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There are fears that it may be possible to catch the coronavirus more than once, after a woman in her 40s in Osaka, Japan, tested positive for COVID-19 for a second time at the end of February. Studies and research are still going on to determine if this may be the case. So far, we do not have a definitive conclusion.
Before understanding whether or not the coronavirus can be caught twice, it is worth knowing how we build immunity to a virus in the first place.
When a pathogen (a foreign infection such as a virus or bacteria) enters the body, the immune system first has to recognise it as alien. There are specific blood cells whose job it is to patrol the body and quickly send out an alert if a new infection is encountered.
This alert stimulates the immune system to start producing very specific antibodies for the infection. This process takes time as a certain level of antibodies need to be produced to overcome the infection.
During this time the virus or bacteria is multiplying, and making you feel unwell as it does so.
It may take a few days or even weeks for your body to get to the level of antibodies needed to fight off the infection, during which time you have the symptoms of infection.
When enough antibodies are produced, the infection is overcome and you start to feel better.
The immune system then does something clever: it produces memory cells. These memory cells are ready and waiting should the same infection enter your body again in the future.
If that happens, they are immediately activated and work to destroy the infection before it has time to take hold and make you unwell again. The memory cells also send out a much quicker message to prompt your immune system into action.
In this case, your immune system works so quickly you do not feel unwell or even know you have been infected. This is because you now have immunity to that specific infection.
This immunity usually lasts for life - but not always.
More Doctor's Notes:
There are coronaviruses other than the one that causes COVID-19 disease. A lot of common cold viruses are from the coronavirus family and we do not gain lifelong immunity after being infected by them. People who have been infected with another type of coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), can have two to three years of immunity, so it really does vary.
Most experts believe that there are two ways out of this pandemic. We may find a vaccine against the virus, and that will allow rapid immunity to those who are administered the vaccine. Or enough people may get the virus through its current mode of spread and build up a natural immunity that will eventually result in "herd immunity" - where enough people are immune to it that it can no longer multiply and spread.
It is thought that roughly 60 percent to 70 percent of the population would have to be exposed to coronavirus in order to achieve this herd immunity.
What these solutions do not take into account is the prospect that the COVID-19 virus could mutate enough in the future to make it unrecognisable to a person's memory cells, or the prospect that some infections do not make memory cells that last for life.
So, is it possible to be infected with the COVID-19 virus more than once?
The first thing to remember is that we have only anecdotal reports concerning very small numbers of people. It is also not clear whether these cases involved a new infection or a relapse of the original infection.
A study done in China looked at whether monkeys who were infected with the coronavirus and developed antibodies to it could be reinfected when exposed a second time. Reassuringly, it found they were immune to it the second time around.
Immunologists agree that more research is needed. It is not clear if immunity from the COVID-19 virus will be lifelong, and data we do have on some other coronaviruses, such as the common cold, show that antibodies only give temporary immunity, usually lasting around three months.
However, some experts are optimistic. Martin Hibberd, a professor of emerging and infectious diseases at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, says: "Although we need more evidence to be sure of this, people who have recovered are unlikely to be infected with SARS-CoV-2 again." This is another name for COVID-19.
The jury is still out on immunity: the initial reports look good, but there is much work to be done. The virus simply hasn't been around long enough for us to conclude that getting it will confer lifelong immunity.
The race is now on to watch and learn from those people who have recovered from the virus and to see whether the antibodies and immunity they have acquired last or not. Watch this space. | {
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Chindia Targoviste - Hermannstadt (vineri, ora 18:00 , Digi Sport 1 )
Botoşani - Shkëndija (joi, ora 18:45, Digi Sport 1)
Jucătorul a părăsit sediul Ligii cu 45 de minute înainte de aflarea deciziei oficiale. El mai are însă o cale atac a deciziei, la apel, dar faptul că este recidivist s-ar putea să nu-l ajute foarte mult în acest sens. Cel mai probabil, Cadu va rata meciurile de campionat cu Oțelul (A), CSMS Iași (D), Rapid (A), Petrolul (D), Dinamo (A), Pandurii (A), Gloria Bistrița (D), Steaua (A) și Viitorul Constanța (D).
Drept urmare, căpitanul ardelenilor va lipsi din derby-urile importante pe care echipa sa le va disputa în etapele rămase, urmând să se întoarcă pe gazon la începutul lunii mai. Situaţia din lotul clujenilor nu era oricum una prea grozavă, iar pierderea căpitanului Cadu reprezintă o lovitură grea pentru antrenorul Paulo Sergio.
Liderul echipei în ultimii 5 ani
În ultimii cinci ani, defensiva echipei ardelene a fost construită în jurul portughezului, prezent în toate cele 3 campanii UEFA Champions League ale CFR-ului. Mai mult, Cadu este jucătorul care a decis soarta a două campionate câştigate de CFR Cluj! A marcat din penalty în poarta marii rivale U. Cluj, atât în 2008 (1-0), cât şi în 2012 (3-2).
Speră la clemenţă
Speranţele lui Cadu la revenire depind acum de Comisia de Apel. Într-un caz asemăntor, stelistul Florin Gardoș a primit o suspendare de 10 etape atunci când i-a rupt piciorul lui Cosmin Băcilă (Pandurii), dar la apel i-a fost redusă sancțiunea la doar 8 runde. Pentru un gest agresiv la adresa tuşierului Dorin Mudura, Ionel Ganea a primit 22 de etape de suspendare, dar a scăpat "doar" cu 16, la apel. Evident, clubul din Gruia nu va ezita să atace decizia iniţială.
VEZI AICI DECLARAȚIA LUI IULIU MUREŞAN
UPDATE 17:15: A început ședința Comisiei de Disciplină. Ricardo Cadu este și el prezent în sală, pentru a-și afla sentința
Ricardo Cadu a fost eliminat luni, în meciul dintre FC Vaslui și CFR Cluj, din etapa a 20-a a Ligii I, după o intrare violentă asupra lui Jivko Milanov. Căpitanul campioanei l-a izbit cu genunchiul în față pe fotbalistul bulgar și i-a scos mai mulți dinți. Comisia de Disciplină a LPF va dicta astăzi, într-o ședință care începe la ora 17:00, suspendarea pentru căpitanul lui CFR.
digisport.ro te va ține la curent cu desfășurarea evenimentelor la Comisia de Disciplină și va anunța pedeapsa pe care o va primi Ricardo Cadu!
Viorel Hizo, antrenorul lui FC Vaslui, l-a atacat extrem de dur pe Cadu după acest fault: "Trebuia să-i las pe jucători să sară pe capul lui Cadu. Nu-l mai tratați cu indulgență pentru că nu merită. Uitați-vă la meciurile în care a jucat el până acum și priviți de câte ori a intrat dur la adversari sau de câte ori a ripostat și după ce arbitrul fluiera. S-a ajuns aici pentru că i s-a tolerat jocul de până acum."
VEZI AICI DECLARAȚIA LUI VIOREL HIZO
Conducerea clubului clujean i-a luat însă apărarea jucătorului, prin vocea președintelui Iuliu Mureșan, care a declarat că deși impresionantă, accidentarea lui Milanov nu e chiar atât de gravă. Mureșan a mai subliniac că fie Cadu, fie CFR, se oferă să achite cheltuielile medicale ale fotbalistului Vasluiului.
VEZI AICI DECLARAȚIA LUI IULIU MUREȘAN
Marți, Comisia de Disciplină a LPF a amânat judecarea lui Cadu și urmează ca joi să stabilească numărul de etape de suspendare pentru căpitanul lui CFR. Suspendarea va fi dictată în funcție de ceea ce a scris în raportul de joc arbitrul Ovidiu Hațegan.
Iuliu Mureșan, președintele CFR-ului, a declarat în direct la Fanatik, pe Digi Sport 1, că Hațegan nu a scris în raport că ar fi fost vorba de intenție în intrarea lui Cadu. "Hațegan a scris că în încercarea de a juca balonul, Cadu l-a lovit pe Milanov cu violență", a declarat Mureșan.
VEZI AICI FAZA ÎN CARE CADU L-A FAULTAT PE MILANOV ȘI A FOST ELIMINAT
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Geophysicists said in new research that increased seismicity and “magma intrusions” measured at the Bolshaya Udina volcano since late 2017 justify its reclassification from “extinct” to “active.”
An extinct volcano that has awoken in Far East Russia could unleash destruction not seen since the ancient Roman city of Pompeii was destroyed by volcanic eruption nearly 2,000 years ago, scientists warn.
The “catastrophic” amount of ash that would spread from the long-dormant volcano in the Kamchatka region could wreak havoc far beyond Russia if the volcano erupts, said Ivan Kulakov, the study’s lead author.
“Remember Pompeii: The awakening of Vesuvius was preceded by a lull of several thousand years. And the eruption in 1600 in Peru led to cooling in Europe and hunger in Russia,” Kulakov was quoted as saying Wednesday.
He compared the potential Bolshaya Udina eruption to the gigantic 1956 eruption of the Bezymianny volcano, which was also thought to be extinct until then.
It is impossible to predict when or whether Bolshaya Udina would erupt, Kulakov told the Russian Academy of Sciences’ weekly publication in Siberia. Around 60 percent of the world’s seismically active volcanoes end up erupting, the outlet reported. | {
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He may have slipped to pick No.5 in the draft, but football analyst David King believes new Fremantle midfielder Adam Cerra has the potential to be a star of the competition.
Cerra made his debut for the Dockers in the club’s 16-point win over Essendon at Optus Stadium on Saturday, wowing onlookers with his poise and class in the contest.
Playing as a forward in his first game at the level, the teenager finished with two goals from nine touches at 77 per cent efficiency, and slotted a calm set shot from 45m out which iced the game in the fourth quarter.
If it wasn’t for knee and shoulder problems, Eastern Ranges mentor and Essendon great Darren Bewick maintains Cerra would have been in the conversation for the No.1 pick at last year’s national draft.
King believes with players like Cerra and No.2 pick Andrew Brayshaw in the line-up, Dockers coach Ross Lyon has the foundation of a side which can begin to climb back up the ladder sooner than expected.
“One thing that is undeniable - Ross gets the most out of the talent available and I think he’s coached sub-par teams, talent wise, to the absolute max,” King said on SEN.
Camera Icon Cerra celebrates with teammates after one of his two goals. Credit: Daniel Wilkins
“You give him picks two and five in the draft and watch him work his magic.
“Adam Cerra will be a star. Brayshaw will be a top-liner for a long time, while he’ll never wow you with what he does, he’ll do it consistently.
“Both (Luke) Ryan and Alex Pearce are top-liners.
“They’re going places. They won’t be as bad as people think - particularly at home. They’re going to be very difficult to beat over there.” | {
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askbeachcitysecondary:
hey guys
this blog is officially inactive
if you still want to Keep Up™ with me, my art blog’s @rice-corgii and my main is @infinite-salt-dispenser :0
thanks for all the support everyone!! | {
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Today’s PopWatch post is brought to you by the letter ‘G’, as in, “Greatest Glee parody ever!” Leave it to Sesame Street to teach a lesson about the grooviest letter in the alphabet, all while doing the most spot-on spoof of Glee that you’ve ever seen.
In fact, if you closed your eyes, it would actually be kind of hard to tell where regular Glee ends and Sesame Street Glee begins (or G, if you will.) Puppet Rachel is still a diva with an unwavering crush (“I like you Finn, I’m looking at you longingly!”), puppet Schuester (complete with chin dimple!), now Mr. Gooster, is overly-encouraging to the point of annoying, and puppet Sue is still getting in zingers (“You know enough about gel, Gooster, you use enough of it.”) Complete with a musical number (“Don’t Stop Your G’ing”) and inside jabs (“Good thing we have a big budget!”), the ingenious parody could have very well just solved the season 3 dilemma for Glee: Have more puppets. Watch the full hilarious clip below: | {
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Syrian pro-government media say troops have pushed their way into a rebel-held enclave in the northwest, clashing with insurgents and widening an offensive that until now had mainly involved aerial bombings and shelling.
The Central Military Media said Wednesday that government forces entered Kfar Nabudah, a rebel-held village on the southwestern edge of the enclave. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the ground operation, which was launched with close air support. Rebel groups reported the clashes and a car bomb detonated by their fighters.
In recent days government forces have intensified their bombardment of rebel-held areas in northwestern Syria, as a cease-fire in place since September appears to have all but collapsed. Government forces seized a village and a strategic hill on Monday. | {
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It may not be the end of Peter Weber and Hannah Brown's love story.
It would be an understatement to say that when ABC released a trailer for the upcoming season of "The Bachelor" fans were shook to see that the former "Bachelorette" herself had made an appearance. So naturally, the question arose -- Did Hannah join Peter's season?
Peter obviously can't give away the details of his season but he did divulge to Entertainment Tonight how he felt about seeing Hannah show up on his season and hinted at what might have happened afterwards.
READ: Who Is Hannah Brown Dating? Former 'Bachelorette' Reveals Relationship Status And Disses Ex
"That was unexpected for me. I did not know she was coming that first night. She shows up, opens that door. I didn't even realize it was her at first and then I noticed it's her [as] she's kind of walking closer out of the car," the 28-year-old shared.
"I genuinely thought when I decided, 'Yeah, I'll be the Bachelor,' that I was in a spot where I could do that. I was ready and moved on. I really did think that. She shows up that first night and I start to question that," he revealed. "Just real emotions came up and it was all real. It was a real relationship we had."
Peter admitted that the 25-year-old 2018 Miss Alabama broke his heart but didn't rule her out of being his final lady.
"... you guys will just have to see what happens," he teased, adding that despite everyone's belief she couldn't have joined his season while filming "Dancing With The Stars", they "could be" a couple right now.
With the way things are going, it seems like viewers will truly have to wait and see how Peter's love story ends because unlike prior seasons of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette," he claims this season won't be spoiled.
"There’s a reason no one’s going to find out the ending and I’m very happy with how everything turned out," the airline pilot said. "And I am excited for everyone to tune in and have it be the first unspoiled season in a while. So it’s gonna be good."
"The Bachelor" premieres Monday, Jan. 6 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC. | {
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The Chinese government appears to be reserving its ire towards the United States for its response to a recent arms sale to Taiwan, keeping its commentary limited on new U.S. Treasury sanctions against the Bank of Dandong for its ties to North Korea.
The U.S. Treasury announced Thursday that evidence shows the Bank of Dandong “acts as a conduit for illicit North Korean financial activity,” including money laundering and, as such, would be banned from the U.S. financial system. “While we will continue to seek international cooperation on North Korea, the United States is sending an emphatic message across the globe that we will not hesitate to take action against persons, companies, and financial institutions who enable this regime,” Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said.
Mnuchin made clear in his announcement, “we are in no way targeting China with these actions.” Limiting the economic activity of a major bank in a communist nation, however, inevitably affects the economic health of the state.
Neither the Chinese Foreign Ministry nor the nation’s major state-run news agencies have taken an emphatic line against the move. The Global Times, typically among the loudest critics of the United States, is currently featuring an old article about the death of Otto Warmbier, a U.S. hostage of the North Korean regime, on its homepage, which predicted “increased US pressure on China to impose more sanctions on the regime.” The Times is also featuring an interview with the headline “Sino-US relations still strong.”
In an article on South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s visit to Washington Friday, however, the Global Times describes President Donald Trump as “short-tempered” and presents a pessimistic view on Seoul-Washington relations.
While the state newspapers act as unofficial mouthpieces for the communist regime, the Foreign Ministry takes on the task of issuing official statements. Reuters describes spokesman Lu Kang as “upset” by the North Korea sanctions but significantly more concerned with the news that the United States is planning to sell $1.42 billion in weapons to the Taiwanese military. The sale includes “early warning radar, high speed anti-radiation missiles, torpedoes and missile components” that Taiwan could use to protect its territory from Chinese expansionism in the South China Sea.
Spokesman Lu’s comments on the Taiwan sale made front-page news on the English-language page at Xinhua, another state-run outlet. “Lu told a daily press briefing that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and the United States selling weapons to Taiwan violates international law, the basic norms of international relations, and the principles of the three joint communiques between the two countries, harming China’s sovereignty and security interests,” Xinhua reported.
In contrast, Lu only reiterated China’s standard line on sanctions in response to the Treasury announcement. “Lu said China opposes any unilateral sanctions outside the framework of the UN Security Council, and has fully implemented the UN Security Council resolutions on the DPRK,” Xinhua reported.
The Global Times also condemned the Taiwan sale and threatened punishment for America’s insolence in engaging the Taiwanese government. “China cannot remain inactive against US provocations but the manner of our reactions cannot set us too far apart from where we can stand firmly,” the Global Times asserted. “China should seek more tangible outcomes in its engagement with the US than superficial symbols.”
President Trump’s administration and Trump personally have treated Taiwan’s government with extreme friendliness, with Trump openly challenging the One China policy, which requires America to not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation, early in his tenure. In an unprecedented move, Trump also accepted a call from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen congratulating him on his electoral victory, angering China significantly.
Trump eventually accepted the One China policy, as have all American presidents since China became a communist nation, in a phone call with Xi Jinping in February.
The Taiwanese arms sale is the latest in a string of acts against Chinese communist interests since President Trump published a tweet regretting that China’s attempts to curb North Korea’s belligerence has failed. “While I greatly appreciate the efforts of President Xi & China to help with North Korea, it has not worked out,” he tweeted this month. “At least I know China tried!”
Following the tweet, the U.S. State Department downgraded China’s status as a human trafficking nation to “Tier 3,” reserved for nations that do not act to stop human trafficking, and condemned the crimes permitted in China as some of the worst in the world. Many of those illegally trafficked through China are North Korean defectors. Following that announcement, the Treasury imposed sanctions on the Dandong bank. | {
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We live in a world of bad bike racks. Poorly designed or haphazardly placed, bad bike racks do more than bring a tear to the soul of urban riders: They are a thief’s best friend, a repair shop’s dream, and are a blatant reminder to cyclists that society doesn’t care enough about them to simply provide a decent place to park.
It doesn’t have to be this way. A simple, functional, secure bike rack may be the easiest construct of our cities. Yet here, thanks to Shifter readers sharing their bike-rack horror stories, are the many ways we’ve screwed it up. Read it and weep (until the end, where some positive signs emerge).
(And this page may load slowly, thanks to all the awesome photos shared by readers. Please be patient).
Bad design
The classic wheel-manglers: These offer the illusion of offering ample spaces for bikes, but they excel only at mangling front wheels. Also, because many bikes don’t even fit into those little slots, usually the first person to use the rack plants their bike sideways and takes up three-quarters of the rack. Sorry, second-comers, you’ll have to use that lamppost over yonder.
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In fact, @itsakev offered an entire gallery of ways in which this type of rack sucks hard. Here are a few choice samples
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The modern wheel-mangler: A new twist on the classic wheel-destroyer, this one gets points for the efficiency of pre-fab concrete, but big deductions for being designed by someone who has never realized the importance of an unbent wheel.
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Too fat for locks: These have a nice steam-punk meets-Bauhaus look about them, but if the business side of the bike rack is nearly too wide to accommodate a U-lock, it’s a problem.
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DIY disaster: I’m all for DIY, but usable racks are used for both parking and security. With nothing to lock to, this one fails at the second.
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Half-and-half: These popular swirling racks, which you could call the endless W (but probably shouldn’t), are only half terrible. That’s the half where the little loop is too small to accommodate a wider wheel. The other half, where the loop opens up to any bike and even keeps them upright, is A-OK.
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Older and worser: Sometimes, a bad rack ages and gets worse. Think of it like the opposite of fine wine. More like aged milk, perhaps.
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Bad placement
The second part of terrible bike racks is poor placement. Sometimes a good rack put in a bad spot is worse than no rack at all.
Lonely racks: I suspect whomever paid for and placed this rack is quite pleased with themselves for accommodating cyclists, yet the placement of this wheel-mangler somehow elicits strange feelings of sadness and loneliness.
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Proximity problem: We’ve already established that this style of rack is actually half-good, but when placed so close to a wall the bike doesn’t fit properly through it, the rack devolves to mostly terrible.
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Onwards and upwards: These racks are pretty good, but not when placed on a step where the poor cyclist needs to heave the bike upwards and hope it doesn’t roll down while the lock is being afixed.
Wallflowers: More good racks placed too close to a wall to make them fully usable, this one with the added indignity of being located in the middle of a bank ATM drive-through.
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Bike-rack afterthoughts: It’s nice for businesses to think about their customers who arrive by bicycle, but finding a little hovel far from the front door, up a few steps, and too close to a wall to be usable is just plain annoying. As one commenter on this thread said: “There seems to be plenty of parking spots for vehicles but lacking in spots for bikes or trikes! . . . I’m getting sick of locking up to a tree or street sign post.”
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Mixed messages: A good rack, placed beneath a sign that isn’t so much.
Nonexistent: If you ever see bikes locked to trees, parking meters, lampposts or, in this case, railings, it’s the ultimate bike-rack fail: not installing a rack at all.
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The good ones
Lest anyone read this post and think that cyclists are a bunch of entitled crybabies who feel they are owed such things as reasonable parking spots, let’s give a shout-out to all those business owners and municipal planners who are doing bike-parking right. Kudos to you, thoughtful people: may the cyclists of the world shower upon you their hard-earned spending money and civic voting patterns.
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Making space: This parking garage proves that removing just a few spaces for cars and installing a decent bike rack can be a boon for dozens of cyclists.
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Simplicity works: See, this doesn’t have to be complicated! These simple racks can accommodate bikes on both sides, can fit many bikes into a small location, and are perfectly functional.
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Beauty and functionality: Many cities have taken bike racks beyond function and are looking at them as pieces of public art. One of the first was musician David Byrne’s artistic racks in New York City, but many cities are following suit, and improving. Here are a few examples.
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Thanks to everyone for sharing these photos. The purpose of this post is not to shame the guilty paraties. Bad bike racks can happen to good people. But if your business hasn’t put much thought into accommodating your customers on bike, perhaps it’s time to do so.
If you have a particularly great, or discouragingly terrible, rack, drop me a line on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or via email.
Also published on Medium. | {
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Osiris Aristy, 17, was arrested in Bushwick this week after posting a status that depicted gun emojis next to cop emojis. View Full Caption Facebook/Osiris Aristy
BUSHWICK — A Bushwick teen was arrested Sunday after posting several Facebook statuses threatening to kill police officers — partly in the form of several gun emojis pointing to police emojis.
Osiris Aristy, 17, was arrested on Jan. 18 around 2:46 a.m. at his home on Wyckoff Avenue near Himrod Street for making terrorist threats, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal use of drugs and criminal possession of marijuana, according to the NYPD and prosecutors.
Police received an arrest warrant from District Attorney Ken Thompson's office after routine Facebook monitoring found that Aristy had posted selfies with guns, selfies with marijuana joints and statements made with emojis threatening to kill cops, according to the DA's office and 83rd Precinct Inspector Maximo Tolentino.
At 9:52 p.m. on Jan. 15, Aristy posted a photo of him with a revolver and rounds of ammunition with the caption "feel like katxhin a body right now."
Shortly after, Aristy posted "N***a run up on me, he gunna get blown down,' followed by an emoji of a police officer with three gun emojis pointed at it, according to a criminal complaint.
And at 11:05 p.m., Aristy posted "F**k the 83 104 79 98 73 PCTKKKK," followed by the police officer emoji with two gun emojis pointed at it, the DA's office said.
He then wrote "U know how I rock skrap."
"As a result of this conduct, the defendant has caused informant and other New York City police officers to fear for their safety, for public safety, and to suffer alarm and annoyance," the criminal complaint says.
Aristy also posted a photo to Facebook on Jan. 17 of him with a gun and a marijuana blunt sticking out of his waistband, with the caption "'.38 on me I do hits in my tims."
When police went to arrest Aristy on Sunday, they found a .38 caliber Smith and Wesson firearm in his bedroom and more than 25 grams of pot in his living room, according to a criminal complaint.
The weed was packaged in 21 Ziplock bags, the complaint said.
Aristy's bail is set at $150,000. His next court date is Friday.
His attorney Fred Pratt had no comment on Aristy's weapon or weed charges.
But he said that his client's Facebook posts did not constitute "an actual threat" against the police. Many people on Facebook use the gun emoji next to the police emoji, Pratt added, and that doesn't mean they're actually threatening officers.
"I understand that people found what he said distasteful and uncomfortable," Pratt said, "but he never threatened to take action against police."
Tolentino told locals at a Bushwick Community Board 4 meeting Thursday that Aristy "was not a good guy" and had already "targeted this community on numerous occasions."
Police said Aristy had 12 prior arrests, including for robbery, assault, criminal possession of marijuana, disorderly content and criminal possession of a weapon.
In October, Aristy pleaded guilty to robbery in the first degree after he attacked people on two separate occasions in robberies, first with a beer bottle and then with a knife.
On May 18 around 4:45 a.m., he and five others repeatedly struck a man with beer bottles before taking his cash and cell phone, on Greene Avenue near Wyckoff Avenue.
The victim suffered dizziness, bleeding, cuts and bruises to his face, according to a criminal complaint.
Then on May 27 around 3:00 a.m., he and another person placed a knife to a man's neck, knocked him to the ground and then took his cash and cellphone, according to a criminal complaint.
His plea deal included a promise of six months in jail, which he already served; five years probation and a court-mandated program involving counseling, drug testing and school monitoring, according to the DA's office.
The conditions of the deal may change at his next court date for the robberies on Feb. 20 due to the terrorist threat charge, according to the DA's office. Aristy's attorney did not have a comment on the previous charges.
Tolentino emphasized that any posts to social media would be taken very seriously.
"You make a threat on the internet, we’re going to be watching," he said. "We are going to attempt to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law." | {
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The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl will be played between the Nevada Wolf Pack and the Ohio Bobcats on Jan. 3, 2020. The game will be played at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho.
Nevada comes into the game with a 7-5 overall record and a 4-4 record in the Mountain West Conference. Ohio comes into the game with a 6-6 overall record and a 5-3 record in the Mid-American Conference.
Nevada's entering its second straight bowl game after having missed out during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Carson Strong has led the offense with 1,933 passing yards and 10 touchdown passes this season. Running back Toa Taua has led the team with 759 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns. Elijah Cooks has been the leading receiver with 729 yards on 62 catches and seven touchdowns. Dom Peterson has been the anchor on defense with eight sacks while defensive back Daniel Brown had four interceptions this season. Brown, defensive back Austin Arnold and defensive tackle Hausia Sekona were suspended for the game over an on-field altercation against UNLV earlier in December. Linebacker Gabriel Sewell is to serve a half-game suspension.
The Bobcats are entering their fifth consecutive bowl game. They are 2-2 in their last four bowl appearances. Ohio’s offense has been led by Nathan Rourke, who has 2,676 passing yards and 20 touchdown passes this season. Running back O'Shaan Allison had a team-leading 823 yards on the ground and six rushing touchdowns. Wide receiver Isiah Cox has led with 36 catches for 590 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Shane Hooks and tight end Ryan Luehrman had five touchdown catches each. Tight end Austin Conrad has led Ohio with four sacks.
The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl will be the first matchup between the two teams.
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COLLEGE FOOTBALL BOWL GAME COVERAGE
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FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL INFO
Sponsor: Idaho Potato Commission
Date: January 3
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Stadium: Albertsons Stadium
Location: Boise, Idaho
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CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
ODDS
Moneyline: Nevada (+245), Ohio (-290)
Spread: Nevada (+7.5), Ohio (-7.5)
Over/Under: 58.5; Over (-110), Under (-110)
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Betting odds courtesy VegasInsider.com | {
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But is it really such a good idea? Is all this activism really going to lead to fundamental transformation? Suppose it leads to a backlash.
If you haven't noticed in the last week or so, our liberal friends seem to have taught just about every young head full of mush how to do "protest." In the liberal universe, activism and protest are the highest forms of human social interaction. When liberals enact a day of marches, or a town hall full of baying students, this is seen by all as a triumph of the progressive will and faithfully recorded by our modern Leni Riefenstahls.
"Backlash," by the way, is a term liberals invented back in the '60s to stigmatize average Americans who really didn't like what the Kids and their Movement and their Protests were doing to America. When you go to Wikipedia, you find that they are a bit vague about it all. I wonder why.
Over at American Greatness, Mytheos Holt notes that there is a gaping hole at the middle of the current liberal #Resistance. The Resistance is all about complaint; there is no attempt to paint a glorious picture of what the #Resistance will bring to America. Yes, I wonder why.
Could it be that the left really doesn't have vision of paradise – only a mechanical notion of doing activism, any activism, in the blind faith that the arc of history will bend toward justice? It wouldn't be the first time that a religion regressed into mindless ritual without thinking about what it all means.
How should we understand the quandary of our liberal and progressive friends? I'd say their problem is that, according to them, nothing has changed.
The left has spent 150 years advocating for the workers, and guess what: a job is still a job. Moreover, it doesn't do to look too carefully at the results of all that pro-labor legislation. It priced workers in heavy industry out of a job, and now it is bankrupting state and local government.
The left has spent 70 years advocating for women and minorities, and guess what: women and minorities are still hardest hit, even though the landmark legislation banning racial and sexual discrimination was passed 50 years ago. How could this be? What kind of vile cisgendered white male conspiracy could make women less happy than they were in the 1950s and make minorities eternally outraged that the cops were cracking down on their home-grown thugs and murderers? This is all supposed to be the fault of white supremacists. But if we are all gap-toothed Alt-Right über-fascistic neo-Nazis, how could we possibly succeed in our evil plan against the evolved, educated, activist, woke progressives and their willing kiddies?
The answer is staring us in the face. It is that the leftist movement is a Great Reaction back to the past, with its identity politics a neo-tribalism and its welfare state a neo-feudalism. No wonder everything the left has focused on has turned to stone. Its ideas and its methods are a return to the grueling days of top-down agricultural hegemony, the era of misery and recurring famines that the ruling-class priesthood thoughtfully attributed to acts of God.
These days, our secular priests in the media blame ruling class failures on the National Rifle Association and modern trends in the design of hunting rifles.
Well, I wish the diviners would look up from their tea leaves and divine this. How come after all the activism that was put into the working class over the last century, it is dying of despair in the United States?
How come after all the activism in favor of women, they are miserable, and how come blacks are angry, and falling behind other minorities like the Mexicans, who seem to be the only guys building condos and apartments here in Seattle, and the South and East Asians, who are racing to the top of tech?
How could this be? How could all the activism and all the protest and all the comprehensive and mandatory legislation require the activists to escalate their non-negotiable demands and encourage their willing accomplices in social media to de-platform anyone who doesn't agree with them?
How come all the administrative state entitlement programs designed and administered by experts and academics are broke, and the educational programs are buried under a bramble of administrative incompetence?
No wonder our progressive friends are switching into witch-hunting mode, lashing out at individual citizens and voluntary associations of patriotic citizens. It cannot be true, it must not be true that the politics and the activism of the global educated elite are an utter failure.
Really, if our rulers and their supporters were not such a threat to our lives and our jobs and our sacred honor, we could just sit back and laugh at their pathetic antics.
Christopher Chantrill (@chrischantrill) runs the go-to site on U.S. government finances, usgovernmentspending.com. Also get his American Manifesto and his Road to the Middle Class. | {
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SYDNEY, Australia — Australia sought to atone for a decades-long epidemic of child sexual abuse on Monday, as Prime Minister Scott Morrison issued an official apology that acknowledged the government’s systemic failures to protect the nation’s children.
The apology, delivered to a gathering of victims in Canberra, the nation’s capital, was the culmination of a five-year government inquiry that exposed widespread sexual abuse. The investigation was perhaps the most far-reaching inquiry of its kind undertaken by any country, examining abuse across a range of religious and secular institutions. Investigators found that thousands of children were sexually abused and countless instances of accusations were ignored or covered up.
“We are sorry,” Mr. Morrison said in the Great Hall of Parliament, as victims, advocates and officials held hands.
“Sorry you are not protected,” he said. “Sorry you are not listened to. We are sorry for refusing to trust the words of children, for not believing you. As we say sorry, we also say we believe you.” | {
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The Fifth Estate type Movie genre Documentary
If there’s one thing Julian Assange does not lack, it’s confidence. But his epic self-assurance crumbles spectacularly in this clip from the Wikileaks thriller The Fifth Estate, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the eccentric hacker-journalist.
In this scene from the movie, which opens Oct. 18, Cumberbatch’s Assange is sitting on a trove of classified documents sent to the cybergroup by US Army soldier Bradley Manning. The thousands of pages of military and diplomatic cables contain details of countless covert sources and ongoing operations, and also document deadly embarrassments, such as the 2007 slaying of two Reuters journalists by American Apache gunships.
Assange knows what he has is explosive, and is seeking to partner with some major media outlets to help parse the documents, seeking out the most important stories buried within. That’s what brings him to this meeting with investigative journalist Nick Davies of London’s The Guardian newspaper.
Davies (played by David Thewlis, best known as Professor Lupin from the Harry Potter films) is eager to see what Assange has, and although Cumberbatch’s character has been trying to hype the danger and menace these documents might bring with them — he’s actually fronting.
That is, until Davies breaks some very bad news for Assange: he’s right. | {
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Dame Kelly Holmes has inspired millions to reach for the stars, but behind closed doors she spent years in the grip of anxiety, depression and self-harm. Now, she’s using her experience to reach others, with a series of celebrity interviews for her podcast, What Do I Do? Here, the double Olympic athletics champion opens up to Happiful and explains how since the devastating loss of her mum, she is learning to more effectively manage her mental health
On a sun-drenched July afternoon in a leafy suburb of north London, Dame Kelly Holmes found herself in Alastair Campbell’s bathroom, perched on the toilet seat as the former political aide and author belted out a tune on his bagpipes.
“I thought: ‘I have done many things in my life, but I have never done this!’” chuckles Kelly, 48. Her expression changes to one of reflection. “I laugh about it being in a bathroom, just because it was a surreal environment, but to be there, in the place that makes him feel good, that was absolutely a privilege,” she explains.
“He was telling me how bad he was that day, how he didn’t want to get out of bed, and the fact that I was coming to his home gave him energy to get up. It was a really heartfelt interview. I was surprised how much he opened up.”
Photography | Joseph Sinclair
Famed for being the first British woman to become double Olympic champion after winning gold in the 800m and 1,500m in Athens in 2004, Kelly became an overnight national treasure and sporting icon, as recognised for her unrivalled on-track success as her subsequent charitable endeavours.
Back then, she spoke with heart about her passion for athletics, and her joy of realising her childhood Olympic dream at the age of 34, despite an injury-prone past. Yet part of her story was missing, until her 2008 autobiography, Black, White and Gold, laid bare a secret struggle with anxiety and depression, which sparked repeated, agonising episodes of self-harm. Since then, Kelly has spoken publicly about this episode of her life, in a bid to normalise the conversation about mental health.
Kelly’s new podcast What Do I Do?, which launches at the end of January, goes a step further and sees her talking to 10 high-profile people about their experiences of mental health, detailing the place or activity that enables them to find calm.
For Alastair Campbell, who had a nervous breakdown in the mid-80s and experiences ongoing periods of depression and psychosis, playing the bagpipes in his bathroom is a physical and emotional escape.
“He does it to feel like he’s breathing and having a distraction from his thoughts,” says Kelly, who has also spoken to Eddie Izzard, Rory Bremner, and Davina McCall, among others.
That Davina uses exercise to achieve balance should come as no surprise to those who understand her journey from drink and drug addict to TV presenter and, now, qualified personal trainer, so it made sense for the Long Lost Family presenter to challenge Kelly to a spin class when they recorded her podcast interview last month.
“She is so on it when she does her exercise, she’s like ‘woo hoo!’” laughs Kelly. “She had an addiction. She’s not addicted to training, but training makes her feel good so she continues. If you’ve been strong enough to come out of something like that, you’re probably strong enough to do anything.”
I’d go for a massage to work on the muscles in my legs, but there was nobody there to help me work on my mind
The same can be said for Kelly. When we meet, she is in London ahead of a speech at the Mental Health First Aid Conference that evening. Vocally confident and remarkably self-exposing, when the former army physical training instructor describes her mental health “journey” it seems a world away from the isolated and vulnerable place she was in three weeks before the 2003 World Athletics Championships in Paris when, locked in a bathroom at a training camp in the Pyrenees, Kelly self-harmed for the first time.
“The moment I looked in that mirror, I didn’t see myself. It came like a bolt,” she recalls. “I didn’t suddenly think: ‘I’m feeling sad.’ It wasn’t a gradual process.
It hit me like a ton of bricks. No one talked about mental health then. I’d go for a massage to work on the muscles in my legs, but there was nobody there to help me work on my mind.”
The self-harm was, Kelly realises now, a physical reaction to anxiety after being blighted by injury for seven of the 12 years she had raced professionally.
“Being one of the best athletes in the world and getting injured at the worst time, a big impact hits your brain. You have to deal with that while remaining focused. It was so hard,” she says.
Since the age of 14 and watching Sebastian Coe win gold in the 1,500m at the Los Angeles Olympics, Kelly was determined to become Olympic champion. Ten years in the army steeled her with the necessary fitness, ambition, drive, determination and resilience, but her obsession with only being the best was, she believes now, “unhealthy”.
Photography | Joseph Sinclair
“People say to me: ‘If staying active helps mental health, how did you get to that point?’ Staying fit and active and keeping the brain healthy is different to pushing yourself to such an extreme,” she says.
“My dream wasn’t to be a medallist or to be in a British team, it was to be an Olympic champion, so unless that was going to happen, nothing was good enough, so I was always fighting to be better.”
After the initial elation of winning bronze at the World Championships, despite running on an injured calf, Kelly felt dissatisfied.
“If you’ve wanted to be number one in the world, getting a bronze or silver could class as failure. In sport it’s very black and white,” she says.
At the peak of her troubles, Kelly was self-harming daily, but told nobody, partly because of the isolation she felt as a middle distance runner – “You’re just in your own shell. You don’t talk to anyone. You deal with that moment on your own every day” – but also to protect her professional reputation.
“The weakness was thinking: ‘I don’t want my opposition to think I’m vulnerable, or I’m not focused and tough.’ You don’t want the opposition to know you’re injured, let alone that you’re crying all the time. Standing on a podium with a medal around your neck, knowing what you’re going through and no one else does, that was a bit of a mind fuck,” says Kelly, adding that no one ever spotted her scars.
“I wore sports shorts and crop tops, so there are not that many places you can hide visible scars, but sometimes I’d just cover them with make up or I’d lie,” she says. “When you’re a runner, you’re going in brambles and getting scratched all the time.”
Despite a period of suicidal thoughts when she wanted “the floor to open up, to jump in it, for it to close up and to not be there”, Kelly didn’t quit.
“That dream of becoming Olympic champion was almost my saving grace,” she explains. “I could have given up sport and not had that emotional rollercoaster, but if I had I would have regretted it for the rest of my life, and I can’t live with regret.”
To read more of Kelly's exclusive chat with us, pick up the January issue of Happiful now.
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Online: Happiful is completely free to read digitally. To get our January issue in your inbox this Thursday, subscribe now.
Photography | Joseph Sinclair
Hair and Make-up | Alice Theobald at Joy Goodman Cosmetics a La Carte, Barry M, Eylure lashes, and skincare by Sukin.
Styling | Krishan Parmar
If you are struggling with your mental health and need to talk, professional support may help. Use the bar below to enter your location and find a counsellor in your area: | {
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Officers loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad talk to the media in Yabroud on Sunday in this handout photograph released by Syria's national news agency SANA. (Sana/Reuters)
Lebanon was struck by a retaliatory car bombing on Sunday, just hours after its Hezbollah militants helped Syrian army troops seize a key town across the border, highlighting the increasing security risk to Syria’s smaller neighbor.
Syrian troops, backed by fighters from the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, faced little resistance as they swept into the center of the town of Yabroud, just a few miles over the Lebanese border, leading rebels to trade accusations that some factions had negotiated a withdrawal.
The Syrian army and Hezbollah have been tightening their noose on the Yaboud for months, part of a wider offensive to secure the rugged border area of Qalamoun, cutting rebel supply lines into Syria.
A little over 24 hours after pro-government forces first entered the town on Friday night, the official Syrian Arab News Agency, said that “terrorist groups” in the town had been “devastated” and that the area was being combed for explosives. Some clashes were still reported in the town as militants from the al-Qaeda linked Jabhat al-Nusra fought on.
The fall of the area’s main town is likely to strike a blow to rebel morale as, after three grinding years of conflict, President Bashar al-Assad steadily makes gains.
The estimated death toll from the violence in Syria is more than 146,000 as the conflict enters its fourth year. The Post's Liz Sly explains the impact on the region and what we can expect moving forward. (The Washington Post)
Col. Said Swaid, a rebel commander, said he left Yabroud at dawn after several rebel battalions “suddenly pulled out causing panic and fear.” He said a deal had been struck with Syrian government forces.
“I saw the betrayal with my own eyes,” he said. “Rebels walking with the regime army.”
Hezbollah has claimed the operation to take Yabroud, which it says is the source of explosive-packed vehicles that have exploded in Beirut, will help secure Lebanon.
However, within hours of Yabroud’s fall on Sunday, the Shiite town of Nabi Othman in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley was struck by a suicide bombing.
At least four people died, according to al-Manar, Hezbollah’s television channel.
Earlier in the day, al-Manar had broadcast celebratory scenes from what it said was Yabroud’s town center Sunday. Men in fatigues raised a Syrian flag on a pole in the middle of the street, while another held aloft a portrait of Assad.
Celebratory gunfire and fireworks could be heard from the southern suburbs of Beirut, a base of support for Hezbollah, where regular car bombs have struck in retaliation for the movement’s backing of Assad.
The mood darkened with Sunday night’s bombing, the eighth suicide attack in Lebanon this year, driving home the ability of extremist groups to continue their activities. Jabhat al-Nusra claimed responsibility, saying the attack was in response to Hezbollah’s activities in Yabroud.
It disputed a claim of responsibility claim from a group calling itself the Ahrar al-Sunna of Baalbek.
Swaid, the rebel commander, said only Jabhat al-Nusra had stayed to fight in Yabroud on Sunday. In an unverified statement circulated online, Abdullah Azzam al-Shami, a spokesman for the group in Qalamoun, said Yabroud had been “delivered” to the Syrian government and Hezbollah after rebel leaders decided to withdraw.
Islam Alloush, a spokesman for the Islamic Front, an amalgamation of seven Islamist rebel groups, also said his fighters were also still engaged in clashes in Yabroud on Sunday, repelling attempts by pro-government forces to enter. He said four Hezbollah fighters had been killed.
Others rebels fled to the nearby towns of Rankous and Flita, or on to Lebanon. Fifty casualties from Yabroud were brought over the border to the Lebanese town of Arsal for treatment, said Kassem Zain, who runs a field hospital there. Eight people died, he said.
For most of the civil war, Yabroud had been largely sheltered from the fighting that has engulfed Syria, its population swelling with the internally displaced. The offensive has sent a new wave of refugees fleeing into Lebanon. | {
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Google has launched a new feature, fact check, which will add a label next to news stories in search results.
Fact check will appear with other news organisations in Google News and will, Google says, “shine a light on its efforts to divide fact from fiction”.
Richard Gingras, Google’s head of news, added it will “help readers find fact checking in large news stories”.
He said sites which already have a fact checking service can apply to be included to appear in search results.
“You’ll see the tagged articles in the expanded story box on news.google.com and in the Google News & Weather iOS and Android apps, starting with the US and the UK,” he added in a blogpost.
Google will determine whether a fact check is needed for a news story using the claim review technique. It already labels stories with tabs such as opinion, related and local source.
Fact checking is something that has become increasingly popular in the past few years.
According to the the Duke University Reporter’s Lab, there are more than 100 fact checking sites online including the BBC’s own Reality Check.
However, not all fact check sites run by algorithm have been as fortunate when it comes to fulfilling their intended purpose.
Facebook overhauled the Trending feature on its site in August to make posts more automated after claims of left-wing bias.
Google’s fact check comes in time for the final run-up to next month’s US presidential election. The New York Times also has a fact check site which is keeping tabs on the campaign for the Oval Office.
bbc.com | Photo: searchengineland.com
We are warning our readers to ‘DO NOT TRUST’ these sites as they are possibly manipulating results and are most likely just another extension of the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign. Do not support the New World Order! Do NOT trust mainstream media either. They are LIARS. We have all seen that. Give this a share and please help to spread the truth, not that bullshit that mainstream media tries to feed us! Make sure you follow me on Twitter ~ Dusty Fields SMM | {
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Carlton Cuse is a busy man. The writer and showrunner (and co-creator of Lost) already has his hands full with The Strain on FX and Bates Motel on AMC—and he’s completing the trifecta with Colony, a sci-fi series coming to USA Network next month. We first saw footage at Comic Con over the summer, but this Sunday, the network will be airing its first official teaser for the show. Why wait, though? We’ve got it right here.
The minute-long spot, taken largely from the pilot, gives a good sense of the tone we can expect when Colony premieres on January 14. The show takes place in a near-future Los Angeles, in the aftermath of an event known only as The Arrival. The city is under martial law, governed by some sort of external force (“our hosts,” as one character refers to them). A giant wall keeps much of the city isolated; paramilitary officers patrol the streets, and surveillance drones roam the skies. Inside the “green zone,” ex-FBI agent Will Bowmann (Josh Holloway) is conscripted to fight against an insurgency that’s plotting to topple the invaders and take the city back—a decision his wife Katie (Sarah Wayne Callies) isn’t all that pleased about. There’s some splashy FX, and just enough mystery to make this a nice place-setter for what’s shaping up to be a promising show; from the looks of things, USA is continuing the prestige-genre push it began with the stellar Mr. Robot. | {
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Image caption The scientists transferred some of the resilience of the ancient ancestor of wheat into modern varieties
British scientists say they have developed a new type of wheat which could increase productivity by 30%.
The Cambridge-based National Institute of Agricultural Botany has combined an ancient ancestor of wheat with a modern variety to produce a new strain.
In early trials, the resulting crop seemed bigger and stronger than the current modern wheat varieties.
It will take at least five years of tests and regulatory approval before it is harvested by farmers.
Some farmers, however, are urging new initiatives between the food industry, scientists and government.
They believe the regulatory process needs to be speeded up to ensure that the global food security demands of the next few decades can be met, says the BBC's Tom Heap.
Primitive grains
One in five of all the calories consumed round the world come from wheat.
But despite steady improvement in the late 20th century, the last 15 years have seen little growth in the average wheat harvest from each acre in Britain.
Just last month, cereal maker Weetabix announced that it would have to scale back production of some of its products due to a poor wheat harvest in the UK.
Now British scientists think they may have found the answer to increasing productivity again.
Around 10,000 years ago wheat evolved from goat grass and other primitive grains.
The scientists used cross-pollination and seed embryo transfer technology to transfer some of the resilience of the ancient ancestor of wheat into modern British varieties.
The process required no genetic modification of the crops.
Find out more by watching Countryfile on BBC One at 18:00 BST on Sunday 12 May. | {
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Absolutely Useless Pokémon Attack Doesn’t Even Do Damage
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Lifelong Pokémon fan Neil Ferraro threw away the chance to teach his level 63 Venomoth “quiver dance” in Pokémon Ultra Sun after deciding it was “total garbage” as a result of dealing no damage, according to those familiar with the situation.
“‘Raises the user’s Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed by 1 stage…Power: 0.’ What the fuck? Who would want to raise an attack when you can just do an attack?” Ferraro reportedly said before choosing instead to keep “twister” due to its tornado animation. “When a bad guy pops up, I hit ‘em with a tornado. Blam! It has yet to let me down.”
According to the developers of Pokémon Ultra Sun, Game Freak, Ferraro’s playstyle is in-line with how they intended for gamers to play the game.
“Yeah ‘quiver dance’ was a total goof on our end. An attack with no damage? Who the hell would want that?” Game Freak CEO Satoshi Tajiri told reporters, chuckling to himself. “We threw it in the game as like a ‘can you even imagine a move that doesn’t hurt the other guy? That would be so funny!’ Just 100% absolutely useless”
“The strategy of all Pokémon games is that you pick the cool fire guys and you blast everybody with cool fire attacks that do a ton of damage,” Tajiri explained. “But we thought it would also be fun to add an extra layer for fans who want a deeper Pokémon experience. So for those players, we added in this mechanic where you have to know to press ‘no’ on garbage-ass moves that don’t deal any damage or have a good animation. Ya know, like ‘quiver dance.’”
As of press time, Ferraro soared through Pokémon Ultra Sun’s final bosses, hitting them with “twister” after “twister,” because it does damage to other characters in the game and it works.
Check out the newest episode of the Hard Drive podcast where we watch and discuss every episode of 1989’s The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! | {
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By 2022, Latinos will be largest ethnic group in Texas, the second most populous state in the country, study predicts.
As Americans prepare to head to the ballot box for midterm elections on November 6, a new study found that young Latinos are set to become one of the most important voting blocs in the traditionally conservative state of Texas.
Published by the Jolt Initiative, a Texas-based nonprofit, the report concludes that Latinos, who make up nearly 40 percent of the state’s population, are largely underrepresented in state politics owing to low voter turnout, a lack of trust in politicians and other barriers to electoral participation.
Titled We Are Texas: An Analysis of Young Latino Voters in the Lone Star State, the report predicts that Latinos will constitute the state’s largest ethnic group by 2022. Around half a million Latino non-citizens in Texas qualify for US citizenship.
“With some of the lowest voter registration and participation rates in the country, Texas faces real barriers to building a healthy and strong democracy,” it states, explaining that “the strength of our democracy will be determined in large part by engaging young Latinos”.
The report’s findings come at a time when the administration of President Donald Trump has increased its crackdown on immigrants across the US.
During the 2016 presidential elections, Trump bested his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, by nine percentage points in Texas, the second largest US state by both size and population.
But now, with midterms weeks away, Texas is home to several heated races, including incumbent Republican Senator Ted Cruz’s race against Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke, who has campaigned on immigration reform that prioritises a “fair path to citizenship” for millions of immigrants in the country.
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The Jolt Initiative’s report, based on surveys with 1,016 Latinos, show a strong preference among respondents for the Democratic Party. It notes that 32 percent of Latino interviewees prefer the Democrats, while only 13 percent support the Republicans.
Among the most important electoral issues for young Latinos, according to the study, are healthcare for all, a legal pathway to citizenship for immigrants and racial equality.
With nearly 11 million Latinos in Texas, the state is facing “a democratic crisis”, the report adds.
Immigration crackdown
Two years ago, Trump campaigned on promises to crack down on immigration to the US, vowing to build a wall on the US-Mexico border and increase deportations.
Since coming to power, the president has faced backlash for his immigration programme, much of it stemming from his administration’s “zero tolerance” policy.
After public outcry over the separation of immigrant children and their parents, the Trump administration rolled back the practice. But before it was upended, the practice led to the separation of some 2,600 children from their parents. Hundreds of children remain separated from their families.
In a West Texas tent city, the number of detained immigrants has swelled by 10 times since June, when the facility opened in the border city of Tornillo.
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Of the 3,800 beds in the facility, at least 1,465 are occupied by children between the ages of 13 and 17, according to statistics from the US Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Republicans and Democrats have both seized on immigration as an issue to mobilise voters to head to the polls next month.
In House, Senate and governorship races, more than $124m has been spent on more than 280,000 immigration-related ads, according to a CNN analysis of data provided by Kantar Media/CMAG.
The midterm elections will decide all 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 35 seats in the Senate and 39 state and territorial governorships. | {
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Auch einen Monat nach dem kurzfristig abgesagten Start ist „Ella“, die digitale Bildungsplattform des Landes, nicht einsatzbereit. Es gebe auch keinen belastbaren Zeitplan für die Inbetriebnahme, bestätigte eine Sprecherin von Kultusministerin Susanne Eisenmann (CDU). „Wir befinden uns gerade an der Stelle, dass die technische Realisierbarkeit geklärt werden muss“, sagte die Sprecherin. Die inhaltliche Konzeption des Projekts gehe in die richtige Richtung. Nun soll ein externer Sachverständiger prüfen, ob die Funktionen, die das Ministerium von „Ella“ erwartet, umsetzbar sind.
„Ella“ steht für „Elektronische Lehr- und Lernassistenz“. Es handelt sich um eine Internetplattform für Baden-Württembergs Lehrer und Schüler. Sie soll den Unterricht und die Kommunikation an den Schulen verbessern, die Einbindung digitaler Medien ermöglichen und Organisations- wie Verwaltungsarbeit erleichtern. Entwickelt haben „Ella“ landeseigene und kommunale IT-Dienstleister im Auftrag des Kultusministeriums. Im Landeshaushalt sind dafür über die kommenden zwei Jahre knapp 24 Millionen Euro eingeplant.
Ende Februar sollte ein Test an 100 Schulen beginnen. Doch der Termin platzte – „aufgrund massiver technischer Probleme“, wie Eisenmann einigermaßen verstimmt mitteilen ließ. „Die beiden Technikpartner haben uns in den vergangenen Wochen und Tagen fortlaufend zugesichert, dass der Starttermin gehalten werden kann. Die Absage so kurz vor dem offiziellen Start erfolgt entgegen aller Zusagen“, zürnte sie.
Hauptursache war offenbar ein Missverständnis. Während die Entwickler – IT-Baden-Württemberg (BITBW) und Kommunale Datenverarbeitung Baden-Franken (KIVBF) – für die Testphase von rund 1000 Probe-Nutzern ausgingen, kalkulierten die Auftraggeber im Ministerium mit 100.000. Mehr Nutzer erfordern mehr Serverleistung. „Ella“ wäre an ihre Leistungsgrenze geraten.
Es gab weitere Fragen, die teils bis heute offen sind, etwa zu Sicherheit und Anwenderfreundlichkeit der Login-Lösung. Auch ist die endgültige Datenschutz-Prüfung noch nicht abgeschlossen. Einige Unklarheiten resultieren wohl auch daraus, dass bisher kein Leistungsvertrag oder Pflichtenheft vorliegt, in dem die Aufgaben aller Projektpartner samt Fristen stehen, sondern nur ein „Letter of intent“, eine Absichtserklärung.
Vertragsverhandlungen liefen zwar, wurden aber nun auf Eis gelegt, bis der Technik-Gutachter, für dessen Dienste das Ministerium Mittel in Höhe von bis zu 50.000 Euro eingeplant hat, im Ministerium Bericht erstattet hat. Alle vier Wochen trifft sich zudem ein Lenkungskreis mit Vertretern aller Beteiligten. | {
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The axing of the Climate Commission should be no surprise. Environment Minister Greg Hunt has long said that it would go if the Coalition was elected.
The concern is whether the move is symbolic of a government that does not care about climate change.
Fair warning: Environment Minister Greg Hunt. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
In a week, the world's leading climate science body, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, will hand down perhaps the most important document on global warming.
The six-year assessment on the status of climate change will be almost impossible for the average punter to navigate. | {
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“This is a mistake and I promise a mistake I’ll never make again,” Battles said.
Attorney Jim Parkman, who represented Battles in court, made multi-faceted arguments on why he believed the court should issue a sentence outside the guidelines, which included his client’s young age of 23 years old and how he’s worked all his life and more recently on the last leg toward becoming a nurse. Attorney Derek Yarbrough also represented Battles in court.
“This case started out as what I would characterize as a college type prank, and went bad,” Parkman said.
Parkman told the court Battles and Buchanan had been moving around, not stealing, trailers on the federally owned campground. He told the court his client didn’t intend to steal from or hurt anyone.
“This is a young man that’s never had any problems with the law, zero ever,” Parkman said. “Sending him to prison is not going to be beneficial to this young man. Mr. Battles has already lost a lot, and he’ll lose a lot more. He can no longer go into nursing as a convicted felon. He has been marked with a stamp on his head as a felon.”
Attorney Shaun McGhee, who represented Buchanan in court, also asked the court to issue a sentence outside the guidelines, primarily based on his client’s health condition. | {
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New York (CNN Business) Robinhood, the free stock-trading app, crashed on the worst day possible.
Stocks rallied Monday with the Dow logging its biggest point gain in history . The S&P 500 gained $1.1 trillion Monday. But an all-day system-wide outage left Robinhood customers seething.
An "issue with a part of our infrastructure" caused the 17-hour disruption on Monday, the company said in a statement. Robinhood said overnight that the issue was fixed, but the service went down again Tuesday morning shortly after trading began.
Around noon Tuesday, Robinhood said the earlier outage had been resolved.
Robinhood, which has about 10 million users, told customers in an email that the funds in their accounts are safe and personal information was not breached. Despite those reassurances, people slammed the app on Twitter. Some called the outage "ridiculous" and other demanded compensation.
Read More | {
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This week’s update is about several detail improvements and changes. Among other things, syndicates now have public profile pages that list all members. We added another useful fan tool for GCT time conversion, pointers to the help page and corrected the link of the Tau Station fan Wiki. A brand new mission is available for you as well (level 5+)!
Syndicates
Member List – The member list now appears “sorted”, syndicate officers starting with leader, followed by non-officers sorted alphabetically.
Profile Pages – Every Syndicate now has a public profile page that also lists all members.
Settings – You can now modify the basic settings. An “edit” button has been added to the info section that allows members with the requisite rights to modify the description text, and apply entry requirements of genotype and minimum level.
New Mission
“First do no Harm” (level 5) is available at Sol Jump Gate which is part of the Sol system (what a coincidence ^^).
Game Improvements & Changes
Chat (Stability) – When switching channels, an issue could cause the chat to stop working. This has been resolved.
Help Page (Fan Sites) – The link to the fan Wiki has been corrected, and we added the new alert and GCT conversion tool which is based on the site created by Zoffix in the past (thanks to everyone involved!).
Internet Explorer (Caching) – A caching method of (older) IE versions caused displaying outdated data like having people listed in the people tab of the wrong area. This has been hot-fixed already. Please use the latest browser versions of Chrome, Firefox, MS Edge or Safari as we focus on the current versions of the most popular browsers. Thanks!
Loot Tables (Combat Suits) – An issue has been resolved with an item you could find which was supposed to be a combat suit, but that could not be equipped. It has been replaced in the loot tables for drops with a properly working item. All broken items that already had been found, have been replaced in the inventories/storages as well.
Navigation (Sorting) – Now all areas are (finally) sorted in alphabetical order.
Text Changes | {
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Proving once again that there is plenty of room at the multiplex to appeal to Americans of all stripes, both a gay romantic comedy and a Christian film are earning big time at the box office, while A Wrinkle in Time, which had its Christian themes removed by Disney (of all places), completed its box office collapse. In its third weekend, Red Sparrow is already doornail dead.
Marvel’s pro-Trump Black Panther, of course, remained at number one. In its fifth weekend at the top of the charts, this box office smash took in another $28 million, for a total domestic haul of $607 million.
How big is this? Black Panther is now pacing ahead of a freakin’ Star Wars movie — The Last Jedi.
Black Panther has left every other Marvel title in the dust.
We are now in the tenth year of the Marvel Universe (it all began in 2008 with Iron Man), and the fire this franchise is on is only getting hotter. Until the Good Dinosaur stumbled in 2015, Pixar’s perfect box office run lasted 20 years, from Toy Story in 1995 straight through to Inside Out in 2015. Creatively, Pixar lasted 15 years, until Cars 2 (2011) and Brave (2012) showed signs of age. Marvel seems well on its way to compete in this regard, even though the studio is releasing more than twice as many movies — not to mention the TV shows.
Still to come this year are Avengers: Infinity War (April 27) and Ant-Man and the Wasp (July 6).
Underperforming at number two is the latest incarnation of Tomb Raider, starring Alicia Vikander. In 2001, Angelina Jolie was able to open her version to $48 million. This $90 million remake (add another $75 million for promotion) might make $24 million, which is a big fail.
The reasons for this should have been obvious from the word “Go.” Although she is all kinds of lovely and even an Oscar-winner, unlike Jolie or, say, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Vikander does not have the oomph factor that drives us to see women in action. Vikander is not larger than life.
The bad news for A Wrinkle in Time continues to pile up. Down 50 percent after a disappointing opening, Ava DuVernay’s poorly reviewed clunker took in just $17 million, which means its total take after two weekends is an anemic $61.5 million. Kids’ movies tend to hold much better than this — well, the successful ones do.
The big news is the Christian film I Can Only Imagine, which was expected to bring in just $6 million from 1,628 theaters. By the time Monday rolls around, this little $7 million movie starring Dennis Quaid will have earned a whopping $14-plus million.
The $10 million gay rom-com Love, Simon sits in 2,402 and opened well in fifth place with $12 million.
Jennifer Lawrence’s Red Sparrow is doing so poorly it is not even mentioned in these early projections but was projected to crash into ninth place with just $4 million. After three weekends, and a total take of just $40 million, this will only enforce J-Law’s reputation as a box office pariah. | {
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Facebook's plan to turn the News Feed into a personalized video channel faces a roadblock in the form of "happy birthday" messages, which until today have almost entirely taken the ancient form of text. Lol! That begins to change today with the launch of birthday video cam, a feature inside the flagship app that lets you record 15-second videos for your friends.
Birthday video cam, which is iOS-only for now, appears on your friends' profiles on their birthday. Tap it and you can record your message. If you like, you can swipe through a series of birthday-themed frames to really drive home the point before you post it on your friend's timeline.
Friendly advice from a media brand to all you would-be Facebook video message stars — remember that most people watch Facebook video with the sound off. So consider holding up a series of written placards bearing well your wishes, like Bob Dylan in the "Subterranean Homesick Blues" video, while you smile winningly into the camera. (For the few who do turn the sound on, add a generic folk-rock backing track from the stock music licensing service of your choice.) Your view count will then go up along with the video's viral coefficient, and your friend will appreciate the increased engagement on their profile. In 2016, a happy birthday is measured in likes. Do your part! | {
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I can only play xbox for the first 4 hours of my work shift.
218 shares | {
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YouTube has begun a mass censorship drive deceivingly called a crackdown on “extremist content”. In actual fact, YouTube has been discovered to be censoring videos by reputable news organisations, anti-war activists and independent journalists.
RT reports,
“YouTube and parent company Google’s efforts to crack down on extremist content has resulted in embarrassment after its technology targeted videos from monitors, journalists and Syrian opposition, amongst others.
A number of accounts, such as those of Airwars, Bellingcat, Middle East Eye and Orient News have had videos removed or suspended as a result of past videos deemed ‘extreme’ by YouTube’s machine learning”.
It is a convenient excuse to blame a robot that might be stuck in the year 1984, but the fact is that Google, the owners of YouTube, has an ultra-liberal agenda that was recently unmasked when a brave Google employee who was subsequently fired, wrote an internal memo that was critical of so-called ‘politically correct culture’ which underpins Google’s dangerous agenda.
In addition to working with robots, YouTube is working with well-known dangerous agenda driven organisations which help to censor YouTube videos. Such organisations include the religious extremist/supremacist group ADL, the radical liberal, anti-Christian No Hate Speech group and the London based Orwellian Institute for Strategic Dialogue.
Angry YouTubers who have had their archived footage destroyed by Google have voiced their opinions on Twitter.
The news outlet Middle East Eye for example had an old video showing ISIS destroying ancient artefacts in Iraq removed under the guise that it was ‘extreme’. It was certainly extremely informative about ISIS’ crimes against cultural heritage.
YouTube is deleting videos documenting war crimes in the Middle East, and they're using 'robots' to do it… https://t.co/E9Y9Ktm9Ww — Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) August 12, 2017
In a further sign that globalist corporations are more powerful than governments, the official YouTube channel of the Syrian Arab News Agency, the official news organisation of the Syrian Arab Republic, had its entire channel destroyed by Google. This is a double-irony as those opposing Syria have also had their videos destroyed.
YouTube shut down the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) channel . pic.twitter.com/YrmFbbmF5X — Within Syria (@WithinSyriaBlog) July 13, 2017
Additionally, footage showing US war crimes in Iraq that was first brought to the world’s attention by Wikileaks has been removed only later to be put on with a deeply deceptive age filter as though news is tantamount to obscene videos. The war criminals George W. Bush and Dick Cheney first tried to censor these videos and now Google is doing their bidding.
More issues with @Youtube, as it continues to rate archived Coalition strike videos like this suitable only for 18+ https://t.co/FQ3XXUChzP — Airwars (@airwars) August 10, 2017
Orient News has also been a victim of Google
@OrientNews what's happening with your YouTube channel? It's not working anymore pic.twitter.com/M1AacCZYIX — Houssam Owayed (@Howayed) August 10, 2017
Google’s choice in partners in its censorship drive reveal a great deal about the agenda of the corporation. The ADL for example is currently trying to prevent Roger Waters of Pink Floyd from performing hits dating back to 1973’s Dark Side of The Moon album on his tour in the United States in spite of the fact that Pink Floyd music is among the most popular of the 20th century.
When Wikileaks, the Syrian Government AND Syrian opposition, reportage from Iraq and Pink Floyd are all under attack from organisations that have congealed to cleanse all intelligence, originality and truth telling from the web, it is fair to say that YouTube is itself operating at the behest of extremists. The aforementioned positions are by any reasonable definition, extreme.
As George Orwell said, | {
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At the end of each conference previews run-through, I take a look at how I perceive the conference’s balance of power heading into the season. This is in no way based on schedules, so they are not predictions. This is just how I would rank the teams after writing thousands of words about each of them.
Bill C’s MAC power rankings
Here’s a link to every team’s data, and each team’s name below is linked to its preview.
Tier 1
1. WMU
2. Toledo
3. Ohio
4. NIU
5. EMU
When I can’t decide on an order, I get a little bit excited. Each of these five teams has quite a bit going for it — and in the case of EMU, more than it has had since the 1980s — but there are definitive flaws for each, on both sides of the ball for most of them.
WMU has loads of experience, but a lot comes from a defense that was really bad. Toledo’s got a remodeled defensive line and a new receiving corps. Ohio has a green receiving corps and a lot of impressive talent to replace in the trenches. NIU has to replace the one guy it might not be capable of replacing on defense and hasn’t been good offensively for a couple of years. EMU’s rebuilding in the trenches and doesn’t quite have the skill corps depth.
But they’re all in it. And hell, the next two teams are basically a quarterback away from being in it, too.
Tier 2
6. Buffalo
7. Miami (Ohio)
If either team strikes gold in their search for a new starting QB, they could easily end up making a conference title run. They’re not very far from the pack up top.
Tier 3
8. Ball State
9. Kent State
10. CMU
The goal for Tier 3 is bowl eligibility, plain and simple. One of the three will probably make it, two if either Miami or Buffalo bombs at QB.
Tier 4
11. Akron
12. Bowling Green
@SBN_BillC @38Godfrey Is the Bowling Green coaching staff the closest we’ll ever get to the Neccessary Roughness coaching staff? #AskPAPN — kirkhamw (@kirkhamw) February 16, 2019
How does S&P+ see things?
Here’s how my statistical system has the MAC laid out for 2019, with zero equating to an average FBS team. (You can find full 2019 S&P+ projections here.)
Quite a bit of potential shift here.
Ohio and Toledo easily led the way in overall quality, and NIU somehow won the conference despite basically being a mid-tier team.
This year, the Huskies and WMU — who looked strong before losing quarterback Jon Wassink to injury (and now get him back) — have less to replace than last year’s top squads.
Also noteworthy: there are seven teams projected within a touchdown of the top team. Compare that to the ACC (no one within 16 points of Clemson), Big 12 (no one within 12 points of Oklahoma), or even G5 conferences like the MWC (two teams within seven points) or AAC (three). This is going to be a delightful race to follow.
2019 projected standings (per S&P+)
Projected conference wins, with overall wins in parentheses.
West Division
Toledo 5.5 (7.7) WMU 5.2 (7.5) NIU 5.2 (6.9) EMU 4.5 (6.6) Ball State 2.8 (4.3) CMU 2.4 (3.7)
The Rockets are projected as the third-best team in the division but get by far the best schedule, welcoming WMU, NIU, and EMU to Toledo and missing the East’s top two teams.
East Division
Ohio 5.3 (7.7) Miami (Ohio) 4.7 (6.1) Buffalo 4.6 (6.6) Kent State 3.3 (4.1) Bowling Green 2.3 (3.5) Akron 2.2 (3.3)
Four teams project within one conference win of each other in the West, and the East is nearly as tight, with three teams within 0.7 games. And hell, Kent State’s only one upset from muddying things up even further.
MAC offenses heading into 2019
Hot damn, CMU’s offense was bad last year. Almost anything Jim McElwain tries will improve the Chippewas’ offense, simply via progression to the mean.
MAC defenses heading into 2019
Sutton Smith led an intense, efficient NIU defense. We’ll see what the Huskies can do without Smith and with a new coaching staff.
Best 2019 offensive players by team (best overall in bold):
Rourke combined 2,400 passing yards with 1,000 non-sack rushing yards. Even in an era of gaudy QB stats, that’s worth celebrating.
Best 2019 defensive players by team
I might go with Danna here if the odds weren’t good that he’d be a Michigan Wolverine come fall, so instead, we’ll go with the guy who might finally be ready for huge attention after serving as Smith’s second fiddle at NIU. Basically every picture of Antonio Jones-Davis in our photo tool has him going horizontal like a fired missile. He’s fun. | {
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The new study, published July 21 in Nature, indicates that there’s more to the story.
Pontus Skoglund, first author of the paper and a postdoctoral researcher in the Reich lab, was studying genetic data gathered as part of the 2012 study when he noticed a strange similarity between one or two Native American groups in Brazil and indigenous groups in Australia, New Guinea and the Andaman Islands.
“That was an unexpected and somewhat confusing result,” said Reich, who is also an associate member of the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT and a Howard Hughes Medical Investigator. “We spent a really long time trying to make this result go away and it just got stronger.”
Skoglund and colleagues from HMS, the Broad and several universities in Brazil analyzed publicly available genetic information from 21 Native American populations from Central and South America. They also collected and analyzed DNA from nine additional populations in Brazil to make sure the link they saw hadn’t been an artifact of how the first set of genomes had been collected. The team then compared those genomes to the genomes of people from about 200 non-American populations.
The link persisted. The Tupí-speaking Suruí and Karitiana and the Ge-speaking Xavante of the Amazon had a genetic ancestor more closely related to indigenous Australasians than to any other present-day population. This ancestor doesn’t appear to have left measurable traces in other Native American groups in South, Central or North America.
The genetic markers from this ancestor don’t match any population known to have contributed ancestry to Native Americans, and the geographic pattern can’t be explained by post-Columbian European, African or Polynesian mixture with Native Americans, the authors said. They believe the ancestry is much older—perhaps as old as the First Americans.
In the ensuing millennia, the ancestral group has disappeared.
“We’ve done a lot of sampling in East Asia and nobody looks like this,” said Skoglund. “It’s an unknown group that doesn’t exist anymore.”
The team named the mysterious ancestor Population Y, after the Tupí word for ancestor, “Ypykuéra.”
Reich, Skoglund and colleagues propose that Population Y and First Americans came down from the ice sheets to become the two founding populations of the Americas.
“We don’t know the order, the time separation or the geographical patterns,” said Skoglund.
Researchers do know that the DNA of First Americans looked similar to that of Native Americans today. Population Y is more of a mystery.
“About 2 percent of the ancestry of Amazonians today comes from this Australasian lineage that’s not present in the same way elsewhere in the Americas,” said Reich.
However, that doesn’t establish how much of their ancestry comes from Population Y. If Population Y were 100 percent Australasian, that would indeed mean they contributed 2 percent of the DNA of today’s Amazonians. But if Population Y mixed with other groups such as the First Americans before they reached the Americas, the amount of DNA they contributed to today’s Amazonians could be much higher—up to 85 percent.
To answer that question, researchers would need to sample DNA from the remains of a person who belonged to Population Y. Such DNA hasn’t been obtained yet. One place to look might be in the skeletons of early Native Americans whose skulls some researchers say have Australasian features. The majority of these skeletons were found in Brazil.
Reich and Skoglund think that some of the most interesting open questions about Native American population history are about the relationships among groups after the initial migrations.
“We have a broad view of the deep origins of Native American ancestry, but within that diversity we know very little about the history of how those populations relate to each other,” said Reich.
This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (HOMINID grant BCS-1032255), the National Institutes of Health (GM100233), the Simons Foundation (grant 280376), the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Brazil), the Wenner-Gren Foundation and the Swedish Research Council (VR grant 2014-453). | {
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advantage of its roots, its new setting, or its theme of urban exploration. There were moments when it took detours into more imaginative ideas and possessed a genuine charm, but much of the time it settled for being a fairly standard series of computerized shorts that only had stronger than usual characterization to separate it from any other kids' show.Almost all of the above points are fully addressed in this second season. The whole season takes a looser approach to what it had attempted before, which is exactly what the silly yet charming kids' show Pingu in the City was trying to be needed. The cycle of "Pingu observes job, gets job, does job, has job-related conflict" is broken down and recycled into much more dynamic approaches in getting Pingu to explore the jobs in his city. Sometimes Pingu takes jobs upon himself to solve problems he encounters, or discovers that something he had already been doing can be a job. Some of his jobs don't have conflicts and it's just about him mastering a skill or discovering multiple facets of what appeared to be a single task. His sister Pinga and his friends occasionally join him too, giving Pingu in the City a sense of community to help fill in the emptiness the first season struggled to fill.More importantly, Pingu takes on a much greater variety of jobs this time. A considerable number of his jobs, ranging from working an assembly line to hairdressing, are unique to their episodes, even with the complete absence of some of the more worn jobs Pingu took on last season. They often lead into one another too. In one episode Pingu becomes an artist, the next episode he becomes the art itself! (no, really, it's one of the funniest episodes of the series). Meanwhile the reoccurring jobs Pingu maintains enter completely different fields when they return, such as Pingu doing detective work, traffic directing, and patrolling during his stints as a policeman. This variety gives Pingu in the City the exploration aspect it was missing before. Now Pingu is everywhere he can be doing anything he sets his mind to, living out many a real child's imagination and dreams on-screen for them to witness. Jobs aren't the only thing Pingu explores either, and this season doesn't limit itself to the city for long. Pingu goes above, below, and all around his new home on what can truly be called adventures.Robby the Seal is no longer the only non-penguin in the anime, as Pingu makes a few strange new friends on his little expeditions, some of whom even come to visit him later. They aren't the greatest characters to grace the slice-of-life genre or even just this season of Pingu, but they flesh out the setting just fine. Meanwhile the returning cast is as quirky as they were before, and Pingu & his family get a lot of touching moments that really show how close-knit they are, something slice-of-life anime is often lacking in. Some episodes, like the one where Pingu's parents are sick, do more to flesh out the dynamics of Pingu's family than entire seasons of other anime in the genre. Through all of this, Pingu once again establishes himself as a strong main character who defines his show via his well-meaning impulsiveness; quite the feat in a TV Short series made simple for a young target audience.I still wonder why the "city" was emphasized enough to be put in the title when the whole show could have taken place in Pingu's old village. Sure, it would be a little odd for there to be a fish cannery or the amount of cars & trams Pingu's city has, but it wouldn't break suspension of disbelief or anything close to that (the trams could just swapped be for buses anyhow). Pingu leaving the city frequently makes Pingu in the City seem to spite the city it names itself for, and the anime improving itself by distancing itself from said city still creates an odd thematic dissonance.Even the production values got a subtle boost between seasons. Though the expressiveness of the original claymation series' animation isn't fully reached, this season of Pingu in the City gets closer than the last season by being looser overall and by using some of the old series' more popular model poses including stretching while reaching for things and a squished physique for sitting. The coloring is also more saturated, making the CG visuals look more like the claymation aesthetically and giving the show a slightly more fun-loving appearance. While the sound quality is still merely passable, it is used more effectively. A number of episodes center around the sort of lively music that would be at home in a city (perhaps the one element of the show I'd say fits the city setting well) and other episodes noticeably present more fitting music/ambiance than the same three or so general-purpose pieces from the first season. I still wouldn't likely listen to any of it for its own sake, but it's still a step up.Now, being a kids' show first and foremost, I'm not going to pretend that just about everyone 13 and older will have a blast with Pingu in the City (though I do believe most of you would like it more than you'd guess by the cover). The humor can be varied and quirky but is still largely simple and is sometimes predictable. The plots are also simple and, despite each episode being 6 minutes long without the OP & ED, flow rather slowly to ensure that kids who aren't experienced enough with stories to pick up on tropes & complex cues can keep up and easily digest it all. There are also a few dud episodes that are more comparable to the first season than the majority of this one (the jazz band episode was everything the idol episode should have been). Yet most of the episodes in this season carry that distinctive charm a handful of the first season's episodes had. It possesses that warm, tender essence that only a well-made slice-of-life can offer. Pingu has been a celebrated claymation series, and now Pingu is also one of those rare slice-of-life anime that doesn't rely on moe schoolgirls and high school clubs to put a smile on the viewer's face, and that's something everyone could use a little more of.Verdict:Pingu in the City set out on a path of true discovery this season and in turn it discovered itself. At the same time standout and familiar, this season of Pingu in the City rises above the memes that saw it receive a bizarre 15 minutes of fame to become a hidden gem of a slice-of-life at a time when it seems those sorts of shows are stagnating away and being replaced with power-fantasy isekai and idol anime. There's some things it wouldn't have even considered doing as a kids' show, but overall I can recommend Pingu in the City in its entirety knowing that this season builds up upon the last and the anime as a whole delivers something you can't simply be too old to enjoy. | {
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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday said false complaints under Section 498A of Indian Penal Code against innocent in-laws alleging cruelty and harassment at matrimonial homes were increasingly making the husbands adamant not to take back their wives.
"For no fault, the in-laws, especially old parents of the husband, are taken to jail the moment a false complaint is filed against them by a woman under Section 498A. By roping in in-laws without a reason and for settling a score with the husband, the false and exaggerated 498A complaints are causing havoc to marriages," said a bench of Chief Justice H L Dattu and A K Sikri.
These comments assume significance as it has been a trend with the apex court to seek response from the husband on a mere mention of a petition by a woman in matrimonial disputes. The court also readily transfers a matrimonial case to a place convenient to the wife, brushing aside protests from the husband.
READ ALSO: No arrests under anti-dowry law without magistrate's nod, SC says
Dismissing a woman's petition, who had appealed against a trial court's decision not to permit her lead evidence against the two brothers of her husband, the CJI said, "There is an increasing hardening of stand among husbands, whose parents had been arrested in false 498A cases, not to take back the wife. They say they are willing to give her all the property, they will take care of the children's education and marriage but will not take her back."
The CJI added, "They take a plea before the court that they may have committed a mistake but for that punishing their old parents on a false complaint was not condonable. The false complaints under Section 498A are ruining marriages."
When the counsel said the court's observations might be true in some cases, the bench retorted, "It is true in most cases." But the court was quick to clarify that it was not giving a certificate to erring in-laws.
The court had some advice for women who file complaints under Section 498A. "When you file complaints under Section 498A, be circumspect and truthful. Do not drag old parents if they had no role in causing any harassment to you. You unnecessarily involve old people in your complaint, you end up ruining the marriage," it said.
Recently, the Supreme Court had ruled that even a single false dowry complaint against the husband and in-laws was sufficient ground for courts to grant decree of divorce to annul the marriage.
Allowing dissolution of marriage between K Srinivas and K Sunita last month, the court had said, "We unequivocally find that the respondent-wife had filed a false criminal complaint, and even one such complaint is sufficient to constitute matrimonial cruelty. We accordingly dissolve the marriage of the parties."
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SV Krishna Chaitanya By
Express News Service
CHENNAI: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is back in mission mode and gearing up to launch PSLV-C40, carrying earth observation Cartosat-2 satellite along with 28 foreign passenger satellites, including 25 nano-satellites and three micro-satellites.
The launch has been tentatively fixed for January 10. This will be the maiden flight after meeting with failure in August.
The launch will be a litmus test for India’s workhorse PSLV in terms of reliability and robustness. Though PSLV has seamlessly carried out 39 consecutive successfully launches, the last failure has thrown up several questions over the technology being used. In this context, ISRO has taken a four-month interval to revisit some of the core areas.
K Sivan, director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, told Express that a few modifications had been done, especially payload fairing, after analysing the reasons for the failure of PSLV-C39/IRNSS-1H Satellite mission.
“We have done some modifications to improve the design robustness and correspondingly, simulation tests have been performed,” he said.
PSLV had a rare failure in September this year
| representative image
PSLV-C39 was unsuccessful primarily because heat shield separation did not take place. Everything in the vehicle — first stage, second stage, third stage and separation events — performed normally. But, the heat shield that protects the satellite within the atmospheric regime didn’t separate and as a result, the satellite got encased inside the enclosure.
The entire fourth stage, along with the heat shield and satellite, has become nothing but space junk, which meant a waste of `350 crore. Camera visuals showed the satellite getting separated internally and moving inside the heat shield.
It was only the second failure for PSLV in its 25-year history. The vehicle has launched 48 Indian satellites and 209 satellites for customers from abroad. Besides, the vehicle successfully launched two spacecraft – Chandrayaan-1 in 2008 and Mars Orbiter Spacecraft in 2013 – that later travelled to Moon and Mars respectively. It also holds the world record for having put into space 104 satellites in one go earlier this year.
Meanwhile, ISRO chairman AS Kiran Kumar said the space agency is facing the busiest year ahead with a cluster of launches lined up, which include Chandrayaan-2 in March.
ISRO also plans to launch the second flight of GSLV MkIII, carrying the heaviest payload ever. The last successful GSLV MkIII launch was carried out on June 5, carrying a 3.2 tonne GSAT-19 communication satellite.
“This time, we are looking to launch a communication satellite of GSAT series which will be close to the 4-tonne class. It will carry new versions of optical communication and high frequency Q&V band,” he said.
Bouncing back
PSLV-C39 was unsuccessful primarily because its heat shield separation did not take place. Everything else performed normally
This resulted in the entire fourth stage of PSLV-C39, along with the heat shield and satellite, becoming space junk
An improved PSLV-C40, carrying earth observation Cartosat-2 satellite along with 28 foreign passenger satellites, including 25 nano-satellites and three micro-satellites, may lift off on Jan 10 | {
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WASHINGTON — President Trump’s immigration policies — from travel bans and visa restrictions to refugee caps and asylum changes — have begun to deliver on a longstanding goal: Legal immigration has fallen more than 11 percent and a steeper drop is looming.
While Mr. Trump highlights the construction of a border wall to stress his war on illegal immigration, it is through policy changes, not physical barriers, that his administration has been able to diminish the flow of migrants into the United States. Two more measures took effect Friday and Monday, an expansion of his travel ban and strict wealth tests on green card applicants.
“He’s really ticking off all the boxes. It’s kind of amazing,” said Sarah Pierce, a policy analyst with the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research group. “In an administration that’s been perceived to be haphazard, on immigration they’ve been extremely consistent and barreling forward.”
The number of people who obtained lawful permanent residence, besides refugees who entered the United States in previous years, declined to 940,877 in the 2018 fiscal year from 1,063,289 in the 2016 fiscal year, according to an analysis of government data by the National Foundation for American Policy. Four years ago, legal immigration was at its highest level since 2006, when 1,266,129 people obtained lawful permanent residence in the United States. | {
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Jurgen Klopp admits he has got a midfield dilemma ahead of Liverpool’s Old Trafford showdown with Manchester United.
The Reds boss is confident that captain Jordan Henderson will be available for selection after suffering a dead leg against Porto.
Henderson played alongside James Milner and Emre Can in the Champions League in midweek but Klopp has got both Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Gini Wijnaldum pushing for a recall against United.
Oxlade-Chamberlain was rested against Porto after an eye-catching performance against Newcastle, while Wijnaldum is now fully fit after missing the past three matches due to illness.
(Image: (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images))
“Gini played fantastic before he got ill,” Klopp said.
“We have options, that’s good. A few of them will start, a few of them won’t start. That’s how life is.
“I didn’t make a decision so far. It all depends who is fit and who is available and who we want to start with because of Man United.
“We are not blind, we know about their skills and we need to find the right set up for that. That’s our job to do.” | {
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Photo: Maya Robinson and Photos by Universal Pictures, Scott Garfield/Fair Hil, Atsushi Nishijima/Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros and The Weinstein Company
You know it’s Oscar season when the historical-accuracy hit squads show up. Over the past several weeks, it seems that almost every major awards contender has had some kind of high-profile accusation flung at it over its misappropriation of the truth. It happens every year, of course (remember the late Christopher Hitchens laying into The King’s Speech back in 2011?), but this time, it’s reached comically epidemic levels — in part because so many of the Oscar contenders are either biopics or otherwise historical in nature. Recently, some have taken issue with the depiction of Lyndon B. Johnson in Selma (despite the fact that LBJ actually comes off reasonably well in the film). Last week, Foxcatcher got a body blow from its own main subject, Olympic wrestler Mark Schultz, who started screaming at director Bennett Miller over social media about the liberties the film took with his life. Before that, it was The Imitation Game coming under scrutiny for its not entirely accurate depiction of scientist Alan Turing and his work as a code-breaker during WWII. And if you think things have already gotten too heated, wait till the whole was–American Sniper’s–Chris Kyle–actually-a-monster? debate starts to rage in full. After that, I can only presume that Stephen Hawking will start a Twitter war with his Theory of Everything director James Marsh.
To be fair, some truth-seekers are a lot more polite than others: There’s a world of difference between an article that lays out what a writer feels are historical inaccuracies — which can actually be a valuable endeavor — and one that takes to an op-ed page to declare that a film “should be ruled out this Christmas and during the ensuing awards season,” as former LBJ aide Joseph Califano did a couple of weeks ago, tipping his hand. But if we abided solely by such standards, such epochal, classic masterpieces like Lawrence of Arabia, The Last Emperor, and Schindler’s List would also have to be ruled out, to say nothing of recent Oscar winners like Argo or the aforementioned The King’s Speech.
Because, surprise! These movies are not documentaries, nor are they acts of journalism. (And even documentaries don’t always need to be totally accurate — just ask Werner Herzog.) They’re narrative works, and just like any other narrative work, they need to be true to themselves — to the demands of drama, to the demands of (yes) entertainment, and even to the demands of the broader truths they’re trying to evoke. There are limits to that, for sure: A movie about Hitler that tried to play down or deny the Holocaust might not exactly fly. An Obama biopic that shows him as a secret Muslim would be rightfully ridiculed, though I’m sure a certain segment of the population would embrace it. (But let’s not give Dinesh D’Souza any ideas.)
I’m not a historian, and I’m not interested in inserting myself into a debate over Selma’s veracity, but as a film, it’s a very compelling and gripping portrait of a group of men and women engaged in the dangerous, ground-level work of protest and political action. As David Edelstein says in his review of the film, it’s “about long-lived injustice, short-lived politics, and how to make the latter serve the former.” If Selma downplays or subverts LBJ’s efforts, that might be because its focus is elsewhere. And it not only shows Johnson struggling to find and assume his place in history, it also shows King struggling to do the same; that’s called good storytelling. Plus, the last thing we need is yet another White Savior movie about race: As Henry Louis Gates said yesterday, “any attempt to make this about the Great White Father is misdirected.”
If the furor over Selma seems particularly pronounced, that might also be because Hollywood has been so slow to make a major film about Martin Luther King; now that it has, everybody has very specific ideas about what needs to be included, and how. So, let’s also take a moment to soak in the irony of the fact that DuVernay specifically could not use any of King’s actual speeches in her film; those rights apparently have been licensed to DreamWorks and Steven Spielberg. In other words, she had to take historical liberties just to be able to make Selma in the first place. It’s a classic damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don’t situation.
The problem is that so very often, when you deal with historical subjects, you’re also dealing with numerous stakeholders, some of whom have personal connections to the subject matter. Hell, some of them are the subject matter, as the situation with Schultz and Foxcatcher demonstrates. And people who have a personal connection to a subject very often have their own ideas about how that subject should be depicted. Indeed, this is why filmmakers usually make sure to have the support of these folks before releasing their films; the Foxcatcher team presumably thought they had Schultz’s blessing, as he was there celebrating with them at the film’s world premiere at Cannes and had been mostly supportive of the film until recently. It appears, however, that after reading some reviews suggesting that the depiction of his relationship with John du Pont had homosexual overtones, Schultz felt he’d been misrepresented. (So filmmakers not only have to worry about their own films’ adherence to historical fact, they also have to worry about retroactive fact-checking based on what some reviews have to say.)
But sometimes in cinema, you can also reach a greater truth by taking some liberties with historical facts. The Imitation Game is an interesting example of this. As a bit of an Alan Turing obsessive, I was greatly looking forward to the film. I also knew that it would have to find some ways to condense and dramatize the work done at Bletchley Park, where Turing and his colleagues toiled for years to decode the German military’s many encrypted messages. A truly authentic portrait of the grueling and incredibly tedious work done by Turing probably wouldn’t have made for good cinema.
So, the film cheats a bit: It depicts Turing singlehandedly building a giant computing machine to help solve the Enigma code. In fact, the Poles, who had broken the original Enigma codes (there were numerous Enigma codes, and the Germans kept modifying them), had built these machines; Turing revised and expanded them. (The film does include a brief line in which Turing gives some credit to the Poles, but really, it’s extremely easy to miss.) The film also shows Turing building one machine and calling it Christopher, after the boy he loved in school. In fact, there were many machines built, and as far as we know, Turing didn’t name any of them Christopher. But showing Turing building one machine, seemingly from scratch, helps underscore his reputation as the father of modern computer science, and showing him give the machine a name evokes Turing’s homosexuality and his unrequited love for Christopher, who was a real person and is depicted in the film through flashbacks. These narrative shortcuts may not be accurate, but they make poignant connections between Turing’s work at Bletchley Park and his early years, potentially leading toward greater insights about his character. I have my issues with The Imitation Game, but the liberties it takes with the truth over code-breaking actually make the film more touching, not less.
A movie — a two- or two-plus-hour work of narrative — has its own rhythms, its own demands. American Sniper the book, for example, is an episodic recounting of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle’s four tours of duty in Iraq, and of his many kills. Clint Eastwood’s film, to give itself some narrative shape, invents a largely fictional cat-and-mouse game between Kyle and a Syrian sniper named Mustafa. While there was a real Mustafa, he’s mentioned only in passing in the book; he and Kyle had no interactions. Does that dishonor the original story? Some may think it does — maybe by romanticizing the gruesome drudgery of war — but it also, frankly, makes the movie less of a slog. There are, as noted earlier, other potential issues around American Sniper and Chris Kyle’s own potential trustworthiness. But it’s also clear that the filmmakers have based their film on Kyle’s own book, and on his point of view. The film should live or die as a film, not as history.
At the same time, sometimes discovering the liberties taken with the truth can reveal why a film doesn’t quite work. Watching Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken, I couldn’t help but feel that something was missing. I liked the film, but the remarkable passages of Louie Zamperini’s life that the film depicts — his Olympic glory, his combat experience, his shoot-down and subsequent weeks stranded on a raft, and, finally, his years of agony in a POW camp — didn’t hold together for me in any meaningful way. That’s because, as I later discovered, the film had mostly trampled what should have been its third act — Zamperini’s post-traumatic stress after the war, his religious awakening, and his eventual forgiveness of his Japanese captors — into a rushed coda. Again, I quote Edelstein: “If the narrative is finally unsatisfying, it’s because the last vital chapter … is signaled in a couple of title cards before the closing credits.” Here’s a situation where a closer adherence to history might have actually helped make the film onscreen work better as a drama.
Obviously, the folks who made Unbroken have the right to make whatever film they want, and no doubt getting enough of Zamperini’s story into a feature-length film was a hefty challenge to begin with. But his religious awakening — his finding God at a 1949 tent revival held by Rev. Billy Graham, the effects of that on vanquishing his PTSD, and his dedication to Christianity and forgiveness in later years — is not only an integral part of his story, it’s one of the things that make the story so special. Why is it so underplayed? One hopes it’s because the filmmakers simply felt the story was more effective this way, and not because … oh, say … liberal Academy voters might not be so keen on a character whose great third-act revelation is becoming an Evangelical Christian. (By this token, I admire Big Eyes’ willingness to show Margaret Keane becoming a Jehovah’s Witness later in life, and the role it played in her coming clean about her role in Walter Keane’s duplicity; it makes sense within the context of the film, and it also has the virtue of being mostly faithful. I say all this, by the way, as a complete atheist.)
Ultimately, these controversies will wash away with Oscar season. But their bitter aftertaste may remain. Look at what happened to Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty a couple of years ago. Even before it opened, the film had to endure relentless fact-checking over its depiction of torture and the hunt for Osama bin Laden. At first, right-wingers were angry that the movie was going to be Obama-glorifying propaganda. Then, once people saw the film, the left attacked it for daring to show that torture of prisoners may have led to intelligence about bin Laden’s whereabouts. And indeed, recent revelations from the Senate Intelligence Committee’s report on CIA torture confirm that torture did not lead to any real intelligence in the hunt for bin Laden.
But lost in the shuffle, it seems, is Bigelow’s beautiful film itself — a dark, gripping drama about the moral compromises the central character makes in her obsessive pursuit of one man and one goal, and a film that (if you ask me) in no way condones the horrific torture of human beings, even though it certainly shows it. Many will argue, however, that such issues of drama or nuance shouldn’t matter. They will say, as some of Selma’s detractors are now saying, that ours is a culture where people are more likely to get their ideas about history and the news from movies and TV shows than from newspapers or history books. They may be right. But that’s our problem, not cinema’s. | {
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Feriti un addetto alle pulizie e un vigile
A poche ore dall’esplosione verificatasi stamattina nel commissariato di Andria, un comunicato della polizia di esclude con certezza la matrice collegata alla criminalità, anche organizzata, come pure la pista relativa ad un possibile attentato.
L’esplosione che stamattina, intorno alle ore 11,35 si è verificata al piano terra del commissariato in prossimità dell’ingresso, è stata infatti provocata dalla deflagrazione di un reperto sequestrato e custodito dagli agenti: un barattolo di pomodoro.
Il barattolo di conserva, secondo il comunicato della polizia, conteneva «sali e zucchero» e «ha subito una modificazione chimica, causata all’ossidazione a contatto con il metallo dell’involucro, tale da trasformare i sali in picrato di ammonio, materiale esplodente sensibile ad urti e sfregamenti».
Stamane il barattolo, destinato alla pattumiera in una operazione di riordino degli uffici, era finito dunque in un sacco di rifiuti trasportato dall’addetto alle pulizie del commissariato. L’esplosione lo ha lievemente ferito ed ora l’uomo è ricoverato presso l’Ospedale di Barletta, con una prognosi di 20 giorni per ipoacusia neurosensoriale, ustioni alla gamba ed al piede sinistro ed abrasioni agli arti.
Anche un dipendente della polizia municipale di Andria che in quel momento si trovava in commissariato è rimasto coinvolto dall’esplosione ed ha ora una prognosi di 5 giorni per contusioni. | {
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More than half of all recorded coronavirus cases in South Dakota involve people of color, according to updated data from the state’s department of health on Wednesday.
The state reported that 54 percent of those who have contracted the virus are either black, Hispanic, Asian or Native American. By comparison, those four demographic groups make up about 20 percent of the state’s population, according to the 2019 census.
South Dakota Health Secretary Kim Malsam-Rysdon said at a Tuesday news conference that the statistics are “indicative of where we’ve seen the most cases,” the Rapid City Journal reported. The official had said earlier this month before the data was released that the state wasn't seeing "a large racial disparity" in cases.
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Though the trend follows that of other states, a significant portion of South Dakota’s recorded cases are tied to a specific workplace.
Earlier this month, it was reported that more than 800 people at the Smithfield Foods pork processing plant in Sioux Falls tested positive for the disease. About 90 percent of South Dakota’s 2,313 positive cases are in Minnehaha and Lincoln counties, which surround Sioux Falls. About half of those cases are linked to Smithfield Foods.
BJ Motley, a union leader with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW), told the Rapid City Journal that the discrepancies are “probably because of the diversity down at the plant.” Motley told the Journal that about 80 percent of workers at the plant are minorities.
The UFCW did not immediately respond to an inquiry from The Hill.
The union has sent a slew of demands to the Trump administration since the start of the outbreaks at Smithfield and other meat plants. On Tuesday, President Trump Donald John TrumpOmar fires back at Trump over rally remarks: 'This is my country' Pelosi: Trump hurrying to fill SCOTUS seat so he can repeal ObamaCare Trump mocks Biden appearance, mask use ahead of first debate MORE announced an executive order using the Defense Production Act to reopen meat processing plants.
The UFCW is asking the administration to pair the order with action that protects meat plant workers and has asked to be considered for prioritized testing.
“We urge the Administration to immediately enact clear and enforceable safety standards that compel all meatpacking companies to provide the highest level of protective equipment through access to the federal stockpile of PPE, ensure daily testing is available for workers and their communities, enforce physical distancing at all plants, and provide full paid sick leave for any workers who are infected,” the UFCW said in a statement Tuesday. | {
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Peak oil is still on the way and it’s not going to be pretty. At least, this is what a recent study examining oil production across the globe has found. The report comes from a multi-disciplinary, peer-reviewed study which seems to shoot down recent claims made by oil industry insiders and other sources. In fact, the study’s results are so dire that its authors plea for both private and public sectors to address the coming crisis.
Another recently released report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) claims that the United States will become the world’s top oil producer by 2015, according to Canada Free Press. The recent explosion in shale gas exploitation in North America has led many analysts to declare the threat of peak oil indefinitely defeated. However, a new study out of the University of Maryland says peak oil production has only been delayed, not avoided.
The study says that hopes surrounding hydrofracking for shale gas in North America are unrealistic. Shale wells reach peak production much faster than other fossil fuel extraction methods.
When is the peak oil crisis expected to hit? The study says that conventional oil production, such as crude oil, will peak by 2030. They note, however, that there is a “significant risk” that this peak will be hit before 2020. Shale production, the study finds, will not be enough to offset the crippling costs of post-peak oil production, according to The Guardian.
The study warns of severe economic disruptions that could occur if the fuel economy continues on this course. They point to the economic downturn felt across the globe in 2008, which they say was partly caused by high oil prices at the time. Because so many things are dependent on oil prices, including food growing and transportation, few if any sectors of the US and world economies will be spared.
The study isn’t all doom and gloom, however. It offers some suggestions on ways to lower economic vulnerability from a peak oil-caused economic crash. They urge a switch from artificial fertilizers to organic techniques as well as a turn to producing food and goods locally, to reduce their need to be transported long distances.
The study highlights the risk of an impending peak oil crisis and the increasing need for governments and industries alike to look to a post-carbon economy.
[Image via ShutterStock] | {
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What do you think? Moderate SafeSearch is on. | {
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O futuro ministro da Economia, Paulo Guedes, e sua equipe estão em discussão com o Tribunal de Contas da União (TCU) sobre uma alternativa para viabilizar o megaleilão do pré-sal sem a necessidade de passar pelo crivo do Congresso. A possibilidade é assinar um acordo de revisão da cessão onerosa do pré-sal entre União e Petrobras sem precisar da aprovação do projeto de lei que tramita no Senado.
A cessão onerosa foi um acordo fechado em 2010 entre o governo e a petroleira, que permitiu à estatal explorar, sem licitação, 5 bilhões de barris de petróleo em campos do pré-sal na Bacia de Santos. O projeto cuja votação está prevista para esta terça no Senado estabelece regras para o leilão do petróleo excedente do pré-sal. Pelo texto, não há repartição desses recursos com estados e municípios.
Há uma reunião marcada para esta terça-feira, 27, entre Guedes e o TCU. A assinatura do acordo pode, sozinho, viabilizar o megaleilão de óleo excedente das áreas da cessão onerosa que pode render até 130 bilhões de reais, recurso considerado crucial para o ajuste fiscal em 2019.
Há duas semanas, o presidente do Senado, Eunício Oliveira (PMDB-CE), afirmou que o presidente eleito, Jair Bolsonaro, e o futuro ministro da Economia aceitaram repassar 20% dos valores obtidos no leilão para estados e municípios.
A avaliação é que o debate em torno da divisão dos recursos com estados e municípios já atrapalhou o calendário e há risco de perda muito grande de receitas numa negociação acelerada em dezembro, ao fim da legislatura. O entendimento é que a votação está contaminada pela eleição para as presidências do Senado e, principalmente, da Câmara. Há risco de ver a arrecadação “minguar” em um embate de forças políticas.
Preparação
Uma reunião técnica no TCU com representantes de Guedes na segunda-feira 26 serviu de preparação para a estratégia que pode ser adotada nos próximos dias. A avaliação é que o projeto de lei, embora dê conforto ao governo, não é fundamental para a assinatura do acordo. O projeto de lei surgiu justamente para dar segurança aos técnicos, que temiam ser processados pelo TCU caso o acordo entre União e Petrobras fosse considerado desfavorável.
Continua após a publicidade
O projeto em tramitação no Senado pode ajudar na conclusão das negociações entre a estatal e o governo, que vão definir se a petroleira será credora ou devedora da União ao final desse processo de revisão. Qualquer que seja o resultado, o ônus para o devedor será bilionário. Se o TCU der aval ao acordo, mesmo sem o projeto de lei aprovado pelo Senado, esse problema estará resolvido.
Com o novo acordo assinado, o leilão dos excedentes da cessão onerosa pode ser marcado, e o projeto de lei poderia ser votado em 2019, em um cenário mais favorável para o novo governo, já com a posse dos senadores eleitos neste ano. O governo atual é contrário à edição de uma Medida Provisória (MP) para fazer a divisão dos recursos aos governos regionais sem contrapartidas de ajuste fiscal.
O fundamental, para o governo, é aprovar o leilão da cessão onerosa ainda neste ano, na última reunião do Conselho Nacional de Política Energética (CNPE), marcada para 17 de dezembro. Se não for aprovada até 31 de dezembro, a rodada terá de ficar para 2020, já que será analisada sob uma nova regra do TCU. Essa instrução normativa, que entra em vigor em 1.º de janeiro de 2019, exige que toda a documentação referente a leilões seja enviada à Corte de contas 150 dias antes da data prevista para a publicação do edital, um processo mais moroso que o atual.
Com o leilão aprovado neste ano, a previsão é que ele possa ser realizado entre maio e junho de 2019. Paralelamente a isso, o TCU pode avaliar os termos do acordo de revisão entre União e Petrobras também nos primeiros três meses do ano, antes, portanto, da licitação. A avaliação é que não há tempo de assinar o contrato até o fim deste ano, já que a última reunião plenária de ministros do TCU ocorre em 5 de dezembro. O importante é que o acordo seja formalizado antes da data do leilão.
Saiba mais sobre a cessão onerosa
A cessão onerosa foi assinada entre a União e a Petrobras em 2010, no processo de capitalização da companhia, e garantiu a ela o direito a explorar 5 bilhões de barris sem licitação nas áreas do pré-sal. Esse contrato prevê uma reavaliação para as seis áreas da cessão onerosa, que foram declaradas comerciais entre dezembro de 2013 e dezembro de 2014.
A Petrobras pagou 74,8 bilhões de reais à União na época pelo direito de exploração, mas estima-se que os volumes de petróleo na área sejam muito maiores do que os calculados inicialmente, o que levou o governo a buscar a realização de um leilão desses excedentes visando a arrecadar bilhões de reais.
(Com Estadão Conteúdo) | {
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Inflight wi-fi will be available on Air New Zealand flights from next year.
Air New Zealand has announced it will begin rolling out inflight wi-fi on its jet services next year.
Flights between Australia and New Zealand will be the first to receive connectivity, Air New Zealand chief executive officer Christopher Luxon said at a media and travel trade event in Sydney on Thursday.
Luxon said the service would be tested in the second half of 2017 and become available on Tasman, Pacific Island and long-haul jet fleets from the end of next year.
Domestic jet services were likely to offer wi-fi from 2018.
READ MORE:
* Inflight wifi signals an end to mid-flight me time
* Air New Zealand 'investigating options' for inflight wi-fi
* In-flight Wi-Fi may loom large on radar as Qantas and Virgin Australia feel pressure
Luxon said the airline was in the final stages of commercial negotiations with Inmarsat and Panasonic Avionics, with internet connectivity to be supplied by Inmarsat's new global GX satellite constellation and integrated with Air New Zealand's in-cabin technology.
"Given Air New Zealand operates some of the longest flights in the world, and in oceanic areas where there has historically been poor quality satellite service, we have patiently worked with partners until comfortable that a service which meets the high expectations of our customers is available," he said.
"Proving flights on a partner company test aircraft have now given us the confidence to introduce what we believe will be the world's most reliable inflight connectivity.
"Customers will be able to use their social media channels, stay on top of emails and browse the internet."
The airline expected to release details of the operating business model in the first half of 2017.
Air New Zealand general manager for customer experience Carrie Hurihanganui told Australian Business Traveller the airline would not rule out either free or paid services.
And chief revenue officer Cam Wallace said they were looking at "three to four core options" on pricing.
Until now Air New Zealand has kept quiet about its plans to offer inflight internet, even as Australian competitor Qantas announced a free wi-fi service in February. | {
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A skyrocketing backlog is pushing the wait time for refugee hearings dramatically beyond the federally stipulated 60 days, with recent asylum seekers now waiting 16 months to have their claims determined.
According to the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB), the backlog has been growing at a rate of approximately 1,400 cases a month since January, with the largest increase so far in August with a sudden surge of 3,000 claims.
As of Aug. 31, the pending inventory of refugee claims is about 34,000 cases, including 29,000 claims filed after December 2012, when the then-Conservative government revamped the process by imposing statutory timelines to process claims and expedite removals of failed claimants. The rest are so-called “legacy claims” that have been waiting for five years or longer for a hearing date.
Read more:
Almost 7,000 migrants have walked into Quebec since Canada Day
Montreal’s Olympic Stadium becomes shelter as Haitian refugees from the U.S. seek home in Canada
While the law requires claimants be scheduled for a hearing date in 60 days, it has provisions that allow the refugee board to get around the deadline if there are delays in border officials issuing security clearances, if there are “operational limitations,” or if interpreters or counsel are unavailable.
“The current intake of claims for refugee protection is exceeding the IRB’s operational capacity, which is causing a growing inventory of pending cases,” said the board’s spokesperson, Anna Pape. “As a result, many cases must wait before they can be heard by an independent decision-maker.”
With existing resources, Pape said the IRB can process only approximately 2,000 claims a month. At this rate, it will take 16 months for claims filed today before they will be heard by a refugee judge.
Board chair Mario Dion has been unsuccessful in pleading to the federal government for additional resources to clear the legacy claims and to deal with the surge of asylum-seekers from the U.S. that began this year after President Donald Trump’s initial immigration and travel bans were announced. These asylum seekers are entering Canada through unauthorized points along the border.
Fearful they will be deported by the Trump administration, thousands of immigrants are illegally crossing from the U.S. into Canada in hopes of being granted asylum. (The Associated Press)
Although the board has struck a special task force to process all legacy claims within the next two years, the unanticipated increase in claims via the U.S. has set back the effort and further strained the board’s staffing.
This week the Immigration Department started running a “dedicated service centre” at Montreal’s Guy Favreau Complex that operates seven days a week to help would-be refugees fill out forms and expedite eligibility interviews. This could add further to the refugee board’s workload.
“The IRB continues to explore new and innovative ways to improve efficiency, with the objective of improving timeliness of decisions,” said Pape.
So far, the Liberal government has played down the illicit border crossing and insisted it is under control. It has sent out MPs to tell Latino and Haitian migrant communities in the U.S. that Canada does not offer automatic acceptance of refugees.
“What we are dealing with is definitely a very high, steady increase in numbers, and it is obviously taxing our agencies and our borders, but we are able to redeploy resources and personnel as needed and are able to deal with the situation as it unfolds,” Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen told the CBC in August.
The Immigration Department didn’t respond Wednesday to a request for comment.
Sending a message to discourage potential border-crossers, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also said last month, “You will not be at an advantage if you choose to enter Canada irregularly. You must follow the rules and there are many.”
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Toronto immigration lawyer Lorne Waldman, a co-founder of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, said any delay in processing claims allows asylum seekers to stay and work in Canada longer, and would serve as another incentive for them to keep coming.
“Sixteen months is too long and the government has to take steps to speed the process up. It is crucial the refugee determination process is run efficiently,” said Waldman.
Lobat Sadrehashemi, vice-president of the refugee lawyers’ association, said she was not surprised by the wait time, and delay means further uncertainty and insecurity — as well as longer family separation — for refugee claimants.
“The IRB is capable of dealing with the levels of refugee claims that we now have. They have done so in the past. There needs to be a concentrated effort at ensuring there are enough members to hear claims and that claims are processed as efficiently and fairly as possible,” said Sadrehashemi. “This may require more funding.” | {
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Kate is a writer who laughs at her own jokes and likes to pour too much hot sauce on her food.
A fear of flying is one of the most common amongst people today.
Although it’s unlikely to happen, terrifying stories, like Patsy Cline’s untimely passing, keep many folks on the edge of their plane seats with their seat belts tightly strapped.
The story of 17-year-old Juliane Koepcke is a little bit different. It may not make you keen to fly again, but it certainly proves that the human will to survive has no limits.
According to BBC, the German-Peruvian teenager was flying over the Amazon in 1971 with her mother, when the plane suddenly combusted after being hit by lightning.
Juliane fell 2 miles back down to earth. Miraculously, she survived to tell the tale, though her mother tragically didn’t survive the aftermath of the plane crash.
Astonishingly, surviving that impossible-sounding fall was just the beginning of what would be a very tough 10 days in the jungle before being rescued.
A regular person wouldn’t have survived either ordeal, but luckily, Juliane was definitely no ordinary teenage girl.
[H/T: BBC] | {
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Invisibility has long been a dream of man. Popular culture has depicted it as both a science –think Star Trek’s cloaking devices and the Invisible Man’s formula– and magic – Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak comes to mind– but the distinction between the two classifications may be, as Arthur C. Clark famously postulated, only a matter of technological advancement. For example, late last year a team of scientists at Duke University took one step closer to making magic a reality when they developed a “meta-material” capable of bending light to cloak a two-dimensional object from microwave radiation. Not quite true invisibility, but “transformation optics” is an exciting new field leading us into a very Star Trek future. However, designer Adam Harvey is planning for more of a Terminator future (and for some people a very real present), where drones patrol our skies, watching our every move with their heat-seeking camera-eyes. So while current science is working toward concealing objects from the human eye, Harvey has already developed a line of clothing that makes people nearly invisible to the machine eye.
Harvey, in collaboration with fashion designer Johanna Bloomfield, has developed Stealth Wear, a new fashion line “designed for counter-surveillance.” The “Anti-Drone garments” are a response to a very real concern about the growing loss of privacy and the increased use of new surveillance technologies and autonomous drones. Although they’re most often deployed in war zones, drones are starting to be used by police for domestic surveillance and security as well. They can be equipped with video cameras, radar, infrared cameras and heat sensors. The Stealth Wear garments are made with a light-weight, “metallized” (half-silver, half-nickel) fabric that reflects heat, making it capable of blocking IR and thermal imaging scans. It’s urban camouflage that’s a little more pragmatic than an IKEA ghillie suit. Currently, three garments are available: the anti-drone hoodie (pictured) and, acknowledging that the majority of current drone strikes happen in country’s with primarily Muslim populations, the anti-drone burqa and the anti-drone scarf. The designers notes that “Conceptually, these garments align themselves with the rationale behind the traditional hijab and burqa: to act as ‘the veil which separates man or the world from God,’ replacing God with drone.” Not being watched by robots is the new black.
However, Harvey’s work avoids making any overtly political statements in favor of a more academic interest in camouflage and the intersection of art, technology, and politics. Stealth Wear isn’t 100% effective in blocking heat signatures but, as Harvey told The Globe and Mail, that’s not the point: “These clothes are proxies for generating something else, whether it’s a conversation about privacy and responsible use of technology, or a policy change.” While “invisibility cloak” is magical and whimsical and currently exists only on the bleeding edge of science, “anti-drone hoodie” is a little more sinister, a little more practical, and a little more couture.
Stealth Wear isn’t Harvey’s only work dealing with electronic surveillance. He previously created, CV Dazzle, a sort of makeup designed to disrupt facial recognition software, and is currently working on For Your Eyes Only, a project that aims to subvert automatic object recognition to prevent machines from identifying objects. | {
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Yeah, it has got to be a mess under there but that’s not important now…we get to see Rabs “gift.” Are you all ready for a throw down?
Profile: The Rabbit
Happy Wednesday,
Javis | {
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University cock fully swells in the Dorm and Blasts Spunk everywhere
1 | {
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That’s not a spud gun, this is a spud gun.
A supercharged homemade firearm has landed a WA man an appearance in court after police allegedly discovered the weapon during a search of his car.
Busselton Police posted a shot of the monster creation on Twitter.
The South West outfit tweeted: “Male arrested after a search of his car located a homemade firearm and meth pipe. Male has a “datewithamagistrate. #spudgunonsteroids.”
The weapon was marked as a “Bead Bazooka”, suggesting it may have been altered from a commercial tool used in the process of inflating tires to something different, unfavoured by police.
A spokesman for Busselton Police did not provide addition information on the spud gun, saying only that it was discovered by a team working overnight and the investigation was ongoing. | {
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It challenges four decades of constitutional doctrine and is based on disputed scientific theories.
Yet a push to ban abortion at 20 weeks after conception, on the theory that the fetus can feel pain at that point, has emerged as a potent new tactic of the anti-abortion movement. Advocates saw the potential of such a measure because it taps into public concern about late-stage abortions, appears to alter the rules only incrementally, and claims to be rooted in science.
“Any time we talk about developmental landmarks of the unborn child, anything showing that the unborn child is a member of the human family — that gets the public to take a closer look at abortion,” said Mary Spaulding Balch, the state policy director of the National Right to Life Committee, who is widely seen as the architect of 20-week legislation.
The 20-week ban was first adopted in 2010 in Nebraska, where conservatives aimed to rein in one well-known abortion doctor. A pain-based abortion limit has now been enacted in a dozen states, most recently in Texas, and a bill to impose one nationally passed the Republican-controlled House in June. One recent poll, while affirming public support for legal abortion over all, suggested that a majority of people would draw the line at 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Abortion rights advocates call the pain argument duplicitous and say the laws will be declared unconstitutional, arguing that they are a reflection of Republican gains in state legislatures and not a shift in public opinion. But they have also been forced to mobilize against 20-week bills in state after state, and they credit their opponents with effective marketing. | {
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Making It Different – Pushing Genre Boundaries in Fantasy
by Martin Jenkins
One of the pleasures of genre is that it lets us identify a type of writing that we know we like. We’d feel short-changed if a crime novel didn’t feature a crime, after all, or if a romance didn’t put the travails of a relationship front and center. What we don’t want to see, however, is a mere repetition of genre tropes and clichés – it’s what is fresh and different in a work of fiction that keeps us turning the page while still being identifiably a genre work. Thus not every crime novel features a body in the library of a country house with a shifty butler in attendance — and thank goodness!
This ‘keeping it fresh’ approach applies to fantasy as much as to any genre – even more so, in fact, for the strength of fantasy surely lies in an ability to paint vividly new and other worlds. So it is a disappointment when fantasy tends to the formulaic, deploying stock characters and plot devices that can easily prompt a weary sigh of recognition rather than the thrill of encountering something new.
Even the burgeoning array of sub-genres – the 57 varieties of high and low, urban, mythopoeic and all the rest – can all too easily settle into a default template. Consider how steampunk, for example, quickly became a handful of well-worn signifiers: all airships and goggles, crinolines and cogs.
This is not to say that all current fantasy writing is merely a late echo, doomed to repeat the form set by the early masters (and they do tend to be blokes) such as Lord Dunsany, J.R.R. Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis. On the contrary, contemporary fantasy is as vibrant and exciting as it ever has been; it is just a matter of sorting the wheat from the chaff.
As writers, then, how can we avoid the clichéd and routine and extend the boundaries of the type of writing we love? How can we walk the difficult tightrope between the implicit rules of the genre – the things that make fantasy fantasy – and introducing your reader to a new and wonderful world? At its most challenging, fantasy fiction not only plays with its own genre conventions but can raise and probe questions of identity, sexuality, gender, and beliefs and values in religion and politics; and even raise questions about the ultimate nature of reality. What follows are a few ways we can think about pushing the boundaries of fantasy.
Have we seen this before?
Firstly, consider the elements of your fantasy world: are the characters, background and plot truly alive or do they seem hackneyed? A wizard, somewhat irascible but basically good, kicking up dust in his robes and wielding a staff may turn out to be a rich and complex character… but is it possible that your mage is nothing more than a lightly disguised Gandalf? Are your party of plucky, underdog adventurers pitted against some Ultimate Evil tired tropes or will they lead us somewhere unexpected and fresh? Be honest with yourself and also canvass the opinion of fellow readers and writers. An honest appraisal is invaluable for a work in progress: if someone whose view you trust says that your work reminds them of Middle Earth, Narnia, Westeros or wherever…they are probably right. The clichés of fantasy fiction are many: elves and orcs, prophecies and hidden kings, encounters in inns, and warrior women in chainmail bikinis… and dragons, always dragons! None of these in themselves are necessarily bad things, but they can feel tired if used unthinkingly.
Know your worldview
The above are the elements, the nuts and bolts of your world and work. But beyond the details, there is the larger question of your worldview as a whole. The default conception of a fantasy world owes much to The Lord of the Rings: I say this is not to take anything from that great work but to raise the question of those who followed and used it as an off-the-peg world setting. This includes pitting of clear-cut Good against an obvious Evil, a pastoral setting and high adventure that draws on European history and mythology. Many fantasy novels assume a vaguely feudal medievalism. The mythic tone of such works is drawn from Celtic, Norse or Christian legend and lore – often indiscriminately and rather incoherently mixed.
The question that needs to be asked is: does the broad worldview of your work form a coherent whole? Do the individual elements of your story fit seamlessly within the context of your world? For Tolkien, for example, a strongly dualistic vision of Good and Evil makes sense: his view of the ethos of the European mythic imagination that he draws on is reinforced by his own Christian convictions. In a grittier world without the metaphysical scaffolding of Middle Earth, however, such absolutism could seem out of place – moral ambiguity and shades of grey would be more appropriate.
Similarly, a vague feudalism is only one of a plethora of possible social formation and each type of society will have its own distinct complexion and balance. Think through the reasons why each part of your world is the way it is. A people blessed with rich resources will tend to be more peaceful and have a strong legal code, as compared with a land of scarcity where brigandage and a desperate fight for survival may be the norm; a society that values individuality as a supreme virtue will have quite different mores from one which prizes collective action, and so on.
Magic and religion
Magic is a staple of fantasy fiction. In your world how would magic work and how would it shape wider society? Powers based on attunement and sympathy with nature would be very different from dark sorceries based on the summoning of demons, not just in terms of magical style but, more broadly, in how they would be perceived and dealt with by the general populace.
The same goes for religion. Monotheistic, polytheistic or pantheistic religions will both influence and be influenced by the society around them. A shamanistic religion, for example, is part and parcel of particular types of culture, nomadic and tribal, and would not fit well as an underpinning of a feudal society.
Dignifying diversity
Social behavior does not arise in a vacuum but grows out of an individual’s cultural matrix. We are, happily, more aware now of human diversity: attitudes to gender roles, sexuality, race, and non-neurotypical mental states are much broader than they were. Drawing on a wide view of history and anthropology we can see that those recently, and pejoratively labeled “mad,” for example, would in other times and societies have been seen as “holy fools” or in special contact with the gods.
The status of women and attitudes towards same-sex relationships have also varied widely in different cultures. In writing fantasy, we should cast our net wide in trying to envision our worlds. That is not to say that we should simply give our work a few tokenistic twists; much less is it to promote some sort of “agenda”; it is simply an openness to the sensuous richness and the vast compass of forms of human life.
Beyond the human
Beyond the human, we can also look to the non-human persons that form part of the stock-in-trade of fantasy. Dwarves, elves, orcs, and dragons are firm fixtures here, but again there is scope for the development of weird and wild non-human societies. We can also draw on our current awareness of the “ecological” – the fabric of life considered as a whole. Different and new ways of envisioning people’s relationship to Nature are ripe for exploration in fantasy fiction.
Three tips for stronger world-building
How, then, can we encourage greater breadth and depth of insight? The authorial process of worldbuilding can feel overwhelming at the best of times. Here are three tips.
First, within the fantasy genre itself, read outside your comfort zone. Seek out authors or approaches that you think you may find challenging or even uncomfortable – you may be pleasantly surprised and you will avoid a narrow niche of your favored sub-genre.
Second, don’t just read fantasy! Consideration of the richness of world history, its myths and legends and the manifold ways that peoples in the past have lived their lives forms a rich loam for the germination of ideas. Don’t merely transpose from whatever you read but use it to spark the alchemical process of creation.
Last, don’t just read! Outside your door is a whole wide world that offers a wealth of material. From your friends and neighbors to Mandaeans in the Middle East, Australian aborigines and kids scraping a living in Brazilian favelas, there is an inspiration to spark enough ideas for a million fantasy novels…
•••
Martin Jenkins is a freelance writer, researcher, and editor. Publications include the experimental novel A New Science of Navigation and a contribution to the Soul Bay Press short story anthology. | {
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Check out our new site Makeup Addiction
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Invites you to spend the night plays computer entire time while you watch | {
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A woman was shot by her ex-boyfriend Sunday morning, but had only minor injuries. The Orange County Sheriff's Office said the incident occurred at Wetherbee Road and South Orange Blossom Trail, around 12:30 a.m. The woman was in a vehicle with her current boyfriend, when her ex-boyfriend shot at them. Fortunately for the victim, it was only a grazing wound. Detectives are searching for the suspect, who is expected to be charged with aggravated battery, and possibly other crimes. No other details are being released at this time.
A woman was shot by her ex-boyfriend Sunday morning, but had only minor injuries. The Orange County Sheriff's Office said the incident occurred at Wetherbee Road and South Orange Blossom Trail, around 12:30 a.m. The woman was in a vehicle with her current boyfriend, when her ex-boyfriend shot at them. Fortunately for the victim, it was only a grazing wound.
Detectives are searching for the suspect, who is expected to be charged with aggravated battery, and possibly other crimes. No other details are being released at this time. | {
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MUMBAI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Devi is a bubbly teenager who loves hip hop and belly dancing, and still nurtures her childhood dream to become a doctor, even after her life took a cruel turn when she was trafficked and sold for sex in Mumbai two years ago.
“I want to study science after high school. I know it is difficult, but I have the will to study. I was only unsure of the money,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from a shelter where she has stayed since she was rescued.
Now the money she needs has come through.
A few weeks ago, the government of the western state of Maharashtra deposited 75,000 rupees ($1,150) into Devi’s bank account, making her a rare beneficiary of a compensation scheme for victims of sexual violence that has failed to compensate many trafficking survivors.
She will receive another 225,000 rupees when she turns 18 next year.
Thousands of people – largely poor, rural women and children – are lured to India’s towns and cities each year by traffickers who promise good jobs, but sell them into modern day slavery.
Some end up as domestic workers, or forced to work in small industries such as textile workshops, farming or are pushed into brothels where they are sexually exploited.
Maharashtra is one of the top destinations for trafficked children in the country. The state government is preparing to review a financial aid scheme it established in 2013 for victims of rape and acid attacks, and for children who have been sexually assaulted.
Since its launch, Maharashtra has received 7,500 requests and offered payments to nearly 4,500 girls. Some claims were rejected while others have been held up for lack of funds, an official said.
Adult trafficking victims have not been able to access compensation as perpetrators in such cases are charged under anti-trafficking laws - not rape laws, which is a requirement to get aid under the scheme.
Yet trafficking victims under the age of 18 can be compensated if their cases are registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
A district office committee decides on compensation based on the report filed by police and the victim’s medical records.
Maharashtra’s review of the scheme was directed by the Bombay High Court, which is hearing petitions challenging rules that exclude victims from the scheme, including one denying compensation to victims assaulted prior to the scheme’s launch.
“You can’t have a cut-off date for this scheme. This is not how a welfare scheme works,” said Wesley Menezes, a lawyer fighting for compensation for a 13-year-old rape victim who was forced to marry her attacker in 2012, a year before the scheme was launched.
Advocates for trafficking victims say the date rule has primarily impacted children.
The International Justice Mission (IJM) helped in Devi’s case and it took two years, reams of paperwork and follow-ups with various government departments before the financial aid came in.
“This is the first time compensation has come through for a case with our follow-up. We are now encouraged and are pursuing compensation for four to five other cases of minor victims who are eligible for compensation,” said Melissa Walavalkar, IJM’s director of justice solutions.
($1 = 64.2380 Indian rupees) | {
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Allowing acceptable ads in Adblock Plus · 2011-12-05 12:19 by Wladimir Palant
Edit: Welcom, Reddit users. Comments are now closed but feel free to read this post and the links – you might no longer feel the need to leave a comment then. Btw, offensive comments are removed, as usually.
The development build last Friday introduced a new feature that took many people by surprise: Allowing acceptable ads. Sorry about that, I am usually trying to announce large functionality changes in a timely manner but that didn’t work this time. As of Adblock Plus 2.0b.3277 the current state is:
“Allow non-intrusive advertising” option is enabled by default for all users but the ones using privacy filter lists (EasyPrivacy, Fanboy’s Tracking, Adverisity Privacy). The documentation explains why it has to be enabled by default.
The first-run page notifies users about this change, opt-out works by clicking “Filter Preferences” and unchecking the option there.
On the technical side, this option simply represents an additional filter subscription. The documentation describes how to view this filter subscription or disable the special treatment for it.
There is a forum topic with lots of my replies to questions concerning this feature.
Other changes since the previous announcement:
Filter search is now possible in the Filter Preferences.
“Collapse blocked elements” option has been renamed into “Hide placeholders of blocked elements”.
“Count filter hits” is now a visible option.
Added “Reset hit statistics” filter action.
Added warning for filter subscriptions requiring a newer Adblock Plus version.
Updating all filter subscriptions is now possible using Ctrl-Shift-T keyboard shortcut (not visible in the user interface).
Fixed: Filter groups should also have “Show/hide filters” in their Actions menu.
Fixed: ABP menu still has the old “Preferences” menu item.
menu still has the old “Preferences” menu item. Fixed: Dragging a filter subscription might display as a button or menu being dragged.
To the install page
Commenting is closed for this article. | {
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The future arrives in moments like this: a beige Honda vaporizing its drag radials, the car squirming against line-locked front wheels like a rottweiler on a rope. Smoke spills across the asphalt. Pellets of hot rubber fling from the tires, then rain from above. The scene is manic. And nearly silent. This is the Teslonda: a retro, all-electric love letter to hot-rodding. The name is a mash-up—Tesla and Honda—and an obvious recipe deciphered.
This story originally appeared in the June 2019 issue of Road & Track.
“The thing that’s going to help people love electric cars is performance,” says Jim Belosic, who cooked up the car. “Not range or autonomy.”
That sentiment is fresh-breath optimism. Electric cars, from Teslas to Formula E racers, coat themselves in a Jetsons sheen: polite, chic, clean. But shouldn’t fast electric cars feel more like Ridley Scott’s Alien, where futurism and grime and flamethrowers coexist? That’s Teslonda.
The project was pieced together at Belosic’s shop in Reno, Nevada. It began as a means to connect with his kids, ages 9 and 12, who Belosic imagined would be wrenching on and driving electric cars in the coming decades. He wanted to jump ahead of the curve, to figure out electric hot-rodding for himself.
Belosic and the Teslonda. Andrew Trahan
A 1981 Accord entered Belosic’s life at the time, bone-stock and beige, just like the one he had at age 15; a vessel meant to rekindle the Sega Genesis glow of his youth. The anemic sedan bored Belosic, just as he began searching for a cadaver for his electric experiment. One thing led to another. A Model S rear end (subframe, drive unit, suspension, brakes, hubs, wheels) was sourced from a scrapyard, then grafted into the Accord’s trunk.
The Tesla drive unit is half inverter, half motor, nestled into an aluminum housing that looks like a giant AA battery. From another wreck, Belosic salvaged a Chevrolet Volt battery pack, which sits longitudinally in the Accord’s engine bay.
Volt packs are readily available and powerful, providing the Tesla drive unit with a Godzilla punch of amperage.
Gazing into the hollowed-out bay of the Teslonda, you’re reminded of the grimy authenticity of unrestored race cars: fast old things whose corporate decals are peeling at the edges but still feel purposeful. A single small radiator up front accompanies a bank of fuses running along the Teslonda’s fender. The car’s guts appear almost primitive.
Belosic’s life positioned him at the center of a Venn diagram of wrenching, coding, and a willingness to experiment. His career bounced between a thousand disciplines. His shop now houses a room-sized, two-axis laser cutter that’s constantly sparking and dancing, the centerpiece of his newest venture in rapid manufacturing.
“Building the Teslonda was a different process, but that’s what’s so cool about it,” he says. “This electric process was like doing my first oil change at age 15. It was renewing and reinvigorating.”
Stuffing battery packs and a rear-wheel drive unit into a front-wheel-drive econobox was the primary challenge. Belosic says the Honda’s chassis is “flimsy, like a cookie sheet,” and it was only made worse when he sawed holes to accommodate the car’s electric organs. The Accord body sits awkwardly atop the Tesla rear end. Beefy 305/35 rubber sprouts from the car’s sides, miming an old-school “gasser” drag car. But perhaps the most awe-inspiring aspect of the car is the dash.
CAN data from the Tesla drive unit is intercepted via Raspberry Pi, a $35 Swiss army knife of a computer that can power everything from robotic arms to dash cameras on the cheap. Belosic and his friend Michael Mathews, a software engineer, dived into the data pumping from the Tesla drive unit.
“We had to figure out a lot through trial and error,” Belosic says. “A big part of my discovery with electric cars was that this is not an LS engine and a blower. This is a laptop and all this data, and fine-tuning that data.”
Andrew Trahan
The fruits of that labor are displayed across two touchscreens mounted to the steering column. The setup drips retro cool, as if Knight Rider’s KITT got freaky with a Super Nintendo. Mathews’s face was digitized and rendered on-screen. His 16-bit head shouts warnings like “critical voltage event,” and there’s a submenu that ranks the Teslonda’s best 0–60-mph times, displayed like scores in a vintage arcade cabinet. “JIM” has the top score, at 2.43 seconds.
That’s where the future lies, Belosic says: beyond batteries and motors, which will simplify with time. At some point, he believes, you’ll thumb open a Jegs catalog to cross-shop crate motors and batteries. Or maybe you’ll order a chassis from Factory Five and provide your own salvaged Tesla Model 3 powertrain. “But the software is where everything is going to be crazy,” he maintains. “I was like, Okay, this is what I need to teach my daughter and my son, the laptop tuning. Not necessarily anything else.”
Andrew Trahan
On the first test drive, the Teslonda ripped. There were no carbs to sync, no vacuum leaks, no weeping seals, no blood-curdling clunks from deep in the engine. With electric hot rods, you plug it all in and get wheelspin on day one, Belosic says. No Lamborghini Huracán Performante, no 911 GT3, no Tesla Model S snaps to attention like the Teslonda under prodded throttle. When you weld the accelerator to the floorboard, the car’s steering goes to lunch, weightless. It’s terrifying. The Teslonda squats on its rear end, bucking the nose skyward, briefly transforming its Sparco driver’s bucket into the world’s fastest observatory. There’s a hole in the firewall, sawed out to accommomade the steering rack from a Chevrolet Vega. Gales of wind shoot up your pant leg under acceleration, racking your undercarriage. The whole time, the Tesla power unit is chirping like a concert of crickets, cheap-cheap-cheap-cheap-cheap, their notes ramping up in frequency the harder you flog the car. If anyone tells you electric cars can’t be engaging because they don’t make sound, tell them to go chew a lamp cord. There’s a buffet of noises: tire screech, motor chirp, wind rush.
I wish every doubter could spend 10 seconds behind the wheel—about enough time for the Teslonda to cover a quarter mile. The experience mimics that levitating-gut panic in the split second before you crash on a ski hill. It’s brilliant.
The car’s joy is infectious, even in traffic. The chunky tires and friendly mug are all mastiff-puppy charm—gawky and cute. Truckers flash grins. Harley riders thumbs-up. “That’s totally badass, dude,” chimes down from the cab of a heavy-duty Ram pickup. Cackles erupt from every direction, as if the hillsides cosseting Reno are themselves entertained.
“It’s an ugly mutt, so people aren’t afraid to love it,” Belosic says.
But the Teslonda is not long for this world. By press time, Belosic and his team will have ripped out the drive unit, transplanting its guts into their next project—called Teslakart—which should do 0–60 in 1.8 seconds. That’s quicker than Tesla claims for its yet to be released Roadster.
The Teslonda is proof that enthusiasts should embrace the electrified future—the whole experiment feels fresh and breakneck and exciting. Belosic’s projects may now live on the cutting edge, but they give us a window facing forward while referencing the past. The Teslonda’s masterful dash display is akin to pinstriping. Cramming battery packs via ever-smaller, ever-cleverer solutions feels a lot like stuffing a Chevy V-8 into a ’32 Ford, but also a logical evolution.
“Electric is definitely the better mousetrap,” Belosic says. “I always get a giggle when Ferrari or Lamborghini go, ‘There’s no soul in electric.’ I say, ‘Have you guys not driven a fast electric car?’ It’s wild. The performance is vastly superior. And we’re just at the very beginning.”
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io | {
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From Bulbanews, your community Pokémon newspaper.
On the Origin of Species Columnist Xan Hutcheon Status Ongoing Schedule Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays License BY-NC-SA 2.5 Original run April 2010 - present List of articles
On the Origin of Species is a column written by Xan Hutcheon and published exclusively on Bulbanews. It provides insight on the cultural and zoological origins of Pokémon species. Issues focus on either a single Pokémon's origins or the origins of multiple Pokémon connected in an evolutionary family.
The column began its first run on April 18, 2010, and editions were published regularly at the beginning of each week for six months. Two issues regarding Pokémon from Pokémon Black and White were published in March 2011.
A third set of articles ran during the pre-launch period of Pokémon X and Y. | {
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October 7, 2013 - 6:57am
Today's Poll: Do prayers before meetings of public bodies violate the First Amendment? | {
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Crude, broiled, simmered in your tadkas or added to curries, this little zest isn't just delightful yet in addition rich in such a large number of nutrients. It accompanies a pack of medical advantages that it nearly appears to be amazing.We should start with a definitive advantage - for example green chillies accompany zero calories. Truth be told, they accelerate one's digestion as much as half for as long as three hours subsequent to eating.Insurance against malignant growth: Green chillies are stacked with cancer prevention agents, that ensure the body against free radicals by going about as characteristic scroungers. Green chillies can likewise keep prostate issues under control.Green chillies likewise apply various advantageous impacts on the cardiovascular framework. In particular, it decreases the probability of creating atherosclerosis by lessening blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels and platelet accumulation, just as expanding fibrinolytic movement. Fibrinolytic action alludes to the capacity to avoid development of blood clumps, which can prompt a heart assault or stroke.Curiously enough capsaicin, found in green chillies albeit hot to taste, has been appeared to bring down body temperature by invigorating the cooling focal point of the nerve center in the mind. This clarifies why, even in extremely hot spots like India, green chillies are devoured.Capsaicin in green chillies stimulatingly affects the bodily fluid films of the nose and sinuses. Capsaicin animates blood course through the layers and makes bodily fluid discharge become more slender. This activity makes it helpful in battling the regular cold or sinus diseases.The warmth created by the chillies, go about as a viable agony reliever, as a stomach related and against ulcer help. In spite of the fact that, individuals with dynamic peptic ulcer might be disturbed by "fiery nourishments".Stacked with Vitamin C and beta-carotene, green chillies are incredible for sound eyes, skin and insusceptible framework. Make a point to store the green chillies at a dull cool territory since chillies lose their Vitamin C, when they are presented to warmth, light and air.Whenever eaten, green chillies discharge endorphins that supports the state of mind, and diminishes torment.Green chillies are demonstrated to adjust glucose levels. In the event that you are diabetic, this might be your response to sound eating routine.Green Chillies are a prevalent topping on Indian thalisBut this little marvel is pressed with a large group of benefitsIt is additionally zero calorie, accordingly extraordinary for weight reduction Crude, broiled, simmered in your tadkas or added to curries, this little flavor isn't just heavenly yet additionally rich in such huge numbers of nutrients. It accompanies a pack of medical advantages that it nearly appears to be amazing.We should start with a definitive advantage - for example green chillies accompany zero calories. Indeed, they accelerate one's digestion as much as half for as long as three hours in the wake of eating.Security against malignant growth: Green chillies are stacked with cancer prevention agents, that ensure the body against free radicals by going about as common foragers. Green chillies can likewise keep prostate issues under control.Green chillies additionally apply various gainful consequences for the cardiovascular framework. In particular, it diminishes the probability of creating atherosclerosis by decreasing blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels and platelet total, just as expanding fibrinolytic movement. Fibrinolytic movement alludes to the capacity to counteract development of blood clumps, which can prompt a heart assault or stroke.Strangely enough capsaicin, found in green chillies albeit hot to taste, has been appeared to bring down body temperature by invigorating the cooling focus of the nerve center in the mind. This clarifies why, even in hot spots like India, green chillies are devoured.Capsaicin in green chillies stimulatingly affects the bodily fluid layers of the nose and sinuses. Capsaicin animates blood move through the films and makes bodily fluid discharge become more slender. This activity makes it advantageous in fighting the regular cold or sinus diseases.The warmth created by the chillies, go about as a viable torment reliever, as a stomach related and against ulcer help. Despite the fact that, individuals with dynamic peptic ulcer might be troubled by "zesty sustenances".Stacked with Vitamin C and beta-carotene, green chillies are extraordinary for solid eyes, skin and invulnerable framework. Make a point to store the green chillies at a dim cool region since chillies lose their Vitamin C, when they are presented to warmth, light and air.Whenever eaten, green chillies discharge endorphins that helps the mind-set, and diminishes torment.Green chillies are demonstrated to adjust glucose levels. In the event that you are diabetic, this might be your response to sound eating regimen.Green chillies are a characteristic wellspring of iron, and a rich hotspot for iron lacking individuals.Green chillies have a ton of antibacterial properties and can help treat skin diseases.Green chillies are wealthy in Vitamin K that help decline your danger of osteoporosis and of draining perilously when you are removed or harmed. Phew! Add green chillies liberally to every one of your dinners, to upgrade season, yet additionally to give all of you these wellbeing and restorative advantages. The clincher? With zero calories, it enables health food nuts to accomplish their objectives quicker as well. | {
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The Beach Boys Pet Sounds on 200g Mono Vinyl LP from Analogue Productions
Analogue Productions' Mono Vinyl LP of Beach Boys Pet Sounds Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio: Incredible-Sounding Reissue Pressed at QRP and True to Original LP Release
Meticulously mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio from the best sources available, plated and pressed at QRP, and housed in an "old style" Stoughton tip-on jacket, Analogue Productions' 200g mono vinyl LP reissue of Pet Sounds presents the legendary 1966 record in audiophile-caliber mono that is both true to and elevates that of the original pressing. This is the way head Beach Boys architect Brian Wilson intended his band's records to sound. Mono mixes created under Wilson’s supervision helped catapult the surf-rock California crew rose to fame. For the early part of the Beach Boys career, all of their singles were mixed, mastered, and released only in the mono format. They didn't release a single in stereo until 1968.
Ranked #2 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, the groundbreaking Pet Sounds (1966) is The Beach Boys' most acclaimed album and one of the most influential pop records in history. Landmark songwriting ("Wouldn't It Be Nice," "God Only Knows," "Caroline No," "Sloop John B"), incredible vocal harmonies and majestic arrangements coalesce to form a rich collage of sound that overflows with artistic depth and pure emotion.
Features:
• 200g mono LP
• Original mono mixes created under Brian Wilson's supervision
• Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio
• Lacquer plating by Gary Salstrom
• Pressed at Quality Record Pressings
• "Old school" Stoughton tip-on jackets
| {
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Here’s my idea of how the Dallas Cowboys 53 man roster is going to end up. This is all taking place before the final preseason game, so it’s subject to change. I am also going to try and figure out a few practice squad players.
2 QB: Dak Prescott, Cooper Rush
4 RB: Zeke, Tony Pollard, Jamize Olawale, Jordan Chunn
6 WR: Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, Randall Cobb, Tavon Austin, Devin Smith, Cedrick Wilson
9 Oline: Tyron Smith, Connor Williams, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin, La’el Collins, Cam Fleming, Xavier Su’a-filo, Joe Looney, Connor McGovern
3 TE: Jason Witten, Blake Jarwin, Dalton Schultz
11 DL: Robert Quinn, Antwaun Woods, Maliek Collins, Demarcus Lawrence, Dorance Armstrong, Christian Covington, Taco Charlton, Tyrone Crawford, Kerry Hyder, Trysten Hill, Joe Jackson
6 LB: Jaylon Smith, LVE, Sean Lee, Joe Thomas, Justin Phillips, Justin March (he dropped the lillard)
4 Safety: Xavier Woods, Donovan Wilson, Darian Thompson, Jeff Heath
5 CB: Chidobe Awuzie, Byron Jones, Anthony Brown, Jourdan Lewis, CJ Goodwin
3 Punter, Kicker, Long Snapper: Chris Jones, L.P. Ladoucer, Brett Maher
PUP list: Luke Gifford, Noah Brown
10 Practice Squad: Jon’vae Johnson, Chris Westry, Mitch Hyatt, Cody McElroy, Jake Campos, Brandon Knight, Taryn Christion, Donovan Olumba, Mike Jackson, Mike Webber, Jalen Jelks
I’m not taking into account the Cowboys bringing in outside players. There’s no way to guess who they could bring to the team. | {
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As sea levels rise and coastal communities face the threat of erosion and flooding, coastal defence structures, often built with concrete, have become the norm in many parts of the world. But these hard engineered structures, like seawalls, breakwaters and groynes, are both expensive and bad for the environment. A team of University of Melbourne scientists is joining a growing number of international researchers looking at whether natural coastal defence structures could be a better option. We are trialling mussel reefs and mangrove forests in Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay to see how well they protect our shorelines. Natural coastlines have in-built coastal defence in the form of sand dunes and beaches, saltmarsh, mangroves, seagrass and kelp beds, and coral and shellfish reefs. These natural structures can reduce the height of waves as they approach the shore and trap sediment, increasing the height of the land relative to sea level. This reduces flooding and erosion. Mussel reefs and mangrove forests are particularly important in Port Phillip because they are native habitats that have suffered significant declines historically. We are creating the mussel reef from recycled shell and natural basalt rock, and we expect it to reduce wave height and promote accretion of the eroding foreshore. For the mangrove forests we will use a ‘hybrid’ approach, which involves planting the mangroves within concrete cultivars that attenuate waves, accrete sediment and provide the right conditions for the forests to grow.
A closer view of a Mussel Reef.
Elsewhere, other natural habitats are being used to protect shorelines. For instance, in the United States, oyster reefs have been widely restored on the east coast to provide erosion control. Oysters need something hard to attach to, and lots of creative reef designs have been engineered to replace lost habitats and enhance oyster populations. In contrast, artificial structures are expensive to build and maintain and cause significant ecological damage. In particular, they lead to a loss of biodiversity through the replacement of natural habitats and are often hotspots for invasive species.
Determining value for money Given the threats our shorelines are facing, protecting them into the future needs to be both financially and ecologically sustainable. Nature-based coastal defence systems present an effective alternative to artificial structures because they can adapt to changes in climate and self-repair after things like storms – which means they could be cheaper in the long run. But we don’t know yet which option offers better protection for local communities, or the best value for money. To try and understand this better, we recently published a review of the scientific studies in this field in the journal Global Change Biology. We found that, although nature-based coastal defence is advocated in the literature, there is a lack field study data on their impact on wave height reduction or building up the shoreline. Some habitats, like dunes, have been used historically for coastal defence, but data on their effectiveness at reducing shoreline loss is not always reported, making evaluation difficult. We need to know which habitats are effective at providing coastal defence, the types of environments in which they work best and the best designs for achieving long-term protection. This research is only possible through collaborations among scientists, coastal managers and engineers.
Melbourne's recent inner urban development sits within well-documented flood-plains. Image: Matanya Coastal erosion near Portarlington, Victoria, located near the heads of Port Phillip Bay. Melbourne's million-dollar bayside properties are particularly vulnerable to freak-storm surges. Melbourne from the south-eastern bayside suburbs. Image: Wilson Afonso | {
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GENEVA (Reuters) - Japan denied imposing a trade embargo on South Korea on Tuesday, after a complicated diplomatic dispute that could disrupt global supplies of chips and smartphones erupted over forced labor in World War Two and banned trade with North Korea.
FILE PHOTO: A logo is pictured outside the World Trade Organization (WTO) headquarters next to a red traffic light in Geneva, Switzerland, October 2, 2018. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
South Korean Ambassador Paik Ji-ah raised the issue in Geneva, where she and her Japanese counterpart Junichi Ihara set out competing arguments at a meeting of the World Trade Organization.
Paik said that starting on July 4, Tokyo had told exporters to apply for licences before shipping to South Korea, according to a Geneva-based trade official who attended the meeting.
Paik said Japan had not justified its actions beyond citing a “damage of trust”, the official said.
She warned that Japan’s action would disrupt the global supply chain of electronic products, affecting companies worldwide including in Japan.
The dispute stems from Japan's frustration over what it sees as South Korea's failure to act in response to a ruling by one of its courts last October ordering Japan's Nippon Steel 5401.T to compensate former forced laborers.
The row worsened when last week when Japanese media quoted an unidentified senior member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party as saying some hydrogen fluoride exported to South Korea had ultimately been shipped to North Korea.
Japan threatened last week to drop South Korea from a “white list” of countries with minimum trade restrictions. Paik said there were no WTO rules allowing countries to impose export controls due to damaged trust.
Japan’s envoy Ihara told the meeting that it was not a trade embargo but an operational review needed to implement export controls based on Japan’s security concerns.
After the WTO meeting, Ihara told reporters that he had explained that Japan had merely changed its procedures, having previously applied simplified rules to South Korea.
“Now we changed and normal measures are applied to Korea,” he said. “This is perfectly in conformity with our obligations at the WTO.” | {
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A lot of people ask us about exchange rate stability and how it would affect the usability of Kin. In fact, Ted was asked that question (in different forms) three separate times in his most recent Q&A session.
Note: Click here to see the AMA, then check out questions and answers at 5:33, 9:02 and 28:57.
As Ted says, we’re pretty confident that when the Kin economy matures, exchange rates will not be such big of a problem. Cryptocurrencies today are notorious for their volatility, but admittedly almost all trades are by speculators and nearly none are for real use of the currency.
In a mature ecosystem in which speculation is marginal and most use of the currency is for goods and services, the exchange rates will naturally stabilize.
This statement may seem simplistic, but it’s far more than intuition. The assessment is also backed by economic models.
“More widespread use of virtual currencies by merchants and consumers lowers the impact of speculative behaviour and therefore stabilizes the exchange rate.”
The above quote comes from an excellent paper called On the Value of Virtual Currencies, which was written by Wilko Bolt and Maarten R.C. van Oordt for the Bank of Canada.
The authors apply the classical economic models for the value of currencies to crypto. Their theoretical framework shows that three components are important for the exchange rate:
“First, the current use of virtual currency to make actual payments.
Second, the decision of forward-looking investors to buy virtual currency (thereby effectively regulating its supply).
Third, the elements that jointly drive future consumer adoption and merchant acceptance of virtual currency.”
We designed Kin’s economics to eventually support all three components. And we keep each of them in mind as we seed our partner ecosystem and refine the framework for the Kin Rewards Engine.
I highly recommend Bolt and van Oordt’s paper to readers interested in learning more about exchange rate stability. (The models they develop can be a bit technical and hard to read — unless you’re accustomed to reading economic literature — but their general explanations are very accessible, and deliver their insights in plain English.)
Check it out below — especially the insights on how network effects facilitated by two-sided marketplaces may play an important role in the adoption of a virtual currency.
Literature on the economics of virtual currencies is still developing, but Kin is learning from the best as we build a fairer digital economy for all. | {
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WASHINGTON ― Employees at the FBI, an institution still reeling from the attacks it has endured since the 2016 election, are dealing with another blow to morale as the government shutdown enters its second month.
FBI special agents and employees, who will soon miss their second paychecks since the government shutdown began on Dec. 22, are scrambling to make ends meet. New FBI recruits just starting their careers through their training at Quantico, Virginia, have never received a paycheck. The FBI SWAT team can’t purchase critical gear. Some FBI employees are unable to put food on the table and are relying on food banks that FBI field offices have set up across the country.
A new report from the FBI Agents Association, an outside organization that advocates for bureau employees, lays out the effects of the partial government shutdown on the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Thomas O’Connor, the president of the group, held a press conference on Tuesday to call attention to the shutdown’s impact on FBI employees and the need to fund the bureau.
“We are a motivated, professional, and patriotic lot, as you know, but we do have to make our bills like every other American — red, blue, green, or otherwise,” one 22-year FBI veteran said in the report. “Notwithstanding the obvious ... financial duress, there is also a very real impact on morale for us all.”
“The demoralization of employees is impacting operations because employees now have a significant point of stress distracting them as they perform their normal duties,” said another FBI employee.
David McNew via Getty Images While President Donald Trump has used the threat of MS-13 as justification for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, the shutdown has affected investigations into the gang, according to one FBI employee.
An agent whose wife is battling Stage 2 breast cancer is worried about being able to financially survive the shutdown and said he was “angry at the unnecessary stress this shutdown is putting on my wife who just survived cancer and my 9-year-old son.”
Two FBI employees who recently bought their first home in a new city can’t afford their mortgage. “We contacted our lender, and they are refusing to work with us,” the FBI employee said. “They don’t want our ‘Hardship Letter,’ they want money, period.”
Another employee of 24 years whose wife is battling terminal cancer said they’ve had to reach out for assistance from family and friends for the first time in his career.
“I am proud to be an Agent, proud to serve my country, and willing to sacrifice my life in defense of the people and the Constitution, but to have my family placed in the financial situation we are currently facing due to partisan politics is disgusting to me as a government employee and a citizen,” the agent said in the report.
While President Donald Trump has used the threat of MS-13 as justification for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, the shutdown has affected investigations into the gang, according to one FBI employee. The employee said the bureau had been working an investigation into MS-13 for three years and had indicted a number of members, but has not had a Spanish speaker in the division since the shutdown.
“We have several Spanish speaking informants,” the employee said. “We are only able to communicate using a three-way call with a linguist in another division.”
To have my family placed in the financial situation we are currently facing due to partisan politics is disgusting to me as a government employee and a citizen. FBI employee of 24 years
Bureau employees are limited in what kind of outside jobs they can take, and already work long hours in often stressful jobs. O’Connor credited FBI leadership with being flexible about the $3,000 cap on outside employment ― the FBI’s shutdown Q&A page says “flexibility is warranted” with regard to the limit, given the unusual situation. But O’Connor said FBI special agents shouldn’t have to be contemplating part-time work to being with.
“FBI agents should not have to go work at a store stocking shelves because they can’t feed their families on their government job,” O’Connor said. “When are they going to find time to go get that second job?”
O’Connor also worried about the long-term impact on the bureau’s ability to attract talent, given that new recruits at the FBI Academy at Quantico still haven’t received their first paycheck from the government.
“These people leave other jobs, many times taking a pay cut to join government service, they leave their families at home and they come to Quantico and they spend months at training. How long can you leave your family at home with your spouse and children, taking care of your family while you’re away doing your job and becoming an FBI agent, and you have no money to pay for mortgage, food, medical, anything that you need?” O’Connor asked. “Brand new agents, at an entry level, are getting nothing and have gotten nothing.”
An FBI employee in the central region said in the report that an incoming FBI agent may move in with him and his wife to save money.
“We have a robust food bank going and hosted 200 federal employees for a free potluck lunch this week,” the FBI employee said. “We have a free breakfast planned for next week.” Another employee said that the “distraction of worrying about making ends meet is in the back of their minds.”
“I’ve always prided myself on being able to pay my bills on-time and in-full. The fact that I can no longer do that is humiliating and degrading,” said one FBI agent from the southeast region. “Like many of my fellow agents, I took a sizable pay cut to come to serve my country as an FBI special agent. I accepted this position because I wanted to serve the cause of justice instead of clients. The idea that I’d be forced to work without a paycheck or the ability to provide to my family was unthinkable to me when I made that decision to work here.”
O’Connor said that he and his wife, who is also an agent, delivered an entire truckload of donated food to their office last night for an FBI employee in need. “Phenomenal,” O’Connor said of the donations from citizens. “Also, I can’t believe it’s happening.”
HuffPost readers: Are you affected by the government shutdown? Email us about it. If you’re willing to be interviewed, please provide a phone number.
Read the FBI Agents Association report below. | {
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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the White House in Washington, U.S., May 10, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to visit FBI headquarters in the next few days, a White House spokeswoman said on Thursday, days after Trump's firing of the agency's director ignited a political firestorm.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, in an interview on CBS News, said Trump would "very likely" make the trip to talk to agents. Trump dismissed then-director James Comey on Tuesday.
The New York Times, citing an unnamed official, earlier reported Trump was considering visiting the FBI's Washington headquarters on Friday but was not expected to discuss the investigation over possible collusion between Trump's presidential campaign and Russia in the 2016 U.S. election.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) | {
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Het gaat inmiddels iets beter met hem, maar Amsterdammer Xeverio lag afgelopen zaterdagavond met zware verwondingen in het ziekenhuis. Hij werd mishandeld toen hij de metro verliet bij de halte Wibautstraat.
In de metro werd hij al nageroepen door een groep van wat later drie jongeren van rond de 25 jaar blijken te zijn. '"Homo" en "boeler" [Surinaams voor homo red.] werd er in de metro naar me geroepen en toen ik uitstapte merkte ik al dat ik gevolgd werd', vertelt Xeverio aan AT5.
'Nat van het bloed'
Eenmaal boven de grond loopt hij flink door, op weg naar een feestje waar hij met collega's naartoe zou gaan. Buiten wordt bij plots van achteren neergetrapt en krijgt hij vuisten in zijn gezicht. Xeverio valt hard op zijn knieën en hoofd, waarna de jongens op hem springen. Tegen hem wordt geroepen dat hij zijn 'bek moet houden' en dat hij zijn horloge af moet staan. De mannen willen ook zijn tas en armband hebben.
Lees ook: Jongen (22) mishandeld in West omdat hij een 'kankerhomo' is
Maar die armband zit vast. Omdat het allemaal niet snel genoeg gaat wordt hij met een baksteen op zijn hoofd geslagen. Zijn telefoon staat hij niet af. Vervolgens rennen ze weg en blijft Xeverio bloedend achter. 'Ik was helemaal nat van het bloed en zonder dat ik iets kon zien ben ik een stuk weggerend. Mijn telefoon zat ook onder het bloed en ik moest wachten tot hij droog was voordat ik kon bellen.'
Hersenschudding en hechtingen
Agenten zijn na zijn 112-telefoontje snel ter plaatse en met een ambulance wordt hij naar het OLVG gebracht. Zijn collega's, die met een taxi naar hem toe komen, rijden mee in de ambulance. Op weg naar het ziekenhuis bellen zij zijn vader en moeder.
Lees ook: Mishandelde homo: 'Nooit gedacht dat dit in Amsterdam, in mijn stad, zou gebeuren'
'In nog geen half uur kom ik op de afdeling aan en trof mijn zoon badend in zijn bloed aan', schrijft de vader van Xeverio in een bericht op social media. In het ziekenhuis wordt zijn wond schoongemaakt en wordt er met een scan gekeken of hij geen hersenletsel heeft opgelopen. Hij blijkt 'slechts' een hersenschudding te hebben. Artsen hechten daarna het gat in zijn voorhoofd en hij moet nog enkele uren blijven ter controle.
'Hoofd bonkte bij iedere stap'
'Daarna mocht ik naar huis. Ik kon niet lopen omdat mijn knieën heel erg pijn deden en mijn hoofd bij iedere stap bonkte', vertelt hij. Zijn vader rijdt hem daarom in een rolstoel naar de auto.
Gisteren heeft Xeverio aangifte gedaan van de mishandeling en beroving, samen met zijn ouders. 'Ik had de hele nacht niet kunnen slapen, dus toen ik thuiskwam ben ik in slaap gevallen. Ik was zo moe.'
Camerabeelden van snackbar
Hij heeft goede hoop dat de jongens die hem mishandelden nog gevonden gaan worden. Met zijn pinpas blijkt later die avond contactloos betaald te zijn bij een snackbar. De camerabeelden van die snackbar zijn inmiddels opgevraagd door de politie.
Lees ook: Mishandelde homo is Surinaamse toerist: 'Meerdere daders schopten op me in'
Anderhalve dag later heeft Xeverio nog steeds veel last van zijn verwondingen. Hij heeft een grote bult op zijn hoofd en nog steeds veel hoofd- en spierpijn. Maar mentaal zijn de wonden groter. 'Ik ben een hardwerkende man en heb dit niet verdiend. Ik ben heel erg verdrietig dat mij dit moet gebeuren. Ik had die avond dure spullen aan. Misschien was ik een te makkelijk slachtoffer', zegt hij zoekend naar een verklaring.
'Ik ben wie ik ben'
Door het verhaal dat zijn vader plaatste op social media krijgt Xeverio nu reacties uit het hele land. 'Ik vind het heel lief. Het zijn allemaal mensen die me sterkte wensen en hopen dat ik er weer bovenop kom.' Zelf wil hij vooral 'gewoon' doorgaan met zijn leven. 'Ik laat me hierdoor niet angstig maken. Ik ben wie ik ben.'
De politie wil nog niet spreken van homogerelateerd geweld. Maar noemde het in eerste instantie ordinaire beroving, een woordvoerder legt uit: 'We vinden het een verschrikkelijk verhaal en we gaan er alles aan doen om deze daders te pakken. Het slachtoffer is mishandeld, beroofd en uitgescholden. Dat zijn drie aspecten die we nog moeten onderzoeken.' | {
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Immigration minister Scott Morrison will no longer hold weekly press briefings and will instead only hold conferences on an “as needs basis.”
Only weekly written statements will now be provided on boat arrivals and conferences will be held sporadically when the minister announces them, Morrison told ABC 7:30 in an interview with Leigh Sales on Tuesday evening.
“We'll do them on an as needs basis to detail operational matters that are able to be released and we'll respond to questions there," Morrison said.
“We will issue a statement on the numbers of arrivals and the transfers and we will hold operational briefings, like we will tomorrow, when we have something to say and when we have something to report,” he said.
Both the Greens and Labor had earlier on Tuesday condemned the Coalition’s secretive approach to immigration matters, following revelations that the immigration department is now blocking the release of ministerial briefings that were previously made public under the Labor government.
“There is no doubt the Coalition government has gone to extraordinary lengths to hide information from Australians who are still waiting for the accountability and transparency they were promised by the Coalition before the election,” acting shadow immigration minister Michelle Rowland said in the earlier statement.
“It is unacceptable that Australians know more about what is happening on our borders from the Indonesian government than from the prime minister or Scott Morrison.”
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young also said: “The government is keeping the Australian people in the dark while lying to them and saying that the boats have stopped.”
“Despite the government’s refusal to tell the Australian people, we know that women and children are still attempting to flee to Australia in any way that they can,” she said.
Morrison also hit back at the the claims of secrecy, saying the government’s approach was not about toughness, but about providing “effective measures”.
“If that means we're going to be accused of secrecy and things like that, I think some people have got to come down off the grassy knoll a bit on this, the conspiracy theories are getting a bit crazy,” he said.
Morrison also confirmed that the 285 asylum seekers housed in four mainland detention centres centres that will be closed, following an announcement earlier on Tuesday, will be sent to other Australian facilities, not offshore ones.
“They will be transferred to other parts of the detention network on mainland Australia.” | {
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Some people have a way of breaking down an issue, laying it out in its simplest, most rudimentary form. Comic and podcaster Adam Carolla did just that recently when he unleashed what many conservatives will hail an acerbic yet painfully accurate debunking of the Occupy movement and its self-ascribed motivations. The nearly ten minute long lampooning of America’s new “f–king self-entitled monsters“ who ”think the world owes them a living” is peppered with very strong language, still, Carolla’s observations are worth listening through to the end.
Among the many highlights in Carolla’s rant, he asks why the top “1 percent” of America paying 50 percent of all income taxes in the country is not good enough for the Occupiers. He also observes how “envy” never before existed among Americans the way it does now, and that it, along with “shame” plays a crucial role in the Occupiers’ motivation and self-justification.
Reflecting on how things used to be “back in the day,” Carolla states:
“You took guys who built something, and you said ‘there’s a guy who accomplished something.‘ You didn’t say, ‘that guy didn’t pay his fair share.’ That guy paid millions of dollars last year, and you paid shi*t and you’re pissed at him?”
You can listen to Carolla’s podcast below. We caution again, he uses very strong language:
Regarding the “envy” of Occupiers, the media personality notes that people used to look up to those who “accomplished” something and built businesses.
“It’s this envy and shame, and there’s gonna be a lot more of it,” he warns. “It used to be back in the day, a father was walking his son and they’d see a guy go by in his Rolls Royce. There goes Mr. Jenkins. Look up to him.’ What do we do now? Oooh, look at him. Does he need that car? Why does he need to drive that car? Let’s throw a rock at it.”
“That’s not gonna help you get out of your Chevette,” Carolla adds sarcastically.
Reflecting on a time when people were rewarded for their actual accomplishments rather than for nothing at all, Carolla laments, “We’re dealing with the first wave of participation trophies…everybody’s a winner, there are no losers.”
He rhetorically asks why the “slowest, fattest guy on the team” would deserve an MVP award. In the process of rewarding those undeserving, Carolla says that “we created a bunch of f**king self-entitled monsters.”
“We’re dealing with the first wave of those f–cking a**holes now,” he blasts in reference to the Occupy protesters. The kind who believe “my own fecal matter doesn’t stink.”
Carolla also strongly suggests that the Occupiers need to “find a mirror” and figure out why they are not “doing better” in life rather than look at others.
For the most part, Carolla maintains that while Capitalism does veer off course at times, it is the “best system.”
Update: This isn’t the first time Carolla has spoken out against the Occupy Movement. Below, listen to another clip during which the comedian lambastes the protesters:
This post originally appeared on The Blaze. | {
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Contingency, for lack of a better term is like the “Uber of Casinos”. Instead of providing a single service for people to wager on, it provides a network for people to participate in creating their own games, providing a bankroll to gain income, or wagering against other users.
Once launched, it will be the first truly decentralised, unstoppable casino network. There will be no way to shut it down without shutting down the entire ethereum network.
The network acts as the matchmaker between player and banker, automatically finding funds for a player to try his or her luck against and providing a way for bankers to generate income.
There are many existing online gambling games in the bitcoin space and even a few now coming to the ethereum space. A key difference of Contingency is that it is not a single game but a platform to create games and pool bankers.
Many cryptocurrency betting platforms allow the option to “invest”, this generally involves sending your funds to the casino operator and sharing profits on the income generated. This requires trust in the casino operator and opens the casino up to various vulnerabilities, including:
The casino operator could simply run with all invested funds. If the casino operator has an input in the randomness of bets, they could bet against their own casino and always win, draining investor funds. Provably fair systems do not prevent this.
By utilizing Ethereum smart contracts gambling platforms can store user’s funds inside of smart contracts that the casino operator can not access, thus preventing vulnerability #1. This does not however, prevent vulnerability #2.
Vulnerability #2 can be prevented by using an external source of randomness. A simple source for this would be an upcoming ethereum block hash, although this can still be manipulated by miners and with any platform that has enough funds, it surely will be.
So, who can we trust as a source of randomness?
The only answer is yourself!
Methods today exist on ethereum such as RANDAO, and it works in two phases:
Phase One: Users choose a number and provide a hashed version to the contract.
Phase Two: Users reveal their numbers and a final random number is generated from all the inputs.
The problem with this method is that a user could manipulate the result by revealing or not revealing their inputs. Even though RANDAO issues a penalty to those who don’t reveal their inputs, the user could be profiting larger than the penalty from manipulating the result.
Contingency’s method is quite simple by design. It’s somewhat similar to the RANDAO method except that only two inputs are allowed at any time — one by the player and one by the banker. Both the player and the banker don’t know the number the other has chosen before the bet is confirmed, and if one party decides not to reveal their number, the entire bet is awarded to the other user. Users of course won’t actually need to handle any of these steps, instead it will be done via client side javascript.
Due to the fact that only the users involved in the bet are providing the source of randomness and all the funds are at stake, the number cannot be manipulated for a greater profit elsewhere.
I just want to bet or become a banker, how will it actually work?
The Contingency platform will function just like any other online gambling platform. An online web interface will be created that anyone can interact with using their Mist browser, the metamask Google Chrome plugin, a third party website, or anything else that comes out in the future.
Contingency will create an easy-to-use interface at contingency.tech which will later be distributed via swarm (contingency.eth) for even more decentralisation and security. Using this interface, players will be able to wager bets and bankers will be able to manage and monitor their bank rolls.
Bankers will simply deposit required eth/tokens/CTY via the contingency interface and then run a client side script on their own computer or an external server. Bankers can then monitor their profits in real time via the contingency interface
Why does contingency need an edge?
Contingency itself is a completely free platform and does not take any fees or any “edge” from bets.
Bankers on Contingency have a 1% edge on all bets. With this edge, due to the law of large numbers, bankers should see a positive return on their investment in the long term.
If Contingency was to offer an edgeless gambling network, where the player and banker both had completely equal chances of winning a bet, there would be zero incentive for bankers to exist at all. Bankers would essentially just be gambling their funds the same way as the player, but over a long and boring period that minimises the excitement of placing a bet. In addition, their net result over the long term is expected to be even.
Due to the bankers having zero incentive to provide funds to the platform, we would see a very low number of them (if any at all). This would result in there being very low, or zero funds for the players to wager against when they want to and bring the entire system to a halt.
One possible way to run an edgeless peer to peer casino would be to accept a bet and have it sit there until someone places a bet with the same value, but this would result in very slow bets that could take days or even weeks to resolve, especially when it involves significant values.
With a 1% edge, bankers can be confident they will profit in the long term, and players can wager knowing they will get a very low competitive rate, in addition to adequate funds being available for instant betting.
What if the contingency staff turns evil?
All funds will be held inside of the ethereum smart contract at all times and can never be accessed by the contingency staff, or any unauthorised users. In the event that they do decide to turn evil, the only thing that can be manipulated or shut down by us is the contingency.tech homepage. In this event, users could use a local or third party copy of the website or even interact with the smart contract directly and still have complete access to their funds.
Clarification: Please note that pre-sale funds are to be used for development and CAN and WILL be accessed by the Contingency team. The above statement is referring to all post pre-sale funds and tokens that are to be used in the Contingency network once it is live.
Contingency also plans to distribute the full client via swam as soon as possible to completely remove any attack vectors from our own hands.
Presale? why, when, how?
(TL:DR: February 1st, 2017.)
The simple rule for bankers is: “The more bets I can process, the more I should profit”. This is due to the 1% edge in the banker’s favour.
So when a player places a bet, how will the system determine which banker can process the bet? The answer, CTY tokens.
When a banker provides ether or any other ERC20 token to be wagered against (Augur’s REP for example), they must also provide CTY tokens. These tokens are used to place them in a queue of bankers ready to be wagered against.
The banker then sits in the queue as the other bankers get wagered against until he or she is the next in line.
Once it is your turn as a banker, all bets will be forwarded to you (as long as you have deposited enough of the token that is being wagered). You must then process these bets by providing a seed.
If the banker fails to provide the outcome of a bet, the bet is processed as a win for the player and the banker receives a small penalty to their CTY tokens (amount to be tested and determined).
After your turn as the active banker, your CTY tokens will be automatically placed at the end of the queue awaiting your next turn. Bankers can exit the queue at any time without penalty (and have their full CTY tokens refunded).
With this method, no CTY tokens should ever be lost by a banker unless they attempt to act maliciously or happen to go offline right as their bet is due (Contingency is also currently developing a way to be able to save a user from CTY token loss as a result of being offline, which involves periodically sending an online ping to a smart contract and removing the banker from the queue if their ping dies out).
Of course, this will all be done via a client side script that a banker simply only has to run and forget.
The presale will be on February 1st, 2017 via an ethereum smart contract that will automatically distribute CTY tokens at a rate of below:
Period
Price (CTY tokens : ether)
Power Hour
170:1
02/01–02/07
150:1
02/08–02/14
133:1
02/15–02/22
117:1
02/23–02–28
100:1
The “Power Hour” is the opening hour of the presale.
The above dates are estimated and will be based on ethereum block numbers. The starting block number will be provided closer to the date.
10% bonus CTY tokens will be generated and locked inside of the smart contract for a period of six months. These will be able to be withdrawn after this time frame by the founder. This is to ensure that development is continued and to give incentive for the founders to keep CTY’s value at a high.
We are very excited to hear all of your feedback and launch the world’s first truly decentralised, unstoppable casino network! | {
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Ripple Inc. has again made an over the counter (OTC) sales of XRP to an unknown institutional investor. The transaction amounted to 10 million XRP, which is equivalent to 4,654,176 USD, was made over 3 hours ago.
The transaction, as revealed by Whale Alert was made on Ripple OTC Distribution wallet (rMaV5QT2ZCwVFArQ7sdQMxhtzg6mgqJ47h) to unknown wallet (rEFtdHuyxgUjDL4t3gBsesQwHtnDy2W8rC).
Ripple sells XRP, a digital currency demanded across the globe for cross-border payment, for investors wanting to hold the asset for future or immediate use.
Through Ripple, firms that intend to use XRP for daily transactions, buy XRP from Ripple at an undeclared amount. These investors have tenable use cases having the potential of increasing the adoption of XRP.
Observers at some point criticised Ripple’s idea of selling XRP holdings via its OTC wallet, claiming it would not increase the price of XRP at the moment.
Meanwhile, the destination of the latest sales is still not known. However, it may be for latest firms that just announced partnership with Ripple or for companies that are making to use XRP for day to day payment service.
For example, SendFriend, a remittance platform making use of XRP for cross-border payment just launched remittance network for Filipino residing in America. The service makes use of XRP for moving funds from America to Philippine.
Another latest partnership is that of MoneyGram, a cross-border remittance firm said to be the second largest. The partnership comes along with Ripple Inc. investing in MoneyGram, and centered on the latter making exploring xRapid, an XRP-dependent cross border tool.
When Ripple’s partnership with MoneyGram is finally activated, customers of the firm in close to over 200 countries of the world will make use of XRP for cross-border remittance.
Yesterday, however, an unknown person moved 98 million XRP from UpBit to Bittrex, paying 45 drops for it.
Ripple’s XRP in the Market as Bitcoin Goes Ballistic
Ripple’s XRP has been excellent in the market. At the time of writing, the digital asset is trading around $0.46 with $19.6 billion market capital.
XRP, like Bitcoin is in green, and there is glooming sign XRP will go higher now that Bitcoin is over $11,200. | {
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XSS
XSRF / CSRF
XSSI (cross-site script inclusion)
Bypassing authorization controls (e.g. User A can access User B's private data)
Server side code execution or command injection
attacks against Google’s corporate infrastructure
social engineering and physical attacks
denial of service bugs
non-web application vulnerabilities, including vulnerabilities in client applications
SEO blackhat techniques
vulnerabilities in Google-branded websites hosted by third parties
bugs in technologies recently acquired by Google
UPDATE: We also recommend reading our additional thoughts about these guidelines to help clarify what types of applications and bugs are eligible for this program.A) It's difficult to provide a definitive list of vulnerabilities that will be rewarded; however, any serious bug which directly affects the confidentiality or integrity of user data may be in scope. We anticipate most rewards will be in bug categories such as:Out of concern for the availability of our services to all users, we ask you to refrain from using automated testing tools.These categories of bugs are definitively excluded:A) Please, only ever target your own account or a test account. Never attempt to access anyone else's data. Do not engage in any activity that bombards Google services with large numbers of requests or large volumes of data.A) Contact details are listed here . Please only use the email address given for actual vulnerabilities in Google products. Non-security bugs and queries about problems with your account should should instead be directed to the Google Help Centers A) The base reward for qualifying bugs is $500. If the rewards panel finds a particular bug to be severe or unusually clever, rewards of up to $3,133.7 may be issued. The panel may also decide a single report actually constitutes multiple bugs requiring reward, or that multiple reports constitute only a single reward.We understand that some researchers aren’t interested in the money, so we’d also like to give you the option to donate your reward to charity. If you do, we'll match it — subject to our discretion.Regardless of whether you're rewarded monetarily or not, all vulnerability reporters who interact with us in a respectful, productive manner will be credited on a new vulnerability reporter page. If we file a bug internally, you'll be credited.Superstar performers will continue to be acknowledged under the "We Thank You" section of this page.A) You will receive a comment to this effect in an emailed response from the Google Security Team.A) Only the first report of a given issue that we had not yet identified is eligible. In the event of a duplicate submission, only the earliest received report is considered.A) We believe handling vulnerabilities responsibly is a two-way street. It's our job to fix serious bugs within a reasonable time frame, and we in turn request advance, private notice of any issues that are uncovered. Vulnerabilities that are disclosed to any party other than Google, except for the purposes of resolving the vulnerability (for example, an issue affecting multiple vendors), will usually not qualify. This includes both full public disclosure and limited private release.A) Yes, absolutely! We encourage open collaboration. We will also make sure to credit you on our new vulnerability reporter page.A) Several members of the Google Security Team including Chris Evans, Neel Mehta, Adam Mein, Matt Moore, and Michal Zalewski.A) Only if you want us to. If selected as the recipient of a reward, and you accept, we will need your contact details in order to pay you. However, at your discretion, you can choose not to be listed on any credit page.A) Sure. We encourage broad participation. However, we are unable to issue rewards to individuals who are on sanctions lists, or who are in countries (e.g. Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria) on sanctions lists. This program is also not open to minors. You are responsible for any tax implications depending on your country of residency and citizenship. There may be additional restrictions on your ability to enter depending upon your local law.This is not a competition, but rather an experimental and discretionary rewards program. You should understand that we can cancel the program at any time, and the decision as to whether or not to pay a reward has to be entirely at our discretion.Of course, your testing must not violate any law, or disrupt or compromise any data that is not your own.Thank you for helping us to make Google's products more secure. We look forward to issuing our first reward in this new program. | {
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The Obama administration must see Turkey under the reign of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for what it is, not how it used to be, or how Washington wishes it were. It is time for steely-eyed realism about Erdogan. Following are the facts:
Erdogan is authoritarian.
He recently praised "Hitler's Germany," mentioning Hitler in the context of his own tenure.
Erdogan blocks independent media.
Presently, 34 journalists are in jail for various charges including "insulting the President." According to Journalists without Borders, Turkey ranks 149 out of 180 countries on press freedom.
Erdogan attacks freedom of expression.
Peaceful demonstrators protesting the destruction of Gezi Park were attacked with truncheons, tear gas, and water cannon in 2013. Police brutality sparked protests in 60 cities, which were violently suppressed.
Erdogan targets Turkish citizens.
In October, Erdogan re-started a civil war with the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) in a cynical ploy to gain support from nationalist voters. Erdogan promised to "cleanse" Turkey of militants. Since October, 260 civilians have been killed. A curfew has been declared in municipalities across Turkey's Southeast. Cizre has been destroyed.
Erdogan undermines the rule of law.
Erdogan dismisses calls for decentralization and enhancing local government, in accordance with Council of Europe standards, as a Trojan horse for Kurdish separatism. He flouts the rule of law and makes a mockery of the balance of powers. To Erdogan, constitutional reform is really about establishing a de-jure executive presidency.
Erdogan supported ISIS.
The National Intelligence Agency provided weapons, money and logistical support to jihadis, transiting to Syria. Wounded ISIS fighters receive free medical care in Turkish hospitals. Though Turkey now proclaims its opposition to ISIS, the infrastructure for supporting Islamic terrorism is still in place.
Erdogan exports Islamism.
Turkey's foreign policy in the Balkans promotes a neo-Ottoman agenda, aimed at expanding its influence in former territories of the Ottoman Empire. Turkey exports Islamism under the guise of cultural cooperation, building mosques and financing Islamic unions and institutions in the Western Balkans.
Erdogan undermines NATO.
He refused access to Incirlik Air Force Base, a NATO facility, to attack ISIS in Syria and Iraq for almost a year. When he cut a deal to allow use of Incirlik, Erdogan intensified attacks against Kurds, even those living in Turkey, under the guise of counter-terrorism.
Erdogan targets US allies fighting ISIS.
He ordered air strikes against Syrian Kurds who have established a buffer zone along the Turkish-Syrian border. Syrian Kurds are America's best and most effective ally fighting ISIS in Syria.
Corruption is widespread.
Three ministers faced allegations of fraud and were forced to resign in 2013. Erdogan's family members are allegedly involved in corrupt dealings, including profiting from ISIS oil smuggled out of Syria, and contravening sanctions against Iran.
The Obama administration turns a blind eye to Erdogan's travesties. It has been a long time since Turkey was the indispensable eastern flank of NATO bordering the Soviet Union. The world has changed, and so has Turkey. Under Erdogan's hegemonic rule, Turkey no longer holds Western values nor does it serve US interests.
The Obama administration must review and modify its approach to Turkey. Washington's deplorable silence makes it complicit in Erdogan's crimes.
Mr. Phillips is Director of the Program on Peace-building and Rights. He is a former Senior Adviser to the Obama administration. He also served as a Senior Adviser and Foreign Affairs Experts to the State Department during the Clinton and Bush administrations. | {
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Enligt siffror från Svensk Mäklarstatistik stannade prisökningen av något i slutet av året. Det så kallade Hox-index från Valueguard, som tar hänsyn till viken typ av bostäder som säljs, visar att ökningen låg strax över nollstrecket, på 0,3 procent, mellan november och december.
Men när 2014 summeras kan man se att såväl villa- som bostadsrättspriserna ökade med nio procent, enligt Mäklarstatistik.
Villor hämtar ikapp
Det är något av ett trendbrott. De senaste åren har bostadsrätter stigit betydligt mer än villor.
– Det är naturligt att villor hämtar ikapp något förr eller senare. Treor och fyror ligger nu så högt i pris att en familj kan få en villa för nära nog samma pris, säger Per-Arne Sandegren, analyschef på Mäklarstatistik.
Priserna på fritidshus steg under året med fem procent.
”Kan inte fortsätta”
Han tycker att den fortsatta prisökningen är anmärkningsvärd.
– Framförallt på bostadsrätter har vi sett tvåsiffriga ökningar, eller nära det, under flera år, samtidigt som vi har haft låg inflation. Det kan ju inte fortsätta i all oändlighet, säger han.
Rapporterna från mäklarkåren pekar också på ett fortsatt högt tryck på marknaden, fortsätter han.
– Och ett till synes minskat utbud, vilket också driver på priserna. Men det handlar om att omsättningshastigheten är snabbare än för ett eller två år sedan.
Fler bostäder till salu
Det finns olika sätt att mäta hur många bostäder som är till salu. Ett är att titta på hur många annonser som ligger ute vid en viss tidpunkt. Ett annat är att se hur många bostäder som kommer ut på marknaden under en längre period.
– Det kom ut fler bostadsrätter under andra halvåret förra året, jämfört med samma period året innan. Men utbudet vid varje tidpunkt var ändå lägre, säger Staffan Tell, pressansvarig på Hemnet. | {
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Do Directed Energy Weapons finally live up to their expectations?
Amsterdam, Netherlands (SPX) Sep 23, 2020
Since the mid-1960s few weapons have held as much potential and have constantly failed to live up to that potential as Directed Energy Weapons (DEW). However, since the turn of this century even as most countries have curtailed both their hopes and funding from the highs of decades past, DEWs have gradually and quietly matured. DEWs use the electromagnetic spectrum (light and radio energy) to attack pin-�point targets at the speed of light. They are suitable for defending against threats such as ro ... read more | {
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The season began with a mystery that demanded an explanation which we never got and likely never will. The set design, writing, dialogue and performances were compelling, richly delivered, and seemed to somehow make sense to us in spite of the lack of a definitive starting point. There was “an event,” to be sure. In most ways it matched what we culturally understand as “The Rapture,” but it seemed to lack, we learned, certain characteristics we have come to believe about the Hand of God displaying His presence in the affairs of men. The Rapture wasn’t exclusive to the innocent, or to the Godly, or to those we might deem “worthy” of being spirited away. It simply happened, and left civilization in a state of trauma recovery wherein the majority seems to simply carry on as it were – as though their loved ones had inexplicably died. Other people, not unlike the roving former family dogs, abandoned the conceits of the society that had experienced the Rapture and coalesced into packs, finding an intoxicating solace in the strength of a central, charismatic leader. Still others, particularly the Guilty Remnant, withdrew in a kind of nihilistic gesture of clearing away the ideological flotsam of their former world so as to focus solely on the stupefying magnitude of the Departure.
It all seemed so mysterious, and each week offered as many questions as answers. Some viewers and a great deal of critics – no doubt uncomfortable with the fractal-scale mystery wherein every microscopic detail offered the same puzzle as the whole – grew weary. But for those who were transfixed by the boldness of the script, the brilliance of the acting, and the fantastically enjoyable soundtrack, episode 7, “Solace for Tired Feet,” and particularly episode 8, “Cairo,” transformed what was a compelling enigma into a powerhouse narrative of contemporary as well as eternal significance. Several characters have cryptically suggested that some pivotal moment is drawing near – a sentiment the patient viewer no doubt now believes along with the unraveling cast of characters – but nowhere in the series has this been suggested more powerfully than in the wonderful performance of Ann Dowd portraying the lightning rod, Patti.
Patti, whose mysterious preparation of clothing upon the church floor – clearly another gesture by the G.R. toward reiterating the lingering memory of the Departure – mimics Kevin’s assiduous care in setting the dinner table for a date with Nora Durst. Kevin and Patti, symbolic of two opposite responses to the Great Trauma, finally collide at the end of another brilliant prologue. Falling asleep to the sound of his recently acquired feral dog, Kevin responds to that incessant call to savagery in his sleep, disappearing into yet another fugue state only to reemerge in the front seat of Dean’s truck in the forests of Cairo, New York – near a cabin where he soon discovers a beaten, restrained, and sleeping Patti who looks “softened” in the way of a prisoner or abductee prior to an interrogation. As a representative of law and order, Kevin illustrates an auto-hypnotic progression toward the cosmic insolence of tyranny. What we, as viewers know, is that the Federal Government – represented by the ATFEC – as well as his colleagues and likely everyone in town, would have happily turned a blind eye to what he’s done. His fugue-self, no doubt, clearly supports such actions, leaving only Kevin’s waking, burdened and weary self to question his own actions.
But Patti and Kevin have switched positions from the night before. Kevin is no longer the wolf of his sleepwalking life, and Patti is hauntingly self-assured and tranquil in spite of her circumstances. We learn that Dean, like Kevin Garvey, Sr., speaks to an inaudible set of voices with the same language and with the same posture of a man operating under a set of invisible directives. When Patti reveals her investigatory prowess, describing Dean as a “ghost” (yet another gesture toward the flipped roles of interrogator and prisoner in this episode), Dean reveals that he prefers the term “guardian angel.”
After Kevin has saved Patti from suffocation at Dean’s hand, we get the sense, finally, that there is a presence (or several) at work in this post-Departure world. What was merely hinted at in previous episodes, easily interpreted as either the figments of each character’s imagination or something more supernatural, is again pressed upon us through Kevin. As we watch his discussion with Patti through the broken window of the cabin, she reveals some startlingly alluring insights about her motives, methodology, and, by extension, the world they are living in.
The discipline needed to fixate one’s attention on a singular event should be given its proper due. Patti explains that the G.R. systematically strip themselves of every worldly characteristic that distracts them from their meditation. At its core, the show (along with many another great work of art and philosophy, including HBO’s recent True Detective) illustrates a fundamental binary characteristic of the human experience – that we are equal parts savagery and civilization. In our postmodern, late-capitalist era, the foundations upon which human consciousness stands is a grand pile of ideological and historical distractions that slide beneath our feet and whose clutter, like a stack of magazines atop solid Earth, continuously threatens to slip out from under us. Patti seems to suggest that underneath the entirety of our social symbology – every distraction that convinces us of our modernity and separation from the animals – our savage half awaits its day. In her weird and beautiful recitation of William Butler Yeats’ poem He Bids His Beloved Be At Peace, Patti anticipates the death of civilization. She doesn’t admit to killing Gladys, she simply reveals how deeply the G.R. understand and how fully they accept what is going to happen next.
In episode 7, Kevin Garvey, Sr. mysteriously offers Kevin, Jr. a sense of purpose – the same thing Patti offered Laurie, the same thing she attempts to pigeonhole Kevin into accepting. Kevin, Sr. offers a National Geographic from the early ’70s, giving viewers a delicious MacGuffin to pursue extra-textually, on our own and outside of the show. Viewers searched its pages and its articles for meaning (some uncovering interesting and wonderful rabbit holes for the imaginative viewer), and here I offer one of my own.
Kevin, Sr., like Dean, appears to be acting as agent and protector of Kevin, Jr. in his state of becoming – Kevin, Sr., in his waking life and Dean during his fugue states. The father calls the son to a higher quest dictated by voices, and the self-proclaimed “guardian angel” aids him in his cathartic bloodlust. When Kevin finally regains consciousness in the presence of Patti, he finds himself terrifyingly close to the truth of the G.R. – that they are a mindful stillness, a center point around which those scrambling to maintain the false balance of their former lives reach out to destroy like pariahs. In the conversation between Kevin and Patti, we finally get the sense that maybe the G.R. are the only ones who are taking the Rapture seriously, and those who do not are crashing right through the veil of civility and into the darkness of savagery. It’s a savagery to which Kevin, Jr. is susceptible as long as he denies that something is horribly amiss – that what happened doesn’t matter as much as what came after. The cover of that National Geographic shows a bunch of tourists at Yellowstone, comically taking photos of a wild bear in the center of the road as though they have stopped to witness a stray cow in a docile suburban cul-de-sac. But as the world Dean, and perhaps Kevin, Sr. offer Kevin, Jr. as his purpose is the reverse of what Kevin’s waking conscience tells him to be, perhaps one meaning of the magazine is also in the reverse of that image, acting as a metaphor that Kevin only discovers in close proximity to Patti. The G.R., from the perspective of a sleepwalking Kevin and his erstwhile pal, Dean, are that bear from which those suburbanites in the wilds of Yellowstone need to be protected. But as Kevin’s waking self is the opposite of his more savage unconscious, the metaphor in the image, too, is reversed. Patti and the G.R., operating as mindful symbols of the end of civilization become the center of that photo – the last humans left – surrounded by a crowd of former tourists that have suddenly transformed into a sleuth of agitated bears. The G.R. knowingly stand on an unstable, psychic fault line, waiting for it to open up. Their deaths are proof of the fissure points in the symbolic order, where the Savagery of the Real punctures the fabric of the simulacra. I don’t believe, at this point, that Patti was admitting direct involvement in killing Gladys, but she accepts the reality of her position places them on unsteady ground. Yellowstone—the great and looming physical pressure point in North America—is the perfect metaphor for where Patti and the G.R. have chosen to position themselves.
The waking Kevin fights to remain cognitively dissonant, even as Patti insists that she, along with the rest of the G.R., is not afraid of a world becoming disproportionately aggressive and violent. She knows that as they are murdered, they transform from a whisper to an exclamatory reminder of this devolution. Kevin understands what his sleepwalking self is in that equation, but his waking self simply will not admit or accept it. As he attempts to continue the impossible position of moral neutrality, Patti offers one last expression of her steadfastness in the face of his, as well as society’s dissolving hypnosis. Like those monks who self-immolated to protest the Vietnam War, like those willing to walk in the streets to face the barbarity of an abusive police presence, Patti illustrates the indestructible nature of human agency in spite of our physical frailty. The world of The Leftovers might show how, one by one, human beings ignore the real work of civilization for only so long before it and their savagery finally converge, at which point all must choose which side they embrace.
Long is an avid blogger and Reddit user. You can join him and others on the fan-created The Leftovers Reddit page. | {
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In Baltimore, a young black man is sent to prison for felony cannabis possession. In Glasgow, Scotland, an apartment door is kicked in by the drugs squad. In Afghanistan, a field of poppies is incinerated from the air. In Mexico, police corrupted by drug cartels are implicated in disappearances and massacres.
The War on Drugs is generally presented as a global phenomenon. Each country has its own drug laws and enforces them as they see fit. Despite small regional differences, the world—we are told—has always been united in addressing the dangers of illicit drug use through law enforcement.
This is a lie.
When one traces back the history of what we now call the War on Drugs, one discovers it has a very specific origin: the United States. The global development of the drug war is inseparable from the development of US imperialism, and indeed, is a direct outgrowth of that imperialism.
Prior to the 19th century, drugs now illegal were widely used across the world. Remedies derived from opium and cannabis were used for pain relief, and less widely for "recreation." Queen Victoria herself was fond of both opium and cannabis, before being introduced to cocaine later in life.
Then came the American railroads.
Thousands of Chinese workers came to America during the mid-1800s to build the Central Pacific Railroad. Once the track was complete, however, they immediately became regarded as a threat to white American workers. In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, the only US law to ever successfully ban immigration solely on the basis of race.
People smoking opium in China, circa 1917-1923. Photo: CH Collection/Alamy Stock Photo
One method of stirring up anti-Chinese hatred was to attack the practice of opium smoking. Although morphine and laudanum were popular as a medicine throughout the US, Chinese opium was seen as a threat to American Christian morality, and particularly to American Christian women.
By 1881, as the Exclusion Act was being debated in Congress, reports began flooding out of San Francisco of opium dens where "white women and Chinamen sit side by side under the effects of this drug—a humiliating sight to anyone with anything left of manhood."
Newspaper editorials thundered that the Chinese opium menace must be wiped out lest it "decimate our youth, emasculate the coming generation, if not completely destroy the population of our coast," and that for white Americans, smoking opium was "not at all consistent with their duties as Capitalists or Christians."
Crucially, however, the first modern prohibition regime was not founded in America itself, but in its first overseas colony. In 1898, America conquered the Philippines in the Spanish–American War. Charles H. Brent, the openly racist Episcopal bishop of the Philippines, despised opium users, and appealed to President Roosevelt to ban this "evil and immoral" habit. By 1905, Brent had succeeded in installing the first American prohibition regime—not in the US itself, but in the Philippines.
Unsurprisingly, the ban failed. Bishop Brent decided that continued opium use must be the fault of the booming trade in China, and wrote again to President Roosevelt, urging that the US had a duty to "promote some movement that would gather in its embrace representatives from all countries where the traffic and use of opium is a matter of moment." The idea of international control of the drug trade had been born.
In the American debate, drug addiction had been framed as an infection and contamination of white America by foreign influences. Now, that vision was internationalized. To protect white American moral purity, the supply of drugs from overseas had to be curtailed at their source. As the campaigner, Richard P. Hobson had it, "like the invasions and plagues of history, the scourge of narcotic drug addiction came out of Asia."
A poster for the 1936 movie 'The Cocaine Fiends'
In 1909, America succeeded in convening the first International Commission on Opium in Shanghai. Representing the US was Bishop Brent and the doctor Hamilton Wright, who was to become a major force in the American prohibitionist movement. For the next century, almost every major international conference and commission on drug control was formed through American pressure and influence.
Interestingly, despite what we are told about the "special relationship," the country that offered the most consistent and organized resistance to the American drive toward drug prohibition was the United Kingdom. Time and again, Great Britain diplomatically frustrated American attempts to impose prohibition regimes and establish international protocols.
This was partly because the British were themselves operating lucrative opium monopolies in their own overseas colonies, but also because they resented "overtones of high-mindedness and superior virtue." Britain had its own system of dealing with drug addiction—treating it as a medical rather than a law enforcement issue—and, for a long time, resisted the moralizing hysteria of the American approach.
But it was difficult for the US to push the prohibition of drugs on the rest of the world while not enforcing it itself. Wright began spearheading a fresh campaign for full drug prohibition within the US—once again built almost entirely on racial prejudice.
But this time, a new drug had emerged to capture America's fevered imagination, with a fresh racial minority to use it to persecute. The drug was cocaine, and the minority was African Americans. In 1910, Wright submitted a report to the Senate stating that "this new vice, the cocaine vice… has been a potent incentive in driving the humbler negroes all over the country to abnormal crimes."
There followed an explosion of headlines linking black people to cocaine use and criminality. The New York Times ran a typical story under the headline "NEGRO COCAINE FIENDS—NEW SOUTHERN MENACE." The story tells of "a hitherto inoffensive negro" who had reportedly taken cocaine and been sent into a frenzy. The local police chief was forced to shoot him several times to bring him down. Cocaine, it was implied, was turning black men into superhuman brutes. As the medical officer quoted in the article put it, "the cocaine nigger sure is hard to kill."
This hysteria resulted in the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act of 1914, instituting the prohibition of drugs across the United States. Over the next 50 years, America would aggressively seek to internationalize its form of prohibition across the world.
H.L. Sharman, Chief of the Canadian Narcotic Control, discussing the control of marijuana with Harry J. Anslinger, Commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, and Assistant Secretary of Treasury Stephen B. Gibbons. Photo: Granger Historical Picture Archive/Alamy Stock Photo
Harry J. Anslinger was appointed the head of the US Federal Bureau of Narcotics in 1930. Alcohol prohibition was about to be repealed, and this tiny department must have seemed like a dead-end posting. But Anslinger embarked on a campaign of political and media manipulation that was to build drug prohibition into a key plank of both US domestic and foreign policy. He was to remain head of the FBN for 32 years, serving under five presidents and holding his office longer than any other senior civil servant except Herbert Hoover.
Anslinger was, in many ways, the architect of the modern War on Drugs—and the archetype of the American model of the moralizing drug warrior. Anslinger was ruthless in his crusade, often stooping to methods that were unethical and, at times, actually illegal—particularly in the monitoring and persecution of artists, scientists, and intellectuals he saw as a threat.
He was also a race baiter. In order to whip up hysteria in the press, Anslinger incessantly played on racial fear and prejudice, linking cannabis to Hispanic people, cocaine to African Americans, and heroin to the Chinese.
Chinese people, he warned, had "a liking for the charms of Caucasian girls," using opium to force them into "unspeakable sexual depravity." The increase in drug addiction, he insisted, was "practically 100 percent among negro people," who would party with white women, "getting their sympathy with stories of racial persecution. Result: pregnancy."
Anslinger was not content to simply wage his crusade within the US. Throughout the 1930s, he lobbied the US government to pressure the rest of the world to adopt a prohibitionist approach.
Then came the Second World War. Every country in the world emerged from the war significantly poorer, save one: the United States. Anslinger and his underlings lost no time in leveraging America's newfound hegemony to force the other nations of the UN toward a prohibition model. They ensured that versions of the Harrison Act were written into the laws of the occupied Axis powers, and Anslinger had himself been appointed as the US representative to the Commission on Narcotic Drugs of the newly formed United Nations.
Every aspect of international relations, from military protection to trade deals to aid programs, became a carrot or a stick to coerce other states to adopt the American way. Charles Siragusa, a high-ranking FBN agent, laid out these bullying tactics explicitly: "Most of the time… I found that a casual mention of the possibility of shutting off our foreign aid programs, dropped to the proper quarters, brought grudging permission for our operations almost immediately."
Other countries were absolutely aware of this stitch-up and resented being forced to adopt American norms in order to satisfy racial arguments internal to the US. The British delegate to the CND complained that, had it not been "for the white drug problem in the US." other nations might have been left alone to pursue their own drug policies. Another UK representative expressed his frustration that at the CND, "Chairman Anslinger… continually confused his position as Chairman and as US representative."
A cocaine "kitchen" in a Bolivian jungle. Photo: Jeff Rotman/Alamy Stock Photo
From the end of the War in 1945, it took 16 years of American behind-the-scenes bullying, but eventually, Bishop Brent's dream of a blanket international ban on illicit drugs was realized. The 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs was passed, intended to bring the confusing tangle of all previous drug treaties and conventions into line. This was the result of a US-drafted, and US-sponsored, resolution. It was an American policy, serving American interests—and the hallmarks of crusading American prohibitionism are threaded through its core.
The 1961 Convention is the only convention in the history of the UN to use the word "evil," stating that "addiction to narcotic drugs constitutes a serious evil for the individual and is fraught with social and economic danger to mankind."
Torture, apartheid, and nuclear war are not described in these terms. Genocide is referred to in UN documents as an "odious scourge" or "barbarous acts," but never as actually "evil." That the UN, founded in the ashes of world war and the Holocaust, finds drug addiction the only phenomenon worthy of this word is a testament to just how heavily American moralizing pressure was brought to bear.
The Single Convention laid out the international standard of placing drugs in different "schedules" to determine their levels of danger, the punishments for trading them, and their potential benefits to medicine and science. This Convention forms the basis for almost every individual country's drug legislation. When other nations have threatened to deviate from the American model, the automatic sanctions written into the Single Convention are what keeps them in line.
A full inventory of how the United States has fully militarized the drug war around the world since the signing of the Single Convention in 1961 would take several books to explore. From sponsoring death squads in Latin America, to the DEA undertaking Special Forces-style missions in Afghanistan, to the old-fashioned method of making eligibility for US foreign aid and preferred trade status based on cooperation with drug eradication and interdiction activities, the War on Drugs has consistently functioned as an arm of US military and economic hegemony.
Governments around the world—even that of Britain, which once resisted the prohibition approach and offered an alternative model—claim that it is right that they continue to "fight the war on drugs." When they say this, one should never forget they are enacting an American policy that was forced on the rest of the world. A policy, moreover, derived from some of the ugliest and most shameful threads in US history itself. The War on Drugs is not a global conflict—it is an American conflict that has become globalized. We should all examine its failures and think twice about continuing to fight it.
This article contains extracts from the book Drug Wars, published by Ebury Press.
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This article originally appeared on VICE UK. | {
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So i got this keychain, i didn't know what it was/ment so i googled it.
I shouldnt have... My life is ruined...
But all jokes aside, THANKS S.S.! i realy wanted a beer bottle opener to have with me at all times, so this is perfect for that! | {
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Washington (CNN) Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has postponed a planned trip to Los Angeles as many big names in Hollywood have responded with outrage over recently passed anti-abortion legislation, The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported Tuesday.
The AJC said Kemp would no longer attend an event slated for next week and noted the timing of the delay came in the wake of Kemp signing into law a controversial bill that would generally ban abortions as soon as a fetal heartbeat is detected. Fetal heartbeat detection can come as soon as six weeks into a pregnancy -- when many women don't yet know they are pregnant.
Cody Hall, Kemp's spokesman, told CNN that they had "confirmed a date to go out to LA this fall."
"In the meantime, the Governor will be touring production studios in GA to meet with employees and reaffirm his commitment to the film industry in our state," Hall said.
In recent years, following the passage of a tax incentive, Georgia has been the site of increasing film and television production, with the entertainment industry becoming a high-profile and widely-championed sector of the state's economy. But the recent passage of one of the strictest anti-abortion bills in the country has been met with condemnation by filmmakers, some of whom have said they will avoid production in the state because of the measure.
Read More | {
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Islamabad: Following the election of Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister in 2014, the stance and posture of Indian leadership became 'aggressive', alleged Pakistan on Thursday.
The Indian leadership after the election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi started issuing "aggressive statements and postures against Pakistan", said Pakistan's outgoing defence and foreign minister Khurram Dastagir Khan as reported by the Press Trust of India.
He also accused India of escalating ceasefire violations at the Line of Control and the Working Boundary, and said it will continue to support the Kashmiri people.
The statement comes just two days after the Director Generals of Military Operations of India and Pakistan agreed to fully implement the ceasefire understanding of 2003 to improve the prevailing situation along the Line of Control and Working Boundary.
"We believe that regional connectivity and enhanced regional cooperation is the panacea for all ills facing our region," he said, adding "Pakistan faces Indian aggressive posture on the LoC and WB with equal and proportionate equanimity".
The minister further accused India of turning down Pakistan's "future oriented approach".
"In return, we have received negativity and aggression from India, with no dialogue at any level. We really hope that the new governments in both Pakistan and India are able to instill a fresh impetus in the relations between both the countries," he said.
The minister also welcomed the statement after the recent Indo-Pak DGMOs meeting to restore the 2003 ceasefire agreement.
"The agreement recently reached by the DGMOs is a welcome development. This is the same 2003 agreement that both sides have pledged to honour and uphold. With this, a working level understanding on ground has been established," he said.
With PTI inputs | {
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Former Iowa State wrestling coach Mike Zadick responds to his dismissal
Cody Goodwin | The Des Moines Register
Show Caption Hide Caption Meet Iowa's 30-plus national All-American high school wrestlers In 2018, 34 Iowa high school wrestlers earned All-American honors at the Cadet and Junior Freestyle and Greco-Roman National Championships in Fargo, North Dakota.
Mike Zadick, the former Iowa State associate head wrestling coach, was silent and unreachable last week when his dismissal from the Cyclone wrestling program was announced by head coach Kevin Dresser.
On Monday, Zadick opened up in the form of a press release sent to the Des Moines Register.
“In light of the press release circulated by ISU and Coach Dresser, and the speculation surrounding the same, I feel compelled to respond,” his letter began. “First and foremost, to the remaining ISU staff, athletes and their families, I will dearly miss the relationships we formed and the confidence you placed in me and my plan for the program’s success.
“There remains a firm foundation of staff, athletes, and coaches and I wish them nothing but the greatest success.”
Zadick was dismissed from his position last week due to “significant differences of opinion,” Dresser said at the time. He had spent the last three years under Dresser, coaching for two seasons at Virginia Tech before spending last season in Ames.
“Mike was given the opportunity to run our practice room and have substantial input on all elements of the program,” Dresser continued in last week’s announcement. “At the end of the day, however, I'm the leader of this program, and our staff has to be aligned and unified.”
Upon Dresser’s hire at Iowa State, he brought along Zadick, as well as Derek St. John and Brent Metcalf — all former Iowa wrestlers — as his assistants. Dresser gave Zadick the opportunity to lead practices, among other responsibilities. He referred to his coaching assembly as his “dream team.”
The Cyclones ultimately went 8-10 overall and qualified one wrestler for the 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships — Jarrett Degen, who reached the bloodround at 149 pounds. Zadick also helped Iowa State secured a top 10 recruiting class in 2018.
Dresser has already embarked on a nationwide search to fill the third assistant coaching vacancy, and said that he, St. John and Metcalf would assume Zadick’s responsibilities until that position is filled.
In Zadick’s release to the Register, he said he was given the option “to resign or be terminated.” He opted not to resign because he felt like his actions “did not warrant dismissal.”
“Additionally,” he continued, “had I accepted ISU’s offer to resign, I would be sending a message to the athletes that I coached contrary to the character traits that I endeavored to instill in them.”
MORE IOWA STATE WRESTLING COVERAGE
His statement went on: “My position as the Associate Head Coach required that I devote my best energies and abilities for the exclusive benefit of ISU. Even with the current developments, I can rest easy as I believe I accomplished that goal. Coaching and leadership come in many styles and forms and there will be differences of opinion from one coach to the next.
“I was hired as the Associate Head Coach to bring my coaching style and form to ISU. My coaching philosophies were known prior to my employment with ISU and they did not change during my employment with ISU.”
Zadick was a decorated competitor prior to becoming a coach. He was a four-time Montana state champion and a three-time NCAA All-American at Iowa. He was a 2006 world silver medalist and a 2008 Olympian. After his competitive career, he jumped into coaching, spending his first 10 years with the Hawkeyes in Iowa City.
“I’ve watched Mike corral a group of guys and have them truly believing in what we’re doing,” St. John, a former Iowa wrestler who coached alongside Zadick both at Virginia Tech and Iowa State, said during the staff’s introductory press conference in April 2017. “And then they actually get results from what he’s doing.
“To me, it’s been a great learning process and soaking up a lot of what he’s throwing out to them.”
RELATED: Mike’s older brother, Bill Zadick, is the head coach of Team USA
At that time, Zadick felt confident in the current group of Cyclones, saying, “I think we have the firepower in our program,” but he also added, “There’s definitely a lot of development to be done.”
In Zadick’s statement, he addressed that his coaching style may have clashed with others on staff, but declined to name specific names or instances.
“There were occasions that others made decisions that I believed were contrary to the best interests of ISU,” Zadick wrote. “I expressed my beliefs as was required of me in my position as the Associate Head Coach.
“As I now understand, the expression of my beliefs is the genesis of the alleged conflict that led to my premature departure.”
Zadick and the rest of the Iowa State staff faced a turbulent first season in Ames. As many as eight wrestlers defected from the program before, during and after the 2017-18 season. But there was steady improvement from beginning to end — the Cyclones won eight duals after winning just one the year before.
Iowa State is expected to make leaps and bounds of improvement during the 2018-19 season. Zadick ended his statement by expressing his disappointment that he won’t be part of the action.
“I am disappointed that I am unable to contribute to the goals that I believed in and was 100 (percent) committed to at ISU,” he wrote. “I take away many great memories from the ISU family for which I am thankful. Particularly, I am proud of the effort and trust the athletes shared with me.
“They will become great leaders in life in whatever path they choose and that is ultimately what I believe is the greatest measure of a coach’s success.”
Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.
You can read Mike Zadick's full statement below: | {
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Gender Male 53% of voters Trump +23 2 21 22 8 45 1
Female 47% Tie 2 29 25 12 29 2
Age 18-24 6% of voters Not enough data - - - - - -
25-29 8% Not enough data - - - - - -
30-39 14% Cruz +4 3 33 22 10 29 3
40-49 16% Trump +17 2 24 17 13 41 1
50-64 30% Trump +12 1 21 27 8 39 2
65 or over 25% Trump +18 2 24 22 9 42 1
Age 18-44 35% of voters Trump +2 3 29 25 11 31 1
45+ 65% Trump +18 1 22 23 9 41 2
Race White 93% of voters Trump +13 2 25 24 9 38 2
Black 3% Not enough data - - - - - -
Hispanic/Latino 1% Not enough data - - - - - -
Asian 1% Not enough data - - - - - -
Other 2% Not enough data - - - - - -
Education High school or less 17% of voters Trump +26 3 23 16 8 49 1
Some college/assoc. degree 36% Trump +18 1 26 20 5 44 2
College graduate 31% Trump +3 2 27 26 11 30 3
Postgraduate study 16% Kasich +14 2 19 37 18 23 -
Education by race White college graduates 44% of voters Kasich +2 2 25 30 14 28 2
White non-college graduates 49% Trump +21 2 25 19 6 46 1
Non White college graduates 3% Not enough data - - - - - -
Non White non-college graduates 4% Not enough data - - - - - -
2015 total family income: Under $30,000 14% of voters Not enough data - - - - - -
$30,000 - $49,999 23% Trump +21 1 22 22 6 43 4
$50,000 - $99,999 33% Cruz +2 2 34 21 9 32 -
$100,000 - $199,999 23% Trump +1 4 17 33 13 34 -
$200,000 or more 7% Not enough data - - - - - -
No matter how you voted today, do you usually think of yourself as a: Democrat 7% of voters Not enough data - - - - - -
Republican 62% Trump +9 1 28 22 10 37 1
Independent or something else 31% Trump +9 2 22 27 9 36 3
On most political matters, do you consider yourself: Very conservative 28% of voters Cruz +3 1 38 14 11 35 1
Somewhat conservative 47% Trump +13 2 23 24 11 37 1
Moderate 22% Trump +1 3 12 36 8 37 3
Liberal 3% Not enough data - - - - - -
On most political matters, do you consider yourself: Conservative 75% of voters Trump +7 2 29 20 11 36 1
Moderate or liberal 25% Trump +5 2 13 34 8 39 3
Would you describe yourself as a born-again or evangelical Christian? Yes 54% of voters Trump +5 2 32 19 9 37 2
No 46% Trump +9 2 17 30 10 39 1
White evangelical or white born-again Christians White evangelical or white born-again Christian 48% of voters Trump +5 2 32 19 8 37 2
All others 52% Trump +10 2 18 28 11 38 1
How much does it matter to you that a candidate shares your religious beliefs? A great deal 22% of voters Cruz +10 1 34 22 16 24 3
Somewhat 33% Tie 3 32 24 8 32 1
Not much 20% Trump +9 - 16 30 10 39 2
Not at all 24% Trump +34 2 13 21 7 55 0
How much does it matter to you that a candidate shares your religious beliefs? A great deal or somewhat 54% of voters Cruz +3 2 32 23 11 29 2
Not much or not at all 44% Trump +23 1 14 25 8 48 1
Which ONE of these four issues is the most important facing the country? Immigration 8% of voters Trump +41 - 21 9 7 62 1
Economy/Jobs 35% Trump +10 2 20 28 9 38 2
Terrorism 21% Trump +15 2 24 22 10 39 3
Government spending 32% Cruz +2 2 31 24 12 29 0
Which ONE of these four candidate qualities mattered most in deciding how you voted today? Can win in November 11% of voters Trump +8 1 28 22 9 36 -
Shares my values 34% Cruz +2 2 34 32 16 12 3
Tells it like it is 23% Trump +52 0 14 15 3 67 1
Can bring needed change 30% Trump +22 3 21 22 8 44 2
Which best describes your vote today? I strongly favor my candidate 52% of voters Trump +28 1 21 19 9 49 1
I like my candidate but with reservations 29% Tie 1 34 18 10 34 3
I dislike the other candidates 18% Kasich +23 3 23 46 12 12 1
Overall, would you say trade with other countries: Creates more U.S. jobs 32% of voters Tie 3 29 29 10 29 -
Takes away U.S. jobs 55% Trump +23 1 22 20 9 45 3
Has no effect on U.S. jobs 8% Not enough data - - - - - -
How worried are you about the direction of the nation's economy in the next few years? Very worried 62% of voters Trump +15 2 27 18 9 42 2
Somewhat worried 31% Kasich +3 2 23 33 10 30 1
Not too worried 5% Not enough data - - - - - -
Not at all worried 2% Not enough data - - - - - -
How worried are you about the direction of the nation's economy in the next few years? Very or somewhat worried 92% of voters Trump +12 2 26 23 9 38 2
Not too or not at all worried 8% Not enough data - - - - - -
Should most illegal immigrants working in the United States be: Offered a chance to apply for legal status 56% of voters Tie 2 25 29 13 29 1
Deported to the country they came from 37% Trump +31 3 22 17 5 53 -
How do you feel about temporarily banning Muslims who are not U.S. citizens from entering the U.S.? Support 63% of voters Trump +21 2 25 19 7 46 0
Oppose 32% Kasich +11 2 24 35 15 20 4
Which best describes your feelings about the way the federal government is working? Enthusiastic 2% of voters Not enough data - - - - - -
Satisfied, but not enthusiastic 9% Not enough data - - - - - -
Dissatisfied, but not angry 55% Trump +1 3 28 24 13 29 3
Angry 32% Trump +26 2 24 17 6 50 -
Which best describes your feelings about the way the federal government is working? Enthusiastic or satisfied 11% of voters Not enough data - - - - - -
Dissatisfied or angry 87% Trump +10 2 27 21 10 37 2
Would you say you feel betrayed by politicians from the Republican Party? Yes 58% of voters Trump +14 2 27 21 6 41 2
No 39% Trump +6 2 21 27 15 33 2
Would you like the next president to: Have experience in politics 41% of voters Kasich +10 2 32 42 15 5 2
Be from outside the political establishment 50% Trump +50 2 16 10 5 66 1
If Ted Cruz won the nomination, would you be: Satisfied 55% of voters Cruz +23 2 44 20 11 21 1
Dissatisfied 42% Trump +29 2 0 29 8 58 2
If Marco Rubio won the nomination, would you be: Satisfied 48% of voters Cruz +1 4 29 28 20 16 1
Dissatisfied 47% Trump +38 0 20 18 0 58 2
If Donald Trump won the nomination, would you be: Satisfied 50% of voters Trump +59 1 14 9 2 73 -
Dissatisfied 48% Kasich +2 3 36 38 18 1 3
Do you think Ted Cruz is honest and trustworthy? Yes 57% of voters Cruz +17 3 41 18 12 24 1
No 37% Trump +28 1 2 30 7 58 -
Do you think Marco Rubio is honest and trustworthy? Yes 53% of voters Cruz +9 3 34 25 17 20 1
No 40% Trump +37 1 14 23 1 60 -
Do you think Donald Trump is honest and trustworthy? Yes 47% of voters Trump +60 1 12 12 2 72 -
No 50% Cruz +2 3 36 34 17 6 2
Which ONE of these four candidates do you think ran the most unfair campaign? Ted Cruz 25% of voters Trump +45 2 8 20 5 65 0
John Kasich 5% Not enough data - - - - - -
Marco Rubio 16% Not enough data - - - - - -
Donald Trump 41% Cruz +9 2 40 31 18 7 1
If these had been the only candidates on the ballot today, would you have voted for: Ted Cruz 43% of voters Cruz +33 3 55 22 15 2 2
Donald Trump 41% Trump +72 1 1 12 2 84 1
Would not have voted 12% Not enough data - - - - - -
If these had been the only candidates on the ballot today, would you have voted for: Marco Rubio 41% of voters Cruz +10 3 40 30 24 1 2
Donald Trump 46% Trump +67 1 11 9 0 78 1
Would not have voted 10% Not enough data - - - - - -
When did you finally decide for whom to vote in the presidential primary? Just today 11% of voters Not enough data - - - - - -
In the last few days 16% Kasich +15 2 28 43 14 12 -
Sometime last week 11% Not enough data - - - - - -
In the last month 24% Cruz +4 1 39 14 10 35 -
Before that 37% Trump +45 3 15 10 8 60 2
Population City over 50,000 6% of voters Not enough data - - - - - -
Suburbs 71% Trump +13 2 22 26 9 39 2
Small city and Rural 23% Trump +3 3 32 18 11 35 2
Region Wayne County 10% of voters Not enough data - - - - - -
Oakland/Macomb 24% Trump +15 1 18 27 9 42 1
Southeast 22% Trump +15 2 25 23 7 40 3
Southwest 22% Cruz +6 3 33 23 13 27 1 | {
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Los Angeles police on Friday announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a hit-and-run driver whose car struck and killed a woman in November in downtown L.A.’s Fashion District.
Jacqueline Hernandez, 23, was crossing 12th Street near Paloma Street around 6 p.m. Nov. 7 when she was hit. She may have slipped or tripped as she was running across the street, said Det. Jose De Leon of the LAPD’s Central Traffic Division.
At a news conference Friday morning, police said the suspect’s car is a 2015 or 2106 black or silver BMW 428i sedan. The suspect was described as a “clean-cut” Asian man in his 40s.
Witnesses weren’t able to obtain the car’s license plate number, but surveillance cameras from a nearby business captured footage of the hit-and-run and the vehicle.
Surveillance footage shows the driver getting out of his car after striking Hernandez, approaching her as she lay on the ground and then fleeing, authorities said.
× Anyone with information about this case has been urged to contact the Los Angeles Police Department at (213) 833-3746.
Dressed in shirts emblazoned with Hernandez’s face, her family told reporters she was leaving a job interview and on her way to a party for her boyfriend when she was struck. Her boyfriend, Junior Gonzalez, described her as a humble young woman who was willing to “help somebody no matter the situation.”
Her mother wept as she stood behind him, then stepped up to the lectern. Holding a photo of Hernandez that read “In loving memory,” Sandra Hernandez called her daughter her “princess” and her “everything.”
The hit-and-run highlights a growing problem with fatal pedestrian-vehicle interactions in downtown, LAPD Capt. Alfonso Lopez said.
In 2016, the LAPD’s central bureau recorded 63 traffic fatalities — 34 of which involved a pedestrian in a crosswalk or unmarked crosswalk. “It’s about a 134% increase from 2015,” Lopez said.
The increase could be a result of drivers and pedestrians looking at their phones, especially social media, and not paying attention to the road, he said. “That is a very concerning issue for us. It’s something we’re looking at.”
Traffic accidents involving bicyclists have decreased, he noted.
Lopez said the spike in pedestrian fatalities has sparked a conversation about safety campaigns and determining whether changes in engineering — including adding more lights on streets — will help address the issue.
“In this case, lighting was dim in the area,” Lopez said. “She did fall before the car struck.”
Authorities have asked anyone with information about the hit-and-run to call the LAPD Central Traffic Division at (213) 833-3746, (213) 486-0751 or (877) LAPD-247.
[email protected]
For more California news follow me on Twitter: @sarahparvini
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Ex-HBO employee is sentenced to 30 months for stealing nearly $1 million
UPDATES:
11:30 a.m.: This article was updated with comments from the victim’s family and the LAPD.
This article was originally published at 7:50 a.m. | {
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It’s good to know that some individuals in powerful institutions are summoning up the innate, volcanic, creative forces that, over countless centuries, have been dampened within the heart of the human.
From her bio: Mary Evelyn Tucker is a Senior Lecturer and Research Scholar at Yale University where she has appointments in the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies as well as the Divinity School and the Department of Religious Studies. She teaches in the joint MA program in religion and ecology and directs the Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale with her husband, John Grim.
The story of the universe has the power to change history
Mary Evelyn Tucker in conversation with Kathleen Dean Moore
via Maureen, Sisters of Earth email list
Orion Magazine, May/June issue 2015
Excerpts.
First paragraph:
The world has arrived at a pivot point in his- tory. You could drive a nail through this decade, and the future of the planet would swing in the balance. What can be done to tip the scales toward a resilient, and flourishing, future? Three things, we’re told, all of them essential. First, stop damaging the planet’s life-supporting systems. Second, imagine new and better ways to live on Earth. Third, and most important, change the story about who we are, we humans—not the lords of all creation, but lives woven into the complex interdependencies of a beautiful, unfolding planetary system. Many people are pursuing the first two goals. But Mary Evelyn Tucker has taken up the third, making it her life’s work. From the concluding paragraphs:
It is in the nature of the universe to move forward between great tensions, between dynamic opposing forces. As Thomas Berry said in his article “The New Story,” if the creative energies in the heart of the universe succeeded so brilliantly in the past, we have reason to hope that such creativity will inspire us and guide us into the future. My greatest hope would be that these life systems are so powerful, are themselves so resilient, that we can take inspiration from the natural world and its fantastic, intriguing mystery and complexity. In this way, our own generativity can become woven into the vibrant communities that constitute the vast symphony of the universe.
There are hundreds of thousands of people on the planet who are aware and ready and already participating in this epic story. They want to help write the story into its future, participate in its unfolding, so that we get through this hourglass of loss and extinction, of sorrow and mourning. We need to articulate this sorrow and ritualize our grieving; the humanities can help us do that. But we need to create, in this hugely difficult birth passage, new ways of being vibrant and mutually enhancing creatures on this planet. | {
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To medieval societies the rhythms of life were as predictable as the movement of the planets and could be forecast by making astrological and astronomical projections. Islamic scholars of the Middle Ages took a particular interest in the structure of the cosmos and the accurate measurement of time. Their tools were the celestial globe, the armillary sphere, and the astrolabe. Muslim astronomers made observations with these instruments to gain an understanding of the universe and to evaluate cosmological theories such as the Ptolemaic model, which held that the earth was the center of the universe. This theory had wide acceptance but was not entirely compatible with trajectories of the planets and the sun observed by leading scientists. Less critical stargazers attributed inconsistencies to observer error or misinterpretation, and their faith in the concept of destiny remained unshaken, even when their predictions failed to come true. Quirks of fate did raise interesting questions about the way life’s narrative unfolds, and the ironic implications of a belief in destiny were a recurrent theme in medieval literature. | {
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A graphene-based tattoo that could function as a wearable electronic device to monitor health has been developed at the University of Texas.
Gold is often used in electronic components, but graphene is more conductive, can be hundreds of times thinner and allows the tattoo to wrinkle naturally with skin.
It is hoped that as the cost of graphene falls, such tattoos will become affordable for medical use.
See more at Click's website and @BBCClick. | {
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Man, juvenile shot at New Jersey high school football game Authorities in New Jersey say there has been a shooting at a high school football game
PLEASANTVILLE, N.J. -- Players and spectators ran for cover Friday night when a gunman opened fire at a New Jersey high school football game, injuring two people.
A man and a child were seriously injured after a gunman shot into a crowd of people who sat in the bleachers at Pleasantville High School, said Pleasantville Police Chief Sean Riggins.
The shooting happened about 8:30 p.m. during a playoff game between the Camden Panthers and the Pleasantville Greyhounds, Riggins said.
Riggins did not identify the man and the juvenile who were shot, but said they are working with their families to make sure they receive the medical attention. Their conditions were unknown. Riggins said they are both still alive.
Earlier reports from local media said an unidentified woman was carried out the stands on a stretcher and onto the field by paramedics while they waited for another ambulance to arrive.
“We are receiving information regarding exactly what happened and who is involved however obviously this is an ongoing investigation and at this time we are not prepared to release any information on that,” he said during a short news conference following the shooting.
Pleasantville is about seven miles (11 kilometers) southeast of Atlantic City.
Witnesses at the scene said they saw people running, jumping fences and hitting the ground. Ernest Holland, 17, a Pleasantville football player, is speaking in a Twitter clip, saying: "I heard the gunshots. We started all running for this fence and tried to run inside the gym." | {
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Half-Life: Decay Installation for GNU/Linux
By TAW|REA
English:
Half-Life: Decay is originally a Half-Life expansion which was released for PlayStation 2 as a local co op game in 2001. Thankfully, an Ukrainan developer group has unofficially ported the game into Windows as a Half-Life mod and added online co op functionality in 2008. Linux version of Half-Life has been released in 2013; however as March 2015, no Linux installer has been released for the mod. This guide aims to explain the installation of the expansion/mod for GNU/Linux
Türkçe:
Half-Life: Decay aslen bir Half-Life genişlemesi olarak PlayStation 2 için 2001'de yayınlanan bir co op oyundur. Neyse ki 2008'de Ukraynalı bir geliştirici topluluğu oyunu gayrıresmi şekilde Windows'a bir Half-Life modu olarak uyarladı ve online co op özelliğini ekledi. Half-Life'ın Linux sürümü 2013'te yayınlanmasına karşın Mart 2015 itibarı ile mod için herhangi bir Linux yükleyicisi yayınlanmamıştır. Bu rehber genişleme/modun GNU/Linux için yüklenişini göstermeyi amaçlamaktadır.
Note / Not:
The methods of this guide should apply for OS X as well. However since I have no Mac, I haven't tried yet.
─────────────────
Bu rehberdeki yöntemler OS X için de gerçerli olabilir. Ne var ki, Mac'im olmadığınden henüz denemedim. | {
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LEFT: as found, totally buried under large rocks/rubble of collapsed roof;
RIGHT: in same position with debris cleared
I have questions 1/ Two US military photos of #Khadr at the scene of the firefight:LEFT: as found, totally buried under large rocks/rubble of collapsed roof;RIGHT: in same position with debris clearedI have questions 1/
1. Was Khadr shot before or after the photo on the left?
Comparing the photos, there is a very slim outline of his left shoulder that looks identical to the image on the right.
iow, he appears not to have been moved at all, but merely had debris cleared. 2/ | {
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This 1963 Jaguar XKE Roadster is a matching-numbers project that was last thought to be on the road in the late 70s. The seller acquired the vehicle a year and a half ago through an acquaintance from a local British car club. Now a partially disassembled roller, its original 3.8L inline-six was supposedly rebuilt some time ago, and the XKE spent the last 10+ years stored at a local repair shop. Rust is present throughout and detailed in the listing below. A salvage Nebraska title was issued due to its current condition, and a number of original parts shown in the gallery are included in the sale.
The factory color is believed to be white. Rust is present in the outer rockers, battery box, floors, trunk corner, A-pillars, and around the rear wheels. The top half of the hood is said to be salvageable, but the bottom valence needs replacement. Dents, dings, and rust surround the body, but the inner rockers, bulkheads, and rear of the cockpit are reportedly solid. Framework is damaged in front of the radiator and on the passenger side engine bay.
Both headlights will require new trim rings and covers, while the turn signals and rear lights do not have lenses. Bumpers are intact and the chrome is claimed to be restorable. Factory wire knock-off wheels are retained, and the brake and suspension systems will need entire rebuilds.
A soft top frame is stated to be complete but will need new upholstery. The dash remains in surprisingly good condition with a vinyl instrument panel and all switches and gauges present, though their working condition is unknown. Seats and some of the interior trim comes with the car. Floors are in need of replacement on both the driver’s and passenger’s side.
As seen in the above photo, the engine number is listed as R-6415-9. Stampings on the head (R-6415-9), transmission (R-E85548JS), and body (R-4161) also match the chassis plate.
The stamping on the engine block also shows R-6415-9.
While the engine is said to have been rebuilt, it is unclear when or where. It wears newer paint and turns freely, and when acquired by the seller it was accompanied by engine gasket boxes missing a significant number of gaskets, valves, and bearings. Three new carb kits are included in the sale. Condition of the clutch, transmission, and rear end is unknown.
A crude patch panel has been welded onto the bottom of the heater box, and the fan motor is frozen. A unit from an MG Midget has been tested and is included in the sale along with the original radiator and header tank. Exhaust manifolds need replacement, and the rest of the exhaust system was not present upon the seller’s purchase. Detailed pictures below show the included parts and condition in depth, along with the newly issued salvage title.
The seller trailered the car to the DMV and was issued a salvage title. | {
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In A.D. 410, Roman authority in Britain collapsed and Romano-British society disappeared from history under the invading tides of Angles and Saxons from northern Europe. Historians have been debating ever since whether the Romano-British were wiped out or survived by adopting their conquerors’ language and culture.
A fine-scale genetic analysis of the British population has now provided the answer. The invaders and the existing population lived side by side and eventually intermarried extensively. The people of south and central England are now genetically well mixed, with Saxon genes accounting for only about 20 percent of the mix, says a genetics team led by Stephen Leslie of the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute in Victoria, Australia, and by Peter Donnelly and Walter Bodmer of Oxford University.
The British Isles were wiped clean of people by the glaciers that descended toward the end of the last ice age, and were repopulated some 10,000 years ago by people who trekked over the broad land bridge that then joined eastern England to Europe north of the Rhine. The researchers say they can identify the genetic signature of this early migration, which survives most strongly in people from the western extremity of Wales.
Another strong genetic signal comes from the Orkney Islands north of Scotland. Some 25 percent of the DNA of Orcadians is of Norwegian origin, which is consistent with Norway’s long ownership of the islands. | {
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28 mei 2019 / vandaag
FC Groningen heeft aanvaller Gabriel Gudmundsson weten te contracteren. De Trots van het Noorden neemt de 20-jarige Zweedse jeugdinternational over van Halmstads BK, dat uitkomt op het op één na hoogste niveau in Zweden.
Gabriel Gudmundsson komt uit de opleiding van Halmstads BK. Daar heeft hij inmiddels 88 officiële wedstrijden voor het eerste elftal gespeeld, waarin hij zestien goals maakte en verantwoordelijk was voor zes assists. Gudmundsson debuteerde in februari 2016 op 16-jarige leeftijd in een bekerduel van Halmstads BK.
Zijn contract in Halmstad liep nog tot het einde van dit kalenderjaar. Gudmundsson is international voor Zweden onder-21. Hij speelde ook in de Zweedse vertegenwoordigende jeugdelftallen van onder-15, -17, -18, -19 en onder-20.
Gabriel is de zoon van voormalig prof en zevenvoudig Zweeds international Niklas Gudmundsson.
Vanaf 12.00 uur volgen meer details over deze transfer via de officiële communicatiekanalen van FC Groningen. | {
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World Elite's jungler temporarily steps down due to private issues
Amongst all the other crazy roster changes happening in China, World Elite's Ruo will currently not be playing for the team.
While a replacement isn't yet known, Ruo will not be jungling with his team for upcoming games for LPL and Demacian Cup. While he will take a short leave, Ruo will not actually be off of the team, and will only be taking a break. Ruo has claimed that the issue is private, so it is unlikely we will be able to find specifics into this issue.
World Elite finished LPL Spring 2014 in 4th place and look to put a strong performance on leading into the Summer season.
The LPL kicks off this upcoming Saturday at 10AM Central European Time. Their first match will be the final match of the day to World Elite Academy.
Source - WangYou | {
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Sergei Eisenstein shot ¡Que viva México! in Mexico in 1931 at the height of the Great Depression. The courageous financiers of this project were the author Upton Sinclair, his wife Mary Craig and a small group of their friends. They had great difficulties in keeping the production going; the economic crisis forced Sinclair to call a halt to it in early 1932. Shooting was stopped with most of the work completed; only one episode could not be filmed. At the same time Josef Stalin insisted on Eisenstein's return to the Soviet Union.
Eisenstein left Mexico with Sinclair's promise in mind; that all the negatives would be send to him to enable the final editing of the film in Moscow. Sinclair tried several times in vain to transfer the film footage to Russia, but the Soviet Film Industry was instructed not to import the film. Eisenstein had been denounced both as a political renegade and as a Trotskyite, which was, in the eyes of Stalin, a serious offence. Preventing Eisenstein from finishing his Mexican film was Stalin's punishment. Consequently Eisenstein was left without film work for several years and started teaching at the State Film School. The Stalinist propaganda, which heaped all the blame on Upton Sinclair for the tragic end of ¡Que viva México!, prevailed.
Two films utilizing Eisenstein's film footage were made with Upton Sinclair's permission: Thunder over Mexico made in 1933 by Sol Lesser and Time in the Sun, made by Mary Seton in 1939/40. Thanks to the foresight of Sinclair, who in the 1950s deposited the unedited materials of Eisenstein's film with the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the subsequent work of Jay Leyda to make them accessible, all is not lost. We are sure that seventy years of archival care and investment in preserving the essence of this film will eventually result in an authentic reconstruction of this lost film.
Many film-historians are convinced that ¡Que viva México! is one of Eisenstein's greatest films. ¡Que viva México! stood at the crossroads of Eisenstein’s artistic development and at a crucial point in the evolution of the art of the cinema. This work deserves more than any other to be taken out of the archives, to be appreciated by a new generation! It is a treasure waiting to be discovered.
Addeddate 2009-03-29 05:12:27 Color color Identifier QuevivaMexico Run time 1:25 min Sound sound Year 1931 | {
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MITCH MCCONNELL was visibly distraught after the Republicans’ “skinny repeal” of Obamacare was defeated in the Senate, but he was not too out of sorts to get in a dig at Europe. The majority leader wondered acidly what ideas Democrats might have for fixing American health insurance, and noted that most Democratic senators had voted “present” on a bill proposing that America should embrace a single-payer system. “Apparently they didn’t want to make a decision about whether they were for or against socialised medicine. A government takeover of everything. European health care,” Mr McConnell said. These things, he implied, were all connected, and very bad.
Mr McConnell’s syllogism, equating single-payer health insurance systems with socialism, government and Europe, rests on a set of deep archetypes. It can trace its roots back more than a century, to the days when Gilded Age railroad barons fulminated against the leftist European immigrants who, they believed, were infecting America with communism. But it makes no sense in the context of the health-insurance debate. In the first place, it gets its terms all wrong. A single-payer system is socialised health insurance, not “socialised medicine”: in many countries with single-payer systems, such as Canada, most medical providers are private, for-profit businesses. It does not imply a “government takeover of everything”, or even of all health insurance. In France, Spain, Britain and elsewhere, single-payer government-provided insurance co-exists with private health-insurance industries supplying supplemental policies for those who want extra coverage.
Nor is single-payer health insurance synonymous with “European health care”: not just because insurance is not care, but because much of Europe does not have a single-payer system. European countries that do not have single-payer health insurance include Switzerland, the Netherlands and an obscure republic called Germany. These countries achieve universal coverage through a mix of private, for-profit and not-for-profit insurers. This private-public combination may sound like the sort of ideological breakthrough that could serve as a compromise between Democrats and Republicans. But it isn’t new. Germany has been using some variety of this model ever since it invented public health insurance, 134 years ago, during the administration of Otto von Bismarck.
In fact, what is interesting about European schemes for universal health insurance is precisely their variety. The systems fall into three paradigms. In the first, the government takes over both health insurance and the provision of care, employing doctors and running hospitals. In the second, the government provides universal health insurance, but leaves much of the provision of care to the private sector. (This is the “single-payer” model to which Mr McConnell refers.) In the third, the government leaves both insurance and care to the private sector, but uses regulation, government subsidies and an individual mandate to guarantee that everyone is covered.
Most countries fall somewhere between these three. Britain, Italy, Spain and Sweden essentially use the first system. Everyone is enrolled in a national government-run health system, most health care is paid for by the government, usually free of charge, and most doctors work for the public health service. But there are also some private doctors and hospitals, and private insurers offering supplemental plans for those who can afford them.
France’s health-insurance system, like Canada’s, is mostly based on the second paradigm, the “single-payer” concept. Doctors are mostly private, but the basic insurance schemes that provide universal coverage are government-funded. Most people in France top up their coverage with supplemental private insurance plans. Germany, meanwhile, falls somewhere between paradigms two and three: most citizens are covered by government-administered schemes, but those earning above a certain threshold can choose to buy private health insurance.
Finally, in the Netherlands and Switzerland, health insurance is handled almost entirely by private insurance companies, and doctors and hospitals are generally private. Coverage is universal because citizens are legally obliged to buy it, which ensures that healthy people stay in the system, holding insurers’ costs down. The government keeps premiums affordable by pumping in generous subsidies, and bars insurers from rejecting those with pre-existing conditions. It also regulates providers in order to control expenses.
Socialism in one country
If this last variant sounds familiar to Americans, that is because it is essentially the same as Obamacare. One salient difference is that because the Netherlands and Switzerland provide more subsidies, premiums are much lower. They also enforce the mandate more strictly. As a result, they manage to insure over 99% of their citizens, whereas America insures only about 90%.
All this may seem terribly complex. In fact, European countries’ health-insurance systems are, without exception, simpler than America’s, which is a bewildering hodgepodge of private and public systems. For those over 65, America has a single-payer system, Medicare, that dishes out taxpayer money to for-profit private health-care providers with virtually no cost controls. For those earning below a certain threshold (which varies by state), there is another single-payer system, Medicaid, that does have cost controls. For those who have served in the armed forces, America has a single-payer system, the Veterans’ Administration; some veterans are treated at government-run hospitals, as with Britain’s National Health Service. For those who are employed by businesses above a certain size, America requires employers to provide private insurance subsidised by a regressive tax break. For those who earn too much for Medicaid but whose employers do not provide insurance, America has Obamacare: a heavily regulated, government-subsidised system of private insurance exchanges with an individual mandate, like the Netherlands and Switzerland.
That complexity contributes to costs. America spends vastly more on administration: 8% of health spending, versus 2.5% in Britain. As of 2013, Duke University hospital had 400 more billing clerks (1,300) than hospital beds (900). Americans also consume more health care. The result is that health care manages to chew up about 17% of GDP without even covering everyone. (No European system costs more than 12% of GDP.) Americans would be getting a terrible bargain even if their resulting health was as good as that of Europeans. In fact, it is worse. Europeans have longer life expectancy than Americans. Fully 28% of Americans have multiple chronic health problems (such as diabetes or arthritis), more than in any European country. America does manage to outperform most European countries on cancer mortality, though even there, Sweden does better. Even on that hoary measure of public health, adult height, America fails. A survey of the youngest mature adults (born in 1996) shows that the latest cohort of Americans are shorter than the French.
But the main reason why Mr McConnell should hesitate before dismissing “European health care” is not so much its effectiveness as its variety. There are not that many ways to achieve universal health insurance coverage in a country. Fundamentally, the government must either provide it directly, or regulate and subsidise the insurance industry to do it. For any variant one can imagine, some European country has probably tried it out. | {
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The Toronto Marlies announced today that the hockey club has re-signed forward Rich Clune to a two-year contract.
Clune, 31, enters his fourth season with the defending Calder Cup champions. In his three seasons with the Marlies, the Toronto native has served as an alternate captain, registering 38 points (12 goals, 24 assists) and 308 penalty minutes in 133 regular season games. He has also skated in 19 regular season games with the Maple Leafs and 20 playoff games for the AHL club, collecting five points (2 goals, 3 assists) and 48 penalty minutes. Clune has played more than 600 games at the NHL and AHL level since being selected by the Dallas Stars 71st overall in the third round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
The Toronto Marlies are the 2017-18 Calder Cup Champions and the primary development program for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Toronto Maple Leafs roster at the end of their regular season featured 13 players who were developed by the Marlies (Tyler Bozak, Connor Brown, Connor Carrick, Travis Dermott, Jake Gardiner, Zach Hyman, Andreas Johnsson Nazem Kadri, Kasperi Kapanen, Leo Komarov, Josh Leivo, William Nylander and Morgan Rielly). | {
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As government plans to ban leaseholds on new-build houses, there are claims up to 100,000 people own ‘unsellable’ properties
Victims of the ground rents scandal are demanding ministers go further in tackling unfair abuses of the leasehold system, amid claims that as many as 100,000 existing homeowners remain trapped in properties that are “unsellable”.
The communities secretary, Sajid Javid, on Tuesday outlined plans to ban developers from selling new-build houses in England as leasehold, and restrict ground rents on new flats to as low as zero, following widespread outrage over exploitative contracts.
However, while the move has been widely welcomed, the proposed ban would relate to future sales, prompting existing homeowners to demand that the government come up with solutions for them.
Leasehold houses and the ground rent scandal: all you need to know Read more
Baz Jafar bought a one-bedroom flat in Edmonton, north London, just over two years ago, and under the small print of his lease, his ground rent – currently £200 a year – will double every 10 years to reach £6,400 by year 50.
He told the Guardian that, while it was good news for future buyers, the announcement “doesn’t seem to offer any way out or resolution for people who are currently stuck with dodgy leases, doubling ground rents or other unfair terms”.
Jafar added: “We really need Sajid Javid to step up and give us some solutions for the mess that has already been created, as well as trying to prevent a bigger mess in the future. We need options that don’t involve a massive outlay of money.”
Tens of thousands of homebuyers have found themselves trapped in spiralling ground rent contracts where, in many cases, the annual amount they have to pay to the freeholder doubles every 10 years.
Jafar’s situation is not unusual, though there are some whose plight is arguably even worse: last October, the Guardian reported on the case of a first-time buyer in Coleshill, near Birmingham, whose ground rent has already climbed to £8,000 a year, and would in theory keep doubling so that in 95 years’ time it would reach £8m a year.
During the last few years, developers – particularly in the north-west of England – have been increasingly selling houses as leasehold that would traditionally have been freehold, with clauses that allow the ground rent to rise dramatically in later years. In many cases the developers sell on the freeholds to third parties – often offshore investment companies.
In a consultation published on Tuesday, the government appeared keen to show that it had not forgotten about those already affected by these practices, saying that it “recognises the challenges faced by existing leaseholders with ‘onerous’ ground rents”.
It added: “We are very keen to hear views on what steps could be taken to improve the situation of these leaseholders, which could include steps to tackle unreasonable and onerous rises in the future and strengthen the rights of consumer redress from unfair trading practices.”
However, there was little detail about how this might work, and in a BBC Today programme interview, Javid said there were not as yet any definite government plans to compel builders to take action to assist those already affected.
Tory MP Sir Peter Bottomley, who has long campaigned on this issue, said: “We should be saying that the doubling of ground rents every 10 years is an unfair term, and it should be ruled unenforceable.”
Bottomley said it was scandalous that some homeowners desperate to escape the escalating payments have reportedly been quoted as much as £30,000 to £40,000 to buy the freehold to their property, when this should have cost them perhaps just a few thousand pounds.
He added that those responsible “should be brought in front of a select committee” and face questions from MPs in the presence of the homeowners that these companies “are trying to fleece”.
Javid said the government was taking action to make future leases fairer, adding that homebuyers were being “exploited”. The consultation stated that in some parts of northern England, leasehold had become the default tenure for consumers wanting to buy a new-build house. “It is particularly common practice in parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside, but is not limited to these parts of the country,” it added.
A Guardian Money campaign has highlighted reports of buyers trapped in properties valued at zero just six years after being built, £2,500 fees demanded by freeholders for permission to build an extension, and quotes of £35,000 to buy freeholds on detached houses that are only a few years old.
The Department for Communities and Local Government said other recent cases included a family house that was now unsaleable because the ground rent was expected to hit £10,000 a year by 2060; and an individual who was originally told that buying the lease would cost £2,000, but was presented with a £40,000 bill.
Some companies are taking action. In April this year Taylor Wimpey announced it was setting aside £130m for an assistance scheme for its customers facing doubling ground rents, and the government said it was “keen for others to follow suit”.
The company has also stopped selling new-build houses as leaseholds, except where it does not own the freehold.
“We are working hard with the freeholders to convert our customers’ doubling leases to ones which resolve concerns around how easy it is to sell or get a mortgage on these properties,” a Taylor Wimpey spokeswoman said.
Persimmon, another housebuilder, said: “The vast majority of houses sold by Persimmon are freehold. It’s too early for us to make any further comment at this time.”
Martin Boyd, a trustee at Leasehold Knowledge Partnership, which has been one of the sharpest critics of abusive practices, said tacking the problems for existing homeowners may not be an easy task because many developers had sold the freeholds to anonymous investors, often based offshore. “The government faces a challenge on how it’s going to undo this,” he added.
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you finished first on a test? You must be smarter than me
174 shares | {
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