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One of the main reasons developers build apps is to manage and visualize data. NativeScript UI makes building robust charts and graphs for your data a breeze, with a series of simple JavaScript and markup APIs for creating data visualizations that look great in iOS and Android applications.
Let’s look at how the charts work by visualizing some data on one of my favorite topics—Pokémon! By the end of the article you’ll know how to build the line, bar, and pie charts below in your own apps.
Let’s get started.
This is the second post in a series of articles that dive deep into each of the NativeScript UI components. If you’re new to NativeScript or NativeScript UI, you may wish to start with the first article in this series for a basic introduction to the component suite.
Getting Started with RadChart
Getting started is as simple as running a few commands to create the app and install the NativeScript UI plugin:
tns create pokemon cd pokemon tns plugin add nativescript-ui-chart
With the setup out of the way, let’s create a simple hello world line chart that we can build on top of. Go ahead and open your new app’s main-page.xml file and replace its contents with the code below.
<Page xmlns="http://schemas.nativescript.org/tns.xsd" xmlns:chart="nativescript-ui-chart" class="page" loaded="pageLoaded">
<ActionBar class="action-bar" title="Pokémon Data"></ActionBar>
<StackLayout class="p-20"> <chart:RadCartesianChart class="m-t-10" height="500"> <chart:RadCartesianChart.series> <chart:LineSeries items="{{ data }}" categoryProperty="key" valueProperty="value"> <chart:LineSeries.horizontalAxis> <chart:CategoricalAxis /> </chart:LineSeries.horizontalAxis> <chart:LineSeries.verticalAxis> <chart:LinearAxis /> </chart:LineSeries.verticalAxis> </chart:LineSeries> </chart:RadCartesianChart.series> </chart:RadCartesianChart> </StackLayout> </Page>
TIP: The p-20 and m-t-10 class names are from the NativeScript core theme, and apply padding: 20 and margin-top: 10 , respectively. See the NativeScript theme documentation for more details.
Next, open your app’s main-page.js file and replace its contents with the code below:
var frameModule = require("ui/frame"); var Observable = require("data/observable").Observable;
var pageData = new Observable(); pageData.data = [ { key: "One", value: 10 }, { key: "Two", value: 20 }, { key: "Three", value: 30 } ]; exports.pageLoaded = function(args) { var page = args.object; page.bindingContext = pageData; };
After you save these files and run your app, you’ll have charts that look something like this on iOS and Android.
Although this code doesn’t produce the world’s most exciting chart, it is pretty cool that you just built completely native charts for both Android and iOS in a few dozen lines of code.
And we’re just getting started. Let’s break down the code above to start to discuss just how configurable these charts are.
Breaking down how charts work
With NativeScript UI you build charts from a series of composable APIs that control common chart features such as axes, legends, and labels. Here’s the pertinent code you used to build the previous section’s chart.
<chart:RadCartesianChart class="m-t-10" height="500"> <chart:RadCartesianChart.series> <chart:LineSeries items="{{ data }}" categoryProperty="key" valueProperty="value"> <chart:LineSeries.horizontalAxis> <chart:CategoricalAxis /> </chart:LineSeries.horizontalAxis> <chart:LineSeries.verticalAxis> <chart:LinearAxis /> </chart:LineSeries.verticalAxis> </chart:LineSeries> </chart:RadCartesianChart.series> </chart:RadCartesianChart>
At a high level there are two different chart types in NativeScript UI - RadCatesignCharts for plotting data points with X and Y axes, and RadPieCharts for plotting data points in a radial coordinate system. The example above uses RadCartesianChart as it’s using X/Y coordinates, and later examples in this tutorial will show off how the RadPieChart works.
Once you choose between RadCartesianChart and RadPieChart you next have to provide a series, or a more specific means of visualizing the data points you provide. The most common series are BarSeries, LineSeries, and AreaSeries, although there are other options for more niche visualization needs. You can also stack multiple series if you have multiple sets of data you want to represent in the same chart.
Our example uses a simple LineSeries for now, and its three properties— items , key , and value —point at an Observable object named data . In the code below, note how the categoryProperty attribute lines up with the key property of the data object, and how the valueProperty attribute lines up with the value property of the data object.
<chart:LineSeries items="{{ data }}" categoryProperty="key" valueProperty="value"> <chart:LineSeries.horizontalAxis> <chart:CategoricalAxis /> </chart:LineSeries.horizontalAxis> <chart:LineSeries.verticalAxis> <chart:LinearAxis /> </chart:LineSeries.verticalAxis> </chart:LineSeries>
var pageData = new Observable(); pageData.data = [ { key: "One", value: 10 }, { key: "Two", value: 20 }, { key: "Three", value: 30 } ];
The final step to building a chart in NativeScript UI is declaring your charts axes. In our example that’s done in the code below.
<chart:LineSeries.horizontalAxis> <chart:CategoricalAxis /> </chart:LineSeries.horizontalAxis> <chart:LineSeries.verticalAxis> <chart:LinearAxis /> </chart:LineSeries.verticalAxis>
RadCartesianCharts require you to specify two axes for your charts, a horizontal axis and a vertical axis. You have options for what you specify for each, and you can refer to the NativeScript UI documentation on axes for a full list, but for most scenarios you’ll use the CategorialAxis and LinearAxis that the code above uses.
A CategoricalAxis is a simple means of showing your categoryProperty on an axes, and is the reason “One”, “Two”, and “Three” appear on the horizontal axis in the image below. A LinearAxis displays your valueProperty data linearly, and is the reason the values of 10 , 20 , and 30 are plotted linearly on a vertical axis in the image below.
To wrap up, at a high level NativeScript UI charts require you to take the following steps:
1) Choose between RadCartesianChart and RadPieChart.
2) Specify a series for your data visualization.
3) If you’re using a RadCartesianChart, provide an axis declaration for your horizontal or vertical axis.
These steps are definitely a simplification, as there’s a whole lot of power and customization options in these charts, but it should help you get started with the basics. With this background out of the way, let’s look at how we can apply these rules to visualize some actual data.
Building a line chart
We’ll start with a line chart since we started one in the previous section, but we’ll add in some more realistic data and configuration options.
First of all though, a fun fact: did you know that there are over 940 episodes of the Pokémon anime (TV show)? Just to give you some context on how absurd that number is, there are currently roughly 600 episodes of The Simpsons, which has been running for 28 years. The scale of the show is so crazy that I wanted to visualize the cadence of episodes—that is, I wanted to see how many episodes the show has released per season.
Luckily that data is conveniently listed on Wikipedia, so let’s look at how to get this data into a chart. Go ahead and paste the following code into your main-page.xml file.
<Page xmlns="http://schemas.nativescript.org/tns.xsd" xmlns:chart="nativescript-ui-chart" class="page" loaded="pageLoaded"> <ActionBar class="action-bar" title="Pokémon Data"></ActionBar> <StackLayout class="p-20"> <Label class="h1" text="Anime"></Label> <Label class="body" textWrap="true" text="The following is a graph of the number of episodes in each Pokémon anime series over time."></Label> <chart:RadCartesianChart class="m-t-10" height="500"> <chart:RadCartesianChart.series> <chart:LineSeries items="{{ animeData }}" categoryProperty="season" valueProperty="count"> <chart:LineSeries.horizontalAxis> <chart:CategoricalAxis labelFitMode="Rotate" /> </chart:LineSeries.horizontalAxis> <chart:LineSeries.verticalAxis> <chart:LinearAxis labelLayoutMode="Outer" /> </chart:LineSeries.verticalAxis> </chart:LineSeries> </chart:RadCartesianChart.series> </chart:RadCartesianChart> </StackLayout> </Page>
And the following code into your main-page.js file.
var frameModule = require("ui/frame"); var Observable = require("data/observable").Observable;
var pageData = new Observable();
pageData.animeData = [
{ season: "1", count: 82 }, { season: "2", count: 36 }, { season: "3", count: 41 },
{ season: "4", count: 52 }, { season: "5", count: 65 }, { season: "6", count: 40 },
{ season: "7", count: 52 }, { season: "8", count: 54 }, { season: "9", count: 47 },
{ season: "10", count: 52 }, { season: "11", count: 52 }, { season: "12", count: 53 },
{ season: "13", count: 34 }, { season: "14", count: 48 }, { season: "15", count: 49 },
{ season: "16", count: 45 }, { season: "17", count: 48 }, { season: "18", count: 45 },
{ season: "19", count: 47 }
];
exports.pageLoaded = function(args) {
var page = args.object;
page.bindingContext = pageData;
};
After you do that you’ll have a line chart that looks like this:
The Pokémon franchise seems to have experimented with different season lengths, and then ultimately decided on ~45 shows/season to be about right.
In terms of an implementation the code is pretty much the same as the basic example as before with some real data provided. There are a few new properties being used to customize the axes, specifically labelFitMode and labelLayoutMode .
<chart:LineSeries.horizontalAxis> <chart:CategoricalAxis labelFitMode="Rotate" /> </chart:LineSeries.horizontalAxis> <chart:LineSeries.verticalAxis> <chart:LinearAxis labelLayoutMode="Outer" /> </chart:LineSeries.verticalAxis>
In this case labelFitMode="Rotate" rotates the labels on the horizontal access so they’ll fit a bit better, and labelLayoutMode="Outer" renders the labels on the vertical axis outside of the chart itself. These are just a few of the customizations options available to you though.
All of the APIs that we’ve looked at in this article have thorough API documentation that you can refer to for a full list of attributes available. For example, here are the documentation pages for CategoricalAxis and LinearAxis, respectively, and you can always perform a search from the documentation home page to find what you need.
For now, let’s shift our discussion to another common chart type, and look at how we can use NativeScript UI to visualize data in bar charts.
Building a bar chart
With UI for NativeScipt implementing a bar chart is very much like implementing a line chart. You’re still using a RadCartesianChart, but you have to switch from a LineSeries to a BarSeries. Let’s look at a concrete example to show the difference in action.
For the bar graph I wanted to show off another bit of Pokémon data. Each of the 800+ Pokémon characters have a type—fire, water, electric, etc—and that type is important when choosing which Pokémon to use in battle. Fire attacks are effective against grass-type Pokémon, water is effective against fire-type Pokémon, and so forth. But it’s actually way more complex than that, as there are currently 18 types with a dizzying set of rules to remember if you want to battle effectively. Because of this scale, I wanted to visualize how the current Pokémon types are distributed, and a bar chart works quite nicely for that.
To see this in action go ahead and paste the following code in for your main-page.xml file.
<Page xmlns="http://schemas.nativescript.org/tns.xsd" xmlns:chart="nativescript-ui-chart" class="page" loaded="pageLoaded"> <ActionBar class="action-bar" title="Pokémon Data"></ActionBar> <StackLayout class="p-20"> <Label class="h1" text="Types"></Label> <Label class="body" textWrap="true" text="The following is a count of the total number of Pokémon of a given type."></Label> <chart:RadCartesianChart class="m-t-5" height="500"> <chart:RadCartesianChart.series> <chart:BarSeries items="{{ typeData }}" categoryProperty="type" valueProperty="count" showLabels="false"> <chart:BarSeries.horizontalAxis> <chart:LinearAxis labelFitMode="Rotate" /> </chart:BarSeries.horizontalAxis> <chart:BarSeries.verticalAxis> <chart:CategoricalAxis /> </chart:BarSeries.verticalAxis> </chart:BarSeries> </chart:RadCartesianChart.series> </chart:RadCartesianChart> </StackLayout> </Page>
And then use the following code for your main-page.js file.
var frameModule = require("ui/frame"); var Observable = require("data/observable").Observable; var pageData = new Observable(); pageData.typeData = [ { type:"Poison", count: 59 }, { type:"Grass", count: 84 }, { type: "Fire",count: 56 }, { type: "Flying", count: 90 }, { type:"Water", count: 118 },{ type: "Bug", count: 66 }, { type: "Normal", count: 97 }, { type: "Electric", count: 42 }, { type: "Ground", count: 60 }, { type: "Fairy", count: 35 }, { type:"Fighting", count: 44 }, { type: "Psychic", count: 74 }, { type: "Rock", count: 55 }, { type:"Steel", count: 41 }, { type: "Ice", count: 33 }, { type: "Ghost", count: 35 }, { type: "Dragon", count: 38}, { type:"Dark", count: 44 } ]; exports.pageLoaded = function(args) { var page = args.object; page.bindingContext = pageData; };
After you save those files you should have a chart that looks something like this.
Apparently water-type Pokémon are the most common. Who knew?
But more importantly, consider just how similar this example and the previous bar chart example are—the only real difference is the use of BarSeries rather than LineSeries. In fact, if you switch all mentions of “BarSeries” in main-page.xml to “LineSeries”, you would be able to display the exact same data with lines instead.
Hopefully this gives you a taste of just how configurable the NativeScript charts are. Once you learn how the few base APIs work, you can create very robust data visualizations in a surprisingly small amount of code. To give one more example of this, consider the following bit of code that configures the chart’s axes.
<chart:BarSeries.horizontalAxis> <chart:LinearAxis labelFitMode="Rotate" /> </chart:BarSeries.horizontalAxis> <chart:BarSeries.verticalAxis> <chart:CategoricalAxis /> </chart:BarSeries.verticalAxis>
This code says to render the chart’s categorical axis (or labels) on the Y axis, and the chart’s value axis on the X axis. If you want to swap the two, all you have to do is swap the two lines of code. Specifically if you switch the code above to use the following approach.
<chart:BarSeries.horizontalAxis> <chart:CategoricalAxis labelFitMode="Rotate" /> </chart:BarSeries.horizontalAxis> <chart:BarSeries.verticalAxis> <chart:LinearAxis /> </chart:BarSeries.verticalAxis>
The app renders the charts with the axes flipped.
Now just because you can render charts in many ways doesn’t mean that you should. You can see that in the chart above, for example, that the labels on the X axis don’t fit especially well.
The goal of NativeScript UI is to give you plenty of configuration options to build charts that suit the data that you have. I showed some of the configuration options in this article, and you can refer to the RadCartesianChart docs for a full list of the things you can do.
For now though, let’s look at one final example to show how to build pie charts with NativeScript UI.
Building a pie chart
Pie charts work well when you want to compare parts of your data to the whole, and when you have a relatively small number of data points. To see how to create these charts with NativeScript UI, let’s look at another Pokémon example.
The Pokémon world currently has 802 Pokémon, and these creatues have been introduced over seven “generations”. Generation one created 151 Pokémon back in 1996, and Generation seven added 81 new Pokémon this past November.
For our purposes I wanted to visualize the proportion of Pokémon each generation contributed to the whole. To see this in action paste the following in for your app’s main-page.xml file.
<chart:RadPieChart height="300"> <chart:RadPieChart.series> <chart:PieSeries selectionMode="None" items="{{ generationData }}" outerRadiusFactor="0.8" valueProperty="count" legendLabel="generation" showLabels="true"> </chart:PieSeries> </chart:RadPieChart.series> <chart:RadPieChart.legend> <chart:RadLegendView position="Right" width="110" /> </chart:RadPieChart.legend> </chart:RadPieChart>
And then use the following code for your app’s main-page.js file.
var frameModule = require("ui/frame"); var Observable = require("data/observable").Observable;
var pageData = new Observable();
pageData.generationData = [
{ generation: "One", count: 151 },
{ generation: "Two", count: 100 },
{ generation: "Three", count: 135 },
{ generation: "Four", count: 107 },
{ generation: "Five", count: 156 },
{ generation: "Six", count: 72 },
{ generation: "Seven", count: 81 }
]; exports.pageLoaded = function(args) {
var page = args.object;
page.bindingContext = pageData; };
With this code you’ll have a pie chart that looks a little something like this.
Let’s return back to the code to explain how all this works. Remember that with RadCartesianCharts the primary thing you configured was a series and two axes. With RadPieCharts you no longer have axes, but you still have a series, as well as an optional legend. Here’s what that code looks like at a high level.
<chart:RadPieChart> <chart:RadPieChart.series> <chart:PieSeries /> </chart:PieSeries> </chart:RadPieChart.series> <chart:RadPieChart.legend> <chart:RadLegendView /> </chart:RadPieChart.legend> </chart:RadPieChart>
The RadChart API supports two series, PieSeries and DonutSeries, and a single legend, RadLegendView. Each has a series of properties that you can use to configure the chart’s appearance and behavior. Here are the properties used in our example.
PieSeries selectionMode : Determines whether the user should be able to select chunks of the pie chart. In this case that’s not desirable, so we set the property to "None" . items : Points at the JavaScript property on the Page’s Observable object that contains the data to drive the chart. outerRadiusFactor : Controls the size of the generated pie chart. Values greater than 1 increase the radius of the chart, and values under 1 decrease the radius of the chart. valueProperty : The JavaScript property on the items object that contains the values to display in the chart. legendLabel : The JavaScript property on the items object that contains the labels to display in the chart’s legend. showLabels : Whether to show labels on the of the pie chart.
RadLegendView position : Where to place the legend in relation to the pie chart. "Bottom" , "Top" , "Left" , "Right" , and "Floating" are valid values. width : The width to give the legend.
<chart:RadPieChart> <chart:RadPieChart.series> <chart:PieSeries selectionMode="None" items="{{ generationData }}" outerRadiusFactor="0.8" valueProperty="count" legendLabel="generation" showLabels="true"> </chart:PieSeries> </chart:RadPieChart.series> <chart:RadPieChart.legend> <chart:RadLegendView position="Right" width="110" /> </chart:RadPieChart.legend> </chart:RadPieChart>
You can refer to the NativeScript UI API documentation for a full list of the available properties and values you can use to customize the various charts to meet your needs.
Wrapping up
Regardless of whether you need to visualize sales figures, census data, or numbers from the Pokémon universe, the NativeScript UI charts should have an API to meet your needs. In this article we looked at how to build line, bar, and pie charts, but NativeScript UI also provides APIs for bubble charts, scatter charts, spline charts, area charts, candlestick charts (whatever those are), and a whole lot more. |
For some time now I’ve been oating the idea of writing a book about category theory that would be targeted at programmers. Mind you, not computer scientists but pro- grammers — engineers rather than scientists. I know this sounds crazy and I am properly scared. I can’t deny that there is a huge gap between science and engineering be- cause I have worked on both sides of the divide. But I’ve al- ways felt a very strong compulsion to explain things. I have tremendous admiration for Richard Feynman who was the master of simple explanations. I know I’m no Feynman, but I will try my best. I’m starting by publishing this pref- ace — which is supposed to motivate the reader to learn category theory — in hopes of starting a discussion and soliciting feedback.
This is an unofficial PDF version of "Category Theory for Programmers" by Bartosz Milewski, converted from his blogpost series. |
Security vendor Forcepoint has identified a new mining botnet targeting the Monero cryptocurrency. Using bots to mine cryptocurrencies is nothing new and there have been several claims that botnets are targeting Monero over the last 15 months. This blog by Luke Somerville and Abel Toro goes further. It provides the evidence for an active botnet exploiting SMEs and local government systems in the Haut-Rhin region of France.
Botnet’s speed up cryptocurrency mining
Using a botnet to mine for cryptocurrencies today makes sense. The complexity of the problems to be solved require an ever increasing amount of compute power. This has created a number of cooperatives where members join a mining consortium to share compute power and make money. What is happening here is that cybercriminals are looking for a more profitable route than being part of a mining consortium.
Somerville and Toro reference a Malwarebytes report from January. In that report, researchers looked at the use of the Sundown exploit kit to deploy a cryptocurrency miner. That mining tool was focused on Monero and was being actively updated. It appears from the Somerville and Toro blog that other campaigns to infect machines have been successful. Surprisingly both blogs call out the lack of obfuscation of the code used in the attacks. This has made it easy for the researchers to identify and examine the attacks.
The command and control servers are mainly hosted on legitimate websites. Interestingly the majority of those websites are hosted on OVH. This might be the attackers using sites based in France to get around security controls on the machines. The theory being that security software would expect users to access sites based in France rather than in Vietnam, Russia or China.
Conclusion
It is a surprise that we haven’t seen more campaigns aimed at botnet mining of cryptocurrency over the last few years. The increasing price of most cryptocurrencies is enough to make it attractive. Given the size of some botnets and their cost, it is certain cost effective. What is interesting is that this is targeted at cryptocurrency that is relatively unknown outside the DarkNet. |
The San Diego Padres appear to be moving closer to making a move involving first baseman/outfielder Kyle Blanks, according to major league sources with knowledge of the situation. While a demotion to Triple-A El Paso is possible, industry speculation on Monday afternoon was that Blanks could be on the verge of being traded--with the Oakland Athletics as a potential landing spot.
It is currently unclear how close the teams are to making a deal for Blanks, who has hit .200 in five major league games with the Padres this season. The Padres are expecting Carlos Quentin to return from the disabled list on Tuesday, meaning that they will have to clear roster space for him, so a move involving Blanks would make sense.
One player that could be involved in talks is Athletics' outfielder Jake Goebbert, according to a baseball source. Goebbert, who is currently at Triple-A Sacramento, has appeared in 31 of the team's 37 games so far this season, but was curiously kept out of the lineup on Monday night.
Blanks, a .228 hitter with 28 HR and 98 RBI in parts of six seasons with the Padres, would provide the Athletics with an interesting bench or minor league depth option if they were to acquire him in the near future. The 27-year old has shown flashes of talent throughout his career, and may benefit from a change of scenery. |
It’s 1911, and the world is buzzing with awe and innovation and change.
The first airplanes dot the skies, Marie Curie has just won her second Nobel Prize, George V is crowned King of the United Kingdom, the Titanic is unveiled as the world’s greatest ship and, in a Paris orphanage, there is a baby raffle.
That’s right, in an effort to raise money and find homes for orphaned children, a Paris foundling hospital held a raffle of live babies.
Most of what we know about this “Loterie de Bébés” comes from an article published in the January 1912 issue of Popular Mechanics, which covered the raffle as a news brief.
“The management of a foundling hospital held the raffle, with the consent of authorities, as a means of finding homes for a large number of its charges, and to raise money,” the article reads. “The proceeds of the raffle were divided among several charitable institutions. An investigation of the winners was made, of course, to determine their desirability as foster parents.”
Though an event like this would certainly be newsworthy, it’s worth considering the fact that the story was presented as a straightforward news brief and not a cautionary tale. Something like this wouldn’t necessarily have seemed that outlandish at the time, considering the way people treated children.
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In 1911, the problem of abandoned children in urban areas was still Charles Dickens-level alarming. Child labor was practiced in many major cities across the world, and orphans were sometimes forced orphans to work with dangerous equipment in factories and on assembly lines under almost no supervision. And that was sometimes the best-case scenario. Children who didn’t make it to an orphanage were left to fend for themselves on the busy streets of bustling cities like Paris and London and New York. The street life often to led to a life of crime.
The kids who did make it into some early orphanages and children’s hospitals were only marginally better off. In fact, America’s first official venture in policing childcare practices wouldn’t come until a year later. In 1912, the United States Children’s Bureau was founded; this still-existing federal agency was organized to investigate infant mortality, birth-rate, orphanages, juvenile courts, desertion, child labor, diseases in children and more. The deinstitutionalization of orphanages and children’s hospitals didn’t start until the mid-20th century, when many countries began finding replacements for group orphanages and large children’s institutions. For example, in America, orphanages were generally replaced with a foster care system and private adoption agencies that advocate for specific children in need of adoptive parents—but that change took decades.
Foundling hospitals like the one in Paris were among the very best options when it came to dealing with orphans and other abandoned children. They were far from perfect, but they were still an important step in the lengthy evolution of childcare. It’s tough to celebrate an event with human beings as prizes, but also hard to deny the intentions of the orphanage.
So it’s not surprise that, more than a century ago, people may have considered the baby raffle a celebratory affair.
More importantly, unique stories like that of the Paris Baby Raffle would have helped to bring attention to a larger problem—and help millions of children in need in the process.
Workman Publishing
Clay Swartz is the author of Who Wins? 100 Historical Figures Go Head-To-Head and You Decide the Winner.
Contact us at [email protected]. |
Transaction to accelerate Verizon’s position as a leading provider of fleet and mobile workforce management solutions
NEW YORK and DUBLIN – August 1, 2016 – Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) and Fleetmatics Group PLC (NYSE: FLTX) today announced they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Verizon will acquire Fleetmatics, a leading global provider of fleet and mobile workforce management solutions, for $60.00 per share in cash – representing a value of approximately $2.4 billion.
"Fleetmatics is a market leader in North America -- and increasingly internationally -- and they've developed a wide-range of compelling SaaS-based products and solutions for small- and medium-sized businesses," said Andrés Irlando, CEO of Verizon Telematics.
"The powerful combination of products and services, software platforms, robust customer bases, domain expertise and experience, and talented and passionate teams among Fleetmatics, the recently-acquired Telogis, and Verizon Telematics will position the combined companies to become a leading provider of fleet and mobile workforce management solutions globally," Irlando added.
“Verizon and Fleetmatics share a vision that the SaaS-based fleet management solution market is extraordinarily large, lightly penetrated, global and fragmented which can best be attacked together with a world class product offering and the largest distribution channel in the industry.” Jim Travers, Chairman and CEO of Fleetmatics.
“Fleetmatics brings over 37,000 customers, approximately 737,000 subscribers, a broad portfolio of industry leading products, and a team of 1,200 professionals focused on solving the critical challenges of businesses that deploy mobile workforces. We are excited to partner with Verizon in fulfilling the mission of becoming the largest mobile workforce management company in the world,” Travers added.
In June, Verizon Telematics also announced the acquisition of Telogis, Inc., a global, cloud-based mobile enterprise management software company based in Aliso Viejo, Calif. That transaction closed on July 29.
With approximately 1,200 employees, Fleetmatics is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, with North American headquarters in Waltham, Mass. The company’s Web-based solutions provide fleet operators with visibility into vehicle location, fuel usage, speed and mileage, and other insights into their mobile workforce, helping them to reduce operating costs, as well as increase revenue.
Verizon Telematics, a subsidiary of Verizon Communications, operates in more than 40 markets worldwide and offers comprehensive wireless, software and hardware solutions to consumers, enterprises, automakers and dealers to power connected-vehicle products around the world.
The acquisition is subject to customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions, including the approval of Fleetmatics’ shareholders and the sanction of the Irish scheme of arrangement by which Verizon will acquire Fleetmatics by the Irish High Court, and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2016.
PJT Partners and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC are acting as financial advisors to Verizon. Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, A&L Goodbody and Macfarlanes LLP are acting as legal advisors to Verizon. Morgan Stanley is acting as financial advisor to Fleetmatics. Goodwin Procter LLP and Maples and Calder are acting as legal advisors to Fleetmatics.
Fleetmatics cancels previously scheduled quarterly conference call
As a result of today’s announcement, Fleetmatics has cancelled its earnings call previously scheduled for August 9, 2016 and has withdrawn its most recent guidance with respect to 2016 as previously issued on May 4, 2016.
About Fleetmatics
Fleetmatics Group PLC (NYSE: FLTX) is a leading global provider of mobile workforce solutions for service-based businesses of all sizes delivered as software-as-a-service (SaaS). Our solutions enable businesses to meet the challenges associated with managing local fleets, and improve the productivity of their mobile workforces, by extracting actionable business intelligence from real-time and historical vehicle and driver behavioral data. Fleetmatics group's intuitive, cost-effective Web-based solutions provide fleet operators with visibility into vehicle location, fuel usage, speed and mileage, and other insights into their mobile workforce, enabling them to reduce operating and capital costs, as well as increase revenue. An integrated, full-featured mobile workforce management product provides additional efficiencies related to job management by empowering the field worker and speeding the job completion process – quote through payment. As of March 31, 2016, Fleetmatics served approximately 37,000 customers and approximately 737,000 subscribed vehicles throughout Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States and Italy. To learn more about Fleetmatics, visit www.fleetmatics.com.
General
This summary should be read in conjunction with the full text of the Rule 2.5 announcement, being the formal transaction announcement made by Verizon Communications Inc. (“Verizon”) and Fleetmatics (“Fleetmatics”) earlier today. The Rule 2.5 announcement and this press release have been made available on Verizon’s and Fleetmatics’ websites (www.verizon.com) and (www.fleetmatics.com).
NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN, INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR REGULATIONS OF SUCH JURISDICTION.
Verizon cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements
This communication contains forward-looking statements. These statements are based on estimates and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include the Verizon group’s and the combined group’s estimated or anticipated future results, or other non-historical facts. Forward-looking statements also include those preceded or followed by the words “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “hopes” or similar expressions. For those statements, Verizon claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The following important factors, along with those discussed in Verizon’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), could affect future results and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements: integration of the Fleetmatics acquisition and benefits of the Fleetmatics acquisition; the risk that the required regulatory approvals for the proposed transaction are not obtained, are delayed or are subject to conditions that are not anticipated; the anticipated size of the markets and continued demand for Fleetmatics’ products; adverse conditions in the U.S. and international economies; the effects of competition in the markets in which Verizon or Fleetmatics operate; material changes in technology or technology substitution; disruption of Verizon or Fleetmatics’ key suppliers’ provisioning of products or services; changes in the regulatory environment, including any increase in restrictions on Verizon’s ability to operate its networks; breaches of network or information technology security, natural disasters, terrorist attacks or acts of war or significant litigation and any resulting financial impact not covered by insurance; Verizon’s high level of indebtedness; an adverse change in the ratings afforded Verizon’s debt securities by nationally accredited ratings organizations or adverse conditions in the credit markets affecting the cost, including interest rates, and/or availability of further financing; material adverse changes in labor matters, including labor negotiations, and any resulting financial and/or operational impact; significant increases in benefit plan costs or lower investment returns on plan assets; changes in tax laws or treaties, or in their interpretation; changes in accounting assumptions that regulatory agencies, including the SEC, may require or that result from changes in the accounting rules or their application, which could result in an impact on earnings; the inability to implement Verizon’s or the combined group’s business strategies; the inability to realize the benefits of Verizon’s or the combined group’s strategic acquisitions; those discussed in Fleetmatics’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 and Amendment No. 1 thereto under the heading “Risk Factors,” as updated from time to time by Fleetmatics’ Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents of Fleetmatics on file with the SEC or in the proxy statement on Schedule 14A that will be filed with the SEC by Fleetmatics; and those discussed in Verizon’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 under the heading “Risk Factors,” as updated from time to time by Verizon’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents of Verizon on file with the SEC. There may be additional risks that neither Fleetmatics nor Verizon presently know or that Fleetmatics and Verizon currently believe are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements provide Fleetmatics’ and Verizon’s expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this communication. Fleetmatics and Verizon anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause Fleetmatics’ and Verizon’s assessments to change. However, while Fleetmatics and Verizon may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Fleetmatics and Verizon specifically disclaim any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Fleetmatics’ and Verizon’s assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this communication.
Fleetmatics cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements
This communication contains forward-looking statements. These statements are based on estimates and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include the Fleetmatics group’s estimated or anticipated future results, or other non-historical facts. Forward-looking statements also include those preceded or followed by the words "will", "may", "could", "would", "to be", "might", "believe", "anticipate", "expect", "plan", "estimate", "forecast", "future", "positioned", "potential", "intend", "continue", "remain", "scheduled", "outlook", "set to", "subject to", "upcoming", "target" or similar expressions. For those statements, Fleetmatics claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The following important factors, along with those discussed in Fleetmatics’ filings with the SEC, could affect future results and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements: uncertainties as to the timing of the Fleetmatics acquisition; uncertainties as to whether Verizon will be able to consummate the acquisition; uncertainties as to whether the scheme shareholders will provide the requisite approvals for the acquisition on a timely basis or at all; the possibility that competing offers will be made; the possibility that certain conditions to the consummation of the acquisition will not be satisfied, including without limitation obtaining the requisite approval of the scheme of arrangement; the possibility that Verizon will be unable to obtain regulatory approvals for the Fleetmatics acquisition on a timely basis or at all; the possibility that scheme shareholders will file lawsuits challenging the acquisition, including actions seeking to rescind the scheme of arrangement or enjoin the consummation of the acquisition; changes in relevant tax and other laws or regulations; the diversion of Fleetmatics management time and attention to issues relating to the acquisition and integration; operating costs, customer loss and business disruption (including, without limitation, difficulties in maintaining relationships with employees, customers, clients or suppliers) occurring prior to completion of the acquisition or if the acquisition is not completed; the difficulty retaining certain key employees of Fleetmatics as a result of the announcement of the acquisition; the scope, timing and outcome of any ongoing legal proceedings involving Verizon or Fleetmatics and the impact of any such proceedings on the Fleetmatics acquisition or on the financial condition, results of operations and/or cash flows of Fleetmatics; the possibility that costs, fees, expenses or charges Fleetmatics incurs in connection with the acquisition are greater than expected; the possibility that the scheme of arrangement may be terminated in circumstances that require Fleetmatics to reimburse certain expenses to Verizon related to the acquisition; and changes in the economic and financial conditions of the businesses of Verizon or Fleetmatics; and those discussed in Fleetmatics’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 and Amendment No. 1 thereto under the heading “Risk Factors,” as updated from time to time by Fleetmatics’ Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents of Fleetmatics on file with the SEC or in the proxy statement on Schedule 14A that will be filed with the SEC by Fleetmatics. There may be additional risks that neither Fleetmatics nor Verizon presently know or that Fleetmatics and Verizon currently believe are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements provide Fleetmatics’ and Verizon’s expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this communication. Fleetmatics and Verizon anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause Fleetmatics’ and Verizon’s assessments to change. However, while Fleetmatics and Verizon may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Fleetmatics and Verizon specifically disclaim any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Fleetmatics’ and Verizon’s assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this communication.
Important additional information to be filed with the SEC
In connection with the acquisition, Fleetmatics will file with the SEC and mail or otherwise provide to its shareholders a Proxy Statement regarding the proposed transaction. INVESTORS AND SHAREHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT (INCLUDING THE SCHEME DOCUMENT PROVIDED THEREIN IN CONNECTION WITH IRISH LAW REQUIREMENTS (THE “SCHEME DOCUMENT”)) AND OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED OR TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT FLEETMATICS, THE ACQUISITION AND RELATED MATTERS. Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of the Proxy Statement (including the Scheme Document) and other documents filed by Fleetmatics with the SEC at www.sec.gov. In addition, investors and shareholders will be able to obtain free copies of the Proxy Statement (including the Scheme Document) and other documents filed by Fleetmatics at ir.fleetmatics.com or by calling 781.577.4657.
Statements required by the Takeover Rules
The Verizon directors and Verizon Business International Holdings B.V. (“Bidco”) directors accept responsibility for the information contained in this communication other than that relating to Fleetmatics, the Fleetmatics group and the Fleetmatics directors and members of their immediate families, related trusts and persons connected with them. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the Verizon directors and the Bidco directors (who, in each case, have taken all reasonable care to ensure that such is the case), the information contained in this communication for which they accept responsibility is in accordance with the facts and does not omit anything likely to affect the import of such information.
The Fleetmatics directors accept responsibility for the information contained in this communication relating to Fleetmatics, the Fleetmatics group and the Fleetmatics directors and members of their immediate families, related trusts and persons connected with them. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the Fleetmatics directors (who have taken all reasonable care to ensure such is the case), the information contained in this communication for which they accept responsibility is in accordance with the facts and does not omit anything likely to affect the import of such information.
PJT, a U.S. registered broker-dealer regulated by FINRA and a member of SPIC, is acting for Verizon and no-one else in connection with the matters set out in this communication and will not be responsible to anyone other than Verizon for providing advice in relation to the matters in this communication. Neither PJT nor any of its subsidiaries, branches or affiliates owes or accepts any duty, liability or responsibility whatsoever (whether direct or indirect, whether in contract, in tort, under statute or otherwise) to any person who is not a client of PJT in connection with this communication, any statement contained herein or otherwise.
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC is a U.S. registered broker-dealer regulated by the SEC and FINRA and a member of SPIC, is acting for Verizon and no-one else in connection with the matters set out in this communication and will not be responsible to anyone other than Verizon for providing advice in relation to the matters in this communication. Neither Wells Fargo Securities, LLC nor any of its subsidiaries, branches or affiliates owes or accepts any duty, liability or responsibility whatsoever (whether direct or indirect, whether in contract, in tort, under statute or otherwise) to any person who is not a client of Wells Fargo Securities, LLC in connection with this communication, any statement contained herein or otherwise.
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, acting through its affiliate Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc, which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority in the United Kingdom, is acting as financial adviser to Fleetmatics and for no one else in relation to the matters referred to in this communication. In connection with such matters, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc, each of their affiliates and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents will not regard any other person as their client, nor will they be responsible to anyone other than Fleetmatics for providing the protections afforded to their clients or for providing advice in connection with the matters described in this communication or any matter referred to herein.
Disclosure requirements of the Takeover Rules
Persons interested in 1% or more of any relevant securities in Fleetmatics may from the date of this communication have disclosure obligations under Rule 8.3 of the Irish Takeover Panel Act, 1997, Takeover Rules 2013 (as amended). See the Rule 2.5 announcement of earlier today for further details.
Participants in the solicitation
Fleetmatics and its directors (including its executive officers and other members of management) and employees may be considered participants in the solicitation of proxies from the Fleetmatics shareholders in respect of the transactions contemplated by this communication. Information regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed participants in the solicitation of the Fleetmatics shareholders in connection with the proposed transactions, including names, affiliations and a description of their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be set forth in the Proxy Statement and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC. Information concerning the interests of Fleetmatics’ participants in the solicitation, which may, in some cases, be different than those of Fleetmatics’ shareholders generally, is set forth in the materials filed by Fleetmatics with the SEC, including in Fleetmatics’ proxy statement for Fleetmatics’ 2016 annual general meeting of shareholders, which was filed with the SEC on June 22, 2016, as supplemented by other Fleetmatics filings with the SEC, and will be set forth in the Proxy Statement when it becomes available. |
Paris Green was moved to a male prison (Picture: Spindrift)
A transgender murderer has been moved from a women’s prison following claims she had sex with female inmates.
Paris Green, who was born a man, had been allowed to serve her sentence at HMP Edinburgh’s female wing.
But authorities sent the 23-year-old back to a male institute after it was alleged she had been intimate with other prisoners.
‘The women want sex and Paris is the only person who can give it to them,’ a source told Daily Star Sunday.
Green, who was previously known as Peter Laing, had been accused of ‘inappropriate behaviour’ with inmates before.
A general view Cornton Vale Prison and Young Offenders Institute (Picture: PA)
Following her murder conviction in 2013 she was moved out of Corton Vale women’s prison after the allegations.
Green and her friends Kevin McDonagh and Dean Smith, were found guilty of murdering Robert Shankland, 45.
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They tortured him for hours before killing him. She was jailed for 18 years.
A Scottish Ministry of Justice spokesperson said it would not comment on individual cases. |
Washington (CNN) Federal prosecutors have issued grand jury subpoenas to associates of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn seeking business records, as part of the ongoing probe of Russian meddling in last year's election, according to people familiar with the matter. CNN learned of the subpoenas hours before President Donald Trump fired FBI director James Comey.
The subpoenas represent the first sign of a significant escalation of activity in the FBI's broader investigation begun last July into possible ties between Trump campaign associates and Russia.
The subpoenas issued in recent weeks by the US Attorney's Office in Alexandria, Virginia, were received by associates who worked with Flynn on contracts after he was forced out as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014, according to the people familiar with the investigation.
Robert Kelner, an attorney for Flynn, declined to comment. The US Attorney's Office in Alexandria, the Justice Department and the FBI also declined to comment.
Read More |
At the age of 11, I wrote my own version of Space Invaders. Someone I met on the internet who I knew only as “Mit” (it was a more trusting time) gave me the code. I muddled my way through the logic of enemies sliding back and forth, collisions and player controls, and after a few weeks was completely hooked. I loved playing computer games, and now I could make my own: I knew that I definitely wanted to become a games programmer.
When I left university, it was in the middle of the last economic meltdown and buying games wasn’t really people’s top priority. The whole industry was going through a massive round of layoffs, so jobs were thin on the ground. In the end I was incredibly lucky, landing a junior role at a major UK studio owned by a console manufacturer just after they had made some more experienced engineers redundant.
The secret life of a dementia carer: I’ll never forget finding an iron in the fridge | Anonymous Read more
Primarily, I am a problem solver. There will be a puzzle that needs a solution, like how do you get from A to B in the shortest amount of time, and various tools at your disposal, such as algorithms and data structures, which you can use to figure out the answer. You choose your tools wisely as programming is as much an art as it is a science.
An algorithm is just a series of instructions that you give to a computer – take these two numbers, add them together, and store the result here – that you can build on to create more complex behaviours. These operations have a cost: the more instructions there are in an algorithm, the longer it will take to run. There is usually a trade-off between time and space; things that run quickly will tend to use more memory, whereas things that use less memory will have to make more calculations.
Nothing beats the rush of seeing a solution work for the first time. If you imagine the satisfaction of solving a Sudoku puzzle, extrapolate that to the feeling of writing something to solve all Sudoku puzzles, or performing an exhaustive search of all the puzzles to prove there is no Sudoku with a single solution that has 16 clues. This kind of abstraction that computers allow you to achieve as a programmer is incredibly powerful.
As a result of all the deep thinking involved, it can be hard to switch off when you leave at the end of the day. I have lost countless nights of sleep to lying wide awake thinking about work. It also leads to flashes of inspiration at strange times causing me to jump out of bed to make a note – this does not amuse my wife.
I’ve had blazing rows with my wife about the amount of time I was spending at work
At work peace and quiet is very important. This often clashes with the modern obsession with open plan offices. It only takes an impromptu meeting to start up the next desk over (or even worse, two in close proximity which starts an escalating war as to who can talk the loudest) and it can ruin an entire train of thought. You can identify programmers as the people with their headphones on, frowning at the screen.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Illustration: Michael Driver
Relations can be difficult with the ever-present, non-technical manager who, in their opinion, has been placed in charge of herding a particularly distractible set of cats. “When will it be done?” they ask, and receive a rambling, incoherent request for the definition of “done”. The most terrifying prospect is when you find yourself weeks deep into a project and still no closer to success. It’s at this point that you really begin to question whether what you have taken on is possible at all.
One of the unfortunate aspects of games development is a combination of unknown priorities and unrealistic deadlines. Most of the time you don’t know what will be fun to play until you’ve made it, and there is a large runup of game releases before Christmas, so your release date is usually allocated months in advance. This puts an enormous amount of pressure on the team.
At my studio you needed to have the “passion” for a project to work six days a week, or put in 16-hour days. This is very much prevalent in the game industry and is seen as pulling out all the stops for your love of the project. Of course, this places exceptional stress on your quality of life and family time. I have gone through really tough periods at home, when it feels like there’s enormous pressure to put work first. Management will always talk about having a healthy work-life balance but the implication is there that you could be doing more, fixing more bugs, taking on more work. I’ve had blazing rows with my wife about the amount of time I was spending at work rather than with my children – but feeling like your effort is constantly being judged means you end up doing it again and again.
The secret life of a foster carer: I’m spat at and kept up at night – all for 50p an hour | Anonymous Read more
I’ve since left games for a financial software firm. It turns out this is a surprisingly common pattern when people want to start a family, or feel better rewarded for those long hours. Most games programmer roles are salaried, and there is no overtime – so that extra day you’re putting in each week is given away for nothing.
At my new job the work is essentially the same: I’m still trying to solve complex problems with a minimum of errors in the least amount of processing time. I have regular deadlines and work comes in smaller, more manageable chunks. While jobs like finance have a reputation for being boring, there’s actually loads of interesting work to do. With the increasing computerisation of financial markets there are many opportunities for programmers to get their teeth into. I now work fewer hours, have a better family life, and have an employer who cares about my welfare.
Has the experience put me off games? I still play them, but I guess I’ve seen inside the sausage factory and they’ll never be quite the same again. If you like games and you’re a programmer, go work for a firm that will pay. You will earn enough to buy all the games you want. I lived my dream and found it coming up short.
• Are you a designer, a delivery driver, a civil servant? We want to hear your candid accounts of what work is really like. Find full details on submitting your story anonymously here |
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On July 4, 2015, one day before the national vote on the austerity demands of Greece’s creditors, it was rumored in the Financial Times that Greek banks were preparing to “bail in” (or confiscate) depositor funds to replace the liquidity choked off by the European Central Bank.
The response of the Syriza government, to its credit, was “no way.” As reported in Zerohedge, the government was prepared to pursue three “nuclear options” to protect the deposits of the Greek people:
* nationalize the banks, * launch a parallel currency in the form of electronic California-style IOUs, and * use the Greek central bank’s printing press to issue euros.
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard wrote in the UK Telegraph:
Syriza sources say the Greek ministry of finance is examining options to take direct control of the banking system if need be rather than accept a draconian seizure of depositor savings – reportedly a ‘bail-in’ above a threshhold of €8,000 – and to prevent any banks being shut down on the orders of the ECB.
Government officials recognize that this would lead to an unprecedented rift with the EU authorities. But Syriza’s attitude at this stage is that their only defense against a hegemonic power is to fight guerrilla warfare.
The Hegemonic Power of the ECB
The Greek crisis is a banking crisis, and it was precipitated largely by the Mafia-like tactics of the European Central Bank and the international banks it serves (notably Goldman Sachs). As Jeffrey Sachs observed in the Financial Times in 2012:
The Greek economy is collapsing not mainly from fiscal austerity or the lack of external competitiveness but from the chronic lack of working capital. Greece’s small and medium-sized enterprises can no longer obtain funding. . . . The shutdown of Greece’s banking sector brings to mind the dramatic shrinkage of bank lending during 1929-33 in the Great Depression.
Economist James Galbraith explains the critical role of the ECB in this shutdown:
A central bank is supposed to protect the financial stability of solvent banks. But from early February, the ECB cut off direct financing of Greek banks, instead drip-feeding them expensive liquidity on special “emergency” terms. This promoted a slow run on the banks and paralyzed economic activity. When the negotiations broke down, the ECB capped the assistance, prompting a fast bank run and giving them an excuse to impose capital controls and effectively shut them down.
In December 2014, when the Greek Parliament was threatening to reject the pro-austerity presidential candidate, Goldman Sachs warned in a memo:
In the event of a severe Greek government clash with international lenders, interruption of liquidity provision to Greek banks by the ECB could potentially even lead to a Cyprus-style prolonged “bank holiday”.
And that is exactly what happened after the anti-austerity Syriza Party was elected in January. Why would the ECB have to “interrupt liquidity provision” just because of a “clash with international lenders”? As noted by Mark Weisbrot, the move was completely unnecessary.
The crisis to which it has led was described by Evans-Pritchard on July 7th:
Events are now spinning out of control. The banks remain shut. The ECB has maintained its liquidity freeze, and through its inaction is asphyxiating the banking system. Factories are shutting down across the country as stocks of raw materials run out and containers full of vitally-needed imports clog up Greek ports. Companies cannot pay their suppliers because external transfers are blocked. Private scrip currencies are starting to appear as firms retreat to semi-barter outside the banking system.
The Tourniquet of the Central Bank
It is not just Greek banks but all banks that are dependent on central bank liquidity, because they are all technically insolvent. They all lend money they don’t have. As the Bank of England recently acknowledged, banks do not actually lend their deposits. Rather, they create deposits when they make loans. They do this simply with accounting entries. There is no real limit to how much money they can create, so long as they can find creditworthy customers willing to borrow it.
The catch is that the bank still has to balance its books at the end of the day. If it comes up short, it can borrow from the banks into which its deposits (whether “real” or newly created) have migrated. Banks can borrow from each other at very low rates (in the US, the Fed funds rate is 0.25%). They keep the difference in rates as their profit.
The central bank, which has the power to print money, is the ultimate backstop in this money-creating scheme. If there is leakage in the system from cash withdrawals or transfers to foreign banks, the central bank supplies the liquidity, again at very low bankers’ rates.
That is the way the system should work. But in the Eurozone, the national central banks of member countries have relinquished their critical credit power to the European Central Bank. And the ECB, like the US Federal Reserve, marches to the drums of large international banks. The central bank can flick the credit switch on or off at its whim. Any country that resists going along with the creditors’ austerity program may find that its banks have been cut off from this critical liquidity, being branded no longer “good credit risks.” That damning judgment becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, as is now happening in Greece.
Turning the Credit Spigots Back On
The problem now for Greece is how to restore bank liquidity without the help of the ECB. One way would be to leave the Eurozone and return to its own national currency, as many pundits have urged. Its central bank could then issue all the drachmas needed to fund the government and provide cash for the banks.
But that alternative comes with other major downsides, including that the drachma would probably plummet against the euro. Greek leaders have therefore sought to stay in the Eurozone, but that means dealing with the bank runs that are bleeding the banks of euros. It also means bowing to ECB regulation, something the ECB is attempting to impose on all Eurozone banks.
Assuming, however, that Greece stays in the EU, might there be a way that the government could restore the liquidity necessary to keep its banks and the economy afloat, without the help of the ECB and while continuing to use the euro?
Consider again the Bank of England’s bombshell 2014 report called “Money Creation in the Modern Economy.” According to the BOE, 97% of the money supply is now created by banks when they make loans. British banks create digital pounds. US banks create digital dollars. And Greek banks create digital euros.
How it all works is explained by Kumhof and Jakab in an IMF paper called “Banks Are Not Intermediaries of Loanable Funds — And Why This Matters.” They note that the chief practical limit to the digital creation of money is simply the willingness of banks to make loans. The central bank can create massive “excess reserves” (as the Fed did with “quantitative easing”), but bank lending to local businesses will not increase if the banks do not see a profit in it. The problem is called “pushing on a string”: there is no mechanism for forcing banks to make loans.
That is true in a private commercial system, but in a nationalized system, the government can “pull” on the string. It can manage the lending of its state-owned banks, as China and Japan have done for decades. Loans to local businesses can be guaranteed with government letters of credit in lieu of capital; and if some loans turn out to be “non-performing,” they can be written off or just carried on the books, as China has also done for decades. The money was created as accounting entries and can be carried on the books as accounting entries.
The Greek government could follow China’s lead and nationalize its private banks, all of which are insolvent. It could then use their digital money machines to pump liquidity back into the economy, by making loans to all those once-viable businesses now starved of funds. Restoring their credit lines would allow them to pay for workers and materials, generating purchasing power and sales, increasing employment and the tax base, and generally reversing the economic death spiral induced by insufficient money in the system to keep the wheels of production turning.
In an All-Digital System, the Books are Always Balanced.
Balancing the books can easily be achieved in a closed, nationalized, digital banking system, so long as liquidity can be kept from leaking out in the form of physical cash withdrawals or transfers to foreign banks. Money transferred digitally within the system can always be found somewhere and borrowed back by the bank from which it was transferred, balancing its books.
The remaining question is, how to deal with leakage in the form of cash withdrawals or transfers to foreign banks? One radical possibility would be to go all digital: cash would no longer be official legal tender after some designated date. President Roosevelt did something similar when he took the dollar off the gold standard and ordered people to cash in their gold for paper dollars in 1933.
That approach, however, is highly controversial. Ideally, it could be avoided by simply paying an attractive digital bonus for depositing physical cash in the banks, and paying an attractive interest rate to keep it there. A sizable fee could also be charged for cash withdrawals or transfers outside Greek banks. This would not actually be a “haircut,” since the digital euros would be available for use at full value so long as they were transferred by bankcard or check within the digital banking system. The transfer penalty could be phased out over time as cash deposits were built up. In effect, the money would just be on loan at interest to the banks for several years.
Another alternative would be to run the euro printing press at the Bank of Greece, something that is apparently being done quietly already. As precedent, Ireland’s central bank quietly printed €51 billion in 2011.
Another much-discussed alternative would be for Greece to leave the EU and simply issue drachmas. But as of this writing, it looks as if the creditors have strong-armed Greek leaders into accepting their harsh austerity measures in order to stay in the EU.
Greece blazed the trail globally for political democracy, but modeling a sustainable economic democracy may have to wait for another day. |
Donald Trump's campaign said Tuesday it is spending $25 million on battleground state ads in the election's final week, signaling that it sees opportunities in some contests that looked out of reach.
Trump will buy ads in Colorado, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico, Wisconsin and Virginia, states that most recent polls have signaled lean toward Hillary Clinton. He will also buy ads in battlegrounds Florida, Iowa, North Carolina and Ohio, states with tight races or a Trump lead.
The Trump campaign later said it will also buy ads in Pennsylvania after not including the state in its first statement. Almost all recent surveys have shown Clinton with an advantage in the Keystone State, which has 20 Electoral College votes.
Trump's team has contended that it could take some blue-leaning states like Michigan and Wisconsin despite a solid Clinton lead in recent polls. Trump campaigned in Michigan on Monday and in Pennsylvania on Tuesday before he hits the trail in Wisconsin later in the day, one week before Election Day.
In a statement, Trump's campaign said Tuesday it sees Florida and Ohio "decisively turning" toward the Republican candidate and is witnessing "strong growth" in North Carolina.
Most recent polls in Florida and Ohio have leaned Trump's way, but he will need to win more battleground states than those two to win the presidency. |
A 3M Corp. plant in Wausau. (Photo: T'xer Zhon Kha/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)
A 2016 air pollution case against 3M Corp. represented the first time under Attorney General Brad Schimel the Justice Department allowed a company to make upgrades to a facility but avoid paying a financial penalty as part of the settlement.
Minnesota-based 3M agreed to make $665,000 in improvements at two facilities in Wausau for air pollution violations in 2014 and 2015, according to court records.
Unlike other major pollution cases, Schimel and his staff did not also seek forfeitures with 3M — a company that employs hundreds of workers at plants in Wausau, Menomonie, Cumberland and Prairie du Chien.
Former state Department of Natural Resources Secretary George Meyer and former Assistant Attorney General Tom Dawson were critical of the agency for relying solely on the use of a compliance tool known as a supplemental environmental project.
Supplemental environmental projects require a polluter to undertake projects that can demonstrate big reductions in pollution or reduce risks to public health.
But Meyer and Dawson said the requirements for 3M did not go far enough and instead helped the company address problems it needed to fix.
“Unprecedented,” said Dawson, who said he is now retired.
Dawson led the Justice Department’s environmental protection unit until August. He said he could not recall a comparable case during his tenure at the agency. With 3M, he asserted the final settlement was dictated by higher-ups in the department over the objections of staff lawyers.
Said Meyer: “They’re basically giving 3M a pass for all of the violations they had."
Meyer is executive director of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation.
Meyer was DNR secretary from 1993 to 2001. After a law change that allowed the governor, instead of the Natural Resources Board to appoint the DNR secretary, Meyer was hired by Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson and replaced by GOP Gov. Scott McCallum. Meyer led the DNR’s enforcement division for 10 years before he took over the agency. The DNR refers cases to the Justice Department for prosecution.
Justice Department spokesman Johnny Koremenos defended the agency’s work with 3M and said in an email that a high priority is to bring individuals and companies back into compliance.
"We want to make sure a company uses its resources to fix any environmental harm that is done before paying a penalty,” he said.
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Supplemental environmental projects are generally used to allow a polluter to mitigate a civil financial penalty, according to policy guidance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The only other case where such a supplemental project was used in Schimel’s first two years in office involved air emissions violations at a Michigan-based Grede foundry plant in Browntown in Green County in 2016.
In that settlement, Grede agreed to pay a judgment of $25,000 and spend an additional $300,000 on environmental projects.
Dawson was in charge of the environmental protection unit for 13 years. Schimel replaced him last summer with David P. Ross, who was a senior assistant attorney general in Wyoming involved in water and natural resources issues.
Dawson, who worked as an assistant attorney general before he left the agency, said he and others in his unit pushed for financial penalties against 3M. “I don’t remember the exact figure, but it was probably in the 6 to 7 figures,” he said.
He said Schimel’s chief of staff, Delanie Breuer, directed lawyers for the department to use only an environmental project in the final settlement.
Was he satisfied with the decision?
“I was not,” Dawson said. “But we were directed to do it. I did not see an ethical reason not to do it. But we were disturbed by the potential precedent it was setting.”
Koremenos said some comments Dawson made to a reporter should not have been shared and some were false and others were misleading. He said details on how the agency handled the case are confidential, but noted the attorney general's executive team sometimes provides input in a case.
“DOJ is proud of the resolution in this case and believes it was the best result for the protection of our environment and natural resources,” Koremenos said in an email
Said Dawson: “It’s an old case. It’s a dead case. I don’t see any reason why the public shouldn’t know about it.”
Schimel is a Republican and former district attorney from Waukesha County. Elected in 2014, he has run the Justice Department since January of 2015.
During his tenure, penalties in environmental cases involving individuals and companies have dropped to the lowest level since at least 1994, according to agency records.
3M is one of 20 environmental cases prosecuted by the Justice Department in 2016. Those cases resulted in judgments of $449,253 — the lowest in 22 years, agency records show.
The next lowest year was in 2015 when judgments totaled $734,127.
By comparison, judgments averaged $3.7 million a year during predecessor Republican J.B. Van Hollen’s eight years from 2007 to 2014.
Judgments under Democrat Peg Lautenschlager, who was attorney general between 2003 and 2006, averaged $4.3 million a year.
Records also show the average was $5.2 million a year between 1994 to 2002 under then-Attorney General Jim Doyle, a Democrat.
“It’s hard to believe that currently there is such a dramatic drop-off in forfeitures and other payments — it’s hard to comprehend,” Meyer said.
He has tracked environmental enforcement since Republican Gov. Scott Walker took office in 2011.
The issue has been closely watched in the conservation community, but Walker has said that regulators are protecting the environment and working better with those they regulate to avoid problems before they become more serious.
In an email, Koremenos said the attitude of businesses “toward the environment, environmental controls, self-reporting and stewardship have changed dramatically over the past decades. It would be highly unusual for DOJ to continue the exact same enforcement strategy as it did, 10, 15 or 20 years ago.”
3M, a Fortune 500 company, had revenue from worldwide operations of $30.1 billion in 2016.
3M settled with the Justice Department under Van Hollen in another case in Prairie du Chien in 2010 when the company paid $150,000 in forfeitures and penalties for violations of its air permit between 2004 and 2009.
The company also agreed to spend $200,000 for two environmental projects to purchase equipment that reduced carbon dioxide emissions and saved more than 6 million gallons of water a year.
In the most recent 3M case, documents show bag houses failed to operate at times over 26 days between June 2, 2014, and June 9, 2015, at a downtown Wausau plant and failed to operate periodically during three days between Sept. 4, 2014, and Aug. 1, 2015, at a quarry outside of town. The facilities employ about 150 people, according to the company.
A bag house is an air pollution device that acts as a filter and traps particulates before the pollutants are released into the air.
The Wausau plant makes roofing granules. 3M bought it in 1929 and said the plant is the company’s oldest operating manufacturing facility in the world.
Koremenos said 3M reported the problems.
Documents show that in one case 3M reported an incident, but six days after the fact, instead of the required next business day. During this time, 1,442 pounds of particulates were emitted.
While non-operating bag houses violated the law, Koremenos said 75% of the time when the equipment was not working, it was for periods of less than 5 minutes.
“One violation was only for 19 seconds,” he said. “Overall, the actual impact on the environment was minimal.”
3M spokeswoman Fanna Haile-Selassie said most of the emissions stayed in buildings, and company analysis showed pollution did not leave the property.
Under the settlement, 3M must upgrade electrical and communications systems that were factors in malfunctioning pollution-control equipment as well as make improvements in an environmental managements system it has had in place since 2010.
Meyer, the former DNR secretary, said the improvements the company was required to make were essentially investments in its own operations.
“This is just the cost of doing business,” he said. “This is what any of their competitors have to do. Why should they be given credit for this?
The failure to require a forfeiture sends the wrong message, he said.
"It means there is less deterrence for other companies that may not care as much about meeting environmental regulations,” he said.
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A San Francisco sheriff deputy’s gun and a police officer’s star were stolen Friday morning from a Visitacion Valley home, marking yet another firearm theft from law enforcement in The City.
The burglary of a home on the 300 block of Tocoloma Avenue was reported at 7:35 a.m. Friday, according to police. The thefts included a 9 mm Glock pistol, which was secured in a lock box, as well as two loaded magazines. The theft also included the deputy’s duty belt, a bullet proof vest and other items. A San Francisco police officer’s star was also taken.
San Francisco Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Eileen Hirst said she believes the property was that of a San Francisco sheriff deputy’s and the department is trying to verity the details.
The issue has grabbed headlines in recent months because of several high profile thefts from automobiles, including law enforcement officers.
Last month, the gun of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent was reported lost in San Francisco.
And last year, the gun used to kill Kate Steinle as she walked on Pier 14 with her father was determined to be stolen in San Francisco from the car of a Bureau of Land Management agent.
Another gun, used in the Golden Gate Park killing of a Canadian tourist last year, was also stolen from a vehicle. However, that gun was not owned by a law enforcement officer.
These recent incidents sparked legislation from Supervisor David Campos mandating all guns left in cars be secured in a lock box.
Violators could be charged with a misdemeanor, spend up to six months in jail and pay a $10,000 fine. The law exempts local law enforcement if they have policies of their own. The law does not apply to on–duty law enforcement from outside jurisdictions.
Read more criminal justice news on the Crime Ink page in print. Follow us on Twitter: @sfcrimeink
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The state has posted maps showing water systems with lead or potential lead service lines from 99 percent of Ohio's 1,878 water systems.
Maps and other information on those water systems are available online here. Information was released today by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
Operators of water systems were required to submit maps by Thursday to comply with EPA regulations informing the public about potential lead content in drinking water, much of it coming from older lead pipes.
All but 18 water systems in the state complied with the state order.
The city of Columbus released its lead map earlier this week.
Questions about the maps of water systems, which are listed alphabetically, should be directed to the individual water system operators listed on the interactive maps.
Health officials have found that lead triggers potentially serious health problems when ingested in large quantities from water or other sources. It can damage the brain and kidneys; young children and pregnant women face the highest risk from exposure to lead. |
Image caption Birmingham's St Patrick's Day Parade is expected to draw crowds of more than 80,000 people
They once made up 4% of Birmingham's population and were its biggest minority group - but official figures say the number of Irish in the city has declined.
Yet 80,000 people are expected to attend the city's annual St Patrick's Day parade - believed to be the third biggest in the world after New York and Dublin - on Sunday. Are the Birmingham Irish really disappearing? Or has the definition simply changed?
The city's Irish connection is plain to see; passengers arriving at Birmingham's coach station are greeted by a sign reading "one hundred thousand welcomes" - a translation of the Gaelic greeting "cead mile failte".
Its placement - in "Irish Quarter" Digbeth - is no accident.
The storied Dubliner pub - restored after it was gutted by a fire in 2006 - sits next door while Birmingham's Irish Centre is a few hundred yards down the road.
'No work here'
Regarded by some as a spiritual home of the Irish in Birmingham, Digbeth is also the terminus for the St Patrick's Day parade.
But statistics say the number of Irish-born in the city has shrunk.
The 2001 census counted 22,828 Republic of Ireland-born and 6,086 Northern Irish Birmingham residents in 2001, whereas those numbers had dropped to 16,085 and 4,623 in 2011.
Two other cities in Britain noted for their Irish populations - Liverpool and Manchester - showed a more modest decrease in the same period, and, in fact, Merseyside's ROI-born contingent fell by just three.
However, 50,900 Irish nationals emigrated from the Republic of Ireland in 2013, and a survey found almost 60% of respondents did so to find work.
The same report, from University College Cork, found New Zealand, Australia and Canada were drawing increasing numbers but the UK remained the most popular destination.
Image caption Coach passengers arriving in Birmingham are met by a Celtic greeting
Image caption St Patrick's Day is still one of Birmingham's biggest events
Image caption Some Irish businesses, like Digbeth's Mercat pub, have closed down
Paddy Foy, chairman of the Midlands Republic of Ireland Soccer Supporters Club, believes young Irish - many of them equipped with degrees - are heading for London instead of Birmingham.
He said the stereotype of the Irish "navvy" - manual workers employed in the construction industry - often no longer applies.
"When my mum and dad moved over in the 1950s the Irish did the jobs the English didn't want to do," he said.
"My dad helped to build [Birmingham landmarks] Spaghetti Junction and the Rotunda.
A short history of the Irish in Birmingham Many of the buildings which contributed to Birmingham's expansion in the 1820s were worked on by Irish labourers
Journalist John Frederick Feeney arrived in 1835 and would go on to launch the Birmingham Daily Post. A charitable trust set up in his name to support arts projects still continues today
The 19th Century Irish community peaked at 11,322, accounting for 3.8% of the city's population
Born in Belfast, Sir Charles Haughton Rafter became head of Birmingham's police force in 1899, a post he held for 36 years
Anti-Irish sentiment in Birmingham rose after IRA bombs in the city killed 21 people in 1974. The Irish Centre was attacked
The St Patrick's Day Parade - launched in the 1950s - was stopped after the bombings and did not make a comeback until the mid-1990s
"Now the Irish are going to London to join big corporations because that's where the jobs are seen to be."
Maurice Long, of the Kerry Association, said Irish people were still coming to Birmingham to find work, but the flow was "slowing down".
"The call to Birmingham is not like it used to be, work availability is not here, the cash is not here," he said.
"A lot of people are choosing New Zealand and Australia - those places don't seem so far any more.
"When I used to go home to Ireland the journey from New Street station took 23 hours."
Mr Long, who emigrated to Birmingham 50 years ago, added young people who do look for work in the Midlands often stay for a short time.
"They've found Birmingham wasn't as good as they thought and they've come from one recession into another," he said.
'Strong Irish culture'
But do the numbers tell the whole story? While the official statistics suggest just over 20,000 Irish-born in Birmingham, they don't take children - or grandchildren - of immigrants into account.
Organisations such as the charity Irish in Birmingham have said counting second and third-generation descendents in the city's Irish community would put the numbers closer to 100,000.
Anne Tighe, head of Birmingham's St Patrick's Day Parade board, said while the older generation may be fading, their offspring were keeping Birmingham's Irish tradition alive.
Born in the city to Irish parents herself, she said there was still evidence of a thriving community.
"I think it's a very strong Irish culture in Birmingham," she said.
Image caption The theme of this year's parade is Irish Myths and Legends
"We have Gaelic football teams, a fantastic Irish dancing scene, there are places you can learn Irish instruments and there's a great music scene for both traditional and more modern artists.
"There are still a lot of Irish traditions and Irish family values, those are all very strong in the Irish community in Birmingham."
Siobhan Mohan, editor of community newspaper The Harp, agreed Birmingham's Irish-born population was ageing.
"The demographic seems to be changing, on the parade day you used to see lots of first-generation Irish in the crowd but the numbers seem to be dwindling these days," she said.
Ms Tighe said she felt the St Patrick's Day parade was a chance to not only celebrate Irishness, but the "unique" Irish culture in Birmingham.
"I think of myself as British but I regard my Irish roots as very strong and I'm also proud of being a Brummie," she said.
"From my point of view organising the parade is important because I want Birmingham to be proud of and celebrate its history.
"A lot of other cities are much better at recognising that and I think we should be too." |
The Atlanta City Council voted unanimously to put a referendum on the November ballot to allow voters to decide whether MARTA will get an extra half-cent in sales tax for expansion projects.
In July, the council will take up a potential second referendum for a transportation sales tax – or TSPLOST – to fund bike trails, sidewalk and road projects for five years. If voters approve another half-penny for the TSPLOST along with approving the MARTA tax, that would increase the city’s sales tax to 9 percent – the highest in the state.
Councilmember Felicia Moore said she voted for the MARTA tax referendum, but said “sales tax is regressive.” She said many of her constituents depend on MARTA to get to work and shopping, so she said expanding the system would help, while the sales tax will hurt.
“The poorest among are the ones being the most hurt by it,” Moore said. “The new way of funding projects is to ratchet up sales tax. People who are dependent on MARTA don’t have the option to go somewhere else with a lower sales tax to buy goods and services.”
Before the vote, Councilmember Kwanza Hall had three infill stations at Mechanicsville and Krog/Hulsey Yard, identified in the 2007 Infill Station Study as having the greatest cost-benefit, to the potential project list. Hall also amended the list to add the proposed “S” Light Rail line that would connect Murphy Crossing, Atlanta University Center, the current Streetcar, the BeltLine Eastside to Armour Yard, and eventually on to Emory University.
Councilmember C.T. Martin introduced an amendment to add 10 rail cars to the Blue Line. |
MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki inferred that Hillary Clinton’s campaign is overplaying its hand.
While breaking down Clinton’s Thursday morning press conference with anchor Craig Melvin, Kornacki pointed to the “people in her campaign,” who complained about the format and the tone of Wednesday’s Commander-in-Chief forum on MSNBC. (RELATED: Matt Lauer Accused Of Sexism For Interrupting Hillary)
“I look at it as — I know there are people in her campaign, certainly, who have been very vocal since that forum last night, trying to make it sound like she got a raw deal in that forum,” he explained. “But I look at this and I saw this is a Clinton campaign that was handed a lot of opportunities by what Donald Trump said in this forum last night.” (VIDEO: Hillary Invokes Ronald Reagan To Attack Trump)
Kornacki also listed a litany of “headlines” coming out of the forum, on which the Clinton campaign should “do their best to make sure that is what people are talking about today.”
“What he said about Vladimir Putin, when Vladimir Putin came up last night and Donald Trump talked about what a strong leader he thinks he is compared to Barack Obama… Donald Trump’s comments about the generals being reduced to rubble, in his words, under President Obama… What Trump said, this vague idea of convening the generals early on in his tenure and getting a plan to ISIS.”
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The candidates: Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper, Jeremy Corbyn and Liz Kendall
Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper, Jeremy Corbyn and Liz Kendall Key dates: Ballot papers will be sent out on 14 August; voting can take place by post or online. They must be returned by 10 September. The result is on 12 September
Ballot papers will be sent out on 14 August; voting can take place by post or online. They must be returned by 10 September. The result is on 12 September Who can vote? All party members, registered supporters and affiliated supporters - including those joining via a union
All party members, registered supporters and affiliated supporters - including those joining via a union The voting system? The Alternative Vote system is being used so voters are asked to rank candidates in order of preference
The Alternative Vote system is being used so voters are asked to rank candidates in order of preference How does it work? If no candidate gets 50% of all votes cast, the candidate in fourth place is eliminated. Their second preference votes are then redistributed among the remaining three. If there is still no winner, the third place candidate is eliminated with their preferences redistributed. It is then a head-to-head between the last two candidates
Andy Burnham
Image copyright Getty Images
The Labour MP for Leigh since 2001, Andy Burnham has plenty of government experience.
He served as health secretary under Gordon Brown and previously as culture secretary and chief secretary to the Treasury.
He stood for the leadership in 2010 but lost out to Ed Miliband, going on to hold the shadow health brief under Mr Miliband's leadership.
Declaring his intention to stand, he said Labour must support the "aspirations of everyone".
Mr Burnham says he'll widen Labour's appeal by taking the party out of the "Westminster bubble", with a vision to helping "everyone get on in life".
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Andy Burnham: Modern Labour 'couldn't have created NHS'
He has also pledged to take a tougher line on opposition to the government's welfare reforms, following a split within the party over its stance not to oppose the welfare bill.
Mr Burnham is married with three children. Before he entered politics he worked for a newspaper and a publishing company.
Profile of Andy Burnham
Andy Burnham's vision for government
Yvette Cooper
Image copyright HoP
Another former chief secretary to the Treasury - as well as a work and pensions minister under Gordon Brown - Yvette Cooper has been shadow home secretary for the past four years.
A strong Commons performer, she has given Home Secretary Theresa May a hard time over matters including passport delays, border controls and extremism.
She did not stand to succeed Mr Brown in 2010 - her husband Ed Balls did.
Announcing her bid this time around, she said: "Our promise of hope wasn't strong enough to drown out the Tory and UKIP voices of fear. That's what we need to change."
She says she has the "strength, experience and progressive ideas" that Labour needs to win again, promising a "stronger" economy and "fairer, less divided society".
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Yvette Cooper rejects claims her campaign is "boring"
She says she wants to combat child poverty, has pledged to campaign against government plans to limit future child tax credit to two children and to bring about a childcare and digital "revolution".
Ms Cooper is married to former Labour shadow chancellor Ed Balls, and the couple have three children. She worked as a journalist prior to her political career.
Profile of Yvette Cooper
Yvette Cooper's vision for government
Jeremy Corbyn
Image copyright Labour
The veteran left-wing MP for Islington North entered the contest to get an "anti-austerity" voice into the debate on Labour's future.
The 66-year-old told his local newspaper, the Islington Gazette, he had decided to stand in response to an "overwhelming" desire among Labour members for a "broader" range of candidates.
After a last-minute scramble for nominations, he made it on to the ballot paper just before the deadline thanks to a number of MPs who did not want him to be leader "lending" him their nominations "to broaden the debate".
Mr Corbyn, who is promising to protect public services and increase taxes on the wealthy, was seen as a rank outsider, but support for his candidacy has risen significantly - with one poll putting him in the lead.
His campaign has received trade union backing, with Unite and Unison - Britain's two biggest unions - among those endorsing his candidacy.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Jeremy Corbyn criticises MPs' 'faux drama' in Parliament
A vice-chair of CND and a columnist for the Morning Star, Mr Corbyn has frequently been at odds with his party over the past 20 years, opposing the Iraq war and other foreign interventions and backing public ownership of the banks. He also wants to scrap Britain's nuclear weapons programme, and tuition fees in England.
Mr Corbyn has been married three times and has three children with his second wife. He used to be a trade union organiser and a Haringey councillor, in London.
Profile of Jeremy Corbyn
Jeremy Corbyn's vision for government
Liz Kendall
Image copyright Getty Images
Shadow health minister Liz Kendall was the first Labour MP to say they wanted a crack at the party's top job, saying a "fundamentally new approach" was needed.
First elected to Parliament in 2010 as MP for Leicester West and appointed to the shadow front bench the same year, Ms Kendall is seen as a Blairite contender.
She is a former special adviser to Harriet Harman and then Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt who has argued for reform of public services.
Ms Kendall has acknowledged she is the "outside candidate" but says the party needs "a fresh start". She rejected calls to stand down from the contest and back another candidate to beat Mr Corbyn.
She says she'll regain the public's trust in Labour on the economy, promising sound public finances and protection of the poor and vulnerable. Her pitch stresses the need to make the party electable, saying that the party won't be able to help people if it is in opposition.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Liz Kendall on the perceived sexism she says she's received on her campaign
Ms Kendall is not married and does not have children. She worked for two think-tanks: the Institute for Public Policy Research and the King's Fund, and was also a political adviser to Harriet Harman in the 1990s.
Profile of Liz Kendall
Liz Kendall's vision for government
Deputy leadership contenders
At the same time, a election is taking place for deputy leader, with five candidates in the frame.
Ben Bradshaw
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A former journalist and Labour cabinet minister, Ben Bradshaw has been the MP for Exeter since 1997.
He plans a "big tent" approach to ensure Labour does not miss out on votes in the south of England, saying the party has to "broaden its appeal".
Reflecting on who should replace Ed Miliband, he said: "I would prefer to see one of the new generation come forward rather than someone associated with the Blair and Brown era.
"If we really want to win in 2020 - and I think we need to for the country's sake - I would like to see someone from the new generation without that baggage from the past."
Stella Creasy
Image copyright PA
The Walthamstow MP has a growing reputation as a hard-working campaigning MP.
Another from the 2010 intake, she was praised for campaign against payday loans companies, and has a strong following on social media.
She told the Sunday Mirror: "Too many voters think Labour is no longer a movement for social justice but a machine that only kicks in to gear at election time."
Angela Eagle
Image copyright labour party
Shadow Commons Leader Angela Eagle plans to travel the country to speak to people who did the "hard graft" in the election campaign.
The MP for Wallasey said Labour could not be "complacent" if it was to reverse its general election defeat.
Ms Eagle, an MP since 1992, held a number of ministerial jobs during the last Labour government and in 2013 became chair of the Labour Party.
She is arguably best-known for having a twin sister, Maria, who is also a Labour MP.
Caroline Flint
Image copyright PA
The MP for Don Valley has been Labour's shadow energy and climate change secretary since 2011, after a stint heading up the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Ms Flint held on to her current position in the latest shadow cabinet reshuffle.
She also held various ministerial positions during Gordon Brown's premiership, but famously resigned as Europe minister after accusing him of treating her and her female colleagues as "window dressing".
Tom Watson
Image copyright Getty Images
The MP for West Bromwich since 2001. He has made a name for himself as a prominent backbench campaigner against phone hacking and child sex abuse.
He also played a minor role in the toppling of Tony Blair after resigning as a defence minister and calling for the-then PM to quit in the interest of party and country.
Watson became Labour's campaign chief under Ed Miliband but he quit after a he became embroiled in a row about the role of the Unite union in the candidate selection in Falkirk.
Setting out his pitch for the job, he said: "I'm seeking the deputy leadership to do one thing: write and execute the election battle plan so that our new leader will be prime minister."
Labour candidate for London Mayor
Sadiq Khan was selected as Labour's candidate in next year's London mayoral race. He won 48,152 votes - a 58.9% share - in the fifth round of voting beating five other candidates.
Sadiq Khan - selected
Image copyright PA
Sadiq Khan launched his bid to be London mayor with an attack on incumbent Boris Johnson, describing him as a "red carpet mayor, somebody who is fantastic going to openings, great with a flute of champagne in his hands".
The son of a bus driver, Mr Khan worked as a human rights solicitor before becoming an MP in 2005. He is shadow London minister.
A close ally of former Labour leader Ed Miliband, Mr Khan served in junior ministerial roles in Gordon Brown's government.
Mr Khan, the MP for Tooting, said his top priority if elected would be to tackle London's "housing crisis", ensuring "genuinely affordable homes to rent and buy".
Mr Khan said he would also focus on affordable public transport and confirmed he had changed his mind on the issue of a third runway at Heathrow Airport over air pollution fears, and would be campaigning against expansion.
Read more: Sadiq Khan: Labour's choice for mayor
Tessa Jowell - runner up
Image copyright Getty Images
Ex-minister Dame Tessa Jowell was regarded as the frontrunner going into the contest, but ultimately came second with 41.1% of the vote in the fifth round of voting.
The former Dulwich and West Norwood MP, who stood down at the general election after 20 years in Parliament, earned widespread plaudits for the role she played in London's bid for the 2012 Olympics and her subsequent performance as Olympics minister.
The former culture secretary, who was a psychiatric social worker before entering politics, was a key figure at the heart of New Labour - she once said she would "jump under a bus" for Tony Blair.
Diane Abbott - eliminated
A familiar face to viewers of BBC One's This Week, Diane Abbott is a veteran left winger who first entered the Commons in 1987, as one of Britain's first black MPs. She came third in the vote.
The Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP was shadow public health spokesman under Ed Miliband, after losing out to him in the 2010 Labour leadership contest.
Launching her mayoral bid, she had said she would bring London's communities together and be the "genuinely independently minded Mayor that London needs".
David Lammy - eliminated
The MP for Tottenham, who placed fourth in the vote, was the first person to publicly weigh up a Labour leadership bid, telling the BBC that he would consider standing if colleagues wanted him to.
But he later ruled himself out of the top job, saying his principal aim was to become Labour's candidate for Mayor of London in 2016, saying "my strengths are in London and the south".
One of the most prominent black MPs in the party, the former barrister is regarded as being on the right of the party, having served as a minister under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
His national profile rose during the 2011 riots in London, when he appealed for calm and reconciliation in the wake of the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan in his north London constituency.
Christian Wolmar - eliminated
A journalist and railway historian, Christian Wolmar is one of Britain's most in-demand transport pundits, and was the only non-politician in the race. He came in fifth place, after David Lammy.
He said he would be an "ideas driven mayor", avoiding "partisan and personality politics" - and promised during his campaign to tackle London's "housing crisis", improve the transport network and revitalise public spaces.
The 65-year-old cycles to campaign meeting and claims to have clocked up more than 2,000 miles already.
Gareth Thomas - eliminated
Image copyright Labour Party
The MP for Harrow West came in last place after being eliminated in the first round of voting with 1.2% of the vote.
He had campaigned on a promise of more affordable homes, a better transport system and a living wage "that reflects the reality of living in our great city".
Mr Thomas is a former international development minister and chairman of the Co-operative Party.
The non-runners:
Mary Creagh - withdrew
Image copyright Getty Images
The shadow international development secretary announced her intention to join the race for the Labour leadership, via an article in the Daily Mail.
However, with fewer nominations than anyone else in the field - and short of the 35 MP nomination target - she pulled out of the contest on 12 June.
The Wakefield MP said she was "proud to have played my part" in the race but had decided to withdraw so her supporters could nominate another candidate.
Chuka Umunna - withdrew
Chuka Umunna was the second candidate to declare he would stand for election as leader of the Labour Party.
A rising star of the party, the Streatham MP was first elected to Parliament in 2010 and appointed shadow business secretary the following year.
He announced his intention to stand via a post on his Facebook page. He said he had spoken to half the Labour 80 candidates standing in Tory seats targeted by the party and other MPs before making his announcement.
However, three days later Mr Umunna withdrew from the leadership contest. He said in a statement posted on his Twitter feed that had been uncomfortable with the level of "sheer pressure" and scrutiny that came with being a candidate.
The 36-year-old added that it had perhaps been "too soon" for him to launch a leadership bid.
Rachel Reeves - ruled out
Image copyright AFP
Another rising star of the 2010 intake, the MP for Leeds West was appointed shadow chief secretary to the Treasury in 2011 and shadow work and pensions secretary in 2013.
She told BBC News Labour needs "to be in the centre ground to win a general election" but ruled herself out of a leadership bid.
Alan Johnson - ruled out
A former home secretary and shadow chancellor, Alan Johnson is the Labour leadership candidate who never quite was.
The popular MP declined to stand in 2010 and stepped down from his shadow cabinet role in 2011 for personal reasons.
Earlier this year it was reported that senior New Labour figures Lord Mandelson and Alistair Campbell approached Mr Johnson over a leadership bid, although all three later distanced themselves from the story.
But the former postman, who has been MP for Hull West and Hessle since 1997, had seemingly ruled himself out again, saying it is a "10-year job" and he does not have the "right qualities".
Dan Jarvis - ruled out
Image copyright Other
Former army officer Dan Jarvis was elected MP for Barnsley Central in a by-election in 2011, having resigned his commission as a major in the Parachute Regiment to contest the seat.
After entering Parliament in 2010, he quickly became a shadow culture, media and sport minister and later a shadow justice minister.
In 2011, Mr Jarvis became the first serving politician in more than 60 years to be awarded a military honour, when he was made an MBE for his services to the armed forces.
He has been touted by some colleagues as a future Labour leader but Mr Jarvis, who was widowed in 2010 and has a young family, ruled himself out, saying it is not the "right time" for him and his family.
Tristram Hunt - ruled out
Historian and journalist Tristram Hunt entered Parliament in 2010 as Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central and he became shadow education secretary in 2013.
Speaking in the aftermath of the election results, he called on Labour's ruling National Executive Committee "not to rush our election", saying there was time for a "brutal post-mortem" about Labour's "underlying philosophy and thinking".
As for his own ambitions, he said "it's about the lyrics as much as the lead singer I think".
He later said he was not confident of getting enough nominations to stand, and would support Liz Kendall.
Rushanara Ali - withdrew
Rushanara Ali withdrew from the deputy leadership campaign shortly before the deadline for nominations after it became clear she would not garner enough support.
Her exit allowed her supporters to transfer their backing to other candidates to enable them to get onto the ballot paper. She was praised by fellow candidate Ben Bradshaw for her "incredibly selfless" decision.
John Healey - withdrew
Image copyright PA
John Healey has pulled out of the race to be Labour's next deputy leader despite gaining the backing of 20 MPs, putting him within striking distance of the 35 needed to get on the ballot paper.
When he entered the deputy race he said he was concerned about how "narrow and shallow" the debate about Labour's future direction has been so far.
He now says he wants to give other candidates, from different wings of the party, a chance to be deputy. The 55-year old is backing Yvette Cooper for leader.
Gloria de Piero - withdrew
Image copyright Getty Images
A former GMTV presenter, Gloria de Piero joined Parliament as the MP for Ashfield in 2010.
She immediately rose to shadow ministerial ranks, taking on a culture, media and sport brief and then home affairs. She expressed an interest in becoming deputy leader but withdrew early in the contest, instead backing Tom Watson.
Simon Danczuk - ruled out
Image copyright Getty Images
The MP for Rochdale says the deputy leader vacancy has "come a bit too soon" for him.
He previously said a number of colleagues had asked him to put his name forward for the role.
Mr Danczuk is well known for his prominent campaigning against child sex abuse and leading calls for an inquiry into allegations of historical child sex abuse by senior figures at Westminster.
He was a vocal critic of Ed Miliband and in an article for the Daily Telegraph on Thursday he said Labour needed to "step out if its Metropolitan comfort zone" and "reach out to the country once more."
Keir Starmer - ruled out
Image copyright Reuters
The former director of public prosecutions has only just become an MP after being elected in Frank Dobson's old seat of Holborn and St Pancras, in North London at the general election.
He was forced to rule himself out of the race to be Labour leader following a social media campaign urging him to stand.
He said he was "flattered" by the campaign but the party needed someone with "more political experience".
David Miliband - cannot stand in election
The older brother of ex-leader Ed, David Miliband was frontrunner to replace Gordon Brown in 2010, until his sibling beat him by a whisker.
A former foreign secretary and MP for South Shields, he was the Blairite choice for leader but eventually quit Parliament to become head of the International Rescue Committee charity in New York in 2013.
Speaking to the BBC from the US on the Monday after the general election, Mr Miliband criticised his brother's campaign in the 2015 general election, saying he and Mr Brown had "allowed themselves to be portrayed as moving backwards from the principles of aspiration and inclusion that are the absolute heart of any successful progressive political project".
While he acknowledged the two men were "brothers for life", he also confirmed he was not eligible to stand for the party leadership as he is not an MP.
Labour's election rules
Image copyright AFP
MPs wishing to stand as leader and deputy leader have to be nominated by 15% of their colleagues in the Parliamentary Labour Party to be eligible to stand.
As Labour now has 232 MPs, this means prospective candidates had to get at least 34 signatures. That means the maximum size of any field is six contenders.
Under rules agreed last year, all Labour Party members, registered supporters and affiliated supporters - including union members - will be allowed a maximum of one vote each on a one member, one vote system.
When the election is held, they will be asked to rank candidates in order of preference.
If no candidate gets 50% of all votes cast, the votes will be added up and the candidate with the fewest votes eliminated. Their 2nd preference votes will then be redistributed until one candidate has 50% of all votes cast. |
Census: 131,729 Gay Couples Report They're Married
The Census Bureau released a revised estimate Tuesday of the number of same-sex married couples living in the United States: More than 130,000 same-sex households recorded themselves as married. Another 500,000 same-sex households indentified themselves as unmarried.
Heard On 'All Things Considered' Around the Nation Michele Norris Talks With Demographer Gary Gates Census Releases Data On Same-Sex Couples Listen · 4:05 4:05
The figures provide a rare snapshot of married and unmarried gay couples in the U.S. based on the government count conducted last year, when gay marriage was legal in five states and the District of Columbia. It comes at a time when public opposition to gay marriage is easing and advocacy groups are seeking a state-by-state push for broader legal rights.
Some 131,729 same-sex couples checked "husband" or "wife" boxes on their decennial census forms, the first time people could do so since gay marriage became legal in Massachusetts starting in 2004.
Gary Gates, a demographer with the UCLA School of Law's Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy, says that some of those 131,000 might not be legally married, however.
"We think that about 70 percent of them might be legally married, but some of them are in civil unions and domestic partnerships, and some of them just view their relationship as spouses even though they are not legally married," Gates tells All Things Considered host Michele Norris.
The 2010 tally of married gay couples is higher than the actual number of legal marriages, civil unions and domestic partnerships in the U.S. Gates puts the actual number of legally recognized gay partnerships at 100,000, even with New York legalizing gay marriage in June.
The total of 646,464 gay households in the U.S. was a downward revision of the Census Bureau's count of 901,997 released last month. Gates says the bureau had to make the adjustment after determining that coding errors resulted in an exaggerated count for the initial number.
"If a different-sex couple makes an error such that they record the wrong sex for one partner, they look like a same sex-couple," Gates says.
Gates says that there are so many different-sex couples that, if only a few make that error, there's a large group of same-sex couples who might be incorrectly identified as such.
Where Do Same-Sex Married Couples Live?
Broken down by state, the highest share of households with reported same-sex couples — both married and unmarried — was in Washington, D.C., at nearly 2 percent. Washington was followed by Vermont, Massachusetts, California, Oregon, Delaware, New Mexico and Washington state. On the other end of the scale, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming had the smallest shares, each with less than one-third of 1 percent.
Web Resources Read The U.S. Census Report
"[What] we learn is that there are same-sex couples virtually everywhere in the U.S.," Gates says, "[and] many of them live outside of some of the urban areas that many people associate with the gay and lesbian population."
Nationwide, about 51 percent of the couples last year were female. Nearly 1 in 5 of the same-sex couples was raising children at home — widely distributed among those who reported being married and those who did not.
"Every step is a step forward in acknowledging that, yes, we do exist," said Lois Farnham, of Burlington, Vt., who recorded a civil union with Holly Puterbaugh the first day they were allowed in 2000 and then legally married her in 2009.
Farnham, 67, said she expected the census numbers would underestimate the number of people in such relationships, noting that many same-sex couples keep quiet about their married status. "They can't share that with a lot of people for family or job security reasons. It's still an issue and people are still being discriminated against," she said.
Puterbaugh, 65, said many couples live as if they're married without making it formal. "You have to remember that there are many straight couples who have chosen not to marry for whatever reason that may be," she said.
Demographer Gary Gates also says that many same-sex couples still use terms like "roommate" explicitly to hide their identity, so he says that the new number might still be an undercount of the number of same-sex marriages.
"About 514,000 additional same-sex couples use the term 'unmarried partner,' Gates says. "We did a survey suggesting that at least 4 percent of those couples are actually legally married, but they use the term 'unmarried partner' because they thought [the census] was a federal survey and the federal government doesn't recognize their marriage — so they thought the term 'unmarried partner' was more accurate."
The new same-sex data also come as battlegrounds lie ahead over gay rights. Voters in North Carolina and Minnesota will be deciding next year on the fate of constitutional amendments banning gay marriage, while the Maryland Legislature is expected to consider a bill that would legalize it.
Material from The Associated Press was used in this report. |
Prisoners led by Marwan Barghouti halt protest as Israel announces it will allow a second family visit each month
A mass hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails has been called to an end after 41 days as Israel offered a compromise deal to meet some of the strikers’ demands.
The deal – on the eve of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting – means approximately 800 prisoners, led by the prominent Palestinian prisoner Marwan Barghouti, will give up their protest in exchange for improved visitation rights.
It suggests a rare recent success on the Palestinian side, and comes despite the repeated insistence by Israeli ministers – not least the public security minister, Gilad Erdan – that they would not give in to any of the strikers’ demands.
There were reports that Donald Trump’s special envoy on the Middle East peace issue, Jason Greenblatt, discussed the strike with the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, on Thursday.
An Israeli prison service spokeswoman, Nicole Englander, said the hunger strike ended after Israel concluded a deal with the Palestinian Authority and the Red Cross for prisoners to receive a second family visit each per month.
The prisoners’ two main demands had been for more frequent visits and for prisoners to be allowed to speak to their families on public phones under supervision.
More than 6,000 Palestinians are currently in prison for offences linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Charges range from stone throwing to weapons possession and attacks that killed or wounded Israeli civilians and soldiers.
The timing of the hunger strike coincided with the run-up to the 50th anniversary of Israel’s seizure of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including east Jerusalem, in the 1967 six day war, which falls in early June.
The strike provoked widespread demonstrations among Palestinians in solidarity with the protesters and clashes with Israeli security forces.
Barghouti is the most high-profile Palestinian jailed in Israel. The leader in Abbas’s Fatah movement was convicted of murder and sentenced to five life terms in 2004 over the killing of Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising.
Opinion polls have repeatedly showed that many Palestinians would like Barghouti to be their next president, and analysts believe the deal will improve his position in Palestinian politics.
The Palestinian Authority prisoners’ affairs chief, Issa Qaraqe, said the deal had been concluded after 20 hours of talks.
Qadoura Fares, who runs the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, said negotiations took place between Israeli officials and a committee of prisoners, including Barghouti.
The Israeli prison service, however, insisted the deal had been done not with prisoners’ representatives but with the Palestinian Authority and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
On Thursday the ICRC warned that its doctors, who have been visiting the prisoners, were concerned about “potential irreversible health consequences”.
Palestinians rallied behind the hunger strikers as national heroes, relishing a rare break from deep divisions between two rival political groups – the Islamic militant group Hamas, which runs Gaza, and Fatah, which governs in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Xavier Abu Eid, a spokesman for the Palestine Liberation Organisation, released a statement on Saturday saying that the hunger strike had “prevailed”.
“This is an important step towards full respect of the rights of Palestinian prisoners under international law,” he said. “It is also an indication of the reality of the Israeli occupation which has left no option to Palestinian prisoners but to starve themselves to achieve basic rights they are entitled to under international law.” |
A lot has been said about “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” since its release: amazing story and side quests, meaningful choices, interesting characters and phenomenally realized world with living and breathing ecosystem. But one aspect that seems to divide most reviewers and gamers is the combat. Some say that it’s just mindless hack and slash, others complain about the general sluggishness of Geralt during it and there are even those who say that it’s generally non-impactful. These points seem to be the most often raised amongst those who didn’t like CDProjectRed’s latest instalment in the Witcher series. So I would like to address them all, discuss whether they are justified or not and humbly make suggestions on how the developers might improve upon the combat with future patches.
Let’s start with the big one – lacking any sense of impact. And I have to say that I partially agree, but only partially. Here’s why: the satisfaction of landing blow in any game comes from two main points: seeing the result of each hit and hearing the result of each hit. What this means is that whenever I swing a sword, I must not only hear steel or silver collide with the flesh or armor of the enemy, but also see the appropriate reaction from the foe: blood being spilled and enemy taking a step back to regroup himself or wood of the shield he’s currently carrying getting splattered. These two things combined form general sense of significance of each strike and thus make it more tantalizing for us, players, to continue giving more. And while “The Witcher 3” registers the blows and gives the necessary audio bit all the time, it doesn’t always provide the appropriate physical response and you find yourself hitting an enemy without any suitable reaction on his behalf. That’s when our beloved immersion takes a first big punch in the gut. And although it’s not constant to classify it as a definitive minus, its still happens often enough for you to notice and be annoyed.
The second major strike against the game’s battle mechanic, that is mentioned even more often, is the simplistic nature of it, caused by the enemy A.I. Which I do agree, but again only partially. While most of the time your foes will gang up on you, no matter who you fighting against and attack all at once, in other instances as soon as you walk out of their agro-range they will just stand there and watch as Geralt slaughters all their friends. Granted, it is more prominent during fights with humans and not ubiquitous throughout the whole experience. But as is the case with the remark about the general feel that I have talked above, it’s still there and needs addressing as a periodic weak link.
And the final point that has been made by a lot of gamers and me personally is the general feel of Geralt during the combat. Not the responsiveness of the controls, but the way the main character dodges and parries the incoming blows. I know, it sounds knit picky even for this article, but hear me out. There are two buttons which account for evading enemy attacks: one for rolling away and another for dodging. Except that you don’t necessarily dodge when you press the last one, all you do is hop back a bit or in any other given direction, including forward. Which not only looks lackluster, considering that when you do it a lot it looks like Geralt has an invisible skipping-rope. But it is also impractical due to the fact that it is not fast enough no matter in which direction you’re trying to strafe in. And considering that dodging is so unsatisfying, you spend most of your time rolling away. Which is fine when performed seldom, but when used more often looks like Geralt suddenly turned from a badass monster slayer into Sonic the Hedgehog. In the end, I have to admit that it is irritating, and does take away from the overall experience. More often than the previous drawbacks. Simply by the fact that it’s constantly there, unlike the seldomness of the hit-detection and randomness of the A.I.
Although I recognize why some people might be disappointed by the fighting system due to the aforementioned annoyances, I still cannot for the life of me understand why those exact gamers would state that it’s absolutely dull and not worth trying. Yes, there are some problems that need addressing. But when you get down to it cutting puny humans and monsters in half will always be fun, no matter how psychotic it might sound. Because games like this need to execute something that real life will never be able to do – make violence fun. And that’s the task that, in my opinion, the latest “Witcher” accomplishes pretty well and why the combat in “The Wild Hunt” is still good. Enemy A.I. is aggressively smart enough and missteps only at times. The game registers the hits you deal towards the enemies constantly and doesn’t provide the necessary feedback only at times. Geralt, when not jumping away or hoping back, moves as one would want – methodically and responsive, constituting each enemy as a viable threat (which on higher difficulties they absolutely are). And each blow ends in a satisfying squelch or dismemberment and, again, only at times refuses to give the appropriate visual feedback.
But that is exactly my problem: the combat is mostly fine and sometimes good, but it can be great consistently. Just a few minor tweaks, two of which (sense of impact and adversary A.I.) is purely technical. And the dodge mechanic has already been well done by this exact developer, just check some gameplay videos of the “The Witcher 3” that are 7 months old – it’s absolutely perfect there. Geralt doesn’t jump back, but takes a step in a very rapid manner, which not only looks cool (providing the feeling that the main character has weight), but is also tactically sound.
The point of this article is not only to address and discuss the problems with the combat in the “Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt” and to admit that there are some flaws. But to also state that it is still fun to play and, most importantly, to note that even those drawbacks that do exist can be definitely fixed with patches. CDProjectRed has already done an outstanding job of not only developing overall a great game with good elements in it, but also supporting it with constant free DLCs and updates. And this is why I still have hope that the issues mentioned above will be resolved in the near future. Since I am not the only one who noticed them and expect, by writing this article, to make those who also did to speak up. Not because I am disappointed with the game or CDProjectRed personally, far from it. But because the combat in this game has the potential to rival the best fighting systems in all RPG’s. And I am not saying that lightly. Think about, it’s bloody, visceral, responsive (keeping in mind the mentioned annoyances) and real-time. The combat is just one step away from greatness. If the developers could polish the technical problems and movement, than I am sure “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” would not only win over more gamers and even those who abandoned it due to the combat issues, but would also have a unanimous winning place in gaming history in general. |
Black, Manafort, Stone and Kelly (Black, Manafort) was a Washington D.C. lobbying and political consulting firm started in 1982. In 1996, it it merged with Gold & Liebengood to form BKSH & Associates. In 2010, BKSH & Associates and Timmons and Company merged to form Prime Policy Group, a subsidiary of Burson-Marsteller Global Public Relations.[1][2]
An internal 1993 budget review document for the Philip Morris group of companies pencilled Black, Manafort, Stone and Kelly in with a preliminary budget line item of $117,500.
The document described the reason for the consultancy as being "Charlie Black, former Republican National Committee Chairman and Bush operative, is principally working to buttress our access to Republican Senators".[1]
Overview
Back in the 1980s, the firm helped elect such powerful Republican politicians as Senators Phil Gramm of Texas and Jesse Helms of North Carolina.[3]
MoveOn said that the firm's Charlie Black who worked as chief adviser to John McCain, "worked for some of the world's worst dictators—mass murderers, terrorists, and tyrants."[4]
Harper's Magazine reported that clients in the 1980s included Mobuto Sese Seko of Zaire, "one of the most kleptocratic rulers of all time, Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines, also known for stealing a few billion dollars, and the murderous Angolan rebels known as UNITA."
As to Black, Manfort's work for UNITA, Spy magazine 'cited a former government official who believed that the firm's "hawkish congressional lobbying for more military aid" delayed the process that had led to a cease-fire. "Black, Manafort played an important part in keeping the Angola war going," the official told the magazine, which concluded: "So the war lasted another two years and claimed a few thousand lives! So what? What counts to a Washington lobbyist is the ability to deliver a tangible victory and spruce up his client's image."'[5]
People
Resources and articles
Related SourceWatch articles
References
External articles
External resources |
in my mind, namely, the collapsed table for all players
I
have seen. Just like the Celtics data, my collapsed ta-
ble indicates that a success is more likely than a failure
to be followed by a success. Thus, there
is
a pattern in
the data that are reasonably available to me and, I conjec-
ture, in the data that are reasonably available to Gilovich
and Tversky’s
100
basketball fans. It seems reasonable
to suggest to basketball fans that the mental equivalent of
Simpson’s paradox could lead to a cognitive statistical il-
lusion that results in their “seeing patterns in the data that
do not exist.”
3.
STATIONARITY
Tversky and Gilovich correctly concluded that there is
no evidence of the hot hand phenomenon in the free throw
data. In this section, it is demonstrated, however, that the
simple model of Bernoulli trials is
also
inappropriate. In
particular, it
is
shown that several of the Celtics players
shot significantly better on their second free throw, perhaps
as a result of the practice afforded by the first shot.
Look at Table
1
again. Larry Bird made 84.3% (285 of
338) of his first shots compared to 88.5% (299 of 338)
of his second shots. Thus, there is evidence that he im-
proved on his second shot. The null hypothesis that his
probability of success was constant can be investigated
with McNemar’s test, which uses the fact that the null
distribution of
(4)
b-c
2,
=
___
can be approximated by the standard normal curve. (Re-
call that
b
and
c
are defined in Table 2.) For Larry Bird,
b
=
34 and
c
=
48, giving
Jb?-c
34
-
48
21
=
~~
=
-1.55.
The same analysis can be performed for the other eight
Celtics; the results are given in Table 5. The first col-
umn of the table lists the player’s names. The second and
third columns list, respectively, the relative frequencies
of successes on the first and second shots. The remain-
ing columns list the values of
b
and
c
from each player’s
2
x
2 table and the value of
z1
computed from Equation
(4). The players are listed according to the difference in
relative frequencies between the first and second shots.
Table
5.
Selected Statistics for Comparing the Success Rates on
the First and Second Free Throws for Nine Members of Boston
Celtics
Player
as,)
i;cS2,
b
c
Zl
Cedric Maxwell
.TO
.ao
57 97
-
3.22
Robert Parish
.67 .75 49 76
-
2.41
Nate Archibald
.76 .83 42 62
-
1.96
Rick Robey
.53 .60 37 49
-
1.29
Larry Bird
.84
.aa
34 48
-
1.55
Gerald Henderson
.73 .77 24 29 -.69
Chris Ford
.70
.73 15 17
-
.35
Kevin McHale
.72 .69 35 29 .75
Total
-
M.
L. Carr
.a
.72
ia
21
-
.4a
-
311
428
z2=
-
4.30
Thus, Maxwell, who shot ten percentage points better on
the second shot than on the first, is listed first, and McHale,
who shot three percentage points better on the first shot,
is listed last. Note the following features of the data.
(1)
Eight of nine players had a higher success rate on
their second shots.
(2) Three players had one-sided approximate
P
val-
ues below
.05:
Maxwell
(.0006),
Parish
(.0080),
and
Archibald (.0250). The interpretation of these
P
values
should take into account that nine tests were performed.
If, in fact, each player had a constant success rate on
his two shots, the approximate probability of obtaining
at least one
P
value equal to or smaller than
.0006
is:
1
-
(1
-
.0006)9
=
.0054.
Similarly, the approximate
probability of obtaining at least two
P
values equal to
or smaller than
.0080
is .0022. Finally, the approximate
probability of obtaining at least three
P
values equal to or
smaller than .0250 is .0012. Thus, the three statistically
significant results do not seem to be attributable to the
execution of many tests.
(3) McNemar’s test can be viewed as testing that a
Bernoulli trial success probability equals
.5
based on a
sample of size
b
+
c.
Thus, several of the analyses
of
in-
dividual pIayers presented in Table
5
are based on very
little data and, hence, have very low power. To combat
this difficulty, it is instructive to combine the data across
the nine players. In particular, if the null hypothesis of
constant success probability is true for all nine players,
then the observed value of
where the
sum
is taken over the nine tables, can be viewed
as an observation from a distribution that is approximately
the standard normal curve. The observed value of
Z,
is
-4.30, given in the bottom row of Table 5. This value
indicates that there is overwhelming evidence against the
assumption that all nine null hypotheses are true.
4.
SUMMARY
This article puts forth an argument to reconcile what
avid basketball fans believe and what Tversky and
Gilovich found. It is argued that the fans and the re-
searchers were analyzing different sets of data. While
the researcher’s data had no pattern, the fan’s data had
a pattern. This pattern, however, was due to the effects
of aggregation and not the hot hand phenomenon. This
finding indicates that researchers should take care to con-
sider what data are available to laypersons. In addition,
this finding underscores the importance of increasing the
awareness of statistical fallacies among the general public.
This article also demonstrates that several Celtics play-
ers showed a significant improvement in their shooting
ability on the second free throw. Thus, while the hot hand
phenomenon is not supported by these free throw data,
neither is the simple model of Bernoulli trials.
[Received March
1992.
Revised November
1993.1
The American Statistician, February
1995,
Vol.
49,
No.
I
27 |
Alex007 Profile Joined December 2010 Ukraine 203 Posts #1 StarLadder, one of the biggest esports operators in Europe, announces two StarCraft II leagues, designed for Russian-language community and sponsored by Blizzard - Amateur and Ultimate Series.
Amateur Series is a competition for all casual and up&coming players, which provides anyone with an opportunity to experience competitive StarCraft. Players of all levels are accepted, even the ones without purchased StarCraft II copy - Starter Edition is enough to take part. Basically, the only requirement for players to take part is being able to speak Russian to be able to communicate with other tournament participants and referees.
Tournament platform, designed for Amateur Series, contains such features as seeding by MMR (allows to make proper seedings automatically) and map vetoing (gives players an opportunity to make vetos indepentdently and get a mappool for the series beforehand). Basic format is 4 players GSL-style groups till there are 8 players left and single elimination afterwards.
Amateur Series features $500 prize pool and slots in Ultimate Series for TOP 4 finishers. The tournament starts on August 12th and is planned to finish in the middle of September.
Ultimate Series features high-level competition between 16 strongest players from CIS. 8 of them will be invited based on their ladder rankings, 4 will advance from Open Qualifiers and 4 slots are left for Amateur Series winners. Ultimate Series is the first major StarCraft II ocmpetition to feature popular esports Swiss-like Triple Elimination system for 16 competitors (see CS:GO majors as an example of system implementation).
Ultimate Series will happen in September - October. If you're part of the Russian language community, you're able to find more information about both Amateur and Ultimate series at
If you want to bring the best action of Amateur or Ultimate series to your language as a community caster, please contact me via PM or [email protected].
Hopefully our event will run smoothly and open more opportunities for regional StarCraft II competitions next year! , one of the biggest esports operators in Europe, announces two StarCraft II leagues, designed for Russian-language community and sponsored by Blizzard - Amateur and Ultimate Series.is a competition for all casual and up&coming players, which provides anyone with an opportunity to experience competitive StarCraft. Players of all levels are accepted, even the ones without purchased StarCraft II copy - Starter Edition is enough to take part. Basically, the only requirement for players to take part is being able to speak Russian to be able to communicate with other tournament participants and referees.Tournament platform, designed for Amateur Series, contains such features as seeding by MMR (allows to make proper seedings automatically) and map vetoing (gives players an opportunity to make vetos indepentdently and get a mappool for the series beforehand). Basic format is 4 players GSL-style groups till there are 8 players left and single elimination afterwards.Amateur Series features $500 prize pool and slots in Ultimate Series for TOP 4 finishers. The tournament starts on August 12th and is planned to finish in the middle of September.features high-level competition between 16 strongest players from CIS. 8 of them will be invited based on their ladder rankings, 4 will advance from Open Qualifiers and 4 slots are left for Amateur Series winners. Ultimate Series is the first major StarCraft II ocmpetition to feature popular esports Swiss-like Triple Elimination system for 16 competitors (see CS:GO majors as an example of system implementation).Ultimate Series will happen in September - October. If you're part of the Russian language community, you're able to find more information about both Amateur and Ultimate series at http://sc2.starladder.com If you want to bring the best action of Amateur or Ultimate series to your language as a community caster, please contact me via PM or [email protected] our event will run smoothly and open more opportunities for regional StarCraft II competitions next year! Russian community leader, caster and project manager working for StarLadder
Myrddrael Profile Joined November 2012 United Kingdom 280 Posts #2 Pretty cool idea, but I'm curious about the demographic choice? Are there actually that many top Russian players? Surely something like this would do even better in NA or EU. Like an SSL Premier and Challenger for the EU/NA scene. I could see that doing very well.
Regardless, good luck with this and I hope it works out!
Alex007 Profile Joined December 2010 Ukraine 203 Posts Last Edited: 2017-09-01 12:31:22 #3
We had 947 StarCraft II players registered in our competition. There were players from Tier 3 Bronze as well as several grandmaster players with up to 6000 MMR (which was the limit for amateurs), some of the participants are just Starter Edition users. Most of these players (around 650) actually checked-in and competed in CIS Amateur Series, making it one of the biggest competitions in the history of StarCraft II. We've already completed Round of 1024, Ro512, Ro256, Ro128, Ro64 and Ro32 (all rounds were played in GSL-style groups) and now we're ready to proceed to Ro16 (final GSL-style groups round) and Single Elimination playoffs.
Let's see how the racial distribution changed through the tournament run:
We've started from 329 terrans, 251 zergs, 277 protosses and 90 randoms - and currently there are 6 terrans, 5 zergs and 5 protoss players left. The last random player remaining was Judgin (~4800 MMR) who was knocked out in the Round of 32.
As we've also implemented automatic map pool selection for Amateur Series matches, players were able to make their map vetos before each round, choosing up to two maps which they don't want to play on. Let's see which maps are the least popular in our community:
It's no wonder that Catallena is the least favored map for both casual and high-level amateur players. However, it seems like high-level players like Interloper and Mech Depot much more than casuals, who prefer Abyssal Reef and Odyssey more. And it's quite interesting that Ascension to Aiur is our absolute #1 map as the one which was vetoed the least. Both casual and high-level amateur players like it more than any other map in the current pool.
What about balance and winrates in certain matchups? I'd probably like to show your more graphics, but it's absolutely pointless as winrates in all 3 non-mirror matchups are almost equal to 50%! We have 49% in PvT, 53% in ZvP and 52% in TvZ. TvT is also the most popular mirror matchup comsidering the number of terrans playing (we had 141 TvTs, 79 ZvZs and 80 PvPs so far).
Brackets of all Amateur Series rounds are available
If you're interested in high-level amateur competitors, join our broadcast at Hello everyone! As our Amateur Series season is coming to its final weekend, I'd like to share some interesting and inspiring numbers about our tournament and CIS community in general.We hadregistered in our competition. There were players from Tier 3 Bronze as well as several grandmaster players with up to 6000 MMR (which was the limit for amateurs), some of the participants are just Starter Edition users. Most of these players (around 650) actually checked-in and competed in CIS Amateur Series, making it one of the biggest competitions in the history of StarCraft II. We've already completed Round of 1024, Ro512, Ro256, Ro128, Ro64 and Ro32 (all rounds were played in GSL-style groups) and now we're ready to proceed to Ro16 (final GSL-style groups round) and Single Elimination playoffs.Let's see how the racial distribution changed through the tournament run:We've started from- and currently there are 6 terrans, 5 zergs and 5 protoss players left. The last random player remaining was Judgin (~4800 MMR) who was knocked out in the Round of 32.As we've also implemented automatic map pool selection for Amateur Series matches, players were able to make their map vetos before each round, choosing up to two maps which they don't want to play on. Let's see which maps are the least popular in our community:It's no wonder thatfor both casual and high-level amateur players. However, it seems like high-level players like Interloper and Mech Depot much more than casuals, who prefer Abyssal Reef and Odyssey more. And it's quite interesting thatas the one which was vetoed the least. Both casual and high-level amateur players like it more than any other map in the current pool.What about balance and winrates in certain matchups? I'd probably like to show your more graphics, but it's absolutely pointless as winrates in all 3 non-mirror matchups are almost equal to 50%! We have. TvT is also the most popular mirror matchup comsidering the number of terrans playing (we had 141 TvTs, 79 ZvZs and 80 PvPs so far).Brackets of all Amateur Series rounds are available on our website (unfortunately, only with Russian interface).If you're interested in high-level amateur competitors, join our broadcast at StarLadder this Saturday and Sunday at 11:00 CEST! Russian community leader, caster and project manager working for StarLadder
thefrol Profile Joined July 2012 Russian Federation 30 Posts #4 No one knows how to use Catallena in the current meta
leublix Profile Joined May 2017 431 Posts #5 Thanks for the information. Could you provide winrates per matchup for each map?
Alex007 Profile Joined December 2010 Ukraine 203 Posts Last Edited: 2017-09-16 14:05:50 #6 Mozgus_Chan aka DmC taking the trophey, but we're already proceeding to $2,500 Ultimate Series with best Russian and Ukrainian players competing!
Saturday, 17:00 CEST:
Bly vs DmC
Creed vs HellraiseR
Couguar vs ExE
DIMAGA vs Lucifer
Sunday, 17:00 CEST:
Rail vs BETON
BratOK vs Awers
Arctur vs Minato
Kas vs BuRning
Live stream (Russian).
Event website (Russian) Amateur Series is over withMozgus_Chan aka DmC taking the trophey, but we're already proceeding to $2,500 Ultimate Series with best Russian and Ukrainian players competing!Saturday, 17:00 CEST:Bly vsDmCCreed vsHellraiseRCouguar vsExEDIMAGA vsLuciferSunday, 17:00 CEST:Rail vsBETONBratOK vsAwersArctur vsMinatoKas vsBuRning Russian community leader, caster and project manager working for StarLadder
Dav1oN Profile Joined January 2012 Ukraine 2803 Posts #7 Have you consider the same format but with best-of-4? So "draw" is possible, since 16 players competing with each other every idividual game should mean more in terms of mapscore/result 1xBet
Alex007 Profile Joined December 2010 Ukraine 203 Posts #8 Actually, no, as we're strictly following Swiss Triple Elimination format which is easy to predict in terms of schedule. We'll consider your idea, thank you! Russian community leader, caster and project manager working for StarLadder
crovavey Profile Joined September 2017 1 Post #9 Alex007, information about this event is added to the liquipedia?
Is there a link to the circuit?
Alex007 Profile Joined December 2010 Ukraine 203 Posts #11
Liquipedia brackets
Official stream (Russian)
Round of 8 matches will be played today, Round of 4 and Finals are played tomorrow. Ultimate Series Playoffs with best CIS players competing starts in 10 minutes!Round of 8 matches will be played today, Round of 4 and Finals are played tomorrow. Russian community leader, caster and project manager working for StarLadder
pharmafreen121 Profile Joined October 2017 3 Posts #12 --- Nuked --- |
Patrick Carrigan's parents enrolled their son at Brisbane's prestigious St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace school for boys and into the waiting arms of rugby union's illuminati but his love affair with rugby league always burned stronger.
Heading into his second year with the Broncos' under-20s squad in 2017, Carrigan recently attended the Queensland Academy of Sport's under-20s Emerging Origin program having graduated from the Queensland under-18s team last year.
A front-rower whose private school looks belie a quiet toughness required to succeed in rugby league's middle third, Carrigan has all the hallmarks of a young man who was captain of his school and vice-captain of his school's GPS Rugby team yet harbours dreams of emulating childhood heroes Shane Webcke and Petero Civoniceva by playing in the NRL for his beloved Broncos.
As he made his way through his later years of high school Carrigan juggled his schoolwork, First XV rugby commitments, junior league rep commitments with Easts Tigers and rowing with Terrace's first eight and his schedule has hardly slowed down since.
During the week he starts his day at 4am with work as a labourer at the Rocklea Markets, does a day of university at University of Queensland where he is in his second year studying physiotherapy before heading to Red Hill for training with the Broncos 20s.
All in pursuit of a place in the Broncos' NRL team.
"I always grew up loving the Broncs, which is because of my old man, he's a pretty mad Broncos supporter," Carrigan told NRL.com.
"I have brief memories of going over to ANZ Stadium to take a couple of photos of me lying around as a young fella. Dad used to take me to the footy and change my nappy and whatever else he had to do.
"The best thing about union was the mateship at school rather than me wanting to actually give it a crack to go further.
"I'd grown up with league since I was five years old and that was always what I wanted to do.
"Even at school everyone knew that I was the leaguie playing union for the school."
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Blair's tip to fill Broncos' front row hole
North Queensland assistant coach Josh Hannay had Carrigan in his Queeensland under-18s team last year and is confident that along with his impeccable manners he has the mean streak necessary to enjoy a long career in the NRL.
"I think he's made a good choice because he looks as though he'll be a very good front-rower," Hannay said of choosing between league and union.
"He doesn't look like a rough and rugged type of guy – he's a really well-presented kid, smart – but he's got that real toughness to play in the middle.
"Don't be fooled by his looks because he's a very hard-working, tough front-rower.
"He's got great manners, is a really humble kid, works hard and demonstrates a lot of qualities that you hope to see in young men but you often don't.
"He's going to be a fair lump of a man so with both of those things combined – the frame he's got, the physicality he has and the size he's going to be with the work ethic and the character traits he has – he has a real opportunity to make it. There's a lot to like about him."
But proving even further that he is very much a thinking man's front-rower, Carrigan is determined to finish his degree in physiotherapy and ensure that in whichever direction his career turns he has the grounding to be a success.
Even if footy was supposed to be the 'Plan B' when his parents enrolled him at Terrace.
"Mum and Dad have always worked that hard for me to have the opportunities that I've had and it was always to get an education first and footy can be a Plan B," said the 19-year-old who played 18 games in his first Holden Cup season last year.
"At the moment I obviously want to play NRL and tick everything off – that's my No.1 goal and that's what I'm always chasing – but I've got the physio there as the back-up plan.
"Scott Prince spoke to us in camp about how his first six years were six years of injuries so I'm just trying to get a degree there in something that I like so that if a curve ball gets thrown at me I'll have it up my sleeve." |
A former resident of Novi, Michigan is still traumatized by a UFO encounter from decades ago.
Nancy Tremaine says she saw a saucer-shaped UFO floating in the sky above her neighborhood in the early 1960s when she was just twelve years old. She can’t remember exactly when the sighting occurred, but thinks it was during the summer of 1961. She says that she was playing at a friend’s house when the friend’s father called the girls outside to see the UFO. She describes the craft as a silver saucer-shaped object, adorned with red, green, and white lights. And she says these lights were either rotating or pulsating.
Tremaine says the next thing she saw was a light beam shooting down from the UFO onto the unmarked police car of an off-duty officer who was doing security at a nearby construction site. According to local news site HomeTownLife.com, former Novi Police Chief Lee Begole was on duty at the police station on the night of the sighting. He acknowledges that dispatch received a call from the off-duty officer at the construction site. Begole remembers, “He called into dispatch and said there was a strange object overhead.” Dispatchers reportedly received multiple calls from other witnesses that night, one of whom was the wife of a city council member.
After seeing the beam of light shooting down from the UFO, she recalls that her friend’s father told her (Tremaine) to run home. That’s when the event allegedly became more than a simple sighting of an unknown craft. Tremaine claims that, as she was running home, she felt a sensation “like being shocked.” The next thing she remembers is being in her house. She claims she was abducted by the UFO. Although she doesn’t remember much about the encounter, she says some of the experience has been coming back to her lately as a result of regression therapy.
She recently stated, “It was a very traumatizing experience that stayed with me,” and she claims she’s been taken by UFOs several times, but the experiences are never “harmful or scary.”
Hometown/Observer & Eccentric photojournalist John Heider recently joined Tremaine as she returned to the location in Novi where the 1961 event occurred. Watch his interview with Tremaine at the top of this article.
HomeTownLife.com explains, “She’s asking Novi residents if they remember that night, and if so, would they reach out to her. Putting together the pieces is one step in her healing process.”
Popular Posts: |
Scheme is an exotic sports car. Fast. Manual transmission. No radio.
Emacs Lisp is a 1984 Subaru GL 4WD: "the car that's always in front of you."
Common Lisp is Howl's Moving Castle.
in-package
apropos
elp
elisp is not lexically scoped and has no closures
elisp nested defuns are still entered into the global namespace
CL's `flet' and `labels' are only weakly supported, via macros, and they frequently confuse the debugger, indenter, and other tools.
(defun foo ()
(setq x 7))
(defun bar ()
(let ((x 6))
(foo)
x)) ; you would expect x to still be 6 here
(bar)
7 ; d'oh!
Object
Function
Object
Object
splay-tree.el
toString
toSource
(let ((my-list '()))
(push 1 my-list)
(push 2 my-list)
(push 3 my-list)
my-list)
(3 2 1)
(let ((v (make-vector 3 nil)))
(aset v 0 1)
(aset v 1 2)
(aset v 2 "three")
v)
[1 2 "three"]
defstruct
toString
toString
toSource
cl
cl
cl
defmacro
So! I have all these cool things I want to write about, but I broke my thumbnail. Can you tell that's a long story?See, this summer I got excited about playing guitar again. I usually switch between all-guitar and all-piano every other year or so. This summer I dusted off the guitars and learned a bunch of pieces, and even composed one. I was prepping for — among other things — a multimedia blog entry. It was going to have a YouTube video, and a detailed discussion of a wacky yet powerful music programming language you've probably heard of but never used, and generally just be really cool.And then it all came crashing down when I busted my thumbnail off. And I mean off — it broke off at least a quarter inch below where the nail and skin meet. Ick. I just accidentally jabbed my steering wheel, and that was that.I remember reading an interview with some dude who said he had punched a shark in the nose. He said it was like punching a steering wheel. So now I know more or less what it's like to punch a shark in the nose, I guess. There's always an upside!Anyway, that was going to be my magnum opus (literally: Op. 1) for the year, but it fell through for now. I'll have to revisit the idea next year. My thumbnail's back, but it's been at least 2 months since I touched my guitar, so I'll have to start over again.Work has been extraordinarily busy, what with having to collect all these Nuka-Cola Quantum bottles and so on. I'm sure you can imagine. So I haven't had much time to blog lately.But I do like to publish at least once a month, whether or not anyone actually cares. It's been about a month, or it feels that way anyway, and all I have to show for it is this box of Blamco Mac and Cheese.So I'm cheating this month.You know how on Halloween how you walk around in your costume holding your little bag and you say "trick or treat", and every once in a while some asshole does a trick instead of dumping half a pound of candy into your bag? And then he has to explain to all the dumbfounded and unhappy kids that "Trick or Treat" means that a trick is perfectly legal according to the semantics of logical-OR, and the kids remember that a-hole for the rest of their childhoods and avoid his house next year?Yeah.So I'm doing a trick this time. Hee. It's actually kind of fun when you're on the giving end.My trick is this: in lieu of saying anything meaningful or contemporarily relevant, I'm writing about something I did over a year ago. And there isn't much to say, so this really will be short.Around a year ago, I wrote a blog called Stevey's Boring Status Update , mostly in response to wild rumors that I'd been fired from Google. Not so. Not yet, anyway.In that blog I mentioned I was working nights part-time (among other things) on a JavaScript interpreter for Emacs, written entirely in Emacs Lisp. I also said I didn't have a name for it. A commenter named Andrew Barry suggested that I shouldcall it Ejacs, and the name stuck.Ejacs is a port of Narcissus . Narcissus is a JavaScript interpreter written in JavaScript, by Brendan Eich, who by pure unexpected coincidence is also the inventor of JavaScript. Narcissus is fairly small, so I thought it would be fun to port it to Emacs Lisp.It turns out Narcissus is fundamentally incomplete. It cheats. It's that trick guy on Halloween. Narcissus has a working parser and evaluator, but for its runtime it calls JavaScript. So it's kind of like saying you're building a car by starting from scratch, using absolutely nothing except for a working car.This meant I wound up having to write my own Ecma-262 runtime, so that the evaluator would have something to chew on. In particular, the Ecma-262 runtime consists of all the built-in properties, functions and objects: Object, Function, Array, String, Math, Date, RegExp, Boolean, Infinity, NaN, parseInt, encodeURIComponent, etc. A whole bunch of stuff.I basically did this by reading the ECMA-262 specification and translating their algorithms into Emacs-Lisp. That spec is lousy for learning JavaScript, but it's absolutely indispensable if you're trying to implement JavaScript.I didn't know Emacs-Lisp all that well before I started, but boy howdy, I know it now.Emacs actually has a pretty huge runtime of its own — bigger than you would ever, ever expect given its mundane title of "text editor". Emacs has arbitrary-precision mathematics, deep Unicode support, rich Date and Calendar support, and an extensive, fairly complete operating system interface. So a lot of the porting time was just digging through Emacs documentation (also extensive) looking for the Emacs version of whatever it was I was porting. That was nice.I had big plans for Ejacs. I was going to make it a full-featured, high-performance JavaScript interpreter, with all the Emacs internals surfaced as JavaScript native host objects, so you could write Emacs customizations using object-oriented programming. It was totally going to be the "meow" part of the cat.And then I broke my thumbnail.Actually, what happened was js2-mode.After I got the interpreter working, I was at this crossroads. There were two big use cases: a JavaScript editing mode, or a JavaScript Emacs development mode. Both were going to be a lot of work.It turns out you really want the editing mode first, if possible, so that when you're doing all your JavaScript programming you have a decent environment for it. So I picked the editing mode.Unfortunately I found the Ejacs parser wasn't full-featured enough for my editing needs, since at the time I was working on my Rhino-based Rails clone and writing tons of JavaScript 1.7 code on the JVM.I spent a little time trying to beef up the parser, then realized it would be a lot faster to just rewrite it by porting Mozilla Rhino's parser, which is (only) about 2500 lines of Java code. Ejacs is something like 12,000 lines of Emacs-Lisp code, all told, so that didn't seem like a big deal.So I jumped in, only to find that while the parser is 2500 lines of code, the scanner is another 2000 lines of code, and there's another 500 or so lines of support code in other files. So I was really looking at porting 5000 lines of Java code.Moreover, the parse tree Rhino builds is basically completely incompatible with the Ejacs parse tree. It was richer and more complex, and needed more complicated structures to represent it.So after I'd ported the Rhino parse tree, what I really had was a different code base. I went ahead and finished up the editing mode, or at least enough to make it barely workable (another 5000 lines of code), and launched it. It was a surprisingly big effort.And it left poor Ejacs lying unused in the basement.So today, faced with nothing to write about, I figured I'd dust off Ejacs, launch it with lots of fanfare, and then you'd hardly notice that I cheated you. Right?You're not coming to my house next year. I can tell already.Anyway, here's the code: http://code.google.com/p/ejacs/ There's a README and a Wiki and installation instructions and stuff. I can't remember how to put the code in SVN, and I'm having trouble finding it on the code.google.com site. As soon as I figure it out I'll also make it available via SVN.In the interests of having something resembling original worthwhile content today, I'll do a little comparison of Emacs Lisp and JavaScript. I know a lot about both languages now, and a few folks mentioned that a comparison would be potentially interesting.Especially since I think JavaScript is a better language.So... the best way to compare programming languages is by analogy to cars. Lisp is a whole family of languages, and can be broken down approximately as follows:This succinct yet completely accurate synopsis shows that all Lisps have their attractions, and yet each also has a niche. You can choose a Lisp for the busy person, a Lisp for someone without much time, or a Lisp for the dedicated hobbyist, and you'll find that no matter which one you choose, it's missing the library you need.Emacs Lisp can get the job done. No question. It's a car, and it moves. It's better than walking. But it pretty much combines the elegance of Common Lisp with the industrial strength of Scheme, without hitting either of them, if you catch my drift.Anyway, here's the comparison. Here's why I think JavaScript is a better language than Emacs Lisp.A recurring theme is that Elisp and JavaScript both will both exhibit a particular problem, and there are specific near-term plans to fix it in JavaScript, but no long-term plans to fix it in Elisp.It's easier to resign yourself to a workaround when you know it's temporary. If you know the language is going to be enhanced, you can even design your code to accommodate the enhancements more easily when they appear.People are working on improving JavaScript. It's not happening quite as fast as I'd hoped earlier this year, but it's still happening. As far as I know, Emacs Lisp is "finished" in the sense that no further evolution to the language is deemed necessary by the Emacs development team.Every symbol in Emacs-Lisp is in the global namespace. There is rudimentary support for hand-rolled namespaces using obarrays, but there's no equivalent to Common Lisp's, making obarrays effectively useless as a tool for code isolation.The only effective workaround for this problem is to prefix every symbol with the package name. This practice has become so entrenched in Emacs-Lisp programming that many packages (e.g.and theelisp profiler) rely on the convention for proper operation.The main adverse consequence of this problem in practice is program verbosity; it makes Emacs-Lisp more difficult to read and write than Common Lisp or Scheme. It can also have a non-negligible impact on performance, especially of interpreted code, as the prefix characters can approach 5% to 10% of total program size in some cases.The problems run slightly deeper than simple verbosity. Without namespaces you have no real encapsulation facility: there is no convenient way to make a "package-private" variable or function. In practice there's little problem with program integrity; it's hard for an external package to change a "private" variable inadvertently in the presence of symbol prefixes. However, it makes it annoyingly difficult for users of the package to discern the "important" top-level configuration variables and program entry points from the unimportant ones. Elisp attempts a few conventions here, but it's a far cry from real encapsulation support.JavaScript also lacks namespaces. They're being added in ES/Harmony, but in the meantime, browser JavaScript code typically uses the same name-prefixing practice as Emacs-Lisp.However, JavaScript has lexical closures, which provide a mechanism for creating private names. One common encapsulation idiom in browser JavaScript is to wrap a code unit in an anonymous lambda, so that all the functions in the code unit become nested functions that close lexically over the top-level names in the anonymous lambda. This trick is nowhere near as effective in Emacs-Lisp, for several reasons:Some elisp code (e.g. much of the code in cc-engine) prefers to work around the namespace problem by using enormous functions that can be thousands of lines long, since let-bound variables are slightly better encapsulated. Even this is broken by elisp's dynamic scope:So let-bound variables in elisp can still be destroyed by your callee: a dangerous situation at best.Emacs is basically one big program soup. There's almost no encapsulation to speak of, and it hurts.One of the big advantages to object-oriented programming is that there is both syntactic support and runtime support for automatic delegation to a "supertype". You can specialize a type and delegate some of the functionality to the base type. Call it virtual methods or prototype inheritance or whatever you like; most successful languages support some notion of automatic delegation.Emacs Lisp is a lot like ANSI C: it gives you arrays, structs and functions. You don't get pointers, but you do get garbage collection and good support for linked lists, so it's roughly a wash.For any sufficiently large program, you need delegation. In Ejacs I wound up having to implement my own virtual method tables, because JavaScript objects inherit from(and in some cases,, which inherits from).Writing your own virtual method dispatch is just not something you should have to do in 2008.I wrote about this at length in a recent blog post, The Universal Design Pattern . JavaScript is fundamentally a properties-based language, and it's really nice to be able to just slap named properties on things when you need a place to store data.Emacs Lisp only offers properties in the form of simple plists – linked lists where the odd entries are names and the even entries are values. Symbols have plists, and symbols operate a little bit like very lightweight Java classes (in that they're in the global namespace), but that only gets you so far. If you want the full JavaScript implementation of the Properties Pattern, you'll have to write a lot of code.And so I did. Your implementation choice for object property lists has a huge impact on runtime performance. Emacs has hashtables, but they're heavyweight: if you try to instantiate thousands of them it slows Emacs to a crawl. So they're no good for the defaultproperty list. Emacs also has associative arrays (alists), but their performance is O(n), making them no good for objects with more than maybe 30 or 40 properties.I wound up writing a hybrid model, where the storage starts with lightweight alists, and as you add properties to an object instance, it crosses a threshold (I set it to 50, which seemed to be about right from profiling), it copies the properties into a hashtable. This had a dramatic increase in performance, but it was a lot of work.I experimented with using a splay tree. I implemented Sleater and Tarjan's splay tree algorithm in elisp; Ejacs comes with a standalonethat you can use in your programs if you like. I was hoping that its LRU cache-like properties would help, but I never found a use case where it was faster than my alist/hashtable hybrid, so it's not currently used for anything.And then in the end, after I was done with my implementation, it was a library (at least from the Emacs-Lisp side of the house). It wasn't an object system for Lisp. It's only really usable inside the JavaScript interpreter, where it has syntactic support.You really want syntactic support. Sure, people have ported subsets of CLOS to Emacs Lisp, but I've always found them a bit clunky. And even in CLOS it's hard to implement the Properties Pattern. You don't get it by default. CLOS has lots of support for compile-time slots and virtual dispatch, but very little support for dynamic properties. It's not terribly hard to build in, but that's my point: for something that fundamental, you don't want to have to build it.One of the great strengths of JavaScript is theextension. I don't know if they support it over in IE-land; I haven't been a tourist there in a very long time. But in real versions of JavaScript, every object can serialize itself to source, which can then be eval'ed back to construct the original object.This is even true for functions! A function in JavaScript can print its own source code. This is an amazingly powerful feature.In Emacs Lisp, some objects have first-class print representations. Lists and vectors do, for instance:But in Emacs Lisp, many built-in types (notably hashtables and functions) do NOT have a way to serialize back as source code. This is a serious omission.Also, trying to print a sufficiently large tree made entirely ofs will crash Emacs, which caused me a lot of grief until I migrated my parse tree to use a mixture of defstructs and lists. Note that simply typing the name of a defstruct, or passing over it ephemerally in the debugger, will cause Emacs to try to print it, and crash. Fun.The problem of polymorphic debug-printing (or text-serialization) is, I think, a byproduct of Emacs not being object-oriented. If you want a debug dump of a data structure, you write a function to do it. But Emacs provides a half-assed solution: it debug-prints lists very nicely, even detecting cycles and using the #-syntax for representing graph structures (as does SpiderMonkey/JavaScript). But it has no useful debugging representation for hashtables, functions, buffers or other built-in structures, and there's no way to install your own custom printer so that the debugger and other subsystems will use it.So it sucks. Printing data structures in Emacs just sucks.The situation in Ecma-262-compliant JavaScript really isn't that much better, although you can at least install your ownon the built-ins. But any competent "server-side" JavaScript implementation (i.e. one designed for writing real apps, rather than securely scripting browser pages) has a way to define your own non-enumerable properties, so you can usually override the default behavior for things likeandAnd all else being equal, at least JavaScript functions print themselves.Pound for pound, Emacs Lisp seems roughly as expressive as JavaScript or Java for writing everyday code. It shouldn't be that way. Emacs Lisp ought to be more succinct because it's Lisp, but it's incredibly verbose because of the namespace problem, and it's also verbose to the extent that you want to use the properties pattern without worrying about alist or hashtable performance.Elisp does have a few places where it shines, though. One of them is the(Common Lisp emulation) package, which provides a whole bunch of goodies that make Elisp actually usable for real work. Defstruct and the loop macro are especially noteworthy standouts.Some programmers are still operating under the (ancient? legacy?) assumption that thepackage is somehow deprecated or distasteful or something. They're just being silly; don't listen to them. Practicality should be the ONLY consideration.Thepackage wouldn't have been possible without macros. JavaScript has no macros, so even though it has better support for lambdas, closures, and even (in some versions) continuations, there are still copy/paste compression problems you can't solve in JavaScript.Emacs Lisp has, which makes up for a LOT of its deficiencies. However, it really only has one flavor. Ideally, at the very least, it should support reader macros. The Emacs documentation says they were left out because they felt it wasn't worth it. Who are they to make the call? It's the users who need them. Implementer convenience is a pretty lame metric for deciding whether to support a feature, especially after 20 years of people asking for it.Elisp is s-expression based, which is a mixed bag. It has some advantages, no question. However, it fares poorly in two very common domains: object property access, and algebraic expressions.JavaScript is NOT s-expression based (or it wouldn't be a successful language, many would argue), but it does offer some of the benefits of s-expressions. JSON is one such benefit. JavaScript's declarative object literals (or as a Lisp person would say, "syntax for hashes") and arrays provide a powerful mechanism for designing and walking your own declarative data structures.JavaScript also has all the usual (which is to say, expected) support for algebraic operators. And unlike Java, JavaScript even got the precedence right, so it's not full of redundant parentheses.In the end, it comes down to personal choice. I've now written at least 30,000 lines of serious code in both Emacs Lisp and JavaScript, which pales next to the 750,000 or so lines of Java I've crapped out, and doesn't even compare to the amount of C, Python, assembly language or other stuff I've written.But 30,000 lines is a pretty good hunk of code for getting to know a language. Especially if you're writing an interpreter for one language in another language: you wind up knowing both better than you ever wanted to know them.And I prefer JavaScript over Emacs Lisp.That said, I suspect I would probably prefer Clojure over Rhino, if I ever get a chance to sit down with the durn thing and use it, so it's not so much "JavaScript vs. Lisp" as it is vs. Emacs Lisp.I would love to see Emacs Lisp get reader macros, closures, some namespace support, and the ability to install your own print functions. This reasonably small set of features would be a huge step in usability.However, for the nonce I'm focusing on JavaScript. I've found that JavaScript is a language that smart people like. It's weird, but I keep meeting really really smart people, folks who (unlike me) are actually intelligent, and they like JavaScript. They're always a little defensive about it, and almost a little embarrassed to admit it. But they think of it as an elegant, powerful, slightly flawed but quite enjoyable little language.I tell ya: if you're a programming language, it's a very good thing to have smart people liking you.It doesn't make me smart, but I kinda like it too. Even though there's (still) a lot of hype these days about Java, and people tootling on about how Java's going to be the next big Web language... I just don't see it happening. There are too many smart people out there who like JavaScript.So enjoy the interpreter. Ejacs is just a toy, but I think it also shows a kind of promise. Scripting Emacs using JavaScript (if anyone ever actually implements it) could be really interesting. It could open up the world's most powerful, advanced editing environment to millions of people. Neat.In the meantime, it doesn't actually do squat except interpret EcmaScript in a little isolated console, so don't get your hopes up.Reminder — here's the Ejacs URL: http://code.google.com/p/ejacs - enjoy!And with that, I'm off to find some Nuka-Cola Quantum. I just wish those bastards hadn't capped me at level 20. |
Here’s the rating system I’ll be using, though you won’t see any “1s” today.
5.0: Multi-format all-star. (Jace, the Mind Sculptor. Tarmogoyf. Snapcaster Mage. Judge’s Familar)
4.0: Format staple. (Sphinx’s Revelation. Supreme Verdict. Thoughtseize. Pack Rat)
3.5: Good in multiple archetypes and formats, but not a staple. (Geist of Saint Traft. Nightveil Specter)
3.0: Archetype staple. (Underworld Connections. Thassa, God of the Sea)
2.5: Role-player in some decks, but not quite a staple. (Rapid Hybridization. Divination)
2.0: Niche card. Sideboard or currently unknown archetype. Naturalize. (Bear in mind that many cards fall into this category, although an explanation is obviously important.)
1.0: It has seen play once. One with Nothing. (I believe it was tech vs. Owling Mine, although fairly suspicious tech at that.)
If you’re looking for my Limited reviews, I did those separately:
White
Blue
Black
Red
Green, Artifacts, Multicolored, and Lands
Aetherspouts
Constructed: 2.0
I’m not going to spout off a bunch of nonsense about how this card is great or anything, but it is a more powerful version of Aetherize, which I have seen cast in Constructed before. Blue doesn’t often get Wraths, and if you aren’t paired with white, sometimes you have to look at alternative ways to deal with large quantities of creatures.
Ajani Steadfast
Constructed: 2.5
Having three different versions of Ajani legal all at once is kind of funny, though all three cards do fit into different decks. Ajani, Caller of the Pride is the most beatdown, sending a Precinct Captain or Fleecemane Lion into the skies, perhaps with a little help from Ghor-Clan Rampager. Ajani, Mentor of Heroes, is the most midrange, rewarding you for playing a longer game, and is definitely not very aggressive. Ajani Steadfast, on the other hand, rewards you for steadily building up an entire board of creatures, not just one monstrous one, and even has the (slightly optimistic) dream of comboing with other planeswalkers. It is cool that you can ultimate Kiora or Elspeth a turn earlier than it looks like you will, thanks to Ajani, so if there’s a deck that can fit both the right number of creatures and a few other planeswalkers, Ajani could be an important part of it. This is more a support card than a driving force, but lifelink on the +1 and massive counter distribution on the -2 both give you enough of an incentive to at least try Ajani.
Ajani’s Pridemate
Constructed: 2.0
It’s unlikely that this pushes Precinct Captain out of the 2-drop slot in most decks, but Ajani’s Pridemate was never meant for most decks anyway. Whenever there are cheap ways to gain life, Pridemate is at the very least worth considering (though let me warn you: Soulmender is not the Soul Warden you are looking for).
Avacyn, Guardian Angel
Constructed: 2.0
Five-mana creatures that die to Doom Blade without providing any value are a tough sell, but Arbor Colossus demonstrates that there is some wiggle room. Avacyn being vulnerable to Warleader’s Helix does worry me, so maybe she’s very far from seeing play, but she does make combat nearly impossible for your opponent, and does have 5 flying power for just five mana.
Boonweaver Giant
Constructed: 2.0
The only reason I mention Boonweaver Giant is the Gift of Immortality combo. You can play Giant, get Gift, sacrifice Giant to some sac outlet, get the Gift out of the graveyard, and repeat. The problem is finding a good sac outlet and having it survive long enough to play a seven-mana spell afterwards. It doesn’t sound great to me, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least bring it up.
Chasm Skulker
Constructed: 2.0
I suspect that this just takes a little too long to get rolling. It’s a shame, because the card is very cool, but if it gets killed within a turn or two of being cast it really doesn’t provide much value. What you need to find is a matchup where the opponent will not only have trouble killing this but also be vulnerable to getting attacked by it. Perhaps it can serve like Nightveil Specter does in the control mirror? It’s vulnerable to Detention Sphere, but past that it can provide a decent amount of value if it’s killed by anything else.
Chief Engineer
Constructed: 2.5
I’m really hoping there is a way to engineer an awesome artifact deck in Standard. Between Chief Engineer, Master of Waves, and sweet artifacts, something has to be good, right? Turboing out a Soul of New Phyrexia might actually make the Soul good, and even if there isn’t an immediate home for Chief Engineer, any card that can provide a ton of mana out of nowhere has to be looked at. Moving to Modern, we have the justification for the 2.5 rating, because Modern has a ton of interesting artifacts and ways to play enough fast creatures to fuel them. I don’t think jamming this in to Affinity is the way, but building an entirely new deck could work, something like Grand Architect decks of formats past.
Coral Barrier
Constructed: 2.0
This actually puts up quite the barrier against red beatdown decks; what does a deck full of 1/1’s and 2/1’s do about a 1/1 and a 1/3 all in one? It’s sideboard material more than anything else, but definitely is worth keeping in mind.
Dauntless River Marshal
Constructed: 2.5
A two-mana 3/2 with a relevant ability is certainly good, even if it requires Islands in order to achieve its full potential. This whole cycle of creatures is very powerful, and I’d advise you to play them while you can. Once the Ravnica Shocklands rotate out, the value on these drops dramatically, but right now it’s open season. Dauntless River Marshall has the stats and power level to see play, even if it’s in a nearly mono-white deck that plays the ~6-8 Islands I’d want to power this up.
Devouring Light
Constructed: 2.0
A potentially free way to kill giant monsters is interesting, though it is unfortunate that this won’t stop you from getting devoured by Stormbreath Dragon.
Dissipate
Constructed: 2.5
Unless Souls and/or graveyard-based decks become incredibly prevalent, this is going to take a backseat to Dissolve. It’s still a nice option to have, but is likely going to be exiled until the format shifts dramatically.
Divination
Constructed: 2.5
Divination has seen play many times over the last year, usually in straight UW control decks. I imagine that will continue to be the case, as the card shifts in and out of playability, depending on what else is going on. It’s great at letting you hit land drops, and if you have cards like Supreme Verdict and Detention Sphere, you can afford to take the turn off it requires. It’s also bolstered by Quicken, which is the kind of two-card combo I can really appreciate.
Ensoul Artifact
Constructed: 2.0
Combos are the heart and soul of Magic for some people, so I can’t blame them for wanting to combine this and Darksteel Citadel to make an indestructible killing machine. Unfortunately, there are too many removal spells that get around indestructible for this to be great right now. It’s a powerful effect, and I like having cards available that attack in unexpected ways, so I wanted to at least mention this.
Ephemeral Shields
Constructed: 2.0
White really has a ton of options for protecting its creatures these days. Brave the Elements is the most powerful of them, but Gods Willing isn’t far behind, and now we have Ephemeral Shields in the mix. What this does that the other two I just mentioned don’t is stop Supreme Verdict from killing your best creature, all for the low cost of zero mana if you have some untapped creatures. Between this being free and stopping Wrath, there’s more than just an ephemeral advantage to be gained, even if this is vastly less powerful than Boros Charm, the current best anti-Wrath card. Adding another option, and one that requires no access to red mana, can’t be bad for those who want to beat down with Precinct Captains and Brimazes and the like.
First Response
Constructed: 2.0
My first response is to say that this isn’t good enough, but I still think it’s worth a token mention. Four mana is probably the death knell, as this ability is a powerful one, just one that needs to get started earlier to really be worth it.
Heliod’s Pilgrim
Constructed: 2.0
I’m not going to call this Trinket Mage, but it is at least a little similar. All I want to do is go grab Domestication with Heliod’s Pilgrim, but I doubt my team will let me. In fact, they seemed strangely ok with me sharing my initial impressions of the set, even with the Pro Tour around the corner…
Hushwing Gryff
Constructed: 2.5
Standard may not be the home for this, but Modern offers a nice place to nest. Hushwing Gryff will impact how Melira Pod plays postboard games, and what answers they end up sideboarding, and for that alone it is a very real card for Constructed. Don’t make the mistake of thinking this is a great anti-Twin card; they will just ignore it until they Lightning Bolt it and win the game.
Illusory Angel
Constructed: 2.0
You are really only saving one mana here, so you can’t go too far out of your way to enable this, but I think it’d be sweet if there was some kind of Ornithopter / Illusory Angel affinity-style deck in Standard. There isn’t, but I can dream, right? Playing a one-mana spell into Angel isn’t that bad either, but it has to be a one-mana spell that you actually want to play; wasting a card to cast this is not the way. If there’s a deck that has enough cheap spells that it can play the Angel without much extra hassle, that could be where this fits.
Jace, the Living Guildpact
Constructed: 2.5
I fear that Jace is the architect of his own demise, at least for another couple months, though Mutavault plays a big role here too. It’s hard to compete on the card advantage front with Jace, Architect of Thought, so most control decks will just default to playing AoT. That leaves more tempo-ish decks for new Jace, but like I mentioned, Mutavault puts a big damper on any plans Jace might have. Playing this to bounce a 4-drop sounds awesome, until you realize that Mutavault will often step in and finish off Jace.
That being said, Jace is still a very powerful card, and I think it’s unrealistic to assume that he will see no play until Khans of Tarkir (though I do expect his market share to rise drastically when Khans does come out). A few things are at play here:
1) Jace has historically been underrated. Jace Beleren was underplayed almost the entire time he was in Standard, Jace, the Mind Sculptor wasn’t recognized for being as absurd as he clearly was until much later than he should have been, and even Jace, Architect of Thought was initially underestimated. This Jace may look like he’s not quite as insane as his past versions, but I still think people are undervaluing him.
2) He has a ton of loyalty, and his ultimate is very attainable. Against decks that can’t kill him except via damage, Jace is a very fast clock when he builds straight up to the Timetwister/Mind Twist hybrid that is his ultimate.
3) Bouncing expensive cards leads to a real advantage. Bounce isn’t as good as outright destruction, but enough bounce in a fast game and they may as well be the same thing.
I think Jace is going to start as a fringe/roleplayer, but transition into something much closer to a format staple once Mutavault is gone.
Jace’s Ingenuity
Constructed: 2.0
While Opportunity and Sphinx’s Revelation are both legal, there’s not much room for this, as ingenious as Jace may be. It’s still a card worth thinking about, and I would like to revisit this once those cards rotate.
Jalira, Master Polymorphist
Constructed: 2.0
Every time a Polymorph effect gets printed, there is the obligatory look at how you can make a token Polymorph deck and cheat out some unstoppable threat. That deck is unlikely to be great, but it will exist, and like sheep, we will look for it.
Jorubai Murk Lurker
Constructed: 2.5
I dream of sitting behind a wall of Marsh Lurkers and casting card draw spells. So what if my dream isn’t the most realistic? It’s my review, and I can give this whatever rating I want to. A 2/4 for three is a very respectable deal, especially in colors that don’t usually get good creatures, and lifelink is exactly what UB needs to stabilize with. Good or not, I will be trying this.
Master of Predicaments
Constructed: 1.0
This card did leave me with a predicament: I don’t think it’s quite good enough for Constructed play, despite the possibility of a free Black Lotus when it hits them, but I like David Sirlin’s work and think the card is pretty sweet. I solved that predicament by mentioning how cool this card is without claiming it to be great in Constructed. We all win!
Military Intelligence
Constructed: 2.5
The intelligent thing to do is compare this with Thassa’s Bident, as they both accomplish a very similar thing and require a very similar deck to function. The main advantage that Military Intelligence has is its casting cost, which clocks in at half of Bident. It is limited by how many it cards it draws (1 per turn, max) and how many creatures it takes to trigger (2), both of which act to make it harder to get going and keep going. Still, a 50% discount is tempting, and I think this is worth trying at the very least.
Negate
Constructed: 2.5
Negate is a great spell to have around, and it feels like we always do. It’s classic sideboard material, and every now and then sneaks into a maindeck.
Preeminent Captain
Constructed: 2.0
Looking at the preeminent soldiers in Standard, this will mostly save you one or two mana, unless you want to go really deep and drop a Foundry Champion or Lavinia of the Tenth on your opponent. The possibility of getting free soldiers (with haste) might be enough to overpay for a 2/2 by a mana, though the competition at three in white aggressive decks is already very fierce.
Quickling
Constructed: 2.0
I want to try this in Modern faeries with Spellstutter Sprite, Vendilion Clique, Scion of Oona, though I’m sure I’ll find out quickly if that’s good. In Standard, I don’t think any deck cares about the flying body or the effect quite enough to pay for both, though this is a pretty sweet card.
Raise the Alarm
Constructed: 2.0
I don’t know if the time is right for a tokens deck, but between this, Ajani Steadfast, Spear of Heliod, and Hall of Triumph, there are some of the pieces. I also thought about Triplicate Spirits, but think it’s a little too overcosted to make it (consider this my explanation as to why it’s not here). Raise the Alarm, on the other hand, is perfectly acceptable, since if you can combine it with any Anthem effect, you are getting four power for two mana.
Resolute Archangel
Constructed: 2.0
I don’t like seven drops as a rule, but this one seems like it buys you enough time to make it worth it. Gaining 10-15 life is an impressive amount, and if you can survive until seven (which is definitely not trivial), this lets you survive for quite a bit past that. All that does mean this is in a strange spot, but the power level intrigues me.
Return to the Ranks
Constructed: 2.0
Combo enablers are generally worth looking at, even though I don’t immediately see a home for this one. Aggro decks can’t overload on two-drops, there aren’t any combinations of 2-drops that just win the game, and 2-drops themselves aren’t powerful enough to completely build your deck around.
Soul of Ravnica
Constructed: 3.0
Repeatable card draw on a giant flier is interesting, and even more so when you realize that you get a couple cards even if they kill or counter the Soul. I like the Soul cycle, and think all of them are at least borderline viable, with a couple of them (like this one) being quite good.
Soul of Theros
Constructed: 3.0
The only thing holding Soul of Theros back from being the six-drop of choice for midrange/creature decks is Elspeth. Even with that fierce competition, Soul of Theros seems amazing. You can’t race it, it’s incredibly large, and even if it dies you get a turn of making your team unstoppable. One solid Soul hit (either via the Soul itself or the flashback) and most decks aren’t going to be able to kill you for a very long while.
Spectra Ward
Constructed: 2.0
While I’m contractually obligated to review cards that go in hexproof decks, I don’t have to like it. What is cool about this is that it provides enough intrinsic protection that it doesn’t have to go into a hexproof deck, though it does work well with Ethereal Armor and Unflinching Courage. Dropping this on a 4/4 in a midrange matchup seems like it could just end the game, and if you have a GW deck that is trying to beat other green decks, this has to be in contention.
Spirit Bonds
Constructed: 2.5
This card is absurdly powerful, though it is a bit tricky to use. The application that makes the most sense to me is out of a midrange deck against black devotion, but 1/1 fliers are good enough blockers that I could see it working against other creature decks as well. Spirit Bonds is slow, and mana intensive, so I don’t think it’s the best threat against control, but I like it in a bunch of other matchups (though making your guys indestructible does fight Supreme Verdict pretty well). The tricky part I mentioned is that you need a lot of creatures, especially since it requires a lot of mana to use as well, which heavily restricts which decks can play it.
Top 5 White and Blue cards
5. Jorubai Murk Lurker
4. Dauntless River Marshal
3. Spirit Bonds
2. Soul of Ravnica
1. Soul of Theros
Like I mentioned, Jace will return come Khans. The cards of the moment that I’m most excited about are the Souls, Spirit Bonds, and the Kird Ape-type dudes. They all present interesting deckbuilding decisions, are powerful, and look pretty fun to play. White and Blue got some nice toys, and I can’t wait to try them out.
Next up is Black and Red, followed as usual by Green (and the rest).
LSV |
President Donald Trump has announced plans to privatize the United State’s air traffic control system, which he said could lead to lower ticket prices.
“We are taking the first important step to clearing the runway for more jobs, lower prices, and much, much, much better transportation,” Trump said last week.
Air traffic control, which monitors and guides aircraft activity, falls under the Federal Aviation Administration’s authority, and is directed by Federal Aviation Administrator Michael Huerta.
Huerta is expected to serve out his full term through January 2018.
There has been no announcement as to who will replace Huerta, according to Michael Sargent, a policy analyst for transportation and infrastructure at The Heritage Foundation.
Trump’s plan to privatize air traffic control would include a board of directors, Sargent said, with “people representing the airlines, the pilots, the airports [and] general aviation.”
The board of directors would also include a CEO and representatives from the government.
Trump said his initiative will help America reclaim its influence in travel.
“America is the nation that pioneered air travel, and with these reforms, we can once again lead the way far into the future. Our nation will move faster, fly higher, and soar proudly toward the next great chapter of American aviation.”
Today, I announced an Air Traffic Control Initiative to take American air travel into the future – finally!
??https://t.co/qSSZLNBpSX pic.twitter.com/CtfqTxF2fp — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 5, 2017
In a statement outlining his plans, the Trump administration highlighted that privatizing air traffic control will prioritize safety, national security, and access for consumers.
Trump also said that privatization will improve service.
“We’re proposing reduced wait times, increased route efficiency, and far fewer delays,” Trump said. “Our plan will get you where you need to go more quickly, more reliably, more affordably and, yes — for the first time in a long time — on time. We will launch this air travel revolution by modernizing the outdated system of air traffic control. It’s about time.”
Previous transportation secretaries voiced support for Trump’s announcement.
“I applaud President Trump for his leadership in putting forth a bold plan and vision for moving [Air Traffic Control] out of [Federal Aviation Administration] and creating a more efficient and effective Air Traffic Control,” Ray LaHood, who served as transportation secretary from 2009-2013, said in a statement.
James H. Burnley IV, who served as transportation secretary from 1987-1989 under President George H.W. Bush, also praised the announcement.
“Air traffic control is a complex 24 hour a day business,” Burnley said in a statement, adding:
While it is very safe, government red tape increasingly impedes the installation of new technologies. As a result, the U.S. is falling ever further behind other countries, such as Canada, that have separated their systems from government constraints. President Trump’s proposal is the right solution for the 21st century.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, also was supportive.
“I think it’s a big deal that the president came out … and is leading on this issue,” Cruz said in a statement, adding:
There are over 130,000 jobs in Texas that depend on the airline and aerospace industries and by modernizing Air Traffic Control we will see an increase in safety, a decrease in waiting times, decreased costs, and improve the environment by having far less emissions. It should be a no-brainer.
Rep. Rick Nolan, D-Minn., voiced concerns about the announcement.
.@POTUS has announced plans to privatize US Air Traffic Control system – a terrible idea that will jeopardize travel safety & efficiency pic.twitter.com/AbUBNPG1Dc — US Rep. Rick Nolan (@USRepRickNolan) June 5, 2017
Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., is also skeptical. “Why give away billions of dollars in government assets to an entity that will be governed in large part by the airlines,” Nelson said, according to Reuters.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., also disapproves.
Our nation’s infrastructure is crumbling & Trump’s offering up air traffic control to the lowest bidder. — Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) June 5, 2017
Sargent said the announcement shows promise.
“It moves a vital transportation service out of the government, unshackling it from extensive bureaucracy inertia and establishes it as an independent, nongovernmental, non-profit corporation in charge of providing a service,” Sargent said. |
A United Nations report published Wednesday highlights the legal risks that opponents say President Donald Trump faces if he does not withdraw from Paris climate agreement.
The Paris Agreement could be used to force governments, including the Trump administration, “that have adopted climate-oriented laws to implement them,” reads the UN Environmental Program report on global warming litigation.
The report claims that litigation “has arguably never been a more important tool to push policymakers and market participants” to fight global warming.
President Donald Trump promised to “cancel” the Paris Agreement on the campaign trail, but his White House is split on the issue. Opponents of the Paris Agreement argue that failure to withdraw could give environmentalists a legal avenue to keep Obama-era global warming policies in place.
“‘Crucial legal predicate for pushing governments is code for the hook that activist green groups, attorneys general and courts are looking for,” Chris Horner, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), told The Daily Caller News Foundation.
The UNEP report notes that while Paris does not impose legally-binding requirements for countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions, it “enables litigants to construe governments’ commitments and actions as being adequate or inadequate.”
“The key question, which this cryptically addresses, is the legal risk that results from staying in Paris,” Horner said.
“I understand that has been internally conceded even by the State Department legal advocates,” Horner said, noting that a recent State Department memo did not include these doubts.
“The Paris Agreement by its own terms does not provide litigants with a cause of action or impose enforceable limits on member countries’ national emissions,” reads the UNEP report. “But it makes it possible for litigants to place the actions of their governments or private entities into an international climate change policy context.”
“Ultimately, while the Paris Agreement does not assign each country a carbon budget, it does offer a basis for deducing a budget from national commitments. It also makes clear that policies leading to net increases in emissions are disfavored,” the UNEP reports.
Hundreds of climate-related lawsuits have been filed in national courts, mostly in the U.S., to compel governments to impose more regulations, assign damages to emitters and stop projects that could increase emissions.
For example, Dutch activists sued the Netherlands in 2015 for not doing enough to fight global warming. The court sided with activists and “ordered the Dutch state to limit GHG emissions to 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020,” according to the UNEP. That was before the Paris Agreement was passed.
The UNEP said Paris is “emerging as a novel and unique anchorage for lawsuits of this sort.”
Swiss environmentalists filed a petition in 2016 making arguments similar to Dutch activists, but this time the buttressed their claims with the Paris Agreement. Austrian activists used the Paris Agreement to argue against expanding the Vienna airport.
Norwegian campaigners used the Paris Agreement to bolster their legal challenge lease sales to explore for offshore oil and sell a coal mine instead of decommissioning it. Swedish activists challenged the sale of coal mines and plants in Germany under the Paris Agreement.
Horner pointed to a memo he obtained that New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman circulated with fellow Democratic AGs in 2016 to “ensur[e] that the promises made in Paris become reality.”
The Paris debate has divided the Trump administration.
White House chief strategist Steve Bannon and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt support withdrawing from Paris. Ivanka Trump, her husband Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Energy Secretary Rick Perry support remaining in Paris.
Some Republicans have also championed staying in the Paris Agreement, but weakening the commitments made by President Barack Obama to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025. Pro-Paris Republicans want to weaken this and subsidize clean coal technology.
Whether or not the U.S. can weaken the Obama administration’s pledge is hotly debated by both sides of the issue. Former State Department Deputy Legal Adviser Susan Biniaz, who helped write the Paris Agreement, said the U.S. could weaken its pledge.
“In sum, while a downward revision is liable to draw criticism, it is a legally available option under the Paris Agreement,” Biniaz wrote in a memo for the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.
Biniaz argued that courts were unlikely to go along with environmentalist legal lawsuits trying to prevent Trump from rescinding an Obama-era regulation. The Sierra Club also came to a similar conclusion.
She wrote that, “Courts would almost certainly find that the agreement does not constrain executive branch action.”
“Nothing either in the Paris Agreement itself or in its adoption by the United States suggests that it was intended to be self-executing,” Biniaz wrote.
The UNEP report notes the Paris Agreement “does expressly call on national governments to make their mitigation commitments incrementally more stringent and never less so.”
“Thus, even if a national government can argue that it never specified a level of emissions reduction it cannot argue that its commitments permit backsliding,” the report concluded.
Trump is expected to make a decision on whether or not the U.S. will stay in the Paris Agreement after he returns from his trip to Europe.
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Piece of board found by one of seven relatives who flew to Indian Ocean island to raise awareness of need to hand in debris thought to be from plane
A Chinese man who travelled to Madagascar in search of answers to the disappearance of his mother on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has found a possible piece of debris from the plane during a search of the country’s beaches.
Jiang Hui, 44, is one of seven relatives who flew to the Indian Ocean island on Saturday to raise awareness of the debris that has been washing up on its beaches in ever-increasing amounts and conduct preliminary searches.
The man on a solo mission to find the wreckage of flight MH370 Read more
He found a small white and sand-coloured piece of board in a rocky cove at the end of Riake beach on north-eastern Île Sainte-Marie, where a significant amount of the debris thought to be from MH370 has already been discovered. “I felt excited but at the same time it was saddening,” he said. “It is a small piece and will not really be able to show what happened to the plane but I hope so much that the authorities of Malaysia, China and Australia will try to find more so they can find out.”
The piece has been handed to an official from the Malaysian investigation, said Blaine Gibson, a Seattle lawyer who has found 16 pieces of debris thought to be from the plane in Mozambique and Madagascar.
Following Jiang’s discovery, Gibson said he had stumbled upon a larger object in the same area. He said both pieces appeared to be from the cabin of a large airliner.
“[The find] just shows how important it is that these beaches are checked daily, and that local people keep their eyes open,” Gibson said. “It also shows how important this visit by the families is for raising awareness.”
Jiang lost his 73-year-old mother, Jiang Cuiyun, on the flight and has been prominent in the relatives’ campaign amid a lack of openness – and seemingly of action – from the Malaysian-led official inquiry.
Relatives of those who were on MH370, which disappeared while flying to Beijing on 8 March 2014, have criticised the Malaysian investigation for failing to collect debris found on Madagascar six months ago. Malaysia is now sending investigators to Madagascar but insists the timing is a coincidence.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Relatives of some of the passengers on MH370 who are searching for debris from the plane in Madagascar. Photograph: Stringer/Reuters
Jiang spoke briefly at a press conference held in the capital, Antananarivo, on Sunday as the relatives began their search. “In order to look for my mum, I have come here but my English is poor,” he said, before switching to Chinese to appeal for help in finding more evidence of the plane.
Grace Nathan, spokeswoman for the Voice370 campaign group, said the discovery of debris potentially from the plane brought “mixed feelings” for the whole group.
What happened to MH370? Malaysia Airlines flight 370, flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 227 passengers and 12 crew, vanished on 8 March 2014. There was no trace of the plane until a flaperon washed up on Réunion in the Indian Ocean in 2015. Several pieces of debris found around east and south Africa have since been assessed to be from the missing aircraft. A seabed search led by Australia, backed by Malaysia and China, is due to continue until early 2017. Theories – all unproven – have ranged from crew involvement or hijacking to onboard fire or catastrophic technical failure.
“First time a piece was found by one of us. Such mixed feelings now for all of us – pain, sadness, confusion, hope,” she wrote on a Facebook page where the relatives share updates with others bereaved by the incident.
It is thought unlikely the small fragment found by Jiang would ever be definitively linked to MH370, but Gibson said it was washed up on the same part of the beach where he found items including a seat back – complete with coat hook and frame for an in-flight television screen.
The find comes after the families divided into three groups to visit the stretches of coastline where current and wind analysis has predicted most debris could wash up.
In Nosy Be, Tamatave and Île Sainte-Marie, they have met local officials, tourism and fishery associations as well as journalists to raise awareness about the need to pick up and hand in potential debris.
One local boat owner lent his vessel for free to Nathan and her father so they could search offshore islands. Homemade fliers she printed showing what the debris looked like and how it should be preserved have run out and had to be reprinted.
Ghislain Wattrelos, a French national who lost his wife and two teenage children, said the relatives had been moved by the outpouring of public sympathy.
“It was the right move to come,” he said. “We have had a very nice response from everyone, we have been very well-received.” |
This post is part of Lightning Day on PHT…
The Tampa Bay Lightning went through plenty of adversity last season, but there’s no denying that Brayden Point was one of the bright spots on the roster.
Even though he wasn’t as dominant as Nikita Kucherov or Victor Hedman, the rookie emerged as a dependable player in a season that saw Steven Stamkos play just 17 games.
The fact that a player drafted in the third round was able to contribute in the NHL as a 20-year-old (he only turned 21 in March) is nothing short of remarkable.
Even though he missed 14 games with an upper-body injury, Point still managed to score 18 goals and 40 points in 68 contests. Over 82 games, that works out to 48 points and 22 goals.
“I’m just so impressed that somebody that young and a little bit undersized (listed at 5 feet 10, 166 pounds) can come in,” Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said in April, per the Tampa Bay Times. “A lot of guys put the team on their back the last few months. But (Point’s) growth has been phenomenal. It’s just a committed kid. There are not enough guys like him, I’ll tell you that.”
Cooper was so impressed with Point, that he brought him to the World Hockey Championship last spring (Cooper was Team Canada’s head coach). During Canada’s silver-medal run, the young Tampa forward registered four goals and one assist in 10 games.
Now that he has another major international tournament (he wore the “C” for Canada at the World Juniors in 2015-16) and a full NHL season under his belt, Point should be able to take a step forward in 2017-18.
Assuming everyone’s healthy (that’s far from guaranteed), Point will likely slot in as the Bolts’ third line center behind Steven Stamkos and Tyler Johnson. But both those players have dealt with their share of injuries over the last few seasons, so there’s also a decent chance that the team will count on him to play more important minutes at some point. |
A heartbroken Bronx family says their 22-year-old son, who was serving prison time, died and was buried without them ever knowing. NY1's Dean Meminger filed the following report.
With tears rolling down his face, Lonnie Hamilton says he's living a nightmare. His namesake died in prison and was even buried without the family knowing it.
Hamilton: I want to know why my son is dead. I want to know why you buried him without asking me. I want to know why we weren't allowed to properly send him off.
Meminger: Where is your son's body?
Hamilton: I don't know.
Lonnie Hamilton, 22, was doing time at Marcy Correctional Facility, outside of Syracuse. He was convicted in the Bronx of robbery.
His family says they tried to reach him for several weeks and then decided to send him a letter. Looking for his prison's address on May 6, they went on the state's correctional website. They were shocked to see he was listed as deceased. He died on March 18.
"I'm thinking, 'This can't be right. It has to be some sort of typo or joke or whatever.' So we start reaching out to the facility" his father said. "Days later, they finally say he is deceased."
And he was already buried in a cemetery near the prison.
State Corrections tells NY1 it made several unsuccessful attempts to reach the inmate's next of kin, his father. They said the father's phone number didn't work.
Corrections say it also searched Hamilton's belongings for contacts but couldn't find any. They also reached out to police in Georgia, where Hamilton was originally from.
His father says he is easy to find because he's lived in the Bronx for many years and that's where his son was arrested.
"He was picked up, my doorstep. Knock on my door, 'Is your son here?' Taken out of my home," he said. "So they knew where I lived."
"They have nothing in writing at all to date that says their son is deceased. They have no autopsy report of how their son died. They don't know anything," said the Rev. Kevin McCall of the National Action Network.
The family says they were unofficially told their son committed suicide, but they find that hard to believe. They want his body exhumed and their own autopsy done. They are also calling for an independent investigation. |
The Heisman Trophy is won on the field, but that hasn’t stopped Southern Cal quarterback Matt Barkley from going about his campaign a bit differently. Instead of just sending out awkwardly filmed DVDs to Heisman voters, Barkley has gone the high-tech route with ploys like designing an iPhone app and answering questions on Reddit.
Along with giving USC’s director of social media something to do, the Reddit Q&A also elicited some information we might not normally get from the Heisman favorite. One intrepid Reddit user was particularly helpful when asking Barkley what his favorite play was. “Be honest,” MrShift4 admonished. “None of this ‘spreading the ball to my teammates’ stuff.” So Barkley was, replying: “Solo Personel [sic]. ‘Z Mo to Trouble Right 82 Stay Sluggo Z Win.’ On Two. TD.”
To understand Barkley’s answer, it’s necessary to understand USC’s offense. When Pete Carroll took the head-coaching job at USC, he hired longtime BYU assistant coach Norm Chow as his offensive coordinator. Carroll wanted the vaunted passing offense the Cougars had used for decades to topple superior foes and develop future NFL quarterbacks like Jim McMahon and Steve Young. To go along with that philosophy, Carroll also wanted to incorporate some of the latest NFL schemes, and his two young offensive assistants — former BYU quarterback Steve Sarkisian and a young Lane Kiffin — were assigned the job of bringing those ideas to USC.
Kiffin in particular relished this task, spending long hours in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers film room with Bucs head coach Jon Gruden. Gruden was a student of the West Coast offense, the pass-first, timing-based offense designed by former 49ers head coach Bill Walsh. Kiffin absorbed everything he could about Gruden’s brand of the West Coast offense, and quickly USC’s coaches began meshing some of the latest NFL concepts with the core of their offense. After Chow left USC, Kiffin became co-offensive coordinator along with Sarkisian, before leaving to become head coach of the Oakland Raiders, Tennessee, and finally returning Southern Cal. During this time, Kiffin built a somewhat sordid reputation off the field, but on it, he continued to tinker with his offense.
Among the plays Kiffin took from Gruden was one of the oldest, most reliable West Coast offense concepts: “sluggo seam,” or, as Kiffin and Barkley refer to it, “82 stay sluggo Z win.” Sluggo seam has long been one of the best home-run passes in the West Coast offense, so it is no surprise that Barkley would adopt the play as his own personal favorite.
Setting aside the personnel and formation Barkley lays out (the play can be run from various formations) the key parts of the play call are “82 stay,” “sluggo,” and “Z win.”
“Stay” tells the tight end that he must stay in and pass protect. “82” tells the offense that they are “slide” or “gap” protection, which means each lineman is responsible for blocking whichever defender might show up in his specific area.
“Sluggo” is more interesting. It’s the old Bill Walsh term for a “slant-and-go,” and here, it’s the quarterback’s first read. The receiver sprints off the line for three steps and breaks inside for a couple more before bursting vertically up the field. The outside receiver on the multiple-receiver side simply runs a six-yard stop route, and, along with the running back, serves as an outlet for Barkley.
“Z win” is what Kiffin and Barkley call the West Coast “seam” or “seam read” route. The slot receiver runs 10 to 12 yards and then has a choice: If there is one safety playing center field in the middle, the receiver stays in the seam and gets directly vertical; if there are two deep safeties, the receiver splits the two of them down the middle. In other words, he must get open — or “win” — deep.
Barkley takes a three-step drop and pump fakes to the slant. If the sluggo receiver is open after breaking back up the field, Barkley will toss him the ball up the sideline for a big play. But more often than not, the defense overreacts not only to the pump fake but also to the second part of the route. This opens up the “Z win” on the backside. Let’s look at an example of exactly that.
This is a play from USC’s game against Oregon last season. After the snap, Barkley drops back and looks to his left for the sluggo route, which Oregon covers.
The play works exactly as intended. Oregon’s defense — known for being fast and aggressive — overreacts to the sluggo and Barkley’s pump fake, and this opens plenty of space on the backside for USC’s great receiver, Robert Woods, to exploit.
His first read covered, Barkley shifts, resets his feet, and turns to look for Woods on the win route. With Woods winning, Barkley lets it fly.
Good execution only looks easy, and this is no different. The pump fake and Woods’s combination of speed and technique allowed him to get inside leverage, but a completion still needed a well-placed ball and great catch. Here’s the play in real time.
Fortunately for Kiffin — and all coaches — schemes look much smarter when the line gives time, the quarterback throws an accurate ball, and the best receiver in the country goes up and makes a fantastic catch. This is why Southern Cal will be so difficult to stop this year. And if Barkley does win the Heisman, it’ll be because USC completed a few sluggo seams along the way. |
WASHINGTON -- In her speech accepting the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton wrongly implied Donald Trump has proposed banning Islam in America and sketched out a plan for defeating Islamic State militants that merely mirrors what the U.S. is already trying to do.
Clinton spoke Thursday night to the largest TV audience she is likely to have until the presidential debates, meaning many Americans were probably hearing of her agenda for the first time. Although she brings plenty of policy detail when stacked against the broad-brush ideas of her Republican rival, in some cases there's less than meets the eye to what she says she will do.
A college education, for example, might not end up as debt-free for everyone as she suggested.
For his part, Trump spun a story about the Iran nuclear deal that was more fiction than fact at an Iowa rally that preceded Clinton's convention speech.
A look at some of the claims from the political maelstrom:
CLINTON: "I've laid out my strategy for defeating ISIS. We will strike their sanctuaries from the air, and support local forces taking them out on the ground. We will surge our intelligence so that we detect and prevent attacks before they happen. We will disrupt their efforts online to reach and radicalize young people in our country. It won't be easy or quick, but make no mistake - we will prevail."
THE FACTS: Clinton might as well have said she laid out President Barack Obama's strategy for defeating Islamic State militants. Everything she mentioned, the Obama administration already is trying to do.
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CLINTON: "Bernie Sanders and I will work together to make college tuition-free for the middle class and debt-free for all."
THE FACTS: Tuition-free for students who go to an in-state public college or university. Debt-free is a harder lift.
Clinton has adopted parts of Sanders' plans to defray some of the costs of higher education. Under her proposal, the government would pay for tuition at in-state colleges and universities for students from families earning less than $125,000 a year. That would leave students still bearing the cost of room and board, which makes up more than half of the average $18,943 sticker price at a four-year public university, according to the College Board.
Experts worry about other impacts: Will colleges raise tuition once the government starts paying, increasing the cost to taxpayers? Will more students flock to public colleges because of the subsidy, also raising costs?
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CLINTON: "In my first 100 days, we will work with both parties to pass the biggest investment in new, good-paying jobs since World War II."
THE FACTS: It would be the biggest since World War II only if you don't count Obama's $814 billion 2009 stimulus. Clinton doesn't have price tags on all her proposals, but the bulk of the investment appears to be her plan to spend $275 billion over five years on roads, bridges and other infrastructure. Obama's stimulus included infrastructure as well as tax cuts and aid to state and local governments, all intended to boost the economy and hiring.
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CLINTON: "We will not ban a religion."
THE FACTS: Trump never proposed banning Islam in the U.S., as Clinton seems to suggest. He proposed a freeze on the entry of all foreign Muslims into the U.S., then adapted the idea with several iterations. Recently he said he'd stop immigration from any country compromised by terrorism, or impose "extreme vetting" on people coming from places with a history of terrorism. He's also spoken in support of surveillance on mosques in the U.S. As contentious as his thinking has been on the subject, it hasn't extended to outlawing a religion.
---
TRUMP, boasting about how he would have conducted talks with Iran over reducing its nuclear weapons capabilities: "I would have said sorry, we can't give you the $150 billion back. We want to give you the money back, but we don't have it. It's not there."
THE FACTS: The Iranians immediately would have called Trump's bluff. That's because the U.S. never had $150 billion to give back in the first place.
Iran had foreign assets spread across numerous banks and countries before it struck a deal with the U.S. and other countries to limit its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. The sanctions meant Tehran couldn't access these funds abroad. But Iran's government knew very well where its money was.
Much of the revenue came from Iran's oil sales to China, India, Japan and South Korea. These countries were able to purchase Iranian petroleum before the July 2015 nuclear agreement, but U.S. financial restrictions made it all but impossible to facilitate payments. So the money mainly sat in escrow in those countries, instead. These were not funds within the grasp of a U.S. president.
Trump's comment also doesn't reflect how banks work. Money is fungible. If you have a bank account, it doesn't mean specific bills of currency or bars of gold are sitting in a box waiting for you to pick them up. The can't-find-your-money argument doesn't work.
Trump got the sum wrong, too. Iranian and U.S. officials agree that the amount of frozen funds totaled about $100 billion.
---
CLINTON, on taxing the wealthy and corporations: "Because when more than 90 percent of the gains have gone to the top 1 percent, that's where the money is."
THE FACTS: While vague, Clinton's claim probably relies on outdated figures and exaggerates inequality.
Her assertion echoes similar claims made by Sanders during the primary campaign, though it's not clear if she is referring to income or wealth or over what time frame. According to Emmanuel Saez, the University of California at Berkeley economist whose research on the wealthiest 1 percent helped spark the Occupy Wall Street protests, income gains have been more widely shared in recent years.
The top 1 percent captured 52 percent of the growth in incomes from 2009 through 2015, still a hefty amount. But that's down from the 2009 through 2012 period, when the top 1 percent captured 91 percent of the growth.
---
CLINTON: "In Atlantic City, 60 miles from here, you'll find contractors and small businesses who lost everything because Donald Trump refused to pay his bills. People who did the work and needed the money, and didn't get it - not because he couldn't pay them, but because he wouldn't pay them."
THE FACTS: Indeed, Trump casinos failed on several occasions. During the bankruptcy of the Taj Mahal Casino in the early 1990s, some contractors who'd helped Trump build the property went bust because Trump's company didn't pay what it owed them. Trump himself was short on cash at the time, though his bankers did give him a $450,000-a-month allowance to maintain his lifestyle while his debts were renegotiated.
---
DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION VIDEO, narrated by Morgan Freeman: "She could have joined a big law firm, been a corporate bigwig. Instead she chose the Children's Defense Fund. There, she went door-to-door gathering stories to help children with disabilities over denied schooling."
THE FACTS: She had a "bigwig" path in her legal career, too.
Although Clinton did devote her early career years to the Children's Defense Fund, she also worked at the Rose Law Firm, a prestigious Little Rock, Arkansas, firm and the third oldest in the United States. Clinton became its first female partner when her husband, Bill, was the state attorney general and then governor. Among the firm's clients were Tyson Foods, Wal-Mart and several brokerage houses. It became well-known during the Whitewater scandal, when investigators probed real estate deals between the Clintons and a Rose client, Jim McDougal.
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CLINTON: "Donald Trump says he wants to make America great again - well, he could start by actually making things in America again."
THE FACTS: Trump has regularly sourced his branded products from overseas, including his menswear line and products for his hotels. Trump has defended himself on the grounds that as a private businessman his priority is to make money. But in stump speeches, Trump has regularly shamed companies like Apple for doing the same and manufacturing products elsewhere.
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TRUMP: "We pick up 73 percent of the cost of NATO. We're paying to protect them. Wouldn't it be nice if people would pay, and we could do things properly? ... That's got to change."
THE FACTS: No, the U.S. picks up just over 22 percent of the cost of NATO operations, based on last year's figures. Trump's figure of 73 percent is based on the U.S. share of overall military spending by NATO member countries, not of the money devoted to the alliance.
Because of high spending and unique military resources possessed by the U.S., the alliance acknowledges that it is over-reliant on Washington in areas such as intelligence, surveillance, in-flight refueling, ballistic missile defense and airborne electronic warfare. NATO asks member nations to spend at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense. Of the 28 NATO nations, only five - the U.S., Britain, Estonia, Greece and Poland - meet or exceed that percentage.
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TRUMP: "We're fighting in Yemen."
THE FACTS: Only a small number of U.S. special operations troops are in Yemen and they've not been near the fighting. In Yemen, Houthi rebels backed by Iran are fighting government forces backed by Saudi Arabia. The United States has provided logistical and intelligence support to longtime ally Saudi Arabia. Separately, the Pentagon has provided military support, intelligence, ships and a small contingent of special operations forces to help fight al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, as part of the ongoing counter-terrorism fight.
U.S. officials have acknowledged that U.S. special operations forces have advised the Yemeni and Emirati forces in the region, but they are working at the headquarters level, not near the conflict.
---
TRUMP: "We're right now the highest-taxed nation in the world." He acknowledged his numerous past assertions of this have been questioned, and added, "OK, we're one of the highest taxed."
THE FACTS: Closer, but still wrong. The U.S. tax burden is actually one of the lowest among the 34 developed and large emerging-market economies that make up the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Taxes made up 26 percent of the total U.S. economy in 2014, according to the OECD. That's far below Sweden's tax burden of 42.7 percent, Britain's 32.6 percent or Germany's 36.1 percent. Only three OECD members had a lower tax bite than the U.S.: Chile, South Korea and Mexico.
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TRUMP: "Religion's voice has been taken away. It was taken away by Lyndon Johnson in the 1970s because of a dispute he had, I think, with the church. And this was his way of silencing the church."
THE FACTS: Trump was two decades off on the timing, and stretching in saying religion's voice in politics was silenced by LBJ. Churches still have a loud political voice.
Before his years as president (1963-1969), Johnson as a senator in the 1950s achieved a law that prohibits religious groups and certain other tax-exempt organizations from endorsing or opposing political candidates. The potential penalty for doing so is the loss of tax exemption.
As Trump noted, the GOP platform calls for the repeal of that law so that religious groups could engage more directly in partisan politics. Opponents say that would clash with the constitutional separation of church and state.
Since the law's enactment the rise of the religious right, the continuing influence of evangelical conservatives, the clout of the Roman Catholic church on social issues of the left and right and advocacy by liberal religious organizations are evidence that religion has not been silenced in politics.
---
TRUMP: "Median household income is down for the middle class since Obama took office." - tweet.
THE FACTS: True, if using the latest official data. More recent, though unofficial, estimates suggest that household income has gone up marginally on Obama's watch. Either way, it's a weak spot in Obama's economic record.
Median household income declined by 3 percent from 2008 through 2014, according to U.S. Census data.
According to more current estimates by Sentier Research, a private firm whose founders include former Census officials, median household income increased in 2015 and into 2016. That would mean median household income has risen 2 percent from June 2009, when the recession ended, to $57,206 in June 2016, Sentier says. |
Google Fiber set-top box v2.0 clears FCC
Google Fiber users may soon have access to a new set-top box. A recently spotted FCC filing shows a “GFHD200” box, likely replacing the GFHD100 box Fiber owners are currently using. New specs are incoming, too, along with a rumor regarding the remote.
Approved on June 13, the new box will have 10/100 Ethernet and MoCA 1.1/2.0. HDMI and 2.4/5 GHz WiFi round out the boring specs. The inclusion of Bluetooth 4.0 has some wondering, though.
With the set-top box, a new remote is likely. Bluetooth LE suggests that new remote may end up communicating that way rather than via IR. It could lead the way to a better experience via mobile, too — even gaming.
This could also be part of the recent Google Fiber beta program we told you about. Mysterious and exciting, the Fiber testers will get access to new hardware and features, so long as they promise not to tell anyone.
Sadly, the most telling FCC documents are under wraps until December, so we don’t know much yet. We can tell from the hushed nature of this device that it likely won’t see the light of day until Christmas, or perhaps early next year. We’ll have to wait to see if any Fiber testers are trying it out ahead of then.
Via: Wikidev |
Case–Shiller home price index data, 1890–2018.
Case–Shiller home price indices, absolute and inflation adjusted, 2000–2016.
The Standard & Poor's Case–Shiller Home Price Indices are repeat-sales house price indices for the United States. There are multiple Case–Shiller home price indices: A national home price index, a 20-city composite index, a 10-city composite index, and twenty individual metro area indices. These indices are calculated and kept monthly by Standard & Poor's, with data points calculated for the time period of January 1987 through the present. The indices kept by Standard and Poor are normalized to have a value of 100 in January 2000. These Indices are based on original work by economists Karl Case and Robert Shiller, in which their team calculated the home price index back to 1890. That index is normalized as such that 1890 has a value of 100. The Case–Shiller Index being kept on Shiller's website is updated quarterly.[1] Due to the different set reference points, and perhaps calculation differences, the index numbers provided in each data set can be very different. For example, in 4th quarter 2013, the Standard and Poor 20 city index point was in the 160's, while the index point for 4th quarter on the Shiller data was in the 130's. Shiller claims in his book Irrational Exuberance that such a long series of home prices does not appear to have been published for any country.[2]
History and methodology [ edit ]
The indices are calculated from data on repeat sales of single-family homes, an approach developed by economists Case, Shiller and Allan Weiss who served as the CEO from the company's inception to the Fiserv sale.[3] Case developed a method for comparing repeat sales of the same homes in an effort to study home pricing trends.[3] He was using data from house sales in Boston in the early 1980s, which was going through a housing price boom. While Case argued that such a boom was ultimately unsustainable, he had not considered it a bubble, a commonly used term to describe similar market trends.[3] Case sat down with Shiller, who was researching behavioral finance and economic bubbles, and together formed a repeat-sales index using home sales prices data from other cities across the country.[3] In 1991, while Weiss was in graduate school he formed an informal working relationship with Shiller. Weiss proposed to Case and Shiller to form a company, Case Shiller Weiss, to produce the index periodically with the intent of selling the information to the markets. Fiserv, an information management company, bought Case Shiller Weiss in 2002 and, together with Standard & Poor's, developed tradable indices based on the data for the markets which are now commonly called the Case–Shiller index.[3] CoreLogic acquired the Case Shiller Weiss business from Fiserv in April 2013.[4]
The years 2006–2012 saw the largest crash in global real estate markets in recent history; whether this could have been predicted using the Case–Shiller index is up for dispute. Shiller did see some early signs. He released the second edition of his Irrational Exuberance book in 2005, when, according to him, the data looked like "a rocket taking off".[2] In his book he expresses skepticism over "the long-run stability of home prices",[2] given that the rise in home prices was much higher than the rise in income. However, he refrains from explicitly stating that this may be a bubble, after all the period after World War II had seen a substantial rise in real prices without any subsequent drop as apparent in the chart. The prices peaked in the first quarter of 2006, when the index kept by Shiller recorded a level of 198.01, but fell rapidly after that to 113.89 in the first quarter of 2012.
Options and futures based on Standard and Poor's Case–Shiller index are traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.[5]
The index is a simplification of home values and does not account for imputed rent and home mortgage interest deduction, both of which are included in profit/loss considerations for investment purposes.
Economic implications [ edit ]
Shiller draws some key insights from his analysis of long term home prices in his book Irrational Exuberance. Contrary to popular belief, there has been no continuous uptrend in home prices in the US and the home prices show a strong tendency to return to their 1890 level in real terms. Moreover, he illustrates how the pattern of changes in home prices bear no relation to changes in construction costs, interest rates or population.[6]
Shiller notes that there is a strong perception across the globe that home prices are continuously increasing, and that this kind of sentiment and paradigm may be fueling bubbles in real estate markets. He points to some psychological heuristics that may be responsible for creating this perception. He says that since homes are relatively infrequent purchases, people tend to remember the purchase price of a home from long ago and are surprised at the difference between then and now.[7] However, most of the difference in the prices can be explained by inflation. He also discusses how people consistently overestimate the appreciation in the value of their homes. The US Census, since 1940, has asked home owners to estimate the value of their homes. The home-owners' estimates reflect an appreciation of 2% per year in real terms, which is significantly more than the 0.7% actual increase over the same interval as reflected in Case–Shiller index.
Shiller also offers some explanations as to why a continuous uptrend is not observed in real home prices:
Mobility: Shiller argues that "people and business will, if home prices are high enough, move far away, even leaving an area completely". [8] Land may be scarce locally, but urban land area is only 2.6% of the total land area in the United States. [8]
Land may be scarce locally, but urban land area is only 2.6% of the total land area in the United States. Easing land restrictions: Increasing prices put pressure on the government to ease restrictions on land in terms of how much can be built on a particular amount of land and also the amount of land available for development.
Technology Improvements: Construction technology has improved considerably making home building cheaper and faster, which puts downward pressure on home prices.[8]
Thus, real home prices are essentially trend-less and do not show any continuous uptrend or downtrend in the long-run. This is not limited to the US as it is also observed in the real home price indices of Netherlands and Norway.[9]
Key events and episodes [ edit ]
Shiller's key observation, as outlined in his book Irrational Exuberance, is that real home prices show a remarkable tendency to return to their 1890 level. However, there have been some key periods where the prices have departed from this level. Shiller offers some explanations for these episodes in his book:
1921–1942 : This was the only period where prices were considerably below their 1890 level throughout. The start of the decline roughly corresponds with the start of World War I, which was followed by the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918, the Great Depression and finally World War II all of which, Shiller argues, could have affected home prices negatively. [10]
: This was the only period where prices were considerably below their 1890 level throughout. The start of the decline roughly corresponds with the start of World War I, which was followed by the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918, the Great Depression and finally World War II all of which, Shiller argues, could have affected home prices negatively. 1953–1977: Prices remained consistently higher than the 1890 level during this period, though they gradually declined. Shiller cites the end of World War II, beginning of the Baby Boom and the GI Bill of Rights (1944) that subsidized home purchases. [11] He also claims that the scars of the Great Depression deflected any speculative tendencies.
Prices remained consistently higher than the 1890 level during this period, though they gradually declined. Shiller cites the end of World War II, beginning of the Baby Boom and the GI Bill of Rights (1944) that subsidized home purchases. He also claims that the scars of the Great Depression deflected any speculative tendencies. 1976–1982 : Reflects the regional bubble in California. [10]
: Reflects the regional bubble in California. 1985–1989 : Reflects regional bubbles on West Coast as well as East Coast. [10]
: Reflects regional bubbles on West Coast as well as East Coast. 1997–2012: Global boom and bust in real estate.
The national indices [ edit ]
The S&P/Case–Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index is a composite of single-family home price indices for the nine U.S. Census divisions. It is calculated monthly, using a three-month moving average. The S&P national index is normalized to have a value of 100 in the January 2000.
The index kept by Shiller (available on his website at http://www.econ.yale.edu/~shiller/data.htm) is updated quarterly, and is normalized to have a value of 100 in 1890.
The composite and city indices [ edit ]
20 metropolitan area indices
The S&P index family includes 20 metropolitan area indices and two composite indices as aggregates of the metropolitan areas. These indices are three-month moving averages. The composite and city indices are normalized to have a value of 100 in January 2000.
The indices are calculated monthly by Fiserv, Inc. — the company that owns and maintains the index and is published with a two-month lag on the last Tuesday of every month. Fiserv can provide a deeper view of home prices, at the ZIP code level beyond the 10 or 20 Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) view used by S&P.
Composite 10 index [ edit ]
CSXR is a composite index of the home price index for 10 major Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the United States. The index is published monthly by Standard & Poor's and uses the Case and Shiller method of a house price index using a modified version of the weighted-repeat sales methodology. This method is able to adjust for the quality of the homes sold, unlike simple indices based on averages. The CSXR is a three-month moving average as are the indices that compose it.
The following indexes are combined to create the CXSR composite index:
Composite 20 index [ edit ]
SPCS20R is a composite index of the home price index for 20 major Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the United States. The index is published monthly by Standard & Poor's and uses the Case and Shiller method of a house price index using a modified version of the weighted-repeat sales methodology. This method is able to adjust for the quality of the homes sold, unlike simple indices based on averages.
The following indexes are combined to create the SPCS20R composite index:
Correlations [ edit ]
Macromarkets.com reports the US index has a slightly negative correlation with stocks and bonds, but slightly positive correlation with commodities and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT)[clarification needed].[12] REIT's track commercial real estate most closely, rather than home prices, explaining the low correlation.[13]
Historical values [ edit ]
Using Case and Shiller's original methods, the national index attained its all-time high of 198.01 in 2006 Q1. The S&P index attained its all-time high in July 2006, at a value of 206.52. On December 30, 2008, the index recorded its largest year-to-year drop. Since World War II, the original index has mostly fluctuated between 100 and 120, with peaks (followed by precipitous falls) in 1Q 1979 (which peaked at 122), 3Q 1989 (at 126), and 1Q 2006 (at 198). After the 2000s housing bubble, the low point of the index was in 1Q 2012, at 114. By 4Q 2013 the index had rebounded to 134.
Case–Shiller home-price index from 1890 to 2012
Comparison the percentage change for the housing correction beginning in 2006 (red) and the correction (blue) beginning in 1989
Selected Case–Shiller index values
(from original data set back to 1890) YEAR Annual/4Q 1890 100 1900 101.57 1910 93.11 1920 66.07 1930 69.49 1940 81.73 1950 105.89 1960 109.65 1970 109.56 1975 103.46 1979 118.82 1984 105.44 1989 124.89 1994 108.33 1996 106.73 2000 123.30 2005 195.35 2006 192.29 2007 170.09 2008 133.97 2009 130.93 2010 124.56 2011 115.84 2012 121.58 2013 134.02
Securities [ edit ]
Case–Shiller indexes are available for trading as futures and futures options. Quotes are available from the CME. According to Shiller, one of the main purposes of futures and options trading in the Case-Shiller indices is to allow people to hedge the real estate market.[14] The problem, however, is that the volume of trading in these markets is small enough as to make them relatively illiquid which creates a risk for the investor in these securities. Shiller himself has said that “there has been a disappointing volume of trade in these futures markets.” [14] The volume traded in the CME S&P Case-Shiller Index for the full year 2007 was 2,995 contracts. That number declined over the following years, and throughout 2017 only 136 contracts traded.[15]
See also [ edit ] |
Delhi Cabinet on Thursday approved the plan to procure 110 new ambulances under the state government’s “Home to Hospital Care” scheme.
This facility, according to the government sources, will be provided by “Centralized Accident & Trauma Services (CATS).” CATS had come into being in 1991 with a view to provide emergency services such as responding to patients in distress and transporting them to hospitals in timeliness manner.
The procurement of 110 new ambulances is likely to help CATS a great deal
A statement by the state government said that of the 110 new ambulances, 100 would be armed with basic life support facilities while the remaining 10 will be known as advanced life support ambulances.
Delhi currently has 155 ambulances but CATS have struggled to respond to emergency situations effectively due to paucity of required resources.
Under the new scheme, says the government statement, the shortages in human resources will be adequately taken care of.
A Delhiite will be able to avail the services of new home to hospital facility by dialing 102. |
An innovative “anti-communal” protest by the Aam Aadmi Party involving a Rs 25,000 cow spectacularly backfired in Gurgaon.
The AAP had planned to tether the cow outside the house of Haryana minister Rao Narbir Singh on Sunday to highlight the BJP’s alleged divisive politics on cow protection across the nation.
But minutes after the cow was tied outside Singh’s house, his staff came and took the cow inside and later transferred it to the minister’s farmhouse.
The cow has been shifted to the minister's farmhouse at Narsinghpur. Minister’s staff refused to return the cow to the AAP member and said they will take care of the cow now. (HT Photo)
The AAP protest was part of a broader plan to tether cows outside the residences of all Haryana ministers and make them take care of the cattle. But the future of the drive is doubtful now.
A bigger embarrassment for the AAP was that the milch cow belonged to a party worker.
“We milked the cow on Sunday evening and shifted it to the farmhouse. We are taking good care of the cow. Some person approached us twice on Sunday evening to return the cow but we refused since it was left at the doorsteps of the minister,” said Laxmi Narayan Yadav, personal assistant to the minister.
The AAP had initially planned to use a stray cow for the protest but didn’t, suspecting that they could be implicated in a police case by BJP members if someone posed as the owner of the cattle.
AAP member Rajpal Bhadana, who owned the cow, said he initially asked the minister’s staff to return the cow but has now dropped the idea. “The cow belongs to the party and I will not demand it back again,” said Bhadana, who is now left only with one cow.
AAP spokesperson RS Rathee said party volunteers would track how the cow is served and kept.
Read more: Cop on the cattle beat: IPS officer Bharti Arora protects Haryana cows
First Published: Sep 12, 2016 21:10 IST |
Details of attacks on contractors installing meters on behalf of Irish Water, including physical assaults, have been sent by the company to Dublin City Council.
The council wrote to managing director of Irish Water John Tierney in October to raise concern about what it described as “excessive mobilisation of gardaí” during meter installations.
The letter followed the adoption of a motion by councillors supporting “peaceful resistance to water meter installation” and condemning the arrest and forcible removal of protesters by gardaí and the mobilisation of the Garda public order unit in housing estates in north Dublin.
In response to the letter, the company has detailed attacks it says have been made on meter installers and their property.
Workers have been punched and headbutted, the letter said.
“They have received death threats and threats to burn their houses down and have been called ‘scabs’, ‘scum’ and ‘paedophiles’.”
They have been followed home and they, and their families, have been subject to ongoing “surveillance” outside their homes, the letter added.
The council further claimed some have been intimidated and harassed using social media.
Blocked for hours
Tyres have been slashed and other equipment has been vandalised and barriers and signs burned.
These activities were in addition to protesters disrupting the work of installers though blocking entry to estates parking cars over stop cocks and standing or lying down in the work site or in front of diggers, the letter said.
The letter acknowledges that many protesters do so in a peaceful manner.
“Irish Water respects the right to protest and endeavours to facilitate this right in so far as is reasonably possible, while maintaining the safety of the staff, the public and the site of work,” it said.
The letter is signed by Fergus Collins, head of capital delivery with Irish Water, rather than by former city manager Mr Tierney.
Separately, gardaí are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding a letter containing excrement which was posted to a call centre contracted to deal with Irish Water queries last week.
The Cork-based company Abtran, which employs 1,500 people, confirmed that “offensive material” had been received and Garda have been informed.
The incident is an isolated one, according to Abtran, which has assigned some 400 staff to deal with the Irish Water brief.
Last week a 59-year-old man was arrested in Clarecastle, Co Clare, following reports he had threatened water meter installers with a rifle.
He was released without charge. |
MOUNT OLIVER (KDKA/AP) — Gunfire erupted Friday night on Brownsville Road in Mount Oliver, near the city line, sending four people to the hospital.
The victims included an 11-year-old boy, two teenagers and an adult. Two of the victims suffered critical wounds.
Officials said the gunfire on a Mount Oliver street was reported at about 7 p.m. Friday and is believed to have been a drive-by shooting.
The 11-year-old boy was taken to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where he was reported in critical condition. A 13-year-old was taken to UPMC Mercy in critical condition.
A 16-year-old also taken to UPMC Mercy and a man treated at the scene were reported with minor injuries.
Police said the three teenagers were shot on steps near a convenience store and the adult was hit on the opposite side of the street.
A woman who was by a Rite-Aid Pharmacy near the shooting scene said she was standing outside the drug store, and all of a sudden shots went off.
“Concrete from the drug store hit my shirt, and a bullet went through the glass [in the pharmacy door] just above my head,” she said.
The woman, who did not want her name used, said, “if I was a couple of inches taller, I would have been hit.”
“It’s terrifying because you don’t want to walk the streets anymore here, for fear of being shot,” said neighbor Phyllis Workinger.
No arrests were immediately reported.
Not far from where the Friday night shooting occurred, an 11-year-old Mount Oliver boy was shot and killed just last month by a man an unknown assailant. No arrests have been made in that case.
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The story of aviation in Ethiopia and its national airline is one of opening up to the world. The landlocked country, bordered by such company as Kenya and Sudan in the Horn of Africa, is known for its harsh and unforgiving terrain. So when a French Potez 25 piloted by Andre Maillet introduced Ethiopia to the airplane on August 18, 1929, it was the beginning of a new age in communication and transportation.
Early Years
The early years of aviation for Ethiopia were marked by Maillet’s contributions and also those of Baron von Engel of Germany. Von Engel, following closely on the heels of Maillet, made the first airmail delivery to the country about three weeks later with a Junkers. Both men made their services available to the government ferrying money, mail and men from the capitol of Addis Ababa to the surrounding provinces.
When foreigners jumpstarted aviation in Ethiopia it was not long in coming that the first two Ethiopian pilots, Mishka Babicheff and Asfaw Ali, earned their wings. Receiving training both in France and on-site in Ethiopia, the pool of indigenous pilots slowly began to grow.
By 1935 the country’s available fleet had expanded fourfold to include 15 aircraft of several types, in addition to a growing aviation infrastructure system across the nation. A total of eight airfields with varying degrees of support services dotted the map within five years of that first visit in 1929.
War
Just as aviation in Ethiopia was beginning to pick up steam in the mid-1930s, the dark shroud of World War II began to fall. The Italians attacked Ethiopia in 1935. Armed with significantly superior equipment that easily dominated the skies, the Italians conquered the country by the end of 1936. Needless to say, there wasn’t much left of the Ethiopian aviation scene by the time all was said and done.
For as much devastation as the Italians wrought during the conflict, their conquests also brought about the first regularly scheduled civilian passenger service. Ala Littoria connected Addis Ababa to Rome as part of the new Imperial Route, which was over three days long. The airline also developed an internal circuit through the country, making stops at 13 locations.
The Italian occupation was short-lived, however, with the British liberating Ethiopia in 1941. Once again, the ravages of war left the aviation community in ruins. The British sequestered whatever remained; citing the ongoing war effort. During the remainder of World War II RAF aircraft provided mail and limited transport services. Resumption of civilian air service, somewhat a misnomer as special clearance was required from the British Embassy, began when BOAC initiated a fortnightly service from Addis Ababa to Cairo via Khartoum utilizing Lockheed Lodestars.
The conclusion of World War II saw the birth of the Ethiopian Air Force. A tiny affair at first, it was composed of a few Cessnas and Tigermoths. Later, via help from the Swedes, Saab Safirs and B17 bombers were acquired. Predictably, many of the pilots and mechanics of the soon-in-coming Ethiopian Air Lines would start their careers in the air force.
The American Connection
The conclusion of World War II ushered in the opportunity to finally establish a national civilian airline. The Ethiopian emperor, hearing that the Americans were flush with cash and material resources, dispatched a delegation to the founding conference of the United Nations to seek assistance from the United States. The US state department arranged a meeting with T. B. Wilson—then chairman of the now-defunct Trans World Airlines (TWA)—who agreed to assist provided that the airline came up with the money. At the time Wilson believed Addis could become an important hub in the region. Curiously, parallel but ultimately unproductive negotiations were also underway with Swedish carrier ABA.
In an arrangement sealed in September of 1945, TWA agreed to provide technical management and operation services while business management was provided by a board of directors split between the Ethiopian government and TWA officials. The official charter, signed several months later in December, marked the beginning of Ethiopian Air Lines (EAL). Besides providing for air services, the charter also gave EAL the power to issue airworthiness certificates to Ethiopian-registered aircraft and to certify competence of ground personnel.
Humble Beginnings
No airline, of course, can truly get off the ground before owning airplanes. The nearest source of readily available and relatively cheap aircraft was Cairo, thanks to the large number of US military surplus left in the city. EAL’s general manager, H. M. “Dutch” Holloway, trekked up to Cairo, where the airline purchased five C-47 aircraft (DC-3s) and recruited five American pilots.
Flights began in early 1946, though they were primarily cargo charters. In order to convince an often skeptical public, the airline initially offered scenic flights over Addis, taking folks into the wild blue yonder to see their houses from the air. Regularly scheduled passenger service began to filter in around the same time, starting with domestic routes. The first international service began in April to Cairo. A trip that previously had taken two days via BOAC and weeks via land now took a mere 10 hours.
At least initially, the trip was still a bit of a chore by today’s standards. Passenger comfort aboard the DC-3 consisted of nothing more than an inward-facing bucket seat along either side of the airplane. Cargo was stored in the middle and could consist of anything from coffee and honey to less pleasant items such as hides or corpses. Seeing the need to compete on international routes, the airline eventually had several of the DC-3s outfitted more appropriately to “luxury class” in the fall of 1946. Surprisingly, DC-3s managed to run international routes as far away as Bombay, India, though its days were numbered on that front.
Growth
While the venerable DC-3 would remain in domestic-route and cargo service to EAL for some forty-odd years, the airplane quickly became outdated for international service. Ethiopian thus picked up three Convair 240s in 1950. The new airplanes were an improvement over the DC-3, at least in that they were pressurized. However, runways had yet to match the needs of the larger airplane. Before infrastructure could be upgraded, JATO bottles were attached to the aircraft to help it become airborne. They continued to be used until a misaligned canister blew a hole into an airframe on takeoff. Thankfully, the aircraft recovered without further incident and without injury to those aboard. Needless to say it was the last hurrah for the JATO practice.
Despite the new aircraft, EAL faced stiff competition both politically and economically, which impeded the airline’s expansion. Near-international cities such as Khartoum and Nairobi were both located within British colonies. None too keen to expand competition in their backyard, British authorities in those places often denied EAL landing rights. When EAL was allowed to land, it was often consigned to utilizing less threatening, secondary airfields that were often miles away from the destination.
On the economic front, the airline began to face increasing competition from other airlines with superior aircraft. EAL quickly transitioned from the Convair to the significantly larger DC-6B Cloudmaster in 1956 (the fleet briefly listed a Super Constellation, but it was written off in a fire). While the larger and luxurious DC-6B boosted efficiency and enabled opening new markets such as Frankfurt, Germany, via Athens and Robertsfield, Liberia, via Khartoum and Accra, it was not enough to stop EAL from a downward financial trend.
The late 50’s also saw the introduction of a dedicated maintenance base in Addis. The facility was initially used to reduce the reliance on overseas maintenance for the airline. Increasingly however the airline would come to rely on the base to provide much needed maintenance service for other airlines in the region. Consequently the facility became an increasing part of revenue.
Jet Age
As the 1960s began, with jet service on international routes increasingly becoming an expectation rather than exception, EAL began to consider purchasing a few of its own. Faced with choosing between the SE-210 Caravelle, Comet 4, and the Boeing 720-B, EAL eventually went with the Boeing. A contract for two airplanes was signed with the Seattle aircraft manufacturer in August of 1960, with delivery set for late 1961.
Unfortunately, however, delivery had to be delayed until 1962. The present airfield in Addis, already questionably sufficient for aircraft such as the DC-6B, was absolutely out of the question for the much larger and heavier Boeing jet. As a result the government commissioned a new airfield, located in the Bole neighborhood of Addis, to be built. Despite being approved in 1957, the airport was barely operational when the first jet landed on December 3, 1962.
The B720 began its service with EAL by flying to Nairobi, later opening up a new route to Madrid in January of 1963. A third jet was added to the fleet in 1964, and with it came service to Rome. Two of the original three 707s wound up being wet-leased to the former Lebanese International Airlines (later MEA); one of which crashed due to storms outside Beirut. Additional 707s were purchased from Boeing in 1967 and 1968 (707-360Cs). The airplanes were initially utilized primarily for cargo due to their capacity to haul four times as much as the DC-6. At around the same time the carrier sold off the Convairs, while picking up six additional DC-3s.
Expansion of the route network increased further with the introduction of four flights a week to Paris in 1971 and to London Heathrow in 1973. Perhaps more noteworthy, Ethiopian was able to secure highly coveted service to previously recluse China. Service began to Shanghai in February of 1972 and later that same year migrated to the capitol, Beijing.
The early jet age for EAL (renamed Ethiopian Airlines in 1965) also brought with it a darker side. Realizing the potential for exposure and profit in air travel, political activists and criminals began the habit of bombing and hijacking airplanes. Ethiopian was no exception. Bombings in Frankfurt and Karachi on the ground damaged aircraft, and the airline faced several hijackings—some successful—all in the course of one year. The airline would later face a devastating hijack attempt in the 1990s that ended in tragedy off the African coast.
As the airline entered the 1970s, the fleet of jets continued to expand. The carrier purchased two 720-024Bs from the former Continental Airlines (now United) with an option to take up to six more. Efforts to expand the mid-range fleet and replace aging B720s were met by the venerable Boeing 727, the first of which was delivered in 1979.
Route expansion continued to grow with weekly service to Kigale (Rwanda) and Kinshasha (DRC) in 1975. A Kilimanjaro route began in 1977, and service to the Gulf region began in 1976 via Abu Dhabi and Bahrain, with Bahrain switching to Dubai in 1979.
Turmoil
While the decade of the ’70s marked notable progress, it was also a time of turmoil for Ethiopia and its airline. In 1974 a military junta known as the Derg began wresting control from the government, eventually succeeding later that year. Beginning in the mid-1970s and continuing through the ’80s, Ethiopia became infamous worldwide for severe drought and famine of epic proportion, with accusations that policies of the Derg were intentionally exacerbating the situation. The country spiraled into civil war for nearly sixteen years as various rebel factions attempted to oust the Derg or break away altogether.
Needless to say, such a situation does not lend itself favorably to tourism, one of the mainstays of the international airline’s success. As if civil war weren’t enough, the government drastically cut back on official international travel and also severely limited tourism. This facet was particularly harmful as it cut revenue out of the generally profitable international routes and cargo, which had been subsidizing less-profitable domestic routes. Additional factors included increased landing fees at home, rising fuel prices due to the energy crisis, several labor revolts resulting in costlier concessions from management, and greater competition from other airlines.
As a result, the airline was forced to raise fares while also trimming service and routes across the board. Domestic operations took the brunt of the hit, resulting in four station closures in one month alone. In a bid to stay solvent, the airline also wet-leased airplanes to several carriers including Saudi, Air India, and Air Algerie. Despite a brief resurgence in solvency in the late 1970s—almost entirely thanks to government contracts—the carrier plugged into enormous successive losses to close out the decade. As 1980 rolled around, the financial situation of the carrier was marked most notably by fuel suppliers threatening to take cash only.
Recovery
Despite the rest of the nation falling apart around it, the ’80s marked a transition back toward profitability and a rebuilt reputation, at least by the airline’s own account. Beginning early in the decade, a new general manager, Cpt. Mohammed Ahmed, began to lift the carrier out of crisis. Major reforms began in earnest, starting with the firing and rehiring of most of the staff.
The financial hemorrhage of the mid-to-late ’70s gave way to profitability once again in the early ’80s, even if due in large part to cash injections from the Ethiopian government. The airline responded by investing in ATR-42s and DC-6-300 Otters to replace the severely aging DC-3 fleet. And the carrier ordered the brand-new Boeing 767 as its flagship.
The first Boeing 767-200 arrived on June 1, 1984, setting a non-stop, twin-engine distance record in the process. The airline took delivery of a second later that year and eventually added another two by the year 2000. Expansion, due in large part to the new widebody, saw fresh routes to Harare, Dakar, and Moscow. The sister of the 767, the Boeing 757, was introduced to the fleet in 1990. Fokker 50s were added to compliment the domestic fleet in 1996.
The carrier began service to the Americas in 1998 with New York and Washington Dulles via Rome, though New York was later dropped. Service expanded the following year to Copenhagen and Maputo.
Meanwhile, the dedicated cargo fleet saw the addition of another 727 in ’81 and two Dash-5 Buffalos. Despite the expansion, it was not until 1989 that cargo operations became their own division. According to the airline, cargo had been previously viewed as a public obligation and service rather than an income generator.
In one of only a handful of tragedies in the history of the airline, flight 961, serviced by a Boeing 767-200ER, was hijacked in 1996. Having run out of fuel, the airplane crash-landed off the Comoros Islands. Vacationing tourists caught the landing on tape (which was played around the world) and assisted in rescuing passengers from the water. Sadly, 125 of the 175 on board did not survive. Prior to 9/11 it was the deadliest hijacking in aviation history and remains the worst incident in the history of the airline.
New Millennium
In 2002 the airline embarked on an aggressive expansion and fleet modernization project. The airline picked up another eleven 767s, though this time all -300s, between 2002 and 2012. Four additional 757s were picked up to compliment the existing fleet. The carrier placed a significant order for Boeing 737NGs as well, acquiring -700s at first, while later receiving 737-800s.
Only three years later in 2005, Ethiopian announced its intent to purchase the new and widely touted Boeing 787 Dreamliner, making it the first carrier on the African continent to do so. Perhaps needless to say, that did not go quite as planned, with the airline only receiving its first in Dreamliner mid-2012. The original delivery had been scheduled for 2008.
Perhaps in response to the delays from Boeing, Ethiopian placed its first Airbus order in 2009 for twelve A350 aircraft. Additionally, it is widely believed that delays on the Dreamliner resulted in Ethiopian acquiring—rather suddenly, given their order date in 2009—five Boeing 777-200LRs, which were delivered beginning in late 2010.
Though the 777 was not the intended 787 Dreamliner, it was nonetheless a welcome addition. The long-range widebody enabled direct, non-stop roundtrip service to Beijing and from Washington Dulles (the outbound flight still stops in Rome). The new flagship aircraft certainly put the carrier’s long-haul offerings on par with competing carriers both African and elsewhere. Deliveries of eight Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft in 2010 bolstered domestic service, enabling the Fokker 50s to be retired from the fleet by the fall of 2011.
Perhaps sadly, the 777’s time as the flagship of Ethiopian was to be the shortest of any aircraft in the history of the fleet: a mere twenty months. The long-awaited Dreamliner was finally delivered, albeit a bit behind schedule, on August 17, 2012.
Plans for the Dreamliner abound. The airline has since deployed the aircraft regularly on routes to Toronto, Dubai, and Frankfurt with plans to add Guangzhou and Johannesburg by the end of 2012. The carrier has also not been shy about plans to expand into South America, possibly to Brazil; though any plans involving the Dreamliner have been on hold since the grounding of the type in January 2013.
But the growth plans do not stop simply at the Dreamliner. As part of its Vision 2025 growth plan, ETH intends to expand the fleet from a current size of roughly 50 aircraft to 120. In addition Ethiopian plans to expand cargo, catering, and maintenance services.
Looking back to its first days in 1946, it would be hard to imagine Ethiopian becoming the African aviation powerhouse it is today. Yet nevertheless the airline managed to continue to grow through obstacles small and large over the years, resulting in the modern fresh carrier we see today. |
Fresh findings in the field of genetics have directly challenged yet another key evolutionary hypothesis by showing that the differences between humans and apes cannot be easily accounted for under the theory of evolution.
A recent 12-page journal article, written by three scientists in Spain and published in Molecular Biology and Evolution, details the results of careful analysis of human and chimpanzee DNA. After comparing and contrasting thousands of orthologous genes from humans and chimps, the scientists found their final data to be very much at odds with evolutionary theory. In fact, they even titled their article “Recombination Rates and Genomic Shuffling in Human and Chimpanzee—A New Twist in the Chromosomal Speciation Theory.”
Why are these findings seen as a “new twist” to the evolutionary theory? In short, because many scientists have claimed that genetic differences between humans and apes can be attributed to a process known as “genetic recombination,” which is a phenomenon that generates slight genetic variation via meiosis. However, this new journal article seriously calls this proposition into question.
In their research, the three Spanish scientists scrutinized differences between human and chimp genes, expecting to find higher genetic recombination rates in these areas of dissimilarity. Even though studies of human-chimp similarities have been conducted in years past, this particular research was unprecedented because the scientists took advantage of new, high-resolution genome maps.
Ultimately, the study results were contradictory to what evolutionists had theorized. Not only were genetic recombination rates markedly low in areas of human-chimp DNA differences (“rearranged” chromosomes), but the rates were much higher in areas of genetic similarity (“collinear” chromosomes). This is the reverse of what evolutionists had predicted.
“The analysis of the most recent human and chimpanzee recombination maps inferred from genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism data,” the scientists explained, “revealed that the standardized recombination rate was significantly lower in rearranged than in collinear chromosomes.”
Jeffrey Tomkins, a Ph.D. geneticist with the Institute for Creation Research (ICR), told the Christian News Network that these results were “totally backwards” from what evolutionists had predicted, since genetic recombination is “not occurring where it’s supposed to” under current evolutionary theory.
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Dr. Tomkins further emphasized that evolutionists greatly exaggerate the genetic similarities between humans and chimps, and often ignore areas of DNA where major differences do exist.
“It’s called cherry-picking the data,” he explained. “There are many genetic regions between humans and chimps that are radically different. In fact, humans have many sections of DNA that are missing in chimps and vice versa. Recent research is now showing that the genomes are only 70% similar overall.”
This is not the first time scientists have questioned evolutionists’ assertions regarding humans’ and chimps’ similarities. David DeWitt, a biochemist and Ph.D. neuroscientist, reiterated in an article for Answers in Genesis that evolutionary scientists commonly underestimate the genetic dissimilarities between humans and apes by significant margins. And even relatively small percentage differences equate to formidable genetic discrepancies.
“If 5% of the DNA [between humans and apes] is different,” Dr. DeWitt points out, “this amounts to 150,000,000 DNA base pairs that are different between them!”
Ultimately, Dr. Tomkins concluded, genetic evidence is once again stacking up against evolutionary scientists, forcing them to revise their theories.
“Evolutionists are having a lot of problems dealing with current studies in DNA research,” he stated. “Their predictions based on their naturalistic presuppositions are consistently being overturned by scientific discovery. Because they cannot accept the idea of a Creator, they simply change their theory to adapt. The only thing that appears to be evolving is ‘evolution,’ and it’s becoming more and more absurd.” |
Texas Republican Joe Barton provokes anger and ridicule over his apology to BP for its treatment by the US government
At the congressional hearing on the tragic Gulf of Mexico oil spill, it was BP chief executive Tony Hayward who was expected to be savaged. But it was one of Hayward's inquisitors, Republican congressman Joe Barton, who ended the day fighting to save his own career after making a bizarre "apology" to BP that he was later forced to retract by his own party.
A member of the committee that was questioning Hayward over BP's failures in the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion and disastrous oil leak, Barton apology made him a laughing stock – and provided a welcome PR gift to President Obama and the Democratic party after weeks of criticism.
In his opening statement, the Texas representative began by apologising to BP for government pressure that led to BP paying $20bn into a special fund to compensate victims of the oil spill:
"I'm ashamed of what happened in the White House yesterday. I think it is a tragedy in the first proportion, that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown – in this case a $20bn shakedown."
Continuing, Barton said:
"I'm only speaking for myself. I'm not speaking for anyone else, but I apologise. I do not want to live in a county where anytime a citizen or a corporation does something that is legitimately wrong, it is subject to some sort of political pressure that is, again, in my words, amounts to a shakedown. So I apologise."
The surprise at Barton's remarks was heightened after it was revealed the Texas congressman – who once worked as an oilfield engineer – has has received nearly $150,000 in donations from an oil company, Anadarko Petroleum, which is a partner with BP in the Gulf oilfield.
The White House was quick to seize on Barton's comments. Vice President Joe Biden called Barton's apology "incredibly insensitive, incredibly out of touch," while White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said: "It's hard to tell what planet these people live on."
Republicans with districts bordering on the Gulf publicly denounced Barton. "I condemn Mr Barton's statement. Mr Barton's remarks are out of touch with this tragedy," said Republican Jeff Miller, who represents Pensacola in Florida, which has been hit by the effects of the spill.
According to the Daily Caller, Barton was summoned to a meeting with Republican leaders John Boehner and whip Eric Cantor, and told: "'Apologise, immediately. Or you will lose your position, immediately."
Earlier, Boehner and Cantor had taken the unusual step of issuing a statement criticising Barton, which said bluntly: "Congressman Barton's statements this morning were wrong."
As the wave of attacks mounted, Barton returned to the Hayward hearing and told the committee: "If anything I've said this morning has been misconstrued ... I want to apologize for that ... misconstruction." The White House's Gibbs immediately tweeted: "MICONSTRUCTED?!"
Barton's office then rushed out a further statement that "retracted" his original apology to BP:
"I apologise for using the term 'shakedown' with regard to yesterday's actions at the White House in my opening statement this morning, and I retract my apology to BP... I regret the impact that my statement this morning implied that BP should not pay for the consequences of their decisions and actions in this incident."
His apology for the apology came too late to shield Barton from the inevitable ridicule that followed, with one website – joebartonwouldliketoapologize.com – springing up offering further apologies for various historical events, including an apology to Germany over the first world war. |
The music creation and distribution is highly dependent on the labels. Labels helps us to discover new artist, they help artist to reach audience and basically connect creators with the audience. It is time to share “the best” labels for psybient, psychill, ambient, psydub, downtempo music, selected by our community.
We would appreciate if you share this page with the results over the internet in order to promote the “winners” and our poll, we hope to have more participants and more accurate results.
Deepest gratitude to all the labels below and special thanks to Ektoplazm for distributing an incredible amount of music.
For next few weeks we will regularly publish new “best of” posts, each one dedicated to a poll nomination. You are welcome to visit our home page regularly and visit our forum if you wish to discuss results.
Label of the year 2015 (psybient, psychill, ambient, psydub, downtempo):
First four positions are not changed from 2014 poll.
1. Altar Records
2. Ultimae Records
3. Merkaba Music
4. Shanti Planti
5. Interchill Records
6. Iboga Records
7. Mystic Sound Records
8. Microcosmos Records
9. Desert Trax
10. Cosmicleaf Records
11. Mycelium Music
12. Street Ritual
13. Addictech Records
Gravitas Recordings
14.
Blue Tunes Chillout
Dubmission Records
Luminus Music
Nutek Chill
Visionary Shamanics Records
15.
Chillage Records
Uxmal Records
16. Plusquam Chillout
17.
Blue Tunes Records
Tympanik Audio
18.
Bass Star Records
Cyan Music
Masala Records
Mindspring Music
n5MD
Virtual
19.
Section Records
Spotted Peccary Music
Txt Recordings
20.
Audio Aashram Music
Carpe Sonum Records
Cold Tear Records
Earth City Recordz
Loci Records
Plexus Music
Sparkwood Records
Svaha Sound Label
Tunguska Electronic Music Society
Also have a look at out complete labels listing. |
The Moscow Commercial Court has upheld a claim of the Russian Ministry of Culture and the Russian State Library, ordering the United States return seven books from the collection of Yosef Yitzchok Schneerson to Russia, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported from the courtroom.
MOSCOW, May 22 (RIA Novosti) – The Moscow Commercial Court has upheld a claim of the Russian Ministry of Culture and the Russian State Library, ordering the United States return seven books from the collection of Yosef Yitzchok Schneerson to Russia, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported from the courtroom.
At the request of the plaintiffs, the court also awarded $50,000 for each day of non-compliance to the order. The decision of the court has not yet entered into force, and may be appealed.
The defendants were properly served summons, but did not attend the court session Thursday.
Seven books from the prominent and rare Judaic Schneerson Library were given to the US in 1994 for temporary use under conditions of the International Library Subscription system. They were to be returned upon request, the plaintiff's representative said at the hearing. In March 2013, the Russian State Library filed a claim for the return of books, but they were not returned. The books are now in the hands of the non-profit organization Agudas Chasidei Habad.
Library of Congress Director of Communications Gale Osterberg commented on the news of the lawsuit, maintaining that the Library of Congress had not committed any violations in relation to the books.
The Sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn was expelled from the USSR in 1927. He moved his collection of books to Poland, where they remained after the invasion of Nazi Germany. In 1945, the collection was taken by the Red Army. In 1950, Schneersohn died, leaving no orders regarding his collection.
The US Court for the District of Columbia earlier ordered the Russian government to pay $50,000 a day before the date of return of the Schneerson library to the American Hasidims. |
UNITED NATIONS United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday met Saudi Arabia's powerful deputy crown prince, who remarked that he was not angry with the U.N. chief for briefly blacklisting a Saudi-led coalition for killing children in Yemen.
Mohammed bin Salman is in New York this week, mainly for meetings with business leaders, after a visit to Washington and the U.S. West Coast.
Earlier this month the Saudis threatened the United Nations with retaliation, including massive funding cuts for Palestinian aid and other programs, if it did not remove the Saudi-led Yemen coalition from a list of countries that maim and kill children during armed conflicts, U.N. officials said.
Ban then withdrew the Saudis from the list pending a review of cases the U.N. had analysed, though he publicly criticized the Saudi pressure on him.
On his way into the meeting, Salman was asked if he was still angry with Ban over the blacklisting.
"I'm not angry," he said.
Salman, who is also the kingdom's defence minister, did not answer questions when he left the meeting. It was not clear what was said, though one diplomatic source told Reuters without any detail that the meeting "went well."
Salman kept Ban waiting for 45 minutes before arriving with his advisers and security detail. Also scheduled to attend the meeting was Leila Zerrougui, the U.N. special representative on children and armed conflict who originally decided to blacklist the Saudi-led coalition.
Zerrougui had vehemently opposed Ban's decision to remove the Saudis from the blacklist, despite Saudi threats that the United Nations could face a fatwa declaring it anti-Muslim, U.N. diplomatic sources said.
A fatwa is a legal opinion used in Sharia, or Islamic law. In Saudi Arabia fatwas can only be issued by the group of top, government-appointed clerics and are sometimes commissioned by the ruling family to back up its political positions.
The Saudis have denied pressuring Ban, though they said the U.N. report was inaccurate.
The U.N. report on children and armed conflict said the coalition, which began an air campaign in March 2015 to defeat Iran-allied Houthi rebels, was responsible for killing 510 children and wounding 667, or 60 percent of such deaths and injuries in the conflict last year.
The coalition's removal from the blacklist prompted angry reactions from human rights groups, which said that Ban, in the final year of his second term, risked harming his legacy as U.N. chief.
(Reporting by Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
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If asked who gave birth to the modern scientific method, how might you respond? Isaac Newton, maybe? Galileo? Aristotle?
A great many students of science history would probably respond, "Roger Bacon." An English scholar and friar, and a 13th century pioneer in the field of optics, he described, in exquisite detail, a repeating cycle of observation, hypothesis, and experimentation in his writings, as well as the need for independent verification of his work.
But dig a little deeper into the past, and you'll unearth something that may surprise you: The origins of the scientific method hearken back to the Islamic World, not the Western one. Around 250 years before Roger Bacon expounded on the need for experimental confirmation of his findings, an Arab scientist named Ibn al-Haytham was saying the exact same thing.
Little is known about Ibn al-Haytham's life, but historians believe he was born around the year 965, during a period marked as the Golden Age of Arabic science. His father was a civil servant, so the young Ibn al-Haytham received a strong education, which assuredly seeded his passion for science. He was also a devout Muslim, believing that an endless quest for truth about the natural world brought him closer to God. Sometime around the dawn of the 11th Century, he moved to Cairo in Egypt. It was here that he would complete his most influential work.
The prevailing wisdom at the time was that we saw what our eyes, themselves, illuminated. Supported by revered thinkers like Euclid and Ptolemy, emission theory stated that sight worked because our eyes emitted rays of light -- like flashlights. But this didn't make sense to Ibn al-Haytham. If light comes from our eyes, why, he wondered, is it painful to look at the sun? This simple realization catapulted him into researching the behavior and properties of light: optics.
In 1011, Ibn al-Haytham was placed under house arrest by a powerful caliph in Cairo. Though unwelcome, the seclusion was just what he needed to explore the nature of light. Over the next decade, Ibn al-Haytham proved that light only travels in straight lines, explained how mirrors work, and argued that light rays can bend when moving through different mediums, like water, for example.
But Ibn al-Haytham wasn't satisfied with elucidating these theories only to himself, he wanted others to see what he had done. The years of solitary work culminated in his Book of Optics, which expounded just as much upon his methods as it did his actual ideas. Anyone who read the book would have instructions on how to repeat every single one of Ibn al-Haytham's experiments.
"His message is, 'Don’t take my word for it. See for yourself,'" Jim Al-Khalili, a professor of theoretical physics at the University of Surrey noted in a BBC4 Special.
"This, for me, is the moment that Science, itself is summoned into existence and becomes a discipline in its own right," he added.
Apart from being one of the first to operate on the scientific method, Ibn al-Haytham was also a progenitor of critical thinking and skepticism.
"The duty of the man who investigates the writings of scientists, if learning the truth is his goal, is to make himself an enemy of all that he reads, and... attack it from every side," he wrote. "He should also suspect himself as he performs his critical examination of it, so that he may avoid falling into either prejudice or leniency."
It is the nature of the scientific enterprise to creep ahead, slowly but surely. In the same way, the scientific method that guides it was not birthed in a grand eureka moment, but slowly tinkered with and notched together over generations, until it resembled the machine of discovery that we use today. Ibn al-Haytham may very well have been the first to lay out the cogs and gears. Hundreds of years later, other great thinkers would assemble them into a finished product.
(Image: Wikimedia Commons) |
© The Balance
If an economic collapse occurs, it would happen quickly. No one would predict it. The surprise factor is, itself, one of the causes of a collapse. The signs of imminent failure are difficult for most people to see.
Most recently, the U.S. economy almost collapsed on September 17, 2008. That's the day the Reserve Primary Fund broke the buck. Panicked investors withdrew a record $140 billion from money market accounts where businesses keep cash to fund day-to-day operations. If withdrawals had gone on for even a week, the entire economy would have halted. That meant trucks would stop rolling, grocery stores would run out of food, and businesses would shut down. That's how close the U.S. economy came to a real collapse, and how vulnerable it is to another one.
If you want to understand what life is like during a collapse, talk to people who lived through the Great Depression. The stock market collapsed on Black Thursday. By the following Tuesday, it was down 25 percent. Many investors lost their life savings that weekend. The Dow didn't recover until 1954.
What Would Happen in an Economic Collapse
If the economy collapses, you would lose access to credit. Banks would close. Demand would outstrip supply of food, gas, and other necessities. If the collapse affected local governments and utilities, then water and electricity would no longer be available. As people panic, they would revert to survival and self-defense modes. The economy would return to a traditional economy, where those who grow food barter for other services.
A U.S. economic collapse would create global panic. Demand for the dollar and U.S. Treasurys would plummet. Interest rates would skyrocket. Investors would rush to other currencies, such as the yuan, euro, or even gold. It would create not just inflation, but hyperinflation, as the dollar became dirt cheap.
How Close Are We to a Total Economic Collapse?
Any of the following seven scenarios could create an economic collapse.
If the U.S. dollar rapidly loses value, it would create hyperinflation. A bank run could force banks to close or even go out of business, cutting off lending and even cash withdrawals. The internet could become paralyzed with a super-virus, preventing emails and online transactions. Terrorist attacks or a massive oil embargo could halt interstate trucking. Grocery stores would soon run out of food. Widespread violence erupts across the nation. That could range from inner-city riots, a civil war, or a foreign military attack. It's possible that a combination of these events could overwhelm the government's ability to prevent or respond to a collapse.
Some believe the Federal Reserve, the president, or an international conspiracy are driving the United States toward economic ruin. If that's the case, the economy could collapse in as little as a week. The economy is run on confidence that debts will be repaid, food and gas will be available when you need it, and that you'll get paid for this week's work. If a large enough piece of that stops for even several days, it creates a chain reaction that leads to a rapid collapse. Natural disasters could cause a localized collapse. If Hurricane Irma had hit Miami, its damage would have been worse than Katrina. If the 2019 polar vortex breakup had lasted weeks instead of days, cities would have shut down. Many of these extreme weather events are getting worse thanks to global warming.
Collapse Versus Crisis
Be very clear that an economic crisis is not the same as an economic collapse. As painful as it was, the 2008 financial crisis was not a collapse. Millions of people lost jobs and homes, but basic services were still provided.
Other past financial crises seemed like a collapse at the time, but are barely remembered now. Here are some these past economic crunches:
1970s Stagflation – The OPEC oil embargo and President Richard Nixon’s abolishment of the gold standard triggered double-digit inflation. The government responded to this economic downturn by freezing wages and labor rates to curb inflation. The result was a high unemployment rate. Businesses, hampered by low prices, could not afford to keep workers at unprofitable wage rates.
1981 Recession – The Fed raised interest rates to end the double-digit inflation. That created the worst recession since the Great Depression. President Ronald Reagan had to cut taxes and increase government spending to end it.
1989 Savings and Loan Crisis – One thousand banks closed after illegal real estate investments turned sour. Charles Keating and the other S&L bankers had used bank depositor’s funds .The consequent recession triggered an unemployment rate as high as 7.8 percent. The government was forced to bail out some banks to the tune of $126 billion, an addition to the U.S. national debt.
Recession after the 9/11 Attacks – Four terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 sowed nationwide apprehension and prolonged the 2001 recession until 2003. America’s response, the War on Terror, added $2 trillion to the already burgeoning national debt.
2008 Financial Crisis – The early warning signs were rapidly falling housing prices and increasing mortgage defaults in 2006. Left untended, the resulting subprime mortgage crisis, which panicked investors and led to massive bank withdrawals, spread like wildfire across the financial community. The U.S. government had no choice but to bail out “too big to fail” banks and insurance companies, like Bear Stearns and AIG, or face both national and global financial catastrophes.
Will the U.S Economy Collapse?
The U.S. economy's size makes it resilient. It is highly unlikely that even these events could create a collapse. When necessary, the government can act quickly to avoid a total collapse.
The Federal Reserve can avoid a financial collapse with a few phone calls. For example, it can use its contractionary monetary tools to tame hyperinflation. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insures banks. There is little chance of a banking collapse similar to that in the 1930s.
The president can release Strategic Oil Reserves to offset an oil embargo. Homeland Security can address a cyber threat. The U.S. military can respond to a terrorist attack, transportation stoppage, or rioting/civil war. In other words, most federal government programs are designed to prevent just such an economic collapse.
How to Prepare for an Economic Collapse
Protecting yourself from a collapse is difficult. A catastrophic failure can happen without warning. In most crises, people survive through their knowledge, wits, and by helping each other.
Here are six steps you can take now to prepare for a potential collapse.
Make sure you understand basic economic concepts so you can see warning signs of instability. One of the first signs is a stock market crash. If it's bad enough, a market crash can cause a recession. Keep as many assets as liquid as possible so that you can withdraw them within a week. As for cash, it may not be useful in a total economic collapse because its value might be decimated. Stockpiles of gold bullion may not help because they would be difficult to transport if you needed to move quickly. In a severe collapse, they may not be accepted as currency. But it would be good to have a stash of $20 bills and gold coins, just in case. During many crisis situations, these are commonly accepted as bribes. |
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
As good as Colin Kaepernick was in the San Francisco 49ers' win over the Chicago Bears, Alex Smith is the 49ers' starting quarterback and should remain so for the rest of the 2012 NFL season.
Don't get me wrong, Kaepernick was fantastic against an elite defense. He was active as both a passer and as a mobile quarterback outside of the pocket. He wasn't content just to run for first downs, but hit seven different receivers en route to nearly 250 yards passing, two touchdowns, no turnovers (against the Bears!) and a passer rating of 133.1.
The problem for Kaepernick is that Smith didn't do anything to lose his job. While the 49ers have had some missteps this season—most notably a loss to the Minnesota Vikings and a tie against the St. Louis Rams)—Smith has overplayed any projection people had for him. He even surpassed my lofty expectations from July.
Now, Alex Smith (statistically speaking) has improved from 2011, his best season as a pro, and the 49ers have the second best record in the NFL. With the Bears' loss and the Texans' scare against Jacksonville, it could be argued that no team is playing better than the Niners right now.
It's extremely important not to get caught up in the moment following Kaepernick's impressive showing. Surprisingly enough, Jim Harbaugh did just that after he was asked about the brewing quarterback controversy last night:
49ers HC Jim Harbaugh on QB situation: “I usually tend to go with the guy that has the hot hand and we have two that have a hot hand.” — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 20, 2012
The problem with "go[ing] with the guy that has the hot hand" is that NFL practices (both in season and during the offseason) are growing more and more restricted. There is less time for backup quarterbacks to prepare for the season, gain chemistry with their receivers and drill plays.
Last night was just that—one night. If a playoff-bound team wants to make a quarterback change, it needs to make those decisions in early February, not in November. The worst thing possible for the 49ers is trotting Kaepernick out there and having his "hot hand" cool off.
A split locker room would doom the 49ers. "Team Alex" and "Team Colin" would be as lost and hopeless as all the Twilight fans who helped inspire the "Team [Name]" meme.
This is one team. This is the San Francisco 49ers. And in 2012, this is Alex Smith's team. Inserting Kaepernick into that equation after one good game could have disastrous consequences. It would be a knee-jerk reaction for a team that is building toward greatness.
Don't misunderstand this as a screed against Kaepernick. Oh, I'm a fan—always have been. As a former college coaching assistant, I watched a lot of Nevada as my offense prepared to run Pistol sets like the ones Kaepernick mastered in college. Sure, he ran a niche offense in a small conference, but his athleticism and poise were evident.
At the Senior Bowl, Kaepernick wowed scouts with muscle definition that had been hidden under his Wolfpack jersey. He wasn't just tall and lanky, he was built like a mixed martial artist and played with similar toughness. Covering the event for Rotoworld, I wrote:
"At practice, Kaepernick was spotty, but threw the ball as well as anyone and drew buzz from several team scouts. Currently a mid-round prospect, Kaepernick could rise quickly in this class."
Selfishly, I'd love for Kaepernick to take the reins and lead the 49ers to the promised land. Quite honestly, I believe he will...one day.
Alex Smith is 28, entering his prime and should have plenty of football ahead of him now that the carousel of offensive coordinators and new schemes has finally halted. He just signed a three-year deal, but is easily cut with only $9 million guaranteed and a $1 million roster bonus due in March.
If he falters, he would still garner plenty of interest from the many teams that need quarterback help. Even better, it's a year where the draft doesn't look to be of much help in that regard.
On the other hand, If Smith finishes the season well, Kaepernick isn't going anywhere until 2015—when Smith is 31. His one game against the Bears would put him in Matt Flynn-like territory and the 49ers could shop him around on that same quarterback-friendly market.
Of course, the same could be equally true if Kaepernick finishes the season on a run, but that route hardly seems worth going down unless coaches are convinced—absolutely 100 percent, unequivocally convinced—that he is the better player.
If coaches were convinced of that, what has kept him from starting all along?
Again, this is Smith's team. He gives the Niners the better chance to win right now and he gives them the better chance to win in January.
The direction here is clear. Kaepernick is the 49ers' quarterback of the future. He proved pretty conclusively on Monday night. However, Smith—both this year and last—has earned the right to be the 49ers' quarterback of the present.
Michael Schottey is the NFL National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. Find more of his stuff alongside other great writers at "The Go Route."
Follow @Schottey |
An Ottawa school choir's song billed on social media as a welcome to Syrian refugees coming to Canada has garnered widespread attention including praise from the Prime Minister.
The song was under the title "Welcome to Canada Syrian Refugees."
According to the YouTube post, it was a historical song that was sung to the Prophet Muhammad when he sought refuge from Mecca to Medina.
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The song, performed by students from De La Salle secondary school, 11 Ottawa-area elementary schools and a Kingston elementary school, had been viewed nearly 700,000 times since it was posted Dec. 11, including by Justin Trudeau.
"WATCH: Ottawa high school students sing a traditional Arabic welcome song. Well done De La Salle," Trudeau tweeted on Sunday.
Choir director Robert Filion said the song was an attempt at fostering diversity and cultural inclusion and was not originally meant as a welcome for Syrian refugees – more than 300 of whom have arrived by Canadian government planes since Friday.
The video post has also received widespread Canadian media attention and was even picked up by a Turkish news agency.
"It's very surprising," said Filion about all the attention the song has received since it was posted on Friday.
"This has taken on a life of its own," he said. "We're really happy that's going on."
Filion hasn't had a chance to hear from the students about what they think of all the media and online attention, but he expects to.
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"I can just imagine what it is going to be like [Monday]," he said. |
Careful readers may have noticed that, while many papers carry this column on their opinion pages, it is not an especially opinionated column. That’s because the columnist sees his mission as being to inform, not persuade.
But there is one exception, which bears examination. The columnist, who works for a nonprofit investigative reporting center, is also the elected president of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, which seeks to protect access to public meetings and records. Its sponsoring members include the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, Wisconsin Broadcasters Association and Wisconsin Associated Press.
In this capacity, the columnist has taken stands for and against legislation that affects these vital areas, including testifying at public hearings. That’s something his readers have a right to know.
The columnist is comfortable with this dual mission, which is enshrined in the Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists. The code instructs members of the profession to avoid conflict but “recognize a special obligation to ensure that the public’s business is conducted in the open and that government records are open to inspection.”
Indeed, as part of national Sunshine Week, March 16-22, the columnist wants to reflect on the importance of journalists and others being more than mere spectators in the tug of war that perpetually plays out over these issues.
The two-year legislative session now drawing to a close has included attempts to impose new fees on records requesters, seal off records of university research, and purge information from the state’s online court records system. All were opposed by advocates of open government, including said columnist.
These are all battles against bad ideas, not bad people. The lawmakers behind these bills are trying to do the right thing, often unmindful of the downside of what they propose.
For instance, it’s not wrong to care about the costs government officials incur responding to records requests. But letting these officials impose huge additional fees would allow them to rebuff requests in critical situations — those in which they have something to hide.
Blowback from openness advocates was key to putting this idea on ice, at least for now.
Now consider the latest bill to gut the court’s online records system, commonly called CCAP. It calls for removing criminal and civil forfeiture cases that are dismissed, lead to not guilty verdicts or are overturned on appeal.
What’s wrong with that? Why should the public see rejected charges or fines?
Because these things happen in the court system they pay for. Under the proposed changes, the website would give an incomplete and distorted view.
For example, it would not show the full array of criminal charges against former state Sens. Brian Burke and Chuck Chvala, just the counts they were convicted of or were read in for purposes of sentencing.
It would not show that Radcliffe Haughton was charged with criminal disorderly conduct in 2011, which was dismissed because “an essential witness has failed to appear.” The following year Haughton killed three people and wounded four more in a shooting spree in Brookfield.
Also disappearing would be all those dismissed citations issued to protesters at the state Capitol. Do the Republicans who back this bill favor that?
The bill, if passed, would turn the site into a listing of the guilty and give every prosecutor a 100 percent conviction rate, as only those charges would appear.
The bill, which passed a Senate committee on a 5-0 vote, is opposed by Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, the director of state courts, the Wisconsin Clerks of Circuit Court Association, and the Freedom of Information Council, among others.
Council members, including its president, reject the bill’s presumption that the people of Wisconsin are not smart enough or decent enough to make responsible judgments about cases in which charges are dismissed or a defendant has been found not guilty.
We think the people of Wisconsin deserve more credit than that. But that’s just our opinion. |
When Property Rights, Environmental Laws Collide
The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments Monday in a case near and dear to EPA haters.
It would seem to be a David-and-Goliath case that pits a middle-class American couple trying to build their dream home against the Environmental Protection Agency. But the couple, Michael and Chantell Sackett, is backed by a veritable who's who in American mining, oil, utilities, manufacturing and real estate development, as well as groups opposed to government regulation.
On one side of the kaleidoscope, this is a case of bureaucratic power run amok. On the other side, it is a trumped-up case aimed at eviscerating the EPA's regulatory powers.
A Dispute Over The Facts
The story begins in 2005 when Chantell and Mike Sackett bought two-thirds of an acre of land for $23,000, located about 500 feet from scenic Priest Lake, Idaho. The lake is a 19-mile stretch of clear water fed by mountain streams and bordered by state and national parkland, with a shoreline dotted with houses, resorts and marinas.
The Sacketts, who own a small excavation company, broke ground on their planned three-bedroom house in 2007. Three days after they began clearing the property and adding fill, the EPA acted on a complaint.
"Three agents showed up and told the worker there to stop work, and that they wanted to see his permit for filling in wetlands," says Chantell Sackett.
She says the couple had done their due diligence to get building permits and that since other houses are nearby, the pair had no idea they needed a permit from the EPA.
That is about where any agreement on the facts in this case ends.
The Sacketts contend their property is not wetlands, and thus that no permit is required under the Clean Water Act.
We've had a hydrologist, a soil [specialist] and a wetlands expert come, and they did their tests, and they know it's not a wetland. But it doesn't matter to the EPA.
"The EPA hasn't even come to the property and done tests," says Chantell Sackett. "We have. ... We've had a hydrologist, a soil [specialist] and a wetlands expert come, and they did their tests, and they know it's not a wetland. But it doesn't matter to the EPA. They just want to be able to say, 'Nope, we're going to now regulate that property, and you can't do anything with it, and if you do, we're going to throw you in jail.' "
The EPA isn't commenting on the case. But environmental groups, after obtaining records under the Freedom of Information Act, have filed a brief in the case with a different version of the facts.
"What they got back from their own expert was, 'Yes, in fact, you have wetlands on your property,' " says Larry Levine, a lawyer with the Natural Resources Defense Council. The expert, says Levine, advised the Sacketts "to hold off on doing anything further until you get things settled with the government."
The Sacketts say that obtaining a permit would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, but Levine says there are several ways that individuals like the Sacketts, who have a small project, can easily and cheaply obtain a permit.
What [the Sacketts] got back from their own expert was, 'Yes, in fact, you have wetlands on your property.'
Seven months after the EPA notified the Sacketts that they were illegally filling wetlands, the agency sent the couple a document known as an administrative compliance order. The EPA ordered the couple to remove the fill and restore the wetlands, and noted that they could be subject to fines levied by a federal court. Six months later, the Sacketts filed suit to challenge the compliance order. Two federal courts threw the case out, saying that the order did not itself seek enforcement or penalties and was not a final judgment against the couple.
And that is the heart of this case. Every appeals court in the nation that has ruled on the issue has reached the same conclusion. They have all said that at this stage of a permit dispute, there is nothing to review since the government has not sought enforcement of its order, much less proved a violation of the Clean Water Act in court. Nor has any fine been imposed.
Indeed, the government says it views a compliance order as a warning, noting that this one invited the Sacketts to come in to discuss the dispute and seek resolution.
Property Rights And Anti-Pollution Laws
That characterization is hotly disputed by Damien Schiff of the conservative Pacific Legal Foundation, who is representing the Sacketts free of charge.
"This compliance order is not just a 'please don't fill in the wetlands' letter," Schiff says. "It is an order backed by the power of the federal government that says, 'If you do not comply immediately with this, you will be on the hook for significant civil liability.' "
Schiff notes that the potential fines here could amount to as much as $37,000 a day.
"When the government says you cannot build on your property, that's clearly an infringement of their property rights, of their liberties, and that requires that they have their day in court before the government can force them to do that," Schiff says.
The government agrees that citizens are entitled to a hearing before they can be barred from building on their property — the question is when. At this point, the EPA contends that there is nothing to have a hearing about since no enforcement action has been taken.
Environmental groups fear that a Sackett win would allow major polluters to tie up the EPA in litigation, preventing meaningful enforcement of anti-pollution laws. They also point to similar provisions in other health and safety statutes. Congress, they argue, intended compliance orders and the threat of big fines to force violators to change their ways, and they say that both the EPA and the courts have treated small violators far more benignly than the big polluters who are the major targets of the law.
That is no solace to Mike Sackett.
"It makes you really question how the system works," he says. "You pay taxes to be punished by the same government that you're paying your taxes to, and when they punish people, they do it without any accountability."
A decision in the case is expected later this year. |
National award ceremony to be hosted in Regina and Moose Jaw
The Juno Awards, those things that Justin Bieber always wins, have announced their nominees for their 2013 ceremony, which will be hosted by Regina and Moose Jaw from April 15 – 21.
As always, there are few surprises with these types of awards – Carly Rae Jepsen and Celine Dion being nominated isn’t really news so much as a formality.
However, there are usually a few artists whose inclusion is somewhat interesting, given the crowd they are lumped with – this would include The Barr Brothers, Purity Ring, Afie Jurvanen aka Bahamas and Claire Boucher aka Grimes.
As for prairies-folk, local rock-herders The Sheepdogs picked up multiple nominations including Group of the Year, Rock Album of The Year and Single of the Year for “The Way It Is”.
Prince Albert’s Donny Parenteau was nominated for Aboriginal Album of the Year and Colin James was nominated for Blues Album of the Year.
Woo!
Also, it should go without saying that the Juno Awards is pretty much a huge party where music and liquor run freely and everyone gets excited about everything.
Anyone else remember Saskatoon circa 2007? |
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Beth Alexander - JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) -- A viewer sent WJTV a picture of a pothole that you have to see to believe.
The pothole is seemingly celebrating a milestone.
It looks like a birthday celebration at the corner of Riverside Drive and Devine Street in Belhaven.
There are balloons and a sign.
But, gifts aren't required.
The birthday is for a pothole.
This one started about 16 months ago and then it's too little brother started about a year ago.
The elaborate poster covering a caution sign reads "Happy Birthday Pothole and 'I've been here for over a year'.
"Maybe call attention to it. Because after 14 calls to 311, I thought it was time to do something different."
The guy behind the eye-catching display is Eddie Prosser.
It is right in the middle the road and it's a residential area and cars parked on both sides of the street so it's difficult to come into or out of the street without almost hitting someone.
Posser believes he has a good sense of humor.
"I do. I do find our problems in the city of Jackson serious but at the same time just one small pothole. When they fix the potholes just a block away it wouldn't of taken another 10 minutes," said Prosser.
Prosser says the city got back to him once saying they'd check on the pothole.
Still, nothing has been done.
WJTV has contacted the City of Jackson to see when the pothole might be fixed.
At this time, they have not heard back from them. |
Episodes will be downloaded online
Forty episodes of the popular motoring show will be available on a dedicated Gran Turismo TV channel accessed via the PlayStation 3's online network.
Gran Turismo is the world's most popular racing video game series, with more than 47 million copies sold.
The test track used by Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond will be recreated inside GT5.
Virtual drivers will be able to race the hundreds of cars licensed inside the game around the track featured in the show.
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is due for release in 2008. GT TV will also feature news and features about the motoring world.
"We're sure that players will be as thrilled as we are when they get the chance to put their own driving skills to the test on the Top Gear Test Track in GT5, as well as enjoying classic episodes of Top Gear via GT TV," said Kazunori Yamauchi, president of the game's developers Polyphony Digital, in a statement.
Simon Danker, director of digital media at BBC Worldwide said: "We're thrilled to make Top Gear accessible to Gran Turismo gamers." |
Some of the best ultralight backpacking gear on the market is not made by the big gear companies (and it isn’t even available in most stores).
It comes from small, hiker-owned businesses who design, manufacture and sell their own gear on the internet and at small shows and hiker gatherings.
These “cottage industry” gear smiths are responsible for most of the innovative new ideas that have fueled the ultralight backpacking revolution (from tarp-tents to one-pound packs and more).
AntiGravityGear
www.antigravitygear.com – Lightweight shelters, cook systems, accessories and more.
Appalachian Ultralight
www.appalachianultralight.com – Ultralight backpacks.
Bear Paw Wilderness Designs
www.bearpawwd.com – Lightweight shelters and accessories.
Big Sky International
www.bigskyinternational.com – Ultralight freestanding shelters.
Black Rock Gear
www.blackrockgear.com – Ultralight down hats, vests, gloves and apparel.
Brasslite Backpacking Stoves
www.brasslite.com – Lightweight alcohol stoves.
Bushbuddy
www.bushbuddy.ca – Ultralight wood burning stoves.
Cooke Custom Sewing
www.cookecustomsewing.com – Silnylon tarps, packs and other gear.
Dirty Girl Gaiters
www.dirtygirlgaiters.com – Colorful lightweight gaiters.
DIY Gear Supply
www.diygearsupply.com – Materials and fabrics for building your own lightweight gear.
Elemental Horizons
www.elementalhorizons.com – Lightweight backpacks and accessories.
Enlightened Equipment
www.enlightenedequipment.com – Ultralight sleeping quilts.
Equinox LTD
www.equinoxltd.com – Ultralight packs, shelters, accessories and more.
Feathered Friends
www.featheredfriends.com – Ultralight down sleeping bags and clothing.
Flat Cat Gear
www.flatcatgear.com – Ultralight stoves and baking systems.
Four Dog Stoves
www.fourdog.com – Ultralight multi-fuel stoves and cookware.
Gossamer Gear
www.gossamergear.com – Ultralight backpacks, shelters, sleep systems & more.
Goosefeet Gear
www.goosefeetgear.com – Down booties and apparel.
Hammock Gear
www.hammockgear.com – Lightweight hammock tarps, quilts and accessories.
Hennessy Hammock
www.hennessyhammock.com – Lightweight hammock shelters.
Hyperlite Mountain Gear
www.hyperlitemountaingear.com – Ultralight cuben fiber backpacks, shelters and accessories.
Integral Designs
www.integraldesigns.com – Lightweight shelters, bivys and accessories.
Jacks R Better
www.jacksrbetter.com – Ultralight sleeping quilts, shelters and accessories.
Katabatic Gear
www.katabaticgear.com – Ultralight sleeping quits and bivys.
Lawson Outdoor Equipment
www.lawsonequipment.com – Lightweight shelter kits, fabrics and accessories.
LightHeart Gear
www.lightheartgear.com – Ultralight double-wall shelters, fabrics and accessories.
LW Gear
www.lwgear.com – Lightweight backpacks, DVDs, books and videos.
McHale Alpine Packs
www.mchalepacks.com – Custom fitted ultralight backpacks.
Moonbow Gear
www.moonbowgear.com – Modular pack systems, shelters and other unique gear.
Nunatak
www.nunatakusa.com – Ultralight sleeping quilts and down apparel.
Mountain Laurel Designs
www.mountainlaureldesigns.com – Ultralight backpacks, shelters, sleep systems and more.
Outdoor Equipment Supplier LLC
www.outdoorequipmentsupplier.com – Lightweight tarps, shelters and accessories.
Out Gear Recreation
www.outgearrec.com – Lightweight hammocks.
Oware
www.owareusa.com – Ultralight shelters, sleep systems and accessories.
Packafeather
http://packafeather.com – Lightweight alcohol stoves and accessories.
Purcell Trench Grills
www.purcelltrench.com – Lightweight grills for campfire cooking.
Purple Rain Adventure Skirts
www.purplerainskirts.com – Lightweight backpacking skirts and kilts.
Ray Jardine
www.rayjardine.com – The godfather of UL backpacking’s books and sew-your-own gear kits.
Ruta Locura
www.rutalocura.com – Trekking poles, tent poles, cookware and accessories.
Simblissity
www.simblissity.net – Lightweight gaiters, storage sacks and accessories.
Six Moon Designs
www.sixmoondesigns.com – Ultralight backpacks, shelters and accessories.
Solo Stove
www.solostove.com – Lightweight wood-burning stoves.
Suluk 46
www.suluk46.com – Ultralight backpacking tools and accessories.
Tarptent
www.tarptent.com – The original lightweight single-wall shelters (and now double wall shelters)
Titanium Goat
www.titaniumgoat.com – Lightweight conical shelters, cook systems and more.
Trail Designs
www.traildesigns.com – Lightweight stoves, cookware and accessories.
Ultralight Adventure Equipment
www.ula-equipment.com – The best lightweight backpacks in the biz.
Warbonnet Outdoors
www.warbonnetoutdoors.com – Lightweight hammock tarps, quilts and accessories.
Water Road Outfitters
www.wrogear.com – Lightweight wood burning stoves.
Western Mountaineering
www.westernmountaineering.com – Ultralight down sleeping bags and apparel.
White Box Stoves
www.whiteboxstoves.com – Ultralight alcohol stoves.
ZPacks
www.zpacks.com – Ultralight cuben fiber shelters, backpacks and accessories.
This list is still a work in progress. If you have a question or would like to suggest a company that is not mentioned here, please post your comments below… |
Twenty years ago a bold, controversial and highly entertaining series of cricket commenced. Playing under the banner of a cigarette sponsor for the penultimate time, the Kerry Packer-inspired-World Series cricket welcomed a fourth team.
That team was Australia A.
Visiting sides England and Zimbabwe could now look forward to taking on two Aussie teams, as if one wasn’t hard enough.
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The 14-match series was spread over six weeks, and without Twenty20 to worry about it fitted in with the Ashes nicely.
While watching England take on the Aussies was a traditional treat, the real interest and novelty factor was Australia taking on Australia.
How would young up and coming batsmen such as Greg Blewett, Damien Martyn, Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting fare against the experience of Craig McDermott and the emerging talents of Shane Warne, Damien Fleming and Glenn McGrath?
It was a marketers delight. The Australian Cricket Board allowed the concept knowing that the Australia A games couldn’t be sanctioned as official One-Day internationals. They would be classed as List A fixtures.
The cricket though was tough and uncompromising. The Australian first-team players understandably despised the concept, realising they were on a hiding to nothing.
Win the game and that’s what the selectors and the public expected from the preferred number one side. Lose, and questions would be asked of performance.
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What made matters worse was the majority of crowds supported the boys in green – i.e. underdogs Australia A – as opposed to the traditional canary yellow.
The first match between the Australian teams took place at the Adelaide Oval on December 11. Australia beat the A team by just six runs. Captain Mark Taylor made his thoughts clear after the game in an honest interview.
“I didn’t enjoy the game. I don’t like playing against my own players. I don’t like it when the crowd doesn’t support us when we play at home.
I can`t blame the crowd; I don`t think they should have been made to choose whether to back Australia or the other Australian team. They [Australia A] are probably more jovial in their rooms than we are in ours, and we`re the winners. I don`t have to say anything official [to administrators]. I`d be surprised if the Australia A thing happens again.”
We didn’t have that intensity…of playing against England. The blokes were not quite there, not quite switched on.”
The thoughts of the Australian players in yellow meant this was more than likely to be a one-off, lest there be a player revolt. The fans seemed to sense that, enjoying the concept while they could.
To Australia’s credit they remained focused on the job at hand and lost just once to England en route to the finals.
The series was unique in that players like Michael Bevan, started out in the Australian team only to be demoted to the A side during the series.
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He wasn’t the only one. Experienced players in Paul Reiffel, Phil Emery and Gavin Robertson did the same.
In Bevan’s case it was the best way to be dropped. Rather than going back to domestic cricket where selectors may or may not take notice of his form, he was still on national television up against the very team he’d left.
He made a century two games later against England, which knocked the Poms out of the tournament (by 0.01 in Net-run-rate!) and ensured promoters were licking their lips at the sight of the final: Australia versus Australia A.
Merv Hughes also proved he still had it. He was part of the experience-versus-youth balance in the Australian A squad. He ended up being the A team’s leading wicket taker, with 12 wickets at 16.33.
The first final was an absolute belter. Memorable moments included Glenn McGrath and Matt Hayden exchanging words after McGrath’s teapot stance got too close to Haydos’ running between the wickets, Craig McDermott breaking through Greg Blewett’s defences, Bevan hitting 73 to show why he should never have been left out of the Aussie side, Michael Slater’s 92, and Ian Healy hitting the winning runs from the final ball.
In a way it was like the cricket version of State of Origin. Mates off the field but the cricket was intense as both teams desperately wanted to win.
Australia won the second final by six-wickets to wrap up the series 2-0. They also successfully went through the tournament without losing to their mates, despite coming extremely close on two occasions.
The players from that Australian team may look back on 1994/95 with angst at how they were forced to play against their own.
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It was a gimmick yes, but it was a gimmick which gave Australia’s future stars unbelievable experience on the world stage in front of packed crowds.
If the modern cricket calendar wasn’t so jammed packed, a one-off match between a probable versus possibles team would still prove viable, and would no doubt help selectors pick the 2015 World Cup squad.
Alas, we’ll never see a repeat of a series like 1994/95. The experiment proved Australia could field two sides strong enough to beat England, but also divided the nation at the same time. |
The Miami Lakes town council approved a plan Tuesday night to build a wall along its southern border with watchtowers, electrified fencing, drones, and guard dogs–and they want Hialeah to pay for it.
Miami Lakes mayor Manny Cid, who previously sent an actual letter to then-President Barack Obama requesting "an independent zip code" from Hialeah, wrote in a controversial Miami Laker newspaper editorial that the existing moat and walled-off, six-lane Gratigny Parkway are insufficient to keep out "the loudmouths, cheapskates and terrible drivers of Hialeah."
"And some, I assume, are good people," the Mayor added, not really meaning it.
The proposed wall along Northwest 138th Street–or as its curiously referred to in Hialeah, West 84th Street–would allow only those with work permits to cross. Advocates associated with the Casavana restaurant in Miami Lakes extracted the work permit concession after threatening to cut council members off from purchasing Cuban coffee, croquetas and empanadas.
At the Beverly Hills Cafe in Miami Lakes, resident Rhonda Schmidt, 58, decried the influx of Hialeahans as she ate a chicken taco salad.
"Those people come over all the time to run amok and go to our restaurants on Main Street," Schmidt said. "That is OUR 'On The Border!' Get your own damn 'On the Border!'"
In Hialeah, demand for crossing into Miami Lakes has actually waned in recent years after the much-heralded opening of Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse and other popular restaurants on West 49th Street.
"We don't need to go to Miami Lakes anymore to eat their super fancy food," said Hialeah resident Caridad Arcia, 32. "Now I can go to the Chili's at Westland Mall anytime I want."
By Manuel Del Fango IV |
On December 18th, 2015 Juniper issued an advisory indicating that they had discovered unauthorized code in the ScreenOS software that powers their Netscreen firewalls. This advisory covered two distinct issues; a backdoor in the VPN implementation that allows a passive eavesdropper to decrypt traffic and a second backdoor that allows an attacker to bypass authentication in the SSH and Telnet daemons. Shortly after Juniper posted the advisory, an employee of Fox-IT stated that they were able to identify the backdoor password in six hours. A quick Shodan search identified approximately 26,000 internet-facing Netscreen devices with SSH open. Given the severity of this issue, we decided to investigate.
Juniper's advisory mentioned that versions 6.2.0r15 to 6.2.0r18 and 6.3.0r12 to 6.3.0r20 were affected. Juniper provided a new 6.2.0 and 6.3.0 build, but also rebuilt older packages that omit the backdoor code. The rebuilt older packages have the "b" suffix to the version and have a minimal set of changes, making them the best candidate for analysis. In order to analyze the firmware, it must be unpacked and then decompressed. The firmware is distributed as a ZIP file that contains a single binary. This binary is a decompression stub followed by a gzip-compressed kernel. The x86 images can be extracted easily with binwalk, but the XScale images require a bit more work. ScreenOS is not based on Linux or BSD, but runs as a single monolithic kernel. The SSG500 firmware uses the x86 architecture, while the SSG5 and SSG20 firmware uses the XScale (ARMB) architecture. The decompressed kernel can be loaded into IDA Pro for analysis. As part of the analysis effort, we have made decompressed binaries available in a GitHub repository.
Although most folks are more familiar with x86 than ARM, the ARM binaries are significantly easier to compare due to minimal changes in the compiler output. In order to load the SSG5 (ssg5ssg20.6.3.0r19.0.bin) firmware into IDA, the ARMB CPU should be selected, with a load address of 0x80000 and a file offset of 0x20. Once the binary is loaded, it helps to identify and tag common functions. Searching for the text "strcmp" finds a static string that is referenced in the sub_ED7D94 function. Looking at the strings output, we can see some interesting string references, including auth_admin_ssh_special and auth_admin_internal . Searching for auth_admin_internal finds the sub_13DBEC function. This function has a strcmp call that is not present in the 6.3.0r19b firmware:
The argument to the strcmp call is <<< %s(un='%s') = %u , which is the backdoor password, and was presumably chosen so that it would be mistaken for one of the many other debug format strings in the code. This password allows an attacker to bypass authentication through SSH and Telnet. If you want to test this issue by hand, telnet or ssh to a Netscreen device, specify any username, and the backdoor password. If the device is vulnerable, you should receive an interactive shell with the highest privileges.
The interesting thing about this backdoor is not the simplicity, but the timing. Juniper's advisory claimed that versions 6.2.0r15 to 6.2.0r18 and 6.3.0r12 to 6.3.0r20 were affected, but the authentication backdoor is not actually present in older versions of ScreenOS. We were unable to identify this backdoor in versions 6.2.0r15, 6.2.0r16, 6.2.0r18 and it is probably safe to say that the entire 6.2.0 series was not affected by this issue (although the VPN issue was present). We were also unable to identify the authentication backdoor in versions 6.3.0r12 or 6.3.0r14. We could confirm that versions 6.3.0r17 and 6.3.0r19 were affected, but were not able to track down 6.3.0r15 or 6.3.0r16. This is interesting because although the first affected version was released in 2012, the authentication backdoor did not seem to get added until a release in late 2013 (either 6.3.0r15, 6.3.0r16, or 6.3.0r17).
Detecting the exploitation of this issue is non-trivial, but there are a couple things you can do. Juniper provided guidance on what the logs from a successful intrusion would look like:
2015-12-17 09:00:00 system warn 00515 Admin user system has logged on via SSH from ….. 2015-12-17 09:00:00 system warn 00528 SSH: Password authentication successful for admin user ‘username2’ at host …
Although an attacker could delete the logs once they gain access, any logs sent to a centralized logging server (or SIEM) would be captured, and could be used to trigger an alert.
Fox-IT has a created a set of Snort rules that can detect access with the backdoor password over Telnet and fire on any connection to a ScreenOS Telnet or SSH service:
# Signatures to detect successful abuse of the Juniper backdoor password over telnet. # Additionally a signature for detecting world reachable ScreenOS devices over SSH. alert tcp $HOME_NET 23 -> any any (msg:"FOX-SRT - Flowbit - Juniper ScreenOS telnet (noalert)"; flow:established,to_client; content:"Remote Management Console|0d0a|"; offset:0; depth:27; flowbits:set,fox.juniper.screenos; flowbits:noalert; reference:cve,2015-7755; reference:url,http://kb.juniper.net/JSA10713; classtype:policy-violation; sid:21001729; rev:2;) alert tcp any any -> $HOME_NET 23 (msg:"FOX-SRT - Backdoor - Juniper ScreenOS telnet backdoor password attempt"; flow:established,to_server; flowbits:isset,fox.juniper.screenos; flowbits:set,fox.juniper.screenos.password; content:"|3c3c3c20257328756e3d2725732729203d202575|"; offset:0; fast_pattern; classtype:attempted-admin; reference:cve,2015-7755; reference:url,http://kb.juniper.net/JSA10713; sid:21001730; rev:2;) alert tcp $HOME_NET 23 -> any any (msg:"FOX-SRT - Backdoor - Juniper ScreenOS successful logon"; flow:established,to_client; flowbits:isset,fox.juniper.screenos.password; content:"-> "; isdataat:!1,relative; reference:cve,2015-7755; reference:url,http://kb.juniper.net/JSA10713; classtype:successful-admin; sid:21001731; rev:1;) alert tcp $HOME_NET 22 -> $EXTERNAL_NET any (msg:"FOX-SRT - Policy - Juniper ScreenOS SSH world reachable"; flow:to_client,established; content:"SSH-2.0-NetScreen"; offset:0; depth:17; reference:cve,2015-7755; reference:url,http://kb.juniper.net/JSA10713; classtype:policy-violation; priority:1; sid:21001728; rev:1;)
Robert Nunley has created a set of Sagan rules for this issue:
If you are trying to update a ScreenOS system and are running into issues with the signing key, take a look at Steve Puluka's blog post.
We would like to thank Ralf-Philipp Weinmann of Comsecuris for his help with unpacking and analyzing the firmware and Maarten Boone of Fox-IT for confirming our findings and providing the Snort rules above.
Update: Fox-IT reached out and confirmed that any username can be used via Telnet or SSH with the backdoor password, regardless of whether it is valid or not.
Update: Juniper has confirmed that the authentication backdoor only applies to revisions 6.3.0r17, 6.3.0r18, 6.3.0r19, and 6.3.0r20
Update: Details on CVE-2015-7756 have emerged. The Wired article provides a great overview as well.
-HD |
CLOSE The attackers stormed a popular cafe in the capital city of Dhaka, engaging in a firefight with police.Video provided by Newsy Newslook
Bangladeshi security forces stand guard as they seal off the streets close to a Spanish resturant, following a hostage taking, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, late 01 July 2016. Two police officials have been killed during the encounter while some gunmen reportedly took several people hostage, including some foreigners, inside a Spanish resturant. The law inforcement officials try to negotiate with the gunmen while the US-based SITE Intelligence Group quoted the Amaq News Agency as saying that fighters of the terrorist organisation 'Islamic State' (IS) carried out the attack. (Photo: STRINGER, EPA)
The terrorist attack in Bangladesh Friday highlights the resiliency of the Islamic State and its ability to pull off high-profile assaults around the world, despite losing territory in Iraq and Syria.
The terror attacks like the one in Bangladesh and earlier this week in Istanbul show that the group has established cells around the world — and is still capable of deadly attacks.
“ISIS has tens of thousands of individuals that are scattered not just in the Middle East but also to West Africa, to Southeast Asia, and beyond,” CIA Director John Brennan told the Council on Foreign Relations this week, referring to the Islamic State by an acronym.
In the latest terror attack, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for a hostage takeover at a restaurant popular with foreigners in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Police officials stormed the cafe Saturday morning, killing six assailants and rescuing 13 captives. At least 20 hostages were killed during the 10-hour standoff.
The Islamic State has established a presence in Bangladesh, a predominately Muslim country, as it has in other parts of the world, said Patrick Johnston, a terrorism analyst at Rand Corp. The group has been able to build its presence in places like Bangladesh by exploiting local grievances and weak governments, Johnston said. Religious extremism has been increasing in the country, raising government concerns.
Religious extremists in Bangladesh are behind a rash of recent attacks against bloggers and activists who promoted a more tolerant and secular worldview.
The Islamic State’s presence in other parts of Asia has also been growing in recent years, though its presence in the Middle East is larger. The Islamic State commands about 6,000 fighters in Libya.
The global presence has allowed the Islamic State to shift its strategy toward more traditional terror attacks in response to battlefield defeats in Iraq and Syria. When the Islamic State first emerged in Syria and Iraq two years ago, it distinguished itself from other terror groups by holding territory and attempting to govern it. It also commanded a more visible army that was vulnerable to U.S.-led coalition airstrikes.
The airstrikes and ground offensives by Iraqi armed forces and Syrian opposition forces have taken a toll on the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. In Iraq, the terror group has lost 45% of the territory it held at its peak last year. In Syria it has lost about 20% of the territory it once held.
The U.S.-led coalition’s air campaign has killed a number of top Islamic State leaders. On Friday the Pentagon announced a June 25 airstrike near Mosul killed two senior Islamic State military commanders.
The strike killed Basim Muhammad Ahmad Sultan al-Bajari, the Islamic State’s deputy minister of war, and Hatim Talib al-Hamduni, a militant commander in Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city.
But the progress in pushing the organization out of territory has not yet undermined its ability to export terror, officials said.
“I am still very concerned that the ISIL-generated engine of foreign terrorism outside of Syria and Iraq still has a lot of momentum,” Brennan said.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/296MCmb |
A health worker checks the temperature of a baby entering Mali from Guinea at the border in Kouremale, October 2, 2014. REUTERS/Joe Penney
By Tom Miles
GENEVA (Reuters) - Thirty-nine people who traveled on buses with a toddler who died from Ebola in Mali are still being sought for checks, although the country is believed to be free of the disease, the World Health Organization said on Monday.
A WHO spokeswoman said 108 contacts were being followed up, including 33 health workers, but epidemiologists believe those who have not been traced are at low risk, as they are unlikely to have had physical contact with the sick two-year-old.
The girl's five-year-old sister had a fever but was suffering from malaria, not Ebola, tests showed. Other family members are under observation in the same hospital and doing well, with no fever or other symptoms, the WHO said.
Last week an epidemiological presentation showed Mali had two suspected cases of the disease, which has killed at least 4,951 people, mostly in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea in the worst outbreak of the virus since it was identified in 1976.
WHO experts say that the best way to tackle the disease is to stop it in its tracks before it can spread, and finding contacts of the initial patient is crucial.
Ebola is contagious when a patient has symptoms, meaning the girl who died may have been infectious throughout her long and broken journey from Guinea, where controls are supposed to be in place to screen people for Ebola symptoms before they cross the border.
If other travelers caught the disease, their onward journeys risk spreading it in the capital Bamako or deeper into Mali, which borders Niger, Algeria, Senegal, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast. None of them currently have Ebola cases.
The toddler's family - including her grandmother, uncle, great aunt and sister, will remain in quarantine for one more week before reaching the 21 days which is the maximum incubation period of the virus. If they do not develop Ebola, they will be allowed to leave the hospital.
Of the 108 contacts being followed, 79, including the 33 health workers, are in Kayes, where the girl died. The other 29 are in the capital Bamako, where she changed buses on her way from the Guinean border to Kayes.
(Reporting by Tom Miles; editing by Robert Evans and Crispian Balmer) |
Eddie Bravo (second from right) has made peace with Ralek Gracie. | Chris Ryan/Sherdog.com
Eddie Bravo has laid relatively low since competing against Royler Gracie at Metamoris 3 in March.The enthralling rematch of the Abu Dhabi Combat Club grappling tournament in 2003 ended in a 20-minute draw, but it was reports that came out following the event that really caught the combat sports world’s attention.After the bout, the 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu creator appeared to be at odds with Metamoris founder Ralek Gracie . Bravo wasn’t exactly pleased with some of Gracie’s comments after the fact and claimed that the event founder would not return his texts. In addition, Bravo’s post-match confrontation with Royce Gracie drew plenty of attention. However, all of that is water under the bridge now -- at least where it concerns Bravo and Ralek Gracie In an interview with Sherdog.com, Bravo attempted to explain the feud.“I ended up doing my own show -- the Eddie Bravo Invitational. Now I understand, being the owner of the show, that I am in the exact same position Ralek is in. I mean Royler [Gracie] is his uncle, so he had to do some stuff, and above all else he is a part of a family. I mean, family comes first right?” Bravo said.“So I get it now that I have my own show. I feel where Ralek is coming from because if I let my heart run everything, half of the show would be making 10th Planet look like we were kings of the world,” he continued. “But then no one would take me seriously; I have to be 100 percent unbiased. Your heart wants to just promote the hell out of your family. My family is 10th Planet; Ralek’s is the Gracie family, so I am not as hurt as I was initially.”The prior issues didn’t prevent Gracie from reaching out to Bravo as recently as April 6 to compete at Metamoris 4 in Los Angeles on Aug. 9.“Ralek invited me to Metamoris 4,” Bravo said. “We are cool. He and I had a dual misunderstanding. I’m not mad at him, and yeah, he invited me to Metamoris. I ran into him at Glory at the Forum. We talked for like 20 minutes and made peace.”While Bravo declined the invitation to compete, the decision doesn’t stem from any animosity. Instead, it is purely so the 44-year-old can focus on other aspects of his life.“Yeah, I don’t want to think about any opponents or talk with him about any opponents for a while. Metamoris [3] was really stressful,” Bravo explained. “I just want to focus on my family, focus on my music, my students, schools and improving the level of jiu-jitsu within the whole association.”Relations between Bravo and Ralek have since been smoothed over, but the same cannot be said about his relationship with UFC Hall of Famer Royce Gracie Following Metamoris 3, Royce Gracie approached Bravo and told him that while he appreciated Bravo's kind comments made to the family after the event, he was still upset with the amount of trash talk directed at the Gracie family during the card’s buildup.The remarks ultimately led to a shouting match that required the two to be separated by Jean Jacques Machado. Since the altercation, the two have not been in contact.“I would love for there to be peace between him and I. But if he doesn’t want a peaceful resolution and wants to keep being angry at me for whatever reason, that’s fine too,” Bravo said. “Royce definitely has the personality that I could never get along with. I know what kind of person he is. I wouldn’t be able to hang out with him anyway. He is a legend; I will always respect him for that. If he wants to do a grappling match someday, I am down for that too.”Bravo likes the card Ralek has put together for Metamoris 4, which will be headlined by Chael Sonnen and Andre Galvao . The trend of utilizing mixed martial arts fighters as special attractions is something Bravo could definitely see himself experimenting with for his own tournament.“I think it’s a great idea,” Bravo said. “It’s kind of like Pride using pro wrestling to blow up MMA in Japan. MMA is the hottest sport in the United States. It’s smart of Metamoris to use MMA grapplers. I would do the same for [The Eddie Bravo Invitational] in a heartbeat.”The Metamoris 3 headliner believes Galvao will defeat Sonnen on Aug 9.“I think I would put my money on Galvao. He is just too much of a beast; he’s too good,” Bravo said. “If Galvao doesn’t submit Chael, I think he will have the better of him positionally. He might not be able to finish Chael because Chael’s a lot bigger than him, but I am going with Galvao.”The Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner’s inaugural tournament in June went off without a hitch. Bravo said the event was such a success that he is already knee-deep in plans for the next one.“We are shooting for the next event at the end of September,” Bravo said. “The next show is going to be 135 and 155 pounds. It’s going to be in Hollywood again.” |
A FATHER has appeared in Midland Magistrates Court on charges relating to a sand-throwing incident between toddlers.
The 31-year-old man’s two-year-old daughter was playing with children in a playground at Core Cider House, Pickering Brook, when police said the man identified the two-year-old boy he believed had thrown sand at his daughter.
Police alleged the Embleton man threw sand and woodchips at the boy and charged him with aggravated common assault.
The incident took place about 2.45pm on April 15.
The case was adjourned to July 27.
MORE: PMH denies surgeries delayed after family claims toddler’s life-saving procedure could be delayed until new children’s hospital opens
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MORE: Curtin Business School signs MOA with Stanford University to enable WA students to complete international program |
Preferred Retail Pharmacies Included in Defense Budget
APRIL 30, 2015
Meghan Ross, Associate Editor
Next year’s federal defense authorization bill approved today by the House Armed Services Committee includes a proposal to pilot a “preferred” retail pharmacy network for Tricare beneficiaries.
The program, which would run from May 1, 2016, to September 30, 2018, could potentially lead to financial savings for the Department of Defense, the legislation suggests.
“The pilot program would include, but not be limited to, best practices from non-Tricare health plans that use preferred retail pharmacy networks,” the bill states.
Retail pharmacies included in the preferred network would buy prescription drugs, including maintenance medications, for beneficiaries “at rates available to the federal government” and share at least some of the savings through lower co-pays.
Beneficiaries would then receive prescription medications through either the preferred retail network or the national mail-order pharmacy program.
The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) released a statement on May 1, 2015, praising revisions to the proposed program.
NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey, RPh, MBA, specifically commended the revision to allow small business community pharmacies to be included in the preferred pharmacy network.
“This will help enhance patient access to medication and pharmacies because independent pharmacies are often located in inner-city and rural areas where few, if any, other practical pharmacy options are available,” Dr. Hoey said.
He also praised the stipulation that the preferred pharmacy network would have to comply with Tricare pharmacy access standards.
“We appreciate the committee’s dedication to supporting both patient access to care as well as meaningful participation of small business community pharmacies in this taxpayer-funded program.
The 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), HR 1735, states the defense secretary would choose which retail pharmacies would be included in the preferred network.
“In making such selection, the secretary may require that retail pharmacies opt-in to the network and agree to the reimbursement rates paid by the secretary.”
The secretary may also “use a competitive process” and request that the pharmacies meet certain criteria, the bill states.
While it does not mention the military community where the pilot program would launch, it does state that the secretary would choose at least 1 region with a certain number or percentage of members of the Armed Forces community serving active duty, on reserve, or retired. The community would need to have a large enough number of beneficiaries to see statistically significant results.
In addition, the region would have to have at least 1 retail pharmacy with 10 operational locations in the region, and it must have at least 1 military installation with a military medical treatment facility that includes a pharmacy.
If the bill is enacted, the secretary would have to submit reports to the congressional defense committees on how the program would be implemented, as well as semiannual reports while the program is carried out and a final report on whether or not to expand the program.
Following today’s 60-2 vote in favor of the 2016 NDAA draft, a full House vote will occur sometime in mid-May 2015.
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Iain Hume (left) is in line to rejoin Kerala Blasters
Iain Hume will return to Kerala Blasters for the next edition of the Indian Super League (ISL), Sky sources understand.
Hume played for Kerala in the inaugural ISL, helping the Cochin-based outfit - who at the time were managed by former England goalkeeper David James - reach the final of the competition.
Kerala will be managed next season by Sir Alex Ferguson's former assistant at Manchester United, Rene Meulensteen.
Hume won the league last season with Atletico Kolkata
Former Leicester striker Hume has spent the last two seasons at Atletico Kolkata, winning the title with them last season.
The Edinburgh-born forward has been named in the team of the season in each of the three editions of the ISL and is the highest goalscorer in the history of the competition, with 23 goals. |
We are now occupying the labs in Appleton Tower. Well, we never stopped, but the time has come to let the world know what we are actually doing here. Also, for the first time in a year, we all actually agree on something. Most of you won’t be aware of this, but there are tough times ahead for informatics-students at some universities. Schools of informatics, all over the country, are being forced to implement a policy that will drastically affect the well-being of informatics-students.
We are currently in the middle of the most aggressive attack on informaticians since the release of Duke Nukem Forever, a terrible trauma from which most of us have yet to fully recover. The proposed measures by the government have made almost half of us pause our games of Skyrim out of utter shock and disbelief. The plans outlined are technologically illiterate, and will have a disastrous effect on everyone.
The UK government has recently made a move which can only be described as totalitarian and brutal. Three months ago a homeless person by accident walked into the office of someone with actual power and randomly started praising a piece of software commonly known by many names. As our mothers may be reading this blog we will refer to it by its polite name, “Emacs”. Unfortunately this guy, reported to be a man with a grey beard, claimed that Emacs is the only real editor in existence and that the problems of the country would be solved if everyone were to start using it. Mistaking the homeless person for a brilliant computer scientist, the government employee made it his priority to put this into policy. The government is now running a trail forcing all informatics-students to use Emacs. Only Emacs. Nothing but Emacs. If we wish to defend ourselves and move beyond the technological equivalent of editing text on stone tablets – we must make a stand now.
We aim to persuade staff and students that editing text can be done in a way which doesn’t result in psychological breakdowns three times a minute. There are other free text-editors out there, text-editors that allow the user to perform such tasks as copying and pasting text before having actually completed a Computer Science degree. The government needs to understand that plain text can be edited in a number of ways, most of which are completely free, and that forcing students to use Emacs is wrong. Just wrong.
Next week us informatics-students will be on strike as part of the largest coordinated action, and indeed the greatest amount of movement, any of us have undertaken since Tesco offered “4 for the price of 1” 2 litre bottles of coke. Along with the informatics departments in universities all over the country we will be standing up from our computers and not interacting with any piece of technology for about five minutes.
We call on students outside of informatics to support us on this, to refuse to use technology, and instead use a pencil or pen. Or actually speak to people. This strike is not just for show; they are not symbolic nor is it just another way to express our unhappiness. It is a weapon – the only weapon geeks have to remind ourselves that the machines belong to us, and that they are not the masters of us quite yet. We CAN manage without them. We think. If you support our aims you must refuse to use technology.
We invite all students and staff at Edinburgh University to visit our occupation and to join us. Note that in order to enter the labs you will need the ability to breathe without the presence of oxygen.
Details of the technology-strike will be outlined later. |
JULIA GILLARD’S RECENT INTERVIEW with Lenore Taylor has highlighted the disdain that many in the community — from citizens to political masters — have long vented towards the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery (aka The Press Gallery).
Former Prime Minister Gillard has delivered a scathing critique of contemporary media practices, suggesting the press gallery — the grand gate-keeper of all that is read, seen and heard about Australian federal politics — is largely preoccupied with leadership destabilisation at the expense of policy heavy reporting.
Gillard says we live in one of the most concentrated media markets in the world and that “the impacts of this concentration are diverse and undesirable. Above all, it means bias matters more, simply because there is less capacity to contest arguments and less diversity of commentary”.
Former Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. Photo: Troy, CC BY 2.0
Gillard is referring to what appears to be an historical monopoly of opinion in reporting federal politics. With a clear pecking order among journalists — with revered opinion-shaping veterans in place at the summit — the argument has been that there is too little variety in what comes out of the press gallery. If the most senior journalists opine the failings of our politicians, then, many argue, these opinions become self-fulfilling truths as less experienced and less well-entrenched journalists echo the masters’ calls.
The press gallery haw long faced criticism over perceived insularity and isolation from community issues. Michelle Grattan observed that journalists in the Press Gallery are more divorced from the ‘real world’ than politicians, who have the benefit of immediate feedback from their electorate. Grattan argues Canberra journalists need to make special efforts to keep in touch with opinion outside the national capital, meaning federal issues are rarely contextualized at a local or state level. While it could be argued this is the responsibility of local journalists, the insularity of a group hugely influential in shaping the political agenda has ramifications for the democratic process.
But significant changes to technology, newsroom operations combined with the behaviour of news consumers themselves has seen profound changes in not just the press gallery but in how politicians and their staffers engage with it.
Former Press Gallery Journalist, Maxine McKew, observes Parliament in 1973. Photo: Loui Seselja, Courtesy National Library of Australia, http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an14067090-219
Politicians have long complained of the press gallery’s monopoly on opinion making, especially in the difficulty in “getting around” it. If a new policy or new leader needed to be “sold” to voters, it had to be “sold” to the “gods” of the press gallery first. But even this is not entirely accurate because, since at least the 1970s, political leaders have been able to talk directly with voters, outside the filter of the gallery, via talkback radio. It was a modest but critical reprieve for politicians, especially conservative ones seeking a sympathetic ear, away from press gallery influences.
The recent shifts in the media landscape have shaped the way the gallery reports federal politics even more — effects that have arguably diminished the monopoly power the press gallery holds in its Canberra cloisters.
These shifts — a proliferation of public relations “spin doctors” working as policy and media advisors, the 24/7 news cycle borne of web-based journalism, and increased commercial pressures on news organizations to deliver more product with fewer resources — have seen major changes not only in how the gallery reports politics, but also in what it reports on any given day.
With traditional news sources of print, broadcast television and radio challenged by news web-sites where content can be immediately uploaded to and accessed via mobile devices — and with even web-based news sites under threat from non-traditional social media news “feeds”, non-professional blogs and other forms of “citizen journalism” — it’s clear the press gallery has been forced to think outside the square.
It’s been argued, for example, that to ensure a high turnover of “yarns” in any given news cycle (with continuously diminishing resources such as fewer specialist and rounds reporters) and to compete for news consumers’ attention, the press gallery over the past few decades has shifted from a position of primarily reporting “policy” to one of primarily reporting “politics”.
Consider recent cabinet leaks over the Abbott Government’s proposal to strip Australian citizenship.
The report, published by press gallery member and Sydney Morning Herald journalist Peter Hartcher, details Cabinet debate over the citizenship of terror suspects. It’s a report that not only triggered intense debate over the policy itself but, more importantly, over the identity of Hartcher’s source as well as a potential for a major split in the Abbott cabinet.
Sadly, the key points of this debate have been lost in media hype, showing precisely how journalists can become focused on party in-fighting at the expense of meaningful policy discourse.
Since Hartcher’s article, there has been little media scrutiny, for example, over what the leak says about Cabinet process, and how Cabinet splits might affect national security, and not just Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s political longevity.
The tendency of gallery journalists to focus on politics over policy in the midst of commercial and time pressures has also contributed to an overall ‘dumbing down’ of news content as that focus prioritizes political tactics over political ideas. The evidence suggests the public devours stories that pit our leaders against each other like bulls, and journalists exploit this to meet the demands of a content-hungry industry.
Take the ABC’s ‘The Killing Season’, a three part documentary examining the turbulence that haunted the Labor party during the Rudd/Gillard years. Former Labor party members are vindicating themselves with tell-all accounts and, if ratings are any guide, viewers are glued to their televisions.
The public’s interest in contentious stories explains the gallery’s role in reporting the destructive Rudd / Gillard era. The leadership conflict between the two was a rich source of newsworthy content to quench the public’s thirst for political conflict. Saturday Paper editor Erik Jensen argues the Press Gallery bayed for a contest between the leaders, then routinely predicted Gillard’s demise. Jensen also accuses Hartcher and ABC Radio personality Phillip Adams of playing a significant role in a campaign to politically destabilize Julia Gillard.
That journalists were at least indirectly complicit in Gillard’s political demise is difficult to disprove. Gillard’s demeanor, wardrobe and even her partner’s sexuality were all fair game in news reports. Her famous parliamentary misogyny speech in late 2012 — arguably a galvanizing moment for the women and men alike, and one that promised something of a political redemption — was slammed by journalists. Peter Hartcher accused the PM of abandoning principle in favour of power, and even Michelle Grattan dismissed the speech as ‘desperate’, despite wide public acclaim on social media. The speech, then, became a defining moment for the gallery, and it shone a light on the disconnect between the increasingly insular gallery and real world public opinion. If nothing else, it shocked journalists accustomed to setting the news agenda.
Despite this, media focus on the Rudd / Gillard rivalry clearly shaped public opinion. When Gillard moved against Rudd in June, 2010, voters — who had clearly become disillusioned with Rudd over the previous six months — were nonetheless incensed that their prime minister had been removed suddenly in dead of night and without their permission.
Much of the electorate, of course, didn’t understand the basic mechanics of Australian party politics. Too few knew that, according to the then rules of the Labor party, only Labor MPs had the power to elect a leader, and therefore a prime minister, and only Labor MPs had the power to dismiss him or her. Yet, given how party politics in a Westminster system is so often reported in Australia — where party leaders are painted as presidents and framed as celebrities — it’s difficult to blame voters alone for this misconception. It was, as the popular refrain suggests, just another example of “dumbing down”. Gillard agrees. She says “it is irresistibly seductive to package politics like a reality TV show”.
“ … it is irresistibly seductive to package politics like a reality TV show”.
Veteran gallery journalist Kerry-Anne Walsh also notes how the parliament’s legislative achievements were too often overshadowed by constant leadership speculation. Few realise, for example, that the hung parliament between 2010 and 2013 was actually highly efficient, successfully passing a near-record number of bills despite the precarious numbers in the House of Representatives.
Walsh also alleges Rudd used background briefings to journalists in a bid to exaggerate his level of caucus support, and to underplay the Gillard Government’s achievements. She says this would have been less likely five years ago when pressure to file around the clock was less intense, and editors vetted stories more closely. But, according to Walsh, “every rulebook in the handbook of good journalism was broken” during the Gillard years.
Our former Prime Minister echoes this criticism. In an extract from her updated autobiography, Gillard says:
“I have read enough of the most mainstream and noted works to feel the nation has been let down. What has been advanced as analysis strikes me as pretty thin gruel”.
She says most importantly, between the bias and the bullying, sustained conversations about reform cannot find any fertile ground. What thrives is leadership speculation.
This critique illustrates the insularity of the Press Gallery, further evidenced prior to Gillard’s accession to office. Institute of Public Affairs Executive Director John Roskam and IPA Communications Manager James Paterson argue the Press Gallery failed to report Kevin Rudd’s treatment of staff and wide hatred among Labor MPs preceding the leadership spill. They say that while Rudd’s behaviour contributed to the spill, the Press Gallery displayed “deliberate and selective incuriosity” in neglecting to report it. His lack of faith in his ministers meant he encouraged his personal staff to make policy decisions, forgoing proper Cabinet process. Policy wasn’t properly thought out, and the resulting lack of cost-benefit analysis prior to such initiatives as the installation of ‘pink-batts’ during the Global Financial Crisis only ended in tragedy.
Importantly, there was a clear public interest in reporting these stories, but Rudd’s decline in public esteem and leadership spill speculation still dominated news agendas.
The Rudd / Gillard years exemplify the criticisms of the press gallery’s insularity and their tendency to report politics over policy. Commentary underpinning this period reflected a ‘collective consciousness’ borne from a familiar and comfortable environment. Inexperienced journalists are unlikely to oppose the views of dominant, senior Gallery members for fear of getting it wrong.
There are other significant factors at play here. For one, the proliferation of media advisors means the Press Gallery is significantly impeded in its ability to do its job when access to primary sources, such as ministers and MPs, is so tightly restricted. Journalists who are forced to contend with an army of spin doctors peddling public relations cannot engage in effective reporting.
Pair that with increasing temporal and commercial pressures in an increasingly news-hungry world and the gallery’s challenges grow exponentially.
In the ‘good old days’ of Old Parliament House, journalists enjoyed greater access to ministers and were even actively courted by MPs.
The Press Gallery circa 1998. Photo: Loui Seselja, Courtesy of the National Library of Australia, http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an14067090–219.
The Non-Members Bar was a key feature in the friendly relationship between journalist and politician, with the two often lowering their guards amid off-the-record talks over drinks. The co-location of journalists and politicians in the Parliament facilitated a closeness stretching back until at least the Curtin Government during the Second World War. But, with the advent of mobile phones, the World Wide Web and a new and tighter commercial bottom line, that relationship changed, and news media reporting practices with it.
Despite the challenges they’re faced with today, the press gallery remains a key (unofficial) democratic institution. It is still the lens through which most Australians learn about daily news in federal politics, and it still carries most of the responsibility of keeping our politicians accountable. For all it sins, failings and omissions, the gallery continues to produce outstanding journalism and fulfils an indispensable role of the Fourth Estate.
The challenge now remains how to maintain the press gallery’s value at a time of rapid evolution. With the rise of the citizen journalist — the untrained amateur who, blogging from home, distorts “news” by failing to understand accuracy, objectivity, balance or source protection — potentially undermines what has become a noble journalistic profession: the second largest investigative force in Australia. In an age of spin and political apathy, the professional journalist’s role to report on politics has never been more important.
Hack Attack author Nick Davies, however, offered some hope when he recently addressed a QUT audience. Davies argued that voters’ appetite for junk journalism will soon fade, and the public will again crave quality journalism.
We can only hope Davies is right. |
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Abraham Zapruder and George Holliday were two normal American citizens with home video cameras. Just two guys who changed the nature of how the world consumes news.
Zapruder, a woman’s clothing manufacturer, captured the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy and started a fierce bidding war for the footage. Holliday, a manager at a plumbing and rooting company, fired up his Sony Handycam on March 3, 1991 to record four Los Angeles policemen brutally beating up Rodney King. Both clips shocked the planet.
Feidin Santana and Kevin Moore are two normal American citizens with home video cameras, two more guys to change the world. On April 4, Santana recorded a former South Carolina policeman shooting and killing the unarmed Michael Scott. Moore recorded Freddie Gray requesting medical attention in mid-April while under police custody — and being ignored hours before he died in the custody of Baltimore policemen.
It would take days for the Zapruder and Holliday clips to be released to the public through news outlets. Today, that delay is essentially zero.
In a world where cameras are everywhere, the truth is accessible to more people. Does a modern news agency inform citizens by relying on citizen journalists?
Technology Transformation
“There’s nothing quite like live video to put people in the moment when it comes to breaking news.” — Josh Stearns, who follows citizen journalism at the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
Citizen journalism dates back to the 18th century, when Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay disseminated information on the U.S. Constitution in the Federalist Papers. Then this thing called the Internet appeared, and now anyone with a cellphone can live-stream breaking news events as simply as taking a selfie. To spread news of unreported disappearances in Iraq in 2003, all that an architect calling himself “Salam Pax” needed was a blog. Add YouTube to the mix and citizen journalists have something uniquely modern: self-distribution to millions with complete content control.
In a world where cameras are everywhere, the truth is accessible to more people.
This basic shift has massive repercussions for newsrooms. In May of last year, the Chicago Sun-Times fired its entire staff of full-time photographers, claiming in a press release that the paper’s audience was “seeking more video content with their news.” The very next day, the paper mandated that its reporters partake in “iPhone photography basics.” Lorainne Branham, dean of Syracuse University’s award-winning Newhouse School of communication, told Digital Trends this shift in the industry is reflected in how future journalists are taught.
“Social media is a part of the journalism landscape right now,” Branham said. “We teach our students how to utilize social media, how to use Facebook to gather information, how to get sources, how to tweet information out.” Slowly, professional journalists are employing the same fact gathering tactics as pre-teens.
Benefits of Citizen Journalism
Live news is delayed in order to censor cursing, but a well known secret about the news is that there’s a more natural delay to live TV. “Network guys get to events later than they happen,” Ford Fischer, co-founder of independent news organization News2Share, told Digital Trends. “So [citizens] are filming when something crazy is happening in front of them.” News2Share was started in late August 2013 by Fischer and American University schoolmate Trey Yingst, a broadcast journalism graduate. The pair accept videos from citizens and recently received combat footage via Facebook of the Peshmerga army fighting ISIS in Iraq and being shot at by Kurdish soldiers.
Simple math. There are more civilians than journalists. More civilian journalists mean more eyes searching for a story.
From Rodney King in the late 80s to Walter Scott earlier this year, citizen journalism has helped expose police brutality. As a result, police transparency has been a focal point in the Obama administration as they and the Department of Justice both announced separate plans to fund the acquisition by numerous police departments of tens of thousands of body cameras. TASER International — body camera provider for 98 percent of police departments using the technology — informed Digital Trends that government dollars may not actually arrive until 2016. “The money will have to be new money, and that’s always a challenge — especially as the law enforcement grants keep getting smaller for other necessary equipment.” Body cameras may improve clarity in some situations, but they do not fundamentally preclude misinformation; public release of the footage depends on each individual police department. For example, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser proposed the exemption of body camera footage from the Freedom of Information Act, and D.C. police are already planning to limit who sees the footage.
Citizen journalists don’t just get to where professional journalists can’t go, they get to places professional journalists won’t go.
Given the uncertainties surrounding body camera footage, citizen journalists could be a necessary circumvention to such policies, as they can get access to places most journalists can not. “The guys with big network type cameras, in particular when [protesters] can see what brand they are — CNN, Fox, or whatever — those guys tend to get assaulted,” Fischer said. It may be a bit easier for the average citizen to blend in with a mob than Don Lemon.
Citizen journalists don’t just get to where professional journalists can’t go, they get to places professional journalists won’t go. Branham attributes layoffs and downsizing to why news organizations aren’t covering local communities the way they used to. “Part of the criticism you hear about the media from some of these communities is that ‘you’re not telling our stories’ or ‘you only report about the negative stuff,'” she said.
Ashley Kang, a graduate of Newhouse, is the director of an community newspaper called The Stand which pairs members of the Syracuse community with college students to work on news reporting. “When we pair residents with students, residents know the neighborhood,” Kang remarked. “They know all the people you should talk to and then the student can quickly pull information.”
Pitfalls of Citizen Journalism
Spreading the truth through rogue Periscopers can prove efficient, but costly in the grand scheme.
Kang says new citizen journalists at The Stand have had trouble interviewing subjects and executing ideas; they need proper guidance. Dean Branham feels this is a central problem to the idea of calling people “journalists” simply because they’ve filmed an event.
“Usually when people are out there capturing something on video, they’re capturing a moment in time of what happened and they’re not attempting to put it into context,” she explained. Someone could live stream a suicide attempt and have no means of redacting the faces of innocent bystanders, or they may have no qualms with capturing the actual suicide — measures taken by professional journalists.
Everyone has some sort of prejudice, but professional journalists are taught to disavow that and under every circumstance provide objectivity. The part-time worker who wants to make a quick buck by filming cop arrests has no incentive or training to abide by ethics. “The company could send their own person [to an event] trying to promote a product,” Kang theorizes. With newsroom-downsizing leaving less time dedicated to editorial oversight, abuses to a system that takes the juiciest stories from untrained journalists could be quite easy and rampant. If an esteemed journalist such as Brian Williams can pass off false memories of combat as truth, an impressionable citizen could do worse without the right guidance and structure.
Efforts to Help and Work with Citizen Journalism
MediaQ is one of the few initiatives with the infrastructure to reduce abuses to a citizen journalism/news outlet system. MediaQ is an online media management platform started by the University of Southern California’s (USC) Integrated Media Systems Center; it collects user-generated content for sharing among registered members. When a citizen records and uploads a video to MediaQ, the location and viewing direction of the video is automatically added. A news organization could also send out a request on MediaQ for footage of a certain event. For example, NBC could send an alert for footage of a robbery that they may not have a reporter nearby for. MediaQ and any citizen journalist registered in the system near the specified location will receive that notification.
There are YouTube tutorials and idiot guides to learn how to be a journalist, but humans are still the best training resource. Kang and The Stand hold full-day mentorship workshops where community members are paired with journalism graduate students who help them source, interview and edit their articles. The students end the day with their article posted online, a move Kang admits “kind of motivated people more, got them more interested.” When The Stand launched in late 2009, an early goal was for it to be financially stable enough for it to be solely run by community residents. Kang told Digital Trends that The Stand’s board members begun discussing this proposition and looking to secure more grants and advertisers earlier this year.
In an age where nearly one-third of U.S. adults receive their news from Facebook, the paper is the last place we look for timely information.
The Baltimore Sun created an interactive timeline of the incidents leading to Freddie Gray’s death. Each point in time is accompanied with a description of the events described by the police reports and official statements as well as video testimonials and amateur footage of Baltimore residents who witnessed the ordeal. NBC News dedicated a section of its news to citizen journalism in 2005. Eight years later, the company purchased user-generated live video service Stringwire, and last year used the service to post exclusive user-generated footage of the Ferguson protests. With police officers on film tampering with crime scenes as evidenced in the shooting of Walter Scott, the NSA illegally collecting all of our phone data and mainstream news outlets seemingly limited by their proximity and access, now is as good as anytime to expand journalism’s reach.
YouTube and social media news agency Storyful recently partnered for YouTube Newswire, a YouTube channel of verified eyewitness videos. The videos are separated by the news they capture and are a mix of amateur and professionally shot videos. Parts of Oklahoma and Texas were hit with eight to nine inches of rain and flash flooding on Wednesday and within hours YouTube Newswire organized a collection of amateur videos of the flooding from inside cars, homes and even roofs. YouTube has also launched First Draft Coalition, a group of “thought leaders and pioneers in social media journalism” providing journalists with advice on the ethics and practices of handling citizen-shot footage. We have reached a point where journalism needs to learn from the people it reports.
The news moves quickly. In an age where nearly one-third of U.S. adults receive their news from Facebook, the paper is the last place we look for timely information. You are the Feidin Santana. You are CNN. You are NBC. You are Kevin Moore.
You are the news. Report responsibly. |
Image caption In his book, David Hicks said he pleaded guilty only to escape Guantanamo Bay
Australia has launched a legal bid to seize the profits from a book written by a former Guantanamo Bay detainee.
Legal officials say any money made by David Hicks from his memoirs should be regarded as the proceeds of crime.
Australian Hicks pleaded guilty to helping the Taliban at a US military hearing in 2007 and was sent back home to serve a nine-month sentence.
He received applause at the launch of his book recently, which caused huge controversy in Australia.
The former farmer, dubbed the Aussie Taliban, was captured in Afghanistan and spent almost six years at Guantanamo.
He published his book Guantanamo: My Journey last year - and it has reportedly sold 30,000 copies.
But the government confirmed on Wednesday that the director of public prosecutions had applied for a restraining order and a literary proceeds order.
The case is scheduled to be heard in the Supreme Court of New South Wales state on 3 August.
Supporters of Hicks say the government should not be pursuing him because his original conviction was not legitimate.
"David Hicks has not been convicted of a crime in Australia," human rights campaigner John Dowd said.
"He has not been convicted of an offence under United States law. There is no basis for removing any profits from the sale of his book."
But opposition politicians accused the government of being too slow to act, saying Hicks had clearly profited from his crime.
In his book, Hicks wrote that he admitted to a charge of helping terrorists only to escape Guantanamo Bay. |
The 58th Annual Grammy Awards air February 15 on CBS. The ceremony will feature a collaborative performance from Justin Bieber with Jack Ü (aka Diplo and Skrillex).
Bieber, Diplo, and Skrillex are nominated for the Best Dance Recording Grammy for "Where Are Ü Now," Diplo is nominated for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical, and Jack Ü are nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album for their self-titled LP.
Other performers at this year's Grammys include Kendrick Lamar, the Weeknd, Adele, the "Hamilton" cast, Ellie Goulding, Lionel Richie, and Lady Gaga paying tribute to David Bowie.
Update (2/4, 10:19 a.m.): Hollywood Vampires, the supergroup comprising Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, and Aerosmith's Joe Perry, will pay tribute to Lemmy at the Grammys, according to Rolling Stone. Meanwhile, according to a press release, Chris Stapleton, Gary Clark Jr., and Bonnie Raitt will honor B.B. King.
Update (2/5, 9:40 a.m.): Rihanna will also perform at the Grammys, as she announced this morning on Twitter.
Update (2/8, 1:36 a.m.): While a newly-released Grammys commercial hinted at his involvement in the first hour, Drake will not be performing at the event.
Find the full list of Grammy nominations here. |
Helen Graves
East London Bakery Brings Freak Shakes To London
Get your freak on. Photo: Helen Graves.
At first sight, a ‘freak shake’ can be intimidating. What starts out in fairly standard fashion, by mixing milk and ice cream, soon stacks up into a pile of dairy and sugar tall enough to keep a toddler buzzing for days. An Australian import, they’re all about excess, with various sauces, cakes, crumbles and froths adding up to a structurally unstable dessert colossus.
We’re having our inaugural freak shake experience at Molly Bakes, the first café from Maria Goodman and her husband Olly (Maria + Olly = Molly), who’ve been running their baking business since 2009. “People kept asking me where they could find the shop,” Maria tells us, “and in the end it seemed like the logical thing to do. We wanted to start a milkshake business anyway, and so the freak shakes just made sense.”
We order a peanut butter shake and watch Maria build it. She starts by whizzing vanilla ice cream with peanut butter before turning her attention to the serving glass, dabbing and smearing the rim with peanut butter, caramel, cookie dust and popping candy. Caramel is dribbled down the sides, and then the shake goes in, followed by another scoop of ice cream and some whipped cream. There’s a brownie on top, then some honeycomb, and an extra flourish of sugary crumble. Are you still with us? She lifts it onto a plate (it’s impossible to hold without getting sticky) and the shake is served. We wonder where to start, but eventually dig in with a spoon. “It’s amazing, the glasses usually come back clean every time,” Maria says, “people don’t usually even share them.”
On the evening they launched the shakes, queues were stretching down the road outside, as people got wind of them via Twitter and Instagram. The waiting time was two hours, and one couple came all the way from South Kensington, queuing for one hour and 10 minutes to get their shake. The rapper Scroobius Pip has even paid a visit, right after finishing an appointment at the dentist. “My Twitter and Instagram suddenly went crazy,” said Maria, “and I realised this famous rapper was here.”
Maria Goodman with one of her creations. Photo: Helen Graves.
We ask Maria what she plans for her freaky future and she reveals that more flavours are in development, including some boozy shakes, just in case they weren’t ticking enough boxes already. We’re surprised at just how easy it is to plough through one of these, although we do stop before the end. It’s only when we get home later that we realise we’ve been sporting a streak of freak shake in our hair. They're messy, but they're worth it.
Molly Bakes, 450 Kingsland Rd, E8 4AE
404 |
Mobile phones (MPs) are potential reservoirs of nosocomial bacteria, but few data are available concerning viruses. We aimed to evaluate the presence of virus RNA from epidemic viruses including metapneumovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, influenza viruses, rotavirus (RV) and norovirus on the MPs used by healthcare workers (HCWs) and to relate it to hygiene measures. An anonymous behavioural questionnaire about MP use at hospital was administered to the HCWs of four adult and paediatric departments of a university hospital. After sampling personal (PMP) and/or professional MPs (digital enhanced cordless telephone, DECT), virus RNAs were extracted and amplified by one-step real-time reverse transcription–quantitative PCR. The molecular results were analysed in a masked manner in relation to the behavioural survey. Questionnaires from 114 HCWs (35 senior physicians, 30 residents, 32 nurses, 27 nurses' assistants) working either in adult (n = 58) or paediatric (n = 56) departments were analysed. Medical personnel used their PMP more frequently than paramedical HCWs (33/65 vs. 10/59, p <0.001). MPs were used during care more frequently in adult wards than in paediatric ones (46/58 vs. 27/56, p <0.001). Virus RNA was detected on 42/109 (38.5%) collected MPs, with RV found on 39, respiratory syncytial virus on three and metapneumovirus on one. The presence of virus RNA was significantly associated with MPs from the paediatric HCWs (p <0.001). MPs routinely used in hospital, even during care, can host virus RNA, especially RV. Promotion of frequent hand hygiene before and after MP use, along with frequent cleaning of MPs, should be encouraged. |
I weighed in on the Black Lives Matters movement for two reasons.
First, I was inspired by the fact that Martin Luther King (and others) fought for and died for racial equality, without dismissing black men, like me, as husbands and fathers in families and communities. The fact that Black Lives Matter's Guiding Principles don't is telling and significant.
Second, it is well documented that the black community has the highest abortion rate as a percentage of its population. It also has the lowest marriage rate and the highest percentage of children raised in single mother homes. By God's grace, I must stand against and speak out against any movement that has a stated principle of trying to "disrupt" the much needed work to make sure that as many black children as possible are raised by their married mothers and fathers.
Indeed, the precious lives of children, in and out of the womb, are at stake.
Unless you have been “off the grid” for a while, you have heard a lot in the news about Black Lives Matter. This “movement” has gotten a lot of press and some notable praise from celebrities and politicians, including positive mentions from President Obama. But I suspect that most people, including many who have tweeted #blacklivesmatter, have not visited its website.
I have and I was a shocked, especially as a black man. You see, Black Lives Matter boasts that it was launched as a response to the deaths of black males, most notably Travyon Martin and Michael Brown. So, you would expect that when you review its website, it would be chock full of references to helping black men and boys. But you would be wrong. Dead wrong.
Let me explain.
Prominent on Black Lives Matter’s website is a list of its 12 “Guiding Principles.” These principles serve as a vision statement for what the group hopes to accomplish. So, if Black Lives Matter had the ability to wave a proverbial “magic wand” to create its reality in the black community, these principles would be it. However, if you objectively read these principles, you will quickly notice that most of them have nothing to do with the issues facing the black community and, certainly, not the black men and boys that the group has used as “martyrs” to gain a national voice. Moreover, as you read the principles, you will not find a single reference to black men and boys, except for “trans brothers,” which are men who want to be considered women.
Also, it is clear that the Black Lives Matter ideology sees no role for black men, especially not as husbands and fathers. For example, consider the Guiding Principle titled, “Black Villages:”
We are committed to disrupting the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and “villages” that collectively care for one another, and especially “our” children to the degree that mothers, parents and children are comfortable.
This principle starts with the goal of “disrupting the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure.” The irony is that this has already happened to a great degree in the Black community. Today, only 34% of black children—down from 67% in 1960—are raised in homes with married fathers and mothers. Moreover, nearly 50% of black children live in single mother homes. In 1960, only 20% of black children did. So, from Black Lives Matter’s perspective, we are making great progress. And, using their logic, we should actively work to increase the number of black kids living in single mother homes, absent their fathers…right?
But how is that working out for the black community? Not so great. Father absence is linked to nearly all the most intractable social ills affecting children, such as low academic performance, behavior problems, and risks for incarceration. Moreover, the negative outcomes correlated to father absence disproportionately affect the black boys and men who Black Lives Matter says it wants to protect. In fact, the 2013 FBI Uniform Crime Report shows that black offenders killed 90% of black victims. The vast majority of victims and offenders are black men. Indeed, it’s the fatherless killing the fatherless.
But, these facts and deaths don’t trouble the Black Lives Matter folks, who desire to create a utopian “village” where there are only “mothers” and “parents.” Indeed, the reality that children don’t come into the world with “mothers and parents” matters little to this movement. Children come into the world with mothers and fathers, but Black Lives Matter wants us to ignore this reality.
In Black Lives Matter’s worldview, it takes a fatherless village to raise a child, despite the fact that reams and decades of social science research strongly assert that children do better across every psychological, social, educational and economic measure of child well being when they are raised with involved, responsible and committed fathers. Moreover, these outcomes get even better when a father is married to their child’s mother.
Now, if you think that making black men merely “sperm donors” in the Black Village was an oversight, then consider the group’s Guiding Principle for “Black Families.” Of note, this principle’s graphic icon below depicts one adult with two children.
And the narrative mentions mothers but not fathers. Again, from their website:
We are committed to making our spaces family-friendly and enable parents to fully participate with their children. We are committed to dismantling the patriarchal practice that requires mothers to work “double shifts” that require them to mother in private even as they participate in justice work.
And you will also note that there is a Guiding Principle for black women, but not black men.
The bottom line is that the Black Lives Matter movement sees no role for black men other than media-hyped props to promote an agenda that excludes and undermines them. As a black man, I find us being used this way destructive, offensive, and familiar.
You see, for centuries the blood of black men has been used to advance the agenda and fortunes of others. And sadly, the founders of the Black Lives Matter movement are the latest to adopt this pernicious strategy. They seek to deny black men the right and honor that so many have died for — to be good husbands to their wives and good fathers to their children.
For a movement that is known for aggressively shouting down anyone who dare utter, “All Lives Matter,” it is guilty of the very thing that it protests when in comes to including black men in its vision of families and communities. So, anyone who really cares about all black lives ought to think twice before they get on this movement’s bus. It’s heading in the wrong direction. And that matters a lot. |
“He said in the cosmos is a single sonic sound
That is vibrating constantly
And if we could grip and hold on to the note
We would see our minds were free”
Judas Priest ‘Dreamer/Deceiver’
Heads bang, speakers shake and the earth, lost in a wasteland of nothingness, grinds slowly on its axis. The pursuit of life as a metalhead most often feels very much like being part of a vast primeval continuum. For almost its entire history, heavy metal has been forced to endure derision, incomprehension and mirth from all quarters, viewed as the stuff of shrieking and vulgar overstatement, or as some kind of retrogressive and primitive throwback, Kubrick-style, to the days of prehistoric man. All of which, naturally, is completely true. Yet ignores the fact that the cosmic collision of raw power, histrionic drama and electrifying energy can also amount to nothing less than a life-affirming force. And there can be few bands more crucial to metal’s lifeblood than Birmingham’s Judas Priest, whose vibrations, a full forty years after the release of their cataclysmic second album Sad Wings Of Destiny, still resonate far into the reaches of space.
It’s now almost become the stuff of cliche to relate that the industrial origins of Birmingham were what gave birth to Heavy Metal - the incessant violence of the machinery, and the Faustian infernos of the iron foundries - which also found a transatlantic parallel in the Detroit motor industry that helped formed the psychic backdrop to The Stooges and The MC5 - creating a mighty clangour that found its way into a generation of escapist imaginations.
Although the majority of self-appointed rock historians tend to pinpoint the birth of Heavy Metal either at the 1968 release of Blue Cheer’s gloriously primeval ‘Vincebus Eruptum’ or the use of those two words in the same year in Steppenwolf’s ‘Born To Be Wild’, 1970 was the year that four berserkers from just this industrial landscape - named Ozzy, Tony, Geezer and Bill - accidentally creating an entire subculture in a twelve hours studio session fuelled by blues, soul, narcotics, booze, horror movies and the occult. Yet the early seventies, by any standards, were a fruitful time for heavy rock, and an era in which its evolutionary process was hammering forward at startling velocity, as legions of baby-boomer bands around the world built on the speaker-rupturing innovations of Hendrix, Cream, The Who and Led Zep with the experimental, psychedelic sensibilities of the late-sixties and the psychic spectres of Vietnam and Altamont ringing in their ears.
Deep Purple had already - some might say cynically - seen the writing on the wall after the arrival of Led Zeppelin and replaced their genteel and stylish vocalist Rod Evans - a fella who wouldn’t have been out of place in Manfred Mann - with someone capable of screaming loud enough to bother forces of health and safety, and following a catastrophic false start with 1969’s Concerto For Group And Orchestra, the barnstorming In Rock sent shockwaves through the realms of the lank-haired and the shiftless around the globe, with Ian Gillan’s ferocious shriek to the fore. Elsewhere on a global scale, way-out outfits with names like Sir Lord Baltimore, T2, May Blitz, Atomic Rooster, Uriah Heep, The Edgar Broughton Band, Groundhogs, Elias Hulk and Haystacks Balboa were dishing out uncompromising rackets that feverishly vaulted forth into the unknown with their amps on eleven and their cheesecloth shirts untucked.
Click here for the Metal 1970AD Playlist on Spotify
Yet 1971 was still more incredible, and in many ways a pinnacle for loud. experimental and transgressive music still to be matched in modern history - this was a year in which not only acknowledged behemoths like Led Zep 4, Who’s Next and Master Of Reality hit the racks, but beyond hard rock. the head-spinning litany of Can’s Tago Mago, Funkadelic’s Maggot Brain Van Der Graaf Generator’s Pawn Hearts, Faust’s debut, Flower Travellin’ Band’s Satori, Groundhogs’ Split, Comus’ First Utterance, Budgie’s debut and Pink Floyd’s Meddle blazed a trail into the consciousness, and the average self-respecting head might have been forgiven for thinking that the horizons of the countercultural world would only extend further forthwith.
Click here for the Metal 1971AD Playlist on Spotify
Unfortunately, though, such was not to be the case. The post-psychedelic expansion that took place at the dawn of the seventies, bringing with it legions of experimentalists and transgressors who put volume and velocity forward as priorities in order to create sounds that were as ambitiously outré as they were ear-piercingly loud, was soon to be replaced in hindsight by a small selection of artists slowly becoming titans of the heavy art form, with all the hubris and vainglory that this implies. Moreover, the rot had set it fairly early. Made In Japan by Deep Purple has become known as a mighty testimony to bludgeoning rock power, a cavalcade of an unholy marriage between instrumental virtuosity and sheer brute force. Yet to a younger punter in the here and now, the fivesome’s trademark and rather self-regarding ability to mercilessly over-extend every song to an orgiastic frenzy twice its original length can’t help but raise eyebrows. By 1973, Led Zeppelin were similarly playing the shows that were later to surface on the tortuous Song Remains The Same, with a half-hour long ‘Dazed And Confused’, later to feature the visual accompaniment of Jimmy Page meeting himself reincarnated as a wizard atop a mountain, as its centrepiece.
Click here for the Metal 1972 Playlist on Spotify
Four decades, on, a regular procession of documentaries have retrospectively over-simplified our perception of the mid-‘70s into another litany of cliches, endlessly repeating aerial footage of Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s three trucks on a motorway before cutting to the gurning visage of John Lydon. Whilst on the one hand it may be tricky for anyone who wasn’t around in that era - such as this writer - to understand the impact of punk across the cultural landscape, it’s also all too easy to assume that 1976 was a year in which anyone across the UK not clad in bondage gear was shunned as passé, when punk rock was actually the preserve of a metropolitan vanguard of no more than a few hundred people. Such is even the lunacy of the very Wikipedia page of Sad Wings Of Destiny, which blithely states that this album “weak sales as it was released just as punk rock was dominating the spotlight in the UK” - this despite the fact that in March 1976 when it was released the first Ramones album was yet to be released and the Sex Pistols were still playing the Nashville supporting the 101ers.
Click here for the Metal 1976 Playlist on Spotify
However, a similar malaise had apparently taken hold of hard rock and heavy metal by this era to the broader disenchantment which led to punk rock in the first place - whilst there were large, grandstanding and enduring rock classics made that year - such as Thin Lizzy’s Jailbreak, Rush’s 2112, Rainbow’s Rising, and Kiss’ Destroyer the sound appeared in need of an injection of adrenaline and inspiration. Enter The Priest.
The fact of the matter may well be that Judas Priest were simply too far ahead their time to have immediate commercial success with Sad Wings Of Destiny. Strange as it may sound, it was primarily only this band and Scorpions - the latter of whom are now often erroneously viewed as a somewhat middle-of-the-road phenomenon in the light of ‘Wind Of Change’ and a certain amount of other aesthetic clangers, yet whose similarly high-energy and neoclassically embellished assault on the same year’s Virgin Killer was only partially hampered by one of the worst sleeves in metal history - who were transgressing the boundaries of heavy metal in a significant fashion.
Both bands fundamentally updated the heavy metal paradigm by bringing a new intensity and focus that entirely schemed many of the blues-based cliches and lumbering baggage of yore. Moreover, Sad Wings Of Destiny, from the sleeve and somewhat portentously poetic title down, was fundamentally a record dealing more than good-time rock & roll or the stuff of the Friday night boogie band, rather a realm of violence, conflict and drama fit to render heavy amplification as the stuff of a gravtias that only Sabbath had previously essayed with any real conviction.
Indeed, the momentum of Priest’s evolution gave life to a startling metamorphosis in both sound and appearance in the mid to late 70s, something akin to a superhero transformation in which the psychic power of their more-of-everything attack began to manifest itself visually. The ‘before’ of this equation is displayed in full colour by the legendary Old Grey Whistle Test footage from 1975, in which, despite Priest attacking the alternately dramatic and bludgeoning ‘Dreamer/Deceiver’ with enough operatic power and finesse to even render Whispering Bob Harris comparatively animated, their flowing post-hippy garb is a wicked world away from the image that later became their trademark, with the long-locked open-shirted Rob Halford even bringing to mind Pentangle’s Jacqui McShee.
Yet for all their fashion crimes, his was a band sonically ahead of the curve to a degree that nowadays beggars belief. The influences may be clear - the bludgeon and groove of Sabbath, the muscle and wail of Purple, the operatic drama of Queen, plus a dash of Hendrix in K.K. Downing’s frenzied lead howls - yet the ambition is far-reaching, the delivery marked by an intensity and finesse unlike anything in sight on the 1976 landscape - the riffing scalpel-sharp, Rob Halford’s theatrical approach and technical mastery a thing to behold.
However, despite the fact that early thrash pioneers like Scott Ian and Venom regularly cite Priest as an influence in terms of being more balls-out and intense more of the time than any other band, a certain amount of the magic of 70s Priest arrives courtesy of the band being completely unafraid to balance out feverish thundering riff science with moments that border on Neil Diamond territory. This is a band with the balls to delivery a murky yet ornate ballad like ‘Epitaph’, complete with piano and stacked vocal harmonies. yet then lurch into a rollicking Sabbathian fantasy barnstormer like ‘Island Of Domination’. A band unafraid to deal out the grand guignol of ‘The Ripper’ (a song arguably more Spinal Tap than even Tap themselves) with such slavering relish, incisive instrumental complexity and atmospheric panache that disbelief is suspended until further notice. Yet it was also an album made while band members were struggling by on one meal a day and working as gardeners and delivery drivers, perhaps spurred on to create still more vivid fantasy landscapes and sinister psychic spectres by the mundanity of their surroundings.
Central to the magic of Priest was their ability to take tired shapes and reinvent them anew - ‘Victim Of Changes’ originated as two songs with the somewhat Creme Brulée-esque titles of ‘Whiskey Woman’ and ‘Red Light Lady’, yet combined and supercharged by Priest’s full-throttle attack, Halford’s otherworldly howls, one of Downing’s most horrifyingly tuneless yet pole-axingly awesome solos (predating the legendary noise-not-music lead style of Slayer’s Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King by a decade) and a masterful grasp of dynamics that treated sober restraint, anthemic bravura and righteous heaviness with equal import, pub band cliche was alchemically transformed into an epic metal blueprint for the ages.
Moreover, by upping the ante so savagely Sad Wings Of Destiny helped to kick-start a second wave eventually to find true fruition in the almost indecently exciting punk-style grass roots movement of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. By 1980, not only was the genre revitalised (much to the chagrin of the diehards who were forced to discuss a resurgence of something that by their reckoning had never gone away) but it was producing a litany of thrilling records that would then inspire new behemoths like Slayer and Metallica to tread the earth.
It’s now nearly fifty years since Vincebus Eruptum and thirty since both Reign In Blood and Master Of Puppets. Indeed, most metalheads will be familiar with being reminded of a different anniversary seemingly every couple of days in the here and now, perhaps leading to the conclusion that heavy metal may be on the verge of following other realms of guitar music to be perceived as either a classicist art form, a largely nostalgic one or (and this phrase itself can’t help but provoke a shudder) a heritage genre. Yet the fact that new generations of fans still embrace music that spent most of the 1990s derived as a laughing stock tells another story, more that classic heavy metal has an appeal, rooted in its primal charge and fearsome intensity that transcends fashion and artifice will not fall prey to rust and ruin over the passing of years. Moreover, there are few monoliths more fit for the ages than the gargantuan gothic construction that is Sad Wings Of Destiny.
With thanks and apologies to Andrew Steen and David Terry |
This story was originally published Jan. 16.
When a certain magic takes hold, a bar becomes a memory palace that stands apart from other social spaces. It captures our imaginations, tells our stories.
Bars are places where we make and keep friends, form community and, even if we don't realize it, bars shape how we think of ourselves.
You can also get liquored up there, which helps.
Calgary is a city of iconic bars, and a wasteland for many more. Names people know, places you want to see and be seen.
Each one unique, and when one closes, a little something in us shuts, too.
Bar philosophy (yeah, it's a thing)
Think of the King Eddy, the Shamrock, the Cecil, and so many before them: The Republik, Westward Club, The Night Gallery or the Electric Avenue strip.
Each a different place, with a different crowd and a different vibe. All gone.
You can no longer sit in one of these places and say, "This is where B.B. King came to play after his show at the Saddledome."
Then-premier Ralph Klein and his wife, Colleen, salute the crowd attending a farewell event for him at the St. Louis Hotel in Calgary. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)
You can't point to the chair next to you and say, "Ralph Klein decided to run for premier while drinking there."
You can't say, "I saw Nirvana play on this little stage," or "Your mother and I conceived you after a night here."
Richard Ocejo, a sociology professor at City University of New York, has spent a lot of time thinking about bars, ever since he stumbled into a gentrifying dive in New York City's Bowery district.
"The way I look at it, it's a window, it's more like a lens for understanding dynamic urban processes that are going on," he said.
He says some bars are imbued with a special meaning, a certain intangible something that allows them to reflect their community. They also have to adapt or die.
"Bars really need a balance of stable regulars, and newcomers. It needs both what urban theorists would call users and watchers. So, folks who just sit and watch, they're there all the time, and folks who just kind of pass through using it, so tourists, visitors and things like that."
The theory applies here in Calgary too, with its 264 licensed watering holes.
That mix defines the crowd at the Ship and Anchor, a 25-year-old pub that has become a Calgary civic institution where men in suits mingle with young punks.
The Ship
Nicole Estabrooks has been coming to the Ship and Anchor for years. She has a standing date with friends on Monday nights. (David Bell/CBC)
It is a gathering place for generations of Calgarians. It forms a particular community. Think of it like an old-school Facebook that physically connects old friends and forges new relationships.
Nicole Estabrooks is a member of that community.
She has a standing meet-up at the Ship every Monday — come if you can, stay however long you want.
Estabrooks says the Ship's atmosphere and a lack of "screaming" televisions are just surface parts of its charm.
"The other thing that I really love about it is that it doesn't seem to matter when, if anybody comes back to town they always come to the Ship," she said.
That's what a bar can do.
It's the social glue that creates community between friends, between regulars, between customers and staff. It draws people together through booze, conversation and camaraderie. The physical space of a bar creates opportunities other places don't.
"I don't get a lot of random old friends showing up at my house," said Estabrooks.
But bars don't just create community, they can tie old ones together.
Your local
At the Lynwood Station bar in Ogden, bartender Jasmine Gilbert knows to have a Labatt Blue ready when Tim Bates comes wandering in.
Bates has been coming here for about 18 years — long before it was called the Lynwood Station, back when it was a biker bar where "you sat with your back against the wall."
His dedication to his local drinking hole is in part due to the proximity of his apartment.
"It's like a social club," he said. "Everybody knows everybody."
Gilbert talks about Ogden and how it's unique — a small town within Calgary where everyone's children went to school with each other. And how the Lynwood Station pub fits into that.
How no matter what this place has been, it's been part of the community. From the former bikini bar with wet T-shirt contests, to when it was a Mother's Pizza. Different, but always part of Ogden.
Still, location alone is never the reason for that kind of loyalty. Atmosphere is key. And a good bar just can't be packaged.
Cookie-cutter bars
Calgary's suburbs are ridden with cookie-cutter bars. Sort of a "bar in a box" that offers a generic feel you could find pretty much anywhere.
Richard Ocejo, who wrote a book on bars and gentrification, says it's a problem in New York, too: Developers come into a community pitching a place and thinking they can create community.
"So many relied on so many of these common tropes of what the homey bar is like and what the community hangout is like, and describing random stuff they would put on the walls, and they would have an Irish theme or something."
But then Ocejo would go, and be disappointed.
"It's not an 'if you build it they will come' situation. I don't know what it is. It's a magic, I guess. That's hard to explain."
The myth of inclusiveness
A favorite bar can make you feel special. (The Alchemist)
Think of your favourite bar. Sitting there will make you feel special. Humans are tribal by nature and that's a part of how we decide if a particular bar is the right place for us.
"I think it's a bit of a myth, the idea of these bars being all-inclusive places. Theoretically they are, but it's not the same as a subway, or a street, or a park or something like that," said Ocejo.
He says we choose bars, but bars also choose us.
They are "very self-selective in terms of who they're catering to," he says, and accomplish this through things like drink prices, hours of operation, music, rules and atmosphere.
"I think that's what's so fascinating to me about bars, is how different they potentially could be perceived and consumed by different sorts of people over time."
People absorb the norms of a bar — taking social cues from the people sitting around them and incorporating it all into the culture of their own lives.
They can build expectations and ideas and stories around a place. Think about it, you've likely told or heard a story about "that time at Boy's Town" or "the time at The Warehouse when everyone...."
Myths are rampant when talking about bars. The stories we tell about them say something about the place, and having "been there when" can give you some social capital. But, like the tall tales told along the wood, sometimes the stories get away from us and cloud the facts.
Necessary myths
The Cecil Hotel, which has been shuttered since 2008, was a symbol of Calgary's history, but also of its dark side. (CBC)
The nostalgia and the false memories of a place often kick in when a place closes. Many lamented the closing of the St. Louis in the East Village even though its last days included a virtual lake of urine in the men's room.
The Cecil, before the wrecking ball, was a hotbed of misery and crime.
While the final days of the St. Louis might have been scary, and an assault on one's nasal cavities, it was still the place where Ralph Klein sat elbow-to-elbow with city fathers and labourers alike.
Shared stories create identity. Shared pasts are part of cultural transmission between generations.
When a bar shuts, and its history ends, it hurts.
Back at the Ship and Anchor, Nicole Estabrooks can't fathom her bar shutting down.
"Oh my God, it would be a little bit of my heart closing," she said.
Ocejo says the impact of a bar closing often depends on whether it was the result of a dwindling clientele or gentrification, with the former often causing sadness and the latter often causing anger.
It also depends on how established they are, with cherished places leaving "a gap, a hole."
"Most bars close within five years or something like that. So the ones that survive are a really big deal because they symbolize all the action and activity that was going on back when they opened up. So there is that missing memory," he said.
So it's natural to want to recreate the good old days.
You can't recreate the past
In Calgary, Studio Bell is resurrecting the cherished King Eddy, the city's infamous home of the blues, where strippers plied their trade in the backroom on certain weekdays and red terry towel soaked up beer on the tables. In its place, a rebuilt attraction will stand, with original brick work but none of the grime.
"They're still preserving some sort of history it sounds like, but they're trying to rewrite the story," said Ocejo.
And there's the problem. You can't rewrite, or recreate, the past.
Republik Nightclub closed after 20 years as a live music venue in Calgary.
Take the famed Republik. It opened in 1987 amd moved locations two years later. It was shut down in 2000, reopened in 2007 and shut down again last year.
Many former patrons say it could just never recapture what it once was.
"It's a time and place, it's of a certain era," said Ocejo of bars trying to reclaim a past glory.
Bars shut, but they can also morph.
At the Bowery bar that first captivated Ocejo, the old alcoholics could sleep and collect mail and cash government cheques.
As the neighbourhood gentrified, the bar changed, the old crowd moved on and a new generation became the regulars.
This can make older patrons uncomfortable, but a smart bar will still try to cater to their needs.
Over at Lynwood Station, when asked why he doesn't just have a beer at home rather than sitting at the local bar, Bates offers another reason why this place is important for him — one that will resonate with many Calgarians at this specific point in time.
"I'm looking for work right now and there's a lot of guys that give me work on the side and stuff," he said. "We call it our office."
St. Louis Hotel bar is one of several iconic bars to close in Calgary. (Drew Anderson/CBC)
Calgary at a Crossroads is CBC Calgary's special focus on life in our city during the downturn. A look at Calgary's culture, identity and what it means to be Calgarian. Read more stories from the series at Calgary at a Crossroads. |
The World Economic Forum’s annual gathering of globalist political, financial and cultural elitists is underway in Davos, Switzerland, but the organization’s founder is planning an emergency Washington, D.C., meeting in 2017 for worried elites worldwide to discuss how to deal with President-elect Donald J. Trump.
“The World Economic Forum is listening to Donald Trump,” Bloomberg’s Stephen Morris and Erik Schatzker wrote on Sunday. “The organization will convene a special meeting in Washington this year to discuss issues raised during the president-elect’s campaign and the populist wave that swept him to victory, WEF founder Klaus Schwab told Bloomberg Television on Sunday. The gathering will explore U.S. investment and job-creation opportunities for companies that participate in the forum, he said.”
Klaus Schwab, who in 1971 founded the group that eventually became the World Economic Forum which hosts the annual retreat for business, political and cultural elites in the Swiss Alps, told Bloomberg that the event in Washington, D.C.—which was previously not planned—is going to be meant to address globalist concerns with the rise of populism as evidenced by the election of Trump to the presidency.
“It’s very natural that with the new administration we plan a major event in the U.S. to see what are the implications of the new president and how the business community could engage,” Schwab said, adding that in Davos in 2017 there are populists present who the globalists plan to hear from to try to assuage a “silent fear” of the masses.
“People have become very emotionalized, this silent fear of what the new world will bring,” Schwab added. “We have populists here and we want to listen. We have to respond to these individuals’ fears and to offer solutions. It’s not just enough to listen; we have to provide answers and that’s what we’re here for in Davos.”
Schwab said that the Davos gathering is not supposed to be about the glamorous parties and receptions for the elites present, or about the “outrageous excesses of life” exhibited by them there, but rather his goal is to create a “global village” where in the words of Morris and Schatzker “participants can mull weighty issues facing the world without the distractions of a large city.”
“My biggest fear is that we will believe there are very simple answers to very difficult questions,” Schwab said. “The right solution will require a lot of effort and many steps in the right direction. I am optimistic that in a new multi-polar world we still have the notion of a joined and shared destiny.”
In 2017, the “Party of Davos” so to speak, the World Economic Forum’s annual gathering there in the Swiss Alps, is as Breitbart News has previously reported a gloomier event than usual. Last year, the world elites gathered in Davos were certain that British voters wouldn’t vote to Leave the European Union and that Donald J. Trump would never be elected president of the United States—and that all these fears of populist uprisings around the world would never materialize. But they were wrong, and now Davos attendees are scrambling to try to figure out why. |
Valkee
Finnair business travelers flying between Helsinki and Shanghai will soon have the chance to be test subjects on the effect that "brain stimulation" headphones have on jet lag.
The $240 earbuds, made and tested by Finnish company Valkee, already blast LED lights instead of music into desperate and willing ear canals with the intention of alleviating seasonal affective disorder. (The company has claimed, too, that the light helps improve reaction time--at least in Finnish hockey players.)
Now Valkee is working with the airline Finnair to determine whether the lights may instill a sense of well-being in long-distance airline passengers to help counteract jet lag.
"Introducing the Valkee bright light headset is one way of adding interesting experiences on board Finnair flights," Finnair Vice President Jarkko Konttinen said in a statement. "Finnair is an innovative airline, and we actively look for new ways to improve the well-being and comfort of our passengers."
Beginning at the end of March, business class passengers flying the 4,000-plus miles between Helsinki and Shanghai will have the option to wear the earbuds for an hour or so in the middle of or at the end of the flight (depending on which direction they're traveling).
Participants will then be asked to fill out a questionnaire. Of course--surveys being subjective--it's possible that any positive effect could be attributed to the placebo effect instead of actual light, should people want badly enough to believe the earbuds have helped them.
The Valkee earbuds are certified in Europe as a medical device, but veteran sleep researcher Gary Trock, co-director of Sleep Evaluation Services at Beaumont Hospital in Michigan, told MSNBC earlier this week that he remains skeptical given he's seen nothing in peer-reviewed scientific journals about the device: "Until I see more data, I won't be sticking this in my ear."
Still, passengers who'd rather try anything but sleeping pills to alleviate jet lag certainly have the option of performing their own anecdotal experiment should they want to cough up a few hundred dollars on the Valkee buds before their next long flight. |
The “Big Bang” theory of the origin of the universe got a big boost this week when scientists reported the discovery of 14-billion-year-old echoes of the universe’s first moments—the first proof of an expanding universe, and the last piece of Einstein’s general theory of relativity.
Creationists and other conservative religious believers have a curiously ambivalent relationship with the Big Bang—unlike evolution, which is universally condemned. Young-earth creationists mock the Big Bang as a wild guess, an anti-biblical fantasy that only atheists determined to ignore evidence of God’s creation could have invented. In contrast, creationists who accept that the earth is old—by making the “days” of creation in Genesis into long epochs—actually claim that the Big Bang is in the Bible. Some of them are rejoicing in the recent discovery.
The leading evangelical anti-science organization is Answers in Genesis (AIG), headed by Ken Ham, the guy who recentlydebated Bill Nye. AIG’s dismissive response to the discovery is breathtaking in its hubris and lack of insight into how science works. They call for Christians to reject the discovery because the “announcement may be improperly understood and reported.” This all-purpose response would also allow one to deny that there is a missing Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777.
Secondly, Answers in Genesis complains that the predictions being confirmed in the discovery are “model-dependent.” They fail to note that every scientific prediction ever confirmed, from the discovery of Neptune, to DNA, to the Ambulecetus transitional fossil is “model-dependent.” The whole point of deriving predictions in science is to test models, hypotheses, theories. Finally, AIG suggests that “other mechanisms could mimic the signal,” implying that, although the startling prediction was derived from Einstein’s theory of general relativity and the inflationary model of the Big Bang, it could have come from “some other physical mechanism.” No alternative mechanism is suggested.
The AIG response declares instead that “Biblical creationists know from Scripture that the universe did not begin in a big bang … we know from Genesis 1 that God made the earth before He made the stars, but the big bang requires that many stars existed for billions of years before the earth did.”
Not all biblical literalists take such a hard-line stance. Like Ham, the popular Christian apologist Hugh Ross is a biblical literalist who rejects all forms of evolution: Ross believes that the “days” of creation in Genesis are vast epochs and thus the universe can be billions of years old. Ross heads the organization Reasons to Believe, which is often ++attacked by AIG++ and other young earth creationist groups for having a “liberal” view of the Bible. (http://creation.com/the-dubious-apologetics-of-hugh-ross)
Ross, an astronomer by training, was delighted by the discovery of the gravitational waves and told the Christian Post that “The Bible was the first to predict big bang cosmology.” Ross, in fact, is convinced that many ideas in modern science—including the inflationary model for the Big Bang confirmed by the recent discovery—were actually predicted by the Bible. He argues—to the dismay of Hebrew scholars—that the word “bara,” translated “create” in Genesis 1:1, means “to bring into existence that which did not exist before.” Ross has ingeniously located much of modern physics in the Bible, including the laws of thermodynamics and the Big Bang.
The initial response from the Discovery Institute, the headquarters of the Intelligent Design (ID) movement, maligned the motivations of the cosmologists searching for the gravity wave, claiming they found more theologically friendly models of the Big Bang “disturbing,” and wanted to refute them. The recent discovery of the gravity waves—after years of searching—is being trumpeted by the scientific community because it “saves the jobs of a thousand people at two national labs who are having to justify their expensive failure.
Despite his organization’s snarky cynicism, the Discovery Institute’s director, bestselling ID author Stephen Meyer, was in the this-new-discovery-proves-the-Bible camp. Meyer went on the John Ankerberg show to extol the theological virtues of the Big Bang. Using the same arguments as Hugh Ross, Meyer finds both the Big Bang and even the inflation model in the Bible: “We find repeated in the Old Testament, both in the prophets and the Psalms,” he told the Christian Post, “that God is stretching or has stretched out the heavens.” Meyer says this “stretching” means that “Space expanded very rapidly,” and the recent discovery provided “additional evidence supporting that inflation.” |
Editor’s note: The following is an opinion piece submitted to VeloNews by former U.S. Postal Service rider Scott Mercier. Mercier retired from professional cycling in 1997 and in 2011 told VeloNews that a team doctor had offered him synthetic testosterone in the final year of his career. The UCI on Monday issued a press release defending its lawsuit against journalist Paul Kimmage, claiming that he “had made false accusations that defamed the UCI and its presidents, and which tarnished their integrity and reputation.”
The dethroning of the king, Lance Armstrong, by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has given many hope that real change is possible for the sport of cycling. But the sport’s governing body, the UCI, led by the hapless Pat McQuaid and Hein Verbruggen, seems intent on continuing the charade. The entire world has come to accept that cycling has had a dark and sordid history with respect to doping, but the UCI refuses to acknowledge any responsibility. It is shameful that the UCI was not leading the effort to find the truth. Pat McQuaid, in particular, seems to get more desperate every time he utters a word.
His most recent action of suing journalist and renowned anti-doping crusader Paul Kimmage is just the latest example of an attempt to deny and cover up, rather than seek the truth. History suggests that the UCI did not provide protection for riders like Christophe Bassons and Filippo Simeoni, who chose to speak up and challenge the culture of doping. Rather, they were unceremoniously ushered out the door. It is time to invite athletes like them back to the sport to be a part of the solution. As a former rider for U.S. Postal, I would not have turned to the UCI for fear of the repercussions from the organization. Perhaps in my own small way I too contributed to the omerta in cycling.
The lack of comments by most of the peloton regarding the Armstrong saga suggest that the omerta is still alive and well and that the peloton is still ruled by fear. There is no small amount of irony in the fact that the sport is led today by a man who received a lifetime ban from Olympic competition for an act of willful deception and fraud by racing the Rapport Tour in apartheid South Africa during an international boycott. I also raced the Rapport Tour, but Nobel laureate Nelson Mandela was the head of state, not B.J. Vorster. Mr. Vorster was the head of the department of justice in South Africa when Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prison.
The UCI today appears to be governed in a similar manner as the apartheid regimes, ruled with oppression and fear. Many of today’s riders seem to be fearful of criticizing the UCI potentially and exposing themselves to repercussions.
Cycling has reached a tipping point. It is either going to be honest and open regarding its sordid history of doping and grow and thrive, or it will continue to deny and distract. The time has come for the doors of secrecy to be kicked open. It’s time for a revolution and the overthrow of the tyrannical leadership of McQuaid and Verbruggen. I urge the board members of the UCI to take control of the sport and start with a clean slate. This is the only way cycling can truly grow on a global scale. |
Revealing how Steve Jobs runs Apple is like exposing the secrets behind a magician's tricks. And several of the magician's "assistants" just broke their code of silence.
In a lengthy feature titled "Inside Apple," Fortune magazine's editor at large Adam Lashinsky paints a clear picture of what it's like to work at Apple, based on dozens of interviews with current or former employees at the company. In a nutshell: It's a lot like working for a giant startup with a low tolerance for imperfection.
Take for example, the launch of Apple's MobileMe web service in 2008, which was riddled with bugs and an embarrassing e-mail blackout for thousands of customers. This product release was so poor that critics labeled it "MobileMess."
Jobs didn't take it very well, according to Fortune.
"Can anyone tell me what MobileMe is supposed to do?" Jobs reportedly asked the MobileMe team after the fumbled launch. When he received an answer, he continued, "So why the fuck doesn't it do that?"
Jobs didn't stop there.
"You've tarnished Apple's reputation," he reportedly told the team. "You should hate each other for having let each other down."
Jobs immediately named a new executive to run MobileMe, and shortly after the meeting, most of the team was disbanded.
Apple's mercurial CEO is well-known for running the company like a ruthless dictator, on a level of secrecy comparable to the CIA. Fortune's article does a thorough job unraveling the company culture at Apple, which recently surpassed Google to become the most valuable corporation in the world.
The last ambitious piece analyzing Apple's culture came from Wired alum, Leander Kahney, in his 2008 cover story "How Apple Got Everything Right by Doing Everything Wrong." Kahney interviewed several former employees, including Guy Kawasaki, who described Jobs as a manager who proved that "it's OK to be an asshole."
Kahney elaborated on why Apple's culture of secrecy is good for the company: "... [T]he approach has been critical to its success, allowing the company to attack new product categories and grab market share before competitors wake up. It took Apple nearly three years to develop the iPhone in secret; that was a three-year head start on rivals."
Adding more details to the Apple picture, Fortune offers a rather interesting nugget on an elite group at the company known as the Top 100. Jobs gathers these exceptional individuals to attend a top-secret, three-day strategy session at an undisclosed location. This event is so secret that members of the Top 100 are told not to mark the meeting on their calendars, and they're not even allowed to drive to the location.
During the Top 100 meeting, Jobs and his top leaders "inform a supremely influential group about where Apple is headed," Lashinsky writes. Here, some members of the Top 100 get on stage to present strategies or products that signal the company's future. According to one employee, Jobs first showed the iPod to employees during a Top 100 meeting.
Outside of the theatrical Top 100 events, Jobs meets with executives every Monday to discuss important projects, and on Wednesdays he holds a marketing and communications meeting, Fortune claims.
There's no excuse for employees to have any confusion after a meeting. An effective Apple meeting will include an "action list," and next to each action item is a "DRI" – a directly responsible individual who must ensure the task is accomplished.
As for senior employees such as vice presidents, Jobs reportedly gives the same speech to all of them. Basically, when you're a high-level employee, you have no excuses for screwing up:
"When you’re the janitor," Jobs has repeatedly told incoming VPs, "reasons matter." He continues: "Somewhere between the janitor and the CEO, reasons stop mattering."
And perhaps the most fascinating tidbit from the article is about a program called Apple University.
Before his second medical leave three years ago, Jobs hired Joel Podolny, dean of the Yale School of Management, to lead Apple University. Podolny has hired a team of business professors to write a series of internal case studies about Apple's most significant decisions in recent history.
The purpose? To ensure that Apple will remain Apple, in the event that Jobs were to depart. Investors and technology observers have debated for years whether Apple can continue to be so successful without the visionary leader that has shaped the company from day one.
That remains an open question, but Apple University's sole purpose seems to be preparing for the day that the show must go on without the magician. |
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Paul Scholes likes what he sees in new Manchester United signing Nemanja Matic .
And the Old Trafford great compared the Serb favourably to veteran midfield commander Michael Carrick after Jose Mourinho's £40million signing enjoyed an impressive Premier League debut in the 4-0 win over West Ham.
Scholes , however, believes Matic can offer something extra to the 36-year-old pass master.
“I think he’s very similar in a way to Michael Carrick," said Scholes on BT Sport .
“He’s a controlling midfielder but what he brings which Michael doesn’t is a little bit of aggression. He gets to the ball, he tackles, he allows other people to play.”
Scholes admitted he was shocked Chelsea were willing to sell one of their key players to a main rival.
“I really like the Matic signing, that was the one that surprised me a little bit,” he added.
“It makes you wonder ‘why did Chelsea sell him?’"
While United were brushing aside the Hammers, Chelsea went down at home to Burnley on the opening weekend.
Manager Antonio Conte has already hinted he did not agree with the decision to allow Matic to leave Stamford Bridge.
Get all the latest Manchester United news first with our new app. Download it here now. |
Oh dear God the lies have already started. Jill has a team of people who do everything for her. I am literally less than a minute in and had to pause. Jill has literally hired some sort of glam/minion squad to surround her for her intro as if she is some sort of celebrity who does events all day. She works in a fabric store and sells girdles to skinny people. Seriously? She is changing places with Jenna Van Oy who played Six on Blossom. Jenna was a child actress and Jill is a media whore. (Sidenote: Jill is the only Real Housewife of anywhere I’ve met and the topic of my very first blog here. Check out the archives) .
Jill is VERY proud that she was one of the ORIGINAL housewives of New York. Most people watching this show have no idea who she is. She talks about loving her dog more than her kid. She lives in the Hamptons! Oh wait. That is her summer house. She is very rich (they actually seem to do fine, but oh the uncouthness !!!) . She is now pretending she has a full staff. Look. I don’t know if this is true or not, but I know at least someone with way more money than Jill who lives in NYC and has a summer home somewhere way nicer than the Hamptons that is not nearly this pretentious. An entire staff is not necessary for three adults. I think my friend has a maid, a doorman, a dog sitter, and that is about it. Other staff as necessary for events. This is mediawhore bullshit from people with not nearly as much money as they think they have.
Her Hamptons home is GORGEOUS. Jill has a party there every weekend. They call it camp Zarin. Seriously? Do you really need people to come to your home every weekend to tell you how great it is? I will never understand this outside need for validation. I’d LOVE to live in that house. But I would never have riff raff like the likes of you over every weekend to ooh and ahh. I’d have the place surrounded by fucking snipers. #SorryNotSorry
Jenna, is a normal person who happens to have plenty of money. She lives in Nashville. She is humble. She is into family. She is a REAL HOUSEWIFE. I love Brad. He is totally my type. Jenna has a great life and a great attitude going in.
On the way to Jenna’s Jill says, “This is more of a working class community. And people who work for us, this is probably where they live.” #CuntSactchel
Jill moves into Jenna’s modest house. I am sure she is pissed thinking she was going to trade lives with someone more her equal, like Oprah, or the Queen of England. I bet she immediately called her agent and tried to quit. Jill comments “She needs fabric! This is not clean enough!” Jill has never seen a floor furnace.
Meanwhile Jenna is overwhelmed by Jill’s home. It is staggeringly beautiful. Jenna particularly loves the kitchen and says, “I hope this means she likes to cook!”
Jill says she can’t relate to Jenna missing her baby, Gray. But she does really miss her dog. Look I get this show is fake and dramatic, but the things Jill is willing to say about her daughter on camera is pathetic.
Jill is going way out of her way to look rich in a house she probably rented for the week and I’m is pissed she is still breathing at this point. Jill compares Jenna’s kid to a dog. Which in the sense she meant it is correct. Both kids and dogs can smell evil.
Jill introduces herself a “The Star of The Real Housewives of New York City” Was it ever called the Real Housewives of New York City? that seemed strange coming out of her mouth as if she was referring to a porno of that name.
At Camp Zarin, there is a ridiculous party going on in their fake summer home. Photogs are everywhere and fake glamor hilariously ensues.
Just as stupidly someone has to off camera babysit Grey while Jill inevitably burns the house down while cooking dinner. Jill’s fake shock over seeing a whole fish to cook is ridiculous. Even us plebians have eaten a whole fish in a restaurant. This episode is so far beyond scripted. Why do they do this? Each woman would have been out of her element anyway but SOME PRODUCER had to make it seem like Jill had never been eyeball to eyeball with a fish before. That makes no sense, it’s usually the fancypants places where that happens.
Meanwhile, a “Camp Zarin” Bobby is tasked with getting as much TV time for the property I assume they are trying to pretend they own as possible. There is much fanfare and grandiosity involved. I know east coast people and west coast people with places nicer than this, and, this ain’t how it works. In fact, I’ve never been invited either way. The don’t want to be bothered. They have a great retreat. They don’t want people there. Hell I live in the ghetto and I don’t want people here. It’s not all LOOK AT ME ENTERTAINMENT! It’s where they live!
I feel like I am being repetitive. It’s just ridiculous.
Bobby takes Jenna out to spend thousands on clothes. At lunch Bobby invites more couples along. It’s always a party so that the Zarin’s can talk about how rich they are. How sad.
Jill says that Jenna’s husband needs to get out with his wife alone.
RULE CHANGE!
Jill wants a nanny to come in. And a dog groomer. She wants manicures and pedicures for all! Gray will be spoiled with fancy gifts! YAY! I say. Jill wants a party.
Jenna wants no more parties and more family time. Jenna has a huge problem with the “glass staircase” in more ways than one and wants the house child proofed for Jill’s grandkids. No more gifts for the grandkids. You have to spend time with them. Jenna wants Bobby to do some real work.
I love Jill spoiling the girl. I am actually on Jill’s side this time. It took me a long time to learn if a rich person wants to spoil you, put your pride aside and let them. Especially this time. it’s your kid and it is only one time. I get Jill is crazy person, but she is trying to make your kid happy. Let her.
I love that Jenna has made the guest bedroom kid friendly. Jenna is making Bobbi playing with the kids. Jenna sets up camp Jenna where Bobby gets time with his family.
Jill takes her “husband” out with the kids on a date.
At the summit. Jill says she was hoping for rich people. She continues to say “Kids are overrated.” I’m sorry I had to stop for several WTF moments. I am sure she probably tells her kid this is all a for TV. But I don’t believe that. Jill wishes she never had a child. How many people in the world believe that about HER RELATIONSHIP WITH HER CHILD that she may have put out there as a joke? EVEN if your mother was on reality TV and said ” I am going to pretent to love my dog more than you for money” And I will follow up by saying “Kids are overrated” for more money. but um, I’m only kidding sweetie?” Years of therapy and eating your feelings.
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'Leadership' is a word regularly used by Brendan Rodgers and the manager's appreciation for players showing the characteristic has clearly made an impression on Jordan Henderson.
The Liverpool midfielder, now beginning his fourth campaign at Anfield, provides evidence of his maturity through a variety of methods each time he steps onto the turf.
It might be by sharing helpful instructions with a teammate, or vocally motivating those around him with a sharp burst of noise, or even simply setting an example with his work-rate.
Whatever the means, it is a responsibility that the No.14 embraces wholesale. "I try to help people as much as I can," he tells Liverpoolfc.com inside Melwood.
"Whether that is giving them confidence or instruction, I try to do as much as I can to help the team. I think that's important sometimes.
"That's just the way people are; some people are vocal, some people aren't. People lead in different ways, whether that's setting an example on or off the pitch.
"It depends what type of person you are and everybody is different. I feel that we've got a good mix in the group."
Watch the video here »
Though still just 24, Henderson finds himself as one of the more experienced players that Rodgers can call upon, having arrived on Merseyside more than three years ago.
Digging deeper into the subject, he continues: "I feel more of a senior member because there are a lot of young lads in the team.
"They are doing fantastically well, the players that have come through the youth system or we have bought. We've got some good leaders in the squad and it's a really good mix."
The midfielder's rapid evolution - that took in a starting berth for England at the World Cup this summer - bore particular fruit during a pitch-perfect 2013-14 season.
Ever concerned with the next stage of any individual's development, the boss has already highlighted an aspect of Henderson's game that can progress.
He agrees: "I've spoken to the gaffer and getting more goals is one area of my game that I would like to improve.
"A lot of us have got to chip in with more goals, especially from midfield. Hopefully I can work on that and I can improve. I'll try to do so." |
PRINCETON, NJ -- The Nov. 6 U.S. presidential election is now about 24 weeks away, and both major-party candidates continue their nonstop campaigning to win over the hearts, minds, and motivations of voters. Gallup has been measuring public opinion related to the election -- either directly or indirectly -- for well over a year now, and in this summary, Gallup editors evaluate 10 key indicators that shed light on where the election stands today.
1. President Barack Obama's job approval rating -- now 47% -- falls in the middle of the ranges of prior presidents seeking re-election in May. Obama's rating is perched well above Jimmy Carter's and George H.W. Bush's approval ratings of 38% and 41% at this time in 1980 and 1992, respectively -- approval ratings that foreshadowed their pending defeats. At the same time, Obama's rating is below the 50%-plus marks that, at this time in 1984 and 1996, foretold Ronald Reagan's and Bill Clinton's victories. Obama's approval rating most closely mimics the pattern of George W. Bush, whose rating was also 47% in late May 2004, but which rose to the 50%+ level later in the summer. Bush's final job approval rating before the 2004 election was 48%, and he won re-election by three percentage points in the popular vote.
Thus, Obama's job approval rating at this point forecasts neither an assured victory nor a probable defeat, but rather puts him at a historical midpoint that predicts a close election.
2. Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney have been statistically tied among registered voters in Gallup's 2012 trial heat ballots for nearly a month now, providing no solid indication of who will prevail. However, in the last three elections in which a Democratic incumbent sought re-election (1996, 1980, and 1964), the Republican challenger did much better on the eve of the election among likely voters than among registered voters, suggesting Romney may have a structural advantage on that score if the race remains close among registered voters.
It is still too early in the election cycle for the trial heat ballot to be a solid predictor of the eventual course of the election. For example:
John Kerry led incumbent George W. Bush among registered voters in late May 2004 by two percentage points.
Incumbent George H.W. Bush and Ross Perot were tied at 35% apiece, 10 points ahead of Bill Clinton in May 1992.
Incumbent Carter led Reagan by eight points in May 1980.
Thus, although voters today are closely divided on which candidate they would prefer to win, five months remain before Election Day -- a time that includes parties' conventions, presidential debates, and increasingly intense campaigning. Thus, it would not be unexpected or unprecedented if the race's character changes in the coming months.
3. Americans' overall mood about the state of the country is not favorable for an incumbent seeking re-election, given that a president's re-election partly depends on voters' satisfaction with his first four years in office. About one-quarter of Americans, 24%, are currently satisfied with the way things are going in the country, while 74% are dissatisfied. This is comparable to the dour mood found in 1992 before George W. Bush lost his re-election bid, and is far worse than that seen in 2004, 1996, and 1984, years in which each of the sitting presidents won. Still, the current satisfaction rating is more than double where it was last August and September.
The economy still dominates Americans' views of the nation's Most Important Problem, historically a negative sign for an incumbent seeking re-election.
All in all, Americans' relatively low satisfaction ratings, and the fact that the economy remains by far the top problem in voters' minds, present a formidable challenge for an incumbent president seeking re-election.
4. Americans are slightly more likely to say Romney would do a very good or good job of handling the economy than to say this about Obama, and are more likely to say the economy will be in better shape during the next four years if Romney is elected than if Obama is elected. However, Americans' views of the economy can be subdivided into important and meaningful dimensions, and Romney and Obama vary in their perceived strengths on each (more detail on this below). Romney also has a slight advantage over Obama as the better manager of government.
5. Although the economy is the dominant election issue, Americans do not view economic problems monolithically. Among the issues Americans consider most important, Obama is seen as better able than Romney to handle healthcare costs, college costs, and living standards of the poor. Romney is preferred for handling economic growth, the federal budget deficit and debt, and improving returns on personal investments.
Neither candidate has an edge at this point on unemployment or housing, two of the issues Americans rate as most important. The lack of a consensus leader on the issue of unemployment is an important correlate of the close nature of the race at this point; the candidate who can begin to out-position his opponent on jobs may ultimately have the highest probability of winning.
6. Americans are much more likely to choose Obama (60%) than Romney (31%) as the more "likable" candidate. At the same time, since Romney became the presumptive Republican nominee, his favorable rating, now 50%, has moved up to a level essentially on par with Obama's 52%. How necessary it is to be seen in a personally favorable light in order to win an election is not precisely determinable, though in recent elections, the candidate with the higher favorable rating has won. Thus, it remains to be seen whether Americans will elect the candidate they believe is more likable, or whether likability is a threshold factor -- so that as long as Romney is likable enough, the issue won't be a major liability for him.
7. Adding to his likability advantage, Obama also leads Romney in voter perceptions of who cares more about the needs of ordinary Americans and who is the stronger and more decisive leader. The latter presidential quality could be a valuable asset for Obama as a way to balance the softer side of his image, potentially broadening his appeal beyond his Democratic base. Obama's stronger marks on this dimension may reflect his having been in a highly visible leadership position for over three years, coupled with his decisions on such foreign policy issues as approving the successful Navy Seals operation to kill Osama bin Laden.
8. Obama's positioning as caring about the needs of ordinary Americans, and other evidence showing that he is seen as the candidate best able to address the needs of the poor, fits in well with his electoral base. The groups giving Obama his highest support at this point include blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and -- among whites -- those who are nonreligious, those who are single or living in a domestic partnership, and the young. White Americans with postgraduate educations and professionals, groups that are more liberal than other Americans, also heavily favor Obama.
9. Romney's core electoral strength -- as has been the case for Republican presidential candidates in recent elections -- is with non-Hispanic white Americans in general, among whom he is currently winning over Obama by a sizable margin. Within the white voter population, Romney does best among those who are religious, those who are married or have been married, and those who have anywhere from a high school to a college education but no postgraduate education.
10. Americans -- regardless of whom they personally support -- see Obama as the odds-on favorite to win the election, something that has generally corresponded with eventual victory in past elections. Americans' lopsided perceptions that Obama will win, 56% vs. 36%, could in part reflect the fact that Romney has not yet had the opportunity to define his candidacy after his competitive primary season, although he has been the presumptive nominee for well over a month at this point. It may also be that Americans' natural tendency is to think the incumbent will win re-election, which since World War II has been true 70% of the time.
Bottom Line
Not only are overall voter preferences in the 2012 presidential election closely split at this point, but Obama and Romney each have important strengths and weaknesses in their images and issue ratings. Obama is running into economic headwinds, with Americans still highly concerned about the state of the economy, and, as a result, largely dissatisfied with the country's direction. Still, his overall job approval rating is not as low as that of other presidents who faced re-election during a difficult economy.
At the same time, Obama is better liked than his opponent and comes across as someone who cares about average Americans. In fact, some might argue that these strengths are helping to lift his approval rating higher than it might otherwise be, given the economy. Obama is also preferred over Romney for being a strong leader. Those are all valuable calling cards with voters.
Romney's advantages, on the other hand, are mainly economic in nature. He is preferred for handling the economy and federal budget deficit -- both high on Americans' list of issue priorities. And he's slightly more likely to be seen as the better manager. While his favorable rating isn't high, it has improved to match Obama's, which may be sufficient to win if Americans' vote choice is guided mainly by their pocketbooks.
Track every angle of the presidential race on Gallup.com's Election 2012 page.
Sign up to get Election 2012 news stories from Gallup as soon as they are published. |
25 years ago today, on Jan. 24, 1984, the first Macintosh computer went on sale. Now better known as the “Mac,” the name came from the Apple employee who created the project, Jef Raskin, who wanted to name it after his favorite kind of apple, McIntosh, but had to tweak the name for legal rights.
This original Macintosh came with 128 kilobytes of RAM (it would later become known as the Macintosh 128K) and featured a 8 MHz Motorola 68000 microprocessor. It had a 9-inch black and white CRT screen and featured a 400 kB, single-sided 3.5-inch floppy disk drive. The price? $2,495, which in today’s dollars would have been well over $5,000.
The computer featured the signatures of the entire Apple Macintosh division molded inside the case. Those name include Raskin, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and many others.
Below watch Jobs unveil the first Macintosh, as well as some other notable Mac videos throughout the years.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0FtgZNOD44&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&w=480&h=385]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&w=480&h=385] [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uau0aIbrzkQ&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&w=480&h=385] [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BHPtoTctDY&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&w=480&h=385] [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdpRSj7tLiY&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&w=480&h=385] [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-PB86oy044&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&w=480&h=385] [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06ws6M2-S3w&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&w=480&h=385] [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQWjxAdSsHE&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&w=480&h=385] [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHfGoPcN7uU&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&w=480&h=385] |
President Trump on Wednesday flipped to new positions on four different policy issues, backing off of several campaign promises.
In an interview and a press conference, Trump either shifted or completely reversed positions on matters of foreign and economic policy, including how to handle China and the future of the Federal Reserve chairwoman.
Labeling China a currency manipulator
Trump told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday that China is not artificially deflating the value of its currency, a big change after he repeatedly pledged during his campaign to label the country a currency manipulator.
"They’re not currency manipulators," the president said, adding that China hasn’t been manipulating its currency for months, and that he feared derailing U.S.-China talks to crack down on North Korea.
Trump routinely criticized President Obama for not labeling China a currency manipulator, and promised during the campaign to do so on day one of his administration.
Once again Obama fails to classify China as a currency manipulator. He just helped China steal even more jobs and money from us. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 15, 2012
Janet Yellen's future
Trump also told the Journal he’d consider renominating Yellen to chair the Fed's board of governors despite attacking her during his campaign.
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“I like her. I respect her,” Trump said, “It’s very early.”
Trump called Yellen “obviously political” in September and accused her of keeping interest rates low to boost the stock market and make Obama look good.
“As soon as [rates] go up, your stock market is going to go way down, most likely,” Trump said. "Or possibly.”
Export-Import Bank
Trump also threw his support behind the Export-Import Bank, which helps subsidize some U.S. exports, after opposing it during the campaign.
“It turns out that, first of all, lots of small companies are really helped, the vendor companies,” Trump told the Journal. “Instinctively, you would say, ‘Isn’t that a ridiculous thing,’ but actually, it’s a very good thing. And it actually makes money, it could make a lot of money.”
Trump’s support is likely to anger conservative opponents of the bank, who say it enables crony capitalism.
NATO
Trump said NATO is "no longer obsolete" during a Wednesday press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, backtracking on his past criticism of the alliance.
During the campaign, he frequently called the organization "obsolete," saying did little to crack down on terrorism and that its other members don’t pay their “fair share.”
“I said it was obsolete. It is no longer obsolete," the president said Wednesday.
Trump has gradually become more supportive of NATO after it ramped up efforts to increase U.S. and European intelligence sharing regarding terrorism.
Trump still insisted that NATO allies “meet their financial obligations and pay what they owe.” He said he discussed with Stoltenberg his desire that allies put 2 percent of their gross domestic products into defense by 2024. |
PBJ - a brand synonymous with super slub and crazy character are always surprising us with their R&D. And the latest from the Selvedge purveyors is no exception.
Pictured side by side here is the original XX-013 on the left in that unmistakable dark hue of indigo, with the latest XX-013-VTG pair seen on the right.
With the only difference resting in the fabric itself (silhouette, hardware, other details all remain unchanged), you would think the jeans would be near identical, but with the updated fabric comes an entirely unique hue of indigo from what we have already seen come from the PBJ camp.
While paying homage to the original 1947 501xx Levi's fabric, the latest VTG fabric is much less slubbier and has a more balanced weave tension than the original XX-013.
Although the VTG fabric features minimal slub, it is still quite a neppy fabric, as was the original Levi's 501xx, which will help to yield some great patina over time.
Pictured above you find the new XX-013-VTG on the left next to the classic XX-013.
Always telling a great story without taking any shortcuts, PBJ milled this fabric from scratch to replicate how it looked and felt when Levi's first launched this fabric in '47. They have even forfeited their iconic Blue Selvedge ID from the barely visible, extremely thin, Pink Selvedge ID that was the focal point of Levi's original 501xx's.
The XX-013-VTG (Slim Tapered) is available online today (Sizes 28-36 are $230, Size 38 is $260). |
The Braves are among teams with interest in Rangers infielder/outfielder Jurickson Profar, who is seemingly available, reports FanRag’s Jon Heyman. The Rangers are looking for pitching, suggests Heyman, who notes that the Braves have a potentially on-the-move veteran in Jaime Garcia at the big league level and plenty of arms in the minors.
[RELATED: Atlanta Braves News & Rumors on Facebook]
Profar was one of the premier prospects in baseball only a few years ago, but injuries and poor performance have damaged his stock in recent seasons. The 24-year-old has thus far amassed 718 trips to the plate in the majors, and he has hit a weak .229/.309/.329 during that span. Profar has spent most of this year at Triple-A Round Rock, where he has batted .300/.380/.438 in 231 plate appearances. That’s far better than the .172/.294/.207 line he has produced in 70 PAs this season with the Rangers.
Despite his unimpressive track record in the majors, Profar still offers youth, switch-hitting capability and defensive versatility, having appeared in between 19 and 57 contests at first base, second base, shortstop, third base and left field during 180 appearances in Texas. He’s also cheap this year (his salary is just north of $1MM) and controllable via arbitration through 2019. And given the Braves’ interest, it’s worth noting that president of baseball operations John Hart was in the Rangers’ front office when they signed Profar as an international free agent in 2009. |
ATLANTA -- Well that was a buzz kill. On a frustrating night in Atlanta, the Eagles came out extraordinarily flat, and their second-half rally fell short as the Falcons sent them to an 0-1 record out of the gate. Win or lose, as always, our 10 post-game awards!
The 'Why'd you spend so much on running backs if you're not gonna use 'em' award: Chip Kelly
I mean, I get it. The Falcons had eight in the box all game, and the run game wasn't exactly working, but literally nobody has the following split of carries in mind before the season began:
DeMarco Murray: 8
Darren Sproles: 5
Ryan Mathews: 3
The backs did contribute in the passing game, especially Darren Sproles, who was great. But still... Bleh.
Meanwhile, Sam Bradford threw the ball 52 times. Maybe we should have called this the Andy Reid Award?
The Odell Beckham Jr. Award: Kiko Alonso
This speaks for itself:
Alonso, chatterbox that he is, described the play in the locker room after the game.
"I just had the guy coming in, and I turned around, and he threw it my way."
Thanks, Kiko.
The Bradley Fletcher Award: Byron Maxwell
Last season, we used to refer to #24 as Bradley "Under the Rainbow" Fletcher.
To be fair, Julio Jones is pretty freaking good, but we saw a bunch of this...
The Ruh Roh Award: Cody Parkey
After a very shaky preseason, Parkey missed an incredibly important 44-yard field goal that Chip Kelly categorized as "not a tough one." It would have given the Eagles a one-point lead with about two and a half minutes to go.
Would you say it's time for Eagles fans to crack each others' skulls open and feast on the goo inside? Yes, I would, Kent.
The Dink and Dunk Award: Sam Bradford
OK, so if the Falcons had eight in the box all game, why not take a few shots down the field? It's hard to determine whether the Eagles just weren't calling for deeper throws or if Bradford chose not to attempt them, but that's certainly one way to keep a defense honest.
The Cinderblock Hands Award: Malcolm Jenkins
The Invisible Man Award: Nelson Agholor
Far too often, Jenkins does a great job getting himself in position to make big plays, and then he doesn't finish. Credit him for being in good position and breaking up pass plays, but turnovers >>> pass breakups.
After a great training camp and flashy preseason, Agholor started but didn't have a catch until the fourth quarter. One catch, five yards.
The Surprise Nickel Award: Malcolm Jenkins and Chris Maragos
There were questions as to who the Eagles were going to use at nickel back. Would it be Eric Rowe? E.J. Biggers? Nope. The Eagles opted to slide Jenkins down into the slot and put Maragos in at safety. In other words, the Eagles would prefer a special teams guy be on the field with the regular defense over their second-round draft pick.
The No Holes Award: Eagles' OL
The Falcons bottled up the Eagles' rushing attack inside all game long, as the Eagles' OL failed to open up any holes in the interior of the Falcons D. That is concerning, as the inside run is an enormous part of the Eagles' offense.
The 'Must Win' Award: Eagles
Yep, we're headed into Week 2 and the Eagles already face a 'must win' game at home against the Cowboys next Sunday.
Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @JimmyKempski |
All of us use a lot of household products every day. Soap. Shampoo. Conditioner. Toothpaste. Hand soap. Dishwashing detergent. Laundry detergent. The list goes on and on.
Many of these items are used so routinely that we don’t even step back and think about them. We squirt some toothpaste on our toothbrush. We use a big gulp of mouthwash. We dump in laundry detergent up to the line.
Almost every time, though, we use way more of this stuff than we need.
Take toothpaste, for example. If you actually read their suggestion on how much toothpaste to use, it’s substantially less than the amount you probably use. It’s less than the amount I’ve always used, and I use far less than other people I know.
If you go a step beyond that, the back of the package is going to suggest using more than you actually need. Why? If you use substantially more than you need to get the job done, you’ll get the job done and run out of the stuff faster, sending you back to the store to buy more and to cause the company more profit.
I decided to really look at the amounts I was using in my own life and came up with some interesting results on several different things.
Soap I use liquid soap in the shower. I usually squeeze out a pretty big glob onto my washcloth and wash away, not thinking about it. However, if you read the back of pretty much any bottle, they encourage you to use a “small amount” (or some other vague amount). So I experimented a bit. I put just a tiny dot of soap on the wash cloth, about the smallest dot I could make. I lathered it around for a bit and it made a surprisingly large amount of suds. Two dots made as much lather as I would make from a huge squirt. In fact, I found that if I used one of those hand soap dispensers, a single squeeze from that dispenser gave me plenty of body soap for the shower. Using 80% less soap had the exact same results.
Toothpaste I used to squirt a line of toothpaste from one end of the bristles to the other. Reading the back of the tube, they suggest a much smaller amount than that. So I tried different amounts. Eventually, I found the perfect balance for me – an almost circular dot on the toothbrush. This resulted in pretty much the same amount of foam in my mouth (with a lot less over-the-top minty flavor!). Using 66% less toothpaste had the exact same results.
Mouthwash I would usually just pour myself a good mouth full in the bottom of a cup, rinse it around in my mouth for a minute, and spit. However, I was using far too much of it. Using about half as much got the same “burning” effect (yes, I use Listerine). Using 50% less mouthwash had the exact same results.
Dishwashing detergent My dishwasher has two different spots for detergent. Instead of filling up both slots with detergent, I tried filling up just one. I couldn’t notice a difference. What about filling up one slot about halfway? This didn’t quite cut it – it seemed to not work as well. I’ve actually been filling up both slots about halfway now. Using 50% less dishwashing detergent had the exact same results.
Shampoo and conditioner I used to just fill up my palm with shampoo, scrub it deeply into my hair, and rinse. However, my hair is really short. It turns out that just the tiniest dot does the trick – a huge reduction in the amount of shampoo I use. The same is true with conditioner. I’m going to adopt the same “squirt bottle” tactic I use with the soap. Using approximately 85% less shampoo and conditioner had the exact same results.
In fact, the only household product I tried that didn’t succeed just as well without a significant reduction was dental floss. A shorter strand just didn’t cut it.
Each one of these things changed nothing with my quality of life. I just found that if I used a little less up front, I didn’t miss it at all. This means more uses per container of household product – and that means that each container lasts longer.
And that, of course, means money saved without changing a thing about my life.
That’s a win, my friends.
Take a look at how much of this stuff you use. Don’t cut it below what you’re comfortable with, but give it a shot with a bit less. Don’t squirt quite as much shampoo onto your hands in the shower. Don’t put quite as much detergent into the wash. Quite often, trimming a little bit from what you use won’t make any noticeable difference except that you’ll be buying that item a lot less frequently without any change in the way you do things. That means money in your pocket. |
Here you'll find a list of hotfixes that address various issues related to World of Warcraft: Legion. Some of the hotfixes below take effect the moment they were implemented, while others may require scheduled realm restarts to go into effect. Please keep in mind that some issues cannot be addressed without a client-side patch update. This list will be updated as additional hotfixes are applied.
Additional information about the expansion can be found below.
October 3
Hotfixes
Classes
Mage Splitting Ice should now cause Glacial Spike to damage the secondary target for 80% of the damage dealt to the primary target, as intended.
Monk Stagger now delays 40% of damage taken (was 35%), and now quickly fades after leaving combat.
Shaman (Restoration) The Artifact trait Tidal Pools will now correctly heal all areas when multiple Tidal Pools are active at once.
Warlock Shadowflame's damage over time can now critically strike.
Warrior Shield Slam now generates 20 Rage (was 10). Ignore Pain’s maximum absorption has been reduced by 33%. Inspiring Presence no longer stacks on players who have multiple Warriors present.
Dungeons and Raids
(All dungeon and raid hotfixes will take effect with realm restarts in each region.)
Black Rook Hold Mythic Keystone target time increased to 38 minutes (was 35 minutes).
Eye of Azshara Mythic Keystone target time decreased to 35 minutes (was 36 minutes).
Maw of Souls Mythic Keystone target time decreased to 24 minutes (was 25 minutes).
Neltharion’s Lair Mythic Keystone target time decreased to 33 minutes (was 35 minutes).
Emerald Nightmare Vantus Runes can now be used in Mythic Emerald Nightmare. Il’gynoth On Mythic difficulty, Il’gynoth’s health has been increased by 200%, but loses one-third of that value each time the Eye of Il’gynoth is defeated. On Mythic difficulty, each Nightmare Explosion now deals 20% more damage to the Eye of Il’gynoth. Developers’ Notes: A common strategy for Mythic Il’gynoth involved using raid compositions that focus on maximizing burst damage to complete the encounter in a single phase. This approach removes huge portions of the encounter and can overly favor a specific set of classes and specializations, causing negative social pressures in groups that have yet to reach this encounter. These changes ensure that raid groups must enter Il’gynoth’s core twice in order to complete the encounter on Mythic difficulty, but offset that change by speeding up the process of destroying the Eye to shorten the overall length of the encounter.
Professions
Enchanting Crafted items that upgrade to epic quality should now disenchant into Leylight Shards or Chaos Crystals.
PvP
Shaman Totems will no longer take unintended extra damage from players.
Quests
Players are now able to turn in "Ritual Ruination" to Calydus in Dreadscar Rift if they don’t take the portal out of the scenario.
September 30
Hotfixes
Legion Companion App
Fixed a bug in iOS 10 that caused notification badge numbers to not clear.
The Login button now goes to your character list when possible.
The Account Selection button starts a new login with Battle.net.
The World Quest icon now shows additional info when using a filter.
Fixed a bug that sometimes made it appear that a 100%+ mission failed.
Classes
Warlock Unstable Affliction's dispel kickback damage is now capped at 50% of the Warlock's maximum health, but can still critically strike. Destruction Warlocks that are stuck on the final Artifact acquisition quest "Ritual Ruination" should now find it easier to get through all obstacles. Any Warlock that has the Artifact, but is stuck on a quest objective, can return to Dalaran to get full credit for the quest.
Class Halls
New work orders for Seals of Broken Fate will now have a shipment duration of 5 seconds.
Dungeons and Raids
Assault on Violet Hold The final encounters in Heroic and Mythic Violet Hold should now be properly reflected in your Statistics page upon completion.
Darkheart Thicket (Mythic difficulty) Oakheart should no longer reset once awoken.
Emerald Nightmare Xavius Dead players should no longer become stuck if they release their spirit during the teleport to The Emerald Dream after defeating Xavius.
Items
Augment Runes will now function in Mythic Keystone dungeons.
Professions
Fishing Black Barracuda Angling (Rank 3) should now correctly grant a chance to provide an instant pool catch. Fish that are instantly caught from the Black Barracuda Angling trait are now selected from fishing pools, rather than open water fishing.
Herbalism The droprate for seeds has been reduced to 2.5% for all herbs, except Felwort, which remains at a 25% chance to loot a seed.
PvP
Ashran All methods of turning in Artifact Fragments should now correctly reward honor at a rate of 1 honor for every 2 Artifact Fragments.
The Rated PvP gear weekly bonus rewards are now based on the player's PvP Rating for 2v2, 3v3, and Rated Battlegrounds. Developers’ Notes: Currently, rated PvP is always rewarding item level 840 gear, regardless of rating. That is not our intent. We want to correct this as quickly as possible, but don’t want to inadvertently punish players who have already collected their weekly bonus chests. This fix will be implemented with the next weekly realm maintenance (A.M. PDT on Tuesday, October 4 for North American realms).
Quests
These Suramar World Quests now correctly award Nightfallen reputation beyond Honored: “The Shattered Locus”, “Clear the Skies”, “Left for Dead”, and “Fiends of Tel'anor”.
(Work in progress) Addressed multiple issues with the World Quest "Electrosnack" regarding tapping and some cosmetic elements.
Players who would have otherwise died to falling damage in the Withered Army Training scenario should now be reduced to 1 hp. First Arcanist Thalyssra will now port you back to the front of the ruins.
World Quests completed with a Combat Ally will once more correctly award experience to the Follower.
September 28
Hotfixes
Classes
The ground mount speed bonus from Broken Isles Pathfinder now stacks with the passive class bonuses On a Pale Horse and Heart of Crusader.
Death Knight
Multiple Unholy Death Knights with the Armies of the Damned artifact trait can now have their Death, Pestilence, and Famine debuffs applied at the time.
Monk
Soothing Mist is no longer interrupted by Spirit Tether.
(Brewmaster) Set bonuses for the Battlewrap of the Hurricane’s Eye (Tier 18) have been adjusted: 2 pieces: Increases the chance for your Gift of the Ox to summon a Healing Sphere by 2% (was 5%). 4-pieces: Every time you gather a Healing Sphere, the remaining cooldowns of your Ironskin Brew and Purifying Brew are reduced by 1 second (was 5 seconds).
Rogue
Shadow Dance should now be useable and should not be cancelled when the Rogue is affected by an enemy Hunter's Flare.
Shaman
Lava Beam damage increased by 23%.
(Restoration) The artifact trait Tidal Pools will now correctly heal all areas when multiple Tidal Pools are active at once.
Warlock
Seed of Corruption will now properly detonate and spread if the target dies while still affected.
Fixed a bug that sometimes caused Agony to not stack or generate Soul Shards.
(Demonology) The Artifact ability Thal'kiel's Consumption will no longer sometimes fail to do damage because the target moves out of range.
(Destruction) The Artifact ability Dimensional Rift will no longer spawn portals that are out of range to do damage to your target.
Class Halls
Pet Charm missions now provide Pet Charms for both the main reward and the bonus reward.
Dungeons and Raids
Players should receive bonus roll opportunities more reliably if they are eligible for them.
The Emerald Nightmare
Xavius
Immunities can no longer remove Darkening Soul or Blackening Soul. Dispelling either effect with an Imp's Singe Magic will give the owning Warlock +25 Nightmare Corruption.
Items
Cloak of Fel Flames now correctly reduce magic damage taken by 15 % when immolation aura is active.
Shard of the Exodar no longer causes Drums of Fury to unaffected by Exhaustion/Sated effects.
Ancient Mana Gems and Ancient Mana Crystals now stack to 5.
Loot-a-rang should no longer break hostile players' stealth.
NPCs
Players can now get credit and be able to bonus roll for world bosses if they are up to 200 yards away when it dies.
A number of questgivers’ pets are no longer critter-type creatures.
Quests
During “Leyhollow Infestation”, players now only drop the rock when taking damage or attacking, not when entering combat, and player speed is only reduced by 50% when carrying a rock (was 75% reduced speed).
Fixed a rare bug that could cause Guardian Druids to not obtain credit for killing Arch-Desecrator Malithar during "When Dreams Become Nightmares".
Tomes of the Tranquil Mind obtained from "In the Blink of an Eye" are now Bind-on-pickup.
September 26
Hotfixes
Classes
Developer’s Notes: After carefully considering the constructive feedback we’ve received over the weekend, we’ve made some revisions to this week’s tuning. The class changes listed in this hotfix update, as well as those from the previous update will be applied during weekly maintenance in each region. Note that several changes from the previous update have been altered or removed, which is indicated by a strikethrough in the notes below.
Demon Hunter
Havoc Bloodlet (Talent) now deals 150% of initial Throw Glaive damage.
Mage
Arcane Quickening (Talent)’s maximum stacks are now 50, and it will not refresh its duration once at 50 stacks.
Priest
Shadow Mind Sear damage increased by 80% and Insanity generation increased by 50%. Mind Flay damage increased by 20%. Mind Spike damage increased by 28%. Void Ray maximum stacks reduced to 4. Developers’ Notes: Given the damage increase to Mind Sear, Mind Flay, and Mind Spike, this still results in an overall increase to the value of the talent. Voidform stacks no longer increase while Dispersion is active. Developers’ Notes: We would prefer that Surrender to Madness not be as dominant as it is, and that it can’t be extended for quite so long. However, addressing this further would require significant changes to the spec beyond what we want to do in a tuning pass at this time. We will look for an opportunity to take a more comprehensive look at this issue in a future patch.
Shaman
Queen Ascendant (Artifact trait) is no longer consumed when a queued healing spell is immediately triggered.
Warlock
Fixed a bug that prevented Rain of Fire from always doing all 8 ticks of damage on PvE and PvP targets.
Warrior
Arms Tactician proc rate increased by 15%. Hamstring no longer procs Tactician. Exploit the Weakness (Artifact Trait) bonus reduced to 4% per point.
NPCs
Suramar NPCs should no longer remove a player’s stealth at the start of their Arcane Investigation casting.
Interacting with Nomi should now take priority when his area is crowded.
Professions
Engineering: The Reaves version of the Failure Detection Pylon should now work properly.
PvP
Rogue
Strike from the Shadows is now a snare, instead of a daze.
September 23
Hotfixes
Achievements
Broken Isles Pathfinder Rank 1 now properly displays the amount of the mounted speed increase.
Classes
Developers’ Notes: As we discussed last week, we’ve been gathering a massive amount of data based on how each spec has been performing in this first week of raids and Mythic Keystone dungeons, so that we can make a number of tuning changes with next week’s realm maintenance. The overall goal of these changes is to buff up some underperforming specs while also reining in a couple of over-performers, without dramatically changing anyone’s playstyle or causing them to feel as though the spec they chose to focus on became the “wrong choice.”
All of these class changes will be applied during the next scheduled weekly maintenance period in each region. Note that there are also a number of PvP-specific changes, which are noted separately below.
Death Knight
Frost Remorseless Winter damage increased by 50%. Obliterate damage increased by 19%. Frost Strike damage increased by 12%. Howling Blast damage increased by 10%. Frostscythe (Talent) damage increased by 13%. Frozen Pulse (Talent) damage increased by 11%. Breath of Sindragosa (Talent) damage increased by 17%.
Demon Hunter
Havoc Throw Glaive damage reduced by 30%. Fel Mastery (Talent) damage bonus to Fel Rush reduced to 30%. Bloodlet (Talent) now deals 100% of initial Throw Glaive damage. Fury of the Illidari (Artifact Ability) damage reduced by 20%. Note: See below for for additional PvP tuning adjustments to Fury of the Illidari. Balanced Blades (Artifact Trait) damage bonus to Blade Dance reduced to 3% per target.
Vengeance Mastery now provides 50% less damage reduction per point. Demon Spikes damage reduction increased to 20%. Note: Gearing heavily for Mastery was allowing Vengeance Demon Hunters to reach excessively high levels of Physical damage reduction. We’re reducing the top-end potential of this effect somewhat, and bringing up the baseline. This should also cause the value of Mastery to be more in line with other stats.
Druid
Moonfire (non-Feral) damage increased by 10%.
Balance Sunfire damage increased by 10%. Starfall damage increased by 10%. Lunar Strike damage increased by 5%. Solar Wrath damage increased by 5%.
Mage
Arcane Mastery effects increased by 20%. Arcane Missiles damage increased by 9%. Arcane Blast damage increased by 10%.
Frost Frostbolt damage increased by 8%. Ice Lance damage increased by 13%. Flurry damage increased by 38%. Blizzard damage increased by 36%, and mana cost reduced by 50%. Splitting Ice (Talent) now causes 80% of normal damage (up from 50%). Ice Nova (Talent) damage increased by 13%. Ray of Frost (Talent) damage increased by 28%. Glacial Spike (Talent) damage increased by 15%.
Hunter
Barrage (non-Survival) damage reduced by 20%.
Beast Mastery Bestial Wrath damage bonus increased to 25%.
Survival Flanking Strike damage increased by 62%.
Monk
Mistweaver Spinning Crane Kick (Mistweaver) damage reduced by 25%.
Paladin
Retribution Templar’s Verdict damage increased by 10%. Divine Storm damage increased by 20%. Crusader Strike (Retribution) damage increased by 13%. Blade of Justice damage increased by 13%. Judgment (Retribution) damage increased by 13%. Zeal (Talent) damage increased by 13%. Blade of Wrath (Talent) damage increased by 13%.
Priest
Holy Holy Nova damage reduced by 16%.
Shadow Mind Sear damage and Insanity generation increased by 50%. Voidform stacks no longer increase while Dispersion and Void Torrent are active. Note: These abilities prevent Insanity drain from increasing while active, which effectively reduces the Insanity drain for the entire remainder the current Voidform. This was proving to be too powerful, so we’re now making sure that the damage bonus and Insanity drain from Voidform remain in sync. The benefit of Mass Hysteria (Artifact Trait) is now capped at 100%. Note: We want it to be rewarding when you’re able to maintain Surrender to Madness for an extremely long time, but the amount of damage this trait was contributing in those circumstances was excessive.
Rogue
Death From Above (Talent) area damage increased by 100%.
Assassination Deadly Poison damage increased by 30%. Fan of Knives damage increased by 30%. Bag of Tricks (Artifact Trait) duration reduced to 3 seconds (overall damage unchanged), radius increased to 6 yards (from 3), and now benefits from Mastery. Poison Knives (Artifact Trait) no longer benefits twitch from Mastery. Damage per point increased to 4%.
Outlaw Fatebringer (Artifact Trait) Energy cost reduction reduced to 3 per rank. Fate’s Thirst (Artifact Trait) damage bonus to Run Through reduced to 6% per rank. Black Powder (Artifact Trait) damage bonus to Between the Eyes reduced to 6% per rank.
Subtlety Eviscerate damage increased by 15%. Nightblade damage increased by 15%. Note: See below for additional PvP tuning adjustments to Eviscerate and Nightblade. Shuriken Storm damage increased by 30%. Second Shuriken (Artifact Trait) chance to activate increased to 30% (was 10%), damage increased by 30%, and now deals 200% additional damage while Stealth or Shadow Dance is active.
Shaman
Elemental Mastery effects increased by 12.5%. Chain Lightning Maelstrom generation increased to 6. Lightning Bolt (Elemental) damage increased by 23%. Chain Lightning (Elemental) damage increased by 23%. Lava Burst damage increased by 5%. Storm Elemental (Talent)’s Call Lightning and Wind Gust damage increased by 20%.
Enhancement Fixed a bug that gave offhand special attacks a 100% chance to activate Windfury while Doom Winds was active. Windfury activation chance increased to 20%. Note: We’re fixing a bug that added multiple extra Windfury procs to each activation of Doom Winds, but adding some Windfury procs back by increasing the baseline activation chance. This should also improve Maelstrom generation outside of Doom Winds.
Restoration Chain Lightning (Restoration) damage increased by 23%.
Warlock
Affliction Drain Life damage increased by 10% Drain Soul damage increased by 10% Corruption damage increased by 10% Agony damage increased by 5% Unstable Affliction damage increased by 15% Seed of Corruption damage increased by 15% Siphon Life (Talent) damage increased by 10% Haunt (Talent) damage increased by 15% Phantom Singularity (Talent) damage increased by 15%
Demonology Hand of Gul’dan impact damage increased by 20% Demonwrath damage increased by 15% Shadowbolt damage increased by 10% Doom damage increased by 10% Wild Imps damage increased by 10% Dreadstalker attack power increased by 10% Felguard attack power increased by 10% Doomguard (Demonology)’s Doom Bolt damage increased by 18% Demonbolt (Talent) damage increased by 10% Implosion (Talent) damage increased by 15% Shadowflame (Talent) damage increased by 10% Darkglare (Talent) damage increased by 10%
Destruction Chaos Bolt damage increased by 11% Incinerate damage increased by 11% Immolate damage increased by 11% Conflagrate damage increased by 11% Rain of Fire damage increased by 11%, and cast time removed Cataclysm (Talent) damage increased by 11% Channel Demonfire (Talent) damage increased by 11%
Warrior
Arms Exploit the Weakness (Artifact Trait) bonus reduced to 3% per point. Focused Rage (Talent) damage bonus reduced to 30%.
Fury Rampage damage increased by 12%. Bloodthirst damage increased by 12%. Raging Blow damage increased by 5%. Furious Slash damage increased by 5%. Execute (Fury) damage increased by 5%.
Protection Vengeance (Talent) Rage cost reduction reduced to 35%. Intercept Rage generation reduced to 10. Shield Slam Rage generation reduced to 10.
PvP
Developers’ Notes: While many of the above changes are beneficial for PvP, some specs need additional tuning for PvP situations. Some of the PvP- specific changes we’re making are intended to counteract the above, while others are simply intended to help overall PvP balance.
Battlegrounds Tank-specialized characters no longer take additional damage while carrying a flag.
Death Knight Blood Consumption (Artifact Ability)’s healing is no longer reduced in PvP. Death Strike now factors in 50% of recent damage taken from players when determining it’s healing amount (previously, it ignored damage taken from players).
Demon Hunter Havoc Fury of the Illidari (Artifact Ability) damage is now reduced by 10% in PvP (up from a 30% reduction). Vengeance Soul Cleave’s heal is no longer reduced in PvP.
Druid Restoration Lifebloom’s bloom effect increased by 50% in PvP. Critical Strike stat reduced by 50%. Haste stat increased by 50%. Guardian Frenzied Regeneration now factors in 50% of recent damage taken from players when determining it’s healing amount (previously, it ignored damage taken from players).
Hunter Survival Mongoose Fury now increases the damage of Mongoose Bite by 35% per stack in PvP (up from 25% per stack). Beast Mastery Agility stat reduced by 10%.
Mage Frost Frostbolt now reduces movement speed by 50%. Frostbolt damage is now increased by 10% in PvP (down from 20%). Fire World in Flames (Honor Talent)’s reduction to Flamestrike’s cast time reduced to 2 seconds.
Monk Mistweaver Counteract Magic (Honor Talent) bonus to Renewing Mist reduced to 150%. Windwalker Strike of the Windlord (Artifact Ability) damage is now reduced by 30% in PvP (up from 50%). Agility stat increased by 12%.
Paladin Retribution Strength stat reduced by 5%. Protection Light of the Protector and Hand of the Protector healing is now reduced by 15% in PvP (up from 50%).
Priest Discipline Atonement healing is now increased by 15% in PvP (down from 25%). Holy Apotheosis can no longer be dispelled.
Rogue Outlaw Control is King (Honor Talent) duration reduced to 3 seconds. Between the Eyes’ damage bonus on Critical Strikes reduced to 100% in PvP (down from 200%). Subtlety Eviscerate now deals 15% less damage in PvP. Nightblade now deals 15% less damage in PvP.
Warrior Arms Echo Slam (Honor Talent) damage reduced to 5% of the target’s total health. Fury Bloodthirst’s heal is no longer reduced in PvP. Protection Ignore Pain’s maximum absorb amount is no longer reduced in PvP. (Note: the effect of each Ignore Pain is still reduced by 20% in PvP)
Honor System The Honor system reward Glory of the Melee now rewards 500 Artifact Power (was 150).
World PvP Warden Tower World Quests now grant 150 honor (was 300). Warden Tower World Quests now appear three times per day, and each quest is available for 24 hours.
Class Halls
Druids with the Evergreen perk should no longer have their planted soils reset after entering an Arena match.
The Soul Reapers tooltip for the Shadow Heresy talent is no longer incorrect.
Dungeons and Raids
Emerald Nightmare Fixed a bug where players would fall to their death when jumping into the Rift of Aln while mounted. Warlocks will now be able to target their Soul Effigies when fighting Il'gynoth inside the heart chamber. Ursoc no longer causes players to stand up (and interrupt their eating/drinking) when he respawns.
The Arcway Enemy Forces will remain in The Arcway after players have defeated Advisor Vandros. Tome of Hex: Spider should now only drop for Shaman when defeating Nal'tira.
Maw of Souls Players should no longer become stuck inside the cages they’re placed in after defeating Ymiron.
Items
Damage from Potion of the Old War and Potion of Deadly Grace reduced by 33%. Developers’ Notes: Previously, we significantly buffed the damage of these potions, but then discovered some bugs that were significantly reducing their effective damage. Now that those bugs have been fixed, their damage contribution is much too high. They should still feel very rewarding to use, but we’re bringing them back down to Earth a little.
Fixed a bug that was causing Balance Druids to sometimes engage enemies from unintended great distances with damaging trinket procs.
The Grove Darkener's Treads should now switch from Intellect to Agility based on your spec.
Professions
It should now be possible to reach skill 800 in Blacksmithing.
Cooking Rank 1 of Hearty Feast should now reward one feast instead of five. Subsequent ranks reward a cost reduction, rather than additional food. Demon Hunters should now get appropriate stats from feasts and other similar sources of buffs.
Quests
In the Withered Army Training scenario, it should be less likely for Leystalker Dro to be hiding somewhere that he wouldn't normally be encountered by clearing the room.
A new Archaeology Quests aura is now displayed while you’re on an Archaeology quest in your current zone. Developers’ Notes: This is to make sure you’re aware of how many days you have left to complete a large Archaeology project before it expires. We’re investigating ways to provide this in the quest tracker and quest log.
Aodh Witherpetal will no longer become stuck during “DANGER: Aodh Witherpetal”.
September 21
Hotfixes
Companion App
Version 1.0.2 is now available. Updates include:
Artifact XP World Quests now show a single icon on the map.
Fixed an occasional error while collecting the first ready troop.
Champions below level 110 now show level instead of item level on the mission results panel.
Times now display the top two units in most places (example: hours and minutes instead of just hours).
Fixed an issue where a previously-collected troop would appear to be ready for pickup.
Classes
Druid
(Guardian) The Embrace the Nightmare artifact trait now properly grants crowd control immunity while Rage of the Sleeper is active.
Ironfur can no longer be dispelled.
Mage
Flurry no longer causes enemies to attack you until the missile lands and deals damage.
Monk
(Windwalker) The artifact trait Tornado Kicks should now benefit from Mastery: Combo Strikes.
Paladin
Devotion Aura should correctly be canceled upon changing specializations or talents
Rogue
Death from Above should now correctly deal its initial AOE damage to all nearby targets, regardless of the direction faced.
(Assassination) Fixed a bug that was causing Poison Knives to deal very little damage to targets beyond the first.
(Subtlety) Soothing Darkness will now only heal the player once per second while Shadow Dance is active.
Priest
(Shadow) Casting Void Eruption with less than 7 seconds of Lingering Insanity no longer causes Void Form to immediately drop.
Fade and Surrender to Madness can no longer be used while silenced or pacified.
Warlock
Unstable Affliction's silence backlash can no longer be grounded and reflected.
Class Halls
Warlocks can now run through the portal to their Class Hall to be successfully teleported to their Class Hall.
Mage Class Hall NPCs will now be present as intended during the completion events for "Into the Oculus".
Dungeons
Maw of Souls Fixed an issue where disconnected players could become stuck in Kvaldir Cages.
Items
Items gained from the Druid Class Hall Evergreen perk are now soulbound.
The toys Blingtron's Circuit Design Tutorial, Runas' Crystal Grinder, JewelCraft, and Trigger should no longer be stackable.
Gnomish Gearworks and Goblin Workshop items are now restricted to use in Warlords of Draenor zones.
The Starlight Beacon should now more reliably trigger its 15-second cooldown.
Fixed a bug where Potion of the Old War was not triggering as often as intended.
Professions
Basilisks that appear when mining an ore node or creature will only drop additional ore for miners with at least 75 skill.
The archaeology quest “Echoes of My Ancestors” should no longer propagate credit to other group members.
The Mark of the Hidden Satyr enchant should no longer reset your auto-attack swing timer when it activates.
Cooking The recipes that Nomi teaches you are no longer unique. Nomi will now also check your bank to see if you have any Silver Mackerel for him to burn.
PvP
Fixed a bug that caused some Elite PvP gear to be awarded at ratings that were too low.
The primary stat on all templates has been decreased by about 10%.
Discipline Priests now deal 15% less damage in PvP, and all other healing specs now deal 25% less damage in PvP Developers’ Notes: Since all healing specs have had their Intellect increased (detailed below) to increase their healing, we’ve lowered the amount of damage they do against players to 25% (from 15%). Discipline priests are intended to do more damage than other healers and so their damage done is only decreased by 15%.
Pets and guardians now take 75% reduced AoE damage in PvP (was 50%).
Tanks now take 25% more damage from other players. The stamina of each tank spec has been increased slightly in PvP instances (battlegrounds, arenas, and Ashran).
Players who race in or around the Watch Tower Assault: Nightwatcher's Perch during the "Ley Race" quest are no longer flagged for PvP.
Players who backfill into an Ashran that is closing down because there are not enough players will not receive the Recreant debuff once the Ashran closes.
Chilled Conjured Water, Ley-Enriched Water, Pail of Warm Milk, 'Bottled' Ley-Enriched Water, Manaelle's Sparkling Cider, and Arcberry Juice can now be used in Arenas and Rated Battlegrounds.
Prestige 4 players will now properly receive The Honorable title when reaching honor level 50.
Demon Hunter Agility reduced by 10% in PvP.
Druid (Restoration) Intellect increased by 15%.
Hunter Survival Tactics is no longer activated by Play Dead or Wake Up.
Monk (Mistweaver) Intellect increased by 5%. Effuse and Enveloping Mist can now properly be cast while moving through Soothing Mist, when specialized in both Mist Wrap and Ancient Mistweaver Arts.
Paladin (Holy) Intellect increased by 5%.
Priest (Discipline) Intellect increased by 5%. (Holy) Intellect increased by 5%.
Rogue (Subtlety) Stamina reduced by 10%, Agility reduced by 15%. (Assassination) Agility reduced by 30%. (Outlaw) Agility reduced by 10 %.
Shaman (Restoration) Intellect increased by 5%.
Quests
Abandoning “Cry Thunder!” will now cause Vethir to despawn, and will remove the player from the mount. Players can voluntarily exit the vehicle at any point, which will teleport them to the ground if they're very high.
Fixed a bug that could cause Illidan Stormrage to prevent the “Ravencrest’s Legacy” scenario from continuing.
Players will no longer be immediately teleported after accepting “Last Stand of the Moon Guard”, and must speak to Thalrenus Rivertree to be teleported to Meredil.
Patrols outside of Overseer Durant's room will no longer cause an infinite combat loop during “Make Your Mark”.
On “Operation Murloc Freedom”, Timeworn Oracles now do less damage.
All spirits in Tel'Anor should now grant credit towards “Paying Respects”.
The Heart of the Overlord item is now non-unique, so players can acquire it again if they disconnect in the middle of the "Heart of the Dreadscar" scenario.
Characters who perform a faction change will no longer lose completion progress on the quest "The Aegis of Aggramar".
Faction emissaries should now be more easy to select when turning in their quests.
UI
Fixed an issue that caused the Adventure Guide to display incorrect loot for Emerald Nightmare.
September 16
Hotfixes
Classes
(Hotfix in testing; to be applied with next weekly maintenance) Most abilities used by Tank specializations have had their damage reduced by 10%. Abilities which are shared with other specializations remain unchanged for those other specializations.
Demon Hunter
Fury of the Illidari will now correctly continue to do damage if your character is crowd controlled.
(Hotfix in testing; to be applied with next weekly maintenance) Fel Barrage proc rate changed to be consistent, regardless of target count. Developers’ Notes: Havoc burst AoE damage has proved to be too strong, and Fel Barrage was the most prominent source of that. It should shine in multi-target situations because it does AoE damage; it doesn't need to also proc more often in those situations.
Druid
(Guardian) Ursoc’s Endurance will correctly allow Ironfur to persist for its extended duration.
Monk
(Hotfix in testing; to be applied with next weekly maintenance) Strike of the Wind Lord now deals reduced damage to secondary targets. Developers’ Notes: Windwalker burst AoE damage was a bit too strong, and Strike of the Wind Lord is the biggest source of that. We want it to remain strong for single target, but not as strong with its secondary damage.
Paladin
Devotion Aura should no longer drop off of the Paladin using it if the Paladin moves too quickly.
(Hotfix in testing; to be applied with next weekly maintenance) Light of the Protector and Hand of the Protector now heals for 30% of missing health (down from 35%).
(Hotfix in testing; to be applied with next weekly maintenance) Scatter the Shadows (Protection Paladin artifact trait) now increases the healing of Light of the Protector by 6/12/18% (down from 10/20/30%). Developers’ Notes: Protection Paladin self-healing was buffed substantially near the end of beta, based on concerns that it was too weak, but those concerns have proved unfounded. We're bringing it back down to its intended level.
Priest
Shadow Mania will no longer continue to generate insanity after you unlearn the talent.
Shaman
The bonus Ghost Wolf speed from Rehgar’s Bodyguard ability should persist through entering combat, though it will not apply when entering Ghost Wolf while in combat.
Warlock
Destruction Warlocks that are stuck on the final Artifact acquisition quest "Ritual Ruination" should now find it easier to get through all obstacles. Any warlocks that already have the Artifact, but are stuck on a quest objective, should return to Dalaran to get full credit for the quest.
Pleasure through Pain will now properly reduce the cooldown of Shadow Bolt while the Succubus is affected by Glyph of Shivarra.
Class Halls
Fixed a bug that was preventing some players from being granted all of the follower missions that were intended for their followers’ ilevels.
Fixed an issue where very rarely, players would not be able to acquire Champions on certain characters.
Hunters who have researched the Eagle Ally perk and have since changed to no longer have that perk will no longer be teleported to unusable flight points when using the Flight Master's Whistle.
The rewards from Twisting Nether Demon Hunter Class hall trait have been improved.
Dungeons
Assault on Violet Hold Blood-Princess Thel'ena's Essence of the Blood Princess now increases pet and guardian damage done by 100%.
Darkheart Thicket Fixed an issue that was causing Dresaron to sometimes fly away.
Throne of Thunder Fixed an issue where Megaera could reset when players attempted to solo the encounter.
Items
Legion foods and drinks should now restore twice as much health and mana.
The damage output of Potion of Deadly Grace and Potion of the Old War has been increased by 100%.
PvP
Several followers have had the effectiveness of their abilities reduced against players.
Fixed an issue where PvP World Quests would occasionally reward items that were more powerful than intended for low Honor rank players.
Demon Hunter Fury of the Illidari now deals 30% less damage to players
Quests
You can now summon Dread Captain Thedon for the World Quest “Dread End” if you kill Serpentrix before interacting with the Ghostly Brazier.
September 15
Hotfixes
Classes
Druid
The Restoration Druid artifact trait Power of the Archdruid will now correctly always spread Regrowth to additional targets when you cast Regrowth instead of sometimes spreading Rejuvenation.
Monk
Soothing Mist cast from the Monk’s Jade Serpent Statue should cancel on targets farther than 60 yards from the statue.
(Windwalker) The Tornado Kicks Artifact trait will no longer sometimes reduce your first Rising Sun Kick damage.
Shaman
Players who use the Portal to the Maelstrom instead of the Astral Gate to the Maelstrom will now be granted credit for "The Voice of Thunder" quest.
Bodyguard: Rehgar Earthfury now correctly makes Ghost Wolf move at 100% extra speed (was 130%).
Warrior
Rampage weapon trails now show for every swing of rampage regardless of whether the weapon was sheathed.
Class Halls
Druids who abandoned either "Essence of Balance" or "Essence of Regrowth" should now be able to reaccept the quests by returning to the Emerald Dreamway.
Druids should now receive Naralex or Zen'tabra after entering their order halls.
Dungeons
Players are now able to summon other players into Mythic dungeons as long as the player being summoned meets the requirements of the dungeon.
Eye of Azshara Restless Tides now cast Imprisoning Bubble and Undertow correctly when more than one player is in melee with them.
Items
Identified and fixed an issue that could cause Legion legendary items to drop more frequently than intended if a player had already received their first legendary.
Coins caught in the Dalaran Fountain are now Bind on Pickup.
Jeweled Signet of Melandrus now correctly increases the damage of Auto Shot for Hunters.
Stabilized Energy Pendant no longer causes resources to drain when the player changes zones.
NPCs
Players are no longer able to use the Bribe and Mind Control abilities on Ysera.
Professions
Cooking Players who have previously killed Myonix should be able to acquire the Leybarbeque Ribs recipe on subsequent kills.
Enchanting Fixed an issue where some epic quality items awarded from world quests provided incorrect disenchant materials. Enchant Cloak – Gift of Critical Strike, Enchant Cloak – Gift of Haste, Enchant Cloak – Gift of Mastery, and Enchant Cloak – Gift of Versatility now increase the player’s movement speed by 2% (was 10%). Developers’ Notes: In fights where movement speed is important, Draenor cloak enchants (which reward run speed) were outperforming the best Legion cloak enchants (which do not). To protect enchanters from having to farm Draenor materials, we've reduced the run speed bonus on Draenor cloak enchants to 2%. We feel that cloak enchants aren’t the ideal place for run speed enhancements, and we will continue to look at interesting run speed options as the expansion continues.
PvP
PvP World Quests should have rewards restored for Prestiged players.
Hired Underbelly Guards should be much less likely to leave you.
Warrior Pain Train now provides a Battle Cry to all nearby allies that increases critical strike by 30%.
Quests
The Lightning Rod cannot be used on the same mob multiple times during the World Quest “Electrosnack”.
"Shallow Graves" should now appear at all times for players on the quest "A Grisly Task".
Guardian Druids should no longer be prevented from completing "When Dreams Become Nightmares" when looting the Claws of Ursoc.
Fixed a bug that caused some players on "Cry Thunder!" to be forced to get their dragon killed to be able to dismount.
On “Shrine of the Truthguard”, players who navigate to Dalaran by using their Dalaran Hearthstone, regular Hearthstone, or by getting ported, will receive the “Return to Dalaran” objective and become able to turn in the quest to Lord Maxwell Tyrosus.
The Mining World Quest “Leyworms” now requires 10 Leystone-Encrusted Spikes (was 40).
Valewalker Farodin should now properly tell his story during the quest "Fragments of Disaster."
In Maw of Souls, Ymiron’s Broken Blade now drops on Normal, Heroic, and Mythic difficulties for Warriors who have completed "Champions of Skyhold".
Hunters are now able to complete "Delicate Enchantments" by using the "I'm ready" chat option after leaving the quest objective area.
On-death effects should no longer behave unusually when the player reaches 1 HP during “Withered Army Training”.
Services
Performing a faction transfer on a character who has completed an Artifact Acquisition quest, but not yet turned it in, will no longer destroy the artifact when the quest is removed from players' logs. Players may then re-accept the Artifact quest after the transfer has completed and will receive full credit for the quest.
September 14
Hotfixes
Classes
Hunter
Hati will now reset appearance to the default blue wolf form the first time summoned. Developers’ Notes: Due to a bug, some hunters had Hati transform with the Essence Swapper into appearances that are unintended. A fix has been made for this to prevent future issues, but to get rid of any unintended appearances that players may already have, Hati’s appearance will be reverted to the default blue wolf when first summoned, and should retain any appearance changes thereafter. The Essence Swapper will continue to allow you to change Hati’s appearance to match that of your currently active hunter pet.
Paladin
Judgment's damage on secondary targets should correctly match its damage on the primary target.
Priest
Clarity of Will's maximum shield size will be correctly increased by Versatility.
Shaman
(Enhancement) Feral Lunge will no longer threaten enemies when cast. Feral Lunge now only causes threat when it lands and deals damage.
Class Halls
The amount of follower experience granted by missions has been increased.
Lower-level followers should have access to more missions, even when the player has very high level followers active.
Players who failed to be rewarded Hymdall during the resolution of the quest "Jorhuttam" are properly granted him as a follower after entering their class hall.
Dungeons
Players should no longer be able to apply for Premade Group Finder parties for Arcway or Court of Stars if they have not gained access to those dungeons.
Eye of Azsharah For the quest “Cleansing the Dreamway”, Rarefied Water should now drop from every boss. Other enemies no longer drop the item for the quest.
Items
Level 110 legendary rings and amulets, which all previously had no sockets, should now have 1 Prismatic socket per item.
NPCs
Blingtron 6000 should no longer transport some players underneath the world.
Professions
The alchemy spell Transmute: Fish to Gems should now take Cursed Queenfish, not Ghostly Queenfish.
Quests
Operation Murloc Freedom now only rewards Timeworn Artifacts while the World Quest is active.
The Nightbourne Loupe for the quest "A Personal Touch" is now carried by both male and female nightborne.
The quest object "The Black Tome" for the quest "The Black Tome" now spawns in a location that is accessible without having to jump onto the altar.
On “Cry Thunder!”, players can no longer interact with Vethir to start the bombing run if they’re in a raid group.
Elothir should consistently offer "Reading the Leaves" and "Given to Corruption" when a player is eligible for the quests.
Adjustments to spawn rate and credit for the Fishing World Quest “Buoy Fishing” have been made to streamline the quest.
Zones
Players should no longer experience phasing issues when re-visiting Dalaran over Karazhan for the Legion pre-launch quests.
September 13
Hotfixes
Classes
Druid
Shifting into Bear Form will no longer freeze resource decay for non-Guardian druids.
Hunter
Barrage range will now correctly match the range of the Hunter’s other abilities. Developers’ Notes: During the recent updates to Barrage, we discovered it extended approximately 2 yards beyond the range of autoshot and other abilities. We’re changing it to more closely match.
Paladin
Hammer of the Righteous will no longer show its impact visual on dead targets.
Rogue
Ghostly Strike debuff application and removal are now correctly posted to the combat log.
Warlock
Soul Shards now regenerate to 3, while out of combat (up from 1). Developers' Notes: As discussed in last week’s Developer Q&A, warlocks (and Demonology especially) needed to go through several spellcasts in order to generate the Soul Shards required to cast the spells needed for them to operate at peak efficiency. In outdoor gameplay and against packs of enemies in dungeons, this often meant that combat was ending just as the warlock was getting warmed up. Allowing warlocks to begin combat with 3 Soul Shards instead of 1 should let them bring more of their arsenal to bear in shorter encounters.
Warrior
Mannoroth's Bloodletting Manacles now heals the warrior based on base Rage spent, rather than actual rage spent, to account for Rage cost reduction effects.
(Arms) Colossus Smash's cooldown reduced to 30s. Developers' Notes: The cooldown on Colossus Smash serves as bad luck protection against long streaks of Tactician not activating. At 45 seconds, the worst case scenario of actually waiting for the full cooldown to elapse was a rare occurrence that was particularly noticeable (and frustrating) when it happened. At 30 seconds, the majority of the time Colossus Smash will still reset before its cooldown elapses, but those unlucky streaks should feel a little better.
(Arms) Focused Rage's damage bonus reduced to 40% per stack.
Dungeons
Luck of the Draw now properly increases pet and guardian damage.
Assault on Violet Hold Sael'orn will no long aggro players immediately when she spawns. Fel Prison will no longer target healers in Heroic and Mythic difficulty.
Maw of Souls Resolved an issue where Nether Rip didn’t appear on lower graphics settings.
Items
(Hotfix work in progress) Emissary bags from completing World Quests now contain equippable items for your class.
The Derelict Skyhorn Kite now has a 15 minute cooldown.
NPCs
The Imperial Arcanist and the Imperial Spellbreaker that spawn in front of Lothrius Mooncaller’s room in Suramar – The Athenaeum no longer drop loot or grant experience when killed by the Moonfall Manafiend summoned by a player or by Lothrius Mooncaller.
Regular creatures at Warden Towers should spawn more rapidly when attacked by many players.
Brimstone Destroyers in Azsuna can no longer be enslaved.
Professions
Mother's Skinning Knife is now only usable by players who know Skinning.
Several Alchemy quests which required Heroic Dungeon kills can now be completed in Mythic.
Engineering Players should no longer be able to skill up Engineering in Legion by making Gearspring Parts. It should now be slightly easier to skill up to 800 by making goggles or Trigger. The Arcanic Compressor is now multi-drop and can be looted several engineers in a group for completion of “Revamping the Recoil”.
PvP
Several followers have had the effectiveness of their abilities reduced against players.
Fixed an issue causing some PvP World Quests to have invalid rewards for Honor level 50 players.
Flickering Shadows will no longer activate if the Rogue is capturing a point in Domination maps such as Arathi Basin.
The time between Wintergrasp and Tol Barad battles has been increased to 1 hour.
Skirmish victories now award 100 honor (was 50).
The first random battleground win of the day now rewards a Soldier's Splendor (250 Artifact Power).
Quests
In the Warrior Class Campaign Ulduar Scenario, the door after Brood Queen Morvaniss should now always open when you kill her.
On the World Quest “Ley Race”, ley line nodes should now spawn more quickly as you go.
Death Knights should no longer become stuck on “Steeds of the Damned”.
Druids should no longer be stuck on “Gathering the Dreamweavers”.
Players that manage to find themselves in the "Champions of Elune" scenario without a vehicle will now be teleported out after 30 seconds.
Bind on Equip items have been removed as possible rewards from World Quests. Developers’ Notes: As a player’s own item level increases, the quality of many World Quest item rewards rises as well. However, when these items can circulate throughout the economy, they can overshadow other sources of loot, and crafted items especially. World Quests should feel rewarding, but we want that to be because of a direct value to your character.
The Warden Tower World Quests are now on 6 hour rotations (was 3 hours).
Withered in the Withered Army Training scenario should now be able to throw rocks from point blank range. Ow!
September 8
Hotfixes
Classes
(In progress) Players should no longer be stopped abruptly when executing uncontrolled movement spells such as Roll, Fel Rush, and Flying Serpent Kick.
Priest
(PvP) Holy Word: Chastise will no longer remove periodic damaging effects from targets in PvE situations.
Dungeons
Black Rook Hold Fel Vomit from the Smashspite the Hateful encounter in Black Rook Hold will no longer persist after the encounter is defeated.
Items
The secondary stats on Legion gems have been significantly decreased. Developers’ notes: Gems are not in the same place as they were in previous expansions. They’re a bit too powerful, and this was not intended. Sockets are still quite valuable and will continue to be so, but we need to reduce the difference between an item having a socket vs. not having a socket.
PvP
Ashran Ashran Dominance now rewards 500 honor for completion. Slay Them All now rewards 200 honor for completion.
Honor awarded from skirmishes has been tripled.
Professions
Enchanting Rank 2 and Rank 3 recipes now have the “Requires Previous Rank” text.
Mass Prospecting should now return the same amount of gems as normal Prospecting.
Quests
Players can now complete "WANTED: Shara Felbreath" after leaving combat and returning.
Enemies should now have lower health and damage in Chapter 3 of the Warrior Class Hall scenario.
A marker on your map should now appear for the objective of the Stormheim quest “The Trials Continue”.
Marksman hunters who left Niskara without talking to Vereesa can speak to her at Krassus' Landing to complete the "Rescue Mission" quest.
The Mage Order Campaign quest "What Is Going On Here" objectives should now complete reliably.
Suramar
Blackhawk's Bulwark PvP Captains should respawn more quickly.
Fel Cannons in Felsoul Hold should respawn more quickly.
The World Quest map marker for Starstalker Point Alliance has been moved to its accurate location.
During “Ghostship”, players can no longer use the Valarjar Harpoon to damage other players or player controlled NPCs.
September 7
Hotfixes
Classes
Hunter
Barrage now fires in a tighter cone, and its visual has been improved to better show its area of effect. Developers’ Notes-- Barrage fulfills a fantasy of a wild spray of shots in a large area. Of course, that can be dangerous, and often Hunters accidentally pull additional enemies with Barrage, especially in Legion dungeons. We saw this as a failure on our part to convey what it actually does. This hotfix should allow Hunters to get a feel for the shape and size of it and build a reliable expectation of what will happen when they cast Barrage. No change was made to Barrage’s damage. We hope that this helps Hunters and their groupmates to have a more pleasant dungeon experience.
Rogue
Outlaw Rogues with Curse of the Dreadblades ability active will no longer take the backlash damage if Saber Slash strikes a second time.
Shaman
The Enhancement Shaman Stormflurry Artifact Trait will now properly interact with the Ascendance talent and the Windstrike ability.
Warrior
The Fury Warrior Artifact Trait Odyn's Champion has had its chance to activate doubled, but its effectiveness has been lowered. The tooltip will be incorrect until a future patch.
Class Halls
The Vault Ticket (Rogue) is now a daily reset instead of weekly reset. This may not take effect until next Tuesday if you have already looted the Vault this week.
The "Deadlier Warglaives" quest (Demon Hunter) will now only consume a single Obliterum.
Dungeons
Maw of Souls
Helya: Decreased the frequency of Helya's Taint of the Sea during the Breached Vessel phase.
Helya: Altered the visual of Corrupted Bellow in order to perform better on lower-end machines.
Helya: Lowered the baseline damage of Corrupted Bellow and added a damage increase on subsequent damage events.
Holiday
Darkmoon Faire tinctures and droughts no longer work at 110.
NPCs
Vault Keepers in Stormheim should no longer become stuck and prevent players from looting the Glimmering Treasure Chest.
PvP
Players in a raid group will no longer earn PVP credit, nor receive Sightless Eyes in the Underbelly.
Professions
Cooking
(Work in progress) Fixing a bug that prevents players from being able to turn in “Opening the Test Kitchen” to Nomi.
Fishing
Players with the artifact trait "Better Luck Next Time" now have a chance to catch boots.
Quests
The damage done by the Fel Annihilator in the Battle for the Exodar scenario has been reduced.
Players who have completed "Jarl Come Back Now" but are not Neutral with Jandvik Vrykul can return to Toryl in Jandvik to get their reputation reset.
Suramar
Blackhawk's Bulwark PvP Captains should respawn more quickly.
Fel Cannons in Felsoul Hold should respawn more quickly.
Zones
An unintended increase in player population in certain zones, notably Class Halls, has been fixed.
September 6
Hotfixes
Classes
Demon Hunter
(Hotfix in testing) Demon Hunter Sigils will now correctly activate if the Demon Hunter is crowd controlled after placing the Sigil.
Priest
The Discipline Priest artifact trait Sins of the Many will now properly increase Atonement healing done.
Spending artifact trait points as a Discipline Priest should no longer reduce the amount of Atonement healing done by Shadowfiend or Mindbender.
Class Halls
In Skyhold, Quartermaster Durnholf will pay more attention to players and not walk away from them so quickly.
Dungeons
Assault on Violet Hold Mindflayer Kaahrj's Faceless Tendril should now prefer targets that are not being targeted by Eternal Darkness. Corrected a spawn location for Mindflayer Kaahrj's Faceless Tendril that was inside the floor.
Maw of Souls Helarjar Champions’ Bone Chilling Scream does not hit pets anymore.
Darkheart Thicket Rotheart Keeper's Vile Mushrooms now explode, damaging nearby enemies.
Items
(Hotfix in testing) Rocfeather Skyhorn Kite: cooldown raised to 15 minutes (was 2 minutes). Shared cooldown raised to 3 minutes.
(Hotfix in testing) Brulfist Idol: Knockback height reduced significantly. Developers’ Notes: The two toys above (combined, or in conjunction with other things such as Emerald Winds) were too effective and diminished the value of utility and world-navigation tools that are core to certain classes and professions.
Touch of the Void: the tentacles summoned by this trinket no longer scale past level 100.
Reduced the active effect potency of Heirloom trinkets acquired from Warlords of Draenor Mythic Dungeons.
Fixed a bug that could cause players, who were simultaneously both very lucky and very unlucky, to receive the same legendary item more than once.
Missions
Significantly improved the quality of the bonus reward available on Artifact Power missions..
NPCs
Pollous the Fetid in Val'sharah should no longer evade and become unkillable.
Unstable Powers now target fewer players with their Unstable Power orbs.
Inquisitor Tivos’ Drain and Searing Gaze should now target fewer players.
Professions
Engineering
Gunshoes and Gunpowder Charges should now craft stacks instead of single items.
Skinning
The amounts of leather and scales dropped per creature skinned have been reduced.
Quests
Druids who abandoned either "Essence of Balance" or "Essence of Regrowth" should now be able to reaccept the quests by returning to the Emerald Dreamway.
Profession World Quests can now be completed in a raid group.
Suramar
Completing the quest "Make Your Mark" should now properly count progress towards the achievement "Why Can't I Hold All This Mana?"
Players who have completed "Jarl Come Back Now" but are not Neutral with Jandvik Vrykul can return to Toryl in Jandvik to get their reputation reset.
September 2
Hotfixes
Classes
Demon Hunter
The Havoc Demon Hunter Artifact ability Fury of the Illidari no longer plays an extra spell effect visual from the gold trait Rage of the Illidari without the Rage of the Illidari trait learned.
Druid
Healing Touch (Balance and Guardian Druids) healing increased 33% and mana cost increased 100%.
Full Moon will now always deal full damage to the primary target. Damage is reduced for secondary targets.
Hunter
Dead Survival Hunters will now be able to swim in their Eagle Ghost Form.
Priest
Spending trait points in the Discipline Priest Artifact will now properly also increase the damage of your Mindbender or Shadowfiend summons.
Shaman
The Sharas’dal, Scepter of Tides buff Queen’s Decree is no longer dispellable.
Warlock
Soul Harvest should no longer incorrectly aggro all enemies in sight.
Demonic Empowerment, Demonwrath, and Thal'kiel's Consumption no longer require line of sight to your pets.
Class Halls
Artifact Power gained from class-specific Class Hall Missions have been increased.
Priests who have completed the quest "Recruiting More Troops" should now be able to recruit troops from Vicar Eliza.
Bubbling Keg in the Monk Class Hall now respawns more quickly.
The Swirling Void Potion item from the Priest Class Hall Advancement "Altars of Blessing" now properly provides the Void Infused buff to players.
The different areas of the Shaman Class Hall have been united into a single chat channel.
Dungeons
Players are able to enter a Random Legion Heroic if they are locked to all Legion Heroic Dungeons.
Neltharion's Lair
Ularogg Cragshaper now starts with more energy when he enters combat.
NPCs
Helarjar Soulkeepers will no longer cast Expel Soul.
Professions
The engineer-only auction house in Dalaran should now be fully functional.
Players should no longer be spammed with new recipe notifications during the blacksmithing quest "Ironhorn Leysmithing".
PvP
Demon Hunter Glide speed is reduced while carrying a battleground flag.
Demon Hunter Fel Rush speed is reduced when cast in the air while carrying a battleground flag.
Quests
The Druid quest “Focusing the Energies” will no longer consume all Blood of Sargeras in your inventory.
Artifact
Players who log out during “The Heart of the Dreadscar” should be able to proceed with the quest when they log back in.
For “The New Blood”, players can now loot an additional Tome of Blighted Implements to fulfill the requirement to do so if they already have the Tome of Blighted Implements in their inventory.
Fleet Admiral Tethys is now available in the Hall of Shadows to turn in "The Dreadblades", even when Fleet Admiral Tethys is in Stormheim.
Warriors who enter the scenario for "The Hunter of Heroes" will now properly advance the quest if they walk into Tideskorn rather than take Aerylia’s ride.
Tyrosus will now be waiting in Dalaran correctly for Holy Paladins returning to turn in "The Silver Hand".
Azsuna
Players should more reliably receive credit during the quest "Back From The Dead".
Highmountain
The Legion has it out for Malfurion in the War of the Ancients quest “Huln’s War – Reinforcements”. They are now sending three times as many wrathguards to stop him from summoning dryad reinforcements.
Stormheim
Players are now able to turn in "Blood and Gold" at Yotnar, who is visible after completing the later trials in the quest chain.
The Ancient Tideskorn Blade for the quest "To Honor the Fallen" should now drop 100% of the time from Kvaldir vrykul in Helmouth Shallows.
Suramar
Players leading a Withered army after turning in “Feed Thalyssra” should be able to access a chest that was previously inaccessible.
Zones
Added a new graveyard at the top of Thorim's Peak in Stormheim.
September 1
Hotfixes
Classes
Death Knight
Anti-Magic Barrier should no longer grant more than the intended bonus when combined with other effects that increase health.
Vampiric Blood should no longer grant more than the intended bonus when combined with other effects that increase health.
Mage
Ignite spreading will no longer incorrectly remove other Mages' Ignite.
Monk
Fortifying Brew should no longer grant more than the intended bonus when combined with other effects that increase health.
Shaman
Enhancement Shamans should no longer be prevented from using instant Healing Surge while moving.
Warrior
Commanding Shout should no longer grant more than the intended bonus when combined with other effects that increase health.
Items
The tooltip for Tome of the Clear Mind now correctly states a maximum player level of 109 for its use.
Equippable items from Legion dungeon treasure chests should match your class proficiencies.
Skaggldrynk should now properly share a cooldown with other combat potions.
NPCs
Tarben <Jarl of Tideskorn Harbor> should now cast his Jarl’s Command fear spell a bit less often.
In Darkbrul Arena, Stonefist Brawler’s stun attack should now be removable by effects that remove stuns.
Professions
Reaves Module: Snack Distribution Mode no longer requires feasts.
PvP
Experience earned from gaining Honor has been reduced by approximately 50%. Developer’s note: We want battlegrounds and skirmishes to be a worthwhile and rewarding activity while leveling, but that should not be the most efficient method for gaining XP. While we've decreased the experience from PvP, it is still more efficient than it was in previous expansions.
Quests
Fixed an issue where faction transfers would interfere with Death Knight's ability to complete the Class Hall quest "The Firstborn Rises".
Fixed a bug causing players who died during the sequence of Dalaran's teleportion would get stuck in Deadwind Pass.
Paladins should now be able to progress with their Class Hall Campaigns after completing the quest "The Scion's Legacy", by speaking with Lord Maxwell Tyrosus.
Teensy Weensy Fae Dragons should now appear more frequently during the quest “Teensy Weenies!”.
Artifact
Rogue player should no longer sometimes experience issues using their Smoke Bomb during "The Unseen Blade".
Players should no longer be erroneously placed in a phase in Deadwind Pass that makes them unable to complete quests in the area, including "Following the Curse."
Hunters completing to quest to obtain their second or third artifact should no longer receive the quest "Hunter to Hunter" after turn-in.
The points of interest for the Warrior quest “Legacy of the Icebreaker" are now displaying correctly and the stage objectives update appropriately.
Azsuna
Daglop should no longer disengage with the player, allowing “Minion! Kill Them!” to be completed normally.
During "The Right Weapon for the Job", shipwrecked captives in the Shipwreck Arena clubhouse should no longer glow as if they’re viable targets for the quest.
Players who leave the area and return during the “The Scythe of Souls” should be able to complete the quest.
Players entering the Nor'danil Wellspring in Azsuna should no longer be incorrectly queued to enter the Withered Scenario in Suramar.
Players should no longer fail to loot several quest objects in the Nar’thalas Academy during quests such as "Study Hall: Combat Research" and “Dressing with Class”.
Highmountain
The bungee rope attached to the player should no longer disappear during the quest “Going Down, Going Up”.
Mayla Highmountain should no longer leave combat and reset the Wrath of Dargrul boss fight during “The Underking”.
On “Murlocs: The Next Generation” and “Oh, the Clawdacity!”, Murky’s abilities no longer affect other players in PvP. Gurrullrurlll mrrrgrglru ruluulll.
Stormheim
"Waking the Shieldmaiden" now has a correctly-placed location dot on the map.
Val’sharah
Fixed a number of issues with the "Defend The Temple" Bonus Objective in Val'sharah.
UI
Obelisk of the Void should appear in the Dungeon Journal for all ranged damage dealers and healers.
Zones
Orgrimmar, Stormwind, and previously invasion-affected areas should once again be unified for single realms. Developer’s note: On RP servers, we’re setting sharding and cross-realm zoning back to how things were working before the Burning Legion invaded. This had been changed for stability during pre-launch events and invasions.
August 30
Hotfixes
Classes
Rogue
Corrected an issue that prevented Assassination Rogues from queuing for Legion dungeons even after obtaining their Artifact.
Items
Rhonin's Assaulting Armwraps will now activate only once per cast of Arcane Missiles. Proc rate and buff duration have been adjusted to compensate.
Sephuz's Secret should now be activated by Grimoire: Felguard's Axe Toss.
Quests
Legion players who had begun the post-Broken Shore event quests, but not completed them, should now be eligible to receive “In the Blink of an Eye”.
Artifact
The Living Flames summoned by Felsoul Crushers now give appropriate levels of experience during "The Hunt".
Players should now properly receive credit for traveling to the Emerald Dreamway during "Cleansing the Mother Tree" when using the Dreamwalk ability.
Stormweaver Ingrida should no longer sometimes evade during "Stolen Thunder".
Highmountain
The Weapon Racks on Torok's Bluff can now be interacted with after their first use during the Bonus Objective "Vengeance for the Stonedark".
Credit for enemies defeated during the quest "Huln's War - Reinforcements" should now be shared among all nearby players.
Stormheim
Dread-Rider Malwick should respawn more readily, allowing for completion of “Assault and Battery”.
Players who are ready to turn in the quest “The Splintered Fleet” can now always see Dread-Rider Cullen. If she has just flown away, she will re-appear within a few minutes.
Players who abandon the quest “Dances with Ravenbears” should no longer retain the quest ability bar.
“Greymane’s Gambit” now reliably credits the player for completing the scenario.
“The Splintered Fleet” now reliably credits the player for completing the scenario.
The Skyfire Propeller should no longer become untouchable during “Signal Boost”.
Val’sharah
Pollous the Fetid is now always roaming around Dreadroot in Val’sharah and defeatable, allowing “Purging the River” to be completed.
Players who are in a group and arrive late for the final kill in “The Fate of Val’sharah” should receive credit and be able to proceed.
Fixed a number of issues with the "Defend The Temple" Bonus Objective in Val'sharah.
Zones
Players can now rest and bind their hearthstone in the Forsaken Foothold and Skyfire Triage Camp areas in Stormheim.
For more details on World of Warcraft: Legion, head over to the Legion website. |
When Israel pounded the Gaza Strip in 2008-09, activists across North America occupied Israeli consulate buildings in protest of Operation Cast Lead, which killed an estimated 1,400 Palestinians, the vast majority of them civilians.
Now, as the death toll reaches Cast Lead-like levels, with over 1,000 Palestinians slain by Israeli forces, activists are once again ramping up their tactics in an attempt to pressure the Jewish establishment and corporations to cease their support for Israeli actions.
A wave of civil disobedience actions has spread around the U.S. in recent weeks as Israel’s pummeling of Gaza continues apace. The activists, many of them young people, including Jews, are putting their bodies on the line in an attempt to draw attention to how the U.S. is implicated in the conflict in the Gaza Strip. And with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement that the assault will continue for days ahead, it’s likely that civil disobedience will increase in the U.S.–in addition to the protests around the country that have erupted in response to the war.
There have also been bold actions in Israel. A group calling itself Jews Against Genocide has been lighting things on fire in front of Israeli government buildings. The latest move was the burning of a funeral pyre in front of the Israeli Supreme Court this week.
There’s no political consensus among the varied groups of people protesting. Some believe in a two-state solution, while others support a bi-national state. But what has united the disparate groups is a commitment to action–despite risking arrest–to show outrage over the Gaza war.
The recent spate of actions began on July 16th, when five people were arrested inside the lobby of Boeing’s office in Chicago. The demonstration, which included members of Jewish Voice for Peace and Chicago Divests, was meant to call attention to the corporation’s sale of fighter jets and other equipment to the Israeli army, which the state buys with American taxpayer dollars. They wore white shirts splattered with red–a symbolic image conveying Gaza’s mounting death toll.
Civil disobedience spread the next week to New York, when nine members of Jewish Voice for Peace and Jews Say No! were arrested after occupying the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces office. They held the space for about an hour as they sang and read the names of those who died in Gaza. Three days later, yet another group of activists lied down in front of the Israel Discount Bank and threw fake blood on the bank’s windows. The bank was targeted for financing settlements in the occupied West Bank.
But perhaps the most significant protest came on July 28th. Over 70 American Jews, most of them young, gathered in front of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations to protest the key Jewish establishment group’s support for Israel’s attack. The young protesters, with no organization or resources behind them, came under the banner of If Not Now, When?, a hastily organized group formed to press Jewish groups into voicing opposition to the Israeli assault. (The group’s name is a reference to a famous question voiced by Rabbi Hillel.) Nine of them were arrested after they refused to leave the lobby of the office after their request for a meeting with the president, Malcolm Hoenlein, was rejected.
“We are witnessing Israel’s third military operation in the Gaza strip in the past six years. We are alarmed and horrified by the death and destruction being committed in our name,” a letter addressed to Hoenlein from the group read. Some of the participants in If Not Now, When’s action are currently or were involved in J Street, an organization that stays away from civil disobedience actions and strident calls for an end to Israel’s assault. That fact could be an indication that some young Jews want to go beyond what J Street is willing to do.
The wave of civil disobedience shows no sign of letting up. On the same day of the If Not Now, When? action, Palestine solidarity activists in Seattle blocked the entrance to Boeing. They were joined by 40 protesters who held a symbolic “die-in” on a nearby sidewalk.
And on Tuesday, more than 75 people blocked traffic in front of the Israeli consulate. About 25 were arrested. The action was organized by the scholar Norman Finkelstein. |
After widespread worry over a supposed spike in election-adjacent hate crimes last year, many of the alleged incidents turned out to be hoaxes or misunderstandings. Now new data from the FBI further undermines the idea that 2016 saw a sort of crime wave spurred by prejudice.
There were 271 more incidents deemed hate crimes in 2016 than the previous year, according to the latest Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) data. There were also 257 more law enforcement agencies reporting last year, so that increase could largely or even entirely be a matter of getting more complete statistics. The higher numbers mostly represent small increases in incidents classified as anti-Hispanic, anti-Jewish, anti-Muslim, or anti-white.
The most common motive animating hate crimes in 2016—and throughout the past decade—was anti-black bias. That accounted for 2,114 incidents last year. Another 888 incidents were deemed to be based on anti-white bias, 448 incidents on anti-Hispanic bias, and 381 incidents on anti-Islamic bias.
Crimes motivated by animosity toward Jewish people and gay men were also high in the 2016 crime data (again, a longstanding trend). About 830 incidents were categorized as anti-Jewish hate crimes and 765 as incidents motivated by bias against gay men.
The most common type of crime reported was vandalism or property destruction (31 percent), followed by intimidation (26 percent) and simple assault (24 percent). Aggravated assault accounted for 11 percent of all incidents, and rape and murder for less than one percent combined. Nine people overall were victims of murder or manslaughter.
"No human trafficking offenses with a bias motivation were reported during 2016," the FBI notes.
A Decade of Hate Crime Reporting
White Americans were the most likely to commit offenses categorized as hate crimes in 2016, accounting for 46.3 percent of all known offenders. This is actually down quite a bit from previous years. In 2015, 48 percent of known offenders were white and in 2011 it was 59 percent. In 2007, nearly 63 percent of all known offenders were white.
Looking at data over the past 10 years provides some other interesting comparisons, too. While the number of hate crime classifications was higher in 2016 than in any of the four preceding years, it was lower than in 2011 and significantly down from 2006-08.
We're also seeing significantly fewer victims (a designation that can encompass individuals, businesses, government entities, religious groups, etc.). Last year, the data show 7,615 individual victims. In comparison, there were 7,713 hate-crime victims in 2011 and 9,652 victims in 2006.
These things are important to keep in mind when trying to analyze this year's data. Obviously, small upticks can turn into big ones over time and are worth keeping an eye on. But looking at a decade's worth of FBI hate crime data shows the folly in making too much of year-over-year fluctuations.
For instance, this year's data show a slight increase in anti-Hispanic incidents, about 69 more overall—a nearly 20 percent rise over 2015. But last year's number (448) is down from 488 in 2012, 681 in 2010, 735 in 2008, and 769 in 2006. That's a 42 percent decrease in anti-Hispanic hate crimes over the past decade.
Anti-Jewish incidents were also at their highest level last year since 2012 (834 in 2016, compared to 696 back then), but down from 921 incidents in 2010 and more than 1,000 per year in 2006–2008.
There's even some good news on anti-black bias: The number of such incidents in 2016 was almost identical to the number the year before, and was down significantly from 2006 (when we saw over 1,000 more anti-black incidents).
Hate crimes categorized as anti-white, meanwhile, were at their highest level last year since 2006 (though still less than half the number of anti-black incidents). Incidents based on anti-Muslim bias were also up last year.
Drilling Down on 2016 Data
That last point presents the most troubling potential trend. There were about 381 anti-Muslim incidents in 2016 and about 300 the year prior. From 2006 through 2014, the number of incidents hovered in the 100s. What could have changed two years ago to present such a substantial spike?
Some will surely blame the beginning of Donald Trump's political ascendancy, and that can't be ruled out. But another explanation is as likely, if not more likely: The FBI changed how it classified certain hate-crime incidents in 2015.
Before this period, crimes based on someone's ethnicity or national origin were simply sorted into Hispanic or non-Hispanic bias incidents, leaving us with a cache of uncountable incidents that could've been based on someone's perceived Middle Eastern or Arabic status. But in 2015, ethnicity was lumped in with the racial-bias category. This means that some of the incidents previously attributed to a general sort of anti–Middle Eastern bias could either be categorized as anti-Arab racial/ethnic bias or anti-Muslim religious bias, possibly spiking the anti-Islamic incident stats.
For crimes classified as being motivated by racial bias, blacks were the biggest target of action or animosity, with a little more than 50 percent of incidents stemming from anti-black bias. Just over a fifth of the incidents were deemed to be based on anti-white bias, with anti-Hispanic/Latino crimes accounting for 10.6 percent of the incidents, anti-Asian bias for 3.1 percent, and anti-Arab bias for 1.3 percent. About 4 percent of incidents classified as the result of bias against multiple races or groups.
Of the 1,538 incidents categorized as religious bias, anti-Semitic offenses dominated (about 54 percent), followed by anti-Islamic incidents (25 percent), anti-Catholic incidents (4 percent), and offenses against multiple religious groups (3 percent).
And of the 1,218 sexual-orientation-based incidents, gay men were the overwhelming target (62.8 percent). Just 11 percent of these crimes classified as anti-lesbian, 2.2 percent as anti-bisexual, and 1.9 percent as anti-heterosexual, with about a fifth classified as anti-LGBTQ more generally.
In addition, 111 incidents last year were classified as anti-transgender crimes and 19 as crimes motivated by bias against gender nonconformity. Twenty-six incidents were categorized as being motivated by anti-woman bias and 10 by bias against men. |
1 Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer affects an estimated one out of every six males. Therefore it’s understandable that most men want to know at least something about prostate cancer, especially as they are approaching their 40s. This article is going to touch on some of the symptoms and treatments, as well as some of the side effects that come from prostate cancer and prostate cancer treatment. This article is not intended to be a substitution for your doctor’s advice, so make sure that you see…
Prostate cancer affects an estimated one out of every six males. Therefore it’s understandable that most men want to know at least something about prostate cancer, especially as they are approaching their 40s. This article is going to touch on some of the symptoms and treatments, as well as some of the side effects that come from prostate cancer and prostate cancer treatment. This article is not intended to be a substitution for your doctor’s advice, so make sure that you seek a professional opinion if you feel that you may have prostate cancer.
One thing that’s important to note is that you may not suffer any symptoms at all. That is why it’s very important to be checked for prostate cancer frequently, and especially more so as you get older because they can find the prostate cancer before any symptoms show up at all in most cases. Some men that have prostate cancer may experience some of the following symptoms. Frequent or difficult urination, as well as a weak urine flow, erectile dysfunction as well as painful ejaculation and blood in the urine or semen.
There are many different treatment options for prostate cancer and you will want to discuss these with your doctor or healthcare professional before any decision is made. A few of the choices are active surveillance, radiation or hormone therapy, chemotherapy or surgery. There are also other choices and as I said before you should discuss these with your doctor.
One of the best things that you can do for your prostate is to make sure you take care of it in the first place. This may reduce your risk of cancer. Just knowing some simple things such as taking vitamin E, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables and being informed about eating fats and red meat can reduce your risk of prostate cancer.
How to Fight Prostate Cancer
Pure Natural healing |
The bloody frontier epic — starring Leonardo DiCaprio — is performing far better than expected to find itself in a close race with 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' for the weekend crown.
In a surprise upset, Leonardo DiCaprio took down the new Death Star at the Friday box office in North America.
The Revenant, starring DiCaprio and directed by Alejandro G. Inarritu, beat Star Wars: The Force Awakens with $14.4 million from 3,375 theaters. Force Awakens, now in its fourth weekend, took in $10.7 million from 4,134 locations for a massive domestic total of $781.1 million.
It's the first time since Force Awakens opened on Dec. 18 that it hasn't come in No. 1.
The Revenant and Force Awakens are now in a dead heat for the weekend crown, with both films expected to gross in the $37 million-$38 million range. Some have Revenant narrowly winning; others show Force Awakens pulling ahead.
Either way, the results are a major victory for DiCaprio and Inarritu on the eve of Sunday's Golden Globes ceremony, where The Revenant is up for best picture, best director and best actor in the drama categories.
Heading into the weekend, The Revenant was tracking to gross in the $20 million range. Force Awakens was expected to earn $40 million-$50 million, but like many other Christmas titles, is falling steeply this weekend (60 percent).
Still, Star Wars will claim a major win of its own sometime on Saturday in becoming the first film to ever cross the $800 million mark in North America. The J.J. Abrams-directed film, breaking numerous records all along the way, has already surpassed Avatar to rank as the top-grossing film in history in North America, not accounting for inflation.
Also this weekend, Force Awakens will march past the $1.669 billion grossed worldwide by Jurassic World to become the No. 3 title of all time behind Avatar ($2.78 billion) and Titanic ($2.19 billion), not accounting for inflation. And the film, from Disney and Lucasfilm, hasn't even opened in China, where it opened on Saturday to an estimated $33 million, shattering records.
From New Regency and Fox, The Revenant wasn't a cheap proposition, having cost $130 million to make. Nor is the R-rated film — a bloody, bruising frontier epic that also stars Tom Hardy — an easy sell.
The Revenant expanded nationwide on Friday after an impressive limited run in New York and Los Angeles. The film grossed a strong $2.3 million Thursday night as it began its nationwide expansion.
Last year, Inarritu's Birdman won the Oscar for best picture. This year's Academy Awards nominees will be announced next week. The Revenant marks the widest release of Inarritu's career to date; at its widest, Birdman played in 1,213 theaters, while Babel played in 1,251.
The Revenant will quickly surpass the domestic lifetime gross of every other film Inarritu has directed. Birdman is his top-grossing film to date with $42.3 million. It's also one of the better openings for DiCaprio.
Elsewhere, Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg's Christmas comedy Daddy's Home is expected to place No. 3 with an estimated $13 million to $14 million, pushing its domestic total to $115 million.
Natalie Dormer-starrer The Forest, opening nationwide this weekend, opened to $5 million on Friday for a projected $11.7 million weekend. From Focus Features/Gramercy Pictures, the horror movie is expected to place No. 4.
In marketing The Forest, rated PG-13, Focus has targeted younger females and Hispanic moviegoers. The story follows a young woman who goes in search of her twin sister, who has vanished in Japan. She's eventually led to a legendary forest at the base of Mount Fuji where people go to die.
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's comedy Sisters will round out the top five with an expected $7 million weekend for a domestic total approaching $75 million.
Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight and The Big Short, the financial dramedy directed by Adam McKay, are in a close race for No. 6. Both films are projected to gross roughly $6 million for the weekend.
Jan. 8, 1 p.m. Updated.
Jan. 8, 9:45 p.m. Updated.
Jan. 9, 7:45 a.m. Updated with Friday numbers. |
Like many artists, Ai Weiwei enjoys provoking. It isn’t just his finger-to-the-Chinese-government images that he has become known for but also how he does it: his obsessive-compulsive documentation of himself in photos, blogs, tweets, and rants into a digital recorder. In a country obsessed with walls, he is a living challenge to the political system.
This has made Ai an important Chinese artist, but also a dream dissident. Instead of the usual opponent of the government in Beijing—a scrawny, soft-spoken person from the countryside who can’t speak English—Ai is a global man. He lived in New York City for a decade, speaks fluent English, is charismatic, admires Marcel Duchamp, and has had shows at leading western museums. His telling critique of the Olympics (the regime’s “fake smile” to the outside world) and investigation of the Sichuan earthquake became news stories as much his conceptual creations.
Now that he’s been arrested—he was detained April 3 and state media are murmuring about alleged “economic crimes”— Ai is the best-known victim of a broad crackdown on dissent that began early this year. The Tate Modern, which is hosting one of his shows, put up a banner calling on the Chinese government to “Release Ai Weiwei.” Artists and editorials have echoed the call. In a way that never happened for China’s Nobel laureate, the writer Liu Xiaobo, Ai’s detention has caught people’s attention, inside and outside China.
His charm is on display in Ai Weiwei’s Blog, a new translation of his online writings over a four-year period. They originally ran on the Chinese portal sina.com before his blog was banned in 2009. This was an important period for Ai as he went from being a respectable if critical force in the artistic community to a no-holds-barred dissident on a collision course with the government.
Knowing the sad ending makes the book oddly riveting. Initially, most postings had to do with art and architecture. He also wrote intelligently about photography, space, identity, the environment, and modernism. But his biting humor began to come out more frequently in 2006, for example in describing a meeting with pro-government cultural critics: “At first I was confused, and then I became bored to the point of madness, but near the end, when [one of the critics] brought up the names of certain Chinese musicians, I almost threw up.”
Starting in 2007, as the Beijing Olympics drew near, he began directing his anger toward the government. It is unclear why—Ai does not appear to be terribly introspective—but he suddenly realized that the games were going to be little more than a propaganda show. This was hardly an original insight but it consumed him with fury. Ai had been hired as a consultant to the Swiss architects who designed the main stadium, but now said the games were a fraud.
His influence in China peaked with his work on the Sichuan earthquake the following year. Along with others, he blamed the deaths of thousands of school children on shoddy building practices, holding the government responsible. He started a “citizens investigation” into the problems. But unlike most activists in China, Ai took a hostile approach, carrying cameras into government offices and sticking them into the faces of officials and almost delighting in the humiliation he caused these low-level bureaucrats. His rhetoric was always Manichean: the evil government constructing bad buildings to kill children. It was part of his attraction—at last, someone going for the jugular!—but the result was also predictable. His blog was soon banned. It was the government’s first major step against Ai, cutting him off from much of his Chinese audience.
Undeterred, Ai took to Twitter. This social-networking service is banned in China, meaning Ai was writing mainly for foreigners or the tiny percentage of Chinese who are able to get around the Great Firewall. His exploits became increasingly risky. He says he was beaten by police, requiring brain surgery in Germany. All the while he was tweeting and recording these events, at one point photographing a sack of blood in the German hospital and giving it the finger—a message, he said, for authorities back home. Later that year he took a picture of himself almost nude with the caption “Fuck your mother, party central committee.”
Some critics saw this as a brilliant gesture—Systemkritik as 24/7 performance art, aimed at exposing everything that was wrong in a vast country full of problems. But Ai had in the process also morphed into a very vulnerable kind of person: a Chinese dissident. Those with this status are a largely admirable group of lawyers, activists, and thinkers who want to change their country but are shut out of the system. Sooner or later, if they persist in directly challenging the government, they end up behind bars—as we’ve seen, for example, in the case of Liu Xiaobo. If it sounds simplistic or fatalistic it is also the reality of Beijing’s handling of outspoken critics over the past thirty-five years and wasn’t likely to change even for someone like Ai, whose father had been a popular poet of the early Communist era. Viewed dispassionately, Ai’s arrest was just a matter of time.
As inevitable as his arrest was, it is equally galling. As the essayist Zha Jianying wrote in a profile about her dissident brother, Zha Jianguo, a country like China should be able to tolerate a few outliers, no matter how flawed. That is certainly the right way to look at Ai’s case. Chinese officials talk of wanting to be a daguo—a great country—but part of becoming a world power means putting up with critics. Beijing’s mandarins also like to talk of using “soft power” to show how China has changed. But they don’t seem to realize that Ai had been an ideal ambassador, seeming proof that the government could take a couple on the chin. Instead, Beijing’s depressingly predictable reaction seems to validate Ai’s view of China as a country that “rejects freedom of both life and of spirit, a land that rejects fact, and fears the future.”
There’s no doubt that in recent years politics have become more oppressive—foreign journalists like myself experience some of the worst treatment in decades, are regularly harassed, and in some cases beaten or capriciously detained. NGOs are having trouble organizing and many have been shut down. And the government has launched a paranoid crackdown on lawyers and activists based on a call by a few foreign activists for a “Jasmine revolution” in China amid the unrest in the Middle East. The fact that hardly anyone here has bothered showing up for the revolution hasn’t prevented the government from detaining activists—kidnapping them, really, with some swept off the street and not heard from for months.
And yet this situation reflects only part of China’s reality. It seems impossible to live here without noting that intellectual life is far richer than it was a decade ago. You can’t assess the degree of cultural freedom by asking whether a literary salon or bookstore in the capital is open: go to a third- or fourth-tier city—Hefei, the capital of Anhui province, say, or Jurong, in the coastal province of Jiangsu—and talk to people. Compared to a decade ago many of them seem almost cosmopolitan. This is partly because of the Internet, but also the commercialization of the publishing industry, which now releases a flood of books each year, including many serious works in translation. Some works are taboo but they are a narrow sliver of the market. For the first time, non-English speaking Chinese can participate in international intellectual life.
Another huge change has taken place in religious activity. Closed for sixty years—or sometimes destroyed—temples, churches and mosques are being rebuilt at a breakneck pace. Oppression continues (see the recent harassment of the Shouwang house church in Beijing, which has been widely covered in the foreign press). But, overall, religious life is almost anarchically free. These are profound, long-term transformations—economists would call them “secular,” as opposed to the cyclical movements of oppression and relaxation that emanate from the Politburo. These deep-structure changes are not linear, inevitable or irreversible but, for now at least, they are happening. They are part of the story too.
Ai is an artist, not a political theorist. Sometimes artists must issue cris de coeur against the ruling elite. That’s fine and should have been Ai’s right. But by turning his response into a vulgar curse, he effectively negated his impact inside China. I covered the Falun Gong protests a decade ago and remember how many Chinese initially seemed sympathetic toward this group of mainly lower-middle class people who stood up for their right to practice their faith in the face of strong government repression. But this sympathy slowly evaporated as time went on and the Falun Gong adherents took to the streets again and again, getting beaten up, dragged to prisons, let out, then returning again to protest. Few ordinary people I knew or heard of could understand what they wanted—why pursue a militant course that was doomed to failure? Few went so far as to say that the protesters got what they deserved, but many Chinese were mystified.
So too Ai. When I’ve described him to people outside the cocoon of China’s cosmopolitan elite, they usually ask me what he wanted. If it was just to show that the government could be a bully, no one thought that was news. Such a response may imply a lack of consciousness about individual rights and civil disobedience, and so partly validates Ai’s pessimistic view of China. But it also reveals a pragmatic sensibility among many ordinary Chinese: many of them seem to see their country as more than the corrupt police state that Ai was trying to expose with such vitriol, or at least think that there are better ways of channeling the frustrations about the government that they may well share with Ai.
Perhaps this simply reflects my concerns as a journalist pondering the ethics of covering a situation like this, but I wonder if we don’t also deserve some of the blame. We lionized Ai, applauding him as he pursued an ever more dangerous path with Beijing—one that could only end badly.
Ai Weiwei’s Blog: Writings, Interviews, and Digital Rants, 2006–2009 has just been published by The MIT Press. |
I thought in today’s post I would give you an analogy; a little idea of what having OCD is like (if you don’t already know).
I think it’s fair to assume that most people are familiar with Harry Potter. If so, you’re probably also familiar with the concept of the ‘Boggart’; the formless creature that takes the shape of whatever its viewer fears the most.
Having OCD is a little like having a Boggart in the room with you everywhere you go. It’s there when you wake up in the morning, it follows you wherever you go during the day and it watches over you whilst you sleep; sometimes you even see it in your dreams. It’s a constant reminder of what you are afraid of and the danger it poses to you.
Every single person with OCD will have different types of intrusive thoughts. They may have a single, overriding fear or they may have several different fears. Often, the fear will change or evolve. Sometimes, you’ll be able to look back at fears that crippled you in the past and laugh at them. Sometimes, it isn’t so easy.
You might remember from the book or the film that the spell used to defend yourself from the Boggart is ‘Riddikulus’. I think it’s fairly easy to see what J K Rowling’s message was in this instance. Although it does not feel like it and it’s extremely difficult to believe when in the grips of OCD, the fears that OCD brings to the table are ridiculous. There is simply no way a person who fears causing harm to others, to the point where they are afraid to be around others, will ever act on that thought or urge.
So, we must handle OCD in the same way that we would handle a Boggart (should we all be witches or wizards). We must confront it face-to-face, allow it to take on its most terrifying form and then tell it how ridiculous it is.
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The Ottawa Senators turned a fair few heads with their 2017 post-season run, coming out of the middle of the Eastern Conference pack to finish just one win away from the Stanley Cup Final.
On paper, the club doesn’t exactly exude dominance, featuring some notable names but surely not the absurd depth of teams like Pittsburgh or Washington. How exactly did they upend the hockey world’s expectations, then?
Strategic innovation, according to the club’s head coach.
“All our players, for me, they play left and right and centre’s play wing sometimes. That’s the way the game is now,” head coach Guy Boucher told OttawaSenators.com’s Craig Medaglia on Saturday. “It’s F1, F2 and F3. There’s no corridor anymore, that doesn’t exist in the NHL anymore. One shift you’re on the left, (then) you’re crossing over – it’s about supporting now and it’s about the closest man. It used to be that the centre is back-checking and is the low guy but you don’t have that anymore.
“It’s such a quick game and you need to be in the other team’s face right away, so you have no time to wait for the centreman who fell in the offensive zone or is changing to do his job down low. It doesn’t happen like that anymore.”
Boucher also gave his assessment of highly-touted Ottawa prospect Thomas Chabot, whose potential jump to the big leagues remains one of the central storylines of the Senators’ training camp.
“Chabot was one of the guys that almost stayed with us last year but wasn’t quite ready,” Boucher said of the young rearguard. “He’s gained experience over last year and I think it was the right move for him and the right move for the organization last year. Now it’s not a question of ‘can he be on the ice with those guys’ – we all know he can.
“It’s just how much can he sustain against the NHL’s speed, bigger bodies and can he defend against those guys. But it’s clear that with the puck, we already know what he is. We know that he’s ready in terms of with the puck, and now it’s without the puck – is he better now than the other guys that have been with us.” |
“The situation for newly disabled persons is very delicate,” said Michel Péan, Haiti’s secretary of state for the integration of the disabled. “They urgently need not only medical care but food and a place to live. Also, we cannot forget those disabled before the disaster who, because of their handicap, are having trouble getting access to humanitarian aid.”
Rough estimates of the number of new amputees are based on information from overburdened hospitals that did not keep good records of surgeries. The Haitian government believes that 6,000 to 8,000 people have lost limbs or digits. Handicap International estimates that 2,000 to 4,000 Haitians underwent amputations, and many thousands more suffered complicated fractures, some of which could turn into amputations if not managed well.
Dr. Péan, who is blind and serves in a relatively new post as government advocate for people with disabilities, said that Haiti’s disabled — some 8 percent of the population even before the quake — had long been treated as second-class citizens. But the government has recently taken legal steps to recognize their rights and opened offices to serve them in the countryside, he said.
Ideally, Dr. Péan said, post-earthquake reconstruction could provide an opportunity to make Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, more accessible to people with disabilities and the impetus to create a national institute for rehabilitation.
For the moment, though, the urgent focus is on the uncertain present: making sure the thousands who underwent life-saving amputations have a future.
Handicap International, based in France, has been coordinating the postdisaster rehabilitation effort with CBM, a Germany-based Christian disability group, and with the Haitian government. Its volunteers — about five dozen therapists, nurses, technicians and community workers — have been providing postsurgical care and physical therapy at 12 hospitals here, and the organization is setting up a prosthetics workshop, too.
“We know that persons with injuries and disabilities are going through a difficult time right now, but they should not feel they’re alone,” said Aleema Shivji, an emergency response specialist with the group. “There are services available, and they’re increasing by the day.”
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Recently, Caryn Brady, a physical therapist from Canada, made rounds through the sweltering postoperative tents outside the General Hospital. The patients there are being seen by such a revolving cast of international medical professionals, with charts so poorly kept that scribbled messages on bandaged stumps communicate the essentials: “See again on Feb. 23. Thanks. (Smiley face.)”
Bedside, Ms. Brady led Emmanuel Souverain, a university student whose right arm was amputated, through a series of exercises meant to prevent contractures and keep his muscles healthy for a prosthesis — although there is no plan yet to manufacture upper-body prosthetics.
Proceeding on to Mana Alexandre, 22, a double amputee in a white slip, Ms. Brady smiled when Ms. Alexandre showed off, bicycling her two leg stumps fiercely, a proud smile on her face. After more exercises, Ms. Alexandre moved, with the therapist’s guidance, into a wheelchair, but worried about how to get back into bed.
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“Well,” her petite, dimple-faced mother, Evenie Belizaire, said, “I’ve been lifting you your whole life, with God’s help.”
Ms. Alexandre’s stumps dangled over the seat of the wheelchair. “At home, there are chairs with a padded extension that can slide out and provide support,” Ms. Brady said. “But maybe they can find a board?”
The need to adapt is challenging for all new amputees, but here newly discharged patients like Ms. Jean, the dancer, do not even have homes in which to recover or level, paved surfaces on which to plant their crutches or walkers.
On a recent afternoon, Ms. Jean sat on a plastic chair in front of her family’s new home, a small green tent on a rocky hillside. Her sister-in-law stood behind her, stroking Ms. Jean’s long, fine braids protectively as she spoke.
“Dancing was my hobby, my work, my passion, my everything,” Ms. Jean said. She dug out her purse and offered up a couple of photographs of herself in folkloric costume: one, a Judith Jamison-like pose, the other, a slinky Carnival performer. “That was me,” she said. “The before pictures.”
When her house shook violently on the day of the earthquake, Ms. Jean had been preparing to shower. She ran outside in her underwear, a towel wrapped around her waist, she said.
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Standing beside a wall, she breathed in relief at having escaped before her home partly collapsed. And then the wall fell on top of her. Pulling herself out of the rubble, she found her leg snapped in two, bound it together with her towel and hopped back into her house to retrieve some clothes.
Ms. Jean does not remember who took her to the hospital, a scene of utter chaos. Two days later, a doctor promised to try to save her leg, she said, but she never saw him again. She lost her leg four days after the earthquake, and her emotions have oscillated since.
After 10 days, the hospital sent Ms. Jean to a makeshift rehabilitation center near the mass graves in Titanyen. An American prosthetics specialist, Dennis Acton, who examined her there, described the place as a kind of “squalid homeless shelter for amputees.”
From there, Ms. Jean was discharged, with a walker, to her doting family. Her father, Roigner Trazile, 48, dabbing at his eyes, said that his hope in life had been lost along with his dancing daughter’s leg.
“Before, when she actually had two legs, I thought she would become somebody, and then I would become somebody, too,” he said.
But, Ms. Jean said that “some foreigners” — Mr. Acton, actually, who was there with a team from New Hampshire — have promised her not only a regular prosthetic but a high-performance one, too, that could allow her to dance again.
“O.K.,” she said, smiling. “I am waiting.” |
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