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This article is over 3 years old Oscar-winning Australian cinematographer was known for his work with Peter Jackson, Chris Noonan and Russell Crowe in a career spanning almost four decades Australian cinematographer Andrew Lesnie, an Oscar winner for his work on Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, has died at the age of 59. The Sydney film-maker won the Academy award for best cinematography for The Fellowship of the Ring in 2002, and also worked with Jackson on King Kong, The Lovely Bones and his Hobbit films. Lesnie’s death was confirmed by the Australian Cinematographers Society on Tuesday. “We have been advised of the sudden death of Andrew,” a spokesman said, adding that his family would make an official statement at a later time. In a career spanning almost four decades, Lesnie started out as assistant camera operator on the 1978 Australian horror movie Patrick while still at film school, and was most recently cinematographer on Russell Crowe’s directorial debut, The Water Diviner. Crowe tweeted his devastation at Lesnie’s death, calling him “the master of light”. Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) Devastating news from home. The master of the light, genius Andrew Lesnie has passed on . There was grief too from the wider film industry in Australia and New Zealand, where The Lord of the Rings films were made. Film writer Harry Knowles called him the “Cheshire cat behind the camera” next to Jackson. “Lesnie and Peter Jackson would giggle behind the camera together like the most mischievous pair of movie masters that I’ve seen,” tweeted Knowles, one of many Lord of the Rings fans taking to social media to pay tribute. Lesnie also worked on Chris Noonan’s 1995 hit Babe (and its darker sequel Babe: Pig in the City), whose “bright sunshine-infused aesthetic” Guardian Australia’s Luke Buckmaster celebrated in an article marking the film’s 20th anniversary this year.
VOLGOGRAD, Russia — Like every Russian schoolchild, I grew up learning about Hitler’s murderous advance into Russia during World War II, and how it was halted at the Battle of Stalingrad — a critical turning point in the war. The fight raged for 200 days, and the city was reduced to ruins. Civilians who couldn’t evacuate starved, some eating rats and clay. Resistance to the German onslaught was fierce as the defending army had no choice but to fend off the attack or die standing, following Stalin’s order: “Not one step back.” At the end, a population that had been half a million was just 35,000. Since the war, the city has been completely rebuilt, and in 1961 was renamed Volgograd, an effort to erase Stalin’s legacy. But memories of the fighting, 75 years ago this year, are strong. Volgograders walking the streets or going to work pass by many kinds of memorials to those who sacrificed their lives.
This southwest chicken chili is FABULOUS! I love the switch up of chicken instead of ground beef. It’s flavorful and pretty darn healthy too! Papa Joe’s is this posh gourmet market here in Southeast Michigan. They only have two locations and they just opened a third mini-market sort-of-thing inside the concourse of our hospital last year. So far I’m loving their soups, salads and I’ve been especially in love with this chicken chili of theirs for the past month. I can’t get enough of it, I swear to you, I eat it every single day I’m working and dream about it at night. I even cry a little if they’re not serving it on a day I’m there. No joke. Since I only work three days a week, and I was off for a long weekend, it got me thinking. I want that chili. I wasn’t about to drive 30 minutes to the nearest Papa Joe’s and I was definitely not driving up to the hospital for a bowl… so instead I made my own. Southwest style. Papa Joe’s chicken chili doesn’t have corn or jalapenos in it… so it isn’t really a total recreation. But heck, I rather like the corn addition; it adds a little extra texture and sweetness that I like. Oh and for those that fear the jalapeno… please don’t omit it, just remove the seeds and ribs so it won’t be spicy, just really good flavor. And pleeeeeeeease remember to wash your hands after handling the jalapeno… because when you forget to, is the time you’re talking to the neighbor lady and itch your eye, then you’re eye starts to burn like H-E-double-hockey-sticks and you wanna curl into a fetal position and cry like a big ol’ baby, but you can’t because you talking to the NEIGHBOR LADY!! True story… and I don’t want a repeat. Ever. Start by dicing up a medium green pepper, one medium onion, one jalapeno {seeds and ribs removed} and two cloves of garlic. Drain and rinse two cans of pinto beans and set aside. In a large pot or dutch oven over medium-low heat, melt the three tablespoons of butter. Throw in the peppers, onions, jalapeno and garlic. Cook until the peppers and onions are just beginning to soften. Toss in the cumin and ancho chili pepper. Oh! and the flour too! Mix until the flour has completely absorbed the butter and cook for only a minute. Add in some chicken broth. Then some whole milk or heavy cream. I add in a few heaping tablespoons of tomato paste and stir to get that all dissolved. Next add the beans and shredded chicken. Stir and thin it out with a little more chicken broth. Then add in the corn, ya know… for a little corniness. Season with two and a half teaspoons of kosher salt. I know what you’re thinking, it sounds like a lot. But go ahead and taste it after one teaspoon and then adjust to you’re taste buds. Give it a good stirring… Cover and cook for 45 minutes, then uncover for the last 15 minutes. Ohhh… it’s good. I love the switch up of chicken instead of ground beef. It’s flavorful and pretty darn healthy too! Now if you’ll please forgive me, because I’m about to change that! Ps… if you look real close at my spoon you’ll see me upside-down. weeeeird. I highly, HIGHLY recommend a large dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt on your bowl of Southwest Chicken Chili. I ended up crushing corn tortilla chips and sprinkled them in while I ate! Ohmylord. My daughters sprinkled pepper jack cheese in there bowls, and my husband put Cholula in his. so.darn.goooood! Luckily for me this Southwest Chicken Chili makes a lot and is excellent the next day. And the day after that… Enjoy! twitter instagram And if you give this Southwest Chicken Chili recipe a try, let me know by snapping a photo and tagging me onor My cookbook Simply Scratch : 120 Wholesome Homemade Recipes Made Easy is now available! CLICK HERE for details and THANK YOU in advance! Yield: serves 6 Southwest Chicken Chili Print This southwest chicken chili is full of flavor. I love the switch up of chicken instead of ground beef and the ancho chili powder. Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 1 hour Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes Ingredients 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded (rotisserie works really well in this recipe) 2 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed 1 cup sweet corn 1 medium green pepper, diced 1 medium onion, diced 1 jalapeño, diced small (seeds and ribs removed for less heat) 2 garlic cloves, minced 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 4 teaspoons ancho chili powder 2 teaspoons cumin 2 teaspoons kosher salt (more or less to taste) 2 tablespoons tomato paste 3 to 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth 3/4 cup milk or half and half Instructions In a dutch oven sauté the green pepper, onions, jalapenos and minced garlic in three tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat. Once soft, season with the ancho chili powder and cumin. Sprinkle with the flour and stir until the flour is absorbed and cook for one minute. Add in one cup chicken broth and the 3/4 cup milk, stir and bring to a simmer. Stir in two tablespoons tomato paste. Add in the drained beans, shredded chicken and corn. Stir and in more broth (as needed). Cover and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour over medium-low, then remove the lid and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, torn cilantro and crushed corn tortilla chips. Notes For serving, top with a dollop of sour cream or Greek Yogurt, torn cilantro leaves, tortilla chips, shredded pepper jack cheese and lime wedges. Recommended Products Lodge EC7OD13 Enameled Cast Iron Oval Dutch Oven, 7-Quart, Oyster White As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases. Nutrition Information: Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 Amount Per Serving: Calories: 373 Total Fat: 14g Saturated Fat: 4g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 8g Cholesterol: 71mg Sodium: 1238mg Carbohydrates: 35g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 4g Protein: 30g Nutrition information isn’t always accurate. [this post contains affiliate links.]
PoliZette New Swing State Polls Show Momentum for Trump Surveys show race tightening again, despite media rush to call the contest Donald Trump received some good news Wednesday when a smattering of polls showed a much tighter contest with Hillary Clinton in several swing states than the media’s coverage would let on. A Bloomberg Politics poll released Wednesday showed the GOP nominee leading Clinton among likely Florida voters by two points at 45 to 43 percent in a 4-way race with Gary Johnson and Jill Stein. In a two-way matchup, Trump led Clinton by one point at 46 to 45 percent. A Remington Research poll found Trump maintaining his lead in Ohio by four points at 46 to 42 percent. A CNN/ORC poll also found Trump leading Clinton by four points in the Buckeye State. “What does matter is the direction the polls are trending, and right now most national and swing state polls show Trump with all the momentum.” Advertisement And in Pennsylvania, a Remington Research poll found Trump trailing Clinton in a four-way race by a mere three points in a state where he had been lagging behind by 8-12 points just a couple of weeks ago. In addition, Trump shrunk Clinton’s lead in New Hampshire to four points at 46 to 42 in a four-way race, according to a new Monmouth University poll. Just last month, Trump was nine points behind Clinton. “What does matter is the direction the polls are trending, and right now most national and swing state polls show Trump with all the momentum,” Eddie Zipperer, assistant professor of political science at Georgia Military College, told LifeZette in an email. “In the [RealClearPolitics] average of national polls, Trump has gone up a full 2 points in 12 days, 1.2 points in just over a week. If this trend continues, the polls will be very tight on election day.” [lz_related_box id=”231470″] With only 13 days to go until Election Day, Trump’s resurgence in some swing-state polls could bring fresh enthusiasm and optimism to a campaign that has been declared dead by most of the mainstream media. Zipperer said the escalating collapse of President Obama’s healthcare law and the steady stream of revelations courtesy of WikiLeaks have handed Trump fresh opportunity. Advertisement “I think Trump’s current momentum has a lot to do with scandal after scandal dripping from the WikiLeaks,” Zipperer said. He added, “I think the implosion of Obamacare that has some people facing [premium] rate increases over 100 percent will have a big effect on polls in the coming days.”
The first Bitcoin ATM in the world is believed to launch in Canada this week. According to reports from CBC, Mitchell Demeter, co-founder of Vancouver bitcoin trading company Bitcoiniacs and part-owner of Robocoin, has invested in five such machines to be placed across Canada. [np_storybar title=”See how the RoboCoin kisosks work” link=”#1″] [/np_storybar] Bitcoin is an emerging digital currency that isn’t controlled by any authority such as a central bank. It recently made headlines when it was believed to be the currency linked to the success of the now-defunct Silk Road, an underground and virtual drug trafficking marketplace. Silk Road was shut down earlier this month. The new ATM, which will open near downtown Vancouver coffee house Waves, will trade Canadian dollars for online Bitcoins. Users are required to do a palm scan and are permitted to exchange up to $3,000 per day. When the coins are exchanged, they are then entered in your online bitcoin wallet. All transactions will be anonymous. See how RoboCoin kiosks work: “Basically, it just make it easier for people to buy and sell Bitcoins and hopefully will drive the adoption of Bitcoin, and make it more accessible for people,” says Demeter, the owner of Bitcoiniacs. Four more kiosks will arrive in December and although their locations are not yet certain, Bitcoiniacs says it’s eyeing major Canadian cities such as Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Ottawa. Bitcoins currently trade for about $200, but have swung in value from $13 to $250 in the past year. Last month a U.S. judge ruled that Bitcoin, which has been around since 2009, is a real currency.
Lagging behind competitors by as much as 17 months, Google has finally added the industry standard known as Do Not Track to a stable release of its Chrome browser. The functionality, which was added to Chrome 23 released on Tuesday, gives users a way to communicate their desire not to be tracked as they navigate from website to website. When turned on, Do Not Track works in the background by adding an HTTP header that's constantly broadcast to all connecting webservers. Mozilla's Firefox browser implemented the feature in June 2011, five months before it was formalized as an official W3C specification. Almost all other browsers have adopted it since then, leaving Google—a company that makes most of its revenue from advertising—the lone holdout. Do Not Track hasn't been without its controversies. Some privacy advocates have complained that the measure, which requires the voluntary cooperation of websites, doesn't go far enough. On the other side of the debate, some critics don't like the way it's being implemented in some browsers. The Apache webserver was recently updated to ignore Do Not Track settings in Internet Explorer 10 and Yahoo recently said it will also ignore IE10 Do Not Track settings. The moves by both organizations are in response to Microsoft's decision to turn on the feature by default. They say it should be off by default and left up to individual users to turn it on. Do Not Track in Chrome is turned off by default, so readers who want it turned on should click on the customization menu in the top right corner of the browser window. They should then select settings and then click on the line to show Advanced Settings. Under the privacy section they should check the box that reads "Send a 'Do Not Track' request with your browsing traffic." As made clear by a disclaimer that's displayed when the option is enabled, websites may or may not honor the request, so users who want to guard their privacy may want to regularly delete tracking cookies.
Pentti Linkola: Ideas Pentti Linkola writes about the apocalyptic climactic changes that will soon effect us here in humanityland, but he doesn't take the easy way out that most authors do. Instead, he chooses to be brutally honest and suggests that we've already missed our chance to curb our damage of the world, so what we must do is to begin the elimination of human and technological excesses now. Quotations "What to do, when a ship carrying a hundred passengers suddenly capsizes and there is only one lifeboat? When the lifeboat is full, those who hate life will try to load it with more people and sink the lot. Those who love and respect life will take the ship's axe and sever the extra hands that cling to the sides." "The composition of the Greens seems to be the same as that of the population in general — mainly pieces of drifting wood, people who never think." "A minority can never have any other effective means to influence the course of matters but through the use of violence." "Any dictatorship would be better than modern democracy. There cannot be so incompetent dictator, that he would show more stupidity than a majority of the people. Best dictatorship would be one where lots of heads would roll and government would prevent any economical growth." "The most central and irrational faith among people is the faith in technology and economical growth. Its priests believe until their death that material prosperity bring enjoyment and happiness - even though all the proofs in history have shown that only lack and attempt cause a life worth living, that the material prosperity doesn't bring anything else than despair. These priests believe in technology still when they choke in their gas masks." "That there are billions of people over 60kg weight on this planet is recklessness." "Alternative movements and groups are a welcome relief and a present for the society of economic growth." "We will have to...learn from the history of revolutionary movements — the national socialists, the Finnish Stalinists, from the many stages of the Russian revolution, from the methods of the Red Brigades — and forget our narcissistic selves." "Everything we have developed over the last 100 years should be destroyed." "A fundamental, devastating error is to set up a political system based on desire. Society and life are been organized on basis of what an individual wants, not on what is good for him or her...Just as only one out of 100,000 has the talent to be an engineer or an acrobat, only a few are those truly capable of managing the matters of a nation or mankind as a whole...In this time and this part of the World we are headlessly hanging on democracy and parliamentary system, even though these are the most mindless and desperate experiments of the mankind...In democratic coutries the destruction of nature and sum of ecological disasters has accumulated most...Our only hope lies in strong central government and uncompromizing control of the individual citizen." "If the present amount of Earths population is preserved and is reduced only by the means of birth control, then: Birthgiving must be licenced. To enhance population quality, genetically or socially unfit homes will be denied offspring, so that several birth licences can be allowed to families of quality. Energy production must be drastically reduced. Electricity is allowed only for the most necessary lighting and communications. Food: Hunting must be made more efficient. Human diet will include rats and invertebrate animals. Agriculture moves to small un-mechanized units. All human manure is used as fertilizer. Traffic is mostly done with bicycles and rowing boats. Private cars are confiscated. Long-distance travel is done with sparse mass transport. Trees will be planted on most roads. Foreign affairs: All mass immigration and most of import-export trade must stop. Cross-border travel is allowed only for small numbers of diplomats and correspondents. Business will mostly end. Manufacture is allowed only for well argumented needs. All major manufacturing capacity is state owned. Products will be durable and last for generations. Science and schooling: Education will concentrate on practical skills. All competition is rooted out. Technological research is reduced to extreme minimum. But every child will learn how to clean a fish in a way that only the big shiny bones are left over." Impact Linkola is one of the few voices who advocates: No immigration Downsize population Kill defectives Stop rampant technology In the eyes of the most credible sources, planet Earth can sustain a half-billion humans without any sizable destruction of our habitat, or any loss in species or stability of our ecosystem. Any numbers higher than that, no matter how much they recycle, will cause environmental chaos. The modern leftist-tinged environmental movement is terrified of telling anyone that they cannot breed and keep buying whatever strikes their fancy, but someone must do this in the future. The sooner we do it, the fewer people in the future will be left without a means of sustenance and thus require termination. As Linkola himself has said, "We still have a chance to be cruel. But if we are not cruel today, all is lost."
Hide Transcript Show Transcript WEBVTT THE ANSWER.♪DANA: THE COUNTRY'S MOSTPATRIOTIC SONG, THESTAR-SPANGLED BANNER, MOSTRECENTLY CAUGHT UP IN THECONTENTIOUS NFL KNEELING DEBATEIS ONCE AGAIN IN THE SPOTLIGHT,THIS TIME RECOMMENDED FORREMOVAL, AS OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM.>> WE'RE PROTESTING THIS RACISTSONG THAT HAS CAUSED SO MUCHCONTROVERSY IN AMERICA.DANA: CALIFORNIA AND HAWAIINAACP PRESIDENT AND NATIONALBOARD MEMBER ALICE HUFFMANBROUGHT UP THE IDEA AT A RECENTNAACP STATE CONVENTION.>> WE'RE NOT TRYING TO PROTESTTHE FLAG AT ALL.WE ARE JUST TRYING TO GET ITREMOVED, SO THAT WHATEVER COMESOUT IN THE FUTURE AS A NATIONALANTHEM, WE CAN ALL STAND PROUDLYAND SING IT.♪ DANA: SHE SAYS THE RARELY-SUNGTHIRD STANZA OF THESTAR-SPANGLED BANNER REFERENCESSLAVES.WITH THE LINES "THEIR BLOOD HASWASHED OUT THEIR FOUL FOOTSTEPS'POLLUTION.NO REFUGE COULD SAVE THEHIRELING AND SLAVEFROM THE TERROR OF FLIGHT, ORTHE GLOOM OF THE GRAVE.">> THERE'S NO WAY YOU CAN THINKIT MEANT ANYTHING GREAT FORAFRICAN AMERICANS.>> I LOVE THE NATIONAL ANTHEM.IT GIVES ME CHILLS EVERY TIME IHEAR IT.DANA: 20-YEAR-RETIRED AIR FORCEVETERAN, MASTER SGT. RYANPETERSON DISAGREES.AND HE TEACHES HIS JROTCSTUDENTS AT HIRAM JOHNSON HIGHSCHOOL TO RESPECT THE FLAG ANDANTHEM WITH PRIDE.OTHERS ARE ON THE FENCE ABOUTTHE ISSUE.>> WE'VE COME TO REALLYAPPRECIATE IT, BUT IF IT'S GOINGTO OFFEND A LOT OF PEOPLE, BUTTHEN AGAIN, WE HAVE THINGS LIKETHE REDSKINS STILL, SO -- Advertisement CA NAACP proposes removing 'Star-Spangled Banner' as national anthem NAACP suggests it should be replaced with more inclusive song Share Shares Copy Link Copy The country's most patriotic song, "The Star-Spangled Banner," most recently caught up in the contentious NFL kneeling debate, is once again in the spotlight -- this time the California NAACP wants it removed as the national anthem.The group wants to introduce a resolution to state lawmakers that proposes removing “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the national anthem.California and Hawaii NAACP president and national board member Alice Huffman brought up the idea at a recent NAACP state convention -- along with two resolutions to support Colin Kaepernick and to censure President Donald Trump after he used profanity toward NFL players who knelt during the anthem.The proposal is not intended to disrespect the flag, Huffman said.“We’re not trying to protest the flag at all,” Huffman said. “We’re protesting this racist song that has caused so much controversy in America, and we’re just trying to get it removed. So, whatever comes out in the future as a national anthem, we can all stand proudly and sing it.”Huffman is referring to the rarely sung third stanza of “The Star-Spangled Banner”:“And where is that band who so vauntingly sworeThat the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,A home and a country, should leave us no more?Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.No refuge could save the hireling and slaveFrom the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave,O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.”“If you look at it, there's no way you can think it meant anything great for African-Americans," Huffman said.Air Force veteran, Master Sgt. Ryan Peterson, disagrees."I love the national anthem," Peterson said. "It gives me chills every time I hear it." Peterson said he’s never heard the third stanza of “The Star-Spangled Banner” played in public. He said he teaches his JROTC students at Hiram Johnson High School to respect the flag and anthem with pride."It's (a) significantly deeper meaning to an Air Force member, to a veteran, to a veteran in our community, than the perceived disrespect or the perceived racism of the third stanza," Peterson said.Huffman said she and the NAACP want the proposal to eventually reach Congress in hopes that a more inclusive song can replace the current anthem.
EOTech OPMOD Holographic Weapon Sights are an exclusive holosight design available only from OpticsPlanet! In conjunction with EOTech, we are pleased to present two exclusive holo sights, offered under the OPMOD (OpticsPlanet MODification) label. The EOTech OPMOD Holographic Sights w/MOA Dot combine input from our customers - military, law enforcement and shooting sports enthusiasts alike - with the expertise of the world premier L3 EOTech Engineering and Marketing Teams. These holographic gun sights have been carefully tailored to the highest performance standards. Being end-users ourselves, we understand the rigors and abuses that firearm sighting equipment must withstand day in and day out. OPMOD Limited Edition Holosights maximize functionality, ergonomics, and reliability in any adverse condition. The OPMOD EOTech Water Resistant Sight offers instinctive two-eyes-open shooting with a transversely mounted 123 battery, and a 7mm raised base offering a lower 1/3 co-witness with iron sights. OPMOD EXSPS-2 L3 Eotech red dot scopes (EXPS stands for Extreme-XPS HWS) feature easily accessible side buttons and a single quick release throw lever for easy and instant attachment and removal. Similar to EOTech XPS-2 red dot sights, OPMOD EXPS-2 sights are smaller than Eotech N-cell battery red dot sights such as their popular EOTech 550 Holosight. The OPMOD red dot sight has a shortened base that only requires at most 2 3/4 inch of rail space, compared to the 4 inch N battery sights. L3 Eotech OPMOD EXPS-2 Sight features two reticle options: 0 - a 68MOA circle with 1 MOA aiming dot (EXPS 2-0 OPMOD sight) and 2 - 68MOA circle with two 1MOA aiming dots (EXPS 2-2 OPMOD sight). The OPMOD Eotech Red Dot Sight w/Shatter Resistant Laminate is , and, as with all Eotech holographic sights, is designed to military and law enforcement standards to be waterproof, shock proof and be able to handle the most extreme tactical operations with ease. OPMOD EOTech EXPS 2 Red Dot Sights include a CR123 battery and come with a hard carrying case.
Brand New Your Favourite Weapon (Deluxe CD) Brand New's 'Your Favourite Weapon' Deluxe CD with different artwork and bonus tracks galore! 10 years is a long time. Back in 2001, Brand New was, well, brand new; an undeveloped, young group of guys collecting what they knew about life so far and sharing it with the world. These thoughts came together to form Your Favorite Weapon. It was the uninhibited, powerful forcethat launched Brand New into the forefront of the post-hardcore scene. Three albums and over a million records later, Brand New is revisiting the record that started it all. The raw, poignant songs that so well defined a cohort of lost teenagers are about to get more raw and poignant. Fully remastered with seven never-before-heard demos, the YourFavorite Weapon Deluxe Edition takes listeners more in-depth,shedding light as to how these songs came together and how the album and band developed. Music can serve as a bookmark in our lives forever designating a place, time and feeling. The emotions and perspective of transient youth are perfectly preserved in this record hurling the listener on a journey through their own past. It's safe to say, with Brand New's Deluxe Edition of Your Favorite Weapon, you'll be able to stay 18 forever. Razor And Tie CD
The crown jewel of Greenpeace’s naval arm, the Rainbow Warrior, pulled in to the harbor alongside the Kingsnorth coal-fired power plant today before six activists stormed the facility to prepare to project video of impacts of global warming onto the plant’s giant smokestack.[social_buttons] The action comes mere months after a jury acquitted Greenpeace protesters who had vandalized the same smokestack. The court ruled that the activists were acting in the public’s interest because the power plant will cause property destruction in the future due to its release of climate-changing greenhouse gases. So far, Greenpeace says there have been no arrests. The activists hope to prevent the owners of the plant, E.ON, from going through with their plan to build another coal plant nearby. Greenpeace says the new plant would spew as much greenhouse gas as the world’s 30 least-polluting countries combined. To symbolize this, 30 volunteers carried the flags of those countries into the power plant. Two of the protesters were among the original ‘Kingsnorth Six,’ who were acquitted of all wrongdoing amid controversy this summer. Police have not reported whether the activists will face charges for today’s action. You can follow any developments through Greenpeace UK’s website. Photo courtesy of Greenpeace UK.
The celebration in Boston on Wednesday featured all the party favors you could hope for on your special day: balloons, glittery cone hats, and a vanilla-frosted cake topped with sugary decorations. But not a match to light the candles for the cake was in sight. That’s because the tongue-in-cheek festivities were a jab at utility companies for allowing a gas leak in the area to persist for 30 years, a milestone it marked this week. Advertisement “It’s been there since the Bee Gees,” said Audrey Schulman, president of the Home Energy Efficiency Team, or HEET, a nonprofit based in Cambridge. “That’s a long, long, time ago. And that’s unfair.” Get Metro Headlines in your inbox: The 10 top local news stories from metro Boston and around New England delivered daily. Sign Up Thank you for signing up! Sign up for more newsletters here Members of Clean Water Action, Mothers Out Front, Boston Climate Action Network, and the Massachusetts Sierra Club joined Schulman at the event, which was held to build awareness about gas leaks ahead of a City Council hearing on the topic scheduled for Monday. Activists made public in August detailed maps of leaks around the state that they had created using data from utility companies. The companies are required by state law to pinpoint locations of known leaks and how long they have been there. They’re also required to immediately repair ones that pose risks of explosion. Activists say the leaks are wasteful, environmentally hazardous — and potentially dangerous. “It’s bad for health, it’s bad for trees, it’s bad for the planet,” said Schulman. “And it’s bad for our wallets.” Advertisement The leak where the birthday party took place — at the intersection of Beacon Street and Park Drive, just past Kenmore Square — is thought to be Boston’s oldest. National Grid classifies the decades-old leak as a Level 3, non-hazardous leak, meaning it’s not considered potentially explosive. The company said in a statement this week that it last checked the issue last October. The company vowed to inspect the leak again next month. The plan for now is to fix it as part of a plan to replace all leaky underground pipes within 20 years. “In our consideration of whether to repair this leak ahead of schedule, we will balance an evaluation of the leak’s status with the disruption its repair could cause to traffic patterns,” a spokeswoman said in an e-mail. “Safety is our biggest priority.” Utility companies told the Globe last month that they are working hard — and fast — to address seeping gases statewide as best they can. Advertisement National Grid alone plans to spend $2.4 billion over the next five years to address leaky pipes throughout their vast underground system. “We continue to believe that the best way to fix leak-prone pipe is to replace all of it in Massachusetts within 20 years. We are committed and on target to doing that,” said Danielle Williamson, a National Grid spokeswoman. The party Wednesday started with a performance by members of the Boston Climate Action Network, who put on a canastoria presentation — a European theatrical form that includes props and rhyming — for a small crowd. After singing the Happy Birthday song to the gas leak, attendees wearing party hats cut the cake. “We just hope that we don’t have to celebrate any more birthdays,” said Joel Wool, a member of Clean Water Action. “Frankly, we don’t want our infrastructure to keep degrading.” Steve Annear/Globe Staff David Abel of the Globe staff contributed to this article. Steve Annear can be reached at [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter @steveannear
News Earlier this evening the official Daft Punk Facebook page was updated with an image of the two iconic helmets worn by the French maestro’s Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter and the blunt status – www.daftpunk.com Anyone trying to visit the Daft Punk homepage will struggle to get it to load under what is expected to be a feverious amount of traffic! What has already become the most anticipated release of the year began it’s hourney all the way back in May 2012 with talks of collaborative work with Giorgio Moroder and Nile Rogers, who believed their track would be out before a tour to Japan – tentatively pointing to March. In June Thomas Bangaltor strangely scored a Lindsay Lohan starred short film while the duo put together a mix for Saint Lauren fashion cat walk. There were also numerous rumours of festival appearances, track leaks and single names alongside a cameo on The Simpsons official Daft Punk Bearbricks up for grabs. All we know so far is the release will be on Sony’s Columbia Records alongside young electronicist Madeon (playing this years Future Music Festival) but we’d be sure of a March single release that would fall in line with the last two Daft Punk albums. Can anyone say hype?
They came in their hundreds of thousands. Now many migrants are leaving Germany of their own accord after having been denied asylum. Government figures show nearly 55-thousand left the country voluntarily in 2016, up 20-thousand from the year before. The government, welcoming the increase. (SOUNDBITE) (German) INTERIOR MINISTRY SPOKESMAN, HARALD NEYMANNS, SAYING: "It's always preferable when people leave the country voluntarily instead of being deported. Deportation is always only the last resort." Germany threw open its borders to migrants last year, admitting more than a million into the country. But the government's toughened its stance on immigration in recent months, as public support for the pro-refugee policy wanes. Those who leave voluntarily are eligible for support of up to 3,000 euros that's supposed to go towards finding work at home. The number of people being deported has also risen. Almost 24-thousand were sent home between January and November, compared to just under 21-thousand for the whole of 2015.
Little is known about the handmaids of the Bible, characters like Hagar, Bilhah and Zilpah. We do know that in biblical times the duties of a handmaid might have included bearing a child for the master of a household so he would have an heir if his wife could not bear him one. It was never presented as much of a choice to the handmaid. The truth is that women around the world still bear children for people of privilege. Only today it’s called adoption, and it’s still never presented as much of a choice. Growing numbers of mothers who surrendered their babies at a vulnerable time in their lives are beginning to speak out about the injustice in past and current adoption practices. I am one of them. I became pregnant in 1975 at the age of 16. I was unmarried and had limited means of support. From the start, it was assumed that I would give up my baby for adoption. But it wasn’t an assumption I shared. While I was pregnant, the thought of losing my baby was more than I could bear. Those feelings only grew after he was born. At the same time, it was made clear to me that I would never receive the support I would need to raise him. The system was stacked against unwed mothers. I was told repeatedly about the mature woman who longed for a child and could give my baby what I couldn’t. And I was assured that giving up my son was an unselfish act of love. Time and again, I was told that I would get over my loss and move on. Eventually, I surrendered. I was instructed to leave the hospital without seeing my son. I ignored the order on more than one occasion, and I treasure those stolen moments to this day. I went home with empty arms and a broken heart. Consumed by unresolved grief, I returned to high school and pulled myself together enough to graduate. Not long after that, I joined the military and met the man who became my first husband. Five years later, our first daughter was born. My joy at her arrival was overshadowed by nightmares and an intense fear of losing her. The birth of my subsequent children retriggered those fears. As my children grew, each milestone was bittersweet, a reminder of what I had missed with my first-born. I scrutinized every boy who looked his age — could this be my child? The burden of not knowing where he was and if he was okay weighed heavily on me. The secrecy of the adoption process meant I kept the burden mostly to myself. When I did confide in a few people, I spoke of “the baby I surrendered,” believing that I didn’t deserve to call him “my son.” The label society gave to me reinforced this idea; I was his “birthmother,” the vessel who brought him into the world to be raised by someone worthier. I was a handmaid. Several years ago, when he was 26, my son and I were reunited through Alberta’s post-adoption registry. He’s a wonderful person; we’re in regular contact now and visit when we can. He lives a busy urban life with his spouse and two dogs. When we met, it was amazing to see how much he looked like me and his father, with whom he was also reunited. His laugh and many of his mannerisms are so like ours that he has felt familiar from the beginning. The unbearable worry is gone, but deep sadness lingers about the years forever lost to us. Soon after our reunion, I became involved with the Canadian Council of Natural Mothers. It was wonderful to connect with other mothers who have lost children to adoption, and to learn that it wasn’t unusual that I didn’t “get over it.” In fact, my nightmares and intense anxiety were a normal response to being separated from my baby and forced to carry on as if everything was all right. I am now convinced that, like the biblical handmaids, my sexuality and fertility were used by those in positions of power to determine the course of my life and my child’s. Just like the biblical handmaids, millions of other women who experience poverty, suffer illness and live amid conflict continue to be denied reproductive freedom. They continue to be victims of attitudes and laws that reward the privileged and punish the marginalized. In Canada, adoption laws are the responsibility of the provinces or territories, and even though all are based on the principle of acting “in the best interests of the child,” they vary widely. Generally, mothers who are considering adoption do not have recourse to independent legal advice. In some provinces, beginning with British Columbia in 1996, adoption records have become more open, allowing for faster exchange of information on matters such as genetic health problems. In places where adoption records are still closed and critical health issues arise, the hoops that must be jumped through are time-consuming and difficult. From the early 1900s through to the 1980s, many maternity homes, including several run by the United Church, mistreated pregnant unwed women by taking their clothing, banning visitors, controlling their money and presenting a bill for room and board if a mother balked at signing surrender documents. Social work textbooks sanctioned the forced surrender of babies as the price mothers paid for their immoral behaviour. I wonder how far we have really come from those days. The acclaimed 2007 movie Juno tells the story of a 16-year-old high school student in Minnesota who gets pregnant and decides to give up her baby. She’s sad for a while, but then gets over it. That’s what society wants to hear. It’s not what most mothers experience. In Australia, there has been significant progress in gaining public recognition of the damage done by unjust adoption practices. This past February, a parliamentary inquiry called on the Australian government to offer an apology and compensation to thousands of unwed mothers who had been coerced into giving up their babies for adoption in the decades following the Second World War. The issue is just showing up on the radar in Canada. The United Church has begun a review of archival information relating to its former maternity homes. But there’s still a long way to go. Technology has allowed mothers like me to break out of our historical isolation. We are claiming our voices in the process. It’s as basic as language. “Birthmother” is someone else’s term, not ours. We are mothers, nothing more and nothing less. On a broader front, laws must change so that adoption becomes the solution of last resort in cases where it is demonstrated that the well-being of the child is not at risk. During pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period, prospective adopters must not be allowed near the mother or her child. The mother and her baby should have a minimum of 90 days together before an adoption plan is considered and a consent form is signed. Mothers must be fully informed about their legal options, the social services available to them and the long-term physical and psychological consequences of surrendering their baby. Legal guardianship that allows the mother an ongoing connection to her child should always be considered before adoption. In the meantime, with or without the assistance of government, I and growing numbers of mothers like me will continue to search for and find our adult sons and daughters. May the day soon come when there will be no more handmaids. Sign up for our free e-newsletter now! Get The Observer’s latest stories on justice, faith and ethics by signing up for our e-newsletter. It only takes a few seconds to join and we’ll deliver award-winning content to your in-box. SIGN UP TODAY
Donald Trump got elected as U.S. President on a platform that included a lot of changes that appealed to many people. Trump promised to “Make America Great Again” by bringing back the high paying jobs that had moved overseas thanks to a Democratic Party that did nothing to stop them. Trump would also make “America Safe Again” by tightening the immigration system to keep out Jihadist Terrorists, Muslims and refugees. He would also send back to Mexico all the illegal Mexicans, many of whom are “criminal.” Trump’s first month of whirlwind Presidential activity and tweeting, instead of establishing a confident and promising outlook about a Renewed America, produced a high level of domestic chaos at home and international chaos abroad. Our business leaders became apprehensive and our foreign allies became uncomfortable about what was happening in the U.S. In four weeks, the “so-called” President has managed to do what Al-Qaeda couldn’t – he has created a climate of fear across the world, and created the conditions for the collapse of American Democracy. Already the US has been downgraded in The Economist’s Democracy Index, from a score of 8.22 in 2006 to 7.98 in 2016, pushing the US into the “flawed democracy” category. Blowing Up Our Democracy What is most disturbing is the President’s attack on the idea of America. America is an idea, not simply a country. As some of the recent Superbowl ads showed us, we are more than the sum of our parts. Trump is succeeding in turning e Pluribus Unum into “every man for himself”; he is Closing the American Mind by using a strategy of polarization – by politicizing every aspect of government and civic life. This is not an accident. What we see with Trump is a systematic targeting of all the institutions and policies that actually made America great. One can argue that the administration (aided and abetted by the GOP) is like a terrorist planting bombs to blow up the pillars of our Democracy. Here’s the blueprint: Attack the Press: By lying continuously and labelling the Press as “fake news,” Trump is making sure to cast doubt on the “truth.” He is trying to subvert the press whose job it is to hold our politicians accountable. Senator John McCain has pointed this out – “that’s how Dictators get started.” Attack the Judiciary: When “so-called” judges intervene to stop a Trump policy, Trump and his minions attack them because the legal system is so “corrupt.” The administration is intentionally destabilizing the judicial branch of government. Government by “rule of law” would prevent Trump from making needed changes. Attack the Electoral Process: by casting doubt on the electoral process itself, and making false claims of voter fraud, Trump is setting the stage for widespread voter suppression. This is his plan to destabilize the voting process. Twenty-one states are making it harder to vote under this false pretense. Attack Free Speech: by muzzling dissent, Trump and the GOP are setting the stage for “rule by ideology” – where decisions are no longer made on the basis of science or evidence. He is bending the truth to benefit industry interests. Protestors are branded as terrorists. The National Parks can’t tweet freely. Elizabeth Warren is silenced in the Senate. Attack the Intelligence Community: Trump has attacked the CIA and the intelligence community, trying to discredit them publicly. Was this done to cover-up the Russian influence on the election? Attack Immigration: How does a nation built on immigration reject immigration? The “Muslim Ban” is unconstitutional, and the Wall is not addressing the real crisis. We now hear Trump is upgrading his blocked executive order in order to sign a “new and improved” Muslim Ban. Even more disturbing is the news that the Trump administration is planning to use the National Guard to “round-up” and expand deportation of Mexican nationals who are an integral part of our economic fabric, instead of working on real immigration reform. Attack Civil Rights: Trump’s attack on Sen. John Lewis is the tip of the iceberg. Trump himself is being led by an extremist - Stephen Bannon, the chief strategist of the Trump administration. His influence is seen in the normalization of white supremacy, the “De-Judification” of the Holocaust, and the return of the Southern Strategy. They want to make racism cool again. Attack Women’s Rights: Trump’s global gag order is yet another attack on women’s rights. Besides his blatant misogynistic character, Trump’s support for defunding Planned Parenthood represents "the most serious threat women have faced so far from this Congress." Attack Public Education: Without an educated populace, our democracy is in serious trouble. Betsy DeVos, the cabinet official for education wants to destroy our public education system. Educators are standing up to protest, but the damage she causes to our already embattled educational system may end up being terminal. Attack the Arts: Trump intends to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment For The Humanities, and privatize the Corporation For Public Broadcasting, the government entity that partially funds both NPR and PBS. This is a political strategy that devalues not just the arts, but Democracy itself. And it’s really not about the money. The entire budget for the NEA, for example, is less than what we, the people, are spending to fund the separate living arrangements for Donald and Melania. Attack our Ethical Policies: Did you know that now it’s legal to bribe foreign governments? Also, Trump has signed an executive order that removes restrictions on lobbyists entering the administration. Far from being drained, it looks like Trump is stocking the swamp. Goldman Sachs stock is up 37% since the election. Attack our Public Lands: Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz introduced a bill to transfer federal land to the states. This is a common strategy that ends in the privatization of public lands at the state level. Fortunately, a strong public backlash made him withdraw his bill. Our National Parks – “America’s Greatest Idea” – and their protectors, the Park Rangers, are also under attack. Attack the Free Market: “Trump's first 30 days take toll on free enterprise,” reads the headline of an article that points out how Trump has used social media to attack dozens of companies, including Amazon, American Airlines, AOL, Apple, Boeing, Carrier, Fiat Chrysler, Coca-Cola, Disney, Facebook, Ford, GM, Goldman Sachs, Google, H&R Block, HP, Koch Industries, Lockheed Martin, Macy's, Microsoft, Mylan, Procter & Gamble, Sony, T-Mobile, Time Warner, Toyota and Verizon. Is this the right way to run the economy? Hardly. But by attacking these global companies, Trump feeds his followers who mistake his tweets for action. Attack Labor Unions: Trump is intentionally undermining the unions by actively courting the most conservative sectors of labor and attacking the more liberal sectors. This strategy of polarization allows him to weaken the already weak unions. Attack our Allies: Trump has questioned the logic behind NATO, likened the US to Russia, and alienated valuable allies in the war against terror. The immigration ban has already given Brand America a black eye. In addition, Trump has insulted the leaders of Mexico, Australia, Germany – all within days of each other. A Reign of Terror Trump’s “shock and awe” strategy is being directed at the American public, to keep us off-balance, fearful, and quiet. He invents terrorist attacks to scare and confuse the American public. Trump carries a deep personal character defect. Either he lives in a delusional reality or he simply cannot help lying. Instead of admitting that his administration has created a first month of chaos, he says that his administration is working like a finely-tuned machine. He would validate to the public that he has a high approval rating by starting his 2020 political campaign in Melbourne, Florida on February 18, 2017. He spoke for an hour to 9,000 fans and followers to recharge his batteries. Now we are beginning to understand the real revolution that Trump’s backers are planning. Trump is not the leader but only a puppet of Steve Bannon, his Chief Strategist, and Republican extremists. Their aim is to destroy ObamaCare and Medicare, Social Security, and many of our welfare and so-called “entitlement” systems. These extremists have a bigger aim: to neuter Democracy. They have no interest in bipartisanship. They don’t want to work with the other party. They want to reduce the Democratic Party to a former shadow of itself. The extremists want total control of America by the wealthy class. They are bent on eviscerating our culture. What we are witnessing is the Birth of Authoritarianism and Dictatorship. Our civil servants now must be very careful in what they say and do, or lose their job. Our business leaders must keep jobs here even at higher costs or be disciplined and embarrassed by a phone call from the President. Critics of Trump need to quiet down or stop their complaints or “suffer consequences.” "The powers of the president to protect our country are very substantial and will not be questioned," says the President’s man, without adding a follow-on like “democracy be damned.” The big question is why the leaders of the Republican Party don’t see that they created a monster who will unleash a Reign of Terror. We don’t have to fear the terrorists abroad when our home-grown terrorists have taken over the reigns from within. Only a few Republicans such as Senator John McCain have spoken out against President Trump’s behavior. The silence is deafening. The American Dream is in the process of dying in the United States. It still exists but you would have to move to Canada. Will no one protect this democracy? It is up to us - we, the people. 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Wine lovers might treasure the oaky, full-bodied taste of a cabernet sauvignon or the light and fruity aroma of a pinot grigio. But if the bottle is stopped with a low-quality cork, they can kiss that meticulously cultivated flavor goodbye. Many people may only worry about corks when it's time to pop the Champagne, but some experts are worried about wine cork quality, which has been mysteriously in decline for almost 20 years. Corks are made from the bark of Quercus suber trees, commonly called cork oaks, which grow only in southwest Europe and northwest Africa. More and more low-quality cork trees with thin bark are sprouting up. [6 Unexpected Effects of Climate Change] Now scientists think rising temperatures and increased exposure to ultraviolet, or UV, light brought on by climate change may be behind chemical changes in the bark of cork oaks. "There are several factors like climate change, landscape changes and the dry seasons getting longer that could be causing the decline," Rita Teixeira from the University of Lisbon, told Live Science. "The change in bark quality may be the trees' way of adapting." Bark acts as the protective outer layer on trees that protects the plant from drought and shields against radiation. Cork oaks have been growing thinner and more porous layers of bark. Cork producers need bark that's at least 27 millimeters (1 inch) thick to make a good cork, but most of the trees are now producing bark between 3 mm and 10 mm (0.1 inches and 0.4 inches), Teixeira and colleagues write in their study, which was published June 22 in the Journal of Experimental Botany. To figure out what might be causing the changes, Teixeira and a team of researchers analyzed genes in the bark of five high-quality cork trees and five low-quality cork trees growing in Portugal. The scientists discovered that heat shock proteins are essential to the bark of high-quality cork trees. These proteins help the tree grow normally even under stressful conditions like drought and high temperatures, and promote cell division that makes the bark grow thicker. Bad cork trees have fewer of these shock proteins, but they have more genes that produce huge amounts of phenolic compounds, UV-absorbing chemicals that collect inside the bark. Teixeira and colleagues found that poor-quality cork trees have twice as many phenolic compounds as good-quality cork trees, which suggests the bad-quality cork trees are adapting to protect themselves from elevated radiation levels. The researchers also discovered that the trees with thin layers of bark have lots of lenticular channels — small airways that allow gas exchange between the bark and the outside air. Corks made from this kind of bark are considered low quality, because the lenticular channels allow more air to enter the bottle. The oxygen seeping in reacts with the alcohol and makes acetic acid that gives the wine an unpleasant sour and vinegar-like taste. A batch of bad corks can ruin entire cases of wine, Teixeira said. The global cork industry is worth about $2 billion, but metal wine stoppers are cheap alternatives and are growing in popularity. Past research published in Flavour and Fragrance Journal found that consumers could not tell the difference between wine corked with a natural oak-based cork and wine that was corked with a metal stopper. However, many wine producers still prefer the original oak-based cork, but the choice between a cork and a metal cap is hotly debated among wine enthusiasts. Teixeira says that after more genetic testing, it may be possible to select the best cork oaks for breeding and increase the quality of the cork used to stop wine bottles. In the future it may even be possible to genetically engineer cork oaks with high-quality bark. Follow Kelly Dickerson on Twitter. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.
Donald Trump Donald John TrumpHouse committee believes it has evidence Trump requested putting ally in charge of Cohen probe: report Vietnamese airline takes steps to open flights to US on sidelines of Trump-Kim summit Manafort's attorneys say he should get less than 10 years in prison MORE is urging supporters not to do their Christmas shopping at Macy's in retaliation for the department store dumping his signature business clothing line. “Good news, disloyal Macy’s stock is in total free fall,” Trump said in a Facebook post on Friday, accompanied by the company’s stock chart. “Don’t shop there for Christmas!” Macy’s in July decided to drop Trump’s merchandise in response to controversial comments he made about Mexican immigrants, calling them "killers and rapists" in his campaign launch speech. ADVERTISEMENT “In light of statements made by Donald Trump, which are inconsistent with Macy’s values, we have decided to discontinue our business relationship with Mr. Trump and will phase-out the Trump menswear collection, which has been sold at Macy’s since 2004,” the company said in a statement at the time. “We do not believe that disparaging characterizations portray an accurate picture of the many Mexicans, Mexican Americans and Latinos who have made so many valuable contributions to the success of our nations." The Republican primary front-runner called for his supporters to boycott the store after they dropped his line. Macy’s was not the only high-profile company to cut ties with Trump over his remarks. NBC severed its relationship with the businessman following the remarks, dropping him as the face of the “Celebrity Apprentice.”
NEW YORK – Are the fingerprints of Donald Trump’s official national campaign spokeswoman on the National Enquirer’s Ted Cruz “sex scandal” tale? That is the question prompted by Katrina Pierson in a tweet posted Feb. 8, in which she appears to be encouraging another media outlet to go with the uncorroborated rumors more than a month before the sensational tabloid. WND and other news outlets were offered unverified reports alleging multiple affairs by the candidate as early as last November by independent researchers in Texas. For months it remained the buzz of Washington insiders, political reporters and campaign operatives. It lacked just a few things – legitimate sources, authoritative substantiation, credible witnesses. From there the story was shopped to the Marco Rubio presidential campaign and various other news organizations. “The Death of Free Speech: How Our Broken National Dialogue Has Killed the Truth and Divided America” examines how the news media has created arbitrary, biased and illogical rules for determining what can and cannot be said in the public arena. But tweets captured by WND suggest the story was encouraged for publication in Breitbart.com by Pierson, the former aide to Cruz and now official campaign spokesman for Trump. Pierson was suspected of being one of five women the National Enquirer alleged had a relationship with Cruz. She quickly denied the allegation. Here’s the chain of events leading to Pierson’s involvement: On Feb. 4, Breitbart London columnist Allum Bokhari authored a re-tweet saying, “This guy is getting warm though,” linking to a previous post by “[email protected],” addressed to Bokhari that posted the following apparently mock headline: “SHOCKING: Ted Cruz’s Explosive Dark Secret Revealed by Breitbart.” A second tweet by Allum Bokhari, also dated Feb. 4, said in response to this exchange: “Been told it’s a few more days before we can drop the new Cruz goss (sic). Nothing I can do :( ” In response, four days later, Pierson tweeted this question to Bokhari at his Twitter address @LibertarianBlue: “Why so long!!??” On March 25, after the National Enquirer published the allegations that were followed by strong denials from at least three of the principals involved, Bokhari tweeted, “I hate getting scooped.” The same day, Pierson posted a tweet in which she denied having a sexual relationship with Cruz, writing: “Of course the National Enquirer story is 100% FALSE!!!! I only speak to myself, however. Carry on …” Pierson’s last tweet appeared to imply that she was denying a sexual relationship between herself and Cruz, but was leaving the door open that other women may have been involved. Asked by WND why she seemed to be pushing a story she later denied was true, Pierson claimed it was a misunderstanding. She asserted that she was actually tweeting Bokhari about a different story – his “scoop” on Ted Cruz’s favorite “My Little Pony” cartoon character – a story published by Breitbart.com a month later. She provided Twitter links and suggested WND check its dates. “This tweet was in response to the writers ‘bombshell’ about his ‘My Little Pony’ article that followed my tweet,” she responded by email to WND. “This has nothing to do with the alleged ‘sex scandal’ that occurred after the fact.” What do YOU think? Do you think Trump is behind Cruz’s ‘sex scandal’ story? Sound off in today’s WND poll. But the time stamps on those tweets provided by Pierson are from a month later than her exchange with Bokhari. Asked about that discrepancy, Pierson responded: “I am maintaining that my tweet was in no way connected to the alleged ‘sex scandal’ to which you have eluded (sic) and, in fact, supported by the actual article published by the writer in response to many who were curious about his bombshell’ that was ultimately about ‘My Little Pony,'” she asserted in an email to WND. “There was no engagement after that fact.” Once again, here’s the time sequence: On Feb. 4, Bokhari tweets about a possible Breitbart scoop regarding Cruz, saying it will be a few more days. On Feb. 8, Pierson tweets what appears to be encouragement to Bokhari to go with the story, with question, “Why so long?” This tweet came one week after the Iowa Caucuses won by Cruz and one day before the New Hampshire primary, won by Trump. On March 25, Bokhari tweets that he “hates getting scooped” in reference to the publication of the story by the National Enquirer. The same day, Pierson tweets her denial of any involvement in the rumored “sex scandal.” Not until March 7 does Bokhari begin series of tweets about the “My Little Pony” so-called “scoop.” There are no tweets by Bokhari about the “My Little Pony” column, published March 7, prior to that date. That begs the question of how Pierson was tweeting to him eagerly about the story a month earlier. Get the hottest, most important news stories on the Internet – delivered FREE to your inbox as soon as they break! Take just 30 seconds and sign up for WND’s Email News Alerts! Pierson, a former Dallas-area Tea Party leader, was appointed national spokeswoman for the Trump campaign. She had been an adviser to Cruz’s 2012 Senate campaign. In 2014, she challenged Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, in a Republican primary. The Dallas Morning News carried a story during that campaign of her arrest and plea of no contest to shoplifting charges 17 years earlier at the age of 20. The newspaper further reported that Pierson acknowledged the mistake. She told police then, and repeated in an interview with the Dallas paper, that a friend talked her into shoplifting. “Like an idiot, I went along for the ride,” Pierson said. She and the other woman were accused of trying to lift nine pieces of women’s clothing from a JCPenney store in Plano, according to the Dallas News. They stuffed the clothes into shoe boxes in a clumsy, failed heist.
No one's history is simple, as a member of the Irish brewing dynasty realised when she discovered that her mother's forebears almost starved during the 19th-century famine Jasmine Guinness belongs to one of Ireland's most famous - and richest - families. She grew up in the grounds of a 12th-century castle where her grandparents and parents entertained rock'n'roll royalty, including the Rolling Stones. Less happily, Diana Mitford, wife of the British fascist leader Oswald Mosley and a keen supporter of Hitler, was her great-grandmother. But her father Patrick Guinness's dynastic clan of old money and bohemia is a world apart from her mother Liz Casey's family of persecuted and impoverished farmers. She has always been intrigued by the mystery surrounding her maternal forebears. Last year she began to look into the past as part of a family history show on Irish television. She discovered that while her father's family made vast fortunes during the famine years, the Caseys virtually starved. "People tend to assume that I come from a long line of castle-dwelling gentry and am made of money," says the 32-year-old model when we meet in her toyshop, Honeyjam, on Portobello Road in Notting Hill. "If I meet someone with a name like Rothschild or Astor, I fall for that, too, and immediately think they're minted. So I don't blame people for making assumptions. The programme made me realise what a huge mix we all are." There were no noted names in her maternal lineage. The Caseys, displaced Catholic refugees from Belfast, endured mob prejudice and terrible poverty. They fled to Cork and eked out a living in the deprived, disease-ridden rural community of 19th-century Tyrone. "I knew nothing about my mum's family," she says. "Her parents were dead by the time she was 14. She was brought up by two aunts and she only ever met one uncle." Guinness lives in London with her producer husband Gawain Rainey, 38, and their two children Elwood, seven, and Otis, three. She travelled with her mother to the island farm in Tyrone to seek out the ghosts of her little-known relatives. She came close to tears when they visited the marshy land, contemplating the struggles of her mother's great-great-grandparents, Joseph and Maeve Casey, and their son, Francis, as starvation raged through the county. "It's an amazing feeling standing exactly where your family stood centuries ago, looking at the view that they saw every day and feeling the earth that they worked every day under your feet." Guinness has long been obsessed, she says, with the whims of fate: how small choices, chance encounters, and strokes of fortune can alter the course of a life or determine our existence."If my mum's great-great-grandparents hadn't sent off their only son because they couldn't feed him, they would have perished. As they were flax farmers, he went to an apprenticeship to learn about manufacturing oil-cloth and tarpaulin. We discovered that he married a prosperous farmer's daughter from Moy and became a successful businessman making and selling oil-cloth and tarpaulin to ship-builders in Belfast. I felt thankful to them for the hard decisions they made." She found the plight of her long-lost ancestors humbling and was impressed by how fortunate they were to have survived when millions of others died. "It helps you appreciate the huge sacrifices that people have made along the way. Their landlord, the Earl of Caledon, set up soup kitchens just to keep his tenants alive and the only reason they survived is because of the kindness of this one man." She also has a strong sense of pride: "I was pleased that my ancestors were hard-working, Gaelic-speaking Catholics. It wasn't an easy thing to be at that time, so I know they had strong beliefs and were brave in the face of adversity. "Mum and I were delighted to find out we were descended from 'bog-trotters'. In the programme, we were laughing about us really being 'bog-trotters' because here we are standing in a bog and this is where we're from." But when the programme was broadcast in Ireland, Guinness got a lot of flak. "The papers were really snotty," she says with a giggle, plainly not unduly hurt. "They took the piss and wrote things like: 'Oh, poor Jasmine Guinness. How dare she say that she came from peasant farmers in Tyrone when they had 22 acres?' But what they failed to mention is that my mum's family were tenant farmers. These weren't our 22 acres. They had nothing." In fact, her sympathy is for more than just her forebears. "It was more of a shock thinking about how the famine affected everyone. How many people died by the side of the road, in the streets of Dublin or in a hellish coffin ship and eventually watery graves as they tried to emigrate?" The activities of her paternal family gave little comfort. They controlled much of the country's barley harvest to brew velvety Irish stout for the English market, which, along with meat, barley and wheat exports, was shipped under armed guard to Britain as the starving multitudes looked on in despair. They also exploited the desperation of hard-up families who were fleeing the country by buying up disused and abandoned land at rock-bottom prices to set up their family estates. Yet Guinness refuses to condemn her millionaire ancestors. "The family did contribute to famine-relief funds but that was edited out of the show. Guinness was the first to introduce pensions for its workers 200 years ago. It built schools, hospitals and housing, all of which was unheard of at that time." Being a Guinness, she concedes, is a double-edged sword. "I'm very proud of the family name. It can be really helpful sometimes and I'm happy to use it shamelessly if I'm asking favours for a good cause. Butwhen I started modelling there was a lot of resentment." She also has the sprawling Mitford legacy to contend with and the long shadow of her great-grandmother Diana, from whom she has inherited her ice-blue eyes. "I only met her a few times and thought she was scary. As for the fascism, it was awful, appalling ... really stupid. I suppose you fall in love with a man, you support him until the end, so to a small extent I understand that. But I don't agree with her politics." Despite her surname and glamorous background, Guinness insists that she is not another couture-loving socialite but works to earn her crust: "As it happens, I grew up on a beautiful farm and my grandparents lived in this incredibly grand house next door. But I haven't been brought up with the mentality of an heiress," she explains. "The only reason my parents got by is because my grandfather gave us a cottage to live in." That gilded world of inherited wealth is long gone: "I've worked since I was 18. I have no trust fund and don't expect anything. The truth is, there are so many of us now that there isn't enough money to go around," she says. The toyshop, which she co-owns with a childhood friend, is her day job. And her children, she says, put the work into perspective. "It may sound cliched, but when you become a parent suddenly nothing else is important any longer." Her own childhood was played out at her grandfather Desmond Guinness's Leixlip Castle, with bonfires under the stars, ponies and blues records. She shared a little guest cottage with her parents amid the communal, hippyish atmosphere of an extended, chaotic family and friends. "My mother was only 17 when I was born, so the three of us grew up together in a way." Surrounded by a perpetual rock'n'roll circus, Guinness was plunged into the sometimes squalid world that revolved around her parents' unconventional lifestyle. "Everyone was always welcome. So all the liggers came." Not that all the visitors were opportunists: her godmother, Marianne Faithfull, helped Guinness's mother to stop drinking. Her parents split up when she was 12, and she chose to stay at Leixlip with her grandparents. But she seems remarkably unresentful: "My parents went away to grow up and live their own lives and do all the things they missed out on because of me. It was very unselfish of them as they knew I didn't need to be moved about to strange places. Only now that I am a parent myself, do I realise how heartbreaking it must've been for them to leave me." "It's great to know where your roots lie and where everything truly began, because that goes to the heart of your identity. We are here, and that in itself is an achievement of our ancestors."
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Foodler, the online food ordering service that connects consumers with the widest variety of restaurants for immediate delivery, today announced that it is the first food ordering service to accept Bitcoins to pay for delivery and takeout. Bitcoin, a decentralized digital currency, has become an increasingly popular form of payment since its inception nearly four years ago. With a growing number of local bars and restaurants accepting Bitcoin as a valid method of payment, Foodler is now offering its users the option of paying with Bitcoin at Foodler.com and via the Foodler iPhone app. For those users with existing Foodler accounts, Bitcoins can be spent almost instantly, with the food delivered within an hour. Foodler users with a Bitcoin wallet can select a Bitcoin payment option from within their Foodler account page. A unique Bitcoin address and corresponding QR code will be securely generated for every user and for every transfer a user performs. The Bitcoin deposit will then be posted to a user’s Foodler account as ‘FoodlerBucks,’ a recognized form of payment for delivery, takeout and tips for any participating Foodler restaurant. Christian Dumontet, co-founder of Foodler, explains, “Interest in Bitcoin is soaring and, as people are becoming accustom to using Bitcoin to pay for everyday items – whether it be at a coffee shop or local restaurant – we wanted to provide an easy way for the more than 11 million people with Bitcoins to pay for their meal deliveries.” Foodler, which announced an iPhone application earlier this week, is available in 48 states across the U.S., with new restaurants being added weekly. About Foodler Foodler is an online food ordering service that connects consumers with the widest variety of restaurants for immediate delivery. The company’s website is the only one of its kind that ranks restaurants according to customers’ best interests, with recommendations based on order history, user ratings, discounts and free delivery. Foodler makes ordering faster by remembering favorite foods, addresses, payment and tip preferences, while ensuring reliable and rapid order fulfillment through an electronic confirmation process. Customers enjoy exclusive savings from partner restaurants and Foodler Points redeemable for food and merchandise. With Foodler, restaurants can focus on preparing delicious meals and people can focus on simply eating them. For more information, please visit www.foodler.com.
Arsene Wenger says he will have no input in choosing his eventual successor at Arsenal. • Mangan: Ramsey return a boost • Wenger not giving up on title • Jolly: Wenger, Martinez's battle The Gunners travel to Goodison Park this Sunday to face Everton, with Wenger coming up against Roberto Martinez -- a man who has been tipped by some to take over at the Emirates Stadium when the Frenchman steps down. But while Sir Alex Ferguson had a major influence on David Moyes’ appointment at Manchester United last summer following his retirement, Wenger insists he will play no part in such a decision at Arsenal. “I have told you many times, it is not my job to show, to choose who will follow me after, when I leave one day,” he said. Meanwhile, Wenger suggested the rules on importing youngsters may need to be changed by FIFA following Barcelona’s pending transfer ban, although he still had some criticism for the Catalan club. “Certainly they have not respected the rules,” Wenger said. “The rule is quite simple, you cannot move the players before the age of 16 unless their parents move for professional reasons, so that of course creates a big debate -- do the parents move for professional reasons or not? In this case, FIFA has judged the parents moved for football reasons and that is why they were banned because they have not respected the rules. “What is not right is that the children move under the age of 16 without their parents. That is absolutely not right. Do they have to change the rules so you allow children to move with their parents if the club takes care of the parents? Maybe we have to go that way because it happens.”
My Thoughts Before I Asked Her A Poem by Ben Szuhaj I had planned to meet her at 7:30. When she got there, I watched from a distance. I couldn’t do it. I was thinking. These were my thoughts: Admittedly, I was a little lost before she found yes and must I say for the universe yes I was lost yes but didn’t I think how strange it must be to love a girl like wouldn’t that be nice I thought not like the work I did before there wasn’t life like this and flowers didn’t smell they bloomed but empty blooms with dust inside not glitter gold like yes but now I see it boom they burst I watch and there she stands her golden hair her back to me she’s waiting there for who-me-yes beneath the archway in the park I need to go to ask her now but wait I think I hold for would I fold in two and break and shake the silence of her sounding no it echoes in my brain I cannot go I wait instead and it begins to rain. I wait but for a then my heart screams no! go to her shout loudly as you run chant yes and think of how she yes-ed your lips the first time in her daisy-patterned dress you control your will you had your dream a month ago the hands pressed tight in sleep you know the cause you know I’m right and what more could you want? you’re right my heart we’re happy then and now and one day it’s true we’ll put our parents in the ground but we will still be ours older yes but happy still that’s what I want the happy part and her. The rain increased my doubt did not before I had another thought I swallowed hard and sank my fears into my chest and yes-ed myself to her beneath the archway yes the rain was warm it fell down hard I nearly did as well I stood there shook beneath her smile the archway high she was dry and I dripped mountains on the ground and nearly shook to bolt the thought arising in my mind almost embraced I went to turn my face but then my eyes stuck on her dress the daisies patterned round the sides the golden glitter lay in them a promise made to me intangibly I did not wish to run. I held there softly thanked the universe for what its worth the deal we struck to do my best to do the rest I almost wept right there and then I looked her down the soul to ask and yes she cried yes I say yes.
Star relief pitcher Matt Reynolds has been placed on the 15-day DL with a strained left elbow. Reynolds just pitched yesterday and gave up two hits and a run in the 8th inning. Lefty Joe Paterson, who spent most of 2011 and a few games of 2012 with the Diamondbacks, has been brought up from Reno to take Reynolds's place. Paterson has a 2.36 ERA and 9.8 SO/9 ratio in 24 games with Triple-A Reno this season. Tyler Skaggs has been sent back to Reno following two rough starts. (His first start, as part of the Memorial Day double-header, was fabulous.) Skaggs allowed five runs in under six innings in each of his last two starts, for an ERA of 8.44 and a batting average against of .304. He allowed two home runs in each game as well. This will be Charles Brewer's first call-up to the major leagues. In 12 starts with Triple-A Reno this season, he has a 3-6 record, a 5.85 ERA - 67.2 IP, 44 ER, 7 HR. Brewer was drafted by the Diamondbacks in the 12th round of the 2009 draft out of UCLA. He spent most of 2012 with Triple-A Reno and had a combined 5.99 ERA and 1.579 WHIP. Although he is a starter, Brewer will be pitching out of the bullpen for now. Skaggs's start was just yesterday and with the off-day Thursday, a fifth starter won't be needed until next week.
The NBC/WSJ poll released on Monday, with its high margin of error of 4.6%, looks like a poll intended to reach a certain result. The eleven-point margin is nowhere close to accurate if the point of the poll is to determine where the popular vote is right now. If the poll is intended to show that Republicans were disgusted by Trump's words on a tape eleven years ago over the weekend when the tape ran wall-to-wall, it achieved that. This kind of poll, often provided to us by the NBC/WSJ unit, serves to throw off poll averages. The poll fails all three prongs of the test and will be weighted down in the averages. If I am wrong and other polls reflect this radical shift, I will remove the weight. Somehow I don't think that will happen. If the poll fails only two prongs of the test, incidentally, no weight would be applied. Follow my new account on Twitter for daily updates on the election! Foul Called on NBC/WSJ Poll Penalty: 0.5 weight applied in poll averages. It will count only half as much as other polls. National Polls FAILED: Other national polls +2.5 Clinton, NBC/WSJ poll +9.0 Clinton. Well outside the five-point acceptable range. Ohio FAILED: OH +0.7 Clinton, NBC/WSJ poll +9.0 Clinton, well outside the acceptable five-point range. Ohio Dem Natl Dem Ohio GOP Natl GOP 2012 50.7 51.0 47.7 47.2 2008 51.5 52.9 46.9 45.7 2004 48.7 48.3 50.8 50.7 2000 46.5 47.4 50.0 47.9 1996 47.4 49.2 41.0 40.7 Florida FAILED: FL+1.8 Clinton. WSJ/NBC poll +9.0 Clinton, well outside the acceptable five-point range. Florida Dem Natl Dem Florida GOP Natl GOP 2012 50.0 51.0 49.1 47.2 2008 51.0 52.9 48.2 45.7 2004 47.1 48.3 52.1 50.7 2000 48.8 47.4 48.8 47.9 1996 48.0 49.2 42.3 40.7
Egyptian president vows to risk death rather than quit as he warns foreign leaders to stay out of nation's power battle Egypt's president, Mohamed Morsi, vowed to protect his presidency with his life on Tuesday night, hours before an ultimatum from the leader of Egypt's armed forces is due to expire. In a defiant late-night speech, Morsi raised the stakes in the standoff between the Muslim Brotherhood and the Egyptian military – the two most powerful groups in the land – as supporters and opponents of the president clashed in deadly gun fights across the country. It leaves Egypt braced for its most decisive day since the revolution, with its military preparing to suspend the country's constitution and potentially cripple the authority of its first democratically elected leader. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf) made clear that it would stick to an ultimatum it gave Morsi on Monday that urged the embattled president to respond to a wave of mass protests within 48 hours or face an intervention which would in effect subsume his government. Scaf has given no indication it will waive its ultimatum, which expires at 5pm on Wednesday. But Morsi's midnight speech made it clear he felt he derived his authority from electoral legitimacy that could not be overridden. Warning against both domestic and international intervention, he claimed that any attempt to force him from power would spark violent conflict between Islamists and their opponents. "If the price for legitimacy is my blood, then I am prepared to sacrifice my blood to legitimacy and my homeland," Morsi said in a speech that seemed aimed more at rallying his supporters than addressing his opponents, and which mentioned legitimacy more than 30 times. Earlier in the evening, the military command again claimed that its widely anticipated actions would not amount to a military coup. However, according to details of a roadmap for ending the crisis obtained by Reuters, the military commander Abdul Fatah al-Sisi would play a central role in the country's affairs, installing an interim council of civilians and delaying parliamentary elections until a new constitution was drafted. A senior military source said that scenario was the most likely among those being discussed. Morsi, a leading figure in the Muslim Brotherhood movement, took office after elections in June last year. His tenure as leader – the first to replace the ousted dictator Hosni Mubarak – has been plagued by claims that governance under him has been strongly tilted towards his Islamist power base at the expense of other key stakeholders in Egyptian society. Egypt's moribund economy has also taken centre stage since the weekend, which marked the first anniversary of Morsi taking office, with his government being blamed for chronic fuel shortages and high food prices. Supporters of Morsi have denied claims that the government is unrepresentative and said Egypt would not be "driven backwards" by the military's threat to intervene. At rallies held by pro-Morsi supporters in parts of Cairo, including Nasr City, and in the north of the country Muslim Brotherhood leaders vowed an all-out battle to defend the status quo. There were reports that some men carried burial shrouds at the Nasr City rally to demonstrate the extent of their defiance. "Any coup of any sort will only pass over our dead bodies," the senior Brotherhood official Mohamed el-Beltagy said in a speech at a rally on Monday night, calling for "families in all Egyptian governorates and villages to be prepared to take to the streets and fill squares" to support the president. However, the rallies were dwarfed in size and fervour by a demonstration at the focal point of Egypt's revolution, Tahrir Square, which demanded that Morsi quit or form a power-sharing government that would sharply diminish the influence of his support base. Those calling for the end of his presidency include an uneasy alliance of disaffected backers, as well as supporters of the former regime – many of whom were on opposite sides of a violent divide in the heady months after Mubarak fell. The breadth of opposition to Morsi appears to give him and the Muslim Brotherhood few options in the coming days and sets the scene for either an ignominious defeat or a new phase of violent uncertainty. Even the interior ministry, a staunch supporter of the Mubarak regime, appears to have abandoned him. Morsi has repeatedly offered to speak with his opponents, but has been rebuffed at every turn by groups who increasingly feel they have little to gain by accepting a dialogue as his problems pile up. Several more key aides and cabinet ministers quit the Morsi government on Tuesday as the president met Sisi in the presidential palace. With the two men locked in a long discussion, military helicopters again circled Tahrir Square. The army released video footage taken from the helicopters that showed festive scenes below, in an act that clearly demonstrated the armed forces remained behind the protesters. By nightfall, hours before Sisi's expected announcement, Tahrir Square was once more overwhelmed by demonstrators, who had spilled across a bridge over the Nile. There were reports of sporadic armed clashes in Cairo early in the evening, with gunfire heard in Giza. However, the centres of both camps remained largely peaceful. Long regarded as a trusted and integral part of Egyptian life, the military has never been far from events during the past two and a half years. It distanced itself from Mubarak as his authority crumbled, then was accused of overplaying its hand during the transitional phase that led to last year's elections. Over the last few days, however, it has been widely embraced by an eclectic array of Morsi opponents. "I voted for Morsi, but I changed my mind because he didn't live up to what he promised," said Ahmed Mahmoud, 25, in Tahrir Square. "If it wasn't for the recent army statement, we'd all be in a state of war." Shaima Salah, 28, said the military's role in any post-Morsi period should be short and limited. "The only solution is for the army to lead a very short transitional period, until new presidential elections," she said. "But I'm worried about the army taking over the state, and Egypt going back to a military kind of government."
Chris Borland Wisconsin, ILB Height: 5.11 Weight: 248 40yd: 4.83 Age: 23 Stats Year G Tak TFL Sak PBU INT 2009 13 54 10.5 5 2 1 2010 2 7 2 1 0 0 2011 14 143 19 2.5 5 2 2012 12 104 9.5 4 6 0 2013 12 111 8.5 4 2 1 Athleticism: C+ Foot speed is below average. Elite instincts and timing allow him to play much faster than he runs but will lose the race to catch quicker backs and receiver once they reverse direction. Has good change of direction ability moving forward and is able to sink his hips fluidly. Has uncommon burst in a straight line. Power: C+ Potential as a run defender is tricky to forecast. Plays with a hot motor on every down and is always looking to make contact. Excellent weight room and upper body strength. Has very short arms and can be locked out by O-linemen before he can even get his hands on them. Is able to slip blocks with his quickness, agility, and savvy but struggles to bull rush or anchor. Technique: C+ Is not a face-up player and makes most of his tackles below the waist or by lowering his shoulder. Short arms will hinder his ability to securely wrap up the ballcarrier. Can deliver hits by lowering his shoulder, but does not strike as a square-up tackler. Forced 14 fumbles over his career. Does too much diving and missing as a tackler and is nearly always on the ground afterwards. Typically gives up extra yards as a tackler and running backs routinely fall forward. Better and stronger tackler on goal-line stands. Shows good hand use and plays with good leverage, both of which are mitigated by his lack of length. Third-Down: B+ Has plenty of experience rushing the passer and was often lined up on the edge on third down and on blitzes. Consistently was able to pressure the QB and get him to step up and hurry his throws. Stat sheet does not reflect his value as a pass rusher. Strong spin move and hand use. Relies on quickness and can be negated by athletic tackles. Not used as much in coverage, but has the instincts and closing burst to be effective in short zones. Intangibles: A+ Outstanding instincts and is often moving downhill just before the ball is snapped. Rarely is out of position, in spite of how aggressively he jumps the snap. Always gives second and even third effort. Plays with abandon. Was a four year starter and big time producer throughout his career. Strong football character. Red Flags: Size, Long-Term Durability Bottom Line: Borland is such a likable player to watch on film that it’s difficult to overlook his short-comings. However, size and athletic limitations could impact his ability to play at the next level and limits what type of scheme he can play. Borland will likely be confined to playing in a gap-shooting defense as a starter, but will always have a role as a situational standup rusher, goal-line ‘backer, and has the traits and demeanor of a special teams star. Comparison: Brandon Spikes Grade: 8.3 (3rd Round) Click Here to Read All the Draft Articles Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @LWOS_Sibo. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter –@LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page. Interested in writing for LWOS? We are looking for enthusiastic, talented writers to join our Football writing team. Visit our “Write for Us” page for very easy details in how you can get started today! Football fans…check out our two partnered NFL podcasts – Thursday Night Tailgate Radio and Overtime Ireland. Both shows bring you interesting commentary, critical analysis and fantastic guests including former and current NFL players, coaches and personalities.
Listen Feed Genre Listeners Player Selection Links Status Clark County Public Safety - CRESA Digital CRESA 911 Trunking system: Clark County Fire, Clark County EMS, AMR, and Washington State Patrol. Public Safety 24 Windows Media Player Real Player iTunes Winamp HTML5 Web Player Flash Web Player Java Web Player Static URL ($$) Online Feed Notes Clark County Public Safety Feed Information: This feed is provided by an amateur radio operator. It is not affiliated with any local government agencies and is not responsible for radio content. CRESA has switched to digital so we will slowly built our channels as they become availble. Please note police only (except WSP) calls are now encytped. We will only hear police on shared channels with fire. Official Facebook group: http://facebook.com/groups/826272847393304?view=info The scanner used to provide this feed is a Uniden BCD536HP Digital Phase 2 Base/Mobile Scanner
Installing Online Editors on Debian and Ubuntu with ONLYOFFICE Document Server This tutorial explains the installation of ONLYOFFICE and the ONLYOFFICE Document Server on Debian and Ubuntu. System Requirements and ONLYOFFICE Dependencies For ONLYOFFICE Document Server correct work your machine should meet some system requirements and have some additional components installed: RAM: 2 GB or more Swap file: at least 2 GB HDD: at least 2 GB of free space Distributive: Debian, Ubuntu or other compatible distributive mono: version 4.0.0 or later MySQL: version 5.6.4 or later nginx: version 1.3.13 or later nodejs: version 0.10 or later libstdc++6: version 4.9 or later The installation instructions for Mono, MySQL and other ONLYOFFICE dependencies can be found on their official websites. A detailed installation guide for the ONLYOFFICE installation on CentOS can be found here: https://www.howtoforge.com/tutorial/onlyoffice-centos/ Installing ONLYOFFICE Online Editors Step 1. Open Terminal using Ctrl+Alt+T Step 2. Download ONLYOFFICE GPG signing key: sudo wget http://download.onlyoffice.com/repo/onlyoffice.key And add it to the system: sudo apt-key add onlyoffice.key Step 3. Add ONLYOFFICE repository to the list stored in the /etc/apt/sources.list file. To do that, open the /etc/apt/sources.list file using any available text editor (e.g. nano): sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list Add the following record: deb http://download.onlyoffice.com/repo/debian squeeze main Update the package cache: sudo apt-get update Step 4. Execute the following command to install online editors: sudo apt-get install onlyoffice-documentserver Running ONLYOFFICE Online Editors To open the program and start editing your docs, enter localhost (http://127.0.0.1) in the address bar of your browser.
With Donald Trump Donald John TrumpHouse committee believes it has evidence Trump requested putting ally in charge of Cohen probe: report Vietnamese airline takes steps to open flights to US on sidelines of Trump-Kim summit Manafort's attorneys say he should get less than 10 years in prison MORE waging an ugly, scorched-Earth campaign, Speaker Paul Ryan Paul Davis RyanBrexit and exit: A transatlantic comparison Five takeaways from McCabe’s allegations against Trump The Hill's 12:30 Report: Sanders set to shake up 2020 race MORE is facing pressure to embrace a new strategy: ignore Trump. Both Ryan allies and even some Trump surrogates are urging the Wisconsin Republican to avoid the incendiary GOP presidential nominee and steer clear of the kind of unhelpful, intraparty warfare Republicans saw break out between the two men last week. ADVERTISEMENT Instead, they want Ryan to help prosecute the case against Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonSanders: 'I fully expect' fair treatment by DNC in 2020 after 'not quite even handed' 2016 primary Sanders: 'Damn right' I'll make the large corporations pay 'fair share of taxes' Former Sanders campaign spokesman: Clinton staff are 'biggest a--holes in American politics' MORE and make the argument that putting another Democrat in the White House would swing the Supreme Court to the left and mean four more years of “feckless” foreign and economic policies. “I’ve certainly made it known to all Republican leadership that we need to distinguish carefully between the ugly words of Donald Trump and the ugly policies of Hillary Clinton,” Rep. Trent Franks Harold (Trent) Trent FranksArizona New Members 2019 Cook shifts 8 House races toward Dems Freedom Caucus members see openings in leadership MORE (R-Ariz.), a Trump supporter, told The Hill in a phone interview. “My preference would be that they just ignore each other at this point,” added a second House Republican who is backing Trump. “It seems most of those bridges have been burned.” So far, Ryan appears to be heeding the advice. He’s refusing to utter Trump’s name in fundraising emails or campaign and policy speeches. Ryan didn’t once mention Trump during an address to business leaders in Wisconsin on Thursday. His speech to college Republicans on Friday also was devoid of the word “Trump.” And during the question-and-answer segment, Ryan made only a passing reference to the GOP nominee, who had recently lashed out at the Speaker in speeches and on Twitter. “Don't get into a personality contest,” Ryan told students at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, in response to a question about how college Republicans could win over skeptical students. “Don't get into the latest Twitter storm from somebody." Aides say Ryan is focusing on the things he can control, trying to inject cash and enthusiasm into congressional races by stumping with candidates and talking up the House GOP’s election-year agenda. In fact, Ryan’s tried in vain to turn the media's attention to the “Better Way” plan, whipping out a pamphlet tucked into his front suit pocket at almost every opportunity. He also issued a statement condemning Clinton’s campaign for remarks made by an adviser about Catholics. The move aligned Ryan with Trump’s campaign, albeit without mentioning the nominee by name. The Trump campaign appears to be imploding one week after a 2005 audio recording was leaked of Trump bragging about trying to have sex with a married woman and groping women’s genitals. In the days since, at least a half-dozen women have come forward with personal stories of how Trump had sexually assaulted them at his Florida home, in nightclubs and on an airplane. On a conference call with House Republicans this week, Ryan said he would no longer defend or campaign with Trump — a move that ignited an immediate backlash from Trump loyalists on the call and from Trump himself. Ryan is disloyal and a “weak and ineffective” leader, Trump said in a series of unflattering tweets blasting establishment Republicans. That GOP infighting, during the final stretch of the election, has been incredibly unhelpful to the party’s efforts to maintain control of the Senate and House, Ryan allies acknowledged. The concern: Trump’s attacks could depress Republican turnout in down-ballot races. Amid the raging civil war, Ryan’s team has been reaching out to surrogates appraising them of the Speaker’s fall game plan. For the final 24 days of the election, Ryan will stump with vulnerable Republicans around the country, raise cash for those candidates and try to stay off Trump's radar. And wherever he goes, Ryan will argue that a GOP-controlled House could be the last remaining “check” on a liberal Clinton White House. No matter how bad the stories get for the GOP nominee, Ryan allies don’t expect the Speaker to formally revoke his Trump endorsement. That might set off yet another Trump Twitter tirade. “I don’t see Paul rescinding his endorsement,” said fellow Wisconsin GOP Rep. Reid Ribble Reid James RibbleSetting the record straight about No Labels With Trump, conservatives hope for ally in 'War on Christmas' GOP rushes to embrace Trump MORE, a close Ryan ally who’s leaning toward supporting independent candidate Evan McMullin instead of Trump. “I think if you haven’t done it by now, I don’t anticipate anybody doing it in the future,” added Ribble, who’s exchanged text messages with Ryan in recent days. That goes for other GOP leaders on Capitol Hill as well. Despite the sexual allegations against Trump, GOP leaders will try to “ride out” the rest of the campaign without picking a fight with their controversial nominee. “You essentially have a crazy person at the top of the ticket, someone who just has no focus on how to win elections but has demonstrated he doesn’t care if Republicans control the House or the Senate,” said Brian Walsh, a GOP strategist and former official at the National Republican Senatorial Committee. “He is willing to pull the pin and take everyone down with him. Let's not give him any more oxygen to burn the Republican ship down.” Ribble, who’s retiring from Congress this year, anticipated that Trump would try to blame Ryan — and others in the GOP establishment — if he loses the White House. With another tweet or speech, Trump could easily rile up opposition on the far right to target Ryan’s reelection as Speaker in January. “Let’s face it. Donald Trump has proven himself to be willing to blame anybody but himself for all of his woes. Whenever something goes wrong, it is always somebody else’s fault,” Ribble told The Hill. But Ribble thinks Ryan will be vindicated if Republicans manage to keep the House majority in the face of a Trump collapse. “When we get to a point of clarity on this election, members are going to see it for exactly what it was,” Ribble said. “Without regard to what happens to the executive branch, I think Ryan’s strongest hand is to show this strategy of his actually works.”
For years, researchers in a variety of sectors have known two key concepts about the intersection of poverty and the environment. The first is that unsustainable use of natural resources can and does cause poverty. The second is that poverty can, and does, cause environmental degradation. But many anti-slavery activists and climate change researchers are making more connections. Increasingly it seems that there's a link between a damaged environment and growth in modern-day slavery. According to Arifur Rahman, the chief executive of YPSA, a non-profit social development organisation based in Chittagong, Bangladesh: "Without a doubt, each time our country battles through an environmental disaster, we see a subsequent rise in cases of slavery and human trafficking. "It's often not until months later that we're able to find and rescue the victims, but when we do and we ask when they were abducted or lured into the trade, the date they tell us often coincides with the date of the natural disaster. In our minds, and in our personal experience on the ground, this means the link between climate change and slavery could not be more clear." Leaders of various anti-slavery NGOs such as Open Hand in New Delhi, My Refuge House in Cebu, and Anti-Slavery International in London all echo similar sentiments. So if the link between the two issues has been well recognised, how come it has not become part of any significant international conversation? According to Kevin Bales, the co-founder of Free The Slaves, one obvious answer is our tendency to hone in on one problem at a time: "When I first met people in slavery, they were my focus. I listened to them and their needs with every fibre of my being. Those of us who are activists tend to focus purely on what's in front of us. While this is advantageous in myriad ways, it also means we're not pulling back the lens to see the full picture. "It wasn't until later in my career, upon looking through photographs based on my research into modern slavery, that I began to notice the ways in which many of the environments were destroyed. Up until that moment I had been so concerned by what was in my face that I missed the connection between climate change and slavery." Bales was so moved by this realisation that he has worked for several years to put together a book (due out next year) that he hopes will raise awareness of the link between climate change and modern slavery. It can be difficult pinpointing precisely how much of a particular environmental disaster can be blamed on humans, but in the mind of Bales and many others, it's dangerous to ignore the overlap. While it's clear that the link has been under discussed, has the issue been acted upon in significant ways by organisations in either sector? According to Dr Guy McPherson, professor emeritus of natural resources, ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Arizona, the answer is no. "Climate change influences every single aspect of life on Earth. But in order to truly combat climate change, at this stage, we must combat our own comfortable ways of life, the ways of life we were born into. This means it's far easier to kick climate change issues into the long grass than to address it head on. "Peer-reviewed research continues to show that climate change underlies poverty and that poverty drives human trafficking. If we want to get at the root of slavery, it seems we're neglecting one of its deepest layers." So what do anti-slavery organisations have to gain from recognising the link between climate change and modern-day slavery? "It's all about understanding poverty," said Arun Gandhi, a journalist, activist and the grandson of Mohandas Gandhi. "The better we can understand the complex forces that give rise to poverty, the better we'll be able to truly cut at the roots of all forms of slavery." Rahman agrees, "When we talk about the link between climate change and modern slavery, what we're really talking about is poverty. Disconnected families, hungry children, and displaced peoples … we know these factors make people more vulnerable to trafficking and we're seeing with our own eyes and through the scope of history how climate change gives rise to these factors." Each sector will need to diversify its current concept of economic development or risk seeing its gains toppled by climate change and/or damaged by modern slavery. They'll need to think not only of creating jobs and stimulating an economy, but doing so in a way that avoids environmental catastrophe. Though poverty affects deforestation rates, all too often those living in poverty and under inherited indebtedness try to dig their way out by working agricultural jobs that are often vulnerable to forced labour. As Bales puts it: "employers who can destroy the environment without care are often the ones who can destroy lives without care." This is a lesson that both environmental and anti-slavery organisations would do well to recognise and act on. Cameron Conaway is the executive editor of the Good Men Project and tweets as @CameronConaway This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To get more articles like this direct to your inbox, sign up free to become a member of the Global Development Professionals Network
Image copyright Antarctic Heritage Trust Image caption Antarctica's freezing conditions helped to preserve this cake, which researchers say is in "excellent condition" Ice-covered Antarctica is one of Earth's most hostile natural environments. But a new find by the Antarctic Heritage Trust suggests it's no match for a 106-year-old British fruitcake. Conservators found the elderly cake on Cape Adare, and believe it belonged to British explorer Robert Falcon Scott - known as Scott of the Antarctic. Although the tin was rusted, the team said the cake was in "excellent condition" and smelled edible. The New Zealand-based trust found it in Antarctica's oldest building, a hut built by Norwegian explorer Carsten Borchgrevink's team in 1899, and used by Capt Scott in 1911 during his Terra Nova expedition. The polar pioneer was said to be fond of this particular cake, made by the British biscuit company Huntley & Palmers. "Fruitcake was a popular item in English society at the time, and it remains popular today," Lizzie Meek, conservation manager for artefacts at the trust, told National Geographic. "Living and working in Antarctica tends to lead to a craving for high-fat, high-sugar food, and fruitcake fits the bill nicely, not to mention going very well with a cup of tea." Image copyright Press Association Image caption Capt (seated centre, back) and members of his ill-fated expedition to Antarctica Conservators have been excavating artefacts in the hut since May 2016, and have unearthed some 1,500 items. They include tools and clothing, and - according to Ms Meeks - some "badly deteriorated" meat and fish, and "rather nice-looking" jams. Everything they find - fruitcake included - is restored and returned to its original resting place. The cake's survival is bittersweet, as Capt Scott and his companions were not so lucky. They successfully reached the South Pole, only to find a Norwegian team had beaten them to it by 33 days. Scott and four of his team died on their way back to base.
When you’re running a sharp blade along your face, Justin Cliburn writes, you teach yourself patience, pride, and humility. I started shaving in the late 1990s, and all I knew was that Barbasol was for old men and shaving gel was better than shaving cream, although the marketers never did tell me why. What I did not know or realize was that men had found ways to shave centuries before aerosol or gel were invented. The art of working up a hot, foamy lather with a thick-bristled shaving brush was a lost art to that point in my life, but, then again, so was my great-grandfather. As a young private, I once showed up to my Army National Guard armory unshaven. I was given a Bic disposable and sent to the bathroom to “fix it.” I distinctly remember a crusty old sergeant suggesting that I use the foamy soap in the bathroom’s dispenser as shaving cream. What a fool, I thought, you can’t use soap to shave. ♦◊♦ I did not begin wet shaving until my junior year of college at the suggestion of a professor who overheard me lament my razor burn. Two years later, the same man gave me my first double-edged safety razor as a wedding gift. All our wedding gifts bore both my name and my bride’s name, but most were intended for her. The razor, though, was mine, and I loved it. Wet shaving became a full-blown hobby soon thereafter. ♦◊♦ My maternal grandfather died when I was nine years old, and I remember just enough about the man to know that I miss him. I remember his quiet, witty demeanor and his idle threats to “hang me by a hook” if I acted up. My mom was an only child and adored her father, so she always supplemented my memories of him. In keeping alive my memories of Papa Herbert, however, I seldom asked anything prior to my mother’s earliest memories. I knew he was born in South Carolina, and I knew he turned down an appointment to West Point to marry my grandmother and enlist in the U.S. Army. Anything prior to that is a mystery. I was raised far away from my parents’ hometowns, and I did not grow up near close relatives. I missed many old family stories that way, and I never really gave them much thought. Don’t like ads? Become a supporter and enjoy The Good Men Project ad free ♦◊♦ A year after graduating college, working multiple jobs, and contemplating how I was going to provide for my future family, I followed my heart and enrolled in law school, where I am now. Shaving has never been a larger part of my life than it is now as a 1L. I worked six years for a company that required shaving, and I spent nine years in the Oklahoma Army National Guard, 30 months of which were spent on active duty, with 12 months in the Middle East. I have shaved just about every weekday of my adult life, but something is different now. My generation is not patient, and I am no different. I compulsively check Facebook. I post to Twitter multiple times a day. I am checked in on Foursquare, and I know my Klout score. My wife takes my phone away while we watch television so that I can pay attention, and I have her change my Facebook password during finals week so that I can study undistracted. On top of my social media addiction, I spend 50 to 60 hours a week in class or studying. In short, I am practically a nervous wreck on any given day, and I actually mean that in the most benign way possible. I am a product of my generation. I am never at ease because I am always thinking, doing, or checking something . . . except for about 20 minutes each morning when I relax and concentrate on one thing only: the perfect shave. The time I spend each morning turning shave soap into warm lather, rinsing my double-edged safety razor in between meticulous strokes and preparing my face for the day’s activities is the most relaxing part of my day. I am not studying, checking my fantasy football team, reading my RSS feed, retweeting an agreeable statement, or liking a Facebook status. It is my nirvana. ♦◊♦ My hometown is a little over an hour away from school, and I have gone there several times since moving away. My parents still live there in the house that I grew up in. Little has changed since I moved away, especially in the bathroom my brother and I shared as youths. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and I have spent few Thanksgivings away from home: two at military bases and one in Kuwait on the way home from Iraq. They are not the same without family, so my wife and I made sure to drive home for the holiday. After dinner with both sets of parents, we followed my parents to my old home on Trenton Road. Eventually, I had to use the bathroom and, while washing my hands, saw something that had sat in the bathroom for my entire youth. Only, this time I realized what it was. Sitting atop the toilet lid were two vintage shaving brushes and a ceramic reservoir with “Razobrite bath” painted above the depiction of a razor. I took them into the living room, where I asked my mom what she knew about them. They were her grandfather’s shaving supplies, she said. My great-grandfather used them, and they had been in plain sight my entire childhood. My mother graciously gave them to me, and I immediately set out to investigate the find. The reservoir had a patent number on the bottom, which dated it to 1934. The brushes were not as easily dated, but they came from the same period: an Ever-Ready 100 model and an Erskine brush, which is not easily traceable online. Most believe it was an alternate brand name for Ever-Ready. In any event, they were now mine, and I wanted to shave with the same brush my great-grandfather did 80 years ago. However, the bristles were so old and damaged that it was impossible. ♦◊♦ I began with the Ever-Ready. The white and red two-tone handle was more to my liking, and it was the only one that had text on the side of the handle rather than the end. I started the restoration by cleaning it as best I could: scrubbing and sanding the years away. I ordered a new badger hair knot online and waited anxiously for its arrival. Removing the old knot was a painstaking process; instead of eventually coming out of the handle in a single piece, I had to drill it out little by little until it was nothing but sawdust in my office trashcan. After ridding the interior of the handle of all remnants of its former life, I applied the epoxy glue and set the new knot, a glorious 20-mm pure badger one. I repainted the text Ever-Ready with GUARANTEED stamped below to match the bottom of the handle: Insignia Red. Finally, I applied a clear coat and buffed it to a shine. Don’t like ads? Become a supporter and enjoy The Good Men Project ad free The project was exciting and calming at the same time. It was an extension of my early morning nirvana, and it gave me an opportunity to make something new again. It did more than that though: it ignited something inside me that I did not know existed. I began to wonder about my great-grandfather. I wondered if he viewed shaving in the same way I did and what type of razor he would have used. I wondered what he was like, what he did during his life and, most of all, if he would be proud of me, just as I wonder what his son would think of me now. My mother promises to tell me more, but right now all I know is that she knew my great-grandfather well, he had a quiet wit, and he was a lot like me. I cannot wait to learn more, so I can one day tell my son about his great-great-grandfather, while I teach him to shave the right way: with a badger hair brush and a double-edged safety razor. I am a firm believer that you can learn all you need to know about being a man through shaving: patience, pride, and the humility that comes with each rare nick of the blade. That is what I will teach my future son when I pass the brush down to him. —Photo Camera Eye Photography/Flickr
A few weeks ago, we blew the lid off the REQ System, breaking down how everything in the system works. We also revealed a small group of REQ cards that you'll be able to unlock when Halo 5 releases. Today, we’re revealing even more REQs that you just might be lucky enough to unlock in a REQ pack. Many of the REQ cards available, such as the Oathsworn below, have a history deeply rooted in the Halo Universe. When wielding one of these weapons in Warzone, you'll undoubtedly feel its power and understand its history. OATHSWORN: Mythic power weapon SPARTAN-II’s are drilled to be clinical, efficient, and detached from the chaos of battle. Weapons are simply tools to be used and discarded as the tactical and logistical equation changes, without any sentimentality or emotion. Spartans are expected to use their extensive experience and the resources available to them through NAVSPECWARCOM to personalize their weapons only enough to maximize lethality and ergonomics, with no wasted time or materials. At least for the first few years of the Covenant War this attitude prevailed, but it was not long before Spartans began to pay more personal attention to their wargear, making small, unapproved modifications and adding charms that reflected the idiosyncrasies of their personality and mementos dedicated to dead comrades and burning worlds. Subtle at first, these were the first signs that the horrors of the Covenant War were eroding the supposedly unbreakable indoctrination that had forged the SPARTAN-II candidates into super-soldiers who strode the battlefields of the 26th century like war-born demigods. Oathsworn is one example of these personalized implements of death and destruction. The current Oathsworn was not the first, nor will it be the last. Many Oathsworn’s have been abandoned on various battlefields over the years, only to be rebuilt for another battle – another mission. Each one is subtly different, though the markings have remained the same for years. The words whispered while it is carefully rebuilt and tuned change each time, but not the intent. In-game description: Memories of loss and dreams of vengeance, sealed in steel and composites. Mythic Shotgun with increased damage, accuracy, and rate of fire. The user's movement speed is also increased while Oathsworn is equipped. req card sneak peak Here are some more REQs varying in type and rarity that allow you to customize your Spartan, and yourself. For all updates on Halo 5: Guardians stay tuned to Halo Waypoint and @Halo on Twitter.
P V Subramanyam, CA, author (retire rich) and blogger(subramoney.com) spoke on retirement planning to a group of about 50 people last year (May 29th 2015) at Chennai. Here are the videos (a re-post). Note: The videos were shot by me using a DSLR. The audio is decent without a headphone and pretty good with a headphone and mid-level volume. The camera was not panned. So Subra will step out of frame for a few seconds. I did not know that camera only shoots 30-minute videos. So there will be a break of about a minute or so between parts. The last part where he handles questions is incomplete. You will not be able to hear the question clearly (there was neither a mike for the audience nor an audio feed to the camera), but you can make out what it was from Subra’s answer. Suggestion: View the videos once. Then you can listen to them as audio files. You will be able to appreciate it better. Subra was here for a family wedding. He told me as early as Feb. that he would be free only on the evening of the 29th and can speak if an event can be organised. The talk was thought provoking and filled with humour. I think it is safe to say that everyone who registered enjoyed it. I hope you do too. Please do spare a moment to thank Subra (here, his blog, FB or AIFW). Retirement planning Part 1 Retirement planning Part 2 Retirement planning Part 3
TORONTO — The Westboro Baptist Church is taking a break from picketing the funerals of soldiers and same-sex weddings to target not only the Toronto Blue Jays as they face the Kansas City Royals tonight, but also the entire nation of Canada. In a string of seemingly nonsensical Twitter posts, the notoriously anti-gay, attention-seeking group said they would be picketing the game in Kansas City because of the country’s open stance on gay marriage, adding the hashtag #godh8scanada. “Every member of the Toronto Blue Jays organization had and has a non-delegable duty to either (1) never put that uniform on or, (2) if too timid to take that stand, then publicly decry the fact that the nation of Canada is wholly given over to Sodomite filth,” the group said. “Indeed, under Canadian law, anybody who quotes, cites or preaches Bible words that depraved conduct known as sodomy can be civilly fined or criminally jailed.” The group asks how the baseball team can “stand by like a bunch of sissies” in the face of same-sex marriage, despite the fact that it has been legalized by the Supreme Court in the U.S. as well. “True to form, the government of Canada has also banned Westboro Baptist Church from so much as entering that evil place,” the group said. “But, not able to ban words from flowing in the atmosphere, the Bible-preaching of this church is regularly published in various and sundry formats throughout Canada.” They also said they will not only take this opportunity to chastise Canadians for their liberal views, but also to “remind Canada that their doom is imminent.” With #Game6 tonight in KC (picketing!), it’s a good time to remember why God Hates Canada >> https://t.co/o4kNyVuGrY pic.twitter.com/kmakuG35nc — Westboro Baptist (@WBCSaysRepent) October 23, 2015 .@Canada can keep us from walking on their soil but WBC will be picketing all of em at #Game6 today! Singing this 🎶https://t.co/PQPgbuPrd6🎶 — Westboro Baptist (@WBCSaysRepent) October 23, 2015 “Canada is a God-awful place, ten years ahead of America in its slouch to Sodom.” — WBC Elder Jon https://t.co/zebYktOz8O (Start at 23:04) — Westboro Baptist (@WBCSaysRepent) October 23, 2015
If you’ve been following my blog, you might have noticed that lately I’ve started doing quite a lot of Node.js development alongside PHP. Based on conversations I’ve had in various conferences, I’m by far not alone in this situation - using Node.js for real-time functionality, and PHP (or Django, or Rails) for the more traditional CRUD stuff. Both environments have their strong points. Node.js is very fast and flexible, but PHP has a lot more mature tools and libraries available. So in a lot of projects it is hard to choose between the two. But now you might not have to. Update: The post and the approach described here are quite dated by now. Instead of DNode, I’d recommend using message queues for this type of integration. Our MsgFlo framework provides a great way to build heterogeneous applications. Enter DNode DNode is a remote method invocation protocol originally written for Node.js, as the name probably tells. But as the protocol itself is quite simple, just sending newline-terminated JSON packets over TCP connections, implementations have started popping up in other languages. You can talk DNode in Ruby, Perl, Python, Java, and now PHP. I started working on the PHP DNode implementation in the Symfony CMF hackday in Cologne a week ago, and got it into a running stage on a train ride from there to Paris. The implementation isn’t yet complete, but works already quite well. With DNode you can expose Node.js functions to be available on PHP, and PHP class methods to be available on Node. Like most Node.js functionality, DNode works asynchronously. So instead of waiting for return values you supply a callback function that will be called when the method completes. PHP as client Here is a simple DNode service for Node.js: var dnode = require ( 'dnode' ); var server = dnode ({ zing : function ( n , cb ) { cb ( n * 100 ) } }); server . listen ( 7070 ); This creates a DNode service running in TCP port 7070 that provides one method: zing that multiplies the value given to it by 100 and sends the result to the callback provided. Calling this with PHP is easy: // Connect to DNode server running in port 7070 and call // Zing with argument 33 $dnode = new DNode\DNode (); $dnode -> connect ( 7070 , function ( $remote , $connection ) { // Remote is a proxy object that provides us all methods // from the server $remote -> zing ( 33 , function ( $n ) use ( $connection ) { echo "n = { $n } " ; // Once we have the result we can close the connection $connection -> end (); }); }); Now just start the server: $ node simple/server.js And run the client. As you can see from the PHP code above, once we get the result the client will end the connection automatically: $ php examples/simple/client.php n = 3300 Because only simple TCP connections and JSON packets are used, this is quite fast. Here are time results for the client on my MacBook Air: real 0m0.064s user 0m0.050s sys 0m0.010s PHP as a server PHP can also act as a DNode server. You instantiate the DNode class and pass it the object you want to expose via DNode. All public methods of the object will be made available to the DNode clients: // This is the class we're exposing to DNode class Zinger { // Public methods are made available to the network public function zing ( $n , $cb ) { // Dnode is async, so we return via callback $cb ( $n * 100 ); } } // Create a DNode server $server = new DNode\DNode ( new Zinger ()); $server -> listen ( 7070 ); This DNode service will obviously be visible for both Node.js and PHP clients. Bidirectional communications A DNode client can also expose methods to the server. In this example the server provides functionality for converting temperatures from Celsius to Fahrenheit, but actually gets the current Celsius temperature by asking it from a client. Server: // This is the class we're exposing to DNode class Converter { // Poll the client's own temperature() in celsius // and convert that value to fahrenheit in the supplied // callback public function clientTempF ( $cb ) { // The other side of DNode connection is exposed via // $this->remote proxy object $this -> remote -> temperature ( function ( $degC ) use ( $cb ) { $degF = round ( $degC * 9 / 5 + 32 ); $cb ( $degF ); }); } } // Create a DNode server that listens to port 6060 $server = new DNode\DNode ( new Converter ()); $server -> listen ( 6060 ); Client: // This is the class we're exposing to DNode class Temp { // Compute the client's temperature and stuff that value // into the callback public function temperature ( $cb ) { $degC = rand ( - 20 , 50 ); echo " { $degC } ° C " ; $cb ( $degC ); } } $dnode = new DNode\DNode ( new Temp ()); $dnode -> connect ( 6060 , function ( $remote , $connection ) { // Ask server for temperature in Fahrenheit $remote -> clientTempF ( function ( $degF ) use ( $connection ) { echo " { $degF } ° F " ; // Close the connection $connection -> end (); }); }); Then just start the server: $ php examples/bidirectional/server.php And run the client: $ php examples/bidirectional/client.php 28° C 82° F The same will obviously work with a Node.js client: $ node bidirectional/client.js 23° C 73° F Installing DNode dnode-php can be installed using the Composer tool. You can either add dnode/dnode to your package dependencies, or if you want to install dnode-php as standalone, go to the main directory of its repository and run: $ wget http://getcomposer.org/composer.phar $ php composer.phar install You can then use the composer-generated autoloader to access the DNode classes: require 'vendor/.composer/autoload.php'; Some DNode examples can be found from the examples folder. They are compatible with the similarly-named examples from Node.js DNode. Contributing php-dnode is developed under the MIT license in GitHub. If you’re interested in it, please watch the repository and send issues or pull requests.
An order of magnitude of time is (usually) a decimal prefix or decimal order-of-magnitude quantity together with a base unit of time, like a microsecond or a million years. In some cases, the order of magnitude may be implied (usually 1), like a "second" or "year". In other cases, the quantity name implies the base unit, like "century". In most cases, the base unit is seconds or years. Prefixes are not usually used with a base unit of years, so we say "a million years", not "a megayear". Clock time and calendar time have duodecimal or sexagesimal orders of magnitude rather than decimal, i.e. a year is 12 months, and a minute is 60 seconds. The smallest meaningful increment of time is the Planck time, the time light takes to traverse the Planck distance, many decimal orders of magnitude smaller than a second. The largest realized amount of time, given known scientific data, is the age of the universe, about 13.8 billion years - the time since the Big Bang as measured in the cosmic microwave background rest frame. Those amounts of time together span 60 decimal orders of magnitude. Metric prefixes are defined spanning 10−24 to 1024, 48 decimal orders of magnitude which may be used in conjunction with the metric base unit of second. Metric units of time larger than the second are most commonly seen only in a few scientific contexts such as observational astronomy and materials science although this depends on author; for everyday usage and most other scientific contexts the common units of minutes (60 s), hours (3600 s or 3.6 ks), days (86 400 s), weeks, months, and years (of which there are a number of variations) are commonly used. Weeks, months and years are significantly variable units whose length crucially depends on the choice of calendar and is often not regular even with a calendar, e.g. leap years versus regular years in the Gregorian calendar. This makes them problematic for use against a linear and regular time scale such as that defined by the SI since it is not clear as to which version of these units we are to be using. Because of this, in the table below we will not use weeks and months and the year we will use is the Julian year of astronomy, or 365.25 days of 86 400 s exactly, also called an annum and denoted with the symbol a, whose definition is based on the average length of a year of the Julian calendar which had one leap year every and always every 4 years against common years of 365 days each. This unit is used, following the convention of geological science, to form larger units of time by the application of SI prefixes to it at least up to giga-annum, or Ga, equal to 1 000 000 000 a (short scale: one billion years, long scale: one milliard years). Less than one second [ edit ] One second and longer [ edit ] In this table, large intervals of time surpassing one second are catalogued in order of the SI multiples of the second as well as their equivalent in common time units of minutes, hours, days, and Julian years. See also [ edit ] Notes References
Kentucky senator and GOP presidential candidate Rand Paul tellshe would like to find out how Islamic State (ISIS) militants are getting American weapons."Most of these people do not have the sophistication to make arms so they get the arms from other folks," he told "The Hard Line" host Ed Berliner."Right now ISIS has a billion dollars' worth of U.S. Humvees, they have a billion dollars in cash they stole from us and they pay their soldiers with but they have anti-tank weapons and missiles they fire from the shoulder that were basically given to people in the Syrian civil war and taken by ISIS."Watch Newsmax TV onandGet Newsmax TV on your cable system —During the Libyan civil war, 15,000 shoulder-to-air missiles made by the United States disappeared, he added. "That's why there is a concern that airliners might be taken down by shoulder-to-air missiles. … That might be a good reason for why we should've thought long and hard before we agreed with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to get involved in a war in Libya."Paul said he believes the CIA's presence in Libya had something to do either with getting shoulder-fired missiles to Syrian rebels or someone else and out of the hands of terrorists.Paul said he wants to do everything possible to keep Americans safe, but said he doesn't think that includes the current policy of siding with al-Qaida-linked rebels in Syria against President Bashar Assad. Taking out Assad will only create a vacuum like the United States did in Iraq when it removed Saddam Husseing from power, he said.Despite his low poll numbers, Paul said he plans to stay in the presidential race until the primaries so voters can have a say."The polls are so widely inaccurate," he said pointing out Kentucky Gov.-elect Matt Bevin was down five points in the polls, but won my nine."The polls were off by 14 points one week before the election," he said. "Polls six months down mean almost nothing, and we're in it until we get voters a chance to decide who they want."
President Donald Trump has been in hot water ever since he made the unproved assertion that his predecessor, President Barack Obama, wiretapped Trump Tower during the 2016 presidential election. Things got heated on Sunday when John Dickerson of CBS's "Face the Nation" broached the subject. Advertisement: After asking whether Trump stood by his claim, the president replied "I don't stand by anything. I just — you can take it the way you want. I think our side's been proven very strongly. And everybody's talking about it. And frankly it should be discussed. I think that is a very big surveillance of our citizens. I think it's a very big topic. And it's a topic that should be number one. And we should find out what the hell is going on." As Dickerson pressed him on the subject, Trump became increasingly irate. At one point Dickerson observed that Trump shouldn't want his claim to be dismissed as "fake news," prompting the president to reply, "You don't have to ask me. You don't have to ask me." When Dickerson asked why, the president shot back, "Because I have my own opinions. You can have your own opinions." After Dickerson pointed out that Trump's opinions carry more weight because he is the President of the United States, Trump simply replied, "Okay, it's enough. Thank you. Thank you very much." In the original tweets, Trump accused Obama of "McCarthyism" by wiretapping Trump Tower. He also referred to him as a "bad (or sick) guy!"
Second leg — COUNTRIES VISITED — MALAYSIA – SRI LANKA – PHILIPPINES – NEW ZEALAND – AUSTRALIA – INDONESIA – SOUTH KOREA – SINGAPORE Previously on TAR Asia 4: Ten teams set across Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on a race around the “world” for one hundred US dollars. Immediately disaster struck for Indonesian team Yani & Nadine. A mountainous climb was too much for Hilda. Filipino Boys raced neck and neck with Dimple & Sunaina. Wendy & Alan’s relationship began to show cracks, and feisty girls Jess & Lani flirted their way across Malaysia. Singing was clearly not Manas & Sahil’s strong point, and neither was their sense of direction. EDITOR’S NOTE: LOL! Wu wasted no time insulting Manas & Sahil. Congrats dudes, you’re going to be our punching bags for your stay in TAR Asia 4. Father and daughter team Natasha & Hussein showed off some supreme soccer skills. But it was local Malaysian Boys Ethan & Khairie who shot to first place. While Yani & Nadine came in last, but luckily for them it was a Non-Elimination round, but if they do not finish first in this leg they will incur a thirty minute penalty. Who will be eliminated next in Amazing Race Asia? . . .Holy crap. Did every team get mentioned in the recap? Usually all of the teams do not get mentioned until only four or five teams remain. This is incredible. TEAMS MENTIONED IN THE PREVIOUSLY ON SEGMENT TALLY — SUNAINA & DIMPLE: 1 BBALLCHARD.TOQUECHARD: 1 HUSSEIN.NATASHA: 1 YANI.NADINE: 1 MANAS.SAHIL: 1 JESS.LANI: 1 ETHAN.KHAIRIE: 1 WENDY.ALAN: 1 MICHELLE.CLAIRE: 1 IVAN.HILDA: 1 – Intro time. Whoa, not time for the Super Soakers yet, ladies. Wait until I am done this blog. – Allan very quickly sums up they are in Penang, Malaysia and that Star Cruises is the third largest operator in the world. Wow, two seconds in and we have a sponsour. ALLAN: This was the first pit stop in a race around the “world”. Excuse me, “wurld”. Because Allan’s wurld only consists of Asia and the continent of Oceania/Australia for this season and the previous one. And the first one. – Ethan & Khairie, who were the first team to arrive at 6:03am, will depart at 6:03pm. Hooray! Official arrival times and twelve hour pit stops. I think the last one we had was sometime in TAR 13. I cannot quite understand why TAR ditched this format entirely. That was the whole point of pit stops when the series first began. – They read teams must travel by taxi to Batu Ferringhi Beach in Penang where they will find their next clue. “Batu” is undoubtedly Malaysian, but “Ferringhi” sounds like some sort of Italian. This is what happened if Eamon and I named a beach together. – Khairie believes him and Ethan will follow the tradition of being a strong Malaysian teams in seasons past. Ah yes. Zabrina & Joe Jer, Andrew & Syeon, Ann & Diane, Ida & Tania, Adrian & Collin are practically Malaysian along with A.D. & Fuzzie. All finished in the top four. So you’re telling me that a show based just outside of Kuala Lumpur has resulted in Malaysian and Singaporean teams doing quite well unless they are paired with a French-Born teammate? And every season have multiple legs in Malaysia and Singapore? Pure coincidence, I know. – Ethan (the Curtis BB 2000 one) is relying on their local advantage. – The Richards depart second at 6:54am. Toquechard says something that does not make sense. BBALLCHARD: We don’t know every place we’re gonna go we don’t know how to get there. Get lost, we’re gonna get lost the quickest, and we’ll hopefully find ourselves the fastest. . . .What? It makes about as much sense as Bballchard wearing a toque that has a built-in rope and pulley system. – Michelle & Claire depart third at 7:03am. Michelle says they have the craziest fights. She wants to be in control of the map. They admit they get over their conflict fast. MICHELLE: I hate you sometime. And love her long time. Looks like the inspiration for a manga cover or that stupid picture of Iggy and J-Lo that filled Facebook’s trending sidebar for weeks. And no. I’m not posting that image in this blog. I have a personal grudge against J-Lo. More on that for another blog. – Ethan & Khairie are at the beach. Both read that they must fly to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. However when they say it they are excited to the point that they combine it into two syllables. – Allan informs us that the city is a gateway to East Malaysia and home to the most diverse water life in the world. Teams must scour the terminal one parking lot where ten marked cars are scattered and where they will find their next clue. Or just TAR Asia’s parametres of “world”? I dunno. Maybe some place in South America has more diversity. – Dimple says she would like to believe they are strong women without weaknesses. They are prepared for it and will think positive. DIMPLE: So how you feeling today? SUNAINA: Feeling nice. DIMPLE: Slept bread? SUNAINA: No, I slept rea– DIMPLE: Sleepy? SUNAINA: No, not at– DIMPLE: Hungry? SUNAINA: No– DIMPLE: Good mood? BOTH: Yes! Geez, are they trying to have a competition for who has the fastest dialogue in existence? – Richards are second to the clue box. Michelle & Claire are there in third. Ethan & Khairie discover the next flight to Kota Kinabalu via Kuala Lumpur departs at 10:50am. Ethan claims it gives them a huge lead because there was not enough time for any other team to get on within thirty minutes. All thanks to that man. Is that really the uniform for all Air Asia ticketing agents? Better than a lousy blazer if you ask me. FIRST FLIGHT: ETHAN & KHAIRIE If there is no equalizer, a Xbox 360 is as good as theirs. – Alan & Wendy are fifth to depart at 7:31am. Remember in TAR 16 how it would be dark by five o’ clock most of the time because they filmed in the northern hemisphere during the months of November and December? Here that is not the case as we know it was light until the last team checked in close to nine o’ clock. Daylight, baby. – Wendy feels they balance each other out. She calms him down when he gets too angry or intense. Then comes the awkward part. WENDY: He’ll PUSH me to be more. . . ALAN: More smart. . . . But seriously, the pushing is for real. – Wendy steps into the water at the beach. ALAN: Ohhhh! Oh my goddddd. Why dooooo that? You’re gonna make your shoes more smelly. Stupid! You’re so stupiiiiid. Penang, Malaysia: Our water makes you smell like s–t. – Ivan & Hilda depart sixth at 7:32am. He describes himself as the physical and operational guy while Hilda “is guided by her heart”. Yay for reinforcing gender dichotomies! HILDA: My legs are still hurting from yesterday! But in Hilda’s case, this is true. She is recovering from a twisted knee. I like how she emphasizes putting weight on her legs as if they truly are hurting. Why do reality TV contestants associated with dragons have to exaggerate everything? – Ivan says they have a “ying” and yang dynamic. Legasm. – Manas & Sahil are next to leave at 7:51am. Manas says they have complete opposite personalities. Sahil (the good looking one) is calm and calculating while Manas is erratic and impulsive. That’s it for them. – Sunaina & Dimple have their clue. Hilda has it in sixth. How bad is the humidity in Malaysia? You can barely see through the camera lens! – Manas & Sahil are seventh to the clue box. Jess & Lani depart in eighth at 8:17am. JESS: We are a lot smarter than what meets the eye. Don’t judge a book by its cover. lol. They can’t even figure out how to exit a boat. Natalie Wood had an easier time with boats than they did. – Jess trips on the walk down. They enter a taxi and tell the driver that a handsome man in their country of the Philippines is referred to as a ‘guapo. Yes, El Guapo. Sorry Bas Rutten. You have to share the El Guapo nickname with a taxi driver. I wonder if the taxi driver asked ‘are you sure?’ to verify the word is guapo or to verify that two women with Aussie accents are indeed from the Philippines. – Hussein & Natasha begin in ninth at 8:20am. Hussein is willing to take her advice at times. She does not think her father would be stubborn enough to ignore her. He defines himself as being conservative. – Yani & Nadine start last at 8:25am. They refuse to give up regardless of them crying or making their makeup run. – Jess & Lani grab the clue in eighth. Hussein & Natasha in ninth. Yani & Nadine in last. We flashback to a brilliant incident involving Jess. Right in the nose. Ouch. Right in the pink. – Richards are at the airport at the Malaysian Airlines counter. They discover the 11:40am flight is fully booked because only ten passengers need to check in. TOQUECHARD: We took the sure thing on Air Asia. Yes, the same airline that was formerly the official sponsour for the show. – Michelle & Claire elect to purchase standby tickets for the noon flight on Malaysia Airlines. She points out the risk to Claire. Other teams are showing up and behind them at the counter. RISKY FLIGHT STRATEGY 101: Never be the only team to purchase tickets for a flight that you know either has a tight connection or relies on lucking out with standby. And you guys were doing so well for being such a young all-female team. The selfishness of this generation could backfire. – Sunaina refers to Michelle & Claire as possessing shady grins. Manas & Sahil continuously beg for the tickets at the counter. Beg and beg with a different agent than the ones the all-female teams were speaking to earlier. Sahil’s good looks convinced the male ticketing agent to get them on the flight. Michelle & Claire are approved as well. As for Sunaina & Dimple who were there before Manas & Sahil? Talk to the hand because Bollywood does not wanna listen. – Sunaina blatantly tells the agent that she lied to them, and figure out Michelle & Claire’s scheme. SECOND FLIGHT: MANAS & SAHIL; MICHELLE & CLAIRE Wow. Manas & Sahil are frontrunners. – The three slowpoke teams show up at the Air Asia counter. All other teams are on the flight. Hussein & Natasha scramble with the ticketing agent. They all get on the flight anyway. It is safe to say that the province of Penang is ready to tell World Race Productions to screw off for the time being. Dealing with spoiled Americans and Asians has really tried their patience. – THIRD FLIGHT: The other seven teams. . .. . . . Except them. They nearly take out the middle man with their flight papers. The agent booked them on a flight that leaves forty minutes after the six teams. So how does a strip club manager solve the issue? By going straight for the cockpit! Jess & Lani in a few years. – The pilot says they can push the other plane back, and allow Jess & Lani to depart ahead of the other plane. This sounds downright ridiculous that a pilot decided this on his own without facing a challenge from the other pilot who knows he is full of TAR Asia teams too, but it works. REAL THIRD FLIGHT: Jess & Lani FINAL FLIGHT: The other six teams. – Commercial break. I like how all teams already refer to Kuala Lumpur as “KL” and Kota Kinabalu as “KK”. – The first flight lands at 3:38pm. Khairie reads that they must go to the Warrior’s Village in Tuaran. It will be a ceremony of good luck and to conquer wild beasts. Don’t know if the wild beast refers to the deranged man or the snake. EDITOR’S NOTE: No, this is not the same cultural village with the good luck ceremony in TAR 4. David Dean’s grandmother is not there and is no longer with it. That was the Monsopiad Cultural Village. Hey, want to know how it is easy to determine that TAR 4 was filmed somewhere between 2001 and 2003? Boy did that president’s legacy change over the next five years! – Khairie is really scared about getting lost during the drive as Ethan is the driver. – Jess & Lani are in KL and discover the flight to go to KK has not left yet. Everybody except Ivan & Hilda are on the 6:30pm flight to KK. THE THIRD KL FLIGHT: 6:25pm. IVAN & HILDA’S KK FLIGHT: 9:30pm. Who knew flying within Malaysia could trigger such a scramble? – It is 5:40pm as Michelle & Claire and Manas & Sahil enter their vehicles. Michelle is having a tough time clicking her seatbelt before driving. – Ethan & Khairie enter the cultural village. It is pitch black. A big dude scares them out of nowhere. I am certain this will be an hours of operation like all other ceremonies in the past. They love doing it at sunrise. Oh. They just made a fire. That was an easy solution. Too easy, if you ask me. I am amazed nobody had thought of that before. – What are Ethan & Khairie ordered to do before receiving their next clue while a random man screams for the whole ceremony? Rub the man’s snake. “His anaconda won’t bite none If you rub its head, son!” Speaking of anacondas, I wish an anaconda ate J-Lo in the movie Anaconda. That movie was terrible then and it’s terrible now. – Ethan & Khairie read they must drive to the night market. ALLAN: Once there, teams must eat no less than one hundred chicken balls. The team that eats the most will depart twenty minutes ahead of all other teams in the next challenge. Chicken balls? Has TAR Asia gone from baked scorpions in season three to CHICKEN BALLS in TAR Asia 4? This active route info is certainly more TESTY than what we have seen in previous years. Is this Allan’s revenge for suffering through those bug shots and still losing in Fear Factor? And how do we go from petting the head of an anaconda to eating cock balls? Did a second grader design this round? – The third flight lands at 10:40pm. I love we are getting arrival times for flights. Sunaina & Dimple are fourth. Richards in fifth. Alan & Wendy sixth. Hussein & Natasha seventh. Jess & Lani eighth. Yani & Nadine ninth. – Ethan & Khairie find the empty board. Ethan’s confidence is jolted when he sees the scoreboard has no other teams on it. KK’s version of Pharrell Williams is manning the scoreboard. – Khairie really wants the twenty minute lead. And will be no thanks to Ethan Lim on this one. Oh the Limanity. Don’t you mean “Wumanity”? Yes, yes, Allan. I won’t make a bunch of puns using Ethan’s last name. Only you shall get that honour. – Michelle & Claire are second to the screaming cultural village. More screaming. Michelle keeps snapping her hand back when it comes to the anaconda. Eventually they both rub it. – They read the clue and insist they love the idea of eating chicken balls. – Manas did an Indian dance for them. That is an Indian dance? I don’t think that is any dance. Unless you are Zangief from Street Fighter. Or Lorena. – Manas’ biggest fear is snakes. Of course he proceeds to rub the snake twice. The second time for good luck, I guess. Liars. – Sahil reads the clue about chicken balls. Manas’ reaction? “If only it was a chicken fajita. I shall forever remain single” Eamon’s friend is not impressed. – A bunch of local families are sitting around cheering on teams. They cannot wait for teams to eat chicken balls. It is midnight and locals show up for a TAR Asia event? Geez, not until the TAR 25 starting line at three o’ clock in the morning have we seen so many superfans. – Michelle & Claire and Manas & Sahil show up. Manas requests a bucket because he is certain he will puke. Or pukil. Get out your buckets. This is going to be a doozy. Ethan & Khairie have already eaten fifty balls and keep on going. EDITOR’S NOTE: Isn’t it mean for racers to have the public event for the season be when hundreds of locals are eagerly waiting for them to vomit all over the KK waterfront? – Jess & Lani found some “friends” who they describe as young boys that led them to the warrior’s village before many of the other teams. There is only one thing that needs to be said about this picture. . . . . Jess & Lani finally changed out of their short pink skirts that they have been wearing since the start of the round. I think those pink skirts may have been the least functional clothing choice worn on TAR. Task outfits and Brian & Greg’s pit stop entrance does not really count. Wait, what joke did you think I was going to make? I have standards. JESS: For the first time in history, a scrub hanging out the passenger’s side of their best friend’s ride trying to holler at me is just what we needed. There are always exceptions to the rule, TLC. – Hussein & Natasha show up. Natasha breaks out worse dance moves than me when MC Hammer’s U Can’t Touch This plays. Right on cue she is happy she is not being judged for her dancing. Her dad keeps teasing her about the snake. She shuts him up before completing the task. – Sunaina & Dimple are there in sixth. Sunaina is surprised to see the teams ahead of them. Both do some light dancing. And I for one wish there was a Bollywood release of Pink Panther in the near future. – SUNAINA: I have eaten more than any boy in my life. You haven’t seen me at an All You Can Eat sushi restaurant. – Yani & Nadine are dancing happily knowing they can do this. I touch the head of a snake for fun at home. – The snake is revealed. Yani turns into a HORSE of all things. No, not Danielle DiLorenzo. – I say she was a horse because she cries in agony, and the nickname for Nadine is “Neigh”. YANI: Noooo! NEIGHHHHHHH. If you have access to watching this, please do right away. It is hilarious. This is like a knight in a middle ages film being knocked off and the horse tumbling onto the ground. So many delicious tears. – Nadine orders Yani to stop crying. NADINE: You said you’d do anything to win this race. Even touch a snake. He’s not gonna do anything. I’m not sure if Yani specified the ‘touching the snake’ part. – Commercial break. We resume. Editors are cruel enough to repeat the neighing. – Nadine physically grabs Yani’s wrist and has such a tight grip that Yani fails at squirming away. This is our first entry for the TAR Asia Funny 115 for this season. So many jokes to be made, I am sure. You would think Nadine was playing the role of Bill Cosby or Wendy’s boyfriend. – Is Yani proud of herself after doing this task? Maybe she would be if it was NOT DONE COMPLETELY AGAINST HER WILL! – Nadine is very strong. She risked her own hand to guide a nervous and twitchy hand to touch a snake. Imagine if Nadine was on TAR 15? Mika would have been shoved down the waterslide so freaking hard. Screw your weak arms, Canaan. – Alan & Wendy are eighth to the village. They have the most uneventful trip of all teams. Alan screams on his way out of the village. – The Richards are ninth to the village. Wow, they sucked on the drive here. TOQUECHARD: Rich is usually quite graceful at dancing but for some reason he had two left feet. She doesn’t even have one left foot. EDITOR’S NOTE: I looked up which foot was missing for both Chad Crittenden and Kelly Bruno. Chad’s right leg is the one that is gone. For some reason, none of the pages out there wanted to specify which leg it is that each of them no longer have. UPDATE: She is missing her right leg too. There goes that joke. – Richard Herrera/Toquechard feels it was necessary to show off by kneeling to get up close and personal with the snake. Show-off. – Eventually the final plane lands at 12:10am containing Ivan & Hilda nearly two hours after the previous plane. It gave Ethan & Khairie enough time to eat 204 chicken balls. That’s how far behind Ivan & Hilda are at the moment. They receive their clue. Teams must drive themselves to Sutera Harbour Marina and look for the marked boat. Boo. Why not do the hours of operation upon arrival in KK? All this does is make sure teams are extremely close together for the last one or two tasks of the round, and possibly knock out a team who did well for the first two tasks. If they did the equalizer at the beginning, we would see the performance of all the tasks average out and knock out who is truly the worst team of the round. Instead it just may be the team who sucks at the Roadblock right before teams run to the pit stop. L-A-M-E. CHICKEN BALL LEADERBOARD — ETHAN & KHAIRIE: 204 MICHELLE & CLAIRE: 180 She looks like a stripper experiencing her first day on the job! Yeah, I have spent too much time writing about Jess & Lani as of late. – The Richards are lost. Toquechard is driving and reading the map. Bballchard begs him to stop and ask because they have been lost for thirty minutes. He pulls out the team card too. Toquechard/Herrera: Master Multi-Tasker. Bballchard/Hardin: Master Zero-Tasker. – Both say that they will have their own way which involves manhood and stubbornness. Herrera pulls over as Hardin jumps out to tell him to ask somebody. I like how Toquechard pulled over but is not even asking anybody for directions. All that happens is Bballchard begging him to yell at a local. HARDIN: Every time I tell you how I feel man you snap back at me with a smart remark. I’m not gonna do that to you, man. HERRERA: Calm down, man! HARDIN: See what you did? See what you just did to me? And look at what you did to my face! I’m sorry Richard Hardin. I was having too much fun! HERRERA: Alright Rich, that’s enough! That is Toquechard’s code for “Grow some chicken balls, Hardin.” – Ivan & Hilda are at the village. HILDA: I love snakes. It looked friendly. The eyes made it look like it was smiling. You crazy, Hilda! YOU CRAZY! Snakes–a dragon researcher’s best friend. – Sunaina & Dimple are fourth to the chicken balls task. Sunaina refers to Michelle & Claire as the “Dominatrix” team because they are machines. Dimple tries to pretend gagging or saying “it’s not worth it” to psych out Michelle & Claire. – Hussein & Natasha show up. Alan & Wendy, Richards, and Jess & Lani too. Jess is refusing to eat more than fifty. – Wendy says trying hard in this challenge does not make sense because only one team can win the advantage. Yes, Wendy is the brightest one here. Meanwhile this cat patiently waits for puke crumbs. – Wendy prefers to sleep. Her and Alan are second to receive the clue. Jess & Lani third. – The other teams are still trying to eat as much as possible, but the Richards are next to note that the game may be over. Yeah, I would not be eating 125 chicken balls and expect my partner to do the same if I knew that would not even guarantee me first. – Bballchard describes the small young women as being aggressive. Claire has to forcibly remove Michelle from the table. Mainly because of how sick Michelle looked. They must have the fastest metabolisms in TAR history because I have never seen such a skinny team on TAR before, and yet they eat more chicken balls than everyone else. Look at them! There is no meat on those bones! Like even Maya Fey has more on her bones, and not even she ate as many chicken balls as Michelle & Claire. – Hussein is burping. Natasha is having a tough time and elect to just quit at 100. The 101st would have been in that bowl. – Sunaina & Dimple settle for 100 too before grabbing the clue and head to sleep. Manas & Sahil are eighth out of there after eating 100. – Yani & Nadine are still at the chicken ball task when Ivan & Hilda show up. HILDA: Yani & Nadine they are still trying to finish it. We know we are safe. Wow. Everybody views Yani & Nadine as the revamped Edwin & Monica. Tragic. – Each of the last two teams finish after 100 chicken balls. Ready to check out the final scoreboard? HUSSEIN & NATASHA: 102 IVAN & HILDA: 100 JESS & LANI: 102 ETHAN & KHAIRIE: 204 MICHELLE & CLAIRE: 275 RICHARDS: 103 SAHIL & MANAS: 100 SUNAINA & DIMPLE: 100 ALAN & WENDY: 100 YANI & NADINE: 100 That means Michelle & Claire nearly TRIPLED the task’s initial requirement. It will not be a pleasant sleep for them. I wish they designed it like American Gladiators where for each point you scored more than your opponent gave you a .5 second head start at The Eliminator. Here it should have been something like forty-five seconds for each extra chicken ball. – Lots of teams decide to sleep in their car. Mainly because it is closing in on three and they have to be up in just five hours. Oh yeah, this is Sunaina & Dimple’s alarm clock setup. Although I think Alan sleeping on the street like that is a worse condition than Dreamz’s sleeping quarters growing up. – Commercial break. We resume at dawn. Ethan & Khairie express their amazement with Michelle & Claire’s performance. They are at the marina. It is a Roadblock. CLAIRE: Who holds the key to see your next clue? In this Roadblock, that person must dive into the waters and find a key at one end of a piece of rope. ALLAN: Teams can only unlock the key to their success after unravelling this tightly wound rope. Try harder next time. – Allan finishes off by saying this Roadblock could be one of the toughest of the season due to the nature of the puzzle. This puzzle looks to be very tough. That is A LOT of rope to guide through that wall. The key unlocks the lock located on top of the wall in the bottom photo. – Claire suits up. Welcome to Celebrity Mole: Yucatan! You’re a natural Angie Everhart! – Twenty minutes later as all teams drive in a line to the marina. Here comes the chaos. Some of the same-gender teams are wearing sunglasses so identifying Sunaina’s pointy nose or Manas’ uglier looks is tough to differentiate at the moment. – Late night lonely music plays as Michelle worries about Claire. – Ivan is doing the Roadblock. He has water experience and feels confident. INSTRUCTOR (animated with hands): Guys, there’s a lot of fish down there. I’m talking about A LOT of fish. RACERS: Okay. Okay. INSTRUCTOR: Three of the fish eat anacondas for breakfast. That’s how scary they truly are. . .why is everyone looking calm? Don’t say I didn’t warn you about these uber scary terrifying fish. God have mercy on these brave souls. – Khairie is third into the Roadblock. There is a really tricky knot. Khairie begins panicking and yanking on the keychain. It broke. He comes back up. Khairie is told that he must now wait for all the teams to go before him. And since that involves waiting for Yani to be dragged through the water by an instructor against her will, this could prove to be a very long wait. – Khairie comes up with a brilliantly stupid idea. KHAIRIE: I was thinking ‘why don’t we cut our losses and just leave. ETHAN: Did I hear you correctly? Did you not want to do it? I was thinking a four hour penalty in this race is basically an execution. Being executed is more fun than using that key right now. “Buddy. . .this may be just a little bit easier than rolling haybales. – You know what sucks? This is the second episode in a row where a task is not properly explained to us. Claire is told her time is up with the puzzle and must re-surface. 20 minute advantage + 4 hour penalty = 3 hour 40 minute deficit. The chicken balls were worth it! – Dimple is stunned that the Dominatrix could not do it. – Claire reads they must take a boat to Sapi Island. This is where they will find their next clue. – Ivan unlocks the clue. Launched into first place just like that. Manas let Sahil down for the chicken balls, but makes it up by unlocking the clue. Khairie sees this and decides to try it once more. – Sunaina is getting bit by several fish. Sunaina brushing off the fish. – She has the clue as well. And I was not expecting her to wear a bright purple one-piece swimsuit. But then again, Bollywood. – Bballchard brags he did not have to stop one time during the puzzle and has it. – Michelle & Claire are at Sapi Island. Thankfully it is not Papi Island. We would’ve seen this old guy or the Boston Red Sox. – This is a Detour. And sadly for the Rebel Girls, there is not an additional Detour that will lead them to a hwunk of Allan wearing his first wufebeater of the season. – Teams must drive to Kiulu River White Water Rafting in Tuaran. Rapid Fire or Rapid Water. In Rapid Fire, both teammates had to shoot Malaysian slingshots at two targets to receive their next clue. In Rapid Water, teams had to sail a bamboo raft down river rapids and across the river to retrieve their next clue. TAR 4 and TAR 24 all featured tasks that involved hitting some sort of target along the beach or jungles near Kota Kinabalu. In fact the Detour from the Kota Kinabalu round in TAR 24 forced teams to choose between water rapids and blow darts. They copied this exact Detour, and even near the same freaking rapids. At least TAR 4 and Asia 4 were not made by LJN, thankfully. Crisis averted. Heck, TAR Asia 1 was nowhere near Kota Kinabalu but they had a blowdart task too anyway. Hi, I’m Malaysia. We don’t play ice hockey or basketball, but we’ve been training Americans and Asians in our second most competitive sport behind futsal. What the hell, producers? You see Survivor: Borneo where they do the slingshot and blowdart reward challenge and need to incorporate that into every TAR visit possible? And how did Millie & Chuck get so lost in the area? The tourist attractions have English signs. – Apparently tribesmen have been using these traditional slingshots for thousands of years. Like these guys. I hear Allan used to be a tribesman too. How else do you think he developed those wuscles? – MICHELLE: I am sh-tting no slingshot man. She was trying to say shooting. Hilarious. – Ivan & Hilda choose rafts. Manas & Sahil go with Rapid Fire. Sunaina & Dimple are heading to rafts. – Wendy describes the tense feeling in the air as everybody must wait for their teammates to come back. Yani will need a miracle to not suck at a task for once. Can she do the impossible? Nope. Still sucks. Alan also sucks. Furthermore, Jess sucks. – Natasha is so close to finishing. Almost there and then. . . Stop! I need to tell you something. You suck. Agonizingly close but only a sucky cigar. – Khairie returns for another attempt. Will he succeed? Commercial break. We resume. What’s the news? You mean the guy who was allowed to make two attempts at the task managed to succeed? Shocker. – Khairie resurfaces and reunites with Ethan. Ethan wants a fist bump while Khairie goes for a high five. They deserve a four hour penalty just for that epic fail. – Ethan & Khairie are currently in fifth. This means five teams have a four hour penalty when they check into the mat. THOSE WHO SUCCEEDED: IVAN & HILDA; RICHARDS; MANAS & SAHIL; SUNAINA & DIMPLE; ETHAN & KHAIRIE THOSE WHO SUCKED: YANI & NADINE; JESS & LANI; HUSSEIN & NATASHA; ALAN & WENDY; MICHELLE & CLAIRE Yes, it really is the Bali beach dig task all over again. Except in that one teams gave up and accepted the penalty. In this scenario teams are merely being told “f–k you take these extra four hours”. – Alan & Wendy choose Rapid Fire. Party duo picks rapid water. Water for Yani & Nadine too. Ethan & Khairie choose Rapid Water. I cannot pick up which one Hussein & Natasha chose. – Michelle accuses Claire of not paying attention when navigating. Claire tells her to turn left instead to head into the rapids location. – Ivan & Hilda are on the bamboo raft. Ivan paddles and does all the work while Hilda does the equally challenging option of hanging on for dear life. – Sunaina & Dimple drag the bamboo raft. Michelle & Claire and Sunaina & Dimple are there together as they cannot figure out which raft is the one that belongs to them. Michelle & Claire decide to gain the upper hand. Rebel Power. – Michelle does not understand how to paddle with a stick. Sunaina & Dimple are in trouble because Sunaina does not know how to paddle while Dimple does not know how to swim. Paddle with a stick? Mind blown. – Richards show up to the firing range for Rapid Fire. Fun fact: Toquechard is left-handed. Who knew. – Manas & Sahil and Alan & Wendy are at the Detour’s parking lot and start running. We cut back to the Richards who are still– Nevermind. Both hit the target on the third shot. Their task is done. – Teams must drive to Kampung Tanjung Aru. Aru? – Manas & Sahil and Alan & Wendy are at Rapid Fire. Sahil thinks it is better than rafting. – Yani & Nadine enter the raft. It initially left without them. Ivan & Hilda finish rafting. They know teams are close behind. Sunaina & Dimple are done the rafting in third. What is Michelle & Claire’s placement? That’s right. Ever since the Roadblock, any team who was assessed the time penalty does not have their placing shown. Instead it simply says “4 Hour Time Penalty Applies”. Yeah, good luck keeping track at home in real time when the episode originally aired. – Manas & Sahil are super excited as they finish the task in fourth place. Wendy says they are determined to get things done quickly when they need to catch up. Her wish is granted as they complete the task. – Yani & Nadine worry after finishing the rafting task without seeing another team. NADINE (crying as she drives): I’m catching your bug, Yani. Ew. The Crying Bug. – Hussein & Natasha fire slingshots. Too bad they are struggling. Jess & Lani hop onto the raft. I swore Lani cracked her tailbone in the process. – Ethan & Khairie get caught on shore a couple of times on the raft because Khairie is a big dude. Eh, they have four horus to kill. . . . Unless they have to paddle through the rapids in twenty minutes or less to avoid a four hour penalty! Move social outcasts, move! – Hussein & Natasha finish the slingshot task. Jess & Lani and Ethan & Khairie are done rafting. All teams are en route to the mat. Hussein may be the first contestant in history to intentionally dress up as Gus McCleod from TAR 6. – Wendy pays a driver seventy bucks to lead her and Alan to the mat. – Manas & Sahil follow Michelle & Claire’s vehicle. The Richards are on pace to be first. Oh right. They suck at directions. To the middle of the pack, you go. – Alan & Wendy exit their vehicle and run onto the mat. “FIRST PLACE”: Wendy & Alan Eamon’s uncle is the pit stop greeter for this round. What an honour! Although I do not know why he stole Masaharu Morimoto’s Iron Chef hat and dyed it black. ALLAN: Wendy & Alan. “I’ve got some fake news for you!” ALLAN: . .you are team number “one”. Not the typical expression of somebody who is told they are team number one. ALAN & WENDY: But. . . ALLAN: There’s a big but in there. Speaking of which, why is Kim Kardashian at the mat? #Breakthepitstop – ALLAN: You failed to complete the Roadblock. I need to get you to step off the mat, wait four hours, and then I can check you in. Jesus. Do teams get to rest at the hotel for this pit stop while waiting out the four hour penalty? No. They have to be stuck sight-seeing within close proximities before they can check in. Since they only have a limited amount of money, I bet they do not get to wander far. What a bunch of bologna. – HILDA: It’s okay, babe. I just want to walk. It’s very very painful. I cannot run I cannot run I cannot run I cannot run. – Ivan describes the feeling of seeing the pit stop flag and knowing they are ahead. It’s a wonderful day going from dead last to being in first in less than twelve hours. Oh, and five teams guaranteed to be four hours behind you for the next round. – The Richards pull in. They see Ivan & Hilda’s sickening slow stroll. They have a plan. I call it Operation: Spook The S–t Out of the Dragon Researcher. And Ivan was like “oh sh-t”. “Quick! Get to the chopper!” – Ivan claims the Richards are raging bulls. I doubt the Richards ever thought they could outrun Ivan & Hilda, but making it dangerously close and forcing Hilda to sprint probably amused them to no end. Although it was only about a difference of 1.5 seconds. – FIRST PLACE: IVAN & HILDA Hilda may be more than eager to make out with an anaconda, but she could not be more afraid of running on The Amazing Race. – Allan informs them they have each won a Sony VAIO laptop. The total value comes to 5, 300 US dollars. SECOND PLACE: RICHARDS – ALLAN: As you already know, you are team number two. Unlike the American version where Phil pretends as if this is brand new information. – ALLAN: I’ve never seen Hilda move so fast, actually, huh? And delivers this pwunch with his trademark smile. – Ivan is stunned by the turnaround they made this round. “TEAM NUMBER THREE”: MICHELLE & CLAIRE Balls. All 275 of them. THIRD PLACE: SUNAINA & DIMPLE FOURTH PLACE: MANAS & SAHIL A slow stroll onto the mat. ALLAN: Taking care of business. Uh, I guess? – “TEAM NUMBER SEVEN”: YANI & NADINE Yes, we know about the four hour penalty. Oh right. Yani & Nadine are marked for elimination too. In other words, you have to super duper tank this round in order to lose to Yani & Nadine of all people. – Hussein & Natasha are behind Jess & Lani in traffic. They describe the party girls as sneaky. Both teams are running to the mat. Hussein knows their only chance at surviving is if they arrived within thirty minutes of Yani & Nadine. “TEAM NUMBER EIGHT”: JESS & LANI “TEAM NUMBER NINE”: HUSSEIN & NATASHA – Hussein is a slow talker in his confessional when talking about the situation. I do not think he is very comfortable on camera. – A crowd has gathered to cheer on Ethan & Khairie as Khairie’s pants are falling down. Although Ian would say running to the mat is more important than his pants falling down. Oh, those aren’t locals cheering. That crowd in the top left on the pier are all teams who are seeking shade during the penalty. – Ethan & Khairie are completely unaware of their position. Khairie kneels before the King of Kota Kinabalu (they call him the honourary KKK as an abbreviation). – Ethan says there was a sense of completion but also a sense of dread because of Allan’s great poker face. Ethan’s Wumpression. Close, I guess. ALLAN: Ethan & Khairie, you are the last team to arrive. . . . ALLAN: Do you see those teams back there? “And do you think I make a good Fonz?” “Those teams. . .are they the ones from TAR 16? Are the locals holding them captive?” “Maybe it’s the Russian military doing this over the Ukraine dispute.” – Allan informs them of the penalty for the other five teams. Khairie says the feeling was exhilarating. FIFTH PLACE: ETHAN & KHAIRIE ***3 1/2 HOURS LATER*** SIXTH PLACE: ALAN & WENDY SEVENTH PLACE: MICHELLE & CLAIRE EIGHTH PLACE: JESS & LANI lol all-female teams. – Now for the suspense. “How did the four of us fall to the bottom so quickly again?” “I wish they had a ‘Name That Perry Como Song’ Roadblock.” “I am going to be so embarrassed when four and a half years from now, a lower middle-class Canadian male in his 20s will mock me over the course of seventy pages on the Internet, and make way too many comparisons between what goes on this leg and the human anatomy.” History repeats itself. The quietest team on the race is barely saved. Which only means. . . LOL! Welcome to the club, Yani & Nadine. This is the only upside to a non-elimination on the first leg. It opens the possibility up to teams being ultra humiliated. EDITOR’S NOTE: Edwin & Monica still rank lower because Yani & Nadine would have been eighth if not for their Marked for Elimination penalty. Edwin & Monica finished dead last both times, and being marked for elimination had zero impact on how terrible they were. LAST PLACE: YANI & NADINE NADINE: Even though we didn’t expect it, it really didn’t come as a surprise. And she didn’t even cry (for once). Good job. “That’s gotta count for something. Maybe a third chance at the race?” – ALLAN: You ran two legs of the race. How has it been for you two? It must have been difficult. I don’t know, I think they finished last twice so I think their answer may be along the lines of NO F–KING S–T IT WAS TOUGH. – Nadine says they will stick to being best friends rather than being a team. They have learned that being a team is much tougher. Next Time on TAR: We finally go somewhere that is rarely visited, and reveal another act of plagiarism from the makers of TAR 24. CONFESSIONAL COUNT — SUNAINA.DIMPLE 11.6 BBALLCHARD.TOQUECHARD 5.3 HUSSEIN.NATASHA 2.4 YANI.NADINE 4.6 MANAS.SAHIL 3.3 JESS.LANI 5.4 ETHAN.KHAIRIE 6.9 WENDY.ALAN 5.1 MICHELLE.CLAIRE 5.4 IVAN.HILDA 5.1 Team Averages — Below is a list of all teams from seasons I have blogged to date, ranked by racing average. e.g. Don & Mary Jean finished 9th, 8th, 8th, 8th, and 8th. Add up the numbers and divide it by the number of legs they have played. Therefore their average is 8.2. Bulls— Round One/Starting Line Eliminations Eric & Lisa N/A Bilal & Sa’eed N/A — F minus– 12th Debra & Steve 12.0 TAR 4 12th Gina & Sylvia 12.0 TAR 3 11th Adrian & Dana 11.0 TAR 16 11th Preston & Jennifer 11.0 TAR 14 11th Anita & Arthur 11.0 TAR 13 11th Ari & Staella 11.0 TAR 12 11th John Vito & Jill All Stars 11.0 TAR 11 11th Vipul & Arti 11.0 TAR 10 11th John & Scott 11.0 TAR 9 11th Ryan & Chuck 11.0 TAR 7 11th Team Seinfeld/Avi & Joe 11.0 TAR 6 11th Dennis & Erika 11.0 TAR 5 11th Deidre & Hilary 11.0 TAR 2 11th Matt & Ana 11.0 TAR 1 10th Edwin & Monica 10.0 Only team to finish last for the first two rounds of the race TAR Asia 3 10th Yani & Nadine 10.0 Would have survived round two, but were marked for elimination and thus officially finished in last both rounds TAR Asia 4 10th Jody & Shannon 10.0 TAR Adventure 16 10th Lisa & Joni 10.0 TAR 9 10th Kevin & Drew All Stars 10.0 TAR 11 10th Neena & Amit 10.0 TAR Asia 3 10th A Black Family 10.0 TAR 8 — F +– 10th Steve & Linda 9.4 TAR 14 10th Anthony & Stephanie 9.5 (Why them?????) TAR 13 10th Megan & Heidi 9.5 (Wow. They sucked.) TAR 7 11th Garrett & Jessica 9.5 TAR 15 10th Kate & Pat 9.0 TAR 12 9th David & Mary All Stars 9.0 TAR 11 9th Peggy & Claire 9.0 May or may not be gutsy. TAR 2 10th Meredith & Maria 9.0 TAR 6 10th Dennis & Andrew 9.0 FF TAR 3 9th Marianna & Julia 8.33 TAR 12 10th Russell & Cindy 8.33 TAR 4 8th Don & Mary Jean 8.2 Saved by NEL once TAR 6 10th Kellie & Jamie 8.0 TAR 10 10th Kim & Leslie 8.0 TAR 1 8th Danielle & Dani 7.8 Yielded TAR 9 8th Marisa & Brooke 7.75 Sucked. TAR 13 7th Mika & Canaan 7.67 Why the heck did they sign up? TAR 15 9th Marcy & Ron 7.67 Bald. TAR 15 9th Isaac & William 7.5 TAR Asia 3 9th Jim & Marsha 7.33 TAR 5 8th Aiello Family 7.0 TAR 8 8th Singaporean Sophie & French Born Aurelia 7.0 (French Born Aurelia sadly does not know the English words for ‘team averages’. :/) TAR Asia 2 –D minus– 8th Tom & Terry 7.0 TAR 10 8th Dave & Margaretta 7.0 R.I.P. Margaretta TAR 1 9th Lena & Kristy 7.0 Producers refused to hay bail them. TAR 6 10th Hope & Norm 7.0 TAR 2 7th Christie & Jodi 6.67 Saved by NEL–Became the Devil of Casting Later TAR 14 9th Brad & Victoria 6.67 TAR 14 7th Niroo & Kapil 6.75 TAR Asia 3 6th Maria & Tiffany 6.57 Saved by NEL once and Justin’s blunder again TAR 15 9th Rogers Family 6.5 R.I.P. Renee. TAR 8 8th Susan & Patrick 6.5 TAR 7 6th Henry & Terri 6.44 Used Their Yield; saved by a non-elimination round THREE times. R.I.P. Henry. TAR Asia 2 6th Lenny & Karyn 6.43 Saved by NEL once TAR 1 9th Brett & Kinar 6.33 Rocky finish. TAR Asia 2 9th Aubrey & Jacqueline 6.33 TAR Asia 1 8th Pailin & Natalie 6.33 TAR Asia 3 9th Wanda & Desiree 6.25 TAR 9 7th Aja & Cabbie 6.2 TAR 13 7th Paul & Amie 6.2 TAR 1 8th Steve & Dave 6.2 FF TAR 4 6th David &Mary 6.13 FF Saved by NEL once TAR 10 –D+– 8th Lance & Keri 6.0 TAR 15 9th Zev & Justin 6.0 Passport lost. TAR 15 10th Ernie & Jeena 6.0 TAR Asia 1 11th Amanda & Chris 6.0 TAR 4 6th Andre & Damon 5.86 TAR 3 7th Daichi & Sawaka 5.83 TAR Asia 2 7th Dave & Lori 5.83 Saved by NEL once TAR 9 5th Kami & Karli 5.8 Saved by NEL once TAR 5 8th Michael & Kathy 5.8 TAR 3 7th Cyndi & Russell 5.8 TAR 2 7th Shana & Jennifer 5.8 Used U-Turn TAR 12 9th Heather & Eve 5.75 Legal team beaten by rule book. TAR 3 5th Nancy & Emily 5.67 R.I.P. Nancy. Saved by NEL once. TAR 1 7th Jeff & Jordan 5.67. Saved by a stupid Blind U-Turn once but dead next day. TAR 16 6th Gaghan Family 5.5 TAR 8 10th Alison & Donny 5.5 TAR 5 6th Tian & Jaree 5.43 FF TAR 4 8th Sahil & Prashant 5.4 FF. Beaten by a bunch of rules. TAR Asia 1 –C minus– 4th Meredith & Gretchen 5.36 Saved by NEL twice TAR 7 7th Monica & Sheree 5.33 FF TAR 4 7th Marshall & Lance 5.33 TAR 5 9th Monique & Shawne 5.33 TAR 16. Praise Jesus. 9th Debbie & Bianca 5.33 TAR 7 7th Gus & Hera 5.29 TAR 6 6th Joe & Bill All Stars 5.25 Saved by NEL once TAR 11 8th Bob & Joyce 5.25 TAR 5 8th Lorena & Jason 5.25 U-Turned TAR 12 5th Mark & Michael 5.22 Saved by NEL once but came up just short TAR 14 3rd Andrew & Dan 5.18 Saved by NEL once TAR 13 7th Silver & Gold/ Wil & Grace 5.17 TAR 3 6th Kelly & Christy 5.14 TAR 13 7th Ray & Deana 5.0 FF TAR 7 7th Melody & Sharon 5.0. Screwed over by weird penalty for another team. TAR Asia 1 9th Steve & Josh 5.0 FF TAR 4 9th Pat & Brenda 5.0 FF TAR 1 9th Mark & Bill 5.0 Wah. TAR 13 5th Fran & Barry 4.89 TAR 9 6th Howard & Sahran 4.88 TAR Asia 1 –C + — 3rd Lyn & Karlyn 4.85 – Yielded TAR 10 5th John Vito & Jill 4.8 – FF and saved by NEL once TAR 3 6th Mai & Oliver 4.8 In a car TAR Asia 3 7th Teri & Ian All Stars 4.83 TAR 11 7th Schroeder Family 4.75 TAR 8 6th Lake & Michelle 4.71 – Used Yield TAR 9 6th Brian & Greg 4.71 TAR 7 5th Erwin & Godwin 4.70 TAR 10 3rd Adam & Rebecca 4.69 FF and Used Yield and Yielded, saved by NEL once TAR 6 9th Duke & Lauren 4.67 TAR 10 5th Lori & Bolo 4.6 – FF, saved by NEL once TAR 6 2nd Teri & Ian 4.53 – FF TAR 3 8th Kris & Jo–er, Amanda 4.50 U-Turned TAR 14 5th Paula & Natasha 4.45 saved by NEL once TAR Asia 2 4th Louie & Michael 4.36 saved by NEL once, used U-Turn. & trained wolf cubs TAR 16 5th Uchenna & Joyce All Stars 4.33 – FF, saved by NEL once TAR 11 8th Joe & Heidi 4.40 – Blind U-Turned with Injured Knee; TAR 16 1st Dan & Jordan 4.33 – FF once TAR 16 3rd Brent & Caite 4.33 – Used U-Turn TAR 16 4th Kisha & Jen 4.27 Saved by NEL once, U-Turned once TAR 14 3rd Brian & Ericka 4.25 saved by NEL once TAR 15 8th Shola & Doyin 4.25 – FF TAR 2 –B minus– 3rd Ray & Yolanda 4.23 saved by NEL once TAR 9 5th Gary & Matt 4.22 saved by NEL once and c—blocked once in Saunabuss TAR 15 3rd Nicolas & Donald 4.18 FF and U-Turned TAR 12 4th Linda & Karen 4.17 Saved by NEL once TAR 5 3rd Charla & Mirna All Stars 4.15 TAR 11 6th Mary & Peach 4.14 (Two failed FF attempts.) TAR 2 5th Paolo Family 4.13 FF and Used Yield TAR 8 5th Lynn & Alex 4.11 TAR 7 5th Andy & Laura 4.00 – Yielded TAR Asia 1 5th Carol & Brandy 4.00 – U-Turned. May or May Not Be Mean. TAR 16 3rd David & Jeff 4.00 – FF, saved by NEL, grew goatees TAR 4 4th Oswald & Danny 4.00 – FF, saved by NEL once TAR 2 2nd Jaime & Cara 3.92 TAR 14 2nd Pamela & Vanessa 3.92 TAR Asia 2 4th A.D. & Fuzzie 3.90 – U-Turned and saved by NEL once TAR Asia 3 5th Gary & Dave 3.89 – FF TAR 2 2nd Kelly & Jon 3.85 Saved by NEL twice TAR 4 1st Zabrina & Joe Jer 3.77 saved by NEL once TAR Asia 1 2nd Sandy & Francesca 3.77 – Used Yield, saved by NEL once TAR Asia 1 4th Diane & Ann 3.75 – Yielded TAR Asia 2 4th Jon & Al 3.73 TAR 4 6th Charla & Mirna 3.71 TAR 5 –B+– 3rd Blake & Paige 3.69 – FF, saved by NEL once TAR 2 5th Millie & Chuck 3.67 FF TAR 4 5th Kynt & Vyxsin 3.63 Used Yield, saved by NEL once TAR 12 1st Eric & Danielle All Stars 3.62 – Yielded Twice, saved by NEL once TAR 11 4th Mardy & Marsio 3.58 FF, saved by NEL once TAR Asia 1 6th Mel & Mike 3.57 TAR 14 6th Jonathan & Victoria 3.56 TAR 6 3rd Ida & Tania 3.54 Saved by NEL twice TAR Asia 3 4th Joseph & Monica 3.50 – Yielded TAR 9 3rd Andrew & Syeon 3.46 TAR Asia 1 1st Freddy & Kendra 3.46 – Used Yield and Yielded TAR 6 2nd Ronald & Christina 3.45 TAR 12 4th Nathan & Jennifer 3.40 – Never finished in 1st TAR 12 1st Chris & Alex 3.38 – FF, saved by NEL twice TAR 2 1st Chip & Kim 3.38 – Used Yield TAR 5 6th Steve & Allie 3.38 – TAR 16, and ain’t got no clothes. 4th Kevin & Drew 3.36 – FF TAR 1 3rd Brandon & Nicole 3.31 Saved by NEL once TAR 5 5th Terence & Sarah 3.25 TAR 13 1st TK & Rachel 3.18 Saved by NEL once TAR 12 4th Godlewski Family 3.18 Saved by NEL once TAR 8 4th Dustin & Kandice 3.17 – Used Yield, saved by NEL once –A minus– 2nd Sam & Dan 3.17 U-Turned Pointlessly TAR 15 7th Peter & Sarah 3.17 TAR 10 3rd Weaver Family 3.15 – Yielded Twice, saved by NEL twice TAR 8 1st Reichen & DK 3.15 – FF TAR 4 1st Uchenna & Joyce 3.15 FF, saved by NEL once TAR 7 4th Toni & Dallas 3.10 Still in Russia TAR 13 4th Derek & Drew 3.10 – FF TAR 3 2nd Geoff 26 & Tisha 31 3.09 Used Yield and U-Turn TAR Asia 3 4th Herb & Nate a.k.a. Flight Time & Big Easy 3.09 TAR 15. Znarf! 2nd Rob & Kim 3.08 – FF TAR 10 3rd Ron & Kelly 3.00 – Yielded, saved by NEL once TAR 7 6th Azaria & Hendekea 3.00 – TAR 12 4th Hayden & Aaron 2.92 – Saved by NEL onceTAR 6 2nd Dustin & Kandice All Stars 2.92 – Used Yield TAR 10 2nd Bransen Family 2.85 – Saved by NEL onceTAR 8 1st Linz Family 2.77 – Used Yield TAR 8 3rd Joe & Bill 2.76 – FF, saved by NEL twice TAR 1 –BEST OF THE BEST– 3rd Margie & Luke 2.75 Used U-Turn once TAR 14 5th Henry & Bernie/Bunn-Eh 2.75 – Yielded TAR Asia 3 8th Rob & Amber All Stars 2.75 – Used Yield, Choked TAR 11 1st Flo & Zach 2.69 – FF, saved by NEL twice TAR 3 3rd Ken & Gerard 2.69 – FF TAR 3 4th Oswald & Danny All Stars 2.67 FF x2, Used Yield, saved by NEL once TAR 11 2nd Ken & Tina 2.64 – FF, saved by NEL once TAR 13 2nd Jet & Cord 2.58 – Saved by NEL once TAR 16. 2nd Colin & Christie 2.54 – FF, Yielded, and saved by NEL once TAR 5 2nd Tara & Wil 2.53 – FF TAR 2 1st Rob & Brennan – 2.46 FF TAR 1 1st BJ & Tyler – 2.46 FF, Used Yield, and saved by NEL twice TAR 9 1st Vince & Sam 2.45 FF TAR Asia 3 1st Nick & Starr 2.45 FF TAR 13 1st Tyler & James – 2.38 FF TAR 10 2nd Frank & Margarita 2.38 – FF TAR 1 2nd Kris & Jon 2.38 TAR 6 1st Tammy & Victor 2.33 Used U-Turn Once TAR 14 2nd Rob & Amber 2.31 TAR 7 1st Adrian & Collin 2.23 FF TAR Asia 2 1st Meghan & Cheyne 2.00 FF TAR 15 2nd Eric & Jeremy 1.69 FF TAR 9 lol 3rd Marc & Rovilson 1.46 Used Yield and Yielded TAR Asia 2 Combined Team Averages (Repeats Only) — 11 legs David & Mary 6.91 FF, saved by NEL twice TAR 10 + 11 11 legs John Vito & Jill 5.36 FF, saved by NEL once TAR 3 + 11 18 legs Danielle 4.78 yielded, saved by NEL once TAR 9 + 11 19 legs Teri & Ian 4.63 FF TAR 3 + 11 13 legs Kevin & Drew 4.38 FF TAR 1 + 11 20 legs Charla & Mirna 4.00 TAR 5 + 11 21 legs Joe & Bill 3.71 FF, saved by NEL thrice TAR 1 + 11 22 legs Uchenna & Joyce 3.64 FF x2, saved by NEL twice TAR 7 + 11 *31 legs Eric & Danielle 3.48 FF, yielded x3, saved by NEL once TAR 9 + 11 23 legs Oswald & Danny 3.30 FF x3, used Yield, saved by NEL twice TAR 2 + 11 25 legs Dustin & Kandice 3.04 used Yield twice, saved by NEL once TAR 10 + 11 26 legs Eric 2.65 FF, yielded x2, saved by NEL once TAR 9 + 11 17 legs Rob & Amber 2.41 Used Yield TAR 7 + 11 * I determined Eric & Danielle’s average in this last section by adding up all of their individual points from TAR 9, then adding up their total points in All Stars and dividing it by 31. Rank the Legs — 1) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -> George Town, Penang, Malaysia Running backwards up a narrow staircase at the starting line? Counting steps at Batu Caves? Driving yourself to a route marker that was aired just a few months ago in the US version, and directly acknowledging it? Refusing to properly explain a soccer penalty shootout task? Creating a Detour where ten teams all pick the same Detour where one member pretended to clean a window and the other took a picture? All of the teams finishing within an hour of each other? Sorry, that was Bethany Hamilton ranking this leg. I am glad nobody was eliminated because nothing really happened this round. I applaud producers for trying two unique tasks and a unique visual for the starting line, but re-using Kuala Lumpur and Penang so soon again made it feel stale. Not to mention my ears burn from hearing Amazing Grace. By the way, did teams ever start forming relationships with each other? I feel like we learned almost nothing about everyone other than a few occupations and country of origin. Nothing very laugh out loud funny either other than Hilda becoming the new Terri and Jess picking up locals that do NOT like being used. Losing in your home town is always fun to watch, but seeing you finish in first place for that round comes off as boring as Tammy & Victor. Sorry Ethan & Khairie. Maybe I just have something against having any more rounds in that whole peninsula. Los Angeles, northeastern China, and the Malay peninsula will always be under fire in these blogs. I will praise them for doing a Roadblock and a Detour in the season premiere. Lots of tasks squished into one episode, come to think of it. 2) George Town, Penang, Malaysia -> Kampung, Malaysia What a dumb round design. An equalizer halfway through the leg? Give a lousy twenty minute advantage for a team eating 275 chicken balls knowing that failure to complete one of the tasks will automatically give five teams a four hour penalty? Petting the anaconda looked dangerous. The underwater puzzle Roadblock was complicated. The Detour was on par with most tasks in TAR history. Adventure task versus coordination. Self-drive legs are always what TAR is all about. But a four hour penalty for a team failing to complete the underwater puzzle Roadblock within ten minutes? Four hour penalties should only be assessed if a team QUITS a task. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?! Following TAR 16’s unnecessarily high levels of nastiness towards each other, it is nice to watch a season where everybody gets along. The closest thing to a rivalry is Sunaina & Dimple simultaneously hating and loving Michelle & Claire who they nicknamed Dominatrix. Lastly, the Richards should be given ten bucks just for spooking Hilda twenty feet from the pit stop mat. Classic. And screw you TAR 24 for copying half of the round and ruining any good task that occurred for this leg. Shame on you. Rank the Teams — 1) Yani & Nadine In seasons prior to Asia 4, we suffered through weak Speed Bumps that had already aired between seasons twelve and sixteen of the American version. With the twenty-fifth season currently airing, Speed Bumps are openly mocked by all fans. But seeing the Asian format continue on with Marked for Elimination is refreshing. The penalty puts you in a crappy spot. Particularly when an equalizer halfway through the round makes it nearly impossible for you to beat anyone by much of any time, let alone thirty whole minutes. Nadine really screwed up the first Roadblock on the cruise ship which earned them that penalty. Furthermore, Yani failing at the underwater puzzle and being one of five teams to be assessed the four hour penalty put the nail in the coffin. As I said earlier, they are not the worst team ever. They did beat Jess & Lani and Hussein & Natasha if the thirty minute penalty was erased. Edwin & Monica checked in dead last both legs before the marked for elimination penalty was even factored in. Their love for Indonesia did not do much to rival with their supposed hatred of Malaysia as they could not do much of anything for two legs. Why, Yani nearly quit over the anaconda task. If Nadine was told by producers to not use physical force, they would have been out right then and there. In other words, they both contributed to a poorly organized team. They sucked at directions, they sucked at tasks, and could have survived this leg if they could have chosen Rapid Fire as opposed to Rapid Water. So they were bad at decisions too. Hussein & Natasha choosing Rapid Fire truly made the difference. Outside of their performance, I thought Yani & Nadine were alright as characters. It appeared they enjoyed their experience for the most part, and got along well. We have seen a lot of mactors in the past do awful in the American and Asian seasons in terms of possessing zero competitive willpower or an interest in the adventure. So let’s salute what little the second worst statistical team in TAR Asia history were able to accomplish! *** Oh, and here’s a good TAR podcast. Not a stupid one.
Image wrapping script After posting my latest pie chart image, it occurred to me that it would be pretty cool if the text flowed around the edge of the pie chart image rather than around a rectangle. This is not something that can be done simply with HTML / CSS, but it can be done by breaking the images up in to horizontal slices so that they extend only to the edge of the image, rather than to the absolute border. If I googled for it, I suspect I could find tools to do this for me -- but where is the fun in that? Instead, I wrote a Python script that uses the Python Image Library to scan an image and output HTML that will allow text to wrap smoothing around the image. No additional images are produced, because the 'slicing' is done with CSS to select the part of the original image that is seen. Here is the script: wrapimg.zip, and some examples of how to use it: python wrapimg.py -o left.html sliceofpie.png python wrapimg.py -o right.html -d right sliceofpie.png These two lines produced left.html and right.html. The code is completely free, do what you will with it! Update: I wanted to display an example in this blog-post, but Wordpress insists on re-writing my code and ruining the effect! :-( I should find a blogging system that is more techy-friendly!
RPGFan Interview Series - Project Eternity By: John McCarroll and RPGFan Staff Planescape: Torment , Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II , and Fallout: New Vegas . Now, Obsidian is at the tail end of – Chris Avellone is one of the biggest names in the RPG business, known for his work on, and. Now, Obsidian is at the tail end of their Kickstarter for Project Eternity , a classic, party-style RPG. Chris and proclaimed "Obsidian Audio Overlord" Justin Bell were kind enough to take some of our questions on the title, which is currently slated for a 2014 release. RPGFan: With Wasteland 2, Project Eternity, Shadowrun Returns, and all of the other successful "classic RPG" Kickstarters, do you think that big-name publishers might start paying attention to the genre again? Chris Avellone: I suspect the amount of money involved with the initial Kickstarter isn't something that would be appealing to a traditional publisher, but if the game sells a million units once it's released, that would definitely cause them to take notice. RPGFan: Arcanum remains one of my favorite games simply because of the wide variety of player choice. Are you intending to provide outside-the-box player selection like playing as someone "special"? Chris Avellone: We don't want to confine your choices during character creation, we want you to be able to create the type of character you want (the difference between Icewind Dale's heroes and the specificity of the Torment protagonist - we prefer opening up the player's choices more in the freeform direction). The player can still choose cultural and background traits, but that's their choice, and it's not imposed on the player. RPGFan: We know how you’re looking to return to RPG roots with Project Eternity. What new features do you envision will cause Project Eternity to be looked at as a touchstone? Chris Avellone: At the same time, however, one of our primary goals is to recreate a fun Baldur's Gate/Icewind Dale/Torment experience, using the strongest elements of each title. We want to create both a compelling RPG and also something that players who remember those titles have a chance to play again. The chance of seeing anything like this in today's market has been low to non-existent, and we want to prove that those RPGs can still do well and thrive, even if they don't have a huge budget attached to them. Without spoiling too much about the game, the central core spell mechanic of soul transference and how it makes itself felt in the world (both personally, socially, and theologically) is going to leave a lasting impression on players.At the same time, however, one of our primary goals is to recreate a fun Baldur's Gate/Icewind Dale/Torment experience, using the strongest elements of each title. We want to create both a compelling RPG and also something that players who remember those titles have a chance to play again. The chance of seeing anything like this in today's market has been low to non-existent, and we want to prove that those RPGs can still do well and thrive, even if they don't have a huge budget attached to them. RPGFan: Are there any features or traits of classic RPGs that you think haven’t aged well? How do you plan on addressing these issues with Project Eternity? Chris Avellone: It's been difficult to find a true party-based role-playing game, notably because they're hard to implement on console systems due to the interface limitations with the controllers (and almost RPGs being released often have to have console versions in order to maximize the return on investment). With the focus on the PC platforms (traditional PC, plus Mac and Linux) and targeting a market that wants this specific platform, that goes a long way to allowing for the kind of interface support needed for a more traditional Infinity Engine game-style party experience. If people want to control an entire party of characters to explore environments, solve puzzles and challenges, and tactically approach encounters with specific formations and moment-to-moment control and support, Eternity allows for it. RPGFan: With Obsidian being tapped to help with Wasteland 2, is there going to be any cross-development with Project Eternity? Will the two titles share a similar engine or any other elements? Chris Avellone: Brian Fargo and inXile have already offered a great deal of support in terms of logistic advice, post-mortems, and even Wasteland 2 promotional tie-ins in support of Project: Eternity. Brian was responsible for hiring almost all of us way back at Interplay, so the fact we're still in correspondence and helping us to this day is really encouraging and shows our equal love of making RPGs. RPGFan: What are your goals with the game, musically? Who will be composing the music? Will you be offering the soundtrack as a download for those who ultimately purchase the final game, or is it just for Kickstarter backers? Justin Bell, Obsidian Audio Overlord: Above all, we want the music to enhance and support the rich narrative and setting of Project Eternity. To accomplish that we'll use strong themes that are performed by distinctive and interesting instrumental ensembles. Ultimately we want the score to be every bit as memorable as the Infinity Engine game soundtracks are. As for composer, we don't have anything to announce just yet, but you should definitely expect more on that in the future. Lastly, we do want to release the soundtrack after the Kickstarter ends and we're exploring the various options to do that as well. RPGFan: Obsidian, perhaps unfairly, has a bit of a reputation for projects that are huge in scope but often feel somewhat unfinished. What is the cause of this and what about the Kickstarter model will change this? Chris Avellone: Eternity focuses on what we like about role-playing games, specifically the Infinity Engine style games. These are games we've done several iterations of, and not only that, they focus on mechanics that we feel are core to the experience yet still don't require a lot of bells and whistles in terms of the latest graphics card, physics engine, or extensive voice work... we want to focus on the RPG first, and it's our feeling that you don't need a lot of extraneous resources to deliver that experience. RPGFan: What will the item generation system look like? Are you going to look at a Diablo-style "adjective-based" randomization system, or are you crafting weapons uniquely from the ground up? Chris Avellone: Our design efforts to date have been focused on hand-crafted content, not randomized content. As an example, we always enjoyed designing specific items in the Infinity Engine games (and I certainly loved telling specific short stories for each magic item in Icewind Dale and Planescape: Torment, writing the item lore and giving them unusual powers coupled with their basic function was part of the fun). Additional item breakdowns are something we may detail in future updates. RPGFan: Will the game engine be built on classic 2D sprites or 3D models? Why was the decision made? If 2D, how much more difficult is it to create a sprite pack for people potentially using very high definition monitors compared to the 640x480 resolution of classic RPGs? Chris Avellone: This is evident in our released screenshot, we want to give freedom that painted and hand-constructed 3D backgrounds gives us, and we feel that that look and feel allows for some of the more fantastic vistas from games like Icewind Dale to be realized in an RPG. Many of the dungeons from that game required both a modeling and a painterly touch to create the beauty, and we want to recapture that sense of wonder that you may not be able to always capture when you're worrying about the number of polygons per model in a scene. RPGFan: Often times, announcing DLC before a game is released gains ire with some gamers; you don’t seem to have that with the announced expansion of Project Eternity. Why do you think that is? Chris Avellone: I'm not sure. I do know that for us, working on DLC is a great deal of fun, as it allows to create even more rapid, fun adventure content, so perhaps that passion has come across to the community. It's more about creating interesting new content rather than making a profit, which may be the common perception in today's market when DLC is mentioned. I loved doing the New Vegas DLCs, and the idea of being able to do the same for Eternity is great (plus expansions, which we've really missed doing, and there's rarely a publisher that wants to sign on to do an expansion, unfortunately, no matter how much players love them). ©2012 Obsidian Entertainment. All rights reserved.
Welcome to the Nitrome Jam 2014 This is a 5 day Jam running between the 2nd - 6th of June 2014 making quick games in the spirit of Nitrome. Games will be made by both Nitrome team members and by outside game developers. The games will have to fit within the theme of the Jam as voted for by the Nitrome audience. Rules The game must be built in something that can be played in a browser. This could be Flash, HTML 5, Unity, Puzzle Script or anything else that works for this. No download games, sorry. It must be possible to host the game on Nitrome.com. We will not be allowing anything that is hosted exclusively elsewhere, though you are free to put it there too. The game must have been made for the Jam and cannot be something that was made prior to the Nitrome Game Jam start date. (2nd June 2014) The game dimensions must be within 550 x 550 in size. The game must be suitable for the Nitrome audience. This means your game cannot contain any nudity, sexual themes, blood, excessive gore or excessive violence. Please look to Nitrome's back catalogue as a reference to what sort of game would be deemed acceptable. Games will be hosted on the Nitrome.com website. This means that the games will be surrounded by the usual advertising slots that we have around our games on Nitrome. Nitrome does earn revenue from these ad units so anyone submitting should be aware of this. We will not place any ad before or within your game. You are free to place an ad within your game if you wish. Nitrome requires no ownership of your game. You are free to host the game that you submit elsewhere, take it to iPhone etc. Nitrome retains the rights to any of its assets or characters used within the entries however and in those instances further restrictions apply. Games that use Nitrome assets (Game sprites, Characters and/or Universes) can not distribute the game to any none browser based environment or make money from the entry via any method other than imbedded advertising. If you wish to do either you can but please remove Nitrome assets first. Games that use Nitrome assets also must contain the Nitrome Jam branding to make it clear that it is part of the Jam. No games made outside of the Jam have Nitromes permission to use Nitrome assets. You must supply with your entry: Team name Credits for who did what A short description of your game Instructions and controls description. A 50 x 50 image that could be used as an icon for the game. An 272 x 160 image for use on the Jam page. An image of any other games you have made that you wish to link to (size to be decided). Schedule Monday 2nd of June - 10.00am GMT We will stop voting and reveal the winning theme of the Jam as voted for by the Nitrome community. Friday 6th of June - Midnight GMT All entries need to be submitted either via the submission form or to the following email. [email protected] Credits Submissions made in the Nitrome Game Jam will have a section below the game itself giving credit to those who made it. There will be a place to write a short description of the game and a description of the controls. We will also allow you to highlight and link your own most noteworthy games if applicable. (maximum 2 titles). Branding We will supply a static and animated version of the Nitrome Jam logo which we encourage you to place at the start of your game. Prizes? At the time of writing we have no formal prizes for the winners. It is mainly about having fun after all! If anyone wants to offer prizes for the event we would be happy to list them as a sponsor. So what makes it a 'Nitrome' Jam? Games are made in the spirit of Nitrome: We encourage that participants make games in the spirit of Nitrome games. This probably means pixels to you, or maybe arcade, retro or original concepts... we'll leave the participants to interpret that how they wish :) Games CAN use Nitromes Worlds, Characters and sprites: As this is a Nitrome Jam, users are allowed to use our characters and sprites within the games that are submitted. We do not have time to supply sprites however so that's something you would need to consider. Games WILL appear on Nitrome.com! All games submitted that are not disqualified (see rules for more info) will appear on the main Nitrome.com website. The Nitrome website is usually limited to games made by Nitrome themselves (All 130 games you find on the site are made by us). Nitrome gets millions of players every month on the site and has relatively few games compared to other sites of a similar size so this is a unique opportunity to show a vast audience your game. All of Nitromes team will be directly competing. The whole Nitrome team are splitting into smaller teams and will be making and submitting games during the event. Alongside this we have invited many game makers that inspire us to get involved. There's even a handful of ex-Nitrome members coming back for the jam too! The Nitrome community will be directly involved. Nitrome's user base will be directly involved throughout the event. Before the Jam even starts, users can submit theme suggestions for the Game Jam itself. They will then be voting on those suggestions and we will declare the winner (the chosen theme) on the starting day of the event. Once the games have been posted at the end of the Game Jam. The Nitrome community can vote for the winner! How do I sign up? You can declare your interest to be involved here. Press We will hopefully have someone covering the Jam on the blog each day. However we all would ideally like to be involved in the Jam itself so we will have to cross that bridge when we come to it. Anyone who would like to volunteer for this role therefore would be very welcome (over 18's only). Email us here: [email protected] Outside of Nitrome we hope that at least some of the gaming press will be interested in what we are doing and give us some coverage.
Here's a fascinating little window into the working habits of one our most brilliant and prolific artists. It's from Robert B. Weide's 2011 PBS film Woody Allen: A Documentary. In the scene above, Allen shows us the machine he has used for sixty years, the only typewriter he has ever owned: an early fifties manual Olympia SM-3. "I bought this when I was sixteen," Allen says. "It still works like a tank." Every comedy sketch, every screenplay, every essay ever written by Allen was composed on the one typewriter. When Weide asks Allen how he manages without the "cut-and-paste" functions of a word processor, he pulls out a pair of scissors and an old Swingline stapler. "It's very primitive, I know," says Allen, "but it works very well for me." "Allen's persistence in using the one and only typewriter of his life, and in practicing cut-and-staple editing are certainly curious, quaint, idiosyncratic, even endearing," writes Richard Brody in the Front Row blog at The New Yorker; "but they're also proof on the wing of two of Allen's lifelong qualities--untimeliness and hermeticism--as well as of the enduring struggle in his films between writing and experience." Related Content: Woody Allen Answers 12 Unconventional Questions Woody Allen Boxes a Kangaroo, 1967 Woody Allen Talks With the Reverand Billy Graham
WATCH THE FULL FILM, PRELUDE TO AXANAR, BY CLICKING ON THE "PLAY" BUTTON ABOVE! Axanar is the independent Star Trek film which proves that a feature-quality Star Trek film can be made on a small budget. Our 20-minute short film, Prelude to Axanar, premiered Saturday, July 26th, 2014, at San Diego Comic Con and features Richard Hatch, Tony Todd, Kate Vernon, JG Hertzler and Gary Graham, who reprises his role of Soval from "Enterprise". The makeup was done by Academy Award winner Kevin Haney and Star Trek veteran Brad Look and Make Up Effects Lab. Top that off with the amazing visual effects of Tobias Richter and The Light Works, and sound by Academy Award winner Frank Serafine, and the result is Prelude to Axanar: something unlike anything you have ever seen before. We have our loyal donors to thank for this! This Kickstarter is for the full-length feature Axanar. Unlike the short film, which we shot in two days and cost $80,000, the 90-minute Axanar feature will take about 3 weeks and cost roughly between $650,000 and $ 750,000 (The budget is in process based on learnings from the Prelude to Axanar budget, so I would expect the budget to climb). So we are breaking up our costs into discreet sections which should allow us to reach significant milestones, as we don't expect to raise the full amount all at once. This first Kickstarter will be for the sound stage and set construction. Anything over what we need for that will be applied to the feature production costs. Full details are below. PLEASE NOTE (Added 8/24) The response to our Kickstarter has been amazing and because of the help of George Takei, we blew through $ 500,000 and now $ 600,000! We never dreamed we would get close to original amount we said we needed, so we didn't revise the actual production budget, which was created before Prelude to Axanar was even shot. We just did rough budgets for set construction and sound stage, which we have good handles on and hoped we would get enough to cover them. Then, while building the sets and modifying the studio, we would be able to work on a better budget for the actual production and show you our progress on the sets and studio. Well, due to all your generosity, we have everything we need for the sets and studio and are well on our way to covering most of the budget. So we are going to start working on a formal budgeting process for Axanar and get those numbers as soon as possible. As always, every donor will get updated through the updates here, as well as on our Facebook Donor Group. Accountability and transparency are very important to us, because we take seriously our job of taking care of your money. You'll need an HTML5 capable browser to see this content. Play Replay with sound Play with sound 00:00 00:00 THE STORY Axanar takes place 21 years before the events of “Where no Man Has Gone Before”. It tells the story of Garth of Izar, the legendary Starfleet captain who is Captain Kirk’s hero and the role model for a generation of Starfleet officers. Garth charted more planets than any other Captain and was the hero of the Battle of Axanar. His exploits are required reading at Starfleet Academy. This is the story of Garth and his crew during the Four Years War, the war with the Klingon Empire that almost tore the Federation apart, and whose resolution solidified the Federation and allowed it to become the entity we know in Kirk's time. It is the year 2245, four years into the war with the Klingons. "This is Star Trek". That was what Star Trek legend David Gerrold said when he first read the script for Axanar last year. David, who wrote "The Trouble With Tribbles" and worked on both TOS and TNG, knows Star Trek better than anyone, liked Axanar so much he signed on as Creative Consultant. THE CAST Richard Hatch "Commander Kharn" For the role of the Klingon Warlord who leads the Empire into battle, Axanar creator Alec Peters chose his very first acting coach and mentor, Richard Hatch. Known for his role as Apollo in the original Battlestar Galactica and as Tom Zarek in the re-imagined Battlestar, Richard is a fan favorite and is studying Klingon for the role. Tony Todd as "Admiral Ramirez" Tony Todd is known for his role as Worf's brother "Kurn" in several TNG and DS9 episodes. He also played an older Jake Sisko in the DS9 episode "The Visitor", considered by many to be one of the best DS9 episodes. A brilliant actor with incredible presence, his genre roles have made him a fan favorite. Tony plays Starfleet's most senior Admiral. Kate Vernon as "Captain Sonya Alexander" Kate Vernon is known best for her role as "Ellen Tighe" in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica. A veteran of stage and screen, Kate comes from an acting family. She plays hot-shot Starfleet Captain Sonya Alexander. Gary Graham as "Soval" From Alien Nation to Enterprise, Gary has been impressing audiences for 30 years. In Axanar he reprises his role of Vulcan Ambassador Soval from Star Trek: Enterprise. The wonderful evolution of Soval in Enterprise plays right into Axanar. JG Hertzler as "Captain Samuel Travis" A fan favorite for his role as "Martok" in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, JG has played seven different characters in Star Trek. For Axanar, JG plays Sam Travis, one of Starfleet's finest Captains. THE VISUAL EFFECTS OF AXANAR Prelude to Axanar has the amazing talents of Tobias Richter and his company The Light Works, one of the top visual effects houses in the world. What you have seen in our videos is all Tobias and his crew. You'll need an HTML5 capable browser to see this content. Play Replay with sound Play with sound 00:00 00:00 KICKSTARTER DETAILS All new donors who donate at least $ 35 in the first 5 days get the Fifth Fleet patch FREE! PERKS We want to give you great perks for your backing donations, so we reviewed what other projects have done and did better. We hope you will enjoy the perks we offer. And please stay tuned for special offers we will be unveiling during the 30 days of this Kickstarter. FULFILLMENT We learned a great deal about fulfilling the perks we offered in the first Kickstarter and have applied those lessons in this Kickstarter. Please note that delivery dates are estimations, and may change. But we will endeavor to keep you well informed through our updates here on Kickstarter, through our Facebook Donor Group, and through our donor email list. The Starfleet Procurement patch, available only to donors! WHERE YOUR MONEY GOES ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY We take our obligation to our backers to be financially accountable very seriously. So we like keeping donors abreast of where your money goes. We have gotten high marks from our communication with our donors because we value the fact that YOU make this all possible! KICKSTARTER FINANCIAL BASICS First, understand that generally, a project receives about 80% of the total money raised. Ten percent goes to Kickstarter and Amazon payment processing fees, and another 10% we have budgeted for Perks (the gifts you earn at different donation levels). The budget for Axanar is broken into 5 sections: SET CONSTRUCTION - $100,000 We need to build a complete set of Starship sets from scratch. We are lucky to have two of the top set builders in Hollywood working on this. One worked on Star Trek for 15 years for Herman Zimmerman and also built the bridges of the Kelvin, Kobayashi Maru simulator and Enterprise in the JJ Star Treks. The other built the bridge of the SHIELD Helicarrier in Avengers. They are both excited to work on Axanar. (Remember, to get $ 100,000, we need to raise approximately $ 125,000) You'll need an HTML5 capable browser to see this content. Play Replay with sound Play with sound 00:00 00:00 SOUND STAGE - $125,000 We have two potential locations we are negotiating for to serve as our sound stage in Valencia, CA, just north of LA. This will be the permanent home of Axanar Productions and allow us to do more than just Axanar, from other adventures in the Star Trek universe and beyond. David Gerrold (author of "The Trouble with Tribbles") is already lined up to shoot his sci-fi series "Running Dark" here. First year's rent is $ 125,000. (Remember, to get $ 125,000, we need to raise approximately $ 155,000) SOUND STAGE RENOVATION - $50,000 Converting this space to be a sound stage will cost approximately $50,000. This includes dropping a grid system for lights and baffling, sound proofing and other modifications to the building. Depending which space we get will determine what exactly we need to do, but this is a rough estimate. Sci-Fi Film School - After the sets our built, we will be holding a Sci-Fi film school. Learn all about film making from our veteran industry staff including David Gerrold (writing), Richard Hatch and Gary Graham (acting), Robert Burnett (Editing/Directing), Christian Gossett (writing/directing) and Academy Award winner Kevin Haney and Star Trek veteran Brad Look (make-up). Donors will get first shot at the initial film school session. (Remember, to get $ 50,000, we need to raise approximately $ 62,000) AXANAR PRE-PRODUCTION COSTS - $ 50,000 This includes costume manufacture ($20,000), VFX pre-visualization and modelling ($15,000), and make-up ($15,000). These are all costs we incur before we ever shoot a day on set. These are just pre-production costs to get these departments going. (Remember, to get $ 50,000, we need to raise approximately $ 62,000) AXANAR PRODUCTION COSTS - $ 325,000 - $ 425,000 This is a very rough estimate done before we even shot Prelude to Axanar. The biggest differences between Prelude to Axanar and the Axanar feature will be: 1) Crew will need to be paid on the feature shoot 2) VFX will be significantly more expensive as there will be so many VFX shots; 3) Costume costs will be significant for Starfleet and Klingon costumes for the entire cast 4) There will be a lot of Klingon and Andorian (and other species) make up. 5) The shoot will be approximately 3 weeks, rather than 2 days. Please note we published the budget for Prelude to Axanar because we want our donors to know where exactly their money goes. You can read it here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/194429923/star-trek-prelude-to-axanar/posts/961255 STRETCH GOALS We have posted a $ 100,000 goal, which will allow us to build the sets we need. But we hope to raise significantly more. Here is what we need, what those stretch goals get us, and what perks we will be giving you all for every stretch goal we meet: $275,000 Stretch Goal - At this level, we obtain a facility in Los Angeles to build our sets and pay for the rent to maintain them for a full year. This takes into account the 10% we will have to pay in Kickstarter/Amazon fees and fulfilling all perks. If we reach $ 275,000, everyone who donated at least $10 gets a Second Fleet (Vulcan) Patch. $400,000 Stretch Goal - At this level, we will be able to pay for modifying the warehouse space with a lighting grid and sound proofing and pay for our pre-production costs as well. This takes into account the 10% we will have to pay in Kickstarter/Amazon fees and fulfilling all perks. If we reach $ 400,000, everyone who donated at least $10 gets a Third Fleet (Andoria) Patch. (Please note, for those donating $35 or less, there is a small shipping fee as otherwise we are not shipping anything to you as everything is digital. All other levels we will just put these stretch goal perks in with what we are already shipping you!) AXANAR VETERANS If you donated at least $10 in our first Kickstarter (or Backerkit), and you donate at least $10 in this Kickstarter in the first 5 days, you will get the Axanar Veteran patch for free! (For those donating less than $35, please note shipping fee above.) THANK YOU to our loyal donors! Every time Team Axanar does a Kickstarter, for the Axanar feature or for another project, we will produce an Axanar Veterans patch featuring a different campaign in the Four Years War. And please join us on the Axanar Donors Forum on Facebook, where the Axanar team interacts with the donors who make Axanar possible. CORRECTIONS TO PERKS Please note these corrections. $ 35 Level - Includes all of the perks up to $ 35 as well. $ 50 Level - Includes all of the perks up to $ 50 as well. All levels over $ 75 that include all perks up to $ 75, include EITHER a DVD or Blu Ray, not both. $ 10,000 Level - expanded the time frame of your participation and the choice is now yours as to how much you would like to participate -- be a member of the crew for a day, a week, or the entire length of the shoot!
NEW DELHI: A day after the Delhi high court said living in the city was like "living in a gas chamber", the Arvind Kejriwal government on Friday decided to allow private vehicles with even and odd registration numbers on alternate days from January 1 next year.This effectively means vehicles ending with an even number will be allowed on a certain day, while those with odd number plates can be driven the next day. The rule will not apply to public vehicles.The decision, taken at a meeting presided over by Kejriwal, will also cover vehicles entering Delhi from other states. The Delhi government hopes to reduce emission by half in the national capital by the controversial move.The Delhi government has also decided to shut down south Delhi's Badarpur power plant, one of the coal-based plants of the NTPC. The government said it will also launch a web application, which allows people to report about polluting vehicles in the capital.Delhi, on an average, adds nearly a 1000 cars everyday to its already choking roads. Studies also say the national capital has more cars than Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai combined.On Thursday, the Delhi high court said the air pollution levels in the national capital have reached "alarming" proportions and it was akin to "living in a gas chamber". The court directed the Centre and the Kejriwal government to present specific and comprehensive action plans to combat it.The court identified dust particles and vehicular emissions as the two major causes of air pollution in Delhi. It asked both the Centre and the Delhi governments to ensure no construction of building or roads takes place without first ensuring that the generation of dust was minimised.(With agency inputs)
Find the other parts of my S4 retrospective here. Well, I’m waaaaaay behind schedule on these MLP S4 rewatch write-ups, but I’ll do my best to put out as many in the next couple days before Season 5’s premiere as I can. After Flight to the Finish, Season 4 settles into a groove, and the subsequent several episodes strike a good balance between the earnest and well-made stuff that made MLP popular in the first place and the engaging ambitious ideas that have propelled it forward since Season 2. These two episodes aren’t the best examples of that description, considering they’re reflective of some of the significant shortcomings of MLP trying to be more ambitious, but they still have a bit of what made MLP so great in the first place and a bit of what still makes it so great. Now let’s get down to some more pone! SEASON 4 EPISODE 6 – POWER PONIES A really good popcorn episode! I didn’t know what to make of the idea of the ponies becoming superheroes when I first heard about it but I was definitely excited to see where it would go, and pleased with where it actually did go. Definitely holds up just as well as I remember it. Maretropolis is gorgeous and brimming with gritty but camp atmosphere, making it easy to get into the groove of the episode. The Mane-iac is a great campy villain with a distinct look, distinct mannerisms in the way she uses her super-powered mane with wonderful visual flow, and a really fun over-the-top vocal performance by Ellen Kennedy. The Power Ponies’ superpowers range from simple but appropriate enhancements of the characters’ actual abilities (Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash) to abilities that fit the quirks of the characters like a glove and lend themselves to really inventive and genuinely funny little moments sprinkled throughout the episode (Pinkie, Rarity) to abilities that are a reference to one odd personality trait to make for a decent gag at the end (Fluttershy). The one thing each ability has in common is that they’re all fun to see play out in all the neat little action scenes of the episode. The actual underlying character arc of the episode goes to Spike. In a vacuum it’s a fine enough character episode, but when Spike is still by and large the useless butt of every joke (including several overt examples across the immediate subsequent episodes) it’s extremely hard to invest in his development. Spike just doesn’t have any consistency at all, so it’s impossible for him to be a good character. Besides that, though, this is a real fun episode with an awesome concept and awesome execution, and definitely a pleasure to watch again. 7/10 SEASON 4 EPISODE 7 – BATS! This is an episode that doesn’t hold up so well with rewatches. I mean, it’s a fine episode, but when I first saw it I loved it a whole lot more. The idea of vampire fruit bats, and the idea of Fluttershy becoming one, are cool concepts, and so is the base narrative conflict between Applejack and Fluttershy and their differences of approaching the issue, but the execution falls flat on so many levels. It makes sense for Dash and Rarity’s personalities quirks to cause them to have a stifle-jerk reaction (‘stifle’ is horse talk for knee… apparently) and side with Applejack’s stubborn short-term solution, and it made sense for Pinkie to passively go along with things as usual, but why Twilight? I have absolute no clue how in the hell Twilight, the voice of reason of the group, would immediately go for the short-term solution. I just can not believe Twilight’s actions, and that takes me out of it a bit. The biggest shortcoming of Bats! is the flimsy use of the “The Stare”, which really stretches the idea beyond any semblance of sense from Twilight’s spell reflecting the fruit bats’ instincts onto Fluttershy using The Stare to Fluttershy somehow inflicting The Stare on herself in vampire bat form even though it’s an ability that she normally has total control over. There isn’t any solid ground for The Stare to stand on in this episode, and putting aside the superficial “logic holes” of it all it’s just really graceless writing that’s difficult to engage with. I think I’ve spent enough time being harsh on this episode, so let’s get to the good stuff! I loved the atmosphere of the episode, especially in the climax of the episode when they’re in the orchard at night. The barren trees spread across the shadowy fields was gorgeous and spooky, with tight flowing shot-framing to top it off. And let’s not forget about the brilliant and haunting Nightmare Before Christmas inspired eponymous song of the episode, which easily ranks among the very best compositions Ingram has ever put out. This is a bit of a strange and uneven episode of MLP, but it has a whole lot of bright spots that make it a real good watch. 7/10 And that was episodes 6 and 7. I was planning to talk about a few more episodes for this write-up, but I’ll try to do that over the next few episode reviews which will come over the next couple days (hopefully). Until then, enjoy these two episode reviews and continue to rev up your hype engines for Season 5! Advertisements
Over the next two months, a team of Japanese explorers hopes to obtain indisputable video evidence confirming the existence of the legendary yeti, the mysterious apelike creature long believed to inhabit the Himalayas of Nepal and Tibet. A 7-member crew of experienced climbers, led by veteran yeti hunter and mountaineer Yoshiteru Takahashi, will depart Japan on August 16. At their destination in the Dhaulagiri mountains in central Nepal, they will establish base camp at an elevation of 4,300 meters (14,000 ft) and set up an array of automated infrared cameras along a ridge. For six weeks, the men and their state-of-the-art motion-sensitive cameras will monitor the area for signs of the yeti. The expedition is Takahashi's third attempt to find the elusive creature. The 65-year-old mountaineer first became interested in the yeti while on a climbing expedition in the Dhaulagiri region in 1971, after fellow climbers saw a mysterious humanoid creature covered in gray fur that appeared to be about 150 centimeters (5 ft) tall and walked upright. In 1994, when Takahashi returned to the region on his first mission to find the yeti, he reportedly found small humanoid footprints in a mountain cave that had a strong animal scent. In 2003, on his second expedition, Takahashi and his crew found more mysterious footprints and observed the silhouettes of unidentified humanoid creatures from a distance. In a written statement on the Yeti Project Japan 2008 website, Takahashi describes the yeti sighting that took place in 2003. "Three dark silhouettes were observed at 12:25 PM on September 27, 2003 on the southeast ridge of Gurja Himal," he writes. "They looked almost human and walked upright on two legs." According to Takahashi, the expedition crew had long expected to lay eyes on a yeti, but the sighting shocked them nonetheless. At the same time, however, the incident brought a sense of relief because it confirmed that the creature was indeed out there somewhere. Over the years, numerous yeti sightings have been reported in the region. Takahashi's 2003 encounter -- the 4th sighting known to have occurred on the southeast ridge -- strengthened his convictions about the yeti. In a recent interview with the Asahi Shimbun (who, along with Suntory, is a co-sponsor of the current expedition), Takahashi said, "The yeti is not a bear or a monkey. It is definitely an unknown creature that walks on two legs." Unfortunately, however, the 2003 expedition (whose sponsors included Pepsi, Suntory, Nikon, and the Asahi Shimbun), failed in its goal to produce visual evidence of the yeti's existence. But now, five years later, Takahashi and his crew are better equipped than ever to capture the yeti on camera, and they are sure they will succeed this time. Takahashi, who believes clear photographs or video of the yeti will pave the way for future scientific research, says, "We are confident we can prove its existence this time, and once we do, we can start working to protect it." [Sources: Asahi, Yeti Project Japan 2008] Related: Seven mysterious creatures of Japan
Gov. Peter Shumlin has signed into law a bill to put Vermont on a path to become the first state to require labeling of foods that contain genetically modified ingredients.But the new law faces two big threats - a possible lawsuit from food manufacturers, and legislation in Congress that would bar states from imposing such labeling requirements.Maine and Connecticut have previously passed laws requiring labels on genetically modified food, but they don't take effect until other states follow suit. Vermont's law takes effect in July of 2016 without a requirement that other states go first.About 300 people and a live band turned out Thursday afternoon for the bill signing on the steps of the Statehouse in Montpelier. Gov. Peter Shumlin has signed into law a bill to put Vermont on a path to become the first state to require labeling of foods that contain genetically modified ingredients. But the new law faces two big threats - a possible lawsuit from food manufacturers, and legislation in Congress that would bar states from imposing such labeling requirements. Maine and Connecticut have previously passed laws requiring labels on genetically modified food, but they don't take effect until other states follow suit. Vermont's law takes effect in July of 2016 without a requirement that other states go first. About 300 people and a live band turned out Thursday afternoon for the bill signing on the steps of the Statehouse in Montpelier. AlertMe
Five stories that have North Texas talking: Globe Life Park is vegan-friendly; DeSoto lawmaker addresses “lunch shaming”; the legislative fight continues over whether transgender Texans can use the bathroom; and more. Of all the places in North Texas known for their vegan food, Globe Life Park in Arlington recently received a ringing endorsement. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) this month deemed the home of the Texas Rangers the No. 1 vegan-friendly ballpark in the country. The park has been absent from PETA’s annual list for almost a decade. And this year, Globe Life Park is the only Texas venue in the top 10. The organization commended the ballpark for having an entire food stand dedicated to vegan foods, like meat-free jerky, black bean burgers, spinach wraps with hummus and other meatless, dairy-free items. The cart, located on the first floor in section 16 on the third base side of the park, launched last spring “partly because of a very persistent, dedicated vegan from Van Alstyne named Twalla Grant,” according to GuideLive. [GuideLive] A North Texas lawmaker is launching a donation page to address “lunch shaming” in schools. State Rep. Helen Giddings, D-DeSoto, says she was “shocked” and “horrified” to learn that students without enough money to buy lunch were humiliated in schools and weren’t provided food. In response, she’s working with Feeding Texas, a statewide association of food banks, to set up a donation page for people to contribute money “that will go toward reimbursing schools that feed students whose lunch accounts are empty,” the Texas Tribune reports. [The Texas Tribune] Learning to move on early in life, Jerry Harris is ready for college. Harris is one of seven North Texas students KERA has been following throughout high school. They’re now preparing to graduate. A few years ago, Jerry’s parents split up, and he chose to move to Ardmore, Oklahoma to live with his dad. “It’s been difficult but good. I think we have a really good relationship. It’s probably stronger than if he lived here,” Jerry’s mom, Susie, says. Now, he’s heading to the University of Oklahoma in the fall to pursue anesthesiology. Meet the Class of ‘17. [KERA News] The Texas Senate will reject the “bathroom amendment,” a compromise proposed by the House. An amendment to Senate Bill 2078 requires schools to provide access to single-occupancy restrooms if a student doesn't want to use the facility that corresponds to their biological sex. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the amendment’s “ambiguous language” didn’t “appear to do much,” the Texas Tribune reports. Patrick threatened to push for a special session if lawmakers didn’t approve one of two measures that were broader than the House’s compromise. [The Texas Tribune] As West Dallas transforms, church members have concerns about what will happen to their neighborhood. There’s a small section of West Dallas, only about six blocks, called Gilbert-Emory. It’s in the shadow of new apartments and townhomes being built next to Singleton Boulevard. And in that little neighborhood, there are four to five tiny churches. Despite new development, church members and pastors are focused on faith. “I got to know God in my most intimate ways here in West Dallas.” [KERA News] The High Five is KERA’s daily roundup of stories from Dallas-Fort Worth and across the state. Explore our archives here. And sign up for our weekly email for the North Texas news you need to know.
Kolkata: Just when the dust appeared to be settling, Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has dropped a bombshell. The Trinamool Congress leader, a member of the Lok Sabha, has said in an affidavit that he had in November 2013 applied to the Union patent authorities for registration of Biswa Bangla, the state government-promoted handicrafts brand, as its proprietor with the consent of the chief minister. For over three years, the government of West Bengal and Abhishek Banerjee have been competing for registration of the mark, which was designed by the chief minister. In September this year, an arm of the state government challenged Abhishek Banerjee’s application, alleging malfeasance. The state claimed the mark was given exclusively to it for use by its departments. Abhishek Banerjee was not immediately available for comments. His lawyer Sanjay Basu said though Abhishek Banerjee had made as many as eight applications, most were abandoned or withdrawn. “Abhishek Banerjee did not pursue the applications," Basu claimed, adding that they were filed in the first place to protect the mark from being misused. One of the co-founders of Trinamool Congress, Mukul Roy, who has recently joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), kicked up a furore earlier this month when he alleged in a public rally that Abhishek Banerjee had secured ownership of Biswa Bangla. By then, the patent body had already advertised the mark in its official journal, acknowledging the Trinamool Congress leader’s claim to it. But registration wasn’t granted yet. In a letter dated 2 November, which reached the Trademarks Registry in Kolkata on 13 November, Abhishek Banerjee said he was withdrawing all claims to Biswa Bangla. Alongside, he sued Roy for defamation and in his affidavit, said that he had applied for registration of the Biswa Bangla mark as its proprietor with the “approval" of the chief minister “to protect (it) from being misused or copied". He did not do so with the aim of “deriving any personal gain". “The intention was to have the application for registration made in (Abhishek Banerjee’s) name till such time a state-owned institution or corporation is identified to use the trademark for the benefit of the state," the affidavit said. Abhishek Banerjee staked claim to Biswa Bangla in November 2013, but the state has claimed in its opposition to his application that it has been using the mark “exclusively" from September 2013 and that it has spent “huge sums of money" to promote it, resulting in “exponential growth (of the mark’s) reputation and goodwill". In the wake of the controversy kicked up by BJP’s Roy, home secretary Atri Bhattacharya said Biswa Bangla, “the most representative mark" of West Bengal, was assigned to the state government under an agreement in 2014. In September, the state government had said in its opposition to Abhishek Banerjee’s application that he had applied for registration of an “identical mark with mala fide and dishonest intention".
The British Government appears to have been poisoned with LSD or a similar hallucinogen, and has announced that it will be releasing more than ONE HUNDRED reports on how it intends to cope with global warming. The first of the reports, due to be released later this week, will lay out plans – apparently in all seriousness – to airlift fish from areas like the lake district hundreds of miles north to Scotland. As The Ministry of Truth reports: Fish from the Lake District will be moved to cooler waters in Scotland under radical plans – which will be unveiled this week – aimed at coping with climate change. The first seven of more than 100 reports by government agencies and utility companies will set out how Britain needs to change to cope with hotter summers and wetter winters. They will highlight the risks – and potential costs – of more landslides, buckled railway lines, crumbling water pipes and rising sea levels threatening lighthouses around the coast. Officials say the studies are needed because levels of carbon emissions mean climate change over the next four decades is unavoidable Ministry of Truth. Fish Threatened by Global Warming to Be Moved North. You have to marvel at the complete circularity of the reasoning presented by this palpably barking mad idea. This is necessary because it’s going to get very hot – and why is it going to get very hot? Because of the amount of carbon dioxide being released. Thus, even though temperatures in the UK have shown no discernible change from normal, despite Co2 emissions going up and up, the government is spending a fortune in taxpayer’s money to fund 100 reports on how we’re going to cope. Madness. Advertisements
Every cinematic shared universe begins with a single film, and for the prospective Universal Monsters franchise, that’s The Mummy. (Well, at one point it was Dracula Untold, but Universal seems perfectly happy to forget that one ever existed, and to let everyone else forget it too.) Which is why it’s so important for the studio to get it right. So far, things look reasonably promising. They hired Alex Kurtzman to direct, and convinced Tom Cruise to lend his A-list star wattage as the leading man. They got Sofia Boutella to play the Mummy herself, adding an interesting gender-swapped wrinkle to the project. And now they’re starting to fill up some of the other roles. First up is Annabelle Wallis, probably best known from the U.K. TV series Peaky Blinders. Variety writes Wallis has been cast as an archaeologist in the movie, while The Hollywood Reporter says she’s playing a scientist. Whether those seem like conflicting reports depends on whether you consider archaeology a science, I guess. THR additionally claims that Cruise is playing a special forces soldier or former soldier. Plot details are being kept under very tight wraps, though we do know it’ll be set in the modern day. Wallis is a British actress whose credits include the TV shows The Tudors and Peaky Blinders, as well as the movies Annabelle (a pretty terrible Conjuring spinoff) and Sacha Baron Cohen’s The Brothers Grimsby. Her upcoming roles include Zack Whedon’s Come and Find Me and Guy Ritchie’s Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur. The latter is also intended to set up an ongoing “shared universe,” so depending on how things go Wallis could find herself with two major franchises on her hands. Kurtzman, who also wrote the screenplay with Chris Morgan, has been quick to reassure fans that contrary to earlier comments made by Universal chief Donna Langley, the Universal Monsters movies will remain in the horror genre. “I think there was some lost in translation quality to the way it was received, because I promise you there will be horror in these movies,” he said. “The tricky part is actually how you combine horror with either adventure or suspense or action and be true to all the genres together.” The Mummy will open June 9, 2017. Besides The Mummy, Universal is also planning reboots of the Wolf Man (due out March 30, 2018), Van Helsing, Bride of Frankenstein, and the Invisible Man.
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea announced plans on Tuesday to restart a mothballed nuclear reactor, the latest in a series of provocations by its leader, Kim Jong-un, to elicit a muted response from American officials, who believe they can wait out Mr. Kim’s threats until he realizes his belligerent behavior will not force South Korea or the United States into making any concessions. “Right now, they’re testing the proposition that we’ll choose peace and quiet, and put it on our MasterCard,” said a senior American official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the administration’s internal calculations. “When they get through this cycle, they will have gotten no return on their investment.” Secretary of State John Kerry, using time-tested diplomatic language, said North Korea’s plan to restart the reactor would be a “provocative act” and “a direct violation of their international obligations.” Speaking in Washington after his first meeting with South Korea’s foreign minister, Yun Byung-se, Mr. Kerry reaffirmed the determination of the United States to defend its ally. American officials still worry about the consequences of any miscalculation, given the hair-trigger tensions on the Korean Peninsula and Mr. Kim’s inexperience at this type of brinkmanship. The top American commander in South Korea, Gen. James D. Thurman, called the situation “tense” and “volatile” in an interview with ABC News.
Most of you reading this space know that I have long been on the pulse of MLS expansion. From back in the Seattle and Philadelphia days for expansion, to the Portland and Vancouver double dip in 2010 and most recently with New York City. Some of you have asked recently where I feel the league is going next in terms of expansion, so I hope in a way this will shed some light for you on what I am thinking. I haven’t done a full fledged Power Rankings on these parts in nearly a year. But lately I have gotten the itch to bring it back for a special post. With all of the MLS expansion rumors floating out there I thought it would be fun to give you all my top list of cities. Some of the rankings below are based on how well I feel a certain city or three could be the next MLS expansion cite. Naturally this order is purely based on my opinion and some parts do involve my dreams/hopes for the league. And the last little bit of the ranking does involve what I am hearing our there from sources, agents, etc. None of it is perfect so let’s keep the comments civil if your city is lower than you expect it to be. So where we go, a special WVHooligan.com Power Rankings. 1. Orlando, Florida (population 2.2 million) – Ever since the day that the Austin Aztex were moved to Central Florida, the thought of this being a MLS town has been a pretty good one. Orlando City SC has made their voices heard time and time again about how they want to be a MLS market. They’ve brought in good numbers for their USL team, earned a ton of local support, got a good and solid fan base set up and there is even an academy team already built in. They didn’t get the state money a short while ago but that hasn’t slowed down their goals of becoming a MLS market. Things going for them: Support, fan base, academy, ownership with decent-sized pockets Things not going for them: Stadium 2. San Antonio (population 2.2 million) – Another smaller market that just makes sense. The NASL’s Scorpions have become a big hit in the Alamo City and given their stadium plans in place, they will eventually have a venue that is MLS worthy. The issue with this market is that they’ve burned MLS before. Back in 2005, the city wanted a team, had good discussions with the league about playing at the Alamo Dome but then things quickly fell apart. Thankfully the Scorpions have shown that they could be a big deal if they were in MLS. Also, the addition of this city would add to the Texas Derby. MLS loves their rivalries so adding another one club to the mix would certainly spark some things. Things going for them: Support, fan base, stadium that can expand, logical addition to rival Houston and Dallas Things not going for them: Questions about ownership not having deep enough pockets, small TV market 3. Miami/Fort Lauderdale (population 5.6 million) – We all know the history here. This is a weird sports market but if you can get all the stars to align it will work. But that is a whole lotta ifs. But now David Beckham enters the picture with Marcelo Claure. That is some star power and deep pockets, not to mention I see a small chance of someone like LeBron James getting involved here on this as well. Still, the market is extremely tough to enter and MLS knows it. They can’t go in Miami alone without Orlando, Tampa, or Atlanta. Things going for them: Deeeeep pockets for the owners, fan base (if they work with the NASL’s Strikers), good TV market Things not going for them: Stadium, full support of locals still iffy, history 4. Minneapolis (population 3.3 million) – To be fair this one is a bit of a dark horse for the next round in my books. They’d be a great addition for Chicago to have a rivalry with that is much closer than their current rivals. The fan base is very strong in this market for when it comes to sports. Not to mention that the owners of the NFL’s Vikings have already been in talks with MLS and would love to enter at some point. The NASL team there is also doing well and if they got a solid enough owner to guide a team it would work. Let’s also not forget that the league put their National Sales Center in Minnesota. Things going for them: Pretty deep pockets for their potential owners, fan base Thing not going for them: Playing at a NFL venue, crowded sports market 5. St. Louis (population 2.8 million) – This city always stands out as a must-have for MLS to expand into at some point. The league knows it and eventually someone in St. Louis will be wise enough to cash in on it. We know about the amount of talent that has come out of the Gateway City and into the league, not to mention the amazing youth participation in the sport here. Lastly, it would be a natural rival for Sporting KC to finally have. Things going for them: History, support would like be there Things not going for them: No ownership currently involved, no stadium plans 6. Atlanta (population 5.5 million) – Here is another Southeast city that has stated their desires to play. Arthur Blank has had talks with MLS before about a team and he wants to eventually get Atlanta there. This one reminds me a lot of Minneapolis though, in that, if it ever happens they will be playing at a NFL venue. That’s a no bueno in my book. And like Miami, the fans support there is really questionable. They love the game but will they be able to deal with some losing season that will likely come for an expansion team? Tough to tell at this point. Things going for them: Decent support for their NASL side at the moment, big TV market Things not going for them: Playing in a NFL venue, crowded sports market, support of the locals 7. Raleigh, NC (population 2 million – this includes Durham) – I’ve gone back and forth on where MLS should go if they went into North Carolina. For the longest time I believed that Charlotte would be a natural fit as it is a large city that has some professional sports experience. But at the end of the day, the Raleigh area seems like a better fit to me thanks to the Carolina RailHawks of the NASL. They draw well at their stadium, and if they got the right owners involved it would certainly work. MLS is always going to be looking for a market to be another Portland or Seattle, and well, this is the East coast version of Portland in my book. Build it and they would come. Things going for them: Good fan support, could be a good bridge between D.C. United and other Southeast teams Things not going for them: An owner with deeper pockets, bigger stadium 8. Indianapolis (population 1.8 million) – The more I read about the NASL’s newest club Indy Eleven, the more I look at this market and go, “why the hell not?”. The club there already has 3,000 season ticket deposits before they have even hired a technical staff or played a second on the field. They have some serious soccer loving people in the area and with former Chicago Fire president Peter Wilt at the helm, it would certainly work. Also, this would serve as a lovely bridge between Chicago and Columbus. Things going for them: Strong local support, stadium plans in the works Things not going for them: An owner with deep pockets, TV market not very large 9. Tampa (population 2.4 million) – Deep down I want Tampa back in MLS. I seriously do. I was a huge supporter of the Mutiny back in they day and always felt that they deserved better. Thankfully the market is improving with the USL side and the NASL side. Yes, they have two there. The Rowdies in the NASL seem supported well enough with about 3,000 average fans in a baseball stadium. Things going for them: History (at least with the Rowdies), decent support Things not going for them: An owner with deep pockets, stadium deal (and stadium in a good location) 10. Sacramento (population 1.9 million) – Something is brewing in this town. They saved their NBA team and they are slowly making some momentum on their USL team that will start up in 2014. Some how their local government is wanting to be heavily involved in potentially bringing a team to MLS down the road. That is a good thing. They’re a long shot but don’t sleep on this town. Things going for them: Local support Things not going for them: Stadium not built, fan base still a wait and see, a deep pocketed owner Others worth mentioning: San Diego, Detroit, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Pittsburgh
Please select your country: United States Argentina Australia Austria Belarus Belgium Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Canada Chile China Colombia Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Czechoslovakia (1945-1992) Denmark East Germany (1949-1990) Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Ireland Israel Italy Japan Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Malaysia Malta Mexico The Netherlands New Zealand North Korea Norway Philippines Poland Portugal Romania Russia Saudi Arabia Serbia Singapore Slovakia Slovenia South Korea Spain Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Thailand Turkey Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Vietnam U.S.S.R. (1922-1991) Yugoslavia (1945-1992) Africa » Cameroon Africa » South Africa Worldwide Other Not an American user? Description Screenshots Promo Images Part of the Following Groups User Reviews Critic Reviews Forums Jak and Daxter are two mischievous village friends who, despite of the wise (but grumpy) sage, Samos' warning sneak off to Misty Island. There Daxter accidentally falls into a pool of evil Dark Eco, and transforms into a weasel-like creature. Bringing Daxter to his original human form is enough of a problem, and now the Lurkers are using this Dark Eco for their own malign intentions. The plot goes on as the game plays.Our hero(es) can jump, double-jump, spin-kick, uppercut, hang onto things, and ride various vehicles and an occasional creature along the way to complete their assigned tasks. There are also several NPCs to interact with and play their side quests and mini-games. There are currently no topics for this game. Trivia 1001 Video Games Extras Awards 4Players 2001– Best Platformer of the Year Related Web Sites appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.The manual doubles as a pull-out map that shows the entire area in which you play in.
No, Vampire Bats are Not in Texas. Yet. AUDIO By Mose Buchele Email Tweet Photo courtesy of DiveOfficer: www.flickr.com/photos/diveofficer/ Halloween is more than a month away, but we’re already hearing about vampires. Last week, reports that vampire bats bit a man in Central Texas sent shivers down more than a few spines. The attack, as first reported by KSAT in San Antonio, allegedly took place during a hunting trip in Johnson City. The man said he and his friends were set upon in their sleep by the creatures, that bite their prey and then lick the blood from the wounds. And what reporter can resist a good vampire bat story? I know I can’t. So, smelling blood, I started making some phone calls. The man who said he was bitten did not return requests for comment, but I did hear from Ron Van Den Bussche. He’s a professor of zoology at Oklahoma State University, and what he told me punched some holes in the story. “My first reaction is … they’re not vampire bats. It’s a hoax,” Van Den Bussche said. Contrary to the claim of that news report, vampire bats are not a “somewhat regular” occurrence in Texas, according to Van Den Bussche. In fact, the species that reportedly attacked the camper has never been spotted in the U.S. Undaunted, I called another bat expert: Texas State University’s Ivan Castro-Arellano, a professor of Biology. “Right now in Texas the animals are not present. I mean we’re absolutely certain about that. There are no vampire bats here in Texas,” he said. I was beginning to get the picture: there are no vampire bats in Texas. And no vampire bats means no vampire bat story. At least for now. “If they advance into Texas, its going to be a very slow and gradual process,” Castro-Arellano added. A Looming Bat Invasion? It turns out there’s a chance that vampire bats might, some day, make it to Texas. If they do, it will be because of something that could be more terrifying than tales of the undead: climate change. “These animals are essentially very restricted by low temperatures. They cannot survive below ten degrees centigrade,” Castro-Arellano says. But if some climate change models are correct, and Texas warms up, he believes that vampire bats could slowly spread their range into Texas from Mexico. Related Topics What You Need to Know About Invasive Species in Texas Since this is science and not fairly tales, there’s still a lot of debate over if and when that will happen. “That previous study looked at a flat temperature increase, but our study looks at differences in temperature from month to month, it includes amounts of precipitation and how that differs month to month,” says Dana Lee, back in Oklahoma. Lee is a graduate student at Oklahoma State who worked with Ron Van Den Bussche on a different study. Their work shows the bats may never cross into the U.S., even with climate change. While the two groups of researchers don’t see eye-to-eye on the likelihood of a bat invasion, they agree that if bats do creep north, they will do so incrementally. “One year you will see one incident in Brownsville or McAllen, then the next year you will see something in Victoria, Texas or even something further south. So it will be a slow advance,” says Castro-Arellano. The researchers also agree that the subject demands further research because of the bats’ potential threat to the economy. Contrary to the report of the man being bitten, the creatures prefer to feed on cattle. That could be a horror story for Texas ranching.
Continue Reading Below Advertisement Get ready for such a shtooping. Even now, as the Republican Party looks forward to 2016, some of the members that the media is projecting as potential frontrunners to lead the party are being asked questions like how old they feel the Earth is, another question you don't get to have an opinion on, because science already has the answer, and they're either outright refusing to answer or tossing out ridiculous answers like "It's a mystery." You know what's a mystery? What happened to Jennifer Connelly's boobs. The age of the Earth is pretty straightforward. No one has a choice to believe in evolution any more than they can choose to believe that the sun is hot or that shit stinks. But because some people, either willfully or otherwise, are ignorant of the facts, the GOP has latched onto this and made it a rallying cry. They've turned their policies vs. Democratic policies into God vs. atheist non-believers, or working people against dirty, freeloading hippies. They make it seem like people who want to teach evolution are anti-God and want to rob you of your Christianity, and then it's a slippery slope into gay marriage and welfare checks and heroin overdoses for everyone, isn't it? Continue Reading Below Advertisement But evolution isn't an attack on Christianity. It's science showing you where people who didn't have answers way back in the day got it wrong. It happens. A lot of stuff in the Bible is wrong, and we've come to accept much of that, unless you're holding hard to the law that calls shellfish an abomination or that part in Leviticus that supports slavery. By continuing the faulty debate, on this and any other issues, it sets the country at odds and creates an artificial and ignorant discord solely for the sake of ensuring that people never come together and maybe start to work on bigger problems. It's meant to ensure that you support your party and they support their party and we never find cause to meet in the middle, and it's a dirty-ass trick. Across the aisle, Dems aren't above selling out to avoid ruffling feathers as witnessed by their hasty inclusion of God and Israel in the party platform. When Republicans saw it was missing, starched and uptight eyebrows were raised. The response was a rushjob to change the language to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and specify people's potential as "god-given" because you want to make sure the opposition approves of your wording when you're running a political campaign, lest someone think you have different ideas. Continue Reading Below Advertisement The liberal media does a disservice to Conservatives as well by choosing the best and brightest twat waffles from the right to keep on the news at all times. In fact, the conservative media is complicit in this as well, whether knowingly or unknowingly. Could you ever get a liberal to agree with any fiscally conservative platform, even one that was 100% sensible and reasonable, if it was being presented by a troll like Bill O'Reilly? Or Ann Couler? Or Glenn Beck? These people are living, breathing shit puddles who sensationalize everything and make it objectionable. The right will never win over the left with fools like this and the left will never listen to the right because they raise the blowhards up and pretend they represent the party as a whole when really they only represent the small but vocal group of prolapsed anuses that somehow learned to speak. Of course, nowhere was the Democratic machine more in weak, wussy form than in Obama's first debate in which he let Mitt Romney dance a mudhole in him with a good natured smile on his face. And why? Because the GOP goes for the throat while Democrats are happy to just sit back and hope for the best. The entire debate was a really delightful microcosm of current American politics as a whole. Mitt Romney told lies convincingly, Barack Obama let them slide and tried really hard to explain what he thought was best. One side lies, the other closes its eyes and sings "lalala" really loud and then they wait to see if more than 50% of people are standing behind them when it's done. Continue Reading Below Advertisement Fact is, political discourse is broken right now. Issues are never issues, reactions and scare mongering are what wins elections. A huge number of people are ill informed about what they need, what could help them and how they can attain it. And politicians aren't going to educate uninformed voters, they're going to herd them like cattle by dangling prizes. Are you ignorant and hateful of gay people? We're going to ban gay marriage and maybe send them all to France, where gay comes from. Are you ignorant and in need of health insurance? Vote for me and I'll make sure that herpes gets cleared right up! The problem with running a country like America is that it is not simple. 300 million people need a lot of shit in order to be happy and productive. It's not easy but the majority of those 300 million want it to be easy. They want easy answers, easy lives and easy decisions. So policy makers cherry pick simple ideas, they manufacture drama that you can understand and point you in the direction they want you to go, and then they do whatever they want afterwards because the election's over and you can't do shit about it for the next 4 years anyway. Enjoy those herpes, yo.
Thursday night the Nationals faced the Orioles in a makeup of a May 11 date that was postponed and rescheduled after a day of shitty rain. That was a shitty, rainy week in DC—Washington’s next game, a series opener against the Phillies on May 12, was also rained out. The Nats clubbed the O’s Thursday night. Beleaguered Nats starting pitcher Joe Ross struck out a career-best 12 batters, the Nats ambushed O’s starter Alec Asher for four first-inning runs, and the home team took a 6-1 victory on what would otherwise have been a scheduled off day after a nine-game West Coast road trip. Makeup games aren’t like playing the game on the correct date but then pushing it forward in time. Shit changes: turns in the rotation don’t line up, batters get hot or cold, dudes go on or come off the disabled list, and so forth. This was not lost on O’s manager Buck Showalter, reports the Washington Post: “Lot of byproducts of the cancellation,” Showalter said, noting that Jones (general soreness) and Machado (wrist injury) weren’t in the lineup. Then he craned his neck and looked from under the dugout roof at the bright blue sky, commenting on the weather. “I think it’s marginally better tonight.” Word of Showalter’s bellyaching made its way to the ears of Nationals GM Mike Rizzo, who clapped back with a full-on call-out: “It rained all day that day, and the forecast said it would rain until 9:30 or 10,” Rizzo said. “I sat in Buck’s office at 6:30, and we talked about it for 20 minutes. He was 100-percent on-board. He didn’t say anything about not canceling the game. “Their GM [Dan Duquette] was nowhere to be found for three, four hours. We wanted to play the next [mutual off] day. They refused to play then, so the next [mutual] day was [Thursday]. They drove 32 miles to get there. We flew 3,000 [expletive] miles, and we beat their [behinds]. So quit your whining. Quit whining.” Advertisement The exact sequence of unwritten baseball infractions and retaliations that would result in an Orioles pitcher beaning Mike Rizzo is unclear at this time.
Image copyright Getty Images This note is to an extent about the Chancellor, George Osborne. But it is only tangentially about economics. So if you only read me for stuff about the economy, sorry. But in the course of my day job, I sweep up all sorts of interesting gossip and speculation. And from time to time I feel it's only proper to share it. So here is the chatter: that one or a number of the New Labour Blairite ultras could cross the floor to the Tories, because of their personal relationship with Osborne - to whom they feel closer, in a political and social sense, than they do to Labour's new leader, Jeremy Corbyn Osborne mixes in the same modish London metrosexual and metropolitan elite circles as them. He takes their calls, responds to their emails, and is fully abreast of their current agony. And they admire him. More than once I've been told, by a couple of their gang, that Osborne is the most impressive politician of the moment. Naturally it would be quite a coup for the Tories if the ascent of Corbyn led to Labour defections to their ranks. As is well known, both Osborne and Cameron were great admirers of Tony Blair, almost his disciples - and they both believe elections are won from the centre of politics. So the strategic question for Osborne and Cameron of Corbyn's capture of Labour is whether they conclude - as some of their backbenchers have - that a left-wing Labour party liberates the Tories to follow their more right-wing instincts, or whether Osborne and Cameron move the Conservatives more conspicuously to the centre. As I've said, Osborne would wish to position the Tories in the centre on almost everything - though on economic policy (to state the obvious) his preference for spending and welfare cuts to eliminate the deficit would be seen as to the right. To be clear, the Blairites are already closer to Osborne than Corbyn on a whole range of issues they regard as basic - from membership of Nato, preserving the independence of the Bank of England, nationalisation, and the propriety of singing the national anthem on state occasions. It is even theoretically possible that Osborne will be a more enthusiastic proponent of staying in the European Union than Corbyn, when it comes to the referendum, which would be another gravitational pull for them. So will one or a number of Blairites find themselves on the Tory side of the house? It would not be an easy relocation for them, partly because they may decide that they owe it to their constituents to resign and force a by-election - which they could well lose. But for what it's worth, and this may be the more important point, more than one of them has told me that they could not possibly remain in Corbyn's Labour Party for long if it looks as though Corbyn will endure.
So last week, Gollancz ( an excellent British publisher of science fiction and fantasy ) got some discussion going by tweeting a provocative question: Epic Fantasy is, by and large, crushingly conservative in its delivery, its politics and its morality. Discuss. And why? (Oh why?) — Gollancz (@Gollancz) February 22, 2013 I missed the initial conversation on Twitter, but I have been following the fascinating responses from Liz Bourke at Tor.com, John H. Stevens at SFSignal, and Steven M. Long. So far, I’ve let Gollancz’s initial question, the essay responses, and the comments made on those responses all percolate in my brain. And out of that percolation, some thoughts come to mind: Definitions Matter…to a Point Much of the discussion has focused on defining terms. I suppose, considering the genre community’s love of semantics, that this shouldn’t be surprising. In this case, the discussion has centered almost exclusively on two key terms ( “epic fantasy” and “conservative” ) which are – admittedly – fuzzy, imprecise, and in may ways problematic. In order to contextualize my thoughts, I’m going to briefly wade into the semantic weeds and define how I will be using these terms, but that is incidental to my main focus. Much of the discussion has ignored the third – and most important – key term in Gollancz’s initial tweet: “crushingly.” Definitions of “epic fantasy” and “conservative”, while important for the sake of precision, are terms we all routinely employ in some fashion. There is a working understanding of such terms that enables us to communicate. My personal definition of “epic fantasy” or my concept of “conservative” may not match yours perfectly, but there is enough overlap that we can in most cases make ourselves understood. When it comes to “epic fantasy”, I like Alec Austin’s concept of a tag cloud of sub-genre characteristics, simply because it allows us to think of particular works as falling somewhere on a spectrum of “epic-ness”. Different works won’t all share the same characteristics, but such a model enables us to contextualize particular works somewhere along this conceptual spectrum – and thus to adopt a working understanding we can all agree on. “Conservative” is a little more fraught, with cultural, political, emotional, and historical connotations that vary across individuals and geographies. “Politically conservative” in the UK differs significantly from “politically conservative” in the US, “morally conservative” varies across religious and secular belief and value systems, and all of these different meanings of “conservative” further fragment into different implied meanings for “culturally conservative”. Loathe as I am to get bogged down in semantics, I’m going to use “conservative” in the following sense ( courtesy of Dictionary.com ): 1. disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change. I think the term “crushingly” is less well-understood, particularly in this critical context. What does it mean to be “crushingly” conservative ( or “progressive”, or “epic”, or “green”, or any other adjective )? What is getting “crushed” in Gollancz’s question? Are we talking about limitations imposed on aesthetics at the moment of creation? The moment of editorial acquisition? The moment of consumer purchase? The moment of reader consumption? Do we mean that structural characteristics are imposed upon creative works wishing to operate within or comment upon a sub-genre’s conventions? Do we mean that the characteristics of a particular sub-genre preclude the exploration of certain themes? The important part of Gollancz’s question has little to do with how we define either “epic fantasy” or “conservative”. Any attempt to answer hinges upon the meaning of “crushingly”, and the cultural significance of that answer is a direct consequence of the unstated object implicit in the original question. What Gets Crushed? What is implicitly being crushed in Gollancz’s question? Obviously at a certain level of abstraction they mean epic fantasy literature. But that is such a broad over-generalization that it offers us little insight. It is far more interesting to narrow our focus and examine which aspects of epic fantasy literature may be getting the squeeze. Here are the aspects I’m curious about: Aesthetics . Does our current conception of epic fantasy preclude certain imagery, metaphors, sentence construction, etc.? . Does our current conception of epic fantasy preclude certain imagery, metaphors, sentence construction, etc.? Structure . How do trends in epic fantasy constrain the narrative structures viable within the sub-genre? . How do trends in epic fantasy constrain the narrative structures viable within the sub-genre? Themes. Are there thematic areas which epic fantasy cannot explore? Moral, ethical, political, sociological models it cannot dramatize? By definition, working within a genre imposes certain constraints on a creative work. However broad a given genre may be ( and speculative fiction is, on the whole, broader than most ), it has conventions. In fact, some might argue that genres are defined by their conventions, which as Samuel Delany pointed out, shape the way readers consume and interpret the written work. These conventions impose constraints precisely along those three foundational lines: aesthetics, structure, and themes. That is an inescapable truth of genre, and represents a key conserving force. But when does the conserving force of such conventions ( i.e. the constraints of convention ) grow so constricting as to be deemed “crushing?” And here it gets interesting. Who Does the Crushing? The creative process features many actors at many stages: There is the author, who conceives of a story and sits down to write it. There is an agent who chooses to represent the book based on their confidence in its sales potential. There is an editor/publisher who acquires the story based on their confidence in its sales potential. There is a designer and production editor who shape the physical characteristics of the book so as to maximize ( they hope ) its sales potential. There is a bookseller who orders copies of the book based on their expectations of its sales. There are consumers who buy a book based on their expectations of what they’ll find within its covers. There are consumers who enjoy a book based on what they find within its covers, and some of whom will then go and conceive of a new story influenced ( at least to some extent ) by everything they have read before. Each actor and each stage feeds into and affects every other stage of this cycle. Who applies the constraints imposed by genre? We all do. The author, whose conception of a story has been shaped by their life experiences and media/genre consumption, chooses to impose or subvert the conventions of a genre while writing it. The agent and acquiring editor ( and the marketing and sales departments ) are more or less welcoming to different books depending on the degree and fashion in which they apply genre convention. For them, it is about striking a balance between challenging convention enough to be innovative and fresh, while working within convention enough to give the rest of the sales cycle confidence in the work. And perhaps most importantly, that balance can be tipped in either direction by the quality of the execution. As an editor friend once told me: “Nabokov can break every convention and get away with it. But you’re not Nabokov.” The designers ( and the marketing and sales departments, again ) shape the packaging of the physical ( or digital ) product to communicate the book’s balance to the booksellers and readers. Consider the original US covers for Steven Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen . Stylistically, they suggest that the books’ content will work solidly within the conventions of mid-list sword and sorcery…and thus fail to communicate anything about the novels’ tone, structural innovations, or subversion of epic fantasy conventions. It was, of course, a judgment call, yet one which I think the series’ original UK publishers did better with ( and it is significant that subsequent US editions received new covers closer in aesthetics to their UK counterparts ). US Cover UK Cover The bookseller learns about the book through the catalog copy, cover art, and perhaps even a conversation with the publisher’s reps. This material tells the bookseller about what kind of creative balance a given work strikes, which in turn helps them to determine how many copies to buy, and how to shelve those copies. All of these decisions, coupled with reviews and third-party commentary about the book, shape the reader’s expectations and frame the reader’s approach to the book’s content. Ultimately, they determine if the reader will buy the book, and subsequently when coupled with the content itself, affect the reader’s enjoyment. At each stage there is pressure applied to the balance in one or the other direction. Challenge the genre, but not enough to tank sales. Work within the genre, but not so slavishly as to be trite. Stand out, but not too tall. Unless the book’s quality is such that any putative and theoretical yearning for creative balance becomes meaningless. Every actor in this process “crushes” the creative work to one degree or another. The Real Question Given this framework, we can now turn to Gollancz’s question: Is epic fantasy crushingly conservative? I don’t know. No two people desire aesthetic, structural, and thematic innovation to the same degree or in the same direction. It is such idiosyncrasy which makes us human, and which leads to differing opinions. This push for innovation – in any facet of a creative work, and executed in whatever fashion – is constantly in tension with the prevailing cultural norms within broader society, and within the conventions of a particular genre. Looking at epic fantasy, I see laudable attempts to push the boundaries of the genre. I recommend the work of ( among others ) N.K. Jemisin , Elizabeth Bear , Scott Lynch , Joe Abercrombie , K.J. Parker , Steven Erikson , Kate Elliott , Robin Hobb , etc. I can point to authors and books that challenge, subvert, or extend the genre. I value such innovation very highly. Do I wish to see more such aesthetic, structural, and thematic innovation? Hell yes. But do I think the prevailing cultural winds prevent such innovation from seeing the light of day? Do I think that such innovations are “crushed” beneath the oppressive heels of prevailing commercial trends and artistic tastes? I do not. I think that any innovation within any genre needs to be balanced against the long-standing conventions of that genre, and that this balance can be swayed in either direction by the quality of that innovation’s execution. I think quality and innovation can both rise to the top. Regardless how circuitous the route, I think good storytelling will eventually win out. It may mean writing and selling more commercially “conservative” books in the short term to establish a fan base ( i.e. to assuage commercial concerns about an innovative book’s commercial viability ). It may mean by-passing the traditional publishing model and self-publishing an innovative work yourself. But the world of genre literature has the mechanisms in place to bring ground-breaking work to the surface, and to further disseminate its influence throughout the culture and the field. But your mileage may vary. I think that epic fantasy does have conservative tendencies, just as all genres do. With the shadow of Tolkien, and the weight of history, I think epic fantasy’s conservative tendencies are expressed in ways particular to the sub-genre. Other genres ( YA, for example ) express their own conservatism in very different ways. An exploration of the ways in which epic fantasy or other genres express their conservatism would be fascinating ( and I might come back to it later ), but it is not really germane to Gollancz’s original question. Conservatism is inherent within every genre. The real question is whether or not the field is crushed by it. How to Stand Beneath the Heel The important conclusion of all this, however, is that if we wish to challenge the conservatism of a genre ( regardless of how it is expressed or defined ), we need to do it on every front we can. The author sitting alone and writing a challenging book. The agent who believes in the book enough to pitch it. The editor who believes in it enough to acquire it. The designers and sales people and reviewers and booksellers and readers who are willing to give it a shot. But this process always starts with the creative act: with that author, ensconced behind a desk and dreaming challenging dreams.
Two inflammatory points in BLONDES are: 1. Women tend to have a same-race bias in marriage. This is especially true of black women — at least in the US and UK. Asian women have the weakest same-race bias. Asian men, meanwhile, seldom marry women of other races. 2. Short men get short shift. Women prefer men who are taller and men prefer women who are shorter. A new economic research paper, Anthropometry of Love: Height and Gender Asymmetries in Interethnic Marriages, led by an Oxford economist, combines these two findings. The latter (#2) explains the former (#1), they claim. Height is a major factor, which means the reason Asian men don’t fare as well in the interracial marriage market is they tend to be shorter than men of other races while Asian women have more options for the same reason. Black women, meanwhile, tend to be taller of women of other races, so they fewer options. (See discussion in the Times.) We argue that a simple preference for a taller husband (or shorter wife) can explain part of the gender-specifi c asymmetries across ethnic groups in the propensity to outmarry. Blacks are taller than Asians, and their height distribution is closer to whites. Because they are taller, black men have better prospects on the white marriage market than Asian men. For women, the reverse is true. Because Asians are relatively short on average, women fare substantially better on the white marriage market than black women. There’s a certain (uncomfortable) logic to this, but height shouldn’t overshadow more important factors. The economists ignore findings that many people tend to marry those from a similar background (religion, educational level, and ethnicity including race), because familiar trumps foreign in a long-term context. (Happily, certain behaviors such as talking about a favorite literary work reduced same-race preferences in one speed-dating study). While height may well be a deciding factor in selecting a long-term partner, a shared background is likely stronger. (Many non-Asian women believe Asian men are more traditional and would not marry them.) Also overlooked by the economists are the other qualities that matter to women: status, paternal proclivity, and resources. Like background, these qualities may be more influential than height. Women are inclined to overcome their same-race and height biases when a man has an abundance of one of more of these qualities (according to studies I describe in the the book). This suggests that a short guy of any race will have more marriage options, including a tall choosy black woman, if he’s successful, kid-loving, and shares a lot in common with that woman. Note to economists: height is important to sexual selection — but it isn’t the only measure. Advertisements
With more than 3,400 people dead in west Africa and 7,500 infected in the latest Ebola outbreak, 300,000 people sign a petition demanding action… to save an infected dog. Left, a boy with suspected Ebola in Liberia. Right, Excalibur, the ‘Ebola dog’ The most popular Ebola-related petition currently on the change.org website is not one calling for an end to the suffering of men, women and children in west Africa. It is a petition calling for Excalibur, the pet dog belonging to Teresa Romero Ramos, the Spanish nurse infected with Ebola, to be saved from euthanasia. Officials want to put it down for fear that it may spread the disease. Whilst Excalibur’s petition has more than 300,000 supporters at the time of writing, the nearest petition relating to human sufferers of the virus, calling for vaccine research to be fast-tracked, has half that number. Read more: heroic British nurse makes emotional plea to stop Ebola The Excalibur petition was posted on Tuesday. The petition calling for a focus on research that could save thousands of lives was posted two months ago. On Wednesday it was reported that an international medical official with the UN Mission in Liberia has tested positive for the Ebola virus and is receiving treatment. ‘Not just a dog’ Is this indicative of a wider approach to charity that favours animals over humans? Data from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations shows that animal charities get more donations from the British public than charities for the disabled, homeless and the elderly. However, children’s and medical charities get significantly more donations. The petition to save Excalibur argues that it is unfair to the Spanish nurse and her husband, Javier Limon Romero, to kill their dog, and that the dog could also be quarantined. “This is not just a dog”, the petition says. “He is one of the family”. The hashtag #SalvemosaExcalibur, meaning Save Excalibur, is currently trending worldwide and a statement from Mr Romero is being spread across social media netowrks. At the time of writing the petition to save Excalibur had 300,519 signatures. Meanwhile a nine-year-old son of a charity worker has been barred from attending a primary school because “ignorant” parents feared their children would be affected with Ebola. Miriam Mason-Sesay, who is British but has been living in Sierra Leone since 2000, said her son had been treated like a “leper”. She had returned to the UK for a month on a fundraising mission, and it had been arranged for her son to attend St Simon’s Catholic Primary School in Hazel Grove, Stockport, the Daily Telegraph reported. Both mother and son had been screened for Ebola, and granted unrestricted movement in the UK. However a backlash from parents meant the school made the “pragmatic” decision to cancel the planned trip. Elizabeth Inman, the schol’s headteacher, said: “I understand that there is a lot of misinformation about how Ebola is spread. A significant number of parents have been in touch with me to express their fears. As you know, I always listen to parents. Ebola cannot be spread as some parents have suggested. “Of course I would never endanger any child or colleague and I have to put my trust in the professionals. It is with great sadness that we decided to cancel the visit. The misguided hysteria emerging is extremely disappointing, distracting us from our core purpose of educating your children and is not an environment that I would wish a visitor to experience.” Child barred from UK school A school in Stockport has cancelled the visit of a charity worker and her son after “ignorant” parents feared their children would be infected with Ebola. Head teacher Elizabeth Inman wrote to parents on Tuesday to say that “with a very heavy heart” the school had taken “the pragmatic decision” to stop the visit, despite both mother and son having been screened and granted unrestricted movement in the UK. Miriam Mason-Sesay, who is British but has lived in Sierra Leone since 2000, said her son has been treated like a “leper”, adding that the school’s decision was down to “ignorant” parents. “Unfortunately, there was so much pressure from an ignorant parent body that the school had to act,” she said. “We’ve been met with leper-type attitudes from wealthy people overreacting and trying to protect themselves from a threat which isn’t there.” Ms Mason-Sesay said: “Unfortunately, there was so much pressure from an ignorant parent body that the school had to act. “We’ve been met with leper-type attitudes from wealthy people overreacting and trying to protect themselves from a threat which isn’t there.”
It’s important to schedule enough rest and recovery in your training programme to avoid injury, illness and overtraining. Most competing fighters train for 6-days a week, resting for one day of the week. But is a rest day best spent doing absolutely nothing at all? Are there low intensity activities that would better aid recovery and regeneration? It does depend on how inclusive your training programme is as a whole, but I’ve no doubt most fighters could use this time much more effectively. There are many recovery methods, but for the purpose of this article I’m talking about active recovery – which is simply low intensity, low volume training designed to improve recovery by promoting the supply of oxygenated blood around the body. Such methods are better than just sitting around and doing nothing (assuming your not in a severely overtrained state). Active recovery sessions are aerobic in nature, which helps speed up recovery and adaptation processes. But here’s the thing, we’re fighters, and we struggle with ‘easy’ sessions – they seem like a waste of time. You need to get over this. Think of active recovery sessions as an alternative to doing nothing, so it’s still more than you would have been doing. Stick to keeping it light or you’ll be wasting the opportunity and doing nothing would’ve been better! There are numerous ways to quantify whether a training session is of low, medium or high intensity, but by far the simplest (and within the scope of this article) is the Rate of Perceived Effort (RPE) scale. Simply rate how much effort the overall training session demanded between 1 and 10, 1 being very, very easy and 10 being totally exhausting. Active recovery sessions should have an RPE of no more than 3 or 4 out of 10, and generally not exceed 30-minutes in duration. The best exercises are low impact, such as biking or swimming etc. Keep your heart rate below you anaerobic threshold and work at no more than 60-70% of maximum in any given exercise. Exercises can be either general or Thai boxing specific drills – just make sure you keep a lid on the intensity, play at it, this is a rest day! Active recovery sessions are also an opportunity to work on specific injury sites or injury prevention. I personally like to use a combination of mobility exercises and soft tissue work (such as foam rolling), as these are easily neglected. I find such sessions especially important during a transition phase following a fight and during times of intense stress (training, competitive or otherwise [mental, emotional, life]). As part of your recovery strategy, active rest sessions are a powerful ally – but only if conducted at the right intensity. If you can also use this ‘downtime’ to fill in some gaps in your training programme then you’re making great use of time that literally would have been spent doing nothing.
POLL: Majority of Brits think Trump good for UK-US trade WhatsApp 0 shares Despite the relentless wave of negative media aimed at President Trump in the UK, one message has got through loud and clear: Trump will be good news for Britain in terms of a trade deal. 52% of Brits think the UK will get a better trade deal with President Trump and just one in five say we’ll get a worse one. It is little wonder considering the warm words coming from the Trump team on the special relationship with Britain, compared to Obama’s “back of the queue” approach. Get ready folks. The new UK-US relationship is gonna be huge, its gonna be great, its gonna be special! Though it would have even more of a chance if the government utilised the influence and talents of Nigel Farage as well.
what does it take to get a warp drive? Warp drives will work by creating a bubble of twisted space. But the physics of that bubble get very complicated very quickly. If you want to explore space firsthand, a warp drive isn’t just a good idea that could save you a lot of time and resources. It’s an absolute must. Without it, exploring even 1% of the galaxy would take eons. Luckily for future interstellar explorers, physicists are on the case and have so far been able to derive a theoretical basis for a real warp drive thanks to Michael Alcubierre from the University of Mexico. The concept he presented in 1994 has been the basis for years of theoretical fine tuning, hopes of space minded futurists and science fiction stories requiring writers to put aside relativity. But now, a group of Italian physicists think they’ve found a snag. A warp drive as we understand it today is an asymmetric bubble of space and time wrapped around the craft that needs to move faster than light. By stretching this bubble in a certain direction, the spacecraft can move without actually moving, having the bubble of space ferry it to where it needs to go. Because special relativity only puts a limit on objects moving through space, there’s no limit to how fast space itself can be moved. For a period of time after the Big Bang, there could’ve actually been enough energy to expand space faster than the universal speed limit of 299,792,458 meters per second. A warp drive would create very similar conditions on a small scale. All it needs is an output roughly similar to converting the entire mass of Jupiter into pure energy and bend numerous dimensions into a bubble around itself. See, nothing to it! However, by bending these dimensions, it could effectively form an event horizon around itself and that event horizon could flood the inside of the bubble with Hawking radiation. As the spacecraft approaches the speed of light, it’s bathed in a dose high enough to fry it to a crisp. The Hawking radiation itself consists of particles that appear out of the quantum mesh and ordinarily disappear back into it. In the presence of warped space though, the balance of their typical behavior is broken and they’re free to bombard anything and everything like any other type of radiation out there. Another problem with the warp bubble is the exponential increase of something called a renormalized stress-energy tensor. This is basically stress that builds up on the deformed sections of the bubble as it moves with increasing speed. Because of the quantum phenomena that come into play when the bubble is created exert a lot of force on this shell of space and time, they build up stress. When the bubble moves quickly enough, the stress can become too great and the bubble itself pops. What will happen to the spacecraft inside? Well that is a very tricky question. Ideally, the bubble peels away and the craft is suddenly stationary somewhere in the vast expanses of interstellar space. Because the sheer distance between stars, that’s the likeliest place for it to end up. If momentum is somehow preserved through a mechanism we don’t know yet, the craft would be spat out at such an enormous speed, it would be torn apart by the interstellar medium or crushed by its own momentum as special relativity says. Or, the bubble could collapse, destroying the craft inside. Marooned or annihilated. Neither option is good, although maybe it won’t take you more than a few years to get back home from the point where your warp bubble popped. But before you shed a tear for warp drive technology and reach for the shovel, keep in mind that these physics are so new and require so much testing to be confirmed on such a large scale, we can’t rule out the idea that one day we will have the technology to move faster than light. There are other ideas out there and maybe the combination of several different approaches will yield something that works. The very first calculations of the amount of power it would take to hit warp speed said you’d need infinite energy since the calculations were based on special relativity. After applying general relativity and extra dimensions, that requirement shrunk to just the mass of Jupiter which is an absolutely amazing and encouraging downgrade. Who knows that other phenomena we’ll find in the future or even as soon as the completion of the LHC experiments? Maybe they’ll help us overcome pretty much any quantum limitation to dreams of our faster than light travel… See: Richard K Obousy, et al, (2008). Putting the Warp into Warp Drive Spaceflight, 50 (4) arXiv:0807.1957v2 Stefano Finazzi, et al (2009). Semiclassical instability of dynamical warp drives arXiv arXiv:0904.0141v1
Hillary Clinton attends a rally in Salem. (Jeffrey MacMillan for USN&WR) Hillary Clinton's health has suddenly erupted as a serious issue after she became ill and departed early from a 9/11 memorial ceremony in New York Sunday. Her doctor reported that the Democratic presidential nominee had pneumonia, according to CNN and Politico, after her spokesman said only that Clinton "felt overheated" and had to depart. Clinton spent some time at her daughter Chelsea's nearby apartment and quickly felt better, the spokesman said. A video appeared to show Clinton's knees buckling as she tried to enter a vehicle as she left the ceremony. The video, taken from a distance, also seemed to show Clinton nearly collapsing and being helped into the vehicle by people around her, apparently members of her security detail. Reporters were left behind. Even though Clinton, 68, was described as feeling overheated, the temperature at the ceremony was in the high 70s, not oppressively hot. The timing of the announcement that she had pneumonia raised questions about how candid Clinton has been about her medical condition. Lisa Bardack, her doctor, announced the diagnosis on Sunday after Clinton left the public ceremony, but the doctor said she had made the diagnosis Friday and no announcement was immediately made at that time. The pneumonia revives questions about the Democratic presidential nominee's condition at a crucial time, two months before Election Day. Republican candidate Donald Trump, 70. has raised doubts about whether she has the stamina and energy to be president. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani of New York, a prominent Trump surrogate, has said Clinton appears to be very sick. Central to the questions about Clinton's health is the fact that she fainted and suffered a concussion at the end of her term as secretary of state in 2012. It took her several weeks to recover, her aides said. She was found to have a blood clot during that period. Clinton critics argue that she may have suffered permanent harm, including a possible lessening of her cognitive abilities. Two coughing fits over the Labor Day weekend, both recorded on video, added to the questions about her health. Clinton earlier released a letter from her doctor insisting that her health was good. Trump also has released a letter from his doctor that Trump's health is good, but with even less detail than what was contained in Clinton's letter. Neither candidate has agreed to release their full medical records. Presidents have suffered from many physical ailments while in office, and some of these ailments have affected their ability to carry out their duties. Sometimes, these ailments were kept secret.
Today, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said he hopes to finance his plans to colonize Mars by making SpaceX’s entire fleet of vehicles — the Falcon 9, the Falcon Heavy, and the Dragon spacecraft — obsolete. Speaking at the International Astronautical Congress, Musk said that SpaceX will eventually start stockpiling these vehicles and then focus all of its resources into developing the company’s next monster vehicle: the Interplanetary Transport System, codenamed the BFR (for Big Fucking Rocket). “we believe we can do this with the revenue we receive from launching satellites and servicing the space station.” “All our resources will turn toward building BFR,” Musk said. “And we believe we can do this with the revenue we receive from launching satellites and servicing the space station.” Musk also announced he’s planning to scale down the ITS, proposing 31 main engines this year. Last year at the same conference, Musk unveiled the combo rocket-and-spaceship’s design, which included 42 main Raptor engines that could send up to 450 metric tons to Mars. Most of the rest of the major design elements, such as in-orbit fueling and propulsive landing, remained the same. Musk also proposed a variety of new uses for the scaled-down rocket beyond just going to Mars. Supposedly, the ITS can be used to launch satellites, take cargo to the International Space Station, and even do lunar missions to set up a Moon base. SpaceX’s current Falcon 9 fleet is used to do a few of those things already, but Musk says eventually the company will turn to the ITS to do all of its space missions. Musk also proposed a variety of new uses for the scaled-down rocket “We can build a system that cannibalizes our own products, makes our own products redundant, then all the resources we use for Falcon Heavy and Dragon can be applied to one system,” he said at the conference. Musk says the cost of launching cargo on the ITS will be fairly cheap, too, since the rocket and spaceship will be a fully reusable system (unlike the Falcon 9, which is only 70–80 percent reusable). However, SpaceX will still keep the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy on hand in case customers want to launch on flight-proven vehicles once the ITS starts flying. Moon Base Alpha A post shared by Elon Musk (@elonmusk) on Sep 28, 2017 at 7:44pm PDT Advertising how the ITS can be used for Moon missions is a savvy business move for Musk. It’s also a political one. While launching satellites and servicing the space station is lucrative, it probably isn’t enough to fund the rocket’s development, despite what Musk says. SpaceX will need other funds — and the US government is a good source of cash. That may explain the newfound interest in the Moon. Vice President Mike Pence, who is in charge of the new National Space Council, has hinted at directing NASA to return to the Moon. And a few key space advisors — including Scott Pace, the executive director of the council — have been vocal about their desire to do human lunar missions. Of course, Musk’s ultimate goal is still Mars And a lunar mission won’t require going solo, like Mars does: many national space agencies, such as Russia, China, and the European Space Agency, all have their sights set on the Moon. Recently, Russia and NASA signed an agreement to study concepts for stations that could be built near the Moon. Of course, Musk’s ultimate goal is still Mars, and he’s still making incredibly optimistic predictions about when the company is going to get there. Last year, Musk claimed the first crews would start flying to the Red Planet as early as 2024. This year, he said the first two cargo ITS ships will launch to Mars in 2022. That’s just five years to create an entirely new rocket, send it to another planet, and land it on the surface intact. If it does land successfully, it’ll be the heaviest vehicle to ever make it to the Martian surface in one piece. (The most we’ve ever landed on Mars weighed about 2,000 pounds, but the ITS can supposedly land between 20 to 50 tons.) Mars City Opposite of Earth. Dawn and dusk sky are blue on Mars and day sky is red. A post shared by Elon Musk (@elonmusk) on Sep 28, 2017 at 8:03pm PDT It’s an unrealistic timeline. (Musk’s word for it was “aspirational.”) SpaceX has yet to launch any people into space, and the company has blown plenty of deadlines before. It was supposed to start sending astronauts to the International Space Station as early as this year. Now the absolute earliest is 2018 or 2019. Meanwhile, SpaceX initially promised to launch its new heavy-lift rocket, the Falcon Heavy, in 2013. The rocket hasn’t yet flown, though Musk said today it should launch before the end of the year. Its development was much more difficult than he’d originally expected, Musk said. Again this year, Musk didn’t address what kind of habitats people will live in on Mars, or how a Martian colony would sustain itself. Last year, he did mention that SpaceX considers itself a transportation company first, akin to the Union Pacific Railroad, and that other companies would answer the call of how to keep people alive on the Red Planet. Instead of showing his audience more details on his Mars plans, he proposed using rockets to fly people around on Earth.
The Rangers have assembled a pretty amazing collection of talent, one that enabled them to participate actively in the trade market last season without mortgaging their long-term success. They have an impressive mix of offense and defense among their higher-end prospects, though the hitters in this system, particularly, give them one of the best offensive pipelines in the league. Not only have they continued to be aggressive on the international market, but they are making solid picks in the draft and seem to have figured something out as an organization when it comes to bringing athletic hitters along. You’ll see mostly familiar names at the top of the list, though Joey Gallo’s ongoing contact issues keep him from appearing ahead of some of the Rangers’ more well-rounded prospects like Lewis Brinson and Nomar Mazara. I’m really expecting big things out of Brinson’s bat, as his combination of present ability and future development is unparalleled by most minor-league hitters in the game. Luis Ortiz is a bit of an enigma for me, because projecting his stuff makes him look like a rotation front-man, but projecting his body may have him resembling a front man from a different discipline. Perhaps the two biggest surprises are at number seven and eight, with Ronald Guzman and Ariel Jurado appearing higher than elsewhere. Jurado’s presence is mostly a function of my grouping prospects by likely outcome rather than ceiling, since his floor seems to be as a big-league starter. Guzman, however, is a hit-first first baseman who hasn’t shown enough power to be a legitimate future big leaguer, but I like enough about his swing and expected physical development to see more than just good upside. It’s an exciting time to be a Rangers fan, since their somewhat surprising run at the postseason makes them more fun to watch in the immediate future, while their vast array of quality prospects gives them plenty of ammunition to supplement the team. Should they need more reinforcements beyond promoting their higher-level guys, they have enough quality depth to swing another big trade this season. Here’s the primer for the series and my scouting thoughts in general. The grades I put on players heavily weight the functionality of each tool in game situations, rather than just pure tool grades. Here is a table to understand the position player grades: Scouting Grades in Context: Hitters Grade Tool Is Called Batting Average HR ISO Baserunning Runs Fielding Runs 80 80 0.320 40 0.300 12 30 75 0.310 35-40 0.275 10 25 70 Plus Plus 0.300 30-35 0.250 8 20 65 0.290 27-30 0.225 6 15 60 Plus 0.280 23-27 0.200 4 10 55 Above Average 0.270 19-22 0.175 2 5 50 Average 0.260 15-18 0.150 0 0 45 Below Average 0.250 12-15 0.125 -2 -5 40 0.240 8-12 0.100 -4 -10 35 0.230 5-8 0.075 -6 -15 30 0.220 3-5 0.050 -8 -20 As well as one to understand what the overall grades approximate: Scouting Grades in Context: Overall Grade Hitter Starting Pitcher Relief Pitcher WAR 80 Top 1-2 #1 Starter —- 7 75 Top 2-3 #1 —- 6 70 Top 5 #1/2 —- 5 65 All-Star #2/3 —- 4 60 Plus #3 High Closer 3 55 Above Avg #3/4 Mid Closer 2.5 50 Avg Regular #4 Low CL/High SU 2 45 Platoon/Util #5 Low Setup 1.5 40 Bench Swing/Spot SP Middle RP 1 35 Emergency Call-Up Emergency Call-Up Emergency Call-Up 0 30 *Organizational *Organizational *Organizational -1 One other difference in the way I communicate scouting grades to you is the presence of three numbers on each tool instead of just two. The first number is the current grade. The second number is the likely future grade; or, if you prefer percentiles, call this the 50th percentile projection. The third number is the ceiling grade, or 90th percentile projection, to help demonstrate the volatility and raw potential of a tool. I feel this gives readers a better sense of the possible outcomes a player could achieve, and more information to understand my thoughts on the likelihood of reaching those levels. If you prefer the traditional methodologies of other publications, I would suggest averaging the latter two grades together to get a semi-optimistic view of where a player projects. In the biographical information, level refers to where they finished the year, unless they were sent down for injury rehab or other extraneous reasons. Ages are listed as of April 1, 2016. You can also find each player’s previous rank from Kiley’s list last year. Below, Dave Cameron shares his thoughts on the general state of the organization. Returning for his popular cameo, Carson Cistulli picks his favorite fringe prospect toward the end of the list. Organizational Overview After a down year in 2014, the Rangers came back to win the AL West last year, and as they return almost everyone from that roster, expectations are high in Texas. But the big-league roster is sneakily old, and with the Astros looking like a potential force to be reckoned with, taking advantage of the veterans they have could be a challenge. The Rangers certainly have enough young prospects to reload down the road, but they’re likely going to need some short-term contributions from the minors to fill some of the big-league holes since the team is capped out financially. If they can get a few of their prospects to turn into useful big leaguers this year, it will go a long way to helping them contend again in 2016 and brightening their short-term outlook. 50+ FV Prospects Video courtesy of Scott Lucas 1. Lewis Brinson, OF Current Level/Age: Triple-A/21.9, 6’3/195, R/R Acquired: Drafted 29th overall (1st round) in 2012 out of Florida HS by TEX for $1.625 million bonus Previous Rank: 6 Brinson’s improvements with his plate discipline in 2015 vaulted him through three levels, ending in Triple-A, with excellent results at each level. Brinson has the highest potential in the organization with four plus tools. His hit tool is the only one left out of the group, which I think comes in a hair under average, though his recent improvements and youth leave room for it to be an above-average tool if he continues to develop. He’s never going to be a high-contact hitter, but if he can keep his strikeout rate in the 25% range, he has massive upside in every part of the game. You can still see evidence that he’s a young hitter at the plate, with super-aggressive takes and a swing that gets too big when he sees a pitch he likes. His improved eye has helped him lay off pitcher’s pitches at the edges, which has allowed him to maximize the damage he does despite below-average contact rates. His swing is very impressive, showing the ability to lift the ball to all fields and the physical capacity to adjust late in his swing because of excellent sequencing. His game power may still need another year or three to shine through against top-level pitching, due to a tendency to pull his swing across his body by pulling his front shoulder and over-rotating his hips. I have confidence in the positive qualities exorcising that tendency out as he learns to trust his power instead of trying to create it, especially as he adds more muscle to his skinny frame. Brinson’s defense is even more major league-ready than his bat, with his plus speed and arm translating perfectly into at least an above-average center field. Reports range from above-average to plus-plus on his defense there, so until I can get a better look myself, I pegged his likely future grade in the middle as a +10-run defender. With a better all-around skill set than Mazara and Gallo, Brinson earns the top spot in the organization and one of the highest potentials in all of baseball. He will have to continue proving his plate-discipline gains are legitimate in order to realize his ceiling, but the floor here is crazy high too for a soon-to-be 22-year-old center fielder. Hit: 40/45-50/55 Power: 50/65/70+ Run: 60/60/60 Field: 55/60/65 Throw: 60/60/60 Overall: 45/65/75 2. Dillon Tate, RHP Current Level/Age: Single-A/21.9, 6’2/165, R/R Acquired: Drafted 4th overall (1st round) in 2015 out of UC-Santa Barbara by TEX for $4.2 million bonus Previous Rank: NA Tate didn’t pitch much after going near the top of the draft last June, the first pitcher taken in his class. His junior season at UCSB was his first as a starter, so his innings totals were already much higher than he had thrown the previous two years. There are some who see him as a reliever long-term, but I like his chances of remaining in the rotation. He not only throws hard with projectable secondary stuff, but oozes with athleticism on the mound. Tate’s fastball and slider could be the foundation of either an excellent closer arsenal or top-of-the-rotation starter. It all depends on how the feel for his fastball progresses; I see more potential for the offering in the lower range of his velocity where he has better command and movement. His slider has the highest ceiling, with excellent arm speed and similar plane to his fastball, adding slight but sharp break that makes it an above-average to plus pitch right now. A changeup with average potential rounds out his current offerings, though some contacts have put higher future grades on it with admittedly more looks than I have had. He has fooled around with more of a cutter version of his slider as well as a curveball, though both will be complementary pitches with a later focus as his repertoire needs to become more concrete in pro ball. The biggest determining factor regarding his future role will be how his arm holds up to an increased workload over the next few years. While there is noticeable effort to his delivery, marked by stiffer shoulders than I’d like for a future starter, all the actions are there to protect his arm while giving him even more upside as he continues filling out. If he can find a balance between aggressiveness and folding in some smoothness to his arm path – a big “if” that many pitchers never master – he could be a true number-two starter. That unknown is why his likely future and ceiling grades are fairly wide spread for a college draftee. I’ll be very interested to see what the Rangers are able to get out of his abilities, and we should see early in 2016 what path is more likely for Tate to follow. Fastball: 55/60/70 Slider: 55/65/70 Changeup: 40/45-50/50+ Command: 45/50/55 Overall: 45/55-60/70 Video courtesy of Baseball America 3. Nomar Mazara, OF Current Level/Age: Triple-A/20.9, 6’4/215, L/L Acquired: Signed in 2011 out of Dominican Republic by TEX for $4.95 million bonus Previous Rank: 5 Mazara is a high-upside bat with enough defensive value in right field to be an excellent all-around player. He has big raw power that he draws from a large frame and athletic hands, though his swing path can be inefficient at times. He has a tendency to swing slightly down and across the ball, but it’s not enough to nullify his raw strength and ability to barrel the ball. Even more impressive is his progress making contact and trimming his strikeouts while keeping his walk rate respectable. Because of that, I have more faith in his ability to get on base long-term, though of course playing half his games in Arlington will artificially raise his power numbers. He’s not a burner by any means, but he won’t kill you on the bases or with his range in the field. His combination of a good first step and an accurate arm with plus strength give him decent upside as a corner outfielder. With solid defense and excellent potential to hit for average and power, he’s at least an above-average big leaguer in the making. Hit: 50/55-60/65 Power: 50/55/60+ Run: 40/40/40 Field: 45/45+/50 Throw: 60/60/65 Overall: 40/55+/65+ Video courtesy of Eric Longenhagen 4. Luis Ortiz, RHP Current Level/Age: Single-A/20.5, 6’3/230, R/R Acquired: Drafted 30th overall (1st round) in 2014 out of Nevada HS by TEX for $2.25 million bonus Previous Rank: 8 Ortiz has command beyond his years, particularly of his mid-90s fastball. He is a conglomeration of good and bad signs for success as a starting pitcher. The control he exhibits of his potential plus fastball and slider and above-average changeup makes him immediately intriguing as a mid-rotation to higher-end starter. On the flip side, he’s working toward a thick-bodied build that will be tough to manage, making his already imperfect arm support unlikely to improve. Though he has an easygoing look to his delivery, his throwing shoulder rotation and sequential forearm pronation aren’t the cleanest around. If his core continues to thicken, he’s going to lose the rotational efficiency that is his best chance for maintaining a healthy arm. Forearm issues before the draft and two-and-a-half months of missed time from elbow tendinitis last year put the onus on his ability to protect his arm, making the overall picture a little cloudy. I’m less optimistic on Ortiz’ ceiling than Tate’s, even though Ortiz has the three-pitch mix with better present command while being a year and a half younger. His stuff is good enough that you can’t justify moving him to the bullpen, but it’s not out of the question that he ends up there as he continues to mature physically. I think everything balances out so he ends up around a number-three starter or mid-tier closer, though obviously he has upside if he stays in peak shape physically. Fastball: 55/60/65 Slider: 50/55/60 Changeup: 45/50/55 Command: 50/55/55+ Overall: 45/55/60+ Video courtesy of Scott Lucas 5. Joey Gallo, 3B/OF Current Level/Age: MLB/22.4, 6’5/230, L/R Acquired: Drafted 39th overall (Supp 1st round) in 2012 out of Nevada HS by TEX for $2.25 million bonus Previous Rank: 1 Gallo is a perfect example of why swing mechanics and contact rate are largely independent of each other. He has all the explosiveness and efficiency of the top hitters in the game, but strikeouts limit how much damage he’s going to be able to do in the big leagues. The good news is even with a high strikeout rate, his BABIP should be strong enough to keep his hit tool from being a total negative. The enhanced versatility added by his ability to play the outfield strengthens his chances of having time to work his contact problems out. It’s still tough to see him getting to an average on-base rate, but he should be able to get close to it as he continues adjusting his approach. Though third base hasn’t been a great fit for him, he still could be a viable option there with his elite arm strength. I have his arm a little lower than what his raw arm speed would suggest, simply because he has had trouble making consistent throws in games. As long as he can stay mobile enough in the field, the outfield would seem like the perfect place for him to use his strong arm to the fullest. Regardless, there’s no getting around Gallo being a bat-first prospect with possibly the best raw power in the game. Even with mostly negative contributions from the rest of his profile, he is going to be worthy of a regular spot in the lineup with marginal improvements. Hit: 40/40-45/45+ Power: 70/75/80 Run: 45/45/45 Field: 40/40-45/45 Throw: 55/60/70 Overall: 40/50/60 6. Michael Matuella, RHP Current Level/Age: NA/21.8, 6’6/220, R/R Acquired: Drafted 78th overall (3rd round) in 2012 out of Duke by TEX for $2 million bonus Previous Rank: NA Billed as a potential number-one overall pick heading into the 2015 draft, the combination of a lower back-bone issue vaguely called spondylosis – by all accounts a manageable variety – and undergoing Tommy John surgery in his junior year at Duke pushed Matuella to the third round. When he’s healthy, the stuff is fantastic. A potential plus-plus fastball from a slot that’s difficult to pick up matches well with his plus curveball and above-average slider. He has some feel for a straight changeup as well. Matuella is the definition of high-risk, high-reward going forward. With his long limbs, he has difficulty keeping his arm path efficient to release. It swings widely around his head, resulting in a three-quarters release that offers good deception due to raw arm speed and the long path the ball takes to get there. I believe it also contributed to the strain on his elbow. His release often looks the stiff arm of a catapult coming through, staying locked out into his follow through. He is on target for a late first-half return, likely adhering to a hard innings cap. Even without considering the lower-back spondylosis that will be a constant management requirement, his arm has a lot of risk attached to it. The stuff he had in college was too good not to put in the 50+ group, but I think we need to be very conservative with how much upside we can expect from him. The command and overall grades below take into account the health and effectiveness gamble he is on the mound. I have heard Tanner Scheppers used as a situational comp, which seems as reasonable as any. I’m taking the over on Matuella’s value in the long run, but it’s going to be careful treading to get him there. Depending on how he is recovering, he could be at the top of this list or down ten spots by next season. Fastball: 60/65/70 Curveball: 50/55/60 Slider: 45/50/55 Changeup: 40/45/50 Command: 40/45/50 Overall: 40/50/60 7. Ronald Guzman, 1B Current Level/Age: High-A/21.4, 6’5/205, L/L Acquired: Signed in 2011 out of Dominican Republic by TEX for $3.45 million bonus Previous Rank: 15 Guzman stood out to me as an excellent future hitter in the Arizona Fall League, but he looked overmatched by the competition in the present. It was too easy to get him out of his swing with soft stuff, especially from lefties. The more I saw of him, the more I liked, particularly if you consider that as big as he already is, he isn’t anywhere near filled out yet. A lot of his balance issues with tough pitches and the occasional anxious-looking swings will be helped by getting stronger and growing up a bit. In that frame of mind, his minor-league production looks fantastic. He has hit for a solid average at every level he’s played, and his power numbers have started to tick up as well. It’s way too early to give up on his bat, and I won’t stop being a fan until I see him struggle to hit for power with a more mature body. Lacking any semblance of speed and also throwing from the left side suggests Guzman is almost surely limited to first-base duty in the majors. I was surprised to see a solid set of hands in the field with decent range from a responsive first step, along with above-average arm strength. It still isn’t likely enough to make up for his speed in an outfield role or anything, but he does look like he could be one of the better defensive first basemen in the league with another couple years of work. I don’t think it will take much maturation to turn his large frame and solid swing into a plus power bat. He already looks like he’ll have an above-average hit tool as he improves his approach. It may take him another couple years to really tap into it, but the rapid development of other young Rangers hitters doesn’t have to be the same path for Guzman. I’ll be looking to see how he comes along with letting the ball get to him and trusting his developing strength this year, but if I had to pick a guy to break out offensively in this system, he’s the one. Hit: 30/55/60 Power: 30/55/60-65 Run: 35/35/35 Field: 40/45/45+ Throw: 55/55/55 Overall: 25/50/60 8. Ariel Jurado, RHP Current Level/Age: Single-A/20.2, 6’1/180, R/R Acquired: Signed in 2012 out of Panama by TEX Previous Rank: Unranked Jurado lives in the strike zone, and minor-league hitters still can’t square him up because of excellent sink on his fastball and advanced command of his curveball and changeup. While his strikeouts are more the product of low-level minors competition getting themselves out, he has mild swing-and-miss potential from his changeup, though a bit less from his breaking ball. This isn’t as much an upside play as it is a high-floor profile. He isn’t going to hurt himself with walks or poorly placed offerings, but his pitches are more geared toward mishits and ground balls than whiffs. He could be a solid mid-rotation to back-end starter, with the exact role depending on how well he tightens up his curve. An excellent sign from the Rangers’ international scouting crew, he will start in High-A this season with a chance to move quickly despite his youth. Fastball: 50/50+/50-55 Curveball: 45/50/50+ Changeup: 45/50/55 Command: 50/55/60 Overall: 40-45/50/55 45+ FV Prospects 9. Eric Jenkins, OF, VIDEO, Single-A Jenkins projects to be an excellent base-runner and center fielder, with decent upside at the plate as a line-drive and gaps hitter. He needs some work refining his reads in the outfield, but he shows enough potential to turn his plus to plus-plus raw speed into great range. He stole 28 bases in his pro debut (224 plate appearances) while only getting caught three times. He can produce great bat speed, though he will be susceptible to lots of pull-side grounders in the early going due to forcing his barrel around and cutting off his path through the ball. I was close to giving him a 50 hit tool because of the athleticism his hands show early in the swing, but I want to see him calm down his overactive front side to believe in his ability to spray balls around the field consistently. It’s too big of a leap for me to see more than 40 power in his future, requiring both physical growth and creating lift that he doesn’t have at present. Though I’m projecting him to be just below average overall, the Rangers have shown they can get the most out of athletic hitters with swing-path deficiencies. I’ll be looking to see how his batted-ball profile improves this season, hoping for more of a middle-of-the-field approach to reach his potential at the plate. Hit: 25/45+/55 Power: 20/35/40 Run: 65/70/75 Field: 50/55/60 Throw: 40/40/40 Overall: 20/45-50/65 10. Andy Ibanez, 2B, VIDEO, NA The Rangers have received moderate praise for their signing of Ibanez for only $1.3 million, considering his reputation as an advanced hitter with solid defense at second base. He will start in Single-A Hickory after not playing since 2014 with his native Cuban team. He was an excellent contact hitter with more walks than strikeouts before defecting, and won the Gold Glove award in his home professional league. I haven’t seen a ton of him yet, but I can already tell I like his hands at the plate. He has a smooth line-drive swing without needing much effort to drive the ball in the gaps. His power will be more doubles power without getting more drive out of his legs, but with his expected contact rates and ability to take a walk, he won’t need a ton of extra-base power to be a valuable bat. Defensively, he moves very well around the ball, showing a feel for playing the infield that makes his below-average speed and arm play up to at least average defense. Hit: 45+/55/60 Power: 40/40/45 Run: 45/45/45 Field: 50/50/55 Throw: 40/40/45 Overall: 40/45-50/60 11. Ryan Cordell, OF/INF, VIDEO, Double-A Cordell played every position last season but pitcher, catcher and second base, as the Rangers try to expand his flexibility in the field. He’s more than capable of playing all three outfield positions, and he shows enough skill to turn into a decent infielder with some more work. The question is how much is he going to hit. Despite his tremendous success in the California League, he isn’t the most refined hitter, and I don’t see him hitting for as much power against big-league pitching. His contact cratered after being promoted to Double-A, but he’s better than his strikeout rates at that level suggest. He has a quick bat that he uses to create excellent raw power, though his swing is inefficient when it comes to matching the plane of the pitch coming in, often hooking around the ball on high pitches or chopping down on low pitches. The shortened time in the zone could contribute to continued trouble making contact, but I think it ends up being more of an issue with consistently elevating the ball against pitchers with better command. He still should be close to an average power hitter, with a slightly lower grade for his hit tool. That he also has plus speed and great defensive versatility gives him a bump in overall value. Just don’t expect him to duplicate his High-A hitting performances against major-league competition. Both his hit and power grades have the potential to be average or slightly above as well, giving him an intriguing floor and ceiling. He already projects to be a valuable asset as a super-utility player, or a plus starter if he can make some adjustments to keep putting the ball in the air with authority. Hit: 35/45/50 Power: 40/45+/55 Run: 60/60/60 Field: 55/55/55 Throw: 50/50/50 Overall: 35/45-50/60 12. Josh Morgan, INF/C, VIDEO, Single-A Morgan is in the process of adding catcher to his list of positions. There hasn’t been official word yet how the Rangers feel about the early results, but he definitely has the soft hands and quick feet to handle the switch if given enough time. In the infield, Morgan is at least an average defender wherever he plays, showing decent range with quick turnarounds even on tough grabs. His solid-average arm strength plays up a tick or so because of a fast release and good transfers. At the plate, Morgan has done a superb job of controlling the strike zone and making hard contact. He’s almost completely a contact hitter, though he can sneak a few balls over the outfielders with his quick bat. It’s going to be a tall order expecting him to continue walking at such a high rate without being much of a power threat. Hope for a Nick Markakis-type of offensive ceiling if he can really take his plate discipline to the next level. Hit: 40/55/60+ Power: 25/35/35+ Run: 50/50/55 Field: 50/50/55 Throw: 55/55/60 Overall: 35/45-50/60 13. Brett Martin, LHP, VIDEO, Single-A Martin’s best quality is his low-90s fastball thrown from a high three-quarters to overhand slot. It’s a gift and a curse, because the unnatural-looking release makes him more difficult to hit but also gives him less command of his pitches. Both his curveball and changeup have average potential, but it will be his fastball command and arm health that keep him on track for the big leagues. I like his chances of finding his way into a starting job, but his heater would be a weapon out of the bullpen as well if he doesn’t continue tightening up his arsenal. Fastball: 55/60/65 Curveball: 45/50/55 Changeup: 40/45-50/50+ Command: 40/45/50 Overall: 35/45/55-60 14. Jose Leclerc, RHP, VIDEO, Double-A Leclerc has a loose, explosive arm with great stuff, but he suffers from command inconsistencies that limit him to a likely bullpen role in the future. He throws a fastball that gets into the mid-90s, complemented by a sharp-breaking curve and poor location but excellent arm action on his changeup. He fights against a closed-off stride to get to release, showing great but restricted athleticism as a result. There’s more recoil in his arm than I like to see, and he doesn’t let his arm finish fully finish pronating. There is a lot to like about his work on the mound with three potential swing-and-miss pitches, and the presence of natural deception from his quick arm makes it hard to give up on him as a starter. In the end, the combination of command problems and some signs of stress on his arm will make the bullpen a better fit. His arsenal is strong enough that he won’t need a big improvement in strike throwing to be an excellent late-innings option. Health and control willing, I expect to see Leclerc throwing important innings in the big leagues with great success. Fastball: 55/60/65 Curveball: 55/60/65 Changeup: 45/45/50 Command: 40/40-45/45 Overall: 40/45-50/55 15. Luke Jackson, RHP, VIDEO, MLB Jackson has a big arm and is capable of sitting comfortably in the high-90s with his fastball, though consistency and command have not found their way into his game. His curve, slider and changeup all have moments of looking like excellent complementary pitches, though they all suffer from a lack of feel and noticeably different body language when he throws them. Switching to the bullpen full-time last year, he has the ability to rack up strikeouts and walks, while also looking like he can maintain an above-average ground-ball rate as he works at a consistently higher effort level. The walks and telegraphing of pitches aren’t likely to go away, so Jackson’s likely to be a fringe setup man out of the bullpen. If he can somehow keep the ball in the zone, or perhaps more of his curveballs with the same aggressiveness as his fastball, he has real closing potential. A few years of him having the same issues tempers my optimism, but I accept that it’s still a possible outcome for him. Fastball: 65/70/70 Curveball: 50/50/60 Changeup: 45/45/50 Command: 40/40/45 Overall: 40/45/55 16. Jonathan Hernandez, RHP, VIDEO, Rookie Hernandez’ chances of sticking in the rotation are not dependent on command or mechanical fixes as much as raw stuff. He has three pitches that could all play around average, and his control gives him a chance to move quickly through the lower levels of the minor leagues, despite being only 19 years old at present. I love his arm and the easy look he has on the mound, but he is going to need an uptick in velocity or some tightening of his slider and/or changeup to solidify his status as a future big-league starter. Team sources are confident he will see notable strength gains over the next couple years. Fastball: 50/55/55 Slider: 45/50/55 Changeup: 40/45/50 Command: 45/50/55 Overall: 35/45/55 17. Patrick Kivlehan, OF/1B, VIDEO, Triple-A Kivlehan is a big, strong athlete who just keeps raking in the minor leagues. He has continued to get better every year since playing mostly football before being drafted, and now projects to be a solid hitter, albeit at a lower-skill defensive position. The Rangers picked him up in the Leonys Martin trade with the Mariners, and although he’s much older than a traditional prospect, he isn’t without value to the parent club. He’s the perfect type of hitter for the Rangers’ home park, having a ton of raw strength and enough contact to put balls in the air regularly. Though he’ll give away some runs on the defensive side, Kivlehan will be more than useful at the plate. Look for him to see a big league opportunity this year, with at least a very valuable part-time role in his future. Hit: 45/45+/50 Power: 55/60/60+ Run: 50/50/50 Field: 45/45/45 Throw: 45/45/45 Overall: 40/45-50/50+ 18. Yohander Mendez, LHP, VIDEO, Single-A Mendez didn’t give up a run in the bullpen through June 9th last year, prompting the Rangers to bump him into the rotation for the rest of the year. He’s on the line for future bullpen or starter role for me. His plus changeup will help him neutralize righties. His breaking ball, while a far inferior pitch, should be decent enough to give lefties a hard time as he harnesses his command for it. His fastball has good movement to his arm side, but the lack of velocity and deception to it keeps it around average overall. What makes me apprehensive is the lack of clean finish to his arm and the history of elbow issues. Though he has room to add some weight to help support his arm, I don’t see a delivery that lends itself to holding up for a season’s worth of starts each year. If he is somehow able to, he’s a solid number-four or -five starter, but I’d love to see his stuff and command carving out a role in the mid- to late-innings. Fastball: 45/50/50+ Curveball: 40/45/45 Changeup: 55/60/65 Command: 50/55/55 Overall: 40/45/50 19. Andrew Faulkner, LHP, VIDEO, MLB Faulkner throws his fastball in the low- to mid-90s with decent run, from a closed-off stride that makes it difficult to pick up for lefties. Despite a changeup that gets better reviews with its split-like movement, I was impressed with his slider last year, and think that ends up being a slightly better pitch. I also only saw him in relief, which is where I believe he ends up long-term, not just this season. He hasn’t shown crazy platoon splits as a starter in the minors, but right-handed hitters in the big leagues will have an easier time with his first-base-side release than lefties have. He has the velocity, one or two secondary pitches that could be average and he throws strikes — a combination that could put him in a late-innings role out of the pen. Fastball: 55/60/60 Slider: 45/45/50 Changeup: 45/45/50 Command: 40/45/45 Overall: 40/45/50 40+ FV Prospects 20. Leodys Taveras, OF, VIDEO, NA Taveras’ contributions in the field and on the bases are pretty straight forward. He has plus speed and a strong arm, giving him the necessary tools to be a great base-stealer and solid center-field defender. He needs work on his reads and jumps in the outfield, but sources I contacted believe he has the athleticism to get it done in the future. The debate surrounds his bat. Some think he ends up with above-average power but worry about his pitch recognition, while others see that as an issue that will be easily worked out with experience while his power may fall short of average. I’m splitting the difference until I can get a better look myself. Though I like the athleticism in his swing from both sides of the plate, it’s apparent he has timing and pitch-tracking issues that may not be something he grows out of. His bat speed could turn into above-average power, though his one-piece swing will make him very reliant on bulking up to get there. I wouldn’t be surprised if his flatter swing plane didn’t produce more than doubles power, but we’ll see where he’s at once he starts facing professional pitching before going too far in any direction with his grades. Hit: 20/45/50 Power: 20/45/50 Run: 60/60/60 Field: 45/50/55 Throw: 55/55/60 Overall: 20/40/55+ 21. Travis Demeritte, 2B, VIDEO, Single-A Demeritte lost 80 games to a banned-substance suspension last year, which is especially unfortunate for a hitter who needs to figure out how to make his low-contact approach work as he ascends the minor-league ladder. He won’t have a problem driving the ball when he does hit it, with solid lift and excellent bat speed. He can be too forceful getting his barrel to contact, pointing at a lot of rollovers to the left side in his future. His walks may save him, but his pitch recognition needs to improve to be an average bat overall. Second base is a fine fit for him on defense, though I still think he could work at shortstop or third base if given the opportunity. He’s not flashy, but has great footwork around the ball and very functional above-average to plus arm. The hit tool is where his value will be made or broken, and I think the most likely scenario is he ends up a power-oriented bench option or fringe starter. He still has the potential to be an above-average regular if he can get his on-base rate up over .300. Hit: 25/40+/45 Power: 35/55/60 Run: 50/50+/55 Field: 50/50/50+ Throw: 55/55/60 Overall: 20/40+/55 22. Jairo Beras, OF, VIDEO, Single-A Beras had a better time in the South Atlantic League last year after struggling in 2014, though the developmental needs still remain. He needs to find an approach that works with his below-average contact and pitch recognition, as it affects both his on-base and power potential. Though he has the swing path and future strength to hit for plus power, he can lose his legs quickly when he’s fooled on tough pitches. He has work to do on defense to turn his athleticism into good reads and footwork, but there’s a good chance he ends up better than the average corner outfielder with the glove. He has plenty of time to improve, while the Rangers wait for him to grow into his body a bit. He will start the 2016 season in the High-A California League, so don’t be surprised if we see a power outburst regardless of how well he’s improved his approach and physicality. Hit: 30/40-45/45+ Power: 35/55/60 Run: 45/45/50 Field: 40/45/50 Throw: 55/60/65 Overall: 20/40/55 23. Ti’Quan Forbes, 3B, VIDEO, Low-A Forbes has a loose, athletic start to his swing that turns into a stiff, one-piece twist with his entire body. He has the bat speed to generate average raw power, perhaps more if he could shore up the second half of his swing. I’m hesitant to count on it, but the Rangers have been building a solid track record lately with getting the most out of athletic bats. Contact issues and the loss of adjustability via mechanical issues keep his hit tool from being crazy projectable, but I can see where he may still have an average hit-tool ceiling, most likely ending up in the 45 range. Forbes’ overall athleticism in the field and on the bases affords him some breathing room with his bat, being an above-average to plus runner with enough arm strength to be an asset at third base. Right now it’s not likely he becomes more than a solid bench bat, but if things click, he has the multi-skilled profile to be a solid starting third baseman. Hit: 20/45/50 Power: 25/45/50+ Run: 60/55/55 Field: 45/50/50 Throw: 60/60/60 Overall: 20/40+/50-55 24. John Fasola, RHP, VIDEO, High-A Fasola looks like he could be a big-league reliever right now, with easy mid-90s heat that seems to get on hitters even quicker than that and also a potentially plus slider. He shows some feel for a changeup as well, but if the slider comes around like it should, he won’t need it much. Not only does he have the stuff to be a solid bullpen piece, but he pounds the zone with better frequency than most relievers as well. Developmental needs mostly center around commanding his slider, as he tends to spin out toward first base and leave it on the arm side of the plate. Being able to bury it down to the glove side consistently will push the pitch up another notch, giving him setup potential. Fastball: 60/60/65 Slider: 55/60/65 Changeup: 45/45+/50 Command: 45/45/50 Overall: 40/40-45/50 25. Pedro Payano, RHP, Single-A It’s taken a few years to really get his footing, but Payano forced the Rangers’ hands to bring him stateside by throwing lights-out ball in the DSL. Signed in 2011, he commands his low-90s fastball and average offspeed pitches well enough to have propelled himself into Single-A ball last year. Pitchers who command the ball well have been known to breeze through the low minors without needing great, but it does sound like he may have really taken a step forward heading into his age-21 season. I’m cautiously throwing support behind him here, and I’ll be interested to see what he looks like spending all year in full-season ball. Fastball: 45/50/55 Curveball: 45/50/55 Changeup: 45/45+/50 Command: 45/50/55 Overall: 35/40-45/50 26. Connor Sadzeck, RHP, VIDEO, Double-A Sadzeck had a good first season back from Tommy John surgery the previous year, finishing up in Double-A Frisco, where he will return in 2016. He runs his fastball into triple-digits, sitting easily in the upper-90s. He doesn’t have much of an offspeed repertoire, which will be the linchpin to him carving out a successful bullpen role in the big leagues. Though he continued to start last year, he threw in relief in the Arizona Fall League, and looks much better suited for the role. His arm will get him to the majors, but he needs to show more consistency with his slider to be much of an asset there. Fastball: 65/70/75 Slider: 45/50/50+ Changeup: 35/40/40 Command: 40/40/40+ Overall: 40/40+/45-50 27. Drew Robinson, 2B/SS, VIDEO, Triple-A Robinson is primarily a middle infielder, though he also spent time at every position but pitcher and catcher last year. The combination of a bad 2014 season and so many other talented Rangers hitting prospects at the upper levels has left him out of the conversation in prospect circles, but this guy has an interesting set of skills. He makes poor contact, but he works counts and shows an ability to take plenty of walks. He also has at least average power, which should keep pitchers careful enough to keep walking him. He needs his walk rate to be high enough to make up for the strikeouts, but he’s shown enough ability across his game to warrant at least a bench role. If the walks translate, he has starting potential at one of the seven positions he’s proven sufficient at manning. More likely, he could be a super-utility type of player, with enough thump in his bat to potentially find semi-regular playing time. Hit: 40/40/45 Power: 50/50/55 Run: 55/55/55 Field: 50/50/50 Throw: 50/50/50 Overall: 40/40/45-50 28. Jacob Lemoine, RHP, VIDEO, NA After getting some love as a potential first-round pick, Lemoine missed all but five starts in his junior season last spring with a shoulder injury. When healthy, he has a low- to mid-90s fastball with good run and a hard slider, complemented by a crude but potentially average changeup. In fact, all of his pitches are somewhat crude, with Lemoine lacking consistent feel for his release on each offering. He has some upside because of the stuff, but inconsistencies on the mound combined with a shoulder injury make him a tough sell. He’ll start in extended spring training this season. Fastball: 55/55+/60 Slider: 45/50/55+ Changeup: 45/45+/50 Command: 40/45/45+ Overall: 35/40/45-50 29. Yeyson Yrizarri, SS, VIDEO, Low-A Yrizarri’s best asset is his plus-plus arm, which is good enough to keep his fringy speed and range in play at shortstop. If he loses a step as he ages, third base is a perfectly good consolation prize. When the Rangers were short on infield depth last June, they brought Yrizarri up to fill in until their depth could be re-established, and he handled himself very well before being sent down to the Low-A Northwest League. He makes a lot of contact and has some physical growth left to do, where you might be able to see him grow into 45-grade power. His swing is pretty low-impact at present, but maybe he gets there as he gains some man strength. His biggest needs are in the plate-discipline department. Even if his hitting ability develops as I think it could, his aggressive approach is going to really cut into the value he produces at the plate. Sources confirm the plan is to get him working counts better over the next year or two, so it will be interesting to see if he can develop some selectivity as he continues to improve his defense at short. I like his chances of becoming a big leaguer, though the lack of an above-average tool besides his arm makes it tough to see where he can really be an asset. Hit: 30/45+/50 Power: 30/40/40+ Run: 50/50/50 Field: 45/50/55 Throw: 70/70/70 Overall: 25/40/45+ 30. Sam Wolff, RHP, VIDEO, Double-A Wolff is a hard-throwing hurler who can reach the upper-90s with his fastball in short outings, part of why I believe he can be a solid addition to a big-league bullpen. He will likely remain a starter for the forseeable future, but he lacks upside in the role with no sure above-average offerings with which to put hitters away. His strikeout potential is much higher with one of his curveball or slider, and he won’t have to improve his command as much to get there. His stiff upper body makes it unlikely he will improve greatly in that area anyway. He stays in the zone enough to eventually find a niche in a major-league role, with the potential for a plus or better fastball and a solid breaking ball. His curveball is regarded as the better pitch currently, but I can see him throwing it harder in a relief role to be more of a power curve as a better weapon for retiring hitters. Fastball: 55/55/60+ Curveball: 45/50/55+ Slider: 40/45/50 Changeup: 40/45/45+ Command: 35/40/45 Overall: 35/40/45-50 Cistulli’s Guy Alberto Triunfel, SS, High-A Triunfel produced excellent power numbers last year for High-A High Desert following a mid-June promotion to the California League. Nor were those numbers just cosmetically impressive owing to the Cal League’s inflated run environment. Regard: while the league recorded a collective .143 isolated-power figure, Triunfel surpassed that mark by roughly 50 points, posting a .192 ISO for the Mavericks in 241 plate appearances. By way of reference, here are all the major-league shortstops who both (a) recorded sufficient plate appearances to qualify for the batting title in 2015 and also (b) produced an ISO better than the league-average mark of .150: Brandon Crawford (.205), Asdrubal Cabrera (.164), Troy Tulowitzki (.160), Ian Desmond (.151). So, four of them — and three of them no more than 15 points beyond the league average. All of which is to say, it’s unusual for a shortstop to exhibit that sort of power relative to his league. Nor is this to suggest that the 22-year-old Triunfel is defined merely by his power. While he’s never recorded elite plate-discipline numbers, they’ve also always been adequate. With regard to his age, as well, that’s always been more or less appropriate for the corresponding levels. In summary: Triunfel appears to be an age-appropriate shortstop with average plate discipline and average or better power. “Future MVP,” is what the people have to say about that. The people might be hasty in that regard, but their enthusiasm is justified. Quick Hits Upper-level hitters: 2B/OF Evan Van Hoosier (VIDEO) has decent tools with plus raw speed and a quick bat. His defense at second won’t be spectacular, but could end up being serviceable despite poor arm strength. He’s an inside-out hitter without much carry on even his best hits, and I’m not sure his contact will be good enough to make up for it. Still has a possible future in a bench role with the versatility to play the outfield as well. UTIL/C Isiah Kiner-Falefa (VIDEO) is interesting because, like Josh Morgan above, he has also been thrown behind the plate to see what he can do this year. He has no power yet solid contact skills, and the ability to play solid defense as a catcher could push him into a major-league role in some form. Lower-level hitters: C Jose Trevino (VIDEO) has a strong arm behind the plate and decent hands, though his receiving still showcases way too much movement to be counted on yet. He has made contact at the plate, but there isn’t much upside with a stiff swing and a poor batted-ball profile. He could still carve out a backup role if his catching continues to improve. OF LeDarious Clark’s (VIDEO) .825 OPS and 29 steals in 293 Low-A plate appearances is certainly worth spotlighting, but contact issues and holes in his swing keep me from buying into his bat against better pitching. SS Michael De Leon (VIDEO) can really pick it in the infield and makes ok contact, but a lack of power, poor pitch recognition and mechanical issues make it unlikely he will hit enough to be much of a factor. He’s young yet, but a long way from earning a spot in the majors. Upper-level pitchers: RHP David Perez had a banner year split between Single-A and High-A owing to a better command showing. He earned his way back into a starting role, and now we can see what he’s able to do with the opportunity. If he comes out throwing strikes again this year, I’ll feel comfortable moving him up the list pretty quickly. LHP Frank Lopez (VIDEO) has decent stuff and projectable command, but he’ll have to show he can take another step forward with his location to keep hitters off balance. I like his chances, but the margins are thin enough that he stays off the main list for now. RHP Adam Parks has a potential excellent slider with the ability to throw strikes. He could factor into the big-league bullpen picture with another solid season in the minors after scuffling a bit in his first taste of Double-A last year. Lower-level pitchers: RHP Scott Williams only started pitching days before he was drafted in 2014, and now may have a real future in a bullpen role. He’ll start in High-A, where he will look to be more consistent with his hard fastball and sharp breaker. RHP Tyler Phillips (VIDEO) is an interesting upside arm that needs to grow into his body before really projecting for much. He had an excellent debut in the Rookie Arizona League after being drafted in only the 16th round last June.
Aaron Hernandez’s life came to a tragic end earlier this week when the former star tight end of the New England Patriots was found hanged in his prison cell in what was ruled a suicide. Hernandez was serving a life sentence without of parole after he was convicted in the 2013 killing of semipro football player and friend Odin Lloyd. More details have been coming to light in the wake of Hernandez’s death, revealing just how troubled Hernandez may have been and how he possibly posed a threat to everyone around him, including reporters. Just ask NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who was a Patriots beat writer back in 2010 when Hernandez was drafted by the Pats. Rapoport spoke about a strange interaction he had with Hernandez in the locker room, one that possibly put the reporter’s life at risk. (From The MMQB via Sports Illustrated) When we first exchanged numbers, he called me over and said, “Hey I just want you to know, you’re my guy. If you need anything let me know, I will help you out if I can. But I just want you to know, if you (expletive) me over, I’ll kill you.” I sort of laughed a little bit, and I said, “Don’t worry, I got you, I’ll take care of you.” It was me and this other reporter from CBS Sports, William Bendetson, and he was standing there and had listened and we kind of turned to each other and both laughed. And then the first text I got after it became clear that Hernandez was the suspect in the murder investigation was from William Bendetson, who was like, Hey remember that day in the locker room? It’s hard to say whether Hernandez was being serious when he said that to Rapoport, but the pattern of behavior from the former tight end suggests there may have been some validity to his words. Related 5 best Monday Night Football games on the NFL schedule
The Scottish Government says it wants to see a bike boom that would increase the proportion of everyday journeys by bike to 10 percent by 2020. Can it be done? It's "ambitious but achievable" says Keith Irving, chief executive of Cycling Scotland, but it will need "a step change in the amount of effort required to help achieve it". "There is undoubtedly a lot of work we need to do," Irving told Susan Swarbrick of Herald Scotland. "We are trying to reverse decades of decline. If you look at the 1950s, the best figures I've seen suggest Scotland had a mode-share for cycling of 15 per cent. That was the same as in Germany at that time. "There is absolutely nothing to stop us getting more people cycling. Some change will take a long time and the Netherlands have been busy investing ever since the Kindermoord campaigns in 1972. "You are looking at decades of investment in order to catch up but that's not to say that you can't see a lot of people cycling in a relatively short period of time." Scotland currently has a cycling mode share — the proportion of journeys made by bike — of just one percent, a figure that hasn't budged since the 1980s. The Scottish Government's Cycling Action Plan sets out a vision for that 10 percent target. However, some cycling advocates have expressed scepticism about the achievability of the goal, and the Scottish Government's level of commitment. In a discussion on the City Cycling Edinburgh forum, poster Morningsider commented: "I'm certain the Scottish Government could ensure the 10% target was met. I'm sure they would like it to be met, just not enough to really do anything about it." Irving thinks it can be done. "I feel it is ambitious but achievable," he told the Herald. "There is no doubt it does require a step change in the amount of effort required to help achieve it. "What we have seen is that you can achieve change very quickly in some cities. Seville is the classic example of that. It has gone from less than one per cent to seven per cent of journeys by bike within six years. "Change across Scotland will take longer but we are already seeing good progress made in Edinburgh, Inverness and Moray where around 10 per cent of journeys to work are regularly made by bike." But he doesn't seem to expect that the program of education, promotion and training that makes up the bulk of the Cycling Action Plan will get Scotland to the target. Scotland needs to follow London's lead and build cycling infrastructure. "London has seen an incredible increase in cycling for lots of reasons and it shows there is demand out there," he says. "But with the best will in the world, Scotland doesn't have the available budget that London has. "The crucial thing about the Cycle Superhighways is that it is re-allocation of road space, taking a lane currently for cars and giving it to people riding bikes. That is a brave political step to take and one we want to see happen in Scotland."
Nursing For most of us, our first interaction with a nurse happened the day we were born—and it won't be the last. Nurses provide physical and emotional patient care in times of illness or injury. Nursing is one-on-one patient care within the healthcare field. Good skills to have for this major include math, science, logical thinking and most importantly, people skills. Communication skills are vital since you are the one meeting and attending to the patients before they see a doctor. In addition, the healthcare field can be hectic at times, so it's important to be able to handle stressful situations. Something to consider During your nursing education, you will participate in clinicals or labs using what you learned in class and applying it to real life by working in a hospital or medical clinic. Also, get ready to be a human guinea pig, as you and your classmates will practice checking blood pressure, drawing blood and other skills on each other. The levels of nursing (in ascending order of degree) include: licensed practical nurse, registered nurse, bachelor of science in nursing and master of science in nursing. In addition, when considering nursing, many schools offer programs from small school environments, such as a two-year technical school, to large four-year universities. Also, depending on your area of study, you'll most likely have to take the National Council Licensure Exam in your specialty of practical nurse (PN) or registered nurse (RN) to work as a nurse or to continue on to another nursing profession. You can specialize in a particular field of medicine—just like doctors—but this will require additional schooling and training. After graduation A nursing degree gives you a lot of variety when it comes to a career, and depending on your certifications, possible job titles include: nurse midwife, clinical nurse specialist, registered nurse, nurse anesthetist, nurse practitioner, flight nurse and research nurse. Popular nursing specialties include: ambulatory care nurse, neuroscience nurse, oncology nurse, pediatric nurse and school nurse. Again, some nursing specialties require more schooling and certifications. For example, a clinical nurse specialist requires a bachelor of science in nursing, passing the NCLEX, a master of science in nursing, passing the National Nurse Licensing Exam and passing the Certified Nurse Specialist Certification exam. Where you could end up living Nursing professions have good career opportunities throughout the United States. For example, as a registered nurse, you can find average to above-average opportunities in nearly every state according to My Next Move Salary and occupation outlook According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2013, there were more than 2,650,000 jobs as a registered nurse, and the average salary was $68,910 per year. As for outlook, the growth rate percentage from 2012—2022 is 19 percent, which is faster than the average occupational growth rate. This growth is due to the necessity nursing has in our society thanks to modern medicine. A nursing education and career allows you to work within the healthcare field, while building relationships with those around you. As our world's population continues to increase, the demand for more qualified nurses and other healthcare professionals will too. Sources: http://www.mynextmove.org/profile/state/29-1141.00?from=profile http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/registered-nurses.htm http://www.nurse.com/students/careersinnursing.html http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291141.htm http://www.discovernursing.com/specialty/clinical-nurse-specialist#.U16LBq1dWKU
Posted March 18, 2015 at 1:01 am - HYPER-CHARGED ELLIOT! (Review show montage) - Ashley sees Elliot transformation - Ashley sees Elliot transform back - "I like you" - "Apples... AND Oranges?" So cool. Much melon. I believe the actual expression is "cool as a cucumber", but I like watermelon, so there. I sometimes wonder what people expect me to be like in person. I haven't been seen in the wild (aka "attended a convention") since 2007, and most of what people would expect would be based on the contents of these comics, their commentaries, and my ramblings on social media. I'm not sure in-person me would match up to whatever expectations one might have, particularly since I can go on-and-on with text and generally minimize how much I talk in person. If I have anything complicated to say, I can be more clear about it in text, anyway. EGS:NP
With the Web becoming the default development platform, we are witnessing major innovations in browser technology. In the spirit of time, Opera has announced plans for “the fastest JavaScript engine on the market” code named Carakan and Apple has released Safari 4 in public beta with several new features and improvements. One of the major technical improvements of the Caracan VM over Opera’s older engine Futhark, is the fact that it doesn’t use a stack-based bytecode instruction set anymore but rather a register-based: In the new engine, we’ve instead opted for a register-based bytecode instruction set. In a register-based machine, instead of a dynamically sized stack of values, there’s a fixed size block of them, called “registers”. Instead of only looking at the values at the top of the stack, each instruction can access any register. Since there is no need to copy values to and from the top of the stack to work on them, fewer instructions need to be executed, and less data needs to be copied. Caracan will also support native code generation: Although our new engine’s bytecode instruction set permits the implementation of a significantly faster bytecode execution engine, there is still significant overhead involved in executing simple ECMAScript code, such as loops performing integer arithmetics, in a bytecode interpreter. To get rid of this overhead we are implementing compilation of whole or parts of ECMAScript programs and functions into native code. Another area of improvement is in the representation of JavaScript objects: In the new engine, each object is assigned a class that collects various information about the object, such as its prototype and the order and names of some or all of its properties. Class assignment is naturally very dynamic, since ECMAScript is a very dynamic language, but it is organized such that objects with the same prototype and the same set of properties are assigned the same class. This representation allows compact storage of individual objects, since most of the complicated structures representing the object’s properties are stored in the class, where they are shared with all other objects with the same class. In real-world programs with many objects of the same classes, this can save significant amounts of memory. Opera claims that with these enhancements Caracan is currently 2.5 times faster than the engine which is featured in Opera 10 Alpha. With no release date yet, it will be interesting to see if these improvements will boost the popularity of the Opera browser, whose market share for January 2009 was 0,70% according to NetApplications. On the other side of the river, Apple has released Safari 4 beta which also features a new JavaScript Engine named Nitro: Using the new Nitro Engine, for example, Safari executes JavaScript up to 30 times faster than Internet Explorer 7 and more than 3 times faster than Firefox 3 based on performance in leading industry benchmark tests: iBench and SunSpider. This new version of Safari supports several advanced and new technologies like: CSS Animations CSS Effects CSS 3 Web Fonts CSS Canvas HTML 5 Media Support HTML 5 Offline Support Acid 3 Compliance (the only browser to pass the test) Speculative Loading Safari also comes with several new features and UI improvements like: Tabs on Top Cover Flow Full History Search Windows Native Look and Feel Smart Address Field Full-Page Zoom Smart Search Field Phishing and Malware Protection For more information on how to leverage these new features in the development of applications both for the desktop and the mobile version of Safari, you can visit Apple’s Safari Dev Center. Paul Stamatiou has been spending some quality time with the new beta and is sharing his thoughts: If this were a real review and I were to bestow Safari 4 beta with a Stammy rating, it would come in at around 6.5-7 out of 10 with emphasis on its stability and speed. So what’s Safari 4 good for? Browsing the web, not tweaking it. Let’s not forget that Safari is the king of private browsing mode *wink wink*… well not for long, Firefox 3.1 gets native support for that too. If you’re using Safari 4 Beta take a look at some of the hidden preferences (OS X only), such as putting the tab bar back where it belongs. With all major browser vendors doing separate work to improve their engines, Dion Almaer wonders if it would be better for them to collaborate: Nice to see, and interesting that the browsers aren’t (or aren’t able too?) share their VM work. Each browser has a new VM implementation going. Wouldn’t it be nice if they could share effort? Iliad replied to Dion question: If they share the VM engines, there’s no competition, and less incentive to push for better and faster implementations. This way they keep trying to outdo each other - and that’s good. You can find more information about Browsers, JavaScript and Rich Internet Applications right here on InfoQ.
In an attempt to battle a constant stream of fake torrents The Pirate Bay has borrowed an army of screening bots. To compensate for the lack of moderators, Pirate Bay is using the "FakeSkan" service of fellow torrent index Bitsnoop to warn users about malicious files. The Pirate Bay has been back online for a week and millions of users have been finding their way back to the popular torrent site. On the surface there’s not much new, aside from a few 404 errors here and there. Behind the scenes, however, the site has undergone some drastic changes. Instead of using a crew of dedicated moderators, some of whom have been with the site for a decade, The Pirate Bay chose to restart as a solo operation. This created an influx of fake torrents driving downloaders to malware and other malicious content. The Pirate Bay noted that the changes were needed for security reasons. As a temporary solution, it added a report button to the site so users could flag fake torrents themselves. But that’s not all. In addition to user reports TPB also borrowed an army of “bots” from competitor BitSnoop. These bots identify good and bad torrents and serve as an extra check to verify whether or not a torrent is safe to download, as shown below. FakeSkan score The owner of BitSnoop told us that he was not aware of the fact that TPB is borrowing the work of his bots, but he doesn’t mind them doing so. BitSnoop has used the FakeSkan system for several years already. While it’s far from 100% accurate, it helps users to cut through the weeds. “Both good and bad votes are initially cast by robots, based on a bunch of heuristics,” BitSnoop’s owner tells TF. “For example, was it found on trusted site? Does it contain fake-torrent patterns (i.e. archives with ‘password at…’ links)? Does it contain content irrelevant to the type of torrent such as .exe files in video torrents?” “After the torrent is indexed robots monitor its seeding patterns. Are there any known signs of seeder-spam on trackers? Was it tracked on known spam trackers? And so forth,” he adds. In addition to the bot votes, BitSnoop also adds user votes to the total score, to improve overall reliability. Unfortunately for TPB, fake torrents are not the only problem. The lack of moderation also caused an increase in spam links in comments where users advertise dubious streaming portals that charge for access, or malicious software concealed as “codecs.” Spam comments galore While most seasoned Pirate Bay users won’t fall for these tricks, it’s not helping the site’s image. It will be interesting to see how TPB handles the pollution problems during the weeks to come. Whether it’s with help from mods or bots, there’s definitely room for improvement.
Google is beta testing a solution within DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP) that will allow publishers to bring in high-value impressions before reserved inventory in their ad server. Jonathan Bellack, Google's director of product management, made the announcement at the IAB Ad Operations Summit on Monday during a discussion about header bidding that pitted Google (anti-header bidding) against AppNexus (pro-header bidding). Header bidding allows publishers to bring in programmatic bids before pinging their ad server, usually DFP, to get better yield than they can using the ad server's priority and decisioning rules. Demand Media, one of the beta partners of DFP First Look, pulled in some $100 CPM bids from a financial advertiser while testing the product, but overall impression volume was low, according to Daniel Bornstein, SVP of platform revenue. Bellack countered that low impression volume helps publishers feel comfortable with bringing in programmatic demand before reserved inventory. “Most publishers we talk to are nervous about having too high of a volume, that they’ll be siphoning away [from reserved inventory],” Bellack said. Bellack said publishers were more likely to see not $100 CPMs, but $10 CPMs and an average 10% revenue lift. If that performance holds, the DFP product would solve for one reason why publishers and buyers use header bidding. It allows buyers to see more inventory and cherry-pick high-value users, and that demand in turn improves yield for publishers. But it wasn’t clear what demand Google would allow through DFP First Look. For it to truly unify demand and improve yield, it would need to include not just buyers using Google's own exchange, AdX, but a broader array of buyers. Apparently, the first-look product does allow high-value remarketing buyers like Criteo, but they must use AdX to access this demand. That Google would release a product to address header bidding is no surprise to many in the industry. AdExchanger sources have mentioned that Google was looking seriously at this issue as header bidding gained in popularity and awareness among publishers. A major reason header bidding exists is because it’s impossible to unify demand within DFP, although Google has setups that allow AdX to compete. Header bidding allows publishers to go around that disadvantageous setup. “The elephant in the room is that we as publishers have multiple partners we work with in bidding, but they won’t compete inside of Google’s ecosystem,” commented Joey Trotz, VP of advertising, data and ad product technology strategies for Turner Broadcasting, during the session. Bellack, in shooting down the header bidding approach, talked about the high latency that can result from these client-side integrations. (Though some server-to-server header bidding setups exist, they require the buyer to decide beforehand which users it wants to buy, saving time during the ad call.) “I agree that there is a lot of revenue opportunity in opening up a true first look to marketers,” Bellack said. “We just think the right way to do it is server-to-server programmatic pipes.” But if that’s the case, some still wondered why Google hasn’t come out with such a product already. “Publishers have had to force that competition,” Trotz said. “The waterfall is one way, and header bidding is another. We would love to have everyone compete server to server, but it doesn’t exist today.”
One of the most common excuses for not improving a habit is arguing, “I don’t have time”. This is a lie. You do have time. But you say you don’t because you’re afraid. Afraid to ship your art, say, “This might not work”, press publish, strength-train, make time for yourself, etc. If you weren’t, you would find time. Simple. Saying “I don’t have time” translates to, “I’m busy” and, “I have a lot on at the moment”. This is good. Society rewards you for working hard. But are you working hard on the right things? If not, it’s because you haven’t asked yourself The Focusing Question, found your ONE Habit and distinguished the vital few from the trivial many. Finding time isn’t that dissimilar to overcoming your fear: you make what your putting off a priority, you make it a must. Here are a few examples of how you can do that. How to Prioritise Track Your Time: You do have time. Everyone does. 168 hours a week, in fact. But how do you spend yours? Checking Facebook. Replying to unimportant emails. Reading Google News. Everyone’s guilty of this. But these activities compound, imperceptibly to the naked eye. Use time tracking software like Toggl or Timely and learn how you really spend your time. You’ll learn a lot about yourself. Identify Your “Why”: “[I didn’t have time] actually means, ‘it wasn’t important enough’” writes Seth Godin, “It wasn’t a high priority, fun, distracting, profitable or urgent enough to make it to the top of the list”. [1] To make your ONE Thing/Habit a priority, identify your why, why it isn’t important enough and what you need to do to change that. Once you know why, you need to know what your value you’re moving towards and what value you’re moving away from. If you’re moving towards pleasure and away from pain, you’ll make time to do it. Cut Out ONE Unessential Activity: To say yes to the vital few, we need to say no the trivial many. This means eliminating activities or effort that don’t make the highest possible contribution towards our goals. Start by saying no to ONE activity or effort. Overtime. Negative colleagues. Facebook. Bat dates. In other words, the unessential. Granted, it’s difficult. You’ll question what consequences will befall you if go against the grain. “But what if I rock the boat?” Challenge your assumptions. Your “what-ifs” seldom happen. Once we give up one activity, it becomes easier to expand and schedule what we want. That time we didn’t have? It was with us all along. Start laying bricks and build your wall, it’s time worth investing. Sources [1] Godin, S. (2014) I Didn’t Have Time, Available at: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2014/04/i-didnt-have-time.html (Accessed: 6th April 2015). Did you enjoy this article? Please pass it onto others by clicking a social share button below.
(Reuters photo: Carlos Barria) This kind of disclosure should be the result of a deliberative process. Let’s begin with this proposition — there is a proper and defensible mechanism for disclosing classified information, even to a geopolitical rival. If the president determines that such disclosure advances the national interests of the United States, and if the president solicits the advice and counsel of the intelligence community and his national-security advisers to minimize the possibility of revealing sources and methods, betraying the trust of allies, or causing any other damage to national security, then it can even be prudent and proper to disclose secret information. In other words, disclosure should be the result of a deliberative process, not a momentary impulse. Advertisement Now, let’s contrast this appropriate process with the charges against President Trump and, crucially, with his defense. The charge is serious. The Washington Post and numerous other media outlets reported that Trump impulsively shared highly classified information with visiting Russian officials — information that “jeopardized a critical source of intelligence on the Islamic State.” According the Post, the information “had been provided by a U.S. partner through an intelligence-sharing arrangement considered so sensitive that details have been withheld from allies and tightly restricted even within the U.S. government.” The New York Times has identified the partner in question as Israel. Trump’s disclosure was allegedly dangerous enough to trigger a scramble within the government to “contain the damage” by, among other measures, “placing calls to the CIA and National Security Agency.” Officials asked the Post not to publish the full details of the leak. Earlier today, The Resurgent’s Erick Erickson wrote that he knows one of the sources for the media’s stories and that the reality is even worse than the reports: I am told that what the President did is actually far worse than what is being reported. The President does not seem to realize or appreciate that his bragging can undermine relationships with our allies and with human intelligence sources. He also does not seem to appreciate that his loose lips can get valuable assets in the field killed. Advertisement It doesn’t take a 3,000-word explainer to describe how this allegation is alarming. But let’s note this — Hillary Clinton lost the presidency in part because her own mishandling of classified information meant that Russia could have had access to American secrets. According to this report, Trump gave Russia dangerous secrets, impulsively, perhaps as part of an effort to impress his guests. And what is Trump’s defense? Yesterday one of the most respected members of his administration, national-security adviser H. R. McMaster, issued a terse statement claiming that the Washington Post story, “as reported,” was false. After denying that “sources and methods” were compromised, he said, “I was in the room. It didn’t happen.” The statement was carefully crafted to create the impression of a blanket denial while still giving the administration some wiggle room on the details. Then, this morning, Trump not only refused to deny giving Russia classified information but, in two tweets, said this: As President I wanted to share with Russia (at an openly scheduled W.H. meeting) which I have the absolute right to do, facts pertaining [. . .] to terrorism and airline flight safety. Humanitarian reasons, plus I want Russia to greatly step up their fight against ISIS & terrorism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In other words, he undercut the blanket denial. Today, McMaster took questions and clarified his earlier statement. Here are his key assertions: 1. He stood by his statement yesterday but said the “premise” of the Post article was false. 2. It wasn’t inappropriate for Trump to disclose the information, and his doing so did not undermine national security. 3. The disclosure was “consistent with the routine sharing of information” between the president and foreign leaders. 4. Trump “wasn’t even aware of where this information came from.” 5. The disclosure occurred in the “context of the conversation” and apparently not as a result of a deliberative process. There is no such thing as ‘no harm, no foul’ in this context. In other words, congratulations America, you got lucky. Despite not knowing the source of the information and apparently making a spur-of-the-moment decision, Trump (allegedly) didn’t hurt our national security. McMaster is perhaps Trump’s best spokesperson, presenting Trump’s best case, and it’s still unsatisfactory. There is no such thing as “no harm, no foul” in this context. This is not the way we want presidents handling classified information — especially during conversations with a hostile foreign power. While I can imagine a context in which an experienced and knowledgeable president could make a disclosure decision on the fly, the key here is “knowledgeable.” Disclosing information without knowing the source is a throw of the dice. And remember, this is the administration’s defense. The original allegations are still hanging out there, and the reporters are standing by their stories. Defenses and denials are not the same thing as refutations. If the initial charge is true, then the president’s behavior is inexcusable and potentially deeply damaging. If his defense is true, his behavior is still irresponsible. Advertisement Finally, there is a truth of the matter. The allegations are too serious to be left to the realm of charges and countercharges. The White House should share available records of the conversation with the relevant congressional oversight committees, and those committees should do their job, examine the evidence, and issue a public report of their findings. The American people should be troubled by what we know. But until we know all the facts, we don’t yet know how troubled we should be.
If any media member or fan sounds convinced they know which four teams are going to make the College Football Playoff this season, send them my way. I’d be happy to put up some of my hard-earned cash on “the field” vs. whichever combination of teams they’re touting — with the exception of Alabama, which is gunning for its fifth national championship in eight years. It’s very difficult to project the four best teams, much less pinpoint exactly how all 14 teams in the SEC are going to finish. That’s plenty of time for injuries, suspensions — and before we sound too depressing, newcomers to emerge as serious contributors. RELATED: Post-spring SEC power rankings Several impact players haven’t even arrived on campuses yet and did not participate in spring practice. Some quarterback competitions will linger into the fall, and we know there will be personnel changes that arise between now and September — both within the SEC and within several high-profile programs that SEC teams will face during the non-conference schedule. But we’re starting to have a good idea about what every SEC program will look like after spring practice. We’re also 11 weeks away from SEC Media Days in Hoover, Ala., which signifies the coming of fall each year. A lot should change between now and Sept. 3, which on paper is one of the best opening weekends in college football history. For now, we’re projecting 11 SEC teams to make next year’s postseason. That includes seven programs from the SEC West, which would mark a third consecutive year that all seven teams in the division played in a bowl game. Tennessee continues to present a temptation as a College Football Playoff projection. We love the Vols’ experience on both sides of the football coming off what was very nearly a special season in Knoxville (oh-so-close losses to Alabama and Oklahoma, both playoff teams). Bob Shoop figures to upgrade (read: increasingly aggressive) what already was a good UT defense. And Joshua Dobbs, Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara should combine to produce the best rushing offense in the SEC. But Georgia and Florida reminded us this spring that to put all our chips into one team is foolish. We still like Tennessee to win the division, but it’s far from a sure thing. The Vols still play Alabama as the cross-division rival, and coach Butch Jones must prove that he’s capable of winning close games in the fourth quarter against championship teams. Oh, and there’s that pesky 11-game losing streak to the Gators. In the SEC West, we’re torn between Alabama, Ole Miss and LSU as the preseason favorites. Personally, I find it hard to bet against the Tide, as Nick Saban has built probably the most sustainable, consistent football program in SEC history. But both the Rebels and Tigers are capable of winning the conference. And Texas A&M and Auburn seem like annual X factors — often disappointing but able to stun No. 1 teams when they’re clicking. It may be just as exciting to find out which of the four non-bowl teams from 2015 is able to get to six wins. For Kentucky and Mark Stoops, it may be mandatory. Three consecutive close-but-no-cigar seasons may lead to a coaching change for the Wildcats. Vanderbilt could be sneaky good, as coach Derek Mason has that defense playing strong, and Ralph Webb is one of the most productive running backs that most outside of SEC territory have never heard of. And Missouri and South Carolina are launching new coaching eras with Barry Odom and Will Muschamp. Here are our still-early bowl projections for 2016: 2016 SEC BOWL PROJECTIONS (11 invites) College Football Playoff Semifinal (Peach Bowl) : No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Oklahoma : No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Oklahoma College Football Playoff Semifinal (Fiesta Bowl): No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Ohio State No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Ohio State New Year’s Six Sugar Bowl: Tennessee vs. Oklahoma State Tennessee vs. Oklahoma State New Year’s Six Orange Bowl: LSU vs. Florida State LSU vs. Florida State Citrus: Georgia vs. Michigan State Georgia vs. Michigan State Outback: Ole Miss vs. Wisconsin Ole Miss vs. Wisconsin Music City: Mississippi State vs. Nebraska Mississippi State vs. Nebraska Belk: Arkansas vs. North Carolina Arkansas vs. North Carolina Liberty: Texas A&M vs. Texas Tech Texas A&M vs. Texas Tech TaxSlayer: Florida vs. Virginia Tech Florida vs. Virginia Tech Texas: Auburn vs. Texas Auburn vs. Texas Birmingham: Missouri vs. Cincinnati On the outside looking in: Vanderbilt, Kentucky, South Carolina
There has been another jump in numbers choosing to take higher level Leaving Certificate Irish as the emphasis on the spoken language appears to reap further benefits. Nearly 20,100 people who took the subject in June are getting a result for honours Gaeilge this morning — a 20% rise since 2013, when 16,665 did so. The figure is 3% higher than last year, significantly more than the slight overall rise of 0.9% for total Leaving Certificate students from 2015. The allocation of 40% of total marks in Irish to the oral exam taken by students around Easter has been cited as the major factor in the swing towards the higher level exam in recent years. From less than one in three of all students taking Irish at the beginning of the decade, those sitting higher level papers each June has risen each year since then to 40% in 2014, 41.8% a year ago, and 42.5% this summer. A decline in numbers taking Leaving Certificate Irish has also been halted, with numbers rising from 43,651 in 2013 to over 47,200 this year across all three levels. As well as in higher level maths and science subjects, there are high failure rates at ordinary level maths this year. One in every 11 of the 32,550 students taking the pass papers got an E or lower this year — a much higher proportion than last year’s 5.9% and higher than the 8.7% who did so in 2014. This means possible restrictions for some of those 3,000 students who failed ordinary level maths if a college course they applied for has a minimum entry requirement for the subject. Business continues to enjoy a resurging level of interest, with the 17,500 students taking exams in the subject up nearly 1,000 in two years after numbers had fallen for a number of years. More than two thirds of the 12,563 who took the higher level exam received honours grades (A,B, or C); however, there is a fail grade in today’s results for nearly 8% of them, or nearly 1,000 students. More significantly, the traditionally less popular accounting and economics subjects have also seen big rises in participation in recent years. The 5,713 who took economics in this year’s Leaving Certificate is up from just more than 5,000 a year ago and the 4,600 mark between 2012 and 2014. Nearly three quarters of the 4,633 who took higher level economics got honours grades; but just over 5% failed, down slightly on last year. Similarly, the numbers taking Leaving Certificate accounting are on the rise, from 5,605 in 2012 to over 6,600 this year. Nearly 4,900 sat the higher level exam in June, resulting in honours for nearly 3,750 (77%) of them but the failure rate is up to 7.6% of candidates from 5.9% and 7.1% in 2014 and 2015, respectively. French remains the most popular European language, but with 1,000 fewer students taking it this year. For more than 15,253 students doing higher level French , 13% scored an A1 or A2 in their exams, and nearly three quarters got an honours grade. More than 62% of the 10,505 ordinary level French candidates got honours, but nearly 8% failed. The numbers doing German are up nearly 800 in two years to 7,627, and for 71% of the 5,257 who took the honours exam, there is an honours grade among today’s results. More than 6,500 students did Leaving Certificate Spanish, up more than 1,200 in two years. While Italian remains a minority subject, numbers taking it are up from 333 in 2014 and 436 a year ago to 512 this year.
The (not so) Complicated Mind of the Liberal When it comes to political discussion, one the most frustrating mindsets that a Marxist can run into is the dreaded Liberal. Reasons that, until recently, have been beyond me to understanding the mind of a person that can be so openly confusing. I will be borrowing the next few minutes of your time to state and explain some observations I have made regarding Liberals and Liberalism. To avoid confusion, the titles will be used as the Liberal Perspective. It’s Cool To Be Politically/Ideologically Inept When conversing with a Liberal the other day it dawned upon me that one of the most common diversions that I run into when talking about politically or ideologically engaging topics is the simple “Well whatever, I don’t care about politics.” This is a particularly dangerous statement for many reasons. In the mind of a liberal, things like politics are seen as an intangible, unreachable, all seeing product of unchangeable nature. This is especially true because they, more likely than not, spent their whole lives under one system, more particularly in a privileged part of the world, where things are done for them. The concept of revolution or massive change is ludicrous to them because of the complexity of the situation. They are taught in school that the era of Ideology and Political Extremism ended after the cold war, most often in a very nice succinct, The good triumphed and evil perished.” More often than not that particular statement is used as a perfect non sequitur to end any conversation that reaches beyond their capacity. The concept of Honing a Theory is alien to them because once again, In the modern world, there are 2 answers to every question; Liberal, or Conservative. Everything conceived as a simple black and white issue, with no room for grey. Thinking and studying political theory is seen as a waste of time because the world is taught that all of human history, and human nature itself, has raised itself to the natural occurrence of “Capitalism” and “Liberalism.” “I’m not taking a side, I’m just stating facts” The act of playing devils advocate and diminished responsibility is a tried and true liberal tactic. This can be especially frustrating because when it comes to arguments, the tables can be quickly turned when suddenly the player has flew up into the air, yet still participates in the conversation. The problem with arguments is that there is always some sort of bias, toward any conversation that has to do with picking sides. So to say that you don’t believe one or the other, you have already forfeited your true participation in the conversation. You can now, no longer be incorrect because you have stated “Ah but you see, I am just stating facts.” If anyone claims that they are going to “Play devils advocate” you should abort and leave the conversation as quickly as possible. Playing devils advocate is just a guise for stroking their own ego. “Those poor people are just brainwashed” In Cuba recently, the leader, Fidel Castro died. Liberal media (of course) took this moment to immediately rush in their opinions of the “Brutal totalitarian dictatorship that killed millions.” They immediately associated Cuba as a place where freedom of speech (The most sacred of rights) is not tolerated, and everyone there has to agree and worship their god king Fidel. The issue however, is that when interviewers were sent to Cuba they found out very quickly that people are in fact critical of Fidel, quite openly in-fact. Yet he is still seen as a hero of the people, and an Idol for sure. For liberals, the only explanation for this is that they are brainwashed. These poor people, although just demonstrated that they do, are not capable of freedom of thought because they have been brainwashed by the evil communist dictatorship, therefore Communism is evil. “Violence has literally never solved anything ever” Nonviolence protects the state, and apparently the minds of liberals. To liberals, the act of violent protest is just seen as a chaotic nothing. This often comes into play with “The all good heroes” such as Martin Luther King. One of the most egregious examples is when the upper and middle class liberals got upset when protesters stood in the street to gain media attention. Left and Right winged mass media immediately condemned this as something that “Martin Luther King would never do.” How dare you protest out in the open like that, slowing the progress of society for 2 hours. A quick sift through google images remedies that MLK did infant protest on streets, blocking traffic. “Gandhi just sat down and asked politely for India back from the British.” More often than not people associate Gandhi as the perfect person that single handedly sat down and didn’t eat food for a little bit, and was given the keys to India once again. Yet Liberals somehow at the same time very openly admit that they don’t understand much Revolutionary history. Perhaps they would be enlightened in learning about the many violent resistance movements during that time and that area such as; Alluri Sitarama Raju: Freedom fighter that stood toe to toe with his indigenous peoples and fought the British. Bhagat Singh: The socialist revolutionary that was hung for protesting and demanding equal rights for Indian political prisoners. And blowing up the Central Legislative Assembly in New Delhi along with Batukeshwar Dutt. Madan Lal Dhingra, Udham Singh, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Henry Lui Vivian Derozio, Hemu Kalani. And many many more.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has just released its much-anticipated October Jobs Report, the final employment figures before the November 6th General Election. The Unemployment Rate ticked up slightly to 7.9% — from last month’s 7.8% rate, which was the lowest since the Bush recession decimated the economy in 2008 and into the first months of Obama’s Administration. Importantly, the best news is the sheer number of jobs added. The report cited a net jobs gain of 171,000, with 184,000 jobs added in the private sector, which beat the estimated 120,000 and even the best estimates of respected industry analysts such as payroll processor, ADP, which had reported 158,000 new jobs for October. Moody’s Analytics characterized the report as “good.” Also noteworthy, is that the BLS revised its August and September figures up by 84,000 net and the fact that the Unemployment Rate ticked up marginally by .1% is actually seen as a positive sign, when you factor in the 578,000 jobs added to the labor force, a sign that more people are reentering the job market, and a figure similar to September’s Jobs Report. This is likely to be positive news for the President’s reelection, since he won’t have to deal with the optics of a rate over 8% and, as many other economic indicators – the Stock Market doubling, record corporate profits, consumer confidence increasing, increases in home sales and housing starts, more energy discoveries, etc., – all point to American economic improvement and continued recovery from our 2008 close-call with another Depression. Both campaigns are now blitzing the battleground states in a flurry of final public appearances by the candidates and their surrogates, trying to shore up support and motivate their respective bases. Obama holds tenuous leads in most swing-state polling, trying to preserve his “firewall” in key Ohio (5-points) and Iowa (6-points), and overtake narrow Romney advantages in Florida and North Carolina. Surprisingly, reports this morning show that—due to smart, early ad buys at cheaper rates—the President and his supporting Super PACs will likely dominate Romney’s in media advertising over the last few days in the swing states. Also, Obama enjoys anywhere from a 2-1 to 3-1 advantage in field offices…critical in ramping up the all-important election-day ground game. Now, in the final days of the campaign, the President can continue to point to his record of—now—32 straight months of job growth, adding over 5.4 million jobs to the economy since his policies began to take hold. Mitt Romney, of course, is trying to paint a much different narrative, that the recovery is not real and that he could—as a businessman—do a better job, despite failing to detail exactly what he would do, or to defend his budgetary math in his vague plans, which have been widely criticized, most recently by the highly respected magazine, “The Economist“ in its recent endorsement President Obama. Here is direct access to an archive of all of my articles written for Addicting Info
In August 2013, Carl Icahn, among the most prominent “activist shareholders” in the United States, announced that he had purchased 27,125,441 shares of the publicly traded stock of Apple Inc.* By the end of January 2014, Icahn had increased his stake in Apple to 52,760,848 shares, equal to 0.9% of the company’s outstanding shares, at a total cost to Icahn of $3.6 billion. When on August 13, 2013, Icahn announced his first purchase of Apple shares AAPL, +0.06% , he said in an interview that it was a “no brainer” because “even without earnings growth, we think [an Apple share] ought to be worth $625 [$89 stock-split adjusted],” on a day that the stock closed at $463 [$66 adjusted]. What made Apple shares a “no brainer”—a term that Icahn would repeat in a letter to Apple shareholders in January 2014 as well as in a few tweets—was that Apple had the cash and borrowing capacity to do massive stock buybacks that could jack up its stock price. Read also: Share buyback machine remains in overdrive and experts warn it will end badly By the end of March 2016, Icahn had completely sold his holdings. On April 28, 2016—two days after Apple had disclosed its first year-on-year quarterly sales decline in 13 years—Icahn told CNBC that he had unloaded his Apple holdings because he was “worried about China,” where unsteady business conditions meant Apple stock was “not the no-brainer it was” when he had bought it. He said that his 32-month foray into Apple shares had netted him, “within a few bucks,” $2 billion. How, with ostensibly little mental effort, did Icahn reap a gain of some $2 billion in 32 months? The answer to this question is undoubtedly of interest to activist shareholders who would like to emulate King Icahn. But it should be of even more interest to those legislators, regulators, and informed citizens who would like to put an end to the extreme concentration of income at the top that has come to be a defining characteristic of the U.S. economy. Graphic embed is no longer available. In actuality, Icahn’s “no brainer” entailed a well thought-out strategy, honed by decades of experience, for buying, holding, and selling Apple shares. The implementation of this strategy depended on four factors: 1) his wealth, 2) his visibility, 3) his hype, and 4) his influence. Icahn’s wealth Very few Americans have $3.6 billion to put into the stock market, let alone into the shares of one company. According to Forbes real-time rankings, Icahn’s net worth is $17 billion (May 20, 2016). At 80 years of age, he has been playing financial markets for about half a century. By 2011 he had amassed enough wealth that he stopped managing other people’s money to focus on accumulating more on his own account. Read also: Now even private-equity firms are buying back their own shares Icahn undoubtedly watched as Apple shares fell from a daily-average high of $90 in September 2012 to $57 in June 2013, even as the company’s sales rose to $135.4 billion over the first three-quarters of FY2013 (ending June 29, 2013) from $120.4 billion over the same nine months in 2012. While, during these two periods, Apple’s profits dropped from $33.5 billion to $29.5 billion, on June 29, 2013, the company showed $146.6 billion in cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities on its books. With little debt on Apple’s balance sheet, Icahn envisioned a massive transformation of these liquid assets into stock buybacks, and in August 2013 he decided to put $1.6 billion of his cash into Apple shares. Icahn’s visibility The preeminent corporate raider of the 1980s, Icahn remains highly visible among Wall Street traders and institutional investors. He does not win all the time, but, given the ways in which he has become a multibillionaire, he has a track record that other stock-market players find hard to ignore. Besides 37 Apple-related tweets (he now has 283,000 followers), between October 2013 and May 2015 Icahn wrote six open letters dedicated to the proposition that Apple could and should “increase shareholder value” by doing massive stock buybacks. On October 1, 2013, he sent out a tweet: “Had a cordial dinner with Tim last night. We pushed hard for a 150 billion buyback. We decided to continue dialogue in about three weeks.” Icahn’s dinner guest was Apple CEO Tim Cook. Getty Images Apple CEO Tim Cook On October 23, Icahn posted on his website an open letter to CEO Cook in which he wrote: “With such an enormous valuation gap and such a massive amount of cash on the balance sheet, we find it difficult to imagine why the board would not move more aggressively to buy back stock by immediately announcing a $150 Billion tender offer (financed with debt or a mix of debt and cash on the balance sheet).” Icahn wanted a tender offer because its announcement would attract lemming-like institutional investors to buy Apple stock in anticipation of the massive buyback, thus pushing up the stock price at which Apple would repurchase shares. Moreover, SEC Rule 10b-18 governs only open-market repurchases, which it does in part by limiting the volume of daily buybacks that can be done without risking manipulation charges, constraining Apple’s daily purchases to a mere $1.4 billion. Icahn wanted buybacks that would be much bigger and faster than that. And just in case anyone assumed that Icahn was out solely for himself, he concluded the open letter by saying: “I hereby agree to withhold my shares from the proposed $150 Billion tender offer. There is nothing short term about my intentions here.” Icahn’s hype Of course, given a buyback pump, Icahn would then have been looking for a propitious time to dump his Apple shares. He did not mind collecting the dividends that Apple had started paying in 2012, but gains befitting a billionaire would only come with the sale of some or all of his holdings in Apple. When, however, Cook and the board ignored Icahn’s call for the $150 billion tender offer, he was in for a longer haul, whether he liked it or not. Graphic embed is no longer available. With Apple’s stock price in the $65-$75 range, Icahn picked his times in October 2013 and then again in January 2014 to purchase additional blocks of shares, reaching what would be his maximum Apple shareholding on January 23, 2014. On that date, he wrote a letter to shareholders, urging them to support his non-binding proxy proposal that would have instructed Apple to complete $50 billion in buybacks in FY2014, the amount by which the board had increased Apple’s buyback program (from $10 billion to $60 billion) in April 2013. His request for a $150 billion tender offer having been ignored, Icahn felt that Apple was being a bit slow in doing the price-boosting buybacks. Then, on January 27, Apple released disappointing results for the first quarter of 2014 (October-December 2013). The launch of the iPhone 5 in September 2012 had driven sales to a record $54.5 billion in 2013Q1. The launch of the iPhone 5c and 5s in September 2013 yielded $57.6 billion in sales in 2014Q1, again a record-breaking sum, but hardly the explosive growth to which Apple shareholders had become accustomed. Moreover, year-over-year first-quarter net income actually fell a tad, from $13.078 billion to $13.072 billion. These results pushed Apple’s stock price down 8% from a close of $74.87 on January 27 to $68.88 on January 28. Read also: Lazonick’s Labor in the Twenty-First Century: The Top 0.1% and the Disappearing Middle-Class On February 6, CEO Cook did a Wall Street Journal interview in which he revealed that “Apple Inc. has bought $14 billion of its own shares in the two weeks since reporting financial results that disappointed Wall Street,” saying that in doing these buybacks Apple was being “aggressive” and “opportunistic.” That move led ISS, the proxy advisory service, to come out against Icahn’s $50 billion buyback proposal. Given the ISS position, in a letter to shareholders on February 10 Icahn withdrew the proposal, stating that “Tim and the board have exhibited the ‘opportunistic’ and ‘aggressive’ approach to share repurchases that we hoped to instill.” In the event, Apple did $45 billion in buybacks in FY2014, and in April 2014 the board increased the buyback authorization to $90 billion from its previous $60 billion. Higher earnings can also increase stock prices, and to get significantly higher earnings a company generally needs significantly higher sales. In his letter of February 10, Icahn informed Apple shareholders that “in light of Tim Cook’s confirmed plan to launch new products in new categories this year (in addition to an exciting product roadmap with respect to new products in existing categories), we are extremely excited about Apple’s future.” Even though Apple’s sales and profit growth continued to be modest over the remaining nine months of FY2014, Apple’s stock price rose from $72 in February to $97 in September, surpassing the record stock prices set in September 2012. Helping to push up stock prices were not only Apple’s demonstrated commitment to buybacks and dividends, along with a 7:1 stock split in June 2014, but also, and probably of greater importance, expected sales growth from the long-awaited launches of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in September 2014. About three weeks after the iPhone 6 debut, on October 9, 2014, Icahn posted an open letter to Tim Cook, entitled “Sale: Apple Shares at Half Price.” Even though Apple’s stock price of $98 was at a near-record level, Icahn insisted that it should be $203. He once again called for a tender offer, which in an interview he pegged at as much as $100 billion. In addition, lauding Tim Cook as “the ideal CEO for Apple,” Icahn provided his sales and earnings projections, which would, in his view, justify an immediate doubling of Apple’s stock price. He repeated this exercise in a letter to his Twitter followers on February 11, 2015, and in another open letter to Tim Cook on May 18, 2015. These projections predicted revenue growth of about 25% in FY2015 and 20% each in FY2016 and FY2017. In the February 2015 letter, Icahn said that Apple’s share price should be $216 (it was $122) and, in the May letter, $240 (it was $128). Graphic embed is no longer available. The problem is that Icahn’s sales and earnings projections for 2016 and 2017 were based on dubious assumptions about the prospective drivers of Apple’s growth. The big new product in Icahn’s “exciting product roadmap” was Apple Watch, launched on April 24, 2015. In his forecasts of October 2014 and February 2015, Icahn projected Apple Watch sales of $9 billion in 2015, rising to over $20 billion in 2016 and $33 billion in 2017. In the May 2015 forecast, with Apple Watch now on the market, he reduced its 2015 sales forecast to $6 billion in 2015, but now saw its sales rising to $22.5 billion in 2016 and $45 billion in 2017. From the perspective of May 2016, it is clear that these sales projections were wild, and self-serving, guesses. Apple refuses to release sales figures on Apple Watch, bundling them into the category “other products,” which includes accessories and the iPod. We can deduce from the published numbers, however, that Apple Watch sales were no more than $2 billion in 2015 and $2.2 billion in the first six months of 2016. Read also: Apple is losing market share in China to local rivals Apple’s mainstay product is, of course, the iPhone. Icahn’s October 2014 forecast had 2015 iPhone sales at $130 billion. In fact, its 2015 sales were $155 billion, including a huge year-over-year first-quarter leap from $32.5 billion to $51.2 billion. Icahn adjusted for this error in his May 2015 forecast, predicting $146 billion in iPhone sales in 2015. Assuming that the iPhone would maintain its premium pricing in competition with other smartphone makers, Icahn forecast iPhone sales of $149 billion in 2016 and $159 billion in 2017. In 2016Q1 iPhone sales were $51.6 billion, a small increase over 2015Q1. But iPhone sales fell sharply, from $40.3 billion in 2015Q2 to $32.9 billion in 2016Q2, accounting for virtually all of the decline in Apple’s year-over-year second-quarter sales. Clearly, Icahn ignored something in his iPhone sales forecasts, and that something was China. Notwithstanding his “worried about China” excuse for dumping his Apple shares in 2016Q2, Icahn had only two references to China in his letters to Cook and Apple shareholders, and no references to China in his Apple tweets. All three of his sales and earnings forecasts ignored geographic segments. In his January 2014 letter, Icahn opined: “The naysayers question whether Apple will be able to participate in this growth without sacrificing pricing and gross margins, especially with competition from Google GOOGL, +0.42% , GOOG, +0.52% Samsung 005930, +0.00% Microsoft MSFT, +0.69% Amazon AMZN, +0.21% and Chinese manufacturers.” Well, the naysayers were right. In his October 2014 letter, Icahn said: “Now that Apple is offering larger phones with roughly the same size screen as competitors’ offerings, and targeting mainland China at the time of its 4G rollout, we expect Apple to take significant market share.” Graphic embed is no longer available. Yes, from 2014 to 2015 Apple’s sales in Greater China increased from $31.9 billion to $58.7 billion, accounting for 63% of Apple’s total sales growth. And comparing 2015Q1 with 2016Q1, Greater China sales increased from $16.1 billion to $18.4 billion, representing 175% of Apple’s year-over-year first-quarter sales growth. But comparing 2015Q2 with 2016Q2, Greater China sales declined from $16.8 billion to $12.5 billion, representing 58% of Apple’s year-over-year second-quarter sales drop of $7.5 billion, the company’s first year-over-year quarterly decline in 13 years. In April 2016 Icahn professed to have sold all his Apple shares—his 13F filing of May 16, 2016, shows that he held no Apple stock at the end of March 2016—because he was “worried about China.” Maybe he should have worried more about China during the 20 months or so that he spent hyping Apple’s stock. But, then, throwing China into the mix might have raised a red flag in the hype. Icahn’s influence Central to Icahn’s hyping of Apple’s stock was his argument, stated in his February 2015 letter, that Apple’s current P/E ratio was “totally irrational” because “the market is somehow missing a very basic principle of valuation: when a company’s future earnings are expected to a grow at a much faster rate than that of the S&P 500, the market should value that company at a higher P/E multiple.” In keeping with shareholder-value ideology, Icahn’s view is that all of a company’s profits belong to shareholders, and his argument to other shareholders in this open letter is that Apple’s current stock price should reflect Carl Icahn’s expectations of Apple’s future earnings. If the “totally irrational” market cannot recognize his expectations, then the company—in this case Apple—should do massive stock buybacks to make the market price rational. Of course, having captured all the gains for “expected” earnings, shareholders would then, quite rationally, sell their stock. That is the bill of goods that Icahn, with all his wealth, visibility, and hype, tried to sell to “Tim and the board,” and in his letters and tweets he touted his ready access to the Apple CEO. Icahn’s influence on Cook was not enough to secure him as an ally for a $150 billion tender offer. Nevertheless, his influence on Apple’s resource-allocation decisions is unmistakable. From 2012, when Cook’s Apple started paying dividends, through the second quarter of 2016, Apple did a record-breaking $116.6 billion in buybacks along with declaring $39.1 billion in dividends. Read: Lazonick’s critique of stock buybacks Apple calls these distributions to shareholders its “Capital Return” program. But, as is obvious in our account of Icahn’s involvement in Apple, how can the company return capital to parties who never supplied it with capital? As one of us has shown, the only time Apple Inc. ever raised money from the stock market was in 1980 in its $90 million initial public offering. Haven’t these initial public shareholders long since sold their shares and taken their gains? Even founder Steve Jobs sold all his stock in Apple when he was ousted from the company in 1985. From 1986 through 1996, in the name of maximizing shareholder value, Apple CEOs and their boards did buybacks and paid dividends to the point where in 1996 and 1997 the company was on the brink of bankruptcy. Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, and over the course of the next 14 years, until his death in 2011, eschewed distributions to shareholders, instead retaining and reinvesting the company’s financial resources to build one of the most successful business enterprises that the world has ever seen. Where was Icahn when the iPods, iPhones, and iPads were being developed? He was busy extracting value from other already-successful companies, adding to the billions that he then used, by virtue of purchasing outstanding Apple shares, to extract value from Apple. It was because Apple had already become a successful company and because its board had already demonstrated its willingness to “return” capital to shareholders who had never given the company any capital that Carl C. Icahn saw the buying of Apple shares as a “no brainer.” Icahn made $2 billion buying and selling Apple shares because he bought Apple shares when the stock price was low and sold them when it was higher, even though, as we have shown, he had little if any idea of what was driving the company’s growth. If he had really been smart at buying and selling shares, he would have sold his Apple shares on April 28, 2015, when the company’s stock price peaked at $134.54, for a gain of $3.5 billion instead of the $2 billion he took home, bailing out as soon as Apple’s sales growth stalled. Some part of Icahn’s $2 billion “no brainer” came not from Apple’s growth but from the company’s record-breaking buybacks that reduced its shares outstanding by 16% from 2013Q2 to 2016Q2, in the process jacking up earnings per share and supporting higher stock prices. Don’t miss: How weak iPhone 6s sales could actually help Apple That having been said, it may very well have been the case that Apple’s earnings from selling innovative products would be even stronger now if “Tim and the board” had spent less time dealing with the likes of Icahn and more time focusing on the development and marketing of those innovative products. In his October 2013 letter to Cook, the person who takes his living as a value extractor informed the person who is supposed to be making his living as a value creator that “it is our belief that a company’s board has a responsibility to recognize opportunities to increase shareholder value, which includes allocating capital to execute large and well-timed buybacks.” Clearly when Carl Icahn speaks, Tim Cook listens. And we wonder why in the economy more generally so much of the value that millions upon millions of workers create daily keeps ending up in the hands of the billionaire class. * All stock prices and share counts have been adjusted to reflect Apple’s 7:1 stock split for shareholders of record on June 2, 2014. This article has been published courtesy of the Institute for New Economic Thinking. William Lazonick is professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where he directs the Center for Industrial Competitiveness. He is co-founder and president of The Academic-Industry Research Network Matt Hopkins is a research associate at the University of Massachusetts Lowell Ken Jacobson is a California-based journalist. Get the top tech stories of the day delivered to your inbox. Subscribe to MarketWatch's free Tech Daily newsletter. Sign up here.
A colleague pointed out the following snippet from the Log4J 2.3 code: /** * Called to determine if the configuration has changed. */ @Override public void checkConfiguration() { final long current = System.currentTimeMillis(); if (((counter.incrementAndGet() & MASK) == 0) && (current >= nextCheck)) { LOCK.lock(); try { nextCheck = current + intervalSeconds; if (file.lastModified() > lastModified) { lastModified = file.lastModified(); for (final ConfigurationListener listener : listeners) { final Thread thread = new Thread(new ReconfigurationWorker(listener, reconfigurable)); thread.setDaemon(true); thread.start(); } } } finally { LOCK.unlock(); } } Where counter is an AtomicInteger field, MASK is set to 0x0f and nextCheck is long . As far as I can understand, this method checks whether or not to reload the configuration, but does so only when the counter 's value is divisible by 16 and the next configuration check period has elapsed. Why is this bitwise AND there?
Today it was announced that Libertarian Charlie Earl will be on the November ballot for governor to run against Governor Kasich and Ed Fitzgerald. From Robert Higgs of the Plain Dealer: The Democratic ticket of Ed FitzGerald, the county executive for Cuyahoga County, and his running mate Sharen Neuhardt filed its petitions, as has the Libertarian team of Charlie Earl, a former state representative, and his running mate, Sherry L. Clark. Earl is a former state representative but his running mate, Sherry Clark, is relatively unknown, except for one small community of Ohio voters. The “9/11 Truth” community. And she’s not just a casual truther, she’s a major figure. She publicly proclaims to anyone who will give her an audience that the United States government brought down the World Trade Center. “I never understood how special interests could be at odds with the American people,” she said, fetching from her purse a DVD titled Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers. She slid it across the table along with a copy of 911 Mysteries. “It’s absolute betrayal,” she said. “Basically, you have to admit that you were wronged, and that means that you have to identify with the crowd that is being called conspiracy nuts. “Of course, there are some conspiracy nuts within our midst, but most just don’t fit that type. We’re supposed to be speaking on behalf of the widows.” She suggested I visit www.Columbus911Truth.org, the Web site of a group sponsoring a series of Columbus appearances this week by Kevin Barrett, founder of the Muslim-Jewish-Christian Alliance and one of those who believe the government was complicit in 9/11. “I think it is agreed-upon that the government had a hand in it, but we don’t know to what extent,” Clark said, suggesting that the fall of the World Trade Center towers was “controlled demolition.” She pressed a flier on me and suggested that I might want to read The New Pearl Harbor. “Undertaking this 9/11 thing,” she said, “is like throwing yourself on a grenade, but it makes everything so clear.” So, the federal government can’t even build a website in 3 years, but Sherry Clark wants you to believe that they somehow rigged the Twin Towers with thousands of pounds of explosives and miles of detonation cord in a building that housed thousands of workers without anybody noticing. As seen in the video below, Clark took to a stage at Comfest to promote the “Truth” movement. Comfest is an annual gathering in Columbus for socialist minded people to smoke pot and participate in gay pride parades. Clark is among a list of authors featured on the “Truth Jihad” website. She has been a frequent blogger on the blog for the liberal group Progress Ohio and many of her posts are still active on the website OpEd News, which bills itself as “Progressive – Tough – Liberal”. Take this one for example where she extols the virtues of Shariah Law and how it would be preferable to America’s economic system. As words like “Shari’ah Law” and “jihad” are desecrated in Western media from the Muslim perspective, a closer look reveals another side to the story. (This is not to say that Shari’ah Law is entirely good, but rather that some economic elements of it should be seriously considered by Americans in comparison to our current system). While all three Abrahamic religions as described in the Bible, Torah, and Koran forbid usury, it is only the Islamic faith (Shari’ah Law) that is faithful to its monetary related teachings. Since promoting the idea that the U.S government perpetrated the attacks has been the major public purpose of Clark’s life for the last decade, Charlie Earl has to have known about it. And he chose her to be his running mate for the highest office in the state. Is this who hard core tea partiers are going to turn to? A candidate who is pro-choice and supports same sex marriage? A candidate who is a “tough, liberal progressive” and who has dedicated the last few years to convincing people that 9/11 was orchestrated by the government? Share this: Twitter Facebook Google Email
Self-licensing (aka noble cause corruption, moral self-licensing, moral licensing, licensing effect, moral credential effect) is a term used in social psychology and marketing to describe the subconscious phenomenon whereby increased confidence and security in one’s self-image or self-concept tends to make that individual worry less about the consequences of subsequent immoral behavior and, therefore, more likely to make immoral choices and act immorally.[1][2][3][4][5][6] In simple terms, self-licensing occurs when people allow themselves to indulge after doing something positive first; for example, drinking a diet soda with a greasy hamburger and fries can lead one to subconsciously discount the negative attributes of the meal’s high caloric and cholesterol content.[7] A large subset of this effect, the moral credential effect, is a bias that occurs when a person's track record as a good egalitarian establishes in them an unconscious ethical certification, endorsement, or license that increases the likelihood of less egalitarian decisions later. This effect occurs even when the audience or moral peer group is unaware of the affected person's previously established moral credential. For example, individuals who had the opportunity to recruit a woman or African American person in one setting were more likely to say later, in a different setting, that a job would be better suited for a man or a Caucasian person.[8] Similar effects also appear to occur when a person observes another person from a group they identify with making an egalitarian decision.[9] Self-licensing can have negative societal consequences since it has a permissive effect on behaviors such as racial prejudice and discrimination, selfishness, poor dietary and health habits, and excessive energy consumption. Definitions [ edit ] Researchers Uzma Khan and Ravi Dhar describe the phenomena as follows:[3] The moral licensing effect is a non conscious effect that operates by providing a moral boost in the self-concept, which increases the preference for a relative immoral action subsequently by dampening the negative self attributions associated with such behavior. Prior choices that activate and boost the self-concept, are likely to subsequently license more self-indulgent choices...Licensing can operate through an expression of the intent to be virtuous, which reduces negative self-attributions associated with the purchase of relative luxuries. Similarly, Anna Merritt and colleagues have explained that Past good deeds can liberate individuals to engage in behaviors that are immoral, unethical, or otherwise problematic, behaviors that they would otherwise avoid for fear of feeling or appearing immoral.[2] Group membership [ edit ] It has been found that moral credentials can be obtained vicariously. That is, a person will behave as if they themselves have moral credentials when that person observes another person from a group they identify with making an egalitarian decision.[9] In research that draws on social identity theory it was also found that group membership moderates the effectiveness of moral credentials in mitigating perceptions of prejudice. Specifically, it was observed that displays of moral credentials have more effect between people who share in-group status.[10] Examples [ edit ] Research suggests that self-licensing affects moral self-regulation and individual behavior in a variety of contexts; for example, it can influence consumer purchases, political opinions, charitable giving, energy policy and home energy use, job hiring, racial attitudes, health-related decision-making, risky sexual behavior, alcohol consumption, and dietary supplement use.[3][7][11][12][13][14][15] Washington Post staff writer Michael Rosenwald described the following everyday examples of self-licensing behavior: We drink Diet Coke – with Quarter Pounders and fries at McDonald's. We go to the gym – and ride the elevator to the second floor. We install tankless water heaters – then take longer showers. We drive SUVs to see Al Gore's speeches on global warming.[11] Dietary supplement use and unhealthy behavior [ edit ] A 2011 study published by researchers in Taiwan indicated that people who take multivitamin pills, especially those who believe that they are receiving significant health benefits from supplement use, are more prone to subsequently engage in unhealthy activities.[13][14][15] Participants in the study were divided into two groups, both of which were given placebo pills; one group was correctly informed that the pills contained no active ingredients and the other group was told that the pills were multivitamin supplements. Survey results showed that participants who thought that they had received a multivitamin were predisposed to smoking more cigarettes and more likely to believe that they were invulnerable to harm, injury, and disease as compared with subjects who knew that they were given a placebo. Participants who believed they were given a multivitamin were also less likely to exercise and to choose healthier food, and had a higher desire to engage in "hedonic activities that involve instant gratification but pose long-term health hazards", such as casual sex, sunbathing, wild parties, and excessive drinking. In the 'multivitamin' group, the more supplements a participant used, the less likely they were to exercise, and smoking was highest among participants who expressed a conscious belief that multivitamins increased health. The study's authors argued that because dietary supplements are perceived as conferring health advantages, use of such supplements may create an illusory sense of invulnerability that disinhibits unhealthy behaviors. Overall, the study shows that people who take supplements may feel that merely taking a pill is a sufficient contribution to healthful living to enjoy other activities without regard to health, and it exposes a potential hypocrisy among supplement users.[15] The authors advised: Smokers who take dietary supplements can fool themselves into thinking they are protected against cancer and other diseases. Reminding health conscious smokers that multivitamins don't prevent cancer may help them control their smoking or even encourage them to stop.[16] Commenting on the implications of the study, Ben Goldacre said: Believing, incorrectly, that you've done something healthy by taking a vitamin pill makes you more likely to take genuine, concrete, real-world risks with your health. It's a chilling thought, but ideas aren't without impact, and every time we humour a harmless myth – that vitamin pills are healthy, that some fashionable berry prevents cancer – we might be doing more harm than we think.[14] Consumer purchasing decisions [ edit ] Researchers Khan and Dhar investigated the influence of self-licensing on consumer decisions regarding the purchase of luxury goods. They reasoned that "relative preferences for a luxury option will be higher if people's prior decisions provide a boost to their relevant self-concept". Due to the self-licensing effect, "a prior intent to be virtuous boosts respondents' self-concepts, thus reducing negative self-attributions associated with the purchase of relative luxuries". Furthermore, they predicted that consumers may be unaware of how their prior decision influences their subsequent choices; i.e. the process underlying the licensing effect may be largely nonconscious.[3] In the study, some participants were first asked to select from a list a charity organizations for which they would willingly volunteer three hours a week. Later, these people—and participants who hadn't been asked to volunteer—were asked whether they would buy designer jeans or an identically priced vacuum cleaner, assuming that they had enough money to buy only one. Participants who were asked to imagine having committed the charitable act before shopping were more than twice as likely to choose the jeans. The authors noted that "People don't even have to do good for this effect to happen…Even if they plan to do something good, it will give them a boost in their self-image. Any type of situation where you have guilt involved, you will see this, and so this happens in luxury goods."[7][11] A study by University of Toronto behavioral marketing professor Nina Mazar and Chen-Bo Zhong found that people who bought green products were more likely to cheat and steal than those who bought conventional products.[11][17] The researchers conducted an experiment in which they asked college students to shop for products online from either an eco-friendly or a conventional store. Each subject was then asked to divide a small sum of money between themselves and a stranger in a paradigm known as the dictator game, in which participants can cheat to make more money. The shoppers from the green store were more dishonest than those at the conventional store, which brought them higher earnings in the game. The authors suggested that the results could be accounted for by the licensing effect, noting that "When we engage in a good deed, that gives us a kind of satisfaction. With that self-satisfied feeling can come tacit permission to behave more selfishly next time we have the opportunity". The authors added that "purchasing green products may license indulgence in self-interested and unethical behaviors", and concluded: We find that mere exposure to green products and the purchase of them lead to markedly different behavioral consequences. In line with the halo associated with green consumerism, people act more altruistically after mere exposure to green than conventional products; however, people act less altruistically and are more likely to cheat and steal after purchasing green products as opposed to conventional products. Energy use [ edit ] Researchers have invoked the self-licensing effect to explain why consumers who opt for energy-efficient products increase their energy usage so as to offset any potential gains. Energy economist Lucas Davis published a study showing that after getting high-efficiency washers, consumers increased clothes washing by nearly 6 percent.[18] Other studies have shown that people leave energy-efficient lights on longer than conventional lights, and that many people who make their homes more energy efficient turn their heating up and ultimately see no reduction in energy costs.[11] Political opinions and racial bias [ edit ] The self-licensing effect was examined by Monin and Miller in a 2001 study which demonstrated that when participants established credentials as non-prejudiced persons, they were more willing to express politically incorrect opinions despite the fact that the audience was unaware of their credentials.[5] Subsequent research by Monin and Daniel Effron showed that an opportunity to endorse Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential election made his supporters more likely to express views that favored Whites at the expense of African-Americans.[19][20] Essentially, the endorsement made people feel like they had shown that they were not biased, giving them a license to subsequently express racially prejudicial views. See also [ edit ] References [ edit ] Further reading [ edit ]
Alec Baldwin speaks at People For The American Way Foundation's 30th Anniversary Celebration on Oct. 6, 2011, in New York. Getty (CBS/AP) Alec Baldwin may have deactivated his Twitter account, but the online battle between the actor and American Airlines is still going on. Baldwin wrote a piece for the Huffington Post to apologize to passengers on a flight that was delayed by his refusal to stop playing a cell phone game - but he stopped short of apologizing to the airline or the flight attendant he later mocked on Twitter. Pictures: Alec Baldwin Read more: Airline responds after Baldwin kicked off flight "It was never my intention to inconvenience anyone with my 'issue' with a certain flight attendant," he wrote on Wednesday. The "30 Rock" actor believes he was singled out for using his phone while the plane remained at the gate, something he says other passengers were also doing. "I was singled out by this woman in the most unpleasant of tones," he said. "I guess the fact that this woman, who had decided to make some example of me, while everyone else was left undisturbed, did get the better of me." The "30 Rock" actor's note also lamented the state of modern air travel. Baldwin noted the financial struggles of airlines, saying the result is that air travel has devolved into an inelegant experience, akin to riding a Greyhound bus. Baldwin said the level of service on U.S. carriers has deteriorated "to a point that would make Howard Hughes red-faced." "Filthy planes, barely edible meals, cuts in jet service to less-traveled locations," he wrote. Baldwin added that increased security on commercial airplanes after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks has resulted in a "paramilitary" aura around air travel. "September 11th was a horrific day in the airline industry, yet in the wake of that event, I believe carriers and airports have used that as an excuse to make the air travel experience as inelegant as possible," he said. Baldwin's letter is the latest volley in a dustup with American Airlines. The airline took to its Facebook page on Wednesday to maintain it was following federal regulations when it booted an "extremely vocal customer" from a flight for refusing to shut off his cell phone. The airline, which earlier cited passenger privacy in declining to discuss the matter, said it decided "to provide the actual facts of the matter" after Baldwin stated publicly he had gotten kicked off the flight. The company never cited the "30 Rock" star by name. Baldwin took to Twitter after Tuesday's incident at Los Angeles International Airport, saying he was asked to leave a New York-bound plane after a "flight attendant on American reamed me out" for playing a game on his cell phone. Baldwin said he was playing "Words With Friends" while the plane sat at a gate. American said on Facebook that Federal Aviation Administration regulations require that cell phones and other electronic devices be turned off as soon as the airliner's door has been closed. The company said Baldwin refused to comply. "The passenger ultimately stood up (with the seat belt light still on for departure) and took his phone into the plane's lavatory," American Airlines said. "He slammed the lavatory door so hard, the cockpit crew heard it and became alarmed, even with the cockpit door closed and locked. They immediately contacted the cabin crew to check on the situation." The airline added that Baldwin was "extremely rude" to the flight crew, calling people "inappropriate names" and using offensive language. Baldwin's spokesman, Matthew Hiltzik, said Wednesday it was the flight attendant who acted inappropriately. He said other people on the plane were violating the regulation and that Baldwin was singled out. "The plane was already delayed half an hour at the gate when Alec was playing 'Words with Friends,"' Hiltzik told The Associated Press. "Other passengers who tweeted flagrantly violated these rules without any repercussions - proving that they were obviously selectively enforced." Airport police have said they did not respond to the incident. Baldwin deactivated his Twitter account and all of his previous tweets were removed. Hiltzik said that was because the actor was setting aside his Twitter activity to concentrate on "30 Rock." In the tweets that have since been removed, Baldwin mocked American Airlines as a company "where Catholic school gym teachers from the 1950's find jobs as flight attendants." At least one other celebrity came to Baldwin's defense on Twitter. Boxing great Oscar De La Hoya, who was on the same flight, tweeted that he thought the flight attendant overreacted. "@AlecBaldwin was doing nothing wrong but playing `words' on his phone," De la Hoya said. Baldwin boarded another American Airlines flight to New York after Tuesday's incident, but said he wouldn't fly with American again.
by Spencer J. Pack I. The Libertarian/Right Wing Attempted Appropriation of Smith Down in South Carolina, at the College of Charleston, Adam Smith Week is held every spring. We read on their website that it is “sponsored by the Initiative for Public Choice and Market Process (IPCMP) that was founded in 2008 with a generous gift from the BB&T Charitable Foundation and the Charles G. Koch Foundation.” “Adam Smith is one of the most recognizable figures in economics, and his contributions to the fields of philosophy and economics are still relevant today,” says Pete Calcagno, Ph.D., associate professor of economics and Director of the IPCMP. “His concept of the invisible hand is considered the classic statement on laissez faire capitalism” (emphasis in original). Meanwhile, over in the United Kingdom, there is a self-described “independent libertarian, free market think tank that engineers policies to create a freer, more prosperous world” which calls itself the Adam Smith Institute. Up in Michigan, Mark Skousen, organizer of the popular libertarian “FreedomFest: Keep the Revolution Alive” conferences held yearly in Las Vegas, lectures to the students at the “Center for Constructive Alternatives” at Hillsdale College, that Adam Smith was basically a libertarian. Skousen explains that his history of economic thought book, The Making of Modern Economics, is organized around judging how much all other economists either add to or subtract from this libertarian reading of Adam Smith’s position.[1] Libertarian and far right-wing readings and attempted appropriations of Adam Smith are not new. For example, a generation ago, the highly esteemed University of Chicago economist George Stigler, in “The Adam Smith Lecture”, told the gullible National Association of Business Economists that, “It is hard to believe that any task, no matter how great its magnitude, is so large that the market cannot deal with it, if it is capable of being dealt with by man. Did not Great Britain in Smith’s time leave the governance of India, already a nation of several hundred million beings, to a corporation called the East India Company? Was not the early economic development of Canada entrusted primarily to the Hudson’s Bay Company?” (1988: 7-8, emphasis in original) What a bad Smithian joke. Certainly, according to Smith, you can let the governance of a great nation such as India be in the hands of a corporation: if you want mass starvation, a shrinking economy, and looting on a gross scale by management! What is behind these narrow one-sided right-wing readings of Smith (or, in the case of Stigler, a certified economic Nobel Laureate, a crass misrepresentation of Smith’s views)? There are various causes which I have discussed in other publications (Pack, 1991; 2010). Yet, I think the most important cause or reason, is what Aristotle called the final cause or goal. I believe this essential goal is to use the luminous legacy of Adam Smith to aid in the smashing of the liberal welfare state; the elimination of state rules and regulations which impinge upon the freedom of big business (or, as Marx would say, capital) to use its power and property completely uninhibited; and the brutal destruction of all labor unions. As John Kenneth Galbraith explained a generation ago, big government and big strong labor unions acted as countervailing powers to the power of big business. What I believe is happening is big business and its representatives are currently using Smith’s legacy as an ideological, persuasive tool in their well endowed fight to eliminate these potential countervailing powers. By the way: note that some of capital’s hired heads are no doubt simply cynical intellectual mercenaries striving to maximize their pecuniary income; but many others are indeed “true believers”. Be that as it may, to the extent big business, capital, is successful in pursuing it goals of eliminating all countervailing powers, there will be continued stagnating and indeed lower wages for most U.S. workers (Pack 2009). There will also be ecological and hence economic chaos in the unfortunately all too seeable future as the manmade causes of destructive global climate change and global warming continue unabated. The narrow one-sided libertarian and general right wing readings of Smith’s work also serve to cover up and obscure a more critical, radical side of Smith. This important aspect of Smith’s work encouraged Karl Marx in his critique of political economy (Pack 2013). It was also quite critical of what Smith called commercial society (or, what we may call capitalist society); it is this critical side of Smith that I will now discuss. II. Smith on Taxation Taxation in modern societies for Smith is necessary and a sign of freedom. For Smith, “Every tax, however, is to the person who pays it a badge, not of slavery, but of liberty. It denotes that he is subject to government, indeed, but that, as he has some property, he cannot himself be the property of a master” (Wealth of Nations [WN], 808). Smith was the son of a tax collector, and Smith himself became a tax collector after he wrote the Wealth of Nations: that would be quite an odd position for Smith to acquire if he really was a libertarian! As opposed to most libertarians and right wing economists, Smith was not in favor of regressive taxation or any attempts to redistribute income from the poorer to the economically more advantaged members of society. Taxes are needed to support the state, and they should be proportional, or actually slightly progressive. Therefore, Smith calls a tax upon silver one of the most proper of taxes, since silver is a “mere luxury and superfluity” (683). Similarly, in discussing toll roads, he recommends that when tolls upon luxury carriages be “made somewhat higher in proportion to their weight, than upon carriages of necessary use, such as carts, wagons, and etc. the indolence and vanity of the rich is made to contribute in a very easy manner to the relief of the poor …”(683). So, go ahead and tax the indolence and vanity of the rich. Similarly, the government or its agents should estimate the imputed rent of a house and tax that, since “A tax upon house-rents, therefore, would in general fall heaviest upon the rich; and in this sort of inequality there would not, perhaps, be anything very unreasonable. It is not very unreasonable that the rich should contribute to the public expence not only in proportion to their revenue, but something more than in that proportion” (793-794). Or simply tax ground rents in general. Frequently, rents are a form of income derived from the mere ownership of property, not from hard work. Hence, they are a worthy object of taxation: “A tax upon ground-rents … would fall altogether upon the owner of the ground-rent, who acts always as a monopolist …Both ground rents and the ordinary rent of land are a species of revenue which the owner, in many cases, enjoys without any care or attention of his own… Ground-rents, and the ordinary rent of land, are, therefore, perhaps the species of revenue which can best bear to have a peculiar tax imposed upon them” (795-796). So, unlike the contemporary right-wingers, Smith did not advocate taxing property income at a lower rate than non-property income. Indeed, other things being equal, property income should probably be taxed at a higher rate! III. Smith was not a Dogmatic Proponent of Laissez Faire Capitalism According to Smith, most of the government rules and regulations in his day were made by and for the benefit of the rich and powerful; it was these rules which Smith vehemently argued against. Yet, Smith was not necessarily against all government rules and regulations, particularly those designed to help the workers and the poor. Hence, “whenever the legislature attempts to regulate the differences between masters and their workmen, its counselors are always the masters. When the regulation, therefore, is in favour of the workmen it is always just and equitable; but it is sometimes otherwise when in favour of the masters” (142). Regulations favoring the workmen are always just and equitable – you will not find this thought in most libertarian and right wing writings. Moreover, again contrary to most of these interpretations, Smith was also not some kind of Burkean conservative. This is because the second key reason Smith argued against the government rules and regulations in his day is they were archaic and outdated. Due to historical change, “Laws frequently continue in force long after the circumstances, which first gave occasion to them, and which could alone render them reasonable, are no more” (362). In his Lectures on Jurisprudence Smith told his students “it is absurd to preserve in people a regard for their old customs when the causes of them are removed” (529). III.i Special Rules for the Financial Services Sector As most of us also realize today, special rules are needed to control the financial services sector. Indeed, this is the one area where Smith explicitly argued for price controls. He wanted limits on the maximum rate of interest; that is, Smith was in favor of usury laws and against usurers. Hence, “The legal rate, it is to be observed, though it ought to be somewhat above, ought not to be much above the lowest market rate. If the legal rate of interest in Great Britain, for example, was fixed so high as 8 or 10%, the greater part of the money which was to be lent would be lent to prodigals and projectors” (339). According to Smith, in the absence of price controls on the maximum rate of interest, or even if that rate is set too high, too much money would be lent out to people with poor credit risks or on risky projects. Note that if the U.S. had followed Smith on this issue, the current global great recession could not have occurred in its present form. Our current world economic crisis developed directly out of fraud and abuses in the subprime mortgage market: a market that in Smith’s view should not even have been allowed to legally exist! Smith also gave detailed recommendations on the types of reserves banks must keep on hand to pay their creditors. The result of his recommendations would be that banks would be required to keep more cash on hand, thus cutting into their profit margins. Too bad for the banks! Smith explains that “though this might no doubt be a considerable inconveniency to them, it would at the same time be a considerable security to their creditors” (44), i.e. their depositors who could more easily and securely withdraw their deposits during bank runs. Smith explains his general position on liberty with particular reference to the bankers: “To restrain private people, it may be said, from receiving in payment the promissory notes of a banker, for any sum whether great or small, when they themselves are willing to receive them; or, to restrain a banker from issuing such notes, when all his neighbours are willing to accept of them, is a manifest violation of that natural liberty which it is the proper business of law, not to infringe, but to support. Such regulations may, no doubt, be considered as in some respect a violation of natural liberty. But those exertions of the natural liberty of a few individuals, which might endanger the security of the whole society, are, and ought to be, restrained by the laws of all government; of the most free, as well as of the most despotical” (308). So the financial services industry has the ability to endanger the security of the whole society and therefore should be subject to special regulations – in some ways things have not changed that much in the last 250 years! Smith then immediately proceeds to explain that “the obligation of building party walls, in order to prevent the communication of a fire, is a violation of natural liberty, exactly of the same kind with the regulations of the banking trade which are here proposed” (ibid). So here Smith also matter-of-factly states that there must be building and zoning regulations; again, not a libertarian position. III.ii. Other Rules and Regulations Smith was in favor of the government providing “public works which facilitate the commerce of any country, such as good roads, bridges, navigable canals, harbours and etc.” as well as the post office (682). Smith approved of the government regulating the quality of money, as well as other important commodities such as woolen and linen cloth: “Hence, the origin of coined money, and of those public offices called mints; institutions exactly of the same nature with those of the aulnagers and stamp-masters of woolen and linen cloth. All of them are equally meant to ascertain, by means of a public stamp, the quantity and uniform goodness of those different commodities when brought to market”(25). Smith advocated that the government set up tests of varying difficulty that people must pass to set up a trade, or become a lawyer, or a public official. In Smith’s view the result would be “… the study of science and philosophy, which the state might render almost universal among all people of middling or more than middling rank and fortune” (748). Given the apparent difficulties so many candidates for office in the U.S. (especially those of the Republican Party) have in mastering even the barest rudiments of the theory of evolution, this could conceivably disqualify quite a huge pool of potential candidates. For Smith, “science is the great antidote to the poison of enthusiasm and superstition; and where all the superior ranks of people were secured from it, the inferior ranks could not be much exposed to it” (ibid.). By enthusiasm, Smith referred to the followers of austere religious sects. Enthusiasm was a rather common derogatory term in the 18th century for the perceived excessive religious zeal and fanaticism of the early Methodists and other religious groups. It denoted ill-regulated or misdirected religious emotion by what we would now call puritanical or fundamentalist religious movements. Smith feared the religion of the poor, who were attracted to these fundamentalist Christian beliefs and values. For Smith these austere sects tend to be dangerous, and one needs to beware of “popular and bold though perhaps stupid and ignorant enthusiasts” (741). Here is another surprising example of how relevant Smith’s views may be to 21st century America! Smith encouraged the production of scholars, since then teachers would be plentiful and cheap, and this again would encourage the teaching of philosophy and science. Smith also advocated using the tax system to discourage things that he disapproved of. For example, “Some leases prescribe to the tenant a certain mode of cultivation, and a certain succession of crops during the whole continuance of the lease. This condition, which is generally the effect of the landlord’s conceit of his own superior knowledge (a conceit in most cases very ill founded), ought always to be considered as an additional rent; as a rent in service instead of a rent in money. In order to discourage the practice, which is generally a foolish one, this species of rent might be valued rather high, and consequently taxed somewhat higher than common money rents” (783). To be able to administer this tax, the government would need to have the power and ability to closely inspect the leases between landlords and their tenants; again, not something that libertarians and right wingers tend to advocate. Smith also advocated lower tax rates for things that he approved of, such as experiments (or what we might now call research and development) that might promote technological change (783-784). IV Character Problems Smith was not really a small “d” democrat. The common people, the poor, the working class, are too frequently misled by the wealthy, especially the business class. Hence, “in the public deliberations, therefore, his voice is little heard and less regarded, except upon some particular occasions, when his clamour is animated, set on, and supported by his employers, not for his, but for their own particular purposes” (249). So, the majority of people need to watch out that they are not misled by their business leaders in general, and their employers in particular! One side of the problem is that workers tend to work too long and hard at boring, deadening jobs to have the time, ability, and practice in developing their critical faculties. Unfortunately, “The man whose whole life is spent in performing a few simple operations, of which the effects too are, perhaps, always the same, or very nearly the same, has no occasion to exert his understanding, or to exercise his invention in finding out expedients for removing difficulties which never occur” (734). As far as intelligence is concerned, it is use it or lose it! “He naturally loses, therefore, the habit of such exertion, and generally becomes as stupid and ignorant as it is possible for a human creature to become” (735). The workers also tend not to be able to enjoy taking part of any rational conversation; of conceiving proper sentiments and hence forming just judgments; they tend to become cowards; and each particular job or occupation tends to corrupt “even the activity of his body, and renders him incapable of exerting his strength with vigour and perseverance in any other employment than that to which he has been bred” (735). Such are the dire problems caused by overworking the working class. Once again, we see here a side of Smith that is rarely stressed by our libertarian and right wing pundits! The obverse to the workers are the landlords, what today we might call the idle rich. If the workers tend be become stupid and ignorant because of the difficulties of life, the landlords tend to become stupid and ignorant because their life is too easy. Hence, according to Smith’s distinctive socio-economic analysis: “When the public deliberates concerning any regulation of commerce or police, the proprietors of land never can mislead it, with a view to promote the interest of their own particular order; at least, if they have any tolerable knowledge of that interest. They are indeed, too often defective in this tolerable knowledge. They are the only one of the three orders whose revenue costs them neither labour nor care, but comes to them, as it were, of its own accord, and independent of any plan or project of their own. That indolence, which is the natural effect of the ease and security of their situation, renders them too often, not only ignorant, but incapable of that application of mind which is necessary in order to foresee and understand the consequences of any public regulation” (249). Here is an excellent argument for high inheritance taxes, since inherited wealth tends to lead to a life of indolence, ignorance, and stupidity. Today’s idle rich of course, tend to have their wealth invested in corporate stocks and bonds rather than in land. Today this could align their short run interests more closely with the third business, mercantile class than was the case with the landlords in Smith’s society. Yet, it is this third class or order that we really need to keep an eye on. On the one hand, the businessmen, the mercantile people, the capitalists, are merely tricky and clever. For example, “our merchants and master-manufacturers complain much of the bad effects of high wages in raising the price, and thereby lessening the sale of their goods both at home and abroad. They say nothing concerning the bad effects of high profits. They are silent with regard to the pernicious effects of their own gains. They complain only of those of other people” (98). Hundreds of pages later Smith basically repeats himself that merchants “complain of the extravagant gain of other people; but they say nothing of their own” (565-566). Yet, the problem is much bigger than mere trickery and cleverness. No; the essential problem is that in terms of government policy, the businesspeople are simply not to be trusted. To pursue their own selfish interests, they will lie and mislead the people. “As during their whole lives they are engaged in plans and projects, they have frequently more acuteness of understanding than the greater part of country gentlemen. As their thoughts, however, are commonly exercised rather about the interest of their own particular branch of business, than about that of the society, their judgment, even when given with the greatest candour (which it has not been upon every occasion), is much more to be depended upon with regard to the former of those two objects, than with regard to the latter. … The interest of the dealers, however, in any particular branch of trade or manufactures, is always in some respects different from, and even opposite to that of the public … to narrow the competition … can serve only to enable the dealers, by raising their profits above what they naturally would be, to levy, for their own benefit, an absurd tax upon the rest of their fellow-citizens. The proposal of any new law or regulation of commerce which comes from this order, ought always to be listened to with great precaution, and ought never to be adopted till after having been long and carefully examined, not only with the most scrupulous, but with the most suspicious attention. It come from an order of men … who have generally an interest to deceive and even to oppress the public, and who accordingly have, upon many occasion, both deceived and oppressed it (250, emphasis added). So there you have it: our businesspeople, our capitalists, are full of sophistry. They tend to lie to further their own narrow economic interests. Again, the insight of Smith, as applied to 21st century America is appallingly apt. Who is lying more to further their own narrow economic interest at the expense of the general public: our financial services industry? our pharmaceutical and health services/health insurance industry? our food processing industry? our fossil fuel industry? Hard to say. V. Problems with Managerial Capitalism Smith was actually quite disdainful of corporate managers. As the late John Kenneth Galbraith, one of the few people who has called attention to this side of Smith pointed out, Smith quite likely would have been appalled at our managerial capitalism (1987: 71). So, for example, in discussing the East India Company, Smith writes of “all the extraordinary waste which the fraud and abuse, inseparable from the management of the affairs of so great a company, must necessarily have occasioned” (596). Managers also have a tendency to rack up enormous expense accounts since “The directors of such companies, however, being the managers rather of other people’s money than of their own, it cannot be expected, that they should watch over it with the same anxious vigilance with which the partners in a private copartnery frequently watch over their own. Like the stewards of a rich man, they are apt to consider attention to small matters as not for their master’s honour, and very easily give themselves a dispensation from it. Negligence and profusion, therefore, must always prevail more or less, in the management of the affairs of such a company” (699-700). In discussing the South Sea Company Smith wrote that “they had an immense capital divided among an immense number of proprietors. It was naturally to be expected, therefore, that folly, negligence, and profusion should prevail in the whole management of their affairs” (703). Later, in returning to the East India Company Smith comments that “the great increase in their fortune had, it seems only served to furnish their servants with a pretext for greater profusion and a cover of greater malversation” (709 ). By malversation, Smith means, of course, misconduct. Sometimes the professional managers will even be supported in their crookedness and plundering of the corporation by the owners themselves: “it might be more agreeable to the company that their servants and dependants should have either the pleasure of wasting, or the profit of embezzling whatever surplus might remain, after paying the proposed dividend of eight per cent … The interest of those servants and dependants might so far predominate in the court of proprietors, as sometimes to dispose it to support the authors of depredations which had been committed, in direct violation of this own authority” (711). That is to say, the managers may be supported in their wastefulness and their thefts by the board of directors, so long as the managers provided a minimum rate of return. Once again, we see the remarkable prescience of Smith to 21st century America. As Smith would have predicted, we do seem to have a severe problem with our overpaid managerial class, whose individual members have an unfortunate tendency to be deceitful, fraudulent, cheating liars! VI. The Undue Influence of Businessmen on the Government Yet, what really concerned Adam Smith was the undue influence of businessmen and hence their short run narrow interests, on government policies. In railing against the policies of his day, Smith wrote, “it cannot be very difficult to determine who have been the contrivers of this whole mercantile system; not the consumer, we may believe, whose interest has been entirely neglected; but the producers, whose interest has been so carefully attended to; and among this latter class our merchants and manufacturers have been by far the principal architects. In the mercantile regulations … the interest of our manufacturers has been most peculiarly attended to …” (626). Or again: “It is the industry which is carried on for the benefit of the rich and the powerful, that is principally encouraged by our mercantile system. That which is carried on for the benefit of the poor and indigent, is too often, either neglected, or oppressed” (609). As in Great Britain in the 18th century, we have a huge problem in the 21st century: “The monopoly which our manufacturers have obtained against us. This monopoly has so much increased the number of some particular tribes of them, that, like an overgrown standing army, they have become formidable to the government, and upon many occasions intimidate the legislature. The member of parliament who supports every proposal for strengthening this monopoly, is sure to acquire not only the reputation of understanding trade, but great popularity and influence with an order of men whose numbers and wealth render them of great importance. If he opposes them, on the contrary, and still more if he has the authority enough to be able to thwart them, neither the most acknowledged probity, nor the highest rank, nor the greatest public services, can protect him from the most infamous abuse and detraction, from personal insults, nor sometimes from real danger, arising from the insolent outrage of furious and disappointed monopolists” (438). Such is the problem now. Our business interests are turning our government into the political services industry. Our politicians, our political managers are selling favors to the highest bidder. Those few who oppose them are indeed vilified by the business interests, either the businesses themselves, or their surrogates in the media, right wing foundations, think tanks, centers, “initiatives”, etc. In Smith’s views, we have a problem with “… the impertinent jealousy of merchants and manufacturers. The violence and injustice of the rulers of mankind is an ancient evil, for which, I am afraid, the nature of human affairs can scarce admit of a remedy. The mean rapacity, the monopolizing spirit of merchants and manufacturers, who neither are, nor ought to be, the rulers of mankind, though it cannot perhaps be corrected, may very easily be prevented from disturbing the tranquility of anybody but themselves” (460 emphasis added). There you have it. Merchants, manufacturers, in a word capitalists should not be the rulers of mankind. Yet, to the extent they or their hired representatives are ruling us, one may expect major league problems. By rapacity Smith of course means the taking by force, plundering, greedy, ravenous. Others have noted the tendency for laissez faire capitalism to attack the social structures which support society, leading almost necessarily to either social welfare reforms, or else fascist or communist or socialist revolutions (e.g. Polanyi 1944; Schumpeter 1942; also Pack 1987). Today, the most shocking, destructive manifestation of this is that parts of our business leaders and their paid surrogates, particularly those in the fossil fuel industry, have been successfully attacking natural science itself, and the scientists themselves. For decades these scientists have had the effrontery to point out that the earth’s climate is changing, and that change is caused by humans, especially by the burning of fossil fuels. So science and scientists themselves are vilified, and discredited by the fossil fuels industry and their paid surrogates. Phony debates are staged with pseudo scientists denying climate change. These pseudo scientists are funded by the business sources (see e.g. Oreskes and Conway 2010). Meanwhile, the earth continues to heat up, the ice caps melt, the ocean waters rise, the storms become more violent; our Gulf and Atlantic coasts are savaged. And our fossil fuels industry continues to rake in their destructive profits. VII Conclusion It is quite clear that Adam Smith was no libertarian. The right wing narrow interpretations of Smith do not do him justice. They miss the radical, critical side to Smith, the side of Smith that warns us to beware of our managers; beware of our mercantilists; beware of our capitalists. In this age of large complex corporations, how do we control our private and public managers and our large corporations? And how do we control the deleterious influence business has on government today? These are the salient Smithian questions for contemporary society. So here is the irony; or actually the developing, worsening tragedy. The very people that Smith warned us against: the merchants, the capitalists, their managers and representatives, are wrapping themselves up with a Smithian cloak. They are using a simplified caricature of Adam Smith himself, to further their own narrow, greedy, rapacious, short run interests. They seek to destroy the liberal welfare state, destroy labor unions, destroy all countervailing powers to their own outsized abilities to do as they please, at the public, and indeed, the rest of the world’s expense. I say their short run interests, because if they have their way, there will not be much of a long run future here on planet earth for human civilization. For Adam Smith’s sake, but even more for our sake, and our children’s sake, we should not let these people get away with this misguided misappropriation of Smith’s legacy. Notes [1] Information on the above can be found at the Adam Smith Week, College of Charleston; Adam Smith Institute; FreedomFest; Hillsdale College; and Mark Skousen websites. A bit to my own surprise, I gave invited presentations at both Adam Smith Week and FreedomFest in the Spring and Summer of 2011. References Galbraith, John Kenneth (1987) Economics in Perspective: A Critical History, Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Oreskes, Naomi and Conway, Erik M. (2010), Merchants of Doubt, New York: Bloomsbury Press. Pack, Spencer J. (1987) “Schumpeter Plus Optimism Equals Gilder (Ceteris Paribus)”, History of Political Economy 19(3): 469-480. Pack, Spencer J. (1991) Capitalism as a Moral System: Adam Smith’s Critique of the Free Market Economy, Edward Elgar (Paperback edition 2010). Pack, Spencer J. (2009) “John Kenneth Galbraith’s New Industrial State 40 years Later”, in Radical Economics and Labor: Essays Inspired by the IWW Centennial, edited by Frederic S. Lee and Jon Bekken, Routledge. Pack, Spencer J. (2010) Aristotle, Adam Smith and Karl Marx: On Some Fundamental Issues in 21st Century Political Economy, Edward Elgar. Pack, Spencer J. (2013) “Adam Smith and Marx”, in Oxford Handbook of Adam Smith, eds. Christopher Berry, Maria Paganelli and Craig Smith, Oxford University Press. Polanyi, Karl (1957) The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time, Boston: Beacon Press. Schumpeter, Joseph A. (1950) Capitalism Socialism and Democracy, 3rd edn, New York: Harper and Brothers. Smith, Adam (1937) An Enquiry into the Nature and Causes of The Wealth of Nations, edited, with an introduction, notes, marginal summary and an enlarged index by Edwin Cannan, New York: Modern Library. Smith, Adam (1978) Lectures on Jurisprudence, eds. R.L. Meek, D.D. Raphael and P.G. Stein, Oxford University Press. Stigler, George (1988) “The Adam Smith Lecture: The Effect of Government on Economic Efficiency”, Business Economics 23(1): 7-13. Spencer J. Pack is a Professor of Economics at Connecticut College, New London, CT
At a time when some Republicans are calling to defund public broadcasting, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has added a link on its homepage to an appearance Fred Rogers made before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications on May 1, 1969, when President Nixon was proposing to cut federal funding for public broadcasting from $20 million to $10 million. In the video, Rogers offers a defense for his show over the other kinds of programs made for children at the time.“I’m very much concerned, as I know you are, about what’s being delivered to our children in this country,” Rogers tells subcommittee chairman Senator John O. Pastore (D-RI). “We deal with such things as the inner drama of childhood. We don’t have to bob somebody over the head to make drama on the screen. We deal with such things as getting a haircut, or the feelings about brothers and sisters, and the kind of anger that arises in simple family situations.” Rogers asks permission to recite the words to a song he sings on the show, “What Do You Do With The Mad That You Feel?” When Rogers is done, Pastore says, “Looks like you just earned the twenty million dollars.” Watch:
New Delhi, May 24 (PTI) The government today approved the setting up of an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Kamrup in Assam which would offer super-speciality healthcare to people in the region. The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the project to be constructed at a total cost of Rs 1,123 crore. The medical institute, to be set up under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna, is slated to be completed in 48 months from the date of approval. It will have a pre-construction phase of 15 months, a construction phase of 30 months and a stabilisation or commissioning phase of three months. The Kamrup AIIMS will consist of a hospital with a capacity of 750 beds, trauma centre facilities, a medical college which can accommodate 100 MBBS students per year, a nursing for 60 B.Sc. (Nursing) students, residential complexes and allied facilities on the pattern of AIIMS in New Delhi. The hospital will have 22 speciality or super-speciality departments including 16 operation theatres, an official statement said. It will also have an AYUSH department with 30 beds for treatment facilities in traditional systems of medicine. "The establishment of the new AIIMS will serve the dual purpose of providing super-speciality health care to the population while also help create a large pool of doctors and other health workers in this region that can be available for primary and secondary level institutions being created under the National Health Mission (NHM)," the statement said. Under this scheme, such institutions have already been established in Bhubaneshwar, Bhopal, Raipur, Jodhpur, Rishikesh and Patna, while work on the Raebareli AIIMS is in progress. Three such institutes -- in Nagpur (Maharashtra), Kalyani (West Bengal) and Mangalagiri in Guntur (Andhra Pradesh) -- were sanctioned in 2015 and two -- at Bathinda (Punjab) and Gorakhpur (UP) -- in 2016. PTI TDS BDS
Three House members, a Republican and two Democrats, discussed Wednesday the benefits of bipartisanship and how both sides of the aisle could learn to work together again. Love (R-Utah) laid a big part of the blame for excessive partisanship on complex bills that gather different and potentially contradictory proposals in a single legislative vehicle. ADVERTISEMENT "Here’s the problem in Washington: The bigger the bill, the more people who say 'I’m out' because there’s a dealbreaker there," she said at the event, which was put on by the Kennedy Political Union. Love added that a rebalancing of the roles of the legislative and executive branches was necessary for a more accurate representation of popular, as opposed to partisan, will in Washington. "I get colleagues who say, 'you have to stand behind the president’s agenda.' Whether you like the president or not, he has to stand behind our agenda," she said. The Utah Republican said the systematic transfer of power from Capitol Hill to the White House contributes to the partisan divide and is inconsistent with the spirit of the Constitution. "We’re trying to do everything we can to remove that power that’s been consolidated in the White House," said Love. Espaillat and Soto, both House freshmen and members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said they'd welcome a more bipartisan environment, but had a different opinion than Love as to how that could be achieved. Espaillat, a progressive who replaced former Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), said he was surprised at the degree of rancor on the House floor. "I was a state legislator for 20 years, in the lower house and then as a senator, in Albany, where politics is a full-contact sport. But I was really surprised by the level of combativeness among both parties and extreme partisanship, even on the floor," he said. "What I felt would be considered out of decorum in Albany." Soto, a member of the equal-parts-Republican-and- Democratic Problem Solvers Caucus, said he wasn't surprised at the partisanship on big issues, but pointed out the relatively easy procedure to clear run-of-the-mill legislation through Congress. "My expectation was on the big issues it was going to be very partisan because the nation is divided," he said, adding that "bills are passing every day but they deal with commonsense things." Soto said the current partisan climate is, in part, something voters chose. "I view it kind of as pendulum politics," he said. "Right now it’s nasty because before that we had a president who was very inspiring and talked about taking the high road and I think a lot of Americans were looking for, apparently, something else." But Soto said the way candidates run their campaigns also leaves a mark on the way elected bodies ultimately behave. "The strongest force in politics is a well knowledgeable, inspiring candidate and ultimately elected official. That Jedi position is the strongest in politics, but it’s the hardest to do — you really need to know your stuff and you need to have a big vision," he said. Espaillat added that a return to regular order for major legislation could improve the situation, giving the minority party a voice and turning the day-to-day debate away from politics and toward issues themselves. "I am a Democrat because I believe in the traditional values of that party," he said. "When traditional values are touched, then there’s this very aggressive discourse and debate that pulls us apart, and voters don’t want that." "We’ve got to promote a greater discussion among the issues, because it is politics that divides us," Espaillat added.
Spread the love In what could only be described as a desperate smear campaign evidencing the last vestiges of propaganda from the failed war on drugs, corporate media warped the findings of a study about cannabis-related car crashes to the point of being unrecognizable. On Tuesday, AAA’s safety foundation released a report concerning cannabis impairment and driving, which proved blood testing drivers for THC holds no scientific validity and should be abandoned. But a second part of the report found that — strictly statistically speaking — car crashes involving drivers who had consumed cannabis were on the rise. In fact, the number of people involved in fatal crashes who tested positive for cannabis did rise — a statistical doubling — but several caveats that should have also been reported by the mainstream press were flatly ignored. First, and of no small importance, cannabis isn’t even close to the leading cause of fatal crashes. In fact, when it comes to deadly accidents where the driver tested positive for cannabis, “most” had also consumed alcohol or other drugs. According to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, of 592 drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2013, 38 tested positive for cannabis. In the following year, of 619 deadly crashes, the number testing positive for cannabis jumped to 75. However, as Staci Hoff, Research Director for WTSC, explained: “Most of these drivers, these 75 drivers, also had alcohol or other drugs” in their systems. Over a five-year period, just 1.8 percent of fatal crashes involved drivers who tested positive only for cannabis. “So, in our study, we looked at all five years of date, 2010 to 2014,” Hoff continued, “and there were never 3,000 drivers involved in these fatal crashes during that time period. Only 56 of them had THC and only THC, nothing else.” WTSC is indeed concerned about drivers who consume cannabis — when they also consume alcohol. So though the number of fatal cannabis-involved deadly accidents did, indeed, double, the number represents a tiny proportion of the total and most of those drivers had consumed other substances. “There’s still a lot of work to do to figure out the impact of marijuana as a substance alone,” Hoff added, “but what I can say is that the combo of alcohol and marijuana is a scary concept we are seeing; it’s where our largest concern lays right now.” But if you rely on corporate media for information about the same report, your perception of cannabis-related traffic fatalities would be entirely different. CBS News’ national report on this same information proves how the misrepresentation of data can irresponsibly warp facts to bordering on outright misinformation — Report: Fatal marijuana-related crashes up where drug is legal. Though the headline could easily be redeemed through accurate information, the CBS article immediately capitalizes on people’s worst fears by beginning with an anecdotal account of a fatal accident involving a cannabis-impaired driver. At a time when policy-makers and the American public consider ending cannabis prohibition — a massively-failed policy whose biggest benefactor has arguably been the for-profit prison industry — such feckless reporting reduces the opportunity for worthy debate on the subject. CBS not only failed to mention how statistically minuscule the doubling of cannabis-related fatal crashes actually was, it also inexplicably — and inexcusably — left out that most of those drivers had consumed other substances. Worst of all, the CBS News article ends with the factual statement, “More than a dozen states are considering legalizing marijuana” — implying to readers, ‘look out, if you don’t stop this legislation, wantonly reckless weed-smoking drivers will be coming to your city.’ Of course, this simply isn’t the case, and the study the article was supposedly reporting about proves that — but CBS News’ audience would never know that if they were relying on the single source. And that is what makes propaganda so effective — its ability to distort facts to stoke baseless fear for other ends. Fortunately, such capricious and questionable media tactics are being exposed as more people turn to independent sources for good information otherwise obscured from public discussion.
Republicans are taking their first shot of 2017 at Planned Parenthood. The House is expected this week to vote on a resolution that would rescind an Obama-era regulation barring states from defunding the organization for political reasons. Because the measure is being moved through a law that allows Congress to rescind recently finalized rules, the bill cannot be filibustered in the Senate, raising its odds for success. Republicans framed the move to rescind the regulation as a way to give back to the states the power to determine how federal funds should be spent on women's healthcare. ADVERTISEMENT “It is not the role of politicians in Washington to usurp the states' 10th Amendment rights and subject our judgment for that of state and local leaders,” said Rep. Diane Black Diane Lynn BlackLamar Alexander's exit marks end of an era in evolving Tennessee Juan Williams: The GOP's worsening problem with women How to reform the federal electric vehicle tax credit MORE (R-Tenn.), sponsor of the resolution. But Democrats call the move a thinly shrouded attack on abortion providers. “It’s really about getting at Planned Parenthood, and this is the first salvo in doing so,” said Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) The House Rules Committee passed the resolution Tuesday along a party-line vote, 7-4, and the full House will likely vote on it later this week. Now that Republicans have majorities in both chambers and a GOP president, they’re facing increased pressure from anti-abortion groups to move quickly on their promises to cut funds to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers. Republicans are also considering whether language defunding abortion providers will be included in a bill that repeals ObamaCare. Anti-abortion protesters have gathered outside Planned Parenthood clinics across the country over the past week to call for an end to federal funding for the organization. Obama’s rule specifically requires that state and local governments distribute federal Title X funding for services related to contraception, fertility, pregnancy care and breast and cervical cancer screeners to health providers, regardless of whether they also perform abortions. It was issued by the Obama administration after a string of states tried to block funding for Planned Parenthood and its affiliated clinics. Supporters of Planned Parenthood argue that it provides essential services to low-income women, including birth control, STD tests and preventive care that could be at risk if defunded. Democrats at Tuesday's hearing also accused Republicans of trying to make women’s healthcare decisions for them. “Politicians shouldn’t be making decisions about women’s health for them, and states shouldn’t be either,” said Rep. Louise Slaughter (N.Y.), ranking Democrat on the Rules Committee. “It’s high time we recognize that women can make decisions for themselves. For more than 40 years, men in blue suits have been trying to determine what women can and should do when it comes to their own health.” While Planned Parenthood doesn’t use federal funds for abortion, Republicans argue any money given to the organization still supports the procedure. “We should invest in women’s health, not abortion. Abortion is not healthcare,” Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) said Tuesday during his testimony at the hearing. “The federal government should not incentivize the practice by undermining the authority of states.”
"Ang Huling El Bimbo" (English: "The Last El Bimbo") is a song composed by Ely Buendia of the Philippine pop/rock band Eraserheads, for their 1996 studio album Cutterpillow. It received extensive airplay after its release and ranked #2 on RX 93.1's "Top 20 OPM Requests of 1996".[1] It is the only Tagalog song included in the band's international compilation album, Aloha Milkyway (1998). The song's music video catapulted the band's success outside the Philippines by bagging the 'International Viewer's Choice Awards for Asia' at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards. A musical of the same name is set to be shown in 2018 at Resorts World Manila.[2] Music video [ edit ] The song's accompanying music video was directed by Auraeus Solito and completed filming within two days at Solito's ancestral house in Sampaloc, Manila. As a theatre director, Solito used several experimental shots and symbolisms in the video despite being a literal translation of the story contained in the song. According to Buendia, this was the first major production music video of the band since it involved big budget due to casting; and being treated as a short film due to the song's playing time and storyline. This also marked the first time the Eraserheads produced a music video for their song.[citation needed] The instrumental part of the music video was omitted during its broadcast on MTV Pinoy. After the music video fades to black, the music video ends.[3] The music video won the 'International Viewer's Choice Awards for Asia' at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The video was up against "Kirana" by Dewa 19 of Indonesia, "Fun Fun Fun" by Joey Boy of Thailand, "Fanatik" by KRU of Malaysia, and "Family" by Lee Seung-hwan of Korea. The Eraserheads accepted the award themselves. The recognition was the first Moonman award received by any Filipino artist, and further made the band known in Asia which paved way to the release of Aloha Milkyway.[citation needed] Covers [ edit ] In other media [ edit ] Buendia sang the song as a guest artist for a FilharmoniKA album, Kumpas: An Orchestral Celebration of Pinoy Music , which presented some of the signature alternative rock anthems of the '90s orchestrally. , which presented some of the signature alternative rock anthems of the '90s orchestrally. When local radio station NU 107 signed off for the last time on 8 November 2010, "Ang Huling El Bimbo" played as its final song. The song was also played in a McDonald's commercial in the Philippines. [7] Personnel [ edit ]
Researchers at Bournemouth University and Queen's University Belfast have discovered that music therapy reduces depression in children and adolescents with behavioural and emotional problems. In partnership with Every Day Harmony (the brand name for Northern Ireland Music Therapy Trust), the researchers found that children and young people, aged 8 -- 16 years old, who received music therapy had significantly improved self-esteem and significantly reduced depression compared with those who received treatment without music therapy. The study, which was funded by the Big Lottery Fund, also found that young people aged 13 and over who received music therapy had improved communicative and interactive skills, compared to those who received usual care options alone. Music therapy also improved social functioning over time in all age groups. In the largest ever study of its kind, 251 children and young people were involved in the study which took place between March 2011 and May 2014. They were divided into two groups -- 128 underwent the usual care options, while 123 were assigned to music therapy in addition to usual care. All were being treated for emotional, developmental or behavioural problems. Professor Sam Porter of the Department of Social Sciences and Social Work at Bournemouth University, who led the study, said: "This study is hugely significant in terms of determining effective treatments for children and young people with behavioural problems and mental health needs. The findings contained in our report should be considered by healthcare providers and commissioners when making decisions about the sort of care for young people that they wish to support." Dr Valerie Holmes, Centre for Public Health, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University Belfast and co-researcher, added: "This is the largest study ever to be carried out looking at music therapy's ability to help this very vulnerable group." Ciara Reilly, Chief Executive of Every Day Harmony, the music therapy charity that was a partner in the research, said: "Music therapy has often been used with children and young people with particular mental health needs, but this is the first time its effectiveness has been shown by a definitive randomised controlled trail in a clinical setting. The findings are dramatic and underscore the need for music therapy to be made available as a mainstream treatment option. For a long time we have relied on anecdotal evidence and small-scale research findings about how well music therapy works. Now we have robust clinical evidence to show its beneficial effects. I would like to record my gratefulness to the Big Lottery Fund for its vision in providing the resources for this research to be carried out." The research team will now look at the data to establish how cost-effective music therapy is in relation to other treatments.
Timing is everything. For A$AP Mob , a crew that’s spawned so many different kinds of rappers and creatives, and unfortunately lost their leader in the midst of their rise, this lesson had to be learned the hard way. And no one knows that better than the Mob’s A$AP Twelvyy . Twelvyy’s debut album, aptly titled 12 , is a labor of love—one that took him almost that long to put out. At 28, the New York spitter has come to appreciate the timing that finally brought him to this moment. Born Jamel Phillips, Twelvyy has been part of the A$AP Mob movement since the very beginning, running with the crew’s founder A$AP Yams since 2006. But like many early members of any rap crew, Twelvyy fell victim to the bittersweet force of overshadowing by other members. But still, just like his mentor taught him, Twelvyy stayed down, stayed loyal and worked on perfecting his craft. According to the MC, 12 , out today (Aug. 4) is a testament to the struggle. When asked about the overall message of the LP, Twelvyy is quick to put his guru hat on and wisely says, “That no matter how long something takes, don’t give up. There’s no reason to give up. It might take you 10 years, it might take you 15 years. Never give up.” Just before the rhyme-slinger unleashed this long-awaited debut onto the world, XXL caught up with A$AP’s self-proclaimed “general” to discuss his break from making music, the age cap in hip-hop, what to expect next from the Mob and much more. XXL : So what are we here for today Twelvyy? A$AP Twelvyy: To talk about the album, 12 dropping Aug. 4, 2017. I’m ecstatic. It’s been six, seven years, damn near 10 years in the making, so I’m ready. It's been a long road to get here. How did you get to this point? Meeting Josh [my manager]. Quite honestly, let’s keep it a buck because if it was up to me, I would probably be dropping in 2016. But my rollout wasn’t ready, I didn’t even have a team and Josh put together a leak-proof rollout and now we’re here. I’ve been noticing with everybody that drops music, they put out a single, they put out a video and they album’s out. With Josh, he came to the table with a whole master plan. And it was great to have somebody bring something new to the table because I was doing everything myself before that. Shout out to Josh, no gas. But A$AP, the bros, Rocky put me on a platform. He gave me all type of assistance, advice, everything. He’s a great bro, a great point guard. He set me up so I really appreciate my bros. Yams, Ferg, the whole team. I couldn’t be here today without my system. Now I’m here so I’m just doing everything I need to do. August is officially AWGEST . So your project drops, then Ferg's Still Striving then Cozy Tapes Vol. 2 . Yeah, this is the first time we ever put together multiple releases in the same month. It’s a real family feeling that way. Yeah, because before we didn’t grow together. Now, we’re growing, it’s a great way to grow together. It’s great to have a second opportunity with [ Vol. 2 ] because it could have just went from everybody just popped off and then everybody disappearing, you know what I’m saying? Let's go back to 2015. You wanted to drop, but then it didn’t happen. What was your headspace back then? So, 2015, A$AP Yams died in the beginning of 2015. So I was like, Fuck this, honestly. I didn’t want to make music, I didn’t want to hear music. 2016 came and the Flatbush Zombies invited me on tour. I had no choice but to start making music again. I even gassed them like, ‘Yo, my tape about to drop’ to have them let me come on tour. Shout out to my bros for letting me rock on it, a European run, an American run. It was incredible. So what prevented you from actually dropping in 2016 then? You teased the mixtape 2127301090 ? I think it was my personal confidence. My mentality. I just wasn’t feeling it. I lost my best friend. I lost the main person that wanted me to make music, you know? Aside from everybody in the Mob, Yams wanted me to make music before anybody. Without him being there, I was like, Why am I doing this? It’s not even going to be fun for me with him not here. It’s a feeling that’s still on my shoulders now, but I’m like, I just gotta get over that or I’m gonna be 37 with no tape out looking back. I ain’t trying to go out like that. So it was a grieving period? Yeah. How did you not get over it, but get through it to get to this moment? It was A$AP Mob. We were on tour. I think the last time the Mob was on tour was the Rocky and Tyler tour. At that time, we were just always on the road. I didn’t have time to work on music, I just had to be a team player. Soon as that was out the way, that’s when I had time to think clearly and work on myself, work on my craft and get my project out. So that was beginning of 2016. So it’s been like a year and half to get this together, get my shit together. Are some tracks from the 2127301090 tape on this album? I don’t know what’s going on with that. I don’t think that project exists. We don’t know, it might come up in the future. I don’t know it might come up in the future. Let’s talk about your features on this project. I got A$AP Mob, so A$AP Rocky, A$AP Nast, A$AP Ferg, A$AP Eddie. Smooky Margielaa, Joey Bada$$, Flatbush Zombies. We want to keep it in the family, very family-oriented. What track are you most excited to have fans hear? “Hop Out” featuring A$AP Ferg. It’s a high-energy record, a turn-up record and it’s a fun record. We shot a video for it and the video is amazing. I love the video. I’m super excited for that record to drop because you know, it’s crazy, being with the Mob and we in the club and none of our records are playing? That’s one of the things like, we got all this influence but when we get to the club and there’s no influence in the club. This is one of those records that’s going to make a crazy impact in the club. It’s the record that’s gonna make you turn up, hop in, hop out and turn up, you know what I’m saying? Is that your favorite track? My favorite track on here is actually “Sunset Park” though. One, because I love the movie. Two, because of the skit on “Sunset Park,” shout out to my man Fredro Starr. We got a crazy skit on there. And third, when we was cooking up “Sunset Park,” we cooked up “Strapped,” “LYBB” within the same time so I feel like it’s an everyday struggle. I feel like every day is like an everyday struggle just to get down the block to the train station, just to even get to sleep at night. You gotta go through the whole city. It’s an everyday struggle and every day you gotta hustle. You just can’t give up. If you give up, you’ll be sitting like me a whole year in your crib until you meet somebody like Josh [my manager] or something. Not everybody has friends like the Flatbush Zombies. I’m just grateful to have people in my life who are just like, "Naw, Twelve, you got to stop playing." I know I slacked for a minute and I’m just happy that I had positive structures in my life that pushed me to keep going. Not for nothing, there is no way you can do this by yourself. Nobody could. I done seen people who are the hottest not even here no more. What was one really memorable studio session for this album? Most of the songs I recorded was for the house. They were recorded at my house and then we took it to the studio. “Last Year Being Broke” I remember Yams being in the crib and he heard me spittin’ on it and he came in the joint knocking on the wall. That’s crazy, [I’m] glad we kept that in there. “Hop Out” was one of the only songs I recorded in the studio. That was the most people I ever rapped in front of, about 30 people recording-wise, recording my verse. All of A$AP Mob, dudes from uptown, Maaly Raw. I was kind of shy about it but I knocked it out. Yams used to just be on some shit in the studio. He’d be in there. Nobody doing nothing he’d be like, "Y’all not hot, y’all not doing anything, Y’all not lit." We’d used to just be in there like, "What he talking about? We them niggas." But in hindsight it’s like we really not. We ain’t got shit out. Only person that’s moving is Flacko. Flacko, he your bro, so he never going to be on some shit like, "Y’all not doing nothing." Now, he is. But before, he used to let you bury yourself. Yeah, we all got a new mentality and it all started with the A$AP Mob album that they scratched. I had “Escape” on there, I had “Motivation” on there and it just didn’t happen. So I took that as a sign and I ran with it to make 12 . What’s the message you want fans to get from your debut? That no matter how long something takes, don’t give up. There’s no reason to give up. It might take you 10 years, it might take you 15 years, never give up. I don’t think there should ever be an age cap on music. You still got blues musicians, rock, soul, heavy metal bands still doing crazy tours. But in hip-hop, especially in America, it’s like once you’re a certain age, you’re done, ship us to Europe—which they love us over there—but it shouldn’t be like that. We put work in this, love this forever. This wasn’t no overnight thing, this was 10 years in the making. My next project’s not going to take that long [ laughs ] but I just been grinding that long so I picked up stuff on the way. A$AP Mob really runs like a family. What would you say is your role in the Mob? I’m the general. My friend Gelato, he call me RZA. So you know, I be the RZA of the Mob. But then some people call me the GZA of the Mob so I just be the general. I just hold it down. Give an example of that. Before a show, I’m getting everybody up to pray. I’m the one like, "Let’s get together let’s pray." Inspirerer. Sometimes I’m the coach. But I teach everybody else on my team to be the same. Some cats are just small-minded. You gotta lead, you gotta teach, you gotta love, respect, honor. You gotta stand for something or fall for anything. AWGE/Polo Ground/RCA Records How is A$AP different from any other crew in hip-hop right now? Some crews in hip-hop started their crews once they seen us not knowing that we were already a crew. We’ve been broke together, we’ve been hitting the club, poppin’ bottles together. First time I seen Yams, he had a Dipset chain on with Max B, you know? They say Hollywood is Hollywood but New York City is still where it’s at though. It’s the biggest TV show in the world, so we’ve lived this life already. We see Remy Ma, Cam, everybody on our streets all day, every day so it’s nothing for us to do this at ease. And plus, seeing crews fall off in the past before, we like, "We never going to let that happen." And losing our brother that started that shit? It’d be disrespectful of him to have us fall off or fall apart. I’d be tight. If anybody at Mob feel like they want to leave the Mob, they gotta take that up with me. It ain’t got nothing to do with music. It’s deeper than that. And if I kick you out, you shouldn’t have been. Is anybody on the verge of being kicked out? There’s a lot of cats that ain’t supposed to be in here [ laughs ]. Word, some cats get they A$AP blessing from other people in A$AP. And you don’t fuck with that? I don’t respect it. I had to go through the gauntlet. It wasn’t given to me at all. And even to be A$AP Twelvyy today was not given to me. So I’m not jackin’ nobody out here running around, “A$AP this…” Nah, I don’t care. So in your mind, who are the true A$AP members? The A$AP Mob. Nast, Eddie, Ferg, Rocky, Illz, Young Lord, Josh, Relly, Ty Y, Hector Delgado. We just blessed in Josh [the manager]. He been first tier though. Flatbush Zombies is the Mob and I’m a Flatbush Zombie, you feel me? TDE is Mob. If Yams met you and showed you love, you Mob to me. If not, then I don’t really care. You didn’t mention a couple people before. You didn’t mention Playboi Carti. Oh, Carti. I didn’t know I didn’t mention him. I consider him A$AP Mob, not A$AP. Honestly, A$AP Mob is just five people. A$AP, it got the family tree. A$AP Mob is the A$AP Mob. You can’t let anybody else into the Jackson Five. Nobody else can be the original five, you know. That’s just what it is. Carti, I love you to death but you’ll never be in the original top five. After 12 , there’s Still Striving and then Cozy Tapes on Aug. 25. Yup, Too Cozy . What can you tell us about Too Cozy ? It’s very relaxing sounds and this is going to just be an incredible month. I feel like all our music dropping this month is just going to shape the world. You got me coming out on the Aug. 4 and then you got Ferg coming out on the Aug. 18. So from the Aug. 4 to Aug. 18, I feel like all these kids is just going to be in the streets wildin’. They going to be on their 212 shit hard. Running around in they LYBB shit, their durags, watching anime, playing ball. It’s going to get real crazy. It’s back to school season. They going to go back to school with that 212 mentality. This is going to be the illest summer ever so if you about to go to school with this music right now, your whole life is changing. I know kids that say, “Yo, I remember when Live. Love. A$AP dropped." It’s the same energy. It’s crazy to see what 10 years of real hard work can do, dead ass. I appreciate that. Somebody told me yesterday, “You gotta catch that microwave shit.” But I’m like, I’m kind of happy I had to thug this out the whole time. I really did a bid, I did a tenure, you feel me? You cannot take that from me. It takes a lot of work to look like an overnight success. That’s word. I appreciate all the love. I appreciate being here right now.
Irish twin sisters have joked about being outnumbered among the boys in green at Euro 2016 where a perk is not having to queue for the toilet. Irish twin sisters have joked about being outnumbered among the boys in green at Euro 2016 where a perk is not having to queue for the toilet. Emma and Kathryn McLoughlin, 22, from Glasnevin in Dublin, have travelled to France with four male friends for the football extravaganza. The pair are in wine capital Bordeaux where the Republic will take on Belgium at the Stade de Bordeaux on Saturday afternoon. They said their mother was "terrified" when they told her they were going and she has been sending them daily text messages to check they are okay. Emma told the Press Association: "We follow it at home and a lot of people were up for it so we thought we'd make the trip." On the lack of women at the tournament, she said: "We're outnumbered very heavily but I don't mind too much. No queues for the ladies!" Emma said she knew a lot of Irish fans would be in France but is shocked there are so many. "I'm delighted I made the trip," she said. Her sister Kathryn said: "We didn't know if we were going to make it or not. It's great craic, like. "Everyone does a double take when they see us. They're like, 'oh, a woman!'" "Our mother was terrified," Kathryn said, adding that they receive frequent texts asking: "What are you doing now?" Looking ahead to the Republic's match against Belgium, Kathryn said: "We tend to put in a better performance against bigger teams. "I think it's worked in our favour that Italy are basically through. A win hopefully. But a draw wouldn't be a disaster either." Press Association
Final Fantasy Type-0 Alto Crystarium detailed, Tabata and Naora interviewed Phantoma credits and female governments Like Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy Type-0 has its own “Crystarium” system. Called the “Alto Crystarium,” the system is used to power up magic, spending “Phantoma” to do so. This week’s Dengeki has an in-depth preview of the system. Phantoma are dropped by defeated enemies, and are said to be the source for magic. Players suck this up at the end of battles, recovering magic in the process. Each Phantoma has a different type, indiciated by color, which allows you to power up your magic in different areas in the Alto Crystarium. For example, you can increase your Fire RF magic’s strength, MP usage, call time, reach and speed. Increasing its strength requires six red Phantomas. In Type-0, magic is based on three elements: fire, ice and thunder. Each spell has one of five ways of attack: SHG (Shotgun) – a powerful close-range attack type that spreads at multiple height levels. RF (Rifle) – a far-traveling attack type, it shoots out straight and has narrow range. BOM (Bomb) – a widespread attack type, it is useful against fast and small enemies alike. MIS (Missile) – a chaser attack type, it chases after the enemy before releasing its magic. ROK (Rocket Launcher) – an explosive and widespread attack type, a target will appear, and the magic will fire in the direction you aim, damaging the enemy and its surroundings. Dengeki also has an interview with director Hajime Tabata and art director Yusuke Naora. During the interview, the pair discuss the game’s development, price, and other aspects. According to the pair, only three staff — Tabata, Naora and Testuya Nomura — were working on Type-0 at the time of its 2006 announcement (known as Final Fantasy Agito XIII at the time). The staff were focused on Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, so it wasn’t until 2008 that development began. Though, with The 3rd Birthday the main focus at that time, it took a year before development was kicked into high gear. Naora said it’s the longest game he’s ever worked on. When the game was announced at E3 2006, the only thing they had ready was a main visual. When Final Fantasy Type-0 was dated last week, Square Enix priced the game at 7,700 yen (approx. $98 USD). Asked about the game’s high price, Tabata agreed the price is quite high, but the quality and volume of the game make the price fair. On multiplayer, the pair said that guests who choose to assist other players in battle will earn”special points” which can be used to unlock a certain feature. Details will arrive in a later update, they said. For the uninformed, multiplayer in Type-0 is a short-lived experience. You can allow friends to join your game, or vice-versa, in order to assist during battle. If you’re a guest, you must select a special item from the menu screen to join another player’s game. If you’re the host, you can simply toggle the option to allow others to join on and off during missions. The two spoke in-depth about the Concordia Kingdom, one the game’s four countries. The magazine introduces two new characters, Andoria and Hoshihime, who both appeared in the recent trailer. Andoria is the Concordian princess and the only person who has connection to the Queen Dragon, a physical form of the Souryu Crystal (Concordia houses this crystal in their “Peristylium). Hoshihime is part of the Akatoki, one of the five groups of knights that protect the Peristylium. The country has an all female government, according to Tabata, and its people aren’t physically strong, but are skilled in summons and dragon / monster control. As opposed to the other three countries, Concordia has more of a fantasy feeling, said Naora. Speaking on main characters, Tabata said that the protagonist is technically Class Zero (the group of students you play as) in its entirety. The game is meant to tell the historical actions of the class, which is why they’ve chosen this path. Two characters, Machina and Rem, have been highlighted in Type-0 propaganda time and time again. Tabata noted that they’re special characters, though that doesn’t mean they’re the main characters. Final Fantasy Type-0 has a world map that you’re free to roam even when you’re not on a mission. You can get into battles and power your characters, but there’s also other play elements, according to Tabata. A real-time strategy component, for example, allows you to play mini-games where your country’s armies are fighting other countries. Win the fight and your country will claim the land, opening access to its towns. Load times are the only concern with the world map, said Tabata. Since the game’s quality is being pushed to the highest standard, load times are quite long. However, if you install the game on your PSP, load times are much quicker. Final Fantasy Type-0 releases in Japan on October 13, 2011. A North American and European release date has not been announced. Thanks, Andriasang (1 and 2).
national Furious at Sena chief's 'disparaging' comments about PM Narendra Modi, state BJP president Devendra Fadnavis stopped all talks with Sena, including seat-sharing for the October 15 assembly polls A month before the assembly polls, discussions over number of seats to be contested have driven a wedge into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiv Sena alliance. Angry over the Sena chief’s recent comments against PM Narendra Modi in a function, the party has ordered that no form of communication shall be entertained with the Sena. Uddhav Thackeray and Madhav Bhandari BJP state president Devendra Fadnavis apparently asked Madhav Bhandari, the party’s state spokesperson to make it public that talks between Sena and BJP has been stopped. The move comes after Thackeray, in a function organised by a TV channel on Saturday, said, “In Maharashtra, the Modi factor worked (in the Lok Sabha polls). Also Read: Shiv Sena blasts Prithviraj Chavan over anti-Uddhav remarks In a TV interview on Saturday Uddhav had said the Modi wave had failed to show up in several states and that the BJP’s victory in the Lok Sabha polls should be attributed to alliance partners as well. File pic But the alliance parties must also be given credit. The Modi factor didn’t work in many states during the Lok Sabha elections.” The statement caused an uproar in the BJP to such an extent that on Sunday afternoon, after receiving orders from the Delhi high command, the party’s state chief passed on the message to halt talks with the Sena. Bhandari said, “The BJP party workers are angry after the Sena leadership made remarks against Narendra Modi, on Saturday. The workers insisted that the party leadership stop talking to Sena and, respecting their sentiments, the BJP has stopped all forms of discussions with the Sena.” Souring relations Talks over seat-sharing and which party would install its CM assuming the alliance emerged victorious have been a bone of contention for quite some time. Editorials in Sena mouthpiece Saamana have, lately, been questioning why the BJP, which has always let Sena play big brother in Maharashtra, is now demanding a bigger piece of the pie. One such stinging editorial cited a recent HC judgment in which a demand for ‘too much sex’ led to divorce, indicating that asking for too much would lead to the alliance being called off. Thackeray also interviewed candidates aspiring to contest the 11 Jalgaon assembly seats. While traditionally, the Sena contests 6 seats and the BJP 5, Thackeray tested candidates for 11 seats, indicating his wish to go solo, to which the BJP has taken umbrage. Moreover, Thackeray’s attempts to project himself as the next CM also haven’t gone down too well with its ally. “Amit Shahji has categorically said that in Maharashtra, it will be the BJP that will lead the government. So, our stand is clear. Sanjay Raut (editor of Saamana) is not a top leader of the Sena,” added Bhandari. According to another top leader, many in Delhi also called up party boss Shah asking why a regional party was taking jibes against Modi. “We can’t afford to tolerate anything against Modi, the man who led us to an unprecedented victory and rejuvenated the cadre. It will be disastrous that the local unit keeps mum when he’s attacked. The stand is welcomed and the rank and file in the party is all happy with this decision. We won’t mind going it alone in the elections,” asserted the leader. Another leader stated that negotiations began on the wrong note. Last week, Thackeray met Fadnavis and BJP’s national general secretary, Om Mathur, thrice. “In the very first meeting, Thackeray flatly refused to concede more seats to the BJP. The trend, it seems, continued in the next two meetings and no tangible conclusion was reached,” he said. The party is also not happy over the indecision among the alliance partners, since it believes the poll preparations should have already begun. BJP’s national general secretary, Rajiv Pratap Rudy (see box), in Pune yesterday for a party event, stated that the party expected seat-sharing to be 50:50. However, sources told this correspondent that Rudy told party workers there to get ready to go it alone, with or without the Sena. Meanwhile, a clearer picture shall emerge once Shah comes to Mumbai; the party chief is expected to have dinner with treasurer Shaina NC on September 17. He will also meet top BJP leaders then and take a final call on what lies ahead.