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New York, NY — Attorney Jared Johnson is by far the most ethical and respected member of the Trump for President campaign.
“At first it was a little refreshing. There are all of these stereotypes about lawyers being unethical and devious, and that’s never really been in my nature. I happen to enjoy the legal profession and ensuring that people are playing by the rules. And in the beginning, the Trump campaign needed good, proven legal counsel, which I was happy to fulfill. But after a few months working in the campaign, it became clear that everyone, including the Candidate himself, expected me to find ways to bend the rules. I do have my ethics, and I find ways to stick to them.”
“Every day it’s some new question. ‘Is this legal (no)’, ‘is that slander (yes)’, ‘if we don’t directly pay the person to break this person’s legs but still know about it is that legal (no)’. I mean really, how did these people get into the position they are in without the most basic knowledge of right and wrong?”
RNC Endorsement
“Mr. Johnson is the sole shining light in that entire campaign. I have no idea how a man of integrity got in there, but I hope to God that they find a way to keep him in,” said Jeremiah Golshan of the Republican National Committee. “Since we don’t have as direct a tie with the candidate as is usually the case, we’re relieved to know that at least one member of the campaign isn’t foaming … wait, is this on the record? We at the RNC have the utmost admiration for Mr. Johnson and for all of the members of the Trump campaign. Go Republicans! Vote Trump!”. Golshan nervously wandered away and refused to take further questions at that point.
DNC Acceptance
“Given the overall tone of the Trump campaign, we at the Democratic National Committee are pleased that there is at least one seemingly sane person in the Trump campaign. While we profoundly disagree with Mr. Trump and everyone associated with him, we actually admire and respect Mr. Johnson’s adherence to ethics. There have been several potential lawsuits we would have brought against the campaign if it were not for Mr. Johnson’s cool and principled intercessions,” declared Missy Henderson, DNC legal consultant.
When contacted for further comment on this story, the Trump campaign informed the Brewblog that we were all horrible, horrible people for suggesting that Mr. Trump or anyone on his campaign staff was anything but above reproach. As our reporter left headquarters, he thought he saw a car following him for several blocks. But surely that was just his imagination.
Comments
comments | {
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17:32 11-03-2019
Thanh lý sofa da ở đâu?
“Tôi muốn thanh lý sofa da ở đâu? Nơi nào bán sofa da bò thật xịn thanh lý giá tốt và uy tín nhất?”
Sofa da thật 100% với độ êm ái cao, đàn hồi tốt và tính chất sang trọng, quý phái nên vô cùng được yêu thích trong gia đình, quán café, showroom, văn phòng, cửa hàng,….Với nhiều lý do, người dùng không có nhu cầu tiếp tục sử dụng sofa da mới mua cần bán hoặc người muốn mua sofa da nhưng bộ mới quá đắt, muốn mua lại sofa da thanh lý thì nên liên hệ địa chỉ nào? Đọc bài viết hữu ích để có được câu trả lời nhé!
Mọi người thường mua sofa cũ hay sofa da thanh lý làm gì?
Có rất nhiều người thích mua ghế sofa da cũ để mở quán cafe phong cách cổ. Hoặc họ dùng để làm đồ trang trí những studio theo concept cổ xưa. Nhưng hầu hết mọi người mua sofa cũ để có thể tiết kiệm chi phí. Bởi một bộ sofa thật mua mới sẽ có giá thành khá đắt đỏ. Còn một bộ sofa thanh lý sẽ có giá thành mềm mại hơn. Và nếu như biết cách chọn lựa, bạn cũng có thể sở hữu một bộ ghế xịn với chất lượng vẫn còn khá tốt.
Rất nhiều khách hàng lựa chọn mua ghế sofa da được thanh lý, vì sao ư?
Thị trường mua/bán sofa da thanh lý những năm gần đây rất sôi động. Khách hàng rất yêu thích sofa cũ có chất liệu xịn như da bò, da dê, da cừu,…bởi nhiều lý do:
❀ Bộ sofa da thật mới 100% có giá thành khá cao. Trên thị trường cũng có tràn lan mặt hàng sofa da Trung Quốc giả danh sofa nhập của Ý, Đức khiến người dùng lo lắng.
❀ Mua lại sofa da cũ để phục vụ nhu cầu kinh doanh quán café phong cách cổ điển. Mua làm sofa trang trí và sử dụng cho nhà ở, văn phòng, spa làm đẹp,….
❀ Tiết kiệm được một khoản tiền đầu tư kha khá để dùng mua sắm đồ nội thất khác và đồ dùng trong gia đình.
❀ Sofa da xịn thanh lý vẫn có độ bền cao, đẹp mắt và nhiều nơi còn được bảo hành. Thời gian bảo hành tầm 1-2 năm, mẫu mã đa dạng phục vụ nhu cầu sử dụng của người dùng.
Top địa chỉ thanh lý sofa da xịn cao cấp giá tốt
Sofa da trở thành nội thất vô cùng được yêu thích do tính sang trọng, đẳng cấp của nó mang lại. Tuy nhiên, giá trị của bộ sofa mới có thể là hàng chục, thậm chí cả trăm triệu/bộ nên nhiều người muốn sở hữu mà không có đủ kinh tế.
Để đáp ứng nhu cầu thanh lý sofa da xịn của khách hàng không sử dụng và đáp ứng nhu cầu mua sắm sofa thanh lý còn mới hơn 95%, giá tốt và uy tín của khách hàng có nhu cầu sử dụng, dưới đây là một vài địa chỉ thanh lý sofa da Hà Nội, TPHCM, Đà Nẵng được khách hàng đánh giá cao mà bạn có thể tham khảo để chọn mua sofa thanh lý yêu thích với giá thành mềm nhất!
#1 Địa chỉ thanh lý sofa da cũ TPHCM:
HÀNG THANH LÝ 436
Đc: 262A Lũy Bán Bích, Hòa Thạnh, Tân Phú, TPHCM
Đt: 028.6660.2926 – 0948.920.921
#2 Địa chỉ thanh lý sofa uy tín tại Hà Nội
NỘI THẤT ÁNH PHÁT
Địa Chỉ: Số 75, Ngõ 18 Đinh Công Thượng, Hoàng Mai, Hà Nội
CHỢ THANH LÝ NỘI THẤT BA HUY
Địa chỉ: Số 8, đường Lê Quang Đạo, Mỹ Đình, Từ Liêm, Hà Nội
#3 Địa chỉ thanh lý sofa uy tín Đà Nẵng
NỘI THẤT THIÊN TIẾN
Địa chỉ: 10 Nguyễn Khoa Chiêm – Cẩm Lệ – Đà Nẵng
CỬA HÀNG THING STORE
Địa chỉ: 114 Phạm Như Xương, Hòa Khánh Nam, Liên Chiểu, Đà Nẵng
Những trang web có thể thanh lý sofa
Chợ Tốt: https://www.chotot.com
Thanh lý hàng cũ: https://thanhlyhangcu.com/
VinSave: vinsave.com
Shoppee: https://shopee.vn
Các group thanh lý nội thất trên facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
Rủi ro khi mua bàn ghế thanh lý
Bên cạnh những ưu điểm đã kể trên thì việc mua đồ thanh lý cũng có nhiều bất cập. Thậm chí là với những nơi mà Kita giới thiệu đến bạn phía trên. Cũng từng gặp không ít phàn nàn và đánh giá không tốt từ khách hàng. Các rủi ro khi mua nội thất bàn ghế cũ có thể kể đến như:
+ Các sản phẩm nội thất không bán được đã để lâu năm, gần hết hạn sử dụng. Điều này thì bạn phải chấp nhận vì “tiền nào của nấy”
+ Các sản phẩm cũ bị hỏng hóc bên trong nhiều nhưng bạn không thể thấy. Chỉ cần bên ngoài bạn thấy ưng ý là sẽ mua. Thế nên xài được 1 thời gian ngắn bạn lại phải bỏ tiền đi sửa chữa, bọc lại.
+ Nhiều nơi nắm bắt tâm lý khách hàng muốn mua đồ thanh lý, đồ giá rẻ. Thế nên cho sản xuất hàng loạt các mẫu ghế hàng chợ kém chất lượng. Khách hàng xài chưa bao lâu đã hư. Điều này gây tốn kém hơn nếu so với việc mua ghế mới chất lượng, xài được lâu.
Những điều cần làm khi mua nội thất thanh lý
1. Kiểm tra review cửa hàng dự định đến mua
2. Đến trực tiếp cửa hàng xem qua thử
3. Kiểm tra sản phẩm thực tế, nếu mua hàng onl hãy kiểm tra các thông tin cẩn thận
4. Hỏi kỹ về chế độ bảo quản và bảo hành sản phẩm
5. Xem xét giá thành để tránh việc mua hàng thanh lý giá cao hơn hàng mới với mặt hàng cùng chất liệu
Nếu vẫn không an tâm khi mua nội thất bàn ghế cũ được thanh lý. Khách hàng hãy lựa chọn một đơn vị uy tín để đặt đóng mới hay mua bộ sofa phù hợp cho chính mình nhé!
Xem những mẫu ghế sofa da mới nhất cùng Kita
Công ty TNHH Kiến Tạo và Kiệt Tác Kita Sky
Xây dựng nhà ở, thiết kế và thi công nội ngoại thất trọn gói. Sản xuất, nhập khẩu và mua bán sản phẩm, chất liệu nội ngoại thất giá tốt nhất thị trường.
Trụ sở công ty: 16 Trần Bá Giao, phường 5 quận Gò Vấp
Hotline: 0909506808 – 0938836608 – 0938183383
Fanpage:
Tikita’s House – Kita Sofa – Kita Furniture – Kita Furniture Decoration | {
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Sk ipping breakfast may increase your ris k for cardiovascular disease.
The connection, found in a study of 6,550 adults aged 65 to 75, was particularly strong for stroke.
Almost 60 percent of the participants had breakfast every day, a quarter on some days, and 16 percent rarely or never. All were free of heart disease at the start of the study. Over an average 17 years of follow-up there were 2,318 deaths, including 619 from cardiovascular diseases.
People who never ate breakfast were more likely to be obese and have high cholesterol, but the observational study, in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, controlled for these and many other health, behavioral and socioeconomic factors.
Compared with those who had breakfast every day, those who skipped the meal had an 87 percent increased risk for death from any cardiovascular disease and a 19 percent increased risk for all-cause death. Breakfast skippers had a 59 percent increased risk of developing heart disease, and more than triple the risk of stroke. | {
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Welcome to nose2
nose2 is the successor to nose .
It’s unittest with plugins.
nose2 is a new project and does not support all of the features of nose . See differences for a thorough rundown.
nose2’s purpose is to extend unittest to make testing nicer and easier to understand.
nose2 vs pytest nose2 may or may not be a good fit for your project. If you are new to python testing, we encourage you to also consider pytest, a popular testing framework.
Quickstart Because nose2 is based on unittest, you can start from the Python Standard Library’s documentation for unittest and then use nose2 to add value on top of that. nose2 looks for tests in python files whose names start with test and runs every test function it discovers. Here’s an example of a simple test, written in typical unittest style: # in test_simple.py import unittest class TestStrings ( unittest . TestCase ): def test_upper ( self ): self . assertEqual ( "spam" . upper (), "SPAM" ) You can then run this test like so: $ nose2 -v test_upper (test_simple.TestStrings) ... ok ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ran 1 test in 0.000s OK However, nose2 supports more testing configuration and provides more tools than unittest on its own. For example, this test exercises just a few of nose2 ’s features: # in test_fancy.py from nose2.tools import params @params ( "Sir Bedevere" , "Miss Islington" , "Duck" ) def test_is_knight ( value ): assert value . startswith ( 'Sir' ) and then run this like so: $ nose2 -v --pretty-assert test_fancy.test_is_knight:1 'Sir Bedevere' ... ok test_fancy.test_is_knight:2 'Miss Islington' ... FAIL test_fancy.test_is_knight:3 'Duck' ... FAIL ====================================================================== FAIL: test_fancy.test_is_knight:2 'Miss Islington' ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Traceback (most recent call last): File "/mnt/ebs/home/sirosen/tmp/test_fancy.py", line 6, in test_is_knight assert value.startswith('Sir') AssertionError >>> assert value.startswith('Sir') values: value = 'Miss Islington' value.startswith = <built-in method startswith of str object at 0x7f3c3172f430> ====================================================================== FAIL: test_fancy.test_is_knight:3 'Duck' ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Traceback (most recent call last): File "/mnt/ebs/home/sirosen/tmp/test_fancy.py", line 6, in test_is_knight assert value.startswith('Sir') AssertionError >>> assert value.startswith('Sir') values: value = 'Duck' value.startswith = <built-in method startswith of str object at 0x7f3c3172d490> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ran 3 tests in 0.001s FAILED (failures=2)
Full Docs Full documentation for nose2 is available at docs.nose2.io | {
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The NDP leadership race is down to four candidates.
On Thursday afternoon, British Columbia MP Peter Julian confirmed that he is dropping out. Julian initially issued a press release saying that he would make an “important announcement” linked to his candidacy at 2 p.m. ET on Parliament Hill.
He then confirmed via Twitter that he is indeed calling it quits. He thanked his campaign volunteers, fellow MPs who gave their support and his family.
It's with mixed feelings that I'm announcing my withdrawal from #NDPldr race – fund-raising results have been disappointing. #NDP #cdnpoli — Peter Julian (@MPJulian) July 6, 2017
It has been a remarkable journey and I have had thousands of inspiring conversations. Thanks to MP's who gave their support #NDPldr #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/b6f1o9XbG0 — Peter Julian (@MPJulian) July 6, 2017
Julian’s departure marks the second time in just over a month that a declared candidate has dropped out. In early June, Pat Stogran announced his departure and blamed the inner workings of the party. He called the process “fundamentally flawed” and claimed the NDP has put “major obstacles” in front of candidates trying to grow the party’s base from the grassroots.
Story continues below advertisement
For his part, Julian cited disappointing fundraising results.
READ MORE: Niki Ashton’s pregnancy renews calls for better supports on Parliament Hill
The deadline for registration of candidates has just passed. With Julian out, the four remaining candidates are Niki Ashton, Guy Caron, Jagmeet Singh and Charlie Angus.
“Four terrific candidates have entered the race since I started it and I know each of them will make a great leader,” said Julian in a statement issued Thursday afternoon. Tweet This
“I wish them all the best of luck. As the leadership race continues, I will be endorsing one of them closer to the ballot date.”
NDP members are expected to choose a permanent replacement for current leader Tom Mulcair in October. | {
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Create the Top of Your Sheet ...
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nothing is displayed
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Enter additional comments (or instructions) on a 2nd line ...
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NARROWER WIDER
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(optional)
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Numbers to Style
Numbers to Style
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Express Fill-In
1-50 (2 cols) 1-75 (3 cols) 1-100 (4 cols) 1-125 (5 cols) 1-150 (5 cols)
Bubble Styles to choose from ...
1
2
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4
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t-cap test numbering:
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alternate numbering:
23
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37 [no bubbles/blank]
39
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some math functions:
41
42
more bubble styles (TAKS-M):
43
44
true - false:
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
Scroll this list for a variety of other graphic styles that are not
necessarily normal looking bubbles. Ideas submitted by teachers.
Teacher submitted bubble graphics:
500 (agree, disagree, undecided)
501 (feelings chart)
502 (pain chart)
503 (opinion - also see 523)
504 (opinion - also see 524)
505 (music - treble)
506 (music - bass)
507 (music - alto)
508 (music - tenor)
509 (TNT Reading Express)
510 (OPINION - FACT)
511 (FACT - OPINION)
512 (OPINION - FACT)
513 (FACT - OPINION)
514
(Long Line of Bubbles for Matching, etc.)
515
(Long Line of Bubbles for Matching, etc.)
516
(Alphabet 1st Half - for Matching, etc.)
517
(Alphabet 2nd Half - for Matching, etc.)
518
(Blank Set - for Matching, etc. - Use with 516 or 517)
519
(Boxes for whatever ...)
520
(T F w/line)
521
(Longer Line)
522
(Longer Line)
523
(opinion - one line for better spacing)
524
(opinion - one line for better spacing)
525
(1-8 special request)
526
(large size A-E) For very young students, or motor-skill challenged.
527
(large size A-D)
528
(large size A-C)
529
(large True - False)
530
(large 1-3)
531
(large 1-4)
532
(large 1-5)
533
(large A-F)
These Essay Lines don't mix well with other styles.
Like math grids, you will need to cut and paste with scissors.
540
Essay Answer
541
Essay Answer
542
Essay Answer
543
Vertical Shape Bubble - larger
544
Vertical Shape Bubble - larger
545
Vertical Shape Bubble - larger
546
Vertical Shape Bubble - smaller
547
Vertical Shape Bubble - smaller
548
Vertical Shape Bubble - smaller
Teacher submitted bubble graphics:These Essay Lines don't mix well with other styles.Like math grids, you will need to cut and paste with scissors.
Math Grids and X-Y Axis Graphs (scroll for various styles):
PLEASE NOTE ... Because the column format is not working when you mix these
grids with other styles, please generate the math grid columns one at a time.
Print them out separately, and cut/paste (scissors and tape) together a master
of your test sheet. I realize this consumes more paper, but until I can figure
out how to align the columns, there is no other option.
Math Grids and X-Y Axis Graphs (scroll for various styles):PLEASE NOTE ... Because the column format is not working when you mix thesegrids with other styles, please generate the math grid columns one at a time.Print them out separately, and cut/paste (scissors and tape) together a masterof your test sheet. I realize this consumes more paper, but until I can figureout how to align the columns, there is no other option.
600 629
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630 STAAR Modified Texas Education
631 STAAR Modified Texas Education
632 STAAR Modified Texas Education
633 X-Y Axis Graph
634 X-Y Axis Graph
635 X-Y Axis Graph
636 X-Y Axis Graph
637
638
STAAR Modified Texas EducationSTAAR Modified Texas EducationSTAAR Modified Texas EducationX-Y Axis GraphX-Y Axis GraphX-Y Axis GraphX-Y Axis Graph
Select Misc Options ...
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Only valid for large and small round 'letter' bubbles.
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Include TRUE-FALSE for Column 3
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Column 1: Normal ODD EVEN
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SWAP Positions of Score Box and Instruction Box
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Brian Wheeler Talks PVP in Morrowind
By William Murphy on March 01, 2017 | Interviews | 0
During a recent trip to Zenimax Online Studios, we got to talk with ESO's PVP Lead Brian Wheeler about the upcoming PVP battlegrounds, Cyrodiil changes, and more.
MMORPG.com: Are there PvP specific Battleground loot sets? Like item sets?
Brian Wheeler: Yes, there will be specific sets.
MMORPG.com: Will they help you in PvP? Or are they just meant to be exclusive to PvP?
Brian: There's definitely uses for ones that I can see everywhere. I can't tell you anything else. There will be like four or five sets that you get from Battlegrounds. And that's full deal, rings, weapons, etc.
MMORPG.com: And they'll look awesome and everything? Glowy particle effects?
Brian: No glowy particle effects, but I do know what they're going to look like and I went, "Yes!"
MMORPG.com: So you get points for Battlegrounds to spend?
Brian: The way it will work, when you go into a Battleground match, there's obviously the score of the match. Then there's as you're playing, you're going to get medals as you play, and the medals reinforce the game. So, let's say, we have medals that are kill other player, get 5k crit, get a last hit, stuff like that. Those are great for Deathmatch. But in CTF, those medals won't exist. You'll get medals for capturing the flag, healing the flag carrier, killing a flag carrier, returning a flag. Those will be those types of medals. It's stuff that's reinforced in the game modes, so that matches don't simply turn into Deathmatch.
MMORPG.com: And if you're a player that just sits there and doesn't do anything, do you get auto kicked?
Brian: There will be an activity monitor behind the scenes that kicks you out if you sit there. If you're defending a flag, it knows. If you're at a flag, you're good. If you quit early there's gonna be a penalty. There will either be a penalty that doesn't let you rejoin or you get no AP for a period of time. Something like that.
MMORPG.com: Everybody gets rewards, but winners get more?
Brian: Yep. Depending upon the medals that you earned and depending upon first, second, and third, that's what's gonna dictate whether you got a green, blue, or purple item.
MMORPG.com: What other kind of stuff do you get in your rewards?
Brian: We're talking about adding other things that are more useful across the board. We just added the alchemy sacks to the Imperial City. So that's become a sort of, "Maybe we should do that for PvP as a whole."
MMORPG.com: Maybe you're playing Battlegrounds and that's all you really have time for, but you still want to work on your crafting, so you get stuff like that.
Brian: Yeah. I'm pretty sure the gear is going to be bind-on-equip. Pretty sure we're going to have selling. That's still getting a discussion. If it follows suit, like rewards for the Worthy, then you should be able to sell the stuff.
MMORPG.com: Are there going to be seasons with these leaderboards?
Brian: Leaderboards will be weekly leaderboards. There will be rewards, we haven't nailed those down just yet. There may just be all these purple versions of the Battleground gear or not. We are looking at adding ranked stuff later.
Initially, when you play for now, there's going to be a 10-49 bracket, there will be a 10-50 bracket, and then maybe a 10-50 no CP bracket. There's also plans that when you're grouped you'll be matched against other grouped players, through a certain amount of cycles in the queue. If you're sitting there waiting too long, it's going to go "Screw it! Find some PUGs, put 'em in there, let's go!" That also being said, it's going to try and match single players against other single players.
MMORPG.com: Will it look for class roles?
Brian: That's going to be a very fast queue in that regard, that doesn't get hung up on those. But that also means you could have a team of all DPS, a team of all healers, a team of all tanks.
MMORPG.com: Being able to switch between item sets and skill sets on the fly, with like a loadout?
Brian: We haven't had any plans to introduce like an outfit. That'd be cool. I agree. That being said, before each match starts, there's a pre-game timer. So, if you look around and go, "OK. We're all DPS. I'm gonna switch out to my light armor and healing staff."
MMORPG.com: Are there any updates coming to Cyrodiil?
Brian: We're always doing tweaks. We just did the 1500 AP and 6000 AP thing, besides Blackwood Mine, which we fixed. To see if that changes player behavior, movement. We're looking at modifying their behaviors in terms of giving different rewards. Right now the 1500 AP and 6000 per keep thing, that is leading up to something we'll discuss when the time comes. But we didn't want to increase the values of those, because we wanted to have people try to spread out and try to take the objectives that are already there. A lot of feedback has been, "Give us more objectives to take." But you guys aren't taking the ones that are already there. And the feedback for that is that they're not worth anything. At that point, we said, "Let's make them the same value as a player kill." If it's a mine or a farm or a lumber mill, it's 1500 points, because a level 50 player is 1500 points. And you can take a mine solo. There is, of course, the timer for the thing to actually flip when you sit on a flag. We're looking at either adjusting that or looking at other values.
MMORPG.com: So people aren't trading.
Brian: Right. We know that that's going to occur, because of the path of least resistance to get AP, but on the other hand the question has been for a long time, "Why don't you make them worth more AP?" Well, now you know why! It's more of a matter of giving them what they want, but also showing and stating, "We know this is going to cause this behavior. But we are also prepared to do other changes to see how we can curb that behavior." Things like making, not necessarily things like making the flag flip slower, but if you notice when you flip a flag all the way, there's still a time delay before it actually flips. We may extend that wait period. We may add some form of non flip buff/debuff thing. There's always things when you're looking at to continually add to Cyrodiil or Imperial City.
MMORPG.com: What are your thoughts on the map of Cyrodiil becoming a bit stale over time? What can you do to spice it up?
Brian: There's a ton of unused areas and we have our own factions in the game already. We could add Alliance specific new things or we could add Imperial encampments. One of the things we could theoretically add is giving Cheydinhal or Chorrol capture locations. We can give them that. They were left empty at first, because we did one per Alliance, and if you rotated all three maps on top of each other, then Bruma, Vlastarus, and Cropsford, were the most even for the time being. The problem with doing it in Chorrol and Cheydinhal is that they are literally outside a keep's sight distance. You can see those towns. Shy of going in and adding in a whole new town, it would be difficult. But Bravil would have been perfect, but Bravil's out of bounds.
MMORPG.com: What about something like unlocking a world boss for your faction?
Brian: There's that. There's a possibility of adding a Murderball out there. So, there's things that we can add, that we're still going through the phases of design reviews. The Cyrodiil experience that we have is pretty good. When you play in an active Trueflame, or an active Azura's, or an active Blackwater Blade, it's hoppin'. People stay there a lot. It's one of the key stats about ESO. When a lot of people get into PvP, they love it. They just stay in there. | {
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jinglestartk:
PLEASE HELP !!!
This Russia website re-upload so many cc creators’s creations without permission!, I try to contact them to put down the download, but I don’t know how to do, I do not speak Russian, so if you know, please help or please re-blog, thank you!!
中文也說一下…雖然不知道有沒有人懂俄語，這個俄國網站沒有經過同意重新上傳了很多作者的作品在他的網站分享，其中當然也很多我們認識的國內外作者的作品，我有嘗試要跟網站作者聯絡希望他把下載連結移除，但是由於我不懂俄語所以無從做起，大家能幫忙的請幫忙，不知道從何幫起的也請幫忙轉載，讓更多人看到，讓能幫忙的人幫忙，謝謝大家！
PLEASE HELP !!! Thank you! | {
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Barack Obama attended last week’s United Nations climate change conference. It would be odd if he didn’t – it was hosted in New York this year.
But many world leaders didn’t bother. China, India, Germany, Russia – some of the world’s largest economies, and largest emitters of carbon dioxide – just couldn’t be bothered.
Instead, celebrity spokesmodels took their place, actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo. They’re probably more interesting to the media anyways.
But all the celebrities and PR men in the world can’t hide a fact that the United Nations itself acknowledges: there just hasn’t been any measurable global warming since 1998.
The UN has a $100 word for that -- a “hiatus.” Like a recess, or vacation. As in, it hasn’t happened since the 1990s, but it will be back for sure. Any moment now.
Normally people, if they were campaigning to end something and it ended, would declare victory, have a celebration and move on.
But you don’t understand the UN. To declare victory against global warming would mean that they would have to find new jobs.
No more annual conventions in beautiful cities like New York, Bali, Marrakesh and Cancun. No more important meetings in five-star hotels. No more annual reunions with friends, paid for by taxpayers.
And, most importantly, no more cosmic excuses for tax increases and government regulations.
That’s why the UN – and their chorus in professional environmental groups and the mainstream media – have changed the terms. First it was global warming. Then climate change. Now it’s “climate disruption.” None of it is true – there are fewer tornadoes or hurricanes or sweltering days now than ever. Ice levels in the Arctic and Antarctic are firmly within normal bandwiths.
But it’s all about keeping the PR pressure on.
For what? What’s the plan from New York?
A position paper from China, leaked to Fox News, has some clues. China is now the world’s largest carbon user and emitter – twice as much as the United States does. Which makes sense – carbon is the stuff of life, and China is the country with the most lives in it. They all need electricity and transportation and industrialization. That’s why they’re building two coal-fired power plants a week.
There is no chance that China will reduce its carbon emissions. That would be tantamount to imperialism – the rich, industrialized West telling China that it can’t be rich and industrialized, too. Actually it’s more than that: China is the factory of the West. Look at everything in Walmart or Toys R Us – that pollution in China? That’s us outsourcing our emissions to them.
Ironically, China has far worse pollution problems than colourless, odourless, harmless carbon dioxide. Its air, land and water really are polluted. But you don’t have five-star celebrity reunions about that.
So if China will not tackle real pollution, and if it won’t tackle pretend pollution – namely carbon dioxide -- what does its position paper call for?
That’s the scoop. They’re happy to reduce their carbon emissions – for a price. And that price is $100 billion a year, from the United States, Canada and Europe, paid into a UN fund to be redistributed to China and other beneficiaries.
One hundred billion dollars a year.
And that’s not all: Western countries must agree to give up intellectual property rights. As in patents. China is engaged in massive industrial sabotage, trying to steal the West’s commercial secrets on everything from cellphones to Hollywood. China – in the name of global warming – simply wants the West to give them that. For free.
In the name of “climate change,” you see.
Can you blame them?
Western politicians want to tax carbon, to save the planet. Taxing carbon won’t save the planet. It’s an excuse that low-information celebrities seem to buy, though.
So if Leonardo DiCaprio will go for that, maybe he’ll go for a $100 billion/year gift to China, too?
I mean, it couldn’t hurt to ask for, right? | {
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Witnesses said that the man was hit by several cars.
In a video of the episode captured by a witness on his cell phone, the man is seen running erratically around the intersection as police officers tried to corral him out of the street.
“He was just wandering, running away from the cop,” said a witness who described himself as a retired police officer and did not want to be named. “He tried to run and ended up getting hit by three different cars.”
The police later wheeled the man into an ambulance. He was conscious and sitting upright, dressed in a green sweater. He appeared to be handcuffed. | {
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Welcome back to Robots in Design. I’ve got a couple of star cards to preview today, so I’m going to kick it off with a look at how we design star cards.
As we were closing in on the final form of the core game system we went through several quick evolutions. There was a brief time where the teams were always characters and all characters had equal power. That quickly gave way to a star team building system that you would recognize, starting with 10 total stars and moving upwards to 20, and then finally settling at 25. Note that we weren’t changing the size of our expected teams, just rescaling their star values. The character who would become Optimus Prime, Battlefield Legend started at 5 stars, went up to 10, and then settled at 13 during this same time.
This progression in stars was primarily driven by a balance between resolution (how accurately can we express the strength of a character in a limited range of star values) and math processing (how much are we taxing our players to build their teams. To many of you, that second factor might not seem that important, but you must remember three things:
We designed the game to be accessible to kids as young as 8 years old.
Up-front complexity is the most likely to keep a new game from “sticking”. People are much better at single-digit math, so we chose a range where the majority of characters would be 10 or fewer stars.
You get diminishing returns with increased resolution. At some point, the precision of the measurement is finer than your accuracy. If we had had a 100-star scale, I doubt that the design team would have been able to reliably distinguish whether a 35-star character was stronger or weaker than a 36-star character.
Even with the 10-star scale, we had no 1-star characters, as we knew a 10-character team would not lead to a fun play experience. The idea of star battle cards was there almost from the beginning, but we always planned to save it for the second set. The amount of power that you could have in a one-star battle card was one of the drivers that helped push the star total to 25.
Star Performers
Star cards walk a delicate line. We want them to be powerful enough that you are happy using them to fill out your ideal 22 or 23-star team but not so strong that you’re tempted to run something silly like a 15-star team with 10 star cards. (And yes, we’ve seen and been amused by the discussions online about running a 4-star character and 21 star cards). We want them to be swingy enough that you’re excited to draw them but not so much that a game feels like all that matters is who played the most star cards.
Star cards are a lot of fun to make. The fact that they are self-limiting means we can take a lot more risks in their design and that we can play with effects that are exciting in small doses but scale problematically.
This brings us at last to the first of our preview cards. In Wave 1, one of the most important cards was Force Field. In Rise of the Combiners, I was trying to design a slightly weaker Force Field with a different feel. Unfortunately, it ended up being even stronger (way too much stronger) and got cut from the set. We toned it down a bit and tried it again in War for Cybertron: Siege I, and it was still too good. It got cut again. Finally, in Siege II it gets to see the light of day. Walk through the fire with Blast Suit.
This card is remarkably efficient. If your opponent is swinging for less than 10, it prevents more damage than Force Field does. If you’ve set it up with a Backup Bag as well, it’s a real beating. As another point of comparison, Medic! will repair you 2 damage with one card play. If your opponent is attacking for at least 3 damage, Blast Suit will save you at least that much damage. Finally, Raider Needlenose is Blast Suit’s best friend. Recurring the Blast Suit will give him incredible durability and let you draw out the game to continue accumulating advantage.
Our second preview comes out of the paradox of interaction. We want there to be a healthy amount of interaction in the game. There should be plays and counterplays. Gambits that pay off and those that crash and burn. The challenge is that too much/too easy interaction can be almost as frustrating as no interaction. Because the Transformers TCG has no mana/resource system (we’re action based), it is possible to have lines of play where nothing “sticks”.
Data Pad? Ramming Speed.
Force Field? Bashing Shield.
Noble’s Blaster? Vaporize it.
Full Loadout a bunch of Upgrades? Inferno sends them all back.
Even when you get some incremental value from the initial use of your upgrades, play patterns like this lead to people feeling frustrated that they can’t progress their board state. When you just want your opponent to leave your stuff alone and let you play with your shiny toys, I highly recommend you bust out Indestructible Sword.
Don’t think of it as a Primary Laser. Think of it as a Primary Laser that NEVER GOES AWAY. Even if the character is KO’d, it still comes back. Also, it’s yet another double black battle icon to ensure that one way or another, you’re going to be getting some damage through.
I hope you’re enjoying preview season. We’ve got a lot of exciting reveals still to come, so enjoy your discussion of Blast Suit and Indestructible Sword while keeping an eye out for more. | {
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With a week-and-a-half to go until the Iowa caucuses, former Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson says she’s supporting tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang in the contest that kicks off the presidential nominating calendar.
"I'm lending my support to Andrew in Iowa, hopefully to help him get past the early primaries & remind us not to take ourselves too seriously. We need that this year. We need to lighten up on a personal level, because the moment is so serious on a political level," Williamson announced in a series of Instagram posts.
But the best-selling spiritual author made it clear that she’s not officially “endorsing anyone” in the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination race at this time and is just supporting Yang through Iowa’s Feb. 3 caucuses.
"I am not endorsing anyone at this time. I support all the progressive candidates," she emphasized in a statement to Fox News.
Williamson went on to say that she will appear with Yang in the first caucus state "because I know the institutional obstructions to his candidacy and I want to see him continue in the race past Iowa."
On Instagram, she also touted Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts – saying that she admires both of the progressive standard-bearers in the nomination race. But she said that unlike Yang, “right now they don’t need my help.”
WILLIAMSON DROPS OUT OF DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL RACE
But she highlighted that "Andrew’s personality is like a tuning fork realigning us with something we need to retrieve, taking us back to a more innocent time, making us remember to chuckle."
Yang took to Twitter to thank Williamson, writing that he has “learned a lot from Marianne and continue to do so. She answers questions that many of us haven’t even thought to ask. Very grateful for her friendship and support in this important time.”
Yang, once the longest of longs-shots for the nomination, soared to middle-tier status last year in the polls and in campaign fundraising, thanks in part to his push for a universal basic income that would pay all adult Americans $1,000 per month.
Williamson, who faced an extreme uphill climb to win the nomination, preached the politics of love and proposed creating a Department of Peace. She dropped her bid for the White House earlier this month. | {
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Jeju International Airport is crowded with tourists. Jeju residents are protesting the government's project to build a new airport, saying the overwhelming number of tourists are already causing too many problems on the island. / Yonhap
Residents complain about excessive No. of visitors, oppose new airport
By Jung Min-ho
Every year, about 15 million tourists visit Jeju Island, home to only 660,000 people.
Over the past decade, the island has turned into Korea's tourism hub with many luxury hotels and resorts, thanks to an increasing number of visitors from overseas and other parts of the country.
But the island's commercial success has come at a steep cost. An overwhelming amount of garbage and noise has become a part of Jeju life. Traffic jams have become more common. Jeju's underground water has recently been found to be "in danger of being exhausted."
Now, the government is planning to build a new airport in southern Jeju, which it thinks will triple the number of tourists to 45 million by 2035.
Since the government announced the plan two years ago, thousands of Jeju residents have opposed it, saying their island is already suffering from an overwhelming number of tourists and more visitors will destroy the beauty that attracted them in the first place.
"We are opposed to the plan for the future of Jeju Island, which is now at stake," Kang Won-bo, director of the protesters' group, told The Korea Times. "Its once-pristine environment has been seriously damaged after it became popular with outsiders. There is more trash and traffic jams."
"In addition to such obvious harm, Jeju residents have to deal with the stress from many people and noise, which is everywhere. Many miss how it used to be."
According to Kang, many Jeju residents were "glad" when the Chinese government banned the sale of group tour packages to Korea last year following the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system here.
Over the past few months, protesters' have raised their voices against the airport plan, holding rallies across the island and in Seoul.
Faced with the fierce opposition, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport suspended the plan and said it will reexamine Jeju's Seogwipo to determine whether the city is a proper site for airport construction.
One of the biggest misconceptions about Jeju's tourism boom is that it earns Jeju residents a lot of money, Kang said.
"Many commercial facilities on the island are owned by foreigners or major companies. They make a lot of money, while many of Jeju's small business owners make only a fraction of the money tourists spend here," he said.
For example, many Chinese tourists, which account for 80 percent of all foreign visitors to Jeju, come to the island in groups through Chinese travel agencies and eat in the restaurants owned by Chinese residents.
"Jeju natives complain that they have been forced out of businesses because of foreigners and major hotel chains. Meanwhile, they all share the cost of mass tourism. I think that's unfair," Kang said.
Protesters have also accused the ministry of failing to communicate with them from the beginning.
The ministry denied the allegation, saying it collected their opinions and communicated with them through several briefing sessions before the project announcement.
The ministry also said Jeju International Airport is already too crowded and, as demand will continue to increase, safety risks will rise too. According to estimates, the number of current users is 30 million, which is 4 million more than it was designed to handle.
"Due to an increasing number of aircraft at the airport, a plane crash could have happened Sept. 29," the ministry said. "To ensure safety and convenience for users, building another airport is essential."
The ministry said it is open to dialogue with Jeju residents. But if the opposition continues even after objective examinations and discussions, the ministry said it will take the issue to court.
When it comes to the issue of mass tourism, Jeju is hardly alone. Around the world, famous places such as Venice and Barcelona are also suffering from a massive influx of visitors.
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5 Things I Like About Street Fighter V!!
It goes without saying, E3 was an amazing week of surprises but what really kept my attention for the remainder of the event was the hands on game play that I witnessed for the upcoming current gen brawler Street Fighter V.
It was apparent that no other fighting game dare show their faces at the E3 convention center on opening day! Despite being eager to see what other developers had to offer on the fighting game front, the message was clear, big daddy was in the house.
With 3 days of Street Fighter V exhibitions that showcased some of the worlds best players discovering what the latest saga in the Street Fighter series had to offer, I came away with an amazing appreciation for what looks to be a game that I will be spending a great deal of time with between this and next year.
So, what exactly has me so excited about this title that I’m already giving it praises before I’ve even had a chance to get my hands on the game?! Well…let me count the ways.
1. A Stun Bar
Sounds crazy, I know, but for the first time in my fighting game experience, I’ll have a bar that represents just how much damage me and my opponent are receiving before we go into the dreaded stun state and I can’t help but be some what elated at having this feature available.
Having such a small feature is going to be a big deal when it comes to monitoring the amount of stun you receive and create against the different move sets.
It adds a nice element of urgency as you’ll need to manage much more then your meter and energy bar to avoid losing a match and it’s something I look forward to experiencing myself when I can finally play the game.
2. The Current Gen Graphics
While both Killer Instinct and Mortal Kombat have exhibited some amazing feats in character detail, Street Fighter 5 seems to have delivered on what I’ve been waiting to see in video games since I first witnessed the amazing photo realism of CG many years ago.
Watching the game play beautifully rendered in real time is a sight to behold and for the first time in a long time, I finally felt like we have reached the level of realism that was expected back when the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 first made their way into gaming house holds.
Animations have a feeling of fullness even for the light attacks. Moves despite looking a bit sluggish, have a realistic weight to them. It may take some getting used to coming from Street Fighter IV but I’m very pleased with what the developers have managed to create using the Unreal Engine 4.
3. Smaller Combos, Bigger Damage!
The barrier for entry is looking a lot more promising for this version of Street Fighter V. On several occasions, I watched a few hits convert into some hefty damage something that was pretty difficult to do in the previous version of SF.
Gone is the Ultra mechanic that was thought to be an unnecessary comeback factor by many within the SF community. If you want to take back a round, you’re going to have to make some good decisions and execute your best combos to create big damage.
4. It’s A Little More Stylish
SFV is definitely experimenting a great deal with the combat engine. Veteran characters such as Ryu have been given a nice target combo(command combo) adding a little more flare to his basic fighting style one I felt was greatly needed in his latest incarnation.
Looking at just how much the new M. Bison has changed, tells me that this direction is something that many fans and new comers can look forward to and choosing a favorite is going to be more of a task than ever before.
5. V-Skills For Vendetta
The latest mechanic offers so much more when it comes to character variety. Ryu’s ability to parry and increase his damage output, returning Street Fighter Alpha character Birdie’s ability to eat food to increase his V-gauge as well as gain guard breaking attacks, these additions give Street Fighter V its’ much needed identity and I’m curious to see what developers have in store for the rest of the incoming cast.
So there you have it, five things I like about Street Fighter V. There is no doubting the series that brought many of us back to what we loved about fighting games has returned again to make a statement and so far it’s a good sign that the godfather of fighting games is here to stay. | {
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Bitcoin is on the road to increasing its capacity – but it’s not there yet.
Despite the claim bitcoin has been upgraded to support Segregated Witness-style transactions, there are more steps that need to occur before its distributed network can process additional data.
In fact, due to the complexities of keeping bitcoin’s distributed network in unison, the change might not take hold until late August.
The timeline
That said, with BIP 91 activated, bitcoin is now headed down a path toward that possible outcome.
In context, this means that BIP 148, a proposal that seeks to upgrade the network to SegWit using different code, is no longer likely (though it’s still possible). As such, one avenue that would find bitcoin splitting into two blockchains has been diminished, though it would be wrong to say it has been eliminated entirely – even in the short term.
Rather, SegWit now needs to follow a timeline designed to give miners and node operators ample time to upgrade their software, one that must also operate within the larger constraints of bitcoin’s design.
Here’s a best-case scenario of how this might unfold:
As illustrated above, miners must now signal support for SegWit until the code achieves “lock in” and “activation,” two separate milestones with unique requirements.
Short-term complications
Still, things could go awry.
For example, it’s possible that bitcoin’s miners could stop signaling support for SegWit ahead of the BIP 141 “lock in” deadline (although they’d risk having their blocks rejected by the network, losing the rewards).
While all nodes appear to be signaling correctly, it’s hard to know exactly who is running the software – this means that miners could fail to reject a block that wasn’t signaling for SegWit, continue adding new blocks on top of that block, and ultimately, produce an alternative chain.
Adding to the argument is that miner support for the idea has notably wavered in the past, with some asserting it’s largely the threat that users could push through a change that could lead to a split that has kept miners in check.
Litecoin’s attempts at integrating SegWit adds context to this theory.
As much as 75% of litecoin’s mining hashrate, for instance, was signaling for SegWit in April, meaning it reached the necessary threshold to lock in SegWit. But miner support dropped off soon after. This sparked protocol creator Charlie Lee and other litecoin users to threaten to code an alternative user-activated soft fork (UASF) proposal.
Shortly thereafter, a roundtable was held that united major miners, at which time they agreed to signal support for SegWit.
Should similar psychology come into play here, the idea is that (after averting a UASF on bitcoin on August 1), miner support for SegWit may wane, though the economic stakes here are arguably higher.
Long-term complications
But even if SegWit passes, that still only enacts one-half of the Segwit2x proposal.
An informal agreement among businesses and miners reached in May, the goal of the initiative was to push the capabilities of the software even further (some would argue too far beyond what should be advocated by prudent development).
As developer Jeff Garzik put forward in an interview this weekend, he still plans to help push forward an effort that would seek to upgrade the block size to 2MB, and to enact the upgrade via a process known as a hard fork.
The argument against that approach is that research in this area is still underdeveloped, though Garzik has argued SegWit could fail to introduce the capacity changes promised by those who have championed its integration.
This determination (as well as the acrimony Garzik’s outlook has caused in the developer community that argue this claim and others he’s made are false) could make a split later in the year more likely.
And it’s quite possible this chart will become more complex as this date approaches and different groups attempt to influence the outcome.
Disclosure: CoinDesk is a subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which acted as organizer for the Segwit2x proposal.
Old compass image via Shutterstock | {
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Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Mannan Wani. | Photo Credit: Facebook
New Delhi: In a shocking development a condolence meeting for killed Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Mannan Wani was organised in Aligarh Muslim University by Kashmiri students studying in the varsity. AMU research scholar turned Hizbul Mujahideen commander Wani was gunned down by security forces yesterday. The university administration suspended 3 students after they were found to be inciting fellow students for a prayer meeting to be held later. Four students have been given show cause notice.
As soon as the news of Mannan's death reached AMU, some students declared him a martyr and tried to read namaz-e-janaza, which lead to a spat with senior students from the campus.
“Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Manan Wani who was killed in Handwara encounter today was once a student at AMU, he was rusticated from the University. AMU has nothing to do with him now. Few students tried to hold a gathering today over his death, 3 students suspended,” AMU registrar Abdul Hamid told ANI.
Wani was studying Applied Geology at the university and left the campus earlier this year to join the terrorist outfit. Later, his photograph holding AK-47 assault rifle surfaced on social media.
Today a PhD scholar chose death over life & was killed in an encounter. His death is entirely our loss as we are losing young educated boys everyday. 1/2 — Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) October 11, 2018
After the news of Wani’s death spread in the valley separatist leaders tweeted in support of the terrorist. Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti urged India to hold dialogue with all the stakeholders to bring peace in the valley.
Alas! heard the tragic news of #MananWani’s Martyrdom and of his associates! Deeply pained that we lost a budding intellectual and writer like him,fighting for the of cause of self-determination.JRL appeals to people to observe a complete #Shutdown tomorrow to pay homage to him — Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (@MirwaizKashmir) October 11, 2018
Calling Wani a martyr separatist leader and founder of All Parties Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq appealed the people of the valley to observe a complete shutdown today to pay homage to him. | {
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Le mansplaining à l’ère de l’urgence climatique… | {
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Using Models with React
Introducing React Axiom
November 16, 2016 edits reflect API changes since the original publishing of this article.
At some point in a React application, describing state changes for application data becomes difficult at individual component levels and calls for a clean abstraction between business logic and presentational components. Redux is certainly an option at this point, but suppose the tradeoffs that Redux provides are unfavorable?
React Axiom is a lightweight (~12kb) way to use models with the React component tree. A basic React Axiom model looks like the following:
class ListItemModel extends ReactAxiom.Model { static defaultState() {
return {
id: null,
description: '',
completed: false
};
} }
Model stores the argument object in this.state and automatically creates getter and setter functions: getId , setId , hasId for the id property, getDescription , setDescription , hasDescription for the description property, and isCompleted , setCompleted , hasCompleted for the completed property (note: this is different due to the completed property being a boolean). Defining a method of the same name on the class overwrites the getter or setter:
class ListItemModel extends ReactAxiom.Model { static defaultState() {
return {
id: null,
description: '',
completed: false
};
} getDescription() {
return this.state.description.toLowerCase();
} }
When a React Axiom model is passed into a component, the component listens to state changes within the model and updates itself. The following is an example of a React component using a model passed as listItem below:
class ListItemComponent extends React.Component { render() {
const { listItem } = this.props;
return (
<li>
{listItem.getDescription()}
{listItem.isCompleted() ? null : this.renderButton()}
</li>
);
} renderButton() {
const { listItem } = this.props;
return (
<button onClick={() => listItem.setCompleted(true)}>
complete
</button>
);
} }
Notice how the component calls setCompleted on the listItem model to update state. To put everything together:
const listItem = new ListItemModel({
id: '1',
description: 'Teach mom how to use Slack'
}); const ListItemSubscriber = ReactAxiom.subscribe(ListItemComponent); ReactDOM.render(
<ListItemSubscriber listItem={listItem} />,
document.getElementById('app')
);
The higher order subscribe function wraps the ListItemComponent and returns a new ListItemSubscriber component. The ListItemSubscriber component will then subscribe to the listItem model and update itself if state changes. In the specific above example, clicking on the complete button will cause the button to disappear.
Getting Complex with References
State changes in React Axiom models occur through mutations. As a result, this design allows references to other objects, arrays, and models to operate fairly well in state. The following example adds a dependencies field to ListItemModel and some additional logic to complete a list item.
class ListItemComponent extends ReactAxiom.Model { static defaultState() {
return {
id: null,
description: '',
completed: false,
dependencies: [],
};
} complete() {
this.getDependencies().forEach(dependency => {
dependency.complete();
}); this.setCompleted(true);
} }
To recursively render list items, the ListItemComponent component can render the ListItemSubscriber component for each dependency:
class ListItemComponent extends React.Component { render() {
const { listItem } = this.props;
return (
<li>
{listItem.getDescription()}
{listItem.isCompleted() ? null : this.renderButton()}
<ul>
{this.renderDependencies()}
</ul>
</li>
);
} renderButton() {
const { listItem } = this.props;
return (
<button onClick={() => listItem.complete()}>
complete
</button>
);
} renderDependencies() {
const { listItem } = this.props;
return listItem.getDependencies().map(dependency => (
<ListItemSubscriber listItem={dependency} />
));
} } const ListItemSubscriber = ReactAxiom.subscribe(ListItemComponent);
Now, clicking on a complete button will mutate that model’s completed state value and all of its dependencies’ completed state value. In addition, any component that subscribed to any of the mutated list items will update and render the correct state.
Use with Server Rendering
One particular drawback with React Axiom is that the data store requires model names to be passed as part of the transferrable data. This is fine for server-to-client data transfer, however it is less flexible in terms of snapshotting and persisting state to a local storage should the model names change in any way. The following is an example of serializing and parsing models and model data with the React Axiom Store :
const listItem1 = new ListItemModel({
id: '1',
description: 'Teach mom how to use Slack'
}); const listItem2 = new ListItemModel({
id: '2',
description: 'Meditate',
dependencies: [listItem1]
}); ReactAxiom.Store.setModelRefs([ListItemModel]); const serverStore = new ReactAxiom.Store({
title: 'Things to do',
createdAt: Date.now(),
listItems: [listItem1, listItem2]
}); const json = serverStore.stringify(); // Transfer the data to the client
// to hydrate the client store, and
// reinitialize the application. ReactAxiom.Store.setModelRefs([ListItemModel]); const clientStore = new ReactAxiom.Store(); clientStore.parse(json);
Notice how listItem2 contains a reference to listItem1 on the server store. By passing in classes to initialize the client store, it is able to rebuild this reference from the provided JSON string. In other words, listItem2.getDependences()[0] === listItem1 on clientStore .
When to Use Models
Like any design, there are tradeoffs. Redux, for example, requires plain objects to describe changes in the system and pure functions to describe the logic for handling those changes (what a lot of developers refer to as “boilerplate”) but gains a more flexible data store. React Axiom requires models to describe the changes in the system and describe the logic for handling those changes, but gains the following advantages:
Organizing and stubbing business logic becomes easier.
Interfaces between views, models, and data become more flexible.
Writing semantic and transparent code becomes easier.
For someone new to the React ecosystem, React Axiom might make a little bit more sense than Redux, but like any framework or design that is opinionated, only use it if solves a particular problem or fits the situation.
What is Next?
React Axiom is still in its infancy stage. I welcome any help to make this design paradigm a robust solution for large scale applications for the JavaScript community. Please feel free to get involved by checking out the GitHub repository or contacting me on Twitter. 🙏🏽 | {
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Take 8% of your gross income, and that’s your tax cut. Take 1.5% of the equity in your house and that’s the additional tax to pay. This gives you roughly (and I mean rough) the order of magnitude of how closing the loophole in the income tax regime affects you.
Feedback from the beach BBQs so far this summer tells me people want some idea of how TOP’s flagship policy – making New Zealand fair again – affects them. While I’ve said 80% of people will be either better off or insignificantly affected, self-interest is hard for many to resist.
There are very good reasons for why I don’t want to be precise. The final shape of any package depends on so many variables – will we have minimum thresholds for asset values included or not (I favour none, I love the fact GST is so clean)? Will the income tax cuts apply across-the-board or be skewed towards those on lower incomes (my preference)? What minimum taxable income on assets will be imposed? What does the time profile of the transition to full implementation look like (remember there is no intention to “collapse” house prices)? And so on – the questions are endless. And well they might be until the final form is known. And that has to be negotiated with the government of the day.
The above are some very crude rules of thumb to work out what such a closing of the tax loophole might mean for you. This is how I can simplify it.
Most people have an average income tax rate of about 24%. For those people you can expect a cut in your average tax rate of about one third – around 8% of your declared income. As I’ve said I’d prefer the poor to receive larger tax cuts, but for now lets assume it is proportional across the spectrum. Meanwhile, we can assume the tax collect on your assets is maximum 1.5%.
We’ll start by looking at the median household; which earns $76k and has just under $300k in assets ($264k is in housing). They are saving $6k in income tax and paying $4k more. So under our tax plan the median household would be $2,000 better off each and every year; that is $40 a week. This should be no surprise, because like I said, 80% are better off.
Now lets look at the top 20%. The top 20% of households earn over $135k and have assets over $815k ($710 of which is in housing). Now wealthy households may not have a high income and vice versa but on average they do. So for households at this 80th percentile of society, their income tax falls by $11k, which is about the same as the extra tax they will pay. Assets tend to become much more significant after this point, so we’d expect the wealthiest 20% to pay more tax, and I’d argue they can afford it.
Final example – to ensure you’ve got the principle here, even if the numbers are crude. You earn $100k and you have net equity in the house of $200k. The tax cut is 8% of $100k or $8k and the effect of closing the loophole is to raise tax by 1.5% of $200k or $3k. You are $5k better off each year.
Now please, appreciate that these numbers are indicative only but should give you a feel for the nature of this revolt against tax unfairness.
If I have no declared income but own a $2m house without debt then my tax rises by $30k. If I’m a pensioner, that could be paid by a rising mortgage to the IRD (an amount that falls each year because your equity in the house drops). If not – well yes – it’s time for me to “rearrange my portfolio”. Now the reason I’d phase in the closing of the loophole, is precisely to give these people – who let’s face it are in the business of investing for capital gains – time to reposition, without house prices collapsing on them.
The way I evaluated the package is by simulating a whole lot of various combinations of rates and thresholds. The range of outcomes showed that anywhere between 75% and 90% of people would be left insignificantly affected or better off – so that’s why I talk about 80% in that category, and 20% being caught by the closing of this loophole.
So there’s a really rough set of numbers that you can use to think about this. It’s all about fairness and bringing to an end the vast dollops of wealth that people are accumulating through no effort – while merrily shutting more and more people out of the housing market.
To me it’s a no-brainer and overdue. You might say – bugger that, I like making money for no effort. Your call of course – but let’s not forget why this is necessary.
The tax loophole sees owners of assets (like me) escaping a lot of income tax that would not be possible if all forms of income (as income is identified in the GDP accounts) were taxed equally. The consequence of decades of allowing that anomaly to persist includes
(a) Housing is stupidly unaffordable now, rents chew way too much of family income and in short – those of us that own property, increase our wealth at the expense of those who do not. Nobody in his or her right mind should see that as okay. Of course there will be some of those who are benefitting greatly from this, and who don’t give a stuff about others. They would not vote TOP. But those of us who actually care about New Zealand, and not just ourselves – do see the need for change.
(b) Businesses are starved of investment capital because you and I don’t save and invest nearly enough. We don’t need to, I get richer and richer just by owning property, no effort required – yippee. Pity about the grandkids trying to get on the gravy train.
(c) If businesses don’t get normal access to capital they don’t expand and create jobs to their potential. They certainly can’t afford to pay higher wages. While average per hour wage rates in New Zealand have risen about 1% pa above inflation over the last 20 years, the median wage rise is less – and of course allowing for fiscal drag (tax bracket creep) and the rise in housing costs, disposable incomes have been stagnant for many.
(d) inequality keeps rising – I’m okay Jack, I’ll buy another house or two and then let’s pull up the ladder behind us.
(e) We keep falling over ourselves to make it easier and easier for foreign companies to invest here. We give them tax breaks, subsidies and all manner of privileges – so gagging for their capital we have become, given we don’t save much ourselves nor invest those meagre savings productively.
So the problems are obvious, the cure is straightforward. But are we up for it? Hopefully some numbers might help you clarify for yourself whether you are prepared to make New Zealand fair again – and as a result see greater prosperity for all. | {
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I recently came upon an interesting way to conceptualize the way we interact with reality.
It may be useful to refer to the idea of a black box to start with. In this instance we see what inputs come into the black box, and we see what outputs come out, but we are not aware of happens in between.
The pivot point lies in the fact that there is a similar flow of information through us. Reality imposes itself onto us (in some part influenced by our past actions) and thus gives us an input. Something happens inside of us and we execute an output.
The question lies in what is the difference, and the changes that have occurred between the input and the output.
We may observe that sometimes the input is quite similar to the output. Parents that have not processed their traumas/issues often transfer them to their children. Victims of trauma often become perpetrators of it themselves.
Break the Cycle.
But how do we do that? How do traumatized children not become traumatized parents that continue the suffering? How do we not react with hate when hate is thrown at us?
As I discussed in a previous article, I find it helpful to imagine our minds as mirrors, warped by our past, reflecting the inputs we are currently experiencing. Then based on these we (re)act. I am aware that this plays into the issue of free will, however that is a can of worms for another article. For the sake of argument we will simply assume that we have free will and that therefore we can alter what “passes through us” from input to output.
The question that is immediately eminent is “How?”.
The way that I understand the role and function of the mind is as a control center where various systems report on their progress and you then, based on this data base your output. We can liken this to a commander to whom various platoons are reporting, and he then responds with appropriate order. This, in my understanding, can be imagine as such.
Input/Reality > Systems in our unconscious > Outputs of systems in consciousness (what we experience, all of it)> Output/Our actions based on analysis of the contents of our mind.
This is of course an extreme simplification.
To stretch the analogy of the commander a bit further, we can imagine a scenario where the commander does not like what a platoon is reporting, he ignores it. Now the platoon leader will be alarmed by this response and pipe up, eventually even scream at the commander to open his damn ears. Acknowledgement of the report by the commander immediately informs the platoon leader that his statements have been registered in the ongoing plan. On the other hand it is also possible that the commander only listens to the reports of those platoon leaders that are giving him the news he wants to hear. Maybe he will even do both, actively seek out those bearers of good news, while avoiding those that bring bad, or undesirable news.
This is what happens within us. Systems ask for our attention, the more we avoid acknowledging, or focus on specific other more pleasurable “reports” the more we are warping the accuracy of our actions.
I would recommend reading Sun Tzu’s Art of war for a more detailed picture, if it is read in the context of relating to our minds in some of its statements. But for a rough picture we can simply say that a commander must listen to all equally, and then base his decisions while keeping all these, undesirable and desirable in mind. A bad commander who goes with the yes men and kills the no men goes the path of Hitler, ruin.
So at this point we can return to the original statement “Let it flow”.
When we try to look away, curse, or fear our anger, our fear, our anxiety, we inspire it to increase the intensity of its warnings, obviously we are not listening. These systems are often simply warning systems or serve a more concrete purpose. Our anger serves a purpose, so does our anxiety, and so does our fear. As we all know this can lead to a downward spiral. We feel anxious about feeling anxious. We feel angry at ourselves for feeling anger. We are afraid of our fear.
So the answer is to simply let these emotions be? To be a rock, by which all these emotions simply float by? I personally don’t find this helpful in my mind. This in itself still implies a resistance, a fear of what is happening. Rather than engaging with it we are simply keeping it at arms length. We are a river, and like this we are pretending to be a rock in the river, unmoved. This attitude however only increases your tolerance, it does not remove the issue, it is a band-aid. For you will break. No matter your force of will, if you are at war with the world and yourself, you can only lose. Then we experience the loss of control even more bitterly and it will crush us as we have build ourselves up as stoic rocks.
So what should we do? We cannot look away, we cannot crave, but we cannot simply let it be, flowing through us, without affecting us.
We look it straight in the eyes. We don’t just let it pass past us, but through us. Whenever we can we try to add what is at our hearts. When someone act with aggression, we can react (like a leaf in the wind), we can not react (like a rock), or you can act with kindness, taking the input, adding what is inside of you, and making a more beautiful output.
We must let it flow through us.
Relevant reading:
The Robot’s Rebellion by Keith Stanovich
The Art Of War by Sun Tzu
The Stories of the Buddha and Mara
The Mind Illuminated by Jeremy Graves and Matthew Immergut | {
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In a secret ballot, only 199 members of the lower house Bundestag parliament voted for Mariana Harder-Kühnel to become one of parliamentary speaker Wolfgang Schäuble's deputies. There were 423 deputies who voted against her and 43 who abstained.
The AfD has 92 deputies in the 709-seat chamber.
By tradition, the speaker has a deputy from each party, but to date the Bundestag has refused to support any AfD candidate for the post. It was Harder-Kühnel's third attempt, and the sixth by a candidate put forward by the party.
The six-member presidium is made up of Hans-Peter Friedrich (CSU), Thomas Oppermann (SPD), Wolfgang Kubicki (FDP), Petra Pau (Left) and Claudia Roth (Greens), headed by Bundestag President Schäuble (formerly CDU).
Support actually dipped at the third attempt. Standing for the post in December, Harder-Kühnel had the support of 241 deputies. In the previous vote in November, she gathered 223 ballots from the 654 who voted.
Various politicians took to social media to express their views as to why the votes were lacking for the 44-year-old lawyer and Catholic mother of three — an AfD member since 2013 — with strong opinions on gay rights, abortion and foreigners.
Alice Weidel, the AfD leader whose anti-EU speech was re-tweeted by Conservative UK politician and Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg
For the AfD's Beatrix von Storch, democracy was the loser in the vote: "With the non-election of Harder-Kühnel, the name of the biggest loser is: Democracy," she wrote on Twitter. "Yes, there is no right to be voted in. But there is a duty to provide reasons for voting against. And there are no reasons."
Lawyer and leading CDU parliamentarian Michael Grosse-Brömer said it was important to avoid the AfD presenting itself as a victim of bullying by the mainstream parties: "We should not allow the AfD a martyr status and we should make them carry out their responsibilities — rather than giving them the opportunity to moan about not being given a majority."
However, Greens spokesman Sven Kindler said Harder-Kühnel's failure was a "good day for democracy and a clear signal against the normalization of right-wing extremism."
Kindler's words were mirrored by the SPD's Marja-Liisa Völlers, who wrote: "If a group systematically disregards the decency of our democratic culture, then it also has no entitlement to a Bundestag vice-presidency."
jm/msh (epd, dpa, AFP)
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Premiere: Dikembe – “Two Zero Two” (Northstar Cover)
Posted: 6th July, 2017 by admin
Premiering the newest track in Dikembe’s cover series, “Two Zero Two” originally by Northstar. Dikembe add their typical emotional energy to this already classic emo track. I have enjoyed this entire cover series, but this might be my favorite one. Take a listen below:
COVERS 2017 by Dikembe
Today is also the 1 year anniversary of Dikembe’s last full length, Hail Something, so they’re selling it on vinyl for $8 on their own label, Death Protector Collective.
Catch them on tour now with Prince Daddy & the Hyena (dates below)
– Henderson | {
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What a pity that David Foster Wallace is not alive today. The American novelist, formerly a junior tennis prodigy in Illinois, was once the leading chronicler of Roger Federer’s greatness.
It was Foster Wallace who described Federer’s forehand as “a great liquid whip” and the man himself as “a creature whose body is both flesh and, somehow, light”. He rolled up a salvo of epigrams into a classic New York Times essay: “Roger Federer as Religious Experience.”
Had he lived, Foster Wallace might have reached an even higher plane of ecstasy today. At the age of 35 years and 11 months, Federer is about to play his 11th Wimbledon final. And over the first two-thirds of the 2017 tennis season, he has delivered the greatest tennis of his career.
If you don’t believe me, just ask Magnus Norman, the man widely seen as the world’s leading coach. At Queen’s last month, Norman told Telegraph Sport “For sure, Roger and Rafa [Nadal] are playing better now than they were ten years ago. They play closer to the baseline and they move much better, much faster. That’s the evolution of the game.”
Few Wimbledon finals have been as imbalanced as this one in terms of popular interest and support. Marin Cilic is perhaps less of an underdog than Cedric Pioline, the little-known Frenchman who mounted a doomed attempt to overcome Pete Sampras in 1997. But only just.
Pete Sampras after defeating France's Cedric Pioline in 1997 credit: AP
With respect to Cilic – who is both a fine player and a charming man – he is still only Croatia’s second-most-famous tennis player after his own former coach, Goran Ivanisevic.
Yes, he might have gone on David Letterman’s show after lifting the US Open title in 2014 – a victory that Ivanisevic described as “fresh blood, fresh air for tennis”. But he has not inspired the Nobel Prize-winning author, J M Coetzee, to write to his fellow novelist Paul Auster, saying, “I have just seen something like the human ideal made visible.”
Men of letters usually consider sport to be beneath their notice. Yet Federer’s artistry takes him into a different sphere, where he is as likely to be compared to Mikhail Baryshnikov as to Rod Laver. The same artistic flair also makes him overwhelmingly popular with the everyday tennis fan.
To quote Ivanisevic again, when you play against Federer, “you are also playing 20,000 people”.
View more!
However Sunday’s match progresses, one suspects that Wimbledon 2017 will be remembered not for dodgy grass, nor for rows over sexist scheduling, but for what happens to Federer. Either he becomes the first man to win an eighth Wimbledon title, overcoming the record he now shares with Sampras and the 19th century gentleman amateur William Renshaw. Or he falls at the last, showing an unexpected hint of mortality on the same Centre Court that turned him into a sporting deity in the first place.
For today’s ticket-holders, it is a win-win situation. If Federer wins, there will be a party in SW19, no matter how easily the job is done. If he is to be beaten, then Cilic will have to produce one of those note-perfect attacking performances – think not only of his own dash to the title in New York three years ago, but also of Stan Wawrinka’s win over Novak Djokovic in the 2015 French Open final – that leave scorch-marks on the court.
Roger Federer celebrates after winning against Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych credit: GETTY IMAGES
The one thing we can discount is any sort of Federer freeze. Retired tennis champions say that big points become harder to play as you get older. No matter how hard you try to block it out, you know in the back of your mind that you might never get another chance. You grip the racket handle as if it were a lifebuoy when you should be cradling it like a baby.
Yet Federer, made of different stuff in so many ways, seems immune to such flickers of self-consciousness. Is he too focused on creating art? Or just constitutionally immune to self-doubt? Either way, he has played his whole career with the cavalier instincts of Marshal Foch, the French general whose response to a setback was to roar, “Situation excellent. I will attack.”
View more!
Rather like Nadal’s frictionless progress through last month’s French Open, Federer has yet to drop a set. On Friday, when faced with the thunderous strokeplay of the heavy-thewed Tomas Berdych, he looked disappointed even to commit the occasional error, throwing a mini-tantrum when one of his backhand slices caromed off the frame.
The only time he has played with nerves all fortnight was during his second-round match against Dusan Lajovic – because “I didn’t know my opponent very well”. Otherwise, he has been building with each round towards some as-yet unguessed peak. Should it arrive today, then Cilic – like Berdych in the previous round – could be reduced to the status of an accomplice or sidekick, providing the set-ups for Federer’s punchlines.
It is to Cilic’s advantage that he has beaten Federer before at a grand slam, in the 2014 US Open semi-final. Yet there might also be scarring from last year’s quarter-final here, where he held three match points for a four-set win.
“Marin lost that game, rather than Roger winning it,” said Ivanisevic earlier this week, “because he did not get one return in on the match points. Roger is like someone from a film. You have to kill him about 77 times to win.”
The thought might not be as elegantly expressed as a Foster Wallace essay. But it captures the magnitude of Cilic’s task today. | {
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The body of a man has been found in the River Thames near Windsor.
Officers were called to reports of a body being found in the river near The Avenue in Datchet at 11.20am on Sunday, January 5.
The body has been retrieved.
Although formal identification has not yet taken place, the body is thought to be that of Tony Williams, aged 45, who went missing from Windsor more than one month ago on Saturday, November 30, 2019.
Officers expressed severe concern for his welfare at the time of his disappearance .
Mr Williams’ family have been informed and are being supported by Thames Valley Police at this time.
The death at this stage is being treated as unexplained while investigators continue to make enquiries, but there are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances related to the death at this time.
Don't forget you can keep up to date with the latest news, what’s on and Reading FC stories via the free BerkshireLive app. | {
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Credit: Jamie Betts Photos
Nearly a year after the untimely passing of Cory Smoot, a.k.a. Flattus Maximus, Gwar have unveiled their new guitarist: Pustulus Maximus ( no relation They actually are related. My apologies! -AR).
Maximus is said to have “a skin condition where his face and feet are covered in painful pustules that can only be soothed by the application of savage metal, spoiled elephant semen or oral sex,” will make his live debut with the band in a performance video that will appear on The A.V. Club tomorrow; I don’t want to give anything away, but I’ve heard tell that said performance is both awesome and hilarious. In other words: just what we’d expect from Gwar!
In addition, if you wanna see Maximus in the flesh… or… the latex… or styrofoam… or whatever those costumes are made out, he’ll be (duh) playing with the band on their upcoming tour with DevilDriver, Cancer Bats, and Legacy of Disorder. You can get dates here. Presumably, he’ll make his studio debut with the band on their next album, whenever that comes to pass.
If the A.V. Club performance is as good as I hear it is, we’ll post it whenever it becomes available tomorrow.
-AR | {
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SANTA FE, NM – After a battery of laboratory tests, radiographic imaging, and subspecialty consultations, a team of health care professionals has formally diagnosed their medically complex patient as an acute on chronic hot mess.
“This was a very challenging case, and unfortunately, these type of cases are increasingly common nowadays,” said infectious diseases fellow Dr. Eloisa Dolina. “We may have a diagnosis now but that doesn’t make this particular patient’s outcome any better. We just know what we’re dealing with.”
The 59-year-old patient has a past medical history significant for everything: coronary artery disease s/p 47 stents and a septuple-vessel CABG; chronic respiratory failure secondary to end-stage interstitial lung disease on 4 liters nasal cannula; end stage liver disease complicated by hepatic encephalopathy, gastric and esophageal bleeding, ascites; end stage renal disease on hemodialysis; and metastatic cancer of unknown primary recently hospitalized for MRSA osteomyelitis of a sacral decubitus wound and bacteremia. He presented to the ER with fevers, chills, confusion, neck stiffness, chest pain, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, melena, and diffuse rash.
It took nearly two weeks of testing – none of which has come back normal by the way – but the primary team and the 32 subspecialists involved came up with the unifying diagnosis late yesterday evening.
“The patient meets all the criteria of an acute on chronic hot mess and then some,” explained critical care physician Dr. Grace Iconik, who has already taken care of the patient three times during this hospitalization in her ICU. “The differential diagnosis was finally whittled down to two: acute on chronic hot mess and acute on chronic train wreck. We settled on the former.” | {
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Originally posted on Google Apps Developers blog
Posted by Henry Wang, Associate Product Marketing Manager
An all expenses paid, week-long trip to San Francisco, including a visit to the Googleplex in Mountain View, CA
A featured spot on the Google Play Store
A promotional video starring you and your app
A healthy amount of Google schwag, including a new Google device
* Cisco, Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update 2014–2019 White Paper, February 2015
** eMarketer, US Time Spent with Media, October 2014
*** Nielsen, Smartphones: So Many Apps, So Much Time, July 2014
To win the challenge, you’ll need to build a great app (either Android or iOS) and create a sound business plan that shows how you managed the project, gained users, and leveraged AdMob to make money. The contest will be judged by a panel of app industry leaders. To learn more about the judges, visit here The winning team will receive:Last year’s global winner was Phani Gaddipati, who created Stacks Flashcards , an app that lets people create electronic flashcards on any subject, quiz themselves and analyze their performance. Check out his video to learn more.In addition to one overall winner, the finalist from each of the four global regions (North America, Latin America, Europe Middle East & Africa, and Asia Pacific) will receive Google devices and see their app featured on the AdMob website.The challenge starts today, and you’ll have until June 28, 2016 to build your winning app. Be sure to visit the AdMob website to learn more and register . Follow us on AdMob G+ and Twitter and keep an update on #AdMobSAC16 too, for regular updates on the challenge. .Best of luck -- we can’t wait to see what you build! | {
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Nonprofit “ dark money” groups have doled out about half of the funds fueling Maine’s five citizen-initiated ballot questions in November.
They include former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund, the National Rifle Association, national and state teachers unions, the Marijuana Policy Project and nonprofits supporting ranked-choice voting.
Unlike political action committees or political party committees, certain nonprofits can spend for political ends but don’t have to disclose their individual donors. Dubbed “dark money” groups, they make it impossible to trace some of the money in this year’s election back to a specific location or source.
But here’s how we estimated where each of Maine’s hotly contested ballot questions raised the most, based on the latest campaign finance reports documenting fundraising through Oct. 25.
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The Bangor Daily News used the latest disclosures from ballot question committees to bundle together amounts donated to groups supporting or opposing each campaign.
That decision means contributions to each campaign may be overstated. That’s a common problem for analyzing such campaign finance report totals.
For instance, 10 groups registered to support Question 4, advocating for a higher minimum wage. Six groups registered to support Question 5, advocating for ranked-choice voting. Within those groups, some were affiliated. There were a few transfers between affiliates, be they affiliated nonprofits, ballot question committees or political action committees.
Because we totaled contributions across those groups, such committee-to-committee transfers may be counted twice.
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Another challenge comes from groups that supported multiple ballot questions. For those, we divided their contributions evenly across the ballot measures they support or oppose to determine a total for each question. The division does not reflect how those groups actually spent that money.
With that in mind, here’s what we know about each campaign from the filings:
Q1: Marijuana legalization
Question 1 found a new top individual donor in the son of former Progressive Insurance chairman and noted marijuana legalization advocate Peter Lewis.
His son, Jonathan Lewis, of Coconut Grove, Florida, donated $250,000 to the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in October, outdoing PBS host Rick Steves as the top individual contributor to the effort so far.
Supporters have gotten the vast majority of their money from the Washington, D.C., political action committee New Approach PAC. The group was founded in 2014, naming lawyer and consultant Graham Boyd as its custodian, according to IRS records.
The group made up for more than 60 percent of all donations to groups supporting the question. About 13 percent came from individual donors and 21 percent from nonprofits, including the Marijuana Policy Project and its related foundation.
One percent of donations to the campaign came from commercial sources, including many businesses in Maine, such as the medical marijuana industry consultancy Jar Consulting LLC of Standish, the cannabis oils and edible extraction company SJR Labs LLC of Standish, Stone Soup Realty in Poland and Pechinski Capital LLC of Falmouth.
The opposition to the question, through two ballot question groups, has been funded mostly by the Alliance For Healthy Marijuana Policy of Alexandria, Virginia. By Oct. 25, opposition groups had raised about $230,000 compared with $3.2 million from supporters.
The question would legalize retail sales of marijuana, setting up a new industry estimated to grow to $200 million by 2020. The law would establish rules for the industry, legalize possession of up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana for adults and allow adults to cultivate a limited number of marijuana plants at home.
Q2: Education tax
Supporters have gotten the bulk of their funding from national and state teachers’ unions, with additional support from other nonprofit groups.
The National Education Association doubled down on its contributions in October, giving another $1.2 million. The national union has given a total of about $2.6 million. The Maine Education Association added about $80,000 in October, with a total contribution of about $634,000 through Oct. 25.
Opponents got the bulk of their money — about half — from commercial sources and business groups around the state.
Individual donors gave about one-third of the campaign’s cash, and political action committees of the Maine Association of Realtors, Maine Bankers Association and Associated Builders and Contractors of Maine contributed tens of thousands.
In total, supporters have far outpaced the opposition to the question, raising more than 13 times as much. Supporters had raised about $3.8 million by Oct. 25, to the nearly $300,000 raised by opponents.
The question would create a 3 percent surtax for single and joint tax filers who bring in more than $200,000 per year. That higher tax would apply to income above that $200,000 mark, adding to the top marginal tax rate, now at 7.15 percent. The money would go into a fund for education spending administered by the Department of Education. The fund intends to supplement but not replace state spending from the General Fund that supports education.
Q3: Gun background checks
Opponents of Question 3, which would broaden background check requirements on gun sales and other transfers, also in October doubled their total fundraising. But they still remained far behind supporters of the measure, who took in $5 for every $1 raised by opponents.
The Yes on 3 campaign has been funded almost entirely by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund. Bloomberg’s nonprofit added another $1.5 million to the coffers of supporters up through Oct. 25.
The political action committee Americans for Responsible Solutions has given about $435,000 to supporters as well. The PAC was started by former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords after her recovery from an assassination attempt.
Supporters have gotten about 4.5 percent of donations from individual contributors, including $250,000 from Bain Capital co-chairman Joshua Bekenstein, $125,000 from Seattle entrepreneur Nicholas Hanauer and $25,000 from author Stephen King.
Opposition to the question has been almost entirely funded by the National Rifle Association, which put another $508,237 into the race in October.
The question would expand the use of background checks to include private sales and lending a gun to a person who is going hunting separately or is not a family member.
Q4: Minimum wage increase
Unions and nonprofits, The Fairness Project and the Restaurant Opportunities Center have contributed most of the cash to the campaign to support raising Maine’s minimum wage to $12 by 2020 and gradually bring tipped workers up to the full minimum wage.
Supporters have raised about $2.2 million, with about 22 percent of the money coming from political action committees affiliated with ballot question committees. That total may reflect double-counting of contributions, as the group Mainers for Fair Wages had both a ballot question committee and political action committee registered to work on the question.
That group was started by the Maine People’s Alliance, which has a separate ballot question committee registered to advocate on Questions 2, 4 and 5. A coming BDN analysis of campaign spending in the races will make clearer where these campaigns directed their money.
Finance data so far show that opponents of the question had raised about $155,000 through Oct. 25, mostly from commercial sources and the political action committee Restaurateurs for a Strong Maine Economy, started by the Maine Restaurant Association.
Those figures may also include some double-counting and illustrate some of the difficulty of tracking total political contributions on ballot questions wherein money is passed from one political action committee to another.
For instance, the Maine Restaurant Association in October passed about $5,550 to its affiliated political action committee Restaurateurs for a Strong Maine Economy. In the same period, the PAC passed about $27,800 to the ballot question committee Maine People for Maine Jobs, also set up by the Maine Restaurant Association.
Q5: Ranked-choice voting
Groups seeking to change Maine’s election system for state and federal political candidates doubled their campaign contributions in October. No groups raised money to oppose the question.
Advocates of the referendum raised about $2.1 million, a total that includes some double-counting for groups that have passed sums back and forth.
Nonprofits supporting the question include the Houston-based Action Now Initiative and the Maryland-based Fairvote, both which have given hundreds of thousands to groups supporting the question, including the political action committee operated by The Chamberlain Project and to The Committee for Ranked Choice Voting.
Those two groups also have reported contributions to each other, which would result in double-counting of contributions.
The prospect of allowing voters to rank their preferred candidates in order has drawn interest from high-dollar individual donors, including New York hedge fund manager William Ackman of Pershing Square Capital Management, and Nelson Peltz, a founding partner of the investment manager Trian Fund Management LP.
Ranked-choice voting made its debut in Maine in Portland’s first mayoral election. The system operates like an instant run-off. The process starts by knocking out the candidate with the fewest first-place votes, redistributing votes to the candidate listed second on those ballots. The elimination and redistribution process continues until one candidate has a majority.
Those are the highlights from the latest filing, which at just 11 days out from the general election is the last comprehensive report from the campaigns before voters go to the polls.
Candidates, PACs, ballot question groups and state party committees will file post-election reports Dec. 20. By then, we’ll know how much of that money was spent in vain or invested in victory. | {
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Athletic Director Mario Moccia announced Thursday that New Mexico State University and San Diego State University have agreed to a home and home series scheduled to begin in 2019.
The first game of the series will take place at Aggie Memorial Stadium on September 14, 2019. The Aggies will then make the journey to San Diego on September 2, 2023 in time to play in the Aztecs new stadium!
NM State is already scheduled to play SDSU on September 4, 2021 in return for a trip the Aztecs made to Las Cruces back in 2013.
The Aggies and Aztecs have played each other 11 times, with the Aztecs holding a 9-1-1 lead in the series.
New Mexico State now has 11 games scheduled* for the 2019 season, needing just one more to complete the schedule.
New Mexico State 2019 Football Schedule Sat. Aug., 31 at Washington St. Sat. Aug., 31 at Washington St. Sat. Sept., 7 at Alabama Sat. Sept., 14 San Diego St. Sat. Sept., 21 at New Mexico Sat. Sept., 28 Fresno State Sat. Oct., 5 Liberty Flames Sat. Oct., 26 at Georgia Southern Sat. Nov., 9 at Ole Miss Sat. Nov., 16 Incarnate Word Sat. Nov., 30 at Liberty Flames
*Home game versus UTEP not yet scheduled
Analysis
As always I am happy with this announcement. Mario Moccia continues to schedule games with close opponents, saving the school money while also scheduling opponents that NMSU can be competitive against.
I also think it is interesting how many Mountain West teams have been scheduled in the past few months. I think it is obvious by now that New Mexico State is using it’s independent status to showcase itself and it’s fan base to the MW and show them they are worth membership. Let’s hope it works out for NMSU.
Go Aggies! | {
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Since early July, Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund and volunteers have been working to fill a 40-foot Matson container with blue and white plastic for Jason Klimoski and Lesley Chang of StudioKCA in Brooklyn, New York.
The couple plans to build a 30-foot. blue whale sculpture made entirely out of the collected plastic marine debris.
The whale sculpture will be installed as part of a triennial event in the town of Bruges, Belgium, in May 2018.
“The Bruges Whale is meant to spark conversation and raise awareness about the tremendous amount of plastic waste that is ending up in our oceans, hopefully helping the nearly 2,000,000 anticipated visitors reconsider what and how we consume, package, and dispose of plastic,” said Klimoski. “Special thanks to Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund for their tremendous effort over the course of the last several months, helping us collect blue, white and grey plastic to build Skyscraper, or ‘the Bruges Whale for the 2018 Bruges Triennial.”
SPONSORED VIDEO
In total, 17 Hawai‘i Island cleanup events were coordinated by HWF to fill the shipping container with approximately 19,212 of plastics while it was stationed at the Wai‘ōhinu Transfer Station in Ka‘ū.
Additionally, Surfrider Foundation volunteers on Kaua‘i collected 4,000 pounds of plastic debris that were added to the container once it reached Hilo, courtesy of a Young Brothers gratis-shipping grant that was received by HWF.
Matson Navigation was another supporter of the project by extending the time allowed to fill the container for free. Kona Trans also provided StudioKCA with a discounted hauling rate for the project and the County of Hawai‘i’s Department of Environmental Management provided HWF space to store the 40 ft. container for 12 weeks as volunteers contributed to fill it with plastic debris, making this effort an especially collaborative project by local businesses and residents alike.
The container will ship all 9.5 tons of marine-debris plastics from Hawai’i Island and Kaua‘i to Brooklyn from the port of Hilo on Wednesday Oct. 4, 2017. The material will later be shipped to Belgium.
“We are thrilled to able to work with artists to create awareness installations, like this Blue Whale project, and simultaneously divert some of this plastic pollution from our island landfills,” said Megan Lamson, HWF Hawai’i Island program director. “Since 2003, HWF and volunteers have removed nearly 225 tons of debris from the shores of Hawai’i Island. Whatever cannot be recycled, generally ends up in landfills. Innovative projects that include reuse, art, research and recycling are always preferred!”
HWF is a small nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1996 to conserve native wildlife. During its 21-year existence, HWF and volunteers have removed a total of 260 tons of marine debris from the shores of Hawai’i Island (86% by weight), Maui, Midway and the French Frigate Shoals.
In 2017 alone, HWF and volunteers have removed 63,343 pounds of marine debris from Hawai’i Island and Maui during 51 community cleanup events. The majority of HWF’s marine debris removal work is conducted by volunteer labor, with financial support from the federal government (NOAA’s Marine Debris Program), local businesses (Matson Navigation, Kona Surf Film Festival, Kona Brewers Festival, Norwex, etc.), and individual donations from around the world.
For more information on the project or how to get involved with HWF, email [email protected], call (808) 769-7629 or check out the HWF website.
For information about Klimoski and Chang, visit www.studiokca.com.
For more information, go online. | {
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The Poland international is on a season-long loan at Roma after Arsene Wenger signed Chelsea's experienced goalkeeper, but the 25-year-old knows the Gunners got a good deal
Wojciech Szczesny does not blame Arsene Wenger for replacing him with Petr Cech , saying that former Chelsea goalkeeper was a bargain for Arsenal Szczesny, 25, joined Roma on a season-long loan deal in the summer after Cech left Chelsea for London rivals Arsenal in a £10 million deal.The Poland international admits that though he wanted to stay at the Emirates and challenge Cech for the No.1 role, he understands why Wenger signed the 33-year-old Champions League winner.“I'm not stupid – if you buy one of the world's best goalkeepers it's not to keep him on the bench,” he told Polish website futbolfejs.pl.“I actually wanted to stay and challenge him for the spot but after a conversation with Wenger it was obvious that I should be looking for new opportunities.”Szczesny – who joined Arsenal as a youth player in 2006 - likened Cech’s fee to signing Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo on a cheap deal, and says Wenger must always put Arsenal above any individual player's concerns.When questioned whether Wenger should have stuck with him instead of prising Cech from Chelsea, Szczesny replied: “Are you joking? For that little money? Of course he had to!“If someone offered him Cristiano Ronaldo for a good price, he would have to buy him. The manager has to think about the club and its fortunes.“Why would Wenger not do it? Because Wojciech Szczesny, who grew up at the club, is here? Let’s be serious – Wenger has to consider the overall good of the club first.”
Roma have had a strong start this season as they sit third in Serie A after 11 games, although former Juventus keeper Stefano Tacconi recently described Szczesny as an "uncontrollable lunatic" who could cost the Giallorossi points this season.
The keeper says that while he is enjoying life in the Italian capital, it is only a temporary move for now – and there is no decision to be made if Arsenal want him back next summer.
“From 16-years-old until now I have lived in London,” he added. “I grew up there, Arsenal is my home. In addition, I still have a valid contract, which will be in force even after the loan at Roma.
“I know it would be easier for me to play and say after two months in Rome that I love Rome. I’m having a great time here, we have a strong team and I believe that together we shall succeed.
“But if Arsenal call me back, then I have to go back to London. And neither I nor Roma have anything to say. If someone does not understand, it's not my problem. But I will give 100 per cent in training and in matches for Roma. There is no doubt."
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The reaction Sunday by the pearl-clutching left and their media allies to the chaotic scene on the southern border could serve as Exhibit A in a case study on hypocrisy, and goes to show that it’s all about politics.
Unless the Obama administration is held to a different standard when setting the precedent for actions taken by the Trump administration.
Hundreds of illegal immigrants from the migrant caravan made a mad rush on the U.S. border, with some becoming violent, attacking Border Patrol agents with rocks. Agents held their ground, fighting back with flash bang grenades and tear gas.
All of which sent Democrats into a frenzy.
You tear-gassed women and children, asswipe! And on Thanksgiving weekend, you piece of shit, asshole, motherfucking, evil-creature-person!! https://t.co/ngaAlnhWa0 — Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) November 26, 2018
Asking to be considered a refugee & applying for status isn’t a crime. It wasn’t for Jewish families fleeing Germany.
It wasn’t for targeted families fleeing Rwanda.
It wasn’t for communities fleeing war-torn Syria.
And it isn’t for those fleeing violence in Central America. https://t.co/qhv7Rr1itn — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) November 25, 2018
And while the rock throwing drew little attention, the media was quick to report on children — who were forced on this perilous journey and placed directly into harms way by their parents — being caught up in the fracas.
The photograph seen above was featured by most major news outlets in the U.S., to include The New York Times.
US Border Patrol has just launched tear gas into Mexico. Breeze carrying it hundreds of yards. Parents running away with choking toddlers. #migrantcaravan — Chris Sherman (@chrisshermanAP) November 25, 2018
Never mind that several border patrol agents were hit by projectiles thrown by the mob that turned violent, according to a tweet from the agency.
Today, several migrants threw projectiles at the agents in San Diego. Border Patrol agents deployed tear gas to dispel the group because of the risk to agents' safety. Several agents were hit by the projectiles. The situation is evolving and a statement is forthcoming. — CBP (@CBP) November 25, 2018
And while this humanitarian crisis that has been in the making for months — aided and abetted by the left — will surely dominate the news cycle over the coming days, the stunning irony here is that five years ago, to the very day and at the exact same spot, there was a similar incident.
…which created nary a ripple on the left, to include the media.
As Brietbart’s Brandon Darby reminded his followers, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported “about 100 people trying to illegally cross the border Sunday near the San Ysidro port of entry threw rocks and bottles at U.S. Border Patrol agents.”
And the agents “responded by using pepper spray and other means to force the crowd back into Mexico.”
Reminder: The Obama Admin also used force and tear gas in 2013 when a large group of people stormed our border and threw rocks at our agents—at the same exact place. Source: https://t.co/YPlc8KXpdo — Brandon Darby (@brandondarby) November 26, 2018
The difference between the two incidents? Barack Hussein Obama sat in the White House in 2013.
But make no mistake, President Trump is staying true to his word about not allowing the invading migrant caravan to enter the country.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection closed the San Ysidro border crossing south of San Diego, bringing to a screeching halt the flow of humanity.
The San Ysidro border crossing – the busiest border crossing along the southern US border – is STILL shut down. Thousands of cars were turned away and hundreds of ppl are waiting to get through. #MigrantCaravan pic.twitter.com/IsEd8xrfYR — Annie Rose Ramos (@Annie_Rose23) November 25, 2018
Trump took to Twitter early Monday to reinforce that stance and threaten to close the border “permanently,” if necessary.
“Mexico should move the flag waving Migrants, many of whom are stone cold criminals, back to their countries. Do it by plane, do it by bus, do it anyway you want, but they are NOT coming into the U.S.A. We will close the Border permanently if need be. Congress, fund the WALL!” the president tweeted. | {
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We may not be able to change recent events in our lives, but how well we remember them plays a key role in how our brains model what’s happening in the present and predict what is likely to occur in the future, finds new research in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
“Memory isn’t for trying to remember,” said Jeff Zacks, professor of psychology and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis and an author of the study. “It’s for doing better the next time.”
The study, co-authored with Chris Wahlheim of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), brings together several emerging theories of brain function to suggest that the ability to detect changes plays a critical role in how we experience and learn from the world around us.
Known as “Event Memory Retrieval and Comparison Theory” or EMRC, the model builds on previous research by Zacks and colleagues that suggests the brain continually compares sensory input from ongoing experiences against working models of similar past events that it builds from related memories.
When real life does not match the “event model,” prediction errors spike and change detection sets off a cascade of cognitive processing that rewires the brain to strengthen memories for both the older model events and the new experience, the theory contends.
“We provide evidence for a theoretical mechanism that explains how people update their memory representations to facilitate their processing of changes in everyday actions of others,” Wahlheim said. “These findings may eventually illuminate how the processing of everyday changes influences how people guide their own actions.”
In their current study, Zacks and Wahlheim tested the change detection model with experiments that take advantage of the well-documented fact that older adults often have increased difficulty in recalling details of recent events.
Groups of healthy older and younger adults were shown video clips of a woman acting out a series of routine, everyday activities, such as doing dishes or preparing to exercise. One week later, they were shown similar videos in which some event details had been changed.
“When viewers tracked the changes in these variation-on-a-theme videos, they had excellent memory for what happened on each day, but when they failed to notice a change, memory was horrible,” Zacks said.
“These effects may account for some of the problems older adults experience with memory — in these experiments, older adults were less able to track the changes, and this accounted for some of their lower memory performance.”
Previous research by Zacks and others has shown that the brain breaks up the activities of daily life into a hierarchy of distinct smaller events or “chunks,” and that our ability to identify transitions or “boundaries” between these chunks has consequences for how these experiences gets encoded in our memories.
For instance, just walking through a doorway, which the brain perceives as an “event boundary,” has been shown to diminish our recollection for information being processed just before we entered the new room. Thus, we sometimes find ourselves forgetting the reason we entered a room in the first place.
This event-driven model of brain function, known as Event Segmentation Theory (EST), has been gaining credence over the last decade.
Zacks, the author of the book “Flicker: Your Brain on Movies,” has used EST to explain how the brain processes fast-paced movie cuts and other film-making techniques that force viewers to process sensory input in ways evolution could never have predicted.
Event models may be based on previous personal experiences, but might also include perceptions gleaned from conversations with friends or similar situations portrayed in books, movies and television.
Thus, someone’s “event model” for a future wedding day might be based on other weddings attended, past gatherings of family and friends and tidbits gleaned from repeat viewings of the movie, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.”
Event Memory Retrieval and Comparison Theory takes the event segmentation model a step further by introducing concepts from the “memory-for-change” framework, a theory put forth in recent research by Wahlheim and Larry Jacoby.
Jacoby is a prominent cognitive psychologist known for work on the interplay of consciously controlled versus more automatic influences of memory. He is now a professor emeritus of psychological & brain sciences at Washington University.
Wahlheim completed his PhD and postdoctoral training at Washington University, and now directs the Memory and Cognition Lab as an assistant professor at UNCG.
In recent research, Jacoby and Wahlheim exposed study participants to series of lists that included pairs of related words, including some lists where an originally presented word was paired with a new word.
While seeing the same “trigger” word associated with multiple word pairs has been shown to cause interference in the recall process, Jacoby and Wahlheim found that memory improved when participants both recognized the change during presentation and later remembered that the change had been recognized.
The memory-for-change framework suggests that noticing the change is critical to the creation of a memory trace that ties all these events together, strengthening our memory for the original pairing, the recognition of change and the new pairing.
The current study explores the memory-for-change phenomena in a more naturalistic scenario in which videos of daily activities replace paired-word lists. It also adds a chronological element by suggesting the videos represent activities filmed one week apart.
Findings suggest that establishing time-based connections improves recall because memory for a later event becomes embedded within a trace that includes reminding of an earlier event. Recent events embed earlier events, but not vice versa.
More broadly, these studies provide evidence that a major function of our memory is to help us retrieve relevant experiences and relate them to what is happening in the current environment.
“Our study lends support to the theory that predictions based on old events help us identify changes and encode the new event,” Zacks said. “Memories of recent experiences are valuable because they can be used to predict what will happen next in similar situations and help us do better in dealing with what’s happening now.” | {
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THEY'RE more expensive than prostitutes, their bodies aren't what they used to be and their children walk in during sex.
These are just some of the brutally offensive reasons that a growing group of men have given for not wanting to date single mums.
6 Jonathan Cass says that dating a single mum will make you feel second best Credit: Supplied
On a recent thread on the secret sharing app, Whisper, tried to explain the warped reasons they ruled out dating single mothers.
Here, Sun Online, meets the men who are breaking a taboo by refusing to date single mums.
Jonathan Cass, 52, has joined their ranks, having been single for three years, and now makes a point of swiping left on dating apps and rejecting women if there’s any mention of a little one at home.
"I don’t want to be second best," he says.
“There’s a real trend in current parenting that the children always have to come first and women now seem to live for their kids” says Jonathan, who works in film and television and lives in Dunmow, Essex.
And he's by no means alone in this.
6 A YouTube clip by Richard Cooper on the pitfalls of dating single mums has nearly 600,000 views Credit: YouTube
King Richez posted a video on not dating single mothers which amongst other things says: “She should be focused on her kids – not on penis” - and Richard Cooper's YouTube talk on the Dangers of Dating Single Mothers has been viewed 583, 297 times.
This clip opens with a slide showing a woman holding a baby with the meme: “Single mother here: please take care of some other man’s ball of flesh that eats money destroys dreams and s***s stress. I offer you my ruined floppy pu**y and mental issues!”
On another a shocking blog called Everything Must Go, one of the posts is titled: “Don’t date single mothers – here is why.”Reason number five is, “A woman who has given birth can’t ever have a body close to what she had before carrying a child. This is not saying that having a child isn’t worth it, but this is not about YOU having a child. That child is hers, not yours. Her body was changed by something that is of no benefit to you.”
'I don’t want to be second best'
6 Jonathan has nothing against parents of older children... but mothers of young kids are definitely ruled out Credit: Supplied
Jonathan explains: “I’m a really spontaneous person and love the idea of saying to my partner, ‘come on, pack your bags, let’s go away for a couple of days’ but you can’t do that with kids. Everything has to be planned and organised beforehand.”
He also struggles with the emotional burden of having to be a father figure to someone else’s child.
“I’ve been married twice and had a son in my first marriage – who is now 27 – and in between the two marriages I did date a woman with a son but I felt like she wanted me to become a father-figure to this child,” he says.
“It raised lots of complex feelings: I felt guilty to be spending more time with her and her son than my own and I didn’t like the idea of stepping on someone else’s toes as his biological father was still very much around.”
While Jonathan wouldn’t mind if a potential partner had grown-up children, provided they were no longer at home and doing their own thing, “young ones are definitely out.”
6 The expense of being with a single mum also puts Jonathan off Credit: Supplied
'I'm feeling selfish'
“I don’t want to be part of a family unit and splashing out on days out together. Single mums are too expensive. I’m feeling selfish and not dating women with children is part of that.”
There are two million single parents in the UK and 91 per cent of them women.
The list of celebrity single mums is endless and many, including Britney Spears, Kate Hudson, Louise Redknapp, Kate Hudson and Sun columnist Stacey Solomon, have spoken out about their experiences.
dating coach Richard La Ruina, author of The Natural: How to Effortlessly Attract the Women You Want warns that dismissing single mothers as potential partners is a risky decision.
“Finding love is hard enough as it so to narrow the pool even further is a mistake,” he says.
“Yes, dating a single mother adds an extra potential complication but it’s not a total deal breaker.”
'I won't spend my hard earned money on them'
Paul Dakers feels very differently.
The 45 year-old logistics specialist from St Ives in Cambridgeshire has never been married and has been single for over a year.
“I would very much like to meet someone and have a family of my own but I really don’t want to date anyone with their own children,” he says.
“I dated a girl for a year and she had three children and she lived a couple of hours away. She would come and see me every two or three weeks and I kept saying, ‘I’ll come and see you, I promise’ but I never did. I never met her children and didn’t want to.
6 Paul is concerned that it would be awkward to be around someone else's kids Credit: Supplied
“She’d talk about them constantly and I’d nod and shake my head in the right places but I wasn’t really paying attention. It puts me off that they wouldn’t be mine.
"What would they call me? Paul? Dad? Oh no. It’s weird. If they’re not mine, I haven’t brought them up and I’m not mentally prepared to cope with that kind of responsibility.”
“I might also feel reluctant to spend my hard-earned money on them.
"It is getting harder at my age now to meet women without kids and I know it narrows down the numbers but I’m trying to stay hopeful.”
6 Paul, centre, says it's hard to find love... but he's staying hopeful Credit: Supplied
'Her son walked in on us in the bedroom'
Dan Mower is another good example.
He is 46 but still wants to settle down and have at least two children, which can be an issue for some single mothers who are wary of entering new relationships and having more children.
“They’ve been there, done that and don’t necessarily want more,” says Dan, a self-employed businessman from North London.
“After all, it hasn’t worked out once before so why should they risk having more children?”
The need to breed The desire to procreate and carry on your ancestral line is something evolutionary psychologist Carole Jahme believes is inbuilt in men. “We are driven to reproduce and continue our lineage ,” says Carole. “When men are looking for a mate they look for someone physically and mentally healthy to breed with so that their child can be born strong. “It’s very possible that single mothers – especially those in their late 30s and 40s – may send out signals, even subconsciously, that they may not want to have more children. “Men are aware that an investment of time is needed to put into a child and, on the whole, it makes sense for them to invest that time in seeking a woman who is prepared to have their own biological child.”
Dan has dated a number of single mothers in the past but is now avoiding them altogether.
“I’ve not had great experiences dating single mums and don’t want go there again,” says Dan.
“One of my exes had a 12-year-old son and we’d been on-and-off for a few years. The last time we went out in February, we were trying to catch up in her bedroom – talking, being intimate – and her son just walked in on us.
“She seemed fine with it, saying he knew about us and he has the right to see her when she wants, but that totally put me off. I’m not the biological father though so it means I can’t set any of the standards or rules.
“The kids of another woman I dated didn’t really accept me and there was a feeling of ‘Who are you? You’re not my dad’ and it just added complications.”
Dan also dislikes coming second in a relationship. “A single mother will always prioritise her children over me,” he says. “I’ve been stood up a few times because the children are sick or the childcare has fallen through and I want someone who wants to put our relationship first.”
Yet relationship psychotherapist Caron Barruw says the problem isn't single mums, but the immature commitment-phobic men who won't date them.
"This is an immature and selfish way of looking at relationships", she says.
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“A woman would have to be very, very attractive for me to be able to look past the fact they have children and make me want to go out with them,” says Paul.
“I know it’s getting harder to find single women without children at my age but I’m going to keep looking. There has to be someone out there.”
Lucky her. | {
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In the wake of the controversial burkini ban that implemented across some French towns, people are calling for Speedos to be prohibited too.
Those calling for the ban are confused as to why the swimwear is allowed to be worn on the beach when burkinis are not. Some have even called the swimming trunks "offensive".
On Thursday, The Mideast Beast, a satirical Middle East news site, reported that Muslim women were demanding the criminalisation of fat, white men in Speedos in jest but, it appears calls from the wider public very much exist.
Speedos are worn by most men in France - and are often a requirement should you want to visit a public pool - allegedly for hygiene reasons. | {
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PBR wood material collection for 3D CG artists and designers
Whether it’s furniture design, architecture or an abstract scene, these PBR materials will move your renders to the next level. It doesn’t matter how big your object is. We made sure the wood materials will always look good and photorealistic. | {
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Astir G-DDPO
Barograph of my first and longest flight of the day
I've attached my logger files below, just in case you're a data nerd like me.
Sutton Bank provides conditions for pilots of all persuasions; winter offers up more hill soaring and wave conditions, whilst in the summer season the thermals can start popping and providing the method of circling height gain that most people (I assume) typically associate with the sport of gliding.I first started learning to fly just as the 2016 season started and I didn't manage to get along to as many days as I perhaps could have, so consequently during the height of that season, I spent more time practising basic flying skills rather than advanced soaring techniques. As my personal flying ability was improving, the weather was descending into winter and so by the time I was ready to start learning these things the options to do so were far more limited. I have therefore spent the off-season working on the areas of my flying that conditions allowed, including some winching, ridge flying and the odd tricky approach into significant headwind; but no real thermal soaring. I had the ground brief, but that was almost a year ago.Having kept one eye on the developing weather conditions throughout the week (as I have become accustomed to doing), I decided that Saturday was going to be the most likely day to do some flying, which is better as it means I get to spend Sunday doing very little and catching up on sofa time and doing stuff around the house. When I go flying, I don't turn up to the airfield with a plan; I arrive with several plans in my head and depending on the availability of instructors, aircraft and conditions I choose the one that I think will help me get the most out of the day. The aim is always to inch ever closer to the Bronze Badge with cross country endorsement that will mean I can apply for my glider pilots licence and in turn, embark on adventures beyond the relative safety of Sutton base.The morning briefing, followed by a look at the flying list (and of course out of the window) suggested that I might have the opportunity to get back to flying single-seaters after a couple of weekends spent in the club K-21s practising winch launch failures and being thwarted by rain showers from taking my first solo launch on a wire. There was only one other contender for G-DDPO and they graciously offered to let me fly first.Once the launch point was set up and the fleet put on line, the two-seaters got going immediately. Each flight taking either a trial lesson or scout for a short air experience flight. I was looking for something longer and so I waited on the ground to see if the conditions would get going enough to allow the possibility of some extended flight times. At around 11:00am, it started to look promising and a couple of people suggested that it would be a good time to launch. The log indicated that flight times so far had all been sub 20 minutes, but since nobody had really been trying to stay up, that told me little. One recently landed instructor and student indicated that conditions might be starting to develop into something that was soarable.So with the Astir DI'd, and with the help of the scout party who were waiting for their aircraft to return, I pulled my aircraft onto the flight line, strapped myself in and went through my checks.Steve, today's duty instructor and the person who I happened to have done most of my winter flying with, wandered over as I was getting ready to go."There's not a big waiting list for this aircraft, just one other person, so take an hour or an hour and a half, and go and have fun!"I'm not sure what face I pulled in response to that. I nodded to confirm my understanding, but internally my brain was dying to say "Sure, but we both know I'll be back here in 20 minutes, right?"Everyone on the ground helped out as usual to start the launch. The tug plane eased forward to take up the slack, the wing-runner prepared to go, and presumably the signaller was ready too - but I can't see him or her from where I'm sitting. Stick on the backstop and left hand on the cable release, I got ready for the all-out.Take-off was as uneventful as could possibly be. On Runway 02, the glider eased off the ground just after it crossed the winch track, I held steady at around ten feet, shortly afterwards the tug plane became airborne and we started to ascend in the kind of tight formation that naturally results from being attached to each other by a steel cable.I had already decided to take two thousand feet from the tow, which is a shade under three thousand over the Vale, but the extra height doesn't count for anything other than good views since my eventual aim is to land back where I started. I was encouraged by the fact that I'd felt a couple of surges of rising air on the way up behind the tug. As the long needle approached the top of the altimeter for the second time, I pulled the release and turned away from the suddenly dangerous cable and tow plane that I was no longer attached to. I went up and to the left, and he went down and to the right as usual. Once separated and out of immediate danger, I trimmed out for around fifty knots so that I could get properly set up for flight.Right from the first few flights, we're well drilled with pre-launch checks - ABCD, CBSIFTCBE. We go through HASELL before a non standard manoeuvre such as spin or stall practice, and WULF before turning downwind to land. Nobody has taught a formal check for post release, so I've come up with my own mnemonic; "Shovel" (SHUVLL). Speed, Height, Undercarriage, Vario, Location and Lookout. Not putting the wheel up isn't unsafe (perhaps the opposite!) but it's definitely noise and drag that we can do without.Two thousand feet QFE, just east of Boltby and in the glide now. I had around ten to fifteen minutes before I would be sat on the ground again if I couldn't both find and then exploit a source of lift. First things first, I turned south and flew along the ridge line (just for practice) to ensure I was in comfortable range of the airfield should it have been needed. It was just at the 'point' near Gormire Lake where things started to get interesting.The sensation of being in a thermal is quite unique and not one that a person who keeps their feet firmly on the ground will ever experience. To think that this weather phenomenon is going on all of the time and most people never realise it suddenly feels quite strange. It now feels odd to me that in my almost forty years of being alive, I haven't felt anything like it before. You feel it through the seat of the aircraft - as light as they are, you can well imagine that lifting glider and pilot vertically upwards requires significant energy. You hear it too, gently gliding around is a peaceful experience but when you enter a vortex, the speed at which the air is moving vertically up (or down if you're less lucky) around you causes a loud 'whooshing' sound, it's a sound I have instantly come to love hearing as it means that something exciting is about to happen.Having already looked out in preparation and found myself to be alone in the area, I rolled the glider into a steep right hand turn at 11:17am and at a GPS altitude of 2,438 ft (Sutton Bank is 920 ft ASL) according to my log file. Three minutes later I found myself at 3,556 ft and needing to level out to avoid climbing into cloud. Perhaps more through luck than judgement, I seemed to almost hit the core, as the lift was fairly constant apart from during four my eight right turns, where it indicated zero climb (but zero descent). This was the first time that I'd identified my own potential thermal, hit it and succeeded - a few weeks ago, I had enjoyed some success by following other gliders and joining their climbs but this was more like it. With a gain of around 1,000 ft this was also my best solo climb to date and so having reached cloudbase, there was little to do but enjoy (and try to prolong) my descent to Earth for a bit.After losing 700 ft exploring the area, I climbed again, adding another 300 ft or so to my total, and then again, staying at between 2,800 and 3,400 ASL until around 11:35am when I decided to stretch my legs a bit and head out into the Vale of York, almost reaching Great Thirkleby before deciding it was prudent to turn back and ensure that a safe landing in the right place was on - I knew I was downwind and so I kept a little bit of extra height as a safety margin. As it turns out, I barely descended at all heading back into wind toward the airfield and so I continued to play around in weak lift, selecting clouds, gliding out towards them (slowly, since I wasn't really sinking) and seeing what I could do once there.Two of the things you need to do for the cross country endorsement is to fly solo for a duration of one hour, and separately for two hours. I had done neither at this point, with a best of 57 minutes a few weeks ago. I decided that an hour was definitely on, actually, so was two - but I didn't want to use up the best of the day knowing that somebody else wanted to fly the aircraft, and the days are still going to get longer and better for at least a couple more months.By 12:07 and around an hour since I'd released from the tow plane, I found myself at the what the logger recorded as the flights maximum height of around 4,100 ft ASL, and I was starting to think about being courteous and returning the aircraft for the other pilot to have some fun. I considered opening the airbrakes to descend more quickly, but quickly decided that it would be much more enjoyable and worthwhile to trim the glider out for speed and check out the handling characteristics at around 70-100 knots - if I'm to aspire to cross country flying, these are the kinds of speeds in the glide that I need to become accustomed to.I kept turning to stay close enough to home, but covered a lot of distance this way. At 12:18pm and 2,000ft ASL (1,100 QFE to Sutton), I had done my hour and I was all but ready to join the circuit to land; I might need a favour from this other pilot some day and I also needed to pee quite badly by this point.I decided I would start thinking about landing checks and just had time to head out to one last cloud to see what it might offer - I had secretly hoped for, and managed to find another strong updraft and so couldn't resist. Four and a half minutes later, I was once again looking down at the world from 3,850ft ASL. I zoomed out to Gormire and back, my flight log indicating a brief moment flying at 118 kts IAS (About 135 mph) - who says gliding is a gentle sport?This time, guilt did get the better of me and I decided I wouldn't take another climb. I completed my WULF checks, joined the unfamiliar circuit for runway 06, putting into practice everything I'd learned about judging the approach by the angle to the ground. All the while, I kept close to the Whitestone cliff so as never to put my landing area beyond reach. Flying almost directly overhead, I got to enjoy the best view of the famous white horse that you could wish for, I smiled as I noted the people on the footpath below stopping and pointing upwards as I passed over them on final approach, and frowned as I noted a small group of people watching from the very part of the airfield that I had intended to land on. At least they'd had the sense to stop moving though, so I jinked to the left and gave myself a clear field and an uneventful landing.The glider came to a halt with a small application of wheelbrake, and as the right wing came to rest on the ground, I unclipped and opened the canopy. I had just completed my longest solo flight yet with one hour and twenty, having covered 68.6 nautical miles (127 km) all without leaving gliding distance of Sutton Bank!I would go on later that day to record another flight of exactly an hour so all in all, had a great days flying. I definitely returned home a better soaring pilot that I was when I arrived that morning, although there is undoubtedly still a great deal to learn and practice. | {
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cricket
Updated: Feb 23, 2019 10:45 IST
India captain Virat Kohli will look to improve his sub-par batting record in the upcoming T20I series against Australia. India are scheduled to play two T20Is in Vishakhapatnam and Bengaluru on February 24 and 27 respectively.
While Kohli is widely regarded as the best batsman in the world, his batting record in the shortest format states otherwise. Before the added burden of captaincy, Kohli enjoyed a rich vein of form in T20Is but it has changed drastically since him being named the skipper in all three formats.
Also Read: India favourites to win 2019 World Cup, says Sourav Ganguly
So far, Kohli has led India in 20 T20Is and averages 34.00 with 510 runs, which is 23.13 lesser than his average without captaincy. Although his strike-rate has changed for the better, Kohli’s balls/boundary and innings/50 rates haven’t improved.
Out of the 20 matches in which Kohli has led the side in T20Is, India have played eight matches at home. Stats reveal that his average as captain in away matches is better than home games and this might play on his mind in the forthcoming series.
Moreover, Kohli stands at a lowly sixth in the list of list of best average by captains with 500+ runs in the shortest format. Interestingly, Rohit Sharma — who takes the role of captain in Kohli’s absence — tops this particular list.
Kohli will be eager to get back on the field after being rested for the final two ODIs and T20I series against New Zealand. The India skipper will be hopeful of getting some runs under his belt and fire the team to victory over Australia. | {
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We've shown you how to build a photo booth with a laptop and some PVC pipe before, but this all-in-one Raspberry Pi setup from maker Chris Evans will upload the photos it takes to Tumblr as an animated gif.
The whole things fits in a custom wooden box that Evans constructed, so it can travel easily to any event. It works just like the real thing, with flashing lights indicating when it's going to take your picture. After it takes four photos, it combines them into an animated gif and uploads them to the Tumblr account you set up. For a list of parts, code, and a complete guide to putting one together yourself, check out the link below.
Raspberry Pi Photo Booth | Drumminhands Design via Adafruit | {
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Judas Priest are known as the Metal Gods for good reason. Black Sabbath might have invented it with a single Devil’s tritone but Judas Priest went on to define pure, rampant, all-guitars-blazing heavy metal for more than four decades. They released their debut studio full-length Rocka Rolla way back in 1974. In truth it wasn’t that great, with more of a hippified psychedelic-rock vibe, but ever since then they’ve released classic metal album after classic metal album. So which are their best? Read on to find out… then feel free to give us your opinion. Even though it’s wrong.
10. Turbo (1986)
Ooh, a controversial one to start. When it first came out, Turbo was reviled by fans. It saw Judas Priest embracing synths and adopting a more polished, glam-tinged pop-metal approach. More than 30 years on it still divides opinion, but the likes of Turbo Lover with its sleek, purring engine and the anthemic Locked In stand revealed as simply great songs. It was also the sound of a band refusing to be, uh, locked in to the strict genre standards that they themselves had pretty much defined.
9. Angel Of Retribution (2005)
No disrespect to Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens, who went from a Judas Priest cover band to replacing Rob Halford in the genuine article. He’s got a great set of pipes but, in much the same way that few Iron Maiden fans would count the Blaze Bayley albums amongst the band’s best, so that era of Priest is often written off. The two Ripper albums weren’t terrible but when Rob returned for his first Priest album since 1990’s Painkiller, it felt like a genuine event. The result was a revitalised stormer, loaded with classic riffs and lyrical references to previous Priest triumphs.
8. Sad Wings Of Destiny (1976)
After the false start of Rocka Rolla, Priest found their metal-shod feet in spectacular fashion with Sad Wings Of Destiny. It’s far more layered and progressive than most subsequent albums. Victim Of Changes was a grandiose 8-minute epic but the likes of The Tyrant and Ripper introduced that distinctive sheet metal riffage for the first time, along with Rob’s peerless wail. Judas Priest had arrived and a still developing metal scene had its gods-in-waiting.
7. Firepower (2018)
In most walks of life a bunch of men mostly in their late 60s (and a 38-year old whippersnapper in ‘new’ guitarist Richie Faulkner) would be more likely to be found pottering round a garden centre than forging one of the year’s best metal albums. Firepower continued the band’s return to classic metal form after the divisive prog-doom concept experiment of Nostradamus. At the time of writing it is, of course, the band’s most recent but it’s also here on merit. There’s not a duff song in sight and it’s all delivered with as much fire, passion and sheer unstoppable energy as anything they’ve released in their incredible career.
6. Killing Machine (1978)
Known as Hell Bent For Leather in the States, Killing Machine introduced the punchier anthemic sound with which Judas Priest would conquer the world in the next decade. It also saw them adapting the studs and leather look that Rob borrowed from gay S&M clubs – a fine private joke when you consider the unreconstructed machismo of the metal crowd back then. A little further down the line, the song Hell Bent For Leather would also go on to provide one of the band’s most gloriously OTT metal moments when the singer took to riding onto the stage on a Harley Davidson motorcycle.
5. Sin After Sin (1977)
This, along with the following year’s Stained Class, was the sandwich filling of their collection of 70s classics and was suitably satisfying, providing the bridge between the more sprawling Sad Wings Of Destiny and the direct assault that would come with Killing Machine. Live album Unleashed In The East remains the best introduction to that era incidentally - the production here lacks some power but the songs certainly don’t. Sinner remains an all-time galloping classic, their cover of Joan Baez’s Diamonds & Rust was both powerful and haunting while the stinging Dissident Aggressor would go on to influence a new breed of even more aggressive metalheads (see Slayer’s own cover on South Of Heaven for proof).
4. Screaming For Vengeance (1982)
Preceding Iron Maiden’s Piece Of Mind by a year, Screaming For Vengeance did more than any other album to take metal to the masses. Maiden actually supported Priest on their US World Vengeance Tour, during which pure heavy metal first exploded into arenas. Musically it’s lean and mean, with all traces of flab and the former bluesy elements excised. It was a blueprint for the ‘classic’ Priest sound that runs through most of their latter-day releases and still stands tall with a clutch of classic songs.
3. Painkiller (1990)
Painkiller would be Rob Halford’s last album with Priest until 2005’s Angel Of Retribution, but to say he bowed out on a high would be an understatement. The title-track is perhaps the single finest pure metal song ever written, exploding in an orgiastic welter of speed metal riffs, furious rhythms and lung-bursting screams. Not every song here is faster than a laser bullet but they all consistently slay, from the sinister creep of A Touch Of Evil to the piledriving stomp of Between The Hammer & The Anvil.
2. British Steel (1980)
By the turn of the ’80s Judas Priest were already veterans but they gate-crashed the NWOBHM party like cool older cousins who could bring the booze. Fittingly, British Steel boasted the ultimate party song in Living After Midnight. It kicked off with the proto-thrash Rapid Fire but generally featured a more singalong, anthemic sound. Breaking The Law remains their most recognisable song while Metal Gods gave the band their epithet. Bonus fact: in a time before digital sampling was commonplace, they made the sound of marching metal feet by rattling trays of cutlery in the studio.
1. Defenders Of The Faith (1984)
“Rising from darkness where hell hath no mercy, and the screams of vengeance echo on forever, only those who keep the faith shall escape the wrath of The Metallian… Master of all Metal.” The only thing that even comes close to being as metal as the legend on the back of this album is maybe the titanium plate implanted into Slayer frontman Tom Araya’s neck from too much headbanging. And, of course, the contents of the album itself. Defenders Of The Faith is frequently overlooked in favour of its predecessor Screaming For Vengeance. In terms of breaking the band and overall impact, there’s no denying that Screaming… was more important but here they perfected the formula. Freewheel Burning, The Sentinel, Jawbreaker… these are slabs of pure metal perfection and this is the pinnacle of Priest. And, therefore, classic metal as a whole.
Posted on January 29th 2019, 12:05pm | {
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Prosecutors argued Tuesday that former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort Paul John ManafortOur Constitution is under attack by Attorney General William Barr Bannon trial date set in alleged border wall scam Conspicuous by their absence from the Republican Convention MORE opened more than 30 overseas bank accounts to hide his earnings from lobbying work in Ukraine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Uzo Asonye argued in his opening statement in Manafort’s trial in Virginia that the former Trump associate opened more than 30 unreported bank accounts in three foreign countries. The accounts were allegedly used to hold the more than $60 million Manafort earned doing pro-Russian lobbying in Ukraine.
Asonye said that the government will be able to prove that Manafort did not report the entirety of his income as part of an effort to build an extravagant lifestyle.
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“There’s nothing wrong with being successful or rich, but when you sign a federal tax return you swear you have reported all your income,” Asonye said.
Tuesday marked the opening day of Manafort's trial in Alexandria, Va., where he is facing charges of money laundering, tax evasion, making false statements to government officials and more.
Manafort has pleaded not guilty. His defense team argued in their opening statements that he was a victim of his former associate, Richard Gates, who has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI as part of a plea deal.
The trial is expected to last about three weeks.
Lydia Wheeler contributed reporting. | {
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A Columbus, Ohio police officer was injured Monday night after he bit into a glass-laced sandwich that was served up at a local café.
The officer had stopped into the eatery about 3 p.m. Monday where he ordered the food and took a bite, according to ABC 6.
He then heard a crunching noise, felt a “grisly texture,” and realized right away that something was wrong. When he looked at the sandwich he found several shards of glass.
The officer was taken was taken to a hospital where he is being treated for several cuts to his mouth.
It has not been determined how the glass got into the sandwich or if it was put there deliberately. The restaurant, which has not been named, was closed as officials investigate. | {
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President Donald Trump, who launched his campaign with a forceful attack on immigrants, is now the man responsible for catapulting immigration reform back into contention.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Tuesday that the administration would rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, an Obama-era executive action that protected from deportation about 800,000 young undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children — people known as “Dreamers,” after the failed 2010 DREAM Act.
Immigration advocates blasted the decision as a moral failing on the part of the Trump administration. But they also acknowledged on Tuesday that Trump provided a renewed political opening none of them had expected from a man who barnstormed the presidency by referring to Mexican immigrants as drug dealers, criminals and rapists.
Chances of passing a new DREAM Act remain a long shot, and some Republicans in Congress said Tuesday that they were skeptical that any stand-alone bill granting legal status to Dreamers could pass. White House officials said they hoped to use the impetus to win concessions on a border wall and other priorities.
But despite major hurdles ahead, immigration activists said, Trump has single-handedly revived chances for the DREAM Act, if not for something larger.
The president “has really tossed the issue onto the table — not putting pressure on Democrats, but into the lap of Republicans,” said Frank Sharry, founder and executive director of the immigration reform group America’s Voice. “This is not the issue Republicans would have chosen. Trump chose it for them. In a backhanded way, he’s made it more likely that the DREAM Act will be passed.”
Trump acted on Tuesday in response to a Sept. 5 deadline imposed on him by a coalition of attorneys general from across the country — led by Texas. The group had threatened to sue the administration if the president did not take any action to end the program.
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The decision — one that the president “wrestled with,” according to White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders — has created momentum for Congress to take action on immigration reform, which stalled on the Hill in 2010 and again in 2013. Trump has given Congress a six-month window to pass legislation.
Hundreds of protesters swarmed the gates in front of the White House and gathered on Fifth Avenue in front of Trump Tower yelling “Shame!” at the administration for rescinding a backstop for hundreds of thousands of undocumented individuals who have served in the military, contributed to the economy, and pursued college plans in the country where they grew up.
But immigration activists conceded that if Trump had instead decided to let the fight over DACA play out in the courts, there might not have been any window for reviving consideration of immigration reform legislation.
In that scenario, “the pressure on Congress wouldn’t have been nearly as intense,” said Sharry. “It would be, ‘Let’s see what the courts do.’ In this scenario, there’s no ambiguity as to who is responsible. It’s cleaner.”
Ironically, it’s Sessions — who for years has been one of the biggest forces on the Hill pushing attempts to kill any comprehensive immigration reform — who’s been part of the brain trust advising Trump to take action that puts the onus on Congress to act.
“The fact that the Trump administration ended DACA creates a sense of urgency for Congress to pass the DREAM Act,” said Tyler Moran, managing director of the DC Immigration Hub. “Republicans are in control of both the House and the Senate, and they need to make a decision if they’re going to be part of the solution, or if they’re going to side with [White House senior policy adviser] Stephen Miller and Jeff Sessions.”
Other immigration activists were not eager to see any silver lining in Tuesday's announcement. “Whatever happens in Congress, the notion of using Dreamers as pawns to leverage to pass legislation is a very distasteful one,” said Jeremy Robbins, executive director of the New American Economy, a pro-immigration reform group launched by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
But Robbins conceded that Trump’s move revives the issue, which has been lagging for years.
In December 2010, the DREAM Act failed, with 55 in favor, 41 opposed and four senators abstaining. Only three Republicans voted in favor of the bill that year. In 2013, a comprehensive immigration reform bill passed the Senate, only to die in the House.
In a statement he released on Tuesday, House Speaker Paul Ryan struck a sympathetic tone and expressed hope for a “permanent legislative solution that includes ensuring that those who have done nothing wrong can still contribute as a valued part of this great country.”
But Trump may have set Ryan up not for a test of his own principles, but of his backbone, as he seeks to pass a bill that is likely to be unpopular with the Republican base.
“Speaker Ryan and Leader [Mitch] McConnell know how cold-hearted and senseless it would be to round these bright young Americans up and kick them out of the only home they’ve ever known,” said Jesse Lehrich, communications director for Obama for America. “The administration has dared Speaker Ryan and Leader McConnell to summon the moral courage and leadership to do something about it, once and for all.”
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A keepsake sinking into the depths of the ocean must dodge dangerous creatures and collect memories along the way.
Please Remember was made by team Ranch BLT for the 48 hour Bacon Game Jam 09. The theme was "Depth."
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This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: In Canada, armed forces raided native Wet’suwet’en territory in British Columbia Monday, with at least 14 arrests being reported. Land defenders faced off with Royal Canadian Mounted Police as the officers breached two checkpoints set up to keep pipeline workers out of protected territory. Indigenous leaders are reportedly being blocked from their territory.
WET’SUWET’EN LAND DEFENDER: The Wet’suwet’en have won rights and title to their lands. We did not hurt anyone. The hereditary chiefs say, “No, you cannot go through our lands.” And under your law, the authority is them.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: TransCanada Corporation has been seeking entry into indigenous territory, where they’re planning to build the massive $4.7 billion Coastal GasLink pipeline. Land protectors from First Nations clans set up two encampments where they had been physically blocking entry to TransCanada workers. This is a protester speaking after being arrested.
PROTESTER: There were a couple of the protesters who had secured themselves to the barricade inside. I’m not sure exactly how, but the rest of us were standing watching and singing, as they pried people loose. And the only thing I could do for myself was try to block the path between the bus and one side of the bridge. And I’m not a big person, but I was big enough to stand. And they had asked me to move, and I said, “No, I’m not moving. I’m here to the Wet’suwet’en, and I’m not moving.” And so they said, “Well, we can arrest you.” I said, “Yeah.” And I’m proud to have been arrested.
AMY GOODMAN: And this is Wet’suwet’en Chief Namox speaking after the arrests.
CHIEF NAMOX: Today was a perfect example of who steers the government. And it’s absolutely industry. Industry told government how to direct the RCMP. The RCMP removed the fence at the access point, arrested people, have charged a number of them. They were following the law of the Wet’suwet’en. What happened today was our trespass laws were broken. But according to Canadian law, who is being steered by industry, they say that these people are now criminals.
Now we need all Canadians to stand up and tell this government that they have to treat indigenous people as human beings, hereditary chiefs as true owners of this Wet’suwet’en land. And we will never give up our rights, title or jurisdiction or authority to any form of government.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, for more, we’re joined by Karla Tait, a member of the Unist’ot’en House Group of the Gilseyhu Clan. Dr. Tait is the director of clinical programming for the Unist’ot’en Healing Centre.
We thank you very much for being with us, Dr. Tait. Can you explain—first set the larger context for us. Where is this happening in British Columbia? Talk about what the larger struggle is right now.
DR. KARLA TAIT: So, this is occurring just outside of Houston, BC, on our unceded traditional territories. It’s about an hour’s drive down the forest service road.
And in terms of a larger context, the Unist’ot’en camp was established when my aunt took up her residence there in 2010. So she’s been living there on our territory for eight years. It’s been used by our chiefs, by our membership, for trapping and other purposes, for millennia before that.
And the reason that Freda took up her residence there and started fundraising to build our Healing Centre is she wanted to fulfill our family’s vision of bringing healing to our people on the land, but also she wanted to ensure that projects that were going to compromise the integrity of that healthy environment, of that healthy land, were not permitted to proceed without permission of our hereditary chiefs, who have jurisdiction over that land.
So, she’s been there for a long time, had defeated or maintained that territory against the Enbridge pipeline. And more recently, we’ve been faced with provincial permits and pressure to allow the Coastal GasLink to begin construction.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Now, the Coastal GasLink pipeline, could you talk about its potential impact on your lands? And also, this issue that the company is claiming it has gotten the necessary approvals from the elected leaders of the indigenous people—could you talk about the difference between the elected leaders and the hereditary chiefs?
DR. KARLA TAIT: Sure. I’ll start with the second question. So, we do have a hereditary governance system that’s been in place since time immemorial. It’s a highly stratified system in which hereditary chiefs belonging to each of the clans oversee their house group’s territory, and they’re responsible for stewarding it and ensuring that that land is available for use and benefit of their members, to provide for them.
The Wet’suwet’en law they abide to ensures that conduct on any respective house group’s territory isn’t going to negatively impact their neighbors. So, these projects, that are environmentally precarious—and we saw this with Enbridge—you know, our hereditary chiefs have been unified in their opposition, because there is too great a threat to the limited remaining territory that we have as Wet’suwet’en people, particularly for the Unist’ot’en. We have less than 10 percent of our traditional territory remaining that can actually support programs like our Healing Centre, which is based on connection to the land and revitalizing cultural identity.
And we need the land and the critical infrastructure there, such as the medicine-gathering grounds; the berry patches; the trap lines; the fresh, clean, potable water that runs through our territory and provides a spawning, like a salmon spawning estuary, headwaters that feed many more communities downstream, that split into two main river systems here in the north.
So, that hereditary system was recognized by the Delgamuukw-Gisday’wa Supreme Court of Canada ruling of 1997, in which Canada recognized that we had never extinguished our aboriginal rights and title. We’ve never ceded or surrendered our territories. And the hereditary chiefs had provided that oral testimony on which that ruling was based.
Now, Coastal GasLink and many industry projects have been consulting and reaching out to band councils in Canada, which only have jurisdiction within the boundaries of their reservations. And reservation lands make up less than 1 percent of the territory in Canada. And all of the reserves, at least to my knowledge, that have signed on with this project are not within the pathway of the pipeline. That pipeline through Wet’suwet’en territory goes through a number of traditional territories assigned or belonging to hereditary chiefs, who have all stated verbally their opposition to this pipeline and have never been—received any meaningful consultation, nor have they given consent to this project.
I guess I would add, as part of our Wet’suwet’en law and that responsibility to ensure our territories are intact and healthy for future generations and to be mindful of our activities that could negatively impact our neighbors, Coastal GasLink is a liquefied natural gas project, and so we are well aware that the environmental costs of fracking are huge. You know, they use up fresh water that is in limited supply in our world.
And moreover, you know, those proposed pipelines do breach. You know, we heard of an explosion near another First Nation here in Canada in October, near the Lheidli T’enneh community, and it caused the evacuation of the whole community. And in a remote setting like ours, where there are fragile systems in place, like pristine salmon estuaries, an explosion like that could be hugely detrimental and hard for the environment to recover from, and could compromise the safety of residents at our Healing Centre.
AMY GOODMAN: Karla—
DR. KARLA TAIT: Yes?
AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to turn to the Canadian MP Nathan Cullen speaking on Monday.
NATHAN CULLEN: The main concern that I came up here today was to see the RCMP checkpoint denying Wet’suwet’en access to their own territory. Denying the press access to what is happening further up this road here also seemed to me not in the interest of public safety or peace. The Parliament, just a few months ago, stood and voted and passed the U.N. Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. If the current government thinks they can just do something in Parliament but not actually enforce it on the land, then I don’t know what that vote means.
AMY GOODMAN: So that’s Canadian MP Nathan Cullen. The environmentalist, activist, author Naomi Klein, professor at Rutgers University, tweeted, “A shameful day for Canada, which has marketed itself as a progressive leader on climate and Indigenous rights. It has just invaded unceded Wet’suwet’en territory and arrested land defenders, all for a gas pipeline that is entirely incompatible with a safe climate.”
Our guest, Dr. Karla Tait, a member of the Unist’ot’en House Group of the Gilseyhu Clan, a Native Canadian, speaking to us from a couple hours from the site of contention right now. If you can explain, Karla, what is happening right now? When did the Royal Canadian Mounted Police get involved? What kind of checkpoints or blockades have they set up? And describe what you understand has taken place with the arrests of, it looks like, at least 14 indigenous people at this point.
DR. KARLA TAIT: Well, to my knowledge, the police had breached the Gidimt’en checkpoint. And the Gidimt’en Clan is another of the five clans of the Wet’suwet’en Nation. That checkpoint was erected with the support of all five clans and was determined in a smoke feast, which is, I guess, our—where our laws are enacted within our communities, through the feast system.
And I understand, yesterday, that at least 23 units of police officers arrived on site, some of them members of a tactical response team that were dressed in fatigues and heavily armed. They blocked access for the public and anyone, actually, wishing to go on site at the 27-kilometer mark. And the Gidimt’en checkpoint on that forest service road is at the 44-kilometer mark, so quite a ways up, up the road. So a lot of media weren’t even able to witness how they planned to enforce the injunction.
From what I heard of contacts, you know, our—I know my hereditary chiefs had made efforts to go and be on our territory, to be with my aunt and my mother, who are at our camp right now, on our territory. And they were—they were denied access. Our Chief We’alih and Lht’at’en were not able to go in. Our Chief Knedebeas, however, was permitted to go as far as the 44 checkpoint to speak with a police liaison. None were permitted access any further.
It sounded like there was a great deal of fear from those at the checkpoint, just because of the force that had shown up for a peaceful protest. I know I’ve seen mixed reports and adjusted reports about some burning of pallets or other things at the site. I know some of the flags that we’d prepared for the nation were damaged. So, I guess I’m questioning where the arson—or who had started the arson. But I know that there were a few folks that were affixed to that gate, and there was some use of force to push through the gate and potentially some injuries to some of the land defenders there. And I did get confirmation that Molly Wickham, the spokesperson for the Gidimt’en, was one of the people detained and arrested.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Now, your aunt and her partner are both named in the injunction that Coastal GasLink secured from the courts. Have you had any offers of support from other First Nations in Canada or the United States, or are you asking for support from others outside the area?
DR. KARLA TAIT: We’ve had a really good showing of solidarity and support through our Unist’ot’en Healing Centre’s webpage. People have been donating to our legal fund. You know, I believe there’s a national day of action call-out that the Gidimt’en had requested, and a number of demonstrations going on across Canada and other countries, just to bring light to the fact that, you know, we are facing violations of our aboriginal rights and title here, and there is a great deal of force to remove us from what remains of our land and the violation of Canada’s commitment to the United Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.
Moreover, we have this—established the fact that we’ve never ceded or given up rights to our territory, and that’s recognized in the highest court of Canada, through a really protracted, expensive court case, in which we paired up with the Gitxsan people. So, I think that this is a really key juncture for Canada and its relationship with indigenous people. And for all of the talk of reconciliation and all of the positive momentum we’ve seen even with the establishment of a self-determined or -governed health authority here in BC, there’s so many ways that Canada had been turning a tide, and I think instances like this reflect truly where Canadian interests lie. And it seems that they’re willing to ignore and overstep and oppress indigenous rights and title when it serves economic interests.
AMY GOODMAN: Karla Tait, I wanted to read from a statement issued by the RCMP, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which claims jurisdiction in the area. They write, “For the land in question, where the Unist’ot’en camp is currently located near Houston, BC, it is our understanding that there has been no declaration of Aboriginal title in the Courts of Canada. In 1997, the Supreme Court of Canada issued an important decision, Delgamuukw v. British Columbia, that considered Aboriginal title to Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en traditional territories. The Supreme Court of Canada decided that a new trial was required to determine whether Aboriginal title had been established for these lands, and to hear from other indigenous nations which have a stake in the territory claimed. The new trial has never been held, meaning that Aboriginal title to this land, and which Indigenous nation holds it, has not been determined.” Again, that’s a statement of the RCMP, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Karla Tait, your response?
DR. KARLA TAIT: I would say those are colonial tactics that we’ve seen for the 150 years since Canada was colonized. You know, we are at an extreme disadvantage working to establish our rights and title in a court system that the state has the ultimate authority over. You know, the state drafts the laws. They control the legal force used to enact those laws.
And I think that court case was so significant, because, for the first time, our hereditary system, our hereditary chiefs were able to speak and provide testimony to the fact that we’ve occupied and governed our lands and maintained them for millennia through a complex governance system that predates Canada. So, it is an act of oppression to expect that we, through great expense, challenge that and provided that landmark case. And I’d say we were—you know, a good friend of mine put this in good words—understandably, took a breather and need to, in Canada’s eyes, do that next step.
And in our eyes, by hereditary law, we have pre-existing Wet’suwet’en law that governs these lands. So, by that note, I’d say Canada has the responsibility of showing how they have jurisdiction over territories that we governed long before Canada existed. It is complex, playing within a system that is markedly stacked against you. And so, I would say that this is an important critical juncture about the future of aboriginal rights and title and the relationship between Canada and its indigenous people.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: I want to go to Molly Wickham of the Gidimt’en Clan speaking Saturday night.
MOLLY WICKHAM: You know, people like to think that things have gotten a lot better in so-called Canada and in our communities and that things aren’t the same that they were 150 years ago. But that’s just a fallacy. It’s false, because we know, right now, in this reality, that the state is willing and capable of using the same kinds of violence that they have used against our people for the last 150 years here.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: That was Molly Wickham of the Gidimt’en Clan speaking Saturday night. Dr. Karla Tait, your understanding is she was one of the people arrested?
DR. KARLA TAIT: That’s correct. She was. I think she summed it up really clearly. She was acting at the direction of her clan and with the approval of her hereditary chiefs to defend that territory against trespass, essentially, is what is occurring. By Wet’suwet’en law, Coastal GasLink, the province are committing trespass on our unceded territories. They have never meaningfully consulted with our chiefs, and they forcefully removed members and guests from our territory, in the interest of an economic profit, you know. So, I think it’s a huge violation of our rights.
And my thoughts are with Molly and with my family, who’s still in Unist’ot’en, you know, and I’m very fearful for their safety. The relationship between aboriginal people and the police has not been a good one in Canada. You know, they were complicit in the removal of our children during the residential school era, which was legally sanctioned. So the removal of our people from our territories, from our limited remaining territories, is, I believe, an act of violence against our people.
AMY GOODMAN: Dr. Karla Tait, finally, your message to the world, what you want to see happen right now?
DR. KARLA TAIT: So, my message to the world is, we need support and solidarity. We need vocal dissent to this stance that Canada is taking against indigenous people. We need to hold our government accountable to the commitments that they make as a nation on the rights of indigenous people. And we just need respect and humanity shown to the original people of this land.
AMY GOODMAN: Karla Tait, I want to thank you so much for being with us. Dr. Karla Tait is a member of the Unist’ot’en House Group of the Gilseyhu Clan, speaking to us about the conflict that’s taking place right now in British Columbia. This is Democracy Now! I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González. | {
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A human face lies inert on a surgical tray as if staring up at the team of doctors hovering over it. It has taken them 16 hours of precise, painstaking work to remove it from a 31-year-old female donor, who had died three days earlier. A few seconds after photographer Lynn Johnson captured this extraordinary moment, plastic surgeons in the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, began the second phase of a procedure that lasted around 30 hours in total. When it was completed, 21 year-old Katie Stubblefield became the youngest person to receive a successful full face transplant.
Taken in 2017 as part of a bigger series documenting Stubblefield’s groundbreaking surgical transformation, Katie’s New Face (2017) is one of several arresting images that have made the shortlist for the 2019 Wellcome Photography prize. The aim of the award is to celebrate “compelling imagery that captures stories of health, medicine and science”. Composed of four categories – Social Perspectives, Hidden Worlds, Medicine in Focus and Outbreaks – the shortlist perhaps predictably favours documentary and photojournalism. There are some surprises, though, not least the often beautiful abstractions of David Linstead’s microscopic image of the capillaries of a human fingertip that had been injected with red ink.
Katie’s New Face, 2017, Lynn Johnson.
At the age of 21, Katie became the youngest person ever to receive a full- face transplant. This was the critical moment after the donor’s face was surgically removed before being transferred onto Katie. There was complete silence in the room as the surgical team absorbed the gravity of their mission. The transformational procedure took over 30 hours and was undertaken by a team of around 30 medical professionals at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.
From its inception, photography has been utilised to illuminate the mysteries of science and medicine, with Victorian pioneers such as Henry Fox Talbot and Auguste Adolphe Bertsch creating microscopic studies of insects and plants that often resembled ornate line drawings. As the category Hidden Worlds shows, that tradition of cutting-edge experimentation continues apace with an advanced image-mapping of HIV infection undertaken by a team of research scientists that allows us to see four representations of the same cluster of 100,000 cells from a rhesus monkey.
Shroud, Rhône Glacier, 2018, Simon Norfolk and Klaus Thymann
In the Rhône glacier in the Swiss Alps, a family runs an ice grotto as a popular tourist attraction. But, as the Earth warms, the glacier is shrinking and the grotto is under threat – an unusual example of how climate change imperils people’s livelihoods. In response, the family has covered part of the glacier with white geosynthetic blankets to reflect away the sun’s heat and keep the cold in. This slows the shrinkage, but it is only a small-scale, temporary fix.
In the same section, Simon Norfolk and Klaus Thymann’s man-altered landscape Shroud, Rhône Glacier, shows the range of approaches and the breadth of subject matter that the prize celebrates. It could be mistaken at first glance for a signature work by the conceptual land artist Christo, famous for his wrapping of monumental buildings and stretches of landscape in fabric. It is, in fact, an attempt by environmentalists to slow down the melting of the Swiss glacier, the heavy thermal material reflecting heat and light that would otherwise destroy the ice. It is an image of an undertaking that seems both surreal and slightly desperate, but the ecological context is calamitous: the Rhône Glacier has lost 350 metres (1,150ft) in ice thickness since 1856 and around 40 metres in the last decade alone.
Zora the Robot Care-Giver, 2018, Dmitry Kostyukov
This woman in a nursing facility outside Paris has developed an emotional attachment to Zora the robot. There are at least 15 of these robots currently in use in healthcare settings in France, and more around the world, including Australia, the US and elsewhere in Europe. Controlled remotely by a nurse, Zora can help people with communication and provide comfort and entertainment (including exercise classes). Some people respond very positively to interacting with Zora, others ignore it completely.
Sex and death inevitably feature and, again, it is in the Hidden Worlds category where the contrast is most dramatic. Simone Cerio’s wonderfully tender and intimate series, Love Givers, is represented by a single understated image of two semi-naked women lying on a bed. Shot from above, it suggests the casual intimacy of longterm lovers, but one of them, Debora, is the first officially sanctioned sexual assistant in Italy, whose role is “to support disabled people to explore intimate practices”.
Love Givers, 2013, Simone Cerio
Debora is the first sexual assistant in Italy supporting disabled people (male and female) to explore intimate practices. Repression of sexual instincts can cause psychological stress, and this can particularly affect those who are not able to use their bodies fully. By providing physical contact of the right kind in a safe environment, a trained professional can improve a person’s wellbeing, increase self-esteem, and prepare them for future intimate relationships.
Cerio has described her project as “a physical and mental journey” that challenges our perception of the disabled and their most intimate needs. “Sexual assistance is a technique of psychophysical approach to disabled people, based on massages, kisses, visual contacts and erotic stimulation,” she elaborates on her Facebook page, “This project is an opportunity, perhaps the only way for disabled people to have such an experience.”
The Morgue, 2017 Luis Henry Agudelo Cano
In a country with high rates of violent crime, many young people in Colombia choose to study forensic sciences or embalming. They seek to discover the identities of the many unknown bodies that arrive at the morgue in the hope that they can then be returned to their families. This busy university teaching morgue in Medellín also doubles as the judicial morgue when the civil service is on strike.
Luis Henry Agudelo Cano has already won second place in the current affairs and news category of the 2018 Sony world photography awards for his black and white series Young People Who Beautify Death. The single image from it included here gives you a sense of its almost ghostly intimacy. Entitled The Morgue, and shot in Colombia in 2017, it is a multiple exposure of one of the young people who are trained to, as Cano puts it, “salvage the beauty of the deceased, that those who love them can always remember them”. Like his fellow students, this young man is being trained in postmortem techniques to erase the scars and wounds of violent death so that the victims of Colombia’s prolonged paramilitary-fuelled violence can be viewed by their relatives.
Among the several captured moments of intimacy on display in the shortlist, perhaps the strangest is by Dmitry Kostyukov. His portrait of an elderly resident of a nursery facility near Paris is tenderly observed, but it challenges all our received notions of what constitutes care and, indeed, tenderness. The woman is cradling Zora, a robot remotely controlled by a nurse as an aid to “communication, comfort and entertainment” of the residents. Many of them ignore Zora, while others take her to their hearts as they would a child.
Mapping SHIV infection in the body, 2018, by Carly Ziegler, Alex Shalek, Shaina Carrol, Leslie Kean, Victor Tkachev and Lucrezia Colonna.
Visualising complex genomic data is hard. In this image, each of the four coloured circles shows the same roughly 100,000 cells from rhesus macaques, with genetically and phenotypically similar cells clustered together. Every dot represents a single cell and the lines connecting them reflect how similar they are. In the bottom right circle, red cells are from monkeys infected with simian- human immunodeficiency virus while blue cells are from uninfected ones. Distinguishing the red and blue cells helps to show which cells change and malfunction during infection, despite treatment with antiretroviral drugs.
Like many of the images that have made it on to the shortlist, Zora the robot care-giver is a glimpse of a future in which new technologies such as advanced robotics and artificial intelligence will inform our lives in ways that, until recently, we would have scarcely imagined outside of the realm of science fiction. It is these glimpses of a future that is already here that makes the selection so compelling. That, and the evidence of the deep humanity that still underlies so much of the work done by those at the forefront of advances in health, medicine and science.
All the winning and shortlisted entries will go on show at the Lethaby Gallery, London, 4-13 July. Category prizes and the overall winner will be announced at a ceremony in London on 3 July 2019 | {
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Former "Duck Dynasty" star Sadie Robertson is engaged!
Robertson, 21, said yes when boyfriend Christian Huff proposed to her on Sunday.
"I screamed YES. so many words and so many more pictures to come, but for now just know my friends I’m the happiest human in the world on June 9th, 2019 today and for the rest of my life" she wrote on Instagram. "I GET TO MARRY THIS MAN. God is faithful and so so good."
SADIE ROBERTSON: HOW I OVERCAME FEAR AND LEARNED TO REALLY LIVE
A video of the special moment was shared with the "Dancing with the Stars" alum's 3.2 million followers.
Robertson's mother, Korie, also shared the good news online and welcomed her future son-in-law to the family.
ELIZABETH HURLEY, 53, SIZZLES IN HOT PINK BIKINI
"Sadie’s getting married!!!!! To the most amazing man, and we are beaming!!!" her mother wrote." Today was an absolute dream. I love every second of being @legitsadierob mom and can’t wait for @christian_huff to join the fam!"
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Robertson recently detailed her affection for Huff, writing on Instagram that "there are a lot of things that I love about this man."
She wrote, "He’s strong and kind. He’s handsome and humble. He is hilarious. He’s my best friend." Robertson said their relationship isn't perfect, "but at the end of every day I couldn’t be more grateful for this walking answered prayer."
Before her engagement, Robertson was linked to ex, Austin North, and former Texas A&M quarterback Trevor Knight. | {
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TORONTO — After seven weeks of Winnipeg dominance, the Nissan Titan Power Rankings have a new leader.
The Calgary Stampeders are back on top after winning the Battle of Alberta, joining the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Hamilton Tiger-Cats at the top of the CFL standings and asserting their presence as a contender in the tightly-contested West Division.
There were plenty of reasons to count the defending Grey Cup Champions out in 2019, from an early-season injury to Bo Levi Mitchell to a revolving door at running back to a defence missing two-thirds of its starters from last season, not including defensive coordinator DeVone Claybrooks.
Yet two months into the season the Stamps are strong in virtually every area. The team sits second in the CFL with a plus-eight turnover ratio, the defence is allowing just 328 yards per game (fourth in the CFL) and first-time starter Nick Arbuckle has completed 73 per cent of his passes while winning four of his five starts.
Lesson learned, it’s never wise to dismiss Dave Dickenson and the Calgary Stampeders. More in the Nissan Titan Power Rankings.
1. Calgary Stampeders
Record: 5-2
Last Week: 4
The Stamps keep finding ways to win. On Saturday, in the first rendition of the Battle of Alberta, Calgary was outplayed by the rival Esks, but a 103-yard kick return touchdown by Terry Williams made the difference. The most telling statistic: The Stampeders currently lead the CFL with 22 takeaways, resulting directly in 74 points.
2. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Record: 5-2
Last Week: 1
That’s two in a row the Bombers let get away, falling to the Ticats despite Jeremiah Masoli‘s injury before blowing a 20-0 lead vs. the Argos in Week 8. Fans of the Blue and Gold hope a disappointing trip east won’t be the turning point in their season, especially with a first-place matchup against the Stampeders on tap.
3. Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Record: 5-2
Last Week: 2
After two-and-outs on seven of their first 10 possessions, the Ticats and sophomore quarterback Dane Evans finally settled in against the Riders, even taking the lead in the fourth quarter. With Masoli out for the season, Evans will need to show growth if the Ticats are going to compete for a Grey Cup.
4. Edmonton Eskimos
Record: 4-3
Last Week: 3
Trevor Harris almost completed a late-game comeback vs. the Stamps, leading the offence to the 17-yard-line before one last attempt fell incomplete. Despite losing, the Esks nearly doubled their rival in net yards, and their peripherals suggest this is a very good football team, currently leading the CFL both in yards for and against.
5. Saskatchewan Roughriders
Record: 4-3
Last Week: 6
Cody Fajardo‘s dive to the pylon was the game-winning touchdown and likely a signature moment in the Riders’ season. The 27-year-old is here to stay after the club traded veteran Zach Collaros, while the Riders have won three straight games and four of their last five. This team has become a dark horse in the West if not a contender.
6. Montreal Alouettes
Record: 3-3
Last Week: 5
Vernon Adams got hurt, Antonio Pipkin was inaccurate and the offence abandoned the run in an overtime loss to the REDBLACKS in Week 8. Can the Als win without Big Play VA? Adams was the catalyst for the team’s success this season, but there’s plenty to like about Montreal on both sides of the ball.
7. Ottawa REDBLACKS
Record: 3-4
Last Week: 7
The offence struggled in Dominique Davis‘ return, but two DeVonte Dedmon return touchdowns and some clutch kicking from Lewis Ward (as always) helped the REDBLACKS steal one in overtime. The East is up for the taking, but Ottawa will need better play from the quarterback position after managing just 241 yards of offence.
8. Toronto Argonauts
Record: 1-6
Last Week: 9
After improving defensively throughout the 2019 season, it was the offence coming through in the second half of a thrilling comeback win over Winnipeg. McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw for 343 yards and three touchdowns to erase a 20-point deficit for the win at BMO Field, pulling the Boatmen from the deepest depths of the power rankings.
9. BC Lions
Record: 1-6
Last Week: 8
As the rest of the West pulls away, every game becomes a must-win for the struggling BC Lions. A little time off can’t hurt, and the same goes for some adjustments up front with the addition of American offensive tackle Justin Renfrow from Calgary. The Ticats, without Jeremiah Masoli, present a winnable matchup for Mike Reilly and co.
WEEK-BY-WEEK RANKINGS | {
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Dynasty Warriors 9 will launch for PlayStation 4 on February 8 in Japan, Koei Tecmo announced. The retail version will cost 7,800 yen, and the download version will cost 7,000 yen for the first two weeks before reverting to the retail price.
The following special editions will be available:
Treasure Box (14,800 yen) A copy of Dynasty Warriors 9 for PlayStation 4
Acrylic card set of all characters (acrylic photo frame included)
Character creation book
Original soundtrack Ikkitousen Box (33,800 yen) A copy of Dynasty Warriors 9 for PlayStation 4
An all characters weapons die cast set (including key holders for each force)
Acrylic card set of all characters (acrylic photo frame included)
Character creation book
Original soundtrack Digital Deluxe (10,020 yen for the first two weeks after release, then 10,800 yen) A copy of the game
Dynasty Warriors 9 Season Pass – Includes downloadable content due out after the game’s release, including additional scenarios and weapons. As a bonus, the Season Pass will include a “Materials and Jewels Set.”
Three Digital Deluxe-original weapons (Digital Deluxe-exclusive downloadable content)
In addition to the release date, Koei Tecmo also released informal clothes character models of Yu Jin, Xiao Qiao, Zhao Yun, and Guo Huai.
In North America and Europe, the Omega Force-developed open-world sequel is due out for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in early 2018.
View the character models at the gallery. | {
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Facebook bans UK far right groups and leaders Published duration 18 April 2019
image copyright Getty Images image caption Former BNP leader Nick Griffin and ex-Britain First deputy leader Jayda Fransen are among those affected
Facebook has imposed a ban on a dozen far-right individuals and organisations that it says "spread hate".
The ban includes the British National Party and Nick Griffin, the English Defence League and the National Front.
The list also includes Britain First, which was already banned, but this latest action will prohibit support for it on any of the US firm's services.
It said it had taken the action because those involved had proclaimed a "violent or hateful mission".
"Individuals and organisations who spread hate, or attack or call for the exclusion of others on the basis of who they are, have no place on Facebook," the social network added in a statement.
image copyright Facebook image caption The pages of some organisations named were still present on Facebook before the announcement
The ban includes:
The British National Party and its ex-leader Nick Griffin
Britain First, its leader Paul Golding and former deputy leader Jayda Fransen
English Defence League and its founding member Paul Ray
Knights Templar International and its promoter Jim Dowson
National Front and its leader Tony Martin
Jack Renshaw, a neo-Nazi who plotted to murder a Labour MP
A spokesman for Facebook clarified what would now be done to the pages the groups and individuals had run on its site. All those named would be prevented from having a presence on any Facebook service.
In addition, praise and support for the groups or named individuals would no longer be allowed.
The ban was "long overdue" said MP Yvette Cooper, chair of the Home Affairs Select committee.
"For too long social media companies have been facilitating extremist and hateful content online and profiting from the poison," she added.
"They have particularly failed on far-right extremism as they don't even have the same co-ordination systems for platforms to work together as they do on Islamist extremism," she added.
Ms Cooper said the measures were a "necessary first step" and should be strengthened by independent regulation and financial penalties for firms that were sluggish to remove material.
"We all know the appalling consequences there can be if hateful, violent and illegal content is allowed to proliferate," she said.
image copyright Facebook
This current action, said Facebook, went further than the restrictions placed on Britain First last year when its official pages were removed for breaking the site's community standards.
The latest move comes soon after Facebook said it would block "praise, support and representation of white nationalism and separatism" on its main app and Instagram. | {
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MANILA, Philippines — A jobless man was arrested for allegedly cracking a bomb joke at the Gil Puyat Station of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) on Monday.
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The Pasay City Police Station on Tuesday said Saber Akbar, 28, was about to enter the station and was standing in line to have his bag inspected, when he allegedly said that the bag of the person in front of him contained a bomb.
A security guard who heard him immediately accosted Akbar who was later turned over to the police.
Police Colonel Noel Flores, commander of Pasay City Police, told INQUIRER.net that Akbar had been charged with violating Presidential Decree 1727 or the Anti-Bomb Joke Law and detained at the police station. /cbb
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With her husband Ryan Edwards in jail for another month, Mackenzie Edwards has a lot of free time, so the Teen Mom OG star did another Instagram Live Q& A session with the show’s fans earlier this week, revealing some odd fact-lets about herself, her family and the show.
Just as she did during her February late-night Instagram Live session, Mackenzie complained about having to film for the upcoming season of ‘Teen Mom OG.’ This time, however, she also tackled the subject of Ryan’s other baby mama, Maci Bookout!
Here are five things we learned about Mackenzie from the Instagram Live session.
1. Ryan was pushing for some very, um, interesting names for their son.
On ‘Teen Mom OG,’ Ryan seemed unenthusiastic about having another child. (He did, after all, “joke” to Mackenzie that she should only call him once their son turns three!) However, Mackenzie swore that Ryan was an active participant when it came to choosing a name for their son, whom they ultimately named Jagger.
During the Live session, Mackenzie stated that Ryan shot down most of her name suggestions.
“Pretty much any name that I threw out there Ryan didn’t like, and any name that I threw out there he didn’t like,” Mackenzie said. “He wanted [to name the baby] Otis or Felix, and that has no, like, family [connection]… I was like, ‘NO!'”
Mackenzie then suggested Jagger, which Ryan loved.
2. Mackenzie’s father played professional football.
Mack’s parents have managed to keep their mugs off of ‘Teen Mom OG,’ so we rarely, if ever, hear much about them. During her Live session, though, Mackenzie revealed that her father (Bob Standifer) is a former pro football player.
Mackenzie claimed that her dad played for the 49ers and Kansas City; however, The Ashley could only find online records of Bob Standifer playing for one year in the NFL (for the San Francisco 49ers), and two years for the Oakland Invaders (of the United States Football League).
Bob Standifer did, indeed, have a successful football career, though. He was named All-American at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga (UTC) in 1984, and actually declined to participate in the NFL draft in 1985. The Times Free Press once named him one of Chattanooga’s Top 13 Defensive Linemen of all time.
3. She still doesn’t get along with Maci, apparently.
Maci surprised many ‘Teen Mom’ viewers last month when she posted a series of professional photos to her Instagram that featured her and Mackenzie (along with all of their kids) smiling together in a photo. Mack and Maci– whose feud has been documented on many a ‘Teen Mom’ episode– seemed to have put their differences aside.
However, judging by how Mackenzie answered a question about her relationship with Maci, it seems that there is still hostility between Ryan’s baby mamas.
“Maybe,” Mackenzie responded to the question asking if she will ever get along with Maci. “Miracles happen every day…”
4. She has a real job.
Mackenzie has talked about “going to work” on the show, but has never really discussed what she does for a living (other than being Mrs. Ryan Edwards, of course).
During her Live, Mackenzie said that she works a “regular” job in insurance sales.
She also reported that Ryan’s parents help her out a lot.
5. She still hates filming but loves to complain about it.
Mackenzie’s previous Live session was chock-full of complaints about having to film for ‘Teen Mom OG,’ and this session was no different. She told a fan that filming is “not stressful, just annoying,” and that she recently had to film for the new season and talk about Ryan’s current behind-bars situation.
“I’ve had to film about how sad and emotional I am [about Ryan being in jail],” she said sarcastically, before adding, “Sometimes I’ll get sad. It is sad. But in hindsight it’s not because [once he gets out of jail], all this is over.”
As The Ashley has previously reported, Ryan is stuck in the clink until his next court hearing in April. (Mackenzie confirmed this.) Until then, she said she has to film for the show even though she hates it.
“I have a contract and like I said in my Live a little bit ago, we both agreed that supported our family so might as well [do the show],” she said. “And it’s really almost impossible to get out of your contract.”
RELATED STORY: Mackenzie Edwards Discussed Why Husband Ryan Is in Jail, Her ‘Teen Mom OG’ Contract & the Show’s Producers in Late-Night Instagram Live Session
(Photos: MTV, Instagram) | {
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Check out our new site Makeup Addiction
fire alarm goes off in building...while fapping didnt stop me | {
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A college student in Minnesota who supports President Trump waved a loaded gun at another driver in a fit of rage — sparked by the woman’s bumper sticker for Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren, authorities said.
Joseph R. Schumacher, a 27-year-old student at Minnesota State University Moorhead, was charged Wednesday after the encounter two days earlier with an 18-year-old woman near Concordia College in Moorhead, the Star Tribune reports.
The woman told police Schumacher pulled up next to her as they drove and screamed his “dislike for the political bumper sticker” showing her support for the Massachusetts senator.
Schumacher then pointed out the Trump-Pence bumper sticker on his car while telling the woman about “his difference in national political views,” police said.
“The victim initially thought it wasn’t going to be serious,” Moorhead police Capt. Deric Swenson told the newspaper. “Then things escalated seriously.”
A few blocks later, Schumacher cut in front of the woman’s car and waved a pistol, according to a criminal complaint.
Police caught up with Schumacher, who was wearing a “Trump 2020” cap, at a Kurdish restaurant.
Schumacher insisted to investigators that he had been flirting with the woman and her female passenger, but one of the people in the student’s car admitted to police that he did pull out a gun during the encounter, which prosecutors characterized as a road rage incident, according to the Star Tribune.
A loaded handgun was found in Schumacher’s car during a subsequent search, as well as a second, unloaded firearm and a magazine. He was charged with carrying a gun without a permit and unlawful transport of firearms on Wednesday before being released, the newspaper reports.
Schumacher, of West Fargo, North Dakota, could not be reached for comment early Thursday. A message seeking comment from university officials was not immediately returned. | {
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MONTREAL — Taking part in a growing internet photo trend called “trash the dress” was the last act of a recently-wed woman near Montreal.
Maria Pantazopoulos, 30, married on June 9, died on Aug. 24 when her wedding dress became soaked during a photo shoot in the Oureau River in Rawdon, Quebec. The heavy, awkward garment eventually dragged its diminutive owner into the water and caused her to drown.
Too distraught to speak over the weekend, Louis Pagakis, the photographer who attempted to save Pantazopoulos before she died, spoke to CTV News Monday.
“She had her wedding dress on and she said, ‘take some pictures of me while I swim a little bit in the lake,’” Pagakis said. “She went in and her dress got heavy, I tried everything I could to save her. I jumped in — I was screaming and yelling; we tried our best.”
Pagakis’ girlfriend, Anouk Benzacar, answered questions on his behalf over the weekend, and said the photo shoot began in shallow waters. Pagakis only moved to the deeper waters at Pantazopoulos’ request, as Benzacar said the bride wanted a shot of her “floating” in the dress.
“The dress was getting heavy, so (Pagakis) went in to try move her (back to a shallow part of the river),” Benzacar told reporters.
As the dress became heavier, the current began to take hold of Pantazopoulos while she was sinking. Benzacar said the struggling bride grabbed Pagakis in an attempt to remain afloat, but that only served to drag the photographer down with her.
Still, Benzacar said, Pagakis struggled to swim to safety with Pantazopoulos clinging to him, but the bride eventually ran out of strength and let go. A volunteer found Pantazopoulos’ body two hours later downstream.
Beaches and bodies of water are a popular locations for “trash the dress” photo shoots, a trend which began gaining popularity in 2008. Several mass “trash the dress” events took place in 2011, including one that featured hundreds of women storming a Netherlands beach in their gowns.
The Calgary Herald reports the trend is still somewhat new in Canada. | {
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The United Nations (UN) migration compact is a “threat to the world”, Hungary has said, announcing that the nation will follow President Donald J. Trump’s America in rejecting the globalist agreement.
The draft for the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, which claims that huge movements of people across borders are “inevitable, necessary, and desirable”, was approved on Friday by all UN member nations except the U.S., which withdrew last year.
Rejecting the document, which was summarised by President Trump as plans for a world in which there are “no borders, everyone can come in”, the White House said the compact was “simply not compatible with US sovereignty”.
He had previously called unlimited mass migration to Europe "inevitable" https://t.co/LNKntX5q01 — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) December 20, 2017
“This document is entirely against Hungary’s security interests,” Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said, telling a news conference that the “extreme, biased” compact was likely to inspire millions more people to migrate from the third world.
“Its main premise is that migration is a good and inevitable phenomenon … We consider migration a bad process, which has extremely serious security implications,” Reuters reported him saying.
Noting that Budapest’s proposals were ignored during the development of the document, which he said fails to address the rights of individuals who simply want to live in peace and stability in their homelands, Szijjártó said Hungary will no longer attend the final signing of the compact, which is set to take place at a ceremony in Morocco in December.
Hungarian Prime Minister: UN Migration Compact ‘Looks Like It Was Copied from the Soros Plan’ for Mass Migration https://t.co/2GF6VZKfTf — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) February 6, 2018
Last month the minister said the plans “represents an extreme danger” to EU nations, as the package would essentially force the continent to give up trying to counter illegal immigration, warning, “If the goals set down in the plan are realized then the make-up of Europe’s population will change radically in the upcoming few years.”
Speaking at the UN headquarters in New York City prior to intergovernmental negotiations over the compact, the minister remarked that amendments were resulting in a document that was becoming “increasingly worse”.
“It would now be justified to rechristen the Global Compact for Migration to the African Compact, since its clear beneficiary is Africa and its clear victim is Europe,” he said.
“For instance, it calls for all migrants to receive all kinds of services after leaving their homes, irrespective of what transit country they are in or what country they happen to have chosen for themselves,” Szijjártó highlighted. | {
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The B.C. NDP is promising to freeze BC Ferries fares from May 2013 to March 2015 while they audit the provincial corporation if they win the May 14 provincial election.
Leader Adrian Dix announced the freeze while campaigning in Liberal Finance Minister Mike de Jong's Abbotsford riding on Wednesday morning.
"We shouldn't forget the essential role BC Ferries plays in communities — that it is an economic lynchpin for many communities," he said. "For many people, of course, it could be essential not just to their weekly lives but to their daily lives."
Dix said the party would set aside cash in the budget to finance the fare freeze.
He also a promised students in financial need a $1,500 non-repayable grant as part of a $140-million job skills training program, and to review the province's liquor laws and prices with the aim of helping B.C. producers.
The promises followed details released last week laying out the party's financial platform, which included hiking income taxes on corporations and high-income earners, raising about $300 million through the increases and program cuts.
New Democrats have already said the party won't produce a balanced budget until the final year of a four-year term if elected.
Later this morning, Dix is expected to join Olivia Chow, the widow of former NDP leader Jack Layton, for an event at the University of the Fraser Valley in Chilliwack before returning to Burnaby for a rally tonight.
Clark heads to Kamloops
Meanwhile, Liberal Leader Christy Clark also hit the road Wednesday, stopping first in Surrey for a pancake breakfast with supporters in Surrey.
Then Clark stopped in Chilliwack with candidate John Martin, who ran for the Conservatives in a byelection last spring but later jumped to the Liberals. The party has used that move to symbolize the importance of uniting the right-wing vote under their red banner.
Christy Clark stopped off for a pancake breakfast with some supporters in Surrey on Wednesday morning. (Renee Filippone/CBC)
Clark used a play on words when she visited a concrete plant in Chilliwack, saying her party is "laying the foundation" for a strong economy. She touted the Liberal's jobs plan and warned that under the NDP, concrete plants and other businesses suffered red tape and high taxes.
When asked about Dix's promise to freeze ferry fares, she said if re-elected she would help the ferry corporation pay off roughly a billion dollars in debt instead.
This afternoon Clark will travel to Merritt and Kamloops, where she will make an appearance with Liberal candidates Terry Lake and Todd Stone, before ending the day with a flight to Dawson Creek.
Clark says she's ready to pit her Liberal debt reduction platform against what she says is a "tax-and-spend" New Democrat plan that will see at least three years of deficit spending.
Clark has also repeated her call for a one-on-one debate with New Democrat Leader Adrian Dix, saying British Columbians should have a chance to hear all sides.
Dix has refused the head-on meeting with Clark, saying it would be disrespectful to ignore the leaders of the Conservative and Green parties.
Meanwhile, B.C. Conservative Leader John Cummins is sticking close to home doing door-to-door campaigning in his Langley riding and Green Party Leader Jane Sterk also campaigning in her home riding of Victoria-Beacon Hill today.
British Columbians head to the polls May 14 to elect the next provincial government. | {
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Utah lawmakers got some good news on Thursday as their latest revenue estimates for the current legislative session were updated to show an additional $238 million in state coffers.
The new figures bring the state’s total surplus to $921 million, but the bulk of that money comes from income tax collections and is constitutionally walled off for spending only on public and higher education.
Hurricane Republican Rep. Brad Last presented the new numbers to his colleagues on the House floor, saying that the state’s economy continues to perform but that revenue coming from sales taxes — used to fund general government operations, from Medicaid to prisons — aren’t keeping up with needs.
“We have 10 times more [surplus] money in the Education Fund than we have in the General Fund,” Last, budget committee co-chairman, said.
Despite the nearly $1 billion overall surplus, the revenue estimates show the state running a $12 million deficit in one-time general fund revenue, suggesting that some portion of the $92 million in ongoing general fund money available to lawmakers will be needed to close that hole. That, or spending cuts.
Sen. Jerry Stevenson, co-chairman of the Legislature’s main budget committee, told his colleagues that basic funding requests for general fund dollars far exceed what’s available.
“The next three weeks will be longer than three weeks,” he predicted to reporters. “There will be a lot of asks that committees have listened to that will probably go by the wayside.”
Lawmakers began the 2020 session by repealing a controversial tax reform package that was intended to partially address the “structural imbalance” between the Education and General funds.
That legislation would have cut taxes overall by reducing the income tax rate and raising sales taxes, but led to significant pushback from the public.
The tax package, passed in special session in December, was expected to be followed this year by legislation amending the state Constitution to allow income tax spending on noneducation programs, as well as new proposals for how to ensure funding for the state’s schools. But four weeks into the Legislature’s work, those efforts have so far failed to materialize.
Still, the figures released Thursday reserve $80 million in education funds for any tax relief the Legislature decides to provide for the upcoming year. Senate leaders have been hesitant to support any piecemeal tax cuts and prefer a holistic look at tax reform, even if these comprehensive changes must wait for a future session.
Until then, Stevenson, R-Layton, said the lopsided revenue streams will continue to plague lawmakers during the budgeting process.
“We’re not in a crisis. We’ll be able to work through this,” he said. “But every year, this will continue to cause problems until we get to some kind of a tax reform package.”
But House Speaker Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville, has suggested he’s more supportive of short-term tax relief than his Senate counterparts. He said Thursday that it’s too early to say what could pass the Legislature, but that there is room on the income tax side to return money to taxpayers.
“Those conversations next week will be [about] what kind of tax cut, when will it occur, and how much will it be,” he said.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, a broad coalition of advocates gathered on the Capitol steps to discourage lawmakers from tax cuts and ask them to invest any available money in education, air quality, affordable housing and services for individuals with disabilities. The state’s overall tax burden is already at its lowest point in about 25 years, noted Matthew Weinstein of Voices for Utah Children, referencing a recent Utah Foundation report.
The 15 advocacy groups represented at the news conference sought to share a vision of the bright future that was possible for the state “if our leaders can resist the election-year temptation to cut taxes and if we can make the critically needed investments that’ll pay off many times over in the future,” Weinstein said.
On Tuesday, the Public Education Appropriations Committee adopted its budget recommendations, calling for roughly $450 million in new money for schools, including a 4 percent increase to per-student spending. That figure does not include new spending recommendations for higher education, which would also be derived from income tax collections, or money that would be reserved in the state’s rainy day fund.
Some lawmakers have suggested that in place of a tax cut, a greater portion of the state’s surplus could be held in reserve this year to protect against a potential economic downturn. And Wilson said spending constraints could be beneficial as lawmakers prioritize government programs and look ahead to a new round of tax reform negotiations next year.
“Us taking a year like this and spending less is not necessarily a bad thing,” Wilson said. “We can take a year and try to regroup and be very, very conservative.”
Heidi Matthews, president of the Utah Education Association, said the new revenue figures show there is an opportunity for a significant boost to public education. The UEA and other education groups have called for a 6% increase in per-student spending, which Matthews said would ensure schools have funding left over for new initiatives after covering inflationary costs.
“It’s time to build futures and not give tax cuts,” Matthews said. “Our students are really counting on us to make those necessary investments, and the time is right." | {
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LVMH (LVMUY) shares hit an all-time high Friday after the luxury goods company renewed its sales and profit record, defying the tough business climate hitting the overall industry.
Shares in the Paris-based owner of Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior brands advanced 1.2% to €192.8 by 10:15 GMT, hitting an all-time high after enjoying a rally of 57% for the last 12 months. It was the biggest gainer among the CAC 40 constituents in Paris.
LVMH said late Thursday it had booked record revenue and profit for the year ended December 31. Revenue rose 5% year on year to €37.6 billion ($40.2 billion) while profit from recurring operations advanced 6% to €7 billion.
The company said it would lift its dividend by 13% to €4 per share following approval from shareholders in April.
The company attributed the strength to its wines & spirits business across all regions. The business enjoyed a 10% profit increase on 7% revenue growth. Cognac maker Hennessy saw volume growth of 10%, while Glenmorangie and Belvedere also saw continued growth. The company highlighted a strong American market and recovery in the Chinese market.
Meanwhile, the fashion & leather goods business enjoyed 10% profit growth on a 4% revenue increase, partly thanks to continued expansion in its traditional line-ups as well as newly developed products. It highlighted Fendi and Celine as among the strong players.
LVMH expects to continue enjoying robust momentum in 2017 despite a tough business environment.
"Despite a climate of geopolitical and currency uncertainties, LVMH is well-equipped to continue its growth momentum across all business groups in 2017," the company said. | {
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The personal details of farmers carrying out the controversial badger cull have been leaked to animal rights activists in a major data breach.
In a security failing hailed a victory by hunt saboteurs and already linked to a rise in rural crime, more than 7,000 names and addresses, including those of bosses of companies specialising in killing badgers, have been posted online and emailed to activists throughout the country.
Old Mill Accountancy, which has offices in Exeter, Yeovil, Wells and Melksham, last night apologised after “human error” led to its mailing list being harvested from its website in July.
Many farmers who have created companies to carry out the cull often ensure personal details are not lodged on official documents in an attempt to prevent hunt saboteurs identifying where they live. | {
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Xiaomi is known for its wide range of home products including thermometers, Hygrometers and others. Some of the products are released under its crowdfunding platform but are designed to meet Xiaomi’s quality standard. The Chinese tech giant has released yet another thermometer but this time it is an ultra-cheap product dubbed Seconds-test medical electronic thermometer Mijia custom version. The product comes at just 19.9 Yuan (~$3) which is considerably cheaper than other models with similar specification priced between 20 – 200 Yuan.
Compared to the traditional mercury clinical thermometer, the new Mi digital thermometer does not contain mercury, it is entirely digital. Thus, there won’t be any need for users to bother about damage caused by glass breakage or mercury leakage. The gadget is also manufactured using medical grade materials and has undergone stringent bio-compatibility tests. All these are to ensure that the materials are safe and harmless to the human body.
Read More: Xiaomi Has Sold Over 10 Million IoT Smart Home Products Globally
Talking about the design, the Mi Digital Thermometer comes with an 18.8mm LCD screen where the temperature reading is displayed boldly. This makes it easy for both the elderly and Children to easily read the temperature reading. The device also comes with a replaceable battery. The thermometer uses a high-precision thermistor and analog-digital conversion module giving it a measurement accuracy of ± 0.1 (35 °C -39 °C). The measurement accuracy is CFDA certified. The MIJIA custom thermometer can be used for subgingival and oral temperature measurement.
The gadget will be on sale from April 3 on Xiaomi Mall, YouPin, Jingdong, Suning and Mi Home.
(source)
ALWAYS BE THE FIRST TO KNOW - FOLLOW US! | {
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As London police continue to investigate the disappearance of a city woman, they’ve responded to public calls for a ground search by saying it wouldn’t be effective — for now.
Police did not originally do a ground search for Shelley Desrochers because of the lapse of time between when she was last seen and when she was reported missing, Const. Sandasha Bough said.
As well, Desrochers’ disappearance when she was first reported missing was not considered suspicious in nature, she said.
“We consider whether to do a ground search based on a case by case basis, based on our search urgency evaluation,” Bough said.
But police haven’t ruled out a search in the future, if additional information warrants it, she said.
Friends of Desrochers, desperate for answers, have publicly wondered why police did not do a ground search for her or why they don’t now.
They’re considering trying their own, although they have already looked in parts of east London for clues.
The 42-year-old mother and grandmother was seen in the area of Ernest and Bradley avenues about 2 p.m. on Jan. 2, and about 10 a.m. Jan. 5, near Hamilton Road and Rectory Street.
Desrochers worked in London’s dangerous street-level sex trade.
Police didn’t get a report about her disappearance until Jan. 21. They issued a missing person’s notice Feb. 1 after Desrochers didn’t access her bank account for a government deposit.
Desrochers’ disappearance is the third of a woman involved in what police call a “high risk lifestyle” in six years in London, and has renewed calls for improving safety for women.
Some of Desrochers’ friends and advocates are planning a meeting Monday to discuss how to keep women at risk safer.
As well, a city hall-led plan to help women in the street-level sex trade, developed with the help of 24 organizations, is expected to be launched this year.
The same committee steering that plan also is looking at how agencies can share information when anyone struggling with homelessness, addiction, mental illness or life on the street goes missing. | {
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Today the smallest silicon transistors are already achieving atomic limits -- a 4-nanometer silicon transistor channel, for instance, would consist of about 20 atoms. To go to the next silicon generation, all sorts of imperfections and uneven doping problems are facing the further downsized silicon transistors. If IBM, or others -- in fact China is now leading in nanotube research -- can perfect the 1.4-nanometer transistor channel, then Moore's law can keeping marching forward a little while longer. If not, a whole new paradigm may have to be invented.
Relatively recently, the nanotube transistor guru, IBM Fellow Phaedon Avouris, found greener pastures to explore in plasmonics and photonics. The nanotube team is now led by Wilfried Haensch at the T.J. Watson research lab of Yorktown Heights, N.Y. Haensch is facing the same problem that Avouris has been facing, that of how to position such impossibly small components into nice neat straight lines for transistor canals. He has a few new tricks up his sleeve, some put there by James Hannon, head of IBM's molecular assemblies and devices group.
The source and drain electrodes cover the carbon nanotubes channel, all controlled by the same local back gate.
(Source: IBM)
One new idea is not to depend on just a single nanotube, but to use multiple nanotubes for a transistor channel, hoping that at least a few work. In simulations, they have lined up six relatively parallel 1.4-nanometer-wide and 30-nanometer-long nanotubes with a generous spacing of 8-nanometers between them.
The ends are embedded in the source and drain of the nanotube, leaving 10-nanometer channels suspended over the gate electrode at the bottom of the stack. Their next simulation will be to label the substrate and nanotubes chemically for correct alignment, then strip away the chemicals for a real finished chip -- an IBM Power7.
Haensch tells EE Times:
The six-tube device structure came out of complex optimization process that models the performance of an entire microprocessor, in this case an IBM Power7 chip. The optimizer varies the layout of the device, including the wiring, and predicts the system performance.
The International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) calls for the 5-nanometer node to be reached by 2019, so IBM has set is goal for nanotube transistors by 2020. | {
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Tiniest Violin
This is the tiniest violin. It is very small. We at Zanopan Design saw a lack of very tiny violins available, and set out to make the smallest one we could. There are other violins out there, but they range from regular-sized to small - we saw none as tiny as this one. We hope you enjoy this tiny, tiniest violin.
Note: due to limitations of being so tiny, this violin cannot play all the notes a real violin could. It comes with four note samples that can be played by moving your finger in different directions on the screen. In the future, we may overcome the limits of this tiny technology to bring you a full-featured violin, but for now please consider your full violin needs before purchasing. It may be better to buy a larger, and possibly real, violin if you need more notes and a full violin experience.
Download it now on the App Store | {
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The Global Cyber Alliance has given the world a new free Domain Name Service resolver, and advanced it as offering unusually strong security and privacy features.
The Quad9 DNS service, at 9.9.9.9, not only turns URIs into IP addresses, but also checks them against IBM X-Force's threat intelligence database. Those checks protect agains landing on any of the 40 billion evil sites and images X-Force has found to be dangerous.
The Alliance (GCA) was co-founded by the City of London Police, the District Attorney of New York County and the Center for Internet Security and styled itself "an international, cross-sector effort designed to confront, address, and prevent malicious cyber activity."
IBM's helped the project in two ways: back in 1988, Big Blue secured the 9.0.0.0/8 block of 16 million addresses, which let it dedicate 9.9.9.9 to the cause.
The Alliance, which oversees the initiative, said the other partner, Packet Clearing House, gave the system global reach via 70 points of presence in 40 countries.
It claimed users wouldn't suffer a performance penalty for using the service, but added it plans to double the Quad9 PoPs over the next 18 months.
GCA, which did the development work, also coordinated the threat intelligence community to incorporate feeds from 18 other partners, “including Abuse.ch, the Anti-Phishing Working Group, Bambenek Consulting, F-Secure, mnemonic, 360Netlab, Hybrid Analysis GmbH, Proofpoint, RiskIQ, and ThreatSTOP.”
The organisation promised that records of user lookups would not be put out to pasture in data farms: “Information about the websites consumers visit, where they live and what device they use are often captured by some DNS services and used for marketing or other purposes”, it said. Quad9 won't “store, correlate, or otherwise leverage” personal information.
Google makes the same promise for its 8.8.8.8 DNS service, saying: “We don't correlate or combine information from our temporary or permanent logs with any personal information that you have provided Google for other services.” However, most home users accept the default configuration for their ISP, each of which will have its own attitude to monetising user data.
GCA also said it hoped the resolver would attract users on the security-challenged Internet of Things, because TVs, cameras, video recorders, thermostats or home appliances “often do not receive important security updates”.
If you're one of the lucky few whose ISP offers IPv6, there's a Quad9 resolver for you at 2620:fe::fe (the PCH public resolver). ® | {
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(CNN) -- A Florida teenager made famous for her extensive bout with hiccups faces first-degree murder charges after meeting a man online and allegedly luring him to a vacant home, where he was robbed of between $50 and $60 and killed, police said.
Jennifer Mee, 19, was arrested and charged Sunday -- as were two men, Laron Raiford and Lamont Newton -- hours after Shannon Griffin was found dead. He had been shot several times.
The victim "friended" Mee on a social networking site last week and the two exchanged messages in subsequent days, according to St. Petersburg, Florida, police. Authorities do not believe Mee or Griffin, a Wal-Mart employee who had recently moved to Florida from the Gulf Coast, knew each other prior to their online encounter.
After telling family members around 10 p.m. that he was heading out to meet a woman, Griffin rode his scooter to a vacant home where he had his first face-to-face encounter with Mee, police said. Mee led Griffin around to the back, where Raiford and Newton were armed and waiting, according to police.
Griffin was shot with .38-caliber revolver while struggling in what the three murder suspects described to police as a "robbery gone awry."
"All three suspects admitted to their involvement and were charged with first-degree felony murder," St. Petersburg Police Sgt. T.A. Skinner said in a statement.
Mee will face the same murder charge as the two men, even though she didn't actually shoot Griffin, police said.
"She was well aware of what was going on," St. Petersburg, Florida, Police Chief Chuck Harmon said. "She was obviously the set-up person in this robbery."
In 2007, Mee's non-stop hiccups gained national attention. She earned the nickname "Hiccup Girl" and appeared multiple times on NBC's "Today" show. Her desperate search for a hiccup cure included trying "sugar, peanut butter, breathing in a bag, having people scare me," she said in a photo slideshow posted on the St. Petersburg Times' website in February 2007.
But after her hiccups faded, Mee continued to draw attention. In June 2007, local media reported that she ran away from home. In January 2010, St. Petersburg police once again issued a missing person report for Mee. Her mother told CNN affiliate WFTS that her daughter had stormed off after getting into a fight with her boyfriend. Mee was found after a friend called police, the affiliate said.
Mee had been living with Raiford and Newton, police said.
Police arrived at the scene of Saturday's shooting shortly after 11 p.m, finding a gun in some of the suspects' clothing, Harmon said. The three suspects were arrested and charged Sunday, after they were "cooperative" in talking with police.
In an interview with WFLZ radio, the teenager's mother, Rachel Robidoux, described her daughter as a gentle, somewhat naive person who had never before gotten into trouble. Her life had taken a turn for the worse, Robidoux said, ever since her bout with the hiccups.
"It wasn't a case of the hiccups, it was a curse of the hiccups," she said.
She called Mee's arrest "a nightmare."
Also on WFLZ, Griffin's ex-girlfriend Rachel Hagabone said the victim was a good man. "All he ever wanted to do was make somebody happy," she said. "He's the nicest guy ever."
St. Petersburg police described Griffin, who had no criminal record, as somewhat of a "social introvert" who lived with a cousin and was often on the computer. Besides his online encounter, he did not appear to know any of the suspects, police said.
"This is the far end of the spectrum, as far as something that could happen" with social networking websites, said Harmon. "The message: Be careful who you're having a conversation with online. You never know."
CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report. | {
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Spoilers for book 1 and Deadhouse Gates to Chapter 2| More info and previous posts |Please no spoilers for future books/events
In my plan to read The Malazan Book of The Fallen, I’m now on book 2, Deadhouse Gates. This post covers chapter 2.
Chapter Two
Duiker is wandering around in Hissar, looking at markings on the wall, which are some sort of local pictographic code. He makes his way to a trader camp, mixing with the locals and feeling out the public opinion. He’s good enough that no one recognises that he’s actually Malazan. He also witnesses two seers doing some sort of ritual, foretelling the spirit of Dryjhna and bloody times ahead. Then one of them drops dead, probably to make sure we take it extra seriously. I wonder if Dryjhna is an actual god(dess) like Shadowthrone, or something more abstract.
Once he’s done with his undercover shenanigans, Duiker goes to a meeting with Coltaine. There is some banter about past battles, Dujek’s lost arm is mentioned. Now I feel stupid for expecting some big epic backstory to it, turns out a horse just randomly bit it off. They bring in a warlock to the council as well. Interestingly, all warlocks were killed by Laseen a while ago but fortunately their souls/power were collected by crows and they were reborn.
Um, what? Are these seven cities people for real? I can swallow resurrection, but Magic soul transporting crows?! Maybe Coltaine/Bult are just messing with Duiker. Also, what’s the difference between a warlock and a regular magician? Is it just a local term, or do they do some different sort of warren stuff?
Anyway, the council proceeds. There’s the usual talk of seven cities rising up, which I think has been mentioned at least a couple dozen times so far in the books. Then Mallick Rel gives Coltaine his orders from the High Fist, which are to pack up and go to Aren so Pormqual can check out the Seventh. Coltaine tells him to sod off. It was expected with the way Coltaine’s been acting and talked about, but still fun. But he clearly likes Duiker. Soon after, the meeting is adjourned and Kulp and Duiker go off to chat. Duiker wants Kulp to help rescue Heboric (and presumably Felisin) from the Otataral mines. Kulp seems reluctant, but I think he’ll cave. Good for Heboric and friends, but why does Duiker give a crap about him? Is there a secret Illuminati-esque Historian association? *grabs tinfoil hat*
We are treat to some extensive backstory about the city of Ehrlitan. Spooky stuff. Apparently Seven Cities was founded by seven Ascendants. On a sidenote, the depiction of Seven Cities as this exotic, unwelcoming place steeped in aaaaancient history is starting to feel a bit heavy handed. I mean, every place has its own history, right?
Anyway, Fiddler watches a bunch of Red Swords brutalise some random unarmed citizens. In their wake, two little girls are snatched by a pimp. Fiddler goes after him, and rescues the girl by the brilliant tactic of buying them from the pimp. Rescue of the day right there. Then he escorts them back to their house, and loses most of the respect he gained from me by selling them back to their people. Dude, not cool. It’s one thing to accept some reward, another to demand it. Anyway, the girls’ family is quite pleased, and invites him in.
Their grandfather turns out to be some sort of big shot Tano wizard/priest. They chat a bit, he tells Fiddler about the upcoming convergence in Raraku.
“A gate. The Prophecy of the Path of Hands. Soletaken and D’ivers. A gate promising…something. They are drawn as moths to a flame.”
Well that was certainly illuminating. NOT.
He does elaborate though, saying that this might be a way to Ascendancy. Hmm, that is certainly a prize that would draw all sorts of nutters. Although I’m still not clear exactly what it is. Then the guy offers to sing a magic song that has the potential to make all the Bridgeburners Ascendants (the shapeshifters ought to be chasing this guy), but Fiddler doesn’t have time to tell their story, and so he’s sent off with a conch shell for protection.
Also, we learn this guy, Kimloc Spiritwalker, is so powerful he could’ve decimated the Malazan armies, but didn’t because that would not stop the Empire. They would send the T’lan Imass after. Fiddler returns and reports his findings to Kalam, and the two of them then administer this epic burn to Crokus:
Crokus dragged a chair to the table, dropped into it and reached for the wine. “We’re tired of waiting,” he pronounced. “If we have to cross this damned land, then let’s do it. There’s a steaming pile of rubbish behind the garden wall, clogging up the sewage gutter. Crawling with rats. The air’s hot and so thick with flies you can barely breathe. We’ll catch a plague if we stay here much longer.”
“Let’s hope it’s the bluetongue, then,” Kalam said.
“What’s that?”
“Your tongue swells up and turns blue,” Fiddler explained.
“What’s so good about that?”
“You can’t talk.
Now it’s Kalam’s turn to have a trip into the city. He goes to meet an old frenemy, and asks him for signs that will keep them safe on their journey. The man tells him that it’s the sign of the Whirlwind. Dude, even I could have guessed that. Kalam also takes a book from the guy. This is a special book, the Book of Dryjhna, to be delivered to Sha’ik in Raraku, at which point she will supposedly unleash the apocalypse. Kalam decides to take it as insurance against betrayal. When Kalam is gone, some other warriors come to talk. They’re Red Blades, and intend to tail Kalam and kill Sha’ik. They’re also curious about what Kalam’s plans are. Hmm, schemes upon schemes within schemes…
Icarium and Mappo meanwhile are still on their desert safari. They’ve run up against other D’ivers, this time a bunch of leopards that they slaughtered down to the last one. Mappo seems apprehensive that this will bring out some sort of madness in Icarium. I would be worried too, but considering the (relative) ease with which the Jaghut tyrant was taken care of in the last book, I’m not.
Anyway, they arrive at an inhabited cliff, and set to looking for a way in. A Soletaken, this time a bear, comes, and transforms back into a man. They recognise him as Messremb. The guy makes an interesting observation, that Icarium’s scent is close to Jaghut, but not quite. Wait, so he’s not actually a Jaghut? What is Icarium then? Ex-Jaghut? Is this related to his amnesia? The bearman soon leaves, and someone else arrives, a guy on a mule. You know, for a desert, this place is feeling pretty packed.
The guy and the mule are a pretty weird pair though. For a start the mule is also a shapeshifter, for another the guy – Iskaral Pust, seems to be batshit crazy. At least partly. The cliff turns out to be an abandoned monastery, now occupied by Shadow people, with Pust as their High Priest. The four make their way into the cliff.
Surprisingly, Icarium doesn’t remember their fight with the leopards. So his memory loss is continuous? Memento: Malazan incoming?
Another very late post. My excuses are the same as before, but I have not, and don’t intend to, give up on the read. It’s just going to be slower than I expected. I hoped this one would come out sooner and be longer, but stuff happened, like me falling and getting a back injury. Oh well, let’s hope I speed up, or we’ll be doing this for like twenty years at this rate. Anyway, the plot.
In the tradition of big fantasy series, the beginning of a book is not generally where the exciting stuff happens. It takes a lot of time and pages to setup the explosive finales, after all. So we’ve got people pretty much just slowly making their way through the plot. Just like chapter one, Fiddler and co. probably had the best scenes. I’m still mad at him for trying to haggle for a reward when he returned those girls though.
I’m warming up to Icarium and Mappo a bit, though their whole plot remains weird and inscrutable as ever, and Iskaral Pust’s craziness won’t help. Maybe they’ll run into Kalam and co. as they pass through the desert. Yeah I know the Raraku and Pat’potsun Odhan are different deserts, but they’re still pretty close together, so it’s not that outlandish.
Also I’m getting the feeling that Kalam’s assassination mission might not be resolved within this book, from the pace they’re moving at, and the number of other side plots. Maybe this upcoming convergence will form the climax of book two. Though I’d hate for climax = convergence to become a pattern.
How Duiker’s and Felisin’s plotlines will figure into this I can’t guess. | {
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We reported two weeks ago that Samsung was going to launch the Galaxy S8+ with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage in Hong Kong soon. Samsung is only selling this variant of its flagship handset in select markets and the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong is one of them.
The 6GB Galaxy S8+ has been launched in Hong Kong in addition to the 4GB variant with 64GB of storage that has been released globally. Samsung is selling the 4GB and 6GB variants of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ for HK $6,390 ($820) and HK $6,998 ($898) respectively in Hong Kong.
Samsung has confirmed today that it’s going to start shipping units to customers who place an order now by May 25th. It’s likely going to be an unlocked model which means that it won’t be locked to a particular carrier. This means that it will be possible to buy a 6GB Galaxy S8+ in Hong Kong and use it anywhere else in the world.
Other than the increased RAM and storage, it’s the same Galaxy S8+ that has been out for several weeks now. It features the same 6.2-inch 1440 x 2960 pixel resolution display, Snapdragon 835 processor, 12-megapixel rear and 8-megapixel front camera, facial recognition, iris scanner, Android 7.0 Nougat and more. | {
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Few U.S. officials in 2011 could have imagined Syria would look this bad for the U.S. in 2016.
Syrian President Bashar Al Assad is the strongest he’s been since the war began, despite President Barack Obama’s statement in 2011 that “the time has come for President Assad to step aside.”
Radical Islamic fighters are the only strong opposition forces left, even though the U.S. has spent hundreds of millions of dollars supporting moderate groups. The Islamic State holds vast swaths of territory, after the U.S. spent $11 billion and two years fighting the terrorist group.
Iran and Assad played a major role in shaping the Syria of 2016, but the most decisive actor in the conflict has been Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In 2015, the picture of Syria was quite different than it is today. The Assad regime appeared to be on its last legs, controlling less territory than at any time since the war began. The U.S. was the predominant Western power inside Syria, with a new $500 million train and equip program. Obama envisioned thousands of U.S.-backed fighters trained in Turkey and Jordan fighting ISIS with U.S. supplied weapons.
[dcquiz] In 2015, Putin faced the most combative geopolitical climate since he assumed office in 1999.
“Russia’s intervention in Ukraine and annexation of Crimea had adverse effects,” Franklin Holcomb, a Research Assistant at the Institute for the Study of War explained to The Daily Caller News Foundation. Holcomb elaborated, “Russia’s standing in the international community collapsed.”
Putin’s decision to directly militarily intervene in Syria, coupled with an inept Pentagon, reversed the roles significantly as 2015 unfolded.
The U.S. discontinued the train and equip program in October 2015, after the Pentagon spent millions of taxpayer dollars and only trained a handful of fighters. Worse, several U.S. fighters defected to al-Qaida’s Syrian affiliate and turned over their weapons. Obama administration officials admitted to The New York Times in 2015, that their strategy simply wouldn’t work because most Syrian rebels were focused on fighting the Assad regime and didn’t much care about ISIS.
Putin, seeing his client state of Syria on the verge of collapse, decided Syria offered him multiple opportunities of redemption. Michael Kofman, a Global Fellow at The Woodrow Wilson Institute explained to TheDCNF, the dire battlefield position of the Assad regime at the time “forced Russia to intervene more directly.”
Putin decided to bill his Syrian intervention as a “Counter-terrorism” mission, saying Russian targets would only strike terrorists who were trying to destabilize the Assad regime. Throughout Russia’s intervention in Syria, the country has labeled any group opposing the regime, regardless of ideology, “terrorists.”
Putin’s labeling of his mission as “Counter-terrorism,” was part of a larger scheme to re-legitimize himself on the world stage. TheNYT enumerated Putin’s five goals inside Syria:
Prevent regime change in Syria because of the outside interference; Disrupt Washington’s plans to isolate Moscow; Prove that Russia is more reliable ally than the US; Demonstrate new Russian weapons; New foreign policy performance for the Russian public tired of the Ukrainian war, yet still in need to be distracted from collapsing economy.
Amidst Russia’s vigorous intervention in Syria, Obama sought to clarify his own goals and what program he would pursue going forward. Kofman assesses that in the wake of Russia’s intervention, Obama “basically bowed out.” He elaborated that the U.S. has “accepted” that Assad is likely to stay in power. Obama’s efforts have largely been focused on assisting local forces that are only focused on fighting ISIS, and not on the broader struggle for control of Syria’s future.
Russia, in partnership with Iran and Assad, provided overwhelming air support to the Syrian military against any force holding territory it desired. A SkyNews investigation revealed in August that Russia is hiring hundreds of private military contractors to fight on the ground in Syria, catching the government in a lie that it only assists Syria from the air. The military size and scope of Russia’s commitment to Assad is simply orders of magnitude larger than what the U.S. is willing to commit.
Kofman and Snegovaya cautioned Russia may be fighting in Syria for many more years to come. Snegovaya highlighted that “Russia cannot completely pull away from Syria, but cannot start a ful-blown operation either.” She elaborated, “The Kremlin simply has no resources and lacks serious domestic support for a full-fledged military operation at the moment.”
Despite these limitations, Kofman assessed that the U.S. has all but conceded “who will be, and who will form a transitional government after the civil war. It now looks like Russia has the opportunity to clarify this conflict and remove most of the opposition.”
Reports now indicate the U.S. is on the verge of reaching a military cooperation deal with Russia inside Syria. Under the deal, the U.S. will pursue joint counter-terrorism operations against jihadist groups inside Syria.
The deal has been met with widespread objection from nearly all partners in the U.S, including anti-ISIS coalition within the U.S. government, and from non-jihadist Syrian opposition groups fighting on the battlefield. Opponents of the deal also highlight that by partnering with Putin in Syria, the U.S. is playing a major role in legitimizing Russia on the world stage.
Kofman, who favors a deal with Russia, closed his conversation with TheDCNF saying “we lost the proxy war, we weren’t ever that committed to it.”
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Send tips to saagar@dailycallernewsfoundation.org
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org. | {
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In her new book The Diversity Delusion, Heather Mac Donald takes on identity politics far more forthrightly than Francis Fukuyama dared to in his new book Identity, which I reviewed last week.
Just compare their subtitles: Mac Donald chose How Race and Gender Pandering Corrupt the University and Undermine Our Culture, while Fukuyama went with The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment, even though “dignity” is hardly the first word suggested by identity politics. As I foresaw:
Nor do I expect the upcoming Supreme Court nomination hearing/teen sex comedy to be a high point in the history of American dignity.
The Diversity Delusion... Heather Mac Donald Best Price: $12.99 Buy New $12.60 (as of 12:05 EST - Details) Interestingly, both Fukuyama and Mac Donald studied literary theory at Yale under deconstructionist Paul de Man, a remarkable con man who successfully sailed with whatever tide was flowing, whether the Nazi occupation in his native Belgium or French high theory in America. But eventually both Fukuyama and Mac Donald realized French postmodernism is pernicious nonsense.
Nonetheless, I think Michel Foucault was onto something with his constant harping on how power infiltrates language. Granted, Foucault’s obsession with power was an offshoot of his gay sadomasochism, which led to him dying of AIDS in 1984. Still, his notion that elites would naturally try to socially construct how people think in order to preserve their privileges is hardly implausible.
Yet that ought to lead to the question: Who, precisely, are “the powerful” in 2018?
We are constantly lectured about how the increasingly distant past has apparently permanently marginalized various identity groups, so they must be handed ever more power in the present. But aren’t those who are being paid to do this lecturing part of the powerful? Identity: The Demand f... Francis Fukuyama Best Price: $6.98 Buy New $9.50 (as of 05:40 EST - Details)
Mac Donald shines her spotlight on institutional power in the universities, especially California colleges such as UCLA.
Many today might assume that inclusion is a recent development of just the past few slightly more enlightened years. Personally, though, I worked in summer jobs in 1981–82 for a black UCLA vice-chancellor. Through him I met the mayor of Los Angeles, Tom Bradley (1973–93), who had been a UCLA student in the 1930s and was nearly elected governor of California in 1982. My boss’ office was in UCLA’s Bunche Hall, which was named after the African-American diplomat Ralph Bunche, valedictorian of his UCLA class in the 1920s, who won the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize for mediating an armistice to halt the first Israeli-Arab war. Bunche Hall is not far from UCLA’s Jackie Robinson Stadium, named after the UCLA four-sport letterman of 1939–41.
Read the Whole Article | {
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Alex Mack, Mitchell Schwartz
The Browns lost Alex Mack and Mitchell Schwartz in one day.
(John Kuntz, Cleveland.com)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- On the first day of free agency, the Browns lost two-fifths of their offensive line in center Alex Mack and right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, their starting free safety in Tashaun Gipson, and their speedy receiver and returner in Travis Benjamin.
Along the way, the front office, led by Executive Vice President Sashi Brown, got hammered from coast-to-coast for botching the day. NFL Network analysts blasted them all afternoon, and words like "debacle" and "disaster" described them on social media. In addition to losing some of their own free agents, they also failed to land any of the big-name players they had been linked to, such as Bengals receiver Marvin Jones.
But Brown and coach Hue Jackson had made it clear that they wouldn't panic, that they'd be disciplined and that they'd build through the draft. Jackson went so far as to say "it will not be disappointing" if we lose the big-four free agents.
Here's a behind-the-scenes look at what happened on the challenging first day:
1. Mitchell Schwartz: The Browns made Schwartz an offer shortly before the NFL Combine that was far below what he felt he could get on the open market. Sources said it was somewhere in the $7 million-a-year range. His agent, Deryk Gilmore, told the Browns that the former second-round pick would test free agency. Schwartz' goal was about $8 million to $10 million a year, taking into account the growing importance of the position against the Von Millers of the world. When Schwartz opted to test the market, the Browns assumed he was gone and turned their attention to other players.
But Gilmore told cleveland.com Thursday that Schwartz wanted to return to Cleveland and wishes he could've stayed. His fiancee is from here, he purchased a house here and he's entrenched in the community. After testing the market, which wasn't good for right tackles, Schwartz went back to the Browns in the hours before free agency and ultimately planned to accept their pre-combine offer. But they were informed by Cleveland that the offer no longer stood, at least not at $7 million a year. It may have been posturing on the Browns' part, but any hopes of reaching a deal were apparently dashed when NFL Network reported Wednesday morning that the Browns had pulled their offer.
Feeling Cleveland was no longer an option, Schwartz opted to sign a five-year, $33 million deal with the Chiefs, including about $15 million guaranteed. His brother, Geoff Schwartz, congratulated him on the deal after the "nonsense'' he endured during the day, presumably from the Browns. NFL Network's Mike Silver reported that the Browns didn't negotiate in good faith.
In the end, the Browns had moved on before Wednesday when Schwartz opted to test the market without engaging with their $7 million offer. For Schwartz' part, it's common for a player to shop a team's number in hopes of making more.
Ultimately, he didn't, at least not in terms of yearly average. The $6.6 million a year average makes him the second-highest paid right tackle in the NFL, but it's short of the payday he was hoping for. The Browns now have to hope that Austin Pasztor can step in, or they need to find a replacement. Bottom line: It didn't have to come to this. The Browns were willing to pay Schwartz $7 million a year, more than he's getting from the Chiefs. His $15 million guaranteed from Kansas City is more than what the Browns were offering, but a deal could've been struck had things not gotten ugly on Wednesday. It's unfortunate for both sides.
2. Alex Mack: The Browns wanted to keep Mack, but only at the right price, and he knew he could make more on the open market. Peter King of Sports Illustrated reported that Mack will average $9.5 million a year, and that he turned down $500,000 more per year from the Browns to join Kyle Shanahan in Atlanta. I'm told that the $9.5 million represents the maximum value of the contract, with every incentive being hit and that the actual average is more like $9 million a year.
As for Mack taking less money to play for the Falcons, the Browns never actually made him a concrete offer after he voided the final three years of his contract (at $8 million a year) last week. Mack's representatives agreed to keep the Browns in the loop, but it was generally assumed that Mack, 30, would make more than the Browns wanted to pay. As for the Mack team, they found the Browns to be extremely professional and easy to work with and they look forward to doing business again in the future.
3. Travis Benjamin: The Browns wanted Benjamin back and made him an offer, but it wasn't close to what he could get in free agency. The Browns viewed him more as a situational player and returner, and didn't want to go as high as the Chargers did: four years, $24 million, $13 million guaranteed and $18 million over the first three years. The Chargers paid him like a No. 2 receiver, and will likely use him as such.
4. Tashaun Gipson: The Browns did not aggressively pursue Gipson and basically let him walk. He signed a five-year deal with the Jaguars worth $35.5 million, including a $12 million signing bonus. Incentives push it to $36 million. The Browns made him a multi-year offer before last season and he opted to play out his $2.356 million tender. He also skipped some voluntary workouts in an apparent contract statement, and then missed three games because of a sprained ankle. Gipson never seemed to recover from the contract issues of last year. The Browns will likely count on Jordan Poyer to replace him.
5. Marvin Jones: The Browns threw out a number for Jones, but it wasn't competitive and they weren't viewed as serious contenders. A source said if Jackson had really pushed it, the Browns may have gone after him harder. But Jackson probably knew the Browns wouldn't match what Jones got from the Lions: five years, $40 million including an $8 million signing bonus and $20 million guaranteed.
The Browns will have to keep looking for receivers, because they don't have nearly enough weapons. They can't count on Josh Gordon coming back from suspension to save the day, and they're not. If he's reinstated, they'll go from there. But hanging out with Johnny Manziel is not the way to make a good first impression. | {
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March 30, 2009
How Do You Feel About the Economy?
Enter the word that best describes your current mood about the economy. You can submit a response once a day. This page will update with the most popular choices from NYTimes.com readers. | {
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"I think the delayed implementation date was really important out of respect for parents who are out there who have car seats," Meade said. "Now we just have to get out there and educate the public so people know what to do." | {
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Melkein jo naurattaa. Mutta vaan melkein. Kyse on tietysti Suomen ”alkoholipolitiikasta” joka tällä hetkellä tukahduttaa muutenkin ahdistuneen ravintola-alan ja suomalaisen juhlimisen entistä syvemmälle nurkkaan. Häpeämään. Koska viskin ja muun alkoholin nauttiminen on synti jota meidän tulisi välttää ja paheksua.
Tässä seuraa minun kirjeeni Suomen Päättäjille.
Rakas Suomen Päättäjä,
Olen ex-baarimikko. Kahdeksan vuotta kerkesin vääntää juhlakansalle valkovenäläisiä ja viskiä. On the rocks tai ihan straight up. Tykkäsin työstäni niin paljon että päätin kirjoittaa kauppakorkeakoulun maisterin lopputyöni (joka hyväksyttiin tänään) Suomalaisista yökerhoista.
Ymmärrän että Suomen valtio haluaa vähentää alkoholinkulutusta alkoholin haittavaikutusten aiheuttamista kuluista ja kansan yleisen terveyden vuoksi. Mitä vähemmän viskiä Suomessa juodaan, sen parempi. Haluaisin kuitenkin muistuttaa sinua, rakas päättäjä, muutamista faktoista koskien suomalaisten viskinjuontia ja isosta pahasta sudesta joka on Suomen ravintola-ala.
1. Ravintola-ala on tärkeä osa Suomen taloutta ja yhteiskuntaa
Haluaisin aloittaa muistuttamalla että ravintola-ala ja suomalaisten juhliminen ja viskinjuonti ei ainoastaan tuota valtiolle kuluja. Matkailu- ja ravintola-ala työllistää Suomessa 140 000 työntekijää. Tämä on enemmän kuin elintarviketeollisuus. Suuri osa työntekijöistä, noin 30 %, ovat nuoria. Mainittakoon myös että nämä työpaikat pysyvät Suomessa. Nyt ja tulevaisuudessa. Kuten tekevät myös verotulot.
Veroista puheen ollen, matkailu- ja ravintola-ala tuo Suomen valtiolle 5,2 miljardia euroa vuodessa ja edustaa 3,8 % Suomen BKT:stä. Tähän päälle voidaan tietysti vielä lisätä työntekijöille maksetun palkan verotulot. Ja juomayhtiöt.
Kaikki tämä on faktaa, ei keksittyä. Voit halutessasi tarkistaa numerot (uudistuneilta) Matkailu- ja Ravintolapalvelut MaRa Ry:n sivuilta.
2. Yksitoista prosenttia alkoholikulutuksesta tapahtuu ravintoloissa
Viime vuonna ainoastaan 11 % Suomen alkoholikulutuksesta tapahtui ravintoloissa, loput kulutuksesta tapahtui muualla, kuten kotona ja puistoissa.
Samaan aikaan kun ravintoloissa nautittu alkoholin osuus putoaa, tuonti sen kun kasvaa. Viime vuonna Suomeen tuotiin kaksi kertaa enemmän alkoholia, 22 %, kun mitä ravintoloissa nautittiin. Tämä Jutta Urpilaisista ja muista ”asiantuntijoista” huolimatta, jotka lupasivat että tuonti ei tule alkoholiveron noustessa lisääntymään. Nämäkin luvut löytyvät MaRa:n sivuilta.
Mutta entäs se kaikista pahin viskin ja viinan juonti, eli se 02.00-04.00 hurja kulutus. Se juhliminen joka pitäisi Päivi Räsäsen mielestä kieltää. Siirrymme kolmanteen faktaan.
3. Noin kaksi prosenttia Suomen alkoholikulutuksesta tapahtuu aamu kahden ja neljän välillä.
KAKSI PROSENTTIA! Yökerhot ylipäätänsä edustaa ainoastaan muutamaa prosenttia Suomen alkoholikulutuksesta.
Tämä kaksi prosenttia työllistää kuitenkin lukemattoman määrän baarimestareita, plokkareita, ovimiehiä, DJtä, artistia ja siivoojaa. Lukuun ottamatta snägärit, taksikuskit ja, olin melkein unohtamassa, yrittäjät itse.
4. Ravintolassa tapahtuva viskin anniskelu on valvottua
Kun Daniela Dokaaja lähtee kimalteleva tanttu päällä ja korkkarit jalassa ravintolaan juomaan viskiä, taphtuu se valvotussa tilassa. Se tarkoittaa että ravintolasssa tapahtuva viskin juonti on turvallisempaa kun Daniela Dokaajan himassa juoma viskipullo.
Olisikin mukavaa jos sinä, rakas Suomen päättäjä, voisit hetkeksi pysähtyä ja miettiä mikä suomalaisten alkoholikulutukseen oikeesti vaikuttaa. Ravintolat ei nähtävästi ole se ongelma.
Voisiko jopa olla niin, että kaikki nämä lait ja säädökset jotka estävät Koffin hevoset, räikeät aurinkovarjot, Kukon maamerkin omassa tehtaassa, Fifty-Sixty Matti juoman, Ron de Jeremy rommin, viskitislaamon nettisivut, yksityishenkilöiden blogikirjottamista jne eivät oikeastaan vaikuta suomalaisten alkoholikulutukseen? Haluaisin perustella tämän väitteen seuraavalla faktalla joka ei ole fakta vaan mielipide.
5. Suomalaiset eivät ole tyhmiä
Tällä hetkellä Suomen alkoholilaki perustuu siihen, että suomalainen on tyhmä. Jos pullossa on Matti Nykäsen kuva niin mitä? Tuleeko minusta sillon neljän olympiakullan mäkihyppääjä? Jos pullon keulassa on Matin sijaan Ron Jeremy, tuleeko minusta silloin mies? Vai pornotähti? Seksiä ja alkoholia ei saa yhdistää, mutta miksi ei? Eikö seksiä voi harrastaa myös kännissä? Eikö moni lähde juuri se paljettitanttu päällään ravintolaan toivoen että löytäisi sieltä kumppanin?
Tällä hetkellä Suomessa keskitytään tuotteisiin eikä siihen ongelmaan: suomalainen alkoholikulttuuri. Jos kulutusta halutaan vähentää tapahtuu se muokkaamalla kulttuuria, ei lakeja. Se tapahtuu valistamalla, ei pakottamalla.
Alkoholi ei ole pahe. Maltillisesti nautittuna se tuottaa yhteiskuntaamme ravintoloita, työpaikkoja, verotuloja, hauskanpitoa ja sosiaalista kanssakäymistä
Haluaisin elää yhteiskunnassa jossa viinalla ei pelotella lapsiamme, vaan valistamme heitä siitä. Yhteiskunnassa jossa kannustamme siirtämään kulutuksen ravintolaan, ei juomaan Viron viinoja himassa. Ja yhteiskunnassa jossa vähennämme kulutusta, mutta oikealla tavalla.
Voisitko jo nyt, rakas päättäjä, lopettaa tämän loputtoman kieltämisen? Sen sijaan voisit miettiä miten saataisiin kulutusta vähennettyä siten, että se olisi jokaisen suomalaisen oma päätös. Ei sinun. | {
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Newcastle United’s squad is valued at £147million, according to new stats from the CIES Observatory – a football think tank based in Switzerland.
CIES place United’s squad as the 25th most expensive in Europe – but only the 11th in the Premier League, behind the likes of Crystal Palace, Leicester and West Ham. The data is based on fees spent on the squad to assemble it.
The data illustrates the growing chasm between Europe’s super-elite clubs and even the Premier League’s clubs.
(Image: Newcastle United)
The values are given in Euros – top of the charts are Manchester City, who invested a record value of €853 million in transfer fees to assemble its current squad. This value is €850 million for Paris St-Germain and €784 million for previous record holder Manchester United.
Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez, of course, wanted to see more investment to break into the top ten in the Premier League but he will no doubt be satisfied with back-to-back top flight wins.
United’s net spend was worked out by the think tank as £27million – 22nd highest in Europe. That is below Huddersfield and Brighton and 11th highest in the Premier League.
CIES have also worked out valuations for four of United’s big summer signings. They rate Mikel Merino at £6.6million, Joselu at £3.4million and Florian Lejeune at £13.25million. | {
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O Vasco tem um novo técnico: Abel Braga. Depois de não se acertar com Vanderlei Luxemburgo, o Cruz-Maltino chegou a um acordo com o ex-comandante do Cruzeiro em longa reunião na tarde desta segunda-feira, no Rio de Janeiro.
Desde a saída de Luxemburgo, na última sexta, Abel Braga era o nome preferido do presidente Alexandre Campello para assumir o Vasco, mas questões financeiras precisaram ser negociadas por causa das dificuldades do clube.
1 de 1 Abel Braga é o novo técnico do Vasco — Foto: Vinnicius Silva/Cruzeiro Abel Braga é o novo técnico do Vasco — Foto: Vinnicius Silva/Cruzeiro
A primeira missão de Abel no Vasco será auxiliar a diretoria no mercado de transferências. O clube estabeleceu três prioridades para reforçar a equipe em 2020: um lateral-esquerdo, um meia e um centroavante.
Entre os jogadores que terminaram 2019 no time titular, quatro estão em fim de contrato e podem deixar São Januário: o zagueiro Henríquez, os meio-campistas Richard e Guarín e o atacante Rossi.
O último trabalho de Abel Braga foi no Cruzeiro. Ele comandou a equipe, que acabou rebaixada no Campeonato Brasileiro depois de sua saída, em 14 partidas, nas quais conquistou apenas três vitórias. Antes, havia passado pelo Flamengo, mas deixou o clube pouco antes da parada para a Copa América quando soube que a diretoria negociava com Jorge Jesus.
No último trabalho de Abel Braga no Vasco, ele chegou ao clube em março de 2000 após a vitoriosa passagem de Antônio Lopes, que durou quatro anos. Com proposta do Olympique de Marselha, Abel ficou apenas três meses em São Januário. No jogo mais marcante daquele período, o Vasco derrotou o Flamengo por 5 a 1, no domingo de Páscoa. Na última partida do treinador, o time foi eliminado da Copa do Brasil pelo Fluminense. | {
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Birna Brjánsdóttir was your average Icelandic girl, out partying with her friends. She never returned home. Photo/ Iceland Monitor
Iceland is united in grief today. A body of a young woman, Birna Brjánsdóttir, was discovered on a desolate beach on Sunday after she had been missing for over a week. Such murder cases are rare in a country with one of the world's lowest crime rates and a population of 330 thousand people. The sinister unfolding of events this past week have an uncanny resemblence to Nordic Noir fiction.
Not one person that I have spoken to in recent days has been untouched by the case and the events that unfolded from such an every day event as a young woman walking home from a night out partying, up a crowded, well-lit street.
Laugavegur is one of the main streets in the city centre. Mbl.is/ Eggert Jóhannesson
Both myself and almost every one of my female friends have walked up that very same street from that very same bar, at that hour of night, and we have always felt safe. Speaking to girlfriends over the weekend- I gathered that most of them have at some point even caught a lift from strangers for short distances. Some of them also use an underground "Uber" like services called "Skutlarar"- a Facebook group where people offer or ask for lifts from strangers driving around town- for a lower price than official taxis.
That's not to say that the city centre of Reykjavik is entirely safe. Icelanders drink heavily on weekends, there are often fights or attacks downtown, and rapes are reported. But this - a girl just heading home and disappearing off the face of the earth - everyone felt there was something really odd about that.
The story of Birna, an average young Icelandic woman, who walked up Laugavegur after a beer too many is the story of a young woman doing something most young women do. And have felt relatively safe doing. That's probably one of the reasons Birna's story touches us all.
Saturday January 14th: Birna goes missing
The story begins as Birna Brjánsdóttir, a twenty-year old girl is reported missing on Saturday, January 14th by her mother. Birna had gone partying at Húrra, a popular music venue and pub right at the heart of the city. Earlier that night, local paper The Reykjavik Grapevine had hosted their annual music awards at the venue, a popular event where some of Iceland's best indie bands perform. Birna left Húrra alone, she'd become separated from her friends, and was not seen again.
Photos of Birna started circulating on Icelandic social media eight days ago. Photo/ Facebook
A missing person is not that uncommon in Reykjavik, sometimes young women go missing for a couple of days, especially if they are involved with drugs or simply decided to bail out from their parents home. Her mother appealed again to the public on the weekend of her disappearance, and to the Reykjavik Metropolitan Police to begin searching. The whole thing was completely out of character for Birna, she said. Birna was not involved with drugs. Birna is a healthy, happy girl and has plenty of friends. She is always online, and always lets people know where she is. And this time, Birna had just disappeared, her phone was switched off, she was offline on Facebook. She hadn't turned up to work on the weekend, unusual for a conscientious girl. All of this didn't add up at all.
That same weekend, Birna's photograph starts circulating on Icelandic social media . MISSING. Where is Birna? her mother pleads. Birna gazes at us from the photo. She's a pretty, smiling, auburn haired girl.
The search begins
And so, police began piecing together the puzzle that is her disappearance. There are security cameras in various places around the city centre. Footage showed Birna walking up Laugavegur, the main shopping street in Reykjavik, where plenty of bars and restaurants are also situated. She's obviously in an inebriated state, her steps are unsteady, but she seems to know where she's going. She's eating something, later revealed to be a kebab bought at Ali Baba in the city centre.
The red Kia Rio rental car spotted on surveillance camera footage. Photo/ Reykjavik Metropolitan Police
A red car, a Kia Rio was seen stopping at Laugavegur 31, which is also the last place where Birna is seen on security cameras. She wasn't seen getting into the car, but police published photos of the car asking for information or the driver to come forward. The persons in the car may be the last ones to give clues as to where she went.
Her cellphone is traced all the way to Hafnarfjörður, a small town adjacent to Reykjavik. It has seemingly been switched off manually. Had her phone been stolen, or did she herself go all the way to Hafnarfjörður?
Her father speaks to Icelandic media. Birna lives with him, he says, in Breiðholt, a suburb of Reykjavik. It's just the two of them living together, with their cat. She's a grown woman and often goes out, he says, she has plenty of friends, but she always gets home, and always lets him know where she is.
Shoes found near Hafnarfjörður harbour
The Reykjavik Metropolitan Police host a press conference . This is fairly unusual. The police are usually a surly bunch, not really forthcoming with information to the media. This time, they are open, honest, compassionate, clear, concise. Heading the investigation is police officer Grímur Grímsson who starts reminding locals of the protagonist in the crime novels of Arnaldur Indriðason, Detective Erlendur.
Police officer Grímur Grímsson who heads the investigation. Mbl.is/ Árni Sæberg
Birna's mother also appears at the press conference. She pleads to the public for any information. This is also unusual. Icelanders somehow feel that this reminds them of something that only happens abroad. Not in Iceland.
After police launch an extensive search, Birna's shoes, a pair of Doc Martens are found snowed up near the harbour of Hafnarfjörður . A continuing search of the area reveals nothing. Were the shoes planted there, or what on earth happened?
The crucial evidence appears. A red Kia Rio is spotted on video surveillance cameras of Hafnarfjörður harbour. It's parked near a Greenlandic fishing trawler called the Polar Nanoq. It's shown parked there at 06.30 am and is identical to the car last spotted on Laugavegur at the time of Birna's disappearance.
It was revealed that it had been hired by crew of a Greenlandic trawler, a vessel called the Polar Nanoq which lifted anchor a few hours after Birna went missing.
The Polar Nanoq. Mbl.is/ Eggert Jóhannesson
Suspects aboard a Greenlandic trawler
The Polar Nanoq responded to requests by the Icelandic Coastguard to turn around to Iceland as crew members need to be interrogated by Icelandic police. Furthermore, a Danish coastguard vessel called Triton was sent towards the Polar Nanoq.
Members of the special force unit at the Icelandic police boarded a National Coastguard Helicopter and flew towards the Polar Nanoq , overtaking control of the ship and arresting three crew members. A substantial amount of hash was also found on the vessel.
The ship returned to Reykjavik and the suspects were taken into custody, two on suspicion of being involved in the disappearance of Birna, the third in connection with the drugs.
Traces of Birna's blood were later found in the red car, traces which someone had tried to eradicate.
The two men were interrogated and both denied charges. Police still have no clue as to what happened to Birna and where she is.
SAR teams looking for Birna in the lavafields near Hafnarfjörður. Mbl.is/ Eggert Jóhannesson
Over 500 people take part in Iceland's largest search and rescue
On January 20th police reveal that the men are in custody on suspicion of a heinous crime. The following day, Saturday January 21st, the most extensive search in the history of Iceland takes place for a missing person. Over 500 SAR team members take part in the search for Birna, to no avail.
Divers looking for Birna in Hafnarfjörður harbour. Mbl.is/ Eggert Jóhannesson
On Sunday, police receive the results of forensic evidence placing Birna inside the red Kia Rio . And at noon on Sunday, in the midst of a second day of an extensive search, the National Coastguard Helicopter spots a body on the beach, near Selvogsviti lighthouse, south of Reykjavik.
The Reykjavik Metropolitan Police host a press conference yesterday announcing the find of the body of Birna. Mbl.is/ Eggert Jóhannesson
At 5 pm on Sunday this information is revealed at a press conference held by the Reykjavik Metropolitan Police. Birna Brjánsdóttir has been found dead. Her body was either placed on the beach or it washed ashore. Police believe she was murdered.
Selvogsviti lighthouse, near the beach where Birna's body was found. Mbl.is/ Sigurður Bogi Sævarsson
On Sunday night, social media in Iceland is flooded with messages of love, grief and support for Birna's family and friends. Every single person is sad, shaken, shocked.
And in Greenland, locals light candles for Birna. Her case has touched the hearts of two neighbouring countries.
Police are still interrogating the two suspects and continue their investigation of the case and what actually happened on that fateful morning of Saturday, January 14th when a typical young Icelandic woman was just simply heading up a busy street after a night on the town.
Iceland has a registered average of 1.8 murders per year over the past 16 years and the macabre turn of events in Birna's case has truly touched the nation. | {
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A geologist was listed in satisfactory condition Thursday after falling thigh-deep into lava at Kilauea Volcano while dressed in a heat-resistant suit, authorities said.
George Ulrich was taking samples at a vent site Wednesday afternoon when congealed lava crust broke beneath him, plunging him into 2,000-degree molten rock, said Reggie Okamura, acting scientist in charge of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Ulrich is a staff geologist at the observatory.
“There was another guy there, and he pulled him out in a matter of about five seconds,” Okamura said. “We were fortunate. A helicopter was just landing, and they were able to get him out fast.”
He was taken to Hilo Hospital, where he was treated for first-, second- and third-degree burns.
Kilauea Volcano has been erupting sporadically since January, 1983. Scientists went to the vent site after lava was seen gurgling in the vent and slightly spilling over, Okamura said. Scientists were unsure whether the low-level activity would escalate.
The zone where Ulrich was working is in a remote, roadless area about 12 miles from Kilauea’s summit. Ulrich, 51, was pulled from the lava by Dario Tedesco, a visiting Italian geochemist. | {
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MOSCOW (Reuters) - A defect has been discovered on part of a Russian space rocket that is due to launch next month carrying satellites into orbit for U.S. startup OneWeb, two Russian news agencies reported on Wednesday.
The Russian Soyuz is scheduled to blast off from Guiana Space Centre carrying the first satellites into space for Virginia-based startup OneWeb, which plans to create a worldwide internet service using a network of satellites.
Russia’s RIA news agency cited three sources as saying that a “breach” had been discovered in the rocket’s Fregat upper stage.
A source quoted by TASS news agency said a tiny perforation had been found in one of the upper stage’s pipes and that the damage had possibly been caused during transportation.
Both reports said the problem could mean the launch is delayed.
Asked about the reports, Russian space agency Roscosmos told Reuters preparations for the flight were continuing as planned.
“During pre-start operations, various problems can be uncovered which are resolved before a space rocket’s takeoff,” a spokesman for Roscosmos said.
OneWeb did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The startup plans to create a network of 900 satellites, most of which it wants to send into orbit via 21 Soyuz launch vehicles.
Russia’s space program has been beset by problems in recent years, including failed cargo delivery missions into space and the aborted launch in October of a manned Soyuz mission to the International Space Station.
Earlier this month scientists said they had discovered a defect in the engines of Russia’s new flagship heavy lift space rocket. | {
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Los Angeles officials declared victory last week after the City Council approved an agreement with the Department of Water and Power workers’ union for a financial audit of two secretive trusts that have been sucking in tens of millions of dollars in ratepayer money. But those officials jumped the gun. This is not a triumph for the public’s right to know. It leaves the fight for transparency ongoing.
The battle erupted more than a year ago when it was revealed that nobody could say — or would say — what became of $40 million that went toward the two entities, ostensibly devoted to employee training and safety, jointly run by DWP management and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 18.
Converging in this one issue was almost everything L.A. residents hate about the DWP: The mystery of it all. The suspicion that ratepayer cash was being wasted on a union slush fund. The thought of how all that money could instead be used to improve utility service and upgrade infrastructure. The obstinate union. Ineffectual city officials.
Mayor Eric Garcetti, City Attorney Mike Feuer and City Controller Ron Galperin actually deserve credit for saying enough is enough and fighting union chief Brian D’Arcy in court while exerting political pressure, confident the public and justice were on their side.
But when D’Arcy decided to compromise, the city settled for less than it should have. If this was the best deal it could negotiate, well, that doesn’t mean Angelenos should be satisfied.
The deal calls for the Joint Training and Safety Institutes to open their books and undergo an audit led by Galperin. If all of the money turns out to have been spent properly, the city will make its nearly $4 million annual payment to the trusts, a payment Galperin has been withholding.
But this is not the “unfettered” access the public was promised. Unfettered would mean an audit going back more than five years. Unfettered would mean city officials could copy and show the records to the press and public.
The agreement allows for none of that. Instead, ratepayers, who were being told by the union, “Trust us,” now are being told by city officials, “Trust us.”
This isn’t the only way the deal falls short, but it’s the most maddening.
The mantra throughout this outrageous affair has been that ratepayers have the right to see how their money is spent. If city officials won’t guarantee that, then the public and the press must continue to fight for it.
ABOUT THIS SERIES
The Los Angeles News Group has undertaken a yearlong project to critique, demystify and help to fix the DWP. We have called on DWP customers to lend their voices to the project. Tell city officials, union leaders and judges what you want. Letters to the editor and other comments are welcome by email at opinion@langnews.com. If you missed earlier installments, go to dailynews.com/opinion. | {
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LORDSBURG, New Mexico — Lawmakers came to the border looking for answers for why a young girl died while in Border Patrol custody.
But it isn’t the first time answers have been demanded of Customs and Border Protection in the death of an immigrant. Or the first time much went unanswered.
The death of Jakelin Caal Maquin, who became violently ill with vomiting, fever and seizures on a Border Patrol bus before she was airlifted to a hospital after a 90-mile bus ride, follows the death of Claudia Patricia Gomez Gonzalez, 19, of Guatemala, who was shot by a Border Patrol agent. The shooting is still being investigated.
Other cases of shootings, abuse, neglect and mistreatment have been documented in various reports over the years or were the subject of media coverage. Each time there are demands for more oversight, accountability and transparency from the agency.
Groups that keep tabs say Border Patrol remains mired in outdated policing methods, while attempts at reform that began in the Obama administration have slowed and regressed.
In El Paso Monday night, Rep.-elect Veronica Escobar thanked Washington Post reporters for revealing Jakelin’s death. Without their reporting, “Jakelin’s story may never have been made known to members of Congress or to the American people,” she said.
When he testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Dec. 11, four days after Jakelin died, Customs Border Commissioner Kevin McAleenan did not mention the girl’s death, even though he’s required to do so within 24 hours under a law enacted this year.
Rep. Joaquín Castro, D-Texas, called for McAleenan’s resignation on Tuesday for violating that law. He also asked when McAleenan’s boss, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen learned of the girl’s death.
With the pressure and criticism escalating, CBP on Wednesday issued an order to the agency to inform Congress and the media within 24 hours of a death of someone in its custody.
Demanding accountability
“We have seen Border Patrol and (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and CBP grow significantly over the last 15 years. What we have not seen has been growth in accountability and transparency,” Escobar said.
There have been attempts to reform the agency. Reps. Beto O’Rourke, D-Texas and Steve Pearce, R-N.M., reintroduced last June a bill titled the “Border Enforcement Accountability, Oversight and Community Engagement Act.” But it hasn’t advanced.
Speaking to reporters after Jakelin’s death, O’Rourke pointed out there have been years of complaints about mistreatment by CBP officers and agents and reports of migrants’ deaths under questionable circumstances while under Border Patrol custody.
Those complaints go “into a black hole,” O’Rourke said, according to an El Paso Times transcript of his comments.
“As sensational as this story (of Jakelin’s death) is right now, this is something that has been happening for years, decades and many of us have been trying to address and correct it,” O’Rouke said. “I hope that, perhaps, now that everyone is looking at this, we get the progress and change that we need.”
For years, groups have called for Border Patrol to use body cameras. This year, the American Civil Liberties Union released a report and 30,000 pages of federal records — obtained through an open government request — documenting complaints of abuse and mistreatment, including rape and assault of unaccompanied children by agents.
In 2014, the Los Angeles Times obtained and made public details of a report by the Police Executive Research Forum regarding the Border Patrol's use of force. The agency had tried to keep the report secret, refusing even to give a full copy to House and Senate committees.
“We need an entirely new sophisticated law enforcement approach to the border,” said Josiah Heyman, director of the Center for InterAmerican and Border Studies at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP).
Shift in migrations is 'no surprise'
McAleenan has said that the numbers of migrants arriving on the border near Lordsburg, in a remote stretch of the southwest desert, is a “brand new phenomenon.”
In just three days, 496 people turned themselves in at Antelope Wells port of entry, McAleenan said.
When he testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Dec. 11, McAleenan told the senators that CBP's facilities were built to handle “mostly male, single adults in custody, not families or children.”
“I want to make sure that we have the capability to care for children in our custody with the right medical and mental health professionals and that we have the partnership with Health and Human Services to expeditiously transfer children to a more appropriate custody situation," he said.
But the shift in migrations shouldn’t be a surprise, said Heyman. The Obama administration started seeing the changes when the arrivals of unaccompanied children and families spiked in 2014, and UTEP analysts told agency officials this was happening.
"Border Patrol is the most traditionalistic organization imaginable, entirely focused on arresting adult Mexican men,” said Heyman.
The immediate humanitarian crisis
As parts of the border have been fortified with fencing and other barriers over the years, migrants and smugglers have sought other entry points, moving to more treacherous parts of the nearly 2,000-mile United States-Mexico boundary.
Enrique Morones, the executive director of the humanitarian group Border Angels, said the group of about 30 to 35 volunteers who distribute the water every third Saturday has grown to about 500. The group now holds a hike every fourth Saturday to set out water.
Migrants, part of a caravan travelling to the U.S., make a human chain to pull people from the river between Guatemala to Mexico in Ciudad Hidalgo and continuing to walk in Mexico, October 29, 2018. LEAH MILLIS / Reuters
Jakeline's death has led to questions about the medical assistance Border Patrol has on hand for migrants and their training levels.
Since 1998, Border Patrol has had search and rescue tactical teams, known as BORSTAR, created as injuries to agents and migrants deaths increased. Some of its team members have tactical medical training. A Border Patrol rescue often will be detailed by the agency in public news releases.
The Border Patrol said that in the 2018 fiscal year, which ran from Oct. 1, 2017 to Sept. 30, 2018, it rescued 4,307 migrants in danger, some in life-threatening situations.
There are 274 BORSTAR agents deployed throughout the southwest, the agency said. The agents relied on Hidalgo County Emergency Medical Services to airlift the girl to an El Paso, Texas hospital.
There are no medical personnel permanently assigned to Antelope Wells or Bounds Forward Operating Base and no EMT personnel were on duty when Jakelin and her father were taken into custody. CBP said 1,300 Border Patrol agents have been trained as EMTs (Emergency Medical Technicians).
Jakelin's death drew a rebuke from the American Academy of Pediatrics , who said Jakelin's death was preventable. Someone trained in pediatrics could have taken her vitals and looked for signs of dehydration and the potential for septic shock and provided treatment or medical intervention sooner.
Drs. Scott Allen and Pamela McPherson mention our letter in today's @washingtonpost: "As physicians, we have a duty to speak out against policies & practices that threaten the health & safety of children & their families." Detention is one such policy. https://t.co/XjDN5rNmn7 — Amer Acad Pediatrics (@AmerAcadPeds) December 19, 2018
“Until we have pediatric-trained personnel who have access to these facilities and these children, we’re just waiting until the next death happens,” said Dr. Colleen Kraft, the Academy's president.
The American Academy of Pediatrics wrote a letter to McAleenan and the Trump administration calling for an investigation.
Migrants receive food at a camp containing hundreds of migrants who arrived at the U.S. border from Central America in a caravan with the intention of applying for asylum in the U.S., in Tijuana, Mexico December 12, 2018. LEAH MILLIS / Reuters
“Many of our organizations have sought to provide expert advice to the federal government, including your agency, about how to best care for and treat immigrant children and pregnant women in your custody. That offer still stands," the letter said.
Legislation that would require CBP to hire child welfare professionals at ports of entry and border stations would help children as well as border agents, advocates said.
“It helps CBP as much as it helps the kids," said Jennifer Podkul, senior director for policy and advocacy at Kids In Need of Defense. "You're allowing CBP officers to do the law enforcement they were trained to do and ensuring that kids are being treated appropriately and their immediate medical needs are addressed while they are in the short term holding.”
A flexible medical response
Speaking of Jakelin's death, Texas Republican Rep. Will Hurd said recently the Inspector General is reviewing the case to see what happened and if there was negligence, "but also reviewing whether CBP has the resources they need in order to handle a situation like this — I think this example leads us to believe that they don't have those resources.”
Rep. Raul Ruiz, an emergency care physician with experience in humanitarian disaster response, said he was troubled by the lack of medical equipment and knowledge at the Antelope Wells port of entry and the Forward Operating Base — even for taking vital signs and doing a routine physical exam — as well as the overcrowded conditions in the Lordsburg Border Patrol station.
In Lordsburg, "they were on the concrete floor with those paper thin aluminum-foil type blankets, so packed that you couldn’t even see any floor space," Ruiz said. "And these were women with young children, a lot under 5, toddler ages. When I looked around some looked sick, [or] had a cold. It looked like they hadn't bathed in days."
Ruiz said he has cared for people in very difficult and improvised conditions as a disaster response physician, including in post-earthquake Haiti, "and I haven't seen anything like this."
He said CBP needs to "find flexibility within their staffing on the border" and immediately send personnel with medical training to areas where they encounter large groups of families. CBP facilities need to be equipped with medical equipment for exams and emergency resuscitation.
Ruiz said his office had been told the CBP commissioner is making sure the facilities have appropriate medical bags.
Rep. Cicilline: You do not know how many people have died in DHS custody?
DHS Sec. Nielsen: "I don't have an exact figure"
...
Cicilline: "I'm talking about people who have died in your custody. You don't have the number?"
Nielsen: "I will get back to you with the number." pic.twitter.com/SxEmRe4CM2 — NBC News (@NBCNews) December 20, 2018
One suggestion, said Ruiz, is to tap medically trained personnel from Health and Human Services, FEMA and and the Disaster Medical Assistance Team; people in those agencies are trained to be quickly mobilized to disaster areas. They could be called on to set up a tent clinic or hospital in areas where migrants have shown up in large numbers, he said.
"Resources exist if they can mobilize and spread them out and be flexible when they have a massive change in migration patterns," Ruiz said.
Communications equipment needs to be upgraded in remote areas; Ruiz said the agents in Antelope Wells did not have the infrastructure to connect them with the local 911 system. While they can communicate with one another by radio, they have to use cell phones to call 911.
"During long periods of the ride on that road from Antelope Wells to Lordsburg, there was no cell phone coverage," Ruiz said.
According to CBP, the agency is looking at increasing the number of medical personnel at its facilities and has already increased resources to the El Paso sector, which includes El Paso and Hudspeth counties and all of New Mexico.
"CBP agents do a good job making sure guns, drugs and criminals don’t come over and don’t cross our borders. It's necessary they do that," said Ruiz. "However, we are experiencing a humanitarian crisis, people are crossing the border seeking asylum. Once they are in custody of CBP, they are under the responsibility of CBP for their health and welfare."
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High school football is a big deal in Texas, and many new schools are splashing millions on new stadiums. But could that money be better spent elsewhere?
On the northern edge of the sprawling Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, the bright lights of a beloved Texas Friday night tradition burn as bright as they’ve always done. In the town of Celina, high school football games remain an intimate experience, almost as if plucked from the pages of Friday Night Lights, Buzz Bissinger’s book that spawned famous film and TV adaptations.
Mediocrity on turf: the NFL is stumbling, but will it recover? Read more
“When you enter the current Bobcat field, you’re right there on the field,” says Rudy Weems. Like many born and raised in Celina, Weems relates the Celina high school football heritage:a jointly held record of eight state championships – incredible for a town of its small size. The 50-year-old father of three played for the Celina Bobcats in the early 1980s. In adulthood, he volunteered as a coach. His two sons, aged 28 and 19, followed him into the program. Here, football knits the community together.
But Weems is also aware of Celina’s ballooning population. Currently figured to be around 11,000, it’s expected to reach 100,000 within 10 years, according to one projection. That’s up from just 6,000 in 2010.
“The growth is coming to Celina, we know that,” says Weems. “However, it’s still a small-town feel. People are moving from the south – Frisco, Plano, McKinney, Allen. We’re still moving that way, but once you enter the town, you still get the feel of a small town. We know it’s growing, and along with it comes a lot of politics and a lot of changes.”
In the middle of the change from small town to booming Dallas suburb is football. Celina could end up with more than one high school and therefore more than one football team, a division of the local talent pool that would vex some. But a more immediate question is over the future need for a new stadium to house the existing team and its swelling fanbase. The current 3,800-capacity Bobcat Stadium, regularly packed, might soon be unable to cope with demand.
These are interesting times for high school football stadiums in Texas. Nearby McKinney recently approved the construction of a new $70m, 12,000-seat stadium to be shared by the city’s three high schools. That followed hard on the heels of a $60m, 18,000-capacity venue for neighboring Allen – which has one high school – completed in 2012. Local media have called the sprouting of expensive stadiums among rival school districts in affluent suburbs an arms race. The adjacent Frisco, meanwhile, entered a partnership with the Dallas Cowboys for its schools to play in the NFL team’s new indoor practice facility built in the city. The Frisco independent school district is chipping in $30m so area kids can run out at The Ford Center at The Star, capacity 12,000.
Critics argue the money could be better spent elsewhere in the education system. The defenders say the cash isn’t taken away from pots protected for schooling.
“Yes, there is this concept that ‘we want the best for our students,’” says Lee Ancona, a University of North Texas lecturer in health promotion and recreation, who spent more than 30 years coaching high school football in Texas. “People pay more taxes and are willing to support these stadiums and facilities that from the outside looking in look terribly grandiose or overdone to some degree. But I haven’t heard any apologies. People aren’t apologizing for having good facilities for their students, and obviously especially for athletes.”
In the 2015-16 school year, school districts budgeted 2.75% of their funds for extracurricular activities, according to the Texas education agency. “Academics always have a much, much greater share of the budget than do sports,” a spokesperson told the Guardian.
Perched on the precipice is Celina. It lies somewhere at the intersection between small rural town and DFW’s fast approaching conurbation, explains Bill Elliott, the Bobcats head coach and the Celina school district’s athletic director. A new stadium is a definite part of their future but just what shape it takes is another matter.
Elliott doesn’t grudge Allen and McKinney their new stadiums: he sees them as a boon for their communities – and revenue generators. Kids from smaller towns like his look forward to the opportunity to play in them. Elliott says the impact of these pricey arenas leads to scaled-down improvements further down the food chain.
“I’ve seen it both ways. When I came here we had a grass field, a rock parking lot. Now we’ve got a nice paved one and we’ve got a turf field. We were one of the first small schools in the area to get a turf field. And now you see in the smaller schools we play, they’ve all got turf fields now. It’s just more cost-effective. It flows down. I think it’s the same thing with stadiums. As these communities, these outlying communities, grow, that same thing is going to flow down to them.”
Across the state, new stadiums are sprouting. And it’s not confined to the affluent suburbs of major cities like Dallas and Houston.
Take the recently opened new stadium in Whitney, a rural town between Fort Worth and Waco. The local school district produced a new 3,000-seat, $6.4m venue. Wildcat Stadium serves Whitney High, classed as a 3A school in the classification system governing Texas high school sports. (McKinney, Allen and Frisco operate at the 6A level; Celina at 4A. The system – ranging from 1A up to 6A – is based on school enrollment numbers, with 3A schools bearing between 229 and 479 students.) Among other amenities, the new site features a video board and a media room replete with a 100-inch projection screen and 55-inch monitors.
Since 1996, some 60 bonds have been issued by ISDs in Texas school districts, with at least the partial purpose of building a new stadium or renovating existing athletic facilities.
The funding of public education in Texas is controversial, with local property tax revenues a major contributor of the money. A so-called Robin Hood law stipulates that property-wealthy districts share their property tax wealth with districts considered property poor.
However, in most cases new stadiums are funded by bonds approved at the ballot box by voters living within the relevant school district. And as tax money used to repay these bonds is exempt from wealth equalization, school districts are free to use this local money for the construction of new facilities at the discretion of local voters. Robin Hood does not apply.
That can have interesting consequences. In 2012, Carthage, a small town in east Texas, added a 1,200 sq ft, $750,000 video scoreboard to its then four-year-old stadium. The purchase was hailed as a way of keeping locally raised money within the district from which it was drawn.
Some point to Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Southlake as the progenitor of the surge in high school mega-stadiums with eye-watering price tags. In 2001, the city spent $15.3m on Dragon Stadium. Bob McSpadden, an expert on the more than 1,200 high school stadiums in Texas, says the famous Ratliff Stadium in Odessa, of Friday Night Lights fame, was causing a stir in the 1980s. “That stadium was outrageous at $5.6m in 1982,” he explains.
Not all bond packages that include stadiums pass muster for local voters. McSpadden, who grew up in Odessa, points to a new mega-stadium currently under construction in his current home of Katy, a suburb of Houston, as evidence.
“A lot of these stadiums do not pass the vote. The one here in Katy failed once. Ratliff Stadium back in the 80s failed three times before it was passed. But it wasn’t over the money; it was over the location.” The 12,000-seat Katy stadium finally passed at the end of 2014, a year after being rejected at the ballot box. Like many of these bonds, it was part of a greater $748m package that also included allotments for the construction of new schools. The stadium portion: $58m, a figure that later rose to $62.5m.
Other high school stadiums with big price tags get less attention. Channelview, another Houston suburb, got a new 8,000-seat venue costing $27m in 2012. Clear Creek, also in the Houston area, saw a $42m, 10,000 arena approved in 2013. Sometimes there are standalone outlays for flashy accessories that draw some scrutiny. The board of Waxahachie school district recently approved the purchase of a $500,000 digital scoreboard for its Lumpkins Stadium. Nevertheless, there was a word of caution from the school superintendent, who identified the scoreboard as a luxury item, reminding members the “district is not a rich district.”
Some argue the stadiums provide lucrative revenues streams – scoreboards, for example, could be attractive to advertisers. Particularly in the south, the popularity of high school football is immense. Texas might be considered the epicenter.
“It’s kind of a mirror image of college in a way,” says Mark Conrad, an expert in sports business at Fordham University. “Where the colleges have gone to 30 years ago, you’re beginning to see power conferences or power schools in high school.”
Others can’t afford to focus too much on athletics. The troubled Dallas school district and its string of inner-city schools is one. There, says the school district’s athletic director Gil Garza, they are preoccupied with improving education attainment levels.
“We have nine stadiums, one that I would say is a mini-monster like the others,” he explains. “Kincaide Stadium, which seats about 12,000. It’s nice, but it’s not anywhere near what you see in Allen, Frisco or McKinney or even some of the other districts. Having said that, there’s eight more that are not. The overlying thought in our process is to try to make them as nice and modern as we can. Because kids look at those facilities. They see what other communities have and say: ‘Well, why can’t we have that?’”
The answer, says Garza, comes down to his school district’s sheer size, large portfolio of facilities and its focus on academics. “Because sometimes we come to school and our kids are behind,” he adds. “A lot of people in our communities would rather see that than see $25m, $40m stadiums.”
Back in Celina, head coach Elliott contemplates the creeping growth around town with a wary eye.
Bobcat Stadium, which dates to the 1930s, got a remodel in 2004 when capacity was doubled to 3,800 and the turf field was put in. But the prospect of the growth putting the intimate Friday night experience of yore on borrowed time lingers.
“One of my big goals is to maintain the culture and tradition that Celina has,” says Elliott. “Because Celina is one of the last few places around the metroplex that really is a true Friday Night Lights-type feeling. The whole town shuts down. The stadium is packed out and people are standing around the edges several people deep. It’s a special place to play football and I’d hate to lose that some day. Whenever we do build a new stadium that’s something I want to build into it – that same feeling we have here at Bobcat field.” | {
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Since joining council last fall, Joe Magliocca has often said he wants to find savings and “trim the fat” at City Hall.
He has also billed taxpayers $350 for espresso-making equipment and expensed several meals at upscale restaurants, including one lunch that was more expensive than his new office Nespresso machine.
At Kensington’s Osteria de Medici, Magliocca laid down his corporate MasterCard in January for a $398 chef’s special off-the-menu lunch shared by five people, including himself. The table was never shown prices for the antipasti, angel hair pasta, veal parmigiana and more.
It’s by far the priciest meal that any of Calgary’s 14 city councillors expensed in the first half of 2014, according to expense disclosures.
The Herald’s questions around this bill have the first-term councillor saying he’ll think twice next time, and has startled some colleagues.
“Was I there, on the $398 bill? Phew. Thank God for that,” said Coun. Andre Chabot, when told he had not been in attendance. Chabot has his own $100 meal he regrets expensing and may pay back.
Fellow first-termer Coun. Sean Chu led all councillors by expensing 62 hospitality outings in the year’s first half, many of them coffee meetings for as little as $3.
His most expensive meal was a $157 dinner at Golden Inn restaurant, with Magliocca and Maurizio Terrigno, an owner of Osteria de Medici.
Chu recalls the trio discussed Terrigno’s plans to redevelop the Kensington eatery site into a taller mixed-use project — something that goes to council for approval in coming months.
Chu, who also prides himself on being fiscally conservative, said residents likely won’t mind a $50-per-person restaurant expense.
“Any place you go to, $157 for three people isn’t that expensive, really,” he said. The April bill included a $28 bottle of red Australian wine and a filet mignon.
Chu expensed another meal with Terrigno and Magliocca this year for $68, at the same Chinatown eatery.
Chabot twice treated his two council aides to lunch this year — in January for $101, and in spring for $151. He may reimburse the public for the first one, once he gets clarity on campaign finance laws for this term.
“I’m surprised I put that through my ward account because that was more or less a thank-you for the work they did on the campaign and for having stuck with me in this term,” Chabot said.
His top bill was a $181 dinner at Villa Firenze with colleagues Ward Sutherland and Magliocca.
“There was one thing on the menu that Joe really liked, and he gave Ward Sutherland a little piece of it so Ward ordered one himself,” Chabot said.
“It was portobello mushroom with something, and I don’t think it was cheap. We were talking work, believe it or not.”
At the Magliocca meal that cost almost $400 last January, Airdrie Mayor Peter Brown was one of the guests.
“I can tell you the food was awesome. But I can tell you we don’t talk about the price,” recalled Brown, who sat at the table with Magliocca, an executive from suburban builder Shane Homes, another guest whose name the city councillor said he can’t recall and, for part of the afternoon, the restaurant owner’s son.
But when Brown learned later about the price, he offered $100 to cover his share. | {
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Is the city of Columbus, Ohio playing dirty tricks on Donald Trump?
Less than 24 hours ago, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther campaigned with Hillary Clinton during a visit to the city.
He even got a shout out from the candidate herself, with Clinton telling the crowd she was happy to be in his capital city, according to her speech posted on YouTube (17:35).
Ginther posted this photo on his Facebook page, clearly pleased to be aiding Clinton:
“Are you ready to build a future that includes everyone in America?” Ginther said, warming up the crowd, according to the Post-Gazette.
“We are so honored to have such a great outpouring of support for Secretary Clinton in the most important city in the most important state in America. I need a partner in the White House that can deliver.”
Today, Ginther seemingly delivered for Clinton.
The city of Columbus restricted the capacity of Donald Trump’s crowd, leaving a lot of people unable to get inside.
“Hey, maybe they’re a Hillary person,” Trump speculated about city leaders — quite accurately — according to Politico. “Could that be possible? Probably. I don’t think there are too many of them.”
The Columbus Convention Center only allowed 1,000 people inside, despite the cavernous space.
“So have 1,000 people in there. They won’t allow any more,” Trump said. “The fire marshal said he’s not allowed to allow any more even though the building holds many thousands of people. So I just wanted to tell you that. That’s politics at its lowest. You ought to check it out, but it’s really politics at its lowest.”
The fire marshal blamed construction for blocking exits as the reason for the restricted crowd size.
But the mayor? He was probably out campaigning for Hillary again. | {
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Which Resistance song is the best?
Uprising Resistance Undisclosed Desires + Collateral Damage United States of Eurasia Guiding Light Unnatural Selection MK Ultra I Belong to You + Mon Coeur S’ouvre a Ta Voix Exogenesis Symphony part 1: Overture Exogenesis Symphony part 2: Cross-Pollination Exogenesis Symphony part 3: Redemption
Vote | {
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In 1973, the Supreme Court held that police officers did not need a warrant to look inside a pack of cigarettes that they found in the coat pocket of a man who had been arrested. Those kinds of warrantless searches were allowed, the Court reasoned back then, to protect police officers and to prevent the destruction of evidence.
Forty years later, California and the federal government urged the Supreme Court to adopt the same rule for cellphones. Once someone is arrested, they contended, police should be able to go through the entire contents of his phone without a warrant because cellphones are just like any other item that you can carry in your hand or pocket. But today the Supreme Court emphatically rejected that argument. Therefore, unless it’s an emergency, police need to get a warrant before they can search your cellphone. Let’s talk about the decision in Riley v. California in Plain English.
As I explained in my earlier posts (here and here) on this issue, the Court was actually reviewing two cases involving cellphone privacy: those of David Riley, a California man whose smartphone police officers searched and Brima Wurie, a Massachusetts man who was carrying an older “flip phone” when he was arrested. The Court essentially treated the two cases as one, in a sweeping ruling which repeatedly invoked the Founding Fathers’ intense hatred of the British practice of virtually limitless searches for evidence of any crime.
In his opinion for the Court, Chief Justice John Roberts began by noting that cellphones are “now such a pervasive and insistent part of daily life that the proverbial visitor from Mars might conclude they were an important feature of human anatomy.” Moreover, he added, cellphones like Riley’s and Wurie’s “are based on technology nearly inconceivable just a few decades ago” when the Court had upheld the search of the arrestee’s pack of cigarettes. Those observations would make the Court’s job seem easy.
The Court first looked at whether a search without a warrant was necessary – as in its 1973 case – to protect the police officers making the arrest. The Court thought it was fine for police to examine the phone itself to make sure it cannot be used as a weapon. But it decisively rejected the idea that the digital contents of a cellphone can either endanger police or help the arrestee (who, presumably, has already been handcuffed and had the phone taken away from him). And it was unmoved by the argument that police need to look at the cellphone to make sure that, for example, the arrestee’s buddies aren’t headed to the crime scene to ambush them: there was no real evidence that this has actually been a problem, the Court explained, but even if it were a possibility in a particular case, then police could rely on the “emergency” exception to the general rule that a warrant is always required.
The Court was equally dubious that police needed to be able to search cellphones to prevent evidence contained on the cellphone from being destroyed. Once he has been arrested and the phone has been taken from him, the Court reasoned, the arrestee can’t destroy evidence on the phone. Although the data on the phone could be deleted remotely, it continued, it appears that such incidents have been few and far between; in any event, police have other tools – such as turning off the phone or removing the battery – to prevent them.
The Court then turned to the second part of its analysis: the extent to which searching the cellphone of someone who has been arrested will intrude on his privacy. And it is here that we really get a sense that the Justices – who as recently as 2012 relied on eighteenth-century laws prohibiting trespassing to rule in a case involving the use of GPS device to track the car of a suspected drug dealer – have become keenly sensitive to issues of digital privacy, not only for arrestees but possibly also for the rest of us. To demonstrate how cellphones differ from other items that you might be carrying in your pocket, the Court chronicled, in some detail, the many functions of cellphones – as “cameras, video players, rolodexes, calendars, tape recorders, libraries, diaries, albums, televisions, maps, or newspapers” – and emphasized their “immense storage capacity.” Having all of this information stored in one place, the Court explained, collectively provides much more information about our lives than, say, a calendar or camera would, standing alone. In fact, the Court posited, because of the different kinds of data that can be stored on a cellphone, searching a cellphone could provide police with even more information about your life than they could get from searching your home.
The Court acknowledged that its decision today would make it a little harder for police officers to do their jobs: “Privacy,” it conceded, “comes at a cost.” But it took pains to make the scope of its ruling clear. It was not saying, it emphasized, that police can never search a cellphone that they take from someone who is arrested. Instead, all the decision means is that police generally have to get a warrant to do so – a process that, thanks to advances in technology, is easier than ever before because the police often can just make a phone call or send an email. And, the Court added, when time is really of the essence, such as in the case of an abduction or a possible bomb threat, that could justify searching an arrestee’s cellphone without a warrant.
With today’s decision, the Court displayed a unanimity that was somewhat uncharacteristic for such a momentous case on an issue like privacy: only Justice Samuel Alito wrote separately, although he agreed with the result in the case and much of the Court’s reasoning. On the other hand, such a result may not be that surprising at all. Although we tend to think of them as living a somewhat cloistered life, the Justices and their families and friends use cellphones and computers and tablets just like the rest of us, and they probably share many of our concerns about keeping our private information private. (Indeed, as public figures they may be even more worried about these issues than the average person.) And given how sensitive they were to issues of digital privacy today, it will be interesting to see how they might react to similar issues – including, but not limited to, the National Security Agency’s domestic surveillance program – in the future. Stay tuned.
Recommended Citation: Amy Howe, Get a warrant! Today’s cellphone privacy decision in Plain English, SCOTUSblog (Jun. 25, 2014, 5:25 PM), https://www.scotusblog.com/2014/06/get-a-warrant-todays-cellphone-privacy-decision-in-plain-english/ | {
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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump may not need Congress to go to war with Iran.
That's the case his lieutenants have been quietly building as tensions between the two nations have escalated.
The key elements involve drawing links between al Qaeda and Iran and casting Iran as a terrorist threat to the U.S. — which is exactly what administration officials have been doing in recent weeks.
That could give Trump the justification he needs to fight Iran without congressional approval under the still-in-effect 2001 use-of-force resolution.
That prospect is unsettling to most Democrats, and even some Republicans, in part because Iran didn't attack the U.S. on 9/11, in part because there is a reluctance to engage U.S. forces in another theater of war, and in part because many lawmakers believe Congress has given too much of its war-making authority to the president over the years.
With Congress unlikely to grant him new authority to strike Iran under the current circumstances, and amid a campaign of "maximum pressure" against the regime in Tehran that has raised tensions, Trump administration officials have sent strong signals that they will be ready to make an end run around lawmakers, using the 2001 authorization for the use of military force — or "AUMF" in Washington-speak — if necessary.
That law gave the president the power to use force against "nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons."
Earlier this month, the U.S. deployed an aircraft carrier strike group to the region. Three U.S. officials told NBC that a surge in American forces in the region was a response in part to intelligence-gathering suggesting that the Iranian regime had given proxies a green light to attack U.S. personnel and assets in the region.
And in recent weeks, the Trump administration has accused Iran of assisting al Qaeda, designated an arm of the Iranian military as a foreign terrorist organization and accused Iran of being linked to a terrorist threat against the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, Iraq.
National Security Council officials declined to speak on the record with NBC about whether such incidents would satisfy the legal threshold necessary for the president to determine he had the authority to use force against Iran.
But former government lawyers familiar with the 2001 law and its applications say it's obvious from those moves what the Trump administration is trying to do.
"The whole thing is building up to the notion that they don't have to go to Congress for approval," Yale University law professor Harold Koh, who served as the State Department's top lawyer under Secretary Hillary Clinton, said in a telephone interview with NBC News.
Yet Koh said an attempt to shoehorn Iran into the 2001 AUMF is absurd and shouldn't pass legal muster.
"The theory of war powers has to be that Congress doesn't just sign off once," he said. "The suggestion now that Iran attacked us on 9/11 is ridiculous."
The original law essentially creates a two-part test for the president to make a determination that force is warranted: A country, group or person has aided al Qaeda and force is necessary to prevent a terrorist attack against the U.S. from that entity.
Under questioning from Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., a critic of the executive branch's expansive view of its war powers under both Presidents Barack Obama and Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said last month that he would "leave it to the lawyers" to sort out whether Trump had the authority to go to war with Iran absent a new authorization from Congress.
But he also forwarded an argument that he has been making since the early days of the administration that is tantamount to a case that the first part of the test has been met.
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"The factual question with respect to Iran's connections to al Qaeda is very real. They have hosted al Qaeda, they have permitted al Qaeda to transit their country,” he said at a Foreign Relations Committee hearing. “There is no doubt there is a connection between the Islamic Republic of Iran and al Qaeda. Period, full stop.”
There has been intense debate in recent years about the extent to which the remnants of al Qaeda have found assistance in Iran, with Iran hawks taking the position that the ties are deep and significant and others contending that attempts to link the Shia regime to terrorism carried out by Sunni groups are wrong or disingenuous.
But the deployment of more forces to the region to counter the threat of attacks on American personnel and assets, as well as the partial evacuation of the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, could be seen as satisfying the second part of the use-of-force test. That is, the idea that force is appropriate to prevent a terrorist threat from a country that has given assistance to al Qaeda.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said last week that she appreciates that Trump has generally been reluctant to go to war and cast his advisers as the drivers of the current escalation of tensions. She said the president doesn't currently have the power to go to war with Iran.
“The responsibility in the Congress is for Congress to declare war,” she said. “So I hope the president’s advisors recognize that they have no authorization to go forward in any way. They cannot call the authorization, AUMF, the authorization for the use of military force, that was passed in 2001, as any authorization to go forward in the Middle East now,”
Trump himself has left the door open.
Asked about the possibility this week, he said, "I hope not."
But there's little question that his administration is getting ready — and getting ready to go it alone. | {
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Wien Gegnern der Rundfunkgebühr lassen ARD und ZDF durchaus die Wucht des Gesetzes spüren. Wer die sogenannte Haushaltsgebühr von 17,50 Euro monatlich nicht zahlen will, muss mit bisweilen harten Konsequenzen rechnen. So wurde der Berliner Landesvorsitzenden der rechtspopulistischen AfD, Beatrix von Storch, das Konto gepfändet.
„Nun ist es passiert. Die GEZ hat zugeschlagen und mein Konto gepfändet. Am 1. April, wie ich gerade erfahre...“, teilte die geborene Herzogin von Oldenburg per Kurznachrichtendienst Twitter mit. Von Storch war seit der Umstellung der Geräte- auf die Haushaltsgebühr eine Totalverweigerin, wie ein Parteisprecher in Berlin mitteilte. Demnach hätte die Beitragszentrale von ARD, ZDF und Deutschlandradio einen Betrag von rund 240 Euro bei der Rechtspolitikerin gepfändet.
Wenn Rundfunkgebühren nicht bezahlt werden Mehrstufiges Mahnverfahren Rundfunkbeiträge - zur Zeit 17,50 Euro pro Wohnung im Monat - müssen nach den gesetzlichen Regelungen alle drei Monate bezahlt werden. Wird der Beitrag nicht zum fälligen Zeitpunkt entrichtet, beginnt nach Angaben des Beitragsservice von ARD, ZDF und Deutschlandradio ein mehrstufiges schriftliches Mahnverfahren. Zahlungserinnerung Es startet mit einer Zahlungserinnerung. Sollte weiter keine Zahlung erfolgen, gibt es weitere Schreiben wie Beitragsbescheide und ein Mahnschreiben. Vollstreckungsersuchen Die letzte Stufe dieses Mahnverfahrens ist das Vollstreckungsersuchen, das die zuständige Landesrundfunkanstalt bei der örtlichen Vollstreckungsbehörde stelle. Die Zuständigkeiten in den Bundesländern sind bei Vollstreckungen je nach Landesgesetz unterschiedlich geregelt. Es können zum Beispiel die Finanzämter, die Kommunen oder auch Gerichtsvollzieher tätig werden. Von Kontenpfändungen bis zur Erzwingungshaft Mögliche Maßnahmen reichen zum Beispiel von Kontenpfändungen bis zur Erzwingungshaft. So gab die Berliner AfD-Landesvorsitzende Beatrix von Storch bei Twitter bekannt, dass ihr das Konto gepfändet wurde, weil sie keinen Rundfunkbeitrag gezahlt hat. Eine Frau aus dem thüringischen Geisa saß zwei Monate in Erzwingungshaft, weil sie seit 2013 keinen Beitrag für die öffentlich-rechtlichen Sender gezahlt und sich auch geweigert hatte, dem Gerichtsvollzieher eine Vermögensauskunft zu geben. Bundesweite Statistiken über die Art und Zahl von Vollstreckungsverfahren bei Rundfunkbeiträgen gibt es nicht. Quelle: dpa
Eine „GEZ-Verweigerin“ aus Thüringen ging aus Protest gegen die Zwangsgebühren für ARD und ZDF sogar für 61 Tage in Erzwingungshaft. Die frühere Kindererzieherin saß von Anfang Februar bis zum Montag dieser Woche im Frauengefängnis von Chemnitz. „Mit meiner Unterschrift würde ich die Rechtmäßigkeit der Zwangsgebühren bestätigen. Das will ich nicht, denn ich kann nicht verantworten, dass ich diesen Rundfunk mitfinanziere“, sagte sie der „Welt“. In der Justizvollzugsanstalt war sie allerdings vom Rundfunkbeitrag befreit.
Nun zog der MDR seinen Antrag auf Erlassung eines Haftbefehls gegen die Thüringerin überraschend zurück. Seit Montag ist die Frau wieder auf freiem Fuß. Die 46-Jährige hatte sich seit 2013 geweigert, für ARD, ZDF und Deutschlandradio zu zahlen. Nach Angaben des Amtsgerichts Bad Salzungen belaufe sich der Zahlungsrückstand auf rund 191 Euro. „Der Anspruch ist erst in 30 Jahren verjährt“, sagte ein Gerichtssprecher.
Der radikale Schritt der Thüringerin wurde nach Angaben der „GEZ-Verweigerin“ durch die Lektüre der Doktorarbeit der früheren NDR-Mitarbeiterin Anna Terschüren mit dem Titel „Reform der Rundfunkfinanzierung in Deutschland“ ausgelöst. Terschüren warnt unterdessen auf Twitter: „Ich rate in keiner Weise zur Zwangsverweigerung der Rundfunkgebühren oder anderen Handlungen/Unterlassungen.“
Die Rundfunkgebühr, die alle Bürger und Unternehmen verpflichtend monatlich zahlen, unabhängig davon, ob sie die Angebote von ARD und ZDF im Fernsehen, Radio oder Internet nutzen, bescherte den öffentlich-rechtlichen Anstalten zuletzt Rekordeinnahmen von 8,3 Milliarden Euro. Die Höhe der Rundfunkgebühren wird von der Unabhängigen Kommission zur Ermittlung des Finanzbedarfs der Rundfunkanstalten (KEF) vorgeschlagen und von den Parlamenten der 16 Bundesländer verabschiedet.
Um die Abgabe populärer zu machen, wurde die bei vielen Bürgern verhasste GEZ in „ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio Beitragsservice“ umbenannt. Doch die Namensänderung hat wenig gefruchtet. | {
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Article content
By Jordan Press
OTTAWA — The government’s omnibus crime bill was being pushed through its final test in the Senate for no good reason, Liberal senators charged Thursday.
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Omnibus crime bill rushed through Senate, Liberal senators say Back to video
Their words, however, were unable to change the trajectory of the bill’s path to becoming law, as the Conservatives used their majority in the Senate to give final approval — by a vote of 48 to 37 — to the bill before it returns to the House of Commons.
Once in the Commons, MPs would have to approve the six changes Conservative senators made to the bill that more clearly define terrorism activities and how victims of terrorism can sue groups or states that support terrorism.
Bill C-10, the Safe Streets and Communities Act, passed its final vote in the Senate at about midnight Friday.
[np-related]
The Conservatives used their majority to limit debate on the bill to six hours, much to the chagrin of the opposition Liberals. Only one Conservative voted against limiting debate: Sen. Pierre Nolin. Mr. Nolin was also expected to vote against final passage of the bill. | {
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Thank you, whoever you are, for the awesome Minnesota Vikings glasses! I couldn't wait for football season, so I had to pour myself a beer. I can't wait for football to start! Thanks, and SKOL! | {
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Is a girl Doesn't use looks to get special privileges and free shit
198 shares | {
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Atuação cinematográfica de Neymar no último jogo está fazendo com que crianças busquem por aulas de teatro em todo Brasil.
As crianças, que querem chegar no nível de interpretação do craque, já estão colocando a ideia em prática. Enzo, de 10 anos, fez uma cena no shopping de sua cidade quando sua mãe se negou a comprar uma chuteira. ‘Me joguei no chão e fiz drama até aparecer um monte de gente em volta de mim’, disse o garoto.
O diretor Wolf Maia se empolgou com a iniciativa das crianças e aconselhou os fãs do craque a começarem pela Malhação. | {
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warm water in the shower to kind of melt the nutella out of the jar or just yank it off ;) lol,...
but seriously dude,.. i wouldnt recommend that at all,.. definatley a do not try this at home moment kids! :D | {
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इस पार, प्रिये मधु है तुम हो, उस पार न जाने क्या होगा!
यह चाँद उदित होकर नभ में कुछ ताप मिटाता जीवन का,
लहरालहरा यह शाखाएँ कुछ शोक भुला देती मन का,
कल मुर्झानेवाली कलियाँ हँसकर कहती हैं मगन रहो,
बुलबुल तरु की फुनगी पर से संदेश सुनाती यौवन का,
तुम देकर मदिरा के प्याले मेरा मन बहला देती हो,
उस पार मुझे बहलाने का उपचार न जाने क्या होगा!
इस पार, प्रिये मधु है तुम हो, उस पार न जाने क्या होगा!
जग में रस की नदियाँ बहती, रसना दो बूंदें पाती है,
जीवन की झिलमिलसी झाँकी नयनों के आगे आती है,
स्वरतालमयी वीणा बजती, मिलती है बस झंकार मुझे,
मेरे सुमनों की गंध कहीं यह वायु उड़ा ले जाती है!
ऐसा सुनता, उस पार, प्रिये, ये साधन भी छिन जाएँगे,
तब मानव की चेतनता का आधार न जाने क्या होगा!
इस पार, प्रिये मधु है तुम हो, उस पार न जाने क्या होगा!
प्याला है पर पी पाएँगे, है ज्ञात नहीं इतना हमको,
इस पार नियति ने भेजा है, असमर्थबना कितना हमको,
कहने वाले, पर कहते है, हम कर्मों में स्वाधीन सदा,
करने वालों की परवशता है ज्ञात किसे, जितनी हमको?
कह तो सकते हैं, कहकर ही कुछ दिल हलका कर लेते हैं,
उस पार अभागे मानव का अधिकार न जाने क्या होगा!
इस पार, प्रिये मधु है तुम हो, उस पार न जाने क्या होगा!
कुछ भी न किया था जब उसका, उसने पथ में काँटे बोये,
वे भार दिए धर कंधों पर, जो रोरोकर हमने ढोए,
महलों के सपनों के भीतर जर्जर खँडहर का सत्य भरा!
उर में एसी हलचल भर दी, दो रात न हम सुख से सोए!
अब तो हम अपने जीवन भर उस क्रूरकठिन को कोस चुके,
उस पार नियति का मानव से व्यवहार न जाने क्या होगा!
इस पार, प्रिये मधु है तुम हो, उस पार न जाने क्या होगा!
संसृति के जीवन में, सुभगे! ऐसी भी घड़ियाँ आऐंगी,
जब दिनकर की तमहर किरणे तम के अन्दर छिप जाएँगी,
जब निज प्रियतम का शव रजनी तम की चादर से ढक देगी,
तब रविशशिपोषित यह पृथिवी कितने दिन खैर मनाएगी!
जब इस लंबेचौड़े जग का अस्तित्व न रहने पाएगा,
तब तेरा मेरा नन्हासा संसार न जाने क्या होगा!
इस पार, प्रिये मधु है तुम हो, उस पार न जाने क्या होगा!
ऐसा चिर पतझड़ आएगा, कोयल न कुहुक फिर पाएगी,
बुलबुल न अंधेरे में गागा जीवन की ज्योति जगाएगी,
अगणित मृदुनव पल्लव के स्वर 'भरभर' न सुने जाएँगे,
अलिअवली कलिदल पर गुंजन करने के हेतु न आएगी,
जब इतनी रसमय ध्वनियों का अवसान, प्रिय हो जाएगा,
तब शुष्क हमारे कंठों का उद्गार न जाने क्या होगा!
इस पार, प्रिये मधु है तुम हो, उस पार न जाने क्या होगा!
सुन काल प्रबल का गुरु गर्जन निर्झरिणी भूलेगी नर्तन,
निर्झर भूलेगा निज 'टलमल', सरिता अपना 'कलकल' गायन,
वह गायकनायक सिन्धु कहीं, चुप हो छिप जाना चाहेगा!
मुँह खोल खड़े रह जाएँगे गंधर्व, अप्सरा, किन्नरगण!
संगीत सजीव हुआ जिनमें, जब मौन वही हो जाएँगे,
तब, प्राण, तुम्हारी तंत्री का, जड़ तार न जाने क्या होगा!
इस पार, प्रिये मधु है तुम हो, उस पार न जाने क्या होगा!
उतरे इन आखों के आगे जो हार चमेली ने पहने,
वह छीन रहा देखो माली, सुकुमार लताओं के गहने,
दो दिन में खींची जाएगी ऊषा की साड़ी सिन्दूरी
पट इन्द्रधनुष का सतरंगा पाएगा कितने दिन रहने!
जब मूर्तिमती सत्ताओं की शोभाशुषमा लुट जाएगी,
तब कवि के कल्पित स्वप्नों का श्रृंगार न जाने क्या होगा!
इस पार, प्रिये मधु है तुम हो, उस पार न जाने क्या होगा!
दृग देख जहाँ तक पाते हैं, तम का सागर लहराता है,
फिर भी उस पार खड़ा कोई हम सब को खींच बुलाता है!
मैं आज चला तुम आओगी, कल, परसों, सब संगीसाथी,
दुनिया रोतीधोती रहती, जिसको जाना है, जाता है।
मेरा तो होता मन डगडग मग, तट पर ही के हलकोरों से!
जब मैं एकाकी पहुँचूँगा, मँझधार न जाने क्या होगा!
इस पार, प्रिये मधु है तुम हो, उस पार न जाने क्या होगा! | {
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01 mai 2016
"À quelques secondes du coup d'envoi, dans l'ambiance électrique des tribunes du stade de Saitama, tandis que les joueurs étaient déjà en place et que la rencontre allait commencer, le stade fut soudain survolé à basse altitude par quatre avions de chasse sidérants qui frôlèrent les toits et disparurent dans un vacarme tonitruant en laissant dans leur sillage d'inquiétants lambeaux de fumée et de sinistres réminiscences de guerre, de violence et d'attentats. Mais, à part ces enfantillages militaristes, la soirée fut des plus douces. Le coup d'envoi du match fut donné, et lorsque, telle une délivrance inattendue, la Belgique ouvrit le score sur un spectaculaire retourné acrobatique de Wilmots, je bondis de mon siège, les bras au ciel, tournant sur moi-même et sautillant dans les gradins, ne sachant où aller, avec qui fêter l'événement, avant d'apercevoir un autre Belge tout aussi isolé que moi dans les tribunes. Nous nous précipitâmes gauchement l'un vers l'autre, ignorant comment concélébrer notre but, nous contentant de nous frapper violemment les paumes l'une contre l'autre, é la manière de deux basketteurs américains qui viennent de réussir quelque exploit. Rien de plus, nous n'échangeâmes pas un mot, je ne sais même pas si ce type parlait français (c'est une des relations les plus étranges que j'aie entretenue dans ma vie), le retrouvant un quart d'heure plus tard au même endroit pour répéter le même geste à l'occasion du deuxième but de la Belgique. J'aurais pu me contenter de fêter les buts belges, mais je dois confesser que, presque sans me l'avouer, j'ai éprouvé à chaque fois une satisfaction secrète de voir ce stade exploser et trembler sur ses bases à chacun des buts des Japonais. Finalement, ce match nul me convenait à merveille, c'était même exactement le score que j'appelais de mes vux. Je me souviens que, début décembre, quand fut connu le tirage au sort des rencontres, j'avais envoyé un courriel à Kan Nozaki, mon traducteur japonais, pour lui dire que j'espérais que nous ferions assaut de civilités lors de ce Japon-Belgique, et que, connaissant de réputations les excellentes manière des gens de son pays, j'espérais que les Japonais auraient l'exquise politesse de ne pas nous battre et que nous aurions l'élégance de ne pas en profiter pour gagner." | {
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Researchers often control for certain variables if they suspect that those variables might be exaggerating the size of an effect. In the case of the pay gap, economists often adjust their data to compensate for the fact that, for example, men are overrepresented in high-paying computer programming jobs, and women are overrepresented in low-paying service jobs. These adjustments lead to numbers that stand as good estimates of how big a pay gap would be if men and women were represented in equal numbers in each profession. There are usually other variables that researchers control for, too; geography, experience, and job titles are other variables with known effects, so filtering them out from the numbers is a step toward isolating the effects of gender on pay.
But the striking thing is that even after adjusting for so many factors, there’s still a statistically significant pay gap. (Pay-gap skeptics often note that the gap shrinks after taking these factors into account, but it’s supposed to—those statistical adjustments were intended to create a more definitive, standardized measurement.) The fact that a gap remains at all after such adjustments shows that the problem defies any simple explanation. As Robert Hohman, the CEO of Glassdoor, wrote a few months ago in Fortune:
Factoring differences in education, experience, age, location, job title, industry and even company, our latest research reveals that the “adjusted” gender pay gap in the U.S. amounts to women earning about 94.6 cents per dollar compared to men. It is remarkable that a significant gap persists even after comparing male-female worker pay at the job title and company level.
That 5-cent difference is evidence that something isn’t getting accounted for in all those variables that economists are adjusting.
The premise of the occupational-differences argument is that if women are choosing jobs that are easier to do, they shouldn’t be paid the same wages as men. But what that argument—that women are to blame for keeping their wages down because they’re choosing bad jobs—doesn’t take into account are the many things that contribute to the way men and women choose their careers.
Gould, along with her co-author, Jessica Schieder, argue that the decisions women make regarding their careers do not happen in a vacuum: These are decisions shaped by cultural norms and expectations, societal forces that aren’t cleanly captured by pay data. Gould and Schieder point to a multitude of messages that women get from society about what sorts of jobs they should pick: The expectations of American mothers could lead women to take lower-paying jobs because they’re more likely to offer flexible (or shorter hours), while fears of discrimination might steer them away from higher-paying professions. In other words, adjusted statistics could be missing the role of discrimination in the processes that lead women to choose the careers they do. | {
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Rick And Morty
Adult Swim’s Rick And Morty is a show that doesn’t play by the rules of our boring dimension. The problems that its characters face tend be on such a grand and cosmic scale that it’s not a big deal if some alternate realities get destroyed or if possibly benign alien creatures get chained up in the basement. Justin Roiland, the show’s co-creator, evidently works on a similar level, because last night he tweeted a bunch of pictures and information about a new show he’s working on with Rick And Morty writer Mike McMahan, and apparently he wasn’t supposed to do that.
The show is titled Solar Opposites, and Roiland and McMahan are developing it with 20th Century Fox. Based on all of the stuff Roiland tweeted, it sounds like a fish-out-of-water-style comedy about a family (?) of aliens who crash land on Earth when their planet is destroyed. One of the aliens is named Terry, and it sounds like human girls love him even though he’s “the messy irresponsible one.” (“TV trope!” Roiland adds.)
Play it safe @pleaseprint said I shouldn’t share this, but I’m a rule breaker. In development at @20thcenturyfox : pic.twitter.com/IeYCwdSi7A — Justin Roiland (@JustinRoiland) September 12, 2015
As he was tweeting all of that, McMahan found out and told Roiland to stop, prompting Roiland to respond with a gracious “FUCK YOU.”
The whole saga is pretty funny—even if it was all orchestrated for our amusement (the fact that Roiland’s tweets of the art weren’t deleted seems a bit telling)—so we should keep an eye out for Solar Opposites to maybe become a real show in the future.
[h/t Den Of Geek] | {
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If you're stuck with a system with inadequate graphics horsepower with no way to upgrade the GPU—laptop, a mini PC configuration, and so forth—you may wish you could sell your soul for a solution, but that's a little extreme. A little less extreme is to invite the Devil into your home. Powercolor's Devil Box, that is.
The Devil Box is another of a small number of external graphics card enclosures out there. It's based on AMD's XConnect technology introduced earlier this year and works with "qualified" graphics cards from both AMD and Nvidia.
A 500W power supply sits inside the Devil Box. It's an easy process to setup and use—just plug a compatible graphics card into the enclosure like you would a free PCI-E x16 slot on your motherboard, attach the power cables, and then connect the Devil Box to your ultra-thin laptop, Skull Canyon NUC, or whatever other system you're injecting with an external graphics upgrade using the included Thunderbolt 3 cable.
The PSU can provide up to 375W of power to the graphics card, with the rest of its capacity going to four USB 3.0 ports (one on the front, three in back), a GbE LAN interface, and up to 60W for charging devices over the USB 3.1 Type-C port.
There's also a 2.5-inch drive bay inside for installing an SSD to use as external storage, though that's a complimentary feature and obviously not the main selling point. The Devil Box is all about the graphics. To that end it supports AMD's latest Radeon RX 480 and Nvidia's GeForce GTX 10 series graphics cards, according to Newegg, which is the only place it's available in the U.S.
Powercolor said it's only making a limited number of these available to be sold in the U.S., Germany (Mindfactory), the U.K. (Overclocker), China (JD), Japan (Amazon), and Singapore (Banleong). It's priced at $380 (€419) and that's without a graphics card. That's pricey (though not as much as the Razer Core at $500) and you'll have to decide if it's worth the cost or if that money would be better spent on a new system altogether. | {
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President Donald Trump stops to talk to the media before walking across the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, Oct. 22, 2018, to board Marine One helicopter for a short trip to Andrews Air Force Base, Md., en route to Houston. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) | AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais Fourth Estate What’s the Difference Between Trump and a Russian Twitter Troll? One’s a 44-year-old accountant who faces five years in prison on federal charges. The other is the president.
Jack Shafer is Politico’s senior media writer.
What’s the difference between Donald Trump and Elena Khusyaynova, the 44-year-old Russian accountant who faces five years in prison if convicted on federal charges brought against her Friday for conspiring to interfere in the U.S. political system and the 2018 midterm election via social media messages and advertisements?
Are there any differences? After you factor out the obvious incongruities—age, nationality, gender, city of residence, and employer—Donald and Elena share so much in terms of political style and substance, we should expect a presidential pardon for her and maybe even a White House ceremony in which Trump will loop a Presidential Medal of Freedom around her neck.
Much of what smells like criminal conspiracy to the Department of Justice in the Khusyaynova case—”sow division and discord in the U.S. political system”; “address divisive U.S. political and social issues”; “advocate for the election or electoral defeat of particular candidates”; stage and promote “political rallies inside the United States”; inflame “passions on a wide variety of topics, including immigration, gun control and the Second Amendment, the Confederate flag, race relations, LGBT issues, the Women’s March, and the NFL national anthem debate”—could easily be mistaken for an average Twitter week for the president. When is he not sowing division and discord on these issues? When is he not advocating for somebody’s defeat? And who loves to stage and promote political rallies inside the United States more than Trump?
I’m OK with all of you quibblers who will step up now to object that Khusyaynova and “Project Lakhta,” whose finances she masterminded and directed, did their politicking through fake personas and bogus social media accounts and Trump does his sowing under his own signature. But setting that aside, many of the Russian rants collected in the criminal complaint overlay Trump’s tweets almost perfectly.
For instance, Project Lakhta members at the Facebook group “Secured Borders” gave these Trumpian tips on what to write on social media platforms. “Brand [Sen. John] McCain as an old geezer who has lost it and who long ago belonged in a home for the elderly.” Speaker Paul Ryan was to be branded as “a complete and absolute nobody incapable of any decisiveness.” Special counsel Robert Mueller? “[A] puppet of the establishment.” Sen. Marco Rubio? “[A] fake conservative who is a traitor to Republican values and who in his soul despises the American Constitution and civil liberties.” The leadership in sanctuary cities should be characterized as having “lost all connection with reality” and “trying to provide criminals who illegally crossed the U.S. borders with voting rights that are available only to the citizens of the United States.”
Compare these Russian fakes with genuine expressions from the president’s keyboard. Today he tweeted, “Sadly, it looks like Mexico’s Police and Military are unable to stop the Caravan heading to the Southern Border of the United States. Criminals and unknown Middle Easterners are mixed in. I have alerted Border Patrol and Military that this is a National Emergy. Must change laws!” On Friday he wrote, “Beto O’Rourke is a total lightweight compared to Ted Cruz, and he comes nowhere near representing the values and desires of the people of the Great State of Texas. He will never be allowed to turn Texas into Venezuela!” Last week, he thumbed this gem of discord and division: “Thank you to the Cherokee Nation for revealing that Elizabeth Warren, sometimes referred to as Pocahontas, is a complete and total Fraud!” At a Saturday political rally in Elko, Nevada, Trump claimed that people in California who dislike sanctuary cities are “rioting now. They want to get out of their sanctuary cities.”
To be fair to Khusyaynova and her alleged paymaster, Yevgeny Prigozhin—the sanctioned Russian oligarch who goes by the nickname “Putin’s chef” and was indicted in February for election meddling by Mueller—some of Project Lakhta’s work tilted against Trump. For example, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was targeted in one campaign. Tweets directing the masses to take to the streets in protest should Trump can Mueller were disseminated. And a tweet about Republicans banning women’s health care choices was retweeted. But the basic thrust of Project Lakhta appears to have been in support of Trump and against his opponents.
“The strategic goal of this alleged conspiracy, which continues to this day, is to sow discord in the U.S. political system and to undermine faith in our democratic institutions,” said U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger. Terwilliger was speaking of Khusyuaynova in this press release, but he could just as easily been describing Trump’s anti-democratic onslaught of the past two years.
Trump threatened he might not accept the results of the 2016 election should he be declared the loser. He attacks judges whose rulings he disagrees with. He praises dictators. He continues to make bogus claims about massive voter fraud. And he’s been spreading disinformation heading into the midterm elections. By any rational measure, he’s a greater underminer of faith in our democratic institutions that a pack of devious Russians practicing social-media mischief. While I’m fine with the Department of Justice throwing the book at the meddling Russians halfway around the world, what about the shenanigans just 6½ blocks from DOJ headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue NW?
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Subsets and Splits