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Dieser Filter kann auf zwei Arten verwendet werden: Einschliessend, d.h. dass alle Produkte berücksichtigt werden, dieKriterium erfüllen. Oder ausschliessend, dann werden nur Produkte berücksichtigt, dieausgewählten Kriterien erfüllen. | {
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It appears that in the last few days, there are a handful of bloggers who, by finding wallets on the ground, have unwittingly stumbled across the latest under-the-radar Burger King promotion. The fast food chain has dispensed agents across major U.S. cities (indications are it’s just been Chicago and Orlando so far ) to “lose” wallets. However, when unsuspecting passersby find these wallets and open them, they discover an interesting message:
Yep, the wallets include notes telling the individuals who find them to go ahead and keep the wallets. Time Out Chicago reported on November 12th that Burger King planned to drop 5,000 of these wallets around urban hot spots in Chicago. A handful of bloggers have found some of these wallets, and are reporting that they contain actual cash, ranging from a $1 bill to a $100 bill, a gift card to Burger King, a “Drivers License” featuring The King, and a map of Chicago or Orlando area Burger King’s.
Related: Wondering what to buy when you find a Burger King wallet? Try the Angry Whopper BK Unveils the Burger King Angry Whopper
Several bloggers have posted about their experience, or their friend’s experience, finding one of these wallets. See HERE, HERE and HERE for more on their stories. A couple of PR and marketing bloggers are weighing in as well, praising the promotion and calling it “unexpected and well-timed” given the current state of the economy.
This story hasn’t even bubbled up to the mainstream media yet. A Google News search for “Burger King” + “wallet” yields only one mainstream media story, from an NBC station in Chicago. Nor have stories about this promotion appeared yet on major marketing sites such as Adage or Adfreak.
This is a brilliant marketing move, and the mainstream media seems to be lagging behind on discovering it – but creative and unique marketing ideas like this one don’t go unnoticed forever. I expect much more widespread attention for this promotion as the word-of-mouth affect begins to trickle up the mainstream media.
Pictures via Ted.me.
Update: Apparently this idea isn’t original – Josh and Melanie point out in the comments that McDonald’s did something similar a couple years ago, as did GE Financial.
Update #2: An e-mailer and a commenter on Digg are reporting that these wallets were also spotted on the Arizona State and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s campuses. | {
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Cause of bare-chested Finsbury Park man's burns unknown Published duration 30 March 2015
image copyright Met Police image caption Bilel Ayadi walked for two miles through North London, police said
Images of a shirtless man found wandering the streets after he suffered serious burns have been released in a bid to solve the mystery of his injuries.
Bilel Ayadi, 34, who is in a medically-induced coma, has been unable to tell detectives how he sustained burns to his torso and neck.
He was found walking in Finsbury Park, north London, on 23 March.
Mr Ayadi had walked bare-chested for about two miles, police said.
He was found in Woodberry Grove at about 22:30 GMT by two security guards, who called police.
image copyright Met Police image caption Bilel Ayadi is an Algerian national who has lived in the UK for the past six years
Appealing for information, Det Con Anwen Clissold said Mr Ayadi would have "been very distinctive".
"It may well be that he was already injured as he made his way through the streets," she said.
"We are still trying to establish what has caused his burns but what we do know is that a young man has sustained some very serious injuries. I need to find out how."
Mr Ayadi's brother, Abderrezak Ayadi, said: "Bilel is my brother and at this moment he is lying in hospital with terrible injuries.
"Imagine if this was someone from your family. We just need to find out exactly what happened to him."
Algerian national Mr Ayadi, who has lived in the UK for the past six years, is described as 5ft 11in (1.8m) tall and of medium build. | {
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Calling Reeve a "skinny little kid" when they met for his audition, director Richard Donner made Reeve promise he would be able to bulk up for the role in time for production to meet the 1978 release date.
To make sure that happened, Donner made a call to none other than Darth Vader, actor David Prowse.
The towering English actor was also a bodybuilder and weight-training instructor. He had just played the role of Vader (James Earl Jones supplied the voice) in the 1977 blockbuster A New Hope when he got the call to help Reeve.
"I get a call from Dick Donner and he says, 'Can you get down to the studio as quick as you can, we've got a Superman,'" Prowse said in a previous interview unearthed by Heat Vision.
Reeve trained with Prowse for six weeks, according to the interview.
"He was fantastic. He was a very lovely person," Prowse said of Reeve. "We were like brothers, we got along so well together. And during the course of the period I had him, I took him from 170 pounds when we started and he was 212 [pounds] when he went into the suit."
In an interview done while he was training, Reeve said he ate four meals while on a high protein diet and he took vitamins.
"The thing is, on this part particularly, you have to start from the outside and work in," Reeve said then. "You can do all the interior work you want to do, and it still isn't going to get you to Superman if you don't have the physical strength to go with it."
He continued, "The thing is, the stronger I get — and I am still not all that strong, but I'm getting there — the stronger I get, the more it helps my mental attitude toward the part."
Reeve died in 2004.
The newest installment of the Star Wars saga, The Last Jedi, opens Thursday night.
Watch Reeve train for Superman with Prowse below: | {
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●
MR. SHOY IS NOT what one would call a radical man. Quiet, industrious and unyieldingly easygoing, he joined the fast-food movement only after watching himself and his family descend from what seemed like a once-secure position in the middle class.
In 2008, when he was 53, Mr. Shoy lost his job driving forklifts at a warehouse on Long Island owned by the Waldbaum’s grocery-store chain. His salary at the job, which he had had for more than 20 years, was $22 an hour, and came with overtime and benefits, he said. His wife, Elana, worked as a waitress until three years ago, when she tore a ligament in her knee and had to quit. In 2003, before any of that had happened, the couple bought a house for more than $500,000 — a comfortable three-bedroom on a quiet street in Middle Village, Queens.
Now the house is almost empty, devoid of furniture except for a couch, a table and the bed wedged between them in the basement, where Mr. Shoy sleeps these days, alone. Two months ago, his wife and children — Eduardo Jr., 22, and Leslie, 19 — moved to Pennsylvania, where Leslie plans to enter college next year (with the help of financial aid) and where Eduardo Jr. works in a warehouse for Amazon.com. Mr. Shoy has remained behind, doing what he calls “the bachelor thing — working,” until he manages to sell the house that he can no longer afford.
“I thought I’d spend my life here,” he said the other day, standing in the vacancy that used to be his living room. “The way I had it planned, I’d be retired by now: full pension, Social Security. But things turned out a little different in the end. You do the best you can.”
Working more than 70 hours a week between his two jobs, Mr. Shoy makes a quasi-livable income: about $43,000 a year. But out of that, he has to pay his mortgage, his utilities, his car lease, his car insurance premiums and his children’s car insurance premiums, and then write a check each month to help them with their rent.
“Whatever comes first, I pay first,” he said.
Just two weeks ago, in an effort to accentuate the challenges of fast-food jobs, labor-union organizers published several screen grabs taken off a McDonald’s corporate website, McResourceline.com. The site, which is now unavailable, was designed to offer financial tips to a cash-poor work force. Despite its good intentions, it read like a Dickensian satire, counseling employees to break their meals into pieces (which “results in eating less and still feeling full”); to take two vacations a year (“can cut heart attack risk by 50%”); and to sell “unwanted possessions on eBay or Craigslist” for extra income.
In a statement, McDonald’s said, “This is an attempt by an outside organization to undermine a well-intended employee-assistance website by taking isolated portions out of context.” | {
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公明党の山口那津男代表は８日夜、沖縄県の翁長雄志知事の死去を受け、コメントを発表した。全文は以下の通り。
◇
膵臓（すいぞう）がんを患っていたと聞いており、闘病のつらい姿を目にしていました。翁長知事の健康を心配しておりましたが、訃報を聞き、大変残念に思います。心からご冥福をお祈り申し上げます。翁長知事は沖縄の発展、振興のために、懸命に努力されていたので、沖縄県民の生活水準向上のために、われわれも共に力を合わせてまいりました。先日も知事代理から来年度予算の要望をいただき、どう予算を編成するか考えていたところでした。沖縄県のリーダーの急逝は大変残念です。那覇市長時代も通じた翁長知事のこれまでの功績に感謝いたします。
PR
（米軍普天間飛行場の名護市辺野古移設について）
移設反対運動のリーダーを失い反対運動を支えてきた人たちの運動が今後どうなるのかにもよります。政府としては長い間、沖縄県民の声を丁寧にくみ取りながら、普天間基地の危険を取り除く選択肢は辺野古移設であるとの合意を作り、進めてきたつもりです。ほかに現実的な選択肢がみられない以上、これからも丁寧に県民の理解を求めながら危険を取り除くための努力をしていかなければならないと思います。総じて、沖縄県の皆さまの基地負担を軽くしていくことが、政府の責任であると思っています。翁長知事も異は唱えられないと思っています。 | {
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Mary became Queen of Scots when she was less than a week old, on the death of her father, James in December 1542. Crowned at nine months, she was in the charge first of the Earl of Arran and then of her redoubtable mother, Mary of Guise, who was from one of the most powerful aristocratic families in France. A Roman Catholic and regent from 1554, she had to contend with both the rising tide of Protestantism in Scotland and the machinations of the English who had tried to force a marriage between the baby queen and Edward Tudor, the young heir to the English throne.
It was not a prospect Mary of Guise could tolerate and in 1548 the five-year-old Mary was sent to her grandmother Antoinette of Guise in France, where her Scottish entourage was considered appallingly barbarous and swiftly got rid of, and she was brought up as a Catholic Frenchwoman. French became her first language, she always called herself Marie Stuart and she loved dancing and hunting. She grew up delightfully charming, graceful and attractive, the French fell in love with her and Henry II of France resolved to marry her to his son and heir, the sickly dauphin Francis. A marriage treaty was signed with the Scots, which provided that Scotland and France should eventually be united under Mary and Francis as one kingdom. There were also secret agreements, which the youthful and inexperienced Mary signed, that would have made Scotland a mere adjunct of France.
Mary was fifteen and Francis fourteen when they were married with spectacular pageantry and magnificence in the cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris, by the Cardinal Archbishop of Rouen, in the presence of Henry II, Queen Catherine de’ Medici, the princes and princesses of the blood and a glittering throng of cardinals and nobles. The Duke of Guise was master of ceremonies. Mary in a white dress with a long train borne by two young girls, a diamond necklace and a golden coronet studded with jewels, was described by the courtier Pierre de Brantôme as ‘a hundred times more beautiful than a goddess of heaven … her person alone was worth a kingdom.’ The wedding was followed by a procession past excited crowds in the Paris streets to a grand banquet in the Palais de Justice with dancing far into the night.
Mary became Queen of France when Henry II died the following year, but Francis died prematurely in 1560. Whether the marriage was ever consummated is uncertain. Mary’s mother also died in 1560 and it suited the French to send her back to Scotland and claim that she was the rightful queen of England as well. She would eventually meet political and romantic disaster in Scotland, enduring years of imprisonment in England where, too dangerous a threat to Elizabeth’s throne, she was executed in 1587, at the age of forty-six. | {
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P
resident Ben Shelly is talking to the Navajo Tax Commission about increasing the sales tax on the Navajo Reservation.
Related Many Diné not aware of sales tax exemption
Under Shelly's proposal, the sales tax, now at 4 percent, would increase by a penny per dollar, to 5 percent.
But, for the first time, he doesn't want this new tax to be imposed by the Navajo Nation Council. He wants to put the proposed increase on the ballot and see how voters feel about it.
The other taxes on the reservation were approved by the Council with little or no input from the people who would be affected by it.
Shelly said he would like to see the extra revenue earmarked for two programs, with the scholarship program getting half and the other half to be used to fund energy programs.
Scholarship program officials have been trying to get more funding for years, pointing out that the current level means that thousands of eligible Navajos each year don't get funded because there is not enough money.
As for energy programs, Shelly has made energy development one of his priorities and is looking for ways to pay for some of the alternative energy proposals that have come across his desk.
Martin Ashley, director of the Navajo Tax Commission, said adding a cent to the sales tax would generate between $5 million and $6 million a year.
The original sales tax of three cents is divided between the general fund and the chapters. Chapters certified under the Local Governance Act get full control over their share of the taxes while those who aren't certified are more restricted.
The fourth cent, which went into effect two years ago, was imposed solely to raise funds to build new jails and court facilities.
Tribal officials have been talking about increasing the sales tax at least since March when Albert Damon Jr., director of the Division of Economic Development, proposed using half for scholarships and half to fund economic development projects.
Shelly felt that the economic development projects would get enough funds through a $120 million bond proposal that the tribe is looking at, and that energy proposals needed some way to get funded.
Damon said even with a one-cent increase, reservation customers would still pay a lot less in sales tax than they do off the reservation.
Both Gallup and Farmington, he said, charge seven or eight cents per dollar.
Shelly's proposal is now under review within the tribal government but would have to go before the Navajo Nation Council as referendum legislation by the spring session, in order to be on next year's primary ballot in chapter elections.
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All but one of the 36 victims in the Oakland warehouse fire have been identified. Investigators released the names overnight of nine more people who died. The victims range from 17 to 35 years old.
The fire chief says the search of the fire-gutted building is nearly complete. But many questions remain over how the building could have apparently avoided inspections that might have prevented the fire, reports CBS News correspondent David Begnaud.
Oakland’s mayor confirms there were multiple complaints filed against the structure. She’s promising complete transparency, including the release overnight of years of city records connected with the property.
According to one document, inspectors came just two weeks before the fire but were unable to gain access. Video obtained by CBS News shows police officers inside the structure purportedly less than two months ago.
“Do you believe that there was a systemic failure across the board?” Begnaud asked the Oakland mayor during a presser.
“I’m not prepared to draw conclusions from the history,” Libby Schaaf said. “But I will remind you that the responsibilities and duties of different city employees vary. Police officers are not trained in zoning laws.”
Fire officials have now begun tearing down the unstable walls of the so-called “Ghost Ship” warehouse, as their search for victims ends and they try to uncover how the fire began.
“There is no determination of origin or cause to this fire,” said Oakland Fire Chief Teresa Deloach Reed.
According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, there is no indication the fire was deliberately set. But they’re looking at whether a refrigerator or another faulty appliance might have caused the fire.
“They’re looking at all potential sources of ignition,” said Jill Snyder, special agent in charge of the San Francisco ATF office. “Any kind of electrical appliance, lamps, or electric cords.”
The Alameda County District Attorney’s office is looking into possible criminal charges.
“We need to make sure that justice is served,” said Alameda County Assistant District Attorney Teresa Drenick.
“You walked through that building. What was your initial assessment?” Begnaud asked.
“It was horrifying and heartbreaking. You just felt the loss of life,” Drenick said.
Recovery workers told Sgt. J.D. Nelson it was heartbreaking for them as well.
“There was a man and a woman and they were in a prone position, and the man was in such a way that it looked like he was shielding her from harm’s way,” Nelson said.
The city of Oakland has confirmed that the only permitted use for the warehouse was as a commercial space. It was not permitted for residential use or for public assembly. | {
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Radio Derb is on the air. To get the podcast, follow the instructions at Taki’s Magazine . The transcript will be archived on my own website Tuesday morning.
Commenting this week on the congressional impasse over DHS funding, I cannot restrain my inner cynic:
Would it make any difference to the security of our homeland if the DHS were defunded? In matters of immigration and border control, the executive branch won’t let them do their work anyway. The Department Secretary Jeh Johnson is another lefty stooge from the Mulatto Mafia. Send him home to watch TV. Aren’t there ongoing projects vital to our safety that need to be kept going, though? I doubt it. The other day I attended a talk by a fellow from the Center for Security Policy. The topic was protecting America’s power generation infrastructure from EMP. That’s Electro-Magnetic Pulse, a surge you get in power apparatus when a major solar storm hits, or when hostiles explode a nuke high abover the atmosphere. The booklet that accompanied the talk is on my desk. You can buy one yourself from Amazon for six dollars. It’s titled Guilty Knowledge, subtitle “What the U.S. Government Knows About the Vulnerability of the Electric Grid but Refuses to Fix.” Bottom line: People like the guy giving the talk have been banging away for years at this issue, which could cause tens of millions of deaths. Nothing ever gets done. And yes, this is in the purview of the DHS. The DHS, like most of the federal government, is a waste of space. Shut the damn thing down.
Derb does DC. (Just a drone’s flight from the White House.)
Partying with Reaganites. (My heart’s with you, guys, but …)
The United States of Hodgepodgia. (The path to national success.)
Fifty shades of paradox. (Sex losing market share.)
Don’t just do something, stand there. (Shut down the DHS.)
Support President Fillmore! (He did his best to Compromise.)
Bring back high school shop class. (Cliff Clavin speaks.)
The full Radio Derb playbill:It’s all there at Taki’s Magazine | {
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ESPN temporarily suspended Bill Simmons, the marquee columnist and editor of the network's Grantland site, from using Twitter. The suspension follows Simmons' critical tweets of ESPN's show "First Take" over a recent heated argument between its host Skip Bayless and Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman ESPN just confirmed the suspension to The Hollywood Reporter after rival sports site Deadspin first reported on it via anonymous sources. The Reporter claims his suspension will end tomorrow. This is the second time ESPN has suspended Simmons from Twitter following an earlier incident in 2009.
In a series of tweets on March 8, Simmons called the Sherman-Bayless segment on "First Take" "awful and embarrassing to everyone involved." ESPN social media guidelines specifically forbid employees from criticizing the network on social media, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The tweets were still up at the time of this post's publication.
It's amazing to me that people get so worked up about First Take. Who cares? Just don't watch it. There are like 800 TV channels. — Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) March 8, 2013
I am not defending this segment - youtu.be/j6x-O3kb1sI - I thought it was awful and embarrassing to everyone involved. Seriously. — Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) March 8, 2013 | {
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I don’t think it’s possible to adequately state how fucking ballsy and skilled this player is considering the EXTREMELY specific timing of that dodge and catching the spear attack WHILE TAUNTING BETWEEN EACH THROW | {
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As White House staffers start to seriously contemplate the possibility of impeachment after the first round of indictments in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, the president has begun to blame his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, for his unenviable position.
Vanity Fair reports that the president, during a Tuesday phone call with former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon, blamed Kushner for Mueller's advancing investigation because he had advocated the firings of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and former FBI Director James Comey. Bannon — who once referred to Kushner as a "cuck" — is to said want former White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus to testify to Mueller that Kushner pushed the president to fire Comey.
Meanwhile, in a recent call with close friend Roger Stone, Trump agreed with Stone's assessment that Kushner had given the president bad political advice, Vanity Fair reports. The White House did not respond to a request from Vanity Fair for comment.
Earlier this year, Kushner led a delegation to the Middle East on Trump's behalf to discuss the possibility of brokering peace between Israel and Palestine. Kushner's vast portfolio also includes "fighting the opioid crisis" and "reforming care for veterans." Read more about Trump's son-in-law in the hot seat — as well as the rising anxiety in the White House after Mueller's first indictments — at Vanity Fair. Kelly O'Meara Morales | {
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Lets you skip the longer ads buffers for 30 seconds before the required 5 seconds to skip
478 shares | {
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Rock band TRAX is becoming an EDM group!
On March 26, SM Entertainment revealed that the group will be changing their name from TRAX to TraxX.
They will expand their musical spectrum as an EDM group, taking on various genres and collaborations. DJ and producer Ginjo will be joining current members Jay and Jungmo as the third member.
The trio will release new music in April and perform at festivals and clubs in Korea and abroad. In addition, they will participate in the SMTOWN concert in Dubai on April 6.
The SM Entertainment group debuted as The TRAX in 2004 with four members. Minwoo left in 2006, and Jungwoo left in 2007. Their name was changed to TRAX in 2010.
Source (1) | {
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A year ago, a single bitcoin BTCUSD, +0.82% was valued at $570. Today, after a dramatic year of big ups and downs, bitcoin is over $4,700 and its market cap has gone over $78 billion.
If you’re struggling to understand how this came to be — or just looking to relive the glory (or nightmare, depending on your perspective) — come along with us on a trip down meme-ory lane.
Related:Literally just 15 incredible stats about bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in 2017 (plus a huge chart)
First, some history.
As bitcoin legend has it, “Satoshi Nakamoto” started hashing out the concept of a decentralized digital currency in 2007. To this day, the true identity of the person (or people) behind bitcoin remains a mystery.
In January 2009, the very first bitcoin was created and just days later, the first transaction took place between “Nakamoto” and crypto activist Hal Finney.
It wasn’t until a year later that the very first real-world bitcoin transaction took place. Programmer Laszlo Hanyecz apparently paid 10,000 bitcoin for a pizza. At the time, that was worth only $25.
Still, the bitcoin world remained a mystery to many.
Then, in the summer of 2010, bitcoin’s value surged tenfold in just five days. Bitcoin fans were thrilled, but the naysayers still weren’t interested.
In November of that year, bitcoin’s market cap reached $1 million.
Silk Road opened for business in 2011, and became best known as a bitcoin marketplace for selling illegal drugs on the dark web.
Just a few months after reaching parity with the dollar, bitcoin hit $10 in June 2011.
And still the volatility:
And still, the bitcoin world remained a mystery to many.
It rallied above $31 before plunging in “the crash of 2011” all the way back to single digits. By the time the sellers were through, bitcoin was 93% off its peak.
The bitcoin faithful stood strong, and the recovery began.
Mt. Gox, which became the world’s largest bitcoin exchange after opening in 2010, shut down some four years later amid hacks and security breaches that cast a shadow on the future of cryptocurrencies.
There were eventually calls for the government to ban bitcoin. But bitcoin survived, of course, and more and more cryptocurrencies were created.
Then Donald Trump gets elected president...
... and bitcoin really explodes. Ethereum goes along for the ride, and then some.
Which has some people calling “Bubble!”
And others, “To the Moon!”
Even some of the biggest bulls, though, were biting their nails going into the Aug. 1 “hard fork” that brought about a new version of the currency called Bitcoin Cash. But, fork or no fork, bitcoin’s rally wouldn’t be held down and a week after the split, bitcoin was at an all-time high.
Meanwhile, bitcoin is also gaining a reputation as hackers’ ransom of choice.
Given all the hoopla, it’s not so much of a surprise that regulators are finally stepping in.
So, peak bitcoin?
It’s yet to be seen, but as cryptocurrencies climb ever higher, the bitcoin faithful feel vindicated, for now...
... and the skeptics are left to consider how to play a crypto future. | {
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President Obama's campaign speech on the economy today will be delivered in the same spot where Bill Clinton delivered a 2010 campaign speech Obama might just as soon forget.
In September 2010, Clinton told his Cuyahoga Community College audience in Cleveland that Democrats deserved two more years to fix the nation's economy.
"The Democrats are saying something like this: 'We found a big hole that we did not dig. We didn't get it filled in 21 months, but at least we quit digging,'" Clinton said at the time. "'Give us two more years. If it doesn't work, vote us out.'"
Republicans claim two more years didn't help. As evidence, they cite an unemployment rate still hovering above 8%, slow job growth and an exodus of people leaving the workforce.
Democrats, led by Obama, cite more than 3 million jobs added to the labor force in 20 consecutive months of job growth since Clinton's speech. Until then, the country had lost more than 3.5 million jobs in the 19 months of Obama's presidency.
Obama isn't expected to break much new ground in his speech today. White House press secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday that the president would use the opportunity to contrast his economic plan with that of his Republican rival, Mitt Romney.
"The president believes that this election is a fundamental choice between two very different visions for how we grow the economy, create middle-class jobs and pay down our debt," Carney said.
"The other side's plan is a $5 trillion tax cut that explodes the deficit while gutting the investments we need to grow. The president's plan is to pay down our deficit in a balanced way, a way supported by the majority of the American people, while still investing in education, energy, innovation and infrastructure." | {
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An Australian teen known around the world as "Egg Boy" has conceded that egging a far-right senator was not the right thing to do, but says the gesture united a world reeling from a white-supremacist's alleged massacre of 50 Muslims in New Zealand.
Will Connolly gave his first television interview on Monday since becoming an online hero among many for cracking an egg on Sen. Fraser Anning's head as the maverick legislator spoke at a news conference after a gunman killed or wounded 100 worshippers at two Christchurch mosques on March 15.
Anning has been widely criticized for blaming Muslim immigration for the racist attacks.
Connolly said he is embarrassed that the international attention he has attracted with the egging has distracted attention from the victims of Christchurch. | {
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The police and the army have yet to provide an explanation for the deployment of a military surveillance vehicle – nicknamed the Raccoon – that followed the social justice protesters in Tel Aviv last week. It was not clear who the vehicle belonged to: it looks like an army vehicle but was operated by Border Police officers last week – or at least that is what the IDF claimed.
Last night (Saturday) the vehicle made another appearance in Tel Aviv, this time escorting the counter protest to the one organized by the establishment against “draft dodgers.” It made its way past the protesters as they gathered at the meeting point on Kaplan Street, and then parked not too far away from where the protest took place at Habima Square – in a spot designated strictly for employee parking.
I tried to get close to the vehicle in order to figure out – by identifying its license plate – who it actually belongs to: the IDF or the Border Police. The former uses military numerals, while the latter uses police numerals. The Raccoon had no number on it at all. Shortly thereafter, a semi-undercover cop approached me (he was wearing civilian clothing but was overtly carrying a radio device on this left shoulder) and removed me from the area.
If this Raccoon is in fact a police vehicle, why was it not equipped with the appropriate police license numbers? Unless it is a combat vehicle, like a tank or APC (armored personnel carriers), which wouldn’t have license numbers? If it is in fact a military vehicle, why did the IDF lend it to the Border Police for actions taking place inside Tel Aviv?
MK (Hadash) Dov Khenin submitted a query questioning the government’s use of a military surveillance vehicle against peaceful protesters. He has yet to receive an answer. The police also deployed undercover cops – or more accurately, semi-undercover – who videotaped the protest and broadcast it in real time to their headquarters.
It was easy to identify them as a result of the antenna protruding from their backs. The only democracy in the Middle East looks much more Middle East than democratic recently. Whoever thought the occupation would stop at the Green Line should think again.
Translated from Hebrew by Mairav Zonszein.
Related:
Solidarity vs. militarism: The Zionist contract and the struggle to define J14
Occupation comes home: What was an military surveillance vehicle doing at a protest in Tel Aviv last night? | {
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Joy Reid and her panel discuss the numerous red flags regarding Mike Flynn that may have been ignored by the Trump team, but which Flynn himself should have steered clear of. | {
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Kivy has now added official support for IOS platform. You can now package your Kivy application for the Ipad (and other iOS devices, testers needed).
The current instructions are available here: http://kivy.org/docs/guide/packaging-ios.html
For the full story on the multiple Apple limitations we are working with, i want to share the hardest part for Python integration: Apple’s prohibition on using dlopen() to load dynamic libraries.
In a typical case, a compiled Python library’s extension is a “.so”, and the “.so” is dlopen() at import.
That being said, as we did for the python-for-android project published in January, we are redirecting the compilation object to create static libraries. Theses libraries are included in the final application binary. But it’s not enough: we must also tell to Python to look for the library entry point in the application binary, instead of dlopen(). So in the python dynload loader:
return (dl_funcptr) dlsym(RTLD_MAIN_ONLY, funcname)
This way, Python will always look at the application binary, and never need to use dlopen().
If you are worried that Apple would reject a Python-based application, or even using Kivy altogether, we have tested it for you: the game that won the Kivy contest has been packaged for IOS, submitted to Apple… and accepted. You can found Deflectouch on iTunes (source code).
Anyway, Kivy is now officially supporting 5 platforms: Windows, Linux, MacOSX, Android and IOS!
Enjoy 🙂 | {
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Koofr zmožnosti Sinhronizacije po meri iz različnih računalnikov v mapo znotraj Koofra Ali veste, kako ustvariti sinhronizacijo iz več različnih računalnikov v eno mapo znotraj računa Koofr? Želite imeti datoteke doma in v službi usklajene in na voljo? V računu Koofr lahko ustvarite mapo, katere vsebina je sinhronizirana z vsemi vašimi napravami. Sledite korakom v naši objavi in z lahkoto vzpostavite takšno sinhronizacijo.
Ali veste kako ustvariti mapo v svojem računu Koofr in jo sinhronizirati na dva različna računalnika? Morda imate v domači pisarni prenosnik in v službi stacionarni računalnik in želite imeti eno mapo z datotekami sinhronizirano z obema napravama. Takšno situacijo prikazuje spodnja slika. Če želite imeti svoje datoteke iz različnih naprav na voljo znotraj Koofra, ne glede na to na kateri napravi trenutno delate, vam je današnja objava pisana na kožo.
Kako ustvariti sinhronizacijo po meri? Pojdimo korak za korakom.
(1) Prijavite se v svoj račun Koofr ali ustvarite nov račun Koofr.
(2) Ustvarite novo mapo v računu Koofr. Mi smo jo poimenovali Moja sinhronizacija.
(3) Prenesite in namestite namizno aplikacijo Koofr na oba izbrana računalnika. Namizno aplikacijo Koofr najdete tukaj ali če v glavnem meniju v spletni aplikaciji Koofr kliknete na Poveži svoj računalnik.
(4) Ko je namizna aplikacija Koofr nameščena, jo odprite in se prijavite v svoj račun.
(5) Kliknite na Sinhronizacije v meniju namizne aplikacije Koofr na levi strani. Tam boste videli samodejno ustvarjeno prvo sinhronizacijo. Pustite jo pri miru in kliknite na Ustvari novo.
(6) Pojdite skozi postopek ustvarjanja nove sinhronizacije po meri. Najprej morate izbrati mapo, ki jo želite sinhronizirati s Koofrom. Za ta namen smo ustvarili novo mapo z imenom Moja-sinhronizacija-racunalnik-1 in jo izbrali. Ko končate z izbiro mape, kliknite Naprej.
(7) V naslednjem koraku morate izbrati mapo v Koofru, s katero želite sinhronizirati. To je mapa, ki smo jo ustvarili v točki (2). V našem primeru je to mapa Moja sinhronizacija. Kliknite Naprej in v naslednjem oknu kliknite Dokončaj. S tem ste ustvarili se sinhronizacijo po meri.
(8) Zdaj morate takšen postopek ponoviti še na drugem računalniku. Ponovno pojdite skozi postopek ustvarjanja nove sinhronizacije po meri. Izberite mapo, ki jo želite sinhronizirati s Koofrom. Ustvarili smo novo mapo z imenom Moja-sinhronizacija-racunalnik-2 in jo izbrali. Ko končate z izbiro mape, kliknite Naprej.
(9) Izberite mapo v Koofru, s katero želite sinhronizirati. To je ponovno mapa, ki smo jo ustvarili v točki (2) - Moja sinhronizacija. Kliknite Naprej in v naslednjem oknu kliknite Dokončaj. Tako ste ustvarili drugo sinhronizacijo po meri.
(10) Zdaj s pomočjo Koofra sinhronizirate dve mapi iz dveh različnih računalnikov v isto mapo znotraj svojega računa Koofr. V našem primeru v mapo Moja sinhronizacija.
Opomba: Če želite dodati še več računalnikov, lahko preprosto ponovite opisani postopek, pri čemer znotraj svojega računa Koofr vedno izberite mapo ustvarjeno v točki (2). Tako boste podatke iz vseh svojih računalnikov vedno sinhronizirali v isto mapo znotraj Koofra.
Želite govoriti z nami? Pridružite se nam na Koofr subredditu. | {
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Image copyright Dustin Lance Black/Instagram Image caption Dustin Lance Black explored the subject of surrogacy for BBC Radio 5 live
Dustin Lance Black and his husband, Olympic diver Tom Daley, became parents for the first time in June 2018, having their son Robbie Ray through surrogacy.
Mr Black, an Oscar-winning screenwriter, and Mr Daley used a gestational surrogate in California, and a different egg donor, to have Robbie Ray.
"The greatest gift I've ever had in my entire life is this son that I'm holding and I didn't do it alone," Mr Black told a specially recorded podcast for BBC Radio 5 Live.
"There are two women out there who made this possible."
In the lead-up to Robbie Ray's birth, and after he'd arrived, Mr Black investigated the personal, scientific, financial and legal aspects of surrogacy.
He said the process made him rethink the couple's relationship with their egg donor, adding that he and Mr Daley were now planning to take Robbie Ray to meet her next year.
'Major sticking point'
It was through conversations with campaigners such as Jessica Kern, who was born through surrogacy, that led Mr Black to re-examine how important their egg donor might be to their son when he grows up.
Ms Kern, who lives in Virginia, in the US, wasn't told that she was born via a surrogate but found out through medical records when she was a teenager.
"It's kind of a major sticking point for me that those of us conceived via these technologies, we don't have the rights to know our own story," she said.
"You're going to be bringing a kid into the world who is donor conceived… you don't have any guarantee that your child is going to feel positive about it at the end of the day.
"It's a roll of the dice... I just wish you guys luck," she told Mr Black.
Image copyright Dustin Lance Black/Instagram Image caption Dustin Lance Black and Tom Daley plan to take their son to meet their egg donor
Mr Black said he believed it was important for people to understand the difference between gestational and traditional surrogacy, where the surrogate's own eggs are used.
"That first concern you heard so often... 'How could you rip this child out of its mother's arms?' - which of course is something Tom and I would never want to do - that goes away when people start to understand the science."
Getting ready
Mr Black, who grew up as a Mormon, said that as a child he had thought he'd never have a family of his own, because of his sexuality.
"I wondered at six years old if I'd ever have that, because at six years old I also realised for the first time that I was gay."
Part-way through the recording of the podcast, the couple flew from their home in the UK to California in preparation for the arrival of Robbie Ray.
Mr Black revealed how the pair went shopping to get ready for the baby. Browsing the aisles, he said, the realisation he was about to become a father had suddenly struck him.
"And now here I am, in Babies R Us, shopping for nappies, and wipes, and a car seat. And it's happening. It's happening.
"Thanks to a lot of hearts changing, laws changing, and now thanks to science, and the great generosity of a surrogate, and an egg donor. Here I am, about to be a dad."
Image copyright Dustin Lance Black/Instagram Image caption Mr Black and Mr Daley shared the news they were expecting a baby on Valentine's Day 2018
The birth
Mr Black described the moment their surrogate contacted them, at 15:00 local time, saying: "Boys, get to the hospital!"
He said they had raced through LA rush-hour traffic for the birth. He said they had decided in advance that he would cut the cord and Mr Daley would hold the baby first - "skin-to-skin, to start creating that bond".
The podcast highlights many differences between UK and US surrogacy law, including that in California intended parents can be made the legal parents before the birth.
"When we walked out of that hospital, we had a birth certificate with our names on it that said: 'Father one and father two, Tom Daley and Dustin Lance Black'. And we knew our son was not only ours in our hearts but also legally and protected that way."
Due to UK surrogacy laws, which are currently under review, Mr Black and Mr Daley are now in a lengthy legal process to become their son's legal parents in the UK, a process Mr Black said "breaks your heart".
Image copyright Dustin Lance Black/Instagram Image caption The couple shared the news of the baby's arrival on social media
The egg donor
Weeks into their new life as parents, Mr Black opened up about the couple's determination to get it right when making decisions about their son's relationship with the women who helped bring him into the world.
Mr Black said his eyes had been opened to "the potential benefits of having an even closer relationship with our egg donor" and he had now started to see surrogacy through the eyes of the children born via this method.
He said they wanted their son to be proud of how he had been born and, having investigated surrogacy, he now believed the best way to do that "is to open the door, to open the windows, and let the light and the truth of who he is and how he came into our family be as evident as possible".
Image caption Helen Greenwood with her baby and her surrogate, Caz
Helen and Caz
As part of the podcast, Mr Black also met Helen Greenwood, whose toddler was born through traditional surrogacy, via surrogate Caz, in 2017.
Helen, from the north-west of England, said she and her husband were planning to be open with their daughter about how she had been conceived and born, presenting it as something normal.
"She's going to meet other children who were born through surrogacy, she's going to meet other surrogates and their families."
And she said, like Mr Black, she hoped it was something her daughter would feel "proud of" when she was older.
Click here to subscribe to BBC Radio 5 Live's podcast Surrogacy: A Family Frontier, on BBC Sounds. | {
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Important Notice: I recommend to those who want to learn about our ecosystem to read our white paper. It will provide you a very depth look at our ecosystem.
It is vividly clear with the emergence of cryptocurrency over the last few years that digital assets can actually be used for so much more than just displacing the fiat currencies already in existence.
Digital assets can be used for example to:
Provide access to Dapps (decentralize applications) Signify ownership Lowering the entry of barrier to financial ecosystems Tokenization of Assets
Due to various use cases, digital assets and its underlying technology have the potential to create entirely new economic structures that have never existed before. The features of each Token vary as you will soon learn how we are utilizing the ERA Token for our ecosystem.
Understanding the basic knowledge of token economics as the underlying framework of Cryptocurrencies can teach you to determine the projects that can be regarded as solid.
In this article, we will basically analyze the dynamics of token economics and give you the basic insight that will help you understand the token behind ETHA and possibly any of your desired cryptocurrency.
Overview Of Token Economics
Token economics generally refers to the immense studying, designing, and operation of economic structures that are strictly based on the technology of blockchain. Each blockchain platform and blockchain operation makes use of its own economic model.
The topic of token economics has a strict focus on the initial economic models that are new and built through cryptocurrencies. This does not include tokens that are exclusively used for fundraising, and it has no important role to play in the platform as they are not stroked as new models.
Token securities have been available for some time, and their dynamics have been well understood over time. Although, blockchain and cryptocurrencies can enable a more powerful way to deal with securities when it comes down to ownership and transferability.
An assumption on which almost all the models of the token economics stand on is that humans behave based on incentives. This stand is however based on the incentive hypothesis.
It is a human behavioral thesis that assumes actions are inspired by an appeal for incentives. For token economics, the incentives are the tokens. They are basically used to engage the communities of a network to behave accordingly to benefit from the same network.
It is worthy to note that these incentives are basically monetary because tokens can have monetary value if traded on exchanges.
Benefits Of Token Economics
When a project decides to create a Token, they should always develop an economic model for the utilization of their Token.
Generally speaking, Tokens are used for value exchange. This is the basic usage for digital assets.
To make sure that the system of a blockchain or its application operates efficiently and keeps advancing, tokens are utilized. And since there is no central authority in most cases, tokens are important for the existence and growth of a decentralized platform.
Our value strategy for the ERA token features multiple mechanisms to stimulate its growth.
Our Token has various purposes beyond a speculative asset on an exchange, and this includes but is not limited to;
● Exchange Fees
● Transaction fees for remittance services
● Collateral on the lending platform
● Discount on fees
● Listing fees for the exchange
● Future exclusive services
We capped the total supply of our tokens at 1,000,000,000.
To Wrap It Up
Since we are still in the inception stage of the era of Blockchain technology and the majority of projects and its Dapps are not being utilized fully, for now, the vital question is if token/coins will be still utilized in spite of the highly speculated environment we are currently in.
We are still getting prepared, but there is already an increased number of diverse token economic models.
See you with the next articles and updates.
Connect with us or Contribute
Website | Telegram | LinkedIn | Twitter | Whitepaper | Bitcointalk|Bounty Thread | {
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The Art of Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus is an upcoming deep dive on the production design of MachineGames’ upcoming shooter, and publisher Dark Horse Books was kind enough to send over some big, shiny previews.
First we get a look inside Eva’s Hammer— the massive German U-Boat commandeered by B.J. Blazkowicz and the Kreisau Circle during the events of Wolfenstein: The New Order. The hijacked submarine will be the the resistance’s base this time around. The steely corridors and and chambers aren’t particularly homey, but warm lighting helps a bit.
BJ’s mission to rebuild the American resistance will bring him to New Orleans, where the Nazis have walled off a portion of the city to purge the dissidents within. Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus marks the rebooted franchise’s first mission in America, and the art team seems to have taken time to develop a period and region-appropriate style for the city before burning it down.
The streets and warehouses of the besieged city are littered with burned out street cars and multi-tiered shanty houses, making for a pretty dynamic battlefield.
Finally, we see Wolfenstein 2’s bleak take on New York City. The nuclear bombing of New York was referenced in the previous title, but this is the first time we’ve seen the destruction firsthand. Buildings and cars have melted together to create an alien hellscape that only subtly hints at the city it used to be.
We don’t know why B.J. and friends will be venturing into the ruins of New York City, but we expect to learn more when the game launches on Oct. 27. The Art of Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus hits booksellers on Nov. 21. | {
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AMC Entertainment CEO Adam Aron meant it when he said yesterday that he expected an “imminent” closing of his $1.1 billion cash and stock acquisition of Carmike Cinemas after agreeing to Justice Department terms for the deal.
Dalian Wanda Group-controlled AMC became the nation’s largest exhibition chain this morning by consummating the transaction. It became the world’s largest theater chain last month with the closing of its $1.2 billion acquisition of UK-based Odeon & UCI Cinemas
“AMC now has a larger audience and a bigger stage to introduce our industry-leading innovations including plush power-recliner seats, enhanced food and beverage choices and premium large format screens,” Aron says. The company “now will enjoy increased benefit from movies that play better on Main Street and movies that play better in major metros, and, of course, from movies that play well in both.”
Carmike will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of AMC. Trading in its stock was suspended before the market opened.
AMC has about 388 theaters with 5,295 screens in 33 states and the District of Columbia. Carmike has 271 movie theaters with 2,917 screens in 41 states.
Carmike investors had the option of swapping each share for either $33.06 in cash or 1.0819 share of AMC. Holders of more than 23 million Carmike shares, equal to 91.1% of the total, took AMC stock. It will be prorated, meaning that they’ll receive stock for about 32.9% of the shares and cash for the rest.
About 1.2 million took the cash. The remaining holders, with a little under 1 million shares, did not make a choice and will receive cash. | {
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A Chinese soldier stands guard outside the North Korean embassy in Beijing. Kim Jong Nam, the older half-brother of Kim Jong Un, was living under Chinese protection before he was assassinated at an airport in Malaysia. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
Feb. 17 (UPI) -- The assassination of the older half-brother of Kim Jong Un may have a serious impact on the Chinese leadership because of its North Korea ties, but news of the slaying is being severely restricted in China.
Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported that Chinese authorities issued a notice to domestic media on Wednesday, instructing news organizations to limit their coverage to syndicated news articles or to use Malaysian news sources, an indication no on-ground-reporting was being allowed.
The state also ordered journalists to arrange the layout of their newspapers or websites so the assassination story was never given "top" priority.
For online news sites, any article on Kim Jong Nam must be placed anywhere below the 10th line of text on the page, according to the report.
RELATED North Korea sending team to 2017 Asian Winter Games
Articles that speculate on the cause of Kim Jong Nam's death, or past stories on Kim, live broadcasts from Malaysia on the story and comments tied to the story have been banned.
One Chinese journalist who spoke to the Asahi on the condition of anonymity said Beijing is concerned about public opinion, which is heavily leaning toward North Korea abandonment.
"In this situation, any statement alleging 'North Korea assassinated [Kim Jong Nam]' could only aggravate the situation," the source said.
Kim's slaying presents a challenge for Chinese President Xi Jinping, because the once-favored son of former leader Kim Jong Il was living under Chinese protection, The Financial Times reported.
China had also been making some effort to renew deteriorating ties around the Lunar New Year, when diplomatic officials from both sides held receptions and pledged friendship.
North Korea's missile test on Sunday drew condemnations from Beijing, but Kim Jong Nam's death was a far worse blow, experts say.
Paul Haenle, a former adviser to U.S. Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, said, "Kim Jong Nam's assassination is much more of a blow than the missile test...For China, Kim Jong Nam carried the credibility of the Kim family lineage and was also supportive of Chinese-style economic reform."
China has said it is monitoring developments following what has been described as a fatal poisoning of the older Kim at a Kuala Lumpur airport. | {
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Joseph Lubin: EOS Controlled By 21 Crypto Bros Is Not That Decentralized
Ethereum co-founder and ConsenSys founder, Joseph Lubin, has an opinion on the several decentralized platforms appearing in the market, including those of EOS, Cosmos, and Dfinity.
Lubin made a speech at Deconomy, an event that has gathered a crowd from all over the world and focusing on the innovations in the crypto space and the imminent decentralized future.
A large focus of the talk was on the idea of trust in economies and value systems, and how the disintermediation properties of blockchain technology can greatly increase efficiency and break down barriers between isolated systems.
Reliance on centralized trust enables certain kind of intermediaries to extract too much value from a transaction… the trust revolution will transform everything. The trust characteristic of blockchain derive from their degree of decentralization. Certain blockchain networks can’t be improperly manipulated, can’t be cheated even if up to half the nodes are malicious…
He goes on to say that these separate systems are “walled gardens”,
There doesn’t actually exist a global, coherent financial system. It is a network of walled gardens. Brokerages that serve their jurisdictions, central depositories for each nation, and banks that handle their business nationally and reach out through their correspondent banking relationships when they need to cross out to another walled garden to complete a transaction.
Furthermore, Lubin believes that they are not in favor of the consumer and instead more focused on gaining market power,
Settlements of sorts happen on all kinds of platforms beyond the financial industry. Ebay, PayPal, MasterCard, Amazon, can be considered settlement platforms for certain kinds of transactions…None of these focus primarily on the benefits to the consumer and many of these play disturbing games with their customers to reap maximum value out of us. Each of these prioritize protecting their pricing power, limiting freedom, choice…Legacy economy is all about creating the deepest, widest moats to protect competitive businesses.
Explaining this particular theme, Lubin made remarks on several projects that are working on overcoming these issues, both permissioned and permissionless ones, and that they are the ideal solutions to the challenge. He doesn’t see as much utility in permissioned networks,
Perhaps IBM’s Fabric? Nope, there is no chance in my opinion that will be evolving beyond relatively small networks for private and permissioned systems. Fabric can issue tokens, but only for narrowly circumscribed situations. The Fabric technology promotes platform locking. R3’s Corda is blockchain inspired software for mostly banking industry applications. It is more about point to point trust, than a shared source of truth. Corda can issue tokens, but only for narrowly circumscribed situations and Corda as a technology promotes platform locking.
EOS has been the subject of scrutiny after it was alleged last year that Huobi stakeholders in its decentralized system (which Vitalik Buterin has criticized and which Lubin also called non-decentralized in his speech) were being paid for voting influence. Lubin says,
How about EOS? As has been debated endlessly, a platform controlled by 21 crypto bros is just not all that decentralized. They can collude and censor if they wish. Governments and other well resourced actor can bribe them or force them to act against their will and against the well being and the security of the people using the platform…I can imagine EOS being used for some games, but not even games that have high value tokens. It is too easy to organize to steal value on this platform.
His opinion on Cosmos and Dfinity is a little more praiseworthy, though he does not believe that they are tackling the problem of trust by creating a base layer of trust, instead serving as a good layer 2 solution or decentralized cloud service system.
I expect Cosmos to have good utility as a Layer 2 solution, linked into the base trust layer when necessary. Cosmos also expects to interop with ethereum through a token bridge…[Dfinity] appears to me they are less interested in being a global base trust and settlement layer and more like a somewhat decentralized AWS replacement.
And of course, he ends by saying that there is only one apparently viable solution, | {
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“One of the things we look for is where do you add position flexibility,” Mullen said. “You don't want to be locked in that you can only play one player, you don't know where our needs are for the team, where we think this – we might – we're not always perfect in recruiting, where especially you look at guys that are great athletes and we say, OK, I project this guy to play this position. Right? And he comes and he's not very good at the one you thought he would be, but he's really good at something that you didn't, maybe you didn't think he would be at. | {
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A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the rate of incarceration for African-Americans in Vermont. That reference has been removed.
At less than two percent of the population, you could perhaps understand how a statewide officeholder in Vermont may ignore the African-American population. But now that Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has a very real shot at securing the Democratic presidential nomination, his missteps and perceived slights over his decades-long political career have come under increased scrutiny and his shortcomings with black voters in his home state particularly, have drawn renewed consideration as his campaign attempts to shore up lacking support with black voters in crucial states like South Carolina.
“He could have been a little more forceful around the race issue,” Sanders support and director of the Vermont Anti-Racism Action Team, Paij Wadley-Bailey, told the Daily Beast of Sanders' record in Vermont.
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Some black leaders in Vermont appeared sympathetic to Sanders' lacking attention to the state's small, but not negligible, African-American population. “You don’t know what you don’t know, and he hasn’t had to be accountable to communities of color before,” said another African-American Sanders support in Vermont, Shela Linton.
Still, as Sanders campaigns in places like Atlanta alongside black rappers like Killer Mike and vows to end mass incarceration while speaking with black voters in South Carolina, his own record on improving the lives of black voters in Vermont is less clear.
“Racial profiling is a fact of life here," said Vaughn Carney, a black lawyer in the state who has supported Sanders in every election but plans to vote for Hillary Clinton for president.
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"Vermont incarcerates people at the fourth highest rate in the U.S., but no one talks about that. I have been beating on that drum for a while now, and I hoped that Bernie would up that mantle, but he has not. He is like a lot of Vermonters who like to congratulate themselves on how progressive they are but sweep these issues under the rug.”
Carney said that he and other black leaders in the state often turned to Vermont's other senator, Patrick Leahy, for matters pertaining to the community.
“Overall we felt as though Sen. Leahy was interested in keeping informed on our issues,” Carney said of the Senate Judiciary Chairman who often deals with criminal justice legislation. “We put out an all-points bulletin to our congressional delegation. Leahy responded and was instrumental in drawing attention to it. We got no response back from the other senator’s office, which was an indication that civil rights was not his top priority.”
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"I think Bernie tends to run away from racial and ethnic issues,” Carney concluded.
Other black activists in Vermont echoed Carney's conclusion that Sanders was more comfortable eschewing matters of race in favor of a more general focus on economics -- a habit he was heavily criticized for early in his presidential campaign by the likes of Black Lives Matter. Sanders has since beefed up his racial and social justice platform, picking up crucial African-American endorsements and hiring black activists to join his campaign, but some black leaders in Vermont argue that Sanders has had more than enough time to warm himself to black voters before this presidential election.
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Curtiss Reed Jr. executive director of the Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity, recounted a 2006 candidate forum for the open U.S. senate seat Sanders eventually won. To Reed's surprise, Sanders “was just really dismissive of anything that had to do with race and racism, saying that they didn’t have anything to do with the issues of income inequality.”
“He just always kept coming back to income inequality as a response, as if talking about income inequality would somehow make issues of racism go away.” Reed complained that Sanders seemed to handle black activists in Vermont with "benign neglect.”
“We are a major statewide organization. It would stand to reason that you would check in with your major constituents, but voters of color are simply not on his radar.”
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Issues like reparations, for instance, which Sanders' sharp focus on income inequality has led prominent black intellectuals like Ta-Nehisi Coates to question Sanders' opposition, is not something the Vermont senator has to deal with only after entering a national race. It has been a longtime issue in Vermont as well.
Sha’an Mouliert, an activist who founded the African-American Alliance of the Northeast Kingdom, recalled once approaching Sanders for his support on a federal bill sponsored by Michigan Rep. John Conyers. Mouliert says Sanders outright dismissed the notion of reparations on the spot.
“I felt completely negated. Like I was invisible,” she recalled. Mouliert said she also invited Sanders to speak at her organization but complained that Sanders never rescheduled after canceling his initial visit.
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For his part, Sanders asks black voters in South Carolina and beyond to look at his history as an activist, not senator of Vermont, to judge his record on race.
"I believe when the African-American community in South Carolina and around the country understands that I have one of the strongest civil rights records in Congress and was involved in the civil rights movement for many years before I went to Congress, they will respond," Sanders told MSNBC's Chris Hayes back in September.
But even for some sympathetic black leaders in South Carolina, that may not be enough. In the Real Clear Politics average of polls of the Palmetto State, Clinton leads Sanders by 20 percentage points. 2014 Senate nominee Joyce Dickerson, argued that Sanders is too far behind wooing African-American voters to catch up now. | {
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A company made up of 24 engineers, funded by founders of Ola, is getting ready to launch the country's first electric motorcycle. Pune-based Tork Motorcycle will launch the T6X, a battery-powered motorcycle with a range of 100 kms, as claimed by the promoters, in the next two months.
While no less than 12 companies have launched electric scooters, bicycles and cars in India so far no company ventured to build and commercially launch electric motorcycle. Kapil Shelke, Director, Tork Motorcycles said, "This is a ground up new bike developed by us which uses proprietary ... | {
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That’s even though a majority of Americans, including most Republicans, say Trump does not represent the Republican Party’s core values, and six in 10 overall – including three in 10 in his own party– say they wouldn’t consider supporting him for president were he the GOP nominee.
See PDF with full results, charts and tables.
How long the Trump surge lasts is an open question; this poll was conducted Thursday through Sunday, mostly before his controversial criticism Saturday of Sen. John McCain’s status as a war hero. And Trump’s support was conspicuously lower Sunday than in the three previous days.
Trump’s frontrunner status, moreover, reflects the crowded GOP race. He leads the 16-candidate field with 24 percent support among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who are registered to vote, up sharply from 4 percent in May. While enough for a lead, that also means 76 percent prefer someone else, or none of them.
Scott Walker has 13 percent support, Jeb Bush 12 percent, with the rest in single digits.
Trump’s support was 28 percent in this survey’s first three nights of polling. While the sample size of registered leaned Republicans on Sunday is quite small, he dropped to the single digits that day.
His improvement overall, compared with an ABC/Post poll in May, occurred largely across the board. Support for Rand Paul dropped by 5 percentage points, for Ted Cruz by 4 and for several other candidates by generally non-significant 1- to 3-point margins.
Among groups, Trump’s advanced since May by 7 points among college graduates, but just to 8 percent, underscoring his weakness in this group. But – at least until Sunday – his gains otherwise were broad, up, for example, by 16 points among Republicans, 23 points among GOP-leaning independents and 20 points among moderates and conservatives alike.
He’s at least numerically ahead, as a result, across many key groups.
Nativists
There’s a nativist element to Trump’s support: He’s backed by 38 percent of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents who feel that immigrants, overall, mainly weaken U.S. society. That drops to 12 percent among those who say immigrants strengthen this country.
Another, related result underscores a disconnect for Trump with the public overall, one that may pose a challenge for him in the future. Seventy-four percent of Americans see undocumented immigrants from Mexico as “mainly honest people trying to get ahead” as opposed to “mainly undesirable people like criminals.” Trump, again controversially, has said such immigrants include drug dealers and rapists, while “some, I assume, are good people.”
The question of core values is a potentially difficult one for Trump. Republicans and Republican-leaning independents by a 24-point margin, 56-32 percent, say his views do not reflect the core values of the Republican Party (leaned Democrats agree, by a similar 61-32 percent). And 31 percent of Republicans say they wouldn’t consider voting for Trump were he the party’s nominee – a large group to lose on his own side. (Just 11 percent of Democrats, by contrast, rule out supporting Hillary Clinton.)
General
In a general election trial heat, Clinton leads Bush, the GOP fundraising leader, by a slight 50-44 percent among registered voters. But with Trump as an independent candidate that goes to 46-30-20 percent, Clinton-Bush-Trump – with Trump drawing support disproportionately from Bush, turning a 6-point Clinton advantage into 16 points.
Trump’s support in this three-way matchup was 21 percent from Thursday to Saturday, vs. 13 percent in Sunday interviews.
These are early days, of course; leaders came and went like flashcards in the 2012 Republican primary contest, and, as noted, potential fallout from Trump’s comments on McCain – or his next pronouncements – remains to be seen. But the results underscore the GOP’s conundrum in responding to Trump, a billionaire businessman and television celebrity who hasn’t ruled out an independent run for the presidency.
Among other results in this poll, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates:
The Dems
Clinton retains very broad backing for the Democratic nomination, 63 percent, vs. 14 percent for Bernie Sanders and 12 percent for Joe Biden. With Biden out (he hasn’t announced a candidacy), most of his support goes to Clinton, boosting her to 68 percent.
That said, Clinton’s support is less enthusiastic than it might be – 42 percent of her supporters are very enthusiastic about her candidacy. And while 72 percent of leaned Democrats are satisfied with their choice of candidates, that compares with 83 percent at this point in 2007.
Sixty-nine percent of Democrats and Democratic leaning independents call Clinton “about right” ideologically, as opposed to too liberal or too conservative. That falls to 40 percent for Sanders – not because he’s seen as too liberal, but because nearly four in 10 don’t know enough about him to say. Also, despite Sanders’ more liberal image, Clinton wins 64 percent support from liberals.
She also does 19 points better among women than men in support for the nomination, and 15 points better among nonwhites than whites.
More GOP
Republican candidates do less well in their base than Clinton in hers on being seen as “about right” ideologically – 46 percent for Bush, 45 percent for Marco Rubio, 44 percent for Trump, 38 percent for Walker and 35 percent for Ted Cruz.
Twenty-two percent call Bush “too liberal” and 17 percent say the same about Trump. Walker, Cruz and Rubio, like Sanders, have high undecided numbers on the question.
As shown in the table above (online readers, see the pdf), Bush is notably weak among very conservative leaned Republicans, with just 6 percent support – a persistent difficulty for him.
General
A general election match-up between Clinton and Bush is a bit better for her now (50-44 percent, as noted) than in May, 47-44 percent. That relies, in part, on a 19-point advantage for Clinton among moderates. (She has 21 percent support among conservatives; Barack Obama won 17 percent of that group in 2012). Clinton also does 10 points better among women than men (as did Obama) and far better among under-30s (71 percent support) than their elders, especially seniors (40 percent). And she has 78 percent support among nonwhites vs. Bush, compared with 39 percent of whites – margins again similar to Obama’s in 2012.
Bringing Trump into the mix as an independent reduces Bush’s support in his better groups, including Republicans (-27 points for Bush with Trump added), conservatives (-23) and whites (-19).
Another result marks the mood confronting both political parties: Asked which better represents their own values, a substantial 23 percent of Americans volunteer that neither does (of the rest, 38 percent pick the Democrats, 31 percent the Republicans). And in a challenging finding for candidates trying to find a lever, the public fractures on what attributes matter most to them – a strong leader (24 percent, peaking among Republicans), one who’s honest and trustworthy (also 24 percent), one who shares their values (20 percent) or who understands their problems (17 percent, peaking among Democrats). Two other items finish lower on the list – having the best experience (10 percent) or the best chance to win (3 percent).
And the pres
As to the president (not the chief focus of this survey, clearly), Obama continues to encounter difficulties in his popularity overall. While 45 percent of Americans approve of his job performance, more, 50 percent, disapprove, essentially unchanged from 45-49 percent in May. Despite recent economic gains he manages just an even split on handling the economy, also unchanged. Views of the president remain highly polarized.
Methodology
This ABC News/Washington Post poll was conducted by landline and cellular telephone July 16-19, 2015, in English and Spanish, among a random national sample of 1,002 adults, including 815 registered voters. Results have a margin of sampling error of 3.5 points for the full sample, and 4.0 for registered voters, including design effect. Partisan divisions are 30-21-39 percent, Democrats-Republicans-independents.
Interviews were conducted Sunday among 200 respondents overall, including 82 Republicans and Republican-leaning independents and 65 leaned Republicans who reported being registered to vote. ABC customarily reports results for groups at or near 100 respondents, but may make characterizations of results in smaller groups. Sunday results on Trump support characterized in this analysis were essentially identical regardless of registration.
The survey was produced for ABC News by Langer Research Associates of New York, N.Y., with sampling, data collection and tabulation by Abt-SRBI of New York, N.Y. | {
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Abby Lee Miller just did something she rarely does — apologize! The “Dance Moms” coach released an email blast on Friday afternoon apologizing to recipients who accidentally received an invitation to join the ALDC (Abby Lee Dance Company).
“Sorry folks!!! Unfortunately, you all did NOT make the ALDC Competition Team! Save your tears for the pillow!” reads the email. Abby went on to reveal that to her “extreme embarrassment” her new studio secretary accidentally sent the acceptance letter to 67,000 individuals on her studio’s mailing list.
“The Ding Dong has now been shipped off to Candy Apples!” Abby continued. “We apologize for any stress or teenage angst this has caused in your household! I hope nobody quit their jobs to move to LA to be on the pyramid. And by no means was this an attempt on behalf of the ALDC to solicit dancers who are training elsewhere.”
Check out a snippet of the email fans were sent below:
When you're still on the mailing list for the @ALDC_official and get this!! _ pic.twitter.com/d3n0NDYZIL — Sophie Thomas (@ellensoph) August 12, 2016
Abby’s misstep comes amid her search for new dancers as part of “Dance Moms” Season 7. She started touring the U.S. in July auditioning performers for her mini and elite junior team.
The Lifetime series returns to airwaves in September. Watch a trailer for “Dance Moms” Season 6B above and find out more about the upcoming episodes HERE! | {
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For awards season pundits, the Golden Globes offer double the prognostications, and double the fun.
Films and actors can compete in drama or musical/comedy categories, so a drama with some humor, such as “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” will most likely find an easy path to a kudo, rather than competing in the much more crowded drama feature race.
That said, the musical/comedy race has produced such Oscar-winning best pictures as 2019’s “Green Book,” 2017’s “La La Land” and 2012”s “The Artist,” plus several nominees that made the ballot but didn’t take the big prize.
Music or Comedy
This year, the adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s legit veteran “Cats” is the only traditional musical competing in the category. The trailer elicited mixed response but generated a lot of talk.
“Rocketman’s” fantasy-driven, flashy singing and dancing numbers are far from helmer Dexter Fletcher’s more traditional PG-13 Freddie Mercury biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and the Elton John extravaganza, complete with an utterly committed performance from Taron Egerton, should grab a Globes slot.
Another edgy pic that should make waves is Taika Waititi’s “Jojo Rabbit.” The Toronto Film Festival Audience Award winner (like Golden Globe and Oscar winner “Green Book” last year, and 2016’s “La La Land”) is likely to draw maverick Globes voters looking to award the audacious satire.
Eddie Murphy and a great cast propel Netflix’s “Dolemite Is My Name,” which should bring out Globes voters looking to reward Murphy and a story about a showbiz dreamer. And the pic allowed Wesley Snipes to flex his comic muscles.
Other films that may show up on the Globes ballot include “Knives Out,” which is gaining traction given its strong critical response and all-star cast. “Hustlers” wowed Toronto festgoers, who mostly talked up Jennifer Lopez’s knockout star turn.
Adam Sandler’s own star turn fuels the roller-coaster ride that is Josh and Benny Safdie’s “Uncut Gems.” Lulu Wang’s festival hit “The Farewell” is hard to ignore, given its B.O., critical success and its establishment of star Awkwafina’s bona fides.
Other films that shouldn’t be overlooked include Olivia Wilde’s debut “Booksmart,” and Danny Boyle’s “Yesterday,” featuring the Beatles’ greatest hits in a crowd-pleasing comedy.
And don’t forget “Blinded by the Light.” Gurinder Chadha’s adaptation of Sarfraz Manzoor’s memoir “Greetings From Bury Park — Race. Religion. Rock ‘n’ Roll” is a non-traditional jukebox musical starring Bruce Springsteen’s music and talented newcomer Viveik Kalra.
Drama
Netflix has unleashed “The Two Popes” in this category, somewhat upsetting the “The Irishman”/“Marriage Story”/“Joker” blockade. “Two Popes” has been delighting viewers at industry screenings, giving it critical buzz in the weeks before voting.
That said, “The Irishman” and “Marriage Story” are playing out their theatrical lives and will hit Netflix soon, thus creating more buzz among millions of viewers. After its Venice festival win, “Joker” made almost a billion dollars and spawned just as many think pieces, and mostly likely will spawn more in its march to awards nominations.
So what else can break through? “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” from Marielle Heller, stars national treasure Tom Hanks as previous national treasure Fred Rogers. The film celebrates forgiveness, kindness and human decency, and arrives right on time for a Globes nomination.
Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women” has also been creating buzz with its industry screenings, and its young cast of Globes darlings (Saoirse Ronan, Timothée Chalamet) and director Gerwig should push this pic into contention.
Getting past the heavyweights, Sam Mendes’ “1917” recently wowed industry audiences in New York and L.A., and given its pedigree (Mendes, stars Andrew Scott, Benedict Cumberbatch, George MacKay, Colin Firth, Richard Madden — also a great perf in “Rocketman” — and Mark Strong) and its subject matter, World War I, it should land with Globes voters.
Don’t count out Clint Eastwood’s “Richard Jewell.” Eastwood has seven Globes noms for directing, and was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1988. The film is earning buzz based on the trailer, a few industry screenings and Eastwood’s stellar reputation.
Box-office topper “Ford v Ferrari” should also earn a look given its star power (Matt Damon, Christian Bale) and its crowd-pleasing story.
“Bombshell” is being talked up mostly for its performances although Jay Roach’s film is earning praise.
The poetry with which Trey Edward Shults conveys the family life at the center of “Waves” should earn some nods from the Globes voters, who often look to reward mavericks. Other films worth a look for the drama category include “Judy,” “Ad Astra,” “Clemency,” “Dark Waters,” “Harriet” and “Just Mercy.”
Actor/Actress
Globes voters have a buffet of fine acting to choose from in the actress in a motion picture — drama category. Renée Zellweger seems to be the one to beat here, as her portrayal of late-career Judy Garland is a show-stopper performance from the three-time Golden Globe winner. Zellweger’s risk-taking has always paid off at awards time.
Another risk-taker is Charlize Theron. The thesp’s take on Megyn Kelly in Jay Roach’s fact-based “Bombshell” has Hollywood buzzing, as does Scarlett Johansson’s performance in Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story.” And don’t forget the raves Cynthia Erivo is earning in “Harriet.”
As for comedy/musical actress category, there are no clear-cut leaders — perhaps because most of the features in this category don’t star women — save for Awkwafina’s toplining turn in “The Farewell” and Jennifer Lopez in “Hustlers,” although that film’s Constance Wu is also a good bet for kudos.
It’s another great year to be a leading man in a drama: Antonio Banderas (“Pain and Glory”), Adam Driver (“Marriage Story”), Robert De Niro (“The Irishman”) and Joaquin Phoenix (“Joker”) all deliver awards-worthy perfs.
Jonathan Pryce (“The Two Popes”) and Christian Bale (in the flashier of the “Ford v Ferrari” roles) are also gaining ground
as contenders.
But it’s the musical/comedy actor category that is more interesting, with Eddie Murphy (“Dolemite Is My Name”) potentially facing off again fellow comic Adam Sandler (“Uncut Gems”) in their best work in years. Pit them against the often deftly comic performance of Leonardo Di Caprio in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” with Taron Egerton channeling his inner rock star diva and unleashing his wonderful voice in “Rocketman.”
All will become clear Dec. 9 when the nominations are announced. | {
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A 'Relentless' Sports Photographer Explains How He Got His Shots
Enlarge this image toggle caption Neil Leifer/ Courtesy of Sports Illustrated Content Management Neil Leifer/ Courtesy of Sports Illustrated Content Management
If you have a favorite sports photo from the past 60 years, it's very possible Neil Leifer took it: There's Muhammad Ali standing victorious over Sonny Liston ... Or there's Baltimore Colt Alan Ameche plunging over the goal line in 1958 to beat the New York Giants in the so-called Greatest Game Ever Played.
Working for the likes of Sports Illustrated and Time, Leifer has collected many stories with those memorable shots into a new book called Relentless. He says sports journalism is part luck, but, he tells NPR's Robert Siegel, "what separates the top photographers from the run-of-the-mill photographers is that when you get lucky a good photographer doesn't miss."
Interview Highlights
Enlarge this image toggle caption Courtesy of Neil Leifer Courtesy of Neil Leifer
On how he became a sports photojournalist
I was a very good student and of course, my parents, being typical Jewish, Lower East Side, uneducated [parents], they thought they had a budding doctor or lawyer. I really, quite honestly, never knew there was a profession called photojournalism. Photography was a hobby. I was a huge sports fan. I lived and breathed the Brooklyn Dodgers. ... I thought it was just going to be a passing hobby that I grew out of. And one day I woke up and in fact I realized you could make a living doing this.
On his famous shot of Muhammad Ali standing over Sonny Liston (which you can see here)
I have no doubt that when my obit is written one day, the Ali-Liston picture is the picture that everyone is going to see. ... It's without question my best-known picture. I like to think that it's a wonderful photograph, but there's a whole lot of luck in sports photography. And one always sounds very modest when you throw around a word like luck ... but in this case it's really true. I was clearly in the right seat. The photographer between Ali's legs was looking up at his rear end.
toggle caption Neil Leifer/Courtesy of Sports Illustrated Content Management
On how the Ali-Liston photo has taken on more meaning and significance over time
This picture — which at the end of the century people were calling the greatest sports photo of the century — didn't even make the cover [of Sports Illustrated]. I think it really grew as Ali's legend grew. ... What the picture shows is the young Ali, this handsome, beautiful athlete and as he got older and as his career moved along. This picture is him at his best, at his very best, and it's the way people want to remember him. ... It wasn't considered that important the week that it happened.
On his favorite photograph, which is actually a different Muhammad Ali photo (you can see that photo, titled Ali-Williams (Overhead), here)
I love it because it's the only photograph I've taken in my entire career where I can't see a single thing I would do differently.
On challenges sports photographers face today
The big competition today is not the other photographers. ... Television does such a good job. ... How do you come up with original pictures? When I started out, you put a camera in the hockey net — you were the first person to ever do it. Today, both nets in the Stanley Cup and every game have cameras in [them]. ... Today there are four cameras on the [basketball] backboard. ... You're competing with a visual that people are seeing instantly on television. ...
How do you give people something that's worth waiting for when the magazine comes out four days later when they've seen it instantly when it happened on television? ... By Wednesday when you get your Sports Illustrated, what is there to look forward to? The job that a Sports Illustrated photographer has today is to make it worth waiting for — and I think they do a pretty good job of it ... but it's hard. To be a photographer today at Sports Illustrated is a whole lot harder than it was when I was there. | {
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För sex tusen år sedan kom jordbruket till Sverige. De första bönderna var människor med rötter i Turkiet och Mellanöstern, och de hade helt andra traditioner än jägarna som hade bott här tidigare.
Många nykomlingar slog sig ned i Falbygden i Västergötland, där de bland annat byggde hundratals jättelika stenkammargravar. Byggnadsmonumenten visade vem som ägde marken, men de avslöjar samtidigt en hel del om människornas syn på livet och döden.
Väntade på att återfödas
I det första programmet i serien ”De första svenskarna” följer arkeologen Jonathan Lindström stenåldersbönderna ner i dödsriket.
Han menar att människorna på den här tiden såg stenkammargravarna som en plats där de avlidna skulle tillbringa en tid i väntan på att återfödas.
– Det finns en intressant teori om att gravarna kan ses som en sorts jordgudinnas livmoder, säger han.
När en människa begravdes här släpades kroppen in genom den tränga gången till kammargraven, och placerades sittande, insvept i ett vildsvinsskinn. I kammaren fanns redan alla tidigare döda, i olika stadier av förruttnelse och nerbrytning.
”Rena skräckfilmen”
Att ta sig in här lär ha varit en ruskig upplevelse:
– Det måste ha varit rena skräckfilmen. Jag är fullständigt övertygad om att det här har gett upphov till senare myter om dödsriket, bland annat i vikingatid.
Som exempel på detta nämner Jonathan Lindström myten om vikingaguden Balder som man försöker plocka upp ur dödsriket utan att lyckas.
Det hela låter ju väldigt obehagligt, men sättet att hantera de döda hade säkert en fullkomligt logisk betydelse för stenåldersbönderna. I många kulturer ansågs människa ha två själar, en som lämnar människan när man avlider och en frisjäl som finns kvar ända tills kroppen har förmultnat.
– Så då ska man föreställa sig att de här människorna som begravdes här, fortfarande hade sin frisjäl kvar, och först när de förstördes, då kom frisjälen loss, och for ut ur graven för att återfödas., säger Jonathan Lindström.
Se mer om hur människor levde och dog på denna tid i De första svenskarna, kl 20.00 på onsdag i SVT2 eller på SVT play. | {
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Quasi sedici minuti di battute, critiche, sfottò, moniti: è il tempo dedicato dal presidente della Regione Campania, Vincenzo De Luca, al commento sulla situazione attuale del M5S, nel corso del suo intervento settimanale a Lira Tv. Prendendo spunto dall’analisi della giunta capitolina di Virginia Raggi, l’ex sindaco Pd di Salerno esordisce ironicamente: “Credo saranno a lutto tutti i membri dell’associazione “Amici delle bambole”. La cosa positiva di questa vicenda è che si è svelato l’arcano del M5S: sono usciti al naturale. Il M5S ha portato sulla scena personaggi di valore, ma anche personaggi assolutamente improbabili: miracolati, che si ritrovano ad avere ruoli nazionali”. E aggiunge: “A molti osservatori il fenomeno del M5S è parso come lo stato d’animo degli innamorati. Gli psicologi, quando si riferiscono all’innamoramento, parlano di anestesia percettiva: quando ti innamori, non vedi più niente, c’è una nuvola che ti avvolge, non vedi più la realtà. Una ‘scorfana’ ti pare una principessa: magari non vedi neanche i suoi pelacci, i suoi baffi, le sue varici. Questo vale ovviamente anche per gli uomini, non vorrei che l’associazione “Amici delle bambole” mi accusasse di sessismo. Quindi, per l’anestesia percettiva una donna può avere davanti un perfetto imbecille e può apparirgli un personaggio”. Continuando la sua metafora, De Luca afferma che è finito l’innamoramento per il M5S, elenca i tre errori del movimento e della giunta Raggi, poi rifila la sua staffilata ai vertici pentastellati: “I 5 Stelle non sono ancora nati e hanno già 50 correnti. E’ emerso un trio, già visto nella vicenda di Quarto, era appollaiato su un trespolo: il Di Battista, il Luigino Di Maio e il Fico. Oggi si rivelano all’Italia nelle vesti proprie. Luigino Di Maio il chierichetto, Fico il moscio (ovviamente) e l’emergente Di Battista, detto Dibba, il gallo cedrone. Ognuno ha trovato il suo ruolo in commedia. Dibba è venuto nel suo tour da centauro anche in costiera amalfitana. Sotto il casco aveva la bandana. Ma che meraviglia. Questi tre giovanotti hanno in comune che sono tre mezze pippe. Di Battista bocciato in municipalità, Fico qui in Regione e Luigino 56 voti a Pomigliano”. E rincara: “Questi tre sono miracolati che hanno sfruttato l’onda grillina. La cosa davvero drammatica è immaginare che questi soggetti possano avere in mano l’Italia. Luigino di Maio ha chiesto perdono, perché non è stato in grado di leggere un messaggino. E vi pare che nell’anno del Giubileo e della misericordia noi non possiamo non perdonarlo? Certo che lo perdoniamo e non lo terremo più in punizione, a condizione che faccia il bravo. Gli daremo anche il panierino con la nutella e con la brioscina. Ma non faccia più il furbastro. Deve finire questa ipocrisia insopportabile. Questi tre si odiano, si baciano, ma sono falsi come Giuda. Ognuno vorrebbe accoltellare l’altro alla schiena. Che vi possano ammazzare tutti quanti“
Sostieni ilfattoquotidiano.it: mai come in questo momento abbiamo bisogno di te. In queste settimane di pandemia noi giornalisti, se facciamo con coscienza il nostro lavoro, svolgiamo un servizio pubblico. Anche per questo ogni giorno qui a ilfattoquotidiano.it siamo orgogliosi di offrire gratuitamente a tutti i cittadini centinaia di nuovi contenuti: notizie, approfondimenti esclusivi, interviste agli esperti, inchieste, video e tanto altro. Tutto questo lavoro però ha un grande costo economico. La pubblicità, in un periodo in cui l'economia è ferma, offre dei ricavi limitati. Non in linea con il boom di accessi. Per questo chiedo a chi legge queste righe di sostenerci. Di darci un contributo minimo, pari al prezzo di un cappuccino alla settimana, fondamentale per il nostro lavoro.
Diventate utenti sostenitori cliccando qui.
Grazie Peter Gomez GRAZIE PER AVER GIÀ LETTO XX ARTICOLI QUESTO MESE. Ora però siamo noi ad aver bisogno di te. Perché il nostro lavoro ha un costo. Noi siamo orgogliosi di poter offrire gratuitamente a tutti i cittadini centinaia di nuovi contenuti ogni giorno. Ma la pubblicità, in un periodo in cui l'economia è ferma, offre ricavi limitati. Non in linea con il boom accessi a ilfattoquotidiano.it. Per questo ti chiedo di sostenerci, con un contributo minimo, pari al prezzo di un cappuccino alla settimana. Una piccola somma ma fondamentale per il nostro lavoro. Dacci una mano!
Diventa utente sostenitore!
Con riconoscenza Peter Gomez Sostieni adesso | {
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In a complaint against the state, worker says he was accused of violating policy and instructed to get a mental health evaluation after mentioning climate change
This article is more than 5 years old
This article is more than 5 years old
An employee of Florida’s environmental protection department was forced to take a leave of absence and seek a mental health evaluation for violating governor Rick Scott’s unwritten ban on using the phrases “climate change” or “global warming” under any circumstance, according to a complaint filed against the state.
Longtime employee Barton Bibler reportedly included an explicit mention of climate change in his official notes from a Florida Coastal Managers Forum meeting in late February, during which climate change, rising sea levels and the possible environmental impact of the Keystone XL Pipeline were discussed.
Climate change: why the Guardian is putting threat to Earth front and centre | Alan Rusbridger Read more
On 9 March, Bibler received a formal reprimand for “misrepresenting that ‘the official meeting agenda included climate change’”, according to a statement from Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (Peer), a nationwide non-profit that champions public employees’ rights and providers resources and guidance to whistleblowers using its network of members across the country.
Bibler was instructed to stay away from the office for two days and told he could return to work only after a mental health evaluation from his doctor verified his “fitness for duty”, the complaint said. In the letter to Florida’s inspector general, Candie Fuller, the state’s Peer director calls for a full investigation to the matter.
Bibler told the Miami Herald that he “didn’t get the memo” about the gag order, so when he introduced himself by congratulating other officials on the call for the “exciting” work they were doing to address climate change, the “reaction was mostly shock”.
News of the governor’s ban on the phrases first surfaced in early March, when the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting found that the ban came from the top after Scott took office and appointed Herschel Vinyard Jr as DEP director.
Guardian requests for comment from Scott, the Florida inspector general and the environmental protection department were not immediately returned on Thursday, but Scott and representatives from his office have ardently denied such a policy exists.
Republicans' new climate strategy: just ban the words 'climate change' | Jeb Lund Read more
Scott has also long dodged questions about climate change with a refrain of “I’m not a scientist” and consistently misrepresented the state’s preparedness for rising sea levels.
Florida is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, as 80% of the state’s residents live or work near the coasts and damage from recent storms, including hurricane Wilma, has caused billions of dollars in damage since 2005.
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A Gigantopithecus in ARK: Survival Evolved
The Gigantopithecus is a creature in ARK: Survival Evolved
It is a herbivore of species Gigantopithecus fibrarator.
Taming a Gigantopithecus [ edit ]
You can tame the Gigantopithecus without raising it's aggression level with berries.
Riding a Gigantopithecus [ edit ]
You can ride a Gigantopithecus on the shoulders
Strategy Guide/Tips [ edit ]
The Gigantopithecus can harvest thatch and wood.
Gigantopithecus Dossier [ edit ]
Gigantopithecus Location [ edit ]
The Gigantopithecus has been reported seen in the following locations:
Around the volcano
Fly West from the blue obelisk, search along the rivers
Along the Southwest shorelines of the Island at (80, 50)
Report more Gigantopithecus locations here!
Trivia [ edit ]
The Gigantopithecus is playful and likes to throw the player over its shoulders. | {
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Ramazan Bayramı'nı ülkelerinde geçirmek isteyen Suriyeliler, Kilis'teki Öncüpınar Sınır Kapısı'ndan geçmeye devam ediyor. Memleketlerine gitmenin sevincini yaşayan Suriyelilerin sınırı koşarak geçmesi, ilginç görüntüler oluştururken, geçişlerin başladığı 7 günlük sürede 7 bin Suriyelinin ülkelerine geçtiği öğrenildi.
Bayramı Çobanbey, Afrin, Cerablus Azez, Mare, Soran, Aktarin ve El Bab bölgelerdeki yakınlarının yanında geçirmek için bugüne kadar 22 bin Suriyeli randevu aldı. Geçen cumartesi başlayan geçişlerde bugüne kadar 7 bin Suriyelinin ülkesine gittiği bildirildi. İl Göç İdaresi Müdürlüğü, jandarma ve polis ekiplerinin nezaretinde işlemlerini yaptıran Suriyeliler otobüslerle ülkelerine gönderiliyor.
Memleketlerine gitmenin mutluluğunu yaşayan bazı Suriyelilerin işlemlerinin ardından kapıyı koşarak geçmesi ise ortaya ilginç görüntüler çıkardı. Bayramlaşmak içi Suriye'ye gidenlerin dönüş işlemlerinin 10 Haziran'da günü saat 08:00'de başlayıp, 1 Kasım Cuma günü son bulacağı bildirildi.
Bayram için ülkesine giden Suriyelilerin sayısı 7 bine ulaştıhttps://t.co/o6kk4ingu4 pic.twitter.com/c9CNIis8Wb — Sputnik Türkiye (@sputnik_TR) May 24, 2019
| {
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Red Velvet members Joy and Yeri appeared on the September 14 broadcast of “Happy Together” alongside idol veterans Shinhwa, Fly to the Sky, and g.o.d.
When one of the MCs asked about Lee Soo Man’s role in “Red Flavor,” Joy opened up about hearing it from SM founder Lee Soo Man himself at a company dinner. Joy said, “I ran into Lee Soo Man at an SM TOWN dinner, and he said to me, ‘You guys don’t know how much effort I put into ‘Red Flavor’ right?'” After hearing this, the members asked their manager, who confirmed that Lee Soo Man partook in overseeing the song’s title, lyrics, melody, rhythm, and even the choreography.
After hearing this, Shinhwa’s Minwoo, a former SM idol, agreed and talked about how Lee Soo Man looks at everything from the end of fingertips to each strand of hair; Andy also added how detail-oriented Lee Soo Man is.
Fly to the Sky member Brian also chimed in and said Lee Soo Man stayed in the recording studio with them for two days straight when they were recording their debut track “Day by Day.”
g.o.d. member Park Joon Hyung scoffed at this and said, “It took you guys two days to record one song. But Park Jin Young took two days to record one note!” and made everyone laugh. | {
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Vladimir Putin Maxim Shipenkov | Pool | Reuters
When you put this all together, there's a clear and demonstrated pattern of contact between Trump's closest associates and Russian officials. That is, in and of itself, disturbing: Political campaigns are not typically in the habit of communicating with countries who are currently bombing US military partners.
And it's not clear, judging by the behavior of the Republicans at the House Intelligence hearing, if our hyper-polarized political system is capable of handling it.
The Russia investigation is absolutely huge
The mere fact of an FBI investigation isn't proof that the Trump administration has actually done anything illegal. But the fact that there is an investigation at all shows the suspicions are at least serious enough to warrant a full investigation. And in this case, the FBI's suspicions are supported by a lot of information that's already in the public record. We already know, for example, that members of Trump's campaign, including former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, were in touch with Russian intelligence officers. We know that Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who also served as a foreign policy adviser to Trump during the campaign, met repeatedly with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak before the election. We know that Russian intelligence hacked the emails of the Democratic National Committee and Clinton ally John Podesta. And we know that Trump confidante Roger Stone admits that he spoke to the Russian intelligence cutout who claimed responsibility for the DNC hack (who goes by the name Guccifer 2.0). When you put this all together, there's a clear and demonstrated pattern of contact between Trump's closest associates and Russian officials. That is, in and of itself, disturbing: Political campaigns are not typically in the habit of communicating with countries who are currently bombing US military partners. What's more, there's also a consistent pattern of Trump administration officials being less than forthcoming about their Russia ties. Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn lied about his contacts with Kislyak, as did current Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The lies cost Flynn his job and forced Sessions to recuse himself from the FBI's Russia investigation. Yet Trump himself continues to deny, in the face of all this evidence, that there's any story here: @realDonaldTrump: The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College & lost! This is why, even if nothing else is uncovered, the FBI investigation is so important. The president's team has links to Russia that are objectively worrying — and has a routine pattern of lying and blaming the media when confronted with them. There's a question of fundamental credibility, of why they feel the need to dissemble, at stake here. The thought that the president may be lying, or at least not being fully forthcoming, about his administration's ties to a hostile power is disturbing enough in its own right. The very fact that the FBI is investigating the administration two months into its tenure shows that things are not going well in the most powerful office in the world. But if the worst-case scenario comes to pass, and the FBI find hard evidence that the Trump campaign was in league with the Russians, then the already-serious scandal becomes a national crisis. "If [there's] coordination, then this scandal becomes Watergate-like," Michael McFaul, the former US ambassador to Russia, tweeted. McFaul, if anything, understated the case. In Watergate, a presidential campaign authorized a break-in aimed at stealing sensitive information from the Democratic National Committee. This would be the exact same thing, only done digitally and with the help of a hostile foreign power. It would represent collusion with Russian President Vladimir Putin to undermine American — and Western — democracy. The notion that a US president could be involved in something like that should seem preposterous. The fact that the FBI is taking it seriously says volumes.
Our political system isn't prepared for this kind of thing | {
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The “Welcome to Fabulous Downtown Las Vegas” sign was destroyed in a crash this morning.
The site where the "Welcome to Downtown Las Vegas" sign once was is seen Sunday, July 17, 2016, at the cross street of 4th and Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @rookie__rae
The "Welcome to Downtown Las Vegas" sign was destroyed by a pickup truck. (Cuauhtemoc Sanchez/Facebook)
The site where the "Welcome to Downtown Las Vegas" sign once was is seen Sunday, July 17, 2016, at the cross street of 4th and Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @rookie__rae
The site where the "Welcome to Downtown Las Vegas" sign once was is seen Sunday, July 17, 2016, at the cross street of 4th and Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal) Follow @rookie__rae
The "Welcome to Downtown Las Vegas" sign on Las Vegas Boulevard is pictured in this 2014 file photo. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
The “Welcome to Fabulous Downtown Las Vegas” sign was destroyed in a crash around 6:50 a.m. Sunday.
Only one vehicle was involved in the crash and impairment is not suspected, Metropolitan Police Department spokesman Lt. Jeff Goodwin said. He said the male driver had no injuries.
A video showing a pickup truck rammed into the mangled sign was posted to Facebook by Cuauhtemoc Sanchez.
The truck landed on a large rock, forcing its rear wheels into the air.
The wreckage of the truck and the sign were hauled away from the scene, at South Fourth Street and Las Vegas Boulevard North, by 10 a.m.
While echoing the design of the iconic “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” landmark, located south of Mandalay Bay on Las Vegas Boulevard South, the downtown sign is a relative newcomer and not as well-known.
The downtown sign had stood since 2002. The original landmark, erected in 1959, continues to welcome visitors. | {
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This is a story about nine baby lambs. But it’s also a story about a death threat, a million dollars, a tragic car accident, and organic mint jelly.
Let’s start from the beginning.
The nine lambs arrived at Antioch College, a private liberal arts school in Ohio, last spring as part of a “living laboratory” and sustainability program on the Antioch College Farm.
Ultimately, they were destined to feed students in the nearby dining hall. But as they grazed in their solar panel-adorned meadow and matured into sheep, they also drew the fevered attention of animal rights activists who hoped to save them from slaughter.
On Thursday, school officials told The Daily Beast that they would let go of the sheep for $1 million—but that they would use the money to buy more lambs to butcher for next year’s living laboratory. (For reference, a lamb costs between $50 and $250 to purchase, depending on age and location, and then about $20 per month to sustain until, well, you know.)
The campaign to save the animals began over the summer when Dr. David Nibert, a neighbor of the college and a sociology professor at Wittenberg University, said he felt called to be “an advocate” for the creatures. Despite Nibert’s fervor, his Committee to Save the Antioch Lambs, his phone calls, his letters to the college, his fliers, his collection of 100 scholar signatures, and his Change.org petition, the college has doubled down on its plan.
“Our dining hall serves mostly organic food grown on local farms, including our own working farm on campus,” the university said in a statement. “Vegan and vegetarian options are an important part of every meal served, along with ethically sourced meat from our farm and other local farms because the majority of our students are omnivores.”
But, in Nibert’s view: “It’s a shame that one of the most progressive colleges probably in the history of the United States is also now involved in the raising and killing of animals.”
Others clearly agree, as the petition he started three months ago has received nearly 79,000 signatures.
“Yet Another Act of Senseless Violence”
Then, last month, Nibert’s campaign caught PETA’s attention.
The organization sent a letter to Antioch College President Tom Manley, in which it offered to cover the costs of re-homing the animals and to donate the equivalent amount of food in the form of “healthy vegan meat.”
Killing the animals, the group wrote, “would subject the Dayton area to yet another act of senseless violence.” The letter apparently referred to the mass shooting on Aug. 4, in which 10 people were killed and 27 others were injured in Dayton.
“Antioch College prides itself on being progressive, but this plan is out of touch and flies in the face of efforts to help young people relate to others, stop bullying, object to the burning of the Amazon rainforest for meat production, take personal responsibility for healthy and humane living, and more,” said PETA President Ingrid Newkirk.
“The school is putting its students on a path to insensitivity toward those who are different from them and promoting a filthy meat-eating habit that's linked to heart disease, strokes, high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer later in life,” she added.
From there things escalated, culminating in a death threat against a member of the college’s staff.
Yellow Springs Police Chief Brian Carlson told The Daily Beast on Thursday that a caller to a receptionist’s private cell number allegedly said: “I just got a message from PETA about the animals that you people want to slaughter. Nine lambs to feed your college students. I should slaughter your fucking family, bitch.”
Another caller left a recorded message on the same woman’s private cellphone, threatening to share her contact information with other activists, said Carlson. Officers collected the cellphone numbers of both callers and are investigating the case as “telephone harassment,” he added.
Yellow Springs police, along with campus security, have also “stepped up patrols” near campus over protests by activists in the past few weeks.
“They were peaceful, they just had signs,” said Carlson.
Amid the intense backlash and harassment, the college maintains that Nibert and his supporters have used a rabid campaign to force the school to bend to the will of outsiders who aren’t even part of the Antioch community.
“It is ironic that our community, which seeks to find better and more sustainable ways of living, has become a target because of our commitment to sourcing ethically and locally raised food,” a college spokesman in a statement.
“Even while Antioch College students are engaged in meaningful work on campus and out in the world—addressing serious issues facing humanity and our planet, including sustainable food production and environmental justice—they are facing online stalking and harassment from people with no knowledge of their work or the college’s programs.”
“One Million Dollars”
A couple of weeks ago, Barbara Pearl heard about the sheep. Pearl is a vegan, as was her son Jason Seth Houten, who attended Antioch College before he was struck and killed by a car while walking in a crosswalk in 2002, at the age of 23.
“He would never condone this,” said Pearl. “He would be horrified by this.”
“I don’t know how you can look at them in their face and then exploit them and slit their throats. They have a heartbeat and a mother and a face,” Pearl told The Daily Beast this week. “They also have a will to live. Nothing goes to its death willingly. If you gave these lambs a choice, I’m sure they would choose life.”
Pearl, who lives in Philadelphia and said she teaches mathematics at local community colleges, wrote an open letter last week to Manley on Jason’s behalf.
“I have never been able to find a way to honor his memory,” Pearl wrote in her letter. “I am asking you to stop this practice in honor of my son and as a memorial to him.”
Pearl also contacted the school directly to plead with administrators to save the animals. She told The Daily Beast that she asked Susanne Hashim, vice president for advancement, what it would take to save the lambs.
Hashim allegedly responded: “$1 million.”
“I made arrangements with a sanctuary and am willing to give a donation to the school,” Pearl told The Daily Beast, but she said she wasn’t sure whether she would be able to pull together the money.
When contacted by The Daily Beast about this purported offer, a university spokesperson replied: “The college would willingly sell the sheep for $1 million as this would be a good business decision. Our students might not have the full farm-to-table experience, but a portion of the $1 million would be applied to the cost of purchasing locally-grown humanely and sustainably farmed meat for consumption by our students who are omnivores and towards the purchase of next year’s solar sheep.”
And so, in effect, Pearl’s money would ultimately buy more lambs for the slaughter.
“Antioch College is not planning to alter its farm-to-table and sustainability programs,” said the school’s statement.
A spokesman declined to comment on the date the sheep would meet their maker and so could not say how long Pearl would have to raise the money, if she decided to attempt it.
Pearl said on Thursday that she was “gravely disappointed” by the school’s reaction to her offer, calling the statement an “attempt to extort a million dollars in response to a mother’s plea to memorialize her son.”
“It is heartbreaking,” she said. “My son Jason chose to be a vegan after attending Antioch College, embraced helping others in need, and was proactive against animal exploitation.”
“Banning this program is a call for compassion and an opportunity for the college to demonstrate the progressive values they so strongly advocate in the eyes of the public, which in turn could encourage donations and attract more students to the college,” Pearl added.
When reached on Thursday, Nibert also condemned the school’s response, calling Pearl’s letter to the college “beautiful and poignant.”
“It is shocking and appalling that Antioch has responded to this appeal with the demand of one million dollars, money they say will then be used to buy even more young lambs who similarly will be destined for the slaughterhouse,” said Nibert.
“Unfortunately, Antioch’s reaction thus far to the outpouring of support for the lambs on their campus has been reflexive, insular, mean-spirited, and now extortive. In a world characterized by so much cruelty and violence, many around the country and the world are dismayed to learn that Antioch College is raising and killing animals,” he continued.
Organic Mint Jelly
But graduates of the school remain divided on the issue, according to screenshots of a private Antioch College alumni Facebook group obtained by The Daily Beast.
“Anyone advocating for PETA to come in and harass Antioch is the enemy of the staff, teachers, students, and administration of the college,” one commenter wrote. “We have reached peak stupidity with this.”
Another wrote: “If Antioch kills these lambs, I will be ashamed to say I went to Antioch.”
In the heat of the back-and-forth, Tex Clark, a public defender based in Portland, Oregon, shared a GoFundMe campaign she created to buy $500 of organic mint jelly for students at the school to use when they finally sit down to eat their locall -raised mutton.
Some in the alumni group found humor in the campaign, which, at press time, had raised $451. Another alum, by contrast, wrote that he found it “remarkably insensitive.”
“It’s very Antioch to raise money through something funny and irreverent that has something serious behind it,” Clark, a 1995 Antioch graduate, told The Daily Beast on Thursday. “But it was mostly to make us feel better.”
“Lamb for dinner is not the principle that is motivating this,” Clark added.
“I think it’s lazy activism to seek attention targeting a small college with a sustainable farming program,” said Clark. “Yellow Springs is surrounded on four sides by big agriculture, factory farms, pig operations, etc. But challenging bad actors is hard and doesn’t make the news.”
Clark also said that she has compassion for Pearl’s personal tragedy, but that, in her mind: “When you ratchet up the stakes like that, it’s a tough way to have a dialogue.”
Others, meanwhile, were just happy to see their alma mater in the news.
“Hey, press for Antioch!” one commenter wrote. | {
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The Gary Austin, Texas
Go to The Gary's facebook page for updates. | {
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Czech ex-minister Rath faces hearing over box of cash Published duration 21 May 2012
image caption The David Rath inquiry raises questions about Czech handling of EU funds
A former Czech health minister arrested for suspected corruption risks losing his parliamentary immunity after a special meeting of MPs on Tuesday.
David Rath is expected to attend the hearing, escorted by police.
Mr Rath has resigned as Central Bohemia governor and left the opposition Social Democrat party (CSSD).
A week ago police detained Mr Rath as he was carrying a wine box containing 7m koruna (£224,000). He is accused of diverting money from an EU project.
The BBC's Rob Cameron in Prague says the affair has caused a political storm in the Czech Republic, where Mr Rath has long been a prominent public figure.
Some see his political style as aggressive, our correspondent says, and in 2006 he was involved in a public punch-up with a rival politician, Miroslav Macek.
Mr Rath and seven other people were arrested last week over alleged bribery and embezzlement of EU structural funds allocated to renovate a hospital and castle in Bohemia.
Mr Rath has denied any wrongdoing and reportedly expressed surprise that there was money inside the wine box.
During the police operation a further 30m koruna was found hidden under the floorboards of his house, reports say.
In Czech law an MP caught red-handed can be arrested and stripped of his or her parliamentary immunity. Mr Rath is the first MP to be held in prison since 1998 in the Czech Republic, Reuters news agency reports. | {
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[Haskell-community] Fwd: Haskell Platform Plans
Dear all, As you know, Mark has passed on the Haskell Platform maintainer hat to me. I wanted to give a heads-up on current plans to keep folks in the loop. This message has three sections, first the 7.10.3 release, next the 8.0 release, and finally some general musings on fiddly details and future plans. 1) 7.10.3 The 7.10.3 release candidates have been out for windows and unix for a bit. As I understand it there is still work underway on the mac build, but that will hopefully be coming shortly. The plan is to release a new platform roughly simultaneously. This platform will work essentially as in the past, for two reasons. First, because it is the last release in the 7.10 series and should be seen like the 7.10.3 compiler as just incorporating some necessary patches rather than any serious changes. Furthermore, the future plans underway rely on a few patches to cabal which have been merged, but are not yet in any existing cabal-install release. A few packages have received minor version bumps, as follows: PACKAGE 7.10.2-a latest ------------------------------------------- case-insensitive 1.2.0.4 1.2.0.5 fgl 5.5.2.0 5.5.2.3 GLUT 2.7.0.1 2.7.0.3 GLURaw 1.5.0.1 1.5.0.2 HUnit 1.2.5.2 1.3.0.0 OpenGL 2.12.0.1 2.13.1.0 OpenGLRaw 2.5.1.0 2.6.0.0 primitive 0.6 0.6.1.0 syb 0.5.1 0.6 scientific 0.3.3.8 0.3.4.2 StateVar 1.1.0.0 1.1.0.1 A few packages were held back due to dependency issues (notably zlib) and additionally, packages shipped with ghc were held back to the versions that will be shipped with 7.10.3. 2) 8.0 We also plan to ship a new platform concurrently with the ghc 8.0 that should be released early next year. That platform will implement some long-discussed and requested changes. First, the platform already ships with msys on windows. However, it does not do so in a way that lets you, as with minGHC, install the network library directly, or for that matter install directly other libraries that use build-type configure. This is because the msys binaries don't get placed into the path, by design. The new platform will ship with a newer cabal, incorporating a patch (pull request #2480) that uses the extra-prog-path setting for build-type: configure. This should allow network and other things reliant on build-type: configure to directly cabal install. The goal for the platform on windows will be that any packages binding to msys libraries _should_ be cabal installable without hassle. If you maintain a library that you think would be a good test-case for this, please drop a line so we can work together towards this goal. Second, the default platform will be _minimal_. That is to say that it will _only_ install into the global package database those packages that are directly shipped with ghc, and not any additional platform packages. "Blessed" platform packages will however still be shipped as a "default user cabal.config" file, so in a setting where users want to work unsandboxed, their versions of platform libs will remain pegged to those chosen by the platform, should they not choose to alter their settings. In a sandboxed setting, or in the presence of a local cabal.config generated by a freeze, those constraints will be disregarded. Furthermore, it is likely but not certain that the "nix-like cabal" or "no-reinstall cabal" will be available for the 8.0 release. If this is the case, users will be able to operate in an unsandboxed environment without conflicts, as multiple instances of the same version of a package, with different dependency choices, will be able to live side-by-side. Third, the platform will ship not only with cabal-install, but also with the stack tool, so that users can choose either workflow, depending on their project or preferences. A number of people have adopted the stack tool, and many beginners have reported success with it as well, so it will be good to provide that functionality out of the box with every platform install. Time and resources permitting we would also like to ship a platform version _with_ the platform libraries prebuilt and included, as that is also a use case that some people continue to like. However, this is a secondary priority, and contingent on us getting our build infrastructure into a good enough shape to make this not too much extra hassle. I'm excited about these changes, and confident we can get their in a timespan that matches the 8.0 release of ghc. 3) Generalities As I mentioned, it would be good to have a more uniform build infrastructure. Generally, I have put out some feelers and am working towards extending the ghc nightly buildbot infrastructure to both cover more platforms and also cover more tools -- not only ghc, but cabal, the platform, perhaps haddock, ghcjs, etc. This way we can get an economy of scale and many of our core tools will be able to all share regular automated builds across many platforms. If you like CI/buildbot systems and would like to help out with this project, please reach out. Also, once we've modernized and fixed up the core platform installer tech, it would be nice to move back to the process of making the platform a good set of blessed libraries -- taking more proposals for additions to it, looking to cull libraries that are no longer widely used, etc. As part of this I intend to move the haskell-platform list off our deprecated community.haskell.org infrastructure and onto mail.haskell.org with our other active lists. Finally, I'm happy to be maintainer of the platform through this period of change and transition, but at some future point, as things get sorted out and the release process becomes more standard and mechanical, I would very much like to pass this responsibility on. I have had some nibbles of offers, but if other people want to begin to get involved, please let me know and we can start to get small contributions from you so that you can become familiar with the various tech and systems involved. The Haskell ecosystem is a team effort, a collective project, and volunteer driven. In my modest experience hacking on the various systems involved (cabal, cabal-install, hackage, the platform build, etc.) some are a bit confusing, but I have always found helpful contributors willing to explain things and review patches, and to help think about and diagnose problems. And none of the code has been as confusing as things I've had to wade through for employment-related purposes :-). So when this stuff doesn't work as well as we'd like, we can investigate together, and then put our heads together and figure out how to improve it together. Furthermore, it can be very satisfying to do so, because the impact of those improvements makes itself widely felt. I look forward to more people joining in! Best, Gershom | {
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Authored by Ryan Opsal via OilPrice.com,
Considering the established political imperatives underpinning the German energy transition (Energiewende) and the overall push toward greater use of renewables in the energy mix, let’s look at some of the outcomes of this transition - specifically natural gas imports from Russia and fossil fuel consumption.
A boost in renewables would carry these two ostensible goals, and it's worthwhile to gauge progress in both areas.
In these scenarios, it’s beneficial to look at the end-use of primary sources of energy, to understand how Germany is ultimately using its energy. So instead of production data, the focus will be on consumption.
For example, as we’ll cover later, Germany produces a lot of renewable energy, but it doesn’t consume all that energy, and therefore will not have any fundamental impact on the consumption mix.
BP's statistical workbooks (data used in this article is sourced from BP’s 2017 Statistical Workbook unless otherwise noted) provide good time-series data that can be used to understand Germany's transition in this context.
The following graph draws on BP’s data and furnishes a good look at energy consumption in Germany, going back to 2000.
(Click to enlarge)
In specific areas, Germany has been successful in meeting its objectives, and this appears to be at least partially due to increases in the production and consumption of renewable sources of primary energy.
Since 2000, renewables consumption in Germany, including biomass, solar, and wind (excluding hydroelectricity) has grown over 1,000 percent. This growth represents a substantial increase, bringing consumption from 3.2 Mtoe (14.3 Twh) in 2000 to 37.9 Mtoe (167.4 Twh) in 2016.
There is still quite a discrepancy, however, between Germany’s production of renewable energy, and its consumption...
Around one-third of the energy produced in Germany in 2016 was from renewable sources, but only 12 percent of the energy consumed in the same year was from renewables, creating a gap of 23 percent. This is attributed to both exports and waste, as the distribution network simply cannot keep up with production surges, although progress is being made on this issue.
For instance, it was recently reported that on January 1, 2017, Germany met, for the first time, 100 percent of its consumption needs through renewable sources of energy, with wind providing approximately 85 percent of national demand.
As noted in both the graph above and the pie charts below, the other notable change since 2000 is the reduction in the use of nuclear power.
The data demonstrate a dramatic 23 percent decline in nuclear power consumption from 2010 to 2011 from 31.8 Mtoe to 24.4 Mtoe, following the immediate closure of several nuclear power plants throughout the country, and reduced output from the remaining plants.
After the CDU and FDP agreed to extend the use of nuclear plants in 2009, the decision was immediately reversed following the disaster at the Fukushima power plant in Japan, closing several plants within a month, and reducing the output of the remaining plants.
The general population in Germany has been wary of operating nuclear power plants since the Chernobyl disaster, and the recent shuttering of these facilities has enjoyed widespread public and political support. Over this entire period, from 2000 to 2016, nuclear power consumption dropped by a full 50 percent.
Following nuclear energy, the second most significant reduction in power generation over this period is from petroleum, although it still makes up the largest share of the energy consumed in Germany since 2000 and has maintained relatively stable levels over the 17-year period.
Over 50 percent of the increase in renewables over this time has gone to cover reduced generation and consumption of nuclear power, and the rest of that growth covers the reductions in the use of petroleum.
Overall, the data demonstrate slight decreases in coal and petroleum consumption, while the use of natural gas is mostly flat.
(Click to enlarge)
Due to the significant drop in nuclear power consumption, Germany has been unable to reduce fossil fuel consumption as much as previously hoped. This shortfall is especially the case with natural gas, which has been a central cause for concern given the political leverage held by massive Russian exports to Germany, and to the European Union more broadly. On this issue, progress has been limited, and seems to be getting worse.
As the table below demonstrates, Russian natural gas exports to Germany are only increasing, and show no signs of abatement, mirroring anecdotal reports and the steady progression of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
Total imports, including those from Russia (except a 2011-2012 decrease due to supply diversions resulting from extreme cold weather), have increased while both domestic production and consumption have decreased.
In 2016, Germany sourced over 46 percent of its natural gas imports from Russia, up from 40 percent in 2006. The other two key suppliers, Norway, and the Netherlands, both maintained relatively stable exports over the period examined.
Receiving outsized amounts of energy imports from a single source, even aside from political considerations, is fraught with risk. If anything occurs along the entire supply chain — from source to consumer — to disrupt the gas flow, it heralds a potential crisis that could not be sustained indefinitely. Add in the politically contentious relationship between the European Union and Russia (over a host of issues), and the energy supply situation has the potential to become a significant problem.
Sustained increases in gas imports from Russia should worry German politicians since it will reduce political operating space in the case of any future disagreements.
(Click to enlarge)
However, something else interesting does show up in the data: the significant and growing increase in natural gas imports over domestic consumption.
Beginning in 2009, a noticeable jump in natural gas imports compared to domestic consumption occurs, with the country importing 7 percent more gas than it consumed. Before this year, Germany roughly imports enough to cover the difference between consumption and production, as one would expect.
After 2009, trend of excessive imports is maintained, and then accelerates in 2013 with imports over 13 percent of what is required, and then 27 percent over in 2015.
The amount settles to 17 percent in 2016, meaning Germany is systematically importing more natural gas than is necessary for domestic consumption. This discrepancy appears to be due to its central location within Europe and its developed natural gas network, which seems to be taking on a redistribution role for European markets.
Perusing Germany’s natural gas re-export data confirms this, with gas exports going primarily to Belgium, Netherlands, France, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
These exports represent a relatively new development that appears to be a sustained effort toward making Germany a European gas hub.
In the two critical areas outlined, Germany has had mixed results. The government has been able to slightly reduce energy consumption overall but hasn't had much success in the reduction of fossil fuel use. However, the impressive gains in renewables consumption have allowed the country to wean itself off large amounts of nuclear power successfully.
Renewables generation is increasing, with more wind and solar power ultimately finding its way to consumers, whether through more effective distribution networks or storage. However, anyone that had hopes of diversification of natural gas supplies away from Russia will be sorely disappointed at the progress made so far, and by the current trajectory of Germany sourcing.
Quite the opposite, Russian gas exports will continue to grow, and form a larger part yet of the consumption mix.
Aside from the negatives, the growth in renewables and the parallel development of flexible power systems should be viewed as an investment in a more favorable, sustainable future energy mix — something very close to fruition. | {
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A new report from RealtyTrac, Inc. predicts that lenders may foreclose on one million homes this year (via). In the spirit of accuracy, I should write “at least one million Americans,” since more than one person undoubtedly lives in a majority of those doomed residencies.
Nearly 528,000 homes were foreclosed in the first six months of 2010. As lenders work through a huge backlog of borrowers behind on their mortgages, even more home repossessions could occur before the end of the year. According to RealtyTrac, Inc., a foreclosure listing service, the number of households facing foreclosure in the first half of the year climbed 8 percent when compared to the same time frame last year. In June, 1 in every 411 households received a foreclosure filing. The fastest growing group of foreclosures involved homeowners with good credit who took out conventional fixed-rate loans. Many of these borrowers have fallen behind in their mortgages due to unemployment or reduced income. It takes about 15 months for a home loan to go from being 30 days late to the property being seized and sold. Between January and June of this year, about 1.7 million homeowners received a foreclosure-related warning. At the time of this writing, more than 7.3 million home loans are in some stage of delinquency. The states experiencing the highest foreclosure rates are California, Florida, Michigan, Illinois, Arizona and Nevada.
As Susie Madrak and Atrios have been saying, HAMP was a total failure that actually ended up prolonging the agony of homeowners. Additionally, Congress has thus far failed to extend unemployment benefits, which will result in more waves of foreclosures.
The White House rushed in to add more misery with its latest brilliant idea: cutting food stamps in order to pay for education programs. The Obama administration is proposing this drastic maneuver in order to save the jobs of 200,000 local government employees, many of them teachers, who face the chopping block this year.
The Washington Independent’s Annie Lowrey correctly points out that food stamps are already less than generous (she calls the cut proposal “horrifying”). As of June 2009, the average monthly benefit was $133.12 per person, which comes out to about $4.44 per day. One in eight Americans and one in four children are using food stamps and the program rate is growing at 20,000 people a day, so this proposal would have tremendous negative impact on millions of Americans, who are already broke, unemployment, starving, and increasingly, homeless.
It’s important to stress that these kind of insane proposals all occur under the banner of deficit hysteria. Chris Hedges Hayes wrote a great article over at the Nation that I highly recommend be read in its entirety because it serves as a helpful reminder of where this deficit came from, and how we can begin to reverse it without killing the poor and eating their corpses.
Nearly the entire deficit is from the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Bush tax cuts and the recession. It’s not from poor people using food stamps. A good way to thwart the deficit would be to end these stupid, wasteful, pointless wars, and allow the tax cuts to expire.
Of course, rich people don’t like being taxed (even moderately,) so people like Pete Peterson and the cat food commission would much rather see poor people lose their Social Security. And their homes. And their food stamps. While we’re at it, why don’t we just strip naked the poor and sell their clothes? No one has the God-granted right to be clothed, you know. I worked my ass off for every pair of jeans I own.
Hayes points out that the cost of the unemployment extension is $35 billion. The bill would increase the debt by less than 0.3 percent. Deficit hysteria isn’t, and never has been, about saving money. If that was really the goal, Congress would have voted to end the Iraq and Afghanistan occupations years ago.
The U.S. totally has enough resources to extend benefits, but the recession affords a valuable opportunity to the austerity pirates. This window of opportunity permits the rich to hack away at the welfare state – the bane of their privileged existences – and a prize they have been eye-humping for decades.
This elite-led crusade is thoroughly undemocratic because a majority of Americans actually want to help the unemployed – probably because so many of them and their neighbors are jobless. Hayes writes:
According to a USA Today/Gallup poll, 60 percent of Americans support “additional government spending to create jobs and stimulate the economy,” with 38 percent opposed. A Hart Research Associates poll published in June showed that two-thirds of Americans favor continuing unemployment benefits. There is also very little public appetite for “entitlement reform,” aka cutting Social Security.
There’s little support for Social Security cuts now, and there was little support for it when Bush and his pack of idiots tried it the first time, but that didn’t stop them from trying. If they’re defeated this time, they’ll be back five years from now to try it again because the oligarchy has always resented social programs. They feel poor people — not blessed with old money last names, unable to afford ivy league schools, and forced to take minimum wage jobs to survive — are lazy leaches upon the state. Thus, if they are unable to fend for themselves, that’s just tough luck.
When they start to die en masse on city streets from exposure, that’s really just the circle of life at play. Natural selection, really.
_______
About author Allison Kilkenny is a radio host and political humorist, a fancy way of saying writer, who makes shitty world news funny. She is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post, the Beast, 236.com, and Alternet.org's Wiretap Magazine. Her work has also appeared on The Nation and she is a regular guest on SIRIUS radio.
She doesn't care if you're offended by anything she has written. Further articles can be found at: Allison Kilkenny is a radio host and political humorist, a fancy way of saying writer, who makes shitty world news funny. She is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post, the Beast, 236.com, and Alternet.org's Wiretap Magazine. Her work has also appeared on The Nation and she is a regular guest on SIRIUS radio.She doesn't care if you're offended by anything she has written. Further articles can be found at: www.allisonkilkenny.com Allison's radio show, Citizen Radio, can be found here: Citizen Radio fan page . Citizen Radio is on every Wednesday over at Breakthru Radio | {
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People with mental health problems in Ghana are turning to privately-run 'prayer camps', hoping religion will be a cure for their problems.
With only four practising psychiatrists in the country and a stigma attached to mental illness, doctors say the only way to cope with the workload is to work with the Church-run camps.
Will Ross reports. | {
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Ryanair farà nel 2017 il suo più grande investimento di sempre in Italia. Lo ha annunciato il ceo della compagnia, Michael O’Leary, in una conferenza stampa con il ministro dei Trasporti, Graziano Delrio, e il presidente Enac, Vito Riggio, precisando che «allocheremo 10 nuovi aeromobili per un investimento di un miliardo di dollari, apriremo 44 nuove rotte e cresceremo di 3 milioni di passeggeri».
Con questo progetto - ha ribadito O’Leary - la compagnia si aspetta di creare 2.250 nuovi posti di lavoro e una crescita record di traffico a oltre 35 milioni nel 2017 (+10%). Il piano di investimenti di Ryanair - ha spiegato l’amministratore delegato - nasce dalle iniziative prese dal Governo del presidente Matteo Renzi di annullare l’incremento di 2,50 euro della tassa municipale dal 1 settembre e la modifica delle linee guida aeroportuali del ministro Delrio.
I RICAVI
In milioni di euro (Fonte: dati societari)
IL TRAFFICO PASSEGGERI DI RAYNAIR
In milioni e % di crescita (Fonte: dati societari)
I DIPENDENTI RAYNAIR
Numero medio e % di crescita (Fonte: dati societari)
«Siamo estremamente grati al presidente del Consiglio Renzi e al ministro Delrio - ha detto O’Leary - per l’adozione di queste misure atte a favorire la crescita del turismo italiano; crescita che sarebbe stata persa, in favore di altri paesi dell’Ue come Polonia, Spagna e Grecia, se l’aumento della tassa comunale non fosse stato annullato, e le linee guida aeroportuali non fossero state riformulate per conformarsi alle norme comunitarie».
Ryanair è lieta di essere la prima compagnia aerea ad annunciare questo investimento record di 1 miliardo di dollari in nuovi aeromobili, nuove rotte, nuovo traffico e crescita di posti di lavoro in Italia nel 2017.
Se la privatizzazione dell’aeroporto di Alghero «va bene, siamo pronti a riaprire la base a fine novembre», ha aggiunto il ceo O’Leary a margine della conferenza stampa al Ministero dei trasporti. Ryanair mesi fa aveva annunciato di voler andarsene per l’aumento di 2,50 euro delle tasse d’imbarco.
«Anche l’annunciata chiusura della base di Pescara è stata scongiurata e i voli torneranno in vendita questa settimana, su Alghero proseguono le trattative e siamo fiduciosi di poter concludere un accordo entro la fine di settembre che permetterebbe alla base di riaprire entro novembre», ha ribadito.
Sulla questione, il ministro dei Trasporti, Graziano Delrio, si è detto fiducioso e «convinto che su Alghero, ci vorranno ancora alcune settimane di lavoro, si potrà raggiungere un buon accordo. Stiamo seguendo da vicino» la vicenda, «perché la chiusura di un aeroporto regionale significa una caduta dell’economia territoriale». «Mi auguro che dopo Pescara venga risolta anche la questione Alghero», ha aggiunto il presidente dell’Enac Vito Riggio.
Delrio: più voli, più occupazione in Italia
Il piano di sviluppo annunciato da Ryanair per l'Italia porterà più voli, più opportunità di turismo e più occupazione ha precisato il ministro dei Trasporti commentando il piano della compagnia irlandese low cost per l’Italia al 2017.
«Salutiamo positivamente il piano industriale 2017 di Ryanair - ha detto Delrio - che permette più voli, più opportunità al turismo in Italia e soprattutto più occupazione».
Per far crescere il Pil servono investimenti pubblici e privati: il governo «continuerà ad attrarre investimenti privati» e per gli investimenti pubblici «nei giorni scorsi ha varato un piano di oltre 20 miliardi che sono la seconda zampa di un tavolo che spero si irrobustirà sempre di più», ha aggiunto il ministro per le Infrastrutture e i trasporti.
Commentando i rumors di stampa su un accordo con il ministero dell'Economia per accelerare gli investimenti, Delrio ha riferito che c’è un «patto con il presidente del Consiglio, Matteo Renzi, secondo il quale ogni volta che ci saranno investimenti pronti non saranno più bloccati dai limiti di cassa come avveniva in passato».
Nello sdrammatizzare i dati del Pil del secondo trimestre, Delrio ha invitato a fare «i conti a fine anno».
Riggio, sviluppo trasporto aereo obiettivo primario per crescita
Lo sviluppo del trasporto aereo «costituisce un obiettivo primario per coadiuvare la crescita economica dell'intero sistema Paese» ha spiegato il presidente di Enac, Vito Riggio. Quanto alle decisioni del governo che hanno 'sbloccato' il piano della compagnia low cost Riggio ha osservato che «viviamo in un'epoca in cui il riferimento non è più quello nazionale ma, soprattutto per il trasporto aereo e per le regole che lo governano, è quello dell'Europa, sempre nel rispetto dell'equa competitività e dei diritti dei passeggeri».
Alcune delle nuove rotte per l'estate 2017 Pescara - Copenaghen Rome - Lourdes Pescara - Cracovia Rome - Norimberga Bologna - Lisbona Malpensa - Gran Canaria Bologna - Eindhoven Bergamo - Edimburgo Trapani - Praga Bergamo - Lussemburgo Treviso - Cracovia Bergamo - Vigo Bari - Liverpool Palermo - Bucarest Fonte: Ryanair
© Riproduzione riservata | {
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SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus was scratched from Thursday's Cactus League game against the Cleveland Indians due to muscle soreness in his left arm caused by a new tattoo.
Andrus was given an off day Wednesday after playing consecutive games earlier in the week, and he apparently used some of the downtime to add new ink. Andrus originally was slated to bat third in Thursday's lineup but will be replaced by rookie Jurickson Profar.
"Elvis has been working hard, and having another off day isn't going to hurt him," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "He'll be ready tomorrow."
The tattoo filled most of Andrus' left arm from shoulder to elbow, so it isn't surprising he is experiencing soreness. The image features a large face as a tribute to his late father, with crossed baseball bats underneath the face. | {
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HOUSTON – This week in Houston, NFL owners will gather inside a boardroom teeming with billionaires and attempt to marshal irreconcilable egos. They'll negotiate and move to build consensus. And after two days, they'll hope to produce a win the league has been chasing for 20 years: a return to Los Angeles and the revival of a massive revenue market.
But the NFL's resuscitation of Los Angeles won't happen without some league power brokers wielding their ability to influence and negotiate. With 24 votes needed to approve a move and little clarity on which relocation plans have corralled the needed margin, there is plenty of work to do. Despite months of fine-tuning and the league's L.A. committee having met with both the stadium and finance committees in New York last week, it's believed that all the potential relocations remain in a fluid state.
No franchise is believed to have the necessary 24 votes to get approval, but all three – the San Diego Chargers, St. Louis Rams and Oakland Raiders – are believed to have the nine votes it would take to block each other's proposals. There will have to be compromise. If not, all three ownership groups could fail in their bid to relocate. That's the worst-case scenario for the NFL, of course. And it means one thing is likely going to be made clear by the L.A. committee at the outset: This is the best shot the NFL has ever had at getting at least one franchise back into the market.
Failing to get a move approved now could mean tabling the issue for another year. That's not a scenario that would bode well. One year can easily turn into a decade or more.
What is expected to happen when the meetings kick off? At this point, a rough outline has taken shape, though the order of events is unclear. There will be thorough presentations by the ownership groups, each addressing financial, political and logistical roadblocks that have emerged. There will be Q&A sessions with each group. At some point, the members of the NFL's "Committee on Los Angeles Opportunities" (comprised of owners from the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots, Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs) will discuss their analysis of the proposals and recommend what they believe is the best course of action. And, finally, before the voting takes place, the owners are expected to have some manner of "spitball" session where discussion can take place about the proposals, as well as other ancillary options that could leave all parties happy.
Taken as a whole, that's a big slate of steps with ample room for almost anything to happen. With that in mind, here is a look at some of the key points of information, key individuals involved and potential outcomes from these meetings:
The Proposals
• St. Louis Rams in Inglewood: Rams owner Stan Kroenke is the second-richest owner in the NFL (behind only the Seattle Seahawks' Paul Allen) and is viewed as someone who would throw the full weight of his fortune into a Los Angeles franchise. In a city that might need a front-running NFL team, that's a big positive. He also has a key ally in Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. At least initially, those factors helped this proposal become the early favorite for relocation. However, that vigor amongst other owners may have faded in recent months. There have been some media reports that Kroenke might not have even half of the necessary 24 votes to get his franchise moved.
Story continues
Kroenke is dreaming big. He is essentially pitching construction of one of the largest sports, entertainment and retail complexes ever created. The plan would be to build on nearly 300 acres and include retail outlets, dining, office space and room for at least one other concert-hall type of venue. Both grandiose and ambitious, the stadium itself would be closed-air and state-of-the-art, with a futuristic design and a dedicated glass roof that covers the field. The projected price? $1.86 billion.
View photos An architectural rendering of a football stadium in Carson, Calif. (MANICA Architecture) More
• San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders in Carson: This is considered the favorite (but there's little to prove it) heading into this week's meetings. The reason for that supposed rise is largely pinned on: the relationships that team president Dean Spanos has built with other owners; a more refined and financially viable proposal that "fixes" the issues of two teams; and the support of Disney president Bob Iger and L.A. committee member Jerry Richardson.
There have been reports that as it currently stands, this plan may have as many as 20 votes in the bag. But that's hard to believe with the NFL's L.A., finance and stadium committees exiting a meeting last week with a host of unknowns. Either way, it's clear that San Diego's generated momentum is carrying this bid.
The Raiders' main attraction may be that other NFL owners want to get the team out of Oakland, where the franchise's revenues have been among the league's worst, despite representing a nationally recognized brand. The proposal is impressive, including an open-air stadium on 168 acres that is situated near two major freeways. It would feature an "airy" seating layout that was meant to pay tribute to the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. The projected price: $1.7 billion.
• Chargers and Rams share a stadium in Los Angeles: This isn't currently a proposal, but it might become an idea pushed by owners should an impasse occur during the meetings. As it stands, the Chargers have indicated they are not interested in sharing a stadium with the Rams. Meanwhile, Rams ownership has expressed that it would be open to the idea in the Inglewood location. If it appears that both sides have created voting blockades and are shutting each other (and by virtue, the NFL) completely out of Los Angeles, this compromise could be an alternative pressed by other influential owners. It's unknown how it would even work, but it's bound to become a factor if all sides are on the verge of being scuttled.
Roger Goodell (AP) More
The Power Brokers
• NFL commissioner Roger Goodell: This has been a 20-year road for the league, and the journey has been brutal. There was a time that reclaiming Los Angeles was Paul Tagliabue's baby, but he never got the pieces into place to make it happen. There is no telling how damaging a stalemate would be at this stage. Other NFL owners want to get this squared away once and for all. If a majority can't be reached and this is pushed back another year, it's possible everything could slide right off the table again. Goodell has to impress upon the owners, including those who have relocation bids, that it's in nobody's interest to leave Houston this week without an approval.
If this is about improving the revenues of franchises and making the NFL stronger from a business standpoint, letting this opportunity fall apart would be monumentally embarrassing and frustrating for the league. It's time for Goodell to rally his bosses, and keep them in the room until a solution can be reached.
• The Committee on Los Angeles Opportunities: This group was formed by Goodell. It will have the firmest grasp on the pitfalls and roadblocks for each presenting group. It is chaired by Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II. It also includes Jerry Richardson (Carolina Panthers), Robert Kraft (New England Patriots), Bob McNair (Houston Texans), John Mara (New York Giants) and Clark Hunt (Kansas City Chiefs).
View photos Robert Kraft (AP) More
Rooney, Kraft and Mara are particularly influential among NFL owners. Few garner more respect. Richardson was on the front lines in negotiating the last collective-bargaining agreement, one of the most resounding victories in sports history. McNair is known for having a respected and fair voice in the room. If this committee puts forth a recommendation to the other NFL owners (and it is expected to do that), it would be a massive thrust of momentum for whichever proposal receives it.
There is a chance, however, that the committee merely offers an analysis of each potential move but doesn't promote one over the other.
Either way, what this committee says will carry a lot of weight.
• Team owners Jeffrey Lurie, Jerry Jones, Steve Bisciotti, Stephen Ross and Shad Khan: These guys aren't on the L.A. committee but they still carry plenty of weight for various reasons. Lurie (Eagles) has been around the block and has a lot of relationships and respect in the NFL. He can play a role in bringing groups together. Jones (Cowboys) and the Ravens' Bisciotti have highly regarded deal-making acumens. Jones also has a good relationship with committee member Bob Kraft, which could be another form of influence. Ross (Dolphins) and the Jaguars' Khan may not have the long NFL tenure of others, but both are among the league's richest and garner great respect for their business insight.
All owners can be influential in some way, but these guys can play key roles in shaping conversations and building consensus.
View photos Bob Iger (AP) More
• Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger: No NFL team has ever boasted the ability to get the head of a $164 billion corporation to throw his full backing behind a relocation. But that's what Iger will be doing when he attends this week's meetings to lobby for the Chargers and Raiders. Money talks in the NFL, but Walt Disney money sings a tune that puts owners into a trance.
Lest anyone forget, Disney owns a little ol' subsidiary known as ESPN, which pays the NFL roughly $2 billion per season for the rights to broadcast "Monday Night Football." Iger is easily one of the most influential people in corporate America, and his presence this week might be akin to having a 33rd NFL owner in the room.
• Rams owner Stan Kroenke: The Rams' top boss could hold all the cards this week, even if his proposal is trailing significantly. Ranking as the second-richest owner in the NFL, he could become a juggernaut in the Los Angeles market. In a decade, we could be placing his deal-making abilities on the same level as Kraft and Jones.
He has the money and ambition to shake up the league, and placing him in L.A. would feed into that. And that's a good thing for the other owners since part of this move is about maximizing revenues.
Beyond his wallet, Kroenke may have an even stronger hand to play this week. He supposedly has the votes to block the Chargers-Raiders proposal. And if that's the case, Kroenke could issue an ultimatum. If his relocation isn't pushed through, he could blow up the L.A. track altogether by creating a stalemate. That provides him with a massive amount of leverage over the Raiders, who are by far the trailing team in the relocation sweepstakes. If Kroenke plays his hand and blocks the Carson relocation, it would likely force the other owners to look at scenarios that put both the Chargers and Rams into Los Angeles, but send Oakland home with a bouquet of financial sweeteners that could help build a new stadium in the Bay Area.
How it will work out
One thing is certain this week: Whatever happens won't simply be a matter of finances. With these relocations looking as much like a chess match as anything else, there is bound to be a mixture of politics, sentiment, favors and self-interest that comes into play. But something has to happen. All three teams involved can't walk away empty-handed. Particularly in the cases of the Chargers and Rams, whose cities have advanced stadium deals that the NFL seems to find dubious at best.
The NFL sees risk in counting on either San Diego or St. Louis to advance the public funding (roughly $350 million to $400 million apiece) that it would take to complete a new stadium in those cities. That gives NFL owners plenty of initiative to open a door for both the Chargers and Rams. This has to make the Raiders nervous about their standing in this whole thing. If Kroenke blocks the Carson proposal and it looks like this is all about to go down in flames, it's almost certain some owners in the room will attempt to force the Rams and Chargers together. Neither wants to play in the other team's building in Los Angeles, but if the alternative is to return to the cities that they abruptly torched in recent weeks, a joint Chargers-Rams proposal might start looking better.
Such a scenario would put the Raiders into an awkward second place. Perhaps the NFL's consolation prize would be more funding to get a new stadium in Oakland. Maybe it would be opening up a different market to the Raiders and significantly cutting the $550 million relocation fee. Or maybe the NFL will tell owner Mark Davis to go back to Oakland and wait for another opportunity at Los Angeles further down the road.
It's a tangled mess of scenarios. Coming into this week, it was expected that NFL owners would have some significant clarity – and the necessary votes – to make certain that at least one of the teams attempting to seize Los Angeles could actually do so. But that doesn't appear to have happened.
So the league meets this week with a return to Los Angeles as close as ever. But with two days of intense analysis and deal-making ahead, the tiny little bit of road left in this mission may take the most effort of all.
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(LifeSiteNews) — Formulating pastoral practices based on “individual cases” is a “rhetorical trick” that undermines the unity of the faith, said Gerhard Cardinal Mueller in an interview published the past week in German and translated into English by LifeSiteNews.
“That is why papal and episcopal statements on the reception of the Sacraments have to be prepared in such a clear manner that they serve the salvation of the people. Christ did not institute the Magisterium in order to initiate processes which lead into confusion,” he said.
Cardinal Mueller made the comments to Die Tagespost.
He was reacting primarily to the German bishops’ decision to open Communion to the Protestant spouses of Catholics in some cases. LifeSiteNews reported only excerpts from the former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s interview with the German journalist Regina Einig. His comments may also have been directed, in part, toward Pope Francis’ exhortation Amoris Laetitia which, due to ambiguity, has been interpreted by many bishops and cardinals as allowing habitual adulterers to receive Communion, contrary to previous Church teaching.
Mueller said that the Eucharist cannot simply be given to anyone, just because they want it.
“Neither the Pope nor we bishops may redefine the sacraments as a means to soothe psychological pains and fulfill personal spiritual needs,” he said when asked about a Protestant married to a Catholic receiving the sacrament.
When asked about Pope Francis’ apparent openness through vague statements and gestures to have non-Catholic Christians receiving Holy Communion, the cardinal said they have “no magisterial weight.”
“The task of the Pope, together with the Congregation for the Faith, is to preserve the unity of the Church in the revealed truth. It is legitimate to have a pluralism in theology, but a pluralism in the faith is wrong. Because there is only one faith and one Church,” he said.
“The Pope might think, according to his own feeling, that his task is not to pronounce interdicts and that he, rather, should find formulations which appeal to those outside of the Church. This pastoral impetus is good. [But] the mission and task of the Pope is also to convince people of the faith and to lead them into the depth of the Gospel according to the mandate of Jesus that Peter shall confirm his brethren, always and everywhere, in that exact revealed faith (Luke 22:32),” he added.
In this same interview, Cardinal Mueller not only opposed the German bishops’ decision to open Communion to the Protestant spouses of Catholics but also the suggestion raised by German bishops to offer a blessing for homosexual couples.
LifeSiteNews is now pleased to provide a translation of the entire interview. It was translated by Maike Hickson with permission from Regina Einig.
+ + +
Q. Your Eminence, the German bishops want to admit mixed marriages in individual cases to Holy Communion; the non-Catholic spouse may make here his own decision of conscience. Is this a form of ecumenical progress?
A. There would be only ecumenical progress if we came closer to the great goal of the unity of Christians in the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. The precondition for this, however, would be the recognition of the sacramentality of the Church and of the fact that we have no power of disposal over the sacraments. Here, one would first have to clarify whether bishops’ conferences do not step over their own area of authority in individual cases. They have no power to make decisions in questions of faith in a manner that the result, as a practical consequence, would contradict the Faith. That is why St. Paul, in Antioch, stood up openly to St. Peter, because the latter “was to be blamed” for ambiguous conduct which darkened the “truth of the Gospel” (Gal. 2: 11, 14).
Q. But some are hoping that this new step would foster a rapprochement of the confessions. What is there to be objected to?
A. One may not separate pastoral practice from the Church’s doctrine. If we depart from the revealed Faith [supposedly] for the sake of the salvation of souls, it would mean to correct God who in our eyes would then not be at all capable of foreseeing in His Commandments all the possible concrete individual cases. That would be madness, in whose abyss the Church then would sink. We cannot do so as if one could accomplish the full community of the Church — which is represented in the Eucharist — without “considering our teachings to be true,” as Justin the Martyr already said in his First Apology (article 66, written around 150 B.C. in Rome).
If, according to Vatican II’s Constitution on the Liturgy (SC 10; 47), the Eucharist is the “source and climax” of the liturgical life of the Church, how could one then claim that the question as to whether someone may fully partake in it does not touch the question of faith?
The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ, and the Eucharist the Sacramental Body of Christ, which one may only receive if one belongs fully and without obstacle to that same one visible Church, according to one’s profession and to one’s state of grace. This connection can only get lost where this bond between the Church and the sacraments is not as highly valued as in the Catholic faith — as well as in the Orthodox faith — or where there is dominant a [dubious] view according to which one may save oneself individually.
Q. But the Church knows exceptions?
A. But here it is not about the fulfillment of spiritual needs or about an attentiveness toward social pressures. If a Protestant Christian finds himself in an emergency situation, in which his salvation is at stake — that is to say, if he is in danger of death — and where he cannot reach his own clergyman and he, as an individual, can agree in that moment with the Catholic faith in the Eucharist and in the sacramental essence of the Catholic Church, such a person may, for the sake of his salvation, receive the sacraments: first Penance, then Holy Communion.
But the marriage with a Catholic partner, the family ties, or a good friendship with non-Catholic Christians do not fulfill the preconditions for such an emergency situation where it is about eternal salvation. He who shares the Catholic Eucharistic Faith, additionally has to reject those teachings of non-Catholic communities that are opposed to it.
Q. However, in the [episcopal] decision, there is only talk of individual cases.
A. The formulation “individual cases” is a rhetorical trick. Most of the faithful are not theologians who have an overview over this topic. That is why papal and episcopal statements on the reception of the sacraments have to be prepared in such a clear manner that they serve the salvation of the people. Christ did not institute the Magisterium in order to initiate processes which lead into confusion.
The Holy Ghost, by the way, is not the stopgap for deficient knowledge of, and theological reflection on, the Catholic doctrine. The institution of the Church by the historic Christ must not be played against the living presence of the elevated Lord in the Holy Ghost. The Magisterium was transmitted to the shepherds in order to exercise power over others, but only in order to pass on to all of the faithful Christ’s teaching that has been entrusted to them — and not at all in order to please members of one’s own ideological group. Bishops and priests are not the cause of grace, but merely administer the sacraments of grace, as Catholic Tradition distinguishes it in a meticulous manner.
Q. The [German] bishops refer to Code of Canon Law 844, § 4 CIC and the “grave spiritual need” upon which a Protestant spouse may rely. How do you assess this interpretation of the law?
A. It is not right to apply canon 844, § 4 CIC in this fundamental manner to mixed marriages. Mixed marriages are not an emergency situation. Through it, the salvation of the spouses is not endangered. On the contrary, it is a great challenge which can definitely be dealt with together in the faith. Neither the Pope nor we bishops may redefine the sacraments as a means to soothe psychological pains and fulfill personal spiritual needs. They are effective signs of God’s grace.
We respect the goodwill and the religious conviction of our fellow Christians from other denominations, but we also expect that our faith is respected as an expression of our conviction, and that it is not demeaned as a product of stubbornness or of a “conservative” worldview.
Q. What is the essential matter in light of the Catholic understanding, and especially in this context?
A. For the Catholic understanding, the connection between Church and sacrament is decisive. The Church is not an institution which offers religious rites — and under certain conditions also to non-members — but the Church lives out her being and her life in the sacraments. For the Protestants, however, the sacraments merely serve as a confirmation of a faith which alone has already justified the sinner. We do not share this view; we respectively say more about the Sacraments. We believe in the objective efficacy of the sacraments.
Q. The reformed evangelical theologian, Ulrich Koertner (University of Vienna [Austria]), speaks in this context about “botch-up.” According to him, the [German] bishops are giving their consent [“sanctus”] to the practice, while the Catholic spouse still is not admitted to Protestant communion. How do you assess Koertner’s thesis that a sound theology would look different?
A. Koertner speaks in view of a mutual admittance which, however, would only be justified if the Protestant Last Supper and the Catholic Eucharist would be identical and the relations between Church-justification-sacrament would be the identical in the Catholic Church as in the different communities with a Protestant background. I have heard that Catholic theologians are critical about the quality of the first draft [as written by the German bishops] with regard to its biblical foundation and its correspondence with the authentic Magisterium of the Catholic Church, but, so far, the definitive handout is not yet available. If one, however, deals with principles in too loose a fashion, one may not be astonished when other undesired conclusions are being drawn from it.
Q. Which ones, for example?
A. The Catholic faith is in effect being relativized. Progress in the field of ecumenism is desirable and necessary. But from the Catholic point of view, this progress may not go into the direction of a Protestantization of the Catholic Church, which would mean a reverse “ecumenism of return.” Let us only imagine a Protestant youth who has a close bond with a Catholic friend and asks for the Sacrament of Confirmation, but, at the same time, wishes to remain a Protestant. Or what about a good, practicing Catholic who legally leaves the Catholic Church as a public corporation [in Germany, one registers with the state one’s membership with the Church] out of disdain over her increasing politicization — as he conceives it — for what reason could one deny him, of all people, Holy Communion?
Q. But the proponents of the new rule refer to some vague statements of the Pope at the Lutheran church in Rome.
A. But these statements and gestures are cutting no ice in this context. They have no magisterial weight. Many speak currently about a crisis in the Roman Magisterium, which allows contradictory dogmatic statements issued by bishops’ conferences instead of forbidding them, as would be the duty of the Congregation for the Faith. No ecclesial teaching authority can give to the bishops’ conferences — which only exist due to a Church law — a teaching competence which they do not have and which they cannot have.
The task of the Pope, together with the Congregation for the Faith, is to preserve the unity of the Church in the revealed truth. It is legitimate to have a pluralism in theology, but a pluralism in the faith is wrong. Because there is only one faith and one Church. The Pope might think, according to his own feeling, that his task is not to pronounce interdicts and that he, rather, should find formulations which appeal to those outside of the Church. This pastoral impetus is good.
[But] the mission and task of the Pope is also to convince people of the faith and to lead them into the depth of the Gospel according to the mandate of Jesus that Peter shall confirm his brethren, always and everywhere, in that exact revealed Faith (Luke 22:32).
Q. How does the path of ecumenism look in your view?
A. Of course we do not any more live in the age of confessional controversies, but each is still called to understand ever more deeply the faith of one’s community. That is, in my view, the path of ecumenism: to approach one another in an honest manner and to overcome misunderstandings. We Catholics do not wish to give up the sacramentality of the Church. That would be the greatest betrayal of our profession of faith.
What is gained for the unity of the Church if one creates within one’s own ranks strife, and strikes wounds? Many have invoked collegiality and have kept talking and talking about synodality as the common path. What hinders us to practice them in these much-praised individual cases?
Q. The notion of an ecumenism of return has today a bad reputation. But when a Protestant Christian, who is married to a Catholic, shares that Catholic faith — what speaks against conversion?
A. For every good pastor, there are margins of discretion — depending upon the question as to which family tradition the Protestant spouse stems from, and which considerations he has to keep in mind. But in the normal case it would be a consequent step because there exists only the one truth. It cannot be God’s will that there are several religious denominations existing next to one another whose doctrines are contradicting each other.
We might live now in a so-called post-confessional age. That is a social-psychological analysis or an analysis pertaining to the history of ideas.
But the Catholic Church has never been a denomination such as Protestants have formed in their own communities according to Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, and others. She sees herself, in her Creed which binds each Catholic in his conscience, as the one Church founded by Christ Himself and as led by the Pope in community with the bishops (Lumen Gentium, n. 8). Everybody is entitled to contest this claim. But then he is not Catholic.
Q. The “decision of conscience in individual cases” is, according to some theologians, to prepare the way also for the blessing of homosexual couples. How do you assess this?
A. Behind the endlessly “opened doors,” there does not necessarily stand a solid house — it could also be a fake. There will only come fresh air through the windows, if it exists outside. Instead of repeating mantra-like these old images, one should formulate things in a theologically correct way. That is the best contribution for good pastoral care and for ecumenism. The expression “decision of conscience in individual cases” is redundant [“ein weisser Schimmel”], because decisions of conscience can always only be made in individual cases. It is about my free positioning in the face of revealed truths and God’s moral laws. There are no exceptions to God’s laws, because they are always about the salvation of man. The circumstances, however, can enlarge or mitigate the size of my guilt.
Here, God alone is the judge over each man. Much less can I deny individual truths of the Faith on occasion, just as I cannot violate God’s Commandments Who shows me in them the way to salvation and to well-being.
Q. What speaks against the blessing of homosexual unions?
A. To bless means to approve something according to the meaning which God has laid into the institutions of His creation, and first and foremost into the persons themselves. Nobody condemns as a person somebody with homosexual inclinations. That would be a sacrilegious presumption to question the essential goodness of the existence of a person created by God. By the way, there are no homosexuals as a distinct class of people. That would be the worst form of discrimination. Because God created man according to his image and likeness, and He created them as man and woman. But when homosexual acts contradict God’s Will, then nobody may ask for God’s blessing for them.
Pastoral care looks different and serves the peace of the soul only if it remains founded in truth. A true pastoral care which is about the people — and not about one’s own reputation in the published opinion 00 helps those concerned to find their way to salvation in spite of all the difficulties, and to rejoice about their lives as a gift from God and thus also to recognize one’s own call to eternal life.
Q. But it is said that such relationships also have some positive elements and values. Are you convinced by this argument?
A. Yes of course, there are positive elements in nearly all relationships. But that does not justify acts against God’s Commandments. If siblings loyally take care of one another, they have no legitimacy that they take advantage of one another in individual cases with regard to their inheritance. Love and truth always belong together, they are inseparable. All of God’s Commandments are valid for everybody to whom God has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ as truth and life. “If we keep His Commandments, we recognize that we know Him. Whoever says ‘I know Him,’ but does not keep His Commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:3sq.). | {
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Submitted on Wed, 03/12/2014 - 5:20pm
Insomnia Cookies has suspended IWW Organizer Tasia Edmonds w/o pay for a month, falsely claiming she was "unprofessional" and neglected to serve her any formal written notice. You're invited to take action against union-busting by the boutique cookie business. Join IWW and our allies as we picket in support of Tasia!
Please also email the company at [email protected], & call CEO Seth Berkowitz at 877 632-6654. Suggested message: "It is intolerable that IWW Organizer Tasia Edmonds has been suspended without pay for her union activity. Please take immediate action to bring Tasia back to work, and compensate her for any loss in pay. Union-busting is disgusting!"
Read more and RSVP on the Facebook event page. Find out more about the Insomnia Cookies workers. | {
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Last night I went and watched the upcoming Tucker Max movie, in full. Here is what I saw, before I erase it from my mind entirely.
It was bad. It was really bad. It was not bad in the good way. It was not bad ironically. It was not bad in the "Let's go see it because we like to watch bad movies like Knowing, and laugh at them" way. I do not want to say the wrong thing here, that might convince anyone that this movie is worth paying to see, even for train wreck purposes.
This is the movie that happens when a narcissist—not an interesting one, though—writes an entire movie about how cool he is, and is given full creative control over that movie. Imagine someone you know who is an asshole. Now imagine that person being able to write and produce a movie about themselves, and how awesome they are. There you have it.
The plot of this film: Tucker Max and two of his bros go to a bachelor party, meeting various cum sluts along the way. Whore bitches can't get enough of Tucker Max's bad boy personality, which is probably why so many of these twats want him inside of their vaginas. Tucker fucks a midget stripper and the world loves him for it, the end. Other highlights:
Close-ups of poop, coming out of someone's butt, a lot.
There's a wedding scene in the end where the guests are all white and the servers are all black. There's not a joke to go with that.
The best character in the film is Tucker's friend Drew, because he looks like he was just dropped in from another movie, and can't wait to get back. Drew is a misanthropic video game nerd who goes to strip club and meets a hot stripper who is also a video game nerd and falls for him and they rush home and sleep together and Drew instantly bonds with her son and they become a couple immediately. This is as close to a plausible male-female interaction sequence as this movie gets.
If you're still curious about Making a Mess In a Cum Slut's Mouth Because She Won't Let Me Not Do That, just watch our preview clips or read the script we published a year ago, which did indeed turn out to be pretty close to the final version.
This movie is not, in fact, hilarious.
[Pic: Flickr] | {
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DETROIT – "White Boy" Rick Wershe is petitioning to have court orders reversed and his case sent back to trial for re-sentencing.
Wershe has filed a petition for relief stating his life with parole sentence violates the Michigan Constitution's prohibition against cruel or unusual punishment. His attorney claims Wershe is entitled to relief under Michigan law.
Wershe, 47, is the longest serving juvenile drug offender in the history of Michigan. He was a juvenile convicted of possessing more than 650 grams of cocaine in 1988. His sentence was life in prison and was later changed to allow the possibility of parole, which is something his attorneys call "unrealistic."
Wershe was almost out when he sat before Judge Danna Hathaway in September, expecting to be resentenced. But Prosecutor Kym Worthy objected, and it shut the whole prison release effort down.
"I think it has a chance because the eastern district is so well aware of my case and I don't think anyone in the eastern district thinks you should spend 29 or 30 years in prison for a first time drug offense," Wershe said.
Next month, Wershe will start year 29 behind bars.
Wershe is planning a holiday giveaway at Detroit's Emanuel Lutheran Church near his old home on the city's east side.
"My grandfather never missed a day at that Lutheran Church," Wershe said. "It means something to give back to the city and be remembered for something other than my past as a drug dealing kid or someone the goverment got involved in drugs."
Donate to to Wershe's holiday giveaway here.
READ: The Story of White Boy Rick
Here is the full petition filed Tuesday:
Related: | {
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starting to emerge. but it was multi-faith and the mayor was there saying we might be down but we are not out. i just wanted to pass on, i know there has been a lot of conversation about the victims and their children. we saw so many kids that were there last night with their parents. but i was able to speak to a source in the governor's office to find out about the shooter's baby. so many questions remain about this 6 month old child who was dropped off at farook's mother's house before the attackers went on that shooting massacre at the inland regional center behind me. according to my source, they say about the child and the future custody of this 6 month old baby, it depends on if there is a will or not that names a guardian. if there is a will that names the guardian, a court would still need to approve. again, all this is based on california state law. if there is no will, the court will step in and name a guardian that is in the best interest of the child. during this process, a family member can step up and nominate themselves but they will still | {
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China blames deadly Xinjiang attack on separatists Published duration 1 August 2011
China says Muslim separatists trained in Pakistan were behind an attack which killed six civilians in the western region of Xinjiang on Sunday.
In an online statement , the local government said "armed terrorists" stormed a restaurant, killing two, then fatally stabbed four people outside.
Police responding to the attack shot dead five suspects.
The attack was part of a weekend of violence which left up to 18 people dead.
Kashgar is in west of Xinjiang region, which has a Muslim Uighur population and has seen regular outbreaks of ethnic tension, mainly triggered by the influx of Han Chinese.
In a statement the Pakistani foreign office has said that all "incidents of terrorism are deplorable" and that it is fully confident that the Chinese government will succeed in frustrating the "evil designs of... extremists and separatists, who constitute an evil force".
The statement said that Pakistan "will continue to extend its full co-operation and support to the Government of the People's Republic of China against the the separatist East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM).
Firearms and explosives
The Kashgar city government said suspects captured after the restaurant attack had admitted their leaders had joined the ETIM and been trained in making firearms and explosives.
The attackers followed "extremist religious ideology" and advocated "jihad", the statement said.
The government said four suspects had been shot dead at the scene and another died in hospital.
The Kashgar government's online statement did not mention Saturday's attack, which a Xinjiang government-run website said began when assailants hijacked a truck at traffic lights.
Tianshannet.com said two men stabbed the driver to death before driving the vehicle into bystanders.
They then got out of the vehicle and started attacking people at random, the report said.
It said the crowd turned on the assailants - killing one of them - and the second man was captured.
State-run news agency Xinhua said the attack had been preceded by two explosions.
Past violence
The weekend attacks were the second outbreak of violence in Xinjiang in a month.
On 18 July, several police officials and a number of civilians were killed in an attack on a police station in the city of Hotan.
Chinese officials blamed the attack on "terrorists" from the Uighur minority.
Uighur activists said the security forces had provoked clashes by opening fire on a peaceful demonstration.
According to China's most recent census, Xinjiang's largest population group are ethnic Uighurs, Muslims with strong cultural ties to Central Asia.
Our correspondent, Martin Patience, says many Uighurs are unhappy about what they say is the repressive rule of Beijing and are angered by the migration of the majority Han Chinese to the region. | {
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Photo credit: The Goldwater
Throughout this article, I'm going to embed a series of tweets that resonate with the mainstream of Alabama, and explain to you our views on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Alabama is an absolutely beautiful place with some of the most loving people in America. In fact, contrary to the misrepresentation and depiction of Alabama from ignorant west coast liberals and those in the Midwest and Northeast who have never seen our gorgeous state, this is the real heartland of America and Americana.
This is why so many of President Trump's supporters have went against the President in endorsing Roy Moore over the blatantly corrupt puppet Luther Strange. There is no 4d chess angle to putting a corrupt man into power in Alabama. There just isn't guys. It's bad advice.
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We respect everyone, but at the same time have a strong set of principles that I'd like to ask you all to share and understand. We will not give in to allow our state to become corrupted by another brandish lying politician. It's just not fair to Alabama.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">If you've ever been to Alabama you know it's unlike anywhere else in the country.<br>If your car breaks down on the side of the road 25…</p>— Red Pill (@IWillRedPillYou) <a href="https://twitter.com/IWillRedPillYou/status/911389494330392576">September 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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There's not much about Alabama that I don't love, and there's not many people more loving of tradition, God, and America than you'll find in Alabama.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">…people will stop to help you. If you see a homeless person a dozen people will bring him or her food. If someone needs a ride we give…</p>— Red Pill (@IWillRedPillYou) <a href="https://twitter.com/IWillRedPillYou/status/911389649599389701">September 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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We in Alabama have remained strong supporters of President Donald Trump all throughout his campaign and all throughout his Presidency.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">…them a lift. We keep our front doors unlocked in most places. We love God. We love the Church. We love the Ocean. We love our people…</p>— Red Pill (@IWillRedPillYou) <a href="https://twitter.com/IWillRedPillYou/status/911389818575360006">September 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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He was and has been the shining light through the darkness that had plagued Washington DC for decades with George Bush for eight years, Bill Clinton for eight years, George W. Bush for eight years, and then Barack Hussein Obama for eight years.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">…We don't appreciate when foreign and globalist billionaires step into our community and try and fill it with degeneracy and immoral…</p>— Red Pill (@IWillRedPillYou) <a href="https://twitter.com/IWillRedPillYou/status/911389979678519296">September 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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After that quarter of a century of a multitude of lies and broken promises we stood by President Trump and especially <i>campaign Trump</i> when he spoke of draining the swamp, repealing and replacing Obamacare, keeping illegals the hell out of our country, and building the wall.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">…lifestyle choices. We accept everyone as long as they mind their business and keep their non-traditional values inside their homes…</p>— Red Pill (@IWillRedPillYou) <a href="https://twitter.com/IWillRedPillYou/status/911390164701851648">September 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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These must all be accomplished or have began to start in order for Alabama to re-elect President Trump in 2020, something the majority of Alabama would like to do.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">…we absolutely will not tolerate gay pride marches with dildos and BDSM in front of our children. Take that bullshit out of Alabama… <a href="https://t.co/h5N3lZbsrg">pic.twitter.com/h5N3lZbsrg</a></p>— Red Pill (@IWillRedPillYou) <a href="https://twitter.com/IWillRedPillYou/status/911390432617226245">September 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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However, we're also going to make it clear to not just President Trump but Mitch McConnell that we do not appreciate foreign and globalist financing coming into our state to interfere in our elections.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">…we do not tolerate violent savagery like Black Lives Matter burning down our cities. Try it here it gets shut down quickly in Alabama…</p>— Red Pill (@IWillRedPillYou) <a href="https://twitter.com/IWillRedPillYou/status/911390801069998081">September 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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There is zero doubt that Mitch McConnell's own personal PAC, contrary to claims made, had invested millions of dollars into the campaign for Luther Strange, a man who Alabama voters will never support.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">…in the south we love tradition and our culture white or black & we do not have the divide and Tensions you have in degenerate America… <a href="https://t.co/Irjlqybgw3">pic.twitter.com/Irjlqybgw3</a></p>— Red Pill (@IWillRedPillYou) <a href="https://twitter.com/IWillRedPillYou/status/911391353300488192">September 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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We love President Trump, but we do not and will not cuck on our values for a man who doesn't share them with us. We are not going to back down. Sir we love you but we're telling you when you're wrong.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">…we do things differently and we don't want your problems here. We enjoy our values & we enjoy our way of life. Our state is a success… <a href="https://t.co/psxUOipWNt">pic.twitter.com/psxUOipWNt</a></p>— Red Pill (@IWillRedPillYou) <a href="https://twitter.com/IWillRedPillYou/status/911391773448130560">September 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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We also love Alabama, and President Trump Luther Strange is not the man for Alabama. He just isn't, and his outside interests especially to the Never Trump crowd like McConnell do not share your campaign promises or values.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">…because we don't allow American vulgarities to sway us from our way of life. It's called Southern Hospitality for a reason & we only…</p>— Red Pill (@IWillRedPillYou) <a href="https://twitter.com/IWillRedPillYou/status/911392070358663168">September 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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So we will not stand by Luther Strange. In fact some of the most brilliant minds who supported you for President are now going against you in the support for Luther Strange and have endorsed Roy Moore.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">…supported President Trump because he Promised us a specific series of changes. I believe he can & will Make America Great Again ONLY… <a href="https://t.co/PJbugxXQ2j">pic.twitter.com/PJbugxXQ2j</a></p>— Red Pill (@IWillRedPillYou) <a href="https://twitter.com/IWillRedPillYou/status/911392290274529280">September 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Those people include Ann Coulter, who is hard on you because you need it Sir. Steve Bannon, who was the most brilliant piece of your administration. Sebastián Gorka, who also played a heavy role in your America First appeal. Sarah Palin, who love or hate her has stood by you. Even your own cabinet member in Ben Carson.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">…if he gets rid of the Communist & Globalist filth that surrounds him. Whoever is giving him advice is giving him the wrong advice for…</p>— Red Pill (@IWillRedPillYou) <a href="https://twitter.com/IWillRedPillYou/status/911392428464181248">September 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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All of these people have endorsed Roy Moore. Why is that President Trump? It's because whomever was in your ear sir, telling you Roy Moore is controversial is wrong. We don't care about offending people, especially not in Alabama; we care about our values and beliefs and Roy Moore is that man.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">…sure. We won't tolerate it here. Promises Made, Promises Kept or you will hear us roar & it's not just Alabama that's all of the South…</p>— Red Pill (@IWillRedPillYou) <a href="https://twitter.com/IWillRedPillYou/status/911392623885139968">September 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Sir you cannot drain the swamp by filling it with swamp creatures. That's something we know well here in the South. We won't be fooled by con artists like Luther Strange.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">…we expect the same from those who made promises to us. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LoveUs?src=hash">#LoveUs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FearUs?src=hash">#FearUs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YouWillHearUs?src=hash">#YouWillHearUs</a> no matter what. We're sending you a message… <a href="https://t.co/tC8IvnVuoS">pic.twitter.com/tC8IvnVuoS</a></p>— Red Pill (@IWillRedPillYou) <a href="https://twitter.com/IWillRedPillYou/status/911393120595644417">September 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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That's why both Steve Bannon, your former Chief Strategist will be here President Donald Trump; to travel to Alabama Monday along with another of your supporters in Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">…<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS">@POTUS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump">@realDonaldTrump</a>. It would do you well to listen. Luther Strange is the Swamp. We in Alabama will elect Roy Moore for Senate.</p>— Red Pill (@IWillRedPillYou) <a href="https://twitter.com/IWillRedPillYou/status/911393344940584960">September 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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They will be here to stump for the beloved former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore before Tuesday's Republican Senate Primary runoff against Senator Luther Strange, because it's crucial we have a man in the Senate from Alabama who will support you and not mislead you.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Judge Louie Gohmert Backing Judge Roy Moore In Alabama: ‘He Absolutely Cannot’ Be Bought, Sold Like Luther Strange <a href="https://t.co/zAT6BNyxHV">https://t.co/zAT6BNyxHV</a></p>— Thomas Paine (@Thomas1774Paine) <a href="https://twitter.com/Thomas1774Paine/status/911379682750341120">September 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The event with the two brilliant minds will take place from 7 PM until 9 PM on Monday at the Oak Hollow Farm in Fairhope. The event is free; <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/judge-roy-moore-rally-with-steve-bannon-phil-robertson-tickets-37707782994">click here to reserve a ticket.</a>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"If I was in Alabama, I'd be voting for you, sir… I want you to win this race."<br><br>Thanks <a href="https://twitter.com/seanhannity">@seanhannity</a> for the kind words of support! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ALSen?src=hash">#ALSen</a></p>— Judge Roy Moore (@MooreSenate) <a href="https://twitter.com/MooreSenate/status/908793912583708672">September 15, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Even Sean Hannity has said he supports Roy Moore. Roy Moore is a man of God and a man who knows the brutal strength of the corrupt establishment. You could say he's the <i>Punished Judge Roy Moore</i>, and he will fight for you Mr. President.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sebastián Gorka, Steve Bannon, Ann Coulter, Sarah Palin & GOD 4 <a href="https://twitter.com/MooreSenate">@MooreSenate</a><br>McConnell, Soros, Ryan 4 Puppet Luther<br>Easy decision<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VoteMoore?src=hash">#VoteMoore</a> <a href="https://t.co/PUcJyLWuaT">pic.twitter.com/PUcJyLWuaT</a></p>— Red Pill (@IWillRedPillYou) <a href="https://twitter.com/IWillRedPillYou/status/911358050983907330">September 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Roy Moore is going to win here in Alabama. When he does, I hope the President thinks twice again before listening to to whoever told him to support Luther Strange.
May God Bless the United States of America, may God Bless President Trump, May God Bless Roy Moore, and may God Bless the state of Alabama.
—<i>[email protected]</i>
<i>On Twitter:</i>
<a href="https://www.twitter.com/IWillRedPillYou">@IWillRedPillYou</a>
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Tribune parue dans Les Echos du 22 mai 2018
La démocratie aime les sondages. Aimez vous le ministre en place, la grève des trains en cours, votre patron, le montant de votre loyer, ou les voitures dans le centre ville ? Selon le résultat, le ministre restera ou pas, le gouvernement lâchera ou pas du lest, le patron d’entreprise publique restera ou pas, le propriétaire devra ou non plafonner ses revenus locatifs, et le maire interdira ou pas la circulation des engins à moteur.
Pourquoi ne pas faire pareil pour l’énergie ? Vous êtes tièdes sur le nucléaire, conclut le sondage ? On en fera de manière tiède, à 50%. Vous plébiscitez les renouvelables ? On financera largement éoliennes et panneaux solaires (121 milliards déjà engagés selon la Cour des comptes, pour aucun gain sur le CO2 soit dit en passant), et tout le monde aura à la bouche l’autonomie énergétique et un avenir 100% ENR.
C’est évident : chaque village ouvrira sa mine de charbon renouvelable et celle de fer renouvelable pour faire son acier renouvelable, son puits de pétrole renouvelable pour faire son plastique renouvelable, et sa mine de lithium renouvelable pour faire ses batteries renouvelables, et tout ca en préservant le pouvoir d’achat !
Vous ne demandez rien de particulier sur le pétrole (65% des émissions de CO2 françaises, 20 à 60 milliards d’importations par an selon le cours du baril) ou le gaz (25% de notre CO2, 10 à 15 milliards d’importations par an) ? On ne s’en occupera pas ou presque, sauf à l’occasion quand le prix du baril monte un peu trop, en se disant à ce moment – mais à ce moment seulement – qu’il aurait fallu faire quelque chose avant.
74% des français croient – à tort – que le nucléaire contribue significativement aux émissions de gaz à effet de serre, ou que Fukushima a fait 20.000 morts ? Il faut en faire le premier ennemi à abattre. Mes concitoyens oublient que le pétrole est la première énergie finale consommée en France ? Quel ministre – ou président – souhaite rappeler que c’est pourtant le cas ?
Le projet de programmation pluriannuelle de l’énergie actuellement en discussion est hélas le résultat logique de cette démagogie énergétique, et accumule en conséquence les angles morts et les incohérences. Comme l’énergie n’est pas un secteur ordinaire de l’économie, mais le sang « physique » de nos sociétés modernes, la désillusion sera cruelle.
Cadeau bonus 1 : quelques graphiques à l’appui de cet article
Vous trouverez ci-dessous quelques graphiques non publiés avec l’article, mais utiles pour comprendre certaines affirmations.
Emissions de CO2 en France par combustible utilisé. Le pétrole représente environ 2/3 du total. Bien évidemment le nucléaire n’y figure pas : casser un noyau d’uranium en deux ne crée aucune molécule de CO2 ! Données primaires BP Statistical Review, calcul de l’auteur.
Montant des importations de pétrole de la France en dollars constant, et de gaz et charbon en dollars courants.
Les importations de pétrole représentent de 20 à 70 milliards de dollars selon les années. Avec un prix en hausse modérée, cette facture augmenterait si on applique la programmation pluriannuelle de l’énergie actuellement en débat ! Données primaires BP Statistical Review, calcul de l’auteur.
Extrait d’une enquête d’opinion effectuée sur les causes perçues du changement climatique par les Français
75% de la population pense que le nucléaire contribue beaucoup (quasiment un français sur deux) ou un peu au changement climatique ! Quand l’expression populaire part d’une croyance aussi peu fondée que l’existence des martiens, que peut bien en faire un « décideur » public ? La seule conclusion évidente est qu’il faut consacrer quelques efforts à faire passer la bonne information, qui est que casser un noyau d’uranium en deux n’est pas équivalent à oxyder un atome de carbone ! Accessoirement (enfin si l’on veut), ce genre de sondage révèle avant tout la faillite de l’enseignement et des media… Source indiquée sur le graphique
Décomposition par énergie primaire (celle préservée dans la nature) de l’énergie finale consommée en France.
On voit sans difficulté que la première énergie finale utilisée en France provient du pétrole, le gaz arrivant en deuxième position, et le nucléaire en troisième seulement. Certes, si nous n’avions pas le nucléaire, il faudrait rajouter environ 800 TWh de gaz, ou 1000 de charbon, mais le fait d’avoir l’atome a résolu notre problème dans l’électricité, pas dans les autres usages de l’énergie ! Ces derniers devraient être prioritaires dans la PPE, au lieu de nous concentrer sur une promesse de campagne idiote (sur le nucléaire) d’un certain François Hollande qui avait « juste » besoin des voix des Verts… Analyse Carbone 4 sur base des données mentionnées sur le graphique
Cadeau bonus 2 : analyse des questions proposées à l’internaute sur le site du débat public concernant la programmation pluriannuelle de l’énergie
La France doit réviser en 2018 sa programmation pluriannuelle de l’énergie, un texte de cadrage des politiques énergétiques, qui a le statut de décret, et qui fait 598 pages dans sa version actuelle (il n’y a donc probablement pas plus de 50 personnes dans ce pays qui l’ont lu dans son intégralité). Il a été décidé par le gouvernement que le projet de nouveau texte ferait l’objet d’un débat public, placé sous l’égide d’une Commission Particulière du Débat Public.
Que peut-on faire quand on prétend « débattre avec le public » d’un texte technique, qui s’inscrit dans un corpus plus large totalisant quelques (dizaines de ?) milliers de pages, bourrées de chiffres, et que pour le coup pas un français ne connaît dans son intégralité ? Réponse : entre autres un pseudo sondage !
Le site du débat propose en effet un questionnaire, comportant 12 questions, qui doivent « [aider] la commission à établir une cartographie des avis et des arguments ». Ces questions sont toutes reprises – et commentés – ci-dessous, car elles illustrent à merveille cette « démagogie énergétique » évoquée plus haut.
Première question du questionnaire. Sachant que la loi de transition énergétique fait 215 articles sans compter les annexes, on se demande bien quel sens cela peut avoir de demander un avis global sur la mise en oeuvre de ce texte ! Si l’internaute pense que l’on est « en avance » sur l’objectif 1, « en retard » sur le 2, « en avance » sur le 3, etc, comment résumer ca en un oui/non ? Par ailleurs, que doit répondre l’internaute qui, comme moi, pense que certains objectifs de la loi de transition ne sont pas pertinents ? (à commencer par le 50% de nucléaire) Faut-il dire « en retard », en espérant que le dépouilleur du « sondage » comprendra de lui-même que c’est une bonne chose ? « sans opinion », en espérant aussi que l’auteur de la question comprendra que cela signifie « certains objectifs ne sont pas appropriés » ? Si au moins il y avait la possibilité d’un commentaire, il serait possible de donner ce point de vue, mais cela n’est pas possible. Du coup, qu’est-ce que l’administrateur du sondage peut bien retirer comme argumentaires pertinents de cette question ?
Deuxième question du questionnaire. Le commentaire est presque le même : la transition se décrivant en 215 articles de loi éponyme, 598 pages de PPE, sans oublier des milliers de pages de réglementations de toute nature concernant le bâtiment, les voitures, l’industrie, la fiscalité, etc, on se demande bien qui est à même d’avoir une opinion informée sur le côté juste ou injuste de l’affaire, avec à nouveau un avis global qui doit tout résumer ! (sans plus de possibilité de commentaire que précédemment) Et, pour ne rien arranger, admettons que 98% des « sondés » trouvent que les efforts sont injustement répartis, ce qui dans notre pays de gaulois ne m’étonnerait pas plus que cela. Ca ne dit rien sur là où le bas blesse exactement, ni quelle pertinence a l’argument que le « répondant » a en tête… et donc la portée pratique de la réponse est nulle.
Troisième question du questionnaire. Il est bien évident que chacun(e) est parfaitement au courant de ce que fait sa région en la matière, et de ce que font toutes les autres ! Et du reste pourquoi demander un jugement relatif (par rapport aux autres régions) et pas absolu ? (par rapport à ce qu’il faudrait faire de pertinent). On dirait un concours de beauté ! Ensuite, qui sait quelles sont les compétences exactes de la région, et donc les domaines où elle peut agir, et ceux où elle ne le peut pas ? Ensuite, comme il n’y a pas la possibilité de mettre un commentaire, que répondre quand on pense que sa région en fait plus que la voisine sur l’éolien mais que l’on pense que c’est l’inverse qu’il faudrait faire ? Pour les économies d’énergie, que répondre quand on souhaite bien noter sa région en matière d’aide à l’isolation des logements mais mal la noter parce qu’elle installe des grandes surfaces partout, pour pousser les résidents à la consommation ? (et donc à la consommation d’énergie, car il faut bien fabriquer et acheminer tous les produits !) Idem pour la mobilité, que répondre si elle fait mieux pour les pistes cyclables (qui en fait sont souvent de la voirie municipale), dans la moyenne pour les bus urbains (qui ne sont pas de sa compétence), mais moins bien pour le train ? (qui pour le coup est vraiment de sa compétence) ?
Quatrième question du questionnaire. Pour pouvoir répondre à cette question « en parfaite connaissance de cause », il faut avoir des connaissances approfondies en matière de ressources minières, de courbe de charge sur le réseau électrique, en économie, en capacités industrielles, sur les usages de la mobilité, en travaux publics, sans oublier la possibilité de tirer une « vue système » de tout cela. Cela doit concerner quelques dizaines de personnes dans notre pays tout au plus. Et on ne tire pas le même enseignement pratique de l’incrédulité (ou de l’adhésion) d’un expert encyclopédique du sujet et d’une personne qui passait au hasard dans la rue… Certes, il y a la possibilité de laisser un commentaire. Mais avec la petite case prévue pour cela, c’est plus 5 mots (voire une phrase) que 10 pages de notes techniques ! Et faute de savoir ce que sait (techniquement) la personne qui laisserait un commentaire, il est impossible de connaître la pertinence de sa réponse… Admettons que 60% des répondants pensent que c’est possible. Comment savoir si ils le pensent à condition que l’Etat paye une prime de 8000 euros par voiture électrique achetée, ou même si le consommateur doit payer sa voiture électrique 50% plus cher qu’une voiture à pétrole ? Bref encore une question sans aucun intérêt pour en tirer des enseignements utiles pour une décision publique responsable…
Cinquième question du questionnaire. Pourquoi proposer le chauffage au gaz (qui est une énergie fossile) et pas au fioul (qui est aussi une énergie fossile) ? Pourquoi ne pas proposer le solaire thermique ? Et pourquoi ne pas avoir mis une réponse « ca n’a pas d’importance si le bâtiment est très bien isolé » ? Et surtout, sachant qu’il n’y a aucune case de commentaires, il n’y a à nouveau rien d’intéressant à tirer des réponses pour éclairer utilement la décision publique, en contradiction flagrante avec l’affirmation d’entrée du questionnaire qui explique que c’est pour « [cartographier] des avis et des arguments » que cet exercice est effectué : que cartographier quand il n’y a aucune possibilité de laisser un argument ??
Sixième question du questionnaire. Sachant qu’il n’y a toujours pas la possibilité de laisser un commentaire, il est tout aussi illusoire de penser que l’on peut « cartographier les arguments » de manière utile ici. Ainsi, une personne qui indiquerait qu’il faut arrêter de faire des éoliennes ne peut pas préciser si c’est parce que c’est moche dans le paysage, parce que ça fait du mal aux chauve-souris (ce qui semble être le cas), parce que l’éolien contribue à remplacer un nucléaire qui va très bien merci, ce qui n’a que des inconvénients quand on regarde de près, parce que cela fait monter le prix de la facture, ou pour encore une autre raison. Par ailleurs, pour certaines ENR la question est trop globale pour que la réponse même ait un sens. Ainsi l’hydroélectricité désigne à la fois des grands barrages (type Grand Maison ou Serre Ponçon), qui sont des aménagements très lourds, qui aujourd’hui donneraient lieu à 20 ans de ZAD, et surtout où il n’y a quasiment plus de possibilité d’équipement, des barrages au fil de l’eau, et de la micro-hydraulique. Si l’on est contre les premiers, pour les seconds, et contre les troisièmes, que répond-on ? Pour le bois énergie, on peut avoir un avis différent selon que c’est pour le chauffage dans des poêles domestiques ou dans des réseaux de chaleur, et surtout selon que c’est pour en faire de la chaleur ou de l’électricité, puisque dans le premier cas il remplace des combustibles fossiles (donc du CO2 et des importations) et dans le second surtout du nucléaire (sans CO2 ni importations significatives). La même remarque s’applique au biogaz, qui peut servir à faire des carburants, être injecté dans le réseau pour remplacer du gaz fossile (dans ces deux cas il économise du CO2 et des importations), ou servir pour faire de la génération électrique directement à la ferme (auquel cas cela concurrence de l’électricité nucléaire). Pour la géothermie, la question ne précise pas si on vise les pompes à chaleur (qui concernent le chauffage) ou la production électrique. Et pour l’éolien et le photovoltaïque, il n’est pas fait de distinction entre métropole et outre-mer, alors qu’en métropole l’électricité est déjà décarbonée, mais pas vraiment outre-mer !
Septième question du questionnaire. Cette question, qui porte sur le sujet favori des débats en France, ne laisse le choix au « répondant » qu’entre être d’accord avec le pouvoir politique, ou être presque d’accord. Il n’est pas prévu que l’on puisse penser que l’objectif de 50% est stupide quelle que soit l’échéance ! On peut éventuellement l’indiquer dans la case « commentaire » (car là c’est possible), mais il faut par ailleurs répondre quand même… Dans le genre « la réponse est dans la question », celle-ci n’est pas mal !
Huitième question du questionnaire. La première question ne rappelle pas que la décision administrative d’une fermeture relève normalement de l’Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire, et que quand le pouvoir politique décide de le faire par dessus la tête de l’ASN c’est une forme d’imposture. Il est probable que de le dire changerait un peu la proportion de chaque réponse ! La deuxième confond « ouverture » et « mise en chantier », un petit détail… Et la troisième prend soin de préciser qu’il faudrait prolonger « de très nombreux réacteurs », pas « des réacteurs », on se demande bien pourquoi ! Et à nouveau, aucune possibilité de laisser un commentaire sur un sujet aussi complexe… et donc aucun argument à « cartographier ». De là à penser que le « sondeur » a juste posé la bonne question qui permet de conforter une décision qui n’a aucun fondement rationnel (fermer Fessenheim de manière anticipée et autoritaire), il n’y a pas loin…
Neuvième question du questionnaire. Nous avons ici une variante de la première question : passé un « non » évident (les politiques de l’état sont rarement compréhensibles pour le profane, et rarement cohérentes avec tout le reste de ce que fait l’état), quel intérêt de poser cette question, qui concerne à peu de choses près l’ensemble de ce que fait la puissance publique (une paille !) à apprécier par un simple oui/non, sans pouvoir laisser le moindre commentaire ?
Dixième question du questionnaire. La question comporte un commentaire (quand on passe la souris sur le terme « accélération de la concurrence ») : elle précise que la concurrence « permet au consommateur de choisir un fournisseur d’électricité parmi plusieurs acteurs ». Cette question confond donc, comme le premier journaliste venu, énergie et électricité. Et à nouveau, l’absence de commentaire rend la réponse brute sans aucun intérêt. J’aimerais bien savoir quel argumentaire a en tête la personne qui indique que la concurrence a un effet positif (ou négatif, c’est pareil) sur la transition énergétique ! Sur le niveau des prix, comme ces derniers ont augmenté sous l’effet du financement de l’éolien et du solaire via une taxe sur l’électricité en même temps que la concurrence prenait place, je serais curieux de savoir combien de répondants sont capables de faire la part des choses entre les deux… Et savoir si la concurrence a un effet positif sur l’égalité entre les consommateurs est une drôle de question : qu’est-ce que l’égalité entre consommateurs ?
Onzième question du questionnaire. A nouveau, il est impossible de laisser un commentaire à l’appui de la réponse à cette question, qui peut être comprise de plusieurs manières différentes. « Avoir un poids plus important », pour une collectivité locale, cela signifie quoi ? La possibilité de réglementer ce qui est actuellement d’une compétence nationale ou européenne ? Agir surtout sur la consommation par une fiscalité ou une réglementation locale ? Agir sur le mix (ce qui est en pratique souvent une vie de l’esprit, en particulier dans les villes) ? Autre ? Et surtout, comment savoir si la personne qui répond connaît très bien l’action (pertinente ou stupide, peu importe) des collectivités locales, et leurs compétences respectives, ou si elle n’y connaît rien du tout ? La réponse n’a pas la même valeur dans les deux cas ! | {
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A vandal in Vancouver decided to throw a sizable rock onto the windshield of a Tesla Model 3, and its cameras caught the whole thing via the Tesla in Canada website.
All Teslas built after August 2017 come equipped with a Sentry mode that uses the car's numerous cameras to monitor the car and its surroundings.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk famously tossed metal balls at the Cybertruck at its unveiling, causing similar-looking window damage, but this was clearly the work of a vandal.
We'll admit, although perhaps it's evidence of cultural stereotyping, that we're surprised to see the words "Canadian" and "vandal" in the same sentence, but as this video shows, a vandal in Vancouver, British Columbia, committed a crime by shattering the windshield of a Tesla Model 3. The EV's owner had activated Sentry mode, and the car's multiple cameras captured the incident. The owner then posted the footage on YouTube and the website Tesla in Canada in an effort to find the vandal and make sure he sees justice.
In the wee hours of February 23, a passerby on West Pender Street thought that it would be a great idea to smash the windshield of a blue Model 3 by picking up a big rock and throwing it on the EV’s windshield. The damage activated the Model 3’s Alarm state, which is standard procedure for when the car detects a break-in; Alarm turns on the center display to 100 percent brightness, and the Tesla begins playing music at full volume. The car then saves video from 10 minutes before the incident. Sentry mode's Alert state also activates if the car is bumped, and in that state, it starts recording video and displays a message on the center screen that it's recording video. This can be an issue of privacy for some, in the case that they inadvertently bump a Tesla while getting out their car.
Unfortunately, camera angles prevent a view of the perp's face, although he can be seen picking up a rock that’s conveniently placed next to the left of the car from the driver's-side camera, and we see the rock being thrown onto the windshield from the front-view camera. Immediately after the windshield is hit, the car’s lights go off, in line with the Alarm state's protocol. The vandal then makes his escape, filmed by the driver's-side camera.
This isn’t the first incident of vandals getting caught in the act by a Tesla's Sentry mode. Earlier this year, two hooligans in a Las Vegas parking garage were caught kicking a Model 3, and a woman in a parking garage in Australia was filmed keying the side of a Tesla. Another Australian incident, shown in the Twitter post above, involved a skateboard damaging the windshield of yet another Tesla EV.
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Lyle Denniston,Scotus Blog: "The Supreme Court on Monday morning put on hold a federal judge's decision striking down Utah's ban on same-sex marriage, thus stopping a wave of such marriages across the state. ... The ruling can be interpreted as an indication that the court wants to have further exploration in lower courts of the basic constitutional question of state power to limit marriage to a man and a woman. Had it refused the state's request for delay, that would have left at least the impression that the court was comfortable allowing same-sex marriages to go forward in the 33 states where they are still not permitted by state law. The order, however, cannot be interpreted as a dependable indication of how the court will rule on the issue when it finally decides to do so directly."
John Aravosis,America Blog: "Utah, which is in cahoots with the Mormons, claimed that they were looking out for the best interest of gay people who would suffer if they got married now only to have their marriages undone later. Of course, there's an easy way for the Mormons/GOP complex in Utah not to harm gay people by undoing their marriages — drop the appeal and stop asking the court to undo gay people's marriages. At this point, the damage is done. The marriages have already happened. So the Mormons, and the Republican Party, once again find themselves on the side of trying to un-marry gay couples."
Rick Hasen,Election Law Blog: "Recognizing a constitutional right to same-sex marriage is a big deal, which requires thought, consideration and preparation in the public if this is going to happen through the courts. In Utah, one of the most conservative states in the union, we went all of a sudden overnight from no gay marriage to gay marriage. ... Now there are reliance interests of those people who did get married, and the messy question of how to handle those marriages in the interim. But I think they are casualties (of) the Supreme Court, which wants to go slower than this abrupt change."
Ed Kilgore,Washington Monthly: "The (justices) were never likely to let an individual district court judge proclaim a federal constitutional right to same-sex marriage, striking down constitutional and statutory bans in 33 states. ... While predictable, The action is certainly bad and tragic news for the couples in Utah that took advantage of the lower court decision, and are now in a legal limbo."
Jacob Gershman,The Wall Street Journal: "What becomes of the licenses already granted? It's a question that very likely will have to be litigated. The marriages may be valid now but still face legal uncertainty. The confusion could be cleared up if higher courts uphold U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby's December ruling, or if courts — or the state itself — specify that the marriages that have already taken place are still legal."
Jon Terbush,The Week: "Last year, the Supreme Court issued two landmark rulings in favor of same-sex marriage, but sidestepped the larger question about whether bans on marriage equality were inherently unconstitutional. ... If lower courts offer conflicting or murky opinions on the matter, the Supreme Court will have an impetus to step in and clear things up a bit. The justices wouldn't necessarily have to take up such a case, but there are probably enough members of the court who would want to take a crack at the issue that it will indeed come up for further review." | {
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In the 1930s, with property tax revenues shrinking because of the Great Depression, states began taxing the sales of items. It was simple, and at the time, the tax matched an economy largely based on goods.
But as the nation’s economy shifted to one focused more on services, the tax system mostly did not budge. And so, in 2009, states raised $230 billion in sales taxes; had they taxed all services, too, according to Joseph Henchman of the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan research group, they might have raised twice that.
Advocates say taxing services is simply a matter of fairness and good sense, and of spreading out the tax burden as widely as imaginable. If you pay tax for a ring, why should you be exempt from paying it for a manicure? But even those who agree in principle wrestle with the details. Should a bakery be taxed for the accounting work or lawn care it gets, only to pass along that cost to its customers in the price of cookies? Some in the world of taxes would describe that as pyramiding. And what to do about all the industries that would, naturally, line up for exemptions?
“In truth, a lot of people like this concept of being taxed on what they use,” said Bill Farmer, a Republican state representative in Kentucky, who has suggested a tax on services if it was wed to the demise of the state’s income tax. “Then they say, ‘But please don’t tax me because I’m a lawyer.’ Or ‘But please don’t tax me because I’m a grass cutter, an accountant, anything.’ ” (Mr. Farmer, for the record, is a tax accountant.)
In years past, large plans to tax services have become law, only to face sudden, sometimes embarrassing repeals in places like Florida and Maryland. In Michigan, lawmakers agreed in 2007 to a tax on services (in an episode Mr. Fowler recalls as “a last minute, midnight deal”), only to repeal it amid widespread public opposition the very day it went into effect.
Supporters say the new plan in Michigan, put forth by Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm, a Democrat, would solve some of the earlier complaints. In addition to adding more than 100 types of services to the 26 the state already taxes, she says she wants to lower the sales tax rate to 5.5 percent from the current 6 percent, phase out a surcharge on a business tax and direct savings to education.
Ultimately, says Robert J. Kleine, the Michigan treasurer, the tax on services would mean $1.8 billion a year in new revenue. | {
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Firefox is not a slow browser. While your experience may differ, I think that Firefox is loading the majority of web pages and sites as fast as Google Chrome. At the very least, it is hard to tell a difference.
While you can speed up browsing in Google Chrome, the options that you have are fairly limited when compared to those of the Firefox web browser.
You can configure Firefox so that websites get loaded faster in the browser. I'm not talking about improvements that you only see listed in benchmarks, but real-world improvements that you notice when you load sites in the web browser.
There are however tweaks that have no effect, or even a negative effect on Firefox's page loading performance. This article is about those.
One of the main issues that you will notice when you search for ways to speed up Firefox on search engines such as Google, Bing or Startpage is that most guides are outdated.
How you know that? By noticing that they refer to preferences that are no longer used or use changed values.
network.http.pipelining
Many guides suggested to enable pipelining and related preferences. They may suggest to enable pipelining for normal and proxy connections, or increase the maximum number of requests from 4 to 8.
Research has shown that pipeling has no effect on the page loading time of the browser, at least not in its current form.
According to the researcher, the main reasons for this is that most websites load contents from different domains making pipeling less effective as it could be, and that bottlenecks on the page limit its effectiveness as well.
So, if you enable pipelining in Firefox in hope of seeing huge speed gains, you will be disappointed as there won't be any.
To make matters worse, the suggestion to modify the network.http.pipelining.maxrequests parameter to 8 won't do any good as well, as it is set to 32 in newer versions of Firefox.
Then there are sites that suggest to increase the value of the network.http.max-connections parameter to 64. While that may have worked years ago, it won't work anymore as the new default value of the parameter is 256.
Next we have network.http.max-connections-per-server which many guides mention. The preference has been removed from Firefox making network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-server the relevant preference in Firefox.
browser.cache.*
So, disabling the hard drive cache and moving the cache to memory should speed browsing up since memory is faster than disk, right?
Not necessarily. First of all, Firefox is already using both caches by default, which means that some cached items are already in memory so that they are loaded from there when needed.
Even if you disable the disk cache, it will be used. One plain and simple example of this is when Firefox's memory cache is full.
There are negatives to going memory cache only in Firefox. Since some items are not cached on disk, they are not persistent. This may increase the page loading time of websites in Firefox after restarts.
I'm not saying it does not speed up things in Firefox, but only if the parameters are right. If you visit a site several times in a single browsing session, you may notice a speed improvement doing so. More if the Firefox is stored on a slow disk, less to none if it is stored on a fast drive like a Solid State Drive for example.
config.trim_on_minimize
When you minimize Firefox, RAM is swapped out which means that it is reduced and available for other programs and processes on the system.
What is meant by that is that the data is saved to disk for the time being, which can result in a delay when Firefox is restored.
Mozilla discovered back in 2008 that the minimize - swap feature does not really do anything.
The main problem in Windows is that the Task Manager is lying in its interface, and that the minimize action in most applications has a visible effect. But it doesn't really do anything - it only says that the application is now a candidate for being swapped out (that was useful in the Windows 95 days). But when an application touches the memory again, then that part of memory will be marked as active again, and the memory usage seems to grow again (but that's an illusion). Applications that do a lot of stuff in the background will seem to jump right back again, but in reality nothing really changed (look at your hard disk light - it didn't even blink !).
Closing Words
The authors who wrote the guides back in 200x are not really to blame here, as things were different back then. The main issue here is that today's authors are picking up those guides again.
Search engines are partially to blame for that, as they keep old guides at the top of the search results even though that should not be the case, as they are of little use nowadays.
Today's authors who copy those preferences without doing research on the other hand are mostly to blame for that. It is easy enough to write an article about speeding up Firefox using those old guides and the suggestions that were posted in them.
Advertisement | {
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Sailors assigned to the guided-missile destroyer USS Bulkeley prepare to conduct a visit, board, search and seizure exercise in the Gulf of Oman. Bulkeley is deployed as part of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.
U.S. Navy officials are determined to fill 7,000 vacant billets at sea by giving detailers increased authority to alter transfer dates.
It’s the latest of several policy changes in recent years to push sailors to go haze gray and underway. Two years ago, the Navy had 15,000 gapped billets at sea, officials say.
The new policy, which was released on March 14, authorizes detailers to transfer enlisted sailors six months before their projected rotation date and as late as six months after their PRD.
There are two main reasons for the change: to give detailers the flexibility to curtail shore assignments in order to fill sea duty vacancies on time with qualified personnel, and to hold sailors at sea longer if a qualified replacement can’t be found for their billet.
“That’s where we need them the most, that’s where our Navy is going to be focused now and into the future,” said Lt. Cmdr. Chris Servello, a spokesman for the chief of naval personnel.
Servello stressed the importance of filling and preventing gaps from occurring in sea duty billets. He said he expects the change will affect about 2 percent of transferring sailors. “We don’t think we will have to do it very often, but if we need to, we need to make sure we have the authority to make that happen,” he said.
The added flexibility to fill billets at sea may have unintended consequences, such as increased uncertainly for sailors who may get short notice they are transferring early or staying at sea longer. “We absolutely are conscious of the stress this can cause sailors and families,” Servello said. He urged sailors to keep in close touch with their career counselors to mitigate that uncertainty.
Chief Petty Officer Mario Maytorena, the command career counselor at the Navy base in Bahrain, foresees concern by sailors about going to shore-duty assignments without knowing if they will complete a full tour. Maytorena describes various scenarios in which sailors on shore duty may or may not be affected, depending on a sailor’s tour length, location, rate and qualifications. ”What we are here to do is to provide the guidance for the sailors,” he said, adding that it’s a career counselors’ job to dissect and explain to sailors how this might affect them specifically.
In some cases, sailors may be informed 18 months into a 36-month shore assignment that they may be sent back to sea early.
“The detailers are going to look to give sailors a max heads up so that it isn’t a surprise,” Servello said. He acknowledged that sometimes that isn’t possible.
Detailers will seek out volunteers first, officials say. The change may also be an opportunity for sailors who feel stuck in their current shore assignments to opt for a more career-enhancing shipboard billet that may pay more because of the Navy’s sea-pay allowance.
But one consequence in yanking some sailors from shore duty early is that some shore-duty billets may be vacant for months. Navy officials say they recognize that there may be a short-term impact to shore-duty billets, but they are comfortable they can overcome it.
Maytorena said sailors and commands will still have a 30-day window to submit a rebuttal if a sailor’s early departure from a shore command results in undue impact to the mission or the sailor. But he cautions that manning the fleet will still be the likely priority. “Every Sailor is important to the command, but we just have to ensure what works best to support the fleet.”
For months the Navy has been focused on its “forward presence.” Earlier this month, the Navy announced its first increase in sea pay in more than decade — 25% for most sailors. In a worldwide all-hands call on March 5, the chief of Naval personnel, Vice Adm. Bill Moran, told sailors the Navy would be asked to do more forward, informing sailors of potentially longer deployments as the war in Afghanistan wound down. “As those folks pull back you’ve got to have a defensive back out there somewhere to makes sure no one gets into mischief,” he said.
[email protected]
Twitter: @hendricksimoes
| {
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Wow, I was the person who originally introduced the idea to Jean (the co-founder) after a small discussion about doing some testing for their alpha product down here in NZ. Very happy that he gave it enough of a look to realise that it was a great move both for his business and the crypto community as a whole.Welcome to the future of finance and an intrest bearing crypto debit card!Thanks Jean, cannot wait to try your product down here in New Zealand! | {
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We are glad to have caught your attention. Let’s dive right in. We are a team of creative digital marketing experts that focuses on providing result-oriented digital marketing strategies. Our services cater to corporate as well as commercial brands that intend on quantifying their results better.
Having started from the scratch, we are now one of the best digital marketing companies based out of Bangalore. How have we achieved this? With a team of passionate and driven players who settle for nothing but the best and consider every client’s success as our own. | {
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With Alex yet to return from a knee injury, and with continued concern over John Terry’s back and leg problems, Luiz is likely to go straight into the Chelsea side for the remainder of the season. Once Luiz, who said his farewells to his team-mates before last weekend’s game against Nacional, has signed, Chelsea will allow Bruma to go out on loan. | {
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Meet the hero carrier pigeon that saved US troops during a WWI battle 100 years ago A carrier pigeon that saved soldiers in WWI can now be found at the Pentagon.
In the third floor hallway of the Pentagon, just outside the Army Chief of Staff's office, there is a pigeon.
Walking the corridors, the lifelike pigeon stands out among the cases of military history that display Revolutionary-era bayonets, Civil War uniforms and replicas of helicopters used in Vietnam. Upon closer inspection, one might notice the pigeon is so life-like because it has been taxidermied. It's also missing one leg.
That pigeon's name is "President Wilson" -- an unsung hero of World War I that made a daring flight to save U.S. troops exactly 100 years ago on Friday.
President Wilson was a military carrier pigeon, one of many in the U.S. Army Signal Corps that delivered messages between commanders and troops on the front lines. The pigeons were especially useful tools of communication during World War I when the telephone and telegraph were still unreliable new technologies.
According to U.S. military accounts recorded in the U.S. Army Center of Military History and the National Archives, Wilson was born in France and first assigned to the U.S. Army's newly formed Tank Corps, delivering messages to Tank Battalions commanded by Col. George S. Patton in the Battle of Saint-Mihiel.
But soon afterward, Wilson was assigned to an infantry unit conducting operations near Grandpré during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.
On the morning of Oct. 5, 1918, his unit came under attack, and Wilson was dispatched to send a message that the unit needed artillery support. During the 25-mile journey, German soldiers spotted him and began firing into his flight path. (It should be noted that some accounts of Wilson's heroics place the event as occurring on Nov. 5, but multiple historians reached by ABC corroborated the Oct. 5 date.)
Wilson was hit several times, losing a leg and suffering a wound to his chest, but he managed to deliver the message in a record 25 minutes.
Surviving his wounds, Wilson was retired and sent to the U.S. Army Signal Corps Breeding and Training Center at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, where he would live another eleven years.
After his death, Wilson was taxidermied and presented to the Smithsonian Institution before being transferred to the custody of the U.S. Army in 2008. Now, located in the prestigious halls of the U.S. military's headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, Wilson serves as a reminder that these simple birds — often considered a nuisance by the general public -- were once war heroes.
Carrier pigeons were used by both the Allied and Central Powers during World War I and could even provide updates to military commanders when launched in midair from planes.
"Launched mid-mission, the birds would fly back to their coops and update ground commanders on what the pilots had observed," the National Archives wrote in a blog post in January. "Quick updates like this were essential for leaders to know what the battlefield looked like and what the enemy was doing in its own trenches."
"Tanks carried the birds in order to relay the advance of individual units. Even after the introduction of the radio, pigeons were often the easiest way to help coordinate tank units without exposing the men to dangerous fire. Without a radio set, the soldiers would have had to leave the relative safety of their tanks to relay or receive orders," the Archives said.
When the pigeons weren't in use, they were stored in mobile units, often converted horse carriages or even double-decker buses.
The birds are thought to use low-frequency sound waves to map their environments and find their way from location to location.
Another famous World War I pigeon was known as Cher Ami -- his moment of heroism came during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in the fall of 1918.
The German Army surrounded elements of the 77th Division for five days, at one moment confusing the Americans as they accidentally shelled their own men in an attempt to fire at the enemy.
Messages were unable to get to U.S. commanders, so Cher Ami was released as the division's last hope. Like Wilson, Cher Ami flew through a barrage of gunfire, also sustaining injuries to his leg and chest. But he successfully delivered the message, ending the friendly fire.
The French even awarded Cher Ami the Croix de Guerre with Palm, a military decoration, for his service.
Military carrier pigeons were again used in World War II. In that war, 32 pigeons were awarded the United Kingdom's Dickin Medal for their heroic actions. | {
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Meet Our Team
Every member of our legal team is committed to providing you with the highest level of integrity and personal attention. Our team consists of exceptional individuals who are able to cover a vast range of legal issues. At Stone, Wiley & Linsenbach, we are the key to handling your legal matters, personal or business related. | {
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Die Ausbeutung von unbegleiteten Kindern und Jugendlichen auf der Flucht hat erschreckende Ausmaße erreicht.
Ein Bericht, den das UN-Kinderhilfswerk (Unicef) vorstellte, zeigt, dass 92 Prozent aller Kinder und Jugendlichen, die Italien zwischen Anfang 2016 und Ende Februar 2017 auf dem Seeweg erreichten, ohne ihre Familien unterwegs waren.
Zum Vergleich: 2015 waren 75 Prozent der Minderjährigen alleine nach Europa gekommen.
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Im vergangenen Jahr hatten bei einer Umfrage der Internationalen Organisation für Migration (IOM) drei Viertel aller Flüchtlingskinder, die von Afrika aus auf dem Seeweg nach Italien gekommen waren, von Fluchterlebnissen berichtet, die nahelegen, dass sie Opfer von Menschenhandel und Ausbeutung wurden. Bei Befragungen in diesem Jahr stieg der Anteil sogar auf 91 Prozent.
Schlepper nutzen Verletzlichkeit skrupellos aus
Viele der alleine reisenden Kinder und Jugendlichen kommen derzeit aus Eritrea, Gambia, Nigeria, Ägypten und Guinea. „Skrupellose Schleuser und Menschenhändler nutzen die Verletzlichkeit der Mädchen und Jungen aus.
Lesen Sie auch Flüchtlinge Dieser Vergleich zeigt die Dimension der Asylzuwanderung
Sie helfen ihnen über die Grenzen, nur um sie wie Sklaven zu verkaufen oder zur Prostitution zu zwingen“, erklärte der stellvertretende Unicef-Exekutivdirektor Justin Forsyth. „Es ist unfassbar, dass wir Kinder und Jugendliche nicht besser vor diesen Verbrechern schützen können“, fügte er hinzu.
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Laut Unicef hat sich die Zahl der unbegleiteten minderjährigen Flüchtling und Migranten weltweit seit 2010 verfünffacht.
In den vergangenen beiden Jahren wurden laut Unicef in 80 Ländern etwa 300.000 Kinder und Jugendliche registriert, die ohne ihre Eltern unterwegs waren. Zum Vergleich: In den Jahren 2010 und 2011 waren es 66.000 Kinder gewesen. Alleine in Europa stellten in den Jahren 2015 und 2016 rund 170.000 unbegleitete Minderjährige einen Asylantrag.
Unicef will, „dass die sicheren und legalen Wege der Migration und der Flucht für Kinder“ erweitert werden.
Außerdem müsse die Inhaftierung geflüchteter Kinder aufhören, forderte das Kinderhilfswerk. Kinder dürften nicht in Einrichtung für Erwachsene festgehalten werden. Alle minderjährigen Flüchtlinge und Migranten müssten Zugang zu Bildung und Gesundheitsversorgung erhalten. | {
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Supreme Court temporarily keeps Trump financial records private
Greg Stohr | Bloomberg
A U.S. Supreme Court justice temporarily blocked subpoenas that would force Deutsche Bank AG and Capital One Financial Corp. to turn over years of President Donald Trump’s financial documents to two House committees.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg put the subpoenas on hold until Dec. 13. The justices are already scheduled to discuss at a private conference that day whether to take up a separate challenge by Trump to a subpoena by a New York prosecutor for his tax returns.
The request Ginsburg acted on Friday stems from a Dec. 3 federal appeals court decision that largely rejected Trump’s contentions that lawmakers were exceeding their authority and intruding on his privacy by sending subpoenas to the banks.
The case is Trump v. Deutsche Bank, 19A640. | {
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(NaturalNews) Don't look now, but some of the world's smartest people are even predicting the end of the global economic order as we know it, and they're saying it'll happen within the next two decades.According to a group of researchers from the Jay W. Forrester's institute at the(MIT), a computer simulation concluded that the world could suffer a "global economic collapse" coupled by a "precipitous population decline" at current rates of resource consumption.The research was conducted on behalf of a group known as the The Club of Rome , which bills itself "as an informal association of independent leading personalities from politics, business and science, men and women who are long-term thinkers interested in contributing in a systemic interdisciplinary and holistic manner to a better world." Founded in 1968,aims "to identify the most crucial problems which will determine the future of humanity through integrated and forward-looking analysis; to evaluate alternative scenarios for the future and to assess risks, choices and opportunities," and to help find solutions to "challenges."According to the group's web site, the research project "took into account the relations between various global developments and produced computer simulations for alternative scenarios.""Part of the modeling were different amounts of possibly available resources, different levels of agricultural productivity, birth control or environmental protection," it said.The recent MIT research builds upon an earlier body of work from the same esteemed institution, dated 1972, that some in the scientific community regard. According to a report in the, a team led by researcher Dennis Meadows used computer modeling for the first time in an attempt to answer "a centuries-old question: When will the population outgrow the planet and the natural resources it has to offer?"That work was later made into a book titledand has since sold over 10 million copies in 37 languages. Essentially it "warned that if current trends in population, industrialization, pollution, food production and resource depletion continued, that dark time -- marked by a plummeting population, a contracting economy and environmental collapse -- would come within 100 years," thereported.That work was later supported by data presented in the form of a graph designed by Australian physicist Graham Turner, which purports to show how actual data from the 30-year period between 1970 and 2000 matches almost exactly predictions set forth in Meadows' work.Meadows, who retired in 2004 after 35 years as a professor at MIT,and the, discussed his original research with the Smithsonian on the 40th anniversary of the publishing of. He said his team's "goal was to gather empirical data to test" a theoretical situation showing "the interrelationship of some key global growth factors: population, resources, persistent pollution, food production and industrial activity."In describing what he meant by a "collapse," Meadows said the model assumed a "business-as-usual" approach to pressing issues of overuse and over-consumption."In the world model, if you don't make big changes soon -- back in the '70s or '80s -- then in the period from 2020 to 2050, population, industry, food and the other variables reach their peaks and then start to fall," he said. "That's what we call collapse."Most of the computer models found steady population and economic growth rates until about 2030. Then, the researchers found, conditions begin to decline, and without "drastic measures for environmental protection," scenarios began predicting higher likelihoods of population and economic crashes.Despite the dire predictions, the research team said not all hope is lost.The study said "unlimited economic growth" was still very possible, providing governments develop and enact policies and invest in clean- or green-energy technologies that limit the widening of the human ecological footprint.Others say the situation is not nearly as ominous as the MIT report makes it sound. For instance, the lateeconomist Henry Wallich, who served a dozen years as a governor of the Federal Research Board, for a time as its chief international economics expert, said once that any attempts to regulate global growth would be akin to "consigning billions to permanent poverty."Still, other experts believe the matching trends of the earlier 1972 study and the most recently completed body of work are telling, in that they show a similar trajectory of demise."The issue of global carrying capacity is one that is fraught with all sorts of technical, scientific and philosophical problems," admits Meadows. But he believes now, as he did four decades ago, that sustainable development is not possible."When I use the term sustainable development -- which I consider to be an oxymoron actually -- I am trying to capture the meaning that most people seem to have," he said. "Either way you use the term, it is just a fantasy. [...] We're at 150 percent of the global carrying capacity." | {
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Emmanuel Macron, newly elected President of France, has promised to ease regulations about hiring and firing workers in France, as part of his bid to make France more competitive and business-friendly. He would, among other proposals, weaken protections that have long been in place and push France towards “at will” employment, meaning that an employer could dismiss an employee at any time, without cause.
French unions have mobilized to resist the reforms, but the reforms are largely cheered by the leading European economists who were polled by Chicago Booth’s Initiative on Global Markets.
IGM posed two questions to its European Experts panel. First, it asked whether reducing labor protections, allowing companies to negotiate labor terms with specific unions rather than by industry, and making training programs more effective would increase economic productivity. It also asked whether reducing unemployment protections would reduce France’s equilibrium unemployment rate.
In both cases, a majority of the experts polled concluded that the reforms would likely increase productivity and decrease unemployment over the long run, though many acknowledged that French workers could face short-term difficulties. Weighted by conviction, the panelists were strongly inclined to support Macron's reforms.
“This is a very odd question, given that French labor productivity is so high,” observes Kevin O'Rourke of Oxford. Far more productive than their reputation may suggest, French workers are the second most productive in the G7, just after workers in the United States and ahead of those in Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
However, unemployment in France has been persistently high since the 2013 eurozone crisis, even though the rate recently fell from 10 percent to 9.6 percent and is now at its lowest point in four years.
Chicago Booth’s Lubos Pastor says that reforms that increase employment could actually decrease productivity. “If such reforms create jobs mostly for people with below-average productivity, aggregate productivity will go down.”
Franklin Allen, Imperial College London
“Giving flexibility should improve things in the long run. The short-run effects may be more problematic if there is a lot of dissent."
Response: Agree
Jan Pieter Krahnen, Goethe University Frankfurt
“The second policy option (decentralized labor negotiations) may backfire, boosting strike incentives and lowering productivity."
Response: Uncertain
Peter Neary, Oxford
“‘All else equal’ agreed. But it risks triggering further disillusionment with globalization. Accompanying macro stimulus would ease the pain.”
Response: Agree
Helene Rey, London Business School
“Flex-security (Scandinavian model) would raise productivity. Certainly not the same thing as decreasing unemployment protection.”
Response: Agree
Olivier Blanchard, Peterson Institute
“Such a reform changes the nature of unemployment (shorter duration, higher flows) for the better. Net effect on the rate is ambiguous.”
Response: Uncertain
Per Krusell, Stockholm University
“It may not do so immediately. One can do a reform with grandfathering though, leaving currently employed workers with protection."
Response: Agree | {
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And here you thought Microsoft bringing Windows 8 to ARM was big news. Turns out, a member of the xda-developers forum has managed to make an APK that puts a variety of Redmond's x86 operating systems on the HTC EVO 3D and its 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon silicon -- Windows 95, 98, XP and even your favorite flavor of Linux are all available for the three dee-equipped handset. All you need to do is install the Bochs Pentium emulator APK and the OS disk image of your choice, modify a couple files, and you'll be doing yesteryear's desktop computing on a handheld in no time. Feeling nostalgic? Detailed instructions how to do it yourself and the necessary files can be found at the source link below, but all we want to know is: does it do the blue screen of death or the force close dance when things go awry? | {
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I’m getting increasingly annoyed by all the anti-religious propaganda that litters my Facebook newsfeed. Look, as a fellow humanist and atheist, I get it. Organized religion is a problem on so many levels that I don’t even know where to begin. I’d be the first person to say that something needs to be done about it and I’m delighted to see atheism become normalized in our society and culture. But seriously, folks, what are you hoping to achieve by posting such facile and inflammatory material?
Who are you speaking to? Are you doing it to make yourself feel better? Or do you really feel that through this kind of mindless slacktivism that you’re making a difference and actually impacting on real lives?
It’s time to put these toys away and consider the bigger picture. Humanists need to start helping people make the transition away from religion, while at the same time working to create a relevant and vital humanist movement for the 21st century.
The intellectual battle against religion has already been won — and a strong case can be made that the victory came at the time of the Enlightenment. The struggle now is to find out why religion continues to persist in our society and what we can do about it. I have a strong suspicion that posting pictures of silly church signs isn’t helping.
For those of you who have been part of organized religion, you know how hard it is to break free. I’m one of them. Compounding the inner turmoil and cognitive dissonance is the problem of breaking free from the in-group. It is not easy for people to just pack up and leave their communities, nor is it easy for them to face the inevitable backlash from their families. The thought of leaving religion can be completely debilitating on so many levels. Posting a rabid comment or image on your Facebook wall isn’t going to help anyone get through this. In fact, all you’re doing is re-enforcing a tribalistic urge and alienating those most in need of help. These actions can only serve to stratify and polarize the lines even further.
Instead, what I’d rather see are more focused efforts on understanding how and why religion continues to spread, and what kinds of interventions and approaches are most effective at helping individuals move past it. There’s been amazing work done in this area by such thinkers as Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett, both of whom subscribe to the meme theory of religious propagation. I myself have argued that religious fundamentalism is a kind of disease and that religion works best by dictating the reproductive processes of its hosts. I’d like to see more work done in this area as we work to improve our cultural health.
In addition, we need to figure out the best way to pull religious people out of their situation. This is probably the most difficult challenge, and there are no easy answers. I’m a staunch believer in education and the idea that we need to equip children at a young age with the powers of free thought, critical thinking, and skepticism. We can’t make decisions for others, but we can give them the tools to help them make the right decisions for themselves. More radically, for those deeply entrenched in fundamentalist religions and cults, there’s always the possibility of deprogramming. The trick is to start the intervention.
Lastly, I’m hoping to see atheists move past the religion bashing and start thinking about more substantive issues. This is what I mean when I say post-atheism. It’s time to set aside the angst and work more productively to help those who need it, while working to develop a world view and set of guidelines for living without God. It’s unfortunate and tragic that so many humanists have equated the movement with atheism, while completely forgetting their progressive roots.
Humanism is about the betterment of all humanity and the contemplation of what it is we wish to become. It’s about taking control of our own lives in the absence of divine intervention. And it’s about taking responsibility for ourselves and doing the right thing.
This is where our energies and attention needs to be focused. Not in ridiculous Facebook timeline posts that serve no one. | {
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The Matrix is one of the greatest metaphors ever. Machines invented to make human life easier end up enslaving humanity - this is the most c... | {
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Husqvarna Chainsaw 435 vs 440 – Comparison of Both
Husqvarna is a well-known name in the chainsaw market as the company has been serving the customers for a number of years now. The latest products from the company have sparked a debate among the users that which one of the above-mentioned products is better than the other?
Husqvarna 435 vs 440 – Step by Step
So we’ve decided to provide a complete Husqvarna 435 vs 440 comparison to give clarity of thought to the users. You would get to know everything about both of these top-notch products from their engine power to bar length and from chain tensioner to pros. and cons. which would help you to decide which one of these is suitable for your needs.
Engine Power and Bar Length
Husqvarna 435 and Husqvarna 440 have a 2-stroke gas-powered engine having the capability to run at a maximum speed of 9000 RPM. The engine displacement of both the chainsaws is equal along with the oil capacity. The fuel tank of both of these products is also similar to each other. The engine power gives a slight edge to the 440 over 435 models because the former has a higher engine power. Here are the details of engine power and a bar length of both these models:
Husqvarna 435 ChainSaw
Power Output = 1.6kW
Weight = 4.2 kg
Bar Length = 16 inches
Husqvarna 440 Chainsaw
Power Output = 1.8kW
Weight = 4.5 kg
Bar Length = 18 inches
The difference in Chain Tensioner
There is a clear difference between both the models if you look at the chain tensioner. Husqvarna 440 gives the users a tool-less tensioning and you don’t require an external tool in order to adjust the chain tension. On the other hand, Husqvarna 435 needs an external tool to adjust chain tension and a side-mounted chain tensioner is provided.
Pros. and Cons. of Husqvarna 435 vs 440
There is a list of pros. and cons. of Husqvarna 435 as well as Husqvarna 440 which have made both these products popular among the users from all around the globe. We would like to cover each one of these pros. and cons. to help you out in making a selection:
Pros. of Husqvarna 435
An anti-vibration feature along with asymmetrical handles. The model is eco-friendly with the help of an x-torque feature. It has less weight as compared to Husqvarna 440. Durable and reliable.
Cons. of Husqvarna 435
Less engine power as compared to 440. External tools required to handle the chain tension. Smart Start feature isn’t available.
Pros. of Husqvarna 440
No external tool required for adjusting chain tension. Smart start feature available for the ease of users. X-torque feature is available making it eco-friendly and saving energy. Reliable and durable. Anti-vibration feature is available with the help of asymmetrical handles.
Cons. of Husqvarna 440
Heavier to carry as compared to Husqvarna 430.
Conclusion
Although both the models have their own pros. and cons. explained above but it should be noted that the company has tried to cover the weaknesses in the previous model with the latest 440. The smart start feature is one of the biggest examples and these changes have definitely made an impact when it comes to Husqvarna 435 vs 440. The decision is yours to make and you should dig into more details in order to make a choice that is suitable according to your needs.
Related Posts | {
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The other weekend, I found myself at a beach on the outskirts of New York City during sunset. The sky was spectacular, filled with the neon pinks, oranges, and purples that come after a day of rain. As if on cue, the two friends I was with fished their smartphones from their pockets and snapped a photo. My phone was already out. All around us, people were holding their screens up to the sky to document the moment, as if capturing it on camera would somehow make the colors more vivid.
As the sun went down, I felt a familiar pang of guilt. It was the same sense of uneasiness I feel after falling down an Instagram rabbit hole or scrolling through Twitter when I first wake up in the morning—the feeling that maybe I just spent my time unwisely. I could have been down on the sand with my feet in the surf or drinking a beer with my friends or doing any number of cliched things a person does during a sunset on the beach, but I was up on the boardwalk looking through my viewfinder.
Maybe it’s because cameras are with us all the time now, or maybe it’s because social media ruins everything, but somewhere along the way we’ve been conditioned to believe that taking photos is the opposite of living in the moment. That snapping a pic is like pulling blinders over your eyes and opting out of the experience. Despite my momentary anxiety, I don’t actually believe that’s true. And neither does science. Taking pictures, it turns out, can have all sorts of benefits, so long as you’re taking them for the right reasons.
In the last few years, psychologists have started looking into how our ever-present smartphone cameras impact the way we recall experiences. The general assumption is that smartphones—and by proxy their cameras— are bad for our memory and our happiness. But that isn’t always the case. “People feel very strongly that when they take photos it’s taking them out of the moment,” says Alixandra Barasch, a researcher at NYU who studies the effects of taking photos. “Yet after years of running studies, we kept on finding over and over again that there were all of these positive aspects of photo-taking, as well.”
Snapping photos, Barasch and her colleagues explain in a series of recent papers, can both enhance enjoyment and improve memory of certain experiences (it can also reduce auditory recall). The simplest explanation is that when people take photos of things they’re interested in, they tend to focus on those things more intently. This kind of directed attention can lead people to deeper engagement with their surrounding and ultimately create more sustaining memories. “When you’re searching the visual field and trying to decide what to photograph, that volitional process of trying to capture a moment actually draws you into experiences,” Barasch says.
Volitional is the key word here. A few years back, another researcher, Linda Henkel, came to the opposite conclusion. The psychologist at Fairfield University found that taking photos was like exporting your memory to an external hard drive. “As soon as you click on the camera, it’s as if you outsource your memory and said to you brain you don't have to process any more information,” she said to NPR at the time. Though Henkel and Barasch’s experiments seem to contradict each other, they’re actually looking at completely different aspects of photography. While Henkel told her subjects what to photograph, Barasch and her colleagues let people decide what to document. That voluntary decision-making process what accounts for the major difference in findings. “It doesn’t surprise me when people take picture of things they want to take pictures of, it might have a different effect,” Henkel says. | {
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$8 Billion Expansion of Atlanta Transit Clears First Hurdle
Atlanta’s regional transit network, MARTA, isn’t known as a dynamic, growing system. While cities as varied as D.C., Minneapolis, and Houston have rolled out new high-capacity transit routes, MARTA has stagnated.
But has MARTA’s moment finally come? The prospects of major transit improvements for the region are looking more hopeful today than they have for a generation.
Last week a Georgia Senate committee passed a bill that would allow Fulton, Dekalb, and Clayton counties to levy a half-cent sales tax for transit over the next 40 years. The measure, if approved by voters, would generate $8 billion in capital funding to expand MARTA.
The above map from Curbed Atlanta shows what might be on the table in an $8 billion MARTA expansion. All of the specifics still need to be negotiated.
It could include extending the Red Line with commuter rail up Georgia 400 to Alpharetta, or extending light rail to the northeast side of the city, serving Emory University and the CDC. The measure could also fund a rail line along the city’s circular Beltline, Curbed reports, or extend rail or bus rapid transit eastward, as far as Conyers.
Meanwhile, a series of public opinion polls shows that Atlanta area voters, even suburban ones, are coming around to idea of expanding MARTA. In fact, many polls show they strongly favor it.
“We’re seeing a really interesting demographic shift in popularity around transit,” Candler Vinson of CNU’s Atlanta chapter told Streetsblog.
Vinson says one caveat is that suburban voters do not favor the proposal if it doesn’t include commuter rail.
Before it can be put to voters, the sales tax measure has to make it through both houses of the state legislature in Georgia’s “Gold Dome,” which has been notoriously hostile to transit. There is currently no bill in the Georgia House.
The measure has the backing of the Metro Atlanta Chamber. And a new advocacy group Advance Atlanta has been leading efforts to promote its passage in the statehouse.
One encouraging sign, says Vinson, is that Senate bill sponsor Brandon Beach is a Republican from suburban Alpharetta. Vinson said he expects a vote on the issue from the full Senate in the next week or two.
Copy corrected February 25 at 9:20 a.m. Originally referred to Beltline as Beltway “Gold Dome” as “Golden Dome.” | {
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University students will pay an average of $50,000 for a three-year degree by the middle of the next decade should the federal government succeed in deregulating fees, analysis by the independent Parliamentary Budget Office shows.
The fee estimate is included in a PBO report revealing a huge blowout in the cost of the government's Higher Education Loan Program (previously known as HECS).
In the 2014 budget, the Coalition announced that it would cut funding to university courses by 20 per cent but allow tertiary institutions to set their own course fees.
The changes were torpedoed in the Senate and last October the newly appointed Education Minister, Simon Birmingham, delayed university reforms until 2017. | {
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Photo: Eileen Fisher product photography by The Line Studios
It all began when you started packing your lunch in a (very cute) reusable bento box. Then, you were overtaken with the need to overhaul all of your plastic leftovers containers with glass. Next thing you know, you’re throwing out your former-favorite lipstick for a “natural” upgrade. Because consuming more consciously is a common obsession these days, we asked three stylish, in-the-know women about the things that help them get through the day, while also giving them peace of mind about their impact on the world around them. Read on for their picks, including fall pieces from Eileen Fisher — whose pioneering practices are both environmentally and socially sustainable.
Sydney Oh
Fashion PR director and ceramic artist behind Milk and Clay
1. J.Hannah [one of Oh’s PR clients] nail polishes are seven-free, and I keep my favorite colors at my desk. 2. Dressing with ease is super important to me, but I also have to keep in mind staying polished for meetings. This navy button-down is classic and easy to dress up or down. 3. Office temperatures are never quite right, so a cozy cardigan is key, and this one is made from organic cotton. 4. I can’t go a day without wearing jewelry and J.Hannah has the best assortment. Made per order in downtown L.A., all stones are ethically sourced and conflict-free. 5. In addition to using ceramics for lunch, this biodegradable tableware is a chic alternative to single-use plastic dishes. They’re design-forward, tree-free, and compostable — perfect for our frequent office celebrations.
Jennifer Barthole
Fashion editor and stylist
1. I sip from this BPA-free, stainless steel insulated water bottle to avoid the plastic cups at my office. 2. Bright sweaters make my jeans feel more “dressed up,” and the vivid color puts me in a good mood. This one’s made of seasonless fine merino, so I’ll get tons of wear out of it. 3. Pants with volume balance out my petite frame. These washable wide-leg pants make the simplest T-shirt and loafers feel sophisticated, minus the dry cleaning. 4. I was gifted a delicious candle made by a woman living in a refugee shelter, who is supporting her family through the profits. Proceeds from this new candle are being donated to meet the needs of families separated at the border. 5. I own these pointed flats — constructed with low-waste, low-impact materials—in three colors and keep them at my desk or in my tote.
Jinnie Lee
Freelance writer and co-founder of STET
1. I use all three sizes of these reusable ripstop nylon bags everyday. I carry one baby and one standard on me at all times so I never have to use a plastic bag. 2. The shape of this dress reminds me of a stylish school uniform — there’s a no-brainer quality to layering it over a T-shirt or a button-up, allowing me to do more with less. 3. Velvet generally feels decadent, but when the silhouette is this easy-going, it becomes a casual piece that can also be dressed up. And it’s dyed without harmful chemicals. 4. This brand carefully considers how all parts of their headphones are manufactured — responsibly! And the natural wood design is slick and classy. 5. I stan so hard for these clogs! They’re the ultimate ugly-chic shoes, and the brand was founded by a husband-and-wife team and is 100-percent employee-owned. | {
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As the world warms, more rain may mean less useable water. Image by Ryoji Iwata on Unsplash
The global water supply is dwindling, even though rainfall is heavier. Once again, climate change is to blame.
LONDON, 20 December, 2018 – Even in a world with more intense rain, communities could begin to run short of water. New research has confirmed that, in a warming world, extremes of drought have begun to diminish the world’s groundwater – and ever more intense rainstorms will do little to make up the loss in the global water supply.
And a second, separate study delivers support for this seeming paradox: worldwide, there is evidence that rainfall patterns are, increasingly, being disturbed. The number of record-dry months has increased overall. And so has the number of record-breaking rainy months.
Both studies match predictions in a world of climate change driven by ever-higher ratios of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, from ever-increasing combustion of fossil fuels. But, unlike many climate studies, neither of these is based on computer simulation of predicted change.
Each is instead based on the meticulous analysis of huge quantities of on-the-ground data. Together they provide substance to a 40-year-old prediction of climate change research: that in a warming world, those regions already wet will get ever more rain, while the drylands will tend to become increasingly more arid.
As global temperatures creep up – and they have already risen by 1°C in the past century, and could be set to reach 3°C by 2100 – so does the capacity of the atmosphere to absorb more moisture. It follows that more rain must fall. But at the same time more groundwater evaporates, and the risk of damaging drought increases.
“What we did not expect, despite all the extra rain everywhere in the world, is that the large rivers are drying out”
Australian scientists report in the journal Water Resources Research that they studied readings from 43,000 rainfall stations and 5,300 river monitoring sites in 160 countries. And they confirm that even in a world of more intense rain, drought could become the new normal in those regions already at risk.
“This is something that has been missed. We expected rainfall to increase, since warmer air stores more moisture – and that is what climate models predicted too,” said Ashish Sharma, an environmental engineer at the University of New South Wales.
“What we did not expect, despite all the extra rain everywhere in the world, is that the large rivers are drying out. We believe the cause is the drying of soils in our catchments. Where once these were moist before a storm event – allowing excess rainfall to run off into rivers – they are now drier and soak up more rain, so less water makes it as flow.”
The study matches predictions. Just in the last few months, climate scientists have warned that catastrophic climate change could be on the way, and that the double hazard of heat waves and sustained drought could devastate harvests in more than one climatic zone in the same season; and that those landlocked rainfall catchment areas that are already dry are becoming increasingly more parched.
But over the same few months, researchers have established repeatedly that tomorrow’s storms will be worse and that more devastating flash floods can be expected even in one of the world’s driest continents, Australia itself.
Less water available
Of all rainfall, only 36% gets into aquifers, streams and lakes. The remaining two thirds seeps into the soils, grasslands and woodlands. But more soil evaporation means less water is available from river supplies for cities and farms.
US researchers have already confirmed that if soils are moist before a storm, 62% of rainfall leads to floods that fill catchments. If soils are dry, only 13% of the rain leads to flooding.
“It’s a double whammy. Less water is ending up where we can’t store it for later use. At the same time, more rain is overwhelming drainage infrastructure in towns and cities, leading to more urban flooding,” said Professor Sharma.
“Small floods are very important for water supply, because they refill dams and form the basis of our water supply. But they’re happening less often, because the soils are sucking up extra rain. Even when a major storm dumps a lot of rain, the soils are so dry they absorb more water than before, and less reaches the rivers and reservoirs”, he said. “We need to adapt to this emerging reality.”
In the second close look at change so far, researchers based in Germany report in the journal Geophysical Research Letters that they analysed data from 50,000 weather stations worldwide to measure rainfall on a monthly basis.
Climate drives aridity
The US has seen a more than 25% increase of record wet months in the eastern and central regions between 1980 and 2013. Argentina has seen a 32% increase. In central and northern Europe the increase is between 19% and 37%; in Asian Russia, it has been about 20%.
But in Africa south of the Sahara the incidence of very dry months has increased by 50%. “This implies that approximately one out of three record dry months in this region would not have occurred without long-term climate change,” said Dim Coumou, of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
“Generally, land regions in the tropics and sub-tropics have seen more dry records, and the northern mid- to high-latitudes more wet records. This largely fits the patterns that scientists expect from human-caused climate change.”
His colleague and lead author Jascha Lehmann said: “Normally, record weather events occur by chance and we know how many would happen in a climate without warning. It’s like throwing a dice: on average one out of six times you get a six.
“But by injecting huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, humankind has loaded the dice. In many regions, we throw sixes much more often, with severe impacts for society and the environment.
“It is worrying that we see significant increases of such extremes with just one degree of global warming.” – Climate News Network | {
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Aasian rikkain mies Jack Ma näki, että robotit ja keinoäly tulevat tekemään kaikki työt ihmistä paremmin – ja kertoo nyt, mitä aikoo itse laittaa lapsensa opiskelemaan | {
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Whilst writing about other Sci-fi (as opposed to my own – I know – how generous am I?!) may not have been my original intent for this blog. The reception received has been so terrific (especially from the lords of Reddit), I figured I would write at least one more.
Having touched on the baddies of DS9 in the last post (albeit immediately regretting not including the treaturous Micheal Eddington – maybe I’ll return to this another time)
Instead I want to focus on the ‘female’ characters in DS9 and how they interplay to explore sexuality, identity and power relationships.
There are many obvious candidates that would fit the above criteria, however I shall focus on Dax, Kira and Moogie.
Kira is almost old fashioned when we first meet her, fiercely independent, brave and a warriors heart. Yet as her character develops we see a more vulnerable side, her strength is founded in her faith. This makes for some interesting challenges and when she and Odo begin their journey, it makes for a fascinating chemistry.
Of course it would be improper to mention Kira, without mentioning her Mirror universe counterpart. I really get a sense that Nana Visitor truly relished playing the Dark Kira. Her talent is to fully inhabit whatever character she is playing, whilst I was not initially a fan of her character, she won me over.
It would be very easy to characterise Dax as an early representation of gender identity and associated politics. There are certainly plenty of moments where Jadsirs ‘sexuality’ is not fixed to a specific gender. However the history of Dax shows that as an entity it is made up of multiple personalities, not too far removed from the multiple masks worn by everyone in modern society. Just as Kira’s strength is largely founded in her spiritual faith, Dax’s roots are several lifetimes of wisdom, spread across 300 years.
Last but not least the wonderful Moogy (is that how its spelt Redditors?) Not only a FEMALE who dares to wear clothes and earn profit, but becomes a defacto Grand Negus. This storyline is fantastic, taking the ‘least enlightened’ species in the Star Trek universe and telling a story of how the female Ferengi battling for a place in society. I remember seeing the Ferengi for the first time in TNG and they were comical one dimensional characters. Between, Quark, Nog, Rahm and Moogy DS9 flesh out these emaciated bones into a living believable culture.
No doubt I shall regret not including, Quarks ‘wife’, Rahms Wife, but definitely not Kako as she is a bitch. Maybe I’ll reserve another blog post, just for me bitching about her and poor old chief O’brien.
We shall see, but if there are any shows or episodes you’d like me to take a look at, hit me up on the Reddit machine.
Laterz | {
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Vintage 101: There Can Be Only One!
Tweet by Islandswamp // Aug 03, 2017
vintage 101 Restricted List Lodestone Golem Ali from Cairo Monastery Mentor Goblin Welder
Ali From Cairo, Mark Poole, Arabian Nights
Tremble at the Might of my Dingus Egg!
The other day I went and looked back at the articles I've written over the past year. It occurred to me that certain topics like the Restricted List appeared quite frequently. Mishra's Workshop, Chalice of the Void, Lodestone Golem, and Gush dominated a lot of the discussion. Those cards, for better or worse, were taking up most of the air in the room so to speak. All of those cards were firmly tier one and most other cards and archetypes were hovering just below that in the pecking order.
Nowadays we the community and the DCI have tons of data to look at when deciding which cards should be banned or restricted. Even so, if you listen to the community, they (the DCI) can't do anything right (sarcasm intended). There's always this dichotomy between the players and the official rule-makers, and the players are often fragmented wildly in their opinions as well. I've had mostly supportive feelings of the DCI's decisions regarding Vintage, but I have also been adamantly opposed to some as well. For instance I did not agree with the Lodestone Golem restriction, but time has proven that it didn't matter quite as much as I had thought it would.
The most recent changes to the list have been more polarizing than I expected they would be, but I feel that the outlook isn't as grim as some would insist. I also feel that we're lucky to be in an age where the people who make the decisions about the B&R list have real street cred in tournament Magic. Things weren't always this way. Once upon a time, when Magic strategy was in its infancy, the people who made decisions about which cards to restrict didn't have a clue of what they were doing. There just weren't that many "pro-level" players back then, and the people who did have the appropriate knowledge didn't work for Wizards of the Coast.
To illustrate my point a bit, let's take a look at the very first banned and restricted list for Magic: the Gathering. Keep in mind that at this point, in January of 1994, there were no "formats" yet. The Standard format would not be created until much later.
Many of the cards on that list are still restricted today; famously the "Power Nine" and Time Vault are still restricted. Notably left off of the list are cards like Chaos Orb and Wheel of Fortune, both of which were initially included in the first "Core set" called Alpha.
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When you look at that list you might see some cards that seem silly by today's standards. "Braingeyser was restricted but Mind Twist wasn't?" you might be asking yourself. Or perhaps you're a newer generation of player and you had to do a web search to see what Dingus Egg even does.
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In 1994 land destruction was considered a viable strategy. People also tend to hate having their lands blown up too, so the DCI wanted to weaken land destruction strategies. They could have restricted Sinkhole as it was the most efficient targeted land killer, or even Armageddon as it was the most powerful decimator of real estate. Instead they hit Dingus Egg so that people couldn't use it as a horribly expensive win condition in their land denial decks. I'm not sure that this move really had the intended effect...
Orcish Oriflamme, Gauntlet of Might, and Rukh Egg are also pretty odd cards to restrict. There was a misprinted version of Oriflamme that cost less, and that likely caused confusion and led to problems. Rukh Egg was used in some early Reanimator-type decks in combination with Animate Dead (and later on Hell's Caretaker) but in early 1994 it probably wasn't that good yet. Looking at the way the Arabian Nights version of Rukh Egg was templated it's possible that players were incorrectly triggering it when it was discarded, and perhaps that added to its perceived power level.
Gauntlet of Might is a pretty fair card by today's standards. Players and Magic R&D severely overestimated the power of creatures in the early days of the game so cards that seemed to give an unfair boost to your creatures were probably misjudged as well.
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The First (and second to last) Creature Added to the Restricted List
As I mentioned earlier, nearly everyone involved in either making or playing Magic: the Gathering assumed that creatures were far more powerful parts of the game than they actually were. You can see the evidence of this by simply looking at the costs and effects of cards from the early to mid-nineties. For instance, for one red mana you could get either a Mon's Goblin Raiders or a Lightning Bolt. Creatures like Air Elemental, Serra Angel, and Shivan Dragon were considered highly playable staples while the most expensive targeted removal spells cost two mana (Terror).
In the midst of this type of creature-centric climate the restriction of Ali from Cairo made sense to the community. After all, Ali did have a unique and powerful effect printed on his card. Ali is basically a "Worship with legs".
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The reality is that Ali from Cairo is just a bad card from a spike's perspective. You pay four mana for a card that can't really attack or block, and it dies from anything stronger than a stiff breeze. The fact that this card was ever restricted is evidence of how poorly Magic was understood in 1994, and it shows a lot about how far we have come. Specifically I'm mentioning Ali from Cairo here because it relates to recent events in Vintage. You see, little Ali shares the distinction of being a restricted creature with one other card, Lodestone Golem.
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Lonesome Lodestone
When Lodestone Golem was restricted it upset a great deal of Vintage players, and it made many others ecstatic. People who were against the restriction were quick to point out that creatures weren't traditionally thought of as restriction-worthy. The reason why is as simple as the hackneyed saying "it dies to removal." Creatures are one of the most commonly-played card types and as such people are far more likely to be packing removal for creatures than they are for any other permanent type. The effect on a creature can be so powerful that it literally stops you from losing a game (like Ali, or Platinum Angel) and still not be too powerful simply because of the fragility of creatures as a card type.
So Lodestone Golem, with it's infinitely Lightning Bolt-able body, was enough of a dominant force in Mishra's Workshop decks to be considered a restriction-worthy threat. It was deemed fit for the restricted list because the mana-taxing static ability printed on it tends to actually negate the argument that it "dies to removal". After all, your card can't die to removal if nobody can afford to cast that removal spell. In practice if a Workshop deck's opponent did not have either a Force of Will or another immediate answer to a Golem then they were extremely likely to lose that game.
I happened to disagree with the Lodestone Golem restriction when it first happened. I disagreed with it not because I felt that people were overstating the power level of the card but because I felt that Mishra's Workshop decks are an important counterbalance to the degenerate combo decks in Vintage. I didn't think that Workshops with one Golem could remain a tier one threat. As it turns out I was incorrect, and skilled Workshop designers and players found ways to keep the Workshop Prison archetype alive. Luckily, Wizards of the Coast keeps printing very powerful four-drop creatures, so suitable replacements were found and the archetype was saved.
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Restricting More Creatures
The funny thing about how the original Magic designers used to think that creatures were too powerful is the fact that the modern designers have turned that scenario into a reality. The creatures that get printed nowadays are just insane compared to what we used to get. Think about the difference between an Ehrnamn Djinn and a Siege Rhino and you'll see what I mean. If Wizards of the Coast is going to keep printing such powerful creatures then they also need to understand that they may sometimes push those creatures too much.
As you may have guessed by now, I'm working my way towards a discussion on everyone's favorite karate monk, Monastery Mentor. This creature has been a force in Vintage (and somewhat Legacy too) since it was first printed, although it did take a while to really pick up steam
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In the past Vintage players had very powerful, but much more fair "growing" creatures at their disposal. Quirion Dryad and Psychatog fulfilled similar roles over a decade ago. In more recent history cards like Talrand, Sky Summoner, Young Pyromancer, and even Thing in the Ice and Managorger Hydra saw some limited amounts of play.
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Each one of the growing creatures pictured above has seen play in the format. They're all extremely strong cards in their own right, but each one of them pales in comparison to Monastery Mentor. The gulf between the strength of Mentor and anything similar to it is enormous and that fact makes playing anything else a liability.
It's not just a matter of which growing creature you want to play either. It's very difficult to justify playing any other kind of normal creature-based deck in Vintage. BUG Fish is technically fringe-playable, as is Merfolk, but those decks are hardly a blip on the format's radar these days. Normal creatures all "die to removal", and they generally take up a large amount of space in a deck. Monastery Mentor is just the opposite; it's an extremely compact win condition and highly resilient to removal.
It's my firm opinion that Mentor needs to go the way of Gush and friends. I spend a lot of time trying to illustrate the depth that this format has, but I'm constantly seeing that things have coalesced around only two archetypes. Everything is Shops and Mentor with a little sprinkling of other random stuff. I'm sure that this stalemate is partially due to the propensity of players to pick up whatever the best players are using, but the results indicate that things aren't too healthy overall.
The Lunatic Fringe
Even though non-Mentor, non-Workshop decks have become relegated to the fringes of the format I plan on continuing to highlight them. I absolutely do not think that Shops and Mentor are the only playable decks, they just happen to be very solidly tier one. I also think that Mentor and Shops fall into the "easy to learn, difficult to master" category. There is a big difference between the success rate of a skilled player and a new player with either of those decks, but the strength of each of those decks tends to make up a lot of ground lost to a sub-optimal skill level.
With that said, let's take a look at two interesting decks that I managed to dig up this week!
IslandSwamps, and Forests
I have to say, it takes real guts to run Zuran Orb and Null Rod in the same deck. All kidding aside, I think that there are some neat things going on here (even if there are some problems to be worked out).
In many ways this deck is like a BUG Fish deck. You've got Deathrite Shamans, Leovolds, and Snapcaster Mages. There's also some combo cards in the list too though. There's Tinker and Blightsteel colossus, but also a less-known combo. This deck runs Zuran Orb, Ramunap Excavator (instead of Crucible of Worlds), and Fastbond to make infinite mana and gain infinite life.
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With these combo cards added this deck can go from playing fair to winning on the spot, and as a rogue deck opponents aren't going to expect that. There's more to this story though. When the deck is not in combo mode the three cards pictured above still provide a benefit. Ramunap and Fastbond both play very well with Wasteland. If you can afford to take the damage you can use the Excavator/Fastbond combo to keep your opponent from having any lands in play!
There aren't many entries for this deck on the results page and this list didn't have a phenomenal record, but I feel like there's a decent deck somewhere in here. I'm sure that with some tuning and testing this concept could have some potential!
Make Goblin Welder Great Again!
The last time I wrote an article I featured Cerebral Assassin. I mentioned how Goblin Welder was a deceptively powerful creature, and I hoped that someone would brew up a killer Welder deck. It appears that this player did just that!
This is Vintage Welder Control, also known as 'Slaverless Slaver. The shell is nearly the same as Control Slaver but with Time Vault and Voltaic Key instead of Mindslaver as a win condition. Vault/Key has the benefit of being much easier to cast than Mindslaver so it enables victories that don't involve Goblin Welder. You can still do plenty of sweet tricks with your Welders though, but you don't have to fret over Mental Misstep quite so much!
I love the use of Dark Confidant as a draw engine here. It's a little risky considering some of the more expensive cards in the deck, but there is a Sensei's Divining Top and Jace, the Mind Sculptor to minimize the damage from your Dark Confidant triggers. Also Dark Confidant helps dig through your deck faster which in turn makes each Jace activation even better.
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Baleful Strix is a good piece of removal against Workshops or Eldrazi, and it becomes a draw engine with Goblin Welder. As a creature it sidesteps Thorn of Amethyst and Thalia, Guardian of Thraben and it's immune to some commonly-played counterspells.
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This is definitely one of the cooler decks I've seen in a while. I'm hoping that I get to see more decks like this soon, and hopefully people are able to be successful with them. The main problem with a deck like this is that it's less explosive than Paradoxical Outcome combo while falling prey to many of the artifact hate cards. With proper tuning it could be a contender though.
That's all the time I have for this week folks. I'll be back soon with more sweet, sweet Vintage action! You can follow me on Twitter @Islandswamp | {
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They were the first force to reach the city limits of Mosul, and took some of the heaviest casualties throughout the fighting, often being asked to do the heavy lifting in the most dangerous areas while other Iraqi forces, unprepared for urban combat, stayed back and waited for easier openings.
Iraq’s Counter Terrorism Services (CTS), the elite, US-trained force, was heralded by Iraqi officials as the key to victory in Mosul, but a Pentagon report reveals they also sustained massive damage, losing roughly 40% of their manpower over the course of the nine months of fighting.
The news isn’t totally shocking, as there had been intermittent reports throughout the Mosul war of the fighters being stretched beyond their limits, exhausted and with flagging morale, even as Iraq’s political leadership bragged up the progress being made. Iraq, however, was careful not to release casualty numbers or reveal how many losses the CTS was really sustaining.
The Pentagon probably wouldn’t have revealed them either, except that they are seeking another $1.2 billion in funding to pay to train up more CTS fighters, both to increase the overall size of the force and to replace the many killed and injured along the way. | {
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Darius Lakdawalla is the Quintiles professor of pharmaceutical development and regulatory innovation in the School of Pharmacy at the University of Southern California.
Turing Pharmaceuticals finds itself in the spotlight after acquiring a 62-year-old drug and promptly raising its price by more than 4,000 percent.
The resulting controversy has reopened a long-simmering debate. Why does our government not control prescription drug prices? Because nobody ultimately wins from drug price controls.
Our research shows that when prices fall, innovation falls even more. Patients would see their lives cut short by delayed or absent drugs.
Turing Pharmaceuticals pursued a windfall gain from a drug they did not bring to market, but the episode is more the exception than the rule. Effective new drugs bring greater rewards to patients than to the firms that sell them. For instance, breakthroughs in the treatment of H.I.V. generated financial rewards for their inventors, but also decades of healthy life to patients who once saw their H.I.V. as a death sentence. Indeed, academic research finds more than four-fifths of the value created by new drugs flows to patients in the form of health benefits, and less than one-fifth flows to manufacturers. Rather than price controls, we need value-based payment policies that reward companies that bring real value to patients and penalize firms who do not.
Drug price controls would stifle the introduction of valuable new drugs, because innovators will spend less pursuing new drugs if they expect to earn fewer rewards from discovering them. Our research finds that, if the U.S. government were to begin negotiating drug prices the way other governments do, drug prices would fall by about 20 percent, but innovation would fall by even more. Patients would see their lives cut short by delayed or absent drug launches. On balance, America would lose more in the form of premature mortality from price controls than it would gain in lower spending.
On the other side of the ledger, drug price controls would not save that much money. According to federal government data, prescription drug spending makes up roughly one-tenth of America’s total bill for health care. Lopping 20 percent off drug prices by negotiating prices would thus shave all of 2 percent off our total health care bill. What’s more, we will enjoy only a one-time cost reduction, because drug spending has been growing no faster than overall health care spending over the past 10 years.
Bluntly pushing down all drug prices will save us little and cost us dearly. America needs a more refined solution that preserves rewards for the hard work of innovators but snatches them away from speculators.
Join Opinion on Facebook and follow updates on twitter.com/roomfordebate.
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Box Office: 'Despicable Me 3' Nears $100M on July Fourth
Elsewhere, 'Baby Driver' continued to impress, while Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler's 'The House' is further demolished.
Gru and his pesky minions ran amok at the July Fourth box-office picnic.
Early estimates for Tuesday show Universal and Illumination Entertainment's Despicable Me 3 handily winning Independence Day with an estimated $13 million, putting the movie's five-day North American total at $99.3 million. Overseas, the movie has raked in $142.1 million for an early global haul of $241.4 million (it has yet to open in a number of major markets, including China).
In the U.S., Tuesday was a relatively strong day for moviegoing, considering July Fourth is always a challenge. Overall revenue was down roughly 7 percent from Monday, a smaller decline than usual for the holiday.
For the three-day weekend, Despicable Me 3 grossed $72.4 million domestically from 4,529 theaters. While that was notably behind the launch of Despicable Me 2 or spinoff Minions, it is still the best showing of the year to date for an animated film.
In 2013, Despicable Me 2 likewise launched over the Fourth of July frame, grossing $83.5 million for the weekend proper and $143.1 million in its Wednesday-Sunday debut. (That year, the holiday fell on a Thursday, so it was considered an official five-day opening, unlike this year.) And in summer 2015, spinoff Minions opened to a huge $115.7 million over the July 10-12 weekend.
Elsewhere, Edgar Wright's Baby Driver is still impressing in a much-needed win for Sony's film studio. The modestly budgeted heist-thriller grossed an estimated $4.4 million on Tuesday from 3,226 cinemas for a seven-day total of $39.1 million, well ahead of expectations. Baby Driver opened on June 28.
Sony's TriStar Pictures, MRC and Working Title partnered on the critically acclaimed pic, which Sony says cost $34 million to make after rebates. Ansel Elgort, Lily James, Jon Hamm, Kevin Spacey and Jamie Foxx star.
Baby Driver is doing laps around New Line and Village Roadshow's The House, which bombed over the weekend with $8.7 million for a sixth-place finish. Nor did the R-rated comedy, starring Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler, enjoy a boost from the actual holiday, as it earned a meek $1.5 million on Tuesday for a five-day total of $11.9 million.
The House, marking the worst wide opening of Ferrell's career, continued to place No. 6.
Warner Bros. and DC's Wonder Woman set off its own fireworks, coming in just behind Baby Driver on Tuesday with $4.1 million for a domestic total of $354.6 million. Paramount's Transformers: The Last Knight followed with $3.5 million for a $109.1 million cume. And Disney and Pixar's Cars 3 rounded out the top five with $2.1 million for a North American tally of $125.4 million.
July 5, 11 a.m. Updated with foreign numbers. | {
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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court did not give any interim relief to Gujarat government on its plea opposing the Centre's pre-matriculation scholarship scheme for students of minority communities.
However, the apex court decided to give an early hearing to the state government's appeal challenging the Gujarat High Court verdict upholding its constitutional validity.A Bench comprising justices P Sathasivam and M Y Eqbal yesterday sought a response from the Centre on Gujarat government's contention that the scheme was discriminatory and decided to have a regular hearing on the matter from first week of August.The bench also issued a notice to a Congress leader, Adam Chaki , on whose PIL the five-judge Constitution Bench of the High Court by its 3:2 verdict rejected Gujarat government's contention that the scheme was discriminatory and had directed it to implement the scheme.The central government's scheme is for students belonging to five religious minorities, including Muslims, whose parents have annual income below Rs 1 lakh.In this scheme launched in 2008, the central government gives 75 per cent of the scholarship amount while states have to bear the rest 25 per cent.Gujarat government argued in the apex court that the Centre's scholarship for minorities is a scheme based on religion and the Centre cannot compel the state to implement it and that a similar scheme was in place in the state for all poor students irrespective of their religion.The majority verdict of the High Court had said the scheme cannot be equated with any kind of reservation and it was an "affirmative action" and "not discriminatory" in nature.The minority verdict had held it as discriminatory. | {
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Olde Town Arvada Taproom
Come visit us in Olde Town Arvada!
Denver Beer Co. is now open at 5768 Olde Wads!
Just like our Platte Street location, our Arvada tap room focuses on high quality, flavorfully crafted beer made from only the freshest ingredients. Our brand new brewery on Olde Wadsworth features a seven barrel brewhouse and unique recipes from our Arvada-based brewing team. The ten taps rotate with the seasons and include Water Tower Wit, an exclusive brew just for the Arvada community, as well as some of our favorites including Graham Cracker Porter, Incredible Pedal IPA, Sun Drenched Exploratory Ale, and rotating seasonals.
When you visit be sure to come hungry because Denver Beer Co. Arvada is the home of The Mighty, an artisan burger and fry concept that we have housed in our vintage Airstream trailer.
As always, we believe that the best pints are those shared with good company and a little fresh air. The Olde Town Arvada location has a huge outdoor patio and welcoming taproom where new and old friends can share a table, a pint, and good conversation.
Visit our Facebook page: Denver Beer Co. Olde Town Arvada for updates!
Cheers! | {
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Getty Images
Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson learned a new defensive system along with his teammates this offseason, but he thinks it will ultimately harken back to earlier times in his career.
Peterson feels his ability to make plays has been limited in the last few seasons because teams are able to avoid throwing the ball to his area. Based on what he saw during offseason work, Peterson thinks that head coach Steve Wilks and defensive coordinator Al Holcomb have come up with an approach that will make it easier for him to impact games.
“[I’m] very excited, ’cause I’m gonna be doing a lot of new things that I haven’t done in my career — in my NFL career,” Peterson said, via AZCentral.com. “I’m just looking forward to getting back to my playmaking ways because I believe over the last two and half, three years, I’ve been kind of handcuffed in doing that, because obviously teams try to stay away from me. But now, Coach Holcomb and Coach Wilks are going do a great job of finding ways to install me into the game.”
Regardless of where Peterson is lined up, forcing teams to look in his direction will require the rest of the secondary to hold up their end of things. Brandon Williams, Jamar Taylor and Bene Benwikere are some of the players vying for time alongside Peterson and whoever winds up on the field will have to make plays of their own for Arizona’s defense to fully take flight. | {
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A New Zealand man killed while base jumping in Italy knew the risks involved in the sport he loved, his stepbrother said.
George Allan Staite, 28, was killed on Monday when he and a group were base jumping off Eagle's Beak, in the Italian region of Trentino Alto Adige.
His step-brother, Motueka real estate agent Paul Davis, said Mr Staite was a free spirit who "just loved" skydiving and base jumping, which he had taken up several years ago.
A geologist, he had gone to Europe in February after a stint working for a mining company in Western Australia.
Mr Staite grew up in Nelson and went to Tahunanui School and Nelson College, before finishing his secondary school years at St Andrew's College in Christchurch. He completed a BSc at Canterbury University.
His mother, Nancy Davis, of Nelson, and 20-year-old brother Julian are flying today to Italy, where they will be joined by his sister, 24-year-old Catherine, who is already in the Mediterranean area.
Mr Davis said news of Mr Staite's death had come as "a massive shock" to the family, "but George knew the risks of what he was doing".
"He's just lived on the edge his whole life."
Friend Marco Regina, a fellow base jumper in Italy, said he found out about Mr Staite's death on Facebook and couldn't believe it.
"At first, I was like I hope it's not him, but when I found out I was really sad."
He said Mr Staite had been living in his van in the area since March, jumping every day.
The pair met at the local bar, and had base-jumped together. Mr Staite sometimes making coffee for Mr Regina when he slept in his car nearby.
"He was a really quiet person, kind of reserved. He had this really slow way of talking. He was really nice to everybody," Mr Regina said.
"He told me base jumping was the thing that made him the happiest person in the world. He would have never stopped."
Despite the fatal fall, Mr Regina said his friend's death did not deter him from jumping again.
"I'm still going to jump. The first jump I want to dedicate to him and I want to do it where he died," he said.
Media reports suggest Mr Staite's parachute failed to open about three quarters into the 1100 metre fall, and he would have been travelling at about 200 kilometres an hour when he hit the rock face.
Witnesses to the accident alerted local authorities and his body has since been removed from the area by helicopter.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Mfat) said they were aware of the death and were liaising with Italian authorities.
Mfat would be providing consular assistance to the man's family, the spokesman said. | {
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As the festive season creeps in, the fans get in the mood by modifying some Christmas classics to their own clubs.
In a poll conducted by William Hill, 2000 supporters voted this extremely delightful rhyme sung to the tune of ‘Let it snow’ as the best.
Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But the goals are so delightful,
Stamford Bridge is the place to go,
Mourinho! Mourinho! Mourinho!
I seriously doubt if I can put this out of my head until new year. You can check the rest of the top 10 here. | {
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A team of researchers from the Astrobiology Centre (INTA-CSIC) has shown that hydrogen cyanide, urea and other substances considered essential to the formation of the most basic biological molecules can be obtained from the salt Prussian blue. In order to carry out this study, published in the journal Chemistry & Biodiversity, the scientists recreated the chemical conditions of the early Earth.
"We have shown that when Prussian blue is dissolved in ammoniac solutions it produces hydrogen cyanide, a substance that could have played a fundamental role in the creation of the first bio-organic molecules, as well as other precursors to the origin of life, such as urea, dimethylhydantoin and lactic acid," Marta Ruiz Bermejo, lead author of the study and a researcher at the Astrobiology Centre (CSIC-INTA), said.
Urea is considered to be an important reagent in synthesising pyrimidines (the derivatives of which form part of the nucleic acids DNA and RNA), and it has been suggested that hydantoins could be the precursors of peptides and amino acids (the components of proteins), while lactic acid is also of biological interest because, along with malic acid, it can play a role in electron donor-recipient systems.
The researcher and her team have proved that these and other compounds originate from the cyanide liberated by the salt Prussian blue (the name of which refers to the dye used in the uniforms of the Prussian Army) when it is subjected for several days to conditions of pH12 and relatively high temperatures (70-150ºC) in a damp, oxygen-free ammoniac environment, similar to early conditions on Earth. The results of the study have been published recently in the journal Chemistry & Biodiversity.
"In addition, when Prussian blue decomposes in this ammoniac, anoxic environment, this complex salt, called iron (III) hexacyanoferrate (II), also turns out to be an excellent precursor of hematite, the most stable and commonly found form of iron (III) oxide on the surface of the Earth," explains Ruiz Bermejo.
Hematite is related to the so-called Banded Iron Formations (BIF), the biological or geological origin of which is the source of intense debate among scientists. The oldest of these formations, more than two billion years old, have been found in Australia.
The researchers have confirmed in other studies that Prussian blue can be obtained in prebiotic conditions (from iron ions in methane atmosphere conditions with electrical discharges). The synthesis of this salt and its subsequent transformation into hematite offers an alternative model to explain the formation of the banded iron in abiotic conditions in the absence of oxygen.
Ruiz Bermejo concludes that Prussian blue "could act as a carbon concentrator in the prebiotic hydrosphere, and that its wet decomposition in anoxic conditions could liberate hydrogen cyanide and cyanogen, with the subsequent formation of organic molecules and iron oxides." | {
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Series: Omniscan Specter of MRI Disease Haunts General Electric
March 7: This post has been updated to incorporate a response from GE.
In 1994, a scientist studying her company's new medical imaging dye reached troubling findings. Her boss, she recalls, told her to "burn the data."
That alleged request surfaced this week in a groundbreaking trial over the dye, which is injected into patients to sharpen MRI scans and has been owned since 2004 by GE Healthcare. At issue is whether GE did enough to protect patients from a rare but devastating side effect of the dye: a disease that causes large areas of the skin to become thick and hard. ProPublica investigated the dye in 2009 and 2010, revealing that GE ignored the advice of its own safety experts to "proactively" restrict its use.
GE's lawyer, John Fitzpatrick, didn't dispute the request to burn the data in his opening statement to the jury on Tuesday. But after this story was published, the company told ProPublica that the scientist's boss denies having told her to destroy data. Fitzpatrick also confirmed that an outside researcher will testify that he would not have published a study stating the dye was safe if he had been shown certain internal company research.
But Fitzpatrick insisted that GE's accusers were twisting such evidence to falsely impugn the company and wrongly suggest that it had endangered patients. He insisted GE had always acted ethically with regard to the dye, known as Omniscan.
After settling several hundred other cases out of court over the last several years, GE went to trial this week in federal court in Cleveland — the first opportunity for the drug's history to be fully aired. The plaintiff, Paul Decker, 61, contends that he contracted the skin ailment, known as nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, because of an injection of Omniscan in 2005. He was diagnosed in 2010.
His lawyer, Christopher Tisi, told jurors that Decker's skin feels like wood or granite, and that he "has a really hard time doing most anything." Tisi asked the jury to hold GE accountable for repeatedly ignoring the drug's problems by returning a verdict of more than $12 million.
Fitzpatrick maintained that GE and predecessor companies that sold Omniscan did all they could to ensure the safety of what he said was a "wonderful product" that had "saved millions of lives." GE also issued a statement to ProPublica defending its actions and emphasizing the benefits of Omniscan.
So-called contrast agents such as Omniscan help radiologists obtain sharper images from MRI scans. The agents contain a toxic metal, gadolinium, but they are bonded with a protective coating to keep the gadolinium inert. The drug is normally filtered out through the kidneys without causing any harm. The skin ailment — which can also stiffen internal organs such as the heart and lungs, causing death — has mainly been confined to patients with kidney disease, which Decker suffered from.
GE Healthcare acquired Omniscan in 2004 when it purchased a U.K. company. The first association between Omniscan and the skin disease was disclosed in 2006.
In 2010, the FDA banned the use of Omniscan and two other contrast agents in patients with severe kidney disease. There have been no new cases of the skin disease in recent years.
The heart of the dispute is whether GE hid Omniscan's problems.
Tisi argued that internal studies decades ago showed problems, putting up a "big yellow light." But the company that then owned the dye, he said, went "forward fast" to put it on the market. The drug was approved for sale in the U.S. in 1993. Fitzpatrick said the company's research submitted to the FDA was the "gold standard."
Later, Tisi went on, one company researcher, Karen Saebo, was told to "burn the data" because the results were not favorable and would need to be submitted to the FDA.
Fitzpatrick countered that Saebo never destroyed her data and, in fact, turned in her report. In earlier testimony, which was shown by video to the jury on Wednesday, Saebo said that the alleged request by her boss left her "terrified" that she would be fired. Still, she did not follow the directive and retained the data.
After this story was published, a GE spokesperson sent an email to ProPublica stating that "the manager clearly denies that Dr. Saebo was ever told to burn data” and that it was the manager "who properly saved and produced this information."
Fitzpatrick acknowledged that another research report done for the company had not been disclosed, but he argued that it had no clinical significance. "The evidence will be that we didn't hide a thing," except for not submitting two rat studies, he said. GE, Fitzpatrick argued, had always been "ethical and responsible" in warning about the dye's problems.
Tisi had another example for the jury: a study done for the company that owned the dye in the 1990s.
For that study, researchers collected all the gadolinium excreted through the kidneys. But after three weeks they were still missing about 25 percent of the gadolinium that had been injected into the body. The company reassured the researchers that there was nothing to worry about, Tisi said, and that the missing gadolinium had been sweated out.
The researchers went ahead and published their study, which concluded that Omniscan was safe and effective. But, the lawyer for Decker said, the authors later withdrew their paper after learning that they had not been shown "secret studies" revealing some of Omniscan's problems, such as an animal study showing skin changes.
Fitzpatrick, in response, acknowledged that one of the authors will tell the court he would not have published the study had he seen an animal study. But the GE lawyer also said that the missing gadolinium was "no secret" and that the scientist did not disavow his fundamental finding that the drug was safe for the patient.
Another point of contention is whether Omniscan's owners acted properly when serious problems in patients first began to emerge in the early 2000s.
Tisi acknowledged that those cases were not known at the time to be the debilitating skin disease, nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, or NSF, that his client suffers from. But he maintained that those early cases were severe enough to have prompted significant action, such as changing the label or reformulating the drug to make it safer.
A label warning about the disease was not added until 2007, after the FDA pressed all makers of gadolinium-based imaging dyes to highlight the risk to patients with kidney disease.
Fitzpatrick said that at the time of Decker's MRI scan in 2005, months before the link between contrast agents and the disease was first disclosed in 2006, the company was already warning doctors of possible side effects. The package insert noted that "caution should be exercised in patients with renal impairment." Tisi said that was not enough.
In pretrial motions, presiding judge Dan Aaron Polster has barred or limited some of GE's scientific testimony concerning the causes of NSF, which the company maintains has not been conclusively shown to be caused by Omniscan. The manual used by radiologists says that exposure to gadolinium contrast agents is a necessary factor in the development of the disease.
Judge Polster also denied Decker's attempt to recover punitive damages. | {
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Jordan Buie
USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee
Metro police responded to a call of four people shot Sunday night in the Wedgewood-Houston area of Nashville, in the 100 block of Rains Avenue near the Nashville Speedway.
A Nashville police news release said Midtown Hills Precinct detectives are trying to determine why a Red Nissan Sentra was targeted by gunfire as it traveled onto Rains Avenue from Wedgewood Avenue just after 7 p.m.
According to the release, four people in the Sentra were wounded. The driver, Dameisha Clark, 20, and the front seat passenger, Kayla Blakley, 25, received non-critical wounds. The rear-seat passengers, Michael Shaw, 32, and Michael Myers Jr., 25, were critically injured. All are being treated at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Clark, Blakley, and Shaw are from Nashville. Myers is from Memphis.
Detectives were told that persons in a black sedan with custom rims came up alongside the Sentra and opened fire with a rifle, according to the release. | {
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Fake-passport suspects flee Phuket station
Two suspects, identified as Raj Kumar (left) and Sandeep Singh on passports purporting to be Portuguese, are now at large. (Sakhu police station photo via Natthapon Sekorarit Facebook page)
A manhunt is on for two men accused of holding fake passports who fled a Phuket police station on Saturday morning, shortly before they were to be taken to court.
The pair are identified on their passports, purported to be Portuguese, as Sandeep Singh, 30, and Raj Kumar, 36. They fled after asking to use the washroom at the Sakhu police station in Thalang district, where they were being interrogated on Saturday morning, local media reported.
Pol Maj Gen Theerapon Thipcharoen, chief of the Phuket police, ordered all stations to hunt down the suspects and distribute their photos and information via social media. Anyone who spots the duo is urged to alert police at the Sakhu station or call the 24-hour police hotline number 191.
He said the Sakhu station was newly built and had no cells. When police bring in suspects, they interrogate them immediately and then take them to court for detention. The foreign suspects might have observed conditions and seen a chance to escape, he said.
A committee will be set up to investigate the officers on duty for alleged negligence, he added.
Pol Col Jeerasak Siamsak, chief of the Sakhu station, said officers had taken custody of the two foreigners from immigration officials at Phuket airport at around 5am on Saturday. They were to have been taken to court at 8am. During the interrogation, the suspects sought permission to go to the washroom and to smoke.
The investigating officer allowed them to leave the room, with a junior officer assigned to watch them. Instead of going to the washroom, the suspects simply ran out of the station. Officers quickly pursued them but could not catch up. They radioed other stations and police manning road checkpoints to intercept the suspects, but no trace of them was found.
The duo’s passports and other belongings were seized.
Manager Online reported that the two suspects had earlier travelled to South Korea, where officials found they were using fake passports. South Korean authorities then sent them back to Thailand, the place they had originally departed from. | {
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Great question, glad you asked.
This is the first post in a series of four, delving into the practicalities of how Team BABB is going to turn our big idea into reality. In this post, we’ll talk about one of BABB’s key growth mechanisms: Social KYC.
Let’s talk about growth
Many people who are interested in BABB’s token sale have asked about our revenue model, and, by natural extension, our growth model. The success of any business is dependent on acquiring customers. For a network-based product such as BABB, acquiring customers (and retaining them) is also fundamental to the value of the product itself.
“So, how are you going to acquire customers?”
First up, let’s take a look at the role of the ‘customer’ on the BABB platform.
BABB will provide access to a full UK bank account for any individual or small business in the world. Through the BABB app, this bank account will also be a portal to a global network of other BABB account holders across the world.
We want to make it possible to crowdsource every financial service you could ever need, by offering true peer-to-peer interactions. Everyone on the BABB network can use their account to be a saver, borrower, lender, ATM, bureaux de change, and much more. This is why we say: “everyone is a bank”.
That means BABB won’t really have conventional ‘customers’, but rather users of the platform who then receive and add value by participating in financial services. BABB will be just like Facebook, Uber, Airbnb etc. in the sense that…
A BABB account is only valuable if lots of other people are also using the platform. The more people use the BABB platform, the more valuable an account becomes.
This is called the network effect. Once BABB reaches critical mass of account holders, the network effect will work with us to reach more and more people. But we need to make a splash when we launch and grow the network fast in order to offer genuine value to our early adopters.
(FYI, we’re planning to ship a V1 of the app in Q3 2018).
Social KYC in theory
This is how we’re going to bring about that rocket-ship early growth. Social KYC will form the backbone of our go-to-market strategy.
For people without an address and/or without official ID documents, a bank’s KYC (Know Your Customer) process is one of the biggest hurdles to getting an account.
Traditional KYC still has a role to play on the BABB platform, but we’re also going to use the power of biometric technology and social connectivity to tackle in tandem the issues of:
1. determining identity of users; and
2. growing the network of users
You will be able to open a tier one account simply by taking a selfie and saying a pass phrase. To access a tier two account, with expanded limits, someone with a tier three account (who has provided ID and gone through full KYC) must vouch for you.
Tier one: full app functionality, modest balance and transaction limits.
Tier two: full app functionality, generous balance and transaction limits.
Tier three: full functionality, generous limits & the ability to vouch for others.
Social KYC in practice
In any group, there is an early adopter. The geek who introduces their friends to the latest tech; the pioneering daughter who gets her whole family using the same app to communicate; the community leader who is the first to have a passport and driving licence.
We are a globally connected community. Almost every person knows someone with ID who can vouch for them, or knows someone who knows someone who can.
Social KYC will make it easy for early adopters to get their peer groups on board, creating fully banked communities. Once whole communities are connected through BABB, community-led initiatives and crowdsourced financial services are immediately possible. Everyone’s BABB account becomes increasingly valuable as more and more people join in.
Fine print: we will put a limit the number of people that one account holder can vouch for. There will also be rewards on the table, and penalties for vouching for someone who goes on to violate BABB’s T&Cs.
Social KYC will pave the way for ambassador programmes, word-of-mouth growth, and a BABB network which mirrors real-life social connectivity. We’re very proud of the concept. Leave us a comment; let us know what you think!
Find out more
Like this? You’ll love our Telegram community. | {
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Subsets and Splits