give us a lot of depth in that area.
“Kane is a very professional player, a very good player but also a very good person so I think he will add to the culture of the club
Speaking to hullkr.co.uk, Linnett added “I always wanted to finish my career in the Super League, I’m really excited to get over there and meet a new bunch of boys, get settled in, work hard and hopefully have a good year.
Having a senior role, I’ve got a lot of experience in the NRL so I’d like to help some of the younger boys through and it would be great to win a Super League title. I’ve played a couple of finals here in the NRL, so that would be the ultimate achievement.”
Linnett will join up with the rest of the Robins squad at the end of November.
A full interview with Rovers Head Coach Tim Sheens and Kane Linnett are available now at hullkr.co.uk/tv where on-demand videos are available from only £1.99! | 4,924 |
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption UK pensions minister Steve Webb said Scottish people who had "accumulated rights" would be entitled to current levels of state pension
Older people would be entitled to current levels of state pension in an independent Scotland, according to the UK pensions minister.
Steve Webb told a Westminster committee those who had "accumulated rights" would be entitled to the money.
However, he said there were still questions over which government would pay the money.
SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson said the comments confirmed that pensions would be secure in an independent Scotland.
Asked by Labour MP Ian Davidson at the Scottish affairs committee whether people could be assured that their pensions would be secure if Scotland votes for independence in September's referendum, Mr Webb answered: "Yes, they have accumulated rights into the UK system, under the UK system's rules."
He added that the money would be paid out at the pension age decided by the UK government, rather than any future Scottish government.
He said: "Take a Scottish person who works all their life and then retires to France... they still have an accumulated pension right in respect of the National Insurance they have paid in when they were part of the United Kingdom."
Asked whether citizenship would matter, Mr Webb told MPs on Tuesday: "Citizenship is irrelevant. It is what you have put into the UK National Insurance system prior to separation. Answer [for example] 35 years, that builds up to a continued UK pension under continuing UK rules. They are entitled to that money. The question is, who is paying for it, and how is that [cost] split?"
'Haggling'
Mr Davidson said that would be a "matter of haggling and process" in the event of a "Yes" vote.
In response, Mr Gibson said Mr Webb's comments had "made Westminster's position crystal clear".
He added: "The confirmation from a UK government minister that pensions will be secure in the event of a Yes vote puts an end to No camp scaremongering on the issue once and for all.
"The No camp's credibility on pensions is now beyond repair as their attempts to scare pensioners into voting for the status quo have now been laid bare for all to see."
Elsewhere in the session, Mr Webb claimed an independent Scotland could face sudden tax increases or cuts in spending to deal with economic volatility.
He said: "For example if you have a sudden downturn, across the UK, the economy as whole can absorb that. So taxes don't suddenly have to go up or benefits don't suddenly have to be cut. You can take the long term view." | 4,925 |
NES, perhaps?!), but the one we want most is Uber Jason, of course from the futuristic Jason X.
The addition of Uber Jason has been rumored for quite some time now – Uber-Jason was, it’s worth noting, one of the most-requested skins in a poll held on the game’s website – and I just can’t help but think how much fun it’d be to see that bizarre version of Jason in Earthbound locales like Crystal Lake and Higgins Havens.
Of course, a Jason X map would also be awesome…
4) MORE MOVIE CHARACTERS
Other than Jason, the only character from the Friday the 13th films in the game is Tommy Jarvis, voiced by Thom Mathews and based on the character’s appearance in Jason Lives – you can play as Tommy, though he can’t be chosen from the character selection screen. All of the other characters are generic archetypes ripped from the slasher handbook, but my hope is that other fan-favorite characters from the movies will soon be added to the mix.
Personal requests? Alice from Part 1, Ginny from Part 2, Shelly from Part 3, Demon from A New Beginning, and Tina from The New Blood. Tina could come equipped with special powers that rival Jason’s, which would make playing as her extra fun – the existing characters in the game right now have no special powers, while Jason, true to the films, has special skills that allow him to detect where counselors are on the map and even teleport from location to location with the press of a button… he seemed to do much the same thing in the movies, after all!
5) CREATE-A-CHARACTER
Even if every Jason and all of our favorite movie characters are available in Friday the 13th: The Game, it would still be extra special if we could create our own characters to bring into the mix. Most games of this sort have create-a-character modes, which in the case of this particular game would allow us to live out a dream we probably all share: actually being in a Friday the 13th movie!
Personally speaking, the character of Kenny Riedell (above) already looks enough like me that playing as him feels like I’m playing as, well, myself, but how cool would it be if we could actually custom-make video game versions of ourselves to do battle with Jason? Certainly not a necessity, but a fun addition that would keep the game feeling fresh and exciting for a long time to come.
What would YOU like to see added to Friday the 13th: The Game? | 4,926 |
President of China, AirAsia, Kathleen Tan
WEGOGO is please to announce that AirAsia’s President of China, Kathleen Tan, joins our Board of Strategic Advisors!
A name synonymous with AirAsias amazing growth and success, Kathleen pioneered low-cost travel in 17 China cities since 2005. Described by China search giant Baidu as “aviation legend”, her passion for China, acute insights and wealth of experience earned her respect as one of the most influential leaders in China aviation. Her commercial achievements include building AirAsia to a global award-winning brand for 5 consecutive years, and an impressive network from 17 to 143 aircraft.
While she served as Regional Head of Commercial and Senior Vice President of China at AirAsia, she increased the revenue 14-fold to over RM5 billion between 2004 to 2013. The airline also secured the first of many Skytrax World’s Best Low-Cost Airline awards.
From 2013 to 2015, Kathleen joined as CEO of the first unique joint venture between AirAsia & Expedia, where she helped to establish the Expedia brands in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, India and Southeast Asia to become a leading OTA player. In 8 months, she turned the joint-ventures financial fortunes into a business worth over US$1 billion.
Over the years, Kathleen has earned numerous accolades and recognition for her work, such as Top 10 Most Influential Women Leaders in Travel and Skift’s Top 50 Marketers in Travel in 2013, as well as china Finance Summit’s Industry’s Most Influential Person in the same year.
A self-proclaimed disruptor of the aviation and tourism industry, Kathleen has also made a personal (undisclosed) financial investment in WEGOGO.
“WEGOGO is definitely moving in the right direction and I am so excited to be a part of this, even though it’s in my own personal capacity. I am equally inspired to lend my tourism and airline expertise to this venture, to create a fairer travel economy and ultimately, a better world for travel.”
Reach us on:
Read our Whitepaper — WeGold.io
Twitter — twitter.com/WeGoldToken
Telegram — t.me/WeGoldByWEGOGO
Reddit — reddit.com/r/WeGold
LinkedIn — linkedin.com/company/wegold
YouTube — youtube.com/channel/UCFd3ybhWuj0tQjjuDyqWEew
Email — [email protected] | 4,927 |
HONG KONG/MADRID (Reuters) - China’s biggest bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), has called on Spanish authorities to release three of its workers being held in jail as a court investigates money laundering allegations at its Madrid branch.
A woman walks past a Spanish Civil Guards at the headquarters of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) during a raid in Madrid, Spain, February 17, 2016. REUTERS/Juan Medina
A Spanish judge’s decision to grant bail to only three out of six staff detained after a raid on ICBC’s Madrid offices last week was incomprehensible, it said in a statement on Thursday.
The Chinese bank had not previously commented on the case beyond stating it was cooperating with the authorities and always strictly implemented money laundering regulations.
The Spanish investigation is centered on allegations of funds transferred by a criminal group via the bank to China.
Six people were arrested as part of the probe and jailed, a precautionary measure allowed under Spanish law while investigating judges work on a case. Three were released after paying bail of 100,000 euros ($110,340).
Spanish courts can refuse bail on the grounds that a person could be a flight risk, or if they are concerned that evidence might be destroyed.
ICBC said one of those detained was a former chairman of the bank’s Madrid branch, who had been transferred to Luxembourg and had returned to Spain on Feb. 17 when the police raid began.
“If he really wanted to abscond, he wouldn’t have traveled from a place outside Spanish jurisdiction... back to Madrid,” ICBC said, adding that one of the female workers still in jail was suffering from poor health.
A spokesman for Madrid’s judicial authorities declined to comment. A legal source familiar with the case said ICBC could file an appeal to contest the judge’s decisions. Spain’s foreign ministry also declined to comment.
It is not the first time Spanish legal investigations have caused tension between the two countries.
China bristled in 2014 when a judge issued arrest orders for former top Chinese officials as it probed a complaint by a Tibetan-Spanish monk who accused the former leaders of genocide, torture and crimes against humanity.
It was one of several cases carried out by Spanish judges using universal jurisdiction, the principle that crimes against humanity, torture and genocide can be prosecuted across borders.
Spain’s High Court later dismissed the Chinese case after the government hurried through changes to the law, restricting investigations to cases with a very strong Spanish link.
($1 = 0.9063 euros) | 4,928 |
Insomniac would "love to" make a sequel to its critically acclaimed Xbox One exclusive, Sunset Overdrive
Sunset Overdrive E3 2014 June 9 Images 7 IMAGES
In this month's episode of IGN Unfiltered, Ryan McCaffrey sat down with Insomniac CEO Ted Price and discussed the potential future of the Insomniac-owned IP.“I think one of the great things about starting a franchise and having the opportunity to make sequels," Price said, "is that you’ve, in many cases, made the hardest decisions already.”“When you establish an IP, you now know what the tone is, you know what the character is, you know what the core mechanics are that work. You know what players liked and didn’t like," Price continued, "so, doing a sequel for any game, be it Sunset Overdrive or something else, is an opportunity to deliver something to fans that’s significantly better than the original, and that’s something that I think we [at Insomniac] would love to do someday."Although there is a lot of love for Sunset Overdrive at Insomniac, that alone isn't enough to ensure a sequel. “For us, it’s a timing challenge. It’s a bandwidth challenge," Price said, "but, I do, to your point, feel like there are a lot of people out there who love Sunset, and we’ve certainly been asked, frequently, by fans.”Price previously stated that, if a sequel were to be made, Insomniac would need a partner, which could create an opportunity for it to come to multiple platforms. He also confirmed that any sequel would be "a very large-scope game." Many fans are eager for another zany open-world shooter, and last year Price said those wondering why a sequel is not currently in the works should " ask Microsoft. There have been whispers of a potential PC port for Sunset Overdrive, most recently fueled by a listing on the Korean Game Ratings Board, but neither Microsoft nor Insomniac have made any official announcements.If you are hungry for more IGN Unfiltered, be sure to check out last month's episode with EA Sports' boss Cam Weber, and look through the full list of every episode of IGN Unfiltered for more interviews with some of the games industry's "best, brightest, most fascinating minds."
Brian Barnett is an IGN freelance writer. You can get your fix of Brian on Twitter @Ribnax or on The Platformers ( video game podcast ) or Hooray For Anime! ( anime watch-along podcast | 4,929 |
CAIRO – 30 June 2018: Egypt has announced rejection to the concept reached by European leaders of establishing “controlled centers” and “disembarkation platforms” for migrants, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid announced Friday.
In a statement to the AFP, Abu Zeid clarified that Egypt’s rejection is based on an utter rejection towards isolating or rejecting migrants.
European leaders on Friday reached a deal on migration that foresees EU countries voluntarily establishing "controlled centers" on their soil to process migrants.
The deal also called the European Council to “swiftly explore the concept of regional disembarkation platforms, in close cooperation with relevant third countries as well as UNHCR and IOM.”
Abu Zeid pointed out that Egypt deals with migrants by integrating them into the society while providing them with their basic needs.
On June 20, Egypt called on the international community to share the collective responsibilities of hosting refugees in a bid to renew Egypt’s moral and legal commitment towards refugees in the territory.
On #WorldRefugeeDay Egypt stresses need to share the collective repsonbilities of hosting refugees. We renew our legal & moral commitment towards refugees on our own territory and keenness to integrate them into society, despite high burdens &economic difficulties @UNHCREgypt — Egypt MFA Spokesman (@MfaEgypt) June 20, 2018
Abu Zeid’s tweet coincided with the World Refugee Day, an international observance that marks June 20 and is dedicated to raising awareness of the situation of refugees throughout the world.
According to The Guardian, campaigners have said “secure migrant processing camps that may be set up in Europe under a deal reached by EU leaders risk becoming de facto detention centers breaching basic human rights.”
Last August, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Egypt reported that the number of refugees and asylum seekers in the country was about 209,000 refugees. Unofficial estimates however indicate that there are more than 300,000 refugees in the country, including those who are registered in the UNHCR.
The UNHCR's annual "Global Trends" study found that a staggering 68.5 million people worldwide had been forcibly displaced by the end of 2017.
According to UNHCR, around 68.5 million people worldwide had been forcibly displaced by the end of 2017 –http://www.unhcr.org/globaltrends2017
“Nearly a quarter of them were uprooted just last year, either for the first time or repeatedly. That's an average of one person displaced every two seconds of the day,” the study says. | 4,930 |
Get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox. Sign up here.
A cold front moving across the Northeast will bring the threat of severe thunderstorms to the region Tuesday, including potentially damaging wind gusts in the coronavirus outbreak's epicenter.
The severe weather is expected to arrive by Tuesday afternoon along the Interstate 95 corridor from Washington D.C. to Boston, The Philadelphia and New York City areas also are at risk.
"We are watching the potential for severe weather today across two areas, one of them the Northeast," Fox News Senior Meteorologist Janice Dean said on "Fox & Friends." "From D.C. up toward Boston, we could see the potential for large hail, even damaging winds, perhaps even isolated tornadoes and then the other area, across the Southern Plains."
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DANGERS: WHY YOU SHOULD TAKE WARNINGS SERIOUSLY
The primary threat from the storms in the Northeast will be damaging winds.
According to the National Weather Service's (NWS) Storm Prediction Center (SPC), the storms will develop around midday and move quickly to the coast.
Once storms move offshore Tuesday evening, wind advisories go into effect through Wednesday for wind gusts up to 50 mph in the Northeast.
Separate strong storms will develop Tuesday in the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles, stretching into central Oklahoma.
Large hail, damaging winds, and an isolated tornado are possible in those areas.
WHERE DO TORNADOES HIT THE MOST IN THE US? HERE ARE THE TOP 5 STATES
According to the SPC, more than 36 million Americans are under the threat of severe weather Tuesday, including those in major cities like New York City, Philadelphia, Oklahoma City and Newark, N.J.
The threat of more widespread severe weather returns Wednesday to Oklahoma and Texas, stretching into the lower Mississippi River Valley to central and southern Arkansas, central and northern Louisiana, and Mississippi.
"Later on into tomorrow, we're going to deal with the threat for severe storms across some of the same areas that were hit hard over the last couple of weeks," Dean said on "Fox & Friends.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP
Areas from Dallas/Fort Worth and Oklahoma City eastward to Shreveport, La., and Jackson, Miss., may face hazards like large hail, damaging wind gusts, flash flooding, and isolated tornadoes.
Parts of Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi and areas near the Gulf Coast in Florida, Alabama, and Georgia are expected to see several inches of rain through midweek. | 4,931 |
-driven, we still found it to be detailed enough to properly express yourself. Hopefully, HitWe will one day offer an “about me” section in order to allow users a place where they can include some of their own words in describing themselves.
— The Matchmaking Process —
With its style, design, and description, HitWe presents itself as a social discovery dating site. This is why we were expecting a hybridized version of a social media site and dating site in one. The reality, however, was different.
HitWe uses a traditional matchmaking system based on search and indexing parameters. This explains the menu intensive profile builder. Essentially what HitWe does is use the information obtained from its multiple-choice profile builder questions to try and match people that share answers in common. We could not find any advanced matchmaking algorithm beyond that. Neither could we find any evidence of a social network-style matrix being applied when the matches are being suggested.
Needless to say, this was disappointing. The social discovery aspect of online dating is one that is rapidly advancing. Unfortunately, no matter how HitWe tries to represent itself, it cannot genuinely be called part of the social discovery dating scene.
— User Experience —
Technically speaking, the user experience offered by HitWe is sound. The design on both desktop and mobile is clean and easy to navigate. Where we did have an issue was with the quality of users that you encounter on the site.
During our testing, we calculated that roughly half of the profiles presented to us were not genuine. These did not take the form of officially sanctioned fictitious profiles or chatbots, but rather seemed to belong to individuals who were creating fake profiles for their own purposes. This could be for trolling or catfishing. If you use HitWe, you should be on the lookout for those types of profiles.
— Cost —
HitWe promotes itself as a free site. The site uses display advertising to monetize itself. Fortunately, the ads that they show are not obtrusive. During our test, we even found that most of these ads were easily blocked on the desktop version by activating your ad blocker.
The free version, however, does have certain limits. This is mainly evident in its communication feature. On the free version, you can send unlimited fast messages to other users. These consist of pre-drafted one line messages that you can select from a drop-down menu. Free users cannot write messages in a free text format. This makes online chatting almost impossible. In order to remove these types of communication limitations, you must upgrade to a paid membership. This has a cost of $7.99 per month. | 4,932 |
The death toll in Iraq from four consecutive days of violence has reached at least 140 people, stirring fears that rising sectarian conflicts could lead the country into civil war.
Many Iraqis were in mourning on Sunday amid simmering tensions between the Sunni minority and Shia majority despite increased security patrols.
In Baghdad, the presence of SWAT teams, army, police officers and mobile checkpoints has increased in several areas.
Officers are searching cars and roads for suspicious packages.
"The situation in Baghdad appears to be relatively calm but it remains very tense," Al Jazeera's Omar Al Saleh, reporting from Erbil, said
On Saturday, attacks killed 16 people, including a police officer, his wife and two children, while armed men abducted 10 policemen, officials said.
In Anbar, four state-backed so-called Sahwa (Awakening) fighters were killed in an attack on their headquarters.
The Sahwa are Sunni Arabs who joined forces with the US military to fight al-Qaeda's Iraq branch at the height of the country's conflict.
Policemen ambushed
Armed men also ambushed and abducted 10 Sunni policemen near Ramadi, the capital of Anbar, a Sunni heartland bordering Syria.
"In Ramadi, which is west of Baghdad, tribesmen are on alert... the army chief said he won't listen to calls made by the tribes for them [the army] to leave Anbar," Al Jazeera's Saleh said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks.
"Iraq is facing its worst crisis since the occupying US forces withdrew over a year ago... many Iraqis fear the sectarian nature of the recent attacks means the country is heading towards a civil war," he said.
More than 70 people were killed in bombings on Friday in majority Sunni districts in Baghdad and surrounding areas, in what was noted as the deadliest day in Iraq in more than eight months.
Ongoing protests by Sunnis continue, with many demonstrating against what they say is mistreatment at the hands of the mainly Shia-led government, including random detentions and neglect.
The protests, which began in December, have largely been peaceful, but the number of attacks rose sharply after a deadly security crackdown on a Sunni protest camp in the country's north on April 23.
So far in May, more than 300 people have been killed in the violence. The death toll for this year is around 1,500 people.
Monthly death tolls are well below those of 2006-07, when they sometimes topped 3,000, but more than 700 were killed in April by a UN count, the highest figure in almost five years. | 4,933 |
and regular old rifles.
The one problem the Chadians had was air cover. While the French deployed Jaguar fighters out of N’Djamena airport to prevent Libyan aircraft from attacking further south, they were not inclined to provide air support to a Chadian attack against the Libyans. The French were in a defensive mode only.
They did not object, however, to the Chadians acquiring man-portable anti-aircraft missiles (in this case, Stingers). Although some degree of training is required to operate them, it did not take many gunners to provide a deterrent that kept Libyan aircraft at higher, less effective altitudes. On the rare occasion when Libyans dropped bombs, the aircraft were barely visible from the ground and they were completely inaccurate. The missiles were apparently also successful in keeping Libyan Mi-8 and Mi-25 helicopters out of the way.
Ultimately, the Chadians swept through Libyan positions, and Qaddafi’s forces withdrew to Libya. The Libyans were badly led, badly positioned, and could not make use of their seemingly superior weapons.
Although today Qaddafi’s security forces are fighting a defensive battle on their home turf, there are important similarities to the Chadian events. Chiefly, the United States presumably wants to limit its political commitment, and the nature and type of aid it may consider is also limited. But so are the needs of the Libyan opposition.
Assuming the rebels can achieve at least the level of organization and training of the Chadians, the material and training support can be rudimentary and accomplished quickly by outside experts, from either a government (France comes to mind, since the country has been first off the mark to recognize officially the opposition in Libya) or even a private company.
The most obvious military risk to the opposition is from helicopter gunships and possibly aircraft (the accuracy of Libyan bombing is dubious and the military effectiveness minimal, but the effects on civilians can be horrible). The United States provided Stinger missiles to the ragtag Chadian forces with significant effect. Back then, accounting for the missiles was easier given the very small numbers. Today, if Stinger missiles or similar Soviet weapons were deployed to Libyan opposition forces, the risks of loss would be manageable, and providing such missiles would certainly be cheaper and less of a commitment than establishing a no-fly zone. And if Qaddafi’s forces summon forth heretofore unseen skill and/or courage, a decision on more elaborate air defense could be made later.
For now, however, let’s recognize that there are options for arming and training the Libyan opposition that do not require the massive military and political commitments of a no-fly zone. | 4,934 |
Our culture fails to see the humanity in sex-working mothers because our culture is built on the pillars of patriarchy. While many feminists like Gloria Steinem view sex work as an extension of patriarchy, these viewpoints only further stigmatize sex workers. And it is the stigma of sex work — and the ways that stigma becomes codified — that perpetuates the harmful belief that sex and motherhood (and sex and womanhood) are incompatible.
We shame sex-working mothers for the same reason that we create dress codes that target femme bodies. We shame sex-working mothers for the same reason that we shame little girls for expressing desire while encouraging the same behavior in boys. We shame sex-working mothers for the same reason that we call Stormy Daniels “slut” without any indication of disdain for the exact same sexual behavior in the man with whom she had alleged relations. We shame sex-working mothers because when we, as a culture, prevent women and girls from owning their own bodies, society gets to set the price.
Stormy Daniels speaking with Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes. (Photo: Getty Images/CBS)
No parent should fear the loss of their children because of their choice to engage in sex or the performance of eroticism with other consenting adults. And while all choice in labor is constrained by something, it is time to eradicate the notion that sex workers do not have agency over our own lives and bodies. It is time to decriminalize sex work so that all of us — from respectable rich women to hos, whores, and sluts — will cease to be judged by cultural constructions of sexual currency.
If you want to “save the children,” as many anti-sex-work organizations claim to do, you have to start by supporting sex-working parents and by eliminating the stigma that follows us for lifetimes and generations. It is time to stop shaming sex workers so that all parents — civilians and sex workers alike — have the opportunity for rich, fulfilling, and dynamic relationships with our children.
It’s a truth that I, and Stormy Daniels, actually, know all too well. And the idea that I — a girl from the Midwest who used to live in a warehouse — can at all relate to Daniels, a girl who messed around with the now-president of the United States and whose story is commanding a worldwide spotlight, proves a painful point: that the stigma surrounding sex-working parents is profound, and that sexism and stigma are undeniable realities of our culture.
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
| 4,935 |
Bill and Hillary Clinton have led the tributes to deceased billionaire banker David Rockefeller, who has died at his New York home aged 101.
The Clintons remembered Rockefeller Monday as a “kind, good man” and expressed their gratitude for his “friendship and his remarkable life” in a joint statement, published on the Clinton Foundation website.
READ MORE: Billionaire banker David Rockefeller dies aged 101
"David Rockefeller was a consummate businessman, a great humanitarian, and a serious scholar. He was a kind, good man to all who met him. Hillary and I are grateful for his friendship and his remarkable life,” the statement read.
Statement from Bill and Hillary Clinton on the death of David Rockefeller pic.twitter.com/ijeueEhanY — Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) March 20, 2017
The Clintons were among other political heavyweights who shared their condolences upon hearing the news that the Chase banker died in his sleep Monday.
Bilderberg, Kissinger & transplant rumors: Truth & myths of David Rockefeller’s life https://t.co/DLkGHHcuQlpic.twitter.com/NubwgTDXWZ — RT (@RT_com) March 20, 2017
President George HW Bush said in a statement that he and his wife, Barbara, were “deeply saddened” by the passing of their “wonderful friend,” going on to call the businessman one of his “brightest points of light.”
Statement by former President @GeorgeHWBush on the passing of businessman and philanthropist David Rockefeller. pic.twitter.com/WEyycVgigT — Jim McGrath (@jgm41) March 20, 2017
Bush commended Rockefeller for his “commitment to the widest range of worthy causes,” making him a “valuable advisor to presidents of both parties - and yours truly certainly included.”
The grandson of Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller was the last generation in the famous Rockefeller family, and guardian of the clan’s billions.
“No individual has contributed more to the commercial and civic life of New York City over a longer period of time than David Rockefeller,” said former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. “During my time in City Hall, he was always there for the city when we called."
“Today the world has lost a great man and philanthropist, and we, a dear friend and inspiration,” wrote the president of The Rockefeller Foundation, Rajiv J Shah, in his statement. | 4,936 |
A top politician in one of Germany's opposition parties on Tuesday called for U.S. Ambassador Richard Grenell to be expelled from the country.
Wolfgang Kubicki, deputy chairman of the Free Democratic Party, said Grenell repeatedly "interfering" with Germany's sovereignty should be enough for Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to remove him, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported.
"Any U.S. diplomat who acts like a high commissioner of an occupying power must learn that our tolerance also knows its limits," said Kubicki, who is also one of five deputy Speakers of Germany's Parliament.
ADVERTISEMENT
Kubicki's comments come after Grenell called Germany's spending on NATO insufficient earlier Tuesday.
Grenell has been a controversial figure in Germany. He was previously criticized for demanding that Berlin stop the creation of Nord Stream 2, a gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, and threatening firms involved in the project with sanctions.
He also found himself at the center of a firestorm after giving an interview to right-leaning Breitbart News in June 2018, in which he said he wanted to “ empower other conservatives throughout Europe.”
The German Foreign Ministry at the time quickly requested that Grenell clarify his remarks, a top lawmaker from Chancellor Angela Merkel's party said he was at risk of becoming a “highly ineffective” envoy and a cadre of left-leaning politicians demanded that his credentials be withdrawn.
Carsten Schneider, caucus manager of the Social Democrats within the Parliament, called the ambassador a "complete diplomatic failure."
"Mr. Grenell damages trans-Atlantic relations with his repeated clumsy provocations," he added, according to Deutsche Welle.
A member of Merkel's conservative alliance asked for Grenell to be more restrained.
"If one keeps an overall view, many comments made are more coherent than those of the American ambassador, if he thinks he has to comment on something every week," said Michael Grosse-Brömer, according to the German broadcaster.
A spokesperson for the State Department told The Hill that German politicians are free to express their opinions about Grenell.
“Germany, like the United States, is a free country with a free press. Politicians, pundits, and the media are entitled to share their opinions as part of the political process. That is one of the fantastic and unifying qualities of U.S. and German society,” they said.
“Ambassador Grenell is the president’s personal representative to Germany. He’s there to represent the United States.”
Updated at 9:02 a.m. on Wednesday | 4,937 |
convention center ballroom. It will remain, however, as an option for groups to use.
A new kitchen will be added to service the ballrooms, she said.
As America’s Center was built in phases over the decades, including avoiding a privately held parking garage on Seventh Street that it was never able to acquire, the layout posed logistical problems. Now, for instance, the kitchen is on a different level from the ballroom and servers must take a “circuitous route” through the convention center that’s the equivalent of a couple of city blocks.
“It’s hard to get the food to hold up when it has to be plated and travel this far,” Ratcliffe said. “It’s a great kitchen, but it’s not in the right location to serve the ballroom.”
Just to the west of the new ballroom and its glass entrance along Ninth, a surface parking lot the St. Louis economic development agency bought this summer would be turned into green space and a pavilion. That will provide space for outdoor events and beautify the rough western edge of the convention center, which is currently dominated by unattractive surface parking.
“We need more green space around here,” Ratcliffe said.
The surface lot just to the west of that, which the city agency bought as part of its transaction over the summer, would be held for future development, perhaps a parking garage and retail businesses, though details aren’t final.
Both the St. Louis Board of Aldermen and the St. Louis County Council will need to approve ordinances authorizing the new financing plan.
Ratcliffe said she hoped to begin construction on the exhibit space and loading docks by late next year, with the ballroom and green space to follow. To avoid disrupting events, the project will have to be built in phases. The goal is to wrap up by the end of 2021.
“The fact is that this building has a huge impact on the regional economy,” Ratcliffe said. “There’s a lot of economic activity that’s generated beyond the city.”
A message from David Nicklaus Want to stay smart about what's happening in St. Louis? Make a modest investment in a Post-Dispatch subscription and I'll tell you how developments around the world affect local businesses big and small. Subscribe today: Just $1 a month
Daily updates on the latest news in the St. Louis business community. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. | 4,938 |
�re not fighting racism, you are rewarding a writer for meeting your expectations.
Sure, people have a sense of taste, and prefer certain stories, sentences, tone, characters. And yet that taste is absolutely shaped by our politics and our worldview, but it’s not talked about enough, how the stories we tell about the world affect the way we see the world. When “On Pandering” was released, I read comments by writers of color who complained that white people wanted writers of color to tell them stories of suffering, because that is how white people feel about race. When they want to read stories by writers of color (that’s not very often, let’s be honest), they want to feel pity, because feeling pity allows them to feel heroic for even paying attention to these issues (these lives) at all. White people like nothing more than to feel heroic. I mean, have you read our books and watched our films?
The problem is not about white straight men being dicks. The problem is about people in power wanting to see their realities, their interests, their inner most hopes and dreams reflected on the screen and on the page. This does not require empathy, this does not require discomfort. And so any group that becomes the “gatekeeper,” who is able to use their power — whether that be purchasing power or critical power or the power to assign work and hand out money — will simply recreate this problem with a certain segment of the population allowed in and a certain segment of the population kept out, unless this problem is examined and discussed.
This has a lot to do with my twitter bubble, where my reality is reflected by people who agree with me about things like Marlon James’s take on literature. And I like my bubble. Who wouldn’t? It tells me I am smart and right every day. Every day, people say things I agree with, do not say things I find disagreeable, and I get to nod and smile and think to myself, “Yes, isn’t it so interesting that all the world’s smartest people think exactly the same way I do? Not at all suspicious, that.”
The response to James’s comments show that we have a long way to go — not at ending gender disparity, but ending our own need for creating exclusivity. The New Republic accused James of “inherently derailing” the conversation, and yes. Yes he did, but also yes the conversation needed to be derailed. The desire of white feminists to make him go away, to refuse to allow the conversation to be derailed, if anything just proves his point. | 4,939 |
the only man in tennis history to win the same major 10 or more times; only one woman has done it: Margaret Court, with 11 Australian Opens.
WATCH—Rafa completes his 16th consecutive win against Richard Gasquet:
9: Number of majors Nadal has missed due to injury (how many more could he have won?)
8: Rome titles. Nadal holds the record for most titles in the tournament’s history.
7: Number of different ATP Masters 1000 events Nadal has won, out of the nine currently on tour. The only two missing from his trophy cabinet are Miami (where he’s reached five finals) and the Paris Indoors. (Rafa has also never won the season-ending ATP Finals.)
6: Stints Nadal has had at No. 1, the most recent of which started less than two weeks ago on May 21. On Monday, he’ll begin his 176th career week as the No. 1 player in the world.
5: Five straight French Open titles, from 2010 to 2014. No man has ever won the French Open five years in a row—not just in the Open Era, but in the entire history of the tournament.
4: Times Nadal has been the year-end No. 1: 2008, 2010, 2013 and 2017. He’s one of seven men to do it four or more times; Pete Sampras holds the record with six year-end No. 1 finishes.
3: US Open titles. It’s his second-best major in terms of titles won. He conquered New York in 2010, 2013 and 2017 (beating Djokovic in the first two finals and Kevin Anderson in the third).
2: Olympic gold medals. The Spaniard won the singles gold in Beijing, in 2008 (beating Fernando Gonzalez in the final) and doubles gold in Rio de Janeiro, in 2016 (alongside Marc Lopez).
… and 1 is for, of course, No. 1, because Nadal is currently ranked No. 1, seeded No. 1 at the French Open—and is a heavy favorite to be the one left standing at Roland Garros next Sunday, when all is said and done.
Which is your #FavoriteRafaStat, and which stats did we miss?
—Tennis Channel Plus features up to 10 courts of live action from Roland Garros beginning Sunday, May 27 at 5:00am ET.
—Catch up and watch all your favorite stars anytime on-demand with Tennis Channel Plus.
(The availability of matches or events on TC Plus is subject to change.) | 4,940 |
Uncovering and explaining how our digital world is changing — and changing us.
This story is part of a group of stories called
U.S. regulators on Friday voted to open a swath of government-controlled airwaves for commercial use by tech and telecom companies such as Verizon and Google as they seek to meet growing data demands from new wireless devices.
The Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously to chalk out a process to allow companies free access to the frequencies in the 3.5 gigahertz band.
Those airwaves’ ability to carry heavy data across short distances makes them particularly attractive to companies.
The plan to open up the frequencies can, for instance, help boost the capacity of companies’ existing wireless networks, especially in densely populated locations or indoors. It could even help wirelessly connect specific devices like thermostats or washing machines to facilitate the Internet of Things.
Friday’s vote will kick-start the process of setting up a system for companies to begin using frequencies now dedicated to military radars and other government operations, by sharing them in places where commercial users would not interfere with incumbent users.
The opening up of 3.5 GHz airwaves “is setting a new paradigm for how spectrum sharing should work,” FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said in remarks in Washington.
The plan would allow wireless providers and others to use the airwaves without charge, similarly to Wi-Fi, or to buy licenses for short-term exclusive use in some areas if the airwaves get crowded.
The FCC has been developing the system, known as the Citizens Broadband Radio Service, since 2012 and has drawn interest from various wireless Internet service and device companies, including Verizon, Google, Qualcomm and Ericsson.
Trade groups such as the Telecommunications Industry Association praised the move.
“The spectrum crunch remains very real, and the FCC’s action represents significant progress toward opening more spectrum for broadband,” the TIA’s chief executive, Scott Belcher, said in a statement.
On Friday, the FCC also said it had voted to propose a notice seeking public comment on competitive bidding practices and rules in auctions of airwaves.
U.S. regulators have been working on plans to reform government airwaves auction rules to prevent big companies from tapping a discount program intended for small businesses.
The FCC is gearing up to hold an auction early next year of another set of airwaves belonging to broadcasters and repackaging them to sell them to the wireless industry.
(Reporting by Malathi Nayak and Alina Selyukh; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Christian Plumb and Jonathan Oatis) | 4,941 |
House Speaker John Boehner John Andrew BoehnerLongtime House parliamentarian to step down Five things we learned from this year's primaries Bad blood between Pelosi, Meadows complicates coronavirus talks MORE (R-Ohio) all but extinguished hopes for a big deficit reduction deal because he refused to support any tax increases for the wealthiest Americans, a senior administration official said Saturday night.
The White House official also disputed the charge that President Obama was not willing to give ground on entitlement programs, saying that is "not true."
"[Boehner John Andrew BoehnerLongtime House parliamentarian to step down Five things we learned from this year's primaries Bad blood between Pelosi, Meadows complicates coronavirus talks MORE] couldn't do revenues from wealthiest Americans, he walked away over that," the official said. "They are telling people we couldn't do entitlements, not true."
ADVERTISEMENT
Boehner releases a statement Saturday night that said he was backing away from a large-scale debt deal because "the White House will not pursue a bigger debt reduction agreement without tax hikes.”
But one Republican source told The Hill, “A gulf also remains between the Speaker and the White House on the issue of medium and long-term structural reforms.”
Obama will continue to try to make his case that the biggest option is still the best one to pursue when he meets with congressional leaders at the White House on Sunday evening, White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer said in a statement.
In a similar meeting at the White House last week, Obama laid out three options for the size and scope of the package, urging lawmakers to pursue the biggest option in the range of $4.5 trillion in deficit reduction over 10 years.
The president made clear he would veto the option of a short-term extension with about $1 trillion in cuts, but he left the door open to a $2 trillion to $3 trillion deficit cut package that would raise the debt ceiling through 2012.
A senior administration official said last week that both Boehner and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi agreed to pursue the big deal, but that appeared to go off the rails Saturday when Boehner issued a statement saying he did not think the big package could pass because of Obama's insistence on tax increases.
In abandoning the biggest of the options, Boehner said he thought the only path possible was based on cuts identified in talks hosted by Vice President Biden that would match the amount of raising the debt ceiling.
White House officials would not say whether Obama would back such a deal or what that might look like, but they said Obama was still planning to make a push for a massive deal when he meets with lawmakers Sunday night.
| 4,942 |
”
At the time, Nixon derided career diplomats as “intellectual and emotional eunuchs and not worthy of representing the United States.”
Nixon himself had said donors needed to pony up at least $250,000 — or about $1.4 million in today’s dollars when adjusted for inflation — to be considered for an ambassadorship ahead of his 1972 re-election, according to White House tapes released in 1997.
Herbert W. Kalmbach — Nixon’s personal lawyer and a major Nixon campaign fundraiser — ultimately pleaded guilty and served jail time for selling the U.S. ambassadorship to the Caribbean island nation of Trinidad and Tobago.
The actual amounts of money raised by Obama’s bundlers — so called because they are credited for raising funds from family, friends and business associates and delivering the money in “bundles” — may be even larger than calculated by the Center for Public Integrity.
Federal law only requires disclosure of bundling by registered lobbyists, and the Obama campaign only disclosed bundling amounts using broad ranges — the largest of which were simply “more than $500,000.”
Bundlers for Obama’s 2009 inauguration were voluntarily identified, but no such disclosure occurred in 2013.
Campaign documents leaked to the New York Times show even greater sums funneled to the campaign than the general disclosures suggest.
Barzun, for instance, was credited with raising more than $2.3 million, and Wagar was listed as raising at least $1.4 million since 2007. These documents also indicate that Heyman, Obama’s new nominee to represent the United States in Canada, raised more than $1.7 million, in conjunction with his wife.
Heyman, Barzun and Wagar could not be reached for comment.
Barzun served as the U.S. ambassador to Sweden during Obama’s first term before leaving that post to join Obama’s re-election campaign. When he testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee earlier this year, he pledged to “work every day to nurture and deepen” to country’s “special relationship” with the United Kingdom.
Wagar likewise promised to “work tirelessly” on the nation’s behalf, including cooperating with Singapore to “successfully complete” negotiations on the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement.
“I look forward to working with Singapore,” Wagar said, “on coming up with modern and mutually beneficial solutions to the problems of the present and of the future.” | 4,943 |
American Kestrel
Scientific Name: Falco sparverius
Where American Kestrels Live:
Open areas such as meadows, grasslands, deserts, parks, farm fields, cities, and suburbs. Kestrels need access to trees for nesting cavities during breeding season.
What American Kestrels Eat:
Grasshoppers, cicadas, beetles, dragonflies, scorpions, spiders, butterflies, moths, voles, mice, shrews, bats, small snakes, lizards, frogs and small songbirds.
How Long American Kestrels Live: Up to 11 years (up to 17 years in captivity)
Why American Kestrels are Awesome:
Kestrels are North America’s smallest and most colorful falcon and the only kestrel in North America. But do not let their size fool you. They are no less fierce than birds of prey that are twice their size or more. Their hovering flight capabilities are a skill unique to kestrels.
Kestrels, like many birds, can see ultraviolet light. One example of the usefulness of this ability is it enables them to see urine trails left by small rodents. Think of it as the equivalent of the “Hot Now” sign at Krispy Kreme announcing the deliciousness that waits.
Conservation of American Kestrels:
Although the American Kestrel has a very large range, flexible habitat requirements and is listed as Least Concern with the International Union for Conservation of Nature, there are pocket populations that are in decline according to The Peregrine Fund.
The Peregrine Fund has a project, the American Kestrel Partnership that is open to anyone to join. More than 600 partners have already registered 1,450 nestboxes. If you would like to join, simply visit their website for more information about building or purchasing a nestbox and to create a partner profile.
My property is adjacent to an open meadow so I will be joining this adventure as well. I live in a region with declining American Kestrel populations. With any luck, I will be sharing pictures and stories about American Kestrel residents at my house in the future.
Here is a video of the American Kestrel demonstrating hovering flight and explained by the delightful Sir David Attenborough. In another video, Sir Attenborough describes incredible footage of a European Kestrel using hovering flight also. Although this is a different species of kestrel, watching the brief clip entitled Stationary View is worth your time. The physical capabilities of these small falcons are incredible! | 4,944 |
The government will continue to improve the digital ecosystem, including streamlining related regulations and upgrading infrastructure to accelerate digitisation among the small and medium enterprises (SMEs), said the Finance Ministry.
In the Economic Outlook 2019 Report, it said SMEs were not using the Internet optimally to unlock opportunities available due to lack of digital skills and access to talents, high costs, low speed and unreliable connectivity.
So far, initiatives such as the Digital Transformation Acceleration Programme and the Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ) have been introduced to assist SMEs in leveraging digital technologies in their operations.
The report said most subsectors in the services sector were not optimising the Internet usage except real estate and business services; finance and insurance; and information and communications technology (ICT).
“Given that 88.9 per cent of all SMEs is in the services sector, there is a need to accelerate digitalisation to enhance productivity,” it added.
It said RM1 billion additional investments in ICT would increase output by RM1.9 billion.
“At the same time, the services sector is expected to benefit the most from the investment through a multiplier effect, followed by the manufacturing and construction sectors.
“It is evident that investment in ICT significantly increases output. Therefore, SMEs need to transform their businesses to compete and stay relevant in the current rapidly changing environment,” it noted.
The report said services such as wholesale and retail could expand further with the e-commerce platform and reach a wider market by providing information at a lower cost compared with traditional business models.
It said towards this end, DFTZ was established as part of the national objective to boost the country’s e-commerce growth to 20.8 percent in 2020.
“While about 3,800 SMEs have come on-board the DFTZ platform up to September 2018, the number remains low compared with the total number of establishments in the country.
“Accordingly, the formation of the e-World Trade Platform hub in Malaysia, which is the first outside China, provides extensive training programmes to assist the SMEs in taking advantage of digital innovations and opportunities in global trade,” the report said.
It said SMEs could also apply the sharing economy model, which relies on digital platforms and advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data and Internet of Things.
“This model enables instant access to resources and allows seamless communication among businesses.
“In this regard, SMEs need to take concerted efforts to benefit from the opportunities emerging from the sharing economy,” it said.
--- Bernama | 4,945 |
TUNIS (Reuters) - The United Nations Libya mission said it was alarmed by reports of “brutal and outrageous summary executions” in the eastern city of Benghazi on Wednesday, after pictures emerged appearing to show at least nine people being shot dead at the site of a twin car bombing.
The U.N. Libya mission, UNSMIL, suggested in a tweet that the gunman was Mahmoud al-Werfalli, a special forces commander wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for allegedly carrying out a number of similar killings.
“(The U.N.) demands the handing over of Mahmoud al-Werfalli immediately to (the ICC) as it documented at least 5 similar cases, in 2017 alone, carried out or ordered by al-Werfalli,” UNSMIL said on its Twitter account.
“Those responsible for committing or ordering summary executions are criminally liable under international law.”
Reuters could not independently confirm the gunman’s identity.
The photos, which were posted on social media and in local media, appear to show executions in front of Benghazi’s Bayaat al-Radwan mosque, where a twin car bombing on Tuesday left at least 35 people dead.
One of the pictures shows a gunman dressed in military camouflage, pointing a weapon at the head of the first of a row of blindfolded men kneeling in blue jumpsuits in front of damaged mosque gates.
Another photo shows all but three of the people slumped forward on the road as the gunman makes his way along the line. It was unclear who the men were.
Al-Werfalli is from an elite unit attached to Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA), which controls Benghazi and battled Islamists and other opponents in the city until late last year.
After the ICC said it was seeking al-Werfalli’s arrest in August, the LNA announced that it was investigating him and had detained him, though his whereabouts were unclear. The special forces dismissed the ICC warrant.
A spokesman for the LNA could not immediately be reached for comment on the pictures.
The pictures were posted as U.N. Libya envoy Ghassan Salame visited Benghazi on Wednesday, meeting Haftar at a military compound near the city and expressing condemnation of the car bombing.
Haftar, a divisive figure in Libya, has increasingly been courted by the international community as he has gained power on the ground. He is considered a likely candidate in elections that the U.N. has said it hopes can be organized by the end of 2018. | 4,946 |
10:39 PM
The characters of The Boondocks, legendary for breaking barriers and pushing boundaries, spent the past two decades carving out a decidedly young, urban and black space in the mostly white worlds of syndicated comic strips and late night television. Created by Aaron McGruder, the characters of Huey Freeman, Riley Freeman, Grandpa and the other residents of Woodcrest became almost instant icons, defining the attitude and aesthetic of a generation. After the show ended in 2014, fans wanted to know what was next.
And on Thursday, McGruder took to Facebook to announce the next iteration of the Boondocks brand: a video game. Fresh for ’18 … you suckas!
Cryptically teasing an app-based experience, McGruder only promises “a bizarre political satire that is largely about race and inappropriate for children.” Considering this is the same crew that scripted the most blasphemous version of Dr. King possible, the possibilities here are endless.
If McGruder, John Imah and DJ Pooh learned from the mistakes of Bandai and allow you to actually play as one or all of the title characters, each possible selection points to a dramatically different game.
Longtime fans of the strip will remember how much time Huey and Caesar spent absorbing the messages blaring out from the TV. Considering how much can be ripped from the headlines, a game where the boys jump through the TV to deliver their trademark anime-style beatdowns would be cathartic.
And of course, if McGruder is envisioning Trump as a properly vitiligoed Uncle Ruckus, a game based on President Ruckus could reach unknown levels of foolishness. Is Tom DuBois his veep? How would Uncle Ruckus handle North Korea? Is Ronald Reagan going to send him proclamations from White Heaven? Or maybe it’s even darker? Could it be a McCarthyist sendup in the style of the epic “Thank You for Not Snitching” episode?
If Riley Freeman’s letters to the president are anything like his letters to Santa, a State of Emergency-style brawler set in the nation’s capital would be amazing. Based on the updated cover photo featuring Grandpa’s pootie-tang-like belt, Sarah DuBois with a crossbow and Tom DuBois clutching a makeshift shield with the anarchy symbol on the front, clearly things are getting too real in Woodcrest.
The only one who knows how the game will shape up is McGruder, and we will all have to wait a little longer to see what jumps out of his mind this time. | 4,947 |
india
Updated: Sep 14, 2019 07:11 IST
Four unidentified men took a businessman hostage at gunpoint, drove him around in his car for several hours and robbed him of Rs 52,000 cash near Genpact Chowk crossing on Faridabad Road on early Friday morning.
The police said the victim, who had come to the city to meet a friend, was dropped around 5.15am near a Metro station in Faridabad. The accused men decamped in his car.
According to the police, the incident took place around 1.30am when the victim, a resident of NIT Faridabad, had come to the city to pick up his friend.
In the police complaint, he said, “I had reached near Golf Course Extension Road when my friend sent me his pick-up location. I followed the directions on the map and reached a hilly area on Faridabad Road, a little ahead of Genpact Chowk. Suddenly, a silver colour Swift car blocked my car. Four men alighted from the car and sat inside my car. They pushed me to the leg space between the front and rear seat.”
The police said the accused men drove him around for several hours and asked him to withdraw his money from his account.
Jagbir Singh, station house officer (SHO), Sushant Lok police station, said, that he told the suspects that he did not have money in his account.
“The suspects then asked him to call up his friends and family and ask them to transfer money to his account. He called a friend and his parents. Some amount his friend transferred online to his account. The suspects then withdrew cash from his ATM card,” the SHO said, adding that the victim was not beaten up.
As per the police complaint, a total of Rs 52,000 was taken by the suspects.
The police said it was not certain how many of the suspects were armed.
The victim was dropped around 5.15am near a Metro station in Sector 15A in Faridabad and the suspects took off with his Swift car, said the police.
A case was registered against the accused men, who are yet to be identified by the police, under sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person), 379-B (snatching), 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code(IPC) and relevant sections of the Arms Act at the Sushant Lok police station on Friday, said the police. | 4,948 |
Luke Eastman
Taylor Dobbs
Sen. Dick Sears advocates for the legalization of marijuana Wednesday on the floor of the Vermont Senate.
The Vermont Senate voted Wednesday to legalize marijuana in the state, starting in July.The legislation, which passed the Vermont House last week and won approval in the Senate by a voice vote, now goes to Gov. Phil Scott’s desk. The first-term Republican has said he would sign it into law. That would make Vermont the first state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana through legislative action, rather than a referendum.The Senate made quick work of the bill Wednesday afternoon, approving it with virtually no discussion, just minutes after convening for the day. The institution has debated the subject at length in recent years — voting in 2016 and 2017 to legalize the drug.In brief remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday, Senate President Pro Tempore Tim Ashe (D/P-Chittenden) thanked colleagues who opposed the legislation but nevertheless worked to improve the bill.Later Wednesday, he characterized the vote as “a step in a process to a more rational system.”Like many senators, Ashe had hoped to pass more expansive legislation that would have permitted sale and taxation of marijuana. But in a compromise with the House last year, it agreed to a narrower approach: legalizing possession for those 21 and older — and cultivation of up to two mature and four immature pot plants.Scott vetoed that bill last May, citing concerns about drugged driving and youth use. After legislative leaders agreed to slight revisions, the governor said he would sign it.Ashe said Wednesday that the Senate still supported a tax-and-regulate system. But, he added, “Despite our best efforts to convince the House and the governor, that just wasn’t going to happen.” He said a second major marijuana reform bill was unlikely this legislative session.“We’ve had that discussion,” Ashe said. “We spent considerable time in 2016 and 2017 on a tax-and-regulate system. So this year I think it would be pulling us away from things that are much larger priorities.”During Wednesday’s abbreviated debate, Sen. John Rodgers (D-Essex/Orleans) delivered what he called a “history lesson” about the role of hemp in the United States.Rodgers, who grows hemp on his property in Glover, noted that uniforms worn by soldiers in the American Revolution were made with the fiber.“Were it not for the historically forgotten and currently disparaged marijuana plant, the Continental Army would have froze to death at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania,” Rodgers said. “Fun fact.”Seven Days | 4,949 |
There is something sinister to a seaman in the very grouping of the letters which form this word, clear in its meaning, and seldom threatening in vain.
I say at once there are fewer difficulties in holding hereditary states, and those long accustomed to the family of their prince, than new ones; for it is sufficient only not to transgress the customs of his ancestors, and to deal prudently with circumstances as they arise, for a prince of average powers to maintain himself in his state, unless he be deprived of it by some extraordinary and excessive force; and if he should be so deprived of it, whenever anything sinister happens to the usurper, he will regain it.
The erect and majestic pose of the great frame shrank suddenly into a sinister crouch as, slowly and gently as one who treads on eggs, the devil-faced cat crept forward toward the girl.
In the light of Claire's insinuations what had seemed coincidences took on a more sinister character.
One was an old man whom I had not seen before; in the other three I recognized the workman-like footman, and the two sinister artisans whom I had met at the house-gate.
A few rays of light, a wan, sinister light, that seemed to have been stolen from an expiring luminary, fell through some opening or other upon an old tower that raised its pasteboard battlements on the stage; everything, in this deceptive light, adopted a fantastic shape.
The Grève had then that sinister aspect which it preserves to-day from the execrable ideas which it awakens, and from the sombre town hall of Dominique Bocador, which has replaced the Pillared House.
"It seems to me sinister. Of course I know that, except in art, an animal's face in repose has always the same expression.
"Age, about forty years; height, about five feet nine; black hair; complexion dark; generally, rather handsome visage; eyes dark, face thin, long, and sallow; nose aquiline, but not straight, having a peculiar inclination towards the left cheek; expression, therefore, sinister."
Lost in the crowd, miserable and undersized, he meditated confidently on his power, keeping his hand in the left pocket of his trousers, grasping lightly the india-rubber ball, the supreme guarantee of his sinister freedom; but after a while he became disagreeably affected by the sight of the roadway thronged with vehicles and of the pavement crowded with men and women.
A long scar ran across one cheek and drew the corner of his mouth up in a sinister curl. | 4,950 |
When he was growing up, Jason was "husky," Mercedes said, and his size and subsequent slowness set him up to become a playmaker with the puck.
"For Hugh and I, we really think that's where Jason found his calling in terms of passing and learning the game, because he, as a bigger player, couldn't move as fast," Mercedes said. "So what the coach found was get the puck to Jason in the neutral zone and just sprint to the net because Jason will find you. That's what he does.")
In the fall, the country will host the Southeast Asian Games at Manila's Mall of Asia Arena, since many of the ice rinks in the Philippines are inside shopping malls. In Canada, informal Filipino hockey teams have popped up in Montreal, Toronto and Winnipeg.
Filipino hockey players are unlikely, but that doesn't mean Filipino hockey fans are unnoticed.
When the Wild travel to the West coast (particularly Los Angeles, San Jose and Vancouver), Dumba said Filipinos will approach him after games, sometimes as he's walking to the team bus.
"Some of them roll up on me and start speaking the language," said Dumba, whose Filipino mother, Treena, was adopted as a child and grew up in Canada. "I got nothing to give back, I kind of feel bad."
The path Robertson will travel could look much like the one Dumba has already gone down. He'll be the face of a community not often represented in hockey, and one doing so at the highest level in the world.
Whether Jason makes his future in Dallas this season or next, Kainan Sa Laguna will sit in Plano. The walls will have pictures of Pagsanjan Falls. Its Philippine Calamansi juice (like a lemonade) will still be in the refrigerator. Kainan Sa Laguna (translated to mean "eating in Laguna," and Laguna is a province in the Philippines) will still have The Filipino Channel on its mounted flat screen spewing game shows in the middle of the afternoon. The lumpia (spring rolls) and lechon (roast pork) will still be fried in the kitchen.
"For me, it would have been nice for my dad to see that, but I'm just happy that my mom is seeing it," Mercedes said. "They always tell us that they're proud of us, but it's just nice to see the next generation, what's becoming of them and that their sacrifices, what they had to do 30, 40 years ago, how it continues to pay off."
Find more Stars coverage from The Dallas Morning News here. | 4,951 |
Is it time for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to retire his annual personal challenge?
In years when Facebook was not under hyper-intense scrutiny, Zuckerberg challenged himself to learn Mandarin, run a mile per day and only eat meat from animals he had killed. But now the beleaguered tech executive, leading a company that's been pilloried by critics on all sides, and seen its stock price drop, is trying to set a different tone after a scandal-plagued 2018.
The 34-year-old will be embarking on a listening tour of sorts.
Zuckerberg announced Tuesday that he'll host a series of "public discussions" every few weeks with leaders, experts and community members about the role of technology in society, including the opportunities, anxieties, hopes and challenges. All of these events will be publicized on his Facebook feed, Instagram page or by other means.
AMAZON IS GOING TO START DELIVERING PACKAGES INSIDE YOUR GARAGE SO THEY DON'T GET STOLEN
"This will be intellectually interesting, but there's a personal challenge for me here too," Zuckerberg explained in his Facebook post. "I'm an engineer, and I used to just build out my ideas and hope they'd mostly speak for themselves. But given the importance of what we do, that doesn't cut it anymore."
The billionaire and board chairman notes that he will "put himself out there more" than he's been comfortable with in the past.
CES 2019: 7 TECHNOLOGIES THAT WILL LEAVE YOU SPEECHLESS
In early 2017, Zuckerberg pledged to tour all 50 states, a move that was questioned by some and panned by others, as it came amid growing questions about Russia's use of Facebook to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Some tech industry watchers and critics have said that Zuckerberg's leadership style, along with his control of the tech giant's board, is actually the main problem.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“The problem is Zuckerberg and his inability to understand the greater societal implications that result from poorly established corporate values,” Julie Goodridge, CEO of NorthStar Asset Management, which owns 23,500 Facebook shares, told Fox News last month. “Zuckerberg obviously has a lot of talent, governing the company, but sticking clearly to the mission, and knowing what to do when things go wrong, are not skills that he has.”
It remains to be seen whether or not these public discussions can move the needle on the deep, complex questions the world is grappling with about the role of technology in society. | 4,952 |
Since Libra was unveiled earlier this year by Facebook, crypto enthusiasts and industry firms have been heavily scrutinizing the project. The fear is that the “cryptocurrency” and “blockchain” won’t sport the tenets of a decentralized network,
According to an executive of Ripple Labs, these fears are correct.
Libra a “Walled Garden”; Ripple Isn’t
Speaking to CNBC last week, Marcus Treacher, Ripple’s senior vice president of customer success, said that he believes that one of Libra’s main issues is that it’s a “walled garden” system. In other words, he’s saying that he believes the Facebook-backed cryptocurrency project is a closed system, disallowing easy entry or exit by users or nodes.
Although much of the Internet consists of walled gardens today, the rise of blockchain seeks to disintermediate and get rid of controlling central authorities.
Treacher continued, adding that he believes that Ripple has “no walled garden”, being a network “with no perimter” and “connects with all of the players that want to use the technology”.
He Isn’t Wrong
While Treacher’s comment regarding the public nature of the Ripple Ledger may be up for debate, he isn’t wrong about Libra — that’s for sure.
At launch — if it launches — the Libra network will be run by a network of nodes run by corporations. These corporations, as long as they don’t pull out of their agreements, will include Visa, PayPal, Uber, Spotify, Coinbase, Mastercard, Booking Holdings, among other corporate giants, investment groups, and pro-cryptocurrency firms.
The Libra Association’s goal is to decentralize the network with time, presumably by slowly converting the consensus model to something like that of Bitcoin or Ethereum, which allows public interaction due to low barriers to entry.
Regardless of what form Libra or one of its successors takes, analysts believe that it will only help to improve the adoption of cryptocurrencies, especially Bitcoin. As reported by NewsBTC previously, Raoul Pal, the former head of Goldman Sachs’s hedge funds sales, said that the implementation of a new monetary system will be “good for Bitcoin and gold”. In a sub-tweet, Pal further explained his thoughts, responding “exactly” to a comment claiming that a fiat digital asset will as an on-ramp for the cryptocurrency market.
Featured Image from Shutterstock | 4,953 |
UFC welterweight Nick Diaz will be eligible to fight in 2016.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission unanimously approved a settlement with Diaz on Monday that reduced his original five-year suspension to 18 months. A $165,000 fine was also reduced to $100,000.
The 18-month suspension is retroactive to Diaz's last fight on Jan. 31, 2015. He will be eligible to return on Aug. 1 this year.
During the Las Vegas public hearing, the NSAC voted in favor of the proposed settlement but did not read the conditions. Diaz's manager Lloyd Pierson revealed the terms to ESPN.com. Diaz, 32, did not appear at the hearing.
Nick Diaz (26-9) will be eligible to fight on Aug. 1 after his five-year ban was reduced to 18 months. He hasn't recorded a win since a decision victory against BJ Penn in October 2011. Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images
Diaz (26-9) was suspended five years in September after testing positive for marijuana metabolites following his decision loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 183. It marked the third marijuana-related test failure of Diaz's career.
The circumstances surrounding the test were unique, however, in that the NSAC tested Diaz three times on the night of the fight. Two of the tests, which were analyzed at a WADA-accredited lab, produced negative results. A third came back positive.
Initially, the NSAC elected to respect the results of the outlying test and handed Diaz a five-year ban, which commission member Skip Avansino acknowledged at the time was essentially "a lifetime for Diaz."
The NSAC has since changed course. Speaking on why Diaz was tested three times by two different methods, NSAC chairman Anthony Marnell told ESPN.com "that's what happens when you have multiple drug testing parties. That's the honest answer and since that time, that's changed. It was a learning lesson. These are complicated issues but that's since been fixed."
There was a substantial amount of public outcry after the NSAC's original ruling. A petition to the White House demanding the suspension be lifted received more than 100,000 electronic signatures last year.
A former Strikeforce welterweight champion, Diaz hasn't recorded a win since a decision victory against BJ Penn in October 2011. His loss to Silva was overturned to a no-contest, after Silva tested positive for anabolic steroids.
The Stockton, California-based fighter has said he is a medicinal marijuana user. He will have to submit a clean test to the NSAC before he is relicensed. | 4,954 |
Sign up to FREE email alerts from BirminghamLive - Black Country Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
A man who is believed to have died whist trying to help a young girl in Chasewater reservoir has been named as Carl Storer.
The 21-year-old, who lived in Tamworth, had got into difficulty after he went into the water to help a nine-year-old girl out of the reservoir.
Emergency services including West Midlands Ambulance Service, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service and Staffordshire Air Ambulance all attended at around 6pm on Sunday, June 30, and sadly his body was recovered from the water a short time later.
In a tribute to Carl, his family said: "You were a really good brother and you will be deeply missed by family and friends. Rest in peace and fly with the eagles. You will always be loved."
Sergeant Fay Mills, from the Lichfield Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Carl’s family are receiving support from specially-trained officers and our thoughts are with them at this time. We are working with partners to establish the circumstances of his death and a report is being prepared for the Coroners. We have an increased officer presence at the park today to offer reassurance and we would encourage everyone to avoid swimming in open water for their own safety.”
(Image: Staffs Police)
Mark Winnington, Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet member responsible for Chasewater, said: “Everyone is upset to hear the news of the tragic event at Chasewater reservoir and it is so sad that a day out enjoying the summer sun has ended in tragedy for this young man and his family and our thoughts are with his loved ones today.
Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now
“Though we do not yet know the full circumstances of how this happened, it is a sad reminder of how even the strongest swimmer can find themselves struggling while swimming in cold water.
“We all want to enjoy the warmer weather, but our advice to everyone is not to be tempted to cool off by swimming unsupervised in open waters.”
Police continue to investigate the circumstances of what happened and the Coroner has been informed. A number of people were seen filming the incident as it unfolded and officers would like to remind the public to not share the footage publicly as it may be of a distressing nature. Instead please contact 101 quoting incident number 654 of 30 June to find out how to submit any footage. | 4,955 |
india
Updated: May 28, 2020 10:33 IST
India moved a step closer to inviting bids for the purchase of 114 fighter jets, currently the world’s largest deal in play, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks to boost the capability of the country’s armed forces and replace an aging combat aircraft fleet.
The deal -- valued at more than $15 billion -- has attracted initial offers from global defence majors, including Boeing Co., Lockheed Martin Corp. and Sweden’s Saab AB. At least 85% of production has to be in India, according to an initial document issued more than a year back.
Modernising the country’s defence forces is critical for Modi, who hardly signed any new major arms deals during his first term, even as twin threats from neighbouring China and Pakistan loomed. A Pakistani F-16 jet downed an aging Soviet-era MiG 21 -- Indian Air Force’s mainstay -- in a dogfight during a military confrontation earlier this year.
Evaluation Begins
The evaluation of initial bids and finalising the Air Forces’ requirements has begun, junior defence minister Shripad Naik told lawmakers in parliament. India is also drafting initial documents to purchase tanks and armoured vehicles, as well as asking foreign shipbuilders to show interest to manufacture submarines in India, he said.
ALSO WATCH | IAF releases video of Jaguar dropping practice bombs, says pilot saved lives
Naik’s comments came two days after India sought bids for purchasing warships and support vessels for its navy and coast guard as it ramps up security of its maritime border in the Indian Ocean region. Modi’s administration on Monday asked seven shipyards to submit proposals for the construction of six missile warships and other smaller vessels worth 150 billion rupees ($2.2 billion), the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
The Indian Air Force and Navy require as many as 400 single- and double-engine combat aircraft, according to the government.
Boeing is partnering with state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. and Mahindra Defence Systems Ltd. for the fighter jet deal offering its F/A-18. Lockheed will jointly bid with salt-to-software conglomerate Tata Group for its F-21 jets, and Saab teamed with billionaire Gautam Adani to offer its Gripen jets.
After scrapping an order with Dassault Aviation for 126 Rafale jets worth $11 billion in 2015 -- a process that took nearly a decade -- Modi’s administration bought 36 jets separately. Under the new tender, the winner will have to deliver the first jet within three years of securing the contract. | 4,956 |
If it has nothing to do with the other two movies, and it's all female, then why are you calling it Ghostbusters? I love females. I hope that if they go that way, at least they'll be funny, and if they're not funny at least hopefully it'll be sexy. I love the idea of including women, I think that's great. But all-female, I think, would be a bad idea. I don't think the fans want to see that."
Maybe it will come out and be the most amazing thing, but in my opinion I think it would be wrong to do another movie that didn't include the guys. And that didn't include me!"
So far, the reaction to an all-female Ghostbusters has been mixed, at best. Some love the idea of hysterical actresses suiting up for a ghost-busting horror comedy. Others are opposed to calling itif it isn’t going to have any ties to the original two films. But what do the actual Ghostbusters believe? This may shock you. Ernie Hudson worked the PR trail on behalf ofa while back, and talked to anyone that he could about a third installment in the series. Now that we know that the nextmovie is going to be a reboot, though, Hudson has told the UK Telegraph that he’s against the idea… and he thinks fans will oppose it, as well. He said:I kind of want to chastise Ernie Hudson for this close-minded reaction to Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters, but a lot of comments under the story on our site reflected these sentiments. Why call itif it won’t trace back to the first films? Why not be its own thing? The answer, naturally, is because the namecarries a significant amount of marketing power, and a lot of people will check the new movie out just to see how it lives up to (or fails) the legacy of the first two movies. And later in the interview, Hudson softens his stance – while also showing that his comments were more than a little self-serving:There it is. The truth. But you know that Ernie Hudson will be in a theater, watching the nextwhen it comes out, because he’s going to be curious to see how they treated his baby. He’s going to want to see how his legacy has survived.We know that Bill Murray is all for a femalemovie. And we now know that Ernie Hudson’s kind of opposed. I can’t wait for Dan Aykroyd to comment on the new film. His is the next shoe to drop. Care to wager what his reaction might be? | 4,957 |
Mexican Tourists In Egypt Were Bombed ‘Five Times Over Three Hours’ Says Survivor
Egyptian security forces bombed a group of Mexican tourists and their Egyptian guides around five times over a period of three hours, revealed survivor Susana Calderon who had been recovering in a Cairo hospital.
“We were bombed some five times, always from the air,” revealed Calderon to Mexican newspaper El Universal while laying in her hospital bed. “It all lasted some three hours.”
“The landscapes are beautiful, but there is nothing else. Nowhere to take shelter, nowhere to run,” she added. “God wanted me to know what real fear feels like.”
Calderon, who is expected to fully recover from her wounds that included paralysis in the right leg, also revealed the last words her husband, Luis, told her before he was taken away on a stretcher.
“I saw my husband when they put me on a stretcher to take me to hospital. I saw he was very badly wounded. He had a broken arm, like me. He had many wounds on his back, his waist, his whole spine, his legs,” said Calderon.
“I heard him tell me he loved me. I told him I loved him, too. And then I heard nothing more of him.”
Days later, Calderon was told her husband died of his wounds. She said they planned to visit Europe as part of a ‘lifetime trip’ that they had organized.
Among the other victims identified by social media users are Queta Rojas, Rafael Bejarano and Maria Elena Cruz Munoz. Rojas worked as a fashion executive in Mexico, Bejarano was a Reiki healer and a musician, and Munoz was a former congresswoman and a member of the Center Right Party (PAN).
Family of Mexican Rafael Bejarano, a Reiki healer &musician, say he was killed in mistaken #Egypt attack on tourists pic.twitter.com/3gn1Ak8mC1 — Kristen McTighe (@KristenMcTighe) September 15, 2015
Eight Mexican tourists and four Egyptians were killed in the accidental attack in Egypt’s Western Desert. Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and police claim that the tourist group had been in a restricted area during a time when security forces were battling militants.
As the investigation continues, the Prosecutor-General issued a media gag. The ban includes all media outlets and only allows for official statements issued from the prosecution office to be published.
Subscribe to our newsletter | 4,958 |
I discovered Debbie Gould’s cake art through friend and fellow cake creator, Dave Ashby (see below), who showed me Debbie’s Hello Kitty cake on Flickr – I’m a huuuuuge Hello Kitty fan, and vowed then and there that I would have to have one of these one day…
Debbie is a cake decorator from San Francisco who uses influences from pop culture, fashion and art to create her edible artwork. With over two years experience, her work is sure to leave people with mouths wide open (both in awe and to fill with cake, I guess).
These particular cakes were featured on Cake Wrecks: a blog that works in a similar way to the Fail blog, only it shows absolutely awful cake designs or messed up slogans that have been iced on the cakes themselves.
However, every sunday, they run under a different theme called “Sunday Sweets” – these showcase amazing baking and decorating skills and show off some quite beautiful pieces of work/cake.
Cakeology is a mother and daughter team of bakers who create both tiered and shaped cakes, as well as unusual cupcakes.
My friend, Dave Ashby, is a budding cake decorator and I have to say, he’s actually really good! In fact, I think he’d give a lot of professionals a run for his money, and he’s only been doing this for about a year.
Take a look at some of his designs, a lot of which he has created for friends, family and colleagues based on their favourite things.
Dave’s a designer by trade and he has his fingers in many pies (haha pies…geddit?) when it comes to being creative – recently, he started an illustration collective/competition called Versus, which promotes illustrators through packs of cards displaying pieces of their work.
Finally, the piece de resistance: Charm City Cakes.
Well, I could hardly do an article about cake art and not include them, could I? I love these guys. Their work is amazing (sometimes I am flabberghasted by what they can make out of cake) and their show is one of my favourites.
I was very shocked and saddened to hear that the show is ending this year (well, we’re a couple series behind in the UK), but I wish Duff and the team all the best for the future. You guys are awesome!
I couldn’t end this post without showing you this (as if you haven’t seen it already):
Who doesn’t love Angry Birds?! | 4,959 |
Back when they were still on The Real Housewives of New York City before getting fired, Alex McCord and her husband Simon van Kempen were always making people uncomfortable, whether it was because he was running around in a Speedo, or she was trying to model, or they both were saying something terribly cringe-y about social status, etc. They're a genuine tag team in that regard. Anyway, two years ago they published a book called Little Kids, Big City, a sort of memoir about their experiences raising their two sons. We're guessing that their co-stars (or anyone else for that matter) never read it because we can't see how Jill Zarin would've ever let the first chapter—the story of François' birth—slide without comment. In it, Alex describes her birth plan, her choice for a drug-free delivery in a birthing center, and how her husband Simon jizzed all over her in the middle of her miracle.
Once he was finally out of my body, I experienced a tsunami of endorphins that was almost orgasmic, and I understand completely the stories other women have written about ecstatic birth. Simon was sitting behind me at the point of birth, and later when we untangled ourselves he discovered he'd actually ejaculated though hadn't felt any of the normal lead-up to that. It may seem distasteful to some, and definitely neither of us was thinking of sex at the time, but with the rush of emotion and my lower nerve endings going crazy, it's not too far a stretch to say that it's a profound experience.
Recent Video This browser does not support the video element. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Reminds Us: Don't Hustle the Hustler
That anecdote is more disgusting than Simon in red pleather pants. While I commend them for their complete and, frankly shameless, honesty, I can't help but think how inappropriate it was of Simon to get a boner. I got mad when my husband was talking during a contraction. There's no telling what kind of crimes I would've committed had he ejaculated on me. I know that shit gets crazy in the delivery room, and you kind of just go with it, but I have to question a man who can get aroused at the site of his wife's pussy splitting in two. I mean, that's some kind of kink. You know? Oh, and those poor nurses and midwives that had to be a party to his party in his pants. Ugh!
Little Kids, Big City [Google Books via Street Carnage]
Saturday's Best Deals: Remote Car Starter Kit, JACHS NY Stretch Tech... Read on The Inventory | 4,960 |
Sasha Fleischman fell asleep on a school bus this November and woke up in flames. The 18-year-old San Francisco native, who identifies as agender, meaning neither male nor female, was wearing a man’s shirt and a skirt when another high school student took a lighter to the highly flammable fabric. The cruel prank left Fleischman with third-degree burns, which required multiple surgeries, and catapulted agenders to the center of a national civil rights debate.
Chloe Aftel shot Fleischman for San Francisco Magazine just weeks after the high school senior was released from the hospital, an experience the photographer found so gratifying that she began an entire series on agenders.
“I found it fascinating that there is this whole group of people galvanizing the debate about what gender is, and to a certain extent, what love is and what self-expression is,” she tells Vocativ. “It’s about what works for you.”
The series, called Agender, is a collection of intimate portraits of so-called genderqueer youth and adults. The aim, Aftel explains, is a visual attempt to answer questions like, “What does it mean to have a body that is in between?” and “What does that look like and feel like day-to-day?”
What she found is a diverse, fearless community of people who exist on the frontier of social norms. “They have a real strength of character and complete clarity about who they are,” Aftel says, dismissing the oft-used term “gender confusion,” which is the prevailing characterization of genderqueers.
Fleischman was still nursing wounds when Aftel arrived for the shoot. Despite the bandages and gauze on Fleischman’s shins, they (the preferred pronoun for agenders) were also wearing a skirt, as they had been every day since the incident happened. “There was no chip on their shoulder,” Aftel remembers. “They were like, ‘This happened, and now I’m going to do my college applications and move on.'”
Both Fleischman and Aftel remain hopeful that agenders will eventually find acceptance. As we spoke, Aftel grew excited as a man with blue hair and a beard wearing a dress passed by, something that was highly unusual just a few decades ago. “The idea of fluidity with regards to gender just seems so exciting to me,” she says, “and honestly, much more based in reality.” | 4,961 |
Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini says that Barcelona's attacking trident of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez "may seem unstoppable," but that the Bianconeri will hatch a plan to tame them in the Champions League final.
Man-to-man marking is not the way to do it, says the Italy international, who will therefore not be given orders to keep close to Suarez -- the man who bit him in last summer's World Cup -- or either of his partners in Barca's formidable front line.
"You just can't man-mark Messi, Neymar and Suarez," Chiellini told Mediaset television. "The only way of stopping them is by defending as a team.
"They may seem unstoppable, but we're going to study the game well. It's not only about them, but about a great side who manage to get their forwards into positions to hurt you a lot, but with the quality we've got, we will be able to limit them."
Instead, the Italian defender feels that Barca should be equally concerned with how they are going to stop Juve, whose march to the final may not have been widely expected but is still fully deserved, according to the Pisa-born defender.
Chiellini is looking forward to the occasion, something he would dream about when he was growing up.
Giorgio Chiellini will face Luis Suarez for the first time since the Uruguayan bit the Italian at the 2014 World Cup. JAVIER SORIANO/AFP/Getty Images
"This Juve side are really tough to beat, for anybody," he said. "The Champions League puts you up against the best players in the world and the atmosphere's unique. You feel emotions that you don't get from other games.
"Ever since I was a child, I would hear that famous music and the first time you are there in person, it gives you such a rush of adrenaline. It's become a battle cry for us."
According to Juve midfielder Stefano Sturaro, who made his Champions League debut in the semifinal against Real Madrid, there is no inferiority complex in the Juve camp.
"If we've got all the way to Berlin, then that must mean we're on the same level as them," he told Sky Sport Italia. "We've grown a lot. They have the best players in the world, but that doesn't make us think we're outsiders.
"We'll play the game on a par with them and anything can happen in a one-off match. Our team spirit and compactness could make the difference." | 4,962 |
You probably wouldn’t be lurking here if you didn’t think this was cool.
Wired:
Volcanism at Mexico’s Popocatépetl is highly punctuated, especially during its current level of activity where domes of lava grow in the summit crater. These domes occasionally collapse or are destroyed by explosions that can lessen the pressure on the magma beneath to create an even larger explosion. This is akin to popping the top off a shaken bottle of soda — the dissolved bubbles come out of solution rapidly as the pressure is released and you get an explosion of soda.
Today, Popocatépetl had one of those explosions, and thanks to the beautiful weather in Mexico and some nice placement of webcams surrounding the volcano, the explosion was caught on some pretty amazing webcam footage compiled by webcamsdemexico (see above). The video is short, only 30 second long, but after the first few seconds of calm, the explosion occurs, sending a dark grey plume into the atmosphere above the volcano. Now, these explosions come with a lot of force, and you can see after the initial explosion is how the clouds of water vapor around Popocatepetl shudder as the explosion front moves past. Then quickly, the upper flanks of the volcano turn grey from the rapid raining out of ash and volcanic debris (tephra). It is a little surprising how little the clouds actually care that the explosion just occurred at first, but as the explosion continues in this sped up video, the clouds do begin to show more disruption from the hot ash and volcanic gases being released during the explosion. You can also notice how the plume reaches neutral buoyancy not too far above the volcano (bigger the explosion, the higher it can reach before this happens) as the plume begins to spread laterally (to the right in this video) into that classic shape. My guess is the plume was a few kilometers tall by the time the video ends.
You can see how pulsatory the eruption is as well, with the dark plume churning like steam from a steam engine. This might be due to new magma rising in the conduit, feeding the eruption as it continues. However, even with all this fury, the volcano went back to looking idyllic with only some minor puffs of ash within two hours after the explosion (see below) and only the grey ash on the slopes to show for the seemingly giant explosion. Even as impressive as that explosion seems, these ash and tephra deposits usually are wiped clean out of much of the geologic record by rains as they are only a few centimeters thick near the volcano and millimeters thick further away. | 4,963 |
As Tesla Inc. (TSLA) - Get Report continues ramping up production of its Model 3 sedan, the electric carmaker might want to give a little more stock to quality control and potential for costly repairs, according to a few disgruntled reviewers on the internet.
The Model 3 retails for around $35,000 and aims at a mass market buyer, but the relatively affordable price tag could be offset by costly repairs, if online forums and Twitter users are to be believed.
Beyond Twitter, user forums on the automaker's site are teeming with mixed reviews. One forum user wrote that he or she is waiting for a Model 3 to be delivered in 2018, but maintenance problems and "nightmares of other issues" have the driver second-guessing the decision to buy a Model 3 at times.
The Model 3 isn't the only vehicle with alleged troubles. There have been reports of a rattling noise in the Model X suspension. Another user posted photos of the aluminum in the passenger side A-pillar cracked open with a gaping hole after what the user said was only four days of owning the Model S car.
And another forum member reported a four-month-old Model S that only blows hot air out of the A/C. And one user -- who got comments reporting similar experiences from other users -- said the Model X showed warnings "car can shutdown any time" before the car sputtered to a stop on a full battery.
To be fair, almost any vehicle can suffer mechanical troubles and pesky electrical issues. But with Tesla's lofty goals in the years ahead and a hefty price tag for some models, one could argue now is the time to address the troubles head on. Musk wants to crank out 500,000 cars next year -- an impressive feat for what was a boutique automaker not too long ago.
Renewed concerns over quality come just after Tesla stock suffered its longest losing streak in more than two months. Shares finished trading on Friday, Sept. 22, down for a fourth-straight session, ending the trading week 7.6% lower than it started and earning the second-worst performance on the Nasdaq on Friday.
But it's worth noting Tesla's reputation -- and stock performance -- isn't all bad. The arguably fanatic Tesla owners seem to have something good to say for every negative review. Plus, Tesla stock has gained over 61% since the start of 2017. In midday trading Tuesday, Sept. 26, Tesla stock moved slightly higher by 0.13% to $345.45.
Watch: Tesla's Elon Musk Is All Jokes as the Model 3 Accelerates Into 'Production Hell"
More of What's Trending on TheStreet: | 4,964 |
GDPR one year later: The challenges organizations still face Watch Now
Mozilla has announced that it's rolling out changes under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) to all Firefox users worldwide.
The CCPA, known as America's toughest privacy legislation, came into effect on January 1, 2020, offering Californian users data-protection rules better suited to today's world of data collection.
Much like Europe's GDPR, the CCPA gives consumers the right to know what personal information is collected about them and to be able to access it.
SEE: Digital transformation: A CXO's guide (ZDNet special report) | Download the report as a PDF (TechRepublic)
Consumers also have a right to know whether their data has been sold, the right to prevent its sale in future, the right to request data be deleted, and the ability to sue for violations of CCPA.
If a business processes data on 50,000 users in California, the company in question has to comply with the CCPA.
While the law technically only applies to data processed about residents in California, Microsoft has already announced that it will roll out CCPA rights to all its US users so they can control their data.
The Californian proposal wasn't popular among Silicon Valley tech giants, but Mozilla notes it was one of the few companies to endorse CCPA from the outset.
Mozilla has now outlined the key change it's made to Firefox, which will ensure CCPA regulations benefit all its users worldwide. The move would seem to make business sense too, saving Mozilla from having to ship a California-only version of Firefox and another version for the rest of the world.
The main change it's introducing is allowing users to request that Mozilla deletes Firefox telemetry data stored on its servers. That data doesn't include web history, which Mozilla doesn't collect anyway, but it does include data about how many tabs were opened and browser session lengths.
"We've decided to go the extra mile and expand user deletion rights to include deleting this telemetry data stored in our systems," said Alan Davidson VP of global policy, trust and security at Mozilla.
SEE: Microsoft: We're creating a new Rust-like programming language for secure coding
"To date, the industry has not typically considered telemetry data 'personal data' because it isn't identifiable to a specific person, but we feel strongly that taking this step is the right one for people and the ecosystem."
The new control will ship in the next version of Firefox due out on January 7, which will include a feature to request desktop telemetry data be deleted directly from the browser. | 4,965 |
Cops in Florida arrived at a home to investigate after receiving reports of a woman screaming - only to find the neighbor had mistaken the noise for a parrot talking.
The silly moment happened outside a couple's home in Lake Worth Beach while the husband was fixing his wife's car just before New Year's Eve.
Home security footage shows the husband calmly shifting through his tool box as Rambo moans 'help' and 'let me out!'
'I was changing the brakes on my wife's car and had my 40-year-old parrot, Rambo, on his outside perch where he sings and talks,' the unidentified man told ViralHog.
A Florida man was fixing his wife's car outside their Lake Worth Beach home when his 40-year-old parrot began to scream 'help' and 'let me out!'
Just two minutes later sheriff's deputies arrive at the couple's home, making the man jump in surprise and quickly turn around to face the trio.
The deputies inform the man that a nearby neighbor reported hearing a woman's desperate screams from inside the home.
'Sometime later four police officers showed up saying a neighbor called because she heard a woman screaming for help,' the husband said.
Four Florida deputies arrive to the home that morning in response to a neighbor's report that a woman was screaming for help inside the couple's home
The man later brings out Rambo (pictured) and explains that his lifelong pet is a talking parrot who can utter phrases
With a knowing smirk, the man turns towards the house and calls the parrot's name before leaving to 'bring out the screamer'.
He revealed that Rambo's startling yells are something he taught the bird as a child.
'Sometimes Rambo yells "help, help, let me out". Something I taught him when I was a kid and Rambo lived in a cage,' the husband said.
The man quickly returns with Rambo resting on his hand as the deputies light up and laugh at the sight of the green bird.
The responding deputies and the concerned neighbor all had a laugh after meeting Rambo the talking parrot
'Rambo, meet the boys in green,' he says, before showing the group a men a few of the bird's tricks.
'I promptly introduced the officers to Rambo and we all had a good laugh,' he wrote.
After the deputies left, the man took Rambo to meet the concerned neighbor to explain the incident.
'Afterward, I also introduced Rambo to the neighbor who called in the screaming. She too had a good laugh,' he said. | 4,966 |
Dietrich (eds.), pp. 97-123.
Carmona, E., Almendros, J., Serrano, I., Stich, D., Ibáñez, J. M. (2012). Results of seismic monitoring surveys of Deception Island volcano, Antarctica, from 1999-2011, Antarctic Science, 24, 1-15, doi:10.1017/S0954102012000314.
Carmona, E., Almendros, J., Martín, R., Cortés, G., Alguacil, G., Moreno, J., Martín, B., Martos, A.,Serrano, I., Stich, D., Ibáñez, J. M. (2014). Advances in seismic monitoring at Deception Island volcano (Antarctica) since the International Polar Year, Annals of Geophysics 57(3), SS0321, doi:10.4401/ag-6378.
Ibanez, J. M., Del Pezzo, E., Almendros, J., La Rocca, M., Alguacil, G., Ortiz, R., Garcia, A. (2000). Seismovolcanic signals at Deception Island volcano, Antarctica: wave field analysis and source modeling, J. Geophys. Res., 105, 13905-13931.
Ibáñez, J. M., Almendros, J., Carmona, E., Martínez-Arévalo, C. & Abril, M. (2003a). The recent seismo-volcanic activity at Deception Island volcano. Deep-Sea Research II, 50, 1611-1629.
Ibanez, J. M., Carmona, E., Almendros, J., Saccorotti, G., Del Pezzo, E., Abril, M., Ortiz, R. (2003b). The 1998-1999 seismic series at Deception Island volcano, Antarctica, J. Volcan. Geotherm. Res., 128, 65-88.
Peci, L. M., Berrocoso, M., Páez, R., Fernández-Ros, A., de Gil, A. (2012). IESID: Automatic system for monitoring ground deformation on the Deception Island volcano (Antarctica). Computers & Geosciences, 48, 126-133.
Information Contacts:,,,, and, Instituto Andaluz de Geofísica, University of Granada, Spain;,,, and, University of Cádiz, Spain. | 4,967 |
"Dennis Reynolds: An Erotic Life" Season Four, Episode Nine Writer Scott Marder & Rob Rosell & David Hornsby Director Matt Shakman Air Date October 23, 2008 Images from "Dennis Reynolds: An Erotic Life"
"Dennis Reynolds: An Erotic Life" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Dennis plans on publishing an account of his sexual exploits and ends up in a rehab facility along with comedian Sinbad and "Matchbox 20" frontman Rob Thomas. Meanwhile, Charlie and Dee try on each other's lives for size.
11:00PM on a Monday
Guest Starring [ edit | edit source ]
Rob Thomas as Himself
Sinbad as Himself
Lisa Locicero as Philadelphia Soul Executive
Lawrence Mandley as Black Dude
Cantrell Harris as Orderly
Rob Khakh as Movie Patron
Jesse Caron as White Guy
Roberto Raad as First Comic on Stage
Alexandra Sceales-Smith as Twin Girl #1
Tegan Sceales-Smith as Twin Girl #2
Patrick Walsh as The MC
Dennis: (referring to his memoir) Charlie, what the hell were you doing with it? Dee: Well, uh, since he can't read, I'm guessing he was masturbating to your pictures.
Charlie: You know what, what are you doing to me? Why are you doing this? You've been riding me, now your accusing me of things, and you just don't get it. You don't know why I do the things that I do. It's nuts! You don't know how hard I got it, Dee
Frank: This is some sweet smut! I'm all boned up over here!
Charlie: In case you have to pee pee, I got this for ya. Dee: No wonder it reeks in here Charlie, you have open cans of pee everywhere!!!
Charlie: Eat one of these, you're gonna wanna huff a little glue and drink some beer... Dee: This is cat food, Charlie...
Charlie: I have fifty cats howling outside my window because I have ten thousand rats running around my building! Dee: Stop yelling, you're spitting cat food at me... Charlie: I'm not an idiot, there's a reason to do the things that I do...
Frank: (while peeing into a tin can) Ocupado...
Charlie: Wake up! Let's go... Time to start the day, time to get up!!! | 4,968 |
Echo Gulch
What Do You Make of This?
Is it Really That Time Again?
Dreweyes
Concept and Graphics My name is Drew Wise, I am a pixel artist & animator, happily married, and have a little boy named Link. I love making pixel art, being a dad, retro gaming, vinyl records, the criterion collection, sci-fi films, minimal wave/post punk/chiptune music, and Be@rbricks! Favorite Things:
Retro Game Collection
Criterion Collection Favorite Hobbies:
Fatherhood
Pixel Art
Animation Favorite Color:
Black
(Even though its the absence of color) Favorite Games:
Earthbound
Link’s Awakening Favorite Movies:
Akira
2001: A Space Odyssey Education:
BA in Media Arts & Animation Joined Team:
June ’11 On Fire:
Ouch! Astrological Sign:
Aquarius Work Ethic:
In the zone! Wants To:
Make Mother 4 GREAT! Dominant Hand:
Righty
Mr. Mars
Concept and Design Mr. Mars is currently attending a film college to major in animation, and hasn’t decided whether he wants to be a game designer, film director, or what. He’s an eclectic hybrid of a concept artist and sequence writer, and enjoys bugging the project leads about themes and symbolism. When he’s not making dungeons he’s drawing up storyboards and trying to watch films or play games he’s never heard of; along with traveling in the occasional bike-riding episode. The rest of Mars’ battery-life goes into producing personal comics, games, and predominantly hand-drawn animated shorts. Favorite Thing:
Creating. Especially with pencils. Favorite Color:
Indigo Blue Favorite Games:
Mother 3
Wind Waker
Classic Spyro Favorite Cartoon:
Animaniacs Favorite Directors:
Miyazaki
Spielberg
Practically anyone at Pixar Education:
Attending University for Animation Joined Team:
April ’11 On Fire:
No? Astrological Sign:
Aquarius Work Ethic:
Steady yet Eclectic
(figure that one out) Wants To:
Step 1: Finish Mother 4
Step 2: Make entertainment awesome again Dominant Hand:
That’s RIGHT Favorite Mother 4 Songs:
Echo Gulch
The Fog
New Friend! | 4,969 |
ness of life so you won’t want to create it or destroy it inappropriately? A blatant message that the “greatest mission” of women is to have babies? I’m thinking of a good friend of mine who is currently going through a severe mid-life crisis because she got married at 19 and never went to college because she was just going to start having babies. After nearly 20 years without children (or a career or meaningful life work), she just turned 40 and feels useless because she didn’t fulfill her “greatest mission”. I wonder – did she receive a Lullaby Lollipop as a YW?
Alas, the actual lesson did contain that sentence, but it was part of a larger quote. In teaching this lesson twice to the YW, it just never stood out to me to present it that way.
The handout for the next lesson is almost as good. It’s called “Chewsing Choices”. You give each YW a piece of chewing gum to chew. (You know where this is going, don’t you?)
First, as they chew, have them close their eyes and think of the “chew”sing they will do to find their eternal companion. Each choice they “chews” will either guide them to their eternal companion or farther away.
But wait! There’s more. For activity 2, after chewing, ask them to take the gum out of their mouth and pass it to the person next to them.
Ask, “Do you want to have a piece of gum that is already chewed?” Think of being an unchewed piece of gum (being chaste and pure) as opposed to a chewed piece (unchaste).
And that, ladies, is how it happens. I wonder how many YW leaders use resources like this. I never would. It reeks of all the stereotypes I’ve ever heard. And guess what? It’s still for sale.
My point of this post is not to rip on the YW program or YW leaders. Yes, I do think the manuals are a bit outdated, but I have never really seen anything damaging presented to the YW I’ve worked with. I just don’t think that comes from the church or the approved curriculum. However, I think some of the stuff in this “Fun-tastic” book is damaging, and from some of the stories I’ve heard, it’s being used in real life. So, stop it! Stop it already! | 4,970 |
It didn’t hurt that the entrance to the attic was in the closet of his bedroom. He opened it easily and, after a moment of hesitation, he climbed into the stygian darkness. Below him, the hammering of the infected beat a chaotic rhythm on his bedroom door. The disturbing sound pulsed like a sick heartbeat as he got his feet onto one of the two-by-sixes that ran along the floor of the attic
They had suffered through a small leak during the last monsoons that he had not gotten around to fixing and tried to make his way toward it in the dark, Crouching low, he heard the women talking in angry voices, but could no longer make out what they said.
As he passed by a ventilation window, he paused to glance outside. He couldn’t be sure if the presence of the first few zombies had drawn others, but in just his side yard, he could see at least ten of the infected madman stumbling around and trying to break through the secured French doors.
Working his way over where he guessed the leak was. He felt out with his hand hoping to find some weakened wood. He cursed himself for not grabbing his tool box before fleeing into his bedroom, but he hoped his metal bat would be enough.
After two minutes of blind searching, he found a place where the wood felt frayed. Once he had positioned himself under it, he got to work smashing it with his bat. Dust flew and threatened to get into his eyes, but he closed them and got busy.
Hammering with a bat in a confined area proved difficult, but the wood began to crack and give. Soon his near constant blows drowned out both the women’s voices and the beating on the bedroom door. After what felt like hours of hard work, his bat broke through the roof and a thin ray of light created a dim circle of illumination under his feet.
Devon had paused to catch his breath and was about to start up again, when he heard a horrific screaming from below. From his position he couldn’t be sure if it was Nicole or his wife.
Clutching his bat, he hurried back to the attic door. Long before he got there, he heard Tracy screaming up at him.
“Devon, oh my God, hurry! Andy became one of those things. He has Nicole and he’s eating her. Oh no, he heard me. He’s coming for me. Devon! DEVON!”
Check in every Saturday for a new chapter in the Eternal Aftermath!
You can explore more of the Eternal Aftermath here! | 4,971 |
Relativity Media has released the first full-length trailer for its new Snow White adaptation, Mirror Mirror.
The film stars Lily Collins and Julia Roberts, and will be hitting theaters a couple months of prior to another Snow White adaptation, Universal’s Snow White and the Huntsman.
Now that we’ve got trailers for both projects, it’s clear the movies could not be more different while still drawing from the same source. If you recall, we’ve been discussing these films for months, and wondering if they will be direct competitors.
However, their target audiences seem to be different enough that I don’t think either film has anything to worry about.
Previously, both movies were described by their respective studios as ‘edgy’ takes on the classic Snow White tale. While Universal’s definition of ‘edgy’ is to darken the tale, this trailer indicates that Relativity thinks it means cracking a couple of bad jokes.
If anything, this is a goofy take on the classic story, clearly aimed at children. Perhaps it’s just the specific clips that were chosen for this terrible trailer, but, frankly, it looks really juvenile.
Ever since the cast announcements, I had expected that this film would be a superior take on the tale, but the official trailer has definitely changed my mind.
Despite the only mildly talented Kristen Stewart showing up as the lead in Snow White and the Huntsman, at least it doesn’t seem to have any lame pop-culture references (A dwarf who says “Say hello to my little friend?” I mean: seriously?) or silly slap-stick physical humor.
The scenery and costumes are outstanding, but everything else – the dialogue, the acting, the basic premise of the film – all looks like mindless drivel.
This synopsis was released alongside the trailer:
In Relativity’s Mirror Mirror starring Oscar-winner Julia Roberts and breakout star Lily Collins (The Blind Side), an evil Queen (Roberts) steals control of a kingdom, and an exiled princess (Collins) enlists the help of seven resourceful rebels to win back her birthright in a spirited adventure comedy filled with jealousy, romance, and betrayal that will capture the imagination of audiences the world over. The film also stars Armie Hammer (The Social Network) as the object of their affection, Prince Andrew Alcott, and Nathan Lane (The Birdcage) as the hapless and bungling servant to the Queen.
Snow White and the Huntsman is slated to hit theaters on June 1, 2012, while Mirror Mirror will be out on March 16, 2012. | 4,972 |
You’ve heard of backing up your hard drive or having a backup pair of sunglasses. Now, thanks to our friends at the Daily Mail and Jezebel, it’s time to be introduced to the concept of the “backup husband.”
According to a recent Mail survey of 1000 married ladies, half of all women have a backup husband in mind should their current one break during use. Or, you know, should the marriage not work out for whatever reason.
Some truly prepared wives may even have more than one backup in mind just in case. The survey also shows that a wife’s spousal-understudy is most likely to be either an ex or an old friend who has always had unrequited feelings for her. The most likely backup husband was a man the woman had known “for around seven years who will be ‘ready and waiting’ because of ‘unfinished business.’” Even more telling, around one in ten women said their backup was a man who had already “confessed his undying love,” while one in five women were confident the backup guy would “drop everything for her if she asked him too.”
Being prepared is one thing, but one in four women also reported having feelings for their backup man “as strong as they do for their other half.” That’s perhaps a step beyond prepared.
While living with a few necessary safeguards in place is always advisable, the concept of having a backup spouse in mind in case things don’t work out undermines your present relationship in more ways then one. The energy you spend keeping one eye on your plan b or obsessing over “what if” end of relationship scenarios is much better spent focusing on making your marriage work and keeping communication open and consistent. (The same goes for any guys with “backup wives,” too.) The concept of preparing for an imagined worst case takes you as far out of the present as possible. Living with a backup spouse in mind is like boarding a vacation cruise wearing a life jacket for the duration of the trip. It’s excessive behavior that grimly reminds you and those around you that there is a chance things may not go well.
If a breakup does happen, no amount of backup planning will be able to lessen the sadness of a split. I’ve yet to hear any divorcee say, “It wasn’t such a bad breakup. I had a backup spouse waiting in the wings.” In fact, I’d argue that the backup is more likely to be the cause of the split than the solution. | 4,973 |
One person was hospitalised after a mass brawl broke at a kickboxing event at a hotel in Co Clare on Saturday night.
Gardai are investigating the brawl during which chairs and bottles were used as weapons.
Shocking video footage of the incident was posted on social media showing the vicious altercation.
The shocking violence erupted at the Oakwood Hotel in Shannon, Co Clare at around 11pm last night.
Over a dozen people were directly involved in the violence in front of shocked punters.
The 'Fight Night' was organised by a local kickboxing club, and was brought to a sudden halt as a number of people became involved in row on the function room floor.
As many as 10 men and women were involved in the serious public order incident to which Gardaí from Shannon and Ennis responded.
Footage of the brawl obtained by Independent.ie shows chairs and bottles being used as missiles during the public order incident.
One man can be seen attacking a bystander attempting to stop the fighting, hitting him with a cowardly punch from behind.
A young boy can also be seen running away as a group of men and woman involved in the melee.
A woman is recorded throwing a chair across the packed function room, while glass bottles were also used as missiles.
Onlookers attempted to calm the situation and break up the brawl as chairs were flung across the hall.
Hotel staff managed to close the shutters on the bar while security personnel tried to break up several fights. An announcement was made from the stage asking people to make their way towards the emergency exits.
One man who attended the event said: "This was such a well organised event and so many people put so much preparation into it. I’m disgusted it ended as it did. I feel for the organisers who didn’t deserve to see all their hard work come to this. What happened was shocking and frightening. I hope those responsible are brought to book for it."
One person posted on Facebook: "Let's not forget that we have a fantastic club in Shannon with world champions. Let's not forget what this club brings to our community. I am devastated for the club over how it ended..."
Gardai confirmed that they are carrying out an investigation into the incident but no arrests have yet been made.
A spokesperson confirmed they are looking at CCTV and other footage of the incident as part of the investigation.
The man who was hospitalised was not seriously injured.
Investigations into the incident are ongoing. A spokesperson for the Oakwood Hotel in Shannon, Co Clare declined to comment on the incident.
Online Editors | 4,974 |
Move over, Overwatch. Watch out, Fortnite. The queer representation is coming.
A brand new battle royale is already making waves in the gaming world not only because it boasted 2.5 million players in its first 24 hours of release on February 3, but also because it’s queer AF, Game Revolution reports. In the game, users can choose one of eight characters and join squads of three players in a gorey competition of up to 60 online opponents.
It turns out that, according to the official character bios from game creator EA, two of the eight original playable characters — more are unlockable — are LGBTQ+. According to the bio for Gibraltar, the character is a “gentle giant with wild side.” (Extreme same.) The bio says that he “began to understand the value of protecting others when he and his boyfriend stole his father’s motorcycle, took it on a joyride and got trapped by a deadly mudslide.” His father lost an arm trying to save them and he has since devoted his life to helping those in need.
Then there’s Bloodhound, a mysterious tracker character, about whom little is known. What is known is that the community manager at Respawn, the video game development studio behind Legends, confirmed in an interview with Rock Paper Shotgun that Bloodhound is “non-binary, or at least non-specified, in terms of gender.”
The diversity on the roster isn’t limited to queerness. Two of the eight characters are also Black women, a rarity in video games. Overwatch, despite being considered one of the best video games in terms of representation, has yet to introduce a playable Black female character. In January, Overwatch announced that one of its most popular characters, Solider: 76 was gay. He was the game's second queer character after a short comic announced that its de facto mascot, Tracer, was a lesbian.
In fact, the only playable white male character on the roster, Caustic, is behind a $7.99 paywall. Players can also unlock him after hours and hours of grinding.
Several cishet gamers are already mad about the LGBTQ+ “agenda” being put in video games. One Reddit thread on the subject of LGBTQ+ Apex Legends characters had to be shut down due to some whiny cishet tears. According to a Twitter thread, one gamer even posted a plea to game creator EA asking that they make Gibraltar straight because the player didn’t want to play with a gay hero.
Related | ‘Overwatch’ Might’ve Just Confirmed Soldier: 76 As Queer | 4,975 |
Photographer: Johannes Berg/Bloomberg Photographer: Johannes Berg/Bloomberg
26日の米国株式市場で フェイスブック（ＦＢ）の株価が急落、一時20％近く下げた。数カ月に及ぶ不祥事や批判がついに四半期決算に反映され、同社にとって重要な成長見通しを直撃した。
コンテンツポリシーや個人データ保護、広告主に適用するルール変更など、同社への厳しい批判はこれまで、業績には影響しないとの見方も広がっていた。前日発表された４－６月（第２四半期）決算では、売上高とユーザー数の伸びがアナリスト予想を下回り、株主を動揺させた。
デービッド・ウェーナー最高財務責任者（ＣＦＯ）はアナリストとの電話会議で、売上高の伸び鈍化が年内いっぱい続くとの見通しを示した。
株価はニューヨーク時間午前11時53分現在、前日比18.2％安の177.84ドル。
原題： Facebook Takes Historic Plunge as Scandals Finally Take a Toll（抜粋） | 4,976 |
Senior anti-corruption official to lead China’s main spy organization
November 8, 2016 by Joseph Fitsanakis
A senior Chinese official with a leading role in the country’s ongoing anti-corruption crusade has been appointed head of the nation’s spy agency, which has undergone extensive purges in recent years. Chen Wenqing, 56, will be replacing Geng Huichang as Minister of State Security. Geng, 65, will be retiring after nearly a decade at the helm of China’s intelligence and security agency, which is responsible for intelligence collection, counterintelligence and political security. Chen’s appointment was approved on Monday by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress. It comes a year after he was appointed as the senior Communist Party representative at the Ministry of State Security.
Chen, a native of China’s southwestern Sichuan province, joined the police force at a young age and rose through the ranks to become the local director of the Ministry of State Security’s local field office. After eight years in that post, he was appointed provincial director of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the Communist Party’s agency responsible for combating corruption among Party apparatchiks. In 2012, Chen became the youngest-ever deputy director of the CCDI, working under the commission’s chairman, Wang Qishan. From that post, Chen helped lead a massive anti-corruption campaign that resulted in the purging of over 100 senior Communist Party officials on charges of dishonesty and sleaze. Those purged included several senior officials at Ministry of State Security. Among them was Zhou Yongkang, Secretary of China’s Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, which oversees the country’s security, intelligence and law enforcement institutions. The crackdown also targeted the deputy director of the Ministry of State Security, Ma Jian, and its once-powerful Beijing director, Liang Ke.
In recent years, several officials from the CCDI, who are seen by many as uncorrupted and incorruptible, have filled the positions of former Ministry of State Security bureaucrats who were fired during the government’s anti-corruption campaign. Chens’ appointment makes him the third senior CCDI official to be appointed to a senior post in the Ministry of State Security. Some experts believe that Chen’s move affirms the growing power of the CCDI, which has been the main implementation vehicle of President Xi Jinping’s ongoing anticorruption campaign that has gripped China since his rise to power in 2012.
► Author: Joseph Fitsanakis | Date: 08 November 2016 | Permalink | 4,977 |
.3 million. If everyone became vegan, nearly a million more early deaths would be avoided.
Because people in wealthy countries eat about twice as much meat as people in developing countries, that’s where the greatest per person health benefits from eating fewer animal products would come in. About half of these lives would be extended by dropping meat consumption by at least 50 percent and increasing fruit and vegetable consumption by at least 25 percent. Reduced incidence of heart disease, stroke, certain cancers and type 2 diabetes would account for most of these benefits.
“The changes would have to be quite dramatic,” to do this, says Springmann. “Red meat would have to be halved in Western high-income countries and [overall] in East Asia by about two-thirds, and the same in Latin America.” To achieve the maximum benefits would also mean increasing produce consumption “about 50 percent globally,” he explains.
Despite Warnings, World Meat Consumption Continues to Climb
Meat production and consumption is increasing, as more people worldwide “seek to achieve a more Western diet with increased protein,” explains World Wildlife Fund chief scientist and senior vice president Rebecca Shaw. Meanwhile, in the U.S. and Europe, meat consumption is “flat,” she says. “Not so much because of changing diets, but because meat prices are going up,” partly because exports to developing countries are limiting domestic supplies.
For most people, Shaw explains, it’s still “a complicated message” to “connect the health of the individual with the health of the planet.” But studies like this one help make the case. “Putting a dollar figure on these benefits, we’re hoping will encourage policy-makers and individuals” to shift toward healthy eating, says Springmann.
Here in the U.S., we have a long way to go to reap those benefits. According to a recent Harris poll, about 36 percent of Americans surveyed said they eat at least one vegetarian meal a week. Yet only 10 percent said more than half their meals were vegetarian and only 4 percent of those surveyed ate no meat at all.
And we are not outliers. The study found that fewer than than half of all regions around the world are balancing meat and plant-based foods as dietary guidelines recommend.
“The take-away message we want to illustrate is how large those benefits are if you move to plant-based diets,” says Springmann. “We don’t expect everyone to become vegan, but the more plant-based you get, the more benefits there are.” | 4,978 |
The Washington Post willingly ignored the illegal alien-status of a man who is accused of brutally murdering a Muslim teenager in Fairfax County, Virginia.
In a piece about the trial of Darwin Martinez Torres, a 22-year-old illegal alien from El Salvador, the Post did not mention the fact that when Torres was accused of murdering 17-year-old Nabra Hassanen, he was never supposed to have been in the United States.
The Washington Post called Hassanen’s murder a “high-profile killing,” but failed to mention the immigration status of Torres, who is also accused of sexually assaulting a woman before the murder and is now facing the death penalty.
As Breitbart Texas reported, Hassanen and a group of fellow Muslim teenagers were eating at a nearby McDonald’s when they left and started walking back to the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center when Torres, according to police, started following the teenagers.
Soon after the teens noticed Torres, the illegal alien allegedly jumped a curb with his car and got out of his vehicle and started chasing the teens while wielding a baseball bat. Torres was able to grab Hassanen and began beating her to death with the bat, police said.
The illegal alien allegedly took her body to a nearby pond and dumped her there for the authorities to later find.
Torres now has a detainer on him by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which demands he be turned over to federal immigration officials should he be released from local custody at any point.
Despite efforts by the mainstream media to label the murder a “hate crime” that was perpetrated by an anti-Muslim attacker, police have said there is no evidence indicating that the illegal alien targeted the teen because of her religion.
In the Virginia governor’s race, sanctuary cities, which protect criminal illegal aliens, has become a hot-button issue between populist conservative Ed Gillespie and Democrat Ralph Northam.
This year, Northam was the deciding vote in supporting sanctuary cities, which have helped violent, El Salvadorian street gangs like MS-13, to proliferate across the state.
Gillespie, most recently, hit back at Northam’s support for illegal aliens and sanctuary cities by releasing a multitude of ad campaigns directly mentioning how the MS-13 gang poses a grave danger to Virginia residents.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1zyZ_amkrY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0UiqMDbpAw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM3iVCZ2-yk | 4,979 |
EPIC: Tucker Exposes Hoax Group Claiming to Pay Protesters at Trump Inauguration
Man Attempts to Light Himself on Fire in DC to Protest Trump's Election
Tonight, Tucker Carlson took on Alex Mohajer, a Huffington Post contributor who says that Hillary Clinton is the "legitimate president."
In a piece published over the weekend, Mohajer wrote, "Hillary Clinton is the rightful president-elect of the United States."
He pointed to Clinton's win in the popular vote, Russian meddling in the election, President-elect Donald Trump's alleged ties to Moscow, and FBI Director James Comey's public comments on the bureau's investigation into Clinton's emails.
"Calling for judicial intervention and a new election, no matter how outlandish or uncharted, is our civic duty," Mohajer concluded in the piece.
Tucker said Mohajer is alleging things - like collusion between Trump and Comey - that he has no way of knowing. And he zeroed in on a 1987 magazine article, used as evidence by Mohajer in his piece.
Carlson said the "propaganda" piece was from the Executive Intelligence Review newsletter, published by Lyndon LaRouche's "anti-Semitic cult."
"Why didn't you just go with a Scientology pamphlet or Heaven's Gate? Do you really think that's a legitimate news source?" Carlson asked.
Mohajer then accused Carlson of calling into question President Obama's legitimacy while leading the "The Daily Caller" website.
Carlson challenged Mohajer to name actual examples.
"The idea that people take a crackpot like you - who would throw something out there with no evidence - is distressing," Carlson said. "And shame on the Huffington Post for printing your garbage."
Mohajer said that Tucker isn't actually listening to his argument because he's too focused on "partisan squabbling."
"You ran a partisan group during the election!" Tucker fired back. You're a Democratic political operative!"
Earlier in the show, Tucker challenged a House Democrat who is skipping the inauguration on Friday. Watch that interview, here.
Watch the full interview above, and let us know what you think in the comments.
WATCH: Dem Lawmaker, Matthews Float Idea of Impeaching Trump
Hannity: After 100 Days of President Trump, It Will Be Like Obama Was Never There
Michigan 4th Grade Teacher Won't Let Students Watch Inauguration Speech
Trump Reveals 2020 Re-Election Slogan: 'Keep America Great!'
Greenwood Calls Out Celebs: Do Not Use the Stage as a Pulpit for Politics | 4,980 |
Celebrate the 35th anniversary of the coming-of-age classic — from Academy Award®-winning director (1976, Rocky) John G. Avildsen — that will leave you cheering! There is more to karate than fighting. This is the lesson that Daniel (Ralph Macchio), a San Fernando Valley teenager, is about to learn from a most unexpected teacher: Mr. Miyagi (Noriyuki “Pat ” Morita in his Academy Award®-nominated performance [Best Supporting Actor, 1984]), an elderly handyman who also happens to be a master of the martial arts. His training and these vital lessons will be called into play when an outmatched Daniel faces Johnny, the skilled leader of the Cobra Kai — a vicious gang of karate school bullies — in a no-holds-barred karate tournament for the championship of the Valley.
Shipping starts on April 16, 2019
SPECS
Director: John G. Avildsen
Starring: Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue
Country: USA
Production Year: 1984
Discs: 2 Blu-ray Discs
Region: A
Run Time: 127 minutes
Formats: Color; 1.85:1
Audio: English, French, Spanish
Subtitle: English, French, Spanish
Studio: Sony Pictures
SPECIAL FEATURES
BRAND NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
NEWLY CREATED DOLBY ATMOS TRACK, plus original stereo and 5.1 audio mixes
ALL-NEW: “Remembering The Karate Kid” – featuring new interviews with Ralph Macchio, William Zabka and Martin Kove (on the 4K Blu-ray disc)
“Blu-Pop™” Pop-Up Track – Activate the Blu-Pop feature to reveal pop-up trivia, interviews and more secrets from the film!
Audio Commentary with Director John G. Avildsen, Writer Robert Mark Kamen and Actors Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita
“The Way of the Karate Kid” Multi-Part Making-of Featurette
“Beyond the Form” Featurette
“East Meets West: A Composer’s Notebook”
“Life of Bonsai” Featurette
Theatrical Trailer (on the 4K Blu-ray disc)
Notice: The picture quality of this video does not reflect the picture quality of the blu-ray or DVD in this package. | 4,981 |
needed more than 10 points in 38 games.
Don't Edit
Stefan Noesen, Foward
Don't Edit
Don't Edit
Grade: B
Noesen finished 11th on the Devils in goals this season despite playing just 32 games with the team after joining in January. His rookie season ended strong and he showed some of the physical play and scoring in front of the net the Devils lacked at points this season.
Don't Edit
Joseph Blandisi, Forward
Don't Edit
YouTube
Grade: C+
Blandisi's scoring rate was down a bit from 17 points in 41 games last season to nine points in 27 games this season. He did show his improved defensive zone presence and earned more ice time and a long NHL look because of it.
Don't Edit
Blake Coleman, Forward
Don't Edit
Grade: C
Coleman's best play came on the penalty kill, where he got the chance to step in and play minutes throughout March. His offensive game didn't fully carry over from Albany. He finished with two points despite generating some good chances.
Don't Edit
Don't Edit
Dalton Prout, Defenseman
Don't Edit
Grade: F
Prout was dealt a tough hand this season, playing in just a handful of games in Columbus before being traded to the Devils on March 1. Prout and the Devils said he was working on rebuilding his game, and that will carry over into the offseason. The Devils need a more physical presence from the 6-5 defenseman.
Don't Edit
John Quenneville, Forward
Don't Edit
YouTube
Grade: B
Quenneville got his first extended NHL look, finishing with four points in 12 games. Quenneville is a natural scorer and he showed the ability to carry possession into the offensive zone.
Don't Edit
Front Office
Don't Edit
Don't Edit
Saed Hindash | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Grade: C
None of the Devils' moves over the past year paid big dividends in the short term. The Hall trade provided the Devils with a valuable offensive weapon, but their defense took a hit without Adam Larsson. It will take time to see what their draft picks turn into, but the front office will certainly look to shake things up in the offseason.
Don't Edit
Chris Ryan may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisRyan_NJ. Find NJ.com Devils on Facebook. | 4,982 |
aging veterans, but the loss of Raji was unexpected. Hopes were high for Raji to regain his early-career form at nose tackle after his skill set (i.e., occupying blockers) was wasted at defensive end the past three seasons. Then he tore his right biceps in the third preseason game and was placed on injured reserve.
Although Green Bay is ostensibly back to running a 3-4, it’s actually largely morphed into a 2-4-5 to help combat the league’s spread offenses. Finding two capable defensive linemen — at this point, the distinction between tackles and ends is murky — to line up inside doesn’t seem that tricky, but the Packers have been hurt by some recent draft misses. Last year’s first-round pick, Datone Jones, has played less than 30 percent of the available snaps in his career, and Jerel Worthy, a second-round pick in 2012, was traded during training camp.
Mike Daniels has been a pleasant surprise in run support and Letroy Guion, who spent five anonymous seasons with the Vikings, is making contributions, but neither is a penetrating defensive tackle like those seen elsewhere in the NFC North. Without its own Ndamukong Suh or Sharrif Floyd, Green Bay is forced to rely on its inside linebackers to stop ball carriers.
And that hasn’t gone so well. You know that Thanksgiving dish your family makes every year (probably the cranberry sauce, but maybe some vague vegetable) out of tradition even though nobody actually eats it? That’s A.J. Hawk starting for the Packers. The former top-five pick is consistently on the field (he has missed only two games in his eight-plus-year career), but he makes few big plays and isn’t even a solid London Fletcher type in run support. It’s been a revolving door alongside Hawk — after Brad Jones played poorly in the opener, Jamari Lattimore lasted for three weeks before being replaced by Sam Barrington — and the Packers are starting to use first-round rookie safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix as an extra defender in the box.
The Packers can’t be afraid to try anything at this point. After this week’s bye, they will immediately be put to the test with home games against Matt Forte and LeSean McCoy. With their potent offense, slowing down those talented backs isn’t the only path to victory — and, ultimately, a playoff berth — but the frozen tundra isn’t meant to be so accommodating.
Jason Bailey (@_jasonbailey_) is a Grantland copy editor. | 4,983 |
4-seed Florida State advanced to the round of 32 on Thursday afternoon, dominating the 13-seed Vermont Catamounts in every phase of the game, save one: UVM cashed in from beyond the arc, sinking 16-32 triples in falling 76-69 to the Seminoles.
Does that seem like a lofty total? Because it is. In fact, it’s history— on the right side of which FSU finds itself.
Vermont hit 16 threes, but still fell to Florida State.
It's tied for the 3rd-most threes in an NCAA tournament loss since the line was introduced in 1987. Only West Virginia (18 in 2005 Elite Eight) and Loyola Marymount (17 in 1990 Elite Eight) have made more in a loss. pic.twitter.com/EBk9966XPo — ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 21, 2019
That’s right: since the inception of the three-point shot in 1987, only two teams have overcome more threes than Vermont made to win. In 1990, Loyola-Marymount put up 17 treys vs. UNLV in the Elite Eight, but the Runnin’ Rebs still went on to capture the national title. And Louisville overcame West Virginia’s 18 bombs in 2005, which advanced the Cardinals to the Final Four.
But don’t call the Seminoles lucky. Just as with the two victors mentioned above, the ’Noles were the better team, and that showed in pretty much every other line on the scoresheet. Florida State won the turnover battle, 16-7, and points off turnovers, 17-5. FSU grabbed 12 offensive rebounds to 7 for the Catamounts, turning them into a 16-8 advantage in second-chance points, while winning the overall rebounding battle 39-33. Bench points: 30-7, Seminoles, who also outscored UVM 30-14 in the paint. The ’Noles had 9 steals to just 2 for the Cats, and at the free-throw line, where the win was ultimately salted away for Florida State, FSU made 31-37 (84%), while Vermont hit just 7-13 (54%).
So let’s not say that Florida State “escaped” from Vermont, okay? Tip your cap to UVM for its effective sniping, but the Cats came in shooting 35% from distance, so this was an aberration— one that kept them in the game when every other facet of the matchup would have resulted in an annihilation in front of a de facto home crowd. | 4,984 |
On the surface, the most unusual aspect of the game Saturday night at SeatGeek Stadium was the 59-minute weather delay.
Before the Fire’s 2-1 loss to FC Cincinnati, youth soccer teams played on the field as is customary. Fans tailgated in the surrounding parking lots and braved one of the hottest days of the summer. The crowd cheered when the Fire walked onto the field, and supporter groups behind both goals lit red flares as kickoff approached.
Of course, this scene won’t be as common in Bridgeview next season.
On Tuesday, the Fire announced they have agreed to an amended stadium lease with Bridgeview. For $65.5 million, the Fire will have the right to host games outside of Bridgeview, and it’s expected they will make Soldier Field their home next season.
So while this game — other than the weather delay — was a run-of-the-mill affair, it also served as a countdown to the end of a portion of Fire history. After Saturday, the Fire have six regular-season games, a July 23 Leagues Cup game and, if they go on a long winning streak, maybe one postseason game remaining with the southwest suburb as their home.
After that, it could be the end of the Fire’s time at Bridgeview, which began in June 2006 at the former Toyota Park. Since then, the Fire claimed the 2006 U.S. Open Cup and came close to returning to the MLS Cup in 2009 but have slipped from their perch as one of U.S. soccer’s top teams to the frustration of their supporters.
That doesn’t mean all reminders of the stadium will be bad. The fans have built friendships and communities while watching the team and take away indelible personal memories despite the recent struggles.
“We have formed a community here over the years, and we’ve had a lot of memories here,” said Nicole Hack, the chair of the Section 8 supporters group. “I know, as challenging as it is for some of us to get here, there is a sad aspect to all of this.”
Hack feels this way despite being in favor of the team’s departure from Bridgeview.
“I agree that getting into the city is the best thing, but I also think we’ve formed a lot of memories here,” Hack said. “Half of the Fire’s [existence] has been played at this stadium, so we’ve been through a lot here, even though there have been some bad moments and good moments here.” | 4,985 |
Yet OS X, Safari, iTunes, and Apple's other software periodically contains critical security flaws.
For applications submitted to the store, Apple does not even receive source code. Is it really credible to believe that Apple has performed a thorough analysis of these 700,000 apps to ensure that they don't have security flaws that can harm users? Of course not. In fact, we know it has not: security researcher Charlie Miller proved that by tricking Apple into publishing a proof-of-concept app that exposed iOS security flaws. Apple's verification processes may manage to keep the worst of the worst away from users, but this falls a long way short of providing a cast iron safety guarantee.
On the other hand, we know that Apple has rejected applications that are harmless, solely because they offend the company's sensibilities. In one recent case, Apple refused to publish an application that tells users when American drones have killed "enemies" of the state.
Another argument put forward is that the lockdown is in some sense a response to consumer demand. As popular as Apple's handheld products are, we could argue that consumers are voting with their wallets in choosing a mobile operating system that allows app installation from anywhere and has multiple app stores. Android has surged past the iPhone in total smartphone market share, and is gaining in the tablet market with the success of the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire. Android has had its security problems, to be sure, but they're not enough to drive consumers away. Android is getting more systematically secure, too; Miller says the latest version of Android has been hardened and will be difficult to exploit.
Android takes an approach that's similar to the Mac's Gatekeeper. By default, apps can only be downloaded from the Google Play store, but users are allowed to change a setting allowing installation of apps from "unknown sources." Like the Mac, this offers a "safe-by-default" approach without completely shutting users out from unofficial app distribution channels.
We've seen that security can dramatically improve with strong under-the-hood protections that prevent silent installation of malicious applications, while still giving the user the right to choose what may be installed on their system. Microsoft provides perhaps the best example of this, with its User Account Control technology in Windows Vista and Windows 7. So why can't Microsoft secure Metro without locking out non-Store applications?
Android's app store is very open, with developers being able to publish applications after only an automated review to weed out malware. Microsoft's app store model is a lot more like the one Apple uses than Google's, and that's fine. But Microsoft needs to couple that with a concession to developers and users who don't want to be restricted to just the Windows Store. | 4,986 |
This may be smart campaigning, but it’s terrible for the rest of the country, which is rendered effectively invisible, distorting our politics, our policy debates and even the distribution of federal funds. Candidates focus their platforms on the concerns of battleground states, and presidents who want to stay in office make sure to lavish attention, and money, on the same places. The emphasis on a small number of states also increases the risk to our national security, by creating an easy target for hackers who want to influence the outcome of an election. Perhaps most important, voters outside of swing states know their votes are devalued, if not worthless, and they behave accordingly. In 2012, 64 percent of swing-state voters showed up, compared with 57 percent everywhere else, a pattern that persisted in 2016. What better way to get more voters to register and go to the polls than to ensure that everyone’s vote is weighed equally?
The Electoral College has been the subject of more amendment efforts — 595 as of 2004 — than any other part of the Constitution. But amending the Constitution is a heavy lift. A quicker and more realistic fix is the National Popular Vote interstate compact, under which states agree to award all of their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote. The agreement kicks in as soon as states representing a total of 270 electoral votes sign on, ensuring that the popular vote will always pick the president. So far, 10 states and the District of Columbia have joined, representing 165 electoral votes. The problem is that they are all solidly Democratic, which only adds to the suspicion that this is no more than a partisan game. It’s not: When Mr. Trump is not making up stories about millions of illegal voters, he has argued that if the presidency were decided by popular vote, he would have campaigned differently and still would have won. He may well be right.
How can red states be persuaded to sign on and give all their citizens a voice? Some, like Georgia and Arizona, may not stay red for much longer. But even deep-red states would benefit from the infusion of attention and cash from campaigns seeking to rustle up every vote they can find.
This problem isn’t going away; if anything it’s going to get worse as Americans continue to cluster. Half the population now lives in just nine states. It’s time for states that have been on the fence about the national popular-vote compact to get off and sign on. Connecticut, Oregon and Delaware have all come close to passing the compact in recent years; they should get it done now. Yes, they’re three reliably blue states representing 17 electoral votes among them, but every vote counts. | 4,987 |
ISLAMABAD: Wing Commander Noman Akram, a career officer of Pakistan Air Force (PAF), embraced Shahadat when his F-16 aircraft crashed near the Shakarparian area of the federal capital while carrying out rehearsal for the Pakistan Day Parade.
The F-16 aircraft of Wing Commander Noman Akram crashed in an area close to the Parade Ground, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) sources confirmed. The brave Wing Commander of PAF who was Officer Commanding of No9 Squadron, earlier flew from PAF Base Mushaf, Sargodha, and met the tragic incident while rehearsing near the Shakarparian area of Islamabad.
The PAF did not issue a press release regarding the incident. However, thesources said that Board of Inquiry had been ordered to ascertain causes of the incident. “He was not only a career officer but also a loving and nice personality,” an officer of PAF told ‘The News.’
Son of Brigadier (retd) Muhammad Akram, the Shaheed fighter pilot won the coveted Inter Squadron Armament competition of PAF in October, 2019 being declared the best marksman. The No 9 Squadron enjoys the unique distinction as it had been commanded by seven chiefs of the air staff on different occasions.
The President, Dr Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief of the Army Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa have expressed deep sense of shock over the martyrdom of Wing Commander Noman Akram in a tragic incident. The ISPR in a statement said the COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa paid glowing tribute on Shahadat of braveheart Wing Commander Noman Akram in the line of duty. General Bajwa said that laying one’s life is the ultimate sacrifice one can make for the defence of the motherland. “May his soul rest in peace and my thoughts and sincere prayers for the bereaved family,” the COAS said in his condolence message.
The ISPR also shared a photo of the Shaheed officer with General Bajwa and Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan.
A private television channel also released video statement of Wing Commander which was recorded on September 6, last in which he maintained that they were always ready to defend the country while continuing legacy of PAF and were ready sacrifice their lives for the motherland.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Ameer Senator Sirajul Haq also condoled the martyrdom of the PAF officer, proposing that the March 23 Parade should be named after Wing Commander Noman Akram as a tribute. | 4,988 |
A suicide bomber targeted a mosque in southwestern Pakistan during evening prayers Friday, killing at least 15 people and wounding 19 others, officials said.
The blast took place in a satellite town of Quetta, the province's main city. Debris and shattered glass littered the scene.
Fida Mohammad, who was attending evening prayers, said about 60 people were present at the time of the attack on the mosque, which is located in a densely populated area.
The explosion ripped through the front row of worshippers seconds after the prayer began, he told AFP.
"It was a powerful blast, people were screaming and running here and there -- many people were injured because of the stampede," Mohammad said.
Mohammad Waseem, a doctor at Quetta's Sandeman hospital, confirmed that 15 victims had died.
The police chief of Balochistan province, Mohsin Hassan Butt, also confirmed the death toll, telling AFP: "Nineteen people are still taking medical treatment, the condition of three to four is critical."
A police officer was among the dead, he added.
Provincial home minister Zia Ullah Langu told reporters that investigations by bomb disposal officers indicated that a suicide bomber carried out the attack.
A spokesman for the provincial government, Liaqat Shahwani, confirmed a suicide bomber was to blame.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the SITE intelligence group.
A Pakistani military spokesman said on Twitter that paramilitary personnel has reached the mosque and cordoned off the area.
"A joint search operation with police is in progress, injured being evacuated to hospitals," said the spokesman, Asif Ghafoor.
The attack comes two days after a motorcycle bomb targeting a paramilitary force vehicle killed two people and wounded 14 others at a busy market in Quetta.
- Volatile area -
Balochistan is Pakistan's largest and poorest province, bordering Afghanistan and Iran.
It is rife with Islamist, separatist and sectarian insurgencies and attacks are frequent, even as the number of violent incidents has significantly dropped elsewhere in Pakistan.
Story continues
Militants still retain the ability to carry out attacks, including on major urban centres and tightly-guarded targets, and analysts have long warned that Pakistan has not yet tackled the root causes of extremism.
Balochistan is key to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), part of Beijing’s Belt and Road initiative.
CPEC seeks to connect China's restive western Xinjiang region with the Pakistani port of Gwadar, giving the world's second-largest economy access to the Arabian Sea. | 4,989 |
to make the system reasonably meritocratic. If you are cynical enough, if you want to do well, if you want to make money, the Communist Party is open for you. The Communist party serves as a vehicle to recruit and socialise the elites, and the Chinese leadership invests a lot in ensuring regional representation and providing its cadres with opportunity to get diverse experience.
Experimentation
My last point comparing these two systems is to emphasise the way in which the Chinese and Russians totally differ in their view of the experimental nature of politics. Chinese political and economic reforms are organised around the experimentation of different models in the different regions and try to figure out what works from the point of view of the leadership. This is emphatically not the case in Russia: experiment is, basically, a dirty word there. They are not experimenting in the process of trying to build a governable state.
What does it all mean?
In summary, while there was once a time that you measured democracy looking at institutions, now you need to also ask questions about how the institutions function. Do they look like democracies? Is it possible that the democracy is faked? Russia is a brilliant example that should force us to think. It has fashioned a democratic surface, but under this surface all types of non-democratic practices are flourishing. China is another country — authoritarian and severe undoubtedly. But because of the pressure of the system, the different ideas underlying its transformation, and the country’s involvement on the world stage, its political practices are much more open than its formal institutions may lead us to believe.
Between a faked democracy and a faked communism, the latter seems to be the more capable, governable and accountable regime. Photo: (cc) Flickr/openDemocracy
The nature of any political regime for self-correction is its major characteristic and it is the capacity of self-correction and public accountability that it is at the heart of any democratic advantage. There are now many in Kremlin who, on the contrary, think that excessive democratisation has been responsible for many of the problems that new country faces. Many envy ‘true’ Chinese authoritarianism. But the truth is that in many of its practices China is more democratic than Russia, and its decision-making is undoubtedly superior. Over the last two decades, when China was busy with capacity building, Russia seems to have been pre-occupied with incapacity hiding. When Western commentators try to make sense of the different performance of the new authoritarians, they would well advised to look beyond formal institutional design.
Ivan Krastev was talking to Darya Malyutina
Thumbnail: 'Politburo' by Maxim Kantor. All rights reserved | 4,990 |
I get an email that says something like, “I’m not a priest, but…”, I will delete it. If I get an email saying, “I’m Father’s parish secretary. Father asked me to write to you because he doesn’t use email”, I’ll delete it.
“But Father! But Father!”, some of you might be complaining. “I’m not a priest, but I want to hear this! You have to make this available to everyone! We have RIGHTS, but you hate Vatican II, don’t you. Give us these recordings NOW!”
No.
“But Father! But Father!”, you persist. “We’ll complain that you aren’t sharing! We’ll write nasty letters to your bishop and make incessant phone calls just like certain writer for the Fishwrap! We’ll….”
I gave my short answer. Here’s my longer anser.
Nooooooooo.
I made two recordings. I have a recording of
Chapter 3 read deliberately, pedantically, with careful pronunciation. I omit rubrics, which you would not read aloud.
that same recording of Chapter 3 slowed down to 0.7 speed.
I did these recordings in mp3 at 128 bits, but I also saved them in 64 bits, slightly lesser quality but also less bulky, easier to send.
Drop me a line: HERE
Put in the email subject line: LATIN EXORCISM RECORDING [Exactly that, please.]. Tell me who you are and where you are. Again, bishops and priests only.
BISHOPS NB: I won’t tell anyone who wrote to me, so if you are not comfortable yet with Latin, your secret is safe with me. It seems to me that some of you avoid traditional rites in Latin because you don’t want to be seen not to be comfortable with it. Don’t let that stop you. Also, if you need to do something in Latin, CONTACT ME and I’ll record it for you, speaking or singing. Entirely sub stola.
If there is need for Chapter 2, let me know and I’ll see what I can do.
Moderation queue is ON.
PS: Once upon a time I had a bit of a series for priests called PRAYERCAzTs. I am not averse to reviving it, if there is interest. | 4,991 |
White Passing People in ATR’s and Brujería
Ok I’m on mobile so bear with me here
****
First off let’s establish some things about white passing people:
1. White passing people aka passing people are POC who may not look like what someone may expect them to look like based on race
This means someone who is full one race but looks white or mixed and looks white, and therefore most people see them as white.
2. They do have white privilege
Seeing as they look white, they have white privilege and benefit from it. This is undeniable.
3. They are STILL POC
Yeah they may look white, but they still are POC. Just because someone looks like one race does not mean they don’t have the culture and understanding of their race.
****
Now, what about white passing people in ATR and Brujería?
Well, many times passing poc feel like they don’t belong, like they don’t have the rights to these ancestral practices. This is a sense of loneliness and feeling like part of your ancestors won’t accept you or maybe the Orisha wouldn’t want to work with you. Whatever it may be, it is always over nothing.
If you identify with that race, say you are half black and identify with that side, you have every right. This doesn’t mean deny the other side, it just means don’t deny your poc side. If you deny your poc side but try working with your poc ancestors, what makes you think they will want to work with you?
I am half Afro-Cuban and half White. I am definitely white passing. Especially since I no longer have my long curly hair. I was raised with these traditions and they are in my blood, as they are in the other white passing people in the community.
That being said, white people with no recent ancestry? They should not be in these practices, imo, with few exceptions. They were not raised with them, they don’t understand cultural significances, they do things incorrectly. Unless they are properly taught and do things the right way, they should not be doing them at all.
****
Passing people are still poc, and while they may benefit from wp they still have the same rights to ATRs and Brujería because that is still part of their ancestry. It is our job as poc, white passing or not, to encourage them in our practices to keep our practices alive. | 4,992 |
Oreo Rice Krispy Treats
Ingredients
*For the treats
*For the topping
Directions
I am a sucker for a good rice krispy treat.My college dining hall had rice krispy treats at the dessert table at practically every lunch and dinner. For years I had daily access to rice krispy treats, sometimes with a chocolate layer on top. What?! Rice krispy treats need more deliciousness to convince people to eat them? I was shocked, too.I got over the shock pretty quickly because, well, there was a layer of chocolate on my marshmallow crispy rice square and it was awesome. Since then, I've topped my rice krispy treats with colorful sprinkles and have brought them to birthday gatherings, work, and other social events. They are super easy to throw together, and pretty easy to travel with. Definitely a low-hassle dessert.If done right, rice krispy treats do not go ignored. Mix crushed Oreos into your treats and top them with a layer of chocolate and sprinkled Oreo bits? People may just start to consider you a God among humans.1/4 cup unsalted butter1 (10 oz) bag of marshmallows6 cups of crispy rice cereal10 crushed Oreo cookies1 1/3 cup of chocolate chips2 tablespoons unsalted butter1 splash (about 1/8 cup) heavy cream6 crushed Oreo cookiesPrepare a 13 by 9 pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.In a large sauce pan over medium heat, melt the 1/4 cup of unsalted butter. Just before all of the butter melts, add the 10 ounces of marshmallows. Stir the marshmallows with the butter in order to melt them. Lower the heat and be cautious of not burning the bottom of the pan, remove from heat if necessary. (You can always return the marshmallows to the flame if the melting process slows down).Once the marshmallows have lost most of their form, stir in the 6 cups of krispy rice cereal. When adequately mixed, fold in the 10 crushed Oreos. Transfer marshmallow mixture to 13x9 pan. Use greased spatula to press cereal treat down to mold to the shape of the pan.In a small sauce pan melt the chocolate chips together with the 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat. Just as the butter has combined with the chocolate add about an ounce of heavy cream so that chocolate reaches desired consistency. Whisk together until well combined.Pour chocolate mixture over the rice krispy treats and spread with a spatula. Top with the 6 crushed oreos before the chocolate hardens. Cool completely before cutting and serving. | 4,993 |
All of the mainline Gears of War games to date have been third-person shooters. Fans of the series looking for a Gears of War game in a different genre may eventually get one, according to Xbox boss Phil Spencer and The Coalition creative director Chuck Osieja.
Appearing at the Xbox Fanfest event in Sydney, Australia, the pair fielded the question, "If Gears of War could expand into any other gaming genre, what would it be?" Spencer immediately stated that Osieja had to be careful about what he said, suggesting a project in a different genre is already in the works.
With Spencer, his boss, sitting directly next to him, Osieja gave a Microsoft-approved answer in a played-up voice. "At Microsoft, we evaluate all opportunities for our franchises. So, if the right opportunity presents itself, we'll explore that as something we can offer our fans." Spencer booed this response and even gave it a thumbs-down.
Spencer then stepped in to provide some further details, saying the Gears of War franchise's story could be told across "multiple gameplay genres."
"Definitely when we got the team together and talked about the future of Gears of War, I think there's multiple ways that you can tell that story," he said. "Multiple gameplay genres. I think it's a really big IP and it's an IP that could exist in linear form, in books--we've seen that; in different gaming genres."
The Gears of War franchise is one of the biggest and best-known in all of gaming, so there is a "lot of opportunity" for where it could go in the future, Spencer teased.
"You should understand that this franchise is important to use as a platform-holder as any franchise that we have and we wanted to be fully invested in where you want to go play the game," he added.
Microsoft acquired the Gears of War franchise from creator Epic Games in 2014. October's Gears of War 4 is the first completely new entry in the series developed by Microsoft's The Coalition since the buyout.
The one canceled Gears of War game that we know about, Exile, was rumored to be a Kinect-controlled title for Xbox 360.
There is precedent of Microsoft expanding one of its shooter franchises to a new genre. The Halo series has the Halo Wars RTS franchise and received two top-down shooters int he form of Halo: Spartan Strike and Halo: Spartan Assault.
Gears of War 4 launches on October 11 for Xbox One and PC. In other news, The Coalition has told fans to "stay vigilant" as it relates to spoilers, which could pop up in the coming days. | 4,994 |
Inexpensive computers, cell phones and other systems that substitute flexible plastic for silicon chips may be one step closer to reality, according to a new research report. The paper describes a new proposal for overcoming a major obstacle to the development of such plastic devices—the large amount of energy required to read stored information.
The paper was published today in the journal Nature Communications by University of Iowa researchers and their colleagues at New York University.
Although it is relatively cheap and easy to encode information in light for fiber optic transmission, storing information is most efficiently done using magnetism, which ensures information will survive for years without any additional power.
“So a critical issue is how to convert information from one type to another,” says Michael Flatté, professor of physics and astronomy in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) and director of the UI Optical Science and Technology Center.
“Although it does not cost a lot of energy to convert one to the other in ordinary, silicon-chip-based computers, the energy cost is very high for flexible, plastic computing devices that are hoped to be used for inexpensive “throwaway” information processors.
“Here we show an efficient means of converting information encoded in magnetic storage to light in a flexible plastic device,” says Flatté, who also serves as professor in the UI College of Engineering’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
What Flatté and his colleagues did was to successfully accomplish information transduction (or transfer and conversion) between a magnet and an organic light-emitting diode at room temperature and without electrical current flow between the magnet and the organic device.
“The magnetic fields from the magnetic storage device directly modify the light emission from the device. This could help solve problems of storage and communication for new types of inexpensive, low-power computers based on conducting plastics,” says professor Markus Wohlgenannt, also of the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Optical Science and Technology Center.
Professor Andrew Kent of New York University notes that while these studies were conducted on relatively large devices, miniaturized devices would operate on the same principles and enable new types of high capacity storage technologies.
In addition to Flatté, Wohlgenannt and Kent, co-authors of the Nature Communications paper are Fujian Wang and Nicolas J. Harmon of the UI Department of Physics and Astronomy and Optical Science and Technology Center, and Ferran Macià of the NYU Department of Physics.
The complete title of the paper is “Organic Magnetoelectroluminescence for Room Temperature Transduction between Magnetic and Optical Information.” | 4,995 |
Birmingham Airport stowaway Lee Jezard said he was co-pilot Published duration 20 August 2014
image copyright PA image caption Lee Jezard had "very little idea how he arrived at the airport"
A drunken man who managed to sneak on to a plane claimed he was the co-pilot when he was found, a court heard.
Lee Jezard admitted boarding an empty Lufthansa plane and breaching security at Birmingham Airport by climbing through a baggage carousel, on 17 July.
At Birmingham Magistrates' Court Jezard also admitted stealing £36.45 worth of food from the airport's Caffè Nero.
Jezard, 22, of of Jubilee Avenue, Redditch, lost his job as a hotel manager when his employer found out.
David Devine, prosecuting, said despite some earlier media reports saying Jezard was at the airport after missing a flight to Ibiza, a study of all plane manifests revealed "he was never booked on to any flight".
He described the actions of Jezard as a "drunken escapade".
Jezard was discovered aboard a Lufthansa Embraer 195 by cleaning staff, and initially told them "I'm the co-pilot", said Mr Devine.
"When they asked him for ID, he had none, and then told them 'I work for the navy'."
'Very little idea'
"He then said: 'I'm breaking into places to see if people can catch me - I go to prisons and other places'."
Security cameras showed Jezard crawling through the opening of a baggage carousel, getting on to the airport's Tarmac apron, and then getting aboard the plane.
In mitigation, Tariq Khan said his client "really had very little idea how he arrived at the airport" after going on a drinking binge with friends in Birmingham city centre.
Mr Khan said his client "guessed" he arrived at the airport by train.
"I am sure airport staff and management will have been having a close look at events and security will have been tightened up.... this could have been a more serious breach than it was in this case," he said.
Jezard was fined £95 for each of the three offences, ordered to pay full compensation to the coffee shop, together with £185 costs and a £20 victim surcharge.
An airport spokesperson said the safety and security of its passengers was its "number one priority" and that a full internal investigation had taken place into the incident.
Related Topics Birmingham
Redditch | 4,996 |
Terminator is terminal emulator which includes numerous useful features such as multiple terminals in the same window (split view), notifications, supports saving and restoring custom layouts and much more.
More than two years after the previous release, Terminator 0.98 was released today, bringing a more polished tabs functionality, better layout saving/restoring, improved preferences UI and numerous bug fixes.
a layout launcher was added which allows easily switching between layouts (use Alt + L to open the new layout switcher);
a new manual was added (use F1 to launch it);
when saving, a layout now remembers the following:
*maximised and fullscreen status
* window titles
* which tab was active
* which terminal was active
* working directory for each terminal
added options for enabling/disabling non-homogenous tabs and scroll arrows;
added shortcuts for scrolling up/down by line/half-page/page;
added Ctrl+MouseWheel Zoom in/out and Shift+MouseWheel page scroll up/down;
added shortcuts for next/prev profile;
improved consistency of Custom Commands menu;
added shortcuts/code to toggle All/Tab grouping;
improved watcher plugin;
added search bar wrap toggle;
major cleanup and reorganisation of the preferences window, including a complete revamp of the global tab;
added option to set how long ActivityWatcher plugin is quiet for;
many other improvements and bug fixes
Revamped Global preferences tab, new Layout Switcher
A complete changelog for the latest Terminator 0.98 can be found HERE
It's also worth mentioning that all the changes available in this release are also available in a separate GTK3 branch, which is not fully ready yet as there are some bugs that still need fixing.
Install Terminator in Ubuntu or Linux Mint
important: this means you may occasionally encounter bugs) in Ubuntu or Linux Mint. To add the PPA and install Terminator, use the following commands: The latest Terminator 0.98 is not yet available in its official stable PPA. However, you can use the Terminator Nightly Builds PPA to install the latest Terminator from trunk (this means you may occasionally encounter bugs) in Ubuntu or Linux Mint.
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gnome-terminator/nightly sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install terminator
Note: the PPA version is 0.97+revision - the version number wasn't updated to 0.98 but it is the latest Terminator from trunk.
| 4,997 |
“The Good Doctor” ended its third season on Monday night in dramatic fashion with a major character death, and the show’s largest Live+Same Day audience since March 2019 tuned in to watch.
The ABC show scored a season high 1.1 rating among adults 18-49 and drew 7.6 million total viewers, a 12% bump from last week’s penultimate episode. Earlier on, the Disney-owned network’s “America Rising: Fight the Pandemic” special about coronavirus scored a 0.8 rating and 4.9 million viewers. A “Celebrity Family Feud” replay came in with a 0.9 and 5.4 million viewers.
“The Voice” won the night in terms of rating and total viewership for NBC, scoring a 1.7 and 9.7 million total viewers, which represents roughly the same number’s as last Monday’s edition. “Manifest” followed it up with a 0.7 and 4.3 million viewers, also even week-to-week.
Meanwhile on CBS, James Corden’s “Homefest” special, which featured performances from BTS, Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish, scored a 0.5 rating and was watched by 3.3 million people. Earlier in the night, “The Neighborhood” came in at a 0.7 rating and 5.1 million viewers, down from a season high 1.1 and 7.4 million viewers from two weeks ago. “Bob Hearts Abishola” also lost ground on Monday night, posting a 0.6 and 4.3 million viewers, down from a 0.9 and 6.9 million last time around. Two “Neighborhood” replays came in at a 0.5 and a 0.6 in the 9 and 9:30 p.m. slots.
Over on Fox, “9-1-1” ticked down 7% to a 1.3 rating and just under 7 million pairs of eyeballs. “Prodigal Son” also lost a 0.1 ratings point from last episode, coming in at a 0.7 and 3.6 million viewers.
A new season of “Whose Line Is It Anyway” premiered to a 0.2 rating and 944,000 total viewers, followed by another rerun episode with a 0.2 and 805,000 total viewers. A “Roswell, New Mexico” episode ticked down to a series low 0.1 rating and 614,000 viewers. | 4,998 |
Valve is ending the crowdsourced Greenlight submission program, replacing it with a direct sign-up system. Instead of putting a game up for community voting on Greenlight, developers will use a new system called Steam Direct, paying a fee for each title they plan to distribute. “Our goal is to provide developers and publishers with a more direct publishing path,” wrote Valve employee Alden Kroll in a blog post. “After the launch of Steam Greenlight, we realized that it was a useful stepping stone for moving to a more direct distribution system, but it still left us short of that goal.”
Steam Greenlight was launched in 2012 as a way for indie developers to get their games on Steam, even if they weren’t working with a big publisher that had a relationship with Valve. Steam users would vote on Greenlight games, and Valve would accept titles with enough support to suggest that they’d sell well. Kroll says that “over 100” Greenlight titles have made $1 million or more. But Greenlight has also had significant problems. Developers could game the system by offering rewards for votes, and worthy projects could get lost amidst a slew of bad proposals. Since Valve ultimately made the call on including games, the process could also seem arbitrary and opaque. In 2013, Valve founder Gabe Newell described it as a “bottleneck” that didn’t solve the bigger problems with submissions.
The big question is whether what’s replacing it is better. To get a game on Steam Direct, developers will need to “complete a set of digital paperwork, personal or company verification, and tax documents similar to the process of applying for a bank account.” Then, they’ll pay an application fee for each game, “which is intended to decrease the noise in the submission pipeline” — a polite way of saying that it will make people think twice before spending money submitting a low-quality game. Steam Direct is supposed to launch in spring of 2017, but the application fee hasn’t been decided yet. Developer feedback has apparently suggested anything from $100 — the current Greenlight submission fee — and $5,000.
We’re not sure how (or how much) Valve will vet submissions. Greenlight was supposed to be a crowdsourced quality filter, but here, the company risks either opening Steam up to a bunch of iffy games, or committing a lot of resources to vetting them. A high submission fee could weed out non-committed developers, but also small indie creators without much money. Kroll says Valve is welcoming input, so there might still be time to affect how it turns out. | 4,999 |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.