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to love one another. 35By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
We also share the Good News by preaching His word, having meaningful conversations and using effective, Bible centered resources that explain the truth of God’s Love, Sin, Jesus’ Life, Death & Resurrection, and Salvation. “THE GOD TEST” is a simple and unique resource for helping people engage in this conversation. What is “THE GOD TEST”, and how can you use it to share the Gospel?
THE STORY: Dr. Rice Broocks has spent the the majority of his life engaging young people with the gospel and training others to do the same. After 30 years of ministry in over 60 nations on hundreds of high school and college campuses, it became apparent to him that there was a universal need for a tool that would help believers start a conversation that could lead to the presentation of the Gospel. In 2010, on an airplane napkin, he began to sketch out that tool “THE GOD TEST”.
Watch how God uses Dr. Broocks and The God Test on the UCLA campus to share the Gospel with a college student, Doug, and then prays with him to accept Jesus as Lord:
Today, “THE GOD TEST” is being used literally around the world as a groundbreaking tool for Evangelism. From New York to Cape Town, it has not only sparked tens of thousands of gospel conversations, but it is also helping believers to be more equipped and secure in their faith.
You too can start today. Check out these short “How To Use The God Test” videos that share practical tips and simple instructions on how easy and effective this method is: Click Here To Watch Now.
Anyone can start start using The God Test for engaging in conversations, sharing the Gospel and leading others to a saving knowledge and relationship with Jesus the Christ, Lord and Savior. Check Out Resources Here.
“Thank you Lord for loving us enough to save us, coming to live in us and transforming us into something new that you can use for carrying out your sovereign plan – enlisting us in your army to help rescue other souls from eternal hell”. Amazing Grace!
Bring “God’s Note Dead” To Your Church And Host A Movie Outreach Event. If you are interested in getting your own copy of the “God’s Not Dead” Bible Study – Click Below:The Sacramento City Council will consider giving its approval tonight to a “cash for grass” incentive program that would provide homeowners with incentives for replacing grass lawns with drought-tolerant landscapes. The plan is being dubbed the River Friendly Landscape Program.
City officials said they have identified money for the program in the utilities budget, but haven’t yet said how much they expect it to cost. It would launch this spring.
The incentive plan is part of the city’s ongoing water preservation efforts. Earlier this year, the city adopted a mandatory 20 percent reduction in water use by residents and businesses.
Teams of city workers have patrolled the streets in recent weeks enforcing the mandate by issuing warnings to homeowners and businesses watering lawns during the week – a violation of winter watering rules.
Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee
The council meets at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 915 I St.The international corporate media reported on a large demonstration in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sept. 1. But there were two demonstrations that day. The one not covered in the U.S. was huge and in support of the progressive government of President Nicolás Maduro.
Red-clad supporters packed Avenida Bolivar in the heart of the capital for as far as the eye could see. They were responding to the call for a “Great Occupation” issued by Maduro and the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) to defend peace in Venezuela.
A New York Times article on Sept. 2 did not even mention #LaCalleEsChavista, meaning “the street supports the Chávez program.”
Instead, the media widely reported on the action built for weeks by the anti-Chavista electoral coalition called Mesa de la Unidad Democrática (MUD), which was limited to the more affluent suburb of Miranda. MUD had projected that a million people would come to the capital on Sept. 1 to “take Caracas” and overthrow the Bolivarian Revolution.
On Aug. 31, Jeanette Charles reported that “opposition legislator Freddy Guevara admitted that the opposition had used an ‘economic boycott’ to force the government out. Moreover, he vowed that the opposition would reach Miraflores Palace on September 1st, just as they did in 2002.” She was referring to the short-lived coup on April 11 of that year. (venezuelanalysis.com)
In the days before Sept. 1, Venezuelan intelligence and state security arrested several opposition figures armed with explosives and found 92 Colombian paramilitaries with several caches of weapons, explosives and military uniforms near the Miraflores presidential palace. (Venezuelan Television, VTV)
While MUD marchers posed for photo ops in T-shirts proclaiming peace, their organization unleashed violent gangs to attack Venezuelan security forces with firebombs and rocks. It was an attempt to renew the 2014 “Guarimba” strategy that killed 43 innocent people when the right wing set up barricades, strung wires across roads to decapitate riders and fire-bombed government buildings. This time security lines prevented any provocations from reaching the Caracas center or government buildings.
Since the death of President Hugo Chávez on March 5, 2013, the opposition has used violence as well as destabilization tactics against the Maduro government, which has faced a steep drop in world oil prices. Capitalist owners have restricted production, and needed goods are hoarded by illicit distribution networks that divert a staggering 37 percent to 40 percent of retail goods to street sales and even sales in other countries. (Statistics from a webinar with Venezuelan Consul General Jesus Rodriguez, based in Chicago.)
The government has offset some of the inflation-fueled price hikes by decreeing a 50 percent pay increase for workers and issuing debit cards with cash assistance to the poorest Venezuelans. But the inflation also negatively impacts better-off Venezuelans, who drive the opposition.
In July the Venezuelan government took over a factory producing diapers and other personal hygiene products at the request of 971 workers who had occupied the plant after transnational corporation Kimberly-Clark shut it down. More than 1,200 farms, companies and other private businesses have been taken over by the Bolivarian government. (Wall Street Journal, July 11)
MUD won a parliamentary majority in the December 2015 election. This parliamentary attack mirrors the campaign against Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who was ousted on Aug. 31, a day before the mobilizations in Caracas. MUD has now collected enough valid signatures to trigger a vote to recall President Maduro, but its campaign was held too late to force a new presidential election. Instead, if Maduro were to be recalled, the PSUV vice president would become president until the next election in 2018.
At stake is the distribution of the profits from Venezuela’s enormous oil reserves. Elected governments that prioritize anti-poverty measures, education, health care and well-being for the working masses are seen as impediments by profiteering corporations. In the 17 years since the Bolivarian Revolution began, the government has transformed the lives of the previously marginalized majority of Venezuelans, including the Indigenous, those of African descent, LGBTQ communities, women, people with disabilities and elders. Their rights have been codified in the Bolivarian Constitution.
U.S. vs. Bolivarian Venezuela
On Dec. 18, 2014, the day after President Barack Obama announced his government’s willingness to resume diplomatic relations with revolutionary Cuba, he deepened the U.S. attack on the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela by signing the Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act. The bill was authored by New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, a virulent opponent of the Cuban Revolution.
The act was implemented on March 9, 2015, when Obama declared “a national emergency with respect to the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States posed by the situation in Venezuela.” (whitehouse.gov) This “national emergency” was renewed for a year this March 3.
Secretary-General Luis Almagro Lemes of the Organization of American States directly intervened in the 2015 Venezuelan parliamentary elections. The OAS, headquartered in Washington, D.C., has campaigned openly on the side of pro-capitalist MUD, hiding its counterrevolutionary intent behind the figleaf of “democracy.”
MUD coalition members have long been funded through the U.S. Agency for International Development and the National Endowment for Democracy. Marina Corina Machado headed the nongovernmental organization called Súmate, which received NED funding. Machado, a former opposition lawmaker, signed the decree to dissolve all state institutions during the failed 2002 coup against Chávez.
It is clear that the opposition wants to dissolve all the social programs that have elevated the poorest Venezuelans, whether by parliamentary means or violence.Malaysian businessman Richard Lau was arrested in April after he was accused of stealing wages and commissions. ― Picture via Detained in Dubai
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 7 ― For the past eight months, Malaysian businessman Richard Lau has been stuck behind bars in Dubai after an Emirati partner accused him of stealing wages and commissions.
United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) civil rights group Detained in Dubai said Lau was arrested in April and his detention has been extended every fortnight despite the lack of evidence of wrongdoing as the public prosecutor requests more time to investigate the allegation.
“These few months have been an absolute nightmare for us; we feel threatened and unsure about our son's safety and future,” Lau’s unnamed father said in a statement provided by the UK-based group.
“I don't understand how the UAE can just arrest my son without a warrant based on a mere complaint by a local and then detain him for months without a charge, while they take their time with investigations.”
Lau was among eight people accused by Emirati Walid Jumaa Abu Shabas of allegedly stealing funds from a subsidiary of Malaysian marine transport company Shin Yang in Ras Al Khaimah, one of the emirates that make up the UAE.
Abu Shabas pointed at the large amounts of money paid by the company to Lau and the other seven individuals. The group said the money was not secret payment but was in fact their additional wages and commissions in return for carrying out the instructions of Shin Yang executive director Kenny Ling.
“It appears that Abu Shabas was unaware of this agreement and has misconstrued Lau’s earned salary and commissions as embezzlement. Lau has done nothing wrong except get paid for his work,” said the statement.
Detained in Dubai said Abu Shabas is a full partner of the subsidiary but with smaller holding in affiliated companies, and has had his share of profits falling as the company increased its outsourcing to the affiliates.
The group also claimed in Ras Al Khaimah and the rest of the UAE, one can be arrested and detained simply over an accusation especially when made by a local.
According to the UAE government website, a public prosecutor can only question a suspect within 24 hours and then either order his arrest of release.
All the others except Lau have been released, Detained in Dubai said.
“We have seen this before in the UAE where prosecutors endlessly renew temporary detention on the pretext of investigation. The law allows indefinite detention for crimes relating to national security, but Richard’s case is a financial dispute in which there was no illegal activity; there is no justification for denying bail while authorities investigate the accusations.
“Richard should be released immediately, just as the co-accused parties were released. It is Richard’s right to be promptly informed of the charges against him once he is arrested; ‘prompt’ expired seven months ago,” Detained in Dubai’s chief executive Radha Stirling said in the statement.
Shin Yang is a conglomerate based in Miri, Sarawak with activities in timber, shipping, ship building, property development, civil engineering, and plantation.
Malay Mail is contacting Shin Yang and the Malaysian Foreign Ministry for their response.Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable walks with pro-EU demonstrators on a march through central London during the People's March for Europe on September 9, 2017 | Niklas Hallen/AFP via Getty Images Vince Cable calls for Boris Johnson to be sacked The Liberal Democrat leader criticized the foreign secretary for being ‘volatile’ with ‘Trump-like characteristics.’
Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable lamented "the complete breakdown of discipline" in Theresa May's Cabinet Monday and said that Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson should "absolutely" be fired from his job.
Speaking to the BBC's Today program, Cable criticized Johnson's 4,000-word treatise on Brexit in the Telegraph over the weekend in which the foreign secretary repeated the discredited call for £350 million a week that is currently sent to the EU to be spent on the NHS post-Brexit. “Once we have settled our accounts, we will take back control of roughly £350 million per week. It would be a fine thing, as many of us have pointed out, if a lot of that money went on the NHS," Johnson wrote.
"What has made his [Johnson's] position impossible is that he is not just being contradicted by politicians... but by senior civil servants," Cable said, referring to David Norgrove, the U.K. Statistics Authority chief who debunked the numbers Johnson presented. "This is simply wrong."
"Even [former UKIP leader] Nigel Farage disowned it [the £350 million figure]," Cable added. "Why he's gone back to it is just extraordinary."
Asked whether Johnson could become the next prime minister, Cable said: "He could well be. He clearly is extremely volatile, unpredictable, very sort of Trump-like characteristics here, the very opposite of Theresa May."I have been taking risk purchasing items online but this round I took a total gig risk making order for a wedding dress online. The risk was worth since all went on well and I received the gown within two days after ordering for GEORGE BRIDE Chapel Train Wedding Dress (Sexy Wedding Dress).
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You can buy online by following simple guidelines and get your dress in less than a week provided you provide the right measurements. GEORGE BRIDE Chapel Train Wedding Dress is very best if you love tight clothes.Because the issues of antinatalism are not very well known yet, there aren’t a lot of “questions for” formats like there are for religion or politics. So I decided to make my own set of questions for natalists and breeders. Note that not all the questions will apply to both categories (a natalist might not personally want children, and a breeder might not be a natalist).
I am not trying to stump anyone (although as an antinatalist I do think that these questions should present difficulties to my opponents), but rather to communicate the gist of the antinatalist attitude towards natalist beliefs and breeding. Because natalists are typically unwilling to discuss issues, I would like to try to get some people’s interest with these questions and get a discussion going. You may even agree with some parts of my approach here; if so, that’s great!
Answer these questions on your blog if you find them interesting, and I’ll link back to you if you post the URL in the comments.
ANSWERS:
Moonpod Rising- Natalist answers
***
1. Do you think all, or even most, parents have the skills and attitude necessary to raise children in a non-damaging manner?
2. Do you believe children are entitled to the highest standard of health?
* If so, do you believe all, or even most, parents can provide such a standard, given all the things parents have no control over?
* If not, what right do you believe is more important than the child’s highest standard of health? Can you justify this importance?
3. What do you think about the idea of parenting permits? Why do you/do you not support this idea?
* Do you believe you should be allowed to have such a permit? If so, what are your qualifications?
Note this example of legal requirements for child care workers and businesses.
4. Why do you think this world is good enough to bring children in?
* What makes you think you have the right to take this decision for another human being?
5. Do you think it is moral for me to force someone to play Russian Roulette without their consent?
* If you do not, then why do you think people should be allowed to create a new life, subjecting it to an almost infinite number of risks, including fatal risks?
* If you do, can you justify it?
Note that arguing that inability to give consent is the same thing as giving consent will be rejected.
6. If you want to have a child, do you believe your children will not suffer from any medical defects, accidents, abuse or mental issues?
* If you do not, what makes you so certain of the future? Can you prove it?
* If you do, why are you bringing into the world a being which has a chance of living a life of suffering or despair?
7. For those who have children: how much time did you spend on thinking about your motivations to have a child?
8. Can you give one ethical reason (i.e. a reason which does not treat the child as a means to an end) for anyone to have children?
Note this list of already rejected reasons. If yours is on the list, then you have failed to answer.
9. Do you believe that the perpetuation of mankind has some kind of purpose?
* If so, can you make an argument for it that isn’t circular?
Note that I have already discussed the circular nature of teleological arguments for perpetuation.
* If not, why do you think we should do it anyway?
10. How do you justify supporting a process which, while painless for men, is painful, disfiguring and dangerous for women, often leading to psychological complications?
* If you believe the benefits of procreation are social in nature, how do you justify acquiring these benefits on the backs of women’s health and well-being? Isn’t it a little hypocrite to claim a benefit to society when women represent half of said society?
11. As far as I can tell, the main natalist arguments is that life has pleasures that are worth creating new human beings for, or that life as a whole is pleasant enough to bring new human beings into it. I don’t understand how the argument is supposed to work, though; there’s no logical connection between an observation about existing lives and a conclusion about potential lives. Can you explain why you think the argument makes logical sense?
* How does your argument jibe with the legal and ethical proposition that we don’t have any duty to provide pleasure, but that we do have a duty not to create suffering?
12. If you are a Christian, do you believe there’s a chance your child will go to Hell?
* If you do not, what makes you so certain of the future? Can you prove it?
* If you do, what would justify you bringing to life a being which may suffer eternally? No matter how much suffering we inflict on each other, human beings can only hurt each other in this life, not in eternity; bringing a child to life knowing the child may go to Hell makes you worse than any dictator or criminal that exists in this life.Urban Outfitters Discount Tips
Urban Outfitters knows that keeping your style fresh can be expensive. Don't worry, though; it's constantly looking out for you and your wallet. Urban Outfitters deals often run seasonally across categories like apparel and beauty, so check back often to keep up to date with the latest offers, which can add up to 75% off!
Using Urban Outfitters Promo Codes
One of the easiest ways to cut costs is to use Urban Outfitters coupons. To realize the savings, add your desired items to your shopping bag and proceed to your order summary, where you'll see the option to add an Urban Outfitters promo code. Enter or paste the code, hit Apply, and enjoy the savings.
Special Urban Outfitters Offers for Students
University life can be full of excitement. It's just a shame it's so expensive! Thankfully, the company offers a special deal for all those struggling students out there. If you register with UNiDAYS, you'll receive an exclusive Urban Outfitters coupon code just for students. Simply enter it during checkout like any other coupon code and you're good to go. What's more, UNiDAYS is free to join—win-win!
Join the Club - UO Rewards
The store offers a host of benefits to those who enroll with UO Rewards. For starters, there's a 10% Urban Outfitters coupon code just for signing up, with further opportunities to earn $5 rewards whenever you shop. You can also earn by:
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Free Standard Shipping on Orders of $50+
Fill up your shopping bag with shoes, accessories and all your favorite clothing, because once you meet a $50 minimum purchase, your entire order will ship for free. This offer applies to orders shipped within the U.S., with some exclusions for oversized items. If you spend less than $50, you'll pay a flat rate of $4.95 to ship your goods.Viewing the rendered page
Handling resources blocked by robots.txt
Posted by Shimi Salant, Webmaster Tools team
Webmaster level: allThe Fetch as Google feature in Webmaster Tools provides webmasters with the results of Googlebot attempting to fetch their pages. The server headers and HTML shown are useful to diagnose technical problems and hacking side-effects, but sometimes make double-checking the response hard: Help! What do all of these codes mean? Is this really the same page as I see it in my browser? Where shall we have lunch? We can't help with that last one, but for the rest, we've recently expanded this tool to also show how Googlebot would be able to render the page.In order to render the page, Googlebot will try to find all the external files involved, and fetch them as well. Those files frequently include images, CSS and JavaScript files, as well as other files that might be indirectly embedded through the CSS or JavaScript. These are then used to render a preview image that shows Googlebot's view of the page.You can find the Fetch as Google feature in the Crawl section of Google Webmaster Tools. After submitting a URL with "Fetch and render," wait for it to be processed (this might take a moment for some pages). Once it's ready, just click on the response row to see the results.Googlebot follows the robots.txt directives for all files that it fetches. If you are disallowing crawling of some of these files (or if they are embedded from a third-party server that's disallowing Googlebot's crawling of them), we won't be able to show them to you in the rendered view. Similarly, if the server fails to respond or returns errors, then we won't be able to use those either (you can find similar issues in the Crawl Errors section of Webmaster Tools). If we run across either of these issues, we'll show them below the preview image.We recommend making sure Googlebot can access any embedded resource that meaningfully contributes to your site's visible content, or to its layout. That will make Fetch as Google easier for you to use, and will make it possible for Googlebot to find and index that content as well. Some types of content – such as social media buttons, fonts or website-analytics scripts – tend not to meaningfully contribute to the visible content or layout, and can be left disallowed from crawling. For more information, please see our previous blog post on how Google is working to understand the web better We hope this update makes it easier for you to diagnose these kinds of issues, and to discover content that's accidentally blocked from crawling. If you have any comments or questions, let us know here or drop by in the webmaster help forumClick to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
Alexis Arquette claims that Will and Jada Pinkett Smith are gay and the “Concussion” actor paid off his first wife after she walked in on him with another man.
“When Jada comes out as gay and her beard husband admits his first marriage ended when she walked in to him … servicing his Sugar Daddy Benny Medina … then I will listen to them,” Arquette wrote in a since-deleted Facebook post on Tuesday, according to the Daily Mail. She later clarified in the comments section, “‘She’ being his FIRST Wife. Paid off, silent.”
Will’s first marriage to Sheree Zampino ended in 1995. They had one child together, Trey Smith. Will married Jada in 1997.
Medina, 57, is known for managing the careers of Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey and other megastars.
“Will threw a fit on the set of [‘Six Degrees of Separation’] when he was required by the scene to kiss Anthony Rapp,” Arquette continued. “He persuaded the director to shoot the back of his head in frame. Blocking the non existent lip lock entirely. …him. Gays have enemies. They lurk in gilded closets. Outing is healthy. You are either with or against us. You decide. Today.”
Arquette’s comments come after Jada, 44, announced she was boycotting the Oscars over the lack of diversity among the nominees. (Will, 47, was not nominated for his role in “Concussion.”)
But Arquette isn’t the only person angry with Will and Jada: Former “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” actress Janet Hubert also took aim at the couple in a lengthy video this week.
“There’s lots of s–t going on in the world that you all don’t seem to recognize,” Hubert said. “People are dying. Our boys are being shot left and right. People are starving. People are trying to pay bills. And you’re talking about some … actors and Oscars. It’s just ain’t that deep.”
Requests for comment from Will, Jada and Alexis Arquette’s reps were not immediately returned.Alternative approaches to medicine are stock-in-trade in the ASU laboratory of microbiologist Shelley Haydel.
So when ASU senior Jenny Koehl joined Haydel's investigative team seeking firsthand knowledge of how basic research is done, how drugs are tested and potential cures produced, she found it and much more.
With the guidance of Tanya Cunningham, a graduate student mentor, Koehl has helped advance understanding about the antibacterial activity of clay minerals and their ability to kill what the best antibiotics on the market can't touch.
Haydel's group, part of the School of Life Sciences, in the College of Liberals Arts and Sciences, and the Biodesign Institute at ASU, did the work in collaboration with Jack Summers, an inorganic chemist at Western Carolina University. They uncovered two factors that control the antibacterial activity. Their article "pH-dependent metal ion toxicity influences the antibacterial activity of two natural mineral mixtures" was published March 1 in the journal PLoS ONE, published by the Public Library of Science.
"This work sets a baseline from which to look for potential mechanisms of antibacterial action," said Cunningham, lead author, who is now a research technician with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
"We need helpful alternatives, natural approaches to antibacterial cures, because there is bacterial resistance to drugs," Koehl said. "Knowing the mechanisms of action will help us develop our own topical treatments."
Clay has had a role in human health as ancient as man. However, specific identification of the mechanisms underlying this antibacterial activity has been elusive, until now.
The Haydel-Summers collaborative has added clarity to these distinctly muddy waters by screening more than 50 mineral mixtures (and aqueous extractions from them, known as leachates) marketed as health and cosmetic products using pathogens Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Only two mineral mixtures of significantly different compositions (and their leachates) were discovered to possess antibacterial traits.
Clay minerals often are recognized as the slimy slurry of minerals that slicks rivers' banks. Understanding clay's structure is integral to answering questions about the mechanisms behind its antibacterial activity. Negatively charged surfaces attract positively charged elements, such as iron, copper, silver and other metals. In turn, water is absorbed between layers of the crystal structure creating a cation sandwich with aqueous filling or interlayer.
Antibacterial activity in leachates, extracted from the mineral mixtures, confirm that the antibacterial activity is chemically-based, rather than a result of physical interactions with microbes.
Because of the tendency of clay to attract multivalent ions, particularly metals, the scientists next examined the leachates' chemistry and antibacterial activity in the presence of chelators, which bind metals. The researchers also used thiourea, a hydroxyl radical scavenger, at various pH levels. Chelation of the minerals with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) or desferrioxamine eliminated or reduced toxicity, respectively.
Further testing of the mineral leachates confirmed that there are higher concentrations of chemically-accessible metal ions in leachates from antibacterial samples than from non-bactericidal mineral samples.
In addition, acidic conditions were found to increase the availability of metal ions and their toxicity. Overall, these findings suggest a role of an acid soluble metal species, particularly iron or other sequestered metal cations, in mineral toxicity.
However, whatever advances the study puts forward also present researchers with further challenges. Acidity may complicate development of topical treatments, if neutral pH, least damaging to skin and tissue, also reduces the mineral's antibacterial action.
Another complicating factor, accentuated by the PLoS ONE study, is that chemical environments under which any particular clay can emerge can greatly influence its toxicity, adsorptive qualities and, according to their findings, its antibacterial effects.
"Because natural mineral mixtures can be variable, both mineralogically and chemically, we must continue to define specific chemical properties that influence the antibacterial effectiveness," Haydel said. "Our goal is to understand the details, so we can, in the future, perhaps generate mineral mixtures that mimic the chemical compositions and environment, so that the antibacterial activity can be controlled and ensured."
This work is about eliminating the unknowns," Koehl said. "We have more analysis to do, looking at the leachate composition, the action of the chelators and activity of the iron scavengers."
Koehl, who is working with Haydel as part of the School of Life Sciences Undergraduate Research (SOLUR) program, said of her experience: "Science is like an obstacle course. I've learned that when you come across problems in the laboratory, you have to be creative to work them out. This process has helped me be more critical, to be a thinking scientist, because I've had to analyze my own experiments and figure them out. This isn't just something that someone handed to me on paper in a classroom."
Studies are moving forward in other laboratories to develop structured clays for slow-release topical medical treatments, but there may be chemical schemes that come from Haydel's research, supported by the National Institutes of Health, that enhance their effectiveness.
"This study has given me an idea of how things move from idea to shelf," Koehl said. "One day, when I am a pharmacist, maybe I'll be selling this!"The most overused noun in New Zealand politics has been resuscitated: the kingmaker is back.
For those who missed the endless verbal gymnastics and positioning permutations, Winston Peters restored himself to the position he lost after last year's decisive election result.
"We'll be in a three-way fight. The idea this is between National and Labour is all wrong," he told the NZ First convention in Rotorua.
You've written off the Greens, will you rule out working with them? "When have we ever ruled it in?"
Um, at the last election? "Not one of you asked that question." Yes, many times. "Let's not have a confrontation." Ok, so can you work with the Greens in 2017? "This convention is not about the Greens."
So are you ruling them out? "Next question please." You blamed the Greens for losing the election so why don't you stand by your principles? "We are not going to go through the next few months... talking about some other party."
But you brought up a three-way fight? "Not one of you asked 'would you support a Labour-Greens government'." Are you going to support a Labour-Greens Government in 2017? "...You are not being fair to the public."
Right. Let's try something else. You said you'd resign if you don't get tens of thousands of new members? "Yeah, precisely. There'd be no sense going on." That's a commitment from you. Tens of thousands or you're gone? "Yes". Could we narrow that down - more than 10,000 or you'll resign? "No, I said if we don't increase our membership... Why don't you ask a straight question?" But we did... "Well maybe I didn't hear properly...stop your humbug."
Quite.Walter H. spent about 37 years, well over half of his life, behind bars. He was sent to prison for a sexually motivated homicide as a young man. He later served time for attempted rape while fully intoxicated and for aggravated battery. He had been incarcerated in a prison in southwestern Germany since 2007, after a court ordered his preventive detention on the grounds that he presented a danger to the general public.
But on Wednesday of last week, shortly after 4 p.m., the doors of the prison were suddenly opened for the man, who had been classified as a likely repeat offender. He was given 50 ($62) in spending money. Then, two police officers and a parole officer took him to a hotel, paid for four nights in advance -- and left him to his own devices.
The first thing H. did was to call the people who had been fighting for his release for years. Weeping with joy, he told his defense attorney, Michael Rehberger: "I'm out. I'm in a hotel."
But his attorney has mixed feelings. Of course, he says, he was very happy for his client, and yet he believes that the whole thing is "lunacy." According to the attorney, H. was released "with almost no preparation" and has not even been placed under so-called supervision of conduct, whereby H. would be subject to the control and assistance of his probation officer. Cases like this, says the attorney, involve "people who are basically unable to live in the real world."
Heading for Freedom
H. owes his freedom to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, which ruled last Tuesday that some of Germany's rules on preventive detention are in violation of human rights. Less than 24 hours later, the Federal Court of Justice in the southwestern German city of Karlsruhe announced: "The defendant in this case shall be released immediately."
Many other offenders classified as dangerous could soon follow H. into freedom, including notorious burglars and people convicted of fraud, as well as serial rapists and multiple murderers. Thomas Ullenbruch, a criminal judge and expert on preventive detention in the southwestern German town of Emmendingen, has calculated that around 160 offenders in preventive detention could now immediately invoke the Strasbourg ruling, directly or indirectly -- a much higher figure than the previously reported number of 70 offenders. A further 40 criminals could do so in the next few years.
The Strasbourg court has taken a clear position in the conflict between the need to protect citizens from criminals and the offenders' fundamental legal rights. But its ruling has created a huge problem for politicians and the courts, which now have very little time to come up with a legally binding solution that takes both the interests of citizens and the rights of offenders into account.
The federal and state justice ministers are determined to avoid situations like the one that unfolded last year in the village of Heinsberg-Randerath, near the western city of Aachen, where citizens threatened to take the law into their own hands and held vigils in protest against a sex offender who had been released despite having been classified as a danger to society.
'F |
may try to hold it, but it continues flowing
long after you've passed out
dreaming
on a cold floor
you tried
but you were so scared to try harder
you knew you wouldn't be able to do it
and making the effort is terrifying
you can hold your breath
but you can not take it
you are afraid
you have almost given up hope
you used to say this was ridiculous
you would never consider it
you would never try
you didn't
need
to
you were happy
what happened?
you fell
you spiraled down
and you tripped on the last stair
battered
bruised
hurt in more ways than physical
the things you require from people are withheld
the love you give is snatched greedily
and
never returned
you fell.
now it seems that
trying
is pointless
everything is pointless
apathy
you are numb
and nothing matters right now
you don't want to be
you want your particlSamurai Jack, the animated show on Cartoon Network, returned in March for a fifth and final season. The Emmy-award winning program has been off the air for 14 years. It follows the exploits of Samurai Jack, voiced by Yale alum and former Purple Crayon member Phil Lamarr, YC ’89, as he attempts to defeat Aku, a vicious warlord who wreaks havoc and destruction upon all he encounters.
The new season picks up 50 years after the end of the fourth season, and while Jack has not aged for reasons not made entirely clear, it is obvious he carries the burden of all of his years of battling Aku. He now sports a haggard beard with a mane of wild hair and he frequently goes shirtless to reveal a gaunt chest with protruding ribs.
The show is now markedly darker as well, a tonal shift which has landed it a TV-MA rating as well as a programming spot in Adult Swim’s lineup. It serves the fifth season well as Jack begins to confront weightier subject matter. Gone are his relentless determination and unwavering commitment to defeating Aku. Jack is now tired and vulnerable and his victories are less assured. This is evidenced by his second battle with the Daughters of Aku, in the middle of which, Jack pauses and pants heavily, completely exhausted. In this moment, we feel Jack’s fatigue, both from fighting seven highly-trained assassins born to kill him and from fighting an enemy he can never seem to get any closer to defeating.
The main continuity with the previous four seasons is the exquisite animation which garnered the show so much attention originally. Each shot marries a photographic sensibility of the placement of objects in the frame with the audacious beauty of sharp lines and deep, vibrant colors. A stronger plot only serves to imbue the animation with a meaning and weight that was lacking in the much more episodic earlier seasons.
While creator Genndy Tartakovsky should be lauded for creating a show where each frame could hang in the MoMA, there are more than a handful of creative choices which should be critically examined. Jack’s first villain, Scaramouche, with his flamboyant dress and mannerisms which include ending every sentence with “babe,” reads as somewhat tone deaf and homophobic. The portrayal of samurai seems to be rooted in a Wikipedia level understanding of the historical figure and feels appropriative at times. While this season introduces the strong, nuanced female character of Ashi, women’s bodies are often depicted as hyper-sexual, a fact made uncomfortably clear by the daughters of the Scotsman in the latest episode. The show has wandered into this territory before, most notably with the character of “Da Samurai” in the fourth season, who was nothing more than a racist caricature.
Samurai Jack is thus flawed in the many ways that most mass entertainment is flawed, and thus deserves the same critical eye. With this in mind, whether the show is still worth experiencing should be left to the discretion of the individual viewer.
Tweet 0 0 LikeIn western Mongolia, an ancient tradition of Hunting Wolves with Eagles is still alive.
We know from history that Genghis Khan had 1,000 hunting birds – eagles, falcons and gyrfalcons – and so did Kubla Khan. There were protected areas in the steppe marked with stones where only the khans were allowed to hunt. Hunting wolves with eagles was the “sport of kings”. The Kazakhs of Mongolia train their eagles to hunt wolves and here the bird of prey is often considered a family member. The Berkutchi is a falconer who hunts with the golden eagle. The training of this bird was seen as difficult and even perilous even by the experienced Synchy. The bird is never a slave of its owner, only a partner in hunting.
From ancient times, berkutchi-falconers in the nomadic herder societies had the role of preserving and stocking furs. The high social status of the berkutchi and his family was conditioned by the climate, as warm strong and durable clothing for the people during the winter seasons was a vital necessity. Best-suited for this were the pelts of wolves and foxes.
Apart from hunting, berkutchi can give spiritual support to pregnant women, who experience or may experience difficulties in childbirth. Through the owner of the bird, which in the imagination of Asian peoples is a symbol of well-being and power. According to folk wisdom, a berkutchi is the indisputable authority in the sphere of childbirth or of renewing fertility. In the cultures of many nomadic and semi-nomadic peoples of Asia, it is said that a berkutchi, regardless of age, can make pregnant a woman who for a long time had not had children.A colored version of my rendition of an Enderman from Minecraft.
Originally from an unknown realm, the Enderman have found a way to transport their forms into the Overworld. Stuck between two realms, these unstable entities drift silently through the dark, teleporting place to place and occasionally rooting themselves to the world by holding onto physical objects. While these creatures pose a great threat to anyone who gets in its way, they tend to be fairly docile while left alone. However, direct observation towards the being tends to set it off into a rampage. During this state, the Enderman's body shakes and erupts purple smoke, its claws thrash, and its mouth detaches into a wide maw, capable of devouring any poor soul caught in its path.
While much is unknown about the Enderman's history, any information on it warns of danger and death and it is advised that anyone walking through a dark forest keep their eyes in front of them and their weapon readied.Photo by Doors of Imagination PhotographyI think this is my favorite picture from the whole convention.All real leather armor, spandex chainmail print, woodcrafted Lyre and knife, pvc pipe bow covered in EVA and Craft foam (this baby flexes all pretty on stage!), completed styled wig (I tore it apart a fe times), and real pewter and aluminum fixings that I forged myself. From the shoes to the wig, I hand made pretty much everything. The shoes are just heavily modified athletic shoes. I have full motion and can do just about any move Sheik can do... so long as I practice haha! The only things I do not have are red contacts and the needles for her needle storm attack. I am still working on those.This cosplay has been a major love/hate relationship, haha!Oh! And the bow glows in the dark! The rest of the cosplay will as soon as I finish adding the paint on.Here are the prog pics of some of the itemsA hole in the front yard of a Basking Ridge, N.J. home is several feet long and wide and deep enough to swallow a 30 gallon trash can (credit: Steve Sandberg/1010 WINS)
A Basking Ridge homeowner would really like to know why there’s a crater in her front yard.
“To me it looked like something blew out of the ground because the grass was folded back, the rocks and dirt were all spewn out into the cul-de-sac and across the driveway,” Sue, who asked not to be identified out of concern that the hole may draw unwanted onlookers and crowds, said.
1010 WINS’ Steve Sandberg reports: Mystery In Basking Ridge https://cbsnewyork.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/hole-1-sandberg-w40-soc-eeversman.mp3
Her son, Jeff, believes something fell from the heavens.
“Something clearly came out of the sky and just hit it from an angle and then it all shot up the other way,” he said.
Officials and experts are also scratching their heads. For now, it appears the small crater that splayed debris across a 100-foot area wasn’t caused by a meteorite. Beyond that, it’s a mystery.
“It’s just really, really weird,” said Jerry Vinski, director of nearby Raritan Valley Community College’s planetarium, who conducted tests on the site. “We dug around and couldn’t find anything. We used metal detectors because all meteors have metal in them, and we couldn’t find anything, large or small.”
Bernards Township Police Capt. Edward Byrnes said whatever hit the front yard left a crater about 18 inches deep and roughly the size of a coffee table.
A State Police bomb squad ruled out explosives, Byrnes said.
According to Byrnes, no one in the neighborhood heard or saw anything at the time of the May 6 incident. The homeowner called police upon arriving home.
“The weather was clear, there were no reports of lightning strikes; nobody reported seeing anything,” Byrnes said. “I’ve never seen anything like this in 23 years.”
Vinski said that the hole could have been caused by an object falling from a plane. He said if the object was a meteorite, the impact would have been significant and would have been felt nearby.
“When you see meteor showers in the upper atmosphere, they’re traveling 50 miles a second,” he said. “Even if it’s slowing down through the atmosphere, you’re still going to have a sonic boom. And it would have left something behind, it wouldn’t have completely disintegrated.”
What do you think created the hole? Let us know below
(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)For most artists, playing your biggest-ever arena concert in Europe would be enough. And for a smaller amount artists, playing said concert and doing a meet-and-greet after the show would truly put them at their limit. Yet here is Yoshiki of X Japan finally sitting down with Fuse at nearly 1:00am after he and his band played a three-plus-hour concert at England's famous Wembley Arena, held a meet-and-greet with a truckload of fans, sat down to speak to Japanese reporters in town, held an on-camera interview with Reuters, and is now getting a chance to relax and talk with only a crew member recording our chat with a handheld video camera. X Japan's Wembley show was delayed by nearly a year, but once it was finished, it was clear the band's frontman and superstar drummer Yoshiki was overwhelmed with gratitude and happiness. Read on for what the 51-year-old had to say about the show, the band's upcoming comeback album, international favorites like Babymetal and Perfume, and more.
FUSE: You performed this massive show show, met with fans yesterday, met with fans tonight, held a ton of interviews. First and foremost, how are you feeling?
Yoshiki: I feel lucky. I mean, the fans are amazing. We are not in the best condition—or maybe I'm not in the best condition because I was flying, flying, flying! It was a lot. But the fans are very supportive. I feel great. What does it mean for X Japan to finally play Wembley?
First of all, we have to thank fans. I think pretty much everyone who bought tickets for the "first" Wembley show was waiting a year, they didn't refund. It's like, "Whoa." It's amazing. This is actually our first kind of arena show in Europe. In 2011, we played O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire and we toured Europe in venues that weren't much bigger. X Japan plays these kind of show in Japan and Asia so we're really glad to be able to do so.
The We Are X documentary came out recently and it's interesting that you decided to go tell your your backstory before the comeback album?
It was actually not our band's idea. Our agent in America said, "You guys have to create a documentary because the X Japan story is crazy—almost too crazy to be true." But it was a very painful process. At the beginning, I said, "There's no way we can do this. It's too painful to go back to those memories." But people around me starting saying, "This story can help people. If someone has pain inside, or they're depressed, maybe it can support them and give them courage to move on." I thought, "Okay, that's a reason to move forward."
“ This is the first album after our two members passed away. I want to spread their legacy. ” — Yoshiki on X Japan's First Album in 20 Years
Something that stuck with me in We Are X is how hard you worked to not just get noticed on a global level but, at first, in Japan. Today, someone can get noticed from a popular YouTube video. How do you feel about that?
Ultimately, there's no shortcut for hard work. You have to put in the work. That doesn't have to just be about this industry either. What do you think of Babymetal? They initially got a lot of attention from their videos.
Oh, I love Babymetal! Actually, I happened to be in London and I saw Babymetal at the Forum. Some of their songs are similar to X Japan. I think their producer liked us. [Laughs] I met them, first in London and they came to one of our shows in Japan. I think it's really amazing to combine those really heavy sounds with kawaii, singer-dance music. I love it!
Perfume has also spoken about having similar ambitions to X Japan, saying they want to be the first J-pop act to perform at Madison Square Garden. Are you a fan?
I met Perfume at a TV show and we took a picture together. They are very nice and very beautiful. I love that music, kind of like Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's style. Their choreography is very good and they use a lot of technology and LED elements—there's something we can learn from them as well.
During the show, you said the new album is 99 percent done. Are you satisfied with it?
I think so, yes. It can be a little controversial, some people are expecting another X Japan that isn't any different. But we're always evolving. We might be experimental, but we're still edgy and heavy. It's like, mentally, when we were creating past music, we were kind of "not there" when we were recording. You have to, well, we tried as much as we could. At that time, it was almost like an obligation. This time, we really want to put this album out. We've been in the studio and working with Marilyn Manson, he's my friend. What's your main source of inspiration for the album?
This is the first album after our two members passed away and we do kind of have a message. A message to make them proud and I want to spread their legacy. hide was an amazing guitar player and a very charismatic person. Taiji was also an amazing bass player, you know, we fought a lot, but an amazing bass player. Without them, we are not here. I want to show how great they were to the world.Tech Bureau, a Japan based fintech and cryptocurrency group company has announced its plan for escrow lock-up (lock-in) on 33% of total CMS tokens issued by its own COMSA service, a complete Initial Coin Offering (ICO), fundraising, and cross-chaining platform built on the NEM blockchain protocol. CMS lock-up will occur after token sale ends November, 6th, 2017 14:00 JST. After that, it will also lock up 25% of the total Zaif token issuance, the cryptocurrency exchange also owned and operated by Tech Bureau.
Tech Bureau also plans to implement escrow lock-up on upcoming ICO projects that use COMSA as their platform service.
What is lock-up for “blockchain tokens”?
Within the context of an emergent blockchain technology and industry, and no existing escrow organizations or services in the industry that meet the standard of Japanese business practices, ICO lock-up securely holds in reserve, for a specified period, issuers’ undistributed tokens to prevent them from being sold or transferred. Lock-up is designed to preclude wrongful use of tokens by issuers and protect user assets.
How does lock-up work?
Tech Bureau invites COMSA ICO Committee members to utilize the lock-up service in conjunction with ICOs. Participants take the role of cosignatory, and the cryptographic contract reserves the locked-up tokens for a specified period.
How does multi-signature and the cryptographic contract work?
The NEM protocol allows for the creation of “M-of-N” multi-signature accounts, meaning M can be any number equal to or less than N, e.g., 3-of-5 and 5-of-10. The contract enables several people to administer to the activity of an account, control the cryptocurrency and other tokens from the account, or create additional contracts.
The multi-signature function secures the contract by encrypting e-signatures, thereby precluding impersonation. Once an account is converted to a multi-signature account, transactions can no longer be initiated from that account except by one of the co-signatories.
Zaif Token Lock-up Implementation Plan
Currently Zaif tokens are issued on the Counterparty protocol, but since there are no safe and stable tools to create multi-signature accounts on that protocol, Tech Bureau will migrate Zaif tokens to the NEM protocol which has a secure multi-signature capability.
To migrate the tokens to the NEM protocol, a conversion program needs to be developed and tested. Testing and quality assurance will be done to ensure that the migration environment meets public audit standards, after which the below plan and schedule will be executed:
Planned lock-up token amount: 22.5 billion Zaif, 25% of total issuance
Lock-up period: until the end of December 2018
Transfer a certain number of Zaif token to the nominated account for public audit by the end of November, 2017
Confirm co-signatories for the escrow account by mid-January 2018
Launch the conversion tool for transferring Zaif tokens on the Counterparty protocol to the NEM protocol by the end of January 2018
Transfer the designated Zaif tokens for lock-up to the NEM protocol by mid-February 2018
Transfer all locked-up Zaif tokens to the multi-signature escrow account by the end of February 2018
CMS Token Lock-up Plan
After Tech Bureau ends its own COMSA token sale on November 6th, 2017 (JST), the CMS tokens will be issued on both NEM and Ethereum blockchain protocols within the same month, as the tool provides for multi-signature on both protocols. So, CMS token lock-up, carried out before the plan for Zaif tokens, will be executed shortly after the issuance closes on both blockchains simultaneously.
Planned lock-up token amount is 33% of total issuance
Lock-up period: until the end of December 2018
After the COMSA token sale closes, the number of locked-up tokens will be fixed by mid-November, 2017.
Selection of the co-signatories for escrow will be done by the end of November, 2017
Transfer of all Zaif tokens designated for lock-up to the multi-signature escrow account will be done by the end of December 2017
The total issuance of CMS tokens will be fixed based on total sales when Tech Bureau closes its sale, and only CMS and Zaif tokens owned by Tech Bureau are planned for this instance of escrow lock-up.
Upcoming Deployments
As noted above, plans to execute escrow lock-ups for upcoming COMSA based ICO projects are in the pipeline.Reviewer Ben McCurry slipped a harsh criticism of his own employer Brash Games within a review of Pac-Man 256 posted on the Brash Games site. NeoGaffer RichyDevil brought it to light, while JaseC archived the page.
McCurry’s criticism started on the second paragraph:
“…the game becomes a garbled mess that becomes unplayable. A good example of a garbled mess is Brash Games; this very website that strips authors of their writing credits when they leave the site, later attributing them to the sole owner and editor, Paul Ryan, making your work completely pointless, just as Pac-Man is completely pointless after level 256.”
“…avoiding the void becomes truly heart-pounding; coincidentally, this is the same void my reviews will probably disappear into after I leave this site.”
“Everything that we grew to love in the original iterations is still present; the classic sound effects, the musical stings, and even ghosts. Speaking of ghosts, did you know that Brash Games deliberately ghosted themselves from Metacritic, GameRankings, and OpenCritic (marking themselves as “out of business on Meta and GR, which is an outrageous and egregious lie – it’s here right now) to avoid having any sort of public record of reviews available which would have attributed work to the proper authors? It’s true! In fact, when reviewers leave, work gets automatically attributed to “Brash Games”, which is solely operated by Paul Ryan, thus making it seem like he did all the work. OpenCritic are doing an investigation into the behaviour of the site and everything. But what truly deserves investigation is the new alterations added to the game in order to freshen up the format;…”
“Namco Bandai shy away from the sound of silence, which is, at the time of writing, exactly what I received when I announced my resignation to the editor Paul Ryan and clarified I would leave Brash as soon as possible. No email, no apology, no “I wish you the best in your future endeavours”, nothing. Pure radio silence; the only acknowledgement I received was that my name was pulled from the contributors list quietly. Some might call that cowardly – I’ll leave it to your interpretation. Rather, the game exploits low-key techno beats to gracefully update the beloved musical stings and background tracks. And (I promise this is the last time I utilise this painful segue) speaking of exploitation, Brash Games took advantage of naïve young writers, offering them no money, but exposure, which is useless when you essentially pretend your writers did not exist later on down the line.“
“I thought this game was great, but I’m going to – on behalf of Brash Games – award it a 1 out of 10. I do this safe in the knowledge that the editor will change it later without me knowing to fit the score HE would prefer. This is not an exaggeration: review scores selected by authors were changed by the editor without warning, explanation, or consideration, and several alumni of Brash Games corroborate this. As such, I would not want to begrudge my former editor another opportunity to do this.”
“(And now, because this game is a quality product and deserves some dignity, which Brash is totally bereft of, here’s the real review:…”
“By the way, if it wasn’t completely clear, with the publishing of this review, I quit Brash Games for the way it treats its writers, and I will endeavour to make sure new writers do not fall into the same trap. Nobody will pay me for this – it’s not a job that pays in the cash money sense, but the sense of satisfaction that I’ll get from making sure a talented writer doesn’t get taken advantage of is more than worth it. Good luck on Monday for when the OpenCritic report gets released.”
McCurry had this to say on twitter:
https://twitter.com/gaysteelmill/status/850424309432676354
https://twitter.com/gaysteelmill/status/850685588181266432
Poking around the site, I noticed this disclaimer on the “staff” and “about us” pages, as well as at the bottom of every review:
REVIEW CODE: Here at Brash Games we have a strict Review Code policy, Paul Ryan owner / editor is the only member of staff at Brash Games permitted to obtain review code and distribute it within the Brash Games review team. No other person is permitted to request review code and or send review links or contact the publishers in any way whatsoever. Should you wish to send us review code please email paulryan-at-brashgames.co.uk.
Click “write for us” and you’ll find this:
“While the role does not pay in the traditional cash-money sense, regular contributors will be pushed up the review list quickly and will subsequently have a better chance of landing the triple-A titles come review o’clock.”
It appears Brash Games is upfront about not paying “cash-money”. However, to promise “exposure” and then remove the author’s name from the work is in poor taste and could be considered theft of work.
To freelancers out there, value your time and do your homework.Imagine the bike of the future: integrated lighting that responds to your behavior, smartphone connectivity that logs data/statistics for all your rides, built-in navigation, and accurate tracking of bike location (GPS) -- a smarter bike in every possible way. We’re HELIOS and our mission is to revolutionize the biking experience. The smart bike revolution has arrived.
Helios Bars are the world’s first integrated headlight and blinker system for bicycles. They fit on almost every bike, and installation is a breeze.
Helios adds a variety of smart features to your bike that improve the overall biking experience. These features include:
Proximity Lighting - Allow your bike to sense your presence & automatically turn on your headlight when you're near, and off when you're not.
- Allow your bike to sense your presence & automatically turn on your headlight when you're near, and off when you're not. Turn Signals - Left and right blinkers keep you safe & visible on the road.
- Left and right blinkers keep you safe & visible on the road. GPS Tracking - Track your bike via SMS from anywhere in the US. Receive the coordinates of your bike & a Google Maps link to its location within 30 seconds of tracking.
- Track your bike via SMS from anywhere in the US. Receive the coordinates of your bike & a Google Maps link to its location within 30 seconds of tracking. Visual Speedometer - The rear facing LEDs change color according to how fast you ride, providing you with a visual speedometer so you never need to have your phone out.
- The rear facing LEDs change color according to how fast you ride, providing you with a visual speedometer so you never need to have your phone out. Turn-by-Turn Navigation - Find the fastest route to any destination by harnessing the power of the Google Maps API.The rear lights will indicate when a turn is approaching.
- Find the fastest route to any destination by harnessing the power of the Google Maps API.The rear lights will indicate when a turn is approaching. Ambient Lighting - Set the color of the rear lights to any color you want.
Over half of all bike fatalities are due to collisions with motor vehicles. This is usually due to lack of biker visibility- a problem that has always plagued biking. Helios Bars solves this problem by increasing overall visibility and providing a robust indicator system for use on urban or congested roads.
INTEGRATED HEADLIGHT
An ultra-powerful CREE LED provides you with a wide spread of illumination that keeps you as visible as a car when on the road. Our headlight outputs at 500 lumens— that’s about 5x brighter than a standard bike light! The best part is that since the light is integrated, it cannot be stolen off of your bike.
TURN SIGNALS
We are determined to lower the number of bike accidents that occur every year. Helios Bars come equipped with 2 RGB LED lights in the bar-ends that function as turn signals (aka blinkers). Simply press the tactile button on either side of the stem in order to flash the corresponding blinker for 5 seconds.
All Helios Bars come equipped with a low-power GPS module that tracks your bike’s location from anywhere in the US. Simply slide in a pay-as-you-go SIM card and you’re ready to go. Send your bike a text message (SMS) when you want to retrieve its location, and you’ll receive an SMS reply containing a Google Maps link to its current location.
Our GPS modules have a reserve battery that lasts up to 15 days, so even if a thief manages to remove your batteries, you’ll still be able to track your bike.CLOSE Actress Heather Lind says former President George H.W. Bush touched her "from behind from his wheelchair" at an event four years ago. USA TODAY
Former President George H. W. Bush. (Photo11: David J. Phillip, AP)
It's been nearly a month since sexual harassment and assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein exploded into national headlines, and it seems like nearly every day since, the country wakes up to another story of a powerful man accused of sexual misconduct. But there is one set of allegations that seemed to confound America more than the rest: those against former president George H.W. Bush.
Five women have accused Bush of groping them. Their accounts are largely similar. They say the former president tells a dirty joke with the punchline "David Cop-a-feel" and touches their butts. "Squeezed... hard" is how one woman put it. "Patted" is the word Bush's office used in an apology last week.
“At age 93, President Bush has been confined to a wheelchair for roughly five years, so his arm falls on the lower waist of people with whom he takes pictures," the statement said. "To try to put people at ease, the president routinely tells the same joke — and on occasion, he has patted women’s rears in what he intended to be a good-natured manner. Some have seen it as innocent; others clearly view it as inappropriate. To anyone he has offended, President Bush apologizes most sincerely."
While many decried Bush's behavior, others didn't, saying it pales in comparison to the nightmarish allegations against Weinstein. Comments online ranged from "give him a break" to "good for you H.W."
I just heard on the news that George H.W. Bush the 95 yo one is being accused of groping a woman in a photo shoot. At 95 good for you H.W. — Call me PP (@2_B_A_PPC) October 29, 2017
Readers called the allegations "stupid," and suggested that news organizations were "maligning the reputation of a decent man in the last years of his life." Some suggested his vascular Parkinson condition was to blame. Late Show host Stephen Colbert may have summed up the situation best when he joked in his monologue last week, “Oh, come on, not him. He’s the Bush we like!”
There are two larger societal trends reflected in such reactions that are present entirely separate of Bush, sociologists say. One is disagreement over what constitutes sexual assault. The other reflects a deeply rooted myth that "good guys" don't cross the line when it comes to treatment of women.
Labeling sexual assault
The Department of Justice defines sexual assault as "any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient," including a wide spectrum of behaviors from "grabbing or fondling" to "forced sexual intercourse." It's broad definitions such as this that some people take issue with.
"It was really neat and clean to have this idea that sexual assault was what happened when a stranger attacked you, forced you down, and made you have sex against your will," said C.J. Pascoe, a University of Oregon sociology professor. "By widening the scope of what we consider to be assault... and by placing assault on a continuum with other problematic behaviors, such as sexual harassment and unwanted touching, it becomes clear that many more men might be implicated in these sorts of behaviors."
Former first lady Laura Bush defended her father-in-law Wednesday on CNN.
"That was very, very innocent that he's been accused of," she said. "He would never hurt anybody."
Labeling 'good guys'
Another reason for disbelief is that it can be difficult to distinguish a person from their persona. While Weinstein had a reputation for aggression even before these allegations came to light, Bush is seen "as this gentle, kind, measured, sort of grandfatherly figure," Pascoe said.
People don't want to believe bad things about people who exhibit such wholesome qualities — whether a coach, a minister or a "family man."
"Because these guys inhabit an identity that we think of as a 'good guy'... it makes it really hard for us, and for them, to reconcile behaviors of sexual assault with that identity," said Pascoe, who in 2015 co-authored the paper "Good Guys Don’t Rape."
Many people have an idea of a sexual offender as a man who is dominant and aggressive, Pascoe said. When the behavior comes from someone who doesn't fit that profile — for instance, a young boy or an old man — excuses come out in the form of cliches: "boys will be boys" or "that old flirt." But there is no typical profile of a sex offender, the non-profit Futures Without Violence wrote in 2013.
"One of our psychological defenses against feeling vulnerable ourselves is to create this idea that it must take some kind of monster to commit sexual assault or any of these other types of sexual offenses," said Sherry Hamby, a University of the South psychology professor and founding editor of the American Psychological Association journal Psychology of Violence. "I think that's one of the reasons why it can be particularly hard when somebody who has been revered and respected gets accused of these types of crimes. We just want to believe that can't possibly be true."
Changing perceptions
Feminists, political commentators and everyday Americans have spent a lot of time in the last few weeks trying to predict what will happen now that Weinstein has opened the floodgates. Each new #MeToo revelation insists the country not look away. Each implores us to believe not only the individual, but also the mounting evidence that shows the impunity of powerful men has heavy costs. Sociologists and psychologists say people must recognize sexual assault can happen to anyone — and be perpetrated by anyone.
"We want to think of it as this rare and extreme form of deviance," Hamby said. "And that's just not an accurate perception of offending at all."
Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2A2GZTRThe NRL today released the schedule for the final six rounds of the Premiership which includes a series of blockbuster matches.
The Bulldogs, Brisbane, Melbourne, St George Illawarra and Penrith will all host crucial matches in marquee timeslots during the closing rounds.
Some of the highlights of the finalised schedule include:
• A Saturday night match between North Queensland Cowboys and Melbourne Storm at 1300Smiles Stadium in Round 21;
• A Saturday night derby in Round 23 between St George Illawarra and Cronulla Sharks at UOW Jubilee Oval;
• North Queensland Cowboys superstar Johnathan Thurston returning to Belmore Oval on Thursday night in Round 25;
• The final match at Pirtek Stadium before redevelopment – Parramatta’s game against St George Illawarra in Round 25 (the Eels and the St George Dragons faced off in the first match at the ground in 1986);
• Manly captain Jamie Lyon’s final match at Brookvale Oval, on Saturday afternoon in Round 25 against Canberra;
Round 25 will also see the Bulldogs and the Cowboys, as well as Melbourne and the Broncos, feature on Thursday and Friday nights respectively.
The final round (Round 26) will feature one of the biggest matches of the year between competition heavyweights Melbourne and Cronulla at AAMI Park.
It will also feature Corey Parker playing his final regular-season match at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday night.
That will be followed by the 2014 grand finalists, South Sydney and the Bulldogs, potentially playing off for crucial finals positions on Friday night.
The final match of the NRL Telstra Premiership season will see the Panthers play Manly at Pepper Stadium on Sunday, September 4.
NRL CEO Todd Greenberg said the final six rounds would provide some crucial match-ups which would ultimately decide the make-up of the top eight, the top four and also the minor premiership.
"We know there will be huge interest in those rounds as the teams battle for a place in the Finals," he said.
"We are no doubt headed for another close finish. As usual this is a competition which will likely keep us all guessing until the very last match."
The NRL has worked with the broadcasters as well as the RLPA to reduce the number of five day turnarounds across the 26 rounds of the Telstra Premiership.
There will be a total of 43 five-day turnarounds in 2016, compared to 46 in 2015 – despite the one-off Thursday to Monday schedule this year.
The NRL will seek to reduce the number of five-day turnarounds further with the implementation of a Thursday to Sunday cycle in 2017.
For the full schedule for the final six rounds, please visit nrl.com
For tickets to the NRL Telstra Premiership, please visit nrl.com/ticketsJon Gabriel (a.k.a., @ExJon on Twitter) is the Editor-in-Chief of Ricochet. He is a political writer and marketing consultant, contributing articles to The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, and USA Today among others. Until 2012, he served as Director of Marketing for the free-market Goldwater Institute, where he converted policy initiatives into compelling stories. In the private sector, Jon led marketing efforts for Cold Stone Creamery, Honeywell, and several technology companies. In his… [more]
Nancy set down her Juvéderm syringe long enough to Tweet the following:
I want every single California Republican to understand this. Your ideology doesn’t come first. Your party doesn’t come first. The PEOPLE come first. If you fail to recognize that, you don’t belong here. https://t.co/xjbyOTI2MC — Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) December 5, 2017
She describes the tax reform bill as “Armageddon,” so shrill statements are to be expected. Since there are only about 14 |
policy initiatives over the next few years.
There's clamoring among the base for single payer.
How, in the course of this debate, will you respond to those of us on the Left, who really think that single payer might be the answer to the health care issue?
DURBIN: This is a last gasp. What we're going through now is the last gasp for private health insurance in America, as far as I’m concerned. If we can't make this work with the private health insurance industry, we start moving closer to a Medicare model.
From my point of view, Medicare has a lot of positive things to offer the American people.
How many folks say, darn it, now I qualify for Medicare?
Most of them say, hooray, I don’t have to worry about preexisting conditions. I’ve paid into it. I can get the best hospitals and doctors and I have peace of mind.
That's what people are looking for in health insurance. And if the private health insurance industry can't make the current approach work, we're moving closer and closer to a single-payer option.WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea has carried out another test of a rocket engine that U.S. officials believe could be part of its program to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile, officials told Reuters on Monday.
FILE PHOTO: A North Korean flag flies on a mast at the Permanent Mission of North Korea in Geneva October 2, 2014. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
The latest test follows one earlier this month, and is another sign of Pyongyang’s advancing weapons program. It comes amid mounting U.S. concerns about additional missile and nuclear tests, potentially in the near future.
Several U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the test took place on Friday night and the engine could possibly be used in an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
Earlier this month North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country had conducted a test of a new high-thrust engine at its Tongchang-ri rocket launch station, saying it was “a new birth” of its rocket industry.
At the time, North Korea’s official media said the engine would help it achieve world-class satellite launch capability, indicating the test was of a new type of rocket engine for long-range missiles.
Kim also has said North Korea is close to an ICBM test-launch.
North Korea has been testing rocket engines and heat-shields for an ICBM while developing the technology to guide a missile after re-entry into the atmosphere following a liftoff, experts have said.
Once fully developed, a North Korean ICBM could threaten the continental United States, which is around 9,000 km (5,500 miles) from the North. ICBMs have a minimum range of about 5,500 km (3,400 miles), but some are designed to travel 10,000 km (6,200 miles) or farther.
The reclusive state has conducted five nuclear tests and a series of missile launches in defiance of U.N. resolutions.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said during a visit to the region that a military response would be “on the table” if Pyongyang took action to threaten South Korea and U.S. forces.
The Trump administration is still deliberating its policy on North Korea, but appears to be giving priority to less risky options than pre-emptive military strikes.
It is considering sweeping sanctions aimed at cutting North Korea off from the global financial system as part of a broad review of measures to counter Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile threat.To say that that politics has been fluid since it became clear that the UK had voted to leave the European Union is perhaps the understatement of the decade. The developments came thick and fast over the weekend, nowhere more so than in Scotland, now voted out of the European against its will and still trying to come to terms with what this will mean politically, economically, constitutionally, for the future of the country.
This is a time of grave uncertainty for all, then. With this in mind, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has rightly chosen to go on the front foot and make clear she will do everything in her power to protect Scotland’s interests. We do not yet know how far she will be required, or indeed prepared, to go, of course.
Ms Sturgeon has already intimated that a second independence referendum is certainly an option for the future, but in the meantime she will no doubt wish to be seen to explore every possible avenue short of this.
High level talks with Brussels over the next few days will examine whether there is any mechanism for Scotland to remain a member of the EU without leaving the UK. This scenario seems unlikely, but as with many EU-related matters, much will depend on the will of the bureaucrats and the leading member states to make it happen.
The will of Westminster will be important, too. There has already been a suggestion that Holyrood could block the UK’s departure from the EU if MSPs are required to give their formal backing to Brexit. Ms Sturgeon has signalled that she would consider advocating this course of action, although with legal opinion already split on whether such consultation is required, it’s hard to imagine a future Prime Minister Johnson or Gove giving Holyrood the opportunity to veto their moment of triumph.
Much will also depend upon the perceived will of the Scottish people, of course. The first polls on independence since the Brexit vote are through, showing a surge in support to 59 per cent. Whether this is simply anger in the face of last Friday’s result or the beginning of a new and growing push for independence remains to be seen.
Ms Sturgeon, too, will likely bide her time on this matter, while looking to steer an inclusive diplomatic course in the weeks and months to come.
What has also become worryingly clear over the weekend is that Ms Sturgeon is one of the few UK politicians to be steering any sort of course at all.
With David Cameron having seemingly washed his hands of all responsibility, a serious power vacuum has already formed; the Conservative party is at war with itself, and neither Boris Johnson nor Michael Gove has so far shown the leadership necessary to chart the new course for the country they promised.
UK Labour, too, has turned in on itself, apparently now in complete disarray, and, most frustratingly of all, also failing to show any leadership at a time when the country needs exactly that.
Westminster is letting the country down; it must step up to the mark, and quickly.Since launching on November 21 for Android and iOS, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp has reached 25 million downloads and earned $17 million in revenue. This is according to mobile app market intelligence from Apptopia.
Apptopia does not believe that Pocket Camp will match the success of Nintendo’s previous mobile games, Super Mario Run and Fire Emblem: Heroes. It cites a lack of a competitive multiplayer mode as a major factor, something that has driven revenues for many mobile titles, including Fire Emblem: Heroes. It’s a good start for downloads, but the revenue isn’t significant.
“Even though the revenue is not impressive, Animal Crossing had a much stronger launch than Fire Emblem did in terms of downloads,” Apptopia told GamesBeat. “It has a much stronger worldwide brand and player base, whereas Fire Emblem is more popular in Japan.”
Super Mario Run earned $75 million in its first year. It launched for iOS on December 15, 2016, with the Android version following on March 22. It attracted 215 million downloads. Super Mario Run is not a free-to-play game, instead offering a limited trial before players pay a one-time fee to unlock the full game.
Fire Emblem: Heroes launched on February 2 for Android and iOS. AppTopia projects it will reach 9.5 million downloads and $110 million in revenues during its first year.
Nintendo’s mobile push seemed like a significant moment when it started last year, but Nintendo is a very different company in 2017. The Switch debuted in March and has already sold 10 million systems, and its retro consoles have been flying off store shelves. Those successes have trumped Nintendo’s mobile efforts.Egyptian soldiers separated supporters and opponents of President Hosni Mubarak in central Cairo on Thursday, deploying infantry to create a buffer zone in an attempt to halt violence between them.
A journalist at the scene said the opposing camps were separated by a distance of some 80 meters and that they army had urged Mubarak supporters to leave the square. It was the first time the army was seen to act decisively to halt the violence.
"The neutral zone is absolutely covered in fist-size rocks," said the reporter, referring to the projectiles the protesters had been hurling at each other.
In the overnight fighting, machine-gun fire echoed for more than an hour across the central square where protesters - unsatisfied by Mubarak's pledge to step down in September - have vowed to stay until the 82-year-old president quits.
Anti-government demonstrators carry an injured man at a makeshift medical triage station at Tahrir square in Cairo February 2, 2011. Reuters
"One way or another we will bring Mubarak down," some chanted in the early morning. "We will not give up, we will not sell out," others shouted.
Egyptian Health Minister Ahmed Samih Farid told state television five had died and 836 were wounded in fighting which first erupted on Wednesday, nine days into the anti-government demonstrations.
He said most of the casualties were due to stone throwing and attacks with metal rods and sticks.
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The firing began at around 4 A.M. while hundreds of anti-government protesters camped out in the square.
With many protesters blaming the government for instigating the crackdown on the previously largely peaceful demonstrations, the United States has renewed its appeal to Mubarak to take steps towards democratic elections at once.
A senior U.S. official also said on Wednesday it was clear that "somebody loyal to Mubarak has unleashed these guys to try to intimidate the protesters".
Washington supplies the Egyptian army - which has ruled Egypt since toppling the monarchy in 1952 - annually with about $1.3 billion in aid.
But its options for leaning harder on Egypt to end the violence and begin a transfer of power are limited.
Egypt, which signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, justified the emergency rule which kept Mubarak in power as needed to curb Islamist militants and Washington is looking for a way forward which does not encourage even greater instability.
After Mubarak announced on Tuesday that he would stay in office until September and then step down, President Barack Obama telephoned him and said that change "must begin now". He stopped short of calling him to quit immediately.
On Wednesday chances of a peaceful resolution of the crisis receded when supporters of Mubarak, throwing petrol bombs, wielding sticks and charging on camels and horses, attacked protesters in Tahrir Square.
Officials said three people were killed in Wednesday's violence and more than 1,500 were wounded.
Reacting to the tumult in Egypt, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said on Wednesday that, "If any of the violence is instigated by the government it should stop immediately."
Skirmishes between Mubarak supporters and protesters continued into the Wednesday night, and then after a brief lull, live television aired footage of fresh fighting, gunfire ringing out repeatedly across the square.
Two bodies were shown being pulled from the scene, while Mubarak supporters and protesters hurled stones at each other.
Black smoke billowed over the area.
By dawn, protesters had held their ground in the square, setting up iron barricades to protect themselves. "We cannot go back at this point," a 33-year-old woman told al Jazeera.
"Things have calmed down now but through the night, we were getting dozens of wounded every 15 minutes," Doctor Mohamed Abdel Hamid, who was in the square, said. "We had casualties all over the place.
Some questioned why the army had not intervened when the shooting broke out, though by dawn, military vehicles were deployed at the edge of the square and television showed footage of some men being arrested.
An estimated 150 people have been killed so far and there have been protests across the country. United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay said up to 300 people may have died.
Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman on Wednesday urged the 2,000 demonstrators in Tahrir Square to leave and observe a curfew to restore calm. He said the start of dialogue with the reformists and opposition depended on an end to street protests.
But the opposition, which includes the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood and Nobel peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, have said they will not open talks until Mubarak quits.
"What happened yesterday(Wednesday) made us more determined to remove President Mubarak," the protest movement Kefaya, or Enough, said.
"There will be no negotiations with any member of Mubarak's regime after what happened yesterday and what is still happening in Tahrir Square," a spokesman told al Jazeera.
A Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement on Wednesday rejected U.S. and European calls for the transition to start immediately, saying they aimed to "incite the internal situation" in Egypt.
Oil prices have climbed on fears the unrest could spread to other authoritarian Arab states including oil giant Saudi Arabia or interfere with oil supplies from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal. Brent crude surpassed $103 a barrel on Thursday.
Some analysts suggested the violence could encourage a backlash against Mubarak both internationally and among those Egyptians who had accepted his pledge to step down in September.
Along with the United States, France, Germany and Britain have also urged a speedy transition.
But others feared he could either cling on to power, or hand over to a military ruler without allowing truly free and fair democratic elections.
"Mubarak fooled us all," one person in Tahrir Square shouted through a loudspeaker.In the matter of a single afternoon, Consumerist reader Audriena went from happy Virgin Mobile customer to wondering if anyone at the prepaid carrier has any idea of what they’re doing — or any respect for customers’ personal information.
It all began the other day when Audriena attempted to add insurance to her phone. She was told she couldn’t because she’d already had the phone for too long. Oh well. Not that huge a deal.
But not long thereafter, she found that her texts and calls weren’t going through. At first, she assumed she was simply in a dead zone. But when evening came and she still couldn’t use her phone, she knew something was up.
Using a co-worker’s phone, she contacted Virgin Mobile, only to be told that her phone had been disconnected earlier in the day buy someone named Andre.
“I said I am the only person who has access and authority to my account,” Audriena tells Consumerist. “They say I can’t get my phone turned on or a refund and I must wait 4 days to see the case go through investigation.”
This leads to her being transferred around from CSR to CSR, none of whom can help her get her phone turned back on, or even get her money back. To rub salt in the wound, her call was ultimately disconnected.
She tried again later that night, this time using a roommate’s phone.
A rep confirms that her issue is being looked into and that her phone service should be restored shortly. But then she gets transferred to another person who just runs through the same old “Someone named Andre canceled your service and there’s nothing we can do for you” line.
“They said there is no way I can get my money back from this month’s bill or have my number back,” recalls Audriena. “Then I get transferred to someone else who says I can get a temporary number if I pay them for a month of service. I get disconnected again. I try calling back and the company is closed for the evening.”
The next morning, she tried — again — to get a straight answer out of Virgin Mobile about what happened and what could be done to resolve the issue.
“I gave them the serial number of the phone they said was on my account as well as the person’s name who closed my account,” she writes. “They immediately gave me his private telephone number without asking for the account pin.”
When Audriena pointed out that they had just given her another customer’s supposedly private information, she says the rep denied doing so and transferred her call.
The next rep provides a slight ray of sunlight, saying he can provide her with a new number free of charge. Nevermind that this is completely contradictory to everything all the previous CSRs had told her.
Unfortunately, Audriena’s attempts to get her old number back keep coming up against a variety of roadblocks and dead ends, as each CSR provides her with a different answer.
“Some people are saying that my number is under investigation, some say I still have to wait, some try to hook my number back up and some say my number isn’t even on file,” she writes. “I call back later in the evening and found out that my case number was never given to me. That my complaint wasn’t even under consideration. They file another complaint and flag my old number and then transfer me to a manager that I have to re-explain my issue to again for the millionth time. He says that now they can give me my number at some point.”
Aside from Virgin Mobile’s inability to know what in heck is going on with her case, Audriena’s biggest concern in this ordeal is the company’s apparent lack of respect for private information. First, they allow a stranger to shut off her phone and then they give her his personal contact info.
“It’s an invasion of privacy which Virgin Mobile seems to be taking lightly,” she explains. “I want my original number back, I want my money back, I want to see the company realize how bad their security is and how they can’t just give out private information and completely cut off a service for no reason at all.”
We’re reaching out to Virgin Mobile and Sprint to see if anyone is willing to look into this case. If it gets resolved, we’ll update.Share
It appears the latest use for robot drones is to smuggle illicit substances into jail: four people have been arrested in Georgia after an attempt to fly tobacco into Calhoun state prison. A similar ruse over the border in Canada has also been reported.
The drone-led plot was foiled after Calhoun prison guards spotted the robotic aircraft hovering over the yard. Local police were alerted and began searching the area, discovering a six-rotor remote-controlled helicopter stashed in a nearby car. Between 1lb and 2lb of tobacco and several mobile phones were also recovered.
The four people arrested on suspicion of attempting to smuggle contraband into the jail could face up to 20 years in prison. “It is a surprise. I’ve never seen a helicopter,” said Sheriff Josh Hilton when interviewed by reporters.
Officers at the Gatineau jail in Quebec were less fortunate in catching the culprits, failing to find either a device or those responsible for piloting it after spotting a miniature aircraft near prison grounds last week.
The versatility of these lightweight aircraft is proving a headache for law enforcers. Drones are being employed to deliver textbooks, medical equipment and even pizzas in various places around the world. For more on the technology, check out our Drones 101 Beginner’s Guide.
“Now that drones are relatively cheap to buy, they’ve become the best way to smuggle drugs inside,” said Stephane Lemaire, president of Quebec’s correctional officers’ union, in an interview with the Ottawa Sun. “Usually the drones are carrying small packages of drugs or other illicit substances.” Lemaire called on the Canadian authorities to do more to boost security at the country’s and negate the threat of drops from remote-controlled aircraft.2011 Was undoubtedly the year of the quarterback. Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Tom Brady re-wrote the NFL record books with Eli Manning and Matthew Stafford not too far behind. Darren Sproles was the only running back to actually do something remarkable this year, Rob Gronkowski broke out, Patrick Peterson became THE premier NFL returner, Cam Newton had one hell of a rookie campaign and the bay area stood out as the best place for kickers.
Aaron Rodgers
The NFL MVP, making his second Pro Bowl and his first All-Pro team didn’t satisfy Aaron Rodgers. He led the Green Bay Packers to a 15-1 regular season following their Super Bowl victory, but couldn’t handle the eventual champions New York Giants. Rodgers did break a few records along the way in 2011 – He had 12 consecutive games of a +100 passer rating, and his 122.5 rating at the end of the season is the best in history. He also tied a record with 13 consecutive multiple touchdown games.
Drew Brees
Drew Brees’ numbers probably signify more than anything else the shift the league has taken in the year of the quarterback. He set a new NFL record with 5476 passing yards this season, but Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford both topped 5000 yards this season. Eli Manning threw for 4933. That is the first time more than one quarterback has thrown for 5000 yards in a single season.
Brees also set a record with 13 games of throwing for over 300 yards, seven of them coming one after the other. His 71.2% completion rating is also a new NFL record. Brees won the AP offensive player of the year award for the second time in his career.
Returning Men
Arizona Cardinals rookie cornerback Patrick Peterson stationed himself as the premier return man in the league at the expense of the injured Devin Hester. Peterson tied a record with four punt return touchdowns, had 699 yards of punt returns (rookie record) and had a 99 yard punt return in overtime, getting the All-Pro nod for special teams.
Randall Cobb (GB) tied an NFL record by returning a kick 108 yards for a touchdown in the season opener between the New Orleans Saints and the Green Bay Packers.
Cam Newton
Cameron Newton showed Panthers fans he wasn’t the no.1 pick in the 2011 NFL draft for nothing. He led the Panthers to a 6-10 record, setting a new record for a rookie QB with 4051 yards. He threw for 422 on his debut, also an NFL record. His 854 yards in his first two rookie games are also an NFL record. His 14 rushing touchdowns are an NFL record for all quarterbacks, not just rookies. There was little surprise he won the offensive rookie of the year award.
No Running Backs?
This wasn’t the year for premier NFL backs. Adrian Peterson injured, Chris Johnson at half speed. Still, Darren Sproles set a new record for all purpose yards on a record setting New Orleans Saints offense. Sproles finished with 2696 yards, nearly 1400 of them from kick and punt returns.
More Passing Numbers
Tom Brady had everything going for him this year, until another disappointing end to the postseason against the Giants at the Super Bowl. He set a new NFL record for yards on the first two games of the season with 940. He threw for a 99 yard touchdown pass against the Miami Dolphins. Eli Manning also made that happen against the Jets in December. He also started his fifth Super Bowl, tying a record for QB’s. Rob Gronkowski enjoyed Brady’s passing, setting a new record for tight ends with 1327 yards. Jimmy Graham of the Saints has the second best mark, also set this season, with 1310.
Last and Least, the Kickers
Bay area kickers ruled the NFL in 2011, with David Akers getting the undeserving All-Pro status. Janikowski has been kicking for the Raiders since 2000, making his first Pro Bowl this year. He tied an NFL record with a 63 yard field goal and scored three 50+ yarders in a single game. Josh Scobee of the Jags also made himself known with that achievement. David Akers of the 49ers set two new records with 44 field goals and 166 points without a touchdown.The Embraer EMB-505 Phenom 300 is a light jet aircraft developed by the Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer. It can carry up to 11 occupants.[3]
Development [ edit ]
Embraer began designing the Phenom 300 after finding that potential customers of the Phenom 100 would also like a bigger aircraft. It was a new design with the aim of allowing operation to smaller airports such as London City and Telluride Regional Airport.
It first flew on 29 April 2008,[4] and received its type certification on 3 December 2009.[5] On 29 December 2009 Embraer delivered the first Phenom 300 to Executive Flight Services at the company's headquarters at São José dos Campos, Brazil.[6]
Design [ edit ]
Cabin
Cockpit
The Phenom 300 is a twin-engined cantilever monoplane with a low-positioned, swept wings. It has a horizontal stabiliser in a T-tail configuration and a retractable tricycle landing gear. It has two rear-pylon-mounted Pratt & Whitney Canada PW535E turbofan engines. The enclosed cabin has room for nine passengers and a two-pilot crew; during single-pilot operation an additional passenger can be carried. Access to the cockpit and cabin is via an airstair on the left-hand side.
Its structural life is 28,000 flight cycles or 35,000 hours. It is built of 18% composite materials; it has winglets, but not thrust reversers.[4] The Phenom 300 has single-point refueling and an externally serviced private rear lavatory.[5]
Operators [ edit ]
Phenom 300 on ramp, entry door open
Aircraft deliveries [ edit ]
The 400th was delivered in March 2017.[11] The Phenom 300 became the most delivered business jet with 60 units in 2013.[12] This was also the case in 2014 and 2015; at the end of 2015, Phenom 300s were in operation in 28 countries with close to 300,000 accumulated flight hours.[13]
All Phenom assembly will be shifted to the Melbourne, Florida line from July 2016. The facility will be able to assemble up to 96 Phenoms and 72 Embraer Legacy 450/Embraer Legacy 500 annually.[14] More than 170 Phenom jets have been produced at the site up to June 2016, mainly for the US market.[15]
Year 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Number of deliveries[16] 1 26 42 48 60 73 70 63 54
Specifications [ edit ]
Data from Embraer Phenom 300 brochure (downloaded 09-Jan-2008)
General characteristics
Crew: 1 or 2 pilots
1 or 2 pilots Capacity: 6 passengers (standard configuration) + 1 in cockpit; maximum of 10 incl. [17] 1 in cockpit and 1 on belted toilet)
6 passengers (standard configuration) + 1 in cockpit; maximum of 10 incl. 1 in cockpit and 1 on belted toilet) Length: 15.9 m (52 ft 2 in)
15.9 m (52 ft 2 in) Wingspan: 16.2 m (53 ft 2 in)
16.2 m (53 ft 2 in) Height: 5 m (16 ft 5 in)
5 m (16 ft 5 in) Max takeoff weight: 8,150 kg (17,968 lb)
8,150 kg (17,968 lb) Fuel capacity : 2,428kg [5]
: 2,428kg Cabin altitude : 6,000 ft at 41,000 ft [4]
: 6,000 ft at 41,000 ft Cabin height : 1.5 m (4.9 ft) [5]
: 1.5 m (4.9 ft) Cabin width : 1.55 m (5.1 ft) [18]
: 1.55 m (5.1 ft) Cabin length : 5.23 m [5]
: 5.23 m Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PW535E turbofans, 14.95 kN (3,360 lbf) thrust each
Performance
Maximum speed: 834 km/h (518 mph; 450 kn)
834 km/h (518 mph; 450 kn) Range: 3,650 km (2,268 mi; 1,971 nmi) with IFR reserves, 6 occupants
3,650 km (2,268 mi; 1,971 nmi) with IFR reserves, 6 occupants Service ceiling: 13,716 m (45,000 ft)
13,716 m (45,000 ft) Wing loading: 286 kg/m 2 (59 lb/sq ft)
286 kg/m (59 lb/sq ft) Fuel burn : 346 kg/h at 364 kt, 456 kg/h at 431 kt (at FL410) [5]
: 346 kg/h at 364 kt, 456 kg/h at 431 kt (at FL410) V 2 min : around 112 ktas, depending on circumstances[5]
Avionics
Embraer Prodigy Touch (based on Garmin G3000 system)[19]
Accidents and incidents [ edit ]
On 6 August 2012, Dalia Air Flight 211 (CN-MBR) overran the runway on landing at Altenrhein Airport; all three on board survived, but the aircraft was substantially damaged and was written off. [20]
On September 19, 2014, at about 8:47am, N322QS, impacted a ditch after the airplane departed the end of the runway while landing at Lone Star Executive Airport (CXO) in Conroe, Texas. There were no injuries but the airplane was substantially damaged. The flight was a repositioning flight operated by NetJets Inc. The first officer's use of the emergency brake system during landing was found to be the cause by the NTSB. [21]
On 31 July 2015, an Embraer Phenom 300 crashed into a car auction site while trying to land at Blackbushe Airport, UK. The cause of the accident was found to be pilot error. All 4 persons on board the Saudi-registered private jet died in the crash and subsequent fire.[22]
See also [ edit ]
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
References [ edit ]Top veterans of the Hillary Clinton campaign are holding a reunion in a Capitol Hill row house on Friday, according to an invitation to the event obtained by The Intercept.
The Clintonworld alums are gathering with a purpose: to raise money for one of their own in a Democratic primary, against a former NFL player-turned civil rights attorney, in a Dallas congressional district.
In 2016, the Democratic Party, in one of their more embarrassing failures in a year with no shortage of them, forgot to run a candidate in Texas’s 32nd District, which covers the northern Dallas suburbs.
Clinton, frustratingly for House Democrats, went on to outpoll Donald Trump in the district, but, with no challenger, incumbent Republican Pete Sessions easily defeated Libertarian and Green Party candidates in the general election.
In April, a hometown hero, Colin Allred, a former NFL linebacker, announced his entry into the race. Allred, though, is not a mere jock. He put off Berkeley Law School in order to play out his NFL career, returning once he’d decided his brain had taken enough bruising. Since then, he has become a voting rights attorney, and served as an official in Barack Obama’s Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Photo: NFL/Getty Images
Clintonworld alum Ed Meier then joined the race last month. Meier served as director of policy outreach for the Clinton campaign, as well as the executive director for the since-mothballed presidential transition team.
If Clintonworld is still smarting from the bruising primary campaign against Sen. Bernie Sanders, it hasn’t kept them away from this one. The co-hosts of the Meier fundraiser are a who’s who of Clinton veterans: Robby Mook, Cheryl Mills, Jake Sullivan, Tom Nides and others. Of the seven named hosts on the Meier for Congress fundraising invitation obtained by The Intercept, six have Clinton ties, and several either work for large financial institutions or law firms that represent them. The invite suggests contributions of anywhere from $500 to $5,000.
The high-powered D.C. fundraiser with a mix of political and business leaders may seem discordant, at a time when Democrats are coalescing around a more strident liberal politics. And it suggests that the faction that has maintained an iron grip on Democratic politics for decades does not plan to go away quietly.
The hosts include Mook, Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager, and Sullivan, her chief foreign policy adviser. Clinton’s main scheduler at the State Department, Lona Valmoro, and top State Department adviser Dan Feldman also appear on the invite. But two hosts stand out for their relationships with Wall Street.
Nides, a Clinton bundler and top executive at Fannie Mae and Morgan Stanley, slid into government service when Clinton served at the State Department. Nides went right back to Morgan Stanley after Clinton left State, but was rumored to be a top candidate for White House chief of staff or another top position in a Clinton White House. Nides helped Bill Clinton sell NAFTA to Congress in the 1990s, and later helped Morgan Stanley fend off more aggressive financial reform in the Dodd-Frank Act.
When Elizabeth Warren, anticipating a Clinton victory, said in a speech last September that the Democratic nominee’s hypothetical White House’s personnel shouldn’t include “Citigroup or Morgan Stanley or BlackRock getting to choose who runs the economy in this country so they can capture our government,” it was widely assumed the Morgan Stanley inclusion was a reference to Tom Nides.
Similarly, it was assumed that Warren’s name-check of BlackRock, the world’s largest asset management firm, was a reference to Mills, a major Clinton confidant who will also co-host Friday’s Meier fundraiser. Mills, Clinton’s former chief of staff at the State Department, has served on BlackRock’s board of directors since October 2013. Observers immediately intuited this as a ploy by Larry Fink, the BlackRock CEO, to insinuate himself into Clinton’s inner circle as part of a bid to become Treasury Secretary. With Trump winning the presidency, Fink took the consolation prize: a seat on the President’s Strategic and Policy Forum, a panel of CEOs who advise the administration on the economy.
In addition to the BlackRock board, Mills now runs her own hedge fund, BlackIvy, which endeavors to build commercial businesses in sub-Saharan Africa. During the campaign, Clinton’s Wall Street reform policies very closely mirrored the preferences of BlackRock and its CEO.
Dan Feldman, one of the other Clinton veterans hosting the Meier fundraiser, is now a partner at the white shoe Washington law firm Akin Gump, where according to the press release announcing his hire he advises “multinational corporations, U.S. trade associations and foreign governments on international business and policy issues.”
These are not exactly abnormal credentials for a D.C. fundraiser. But seeing so many ex-Clinton officials team up on behalf of a congressional candidate, particularly those with deep ties to the financial industry, raises questions about Meier’s views on that critical domestic policy subject.
Meier currently serves as the interim executive director of an non-profit education company called Big Thought, which provides after-school and summer learning programs in the Dallas area. He was a senior advisor to Clinton at the State Department before serving as a policy advisor on the campaign. As co-executive director of the Clinton transition, Meier spent the final months before Election Day focused on staffing a potential Clinton White House.
Before that, Meier was a management consultant in Dallas with a division of McKinsey.
The Meier for Congress campaign did not respond to a request for comment, nor did the campaign for Colin Allred, his chief challenger in the Democratic primary.
The Intercept also asked Our Revolution, the organization built out of the remnants of the Sanders campaign, for their thoughts on the Clintonworld reunion. A spokeswoman replied, “We only comment on races where we have endorsed.”Mastercard is reportedly testing cards that integrate a fingerprint sensor, intended to offer a more convenient alternative to entering a PIN. Unlike Apple Pay, however, the cards would lack a series of important security features.
Looks close to apples, but its really closer to bananas. Source: Engadget
Not like Apple Pay
Apple Pay is firstly fast, but more importantly secure
Fingerprint sensors are not all the same
Who needs facts when you can just be snarky?
Android fingerprint sensors have been a security mess
Samsung Galaxy S5 claimed a fingerprint sensor "just like iPhone," except that it was slow and didn't secure users' prints or data
Windows PCs similarly slopped out worthless fingerprint sensors
Fingerprint sensors on Windows PC notebooks were not secure
report by Cherlynn Low for Engadget noted that the new biometric cards are currently being tested in South Africa, and that MasterCard hopes to roll them out globally by the end of 2017.Low claimed that "our fingerprints are quickly replacing PINs and passwords as our primary means of unlocking our phones, doors and safes," saying, "they're convenient, unique, and ultimately more secure than easily guessed or forged passwords and signatures. So it makes sense that fingerprint sensors are coming to protect our credit and debit cards."However, all fingerprint sensors are not alike. Low described Mastercard implementation as involving a trip to "an enrollment center," where a user could store one or two different prints (of their own) on their card."An encrypted digital template of your fingerprint is stored on the card's EMV chip," Low noted. The new cards authenticate when a matching fingerprint is supplied by the user after inserting the card into a Chip and Pin terminal (not swiped). The card sensor would also not work when used in an ATM that ingests the card.The most obvious difference between a credit card with sensor and Apple Pay is the convenience advantage of Apple Pay over "Chip and Pin" cards: nothing needs to be inserted. The transaction time is nearly instant, compared to (particularly in the United States) a lengthy period of inserting a card and waiting for the transaction to complete.However, Mastercard's reported implementation is also radically different in its security policy compared to Touch ID and Apple Pay on iPhones and iPads and the new MacBook Pro. In Apple's implementation, fingerprints are not stored on the device at all.Instead, representative information that can verify a user's fingerprint is copied in one direction to a Secure Enclave within the Application Processor. When a user |
).
The median number of tested subjects in the 58 studies was 72 (range: 16–4,299). The median numbers of participants in articles involving healthy individuals, patients with CFS, or patients with other diseases were 76 (16–4,299), 45 (28–185), and 65 (29–1150), respectively. The largest number of healthy subjects included groups of workers whose cortisol results were compared to exhaustion and fatigue status, in an attempt to discriminate correlations between cortisol and energy levels. One study involving 4,299 individuals was responsible for more subjects than the sum of all the other studies.
Among the 58 studies included, 33 (56.9 % of the selected studies) were performed in healthy subjects [ 21 – 53 ], since we considered “burnout” not an actual disorder but instead a stressful condition presented by some groups of health workers. Despite the several studies describing cortisol impairment in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), only 13 (22.4 %) studies performed an actual assessment of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis [ 54 – 66 ]. Twelve studies (20.7 %) were found in which tests for cortisol profiling were performed for other diseases [ 67 – 77 ]. However, for analysis purposes, one study [ 69 ] was divided into two studies as it performed two distinct protocols at different moments. Among these, five were done performed in patients with a diagnosis of breast cancer who had undergone or were undergoing chemotherapy. One study tested patients with fibromyalgia, two studies compared patients with chronic lower pain, one with rheumatoid arthritis, one with post brain injury, two with multiple sclerosis, and one involved patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and CFS. One study evaluated both patients with fibromyalgia and patients with CFS in different groups.
Methods used to evaluate fatigue in the general study population
Some authors utilized more than one method to compare the different patients and were included in multiple groups. A summary of all the methods used to assess fatigue, and their results, is shown in Table. Among the 58 studies, 27 (46.6 %) utilized the Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR) to assess the HPA axis. This method is based on previous studies [77–81] that indicate cortisol levels rise by 50 % on average within 30 min of waking as a physiological response to stay alert, with a blunted CAR resulting in fatigue symptoms. For the CAR, salivary cortisol is collected immediately on waking (t = 0) and again 30 min later (t = 30), and the difference (delta cortisol) between the two measurements are analyzed. Among the 27 studies that employed CAR, fourteen (51.9 %) showed a normal response, nine (23.3 %) had a diminished delta cortisol, and four (14.8 %) demonstrated an increased delta cortisol.
Table 2 Procedure (*) Number of studies (% of total) Not different (%) Decreased (%) Increased (%) DAC 29 (50.0 %) 19 (65.5 %) 6 (20.7 %) 4 (13.8 %) CAR 27 (46.6 %) 14 (51.9 %) 9 (33.3 %) 4 (14.8 %) SCR 26 (44.8 %) 16 (61.5 %) 7 (26.9 %) 3 (11.5 %) MSC 22 (37.9 %) 14 (63.6 %) 4 (18.2 %) 4 (18.2 %) NSC 22 (37.9 %) 13 (59.1 %) 3 (13.6 %) 6 (27.3 %) AUC 13 (22.4 %) 8 (61.5 %) 3 (23.1 %) 2 (15.4 %) DST 9 (15.5 %) 6 (66.7 %) 3 (33.3 %) - DHEA-S 6 (10.3 %) 4 (66.7 %) 2 (33.3 %) - ACTH 6 (10.3 %) 5 (83.3 %) - 1 (16.7 %) MST 5 (8.6 %) 4 (80.0 %) 1 (20.0 %) - UFC 3 (5.2 %) 1 (33.3 %) 2 (66.7 %) - CST 3 (5.2 %) - 2 (66.7 %) 1 (33.3 %) MAUC 3 (5.2 %) - 2 (66.7 %) 1 (33.3 %) CAR 60 min 2 (3.4 %) 2 (100 %) - - ACTH MST 2 (3.4 %) 2 (100 %) - - 4 PM cortisol 1 1 - - DST + CRH cortisol 1 1 - - DST + CRH ACTH 1 1 - - CAR 15 min 1 1 - - TCM 1 1 - - DHEA-S MST 1 - 1 - CRST cortisol 1 - 1 - CRST ACTH 1 - 1 - OGTT cortisol 1 - - 1 Cortisol/ACTH ratio 1 - - 1 Open in a separate window
Another method that became widely used to evaluate exhaustion/burnout/fatigue states is the salivary cortisol rhythm (SCR), which evaluates the change in cortisol levels between morning, afternoon, and late night. A total of 26 studies evaluated SCR (44.8 %). Some heterogeneity in the method was found between studies, but in general, salivary cortisol was collected at 8 AM, 4 PM, and 10–11 PM. While the SCR is considered as another fatigue marker [82, 83], like the CAR, there is no justification for considering this as an etiology for “adrenal fatigue”. Sixteen (61.5 %) studies showed no difference between fatigued and control patients, whereas seven (26.9 %) demonstrated an impaired decrease in the circadian SCR. The remaining three (11.6 %) studies disclosed a more pronounced decrease in cortisol level.
The direct awakening cortisol (DAC) level, collected at the exact moment of waking, was used in 29 studies (50.0 %). Unlike CAR, DAC reflects sleep quality rather than being a possible identifying factor of fatigue [84–86], even though a poor quality sleep plays an important role in the fatigue process [87–89]. In studies that employed DAC, inconsistent results were observed: normal results were found in nineteen (65.5 %) studies, elevated levels were shown in four (13.8 %), and reduced levels in six (20.7 %).
The DAC, CAR and SCR methods were by far the most commonly elected ones for examining the correlation between cortisol profile and fatigue status. However, a few other studies analyzed other aspects of cortisol release.
The dexamethasone (Dex) suppression test (DST) was also used in nine (15.3 %) studies. The DST identifies autonomous hypercortisolism, as cortisol production is normally suppressed by Dex. DSTs have also been used to investigate hypocortisolism, based on the supposed assumption that it promotes “oversuppression” of cortisol in low cortisol states, indicating that lower levels of cortisol would disclose a more prolonged suppression than controls [55, 90–93], although many studies do not show correlation between DST and fatigue [47, 55, 94, 95]. In six studies, a lower Dex dose (0.5 mg) was used in an attempt to improve the test sensitivity. Among these, four studies (66.7 %) showed the same results for both groups, whereas in two others (33.3 %), the test resulted in lower and prolonged suppression of cortisol levels in fatigued subjects. Moreover, an even lower Dex dose (0.25 mg) was performed in two studies and resulted in reduced cortisol in one study and normal levels in the group with exhaustion. In one study, Dex dose was not specified, but levels were not different among exhausted and control groups. As a whole, the DST was used in nine studies, and no significant differences were observed between fatigued and non-fatigued groups in six of these studies (66.7 %), whereas reduced levels were observed in three studies (33.3 %).
Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) is a pituitary peptide hormone that stimulates cortisol production by the adrenocortical zona fasciculata. Elevated ACTH occurs early in primary adrenal insufficiency, whereas inappropriate (normal) ACTH levels in the presence of low serum cortisol are found in secondary adrenal failure. Although, normal ACTH levels with normal cortisol levels does not exclude the possibility of relative adrenocortical failure. Six (10.3 %) studies employed the morning ACTH levels to compare fatigued and non-fatigued patients; no significant differences for ACTH, as well as for cortisol, were found in five studies (83.3 %), meanwhile one showed elevated ACTH levels in burnout patients (16.7 %).
On the other hand, three studies (5.2 %) used the low-dose cosyntropin (a synthetic 1-24 ACTH) stimulation test (CST), in which 1 μg of cosyntropin is used instead of the classic 250 μg dose, based on the premise that the CST is more accurate and sensitive for verifying the adrenocortical cortisol reserve [96], even though most findings indicate that both doses have similar accuracy [97, 98]. Surprisingly, one of three (33.3 %) studies disclosed a paradoxically higher cortisol increase compared to controls, while in two (66.7 %) lower levels were observed. Conversely, impaired cortisol and ACTH responses was observed in the fatigued group in a single study in which corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) was used to stimulate the HPA axis.
Three (5.2 %) studies measured 24 h-urinary free cortisol (UFC) in an attempt to correlate cortisol excretion rates with intensity of fatigue. Although the 24 h-UFC reflects the total cortisol produced per day, it was initially conceived to investigate cortisol excess syndromes, although diminished levels could hypothetically imply subnormal adrenal function, despite of lack of any evidence. One of these studies (33.3 %) found no correlation between 24 h-UFC and energy status, whereas two studies (66.7 %) showed reduced values in fatigued patients.
Thirteen studies (22.4 %) estimated total cortisol release (AUC) by calculating the areas under the curves for the whole day salivary cortisol collection by using three or more daily salivary cortisol levels over four or more days. Assessment of the total 24 h cortisol release by this method would complement the SCR, since the lack of the expected decrease throughout the day observed in some studies can be due either to a non-elevated morning serum cortisol (MSC) level or to a full day elevated cortisol, although three daily levels of cortisol is probably too few for a minimally precise AUC; herein, findings are conflicting. AUC was elevated in two (15.4 %) studies, normal in eight (61.5 %), and reduced in another three (23.1 %).
Twenty-two studies (37.9 %) compared baseline MSC between controls and fatigued patients; traditionally [98], this is the initial cortisol assessment to investigate possible hypocortisolism. Basal MSC was not different between individuals in fourteen (63.6 %) of these studies, was significantly reduced in fatigued patients in three (23.1 %), and was elevated in two (15.4 %).
Twenty-two articles (37.9 %) correlated late night salivary cortisol (11 PM NSC) and fatigue status. The NSC was initially validated to assess cortisol excess, as physiologically, one expects lower cortisol levels at the end of the day; although, NSC has been extended to investigate hypocortisolism in these studies, despite of lack of validation. Three studies (13.6 %) showed a lower cortisol level in fatigued subjects compared to controls, thirteen (59.1 %) found no differences, and six (27.3 %) showed increased levels in fatigued subjects.
Six studies (10.3 %) investigated the correlation between dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) levels and fatigue status. Reduced DHEA-S levels are usually found in hypocortisolism and are a potential marker of fatigue, although there is still not enough evidence to corroborate this affirmation. Four studies (66.7 %) found no correlation with DHEA-S, whereas two (33.3 %) found lower levels in chronic exhausted patients.
The morning estimated total cortisol release (MAUC) is obtained by calculating the area under the curves for the period between the awakening moment and 1 hour later, and is based on determining three or more salivary cortisol levels during this period of the day, although this method has also not been validated by any indexed study. A total of four studies (6.9 %) among the selected studies reported the MAUC. Two of these studies (50.0 %) showed reduced MAUC levels in fatigued subjects, one demonstrated increased results (25.0 %), and one demonstrated no differences (25.0 %).
Mental stress tests (MST) have been performed in some studies in order to identify possible differences in cortisol and ACTH release between fatigued and non-fatigued individuals. The most employed test was the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), which has been already validated as a stress trigger test [99–102], and requires complete HPA axis integrity for a proper response. Other types of MSTs have also been proposed and validated [103, 104]. MSTs were performed in five different studies in order to correlate cortisol and ACTH responses and burnout status. No difference was seen in four studies (80.0 %), whereas in one (20.0 %), cortisol and ACTH responses were impaired in exhausted individuals.
Some other tests were performed in a smaller number of the selected studies, as follows: two studies performed a 60 min CAR (both showed normal results among fatigued and non-fatigued subjects); one study performed a 15 min CAR (and showed normal results); two studies performed the ACTH MST (both used the TSST and found normal results); one study performed the DHEA-S MST (which also used the TSST and demonstrated normal results); one study performed the cortisol post Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) (and found no differences among fatigued and non-fatigued subjects); one study calculated cortisol/ACTH ratio (and found an increased ratio among exhausted subjects); one study evaluated the 4 PM cortisol level (and found no significant differences between exhausted subjects and controls); one study used 1.5 mg-Dex followed by 0.1 mg-CRH to stimulate cortisol and ACTH (and showed normal responses); one study stimulated ACTH and cortisol with 0.1 mg of CRH (and found reduced levels of both hormones in fatigued subjects compared to controls); and finally, one study evaluated the multiple urinary cortisol metabolites and calculated the Total Cortisol Metabolites (TCM) (and found no differences between fatigued subjects and controls).
Finally, we were not able to find studies in which the gold standard test for assessing the integrity and functionality of the HPA axis—the insulin tolerance test (ITT)—were performed. The same was true for the lipopolysaccharides (LPS) stimulation test. Both tests stimulate hypothalamic CRH secretion, leading to a complete evaluation of the HPA axis.Opening arguments are to begin on Wednesday in a civil trial into whether Rogers Communications Inc. misled consumers with its ad campaign promoting the discount cellphone brand Chatr — a case shaping up as an early test of the constitutionality of Canada’s recently amended Competition Act. The proceedings at Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Toronto will examine the Competition Bureau’s assertion that Rogers was misleading during a November 2010 ad campaign that claimed its cellphone and text service “had fewer dropped calls than new wireless carriers.”
Opening arguments are to begin on Wednesday in a civil trial into whether Rogers Communications Inc. misled consumers with its ad campaign promoting the discount cellphone brand Chatr — a case shaping up as an early test of the constitutionality of Canada’s recently amended Competition Act.
The Chatr spots drew complaints from upstart wireless companies in Canada, including Wind Mobile, and was pulled within a month of the Bureau filing its application for a hearing, the enforcement agency said. The Bureau maintains that Rogers had not carried out “adequate and proper testing” before making the claim and unfairly discredited its competitors. The Bureau demanded an end to the campaign, a public corrective notice, restitution to affected customers and a levy of up to $10 million against Rogers, the maximum allowed under 2009 amendments to the Competition Act in so-called administrative monetary penalties.
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Rogers says the Bureau is demanding substantiation that would require tests of network switching systems, technology controlled by competitors who protect the systems as proprietary assets. That switch test requirement is so onerous it infringes on its right to free expression as a result, Rogers claims. In a pre-hearing into the constitutional arguments on Tuesday, an expert witness for the defence, J. Howard Beales, former director of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said a guilty ruling against Rogers could actually limit dissemination of information in wireless industry marketing. In some cases, testing standards can be too rigorous, too costly and not necessary to assure truth in advertising, Beales said. The result can be to discourage advertisers from making reasonable claims that lack test-based support — claims that can otherwise promote innovation and price competition in the marketplace. Rogers also argues that the hefty administrative penalty amounts to a criminal fine in a proceeding where defendants lack the normal protections afforded in criminal matters. The Bureau has challenged a number of performance-based advertising claims in diverse industries, with Bell Canada last year agreeing to pay the $10 million penalty after the Bureau found it had charged higher prices than advertised for services including home phone, Internet, satellite TV and wireless. The Rogers case is the first case to challenge the constitutionality of the administrative penalties for misleading advertising. The trial is expected to last several weeks.So how did you first get involved in making board games?
It really came as a surprise! Shadi Torbey involved me. We met in Brussels at the end of my studies and he took my card, then 3 years later he found it again when he was looking for an artist to draw Onirim. He asked me if I would be interested in realizing the prototype. I loved the idea of putting nightmares and dreams in images as I’m fond of poetry and really love to escape from reality. That’s how it all began.
When you are working on the art of a board game can you give us a quick overview of your creative or thought process and has this changed at all since you first started?
Every game in the Oniverse has a different theme; The Labyrinth for Onirim, The City for Urbion, The Forest for Sylvion, The Sand Castle for Castellion and The Aquatic World in Nautilion. I first stop and try to think about what this implies specifically. Then I try to imagine how that would look in the Oniverse. In fact, I just begin to dream, take some paper and let the pen run. Some of my ideas are really stupid but some are better. Shadi helps me to sort these out and keep it all coherent.
I’m much more organized now than I was before. Drawing the first game in the series (Onirim) took me a long time because I was very impulsive. I didn’t take the constraints into consideration, like what the dimensions of a card were, or the placement of the pictograms. I really just threw some ideas down on whatever I had to hand at that moment. Bus tickets, tax papers, anything really and I ended up having to redo the same drawings multiple times. I now manage to channel my energy in a more proactive and efficient way.To prevent homeless people from taking over bus stops, Anaheim has removed several benches in a high-traffic area around the Disneyland Resort.
Since October, the city has taken out bus benches at the four stops at Harbor Boulevard and Katella Avenue, and another bench further north in front of the Captain Kidd’s restaurant.
City spokesman Mike Lyster said having benches had “outlived its purpose.” Some homeless in the area, he said, often used the covered stops as a makeshift shelter and the benches as beds. Illegal activity was common, he said.
“It pains us to have to remove bus benches,” Lyster said. “We know many people use them to get to and from work, or to visit the resort. But the reality is bus riders lost use of these benches a long time ago. Bus riders would end up standing in the sun waiting for buses as the benches were taken up.”
He said the city is doing its best to assist people who are homeless to get access to “shelters, healthcare and long-term housing as part of our efforts to address homelessness.”
“No one should have to stay at a bus shelter, and we can help.”
There are about 800 homeless people living in the city, and hundreds more have set up tent cities along the Santa Ana River near the Honda Center down to past Angel Stadium.
Tourists stand and wait and some pass by a bus stop Tuesday, July 3 on the corner of Katella Avenue and Harbor Boulevard in Anaheim. The city, since October, has removed several bus benches in the area to prevent homeless from taking shelter at the bus stops and sleeping on the benches. (Staff photo by Joseph Pimentel, Orange County Register)
Jeff Raulino, 53, (right) stands under a bus stop on the corner of Katella Avenue and Harbor Boulevard. Raulino, who has hung out in that area the past four years, says he understands why the city removed the bus benches. (Staff photo by Joseph Pimentel/ Orange County Register)
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Transient Cynthia Mena, 41, (right) has lived under this bus stop in front of 7/11 on Katella Avenue and Harbor Boulevard since January. Mena says she used to sleep on one of the benches before the city removed it two months ago. “They told me they were going to powerwash it. Yeah right,”(Staff photo by Joseph Pimentel, Orange County Register)
Transients hang out at a bus stop on Katella Avenue and Harbor Boulevard Tuesday, July 3, 2017 in Anaheim. The city, since October 2016, has removed several bus benches to prevent homeless from using the bus stop as a makeshift shelter and sleeping on the benches. (Staff photo by Joseph Pimentel, Orange County Register)
Tourists walk by a bus Tuesday, July 3 on the corner of Katella Avenue and Harbor Boulevard in Anaheim. The city has removed several benches on bus stops to prevent illegal activity and homeless from sleeping on the bus benches. (Staff photo by Joseph Pimentel, Orange County Register)
City workers power wash a bus stop on the corner of Harbor Boulevard and Katella Avenue Monday, July 3, 2017. The city, since October 2016, has removed several benches on that corner to prevent homeless from taking over the bus stops and sleeping on the benches. (Staff photo by Joseph Pimentel, Orange County Register)
On a recent morning, several homeless people living in the area said they understand the city’s plight. As hundreds passed by walking toward Disneyland’s entrance, Linda Henriquez, 64, stood underneath a bus stop subtly asking for change. She said she has been sleeping off-and-on in a bus stop on Harbor and Katella for the past two years.
The bus shelter felt safer to her, she said, than The Courtyard, the shelter the county created at the old downtown Santa Ana bus terminal, or along the riverbed.
“I think they got frustrated with the homeless people sleeping on the benches, but you know, they are doing it anyways,” she said. “Now, we’re sleeping on the floor.”
Henriquez said the benches had become filthy, “It had stains from soda and alcohol, food. Some had urine on them.”
Jeff Raulino, 53, said he has hung out in the area for the past four years. He figures the main issue is the “young homeless adults.” The corner has five convenience stores that serve alcohol.
“What happens is at night, the kids buy the alcohol and hang out at the bus stops and get rowdy,” Raulino said. “Some of the cops have said it’s OK to sleep around here – just do it late at night and wake up early.”
Several people resorted to sitting on nearby concrete fencing or standing and leaning against the bus stops as they waited for a bus. Raveena Lal, 19, waited for a Lux Bus to take her and her family to Downtown Los Angeles. A tourist from New Zealand, she said it’s an inconvenience for her mother and grandmother to have to stand to wait for a bus.
“They should figure out a way to bring benches here especially for the elderly guests,” she said.
Raulino said the city should look for other ways to regulate the area, but he understands why the city removed the benches.
“We deserve it,” Raulino said. “But the tourists don’t deserve this.”Only five months after MBC’s “Rebel: The Thief Who Stole the People,” Kim Ji Suk is returning to the screen for the MBC drama “20th Century Boy and Girl.” The upcoming drama will be Kim Ji Suk’s first lead role in a romantic comedy, which is drawing a lot of excitement from fans.
In “Rebel: The Thief Who Stole the People,” Kim Ji Suk portrayed the tyrannical King Yeon San unlike any previous performance of the historical character. His performance consistently brought him high praise and even became known as his “lifetime role.” Through his delicate performance, King Yeon San was depicted in a whole new light and featured new aspects to the role.
Compared to his last role in “Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People” in which his character was crazed and cold blooded, “20th Century Boy and Girl” shows his intellectual side and is the perfect mix of talents and visuals. His character Gong Ji Won will highlight his unique charm as a sweet and straightforward romantic man.
Kim Ji Suk stole the hearts of women viewers in tvN’s “I Need Romance 2” and last year’s “Another Oh Hae Young” where he showed off his lovableness, good sense, vitality, as well as his viability as a “romantic comedy king.” Ladies will not have to wait much longer to catch a glimpse at his heart-fluttering visuals and wide acting spectrum this fall.
Watch the trailer for “20th Century Boy and Girl” below!
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Source (1)Every year Edge.org gets some certifiably smart people to give answers to a Big Question. This year’s Big Question is “What should we be worried about?” I suppose if I was invited to comment, it would be about the decline of Whites in all societies that have been historically White, from Australia to Europe, and what that might mean in terms of future racial/ethnic conflict as multiculturalism continues to march forward unimpeded.
But none of these smart people are concerned about that. Nevertheless, there are a couple of comments that bear on these issues. Geoffrey Miller, an evolutionary psychologist at the University of New Mexico and NYU, discusses Chinese eugenics as a long term threat to the West. In the West, as John Glad has shown, eugenics was a casualty of World War II and the successful effort by Jewish intellectual activists linking eugenics with the Holocaust. Eugenics is alive and well in Israel and China, but any mention of eugenics is greeted by the West with moral panic. Miller notes that “With the 1995 Maternal and Infant Health Law (known as the Eugenic Law until Western opposition forced a name change), China forbade people carrying heritable mental or physical disorders from marrying, and promoted mass prenatal ultrasound testing for birth defects.”
In the early part of the 20th century, eugenics based on Darwinism was common knowledge, and there were concerns about the future of the race, but among Europeans like Madison Grant and the Chinese:
Many scientists and reformers of Republican China (1912-1949) were ardent Darwinians and Galtonians. They worried about racial extinction (miezhong) and “the science of deformed fetuses” (jitaixue), and saw eugenics as a way to restore China’s rightful place as the world’s leading civilization after a century of humiliation by European colonialism.
China, like Israel, is an ethnostate, with a strong commitment to ensuring the future of the race:
One of Deng’s legacies is China’s current strategy of maximizing “Comprehensive National Power”. This includes economic power (GDP, natural resources, energy, manufacturing, infrastructure, owning America’s national debt), military power (cyberwarfare, anti-aircraft-carrier ballistic missiles, anti-satellite missiles), and ‘soft power’ (cultural prestige, the Beijing Olympics, tourism, Chinese films and contemporary art, Confucius Institutes, Shanghai’s skyscrapers). But crucially, Comprehensive National Power also includes “biopower”: creating the world’s highest-quality human capital in terms of the Chinese population’s genes, health, and education ….
There is unusually close cooperation in China between government, academia, medicine, education, media, parents, and consumerism in promoting a utopian Han ethno-state. Given what I understand of evolutionary behavior genetics, I expect—and hope—that they will succeed. The welfare and happiness of the world’s most populous country depends upon it.
Miller sees this as a threat to the West which continues to put view eugenics from the cultural Marxist perspective:
My real worry is the Western response. The most likely response, given Euro-American ideological biases, would be a bioethical panic that leads to criticism of Chinese population policy with the same self-righteous hypocrisy that we have shown in criticizing various Chinese socio-cultural policies. But the global stakes are too high for us to act that stupidly and short-sightedly. A more mature response would be based on mutual civilizational respect, asking—what can we learn from what the Chinese are doing, how can we help them, and how can they help us to keep up as they create their brave new world?
Another response to the same Edge Big Question is by Douglas Kenrick, an evolutionary psychologist at Arizona State University.
The movie Idiocracy was hardly academy award material, but it began with an interesting premise: Given that there is no strong selection for high IQ in the modern world, less intelligent people are having more children than are more intelligent people. Extrapolating that trend for 500 years, the movie’s producers depicted a world populated by numbskulls. Is this a possibility?
According to Kenrick, it is a possibility. He focuses on people who have large families because there is a negative association between IQ and family size. And he thinks the main reason people have large families is conservative religion. Such people are a danger because they threaten to cut off scientific research which is the lifeblood of a productive economy.
And there is another potential ironic twist. If the population of less educated religiously conservative individuals increases, and continues to vote as they have been voting, funding for education and scientific research is also likely to decrease. A less educated population could contribute not only to an upward shift in population size, but also to a downward economic spiral. … So to the extent that a growing anti-intellectual portion of the population manages to cut funds for education and for scientific research, they effectively cut off the system that feeds what has been the world’s most productive “human capital” machine.
Kenrick manages to do all this without talking about the racial/ethnic angle in America and now pretty much throughout the West. Any policy proposing that lower IQ people should have smaller families would be met with a firestorm of criticism from low IQ groups (Blacks, Latinos) and the entire leftist cultural establishment. One can only imagine the hostility such a policy would be greeted by the New York Times editorial writers. (Miller notes that one reason for China’s one-child policy was to curb dysgenic fertility among rural people because traditionally they had large families.)
And the problem is not really religious conservatives cutting off funding for science. Just today in California, Gov. Jerry Brown said that the University of California and the California State University systems have to cut back on research and formulate plans (like online classes) so that more students can be processed. This will be hugely resisted by the universities, but the writing is on the wall because of a mass influx of low-IQ people in need of high levels of services. In a Wall Street Journal article (“California’s Greek Tragedy“), two Stanford professors, Michael F. Boskin and John F. Cogan, note that
from the mid-1980s to 2005, California’s population grew by 10 million, while Medicaid recipients soared by seven million; tax filers paying income taxes rose by just 150,000; and the prison population swelled by 115,000. … With 12% of America’s population, California has one third of the nation’s welfare recipients.
So while China is doing everything it can to improve the genetic quality of its population and has a strong sense of being an ethno-state, the U.S. is importing massive numbers of poorly educated, low-IQ types whose need for government services inevitably trumps scientific research and having first-class universities.
Finally, a comment by John Tooby epitomizes how so many evolutionary psychologists completely discount the importance of ethnic collectivities. Indeed, Tooby writes that there is
a second category of menaces—hidden, deadly, ever-adapting, already here—that worry me even more: the evolved monsters from the id that we all harbor (e.g., group identity, the appetite for prestige and power, etc.), together with their disguised offspring, the self-organizing collective delusions that we all participate in, and mistake for reality.
The Chinese and the Israelis have quite obviously developed a strong collective ethnic identity; they have ethno-states that are directed at advancing the interests of a particular ethnic group. And both the Chinese and the Jews have a long history of practicing eugenics within their group (for China, see Miller; for Jews, see Glad or my 1994 book, A People That Shall Dwell Alone). How exactly are these mistakes? These policies are aimed at furthering the ethnic interests of their peoples, while in the West the idea that White people have ethnic/racial interests is derided as without merit — as yet another example lingering racism, etc.
Most evolutionary psychologists have had their heads in the sand when it comes to group conflict and selection between groups (but certainly not Frank Salter). Tooby continues in this tradition. It’s always struck me as amazing that scientists who purport to take evolution seriously can be completely oblivious to natural selection in the contemporary world. They can easily spot natural selection in the natural world as one animal or sub-species competes with another within an ecological niche, with the result that some genes survive and prosper and some do not. But the decline of Whites in all societies that have been historically White, from Australia to Europe gets nothing but yawns. Not important.
Tooby is also quite aware that the intellectual world is full of ingroups and tribes:
Consider the cascade of collective cognitive pathologies produced in our intellectual coalitions by ingroup tribalism, self-interest, prestige-seeking, and moral one-upsmanship:
That is exactly the thesis of The Culture of Critique, but Tooby would doubtless by horrified at the thought that quite a few of the things intellectuals like him believe are the result of ethnic conflict over the construction of culture where—as in the case of eugenics— Jewish ingroup tribalism has played a critical role, as has moral condemnation of Whites and their culture. All of the Jewish intellectual movements discussed in The Culture of Critique involved moral critiques of the West, most especially for the history of anti-Semitism.
But if, as Miller predicts, the Chinese evolve into a super race by utilizing the principles of eugenics — if they are able to create a society with an even higher average IQ and relatively free of psychiatric disorders, they will enormously increase their competitive ability by being able to have well-ordered, technologically sophisticated societies unhampered by divisive ethnic conflict as the West slides toward idiocracy.
Meanwhile, the West is left to impotent moral outrage—a sure-fire prescription for evolutionary oblivion. Given the role of Jewish intellectuals in creating the current hostility toward eugenics in the West, one must at least entertain the possibility that their motivation has a lot to do with making the peoples of the West less competitive—particularly when we note that Israel is committed to eugenics and I am unaware of Jewish intellectuals in the West criticizing Israeli practices.You know, it’s been a while saince I’ve written up some clever Google Glass hack simply because it was awesome. Let’s fix that.
Looking to test the concept of using Glass as a second screen, Android developer Mike DiGiovanni has managed to capture Grand Theft Auto’s oh-so-crucial in-game GPS interface, beaming it to the player’s eyepiece in real time.
Now, if you’ve spent every free minute since GTA V’s release blasting around Los Santos, one caveat: Mike had to go back a few generations to make this work. It requires GTA to be running on a computer, which, as many a scorned PC gamer could tell you, means Grand Theft Auto V is out. GTA 4, meanwhile, didn’t want to boot up on any of Mike’s systems. So this is all built around 2001’s Grand Theft Auto 3.
(A render of what the player sees when using Mike’s setup. Capturing and properly portraying things actually running on Google Glass is really, really tough — hence the lack of video).
So, how does it all work?
While Google has promised to give developers a way to communicate from device-to-device, they haven’t released much on that front yet. So Mike built his own two-part solution; on the PC, you’ve got an app that is capturing the portion of the screen where GTA’s on-screen GPS unit sits and sending it off to your Glass unit. On Glass, you’ve got an application (built on the “plain old Android SDK”, as Mike tells me, since Google has yet to release the official, native Glass SDK) that listens for the GPS visuals to be fired over across the WiFi network and then pushes them to the display.
Is it a bit hacky? Absolutely! But as a |
W. Bush’s White House the “Friday Night Presidency” for its practice of hiding controversial press releases at the end of the news cycle. Bush’s Friday night surprises included approving a Texas redistricting plan, a report that household incomes had dropped for three straight years, and news that the EPA was loosening regulations.
The Obama administration is also no stranger to dumping unpopular news on Friday night, and a long-awaited report on the Keystone XL pipeline last week was enough to give environmentalists a weekend of heartburn. At 3:30pm on Friday, the State Department released a 2,000 page analysis of the Keystone XL pipeline proposal that progressives hoped would highlight the negative environmental impacts of the project. Instead, the report found Keystone would have “no significant impacts to most resources along the proposed Project route.“ The news isn’t pleasing some progressives, with groups like the Sierra Club already registering their “outrage” and calling the report “malpractice.”
Friday night releases by the current White House have stoked liberal ire before. On October 14th, 2011, the administration announced it was ending the Affordable Care Act’s long-term care insurance option, citing concerns of financial sustainability.
But like his predecessor, President Obama has also used the tactic to muffle news that would irk his opponents. On Friday March 16, 2012, the Health and Human Services Department slipped-in a requirement that religiously-affiliated employers provide insurance that covers contraception. And the Department of Homeland Security announced it was halting the deportation of young undocumented immigrants on Friday June 15th, 2012.
The Friday night news dump is a time-honored tradition in politics, but it no longer ensures the news is hidden from the public eye. Alex Wagner and the NOW panel discussed the political implications of the State Department report on Keystone, and how the president may need to mitigate a liberal backlash.Tempo di lettura stimato: 2 minuti
Durham Ox era un gigantesco bovino castrato che pesava 1350 Kg.
Diventò leggendario in Inghilterra, nei primi anni dell’800: veniva trasportato su un carro speciale, progettato e decorato appositamente e venne portato in tour per paesi e città inglesi e scozzesi per circa 6 anni!
Gli spettatori pagavano un biglietto, all’epoca oneroso, per ammirare la stupefacente bestia.
Durham Ox divenne il simbolo del potere e della superiorità della razza bovina selezionata dagli allevatori inglesi, che la moderna potenza coloniale esibiva al mondo intero.
In anni successivi al tour, l’esposizione bovina presso lo Smithfield Club divenne un avvenimento sociale di grandissima importanza, che esaltava il senso della superiorità della nobiltà inglese e della famiglia reale.
Durham Ox divenne un fenomeno sociale: quadri e stampe che rappresentavano su sfondi bucolici, bovini obesi, vincitori di concorsi, diventarono i complementi d’arredo della case degli aristocratici quanto delle classi subalterne.
Una tipologia di tabacco allora in auge, adoperava la denominazione del “nobile bovino”.
Durham Ox divenne la metafora della ricchezza e del prestigio della classe dominante inglese: le “nobili proteine della carne” non sono un’espressione medico-scientifica (come moltissimi credono ancora tutt’oggi) ma il postulato di una supremazia creata artificialmente, eugenetica e classista.
Questo desiderio di onnipotenza e il nutrirsi di carne grassa, divenne simbolo di benessere e misura del gusto, aspirazione che si estese tanto alla classe media inglese quanto a quella proletaria, a partire dalla 1a rivoluzione industriale.
La “nuova cultura della carne grassa” allineava tutte le classi sociali verso un obiettivo gastronomico comune, in Inghilterra, nel resto d’Europa e in fasi successive questa “mission” fu estesa a tutti gli altri Continenti, con le politiche coloniali.
La “conquista del West” ovvero l’invasione bovina delle Grandi Praterie del Nord America, ad opera degli aristocratici e banchieri inglesi, è stato uno dei capitoli più vergognosi della storia degli U.S.A., in quanto le Grandi Praterie furono convertite in allevamenti intensivi di Bovini e le popolazioni dei Nativi furono massacrate e segregate nelle riserve.
Rimane, tutt’oggi ancora vivo e diffusissimo, il lavaggio del cervello e del gusto, operato e sostenuto a livello mondiale dalle potenti lobby degli allevatori e produttori di carne, che a partire dalla creazione di Durham Ox, sono stati in grado di creare e perfezionare un modello di sfruttamento capitalistico, quanto uno standard di produzione industriale che nel tempo si è esteso a tutti i settori produttivi: il magnate delle automobili, Henry Ford, perfezionò la produzione delle automobili, traendo ispirazione dall’organizzazione del lavoro, meccanizzata e ferrea dei mattatoi di Chicago, che offrivano condizioni di lavoro disumane.
L’artificiale “cultura della bistecca” di stampo anglo-americana è diventata pervasiva a livello mondiale ed ha fornito la “spiegazione unificata” sulle differenze di genere e di classe, sull’identità nazionale (tradizioni), sulle politiche coloniali e sulle teorie delle razze: un’influenza ideologica, assertiva e psicologica di livello mondiale che ha manipolato i principi che costituiscono la moderna visione del mondo e ai quali moltissime persone ancora si ispirano e ne sono guidati, indipendentemente dalle appartenenze ideologiche e di classe sociale, di razza o religiose.
Marco Brezza
Per maggiori informazioni:
Harriet Ritvo, The animal estate: The English and other creatures in the Victorian age, Harvard University Press, 1987.
Carol J. Adams, The Sexual Politics of Meat, Continuum, 1990.
Maurice Frink, When Grass Was King, University of Colorado Press, 1956.
Eric B. Ross, Beyond the Myths of Culture, Academic Press, 1980.
Edward E. Dale, Cow Country, University of Oklahoma Press, 1943.
Klaus Meyn, Beef Production in East Africa, Weltforum-Verlag, 1970.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durham_Ox
Nulla foto: John Boultbee, Etching of the Durham Ox, (1753-1812).
35 condivisioni Facebook TwitterStewart Lawrence | Stewart J. Lawrence is a Washington, D.C.-based public policy analyst who writes frequently on immigration and Latino affairs. He is also founder and managing director of Puentes & Associates, Inc., a bilingual survey research and communications firm.
The very idea is anathema to Cruz supporters. Didn’t he win the Iowa caucuses? Isn’t he the only GOP candidate yet to defeat Donald Trump? And who else but Cruz can hold the line on “amnesty” and a host of other bedrock conservative issues?
Yes, but it’s time for Texas’s freshman senator to face some facts. After three straight losses — the most recent of them to Marco Rubio as well as to Trump, his campaign is fading fast. You can see it and hear it in his dejected post-election “victory” speeches in South Carolina and Nevada. Cruz gamely tried to suggest — all appearances to the contrary – that he’s still winning the battle for the nomination. But even the candidate doesn’t look or sound like he believes it anymore.
Make no mistake: Cruz is still in contention in some key states that hold primaries next Tuesday. He’s in first place in Arkansas and is running neck and neck with Rubio in Minnesota. But the contest in his home state of Texas – with a treasure trove of 177 delegates, almost 15 percent of the total needed to win – may be the clearest sign yet that Cruz is in deep trouble.
Until recently, Cruz had a double-digit lead in the Lone Star State – but not anymore. The latest poll places Cruz, Trump and now even Rubio – who is surging fast — in a statistical dead heat. Maybe Cruz will rally, but Texas is Bush country, and after Bush’s withdrawal, most of Bush’s people have swung behind Rubio. A Rubio victory would completely alter the narrative of the GOP race – that Trump is unstoppable. And it would make it completely untenable for Cruz to continue.
But what if Cruz manages to squeak by? That may pose a far bigger problem for the GOP. Why? Because it will stoke Cruz’s determination to continue a race that he cannot win. If Cruz waits too much longer to withdraw, Trump will win a plurality in most of the contests in the South on March 1 and 15th. That will place him firmly on the march to winning the nomination.
The evidence from recent contests puts the lie to the argument that Cruz can unify the GOP. He has a firm hold on many of the party’s most conservative voters, but has proven unable to break out and capture other groups. Pulling out a squeaker of a victory in Texas will not alter these campaign fundamentals in the slightest.
Contrast Cruz’s performance to that of his rivals. Rubio is surging because he is winning over Tea Party conservatives, national security conservatives, and especially moderate evangelicals. Kasich has a strong base among party moderates, which he parlayed to great advantage in New Hampshire. Trump captures elements of all party sectors — conservatives, evangelicals and moderates. Cruz remains trapped within his uber-conservative orbit.
In fact, Cruz has never really tried to break out. His entire campaign is premised on conservative ideological “purity” — but that’s not the top concern of most GOP voters. True, they aren’t looking for conservative betrayal, either — one reason that Bush failed so miserably after embracing amnesty and Common Core. But most Republicans are open to a candidate who will shake up Washington but also has the skills to maneuver and to get things done. They realize that some compromise will be required. Cruz, who has demonstrated a willingness to hold the GOP-controlled Congress hostage and to damage the Republican brand with the general electorate for personal gain, doesn’t seem to fit the bill.
Cruz’s battles with Rubio and Trump seem only to have diminished his stature. In a decisive showdown with Trump, he accused the billionaire real estate mogul of having “New York values.” The implication was that Trump was not a “true” conservative but harbored strong sympathy for liberalism. Trump demolished Cruz during this exchange, and even had Cruz clapping. It was the debate equivalent of wrestling’s “two-point reversal,” and Cruz has never really recovered.
In fact, Cruz has only damaged himself further by employing ugly campaign tactics and persevering in them even in the face of exposure and criticism. It started in Iowa, with the spreading of false rumors about Ben Carson’s “withdrawal” from the race and the use of phony election documents. It’s continued with fraudulent robo-calls intended to embarrass Trump, and with grossly misleading claims about Rubio’s political record.
Whatever short term advantage Cruz may have gained – in Iowa above all—from these tactics, they have all but disqualified Cruz as a viable GOP standard-bearer. GOP voters are looking for a pugnacious fighter and a party unifier but increasingly Cruz comes off like a clever and under-handed hatchet man who genuinely relishes the dark side of political life.
Cruz isn’t the only GOP candidate that might consider withdrawing. And he has every right to soldier on through March 1 to try to win his home state. But if Cruz is truly intent on seeing Trump defeated for the nomination, he needs to realize that his own candidacy is making that task harder, not easier. That’s not a pro-Rubio or pro-Trump position. It’s simply the facts.Post originally published on https://claudiajs.com/. Republished with author’s permission.
Introduction
Effective test automation is one of the corner stones of modern software quality, but for many teams out there, moving to AWS Lambda creates major test automation challenges. With no control over infrastructure, and an almost magical execution environment, it can be difficult to judge how much local automated tests actually de-risk important concerns. Wiring everything up just makes tests too brittle and too slow, but running things in isolation doesn’t give anyone enough confidence.
With a bit of upfront thinking about code design, and building testability in, it can be relatively easy to test Lambda functions, API Gateway wrappers and all the typical service integrations, while still keeping the maintenance cost and execution time in check. Here’s how!
How Lambda Changes the Game for Testing
Services running in AWS Lambda are great because developers do not need to care too much about infrastructure. But that doesn’t remove infrastructure risks — it just changes them. Although scaling and distribution risks are no longer a big issue, configuration, wiring and deployment become significantly more important. Some things, such as testing database disconnects and service restarts, aren’t even possible to cause in an automated way, save from launching a nuclear attack on an AWS data centre. So we have to design the software differently to de-risk such concerns.
Unless you’re working internally at AWS, the infrastructure where code runs in Lambda is a big unknown, and lots of people are justifiably concerned about how much a passing local test means for de-risking production environments. It’s trivially easy to set up several copies of the same software in Lambda, so the typical brute-force solution is to run all tests completely integrated, end-to-end. This might be almost free, but it’s not very effective time-wise. First of all, although new deployments don’t cost anything directly, they aren’t instantaneous, so they introduce indirect cost in lost developer time. Even with a simple AWS Lambda + API Gateway combination, a deployment might take a minute or so due to rate-limits on configuration API calls. That’s enough to definitely eliminate the option of running a clean deployment for each test. Likewise, because most people use Lambda functions to communicate to other services such as S3 or DynamoDB, testing everything end-to-end often causes tests to be slow and brittle, limiting the number of automated tests people can afford to run after each commit. On the other hand, speeding up tests but compromising on risk coverage is dangerous. Fast tests that do not address risks are like fast food. Easy to make, easy to consume, but in the long-term damaging your health.
In order to solve that puzzle, most teams will need to re-think how they approach design and testing.
A Small But Important Terminological Digression
Testing terminology is often a cause of chaos and misunderstanding, in particular when people mistake the type of risk and the area of coverage. For example, it’s a popular belief that unit tests are purely technical developer-oriented tests, but they don’t have to be. Unit tests cover an area of a code unit, typically a small function, in isolation. They can inspect that unit of code from a technical perspective, or from a business perspective. They can also inspect it from a performance standpoint. Luckily, in most cases, a small unit of code often doesn’t do anything important business-wise, so the mapping from surface area to risk type is correct in many cases for unit tests. However, as the area starts growing, the difference becomes more important. That’s particularly problematic when discussing integration tests.
Without trying to start a comment war, I’d like to be able to discuss two types of tests separately in this article, but for most people the two groups have the same name. So I’ll have to give them different names in order to refer to them separately in this article. Here it goes:
Integration tests are those that primarily de-risk connections between various components, normally something you build and something that someone else has built. For example, a test that checks if my code saves things correctly to an S3 file system would be an integration test. The primary characteristic identifying an integration test is the type of risk it covers, and this category does not imply anything about the area of coverage. They can be automated against a single unit of code, around several components, through a subsystem or even around the entire system.
Integrated tests are those that check the system as a single piece, integrated into the final form. The primary characteristic of such tests is the area they cover, not the type of risk they are inspecting. So, for example, it’s possible to have a integrated test that checks for security compliance, or an integrated test for business workflows.
These two terms describe two different dimensions of a test. Of course, it’s possible to have an integrated test that checks for integration risks, but they don’t have to. And because most people don’t question the two dimensions, they always run integration tests fully integrated. This, unfortunately, creates a major headache in a situation where the environment is a huge risk, such as when your software runs in the cloud.
The deeper the code is in the system, the more difficult it is to exercise all the boundary conditions end-to-end. For example, to properly test for XML parsing problems we may need to come up with lots of weird scenarios that cause an invalid XML message to get generated. But what if there’s some kind of validation upfront that discards invalid documents in another component? Then the internal XML parsing module will never get any of those weird scenarios. So it’s not enough to think about edge cases of just one component, we have to consider all the components in combination.
Let’s say, optimistically, that we’re only talking about two components and that each has 10 important edge cases. To reasonably cover just the expected risks, we’ll need 100 test cases — a product of the two types of variations. But if we divide the concerns, and inspect each component separately, there are only 20 test cases needed. However, we’ve not really covered all the risks then, because there might be problems in the way those two components talk to each other. That’s where integration tests come in. As long as we can cover the integration of the two components separately, it’s far better to run smaller tests. They’ll work faster, they will be easier to maintain, and there will be significantly fewer tests to run compared to trying to cover everything with integrated tests. Instead of 100 integrated tests, we can have 20 component tests, five or so integration tests and perhaps one more end-to-end smoke test just to confirm that everything is connected correctly. Even with just two components, we can reduce the number of test cases by 75% and significantly speed up the majority of them, probably reducing total execution time by 95%. Add more components into the mix and the numbers rise significantly.
The larger the area of coverage, the slower the tests are generally, and the more difficult to maintain. But if we design our code so that we can check different types of risks separately, then tests become reasonably easy to work with. So the trick is in designing the code for testability.
How This Idea Applies to Lambda Functions
Here’s a simple Lambda function that kind of works, but gets the whole design wrong. It listens to S3 events, and when a file is uploaded to a S3 bucket, it uppercases the contents, and saves the result to a file in a different folder on S3. The transformation is simple in this case, just to keep the code easy to read, but you can imagine this doing much more complex things, for example converting spreadsheets to PDFs.
var aws = require('aws-sdk') ; exports.handler = function (event, context) { var convert(bucket, fileKey) { var s3 = new aws.S3 (), Transform = require('stream').Transform, uppercase = new Transform({decodeStrings: false}), stream ; uppercase._transform = function (chunk, encoding, done) { done(null, chunk.toUpperCase ()); } ; stream = s3.getObject({ Bucket: bucket, Key: fileKey }).createReadStream (); stream.setEncoding('utf8') ; stream.pipe(uppercase) ; s3.upload({ Bucket: bucket, Key: fileKey.replace(/^in/,'out'), Body: uppercase, ACL:'private'}, context.done) ; }, eventRecord = event.Records && event.Records[0] ; if (eventRecord) { if (eventRecord.eventSource ==='aws:s3'&& eventRecord.s3) { convert( eventRecord.s3.bucket.name, eventRecord.s3.object.key ) ; } else { context.fail('unsupported event source') ; } } else { context.fail('no records in the event') ; } } ;
The problem with this function is that it’s almost impossible to test well in an automated way. Sure, we can load it even without running in Lambda, but we’d still have to connect to a real S3 service. We could run tests with simulated events that look similar to S3 events, but that will still be very slow and brittle. It will be difficult to test error scenarios. For example, testing what happens when the upload breaks mid-way would need some kind of network failure exactly at the right moment, but things like that are difficult to automate and simulate. Because this function is difficult to test properly, many important edge cases just won’t be covered.
The first step in making this kind of function testable is to look at all the different concerns, and test them separately. Then look at the integration between the different points and inspect that separately as well. Finally, have one test that just checks if everything is configured and connected correctly, running end-to-end.
Here’s a quick list of different risks in this function:
Wiring and configuration: Are we receiving the S3 events from the correct bucket? Are we saving to the correct bucket? Does the role for the Lambda function have the correct access rights for the bucket?
Technical workflows: Are we using the incoming events correctly? Are we handling the errors well?
Business logic: Is the file conversion correct? Are we saving the results to the right folder based on the input file name?
Integration: Are we reading the Lambda event structure correctly? Are we reading and writing files to S3 correctly?
To be able to inspect each of those separately, we first need to break down the code into several functions. One good guide for that is the Hexagonal architecture pattern, also called Ports-and-Adapters.
The Hexagonal Architecture is a design pattern where the core of an application does not directly talk with external resources or allow any external collaborators to talk to it directly. Instead, it talks to a layer of boundary interfaces, using protocols designed specifically for that application. External collaborators then connect to those interfaces,and translate from the concepts and protocols important for resource to the ones important for the application. For example, the core of the application in a Hexagonal Architecture wouldn’t directly receive Lambda events, it would receive something in an application-specific format, say with filePath and location describing where to read the file from. An adapter would be responsible for converting between the Lambda event format and the application event format.
Similarly, the core of the application would not talk to S3 directly, but it would talk to a boundary interface that is specific for its needs. For example, the FileSystem could be any object that has two functions: readAsStream and writeFromStream. We would then write a separate S3FileSystem object that implements that particular interface, and talks to S3.
This separation would allow us to test S3 integration without worrying about internal workflows. It would also allow us to test internal error handling easier, by providing a different FileSystem interface that we could control easily, and trigger errors.
So let’s start to break this monolith apart. The first thing we need to do is to pull out the service workflow, the core of our hexagon, from the Lambda processing interface. This would allow us to could supply it with any event, file system or converter. To keep it consistent with Node.js execution, we’ll also provide it with a callback for asynchronous execution. For homework, to try out an even more extreme case of Hexagonal Architecture, convert this to use the Promise objects available with Lambda using Node.js 4.3.2.
module.exports = function conversionService(event, fileSystem, converter, callback) { if (! event) { callback('event not specified') ; return ; } var outputFilePath, inputStream, convertedStream ; try { outputFilePath = event.filePath.replace(/^in/,'out') ; inputStream = fileSystem.readAsStream(event.filePath, event.location) ; convertedStream = converter(inputStream) ; fileSystem.writeFromStream( outputFilePath, event.location, convertedStream, callback ) ; } catch (e) { callback(e) ; } } ;
This is now a nice isolated function, that we can test separately by proving an in-memory file system interface, a simpler converter, and generally exercise all kinds of weird edge cases. It would have dozens of very quick tests to prove what happens when file reading fails, when the conversion breaks, and when writing fails. The actual conversion details or how we write or read streams aren’t important here, we only care about the overall workflow. For example, it would be much easier to test now what happens when the event file path does not include the expected prefix. We might get events uploaded to other directories, and they should ideally be ignored. The way the code works at the moment would cause them to be overridden with uppercase content.
The most important thing when designing this function would be to imagine external interfaces so they enable us to isolate those risks completely. The way we want to use external interfaces from this function, so that it’s simple and easy to manage, will drive how we implement the other components. That’s why, for example, writeFromStream has a callback argument at the end, so it is convenient to use from this function.
Next, the S3FileSystem class would implement the two file interaction functions our service needs:
var aws = require('aws-sdk') ; module.exports = function S3FileSystem() { var self = this, s3 = new aws.S3 (); self.readAsStream = function (s3Key, bucket) { var stream = s3.getObject({ Bucket: bucket, Key: s3Key }).createReadStream (); stream.setEncoding('utf8') ; return stream ; } ; self.writeFromStream = function (s3Key, bucket, stream, callback) { s3.upload({ Bucket: bucket, Key: s3Key, Body: stream, ACL:'private'}, callback) ; }; } ;
This object cares about all the S3 specific concerns, for example setting the correct access control list. The conversion service function doesn’t care about ACLs on S3. On the other hand, the S3 file processing no longer cares about file conversion, the right way to rename input files to output files, all the exceptions around uploads to other folders and so on. Instead of trying out dozens of workflow tests, we can execute only two integration tests to prove how the functions use the AWS SDK. For example, a good test would be to upload small a file to a predefined location, and check if the readAsStream function returns the correct stream contents.
The next piece to transform would be the content conversion function. When designing the service, we imagined it working with streams directly, so let’s implement that interface:
module. exports = function uppercaseStream ( inputStream ) { var Transform = require ('stream'). Transform, uppercase = new Transform ({decodeStrings : false }); uppercase. _transform = function ( chunk, encoding, done ) { done ( null, chunk. toUpperCase ()); }; inputStream. pipe (uppercase); return uppercase; };
This is again an isolated function with a well defined scope and risk profile. We can test it with in-memory streams, prove the conversion business logic and inspect what it does with boundary conditions. For example, a good test would make sure we avoid the unicode case conversion problems that allowed accounts to be hijacked on Spotify. All those tests would be quick and we could directly create the boundary conditions, instead of having to fight the surrounding components. And we could run thousands of tests here if we wanted, very quickly, without having to worry about S3 writing latency or Lambda deployments.
Next, we need to convert from the Lambda S3 events to our event interface, and deal with all the potential formatting issues.
module. exports = function parseS3Event ( lambdaEvent ) { var eventRecord = lambdaEvent. Records && lambdaEvent. Records [ 0 ]; if (eventRecord && ( eventRecord. eventSource ==='aws:s3'&& eventRecord. s3 )) { return { filePath : eventRecord. s3. bucket. name, location : eventRecord. s3. object. key }; } else { return false ; } }
We can test this function in isolation as well, supplying some example events that come from S3 and elsewhere. Separating the function like this would allow us to be more flexible in the future, if we need to add more event sources. For example, we use Lambda functions to convert mind maps to PDFs and images in MindMup 2.0, and several Lambdas need to receive events from the same S3 bucket, because they handle different formats. A good way to achieve that with AWS is to send the S3 bucket events to SNS, and then subscribe various Lambdas to the SNS queue. Unfortunately, that changes the event format. When the event conversion is separated into a small function such as this one, we could easily accommodate the new format with a very small, isolated change. We could also test it well in this unit of code, quickly. Testing the actual S3 -> SNS -> Lambda flow would just introduce another moving part and another source of latency, and it would be completely unnecessary.
Lastly, we need to wire everything up. The actual Lambda function then just needs to care about connecting the right components:
var parser = require( './parse-s3-event'), fileSystem = require( './s3-file-system'), uppercaseStream = require( './uppercase-stream'), conversionService = require( './conversion-service') ; exports.handler = function (event, context) { conversionService(parser(event), fileSystem, uppercaseStream, context.done) ; }
We could, in theory, also test this function locally, just to verify that it’s connecting everything. However, there is more risk in something not being configured well here than a single line of code being wrong. I would prefer to test this directly on Lambda, one final fully integrated test, and I’d do that by pushing a file to S3 and waiting for it to be converted. That would really test everything end-to-end, not just my impression of how end-to-end might behave. That test would be slow, potentially brittle, but it’s just a single, small, final test and we could afford to keep it like that. The risk profile would justify maintaining it.
This would be a great way to use the powerful Lambda aliases, where we can create a new version, assign the ‘smoke-test’ alias to it, and use it for an automated post-deployment test. Once the final test passes, we can just re-assign the production alias to the new function version, without re-deploying things. That would make sure that the final tested version ends up being the one we actually use in production.
For the really paranoid, with the cloud, there’s also a risk that something stops working after deployment although you didn’t change anything. Smoke tests like the one I suggested for post-deployment are great for monitoring, especially if they are automated and isolated so they don’t disrupt normal work. Once we have a fully automated test that checks if everything is wired up and configured correctly, we can fire it off every ten minutes or so and get a warning if something got stuck due to external factors.
For some nice theoretical ideas that expand on the Hexagonal Architecture, check out the Repositories and Services ideas from Domain Driven Design, as well as the related Anti-Corruption Layer pattern. All these ideas help with dividing the code around various areas of concern, so they can be tested separately, and they’re absolutely crucial to get the really complex services easy to maintain, not just easy to test.
If you have any questions and comments, feel free to leave them in the comments below.
Read next:On Friday, ThinkProgress published an article authored by Rebekah Entralgo claiming that there is “growing public evidence of collusion with Russia.” The article cites what it claims to be “connections” that link President Trump with Russian hackers.
There’s one problem: It’s fake news, and we have evidence.
For starters, Entralgo accuses Michael Sainato (one of the co-authors of this article) of being part of what she called “The Jared Kushner Connection.” Entralgo claims:
In September of 2016, a freelance writer named Michael Sainato wrote an article for the New York Observer (whose publisher was Jared Kushner from 2006 until 2017) which detailed that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) had coordinated with Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2015, citing an internal DCCC memo leaked to Sainato by Guccifer 2.0, who published an article on the memo for the Observer, one of the outlets he contributes to as a freelancer.
Russian hackers now leaking directly to Jared Kushner's paper. Trump campaign not even being subtle anymorehttps://t.co/cJMdr63xKd — Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) September 6, 2016
When reached by Mother Jones, Guccifer 2.0 stated he provided Sainato with exclusive documents but denied knowing Sainato was working on an article for the paper owned by Jared Kushner.
ThinkProgress insinuates that Sainato was the link that connects Trump with Russia, a baseless claim started by the Clinton Campaign Press Secretary Brian Fallon, who now works for the pro-Clinton Super PAC, Priorities USA. Essentially, the publication claims that Russian operatives worked directly with Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. In such a contrived scenario, Kushner, or one of his connections, would ’have instructed or tipped Sainato to contact Guccifer 2.0 and publish the leaked documents in the Observer to harm the former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.
The author didn’t contact Sainato for a request for comment, nor cite Mother Jones’s comment from Sainato.
But in reality, Sainato contacted Guccifer 2.0 through Twitter and the hacker agreed to send the leaked documents to him. This wasn’t a unique relationship by any stretch. Salam Morcos (co-authoring this article) also contacted Guccifer 2.0 via Twitter and twice published leaked DCCC documents in the Progressive Army. The Hill, Daily Caller, the Intercept, and several other outlets repeated this scenario. The authenticity of the documents was never seriously called into question, and the content provided information that was in the public interest. Sainato and other reporters did not release the documents in full but rather reported on the information within those documents that demanded to be reported on. Notice that information, in which Democratic Party organization memos specifically referred to Hillary Clinton as the nominee before the primaries began, are never included in these Russia narratives. Omitting this part of the story implies this information was either false or were not worth reporting on, except neither of those scenarios rings true.
If we stick to ThinkProgress’s editorial integrity, or lack thereof, would Morcos be another “bombshell” connection that proves the Trump-Russia connection? After all, Morcos not only lived in Russia but has close family ties who live in Russia’s capital. There’s a xenophobic driven Neo-McCarthyism at play in these narratives that attempt to imply anything remotely connected to Russia is nefarious.
Shifting the Narrative
If you take a step back, and look at the ThinkProgress article, the author attempts to shift the narrative by putting more weight on “The Flynn connection” than actually exists. For example, this is how she sums up the Wall Street Journal article:
In sum, there is evidence that individuals connected to the Trump campaign were seeking stolen emails from Russian hackers and evidence that Russian hackers were trying to provide them to a top Trump adviser.
You’ll notice throughout her reporting that she refers to hackers as being from Russia, but not the “Russian government.” By not stating the facts, the author attempts to trick the reader into reading more into her article than actually exists, namely, the Russian government hacked the DNC. Just because a person is purported to be from a certain country does not, by any means, make that person an official of the government. They don’t have the evidence to fill in the gaps or voids in the narrative, so they are drawing their own conclusions to compensate.
Mr. Smith, who was the center of the WSJ report, himself makes the distinction, stating “he believed Russians were likely among those who tried to steal Mrs. Clinton’s emails, [but] he dismissed intelligence agencies’ conclusion that the Russian government meddled in the election to discredit Mrs. Clinton and to help Mr. Trump.”Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and a growing number of other high-profile tech companies have come out in opposition to President Trump’s decision to roll back protections for transgender students. The original May 2016 directive, implemented by the Obama administration, gave federal guidance for allowing transgender teenagers to use public school facilities that conform to their gender identity.
Apple spoke out first and many others are following
The Trump administration is now actively moving to reverse that progress, starting by knocking the decision over bathroom use back to the state level. As was the case with Trump’s calls to create a Muslim registry and his more recent and ill-fated immigration ban, a coalition of tech companies is forming to voice concern for how these decisions could increase discrimination and undermine civil rights.
The opposition first began yesterday when Apple, itself led by a prominent member of the LGBT community, issued a statement saying the company disagreed “with any effort to limit or rescind... the rights and protections” of transgender students.
Google’s statement, issued to TechCrunch, says, “We’ve long advocated for policies that provide equal rights and treatment for all. We’re deeply concerned to see a roll-back in transgender students’ rights.” Facebook’s statement, also obtained by TechCrunch, reads, “Facebook is a strong supporter of equality. We stand for ensuring equal rights for everyone, including transgender students, and will continue to advocate for more rights instead of fewer.”
Other companies, like Salesforce, Microsoft, and Intel, are using Twitter, with executives signing tweets with the hashtag #ProtectTransKids:
Let's agree now to always love all our children, and that our schools will be safe places for all. #Equality |
14 an hour. ( Andrew Francis Wallace / Toronto Star file photo )
New Year’s Day sees the minimum wage surge $2.40 an hour to $14 and a new pharmacare plan — the first of its kind in Canada — called OHIP+ covering 4 million children, teens and young adults under 25. They will get free access to 4,400 medications on the provincial formulary simply by presenting a health card and a valid prescription at any pharmacy. Premier Kathleen Wynne is touting how the government is “helping people get free medications for their kids” and promising a $15 minimum wage in a year. “There are people right now who live in Ontario who are earning the minimum wage, $11.60 an hour, and they still have to go to the food bank,” Wynne says.
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warning the hike could lead to job cuts and higher prices. “Making $15 an hour is great, but only if you have a job,” Karl Baldauf of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce cautioned before the increase was passed. The new measures are among the biggest New Year goodies seen in years. Opposition parties say that’s no coincidence given that the Liberals, who have rebounded in a recent poll to be in a dead heat with Patrick Brown’s Progressive Conservatives, are seeking another term. “The Liberals have always operated in their best interest,” says NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, who slams the governing party for not acting sooner on her push to raise the minimum wage and phase it in more gradually to help businesses adjust.
“This should have been done years and years ago.” Brown has pledged to slow the increase to $15 over a period of four years.
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Other changes coming January 1 include: a 22.5-per-cent cut in the corporate income tax rate, from 4.5 per cent to 3.5, for small businesses to offset the higher minimum wage; 10 days of personal emergency leave to all staff in provincially regulated industries, with two days paid, for all who have been with an employer at least one full week — with a notable exception of seven days leave for automotive sector companies. The one week employment requirement is in place to prevent people hired for a few days from calling in sick and getting paid;
Sheila Block, senior economist for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, discusses the benefits a $15 minimum wage will provide Ontario. (Broadcast and Recording Service of Legislative Assembly of Ontario)
People with five years at an employer get three weeks’ vacation, up from two; The cost of borrowing for payday loans is capped at $15 per $100 borrowed, down from $18; Municipalities will be able to restrict areas where payday loan shops can operate and limit the number. Ontario links with Quebec and California in the largest carbon market in North America in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Progressive Conservative MPP Jeff Yurek (Elgin-Middlesex-London) warns parents that kids and teens, college and university students and young adults already in the workforce may not be able to get the same medications they’re used to under OHIP+ if they are fortunate enough to have other coverage. “The Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB) plan covers fewer drugs than private insurance companies,” notes Yurek, a pharmacist himself. “They might get surprises when they go for a refill of a prescription that’s not covered. Doctors and pharmacists will be scrambling to find alternatives.” Liberals counter that people with private plans can still get those medications, although they may have co-payment costs or deductibles, while families without drug insurance coverage will save money on every prescription. Health Minister Eric Hoskins calls OHIP+ “the biggest advancement of medicare in this province in generations” and says patients wondering if their particular medications are covered can check at the Ontario government site, under medication coverage. “It’s important to stress that OHIP+ will cover every single drug on Ontario’s formulary: asthma inhalers, EpiPens, diabetes test strips, oral contraceptives, cancer drugs and drugs for rare diseases,” he adds. “Diabetes test strips and insulin for low-income families struggling to pay the bills every week will save them thousands of dollars each year.” Other medications under OHIP+ include antibiotics for infections, antidepressants, mental health drugs and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder drugs. Pharmacies will be reimbursed by the government for the cost of dispensing and providing the drugs. Doctors and nurse practitioners are being urged to check the ODB formulary before prescribing medications, to make sure patients without private drug plans can get the medicines they need free of charge.
Read more about:Anime streaming service HIDIVE announced on Thursday that it will stream the English dub of Squid Girl. It will add new episodes every Thursday at 1:00 p.m. EST starting on November 16. It will also stream the series in Japanese with English subtitles.
Media Blaster previously released the first series on DVD and Blu-ray Disc with Japanese and English audio tracks. Sentai Filmworks will release the first and second series and the three-episode original video anime on Blu-ray Disc, DVD, and premium edition combo pack on November 28. The premium edition includes a booklet, art cards, keychain, button pack, and 3D lenticular card.
Sentai Filmworks'new English dub of the second series features the following cast:
John Swasey is directing the dub and Marta Bechtol is writing the script.
Both seasons of the anime adapt Masahiro Anbe's comedy manga about a squid girl who vows to invade the beaches of mankind since humans have polluted the seas. However, her invasion is less than successful, and she ends up on dry land. The series ran from 2007 to 2016 in Akita Shoten's Weekly Shōnen Champion.5:02 p.m.—I arrived at AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13 Theaters an hour early to secure a seat for my upcoming ordeal. I reasoned that this was a good time to arrive, because it would be impossible to get there before the diehards, but it was plenty of time to secure a choice seat before the sane people started showing up.
This was the first of many foolish thoughts over the next 30 hours, in which I would be joining several hundred other fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in watching what AMC dubbed “The Ultimate Marvel Marathon.” It’s a back-to-back screening of every film produced by Marvel Studios to date, ending with the premiere of Avengers: Age Of Ultron. My thoughts about what time I should arrive were foolish for the same reason that comparing laser printers to kumquats is stupid: It assumes that there is some objective standard of “normal.” But when you’re dealing with a room full of people who have all paid about $70 for the privilege of sitting through over a day’s worth of superhero movies, one after the other, with only Junior Mints and 40 oz. Coca-Colas to sustain them, the idea of “sane people” has to be recalibrated. We are not sane people. We are Marvel people.
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Some backstory: I thought it would be fun to attend the Marvel movie marathon, and so I suggested that it might also make a fun thing to write about. I picked out a spiral-bound notebook with Iron Man on the cover, just for the occasion. However, Marvel only held screenings of the Ultimate Marvel Marathon in eight cities, none of which are particularly close to Chicago, where The A.V. Club is located. So I chose New York City, my old home, and bought a ticket, thinking, if nothing else, that it would make for a memorable experience. Of course, scabies is also a memorable experience, but volunteers are not so quick on the draw for that one.
This event, by contrast, sold out in every single location it was held. Marvel has a dedicated fan base, one I have considered myself a member of since I was 10 years old, reading Uncanny X-Men and Avengers West Coast under the covers. As any Star Wars fan can attest, the force of childhood memories exerts a long pull, and living in a world where Iron Man is one of the most iconic movie heroes in existence has re-awakened my love for the Marvel universe. This love will be tested before my time here is done.
In the interest of keeping things lively, and also to help ensure that I didn’t run screaming from the theater when hour 16 rolled around, no longer able to sustain the tolerance for CGI-punching sound effects at deafening decibel levels, I asked my co-workers to come up with the rules by which I should abide during my stay at Lincoln Square. After some lively back-and-forth, during which film editor A.A. Dowd suggested I attend wearing 11 different shirts, emblazoned with the image of each titular superhero, and changing them between every film (a suggestion I rebuffed for reasons that included not wanting to risk death by nullification of the soul), the following nine rules were decided upon:
1. I am only allowed to consume what’s on sale at the theater.
2. If I need fresh air, I can move no farther than 15 feet from the entrance.
3. I must watch at least 20 minutes of every film (i.e., the “no closing your eyes at the beginning of Thor 2 and waking up three hours later” rule).
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4. All social media is to be disabled for the duration of the marathon.
5. I am allowed one lifeline, whom I may contact three times during the marathon, for sanity’s sake.
6. I must note any appearances of vending machines in the films (i.e., the “inexplicable requirement” rule).
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7. A note must be made of which moment in each film generates the biggest crowd reaction.
8. The Stan Lee Applause-O-Meter: How happy is the audience to see him in each film? (This rule was proposed under a working theory that his cameo in the first Iron Man would be met with a roar of approval, followed by diminishing returns in each subsequent film, until there is a barely a shrug of recognition when, say, Guardians Of The Galaxy rolls around.)
9. Anyone in costume in the audience must be engaged with at some point.
In hindsight, I should have realized that these were not all good rules. Let me spoil the last one by assuring you I did not speak to everyone in costume, but in my defense, there were costumes appearing over the course of the marathon that were not there when I arrived. Everything else I stuck to, within the best of my abilities. (There may have been some vending machines that escaped my attention; my final tally here should in no way be taken as the definitive count, especially because I grew to hate this rule passionately, like a cyst or a guy who wears sunglasses indoors.)
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And so my plan was finalized. I flew to New York early Wednesday afternoon, arriving shortly after 2, traveling to Manhattan, stopping for a quick lunch, and then heading right to the theater, which I would not leave until almost 29 hours later, when the final credits on the last film rolled. This meant that not only didn’t I get to sleep late the morning of the marathon, as many of my seatmates did, but that I actually had to get up earlier than usual, to get everything done before I left. I mention this now, not to hint at a “poor me” narrative, but only so that this story makes sense later on, long after I have likely ceased to do so. And now, on with our tale. Excelsior!
Wednesday, 5:20 p.m.—Why did I think this was an early enough arrival time? The theater is already two-thirds full. Anyone who ponied up to attend this marathon is going to be another dyed-in-the-wool Marvel maniac, someone who has no interest in strolling in two minutes before it starts and grabbing a seat in the far left front row. (This, too, turns out to be untrue. You know what happens when you assume: You make an ass out of you and people who don’t give two shits about dropping serious coin on something they’ll walk into six hours late.) Nonetheless, I manage to grab a halfway decent seat, six rows back and several in on the left of the middle section. The layout is roughly as shown below, but with a balcony as well, for those who like to look down on their films:
Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag.Click here to view original GIF
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This makes it look as though I had a better seat than I did, however. There were perhaps 20-some seats across each row of the middle section, and my little ensconcement was notably further to the margins than it may appear. Again, this is not to bemoan my fate, but only to underscore that I was both a) dumb for getting there so late/normal-early, and b) full of rage when I discovered, 26 hours later, that Age Of Ultron would be shown in 3-D. Ain’t no party like a 3-D party offset by a difficult visual perspective!
Looking around, I see multiple couples in middle seats, napping on each other in preparation. Smart. I already feel underprepared. Numerous people have obviously been here for hours. I can’t fathom the commitment that would come with adding multiple hours to an experiment in ass-comfort testing, but I admire the dedication.
My neighbors on the inside, Mary and Tim, a very nice woman and her boyfriend, are from Philadelphia—they apparently heard about the marathon on the radio just this morning and came straight here, which bespeaks either an admirable or worrisome commitment to this experience. It’s mostly a younger crowd, but more diverse in age than I had expected. There’s a guy in his 60s, white-haired, wearing a track suit, and snoring peaceably. (There are a lot of advance nappers here, pros in the world of competitive movie marathoning.) Two ladies behind me are both reading copies of The Last American Vampire, and inform me that it’s pretty good. They both will turn out to be inveterate whoopers when it comes to these movies. A guy on the phone is describing how he packed the vegetables he prepped, which again confirms that I am horrifically untrained for something like this. A cameraman starts filming near us, and people offer up hearty “Whoo!”-isms, led by the vampire fans behind me.
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Costume-wise, there’s not much, which makes sense if you think about it: This is going to be a very long night (and day and night again), so comfort is a premium. There’s a guy in a tuxedo with spats and a neckerchief, who speaks to me so coldly I abort the attempted interview, and some scattered folks wearing Marvel-themed onesie pajamas (which I don’t count as dressing up, because that’s a comfortable choice, and also because I don’t really want to make an adult wearing a onesie in public think I would like to be friends with them.) However, there are a man and a woman out in front of the theater, dressed as Captain America and Black Widow, taking pictures with anyone coming in, so I chat with them for a moment. The woman, Kelly Perez, is enthusiastic and vivacious, an ace cosplayer of four years who agreed to appear because she’s friends with the manager here. She is not attending the marathon, and I cannot blame her, after seeing how some of the male attendees interact with her. Our Captain America is a guy named Luis, who is attending the marathon, and is assuredly not a regular cosplayer. “I actually got this [outfit] to put on a dummy, and it’s my first time wearing it,” he tells me. “It’s very snug.” He will wear his outfit the entire time, and after hearing how it makes him sweat, I am glad I’m sitting nowhere near him.
I don’t take any pictures, in part because my iPhone camera is acting wonky, and also in part because I’m vain enough to not want to show the world what I look like either before or after the thick sheen of grease, formed by consuming nothing but AMC-approved concession-stand comestibles, takes over my skin. Right now I already look a little peaked and frazzled from the flight and hustle to get here. By the end, I will look like Gollum.
Everyone is very excited for the event to be begin. I’m a little nervous, honestly. Here’s another fact you need to know, for events later on to make sense: I have a heart condition that makes it impossible for me to have caffeine, or stimulants of any kind, really, unless I don’t want my heart to work any more. As a result, I’m not so good with staying up super late, or functioning on less than five or six hours of sleep a night. This means future employers don’t have to worry about the possibility of my developing a cocaine habit, but it also means that I will not, for example, get to join in the mass coffee exodus that will happen tomorrow morning after the first Avengers movie ends. So I fear for my staying-awake skills.
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Once we’re all seated, the theater hands us a red card with our reserved seat number on it. This is to ensure that nobody can take your seat if, say, you decide to run home for a quick nap; but it also means that the theater has now created a horrifying fiefdom of Marvel nerds, all with deeds to their temporary property, which many will affix to the placards hanging from lanyards around their necks, like some deranged secret handshake.
There are hosts for our event, employees of AMC who are there to answer questions, maintain our enthusiasm in between films by hosting trivia giveaways, and to indulge in all the worst responsibilities of contemporary social-media-based requirements. For example, we are encouraged throughout the night to tweet, Instagram, and Facebook our experience, all with the requisite hashtags, of course, and are actually chided when our hosts feel there has been an inadequate amount of said hashtagging.
Captain Nathan, as this first host refers to himself, announces that there will be free refills on large popcorn and soft drinks, which receives what feels like an unnecessarily hearty response from the crowd. There are also discounts on hot dogs and nachos, which there goddamn better be if I’m restricted to deciding between them for any vaguely filling sustenance over the next 28-plus hours. Wild cheers greet the news that the concession stand will be open all night, as though there was the slightest concern that it wouldn’t be. They announce that they will have breakfast for us in the morning, of muffins and coffee, which is some of the best news I hear, and which also turns out to be a lie. Eventually, Captain Nathan takes a selfie with all of us in the crowd and then ambles off.
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At 6:02 p.m., two minutes after the first movie is scheduled to start, another host takes the stage, which is the first time the crowd rumbles ominously. It will not be the last. We are here to watch our favorite Marvel movies, after all, not listen to the prattling of people who definitely do not possess any superpowers, unless forcing a crowd to hashtag as instructed if they want to receive prizes is a superpower. I wonder if I am being such a grouch about the whole hashtag thing just because my co-workers’ rules prevent me from using social media, thereby rendering me ineligible for these prizes. I don’t think so. Besides, the first movie hasn’t started yet and we’re already behind schedule. The crowd is restless—these are serious Marvel nerds, and while I feel very much at home among them, I also know the risk of angering them. Does AMC really want to risk the ire of grumpy dorks? After all, we can type some sternly worded tweets like you wouldn’t believe.
Finally, Host #2 initiates a countdown, and the crowd visibly ripples with anticipation. We all start counting—yelling, really—and when we hit “one” the lights go down, our host finally climbs the ladder down off the stage, and I take a sip of my large seltzer water (free refills!) with excitement. It’s time to begin.
6:16 p.m.—Iron Man
The award for biggest applause during this first film will be the uproar generated by the rapidly flipping pages of the Marvel logo, and it feels close to what the sudden appearance of an actual real-life Avenger in the audience would produce. But, then, this whole film generates a series of spontaneous applause breaks, punctuated by hoots and hollers for beloved characters. The opening riff of the AC/DC song “Back In Black” that kicks off the film earns massive applause. The title: thunderous applause. It makes me smile, and I happily chime in with clapping and cheers of my own. There is no better audience in the world to see these movies with—and I was in Times Square for the opening night of the first Avengers film. The first appearance of the armor? Forget about it. We probably be-winged several million angels.
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Poor eventually doomed-then-reborn Phil Coulson, played by Clark Gregg, gets giant applause, which will repeat itself every time he appears in every subsequent film. The moment when Pepper Potts presents Tony Stark with his old power source, engraved with the words “Proof that Tony Stark has a heart,” earns a collective “awwww” from the audience. There are boos for the bad guy, cheers for heroic moments, and generally it’s everything you could ask for in seeing a movie on the big screen. Of course, there’s lots of cheers that are solely a result of people who love this universe, too. The first mention of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s name elicits a stupendous response—like Richter-measurable levels of approval.
I’m not going to talk about the experience of watching each of these films again, because that would take forever, and I’m not here to re-review the Marvel movies, but I do want to note that I’m still discovering new things in these films. I never really realized before that the secret hero of the first film is Pepper—she’s the one who kills the bad guy and generally does everything right, something the third film makes explicit by making her the final hero. This movie plays like gangbusters. If Jon Favreau never does anything else of note, he should be proud of his legacy as the godfather of the Marvel Studios films, as the first Iron Man is legitimately a classic superhero film, in quality as well as popularity.
The ending of the film gets the second largest applause—the post-credits stinger where Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) shows up and says the words “The Avengers initiative.” At this point, everyone’s in good spirits, happy and animated. Things are off to a great start. I feel chipper, and content that this was the right decision. I’m having a great time.
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Stan Lee Applause-O-Meter: Huge cheers
Vending machine tally: 1
Biggest crowd reaction moment: Marvel logo
8:29 p.m.—The Incredible Hulk
We’re closer to being back on schedule. AMC’s timetable is set up for precisely this reason: There are timed breaks, usually between 10 and 20 minutes, spaced after each film, to allow everyone time to use the bathroom, buy more concessions, and to allow our hosts more time to feed us trivia questions in exchange for prizes like posters and Avengers figurines. (At several points, they even give away headphones, and the mostly happy crowd almost gets ugly with the burning passion for free shit.) It’s dinner time, so I order a cheese pizza. My stomach isn’t the most robust, so my plan is to go with food that seems safest in the long run, meaning the least likely to cause stomachaches and bathroom-related disasters. There aren’t many options, so mostly this translates into avoiding stuff that could really cause problems, like some of the more exotic ice cream treats, or any meat-based product.
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I had forgotten how much heavy lifting the introduction to this film does. The crowd is surprisingly enthusiastic for The Incredible Hulk, often considered one of the lesser Marvel movies, and with good reason, even though I personally have a soft spot for it, especially for Ed Norton’s live-wire performance, now overshadowed by Mark Ruffalo’s more subtle take. But between William Hurt’s hammy villain, and the uneven pacing, it would be understandable if the crowd was more muted in its appreciation. Again, I’m proven wrong: The audience goes apeshit. Huge applause beats, especially for the final confrontation between Hulk and the Abomination. The movie played well to this crowd, which pleases me, and maybe contributes to the fact that when it ends, I’m still feeling pretty good. Though I will say I already regret the pizza.
Stan Lee Applause-O-Meter: Big-time applause, for his cameo as a guy who drinks a soda tainted with Hulk-blood.
Vending machine tally: 3
Biggest crowd reaction moment: Hulk’s “Victory” moment, when he roars into the air with his foot on the neck of his vanquished villain. Could not have been bigger applause if Hulk had turned to the audience and said, “No, thank YOU, citizens of New York.”
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10:47 p.m.—Iron Man 2
Two movies down, and I’m feeling good, even strong. These movies are so fun with a crowd like this. “I could do this all night,” I think, before remembering that I will do this all night, regardless of my thoughts on the matter. As our host spews trivia and pimps his required hashtags, I do some stretching, and mix some Emergen-C into a cup of flat seltzer, which IS NOT CHEATING BECAUSE IT IS NOT FOOD. It’s vitamins, and more importantly, a confidence-replenishing placebo effect for my health. Despite high audience spirits, these giveaways feel like they’re starting to generate more ill will than good. Perhaps sensing that people don’t enjoy the highly random nature of who wins the prizes, the hosts start forcing us to applaud people who are tweeting a lot, which feels insane. I look around, and other people are staring back at the hosts as well, confused looks on their faces. Why are we applauding heavy usage of corporate-approved social media hashtags? Now, they’re telling us to applaud the theater manager. What?
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Finally, they leave, and Iron Man 2 starts, 12 minutes late. Even the enthusiastic response of the crowd can’t disguise the fact that this movie isn’t terribly good. At one point, someone near me sneezes, and roughly 30 voices call out: “Bless you.” There are moments of cheering, still: Nick Fury, Phil Coulson, Tony and Pepper’s kiss—they all receive hearty approval from us. Still, it’s evident that no one considers this the high point of the marathon.
Also, a trend has begun: Seconds into the closing credits, they cut the music in order to give announcements about food and upcoming trivia, which pisses off basically everyone. There’s no reason for it: We’re all stuck here regardless, and nobody would rather hear our hosts drone about the same trivia we’re going to get in 10 minutes than the film’s score. This time, there’s not even an announcement; they just dim the soundtrack despite the lights still being off. Everyone’s a little puzzled. For the first time in the marathon, I’m feeling underwhelmed, and with less energy. I blame Iron Man 2.
Stan Lee Applause-O-Meter: Effusive, but briefer than before, for his cameo as Larry King.
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Vending machine tally: I think 1? I feel like I missed a couple, though.
Biggest crowd reaction moment: Honestly? Phil Coulson’s first appearance. Clark Gregg is a beloved man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
1:04 a.m.—Thor
The trivia really hurt things this time. The questions were super easy and the prizes confusingly distributed, so we’re barely even answering any more. Our tolerance for this tap-dancing is lessening. I get some nachos, because spoiler alert: I fucking love nachos. Nachos are God’s gift to humanity, even these dumb packaged ones where the chips have shrunk in size and there’s not enough cheese sauce. Provide better nachos, AMC! Still, it is perhaps my greatest exercise in restraint throughout this ordeal that I only order this one nachos, for fear of shredding my intestines with razor-sharp bits of chemically treated chip dust.
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The hosts sense our restlessness, and rather than just starting the movie, they double down on their cheerleading duties. “Come on! You’re not excited?” says one host, demanding more cheers. Shut up, dude, it’s 1 a.m. Happily, he soon abandons this effort, and instead the theater starts playing surround-sound test noises. Loudly. Like, nature sounds. It’s confounding. Are they testing our reflexes? Are we supposed to collectively turn our heads to follow the animal sounds around the room? I swear to God AMC is fucking with us. Or maybe they’re punishing us for not hashtagging enough?
Either way, Thor finally starts. For the first time, the Marvel logo elicits only a belated, taciturn applause. This seems more a reflection of the hour than of people’s love for Thor, because the God Of Thunder is a fan favorite. It plays well, and people are responsive to the various hero beats and fan-fave character appearances. Still, toward the end of the film, I can feel myself beginning to get tired. Uh-oh. We’re barely one-third of the way through, but if I were at home trying to do this, I would go to bed, now. I actively tried to doze a bit during some of Thor’s slower moments, but apparently my body isn’t quite ready for sleep yet. This is the first time I’ve started feeling like it might be nice to be somewhere else, perhaps with a bourbon and a soft pillow. By the end of the credits, it’s almost 3 a.m., and it feels like it.
Stan Lee Applause-O-Meter: Still muted (he cameos as a trucker trying to pull Mjolnir out of the ground), but actually a little fuller than that for Iron Man 2.
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Vending machine tally: Zero? I think zero, but I freely admit I may have dropped the ball on this one. I’m starting to resent having to keep an eye out for vending machines.
Biggest crowd reaction moment: First appearance of Idris Elba.
3:12 a.m.—Captain America: The First Avenger
The few remaining open seats, in the side aisles near the front and back, have been overtaken by people sprawled out, sleeping. It looks nice. I start to wonder if it would violate my terms were I to do the same. I suspect that if I fell asleep in a prone position, not even the blaring loud eruption of an earthquake on the Upper West Side would stir me, so I choose not to risk it. I buy some pretzel bites and settle into my seat.
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For the first time, there’s no clapping at the mere sight of the Marvel logo. But, as if to counteract that lack of response, there are massive whoops for just about everything else: the first sighting of the Captain’s shield, Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan; even Stanley Tucci earns some hollers. “Tucci!” people yell. Sure, why not. I’m heartened by the humungous outcry of cheers that greets Peggy Carter, as Marvel’s Agent Carter was one of the most fun things on TV this year. Everyone is very on board this film, despite the much larger percentage of the audience who seems asleep.
And it’s about halfway through this film that I really start yawning. But, oddly, it only lasts for about 20 minutes. The scene where Bucky falls to his “death” hits the crowd like a ton of bricks, and somehow gives me a second wind. This is not the case for my neighbors. The people around me have all started snoring periodically, rustling when someone jostles them to be quiet and then returning to a quieter slumber. When the film ends, there’s a big applause and the guy on the other side of me (not-Tim) jolts awake and starts clapping immediately, almost on autopilot. It’s 5:10 a.m. when the credits roll, and I’m still going, like a deranged Energizer bunny who draws his battery power from crowd responses to character beats. (That reminds me: When I was coming out of the bathroom earlier in the night, I swear to God I saw someone dressed as the Nestle Quik rabbit, taking pictures with people. I have no idea why the Nestle Quik rabbit was there, but I’m convinced it was. It was too early in the proceedings then for me to be hallucinating. Now, in my second wind, I’m not so sure. If he appears again, I’ll start to worry something has gone wrong in my brain.)
Stan Lee Applause-O-Meter: Big applause. Stan the man is back on track.
Vending machine tally: Zero.
Biggest crowd reaction moment: The ending. People dig this one, with good reason.
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5:30 a.m.—The Avengers
Part of me is proud I’m outlasting so many of the younger, more initially excited people around me, who are now dozing peacefully—but part of me is worried this just means I’m headed for a big fall. Like, halfway through the second Thor I’m just going to collapse, my body breaking down into component parts consisting entirely of Avengers bobble-head dolls and undigested hunks of pretzel bites. Which, now that I think of it, may be the two main ingredients of AMC hot dogs. Perhaps this is how they manufacture them.
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Oh God, the trivia is going downhill. The host asks whose voice was mixed with Mark Ruffalo’s to get the Hulk voice in The Incredible Hulk, and doesn’t understand why people are yelling at him that he’s wrong. (Remember who plays the Hulk in that movie, and you—unlike our host—will understand why people are shouting him down.) I’m tired enough that I’m feeling cranky and self-righteous right along with them. Yeah, get a clue, dude. This is the moment Avengers fans stop being polite and start getting real. And it comes just in time for the movie that ties all of Phase One together.
I buy some more pretzel bites and start drinking an orange Vitamin Water, both to mix it up with the seltzer and to give my body some sugar. I’m planning to nap during The Avengers, because I’ve seen it the most of any of these films. I am sad to report that my plan fails miserably. Even when I intentionally close my eyes and try some slow-breathing exercises an hour into this film, the soundtrack in the theater seems to increase as a means of counteracting my efforts. I think the notecards they handed out were just a tracking system to prevent sleep, and a sensor installed somewhere has registered the slowing of my breathing. This marathon isn’t just a series of films; it’s a massive experiment in hypnotherapy via sleep-prevention technology. Maybe there’s something in the pretzel bites? These are the kind of thoughts that make honest-to-god sense to me as the credits roll at 7:49 a.m., and there’s some disturbing scrawls in an Iron Man notebook to prove it.
Stan Lee Applause-O-Meter: Enormous cheers for his end-of-movie cameo. It makes sense—this is the film that gets the most applause of the marathon thus far, even with half the crowd dozing.
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Vending machine tally: I actively resisted counting. By now my brain is in full-on rebellion against this exercise in minutiae. There’s even one initial checkmark under the vending machine column in my notes that has been crossed-out and replaced with the words “screw you, rule.”
Biggest crowd reaction moment: The Hulk slamming Loki into the ground repeatedly, obviously. Isn’t that always the biggest crowd reaction moment for this movie?
7:52 a.m.—Mid-marathon break
We’ve been given a 45-minute break until the next film starts, a chance for people to go get breakfast, coffee, freshen up and “start the day,” or whatever they’d like. Everyone except me, of course, because I am not permitted more than 15 feet from the theater doors. That promise of muffins turns out to be a sham, meaning my breakfast options are limited to popcorn, more pretzel bites, possibly a Häagen-Dazs bar.
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I’m entering that zone of shock-consciousness, the state of mind usually relegated to college students who stayed up all night finishing a paper, and then stumble into class, bleary-eyed, turn it in, and promptly fall asleep. Only falling asleep is not an option—we’re at the halfway point. I do my best to take a short nap, sprawling out across three seats, a deeply uncomfortable position made more so by the bright lights and the people having a loud debate a few rows over regarding whether Ant-Man will eventually become an Avenger in time for the Infinity Wars movies. Shut up, nerds, I think, wearily, as I remember having spent 30 minutes internally debating myself a few weeks ago about that same question. The nap doesn’t happen. I try to weep a little, in light of this fact, but tears are not coming, either. It seems that the moisture required by tear ducts to produce them has been absorbed by all the pretzel bites.
I start to wonder if madness is always a gradual process, or if it can occasionally come all at once, like a hiccup, or a grand-mal seizure. I hope it comes before I’m forced to use the toilets instead of just the urinals, because I’ve seen what all the guys around me are eating, and I don’t want to be anywhere near the end result of that. Unless maybe that’s the trigger for the incipient madness?
Also, there are some little kids here whom I swear weren’t present during the night. I can only assume we’ve been here for so long that couples have actually met, had sex, and spawned over the course of this marathon.
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8:48 a.m.—Iron Man 3
Everyone around me is either sleeping, has woken up from their previous sleep, or is consuming a seriously worrying amount of coffee. So nearly everyone is at attention for the third installment of Robert Downey Jr.’s metal guy adventures. Agent Phil Coulson himself, Clark Gregg, introduces the film via a short interview promoting Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. By now, we’re greeting him like a beloved uncle. My shock-zone brain wonders what he’d really be like as an uncle. He’d probably |
have liked to see the ball batted down in that instance rather than Norman going for the interception. Norman said he knows that’s the right thing to do, but he couldn’t tell himself that during the game.
Me right now, speaking to you outside of that, yes, I’d probably bat it down. But me inside those lines, no. Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman
“Yeah, they would have liked me to bat it down but me in that situation, and the player I am, nah. I’m a stat-sheet stunner. Stat-sheet stunner, baby,” Norman said. “I like to go for those big-time plays and end the game. Yeah, I guess those situations come up and you want to bat it down but like I said, I know myself on that football field is going for the gusto.
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“That’s how I play. That’s just my makeup. I know I make that play 10 times out of 10. Gosh I was beating myself up.”
With five minutes left in the game and the Panthers up two scores, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers dodged a blitz and hoisted up a prayer on fourth-and-14 from the Packers’ 44. An incompletion would have killed the drive just like an interception, but Norman went for the pick.
Slightly out of position and getting a bad jump off the ground, Norman got a hand on the pass but was out-leveraged by Green Bay receiver James Jones, who corralled the 36-yard pass and got the Packers to the 20.
“Me right now, speaking to you outside of that, yes, I’d probably bat it down,” Norman told the media Monday. “But me inside those lines, no.”
Norman hasn’t had an interception since the Week 4 game at Tampa Bay. He also hasn’t had many opportunities. Opposing quarterbacks – Russell Wilson, Sam Bradford, Andrew Luck and Aaron Rodgers – have thrown at receivers covered by Norman a combined 13 times in the past four weeks.
They have connected just five times for 78 yards. Norman has broken up four of the eight passes that went incomplete.Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, meets with his counterparts during a NATO Military Committee in Chiefs of Defense session in Brussels.
The bump could come with more alliance responsibility for fighting ISIS in Iraq.
BRUSSELS — NATO’s military leaders are laying the groundwork to send thousands of additional troops to Afghanistan and Iraq to train local forces locked in fierce battles with militants. The move comes as alliance leaders shape and debate a multi-year plan to protect combat gains in those countries and eliminate safe havens where extremist groups might plan attacks against the West.
“I think what we’ll see is that NATO will continue with a fairly modest contribution in the near term and that political leadership in the coming months will discuss the potential for NATO assuming a greater responsibility in Iraq,” Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford told reporters Wednesday after a day of meetings at the alliance’s headquarters.
Dunford said specific troop levels were not discussed during the meetings, which took place one week before NATO heads of state meet here.
“What I just want to do is try to find a way for each country to optimize the contribution they could make,” he said.
NATO leaders hope to know how many additional U.S. troops will be sent to Afghanistan by month’s end, allowing the alliance to deploy troops to meet the uptick in fighting that comes with warmer weather. U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to make a decision after next week’s overseas trip to NATO and the Middle East, National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster said last week.
At the same time, NATO generals appears to have a consensus that the alliance should take on more responsibility in Iraq.
“NATO has the organizational construct, the processes and so forth to be able to take on a mission like that and do it on an enduring basis,” Dunford said.
Many NATO nations have sent forces to battle Islamic State militants, contributing in one way or another to airstrikes, the training of local forces, or both. In February, NATO launched a counter-IED training program in Iraq. But while the fight in Afghanistan remains an alliance-led mission dubbed Operation Resolute Support, the anti-ISIS coalition in Iraq is coordinated by the U.S. military.
“[T]here is general agreement that NATO can, and should do more [in Iraq], especially by stepping up efforts in training, capacity building, institution building, exercises to increasing home capabilities, that means the kinds of activities where NATO has not only a good reputation but also a lot of expertise and experience,” Czech Gen. Petr Pavel, chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, said at a press conference after the meetings.
The alliance is waiting for Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to set a long-term requirement for training security forces. That decision is expected in the coming months.
“When the level of violence is driven down to the point where law enforcement and local Iraqi security forces can deal with it, presumably there will still be a mission to continue to build the capacity of Iraqi security forces,” Dunford said.
Dunford said NATO members might contribute to Operation Inherent Resolve — the formal name for the anti-ISIS campaign in Iraq — in the areas of logistics, acquisition, institutional capacity building, leadership schools and academies. But he said he does not expect the alliance to take control of the mission as in Afghanistan.
In Afghanistan, U.S. Army Gen. John Nicholson, the top NATO commander there, is about 3,000 troops short of the number he says he need. As of March, there were about 13,500 NATO troops in Afghanistan, including about 9,000 Americans.
NATO forces first deployed to Afghanistan shortly after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Sixteen years later, their goal remains the same: to prevent terrorist organizations from using the country to launch attacks on the U.S. and Europe.
The military leaders could not say how long forces would be needed in Iraq or Afghanistan. Dunford did note that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has set a goal to have 80 percent of the population secure by local forces within four years.
“[W]e know this is a long fight here. This is going to take time,” Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, the NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, said at the conclusion of Wednesday’s meetings.
“It’s going to take time to build a military in Afghanistan who now has the fight but the capacity to sustain that and bring the stability that is needed to bring the Taliban to negotiation…I have confidence we can do that.”
Military leaders argue the additional troops are necessary to combat extremist groups intent on plotting attacks on the U.S., Europe, and Western interests..
“There are still … about 18 or 19 organizations [in South Asia] that have indicated a willingness, if not a capability to attack the West,” Dunford said.Neuroscience tells us that, to be more productive and creative, we need to give our brains a break. It's the quiet mind that produces the best insights. But it's a challenge to take that sort of time off in the midst of a busy day. Here are three specific, quick, and easy ways to build purposeful break time into your day.
Quick Meditation
New research from the UCLA Laboratory of Neuro Imaging suggests that people who meditate show more gray matter in certain regions of the brain, show stronger connections between brain regions and show less age-related brain atrophy. In other words, meditation might make your brain bigger, faster, and "younger". As lead researcher Eileen Luders explains, "it appears to be a powerful mental exercise with the potential to change the physical structure of the brain."
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Tip: If you commute via public transportation (or even if you're a passenger in a car pool) use the time to close your eyes for 10 minutes. If you drive, leave a little early, park, and spend 10 minutes in the car before you walk into work. Choose a very specific image, such as a waterfall, beach, or tree, and try to focus on it alone. If other thoughts get in the way, gently push them aside. Do this once or twice per day. The goal is to let your mind achieve a sense of relaxed awareness.
Pulsing
Psychologist K. Anders Ericsson, renown for his research and theories on expertise, points out that top performers in fields ranging from music to science to sports tend to work in approximately 90-minute cycles and then take a break. We are designed to pulse, to move between spending and renewing energy. Pulsing is the simplest, easiest, most immediate way to build breaks into your day.
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Tip: Download a "break-reminder" utility, such as Scirocco or Healthy Hints, and set it to ping you every 90 minutes. Focus hard on a particular task until that cue. And then take a walk, talk to a colleague, doodle, or listen to music. Do anything that renews you and gives you a "second wind," even if you think you don't need it. You do. Five minutes later, get back to work.
Daydream Walks
Most people have heard the story about how 3M's Arthur Fry came up with the idea for the Post-it note: he was daydreaming in church. Jonathan Schooler, a researcher at UC Santa Barbara, has repeatedly shown that people like Fry who daydream and let their minds wander score higher on creativity tests. What separates this from meditation is that, instead of emptying your mind, you're letting it fill up with random thoughts. The trick is to remain aware enough to recognize a sudden insight when it comes.
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Tip: Start by taking 20 minutes, two days a week during your lunch break to take a stroll and daydream. Think about anything you want besides work—a beach vacation, building your dream house, playing shortstop for the Yankees, whatever. Ramp it up to three or four days a week. The next time someone catches you daydreaming on the job and asks you why you're not working, tell them that in fact you're tapping into your creative brain.
Quick and Easy Ways to Quiet Your Mind | Harvard Business Review
Matthew E. May is the author of The Laws of Subtraction: 6 Simple Rules for Winning in the Age of Excess Everything. He is a speaker and advisor to companies such as Toyota, Edmunds.com, Intuit, and ADP.
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Image via bjonesphotography (Shutterstock).
Want to see your work on Lifehacker? Email Tessa.Maxine Waters Threatens to Socialize the Oil Companies
Cross posted on Grizzly Groundswell
Sorry, I am a couple of days late on this one. During last week’s congressional hearing with oil executives Maxine Waters threatened to socialize the oil companies. Here is the video:
Well, she obviously realized that she slipped up by showing where she really stands politically by using the word “socialize.” She said the magic word, bit the poison pill and it was bitter. Did you see how quickly she tried to move away from that word? She then could not find the word that she really intended to use, and that word is “nationalize.” Not that nationalize is any better of a word than socialize, they both mean the same thing. What they mean is exactly what Maxine Waters went on to say, that she wanted the government to take over and run their companies for them.
She has admitted what many of us already know, that Democrats are socialists at heart. She was then compared to, and rightfully so, Hugo Chavez and Venezuela. Of course I am sure she considered that a compliment, being compared to one of her heroes and all.
The best part of the video is watching the two people behind her as she stumbles her way through her ridiculous statement. As soon as she says the words “take over” watch the guy behind her start to smile and then hide behind her, this is followed by a woman who then enters the picture and covers her smile with her hand. They are laughing at her. Maxine Waters made a fool out of herself, but at the same time she showed us her true feelings.
What really set her off was the oil executives laying the blame of high gas prices at the foot of congress for not letting them actually drill for more oil. Oil that is plentiful on our own land. China is drilling off of the coast of Florida and we are not allowed to because of the environmentalists. And her answer is A GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER!
AdvertisementsJust a few short months from the CFTC's initial 'enquiries' into Intrade (and the election HFT malarkey), the online 'prediction' site appears to done.
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We appreciate your custom and support over the years. We are committed to reporting faithfully the status of things as they are clarified and hope you will bear with us as we do all we can to resume operations as promptly as possible.The ascent stage from Apollo 10's lunar module "Snoopy," as seen orbiting the moon in May 1969, is the focus of a new search involving astronomers and students.
A group of amateur astronomers in the United Kingdom, assisted by students and NASA, have set their sights — and robotically-controlled telescopes — on a long lost dog: the U.S. space agency's lunar module "Snoopy."
Launched in May 1969 on the Apollo 10 mission, a dress rehearsal for the first manned lunar landing two months later, Snoopy and its companion Apollo command module "Charlie Brown" were named after "Peanuts" artist Charles Schulz's comic strip beagle and his boy owner. The Apollo 10 crew, Thomas Stafford, Gene Cernan and John Young, chose the cartoon characters as their mission's call signs and unofficial mascots.
Charlie Brown, the Apollo 10 spacecraft, orbited the moon and returned to Earth, splashing down with the astronauts to complete its mission. Snoopy however, would not come home. [Video: NASA's Apollo 10 Moon Mission]
When its test flight was over, Snoopy was divided into its two sections. The descent stage, which on later landing missions would remain on the lunar surface, was allowed to crash into the moon. The ascent stage, which included the crew cockpit, was jettisoned such that it entered orbit around the sun.
All of the other Apollo lunar modules' ascent stages were purposely destroyed, either by burning up in the Earth's atmosphere or crashing back onto the moon. That makes Snoopy the only once-manned U.S. spacecraft still in outer space without a crew. Forty-two years later, it is still out there — somewhere — waiting to be found.
The Faulkes Telescope Project hopes to do just that. Based at the University of Glamorgan in Wales, the group provides free access to robotically-controlled telescopes to engage teachers and students in research-based science.
Snoopy's student search party
"To say it's like finding a needle in a haystack is doing a disservice to the haystacks," Paul Roche, director of the Faulkes Telescope Project, said in a statement. "Whilst there are records of the last known movements and orbital information for Snoopy, this is going back over 40 years. The module has been affected by the gravity of the Sun, Earth and moon for all that time, then you have all sorts of other factors that mean we need to search a very big chunk of sky for this thing."
To ease the search, Roche and his team members are hoping to enlist the help of UK schools. Students will be challenged to scan the data collected by the telescopes, including the Remanzacco Observatory in Italy and the Jamesburg Earth Station in Cachagua Valley, Calif., the latter a radio telescope that was used in 1969 to relay the TV signals broadcast by Apollo 11 from the moon. [20 Most Marvelous Moon Missions]
"To paraphrase President Kennedy, we are trying these things 'not because they are easy but because they are hard' — this will be a real test for the hardware and the students involved," Roche said.
The project, which has received consultation from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab and from former flight controllers who staffed Mission Control, will be attempting to post regular coordinate data that teams will examine on a daily basis.
"There will be a huge search field to examine, so this is not something which will happen overnight. It could take weeks, months, years — or we may possibly never find it," said Sarah Roberts, Faulkes' education director. "But we're going to try, and as a bonus, the areas we'll be searching will hopefully turn up new asteroids, and maybe even some comets, so there will be useful results whether we find Snoopy or not." [NASA's 17 Apollo Moon Missions in Pictures]
The Apollo 10 Command and Service Modules (CSM) are photographed from the Lunar Module (LM) after CSM/LM separation in lunar orbit. (Image: © NASA)
From asteroids to ascent stages
Comprehensive wide field sky surveys that were looking for near-Earth objects — asteroids that come within about 3 million miles of Earth — have previously failed to find Snoopy. The team however, has been encouraged by their recent success finding many small, faint asteroids.
"Whilst there is every chance we won't find it, it's like the lottery — unless you play, you don't win" said Nick Howes, an astronomer and equipment consultant for Astronomy Now magazine.
The challenge of finding Snoopy was just what Howes, a long time fan of the Apollo missions and a member of the Faulkes team, was seeking. "After the fantastic media coverage and work experience that student Hannah Blyth gained in helping us find over 25 new asteroids, we thought this would be an exciting way to engage schools" he said.
Blyth, 18, made headlines late last month after one of the asteroids she discovered using a Faulkes telescope was proposed to be named for her ("Hannahblyhe").
Howes is hoping to ride that success by crowd-sourcing the search for Snoopy, just as another computer-assisted astronomical search first did more than a decade ago.
"We are looking at this like SETI@Home, the search for radio signals from ET," he said. "The chances of finding anything in that are tiny, but millions of people tried."
"With our Snoopy project, we hope to involve hundreds of schools users, plus the aside of most likely uncovering dozens of new asteroids and maybe some comets in our search areas means we'll be doing great science at the same time," Howes said.
Continue reading at collectSPACE about what the Faulkes Telescope Project hopes to find in addition to Apollo 10’s lunar module "Snoopy."
Follow collectSPACE on Facebook and Twitter @collectSPACE and editor Robert Pearlman @robertpearlman. Copyright 2011 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.A mysterious issues between Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition developer Beamdog and its publisher has stalled both projects.
Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition has been removed from sale on Beamdog’s Store and the App Store, and in a post on its website, Beamdog boss Trent Oster said the sequel can’t be released at present.
“We recently removed Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition from sale on Beamdog and the Apple App Store. We’ve taken this step at our publishing partner’s request as we attempt to resolve a number of contractual issues,” he wrote.
“Unfortunately, until this matter is resolved, we are unable to release the latest Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition patch or Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition for Android. This also prevents the launch of Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition. I sincerely apologize to the series’ fans and promise we are working diligently to remedy the situation.”
Beamdog is unable to shed any light on what caused the dispute, or give an ETA on when it might be resolved.
“We are unable to discuss details of the complex legal matters surrounding this issue at this time. Please be aware that we are extremely unhappy with the situation and are doing our best to work past it. We have put a lot of hard work into this series, and are eager for fans to see it,” the company wrote.
“Unfortunately, we cannot offer the game for sale until all issues with our publishing partner have been resolved. We do not have a specific date for when the game will be available again.
“We have been developing Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition for some time now, but until all issues with our publishing partner are resolved we cannot officially announce or offer this game for sale. This has resulted in significant amounts of wailing and gnashing of teeth amongst the development team.”
The Android version has also been stymied.
In an accompanying FAQ, Beamdog confirmed that those who have already purchased the game will be able to download and play as normal, and that the new patch – which can’t release until the dispute is settled – includes changes to the UI and text, German language support including voice acting, subtitles and various fixes.
Thanks, Kotaku.“A pen show?”
“Yes,”
“Like a car show?”
“Sort of, but with pens. It’s also inside.”
The London Writing Equipment Show has been something I’ve been looking forward to for quite a while now. I recently moved out of London to attend university and even though it was only a week, it was lovely to feel right back at home again – and what better way to enhance that feeling than being in a room full of pens?! I actually came home for the night so that I could get the Tube up to the show.
The London Writing Equipment Show (which I shall just refer to as the London pen show) was my first pen show when I went there in 2016. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I came back with a lot of goodies and I was very pleased with what I had got.
This year, the pen show fell on the anniversary of when I got into the hobby (1st October 2015) and I think spending my 2nd anniversary at the show was a perfect way to celebrate. Even if I didn’t spend as much as I did last year (though, I almost bought a Conway Stewart Churchill that was reduced to £500. After all, what are student loans for?!), I still had a lot of fun and it was very enjoyable.
I got to the show at about 10:00. Upon entry, you got a free bottle of Diamine 30ml ink. It was a random bottle and from what I know, most people either got Teal, Ancient Copper, Grey or Steel Blue – which is by no means a bad selection; especially Ancient Copper. I got Teal, but I am yet to try it out. I have been away from teals, if anyone remembers my fascination with the colour, so perhaps it’ll be nice to get my foot back in the water. The ink bottles were donated by Pure Pens and I would like to give them a very big thank you as it was a tremendous thing to do.
Speaking of Pure Pens, their table was always busy and I did have a wonder round. I have met Ross before at the last pen show when I bought a number of Noodler’s inks. This year they had an ink testing station, similar to what KWZ had last year with their inks. I was going to have a play, but I saw a lot of new people taking a liking to the station and didn’t want to intrude as it was encouraging to see them all try out new inks. So I went over to the other side of the table and I had a look at a few Pelikan pens. The Renaissance Brown was there, along with the new Smoky Quartz M200 (which in hindsight I regret not buying as it would compliment my Cognac very well). One Pelikan I was really drawn to was the Pelikan M20000000.
The way the pen show is laid out means that before you can get to the main room, you have to pass through two other corridors, where stations are also set up. Conid were amongst the many vendors down one of the two corridors and they always get a good reception. They actually ‘invited’ us to a pen show in Belgium where “the traffic isn’t as bad as it is in London” (they were a little late to the show as a result of the less than fantastic London traffic). I also discovered that they have their very own brew of beer. For anyone who follows me on Instagram (new tab), you can probably understand why Conid is slowly becoming a pen I really want to get. They are on the pricey side, but many people give them a very good recommendation (one of the London pen club members bought from them last year and raves about them!)
Also down the corridors was a table selling a random assortment of pens such as Monteverde and Conklin. I have never had any exposure to these pens other than an Impressa, I believe by Monteverde. However, this table was selling the Conklin Mark Twain models for £10. I hadn’t done my research on these pens beforehand as they have never appealed to me, but for that price I thought “why not?” and scored one for a tenner. Well, turns out I bagged myself a bargain as these things go for £160-£170 online. To begin with I didn’t really like the model, but it’s grown on me very quickly and OH. MY. GOODNESS. The nib is fantastic. Expect a review of that in the not too distant future. If I had known how much I would enjoy it I would’ve picked up two (and scored boyfriend points with the other half!). Unfortunately by the time I got round there, they only had the orange model left. Not my first choice, but I’m happy nevertheless (though, if we’re being pedantic about it I believe the colour is actually called Coral). They also had the Mark Twain demonstrator there, unfortunately this wasn’t part of the £10 promotion because I would’ve snagged that for sure.
Further down you had vendors such as Yard O Led, which is a table I always enjoy visiting. The pens are handmade in England from sterling silver and often have very complex and beautiful designs on them. One day I hope to get one of their more luxurious designs, perhaps when I graduate uni’ it can be my present to myself. I tried one of their pens and the nib was super smooth. I was tempted to purchase, very tempted.
There was also a station selling Pilot Capless pens and a couple of inks. A friend and member of the London pen club spotted a Pelikan Edelstein Amber ink amongst their table, which he has been searching for for a very long time. For anyone who doesn’t know, the Amber edition was one of the inks of the year by Pelikan and has been sold out. He just happened to have stumbled across it and the vendor has apparently had a hard time selling the ink – so he was able to pick it up for £15 – an absolute bargain!
This is near where the Conway Stewart Churchill pens were. I have really enjoyed the look of these pens as well as the gift box that you get with it. It is very gimmicky with the cigar (as someone who doesn’t smoke, I wouldn’t really know what to do with it) but they come with a quote book of Churchill. Churchill quotes often give me goosebumps and make me feel a little giddy reading them. Maybe one day I’ll own one, but unfortunately that day was not Sunday.
Then you got to the main area of the pen show which was full of tables and people. Two tables in very close proximity were the John Twiss table and Sarj’s table: the one man pen show. This was very dangerous as both tables have a plethora of beautiful and amazing pens. John brought along his Arco Pelikan M1000 and I was lucky enough to write with it. Unfortunately it wasn’t up for sale, but you can still bid for it on eBay. It won’t end cheap, let me tell you that! I enjoy Twiss pens – I have one that was made specially for the London pen club and it’s a lovely design that smells amazing because it was custom made and the material used smells great (in a really weird way though).
Much of the pen show was full of vintage pens and a lot of Pelikans. I saw a few Parker Vacumatics going for <£100 which is really shocking. There were a few Grand Place M800s dotted around which was interesting, as well as an M620 Cities San Fran’. But I’m content with my M620 Piccadilly Circus so wasn’t tempted. I did see an M640 which was really interesting to see.
I continued doing a few rounds, and when Conid arrived I swung by them to have a look at their pens. As I said, it wasn’t as expensive as last time and instead of “buyer’s remorse”, I actually have “not-buying remorse”, though it’s probably a good thing I didn’t splurge out. I have a fund for pints down at the Student Bar now. Maybe instead of a Pot Noodle I could treat myself to a full English sometime. Nevertheless, I am very happy with my Mark Twain. I’m not 100% sure if I’ll keep it or sell it and invest into another pen, but maybe I will fall in love with it. I have a lecture today at 16:30 and I have already decided that this is the pen I’m going to bring with me. I have it inked with Akkerman #26 Groenmarkt Smaragd, which I am yet to ask my girlfriend what it means (as she is Dutch). I also have Zuiderpark Blauw-Groen and Hopjesbruin that I was fortunate enough to get last time I visited her. For anyone interested, it is a very similar colour to Diamine Umber.
There were many things there to look at. For example, I was able to find a pen with Concorde on it with the British Airways logo. My father, I believe, had worked on Concorde before it stopped flying so I got a picture for him.
There were also so many beautiful displays of pens, such as this one with the Parker Duofolds:
Of course, amongst the many beautiful displays of pens, you had Sarj’s table. For those of you who have never been to a pen show and met Sarj, I highly recommend you go to one and find his table because he has some of the most magnificent pens. He even had a Pilot 823 in the black finish – and we all know how much I love the Pilot Custom 823. I was thinking of getting it, but I already have the medium nib. If it was a fine then I would have picked it up without a second thought. Here you can see (just some of) the pens Sarj had lined out last Sunday:
Some of the other beautiful finds that were at Sarj’s table:
Photo credit of the latter two pictures above to my good friend and fellow attendee of the London pen club, Thomas, of whom also runs a blog that you can find: here (opens in a new tab).
After the show I went back to Thomas’ house and a few of us played games for a while before it was time to leave and for me to embark on a 2.5 hour trek back home (albeit, most of that was waiting for a bus as at that time on a Sunday they only came once every hour).
All in all, I had a very good time at the pen show. It was lovely to be back home in London, and to spend my pen anniversary at the show. There was so much to see and I met a number of great people.
If by any chance you happen to be in the London area and are interested in joining the London UK pen club, feel free to message me in whichever way is easiest for you (you can find me on social media by searching for 7heDaniel – alternatively you can email me at [email protected] ) – it’s free and regular attendance isn’t necessary! We meet every first Saturday of the month (October being the exception due to the pen show) in London (spoiler) where we talk about pens and have other chit chat, have something to eat and a few drinks. I highly recommend it!
AdvertisementsIt's an unavoidable trap of the tediously long NFL offseason.
By mid-June, all 32 teams have been over-analyzed to death. Picked to pieces. Kicked around like so many dead horses.
We casually throw a bunch of clubs into the "doomed" category based on free agency losses or a perceived bad draft. On the flip side, a handful of rosters are fawned over for adding a bundle of high-priced veterans. Then the games begin, and most of what we predicted with utter surety in the summer gets tossed in the blender.
This article comes packed with all those inherent dangers, but I needed something to do today, so here's my pitch: I'm calling out a trio of buzzy, hyped-up teams bound to disappoint -- while also naming three franchises set to exceed expectations.
Let's get started, shall we?
ENOUGH WITH THE BUZZ
Jacksonville Jaguars
Yes, the defense has a chance to make waves. Second-year cornerback Jalen Ramsey is a star in the making, and the line looks stout, with Calais Campbell paired next to Malik Jackson. Cover man A.J. Bouye was another solid free-agent addition for a unit hoping to see young edge rushers Dante Fowler and Yannick Ngakoue continue to grow. The pieces are there, but many of these same pieces utterly failed to mesh under previous coach Gus Bradley. Is Doug Marrone the guy to flip the switch?
I struggle to believe in Jacksonville's rise to power until we see major changes at the quarterback position. After such a hopeful start to his career, Blake Bortles was a mechanical disaster in 2016, leading to another predictable round of trope-oozing offseason reports about the 25-year-old passer "pretty much correcting" his faulty throwing motion. Those words came from newly installed football czar Tom Coughlin, but I need to see it on the field before buying into the Jaguars. It's just as likely that Jacksonville heads into next offseason looking for new answers under center.
Dallas Cowboys
The concept of a Cowboys swoon has come up plenty on the "Around the NFL Podcast." History is on the side of my colleague Dan Hanzus, who points to a recent track record of Dallas following double-digit-win seasons with crash-and-burn campaigns. How could it happen this autumn? Let's start with a defense that lost cover men Brandon Carr, Morris Claiborne, Barry Church and J.J. Wilcox in free agency, stripping the team of a combined 2,645 regular-season snaps from 2016. A potential DWI-related ban for cornerback Nolan Carroll would only further deplete one of the league's thinnest secondaries. It's a rough dynamic for a club set to face Odell Beckham, Alshon Jeffery, Jamison Crowder and Terrelle Pryor twice next season, along with the likes of Julio Jones, Amari Cooper, Demaryius Thomas, Keenan Allen and Jordy Nelson.
The hope in Dallas is that last year's formula -- unleashing Ezekiel Elliott behind the NFC's best O-line -- continues to work wonders. Even so, second-year quarterback Dak Prescott could find himself under pressure to score points in bundles to keep up. There's a lot of talent on this team, but expecting another 13-win juggernaut is suspect when Dallas has serious depth issues on defense.
New Orleans Saints
Fun Fact: NFL.com had published roughly 827 stories about Adrian Peterson this offseason.
We get it, employer. Adding Peterson and rookie Alvin Kamara to a backfield already laced with Mark Ingram makes this a must-watch team. The Saints also have a bona fide star at receiver in Michael Thomas, while 38-year-old quarterback Drew Brees shows no sign of slowing down. New Orleans has finished in the top 12 in points scored and among the top six in total offense every year since coach Sean Payton arrived in 2006. All of this only adds to the frustration around a poorly constructed roster with just one winning season over the past five years.
During that stretch, the Saints have refused to build a competent defense, finishing 28th or worse in points allowed four times since 2012. Adding rookie cornerback Marshon Lattimore helps, but New Orleans has just one defensive starter -- edge rusher Cameron Jordan -- who received a grade of 80.0 or more (out of 100) from Pro Football Focus last season. Larry Holder of The Times-Picayune wrote during OTAs that "every job is up for grabs" for a defense that has "run out of second and third chances" to fix itself. For all the offseason buzz about Peterson and this offense, the defense could -- once again -- sink this ship.
READY TO OVERACHIEVE
San Francisco 49ers
I'm not ticketing the Niners for a winning season, but I wouldn't be surprised to see San Francisco dial up six-plus victories. The roster includes a wealth of talent along the defensive line with mountainous pass rushers Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner sandwiched around versatile first-round tackle Solomon Thomas. This will be a better unit in 2017, while the offense finds itself in good hands under Kyle Shanahan.
It's easy -- and fair -- to dismiss Brian Hoyer, but remember that the journeyman quarterback has worked well with Shanahan before. The duo helped the Browns to a surprising 7-4 start in 2014 before the wheels fell off, with the coach making the most of Hoyer in a play-action-heavy attack that leaned hard on a young backfield. Rookie runner Joe Williams could see major carries if Carlos Hyde isn't a fit for the team's outside-zone scheme. Shanahan has worked wonders with first |
design: it’s an experiment to find ways to develop services that are fair, affordable, and community-driven, and at the same time drive uptake of the Stellar network to maximize efficiency and reach. We plan to learn from it and offer similar programs in the future.
Categories and Awards
We’re starting with the following four categories for awards.
Anchors: 4 Annual Awards, Based on Usage
Anchors are either banks, licensed money-service providers, or mobile money operators that accept deposits, issue credits, and honor withdrawals on the Stellar network. They are vital to the success of the Stellar network.
Entries will be evaluated based on usage and uptake.
1st: 55 million lumens
2nd: 44 million lumens
3rd: 33 million lumens
4th: 22 million lumens
To qualify as an anchor, organizations that enter the challenge must meet the following criteria:
Record customer balances of some asset in the Stellar ledger
Support federation for deposits and withdrawals
Have a proper stellar.toml so others can add your anchor by domain name
Comply with local regulations
Sustain activity and placement for 12 months
These awards will be determined on October 1, 2016. The lumens will be held in escrow and will only be delivered on July 1, 2017, if the anchors still qualify at that date.
Exchanges: 4 Annual Awards, Based on Volume
Four awards will recognize exchanges that support lumen trading.
Entries will be evaluated by the lumen volume on the qualifying exchange.
1st: 33 million lumens
2nd: 22 million lumens
3rd: 14 million lumens
4th: 5 million lumens
To qualify as an exchange, organizations that enter the challenge must meet the following criteria:
Trade lumens for fiat or digital currency
Accept lumen deposits and honor withdrawals
Deposit lumens via federation
Support federation for withdrawals
Allow fiat deposits/withdrawals via Stellar
Be listed on coinmarketcap.com
Comply with local regulations
Sustain activity and placement for 12 months
As in the anchor category, these awards will be decided on October 1, 2016. The lumens will be held in escrow and will only be delivered on July 1, 2017, if the exchanges still qualify at that date.
Applications: Quarterly Awards, Judged by Panel
All kinds of apps are possible with the Stellar network. We have broken this down into a few subcategories. Due to the qualitative nature of this category, award recipients will be determined by a panel of community members (more information below).
Wallets
1st: 8 million lumens
2nd: 5.5 million lumens
To qualify as a wallet, entries must meet the following criteria:
Be available on the web or downloadable for iOS or Android
Send lumens to federated addresses
Have the capability to add anchors by domain name
Support balances in multiple currencies
Most active forum dedicated to Stellar: 5.5 million lumens
Trading client: 11 million lumens
Most innovative applications
1st: 11 million lumens
2nd: 5.5 million lumens
3rd: 2.7 million lumens
Participants may resubmit each quarter, and may win multiple times.
First-Time Submissions: Quarterly Awards
To encourage developers new to the Stellar ecosystem to build, each first-time submission from a unique GitHub account will be awarded 200K lumens.
To qualify as a first-time submission, entries must meet the following criteria:
Represent original work from the developer, open-sourced on GitHub
Be functional and able to demo
Participants may only receive the first-time submission award once (hence the name).
Timeline and Judging
Participants can submit their projects for consideration in mid-September. An entry form will be available then. The first round of awards will be granted on October 1, 2016.
Awards will be decided by a panel of judges from the Stellar community. This panel includes the following community members. Also listed are their handles on Stellar’s public slack channel.
Cheng Kuan @lab
Johan Stén @dzham
Eno Han @eno
Christian Rudder
Tim Akinbo @takinbo
Judges will have one vote for each potential award in the four categories. Judges will not cast votes in categories for which they have submitted entries.
The Fine Print
If you live in a restricted area—any country on the U.S. sanctions list, as well as the states of NY, CT, or NH—regulations prevent us from sending you lumens. Unfortunately, therefore, residents of restricted areas are not eligible for an award.
All participants will retain the intellectual property associated with their submission.
Next Steps
Time to build! Start prototyping your idea for an entry. Stay tuned for updates on the submission process.
For questions or support, please reach out via slack.stellar.org or [email protected].Privacy Policy
Established in 2001, Kidzworld is the first safe social network for kids. We have developed this policy statement to reflect our commitment to kids safety, security and privacy. Kidzworld users have access to the safest kids social network through the website and iPhone App. However, we do try to educate them to be aware of what they are doing everywhere online and to take appropriate steps to ensure their online safety.
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However, the resolution does ask teams to volunteer to play in the UK, forfeiting a home game for the trip. There is no limit on how many times a team can volunteer over the five year span.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said, following the vote, "The response to NFL games being played in the UK continues to be exceptional. Because of the outstanding support of our British fans, we are confident that hosting additional games in the U.K. will be well received and support our goal of bringing football to more fans in the U.K. and beyond."
Since 2007, one game per season has been played in London's Wembley Stadium, with the Miami Dolphins playing in that initial contest, serving as the home team against the New York Giants. The series, according to the NFL, has directly led to a fan base of 11 million in the United Kingdom, with 2 million described as "avid" fans - a 32% growth in the last two years. British television ratings have also sky-rocketed, with Sunday games up 91% since 2006, and the Super Bowl's viewership increasing 74% in that same time frame.
"When the initial resolution was approved in 2006, the thinking at the time was that we would have two new teams every year," said NFL Vice President of International Chris Parsons. "As the series evolved, we felt as though having a team return to the U.K. on a regular basis would certainly increase the fan base for that particular team, which in turn would drive fan growth for the entire league. We think there is a tremendous benefit for a team to return to the U.K. on an annual basis."
The original resolution, approved in 2006, allowed for up to two games per regular season to be played in international stadiums; the NFL has played one in London, and the Buffalo Bills have played one in Toronto each season. However, with the new resolution, the league has focused on the United Kingdom, and allows freedom to schedule multiple games. The Bills' Toronto Series is scheduled to end in 2012 - the Dolphins were also involved in the first game of the series, this time in 2008.
This year, the Chicago Bears will take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in London, the final game under the initial resolution. The Buccaneers are listed as the home team for this match-up, with the game scheduled for October 23rd.
The first four games in the series are:Hatch will vote to release testimony about Trump/Russia dossier
Sen. Orrin Hatch says he would vote to release the transcript of more than 10 hours of testimony from a former journalist who helped compile an explosive dossier alleging collusion between President Donald Trump's campaign staff and Russian intelligence officials.
Earlier this month Glen Simpson testified behind closed doors in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee behind closed doors. Simpson is the co-founder of Fusion GPS which was hired by Republicans to do opposition research into then-candidate Donald Trump.
Following his testimony, Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal called for the transcript of Simpson's testimony to be made public. Simpson's lawyer says he also would like to see the transcript made public.
That would be subject to an affirmative vote of the full Senate Judiciary Committee. Sen. Orrin Hatch's office says Hatch would also be in favor of releasing Simpson's testimony to the public.
In an email statement, Hatch's office said:
"The Senator, like Chairman Grassley, believes we should make as much public as possible, and as soon as we can. Barring additional and unexpected developments (such as, for example, a new, bondfide assertion of privilege or the unanticipated discovery of a need for additional interviewing to provide greater context before release), he would vote in favor."
Hatch's statement was in response to a question from the Rachel Maddow Show about Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley's statement that he, too, would vote to make Simpson's testimony public. Grassley is the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The mostly uncorroborated dossier from Fusion GPS alleges that members of Trump's campaign colluded with the Russian government.At the end of June, a manager at Foxconn Technology - one of Apple's major contract manufacturers - said the company planned to reduce costs by moving hundreds of thousands of workers to other parts of China, including the impoverished Henan province.
While the labour involved in the final assembly of an iPhone accounts for a small part of the overall cost, about 7 per cent by some estimates, analysts say most companies in Apple's supply chain - the chip makers and battery suppliers and those making plastic mouldings and printed circuit boards - depend on Chinese factories to hold down prices. And those factories now seem likely to pass on cost increases.
''Electronics companies are trying to figure out how to deal with the higher costs,'' says Jenny Lai, a technology analyst at CLSA, an investment bank based in Hong Kong. ''They're already squeezed, so squeezing more costs out of the system won't be easy.''
Apple can cope better than most companies because it has margins of as much as 60 per cent and pricing power to absorb some of those costs. But makers of computers, phones and other electronics - including Dell, Hewlett-Packard and LG - have different profit margins, according to analysts. ''The challenges are going to be much bigger for them,'' Lai said. Most other industries, from textiles and toys to furniture, are under considerably more pressure.
One way to understand the changes taking shape in southern China is to follow the supply chain of the iPhone 4, which was designed by Apple engineers in the US, sourced with components from around the world and assembled in China. It is shipped back to the US and elsewhere, and nominally priced at about $US600 ($A685), though the cost to many consumers is less, because of phone company subsidies in exchange for service contracts. ''China makes very little money on these things,'' said Jason Dedrick, a professor at Syracuse University and co-author of several studies of Apple's supply chain. Much of the value in high-end products is captured at the beginning and end of the process, by the brand and the distributors and retailers.Police charged a Western New York man for falsely reporting an incident after he posted a warning to parents about clowns in the area on Facebook.
The Democrat & Chronicle reports Christopher Hooper allegedly edited a clown image into a photo of Vitale Park in Lakeville before posting it on his Facebook page. He warned people to keep their children out of the park, which caused "public harm" and adding to the growing clown hysteria, Livingston County Sheriff Thomas J. Dougherty said in a press release. The sheriff added that Hooper told his Facebook friends "the clown had then run away when he snapped the picture."
"The post did cause public alarm with the recent clown issues on social media," the press release read. "The sheriff's office has been investigating the clown concerns since last week with no known credible threat but many residents very concerned."
The post was shared almost 200 times before it was deleted.
Police charged Hooper with third-degree falsely reporting an incident after he admitted making the post, Dougherty said in the release. The charge brings a maximum penalty of a year in prison and a $1,000 fine.
Dougherty's Facebook post came on the same day that the "creepy clown" epidemic continued to spread rapidly throughout Upstate New York.
In the Rochester area, a person sent video to a TV station of a clown walking down West Ridge Road in Greece, near Rochester. The person who took the video told the TV station "waving at cars."
On Monday, Shenendehowa Central School District in the Capital Region received a bomb threat on an online forum run by the notorious "creepy clowns." The school district is home to Shenendehowa High School, the largest public high school in Upstate New York. It has an enrollment of more than 3,100 students.
Binghamton Central School District officials notified parents Monday morning of possible "clown activity" around Binghamton High School during lunch.
Sighting of these "creepy clowns" have spread on social media. The epidemic reached Upstate New York last week. The first reported sighting was made by a woman at Fox Run Apartments in Clifton Park. She reported seeing a "creepy clown" lurking outside a laundry room.
Since then, there have been numerous other sightings in Upstate New York, including Auburn, Amsterdam, St. Lawrence County and Western New York. In one particular shocking case, three people wearing clown costumes began approaching a 10-year-old boy in Syracuse as he walked to school.
Every 'creepy clown' sighting, report in Upstate NY so farYou must enter the characters with black color that stand out from the other characters
A CBC Editorial: Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016; Editorial# 8099
The following is the opinion of Capitol Broadcasting Company
Even as we seem to be on the threshold of repealing onerous House Bill 2, that possibility seems mired in petty partisan bickering that could sink the deal.
Or maybe it is all a ruse? Make it appear as if the legislature’s going to repeal the law that legalizes discrimination, but avoid doing so. If votes somehow come up short on repeal, the blame again will be pinned on those who back anti-discrimination efforts for failing to compromise further or pressing for a vote that they weren’t going to prevail on anyway.
It is time to stop. No games, no blame. Just repeal HB2 now.
In a video statement that should have been an appeal to accommodation, Gov. Pat McCrory seemed to lay responsibility for the entire matter on Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts, Democratic Gov.-elect Roy Cooper, and Democrats in general. The soon-to-be former Republican governor said he’d call the General Assembly into an extra session on Wednesday “to reconsider existing state legislation passed earlier this year.”
While McCrory said he demanded repeal of the Charlotte ordinance, he never mentioned – or suggested – he wanted and would insist on repeal of HB2 in return.
The fact of the matter has been that McCrory and the legislature brought all of the plagues that followed HB2 – loss of the NBA All-Star game, ACC championships, prime entertainment events, thousands of jobs and millions of dollars – upon themselves by their impetuous action.
McCrory and Attorney General candidate Buck Newton lost elections where repeal of HB2 was a major issue. Poll after poll show overwhelming majorities of North Carolinians believe the law is unfair and hurts North Carolina’s economy.
Democratic Gov.-elect Roy Cooper personally lobbied reluctant Charlotte council members who didn’t trust the legislature to uphold its end of the deal. The council members came around, voting unanimously to rescind, contingent on repeal of HB2, its non-discrimination ordinance. They met the legislature’s demand for removal of the ordinance in return for repeal of HB2 – even as legislative leaders seek to equivocate on the deal.
Rather than welcome the overture from Charlotte’s council they demanded, McCrory and the legislature’s GOP leadership lashed out.
Berger and Moore ridiculed the ordinance as a “political stunt to drive out-of-state money into the governor’s race.” The reality was just the opposite. It’s HB 2 that failed as a hot-button issue designed to drive money to Republican candidates and motivate their voters to the polls.
The state Chamber of Commerce helped write portions of HB2 that limited minimum wage increases and moved job discrimination cases out of state courts. While the state Chamber remains silent about the repeal, other key state and local economic development advocates are pressing for repeal. The state Restaurant and Lodging Association and the chambers of commerce in Charlotte and Raleigh were quick Monday to urge the legislature to action.
It is time to end the partisan gamesmanship and bickering. The action Monday by the Charlotte Council gives North Carolina the opportunity to start rebuilding and rehabilitating its brand.
Wednesday there is a chance to reopen North Carolina to the rest of the nation and world. Unlike much of the complicated and important legislation that was just recently passed in great haste, repeal of HB2 doesn’t need much debate, nor much time.
The General Assembly can quickly repeal HB2 in its entirety and still have plenty of time to start celebrating a merry Christmas.Image copyright Julia Quenzler Image caption Stuart Hall sat in the dock as verdicts were returned
Ex-BBC broadcaster Stuart Hall has been cleared of raping two girls.
Hall, 84, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, was found not guilty of 15 charges of rape and four counts of indecent assault by a jury at Preston Crown Court.
He was accused of abusing the girls from the age of 12 between 1976 and 1981. Jurors found him guilty of one count of indecent assault.
The former It's a Knockout presenter said the sex was consensual, apart from one occasion which "never happened".
At the beginning of the trial he admitted indecently assaulting one woman when she was aged 13.
The jury reached a majority decision that he was guilty of a separate indecent assault against the same woman.
No reaction
Mr Hall was charged under the Sexual Offences Act 1956, where he could be charged with rape, indecent assault and unlawful sex with a girl under 16.
The jury was told "no proceedings can be brought" in relation to unlawful sex with a girl aged under 16 "after 12 months had expired from the date".
But the 12-month time limit did not apply when the charges were rape or indecent assault, jurors heard.
The judge, Mr Justice Turner, said "therefore it is permissible" for the prosecution to bring the charges against Hall.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's Judith Moritz takes a look at the background to the case
The Sexual Offences Act 1956 was amended in 2003.
Hall showed no reaction as the jury of eight women and four men delivered the verdicts after more than seven hours of deliberation.
He mouthed "thank you" to the jurors as he was led away to the cells to continue serving his sentence for earlier offences.
'Respect the verdicts'
A BBC spokeswoman said the corporation was "appalled by the crimes of Stuart Hall".
She said a "detailed investigation into Hall's conduct at the BBC" was being conducted by Dame Linda Dobbs and her conclusions would be published as part of Dame Janet Smith's review of former BBC DJ Jimmy Savile's conduct later in the year.
A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said: "The jury has listened to all the evidence from the prosecution and defence and we of course respect the verdicts they have reached."
Det Ch Insp Neil Esseen said Lancashire Constabulary had "worked closely with the Crown Prosecution Service throughout and all of the evidence was subject to careful scrutiny before a decision was taken to charge, in the belief that there was a realistic prospect of conviction".
"Whenever anyone comes forward to report allegations of a sexual nature, it is absolutely right that we carry out a professional investigation, which is what we have done in this case.
"We have recognised and considered the views and needs of the victims throughout this investigation and we will continue to offer them whatever support they need," he said.
Hall is serving a 30-month jail term after he pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting 13 other girls, one as young as nine.
The abuse occurred between 1967 and 1985. His 15-month sentence was later extended at the Court of Appeal.
He will be sentenced for the new convictions on 23 May.The House and Senate voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to undo President Obama’s veto of legislation that would allow lawsuits against foreign governments that sponsor terrorism, giving the president his first veto override since he took office.
The Senate vote was 97-1, with only Democratic Leader Harry Reid voting to sustain the veto. Sen. Tim Kaine, the Democrats’ vice presidential candidate, and Sen. Bernie Sanders were not present to cast votes. The House followed suit a short time later, voting 348-77 to override.
The legislation, known as the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, or JASTA, was sponsored by New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, who’s poised to become the Democratic leader in the Senate next year, and Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the second-ranking Republican leader.
The White House lobbied lawmakers and Capitol Hill staff members for weeks, arguing that while Obama supports 9/11 victims and their families – who are eager to sue Saudi Arabia for its alleged role in the terrorist attacks -- the legislation created risks more broadly for U.S. personnel and imperils international policies and protections around the world.
Obama, speaking at a CNN town hall on Wednesday, called the override "a mistake" because “if we eliminate this notion of sovereign immunity, then our men and women in uniform around the world could potentially start seeing ourselves subject to reciprocal laws."
He said he understands why Congress passed the bill, noting that “all of us still carry the scars and trauma of 9/11."
However, he continued, “the concern that I've had has nothing to do with Saudi Arabia per se or my sympathy for 9/11 families. It has to do with me not wanting a situation in which we're suddenly exposed to liabilities for all the work that we're doing all around the world."
According to a press pool report from Air Force One Wednesday afternoon -- prior to the House taking action -- White House press secretary Josh Earnest called the override vote “the single most embarrassing thing the United States Senate has done possibly since 1983.” He said the lawmakers’ action was “an abdication of their basic responsibilities as elected representatives of the American people. Ultimately these senators are going to have to answer their own conscience and their constituents as they account for their actions today.”
Schumer said after the vote that the upper chamber did not take the override “lightly, but it was important in this case that the families of the victims of 9/11 be allowed to pursue justice, even if that pursuit causes some diplomatic discomforts.
“The White House and the executive branch is far more interested in diplomatic considerations. We’re more interested in the families and in justice,” he added. “I think our administration was just dead wrong on this issue."
There have been furious lobbying efforts both in support of and in opposition to the legislation in recent months. Senators felt intense pressure to pass the legislation after a very public push from family members of 9/11 victims. The Saudi government also heavily lobbied Congress to sustain the president’s veto, according to the New York Times, and even threatened to sell off hundreds of billions of dollars in American assets if JASTA becomes law, though some lawmakers consider that to be an empty threat.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, who voted to override the veto but has serious concerns about the legislation, said he didn’t want Saudi Arabia, a key ally of the U.S. in the Middle East, to view Wednesday’s vote as Congress implicating them in the 9/11 attacks.
“I’m worried, like a lot of other people are worried, that Saudi Arabia will see this as the Congress finding them guilty of being involved in 9/11,” Graham told reporters before the vote.
Schumer, however, dismissed those arguments: “If the Saudis were culpable, they should be held accountable. If they had nothing to do with 9/11, they have nothing to fear.”
Though the legislation passed the Senate unanimously in May, several lawmakers began having serious reservations about its long-term implications in recent weeks. Sen. Bob Corker, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said he had concerns about U.S. sovereignty abroad, and about “outsourcing U.S. foreign policy to trial lawyers.”
Corker voted in favor of the override despite those concerns, but he and other senators have had discussions about approaching the issue again either during the lame-duck Senate session after the election or sometime next year. Graham said there is a group of about 20 senators prepared to re-examine the legislation when Congress returns after the election, and predicted that number could grow. He said he had held “brief” conversations with the bill’s sponsors, about those efforts.
“The focus now is: How can we, over a period of time, create some corrective legislation to deal with whatever blowback may occur?” Corker told reporters Tuesday. “… It’s a group of people that on one hand have empathy for the 9/11 victims, but on the other hand understand that some of the language in this bill could create issues for ourselves.”
Cornyn, however, dismissed the need for any attempt to re-examine a bill that passed with such overwhelming support.
In the House, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told reporters Tuesday that she met recently with 9/11 families "and they want their day in court and I want them to have it.” She downplayed the rift between Obama and Capitol Hill Democrats despite the overwhelming margin by which they overrode his veto, the first such action in his nearly eight years in office.
“I wouldn’t make anything big about this between Democrats in the Congress and the president,” she said. “I think that’s overblown."
Alexis Simendinger contributed to this report.Standing Rock Sioux Timeline — Fighting for their Right to Survive and Thrive
Posted by Peacemaker on Friday, November 18, 2016 · 1 Comment
The Legal Origins of The Standing Rock Reservation
Beginning on April 29, 1868, the Sioux Nation received land on the 46th parallel of the north latitude to the bank of the Missouri River, running south along the east bank of the Nebraska borderline and west to the 104th parallel of the west longitude, to become their home — the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. This was done according to the Treaty of Laramie, Article 2. When the land grant was first negotiated, it included the Missouri River and the Black Hills, sacred to the Sioux.
Within the Treaty the Sioux were also granted the right to hunt off the reservation on land from the Platte and Republican Rivers east to the Bighorn Mountains — that right was listed in the Treaty’s 11th article. The Standing Rock Agency at Fort Yates was formed in 1873. On March 16, 1875, the northern boundary was extended to the Cannon Ball River by Executive Order. But Congress reduced the size of the reservation in 1889, dividing it into six reservations which included the Standing Rock Reservation.
An Influx of Homesteaders
The reason for pulling the land back was to offer 9 million acres for homesteading to those immigrating from other countries, as well as those seeking their fortune by leaving the more established cities along the eastern United States. It had been discovered that the Black Hills region was rich in gold deposits. Part of the “freed-up” land came from Standing Rock, to the tune of 6.6 million acres. Leaving only somewhere between 2.4-2.7 million acres to the Sioux (sources vary). Much of that land handed over to settlers was the best farmland, making it more difficult to provide for members of the tribe. Those reduced boundaries have remained much the same since the 1889 Congressional act.
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Anastasia Hayes and Rennia Davis share a moment in March 2017 at the United Center in Chicago. (Photo: Courtesy of McDonald's)
“They ask questions, and it’s questions because they want to get better,” she said. “They listen. They listen to their teammates. They don’t listen all the time, but they’re willing to listen to their teammates and they’re willing to do whatever it takes to make this team special and important. That’s hard to come by.”
A balancing act
Westbrook played an important role in Tennessee’s 82-75 victory over then-No. 2 Texas last Sunday. She set a personal high with 15 points. When the Longhorns pulled even at 29-29 early in the third quarter, she swished a 3-pointer, restoring the Lady Vols’ lead for good.
Westbrook also committed a game-high seven turnovers and was charged with an ill-advised technical foul in the fourth quarter.
Kasiyahna Kushkituah speaks to the media at Tennessee Lady Vols media day in Knoxville, Tenn. Thursday Oct. 26, 2017. (Photo: CAITIE MCMEKIN/NEWS SENTINEL)
Afterward, she offered a full accounting of her performance.
“I know that I have a lot of freedom, especially as a point guard,” Westbrook said. “But to myself I can’t make mistakes. Everyone is waiting on me to call the play, tell them where to go, tell them what to do. So for me, my part is huge. I never shied away from it. I always embrace having the part that I have and I love it. I just have to do what’s best for my team, and I know that I have to make the least mistakes on the team.”
More: UT Lady Vols up to No. 7 in AP poll, savoring moment before moving on
Westbrook essentially was describing a balancing act, one that all the freshmen are attempting. Given their roles, Hayes and Davis are filtering their experiences much like Westbrook. Kushkituah is weighing the frustration caused by an early season foot injury against the realization that she’s playing catch up conditioning-wise.
The meat of Tennessee’s schedule still lies ahead. The sheer length of the season alone will add to the challenges faced by these players.
“We know not everything is going to be easy,” Lockwood said. “They need to know that. … As much as anything you watch how they are.”
It goes with the nurturing.The Dallas Mavericks are about to sign a player they've long coveted, reaching terms Saturday on a one-year contract with free-agent forward Yi Jianlian, according to sources with knowledge of the deal.
The contract is likely to be finalized within the next 48 hours, sources said.
The 6-foot-10 power forward has spent the past four seasons in the NBA but was still available in free agency thanks in part to a knee injury Yi suffered during a brief stint playing for the Guangdong Southern Tigers, after helping the Chinese national team clinch a spot in the 2012 London Olympics earlier in the summer.
Yi averaged 16.7 points and 10.3 rebounds in three games with Guangdong but has been recovering from a knee injury after a teammate fell on him during a game.
Sources told ESPN.com that Yi will join the Mavericks' D-League affiliate Texas Legends in nearby Frisco on a rehabilitation stint before joining the Mavericks to help reacquaint the 24-year-old with full-speed basketball.
Sources said Yi also considered signing with the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs before settling on Dallas.
Playing in the D-League would reunite him with Legends coach Del Harris, who coached China to an eight-place finish at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. In 2011 with the national team under American coach Bob Donewald, Yi averaged 16.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks and earned tournament MVP honors while leading China to the championship.
The Mavericks have mostly been looking at centers to fill their 15th and final roster spot in the wake of Tyson Chandler's free-agent departure to the New York Knicks.
Sources said the Mavericks remain interested in burly free agent Kyrylo Fesenko, but they'd now have to release someone currently on the roster to make room for the 7-1, 290-pound big man who spent his first four seasons with the Utah Jazz. ESPNDallas.com reported Friday that Fesenko was strongly leaning toward taking a one-year minimum offer from Dallas after the Ukranian's expected deal with Golden State collapsed.
The Mavericks were well-acquainted with Yi's game long before he was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the sixth overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft, thanks to Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson's longstanding connections to China. Dallas was the first NBA team to successfully sign a Chinese player, drafting Wang Zhi-Zhi with the 36th overall pick in 1999 and ultimately bringing him over during the 2001-02 season.
Yi spent last season with the Washington Wizards and has career averages of 8.5 points and 5.3 rebounds.
Unlike Wilson Chandler, J.R. Smith, Kenyon Martin and Aaron Brooks -- who signed in China during the lockout and who will not be able to return to play in the NBA until the Chinese season ends in March -- Yi will receive his FIBA letter of clearance from Guangdong to immediately join the Mavericks because the Chinese Basketball Association's rules forbidding in-season out clauses for NBA players does not apply to Chinese nationals.
Marc Stein is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com.Image copyright AFP Image caption Air pollution has shrouded Kuala Lumpur's iconic Petronas Towers in a thick haze
Malaysia has declared a state of emergency in two southern districts after smog triggered by forest fires in Indonesia reached hazardous levels.
The coastal towns of Muar and Ledang are in shutdown, and residents have been advised to stay indoors.
Air pollution has also worsened in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, shrouding its landmark Petronas Towers in hazy smoke.
Malaysia's environment minister is to meet his Indonesian counterpart on Wednesday to discuss the problem.
Smog has become an annual problem in Malaysia, but this is the first time in eight years that a state of emergency has been called, the BBC's Jennifer Pak, in Kuala Lumpur, reports.
People are angry that the authorities have not been able to address the health hazard, our correspondent says.
Schools closed
Officials on Sunday confirmed the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) had exceeded 700 in two districts. A reading above 300 indicates that air pollution has reached dangerous levels.
Schools in the region have been ordered to remain closed. Local authorities have distributed face masks to residents.
Slash-and-burn clearances Image copyright Reuters Vegetation is cut down and burned to clear land for cultivation
Cheaper than using excavators and bulldozers
Illegal burning of forests to clear land for palm oil plantations is common in Indonesia - particularly in dry season
Indonesia says it is investigating several palm oil companies In pictures: Indonesia fires
Even in Kuala Lumpur, where smog levels have so far remained moderate, visibility is now strongly reduced and the smell of thick smoke hangs in the air, correspondents say.
Kuala Lumpur resident Raj Ahmed told the BBC: "You wake up in the morning and you can smell burnt wood - you look out the window and there is constant smog clouding the major landmarks that you would ordinarily see.
"If you go outside, it's like constantly standing close to a small barbecue."
The haze drifted across from Singapore, which has experienced record pollution levels as a result of the fumes originating in Indonesia's Riau province.
The smog is being blamed on illegal land-clearing fires burning near the provincial capital Pekanbaru.
Palm-oil firms - some of which are based in Malaysia and Singapore - have been accused of using slash-and-burn techniques to clear space for their plantations.
Environmental group Greenpeace International said its analysis of Nasa data between 11 and 21 June had "revealed hundreds of fire hotspots in palm oil concessions".
Firefighters in Sumatra are continuing to try to bring the blazes under control.
The issue is likely to feature prominently at a meeting of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) taking place in Brunei next week.
The South East Asia haze in 1997 and 1998 covered Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and the southern Philippines, causing environmental damage and, by some estimates, around $9.3bn (£5.9bn) in economic losses.
Tourist numbers to the region fell sharply, and reports said the smog made around 20 million people ill.
The smoke also contributed to collisions on the roads and at sea, and a number of air disasters were blamed on poor visibility.8:00 pm: Delhi polling turnout his record new high
This election has seen the highest turnout ever with reports pegging the turnout at a whopping 67.21 percent.
7.25 pm: Surveys on TV reflect polling only till 3 pm, says Kiran Bedi
Kiran Bedi, in a press conference, said that the exit polls shown on TV were not reliable because they only reflected the polling till 3 pm and not between 3 and 6 pm.
Saying that the true verdict will only come out on 10 February, the BJP's CM candidate for Delhi said, "I will take complete responsibility for the verdict on 10 February." Bedi also said that the polling which took place between 3 and 6 pm will be in favour of the BJP. "Truth will win on 10 February," she said.
"I am thankful to BJP for giving me this responsibility," Bedi said on being BJP's CM candidate.
"The condition of Delhi is shameful right now," Bedi said. "I am shocked at the condition in which Congress abandoned Delhi. Delhi is a deprived, choked city right now." She also said that the city is divided into have and have-nots right now and women's security is bad in the city.
"The Uber rape case was avoidable. Delhi police needs to be better co-ordinated," she said.
"If BJP comes to power in #Delhi, we will make Delhi a world-class city," said Bedi. "If BJP comes to power, there will 2400 hours electricity in Delhi instead of just 24 hours."
6.10 pm: Sex workers exercise their voting rights in Delhi
The polling booth at the historical Anglo Arabic Model School built in 1632, suddenly got abuzz at 2 pm, as hundreds of sex workers from Delhi’s red-light area GB Road (now Shraddhanand Marg) came in groups to exercise their voting rights, reported Firstpost's Debobrat Ghose. Besides, Matia Mahal assembly constituency has a sizeable Muslim population, who came with families.
According to the presiding electoral officer of the booth, by 3.30 pm, the average voting touched 55%. “By the closing of the day, it’s expected to cross 60%. The voting gained momentum only after 2 pm, and now there is a steady flow of voters.”
This Matia-Mahal booth in Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha constituency, which is close to GB Road, drew attention since 2008 onwards, as sex workers got voting rights and started exercising it.
“I voted in 2013 Assembly election and 2014 General Election after my voters’ ID card was made. It’s an important move for sex workers,” said a sex worker on condition of anonymity. A brothel owner echoed a similar view. Due to social stigma, many sex-workers kept their faces partially covered, while in queue.
“1500 sex workers have got voters ID card and they will cast vote. Around 2000 cards are in pipeline,” said Shahzad Ahmad.
5.27 pm: 63 percent voting takes place till 5 pm
According to TV reports, 63 percent polling took place in the Delhi elections till 5 pm, as the voter turnout is now inching towards a record. According to Times Now, the voter turnout was 63.46 percent till 5 pm.
5.08 pm: Voting to be extended by an hour, say reports
The polling for Delhi elections will be extneded by an hour due to the long lines of voters, according to reports. Meanwhile, a BJP core group is currently meeting at 7RCR, Delhi which includes PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, according to Times Now.
4.30 pm: 'Hope AAP will give BJP something to think about'
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah today voiced hope that the Aam Aadmi Party will give BJP "something to think about" in Delhi which is voting to elect its Assembly.
Omar wished good luck to the voters in Delhi. "Good luck voting today Delhi. Aap achay say vote ka istemal karen (Cast your vote cleverly) 😉 #Delhi2015," he tweeted.
He also said it clearly demonstrates the writing on the wall when the political parties accuse their opponents of playing dirty tricks on the poll day.
You know the writing is on the wall when political parties start accusing their opponents of dirty tricks on polling day #Delhi2015 — Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) February 7, 2015
3.40 pm: Over 40% voting till 2 pm, EC confident of record polling
The Election Commission today said that polling in the Delhi Assembly election could well cross the 65% mark as voters were still coming out and participating in the election process.
"We expect at least 70% voting by 6 pm," Chief Election Commissioner HS Brahma told reporters.
3.20 pm: Congress will come through, it has faced difficulties before: Priyanka
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi today conceded her party was facing a tough election but maintained that it will come through as they have faced difficulties in the past.
"I think it's definitely an important opponent in this election.. Congress has faced difficulties before and it has always come through, I'm sure it will come through," Priyanka Gandhi.
2.50 pm: Amit Shah calls for top leadership meeting at 7 pm
BJP chief Amit Shah has called for a meeting at 7 pm this evening which is likely to be attended by key BJP leaders. With the BJP camp nervous about an AAP win, the meeting will discuss exit-poll results which will be released this evening, among other things.
2.45 pm: EC should make provisions for visually impaired
Sharda Devi is blind by birth, but that does deter her from voting. At the St Columbus School booth of the New Delhi constituency her husband Ranjit Dutta makes her press the EVM button.
"Since, I cannot see, my husband always ensures that I cast my vote as per my choice. He takes me to EVM machines and tell me the order of symbols of different political party on the voting machine. He helps me press the button of my choice," the 58-year-old woman told Firstpost complaining that the Election Commission does make any arrangement that can enable visually impaired vote on their own. - Tarique Anwar
"The EC should design visually impaired-friendly EVMs so that we can vote without any help," she puts forth.Ranjit said, "We are poor people and we vote on issues like price rise. We want a stable government which can spare time to think about us."
Visually impaired Sharda Devi showing ink mark after casting vote at St Columbus School, Ashok Place, in New Delhi. pic.twitter.com/GtnkmT0IFV — Tarique Anwar (@tariqueejaz) February 7, 2015
2.25 pm: Kiran Bedi confident of BJP victory, says high voter turnout will help her
Exuding confidence of a BJP victory, Bedi appealed to the people to come out in large numbers and vote.
"Today is a historic day. Delhiites have to decide what kind of Delhi they want - a clean Delhi, a secure Delhi, a capable Delhi, a Delhi that respects women. Respecting women is respecting Delhi. I appeal people to come out and vote," she said.
"The voters are getting the opportunity to elect two leaders in this election. My victory in Delhi would mean the Prime Minister's leadership as well," Bedi said after casting her vote in Malviya Nagar constituency.
2.10 pm: AAP alleges conspiracy, says voting being slowed down
Arvind Kejriwal today tweeted out that polling in some areas has been slowed down and in some areas it was taking almost two hours for voters to cast their votes. He urged the EC to intervene.
Even lunch breaks being taken which is against rules. EC shud immediately intervene(3/3) — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 7, 2015
As per rules, 3 voters r allowed inside booth at a time. They r allowing only 1 voter, which has slowed down voting(2/3) — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 7, 2015
Polling slowed down in many places. Long queues. Its taking 2 hrs in some places. Voters returning(1/3) — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 7, 2015
2. 10 pm: 'Ninety-six, but not done yet'
Ninety-six year old, or should we call it 96-year young? Nonagenarian Pratap Chand Jain has been involved in election activities, including voting, since 1938, and he is not finished yet.
After coming out from the polling booth near Hanuman Mandir at Connaught Place station, he told Firstpost: "I have been taking part in the electoral process since 1938. If you do not vote, you have no right to raise questions on the functioning of the government."
Incidentally, the voters' turnout at this booth was extremely low. Only around 400 votes have been polled out of to total 1800.
"My health does not allow me to walk but I don't care. I have never missed any election so far," says Jain who has difficulty hearing despite using hearing aid. - Tarique Anwar
1.55 pm: Hope Delhi finally gets a stable govt, says Jung
Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung today expressed hope that a stable government will be formed after the polls in the city which has been under President's Rule for last one year.
"I hope so," Jung said when asked whether Delhi would get a stable government after the polls.
Jung cast his vote at a booth in St Xavier's Senior Secondary School in Civil Lines in the Model Town constituency.
Meanwhile, Sheila Dikshit takes up PM Modi's Swachh Bharat campaign! Teaches Delhi to keep their city clean - PTI pic.twitter.com/yfw0U3Am8P — Firstpost (@firstpost) February 7, 2015
1. 50 pm: AAP complains to EC about Kiran Bedi's 'pad-yatra'
The AAP has filed a complaint with the Election Commission against Kiran Bedi for violating the model code of conduct in Krishna Nagar by holding pad-yatra and asking for votes.
Complaint has been filed with EC against Kiran Bedi ji for violation of MCC. pic.twitter.com/iOGf1EU2zT — Aam Aadmi Party (@AamAadmiParty) February 7, 2015
1.30 pm: We will cooperate with BJP, tell her to file complain, says AAP
With BJP candidate Nupur Sharma alleging that she and her companions were manhandled by AAP volunteers, AAP spokesperson Atishi Marlena said they were willing to cooperate with the party, and those guilty should be punished.
"If anyone has misbehaved, Nupur Sharma must file a complaint. We will also cooperate if she can give details of that person," she said.
Sharma, meanwhile, has termed the AAP as an 'anti-women' party.
1.05 pm: BJP candidate Nupur Sharma says she was manhandled
The BJP has alleged that its candidate from New Delhi constituency, Nupur Sharma, was manhandled along with her colleagues by AAP volunteers. Sharma has confirmed the incident, which took place near Princes Park at India Gate.
"The AAP volunteers wearing their party caps and T-shirts were trying to influence voters. While passing through the area, I spotted them and raised objection, saying they cannot canvass on the polling day. Irritated AAP supporters indulged in violence and manhandled me and my colleagues. We were rescued by personnel of the Tilak Marg police station," she told Firstpost adding that she had not lodged any police complaint so far.
Soldiers of the democracy:
Those idling at home and refusing to come out vote should learn a few things from Sunil Sharma and Anand Kumar. In their early 40s, both are physically challenged and unable to stand on their feet. However, they won't let this come in the way of their exercising their right to vote.
Sunil, a homeless man who stays in the open outside Hanuman Mandir near in New Delhi constituency, was recognized as a Delhi voter three years ago. This is the third time he is voting. "I hope the government will think about us and make some arrangements so that we can at least get a roof over our heads," he told Firstpost, while urging people to come out and vote.
Anand Kumar, a second time voter, expects a clear majority this year and hopes the new government will do something concrete for people like him instead mere lip service. "I am happy that the government at least has recognised me as a citizen of this country. Despite hardship, I rendered my duty. Now, it's turn of the government to think about us," he said. - Tarique Anwar
(L-R) Sunil Sharma and Anand Kumar after casting votes at Hanuman Mandir polling booth. pic.twitter.com/ncyk0zO5Yu — Tarique Anwar (@tariqueejaz) February 7, 2015
12.45 pm: What makes Delhi, a small state where the government has no real powers so crucial?
Well, it's a matter of prestige for the parties in the fray. Delhi is the power hub of the country. A win or loss here sends a powerful message across the country. The result here could decide how the politics in other states shapes up in the coming months.
With some big ticket assembly elections around, the performance of all parties, particularly of the BJP, which has been on a winning streak for a long time, will be under watch. Besides this, Delhi is the media hub of the country. A government at the Centre would not like having an unfriendly government in the capital state. Frequent brushes between the two could be fodder for adverse publicity for the former in particular. - Akshaya Mishra, Delhi Bureau chief
Meanwhile, sources have told Firstpost that in the illegal satta market bookies, punters and gamblers have placed bets over Rs 45,000 crore in the election.
12.30 pm: BJP demoralised, party workers have given up, says AAP
AAP chief and former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal today alleged that several BJP workers have already given up. "Similar to how Congress workers gave up last elections... They are completely demoralised," Kejriwal tweeted.
Sources- BJP workers have given up in many places, similar to how cong workers gave up in last elections. They are completely demoralized. — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 7, 2015
12.20 pm: Congress will do exceedingly well, says Ajay Maken
Almost everyone may argue that the Congress is nowhere in the Delhi elections, but the party's eleciton campaign chief Ajay Maken is confident that they will do exceedingly well in the elections.
"I am very hopeful that Congress is going to do exceedingly well and we are going to form government on our own. People are in for a big shock and surprise on Feb 10," he told reporters as he showed his inked finger at a Rajouri Garden polling booth.
12.00 pm: 95 and still voting, Delhi wants change
A 54-year-old voter arrives carrying an old, fragile lady in a green printed cotton sari in his arms. She rests her head on his lap as they finish voting at the SGTB Khalsa Girls Senior Secondary School booth at BK Dutt Colony in Aliganj.
"She is Reshma Devi, my mother who turned 95 this year. Since morning she had been eagerly waiting to cast her vote. She has been doing this for the last 40 years. I had to carry her in my arms as she can't walk on road anymore. There's tough competition here between AAP and BJP. Let's see what's in store," Shambhu Thakur, originally from Madhubani and a resident of E Block at BK Dutt colony, told Firstpost.
When FP asked her about voting, Reshma Devi showed her finger bearing the ink mark and nodded in affirmation. Meanwhile, other voters started gathering around her to have a look of the grand old lady voter. She was joined by another 90-year-old, Sheila Devi, who was accompanied by her grand daughter, who's a minor. "I can't vote now, but have come with my daadi as she wanted to vote. we live in this colony only." - Debobrat Ghose.
11.50 am: Delhi records 19% voter turnout till 11 am
Voting percentage is picking up as Delhiites are slowly walking out of their homes to cast their votes. Central Delhi has recorded a voting of 15.30 percent till 11 am and election experts are expecting the national capital to beat previous records and give the state a decisive mandate.
11.30 am: Confident of victory, says Shazia Ilmi
Former AAP leader and now in the BJP camp, Shazia Ilmi has said, "people want a government that can convert their promises to reality. I'm confident that the BJP will come to power here as in the Centre."
Ilmi, too, seems to be angry with the media saying: "You are giving AAP extra coverage because it appears that the BJP has angered you for some reason. But the people are smart, they know who to vote for."
Interestingly, she appeared to accuse Kejriwal of being too full of himself, saying he's all about I, me and myself, something similar to what her leader Narendra Modi was accused of.
11.25 am: Does high voter-turnout mean beter winning chances?
The enthusiasm among voters in certain pockets indicate a heavy turnout. The voting percentage in the previous assembly election was close to 67 percent; in the general election it was around 66 percent. This time Delhi may break all earlier records. But does that mean anything in terms of winning chances of parties? Not really. There's no coherent evidence to support the theory that a big turnout means votes against the party in power - meaning anti-incumbency voting. It's the same with low voter turnout. However, greater participation in election means greater awareness among voters. Which is a good sign. - Akshaya Mishra, Delhi Bureau chief.
11.20 am: Stop being biased, Bedi tells media
Delhi BJP's CM candidate Kiran Bedi today alleged that the media was being biased in its coverage of the elections.
"You are not showing the truth. You have to be responsible in your coverage," a visibly frustrated Bedi told reporters.
Delhi: AAP CM candidate Arvind Kejriwal casts his vote at BK Dutt Colony. #DelhiVotes pic.twitter.com/FzMCTV7n3n — ANI (@ANI_news) February 7, 2015
11.15 am: Fully confident, we will make it, says Kejriwal
Arvind Kejriwal, the man who earned the sobriquet 'Giant Killer' after defeating Congress veteran and three-term CM Sheila Dikshit in Delhi election last time, spoke to Debobrat Ghose of Firstpost briefly after casting his vote at SGTB Khalsa Girls Senior Secondary School, at BK Dutt Colony in Aliganj. The police force virtually cordoned him, not allowing anyone to interact with him.
"I'm fully confident. We'll make it. we've got immense support from Delhi voters," said Kejriwal showing the victory sign with a smile of a winner when asked how does he gauge the response from the public so far.
Kejriwal's popularity can be judged by the fact that nearly 500 people were waiting outside the booth to have a glimpse of him. "He has already become a hero. we're waiting outside to see him and then we'll go nd cast our vote," said Sarla Manchanda. The rooftops and balconies of the flats adjoining the school are full of people waving at him and raising slogans.
There was a situation of a virtual stampede near the booth. Security forces escorted him to his black grey Toyota Innova and he left while showing his fore finger telng that he has voted at 10.30 am.
"The overwhelming welcome he has received tells that he's already a winner", said senior citizen Jagdish Gherna.
11.05 am: After voting, Bedi to now visit every polling booth
Delhi BJP's CM candidate Kiran Bedi cast her vote early this morning and appeared confident that here party will win the Assembly elections.
While Bedi, who is contesting from Krishna Nagar, a BJP bastion, is set to win, both the camps - AAP and the BJP - are expecting a tough, nail-biting finish.
Meanwhile, Bedi will now go to each polling booth in her constituency to help party workers increase voter turnout.
Now on my way to all Polling booths in my constituency, krishna Nagar. What an experience.. — Kiran Bedi (@thekiranbedi) February 7, 2015
10.58 am: Delhi records 5.64% voting till 9 am
According to Joint CEO Rajesh Goyal, the polling percentage till 9 am is over five percent. Many booths in posh colonies in New Delhi are deserted. The turnout is expected to improve after 12 noon. He also said special arrangement has been made for physically challenged people. "We have deluged officials with wheel chairs to facilitate elderly and physically impaired people to vote. In addition to our officials, they have been allowed one attendent to help them," he said. - Tarique Anwar
10. 50 am: 'Ajay Maken is possibly Delhi best CM candidate'
Our Delhi bureau chief Akshaya Mishra writes: The party with possibly the best chief minister candidate is nowhere in the picture in this election. Ajay Maken, the Congress' face for the top job in the state, has been completely overshadowed by Arvind Kejriwal. He would be ruing the fact that his party is an also-ran in this election despite being in power in Delhi for 15 years.
The party had a vote share of 24 percent in the assembly election of 2013. However, it did not convert into seats. It has been a sharp slide after that for the party. With most opinion polls predicting less than five seats for the Congress, Maken has a tough job at hand. There's also indication that the traditional supporters of the party are shifting to the AAP. The big question: will the Congress survive in Delhi after the election?
10.45 am: Don't vote for those who don't keep their promises: Kejriwal
Speaking to reporters after casting his vote, AAP chief and arguably man of the moment Arvind Kejriwal appealed to voters not to cast their votes for parties that don't respect them.
"A lot of money and alcohol was distributed last night. You know which party is doing it. Don't vote for them. Also, I urge you not to vote for those who turn their election manifesto into an election tactics."
10.14 am: Rahul Gandhi arrives at Aurangzeb lane polling booth
Rahul Gandhi arrived at Aurangzeb lane polling booth to cast his vote but did not speak with the media.
Meanwhile, Tarique Anwar reported big turnout was witnessed at every polling booth, especially those on the outskirts of Delhi. Women have started arriving in large number at their respective booths to cast their votes. The first-time voters have started pouring in too. They look quite enthusiastic.
9.40 am: Sonia Gandhi casts her vote
Congress president Sonia Gandhi cast her vote. Speaking to the media, the Congress chief said, "Whatever people want will happen."
AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal too went to vote early on Saturday. "People want freedom from corruption, bribery and am hopeful they will vote accordingly. I appeal people to vote and I am confident that truth will win, public will win in this election," the AAP chief said.
AAP CM candidate Arvind Kejriwal leaves from his residence to cast his vote at BK Dutt colony #DelhiVotes pic.twitter.com/NSW7cQkt6t — ANI (@ANI_news) February 7, 2015
Congress President Sonia Gandhi casts her vote #DelhiVotes pic.twitter.com/1pS4toYpFc — ANI (@ANI_news) February 7, 2015
Congress President Sonia Gandhi arrives at Nirman Bhawan polling booth to cast her vote #DelhiVotes pic.twitter.com/8o86ztPFJV — ANI (@ANI_news) February 7, 2015
Congress President Sonia Gandhi : Jo janta chaegi wahi hoga #DelhiVotes pic.twitter.com/fhhAqgF258 — ANI (@ANI_news) February 7, 2015
A voter from the Patparganj constituency, right after casting his vote, told AAP candidate Manish Sisodia: "Sir, I have done my job to the best I can, but you and your party make sure that you do your job better than what you did last time," Shibaji Roychoudhary reports.
BJP's young and vibrant Nupur Sharma speaking to the media said, "A govt with no drama is what Delhi wants. I urge youngsters to come out in full force and exercise their franchise." Sharma said she was confident that BJP will form the government in Delhi. The young candidate is touted to give a stiff competition to Arvind Kejriwal from the new Delhi constituency.
BJP's candidate from New Delhi Nupur Sharma(contesting against Arvind Kejriwal) casts her vote pic.twitter.com/aP3XJ2KNn6 — ANI (@ANI_news) February 7, 2015
Delhi election is a direct contest between Arvind Kejriwal and Narendra Modi - Mufflerman and Modimania, if you please.
As Akshaya Mishra says, Kiran Bedi, the BJP's chief minister candidate, is a fringe player in the big show for all practical purposes. If Kejriwal wins, his profile as a politician becomes a whole lot brighter; if Modi loses the aura of invincibility around him stands deeply dented.
If the former loses, it would still have established him as a legitimate big political player, not an ambitious upstart that he was considered to be a few months ago. If Modi wins it would another feather in his cap.
9.19 am: With one vote get both PM and me, says Kiran Bedi
"Get two leaders with one vote -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and me," Kiran Bedi says after casting her vote.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Election commission has arranged for 300 additional wheelchairs, over and above their usual number of disability assistance machines for the elderly and people with special abilities, Firstpost's Shibaji Roychoudhary reports.
According to the Chief Electoral Officer, Chandra Bhushan Kumar, the total number of wheelchairs was increased from 400 to 700. He also revealed that there will be hydraulic lifts in four polling stations in southwest district.
However, that may not be enough as in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, there were a total of 2,600 wheel chairs available for people with disabilities and the elderly, but this time astoundingly, even the ministry of social justice and empowerment has failed to supply the capital with adequate wheelchairs.
Meanwhile, speaking to the media Congress' face in Delhi polls Ajay Maken said he is too veteran to be nervous. "We will deliver on our promise." Congress wil have an important role to play in these crucial elections.
Former Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit also cast her vote and said, "These elections are definitely personality dominated. Noone spoke of any issues. It is a time for change and Congress is very much in the battle."
9.00 am: Voter turnout dismal as of early morning, media reports say
According to TV reports, voter turnout is not too exciting as of early morning. Jamia was one of the few booths which saw long lines of voters but there is no rush in other polling booths, accordin to reports.
9.04 am: Khaas aadmi to Aam aadmi vote
President of India Pranab Mukherjee's daughter, Sharmistha Mukherjee, reaches Don Bosco school, just 1 km from Chittaranjan Park — the largest Bengali concentratd locality in Delhi — at 8.05 am.
From an exponent of kathak she has metamorphosed into a potential representative of the strong probashi Bangali (non-resident Bengali ) community in Delhi. Mukherjee is contesting on a Congress ticket from Greater Kailash assembly seat.
Speaking to Firstpost's Debobrat Ghose, Sharmistha Mukherjee, who makes her political debut in this assembly election, said: " I'm very confident. I'll win. Have been working for four months in my constituency. Very warm response from citizens especially women and senior citizens. Due to my father (President Mukherjee) I'm getting a lot of media attention. Got overwhelming response in CR Park. A local elected representative should monitor administration of the constituency. "
BK Suri, 88, has cast his vote and he says, he has been an witness to political changes in India since 1945. He says he has voted in all elections in Delhi. " A new change began two years back. And this will bring a new dawn to Indian politics". Sharmistha is inside the booth waiting for her turn to come.
Meanwhile, from khaas aadmi to aam aadmi, polling in Delhi is underway.
BJP's Delhi Chief Ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi on her way to the polling booth http://t.co/Zo9E8xpfxQ #DelhiVotes pic.twitter.com/2jXTi6ETet — NDTV (@ndtv) February 7, 2015
Very important day,have especially come from Gurgaon to cast my vote.The fight is definitely tough: Voter #DelhiVotes pic.twitter.com/HPeF |
you get sentenced to death.
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He added: “It’s almost inconceivable in these modern days to imagine that a rich white man would be executed if he murdered a black person.”
As Amnesty International reported, since 1977, 77% of all death row defendants have been executed for killing white victims, even though African Americans make up about half of all homicide victims.
And the death penalty has become even more controversial as of late. Pentobarbital, which is used by 13 states for lethal injections, became scarce recently after its Danish manufacturer Lundbeck halted its sale to U.S. prisons based on the European Union's opposition to the death penalty. However, rather than decreasing lethal injections, prison authorities are increasingly turning to experimental and unregulated drugs that may subject prisoners to severe pain before they die.
Carter's comments come ahead of this year's National Symposium on the Modern Death Penalty held by the American Bar Association. As The Guardian reports, the symposium will review
the use of ill-equipped, poorly trained and under-paid lawyers to defend people facing capital prosecutions; racial disparities in the pursuit of cases – in Georgia, those suspected of killing whites are almost five times more likely to be sentenced to death than those suspected of killing blacks; huge variations in the rules relating to DNA testing; widespread confusion among jurors sitting at death penalty trials; and the fact that all the assessed states continue to allow people with severe mental illness to be sentenced to death and executed.
Carter also expressed regret over a law he passed in 1973 as governor of Georgia, which established guidelines for the death penalty and lead the Supreme Court to re-institute the practice 1976.
“If I had to do that over again I would certainly be much more forceful in taking actions what would have prohibited the death penalty,” he said. “In complete honesty, when I was governor I was not nearly as concerned about the unfairness of the application of the death penalty as I am now. I know much more now. I was looking at it from a much more parochial point of view – I didn’t see the injustice of it as I do now.”
_____________________On Wednesday, Senator Bernie Sanders addressed a crowd of nearly 10,000 at UC Davis. This was Sander's second appearance in the Sacramento area.
Before he went on stage, he spoke with ABC10.
"I love going to places where politicians rarely go. Everybody in California goes to San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco," explained Sanders. "I love going in paths not often crossed and going to smaller towns in places where they often don't see presidential candidates. What ends up happening is we usually get very large turnouts just for that...I'm excited to be here in Davis. It's a beautiful community."
A lot of younger voters in the crowd, waiting for hours in heat to hear Sanders speak. In his speech, Sanders included those up to 45-years-old as millenials.
"I think social media has played a very important role...corporate media does not do a particularly good job in allowing us to talk about the real issues facing the American people," said Sanders. "We can do it through social media directly [and speak] to people without being filtered. And I think the younger people, especially, has really responded to that.
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Earlier this week, Governor Jerry Brown endorsed Hillary Clinton. But that hasn't swayed Sanders' confidence. Sanders said recent polls showed he was barely behind Clinton, compared to earlier predictions.
"I think we stand an excellent chance if there's a large voter turnout...[if that happens] we'll win big. So my hope is that on June 7th...[we'll see the] largest voter turnout in Democratic primary history in California.
For those who haven't decided on a candidate yet, here's what Sanders would say to them:
"I would say this country today faces many serious crises.The decline of the American middle class, income and wealth inequality, climate change, fracking, the fact that many of our people cannot afford to go to college or leaving college deeply in debt...we need new ideas. We need a President who is prepared to take on Wall Street, take on the billionaire class, and create an economy that works for all of us and not just the 1%. I think I am that candidate and would be that President."
Copyright 2016 KXTVBy Abraham Hyatt
Hours after Oakland Police Department Chief Howard Jordan’s sudden, unexpected announcement that he was stepping down, city officials remained silent about the cause of his departure.
But it follows on the heels of yet another damning report about endemic leadership problems inside the OPD. Last week, the federally appointed compliance director slammed the department for its tolerance of bad behavior by officers and urged the executive leadership to adopt practices that “have been employed by many police departments for nearly a generation.”
Mayor Jean Quan and City Administrator Deanna Santana would only say that Jordan was on medical leave and will be taking a medical retirement. They also would not respond to speculation that OPD’s federal monitor or compliance director had a direct hand in Jordan leaving.
“I’m personally saddened and surprised,” Quan said. “I trust he’s doing what is best for himself and family.”
The city and police department are hampered by a 1994 federal law that protects the privacy of medical records. Jordan must give the city explicit permission about what they can reveal about his health.
Read more of this story and news of Oakland Local: http://bit.ly/15KnHSk.
Follow Oakland Local on Facebook and Twitter for local, community news written by Oakland residents.
FB: http://facebook.com/oaklocal
Twitter: twitter.com/oaklandlocalNigel Farage Goes Ballistic At Caller Who Accuses Him Of Colluding With Putin
This is the explosive moment an LBC caller tried to accuse Nigel Farage of having secret links with Vladimir Putin.
Rodney in Bradford originally rang up to tell the LBC presenter he was part of the global elite.
But then in an unexpected turn of events, the caller alleged that Nigel had secret ties with Moscow.
Picture: PA/LBC
The accusation almost sent Nigel purple with rage, as he demanded Rodney came up with some substantive evidence to back up the outlandish claim.
“How dare you come on the radio and accuse me of that if you’ve got no evidence to back it up, how dare you,” Nigel roared.
Still unable to back up his allegations, Rodney stood firm, adding: “You will be found out.”
But, this only added fuel to the fire, as Nigel thundered once more: “Rodney, who do you think you are to go around making accusations like that are based on nothing at all.”
As the row rumbled on, Nigel offered Rodney and other listeners some future advice.
“Always best in life when you attack people to have some evidence to substantiate it.”
Watch the most heated clash yet above.What happens when a small-town high school teacher in Carthage Illinois invites a Wiccan woman into the classroom to speak? Parents complain. The school board gets involved. There are community meetings. Everything you would expect with one small twist. The students rally behind their award-winning, beloved teacher forcing a change in policy and ensuring the survival of their class.
Carthage, Illinois is an agricultural community near the eastern border of Iowa with a population of around 2700. Everything about the town is quite typical except for one very devoted high school history teacher, Greg Hoener. For the past five years Mr. Hoener has been teaching an advanced, senior-level elective class called “Conflicts and Mysteries” at Illini West High School. The purpose of this class is to introduce students to progressive concepts in order to prepare them for life outside of the borders of their small-town. Mr. Hoener explains:
My goal is to give my kids firsthand knowledge and experience so … they’re able to stand on their own two feet and be better prepared to make the right choices and decisions in this real world.
The syllabus consists of a variety of non-traditional topics with hands-on activities, films, field trips and speakers. In the past, subjects have included:
In-depth examinations of major historical events including the comparison of fact and fiction.
Interviews with city officials including police and fire personnel, judges, a drug task force, juvenile probation officers, disaster response units.
Discussions centering on unconventional topics such as the paranormal, ghost hunting, conspiracy theories, modern mythology, world religions (including faith-based speakers).
“Military Week” including speakers from every military branch, members of the Navy SEALs and veterans of different wars.
Real world safety including gun handling, self-defense tactics and the impact of driving while texting and drinking.
A study of famous serial killers and crimes including the exposure to worst-case scenarios and how to survive.
Over this past summer Mr. Hoener asked Lydia Gittings, a local Wiccan practitioner and Illini West parent, to speak to the students about the Occult, Witchcraft and Wicca during his fall “Paranormal” unit. As an active member of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and the Program Chair of Spirit Web, Lydia welcomed the opportunity to dispel myths about Paganism within a safe and nurturing environment.
After several schedule changes, Lydia’s speaking engagement landed on Halloween. She spoke to three different classes covering some Wiccan and Occult basics such as the elements, energy manipulation, the aura, Tarot and the sacred circle. She showed the students an athame, a chalice and a pendulum. Lydia also explained the notion of Paganism as an umbrella term that includes a diversity of religious practices.
In retrospect she says “There were a couple of students who were visibly uncomfortable in each class… but I remained positive and kept going back to science. I wasn’t there to convert.” When a student asked about the Ouija aboard, she carefully explained the concept of spirit guides and communicating with those “beyond the veil.” However, she never demonstrated the board’s use because several students voiced apprehension.
The school began receiving complaints almost immediately. In fact one parent called the office shortly after the first class. As a result, Principal Brad Gooding attended both remaining classes. Lydia remembers Principal Gooding being “supportive” and calling her lecture “interesting.”
Over the following two weeks parental complaints were minimal. However that changed Nov. 13 when the Hancock County Journal-Pilot printed a “letter to the editor” written by former teacher LaRae Roth. That letter became the catalyst of a community-wide outcry. Ms. Roth wrote:
No, I am not on a witch hunt. There is no need to hunt when you can simply look to your local public school to provide one … Since parents were not notified in advance, I had no opportunity to express my deep concerns in this matter and to prevent my son and his classmates from being exposed to potentially dangerous information about the occult.
Although parents had in fact been informed of class content, this detail was not enough to stop the coming storm. The complaints only escalated, originating mostly from outside the school community. On Nov. 26, four of these outraged citizens attended the school Board meeting. According to The Journal-Pilot, they voiced a genuine concern for student safety calling the inclusion of Wicca “dangerous.” Shortly after that meeting, the Board canceled the class.
However the story doesn’t end there. Over the next two weeks these small-town students and many of their parents, most of whom are Christian, rallied to defend the teacher and save the class. Anne-Marie Scott, a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints, led the charge which included a Facebook page. She says:
I don’t know everything but I know enough about Paganism and Wicca to not run for a pitchfork out of fear. I know I have raised my daughter to stand firm in her convictions and to stand up for those who need defending. She knows that information is power… Kids from small towns need a little more worldly exposure to gain some understanding on diversity before they are thrust into college where there is no safety net.
On Dec. 18, the school board held its monthly meeting before a standing-room only crowd. For two hours, the Board listened to pleas and arguments from students, parents and other citizens including representatives from the Carthage Fire and Police departments and a local Christian minister. Leading the way was Anne-Marie who read a prepared speech in which she said:
As for Wicca, as is true with anything, ignorance breeds fear. Fear eventually turns into prejudice and prejudice almost always ends in violence. The only way out of that is education and enlightenment. Mr. Hoener provides that and does so in an exceptional manner … If [a parent] doesn’t want the responsibility of what this class brings then, quite simply, the child should take a different class.
At one point an unnamed speaker said, “I agree with everything that’s been said here but I’d like to hear from someone who doesn’t.” Not a single person stood up.
The very next day the Board reinstated the class with the understanding that Mr. Hoener would rework the syllabus. The Board really had very little choice. Just days before this landmark meeting Mr. Hoener was awarded $1,000 by a local CBS affiliate for the very “out of the box” class causing all the controversy.
As the situation escalated, Lydia Gittings maintained a respectful distance, watching closely from the sidelines. While she was never personally attacked, she was prepared to ask for assistance from the Pagan community. Fortunately there was never a need.
Lydia said, “This was not about me and my path. It was about the kids and saving the class.” She called the students’ response “beautiful,” adding “they saw something that they believed in” and reacted. Even outside of the classroom, Mr. Hoener managed to empower his students.
At this point only administrators and Mr. Hoener know exactly what the new syllabus will or won’t include. Neither was available for comment. Among parents, it is believed the changes will focus solely on the clarity of communication. Both Lydia and Anne-Marie stressed that Wicca wasn’t the only “sticking point.” Many class topics were contentious and difficult to swallow. Wicca was just the easiest to attack or perhaps even the “last straw.”
Will Lydia or any other Pagan ever be invited back to speak at Illini West? Before the controversy, Mr. Hoener told Lydia, “I want you back every year.” Now? Anne-Marie Scott, who has spoken privately with Mr. Hoener, says “I believe, if [Lydia] wants to, she will be able to speak again.” When asked this question, Lydia herself says, “I don’t know but I hope.”Reports reveal devastation wreaked by Israeli military in Gaza
By Patrick O’Connor
20 January 2009
With the ceasefire in Gaza now in effect, for the time being at least, many international journalists are now able to enter the Palestinian territory for the first time since the Israeli military offensive began last month. Initial reports have highlighted the utter destruction inflicted upon the population by Israel's armed forces. At least 5,000 homes have been destroyed and more than 20,000 damaged, with many urban centers reduced to nothing more than rubble. Gaza's limited social infrastructure has been largely obliterated, as have numerous factories and agricultural centers.
The picture emerging from Gaza puts paid to the Israeli government's lies—that its military assault was a defensive response to Hamas rockets, and that those leading "Operation Cast Lead" were taking great care to avoid civilian casualties. The offensive was in fact a war crime—an act of collective punishment aimed at demoralizing and intimidating the Palestinian population, thereby suppressing all resistance to the ongoing Israeli occupation. The Zionist state also no doubt intended to send a warning to Iran, Syria, Lebanon and other potential opponents of its expansionist strategy.
Journalists in Gaza struggled to find appropriate metaphors or historical precedents to describe the devastation. From Gaza City, Reuters' Douglas Hamilton wrote: "The destruction is total, as if a terrible earthquake had struck. But this was no natural disaster... [D]rive up into the suburb that once sat proudly on the ridge, and it's as if one had turned a corner of Stalingrad, a dark scene from some World War Two battle of annihilation."
Associated Press: "Destruction in some areas left streets that resembled a moonscape."
The Financial Times spoke with Jaber Wishah, deputy director of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights. "This reminds us of the film The Day After," he said, referring to a film about a nuclear catastrophe. "People are in compete shock."
Buildings and sites associated with any form of Palestinian autonomy were among those targeted. The parliament and cabinet buildings in Gaza City were destroyed, as was the city's police headquarters, the Bank of Palestine building, the main university, and several mosques. Israeli shells and tanks ruined acres of olive and fruit groves. Major shopping centers and markets were hit. Many of the small number of factories previously able to operate in Gaza were also targeted. "Gaza's only cement packing factory is now a giant scrap heap, its towering silo tilting precariously," Associated Press reported. "The owner's villa, pounded by Israeli tank shells, looks like Swiss cheese."
Residential areas, including a large number of apartment buildings, were badly damaged and in many cases entirely destroyed by mortars and bombs. The UN has reported that more than 50,000 Palestinians are homeless and are crowding into 50 emergency shelters. The exact number of people made homeless by the Israeli assault is likely to increase as the full scale of the damage becomes better known. According to an initial estimate issued by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the structural damage will cost at least $1.9 billion.
Reuters reported: "Municipal bulldozers pushed aside crushed cars and fallen chunks of concrete from the streets, but nothing could conceal the scale of destruction wrought by Israel's military machine. ‘Some people can't even recognize the place where their house used to be,' one policeman radioed to his commander from the northern town of Beit Lahiya."
Several journalists reported on the racist graffiti left by Israeli troops on the walls of bombed-out apartment buildings and mosques. "Hamas whores" in Hebrew and "Hamas is dead" in English was sprayed onto one mosque in Gaza City's Zeitoun suburb. The Guardian reported that a nearby home had slogans including, "Arabs need to die" and "Arabs: 1948 to 2009." Such taunts are evidence of the fascistic sentiments being cultivated within the Israeli Defense Forces.
The humanitarian crisis now confronting the Palestinian people has been made worse by Israel's targeting of Gaza's water and electricity networks. People in Gaza City have reportedly been forced to light fires and cook in pots on the side of rubble-littered roads.
Even before the war, water and power infrastructure had already been damaged by the Israeli siege, with the main power station operating only intermittently and fuel shortages affecting water pumps. The military assault saw six major water wells damaged or destroyed, disrupting water supplies to an additional 200,000 of Gaza's 1.4 million people, according to a senior water authority official cited by the Washington Post. The UN has reported that 400,000 Gazans now have no access to running water. In Gaza City, 80 percent of the electricity grid was damaged, including power lines. Palestinian technicians said that restoring water and electricity services would take weeks, but only if Israel permits the entry of necessary spare parts and equipment.
The terrible casualties inflicted on the Palestinian population underscores the barbarism of the Israeli military assault. At least 1,300 people were killed, including hundreds of children. The toll is likely to rise, as many families are still discovering decomposing bodies beneath the rubble of what were their homes and businesses.
An estimated 5,300 people were wounded, many seriously. Medical personnel in Gaza have reported an unusually high proportion of limb amputations. Dr. Jan Brommundt, a German doctor working for Medecins du Monde in the south Gazan city of Khan Younis, told Al Jazeera that the injuries he had seen were "absolutely gruesome." He said surgeons had reported many cases where casualties had lost both legs rather than one, raising suspicions that the Israeli military was using Dense Inert Metal Explosives (Dime), an experimental explosive device that expels charged tungsten dust that acts as micro-shrapnel, burning and destroying everything within a four-meter radius.
"Victims will present within one to five hours with an acute abdomen which looks like appendicitis, but it turns out on operation that dozens of miniature particles can be found in all of their organs," Dr. Brommundt explained. "It seems to be some sort of explosive or shell that disperses tiny particles at around 1x1 or 2x1 millimeters that penetrate all organs. These miniature injuries, you are not able to attack them surgically."
Another doctor corroborated these reports. Dr. Erik Fosse, a Norwegian surgeon who worked at the Al-Shifa hospital in northern Gaza during the Israeli attack, told Al Jazeera that there was a significant increase in double amputations. "We suspect they used Dime weapons because we saw cases of huge amputations or flesh torn off the lower parts of the body," he said. "The pressure wave [from a Dime device] moves from the ground upwards and that's why the majority of patients have huge injuries to the lower part of the body and abdomen...The problem is that most of the patients I saw were children. If they [the Israelis] are trying to be accurate, it seems obvious these weapons were aimed at children."
Reports continue to emerge of Israeli war crimes committed during its offensive. Amnesty International yesterday said the deployment of white phosphorus munitions in densely populated areas of Gaza was indiscriminate and illegal. The Israeli military has claimed it was using phosphorous for illumination purposes, but Amnesty found evidence that the incendiary and corrosive substance had been used as a chemical weapon.
There have also been reports of the Israeli army firing bullets and shells tipped with depleted uranium. Arab ambassadors yesterday delivered a letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency asking Director General Mohamed ElBaradei to "carry out a radiological and physical assessment in order to verify the presence of depleted uranium in the weaponry used by Israel in the Gaza Strip."
According to Israeli officials, ground forces are expected to be withdrawn from Gaza by the time Barack Obama is inaugurated as US president. These cynical political calculations point to the fragility of the ceasefire. There are already voices within the Israeli political and military establishment warning that renewed military action is only a matter of time. Opposition Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that the military "has dealt Hamas a severe blow, but unfortunately the job has not been completed."
There remains the danger that the firing of rockets from Gaza will provide the pretext for Israel to launch a broader regional offensive, potentially involving an attack on Iran. Both the Jerusalem Post and Haaretz have published reports today claiming that Tehran plans to smuggle long-range missiles into the Palestinian territories. Neither article included any supporting evidence for this claim, and instead cited "intelligence reports," indicating that the stories were Israeli intelligence-military plants.Justin Timberlake accepts Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist award onstage during the 2013 American Music Awards on November 24, 2013 in Los Angeles, California.
Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, One Direction and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis were the biggest winners at the 2013 American Music Awards on Sunday. Check out a full list of winners below.
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Taylor Swift
ICON AWARD
Rihanna
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY KOHL'S
Ariana Grande
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
Florida Georgia Line Featuring Nelly, "Cruise"
FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK
Justin Timberlake
FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK
Taylor Swift
FAVORITE BAND, DUO OR GROUP – POP/ROCK
One Direction
FAVORITE ALBUM – POP/ROCK
One Direction, "Take Me Home"
FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – COUNTRY
Luke Bryan
FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – COUNTRY
Taylor Swift
FAVORITE BAND, DUO or GROUP - COUNTRY
Lady Antebellum
FAVORITE ALBUM - COUNTRY
Taylor Swift, "Red"
FAVORITE ARTIST – RAP/HIP-HOP
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
FAVORITE ALBUM – RAP/HIP-HOP
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, "The Heist"
FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B
Justin Timberlake
FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B
Rihanna
FAVORITE ALBUM – SOUL/R&B
Justin Timberlake, "The 20/20 Experience"
FAVORITE ARTIST - ALTERNATIVE ROCK
Imagine Dragons
FAVORITE ARTIST - LATIN
Marc Anthony
FAVORITE ARTIST - ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC (EDM)
Avicii
FAVORITE ARTIST - ADULT CONTEMPORARY
Maroon 5
FAVORITE ARTIST - CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL
Matthew West
TOP SOUNDTRACK
"Pitch Perfect"Currently, leopards occupy only a quarter of their historic range, less than 17 percent of which is legally protected, researchers found.
The available habitat for Southeast Asian subspecies of leopards has declined to critically low levels, and the team suggests uplisting the IUCN threat status of North Chinese and Indochinese leopards to “Critically Endangered” and “Endangered” respectively from “Near Threatened”.
The study also found that most research efforts tend to focus on African and Indian leopards, the two subspecies that have the most remaining range among all leopards.
All’s not well for the spotted big cats.
Globally, leopards have lost more than 75 percent of their historical habitat, a new study published in PeerJ has found. And of the available range, only 17 percent is legally protected, researchers say.
So overall, all nine known subspecies of leopards seem to be in deep trouble. But some sub-species have it far worse than others, the study found. The Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis), North Chinese leopard (P.p. japonensis), and Arabian leopard (P.p. Nimr), for example, have lost about 98 percent of their historical range.
“It is deeply worrying how rapidly and completely leopards have vanished from former strongholds,” Luke Hunter, President and Chief Conservation Officer for Panthera, who was not directly involved in the study, told Mongabay. “This is especially concerning in China and southeast Asia where, only 10 years ago, range maps showed huge areas of forest occupied by leopards. Today, leopards in this region are reduced to a handful of small, isolated and terribly imperiled populations.”
Leopards have a reputation for being adaptable. They have been known to co-exist with people in densely-populated cities such as Mumbai in India and Johannesburg in South Africa, for example. However, despite their famed resilience and adaptability, very little is known about where leopards occur today.
To fill this gap, an international team of researchers set out to examine the distribution of all nine sub-species of leopards in the world — Amur, Arabian, Javan (P.p. melas), Persian (P.p. saxicolor), Sri Lankan (P.p. kotyia), North Chinese, Indochinese (P.p. delacouri), African (P.p. pardus) and Indian (P.p. fusca).
By scanning through available literature and talking to leopard experts, lead author Andrew Jacobson of the Institute of Zoology at the Zoological Society of London and his colleagues created historic and current distribution maps of leopards around the world. Overall, they compiled 6,000 records of leopards at 2,500 locations from over 1,300 sources.
Historically, around the year 1750 (or before the Industrial Revolution) leopards lived across nearly 35 million square kilometers (~13.5 million square miles), the team found. But today, the elusive animal occupies only a quarter of its historic range, primarily due to conversion of it’s habitat to agricultural land. Less than 17 percent of this existing range is legally protected, researchers found.
“Leopards are hardy and resilient, which is why it is so concerning that they have been lost from such a tremendous area,” Jacobson told Mongabay. “The overall decline of up to 75 percent is much more serious than I expected.”
The amount of range that has declined varies across regions. In Africa, the animal’s range seems to have declined by more than 65 percent, for example. Leopards in North Africa appear to be particularly imperiled, having lost more than 99 percent of their historic habitat.
In Asia, leopard range has declined by about 85 percent, with the greatest loss in southeast Asia, the study found. In fact, the available habitat for southeast Asian subspecies of leopards has declined to critically low levels, scientists say. Most leopard populations in this region now occur in small, isolated subpopulations.
Based on the range declines and small populations, the team suggests that the IUCN threat status of North Chinese and Indochinese leopards be uplisted to “Critically Endangered” and “Endangered” respectively from “Near Threatened”.
“The Indochinese leopard is clearly heading towards extinction and now occurs only in three isolated subpopulations,” co-author Jan Kamler, Southeast Asia Leopard Program Coordinator for Panthera, told Mongabay. “The results are shocking, and nobody was expecting this, as most governments and conservation organizations assumed leopards were still doing quite well in these regions.”
Tim Caro, professor of wildlife biology at the University of California, Davis, who was not involved in the study, added that the study’s results were “particularly depressing”. “Without strong action by governments, their fates are sealed,” he said.
This wide-ranging review of the leopard’s distribution and status is the most comprehensive study of its kind to date, researchers say. Yet, we still know very little about leopards, especially the subspecies that are the most threatened, they add. This lack of research, they say, may also represent a lack of conservation attention and focus.
The study found, for example, that most research efforts tend to focus on African and Indian leopards. These are the subspecies that have the most remaining range among all leopards. In contrast, researchers have largely ignored the more endangered subspecies such as the North Chinese, Sri Lankan and Javan leopards.
“I think this is simply a result of researchers focusing on those populations which are most accessible and observable,” Hunter said. “It is safe and relatively easy to study leopards in Botswana and Kenya, for example. The most imperiled populations are often in areas that are far more challenging to undertake research; Yemen is one of the two most important countries for the endangered Arabian leopard but the civil conflict there makes it virtually impossible to get any information on leopards.”
Co-author Philip Henschel, Lion Program Survey Coordinator for Panthera, added that the research bias could also be because wildlife research and conservation has a very long tradition both in Africa and in India compared to other regions. “It is therefore not surprising that most scientific publications on leopards focus on the African and Indian subspecies.”
While the study examines the leopards’ shrinking habitat, it does not attempt to estimate the global leopard population. This is because even the approximate estimates of leopard population sizes in key protected areas are still unknown or unclear, researchers say.
“While we have a pretty good idea with regards to approximate population sizes for other threatened big cats, we really simply don’t know how many leopards survive today,” Henschel said. “The main reasons are that a) leopards are harder to count due to their very secretive nature, and b) leopards have so far been under the radar of most governments and conservation organization, as everybody seemed to have assumed that most populations are doing just fine.”
But leopards are not doing fine, the study suggests. Some of the key threats to the leopard’s survival include habitat loss and fragmentation, prey depletion, conflict with people, unsustainable trophy hunting, poaching for body parts, and indiscriminate killing. And this means that more research is needed to understand how leopards are actually faring in their rapidly shrinking ranges.
The need of the hour, Henschel said, is to focus studies directly on the status and conservation of the most threatened populations, so that the findings can be used to actually save these endangered animals.
Moreover, programs that help communities coexist with the leopard are critical, Jacobson said. “Given adequate cover, prey base, some level of tolerance from the local community and protected status from the national government, leopards should be able to survive.”
Vidya Athreya, a research associate with the Wildlife Conservation Society-India, who was not involved in the study, added “Leopards are very adaptable carnivores. However, just because they are adaptable does not mean they are doing okay. I would say they are hanging there by their tooth and claws.”
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Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders had their first debate since the race narrowed down to just the two of them, and also the last one before voters head to the polls in the New Hampshire primaries next Tuesday. The debate got testy at times, with Clinton and Sanders going after each other on issues such as Wall Street reform and national security. Once again, the folks at the Google News Lab put together some interesting charts that examine the debate reaction. Here are some of the best.
Here’s real-time Google search traffic for each candidate during the debate:
Seen another way:
Here’s an interactive map that shows the highest search numbers per candidate by county, but also the top issues searched in New Hampshire:
It’s also interesting to see what questions about each of the two candidates people in New Hampshire are searching. Here are the questions for Clinton:
Sanders:Vaccine Side Effects – Cancer & Death
Few things make people more emotional than the subject of vaccines, which is unfortunate, because emotion blocks rational thinking. In this article you will learn how understanding vaccine damage from ingredients as well as from contaminants can save your life and that of your family.
Consider that for the first time in history, infants have become regularly obese. In 2006, scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health found that rates of obesity in infants less than 6 months old have risen 73% since 1980.(1) This epidemic of obesity in 6-month-olds is not related to lack of exercise. It’s probably not related just to diet either. While formula instead of breastfeeding contributes to this, babies do not drink sodas or eat fast food. I will give you a clue as to a major cause for this. Be warned that this will likely shock you. Please look at this list to see how the number of vaccinations have increased over time.
It’s pretty weird that we vaccinate babies, since it supposedly works by stressing the immune system to produce antibodies, and babies don’t have a well developed immune system yet. In fact, studies have shown that a child’s immune system doesn’t completely mature until about 6 years of age(2).
Plus, germs are given a free ride into the bloodstream, without having to fight their way through the immune system.
Two of the worst ingredients in vaccines are mercury and formaldehyde. There is no safe level for either of these poisons. Other vaccine ingredients that are related to major health problems include, but are not limited to, poisonous aluminum and MSG (monosodium glutamate).
You don’t want these poisons in food, so why do we put them into perfect little babies? Since the truth to this answer is so shocking I will get an expert, Dr. Leonard Horowitz, to tell you what the mainstream media will not.
Dr. Len Horowitz, D.M.D., M.A., M.P.H. is a Harvard graduate, an internationally recognized authority in public health and a powerful public speaker. He was awarded “Author of the Year” award by the World Natural Health Organization. His best selling book, Emerging Viruses: AIDS & Ebola – Nature, Accident or Intentional? is a must-read. This work is largely responsible for public health and vaccine policy changes in at least three Third World nations.
———
The following is just a very little of the essential information from the excellent CD by Dr. Horowitz that I cannot recommend more highly to absolutely everyone, Horowitz on Vaccines: The risks of following your doctor’s advice may be deadly, available from www.Tetrahedron.org.
In 1986 Dr. Maurice Hilleman, Chief of the Merck Pharmaceutical Company’s vaccine division, and the world’s leading vaccine developer, was interviewed by WGBH, Boston’s famed public broadcasting station. The interview was never aired.
On the CD you will actually hear Hilleman discuss the fact that the Salk and Sabin polio vaccines in the late 50s and early 60s were both hideously contaminated with monkey viruses, much like they are today. The really weird thing about this interview is the laughter from those present at the shocking news. These people are not like you and me. Here are some brief, direct quotes from the radio interview:
“Dr. Maurice Hilleman: … so we brought African Greens (monkeys) in and I didn’t know we were importing the AIDS virus at the time.
Miscellaneous background voices:…(loud laughter)… it was you who introduced the AIDS virus into the country. Now we know! (laughter) This is the real story! (laughter) What Merck won’t do to develop a vaccine! (laughter) …
Dr. Maurice Hilleman: So now I got to have something (to discuss at a conference)…. And I thought…. That virus has got to be in vaccines…So I quick tested it (laughter) and sure enough it was in there.
Dr. Edward Shorter (Harvard’s famous medical historian): I’ll be damned.
Dr. Maurice Hilleman:… So I go down and I talked about the detection of non detectable viruses and told Albert, I said, “Listen Albert you know you and I are good friends but I’m going to go down there and you’re going to get upset, because I’m going to talk about the detection of virus that it’s in your vaccine…well he said basically, that this is just another obfuscation that’s going to upset vaccines…
Dr. Maurice Hilleman: Well there are 40 different viruses in these vaccines, anyway, that we were inactivating …
Dr. Edward Shorter: But you weren |
a great job, even if it's for a temporary job, whoever hired you is more likely to recommend you for a permanent position.”
Take a class.
Sixty-one percent of the hiring managers surveyed recommended taking a class during a period of unemployment. “You never stop learning in your career, so the more technical competence you have, the better,” Teach says. “When you take a class in your field, you are also showing that you are serious about your work and that you take initiative.” Another advantage to taking a class: It's a great networking opportunity.
Volunteer.
Sixty percent of the hiring managers said volunteer work makes you more marketable. “When you volunteer for something, you are telling potential employers something about you as a person,” Teach says. It shows that you are passionate about something and care about helping others—and it demonstrates that money isn't the most important thing to you, he adds. “When companies are hiring, they are looking not only for people who can get the job done but also for people with character and integrity.”
In Pictures: 10 Things You Need to Do While You're Unemployed
Start your own business.
Twenty-eight percent suggested doing this—but starting a business can be pricy and time consuming. If you have the means to do it, it’s a great résumé booster and a wonderful marketing tool.
“The beauty of having your own business is that you can work part-time or full-time depending on whether or not you are able to land a job working for someone else,” Teach says. “You are also going to learn skills that are transferrable if you do end up working for someone else again.”
Start a professional blog
Eleven percent of the surveyed employers said a professional blog can be a good way to market yourself to employers. Why? You get people to see you as an expert in your field. “You are also conveying your passion, gaining knowledge, and separating yourself from others,” Teach says. “Potential employers will see you as having taken the initiative during your job search to blog about something you truly care about: your career.”
Follow stories on hot industries and job functions.
CareerBuilder experts say information technology, engineering, health care, sales, and customer service are among the top areas for hiring nationwide, according to CareerBuilder’s job listings. Follow the news and job openings in these fields.
Use the time to come up with ideas.
Whether it’s an idea for a marketing campaign, new revenue stream, cost savings, etc., the candidates who show up at an interview with ideas demonstrate that they are passionate, knowledgeable, and excited about the opportunity. These job seekers always stand out from the crowd, CareerBuilder experts say.
Make connections.
A résumé handed to the hiring manager directly from someone within the company is more likely to get noticed, CareerBuilder experts say. Build and expand your network of contacts through social media and professional organizations. Let friends, family and professional contacts know that you’re looking for a job, and ask for their help in finding connections to the organizations you’re interested in.
Follow up.
According to CareerBuilder, two thirds of workers reported that they don’t follow up with the employer after submitting their résumé for consideration. It’s important to take that extra step to let the employer know you’re interested, and make sure you always send a thank you after an interview. Handwritten notes will set you apart from the pool of candidates, but e-mails are acceptable, too.
Use key words.
As long as you’re actively pursuing a job, you’ll likely be spending a significant amount of time editing and sending out your résumé. Remember to use key words. Why? CareerBuilder experts said most employers use electronic scanning devices to screen and rank candidates. You’ll want to tailor your résumé for each position you apply for, and include specific words from the job posting. Do this and your résumé will come up higher in employer searches.
“These types of activities tell the employer that the job seeker is serious about their career development and made the most of their time off,” Haefner says. “The key for the job seeker is to make the connection between how their volunteer work, blog, class, or temporary position prepares them for the next job. If they can successfully do that, their employment gaps won’t be an issue.”
In Pictures: 10 Things You Need to Do While You're UnemployedAs the sun falls and rain clouds linger, Jaytuk Steinruck drives an ATV up a northwest corner of California’s shore to gather duuma (sea anemone) from tide pools near Setlhxat (Prince Island) for a feast made from traditional Tolowa tribal foods.
About halfway up, Steinruck points to his family’s fish camp. They are one of only two Tolowa families that continue to sun-dry lhvmsr (smelt) on sand or beds of grass as their ancestors had done. This beach at the tip of the redwood forest is also where met’e (razor clams), a food also long part of the coastal diet, had been plentiful until the 1970s when the Tolowa began to see the disappearance of the elongated shellfish marked by a tongue-like body.
As he gathers the spongy, green anemone that will later be breaded and fried like calamari, Steinruck also talks about the disappearance of another important part of the tribe’s diet: smelt. The small, silver feeder fish that the Tolowa Dee-ni’ once relied heavily upon has become scarce.
“We used to get a 100-pound dip,” said Steinruck, a specialist with the tribe’s Natural Resource Department, describing how nets attached to a handheld A-frame made of wood are dipped into the ocean shores for the catch. “Now, we are lucky if we can harvest one five-gallon bucket full.”
As many Americans settle down to their version of a Thanksgiving feast this week, the Tolowa are thankful they have maintained their traditional foodways in the face of the destruction and loss caused by the invasion and onslaught of California’s early settlers.
Despite the more than 164-year assault on the North Coast’s native peoples and their indigenous foodways—from outright persecution and slaughter in the 19th Century to policies today that restrict indigenous rights—as well as a slew of acute environmental transformations, the Tolowa Dee-ni’, which currently include 1,609 tribal members, continue to practice their traditions today.
“My grandmother and other full-blooded Native women had to stand up for our gathering rights at Prince Island,” recalls Steinruck’s cousin, Marva Jones. “They were straight-up warriors. And, therefore, my family never gave it up.”
Fighting for Tradition
Early in November, gathering at their cultural center in Smith River one mile from the Oregon border, Tolowa and Yurok families celebrated a meal of traditional foods including salmon, acorns, deer, elk, smelt, sea weed, sea anemone, clam chowder, sand bread, lamprey eels, and blackberry pie.
Steinruck, who brings his duuma harvest from the day before, pulls Chinook salmon from vacuum-sealed bags. Carefully cutting the fillets into three- to four-inch-wide steaks before sliding them onto large skewers carved from redwood, he smiles a bit as the meat begins to sizzle.
He turns somber as he talks about these ancestral staple foods dwindling as a result of climate change—as well as policies that prohibit the Tolowa from managing their natural resources. A tribe’s access to its resources depends on whether rights have been negotiated with the state or federal government. Tribes like the Tolowa, who were disbanded by the U.S. government during the 1950s and 1960s and reinstated decades later, often face cumbersome legal hurdles in trying to secure those rights.
Changes in tribal food systems and lifeways began in 1853 as the California Gold Rush brought a mass incursion of white settlers. Making way for the newcomers and addressing the “Indian problem,” California paid a bounty for Indian scalps, which proved to be more lucrative than panning gold. The first session of the California State Legislature passed the Act for the Government and Protection of Indians in 1850, which legalized removing Natives from their land and separating Native families.
Ceremonies were ambushed and villages were burned. In 1856, the U.S. government forcibly removed 1,834 Tolowa to coastal concentration camps. By 1910, like many California tribes, the Tolowa population had dwindled—from more than 10,000 to just 504. Despite the 14th Amendment, the Act for the Government and Protection of Indians was not fully repealed until 1937.
Relying on the knowledge held by the few families refusing to give up their traditional ways, the Tolowa persevered.
“My family managed to hold tight to our food, language, ceremony, songs, beliefs, and protocols,” says Jones. “We fought to keep connected. We purposefully protected and passed along this way of being so it didn’t die.”
Despite shrinking harvests, the family continue to fish for smelt near the mouth of the Smith River. Even if the fish aren’t running, the Tolowa presence reminds nearby landowners of the tribe’s inherent right to these waterways.
Their ancestral land lies both in California and Oregon. Surrounded by salmon-producing rivers that feed into the ocean, the Tolowa are bound by both state and federal laws preventing them from fishing salmon with traditional nets. State and federal blanket hunting and fishing bans have been applied without discretion and have affected natives disproportionately. Now, some tribes, such as the Tolowa Dee-ni’ must reclaim their rights in court.
“We can only fish for salmon with a hook and line, like everybody else,” Steinruck said. “We don’t have open salmon-fishing rights like our neighboring tribes, but we’re in the process of working on it.”
Policies Negatively Impacting Native Foodways
In addition to smelt and salmon, the Tolowa Dee-ni’ revere the Roosevelt elk as important food, though it too is impeded by policy. Because the elk are currently under federal protection as a response to past over-hunting by white settlers, the Tolowa are denied the right to hunt, and instead are only permitted to harvest meat by salvaging roadkill, even though a recent population increase has made the elk a nuisance to farmers as well as a highway hazard.
In search of better solutions, the tribe is developing a harvest code based on a study combining traditional ecological knowledge and scientific data. This code will aid in management of subsistence food sources and provide guidance to state and federal regulatory agencies.
“It is possible to sustainably harvest wild game with better management of the forest, prescribed burning, and responsible harvest,” says Guylish Bommelyn, a hunter and language teacher at the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation.
The Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation, most of Del Norte County, and neighboring tribal lands of the Elk Valley Rancheria and Yurok reservation, are all classified as food deserts by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Outlying communities, including tribal communities, rely on small convenience-type stores with limited offerings of whole foods. In general, Native Americans in the U.S. suffer from high diabetes and obesity rates: 17 percent of adult Native Americans have diabetes and 43 percent are obese as opposed to 6 percent and 28 percent, respectively for non-Hispanic whites.
Bommelyn’s goal to help keep his family healthy entails relying on the land for food.
“We’ve always been stewards of the land,” Bommelyn says. “We have a deep connection with our food and our connection with animals is strong. They are sacred. They give their lives to provide for us.”
Forward-Looking, Traditional Feast
While watching deer steaks roast on skewers next to salmon, Guylish explains how the hunting grounds have been parceled and sold to timber companies. Logging has also impacted elk and deer habitat, destroying prairie and grasslands. Tribal members now buy hunting tags and hunt according to state law, which limits their take to two deer per year.
At a nearby fire, Steinruck’s partner, Cyndi Ford, bakes acorn flour sand bread patties in hot beds of beach gravel as eels roast on hot coals. A tribal language teacher, Ford sprinkles Athabascan Na-dene words throughout her conversations.
As darkness falls and the last of the lamprey eels are brought inside, it starts to rain. The aroma of fresh seafood, nutty acorn soup, and sand bread permeates the cultural center. The group of about 20 people—mostly family—gathers in a circle before the full-course traditional Tolowa meal is served. Steinruck’s sister, Suntayea, and cousin, Marva, sing a song of thanks and offer a prayer that silences the hungry crowd.
“Yuu-daa-‘e ‘vmlh-te hii wvn gee-naa-ch’ii~-‘ [Whatever you want for, pray for that],” Jones says. “Day ‘inlh-tr’int srtaa~ shaa~ mvn [What you kill shall be used for food only].”
Elders eat first, then everybody enjoys.
In the Tolowa Dee-ni’ language, Ford recites a prayer used when gathering or harvesting food. “Ch’a’ xvmne,” she says. “You shall live again.”St. John's Red Storm Schedule - 2018-19
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St. Mary's Mountaineers Murray State Racers NC State Wolfpack NJIT Highlanders Navy Midshipmen Nebraska Cornhuskers Nevada Wolf Pack New Hampshire Wildcats New Mexico Lobos New Mexico State Aggies New Orleans Privateers Niagara Purple Eagles Nicholls Colonels Norfolk State Spartans North Alabama Lions North Carolina A&T Aggies North Carolina Central Eagles North Carolina Tar Heels North Dakota Fighting Hawks North Dakota State Bison North Florida Ospreys North Texas Mean Green Northeastern Huskies Northern Arizona Lumberjacks Northern Colorado Bears Northern Illinois Huskies Northern Iowa Panthers Northern Kentucky Norse Northwestern State Demons Northwestern Wildcats Notre Dame Fighting Irish Oakland Golden Grizzlies Ohio Bobcats Ohio State Buckeyes Oklahoma Sooners Oklahoma State Cowboys Old Dominion Monarchs Ole Miss Rebels Omaha Mavericks Oral Roberts Golden Eagles Oregon Ducks Oregon State Beavers Pacific Tigers Penn State Nittany Lions Pennsylvania Quakers Pepperdine Waves Pittsburgh Panthers Portland Pilots Portland State Vikings Prairie View A&M Panthers Presbyterian Blue Hose Princeton Tigers Providence Friars Purdue Boilermakers Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons Quinnipiac Bobcats Radford Highlanders Rhode Island Rams Rice Owls Richmond Spiders Rider Broncs Robert Morris Colonials Rutgers Scarlet Knights SE Louisiana Lions SE Missouri St Redhawks SIU-Edwardsville Cougars SMU Mustangs Sacramento State Hornets Sacred Heart Pioneers Saint Joseph's Hawks Saint Louis Billikens Saint Mary's Gaels Saint Peter's Peacocks Sam Houston State Bearkats Samford Bulldogs San Diego State Aztecs San Diego Toreros San Francisco Dons San José St Spartans Santa Clara Broncos Savannah State Tigers Seattle Redhawks Seton Hall Pirates Siena Saints South Alabama Jaguars South Carolina Gamecocks South Carolina State Bulldogs South Carolina Upstate Spartans South Dakota Coyotes South Dakota State Jackrabbits South Florida Bulls Southern Illinois Salukis Southern Jaguars Southern Miss Golden Eagles Southern Utah Thunderbirds St. Bonaventure Bonnies St. Francis (BKN) Terriers St. Francis (PA) Red Flash St. John's Red Storm Stanford Cardinal Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks Stetson Hatters Stony Brook Seawolves Syracuse Orange TCU Horned Frogs Temple Owls Tennessee State Tigers Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles Tennessee Volunteers Texas A&M Aggies Texas A&M-CC Islanders Texas Longhorns Texas Southern Tigers Texas State Bobcats Texas Tech Red Raiders The Citadel Bulldogs Toledo Rockets Towson Tigers Troy Trojans Tulane Green Wave Tulsa Golden Hurricane UAB Blazers UC Davis Aggies UC Irvine Anteaters UC Riverside Highlanders UC Santa Barbara Gauchos UCF Knights UCLA Bruins UConn Huskies UIC Flames UL Monroe Warhawks UMBC Retrievers UMKC Kangaroos UMass Lowell River Hawks UMass Minutemen UNC Asheville Bulldogs UNC Greensboro Spartans UNC Wilmington Seahawks UNLV Rebels USC Trojans UT Arlington Mavericks UT Martin Skyhawks UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros UTEP Miners UTSA Roadrunners Utah State Aggies Utah Utes Utah Valley Wolverines VCU Rams VMI Keydets Valparaiso Crusaders Vanderbilt Commodores Vermont Catamounts Villanova Wildcats Virginia Cavaliers Virginia Tech Hokies Wagner Seahawks Wake Forest Demon Deacons Washington Huskies Washington State Cougars Weber State Wildcats West Virginia Mountaineers Western Carolina Catamounts Western Illinois Leathernecks Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Western Michigan Broncos Wichita State Shockers William & Mary Tribe Winthrop Eagles Wisconsin Badgers Wofford Terriers Wright State Raiders Wyoming Cowboys Xavier Musketeers Yale Bulldogs Youngstown State Penguins asdfShares of GoPro fell dramatically on Tuesday after Apple was awarded a patent for a mountable sports camera.
Apple (AAPL) specifically mentions GoPro (GPRO) in its patent application, criticizing GoPro's HD Hero2 digital cameras for creating "excessive wind resistance'" while mounted, and being "susceptible to damage" from vibrations.
The camera discussed in Apple's patent application could be attached to sports equipment and can even be used to capture underwater images and sounds. Apple even patented a system that allows the camera to be controlled remotely by a smartwatch. (The patent application was drafted in 2012, well before the Apple Watch was announced).
In its patent application, Apple incorporated a patent it purchased from bankrupt Kodak in 2013.
The patent was first reported by Patently Apple, a blog dedicated to surfacing Apple patents. Notably, most of the technology Apple patents never sees the light of day.
Related: Apple patents flexible iPhone and smart glasses
GoPro is the leader in sports cameras, and its shares soared 55% in its splashy IPO in June. But the stock has fallen by nearly 50% from its October peak -- including 10% on Tuesday.
GoPro's success with hobbyists has created several copycats aiming to bring sports camera technology to the Average Joe Consumer.
One of the stars of this year's Consumer Electronics Show was Polaroid's tiny $99 HD cube-shaped video camera that covers roughly the same surface area as a quarter. The Polaroid Cube is basically a super-cheap, consumer-friendly GoPro.Historians discovered a stone embellishing Konya Agricultural Administration's garden ties to the plot of land to another state farm from the Roman era.
The stone, discovered in central Turkey's Konya province, is believed to have been made by a Roman agricultural manager to commemorate harvest time.
"In our research, we understand that the writings on the votive stone are a farm directly connected to the empire during the Roman period," Selçuk University history department professor Hasan Bahar told Anadolu Agency.
The stone indicates a continuing tradition of agriculture in the region.
"This is a welcome parallel. The Roman farm manager made a votive stone, and in our day, a manager has set up the stone at the administration building. It's a connection across 2,000 years."
The 44 square kilometer agricultural plot, located in the Sarayönü district of Konya, was taken over by the state in 1942, under the name "State Production Farm."
The General Directorate of Agricultural Enterprises (TİGEM) has operated the farm since 1984, producing roughage and seed for animal husbandry. Its produce is capable of feeding 1000 head of cattle.This Sunday while in Church, I was shocked to see a young girl in attendance donning a pair of short-shorts!
While it's no secret that wearing one's "Sunday best" is an anachronistic idea at best, perhaps we have let our standards for worship garb slide into territory that is unacceptably informal.
And so, here are my 10 Commandments for Catholic Girls (what not to wear to Church) in the closest rant I'll ever do resembling a beauty blog.
1. No shorts, ever
2. No lululemon's (athletic wear)
3. No thong lines or bra straps
4. No cleavage
5. Pashminas are your friend
6. No mini skirts
7. You don't need to dress like a nun
8. Own a conservative black dress
9. Be proactive at thot patrol
10. Think like Melania TrumpThis week's piece, "32 flavors" comes from Ani DiFranco, the iconic feminist DIY singer-songwriter and independent record label founder. DiFranco's work embodies the phrase "the personal is political", viewing politics not only in structures and systems, but in every facet of her lived experience.
The topics of her songs range across violence, consumerism, misogyny, abuse, racism, family, relationships, the many experiences of joy, and most of all what it means to speak from her perspective at the moment she is writing from. In all of her work, DiFranco finds ways to bring large, societal issues home. Instead of keeping them at arms length, she writes from herself outwards. In this song, DiFranco challenges the confining standards of physical beauty that our society places on women, describing beauty that defies these arbitrary, and ultimately oppresive, expectations. In deeply poetic language, DiFranco demonstrates something that is often lost in the frenzy of political organizing: that in order to change our society we must first change ourselves and the way we think about and relate to one another.
-- Isaac Miller, Spoken Word Editor for The ProgressiveThe fourth person who will welcome us to our “Cosplayer Interview Series” is JC Zala, viewing her profile, you will be in awe of her previous and present participation in the Cosplayer World especially her Attack on Titan Cosplay work.
The Philippines may not be that famous in terms of Cosplay extravaganza before however the new generations have totally evolved and the beginning of appreciating the Art of Cosplay.
Jevelyn is a young Filipina, coming out from the South. One of the known faces in her field. She is carrying a big crown on her head with her participation in several conventions in the country and internationally.
Attack on Titan, JC Zala Jevelyn
Including Cosplay Mania, Best of Anime, Anime Festival Asia|AFA, Fantasy Quest, Matsuri Fever, AniCon, Toycon, Torch. I have known her through my sister’s recommendation, honestly speaking, reading her story would want me to switch cosplaying instead.
Since I am a huge fan of Attack on Titan, her style and allure caught me. She got some astonishing cosplay costumes! Here is my interview with her. With no much further ado. Enjoy!
Attack On Titan Cosplay
Discovering Cosplay
One word: the INTERNET. I got to know about cosplay through that at first. I officially started cosplay when my hometown hosted its very first Cosplay Event, the MCTV Otaku Fest 2011. Where I was asked to be a judge, after witnessing the colorful variety of cosplayers in said event. I found Cosplay fun, more appealing and quite challenging in a way. It was like a magnet that drew me in.
First convention as a Cosplayer
The MCTV Otaku Fest 2011 was my first ever convention as a cosplayer and as a judge. I was out of town on a vacation trip when the event organizers called me up. I didn’t have a lot of time to make my own costume or have it made, so I bought a Ryoma Echizen Seigaku tennis uniform online and borrowed a tennis racket from a friend. It was a simple outfit, so I was surprised that a lot of people still wanted to take pictures with me. The most memorable convention, nonetheless, and the farthest I’ve attended is the Anime Festival Asia 2014 (AFA2014) in Suntec City, Singapore. Not only was it my first time cosplaying outside the Philippines, it was also my first time in Singapore. The event was huge and there were so much going on. I bought a lot of anime goodies there and I went crazy with taking pictures with cosplayers and exchanging Cosplay Cards. I also enjoyed the photoshoots there, especially at the HELIX BRIDGE.
Costume/Gear/Props/Armor Making
To be honest, I’m not that skillful, but I’m still able to make simple props and accessories. When it comes to sewing, I can only do minor things, and because of my busy work, I usually have my costumes made. The costume I made myself is the Arabian Version of Haruka Nanase from Free!.
What does a Cosplayer mean to you?
Cosplay is an expression of love, of art, and a tool of communication!! I’m not really good at socializing, I’m often cold and taciturn, and socially awkward. However, Cosplay made it possible for me to meet other people with the same interest.
Une publication partagée par Jc Zala (@jczala) le 14 Juil. 2017 à 3h19 PDT
Worst and Unforgettable Experience
Probably the time I was cosplaying as Armin Arlert (Attack on Titan) in SMX Convention Center. A really bad case of Prop Malfunction. I couldn’t really walk around that much with my 3DMG gear because of my faulty straps and belts. It was impossible to fix it on the spot. I ended up not using the gear at all. Other than that, I still had fun with my friends. An unforgettable and funny experience that happened to me was during the Fantasy Quest event, where I cosplayed Tamahome from Fushigi Yuugi. I may be crossplaying but I’m still a girl, so I went to retouch with my partner in the girl’s comfort room. While my partner was still in the cubicle, I was just washing my hands when another girl cosplayer walked in. She stopped and just stared at me for a few seconds, then went out to check if she accidentally walked into the boy’s comfort room. She was convinced that I was really a guy.
Cosplayers you look up to
I have a lot of idols and role model cosplayers, but I really look up to Jesuke, Reika, and Viospace as fellow Crossplayers.
Meet and Greet with Guest Cosplayers from other countries are always something to look forward to! I’ve attended a bunch of them when I was still active in Manila and got to meet wonderful cosplayers like Reika, Yugene Fay, Kaname, Jesuke, Viospace, and so much more. I’ve also met a lot of them in Singapore!
Your Greatest Achievement
Featured 4 times in Cosplay Gen’s Website for Best Cos in DeviantArt, like Card Captor Sakura and Syaoran by riskbreaker, The Quest for Water and Squad Leader Hange Zoe and lastly The Lone Arab Featured 5 times in Cosmode: Cosnaps in the World Wide, and became one of the judges of many Cons like MCTV 2011 Otaku Fest, WMSU CosCom, and Mindpro’s AniCon. Many responsibilities come as I’ve earned the position of Assistant Contest Committee for Mindanao Cosplay Summit 2016, then eventually become the head of two committee’s WCSPH Zampen Qualifiers and Ambox Zampen.
Advices would you give to New Aspiring Cosplayers
Cosplay is for fun! Start lightly and slowly. You can’t expect everything to turn out perfect the first time. Treasure that feeling of excitement when you portray your favorite characters and learn from experience.
Where can we see you?
I don’t attend a lot of conventions these days due to my busy work schedule. But you can catch me and the rest of the organizing team in our next Matsuri Fever Event! So watch out for it! I’m also planning to visit Tokyo this year, so you might see me there walking around as Osomatsu-san!
Indeed Jevelyn has participated a lot of conventions and for now, she is currently continuing her profession. Well, I wish to see her one day wearing that “Attack on Titan” Costume.
Thanks to her great story we have learned a little bit more about Cosplay World, I personally thank her for the effort, hard work and passion that she’s putting into this field. Thank you for your exceptional photos shared with us, now I know why you have tons of achievements.
Do you want to know more about JC Zala? Follow her social media accounts
CURE NO: 293028
World Cosplay, Facebook, DeviantArt, Tumblr, Instagram, and Twitter
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Like this: Like Loading...Here is an update on today’s votes in the Hawaii state Senate…
All five cannabis bills passed, with overwhelming support!
SB 1460 – decriminalization of one ounce of marijuana: 24-0-1 (Shimabukuro was excused). It now moves over to the house. SB 58 – increases plants, dried ounces, patient-caregiver ratio, clarifies transportation language. The bill was waived by the Senate Judiciary Chair, Clayton Hee, which allowed it to move on for a floor vote, and it passed third reading 24-0-1 (Shimabukuro was excused). It now moves to the house. SB 175 – moves medical marijuana program from Public Safety to Health: 24-1 (Kouchi voted “no”) SB 1458 – licenses medical marijuana compassion centers, producers and infused products makers. Passed third reading, 24-1 (Slom voted “no”). Moves to house. SB 113 – creates a 3-year Cannabis research program. Passed third reading with 23 ayes, 23-2 (Slom and Kouchi voted “no”). Moves to house.
Five for five. Can’t do any better than that! Last year the Senate passed three cannabis bills, also by wide margins, so while today is not a complete surprise, it is certainly great news!
(Actually, I see that HB 1085, which would increase the fee, passed the House, with zero “no” votes and moves to the Senate.)
The House will again be the challenge this year. Bills that get referred to three committees will have a tougher time than bills with two referrals. The head of one important committee, Public Safety & Military Affairs, Henry Aquino, is conservative, and has the power to shut things down by not scheduling hearings (as happened last year with Judiciary chair Karamatsu). A source in Oahu says that they are hopeful hearings will happen.
So, it would certainly be a good idea to start thinking about testimony again…we will be faced with the same short time frame, and we will need everyone to add their voice and opinion to the mix.7 years ago
Dodd is an Obama supporter.
(CNN) - Sen. Chris Dodd on Thursday appeared to step back from his previous suggestion that the presidential race should end before many of the final round of primaries play out.
In an interview with CNN's John Roberts, Dodd - a supporter of Barack Obama - said he thinks the race will end when "the candidates decide they can't go any further.
"The last thing you want to do is lecture candidates to get out of the race," Dodd also said.
Those comments appear to differ from his remarks last week in an interview with the National Journal during which he argued an agreement should be worked out after the upcoming contests in Pennsylvania, Indiana, and North Carolina.
"Over the next couple of weeks, as we get into April, it seems to me then, that the national leadership of this party has to stand up and reach a conclusion," Dodd said then, adding it was a forgone conclusion Obama would be the Democratic nominee.
But in the interview Thursday, Dodd continued to warn against a floor fight at the party's August convention.
“If you go [to the convention] highly divided, with eight weeks to go before national election, you will lose the national election," he said. "This matter has to be resolved in my point before we get there.
Related: Watch the full interview with Sen. Dodd
- CNN Ticker Producer Alexander MooneyLopez says battling big teams is unacceptably risky
Williams finds itself in the same predicament as Lotus, when the Enstone team tried to push towards the very top of Formula 1, claims Gerard Lopez.
The low-profile-in-2015 Lotus team owner, who is currently in the midst of Renault buyout rumours and legal trouble with unpaid suppliers insists Lotus is actually back on track, having learned from 2012 and 2013, when Kimi Raikkonen even won a couple of races in a black and gold car.
“What I would not do again, perhaps, is that when you are fourth or fifth, try to gamble in going for first place,” he said recently to Auto Motor und Sport.
Now, he sees the independent British team Williams in the same sort of situation.
“Williams is in the same position now as we were two years ago. To try to be third, you need to put yourself in a position of unacceptable risk,” he is quoted by the German magazine.
After the performance and budget collapse of 2014, Lotus has re-set its objectives in 2015, and Lopez – highly-critical of the income distribution system in F1 – says the fight to be fifth is now the right one.
So while the earlier media coverage was about Lotus stretching itself with debt, now the reports are about the supposed cusp of liquidation.
“Before, we couldn’t count. Now it’s said that we’re broke, just because we only spend as much as we have,” said Lopez.A car gets towed from Milwaukee Avenue early Sunday morning on the first night of the city's overnight parking ban. View Full Caption The Expired Meter.com
CHICAGO — At least 175 Chicagoans had a very bad morning.
They woke up to find their cars towed after Chicago's city's annual winter overnight parking ban started early Thursday.
However, the number of cars hauled away dropped approximately 15 percent from last year, according to the city's Department of Streets and Sanitation.
Every year, the start of the snow route ban catches dozens of drivers unaware, forcing them to travel to the city's auto pound — and pay at least $230 — to retrieve their cars, officials said.
From Dec. 1 to April 1, the city bans parking on 107 miles of arterial streets from 3 to 7 a.m. daily. The ban is a precautionary measure in case the city needs to plow the streets after a snowfall, but it remains in effect even if it doesn't snow.
Drivers who ignore — or forget about — the ban will get socked with a $60 parking ticket, a $150 tow fee and $20 per day in storage fees.
If you are looking for your car, you can locate it using the city's database of towed vehicles.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here.Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
June 28, 2017, 2:52 PM GMT / Updated June 28, 2017, 2:52 PM GMT By Adam Edelman
The reporter who engaged in a tense exchange with a top White House spokeswoman this week accused the Trump administration on Wednesday of “undermining” journalists and said the media “can’t take the bullying anymore.”
“We’ve been called the enemy of the people from that White House, we’ve been told that we’re fake news. We are bullied and brow-beaten every day, and I pretty much have had enough of it,” Brian Karem, a White House correspondent for the Sentinel newspapers, a Washington-area chain of publications, told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
“There are really only two ways to deal with a bully. You can either turn them into your friend, I don’t think that’s a possibility, |
A, Napoli missed repeated opportunities to close the gap sufficiently on leaders Juventus. Last night Napoli failed to take advantage once more.
What was most surprising was the lack of adventure in the closing stages. The lack of genuine quality on the Naploi bench must also be a sign of frustration. With options limited, perhaps Mazzari would rather remain 6 points behind Juventus with the hope of catching them rather than fall 9 behind and know the league is over?
Either way, Napoli now have just one win in their last seven meeting with Juventus in all competitions. To win titles you must win the key games or get favourable results. Juventus under Conte have proven they can do that. Napoi under Mazzari have not.
Conclusions
The title race remains alive, just.
The game was never able to match the build up and hype beforehand in terms of quality but it did deliver an intensely fought 90 minutes.
Juventus perhaps have the more demanding run in whilst also contending with a European campaign. Napoli can remain focused on the domestic front but with so many opportunities passed over until this point, what confidence can Mazzari have that his side will be able to take advantage of any further slip ups by the Bianconeri?(AP) JACKSON, Mich. - A woman who lived for months with the corpse of a companion was arraigned Friday on charges of cashing his pension and Social Security checks.
Linda Chase, 71, appeared in court three weeks after police found the remains of Charles Zigler in a chair in the living room of their Jackson house, 40 miles south of Lansing, in southern Michigan.
Chase is not charged with any crimes related to Zigler's death or her failure to report it. Police believe the 67-year-old died of natural causes in December 2010, although Chase said it was last year.
Mich. woman: I tended corpse, watched NASCAR
Chase is charged with forgery for converting checks worth $28,000 intended for Zigler. A judge released her after advising her to appear for all court dates.
"I can't even walk. Why would I run?" Chase replied.
She declined to comment to the Jackson Citizen Patriot outside court. An attorney has not been assigned yet.
Police entered the home on July 6 after Zigler's relatives said they hadn't heard from him and couldn't get inside. Chase has said she didn't want to part with the body and talked to it while watching NASCAR races on TV.
Prosecutor Hank Zavislak said a mental-health exam is likely before the case moves forward.
"She knows exactly what she has done," Zigler's nephew, Aaron Dryer, said. "It wasn't because she missed him or because she couldn't live without him. It was for the sole purpose of taking that money.... Our family wants her in jail."Samurai Jack (season 5) DVD cover Country of origin United States No. of episodes 10 Release Original network Adult Swim Original release March 11 ( ) –
May 20, 2017 ( 2017-05-20 ) Season chronology ← Previous
Season 4 List of Samurai Jack episodes
The fifth season of Samurai Jack is the final season of the animated series. This season of Samurai Jack follows Jack on a journey that concludes his story. It premiered on the Toonami programming block of Adult Swim on March 11, 2017, and concluded its run on May 20, 2017. The announcement of the season came in December 2015, eleven years since the series was originally concluded on Cartoon Network. Genndy Tartakovsky, the series' creator, returned as a director, writer, and storyboarder for this season. The season received universal acclaim from both critics and fans, praising it for its visuals as well as its more intense and mature tone.
Story [ edit ]
Fifty years have passed, but I do not age. Time has lost its effect on me. Yet the suffering continues. Aku's grasp chokes the past, present, and future. Hope is lost. Got to get back – back to the past. Samurai Jack. — Jack, in the opening sequence
The story takes place fifty years after Aku cast Jack into the future, although Jack himself hasn't aged at all as a side effect of time travel. Aku has destroyed all time portals, but he is deeply distressed over the prospect of battling Jack forever and has stopped pursuing him directly. Jack's actions have inspired many to oppose Aku's tyranny, among them the elderly Scotsman, who unsuccessfully leads three armies in a battle against Aku. Unknown to Aku, Jack has lost his sword, and he is troubled by hallucinations of his deceased family, his former self, and the victims of Aku, almost to the point of suicide. A set of septuplet girls, the "Daughters of Aku", are born into a cult of Aku worshipers and raised as assassins with the sole purpose of killing Jack. They find and overwhelm Jack, but he manages to kill all the Daughters but one, Ashi, who he eventually spares, and even saves her from various dangers as the two attempt to escape the bowels of a gigantic monster that swallowed them whole. Accompanying Jack on his journey, Ashi comes to see Aku as evil, and helps Jack through his emotional and spiritual journey, talking him out of committing suicide and helping him reclaim his lost sword. The two eventually become romantically involved. Aku is eventually informed that Jack lost his sword and confronts him, not knowing Jack has recovered it in the interim. Before leaving, Aku senses that Ashi has part of him inside her, and possesses her body to attack Jack. Jack refuses to kill Ashi and lays down his sword in defeat. Aku takes Jack prisoner and prepares to kill him, but the people Jack helped all over the planet rally to his defense. When Jack tells Ashi that he loves her, she regains control of herself. She returns the sword to Jack and uses the powers she gained from Aku to open a time portal to return Jack and herself to the moment Aku sent Jack to the future, whereupon Jack immediately destroys the weakened Aku. With peace restored, Ashi and Jack prepare to marry, but on her way to the altar, she suddenly collapses. Jack rushes to her side, and as she fades away from existence, she tells Jack that "without Aku, I would have never existed". The series ends with a scene of Jack watching a ladybug fly free in a sunlit grove with trees in bloom.
Development [ edit ]
Background [ edit ]
Created by Genndy Tartakovsky, Samurai Jack originally aired on Cartoon Network from 2001 to 2004, comprising four seasons. The series follows a young samurai (voiced by Phil LaMarr) who is cast into the future by the evil shape-shifting demon Aku (voiced originally by Mako) mere moments before defeating the demon. He adopts the name Jack and continues his fight in the dystopian future ruled by Aku. Jack seeks to find a portal back to his time but is constantly thwarted by the demon's forces. The series was left open-ended after the conclusion of the fourth season.[1] Tartakovsky previously expressed interest in a film adaptation of the series to provide a genuine conclusion, but the project never materialized.[2][3](2:50)
Production [ edit ]
"Technology is different, we're using computers now,
instead of hamsters like the old days." Craig Kellman, character designer, Behind the Scenes featurette[4]
Starting in 2014, reruns of Samurai Jack were aired on Toonami, an action-oriented programming block on Adult Swim.[5] Within two weeks of Tartakovsky's first communication with executive Mike Lazzo, a deal was reached for 10 more episodes of the series.[6] The network released a short teaser in December 2015 after it green-lit the return of the series with Genndy Tartakovsky as executive producer and Cartoon Network Studios as the season's production company.[7] Artwork used in the teaser derived from the cover of an issue from IDW Publishing's comic book adaptation of the series.[8] The new season received further mention ahead of the network's 2016 upfront press release.[9] The fifth season was announced for the 2016–17 television season.[10] Work-in-progress excerpts were shared at the 2016 Annecy International Animated Film Festival.[11] According to Tartakovsky, having a small production team allowed for a smaller budget, faster schedule, and greater creative freedom for the team,[6] and executive producer Mike Lazzo gave the team a free hand, with minimal intervention in the production. Changes in television animation storytelling since the cartoon's original series allowed the show to shift from episodic storytelling, where each episode is more or less independent from the others, to one cohesive serialized story that will conclude Jack's journey.[12][4] The serialized format allows every episode to have a "reveal" that takes the show in a different direction.[3](4:01) The final episode was storyboarded on October 2016,[13] and Tartakovsky expressed hope it would have a very emotional impact on the audience.[14] All the original Samurai Jack episodes are designated by Roman numerals,[15] and the original series ended with episode "LII" (52). Season five opens with episode "XCII" (92); the jump in numbering signifies the elapsed time from the last episode of season four.[16]
Casting [ edit ]
Phil LaMarr reprises his role as Jack,[4] and John DiMaggio reprises his role as the Scotsman, a fan-favorite[17] ally of Jack's. Due to the death of Mako, who originally voiced Aku, Tartakovsky at first considered using a completely different voice for the character.[18] However, considering how Mako's voice was an important element of the character,[4] voice actor Greg Baldwin was brought in to mimic the original voice.[19]
Themes [ edit ]
The season explores the hero's journey and the identity of the hero when their journey stagnates.[20] Choice and lack of choice are explored: in Jack's introspections and actions; in the actions of Jack's enemies; in the contrast between humans who choose their actions and machines which are programmed; and in destiny and fate which offer no choice.[21] Of the distinction and parallel between robots and humans, Tartakovsky said: "I wanted to show the human side that's been treated like a machine. Aku builds robots and all these robots are singularly programmed to kill Jack. What if it's humans? What if the one purpose in your whole life is to kill this one person and you're raised from birth that way?"[22] Angelica Jade Bastién of New York magazine writes that there is a "distinctive undercurrent of loneliness stretching through the series from start to finish." Jack is often alone, dwarfed by the "grand solemnity of nature." He has lost his home and his relationship with his family, and in the final episode he loses his relationship with the woman he is about to marry.[23]
Cast [ edit ]
Episodes [ edit ]
No.
overall No. in
season Title Directed by Written and storyboarded by Story by Original air date US viewers
(millions) 53 1 "XCII" Genndy Tartakovsky Bryan Andrews and Genndy Tartakovsky Darrick Bachman, Bryan Andrews,
and Genndy Tartakovsky March 11, 2017 ( ) 1.55[24] Fifty years have passed since Jack arrived in the future; his sword is lost, he has given up hope of returning to his time and he is tormented by hallucinations of his parents, his kingdom, and a mysterious armored figure on horseback. Jack, now using futuristic weapons and armor, rescues a mother and her two children from several beetle drones, and wanders the land on a motorcycle. Scaramouche—a fast-talking musical assassin robot styled after Sammy Davis Jr.[14]—has destroyed a village and killed all of its people to get Jack's attention. Jack delays in arriving to the village, but eventually defeats Scaramouche. Meanwhile, seven young girls are raised and trained from birth by an Aku-worshiping cult led by the High Priestess to become the Daughters of Aku, a team of assassins with the sole purpose of killing Jack. 54 2 "XCIII" Genndy Tartakovsky Bryan Andrews and Genndy Tartakovsky Darrick Bachman, Bryan Andrews,
and Genndy Tartakovsky March 18, 2017 ( ) 1.30[25] Unaware that Jack has lost his sword, Aku has grown tired of pursuing him and is starting to give up hope of ever defeating Jack, especially since he has stopped aging. Elsewhere, the Daughters of Aku overwhelm and disarm Jack; while hiding from them, he hallucinates an argument with his younger self about the point of keeping on living and fighting. He flees to a nearby temple ruin, pursued by the Daughters. One of them stabs him in the side as he kills her, and he discovers the Daughters are human, not robots as he assumed. Jack uses Scaramouche's tuning fork-like dagger to make the temple walls explode, and escapes into a river flowing past it. The episode's climax is an homage to the musical composition "The Ecstasy of Gold".[21] 55 3 "XCIV" Genndy Tartakovsky David Krentz and Genndy Tartakovsky Darrick Bachman, Bryan Andrews,
and Genndy Tartakovsky March 25, 2017 ( ) 1.35[26] Jack floats downriver and takes shelter in a cave, while the six surviving Daughters of Aku track him. He hallucinates an argument with himself over whether he can bring himself to kill all the Daughters if necessary as he had never before killed a human. A wounded wolf joins Jack in the cave, and they both recuperate from their injuries. Jack recalls an incident from his childhood when his family was accosted by assassins, where his father gave the assassins a choice: leave, or "face your destiny". They attacked, and were killed by Jack's father. As the Daughters of Aku close in on Jack, he gives them the same choice, echoing his father's words. When they stay, he quickly kills three and lures the others onto a branch hanging over an abyss. One by one Jack drops them into the abyss, but before he can return to solid ground, the branch breaks and he too falls into the abyss. 56 4 "XCV" Genndy Tartakovsky Genndy Tartakovsky Darrick Bachman, Bryan Andrews,
and Genndy Tartakovsky April 8, 2017 ( ) 1.33[27] Jack awakens and finds one of the Daughters of Aku lying bloodied in the snow. He is attacked by one of the Daughters, Ashi, but he quickly subdues her and binds her with the chain from her own chain-sickle. They are both suddenly swallowed by an enormous creature. As they fall, Ashi again attacks Jack, but he saves her from the deadly fall into the creature. Jack hallucinates an argument with himself over saving Ashi or leaving her to die. He protects her and carries her with him as he makes his way out, despite her barrage of threats and ongoing attempts to kill him. They eventually make it out of the creature and into a body of water, where Jack saves Ashi from drowning and carries her to a small island. She prepares to attack him again, but relents and drops her sickle upon seeing Jack gently release a ladybug that landed on his hand, in contrast to the High Priestess, who had crushed a ladybug for not being "a part of Aku's order". 57 5 "XCVI" Genndy Tartakovsky Bryan Andrews and Genndy Tartakovsky Darrick Bachman, Bryan Andrews,
and Genndy Tartakovsky April 15, 2017 ( ) 1.29[28] The Scotsman, now elderly and wheelchair-bound, leads an attack on Aku's tower. Aku easily obliterates two of the three assembled armies. The Scotsman stalls Aku to allow his army, consisting of his daughters, to retreat. He is killed, but returns to life as a specter, and instructs his daughters to regroup, find Jack and destroy Aku. Elsewhere, Ashi has a troubling vision of the High Priestess, who is disgusted and disappointed at Ashi's insubordination. Ashi asks Jack to prove his claims of Aku's evil nature. They journey to several places destroyed by Aku, and eventually come upon a razed village whose children are forced to attack them through a mind-control device. As Ashi destroys the mind-control device, Jack is horrified to see the children collapse, believing them to be dead. The mysterious figure on horseback appears, and Jack willingly follows the figure into the fog. Ashi arrives as the children start coming to, and finds that Jack is gone. 58 6 "XCVII" Genndy Tartakovsky Genndy Tartakovsky Darrick Bachman, Bryan Andrews,
and Genndy Tartakovsky April 22, 2017 ( ) 1.33[29] As Ashi searches for Jack, she comes across many grateful people that Jack had helped in the past. Ashi finds Jack in a graveyard surrounded by the spirits of great warriors. The horseman that has been haunting Jack, the Omen, announces that Jack must face the consequences of his failure or be dishonored. Jack prepares to commit seppuku, while the Omen attacks Ashi to keep her from interfering. She pleads to Jack not to lose hope and tells him of all the lives he saved, including her own and even the children from the previous episode. Jack confronts and defeats the specter, then tells Ashi it's time to find his sword. Meanwhile, Scaramouche, who was reduced to a talking head after his defeat by Jack, sets out to inform Aku that Jack lost his sword. 59 7 "XCVIII" Genndy Tartakovsky Bryan Andrews and Genndy Tartakovsky Darrick Bachman, Bryan Andrews,
and Genndy Tartakovsky April 29, 2017 ( ) 1.30[31] Jack recounts to Ashi the circumstances surrounding the loss of his sword. He fought Aku atop a mountain at the last time portal in existence when Aku destroyed the portal. Angrily, Jack fought and killed three innocent goats transformed into monsters by Aku. Traumatized after killing living creatures, Jack dropped his mystical sword which fell into a deep pit. In the present, Jack and Ashi return to the mountain, but they cannot find the sword. Jack realizes that the sword abandoned him because of his consuming anger. As Jack meditates to determine its whereabouts, Ashi keeps watch over him. She slaughters an army of soldiers trying to kill him, and foils a sneak attack by the High Priestess, killing her with an arrow. Jack's meditations take him on an astral journey to an old monk, who tells him after a tea ceremony that he has lost his sense of spiritual balance. Relinquishing his anger, which takes the form of Mad Jack, Jack regains that balance and is transported to a heavenly realm where the gods Ra, Rama and Odin[30] give him his sword, samurai gi, and restore his appearance from the last four seasons. After he returns to the material world, he and Ashi set out to confront Aku. 60 8 "XCIX" Genndy Tartakovsky Genndy Tartakovsky Darrick Bachman, Bryan Andrews,
and Genndy Tartakovsky May 6, 2017 ( ) 1.36[32] A spaceship is knocked off course by an asteroid and crashes on Earth. Elsewhere, Jack and Ashi travel together and board a giant beast that carries passengers across the desert. The other passengers attack them, so the two escape and continue traveling on foot. They get caught in a sandstorm and find shelter in the crashed spaceship. They encounter thousands of leech-like creatures that band together as a creature named Lazarus and attack them. They escape, and come upon a weapon designed specifically to counter the creature, however they do not know how to operate it. Jack and Ashi fight the creatures and try to activate the weapon, without success; as they are almost completely engulfed by the creatures Jack manages to activate the device and it electrocutes the creatures. After Jack and Ashi recuperate, there is a smash cut of the two passionately kissing as Dean Martin's "Everybody Loves Somebody" starts playing. The song continues to play over the end credits. 61 9 "C" Genndy Tartakovsky Bryan Andrews and Genndy Tartakovsky Darrick Bachman, Bryan Andrews,
and Genndy Tartakovsky May 13, 2017 ( ) 1.33[34] Ashi bonds with Jack as he tells her of his life before Aku. During the night, Jack ventures off alone, and by day happens upon the location where he unsuccessfully fought the Guardian of a time portal Jack was prophesied to use.[33] He finds the portal destroyed, as well as the Guardian's broken red glasses. Ashi catches up to Jack, who explains he left her behind out of fear of losing her to Aku as he did many others of his loved ones. Ashi reassures Jack that together, they will defeat Aku. At that moment Aku appears with Scaramouche, who has finally informed Aku about Jack losing his sword. Upon seeing Jack does have his sword, Aku swiftly destroys Scaramouche. As Aku starts to leave, he senses his own self inside of Ashi. Aku recalls visiting the Daughters of Aku and leaving part of him in a goblet for them, and assumes the High Priestess must have drank it and given birth to her seven children, making Ashi "a true daughter of Aku". Aku possesses and transforms Ashi, and forces her to fight Jack. Jack tells her to resist, but she is unable to do so. When Jack wounds Ashi, she briefly comes back to her senses and desperately begs Jack to kill her. Unwilling to do so, Jack drops to his knees and lays down his sword in defeat, which Aku then holds up triumphantly. 62 10 "CI" Genndy Tartakovsky Bryan Andrews and Genndy Tartakovsky Darrick Bachman, Bryan Andrews,
and Genndy Tartakovsky May 20, 2017 ( ) 1.46[35] This episode starts with everyone in the world gathering around their TVs for a live broadcast from Aku’s fortress. Aku announces to the world that he has captured Jack and isolated his sword, and decides that Ashi should kill him. As Ashi is about to stab the Samurai, many of Jack’s allies rally to Jack's defense, assaulting Aku and his fortress. While they manage to free Jack, Aku overpowers them and Ashi prevents him from recovering his sword. While dodging Ashi's attacks, Jack manages to free her from Aku's possession by telling her that he loves her. Ashi then discovers that she possesses Aku's powers, and uses them to send herself and Jack back to the past to moment when Aku first flung Jack into the future. Jack finally kills Aku, freeing his family and the rest of the world. Jack and Ashi prepare to get married, but as Ashi walks the aisle, she suddenly collapses and disappears, informing Jack with her last breath that Aku's demise invalidates her existence. The series ends with Jack watching a ladybug fly free in a sunlit grove with trees in bloom.
Broadcast [ edit ]
On January 24, 2017, Adult Swim announced in an interstitial bumper that the show would debut on March 11, 2017.[36] The original four seasons are rated TV-Y7-FV, while most episodes in the fifth season are rated TV-14-V, with episodes XCVI and XCIX being rated TV-PG-V.[37] The first three episodes of the season were screened at the Ace Hotel Los Angeles two days before the season's television premiere.[14] An unannounced change in schedule on April Fools' Day supplanted a new Samurai Jack episode with the premiere of the third season of Rick and Morty, which aired repeatedly from 8 PM to midnight.[38][39]
Home media [ edit ]
This season is available in HD and SD for digital purchase[non-primary source needed] on iTunes,[40] Google Play,[41] Amazon Video,[42] Microsoft Store[43] and PlayStation Store.
Full season release [ edit ]
The full season set was released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 17, 2017.[44]
Samurai Jack: The Complete Fifth Season Set details[44] Special features[44] 10 episodes
2-disc set
1.78:1 aspect ratio
Subtitles: English
English (Dolby 5.1 Surround) The Evolution of Jack
Pitch Movies Release dates Region 1 Region 4 Region A Region B October 17, 2017 ( ) [44] N/A October 17, 2017 ( ) [44] N/A
Reception [ edit ]
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the season holds an approval rating of 100% based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 9.08/10, with the critics' consensus reading: "An increasing intensity and maturity are evident in Samurai Jack's beautifully animated, action-packed and overall compelling fifth season".[45] On Metacritic the season has an average score of 94 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[46] Joshua Yehl of IGN called it a "double-edged season" referring to the contrast between the presentation and the story. He calls the presentation, artistry, animation and sound design masterful, in contrast to the story that didn't always deliver satisfying answers to the questions introduced early in the season, despite being more mature and sophisticated than the original show.[47]Student Protest in Quebec. (Photo: Pedro fait de la Photo / Flickr)Electoralism and radicalism don’t have to be mutually exclusive, but attendees discovered finding common ground is still a challenge.
With student movements erupting around the world, America’s relative calm is conspicuous. On August 10-14, 200 students from around the United States, with representatives from student movements in Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Quebec, met in Columbus, Ohio to start building an American student movement at the (first annual) National Student Power Convergence – causing some to ask, “Will Columbus be the next Port Huron?”
With the tagline “Here. Us. Now.” the students were cognizant of the historical nature of the moment, as were the opening lecturers who addressed the conflicts that have splintered the student left in the past. Joshua Kahn Russell of the Ruckus Society explained that chasing after the “perfect politics” and acting as the “righteous few” was ultimately divisive and ineffective in his activism career. Longtime labor organizer Stephen Lerner argued for “alignment” in a movement around certain issues, rather than trying to get all parties to be ideologically harmonious.
Electoralism quickly became an ideological tension point when some students berated, and walked out on, Keron Blair from the Midwest Academy organizing school for including “electing good people” in his direct action workshop. Political tensions flared again when a group of students organized a “press conference” at President Obama’s campaign headquarters in Columbus. Most students participated in the demonstration, which advocated for bypassing false political representatives but claimed that it wasn’t a “Fuck you, Obama” protest.
Students recognized the strategic role of elections in movements abroad, such as in Quebec, where a rare September election divided Quebec’s longest-running student strike. Émilie Joly from CLASSE, Quebec’s largest student union, received snaps for declaring, “Whether or not you vote, keep mobilizing,” explaining that elections are one of many ways to build student power.
Over the five days, students built community by unraveling the paper-thin stereotypes of radical ideologue and reformist Democrat, allowing students to arrive at useful compromises, such as recognizing that elections are not of ultimate importance but can play a role in broader campaigns.
This mini-documentary attempts to depict the range of perspectives on voting at the National Student Power Convergence and features interviews with Will Klatt, an organizer of the Convergence, Tiffany Dena Loftin, the president of the United States Student Association, and many others.Courtesy of Russ Winter of Winter Watch at Wall Street Examiner
Finally after five months of investigations comes the Jon Corzine MF Global bombshell Friday [Bloomberg: Corzine Ordered Funds Moved to JP Morgan]. The Bloomberg article references an e-mail written by Edith O’Brien, the assistant Treasurer at MF Global and a memo written by congressional staffers. A few aspects are of note: first that Corzine “gave direct instructions” to transfer $200 million in segregated consumer funds to JP Morgan for payment on an overdraft and used a lower level functionary O’Brien to carry it out. Then in a clear violation of fiduciary responsibility JP Morgan’s risk officer asked MF Global for a letter stating these funds were not customer segregated accounts, but then took the money anyway. The chief counsel for MF Global nixed the letter JPM sent over as “too strong”.
O”Brien is to testify before Congress on Wednesday, but will plead the Fifth. This suggests she has not been offered a deal, or immunity.
The captured regulatory agencies have not weighed in on this now nearly five months after this historic crime. On the overall issue of fraud and regulatory capture, view this Max Keiser and Mark Melin clip.
The Corzine ties into the labyrinth of the Obama Administration are dark and deep. It is a virtual 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon sistema (the word used for this form of government in Brazil) and in every sense of the word a criminal enterprise. Here are various clips of Obama and Biden heaping praise on Jon Corzine.
This is what Obama says about Jon Corzine. I can see why Obama likes him so much. They both have the same moral compass.
“Like many of us in public life today, Jon is a leader who’s been called to govern in some extraordinary times. He’s been tested by the worst recession in half a century — a recession that was caused by years of recklessness and irresponsibility and a do-nothing attitude. It was caused by the same small thinking that has plagued our politics for decades — the kind of thinking that says we can afford to just tinker around with our problems, we can put off the tough decisions, defer the big challenges. We can just tell people what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear. Well that’s not the kind of leader that Jon Corzine is.”– Barack Obama, July 2009. -and “John Corzine is the smartest man in the room”….Joe Biden
It is hard for me to imagine that Obama can shuck and jive this one. Is he really going to revert to his shameful 60 minutes interview where he makes excuses for criminal conduct on Wall Street and twists the logic around to make himself look righteous. I have to think he may just turn the dogs loose on Corzine, but where does that lead? Corzine was more than a fund bundler, crony, and influence peddler. He was instrumental in stacking the Obama administration with his associates. What happens with CFTC apparatchik and former Corzine employee at Goldman Sachs, Gary Gensler for example? CFTC was charged with regulating MF Global. What about Eric “Empty Suit” Holder, Obama’s attorney general, who never met a Wall Street crime he didn’t like? And what about JP Morgan’s role in this? This should and might be the biggest story since Watergate. My favorite from the wag comment gallery: “Can we possibly take down Corzine, JP Morgan, and Obama all in one fell swoop? No way my life gets that good!!! No way.”
This will also be the supreme test of the two-tiered Justice system in this country. I am certain that Corzine will claim:
1. There was only an alleged call, no email from Corzine?
2. No form returned to JPMorgan?
3. Did JPM allow the transfer illegally?
4. And “Segregated accounts can include customer money and excess company funds.” So if he did want the money transfered did someone mess up and not transfer just company funds?
Still
1) Ignorance of the law is not a valid defense.
2) The violation of fiduciary duty could result in civil liability, even if Corzine is not criminally liable.
For additional analysis on many topics, including trading ideas, subscribe to Russ Winter’s Actionable – risk free for 30 days. Click here for more information.3d artist Eoin O’Broin has been experimenting a lot with Megascans in Unreal Engine 4. We’ve talked with him to discuss various ways you can use this solution to build stunning natural environments.
Introduction
Hey! I am a game dev enthusiast from Ireland. I make music for a living, but have been experimenting with UE4 over the last year or two since the concept of realtime realism really interests me. I didn’t go to college / haven’t worked on projects other than my own personal scenes!
Building Photorealistic Environments
Honestly, the fun part is lighting the scene and seeing how all the elements come together nicely. I tend to try and be as minimal as possible for input assets so I can quickly progress and not lose motivation to finish a scene. I would say the main things that are needed to make a scene look really cool are:
1. Good input assets – clean lightmap UVs and topology.
2. High quality physically based textures (Megascans)
3. Careful and simple lighting in UE4.
4. Good use of contrast and colour to break up the shapes and the scene.
The composition is, of course, the most important part of the scene – without the right angle or placement of assets, a scene can fall flat. It’s important to constantly reference real life and other scenes to get a feel for what works. Always have people you can ask for feedback, as it’s very easy to miss something when working on it for long periods of time.
Middleware Solutions
Middleware solutions like Megascans / Speedtree allow people to accomplish things that they just couldn’t do alone. They are huge timesavers and can be the things that keeps projects flowing to completion, as opposed to being stuck at a roadblock, and either being forced to make your own lengthy solution, or give up on the project. I’ve been using GrowFX recently to create all the new foliage for my scenes, and I have to mention just how powerful it is- truly an awesome piece of software!
Megascans
I think that Megascans is an absolutely indispensable resource for any artist working in the realtime/VFX industries. The amount of time and knowledge it takes to properly scan assets and get good results is extremely high, and having this huge library of consistently scanned and calibrated assets ready to quickly use is a gamechanger. I’ve seen people argue that “if everyone is using the same assets, all products will look the same”. This couldn’t be further from the truth- it is all about how you use the data to fit in your project. There are millions of ways to combine and use the surfaces, atlases and meshes creatively, with the possibility of creating any surface type you desire with high quality scanned base materials to start from. In every industry there is source material that is necessary to create a good product- in music there are sample libraries, digital instruments- tools to allow you to express your creative ideas faster and better than you could alone. Megascans is no different, and it really can be a massively useful addition to your arsenal of tools. Always remember that the end result is all that counts.
You can do SO much with every scan, even single maps from surfaces to use as masks
I made a quick ice tutorial regarding this usage here:
The only creative limit of the scans is on the person using them. Just because it is a sand scan doesn’t mean it couldn’t also work for a snow or gravel material. The real power comes when combining different scans in Megascans Studio – it allows users to quickly create unique, layered materials which can really shine when creating complex landscapes for example. I strongly recommend people to really think outside the box when using the scans- it’s easy to just throw some forest assets down, make a forest shader and hit render – of course that will look similar to others who have downloaded the example content. The service is still very new, but as more people begin getting comfortable with it, there will be more and more amazing environments and techniques popping up, just a matter of time! Using the normals to create rippling water shaders, add detail to particle effects, move grass around in interesting patterns as wind…. there are many cool things that you can do that go way beyond simple visual textures.
Post-production
Thanks! I work 100% in UE4 for all lighting and shading – no touch ups afterward in Photoshop (it’s part of the fun challenge of attempting to create realistic scenes in UE4) For lighting, I tend to keep things very simple. Most of my scenes just have a single skylight and directional light. The trick is to constantly keep tweaking values between the lights and post process settings- it usually takes quite a while per scene to find the right balance, but it’s the part that is the most important. You have to train yourself to see what looks good. For example, I see a lot of people with extremely strong bloom effects, really blurry DOF and very dense fog- all of these are things that should be used VERY carefully, if at all. They can instantly take a realistic looking scene and make it look super fake and flat. As for skyboxes, I prefer to use HDRis to light the scene- you can find decent ones online or shoot them yourself. Most procedural skies that I have seen look super fake to me and really kill the realism right away. The TrueSky plugin for UE4 looks very interesting however, something I am excited to look into sometime in the future.
The Future of 3d Scanning
I think this is a very good thing. Generally you’ll get much more accurate and higher quality results when scanning as opposed to modeling and texturing manually. The time it takes is also shortened dramatically- depending on the asset, you can really make big improvements in quality, with less time spent per asset.
Eoin O’Broin, 3d artist
Interview conducted by Kirill Tokarev.This |
. Here is a short list of resources to keep an eye on if you’re into the game:
Content Creators:
https://www.reddit.com/r/OnwardVR/comments/5mceky/onward_twitch_streams_and_youtube_channels/
Maps:
https://www.reddit.com/r/OnwardVR/comments/5j0i50/official_top_down_maps/
Sub-Reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/OnwardVR/
Discord
https://discord.gg/RYghWZY
Are you playing Onward? If so and you’d like to share some tips for new players, let us know in the comments below!
Note: This article was originally published on February 16, 2017 but has been republished due to the game’s free weekend happening right now.
Tagged with: FPS, how to, onward, shooter, tactical, tipsThat the Harper government will attempt to squeeze every ounce of political benefit from being seen as tough on "terror" lends urgency to the search for an answer to the question posed by the ancients.
"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" – Who will guard the guardians? – the Roman poet Juvenal wrote about men enforcing morality on women although they were themselves corrupt. But the phrase has evolved to ask how to check unbridled political power.
It is a question for the ages, especially for democratic societies where rights, including privacy, are central to human dignity.
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Another right is what Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms describes as "security of the person." After all, personal and community safety is the reason that we give the state a legal monopoly on violence. With that monopoly, we expect the state to secure our safety, and therefore contribute to our freedom.
Finding a balance between the rights of privacy and the need for safety is often a judgment call. That's why in some areas of the law, we insist that those who have a monopoly on force exercise aspects of their power (wiretapping and warrants, for example) with the approval of a judge – a "guardian" if you like.
Now, along comes Prime Minister Stephen Harper's terror-fighting government, already known for being "tough on crime" through a series of criminal-code changes, most of which are demonstrably useless (as with mandatory minimum sentences, which are now being abandoned in the United States) or mostly for show.
If this government were not known for counterproductive, punitive approaches to crime – the latest being the refusal to reconsider solitary confinement and a new measure to delay parole eligibility for certain murder sentences – the population might not worry much about proposed new measures to combat domestic "terror." They could trust those with power, at least to some extent.
Instead, we see a government that cannot resist milking a genuine problem, in this case Islamic jihadis, for political gain.
When the anti-terror bill was introduced in the House of Commons last Friday, where was the Prime Minister? Certainly not in Parliament, but rather in Richmond Hill, Ont., at one of those now-familiar Conservative Party rallies featuring a gigantic flag, party supporters, a scripted address and almost no questions for the Prime Minister. The link between the bill and partisanship could not have been more evident.
So it goes with the television spots, paid for by you, the "hard-working taxpayers," to advertise the Canadian military. In the context of terrorism and Canadian forces in Iraq, these ads have now replaced the ones about the government's Economic Action Plan. As the national economy goes south and the military/terror story rises, the advertisements are changing, and not by accident.
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In explaining the terror bill, Mr. Harper drew a link between the Islamic State and the two lone-wolf attackers who killed Canadian soldiers in Ottawa and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., last October.
There was no such link, of course, but in this troubled world, with so many jihadi groups with different agendas and names, it is hard for all but experts to define them. It is much easier to lump everything together under the name "terror," or even worse, to say we are "at war" with "terror."
Canada already has a series of laws that security and police representatives can and do use against terrorist threats. If additional powers are needed, it falls to the government to explain precisely which ones and why, and for parliamentarians to ask the best questions they can without being accused of being "soft on terror," or some such silly slogan.
And if additional powers are indeed necessary, such that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service becomes significantly more powerful (its budget has been cut by the Harper government), then the oversight and monitoring of its activities should commensurately be upgraded.
Such an upgrade would not create a new level of "bureaucracy," as the Conservative talking points allege. There already is a CSIS oversight committee, although some of the people appointed to it by the Harper government, including the infamous Dr. Arthur Porter, have not inspired universal confidence.
Whether this oversight committee should be strengthened, or whether there ought to be other means to "guard the guardians" in the security world, are necessary and legitimate questions for Parliament, rather than political rhetoric at party rallies.Every parent wants to be the most powerful proponents that she or he can be when it comes to their children’s health. As a pair of moms who also happen to be longtime public interest advocates – both of us fighting to stem the rise of antibiotic resistance – we can’t help but have our children in the front of our minds when we go to work each day.
Much like climate change, antibiotic resistance seems invisible until it affects us personally – at which point it becomes all too real. For Lena, this reality hit hard in the early years of her older daughter’s life. Whether her daughter was battling bacterial infections in her ears, sinuses or throat, all too often the first-line antibiotic would fail just days after treatment ended, and symptoms would return and persist. Sometimes it would take three or four rounds of treatment before she was on the mend, even for something as seemingly easy-to-treat as strep throat.
Burger King and KFC called out for lagging behind on antibiotic-free meat Read more
For her part, Sasha – the mother of a one-year-old boy – wants antibiotics to remain a viable treatment option should her son ever get sick and need them.
That’s why we are encouraged to see the progress made by US chicken producers in reducing the use of antibiotics important to human medicine. This shift has enabled restaurant chains such as McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A, Subway and Wendy’s to commit to sourcing chicken that was either raised without any antibiotics or without any medically-important antibiotics, a term for describing drugs developed for human use. At the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), we estimate that roughly 40% of the US chicken industry has either eliminated or pledged to eliminate the routine use of medically-important antibiotics.
Meat producers routinely feed animals antibiotics to make them grow faster, and to help them survive the crowded, stressful, unsanitary living conditions that are typically found in factory farms. A whopping 70% of all medically-important antibiotics are sold in the US for use in livestock. The excessive and often unnecessary use of these so-called miracle drugs leads to bacteria developing resistance and weakens the effectiveness of antibiotics in treating humans.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2 million Americans contract antibiotic-resistant infections every year, and 23,000 die as a result. And these are conservative estimates: as Reuters recently reported, it’s likely that we’re significantly undercounting the human toll of superbug infections.
Chicken raised without the routine use of antibiotics is now one of the fastest growing segments of the poultry industry. Producers in this category include some of the biggest players in the industry: Perdue Farms, Tyson Foods and Foster Farms. After about a decade of trial and error in some cases, chicken companies are showing that raising animals without reliance on antibiotics is not only possible, it’s profitable.
While the majority of the chicken industry still needs to reduce antibiotic use, chicken suppliers are ahead of other meat producers. Their headlong leap into antibiotic stewardship is a result of two main factors. First is the industry’s production model – chickens have shorter lifecycles and likely fewer chances to contract infections than other types of livestock. Second, the vast majority of chickens produced in the US are raised by companies that own all or a significant part of their supply chains, making it possible for them to dictate specific farming practices across their entire operations.
In-N-Out Burger beefs up its promise of antibiotic-free meat Read more
The popularity of chicken with many Americans as a healthier protein alternative may also be a factor. The largest chicken companies and their top buyers – restaurant chains such as McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A, Subway, Wendy’s and Taco Bell – are responding to consumer priorities about how antibiotics are used in the chicken they grow or sell. Consumers are holding meat companies accountable for cleaning up their drug use practices. A case in point: in August, NRDC and our allies delivered petitions signed by more than 350,000 people to KFC headquarters, calling on the iconic chicken restaurant chain to establish a strong antibiotics policy for its chicken supply.
We need companies that produce pork, beef and turkey to rise to the occasion. Though slower in coming, there are signs of progress. Perdue now also raises about half its turkeys without antibiotics. This year, Tyson announced the launch of a new line of pork raised without antibiotics, and Cargill announced it was reducing its use of medically-important antibiotics in its beef production by 20%, a move that impacts approximately 1.2 million cattle.
The government now needs to catch up with industry leaders by swiftly enacting mandatory restrictions on the routine use of antibiotics across the livestock industry. Despite having known for decades that the misuse of antibiotics in livestock threatens our health, the Food and Drug Administration has almost entirely failed to act to stop it. All we’ve seen to date from the agency are loophole-riddled guidelines.
Millions of parents like us serve as powerful advocates for the health of their families each time they purchase meat at a grocery store checkout or a restaurant counter. But we cannot simply lay this problem at the feet of consumers. The government and food industry must do more. If most meat producers continue to use antibiotics as a substitute for good animal husbandry, then it’s our children who may end up paying most dearly.
Sasha Stashwick is a senior advocate of the food and agriculture program at the Natural Resources Defense Council. Lena Brook is a food policy advocate in the food and agriculture program at the Natural Resources Defense Council.Located along Spring Street, south of 8th Street, the new corporate campus of Fortune 500 tech company NCR is dramatically altering what used to be a true urban void.
Construction on the first mid-rise tower, which has been in the works for more than two years, is wrapping up. The second tower, located just south of the first, is now close to topping out.
Along booming Spring Street, the new complex brings a distinctive glass-enclosed atrium, while the angular tower stands out among surrounding new high-rises.
This subsection of Midtown, just north of Tech Square, has been recently transformed. On the surrounding parcels—which until 2014 were empty lots and sprawling parking facilities—Square on 5th, University House, and Modera Midtown have risen.
Designed by HKS, Duda Paine, and Gensler, NCR’s 22-story main tower will feature more than 500,000 square feet of office space. It’s slated to open early next year.
When the second phase is complete, more than 5,300 employees of the Fortune 500 Company—many of whom formerly worked in Duluth—will fill the project.
No word on an expected completion date for phase two.After more than a year of discussions, Co-op gives up on its ambition to challenge the big four high street banks
George Osborne's hopes of injecting fresh competition into high street banking were dashed on Wednesday after the Co-operative Group pulled out of talks to buy 632 branches from Lloyds Banking Group.
After more than a year of discussions, the biggest mutual in the country walked away from a deal that would have created a 974-strong branch network – three times the current size of the Co-op bank – and increased its share of current accounts from 2% to 7%.
It is a damaging blow the Co-op, which had boasted it would become a major challenger in high street banking. The Manchester-based group immediately faced speculation, strongly denied, that it would abandon its 150 years of banking altogether.
The branches – which Lloyds had been selling under the codename Verde – must be spun off by November under instruction from Europe as a consequence of Lloyds' £20bn taxpayer bailoutin 2008. A flotation under the TSB banner, a brand which disappeared from high street after Lloyds took over the bank in the 1990s, is now expected early next year. However, the 632 branches will be rebranded with a new blue TSB logo on the high street from September.
Only two months ago the chancellor had heralded the Co-op deal as helping to create "upstart challengers offering new and better services that shake up the established players". The Treasury had worked hard behind the scenes to try to smooth a transaction that was intended to give the Co-op an extra 4.8 million customers as a ready-made rival to take on the "big four" of Lloyds, Royal Bank of Scotland, HSBC and Barclays, although there was repeated speculation that City regulators had presented raised questions about the tie-up.
Richard Lloyd, executive director of the consumer body Which?, said the collapse was a "setback" for the government's attempt to "tackle the unhealthy dominance of our biggest banks". The shadow financial secretary to the Treasury, Chris Leslie, said: "This is not only bad news for the chancellor but for customers too."
"We need more competition in the banking sector - including a greater role for mutuals - to give customers and businesses a better deal," Leslie said.
A stock market flotation could value the branches at around £1.5bn – double the price being paid by the Co-op. It is also increasingly likely that Royal Bank of Scotland, also under instruction from Europe to sell off branches in turn for its taxpayer bailout, will float off its 300 branches after talks with Santander broke down last year.
A Treasury spokesman described the failure of the Lloyds deal as a "commercial matter". "The government remains determined to promote greater competition in the banking sector in order to provide consumers with more choice," the Treasury spokesman said.
Labour's City minister at the time of the banking crisis, Lord Myners, blamed the government. "Government undermining of confidence in banking has destroyed this deal," Myners said, adding there was "little prospect" of RBS getting "decent value" for the branches it has to sell either.
António Horta-Osório, chief executive of Lloyds, was told on Tuesday night by the outgoing Co-op boss, Peter Marks, that the deal was off. In a terse statement, the Co-op said it was "not in the best interests" of its members, who in effect own the group. "This decision reflects the impact of the current economic environment, the worsened outlook for economic growth and the increasing regulatory requirements on the financial services sector in general," the Co-op said.
Cabinet minister Ken Clarke argued that the view on the economy could not have changed in two years. Telling BBC Radio 4's World at One the decision was "bewildering", Clarke added the Co-op had "wasted a great deal of time".Marks, who retires as chief executive next month, t insisted speculation that Co-op would abandon banking was wrong: "The Co-operative group [goes forward] under our clear strategy and, as part of that, we will continue to develop our bank for the long term, offering a real alternative on the high street with our strong, established brand and our reputation as a trusted financial services business." But the decision will ultimately lie with his successor Euan Sutherland, who joins from Kingfisher in a fortnight.
Horta-Osório said he was disappointed with the move. "However, we are well advanced in our plans to bring the Verde business to the UK high street during the summer through the TSB Bank, and will now proceed with the option to IPO the business, subject to the necessary approvals," he said.
."Share. The new expansion delivers a heaping helping of more content. The new expansion delivers a heaping helping of more content.
When we reviewed The Binding of Isaac Rebirth on PC and Playstation 4, we thought it was an amazing game and awarded it a score of 9.0. Here’s what we said then:
“The time I’ve spent with Binding of Isaac: Rebirth has been non-stop fun and surprises, with just a tad too much frustration when I lose a rare item. But even when it slaps me down harder than I’d have liked, starting again is always a treat, because I’m likely to discover something new and darkly comedic. That’s plenty of motivation to keep right on playing this amazing game.”
The Binding of Isaac Afterbirth+ includes a new expansion plus all of the previous DLC, and it further fleshes out Isaac’s replayable, addictive gameplay formula by offering more of what made the original shoot ‘em up action game so great. The almost non-stop variety, mysterious powerups, and procedurally generated maps are just as cryptic and challenging as they were before, but now you can play even longer without ever seeing the same thing happen twice.
Exit Theatre Mode
I can’t tell you how unexpected it was to find X-ray glasses that showed me secret rooms hidden in the dungeon, or how silly it felt to step into one and discover a golden turd that spits out coins when I shot it. I’ve never seen those glasses or that shiny turd again, but almost every power up has a potential story like this that’s both funny and messed up, and it's a satisfying part of what makes The Binding of Isaac special. The chances of discovering something you haven’t seen before is overwhelmingly in your favor.
And the variety is off the charts across all categories. Afterbirth+ boasts a total of over 600 items, 180 enemy types, and more than 90 deadly bosses. It’s a lot see, but the included trackers will help you keep up with what you’ve found -- along with other neat stats, like enemy HP or how many times you’ve killed something. It’s also a painful way to track the long, hard road you’ll need to take to unlock all 20 of Afterbirth+’s ending sequences.
Exit Theatre Mode
As helpful as this info is, Afterbirth+ still relies on external wiki sources if you want to get more detailed information on what items actually do. I don’t think I would have ever figured out that passive collectibles like the Acid Baby drops pills after every two rooms, or that the Tonsil trinket has a small chance to summon a familiar that can block enemy shots without looking it up.
It may be frustrating to not know what subtle effects certain items have the first time you find them, but Afterbirth uses that to fuel your curiosity. I can’t tell you how many times I held my breath as I pulled the trigger just see if a special item would help or hurt my run. It’s a satisfying dice roll and, after enough experimentation, you start to learn what special items are effective and what to avoid. The mystery surrounding items makes for an addictive game of chance that will constantly throw you curveballs, and never feels predictable.
Afterbirth+ on Nintendo Switch runs at 60 frames per second on both the TV and the handheld screen. Since the Switch can quickly detect additional controllers, it is easy to add up to three more players for drop-in co-op, and co-op works great with the individual Joy-Con controllers turned sideways. The default settings are fine, but you can remap every button action to fit your playstyle. Adding a support character come with some risk, since it sacrifices one of your hearts, but I’ve seen it pay off with OP item combinations that can help two players breeze through dungeon rooms.Not since Johnny Cash bumped into Rick Rubin have we been so excited about a comeback record. In what will surely be regarded as one of the year's best albums, Gil Scott-Heron's I'm New Here is a project that's been four years in the making – ever since XL boss Richard Russell tracked him down at Rikers Island prison and offered to produce a new LP.
The result is an album that touches on many genres, from hip-hop and gospel to dubstep and blues. Above all, though, is the unmistakable sound of Gil Scott-Heron. His is a voice that suits age, be that on the feral blues of New York Is Killing Me or the redemptive, folk-flavoured title track (a cover of a Smog song, indie fans).
The guardian.co.uk/music team have fallen in love with I'm New Here. But we'd like to know what you make of the record, too, which is why we teamed up with XL to bring you this exclusive widget. Feel free to let us know what you think. Rosie Swash spoke to XL boss Richard Russell recently, and will be popping on to the comments section to impart her wisdom from time to time.Three Palestinians were killed and another critically wounded while attempting to attack Israeli security forces in three separate incidents in the West Bank on Sunday, the Israeli military and police said.
In the first incident, the military said two Palestinians were throwing rocks at passing vehicles near the West Bank city of Jenin and when forces arrived at the scene Palestinians opened fire at them. The soldiers fired back and killed two Palestinians, the military said, adding that no soldiers were wounded in the exchange.
The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the two Palestinians as Nihad Waked and Fouad Waked, both 15 years old. They were from the same extended family in the West Bank village of al-Araka, near Jenin, but were not close relatives.
Later, at a West Bank security checkpoint on the outskirts of Jerusalem, a Palestinian gripping a knife ran at Israeli paramilitary border police officers, and an officer shot and killed him, Israeli police said. No Israeli officers were wounded. The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the Palestinian as 17-year-old Naim Safi of Abadiya village near Bethlehem.
In the evening, a Palestinian woman tried to stab a border police officer at a checkpoint in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, according to police spokeswoman Luba Samri. Forces shot her, wounding her critically.
In the last five months, Palestinian stabbings, shootings and vehicular assaults have killed 27 Israelis. At least 161 Palestinians, the majority of whom Israel says were attackers, have been killed by Israeli fire.
Israel says the ongoing violence is fueled by a campaign of incitement by Palestinian leaders that is compounded on social media sites that glorify attacks. Palestinians say it stems from frustration at nearly five decades of Israeli rule and dwindling hopes for gaining independence.
Also Sunday, a watchdog group said Israel began building 1,800 new settlement homes in the West Bank in 2015.
Peace Now, a dovish Israeli group that tracks settlement construction, said most of the building has taken place in isolated settlements in areas of the West Bank that Israel would likely evacuate in the event of a peace agreement with the Palestinians.
Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast War and built settlements there. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, but nearly 600,000 Israeli settlers remain in east Jerusalem and the West Bank.
The Palestinians claim these areas as parts of a future state, a position that has wide global support. They view Israeli settlement construction as a major obstacle to resolving the conflict.With over 100,000 registered users spanning every facet of the games business, GamesIndustry.biz offers industry professionals a forum to discuss the key issues of the day, whether that's mobile, free-to-play, indies, the newest consoles or social issues involving gender, sexual orientation or race. The recent GamerGate storm has brought out the worst in some individuals, and debates in our comments section have gotten quite heated.
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In a physiological context, fasting may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight, or to the metabolic state achieved after complete digestion and absorption of a meal. Several metabolic adjustments occur during fasting. Some diagnostic tests are used to determine a fasting state. For example, a person is assumed to be fasting once 8–12 hours have elapsed since the last meal. Metabolic changes of the fasting state begin after absorption of a meal (typically 3–5 hours after eating).
A diagnostic fast refers to prolonged fasting from 8–72 hours (depending on age) conducted under observation to facilitate the investigation of a health complication, usually hypoglycemia. Many people may also fast as part of a medical procedure or a check-up, such as preceding a colonoscopy or surgery. Fasting may also be part of a religious ritual.
Health effects [ edit ]
Medical application [ edit ]
Fasting is always practiced prior to surgery or other procedures that require general anesthesia because of the risk of pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents after induction of anesthesia (i.e., vomiting and inhaling the vomit, causing life-threatening aspiration pneumonia).[1][2][3] Additionally, certain medical tests, such as cholesterol testing (lipid panel) or certain blood glucose measurements require fasting for several hours so that a baseline can be established. In the case of a lipid panel, failure to fast for a full 12 hours (including vitamins) will guarantee an elevated triglyceride measurement.[4]
Cancer [ edit ]
Fasting or intermittent calorie restriction is not used to treat cancer.[5][6] Chronic fasting is not recommended for people with cancer at risk for weight loss or a suppressed immune system.[5]
Mental health [ edit ]
In one review, fasting improved alertness, mood, and subjective feelings of well-being, possibly improving overall symptoms of depression.[7]
Weight loss [ edit ]
Although fasting for periods shorter than 24 hours, known as intermittent fasting, have been shown to be effective for weight loss in obese and healthy adults and to maintain lean body mass,[8][9][10] some writers argue that using fasting for weight loss is unnecessary.[8][11]
Other effects [ edit ]
It has been argued that fasting makes one more appreciative of food.[8][11][12][13]
In rare occurrences,[14] fasting can lead to refeeding syndrome.[15]
Political application [ edit ]
Fasting is often used as a tool to make a political statement, to protest, or to bring awareness to a cause. A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt, or to achieve a goal such as a policy change.[citation needed] A spiritual fast incorporates personal spiritual beliefs with the desire to express personal principles, sometimes in the context of a social injustice.[16]
The political and religious leader Mohandas K. Gandhi undertook several long fasts as political and social protests. Gandhi's fasts had a significant impact on the British Raj and the Indian population generally.[citation needed]
In Northern Ireland in 1981, a prisoner, Bobby Sands, was part of the 1981 Irish hunger strike, protesting for better rights in prison.[17] Sands had just been elected to the British Parliament and died after 66 days of not eating. His funeral was attended by 100,000 people and the strike ended only after nine other men died. In all, ten men survived without food for 46 to 73 days.
César Chávez undertook a number of spiritual fasts, including a 25-day fast in 1968 promoting the principle of nonviolence, and a fast of 'thanksgiving and hope' to prepare for pre-arranged civil disobedience by farm workers.[16][18] Chávez regarded a spiritual fast as "a personal spiritual transformation".[19] Other progressive campaigns have adopted the tactic.[20]
Religious views [ edit ]
Bahá'í faith [ edit ]
In the Bahá'í Faith, fasting is observed from sunrise to sunset during the Bahá'í month of 'Ala' ( 1 or 2 March – 19 or 20 March).[21] Bahá'u'lláh established the guidelines in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. It is the complete abstaining from both food and drink during daylight hours (including abstaining from smoking). Consumption of prescribed medications is not restricted. Observing the fast is an individual obligation and is binding on Bahá'ís between 15 years (considered the age of maturity) and 70 years old.[21] Exceptions to fasting include individuals younger than 15 or older than 70; those suffering illness; women who are pregnant, nursing, or menstruating; travellers who meet specific criteria; individuals whose profession involves heavy labor and those who are very sick, where fasting would be considered dangerous. For those involved in heavy labor, they are advised to eat in private and generally to have simpler or smaller meals than are normal.
Along with obligatory prayer, it is one of the greatest obligations of a Bahá'í.[21] In the first half of the 20th century, Shoghi Effendi, explains: "It is essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation, during which the believer must strive to make the necessary readjustments in his inner life, and to refresh and reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in his soul. Its significance and purpose are, therefore, fundamentally spiritual in character. Fasting is symbolic, and a reminder of abstinence from selfish and carnal desires."[22]
Buddhism [ edit ]
The Buddha emaciated after undergoing severe ascetic practices. Gandhara, 2 – 3rd century CE. British Museum
Buddhist monks and nuns following the Vinaya rules commonly do not eat each day after the noon meal.[23] This is not considered a fast but rather a disciplined regimen aiding in meditation and good health.
Once when the Buddha was touring in the region of Kasi together with a large sangha of monks he addressed them saying: I, monks, do not eat a meal in the evening. Not eating a meal in the evening I, monks, am aware of good health and of being without illness and of buoyancy and strength and living in comfort. Come, do you too, monks, not eat a meal in the evening. Not eating a meal in the evening you too, monks, will be aware of good health and..... living in comfort.[24]
Fasting is practiced by lay Buddhists during times of intensive meditation, such as during a retreat. During periods of fasting, followers completely stray away from eating animal products although, they do allow consumption of milk. Furthermore, they also avoid eating processed foods and the five pungent foods which are; garlic, welsh onion, garlic chives, asana, leeks.[25] The Middle Path refers to avoiding extremes of indulgence on the one hand and self-mortification on the other. Prior to attaining Buddhahood, prince Siddhartha practiced a short regime of strict austerity and following years of serenity meditation under two teachers which he consumed very little food. These austerities with five other ascetics did not lead to progress in meditation, liberation (moksha), or the ultimate goal of nirvana. Henceforth, prince Siddhartha practiced moderation in eating which he later advocated for his disciples. However, on Uposatha days (roughly once a week) lay Buddhists are instructed to observe the eight precepts[26] which includes refraining from eating after noon until the following morning.[26] The eight precepts closely resemble the ten vinaya precepts for novice monks and nuns. The novice precepts are the same with an added prohibition against handling money.[27]
The Vajrayana practice of Nyung Ne is based on the tantric practice of Chenrezig.[28][29][30] It is said that Chenrezig appeared to an Indian nun[28] who had contracted leprosy and was on the verge of death. Chenrezig taught her the method of Nyung Ne[28] in which one keeps the eight precepts on the first day, then refrains from both food and water on the second. Although seemingly against the Middle Way, this practice is to experience the negative karma of both oneself and all other sentient beings and, as such is seen to be of benefit. Other self-inflicted harm is discouraged.[31][32]
Christianity [ edit ]
In the Christian Bible:[33]
The usual fast in the Old Testament began at sundown and extended to sundown the second day. When the partial fast was used, a person would abstain from food only during the daylight hours. Third, the partial fast included abstinence from sexual relationships between husband and wife.[33]
Fasting is a practice in several Christian denominations and is done both collectively during certain seasons of the liturgical calendar, or individually as a believer feels led by the Holy Spirit.[34] In Western Christianity, the Lenten fast is observed by many communicants of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, Methodist Churches, Reformed Churches, Anglican Communion, and the Western Orthodox Churches and is a forty-day partial fast to commemorate the fast observed by Christ during his temptation in the desert.[35][36] While some Western Christians observe the Lenten fast in its entirety, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are nowadays emphasized by Western Christian denominations as the normative days of fasting within the Lenten season.[37][38]
In the traditional Black Fast, the observant abstains from food for a whole day until the evening, and |
state law, they can get a warrant to search your vehicle. SPD seized a bunch of my marijuana before I-502 passed. Can I have it back? No.
The post ends with a clip of Gandalf and Bilbo Baggins smoking their pipes. Seriously.
One of the arguments the pro-legalization side has always made is that by allowing law enforcement to focus on real crimes instead of having to undertake thousands of arrests and prosecutions for marijuana possession, you could not only improve relations between the police and the community, but enable them to do their jobs more effectively. In some places where political leaders have told their police forces to make enforcement of marijuana laws the lowest priority, the fact that pot is still technically illegal gives the police the ability to bust people at their own discretion; witness New York City, where tens of thousands of people (mostly black and Hispanic men) are arrested every year for marijuana possession as a result of stop-and-frisk operations, despite the fact that the infraction is only supposed to get you a ticket. But as of now, a cop in Seattle or Denver couldn't arrest you for possession even if she wanted to.
So it will be interesting to see whether in the coming months and years, police and prosecutors in Washington and Colorado report that their jobs have been made easier by the new laws. We may not see the full legal regime many are hoping for, with a fully functioning legal market. But we should have some new evidence that can be weighed when other states are debating their own decriminalization initiatives, which we'll certainly see in 2014.Lift the screen out of the PC Station and you find yourself holding an oversized tablet.
The new Asus Transformer. (Photo11: Asus) Story Highlights $1,299 Asus Transformer can run both operating systems
Docked in base station it functions as all-in-one touch-screen desktop
Lift the screen out of the dock to use it as an oversize tablet
Windows 8 and Android make strange bedfellows, yet Microsoft's and Google's operating systems are shacking up inside the versatile new $1,299 Asus Transformer AiO P1801 PC/tablet hybrid.
I've had a chance to check it out ahead of its April 12 sales date.
Docked in its PC Station base, the Transformer functions as a small all-in-one touch-screen desktop computer, complete with a wireless keyboard and mouse, 1-terabyte hard drive, built-in CD drive, 3-in-1 memory card reader, Bluetooth and full complement of connectivity options, including ethernet, HDMI, microphone input and four USB 3.0 ports.
It has a quad-core Intel i5 processor, graphics from Nvidia and stereo speakers. You can tilt the screen to adjust the viewing angle. In other words, it's a perfectly suitable computer for casual gamers and for folks who turn to PCs to get work done or to be entertained. The whole thing weighs 9 pounds.
But that's not the complete story. Lift the screen out of the PC Station, and you find yourself holding an oversize (18.35 x 0.71 x 11.57-inch) tablet.
It has its own Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor, 32 gigabytes of solid-state storage, microSD slot, plus separate volume controls and speakers. The tablet runs on a battery, of course, and also comes with its own dedicated power adapter.
A foldable stand lets you prop the tablet at different angles, and a handle lets you easily tote it from room to room. But given its 5.3-pound weight, and enormous 18.4-inch tablet screen, this is not a portable slate along the lines of an iPad, much less any of the smaller Android tablet options on the market. I wouldn't expect to see a lot of these show up on planes.
Asus claims the battery on the tablet should last about five hours when you're playing high-definition video at full speaker volume. But battery life seems beside the point on a tablet of this size, because you're most likely going to use it at home or in the office, where power outlets are, presumably, aplenty.
The Transformer brings to mind the loosely similar Sony Vaio Tap 20 desktop/tablet hybrid. But where the Sony is an all-Windows computer, the Transformer delivers Windows 8 and the Jelly Bean (4.1) version of Android.
The machine's schizophrenic personality is what grabs your attention, of course, and give Asus credit for coming out with a computer that provides consumers with choices. You still can't help but wonder if this is one of those because-we-can products, rather than a machine that will prove to be all that practical for most folks, especially when you factor in how much of your computing experiences overlap. The Web is the Web, after all, Netflix is Netflix, and so on, and it theoretically doesn't much matter whether you're engaged in these activities inside Windows 8 or Android.
Still, it's nice to have big-screen options to play Android games and run other apps that aren't available in a PC-type configuration.
It's worth pointing out that there are different options available in Windows and Android. Take the popular Angry Birds franchise. Angry Birds Space Premium costs 99 cents in the Google Play store; Angry Birds Space costs $4.99 in the Windows Store. Some other versions of the game are available in one store but not the other. Having access to two operating systems increases the likelihood you'll find what you want, at least in theory.
You can run the two operating systems interchangeably, and — if you connect an external monitor to the PC Station while you're using the Transformer in tablet mode — the machine can even run Windows and Android at the same time, a boon to parents who want to work on the PC while letting the kids play with the tablet. You can also exchange files between the two platforms.
The PC Station storage is managed under Windows 8, while the tablet storage is handled on the Android side.
I suspect you'll mostly rely on Windows 8 when the screen is docked. But even in the PC Station, you can switch to Android by pressing on-screen buttons or a physical button on the side of the screen. You can use both operating systems in tablet mode, too, but in the case of Windows, you're actually connecting remotely. Through software from Splashtop that sits on top of Android, the Windows 8 desktop environment is streamed to the tablet via Wi-Fi Direct technology. To run Windows 8 in this manner, the tablet must be within reasonable distance of the base station, perhaps 45 to 70 feet within a typical home. Outside of that range, the tablet defaults to Android.
In my tests, I saw some sluggishness in Windows 8's performance as I moved away from the base, and at times, had trouble connecting to Windows even when I was close by.
I was able to browse the Web in Windows while listening to music from my Google Play library in Android. But I did find it a bit disconcerting that I could have two audio streams going at once. The Google Play music kept playing in Android even after I switched to watch a Netflix movie inside Windows. For this reason, Asus recommends shutting down the application you don't want to hear before switching to a new app.
The speakers within the PC Station and tablet itself were OK, but I wasn't blown away. When used as an all-in-one PC, the speakers are controlled by Windows 8 software. You control the tablet speakers with Android controls. In Windows 8 Remote mode, you can use either set of speakers.
The backlit display supports 10-point touch, meaning you can actually use all your fingers to make things happen through gestures. I was able to draw on the machine using my fingers. The decent (1920 x 1080) display offered wide viewing angles, but I wasn't blown away by it.
There was a time when no one could imagine an Intel-based Mac or Windows and Apple's OS X operating system running on the same computer. I suppose we shouldn't be shocked by a Windows-Android coupling. In the end, you appreciate the flexibility that Asus is providing. But this is not a computer and/or tablet for everybody.
The bottom line
Asus Transformer AiO P1801
www.asus.com
$1,299
Pro. Versatile all-in-one doubles as a Windows/Android tablet and all-in-one hybrid.
Con. May not be practical for everyone. Windows remote streaming didn't always work.
E-mail: [email protected]. Follow @edbaig on Twitter.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/WvywnjThe timing was coincidental, on the day of an Old Trafford derby which promised to be all but a coronation of the new champions, but it will still have allowed Manchester United a deep kind of pleasure. The club today enhanced their chances of reclaiming their position as the highest-earning side in the world with an eight-year deal worth almost $30m (£19.6m) a year, through which Aon will sponsor the Carrington training ground.
Aon’s willingness to strike a new deal with United, which also makes it sponsor of the training kit and gives it branding on tours abroad, sets the club on track towards the €500m (£425m) annual revenue figure which Real Madrid became the first sports club to burst through, last year. The exchange rate, increasing the value of euros relative to sterling, is the one factor which makes United’s pursuit of half a billion euros a year a tall order. But with an additional £40m flooding into the club’s coffers through next season’s new domestic TV deal, the club are making Manchester City’s pursuit of Old Trafford’s financial status a formidably difficult task.
Under the Aon deal, from 1 July the club’s Carrington training ground will be renamed the Aon Training Complex – it remains to be seen how that one catches on with writers, for whom a sponsored training ground will be a new concept in this country – and is worth almost double the figure the insurance, risk management and human resources group spent on a four-year deal to sponsor United’s shirts in 2009. No Premier League club had a sponsor for their training kit until United secured a four-year deal with DHL in 2009, an arrangement which they bought themselves out of in October, in an attempt to attract a better offer elsewhere.
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The new Aon deal also comes months after United secured the record seven-year Chevrolet shirt sponsorship deal with General Motors, double the figure Aon will pay until June 2014 – from when it will be worth around £45m a year. On the horizon is a new kit sponsorship deal, possibly worth between £58m and £70m a year from July 2015, with Nike currently two months into a six-month period of exclusivity. But it is the sheer volume of smaller, regionalised deals which is helping to take United back to the hallowed position of biggest revenue earners, which they commanded for many years until Real and Barcelona began eclipsing them in 2003-04.
United’s owners the Glazers have their detractors but it is during their custodianship that the scale of deals such as Aon has exploded, under executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, who will succeed David Gill as United’s chief executive on 30 June. Beneath the headline sponsorships is a panoply of smaller deals involving scooter, soft drink, telecoms and even paint firms.
United have opened an office in Hong Kong; a presence for the club on the east coast of the US is planned, such is America’s commercial potential; and there could be more in Asia, Africa and/or the Middle East. The club’s challenge is installing enough of the right calibre staff to secure and drive through these deals, which carry a 70 per cent margin.
There have been spin-offs for Sir Alex Ferguson’s back room in some cases. A tie-up with Toshiba has seen Carrington in possession of a standard of medical kit usually reserved only for university teaching hospitals. The Independent revealed last October that the Japanese giant believes its MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) equipment, which has twice the standard magnetic field measure, can actually help Ferguson’s staff predict that a player is about to break down. Aon will provide expertise from its analytics division which United’s sports scientists hope they can use to analyse some of that medical data and minimise risk.
City are engaged in a determined quest for global revenues of their own, seeking to diversify beyond the portfolio of Abu Dhabi commercial partners who currently deliver a substantial proportion of the club’s income. The Independent revealed six weeks ago how they are seeking to establish partner clubs on at least three continents. Their announcement of the Etihad Campus – sponsored by the Abu Dhabi airline to the tune of £350m-£400m over 10 years – made them the first to create the prospect of a sponsored training facility, due to open before the 2014-15 season. But the task of Tom Glick, City’s chief commercial and operating officer, is tougher than Woodward’s because City are yet to deliver the sustained on-field success which he can work with.
While many other clubs, including City and Arsenal, have sold sponsorship rights to their stadiums, United have no such plans to do so. “Old Trafford will not be sold,” said Woodward. The club are doing perfectly well without resorting to such measures. They can settle for branding the main stand with Ferguson’s name.
Getting shirty: biggest deals
* Manchester United’s new £19.6m-a-year ‘training’ deal outstrips most clubs’ record shirt-sponsorship deals – with the Old Trafford side’s upcoming £45m deal with Chevrolet already topping that list.
* Largest shirt sponsorship deals
Man United Chevrolet £45m/yr [from 2014-15 season]
Barcelona Qatar Airways £25m
Bayern M Deutsche Telekom £23.6m
Liverpool Standard Chartered £20m
Manchester City Etihad £20m
Sunderland Invest in Africa £20m
Wolfsburg Volkswagen £17m
Real Madrid Bwin £16.8m
Arsenal Emirates £15m
Chelsea Samsung £13.8m
Schalke Gazprom £12.8m
Keep up to date with all the latest news with expert comment and analysis from our award-winning writersThe Total Strangeness That Is Life: An Interview With Paul Lynch, Author Of The Black Snow
Electric Literature Blocked Unblock Follow Following Sep 23, 2015
by Will Chancellor
Paul Lynch’s second novel, The Black Snow (Little, Brown and Company, 2015), deserves every writer’s attention for its masterful use of language. Lynch’s prose aligns perfectly with the minds of the protagonists, Barnabas and Eskra Kane: swirling in ever more eccentric loops like Yeats’s lost falcon when we follow the husband; initially ticking and determined then streaming out like an angered hive of bees when we follow the wife.
Nature, and the language which describes it, is elemental in The Black Snow. The craggy lyricism reminds me most of Ted Hughes, where a tree can be “A priest from a different land,” who “Fulminated / Against heather, black stones, blown water. // Excommunicated the clouds / Damned the wind / Cast the bog pools into outer darkness / Smote the horizons / With the jawbones of emptiness // Till he ran out of breath — ”
Here’s the opening incident of Lynch’s novel, when a farmhand first sees then rushes into a fire.
“A thin cat’s tail curling grey into the sky, some kind of smoke that mingled easy with the cloud’s pewter. Evening was pressing down gentle and in the way the light fell he could have missed it, a yellowing that shook upon the fading day…Barnabas bent and grabbed a rock shaped like the tooth of some old animal that had fallen there to die under the wheel of an ancient sun…the dull sound of Matthew Peoples’ boots thudding up the field…the way he moved with his limbs all thickly, like he was set to stumble…his hands balled like stones…Fire…A skim of starlings in the sky above Carnavan seemed to mirror the rising wreathe of drift smoke. The murmuration swung in unison like minds entwined, weaved the sky with giant breathing until the dusk pulsed like a lung. The group inverted and swirled, caught the light and bent it, swung again into a strip of infinite looping, nature’s way of mocking perhaps what was playing out below…”
Lynch’s prose is so vital and so rich, capturing the ineffable meaning of the fire in a way that bare syntax could not. It makes more sense to me to juxtapose his writing with lyric poems than it does to compare it to grit lit or Irish noir.
Critic Alan Cheuse was an outspoken advocate of Paul Lynch. Of The Black Snow he wrote, “As Lynch presents the story, it becomes an out of the ordinary creation, a novel in which sentence after sentence comes so beautifully alive in all the fullness of its diction and meaning that most other contemporary Irish fiction looks sheepish by comparison.”
In 2013, I was fortunate enough to meet Paul Lynch on the red carpeted floors of the Long Hall pub in Dublin. We’ve remained friends since.
Will Chancellor: To date, and I don’t imagine this ever really changing, you’ve written novels with a slow literary speed limit — readers should proceed at maybe twenty pages an hour? This strikes me as a little insane in our scan-centric culture, not dissimilar to a cyclist on the side of a freeway. Do you fear for your life?
Paul Lynch: I do think you must always write for the ideal reader. But it would be folly to worry too much about who exactly that is. Nor do I worry much about the reading speed of a sentence. I think instead about what the sentence is asking for, its texture and feel, the inevitability within it that pulls the reader on.
I ask myself if I have got close enough to what I am writing about. Often, I find the closer you get, the more texture you are going to end up with. That for sure will slow a reader down. And great if it does. Literature is about contemplation not speed-reading for plot or fact. I try to give the reader what I call the startling moment — to take them down to the heartbeat of a character. To open the moment out in all its richness.
There will always be people born wired for books. Every age has its contemplatives.
I certainly do not fear for the life of literature. There will always be people born wired for books. Every age has its contemplatives. But for the writer now, as much as the reader, the internet is the great challenge, isn’t it? Sooner or later, every serious writer will face the question of how much they need to disengage from the noise and unwire their brain from distraction. I’ve got an iPhone in my pocket after I’m finished writing but I might as well be attached to a dopamine drip. The internet generates a constant fear of missing out. It is the tyranny of the new. But what the writer seeks is human truth and that is as old as the ages.
WC: Were you ever serious about photography? Have you ever had a creative impulse that you thought needed a medium other than that of prose?
PL: That is interesting because my writing imagination is intensely visual. A book often begins with a vision, something half-seen that needs to be explored. But it took me some time to figure out my imagination needs to be written. There was a period in my twenties when I thought I might be a photographer. I pored over masters such as Cartier-Bresson and took to the streets. I have an OK eye but I know I don’t have what it takes to be a visual artist. Though I did learn from it. How to see a face. The internal geometry of a scene. How to capture feeling in a place. Whatever it was that I unconsciously sought from photography unlocked when I began to write.
WC: Cartier-Bresson believed in, and tried to capture, that one decisive moment in any scene — not dissimilar to Flaubert’s search for le mot juste. Can you describe the process of finding the decisive moment, which I imagine happens in your head rather than an actual street, and then expanding that moment into a broader scene?
PL: I don’t believe there is any decisive moment as such for the fictional writer — writing is rewriting and though there are many passages in my books that are essentially a first take, everything else can take many, many attempts before it finds the ideal shape. And what makes it ideal? I know it when I read it.
But I do identify with how Cartier-Bresson likened the decisive moment to zen archery, that one must be egoless, alert and present fully in the moment. Meditation forms a part of my daily life and it guides my mind into the necessary space for writing. It seems that I enter some kind of alertful trance when I work. I become the moment in which I am writing. And yet I am there, the author, standing in the river and meddling with the flow.
Being open always to what is given to you is so important. The Black Snow was born entirely from a dream and the moment I woke I began taking notes. I saw the opening of the book as if seen from the sky, watching below as a byre stood burning and cattle ran flaming into the night. I did not know what it was other than that I had been gifted something that resonated deeply.
WC: My favorite scene in Black Snow is when Barnabas breaks the taboo of leaving historical ruins undisturbed and, instead, starts removing the stones of a famine cottage, one wagon load at a time, to build something new for his family. I read this as the work of the writer — particularly the Irish writer: to hell with the solemnity of the past if I need those stones to build out the vision in my head.
PL: King Lear and Job stood in the shadows while I was writing this novel — two men pushed hard by the fates. Barnabas gets pushed hard too and I admire how he rails against what is thrown at him. He is the kind of man who will do whatever it takes to survive, to rebuild his byre and regain a livelihood for his family. Ultimately, he crosses the line and starts to destroy a famine cottage for its stonework. And, of course, this is laden with symbolism. But I’ll leave that for the reader to unpack.
At a glance it might seem that The Black Snow is that certain type of Irish novel — a pastoral story set on a farm. But it seems to me this book is very different, that the writing became an act of creative destruction. That it dismantles the idea of the farm, the dream of the pastoral, the dream of Ireland, slowly, inevitably, piece by piece, until nothing of it is left.
WC: The Black Snow reads like a ghost story without ghosts — the environment and the characters seem like they’re made of smoke. How do you view the supernatural in this book?
PL: I am very intrigued by this question because this book is haunted — but not by ghosts. It seems to me what hides in plain sight is the inexplicable. It is an absence that is always present. It is the fourth main character in the book. How do you write about what can’t be written about? I try to bend language until it can suggest the ineffable, the great gap between what we think we know, and what we don’t know. The felt but not expressed. The intuited but not understood, what Wordsworth called “recognitions, dim and faint.” I wanted for the language to come up against the void. A difficult thing, really, and one has to force language into the strangest of places to accommodate this.
I’m interested in how blame rushes to fill an absence…What moves in that gap between knowing and unknowing I think of as ghosts.
Daniel Kahneman has a line: “our predilection for causal thinking exposes us to serious mistakes in evaluating the randomness of truly random events.” How do we respond when tragedy strikes and there is no answer for what caused it? In the book, Barnabas, Billy and Eskra each follow their own private convictions about how the fire started. There are no answers in The Black Snow and yet everybody believes they know who is to blame and thus act upon it, pulling the strings of the book’s ending together. I’m interested in how blame rushes to fill an absence. I wanted to explore how we live our lives in certainty, only to discover that we really know nothing, that the truth is we are philosophically blind. And yet the human mind cannot help but tell itself narratives to explain the world. What moves in that gap between knowing and unknowing I think of as ghosts.
WC: And yet the process of writing is one of intuitive flashes, things that lack causes.
PL: Writing is following the sky of your mind. Who knows from where the winds blow. Or perhaps we are diviners. You cannot see the spring beneath but suddenly there is a twitch in the stick. What do you think?
WC: Diviners? There is something of the medieval serf in a writer — miserable or too dense to be miserable, toothless, holding up a chicken bone from the mud and swearing that it’s a fossil, indisputable proof in the existence of elves.
How far removed are the Kanes from the miseries of medieval peasantry? You’ve set both of your novels to date in a rural world governed by the most universal needs: food, shelter, safety. It’s the world familiar to the speaker’s father in “Digging,” by Heaney:
The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap
Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge
Through living roots awaken in my head.
But I’ve no spade to follow men like them.
Can you talk about the decision to strip away everything — electricity, politics, global interdependence — and focus on primal and immediate concerns?
PL: What I’m interested in discovering is human truth. What does it mean to be alive within the dream of life? It seems to me there are essential human truths that have never changed throughout the ages, and that what we think of as unique to our own time is, in fact, the general. I am convinced, as a writer, that we must be able to witness ourselves as we have been moved and shaped by such universal forces. And so the writing must be shaped a certain way to meet this challenge. Being mythic certainly helps as it implies distance in order to see things better.
WC: Are these questions that have real, discoverable answers? Do you think you will find them in writing and say, whew, that was tough. Now on to my sci-fi book?
Fiction is necessary because it seems to me that only fiction can accommodate the total strangeness that is life.
PL: I believe it is worth writing to remind ourselves of what we can’t know. To remind ourselves that certainty is dangerous. That factual knowledge of the world casts only a small light. Fiction is necessary because it seems to me that only fiction can accommodate the total strangeness that is life. To remind us that truth is actually impossible. And as the writer grows, so changes their perception of the world and with it more things to write about. And so I can’t ever imagine getting tired.Althouh I use AucTeX, which already has nice quick-writing techniques, I have found emacs' abbrev-mode together with skeletons are a nice addition to it, allowing me to be really quick at writing LaTeX. The included examples to use dabbrev and skeletons are for the mathbb and theorem environments.
Sample usage: When I write \mbb, and then open the left {, mbb gets expanded to mathbb... so I have \mathbb{ as needed. The other example, I write \bth, press space and get a nice \begin{theorem} \end{theorem} delimiters with the cursor positioned between them.
This should be in ~/Abbrev.el
(define-abbrev-table 'text-mode-abbrev-table '(
("mbb" "mathbb" nil 0)
("bth" "" latex-skel-thm 0)
...
))
This should be in
The three dots are just to indicate my file is much, much longer. The following should be in a file ~/Skeletons.el
(define-skeleton latex-skel-thm
"Insert a \\begin{theorem} environment" nil
"begin{theorem}"
> _?
"\\end{theorem}")
And finally, in your.emacs you should add the following lines:
(load "~/Skeletons.el")
(setq abbrev-file-name "~/Abbrev.el")
(add-hook 'text-mode-hook (lambda () (abbrev-mode 1)))
A suggestion from a friend, using the ç and Ç to add {} and \[\] with the cursor positioned in between. Done via keyboard macros:
(fset 'braces
(lambda (&optional arg) "Keyboard macro." (interactive "p") (kmacro-exec-ring-item (quote ([123 125 left] 0 "%d")) arg)))
(global-set-key (kbd "ç") 'braces)
(fset 'displaymode
(lambda (&optional arg) "Keyboard macro." (interactive "p") (kmacro-exec-ring-item (quote ([13 92 91 13 13 92 93 up] 0 "%d")) arg)))
(global-set-key (kbd "Ç") 'displaymode)
And finally, in youryou should add the following lines:A suggestion from a friend, using the ç and Ç to add {} and \[\] with the cursor positioned in between. Done via keyboard macros:
Although I may use the ç key (I'm a catalan speaker), in emacs I write generally LaTeX, in english... so I don't really have a use for it. I may change the "global-set-key" to set it just for LaTeX... or even create a minor mode for it (Non-Catalan-Keyb?).
What speed-up keyboard tricks do you have in your.emacs file? Share them!
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March 6, 2015, 12:15 AM GMT / Updated March 6, 2015, 1:15 AM GMT
A train loaded with crude oil derailed, and some of its cars caught fire, in Illinois Thursday while travelling through a rural part of the state, authorities said. There were no injuries reported, but at least two of the 103 train cars carrying crude oil were set ablaze.
The train derailed at around 1:20 p.m. local time (2:20 p.m. ET) near Galena, a town of about 3,400 people in the northwestern part of the state near the Iowa border, BNSF Railway said in a statement. At least five of the train cars derailed, emergency officials said.
A voluntary evacuation area was established for a mile around the derailment. Out of 500 families in that area, only one chose to leave, Galena City Administrator Mark Moran told The Associated Press late Thursday.
The scene of the derailment is near the Mississippi River, and there is a concern that oil and other materials on the train may spill into the waterway, a spokesperson for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency said. State and federal EPA officials were en route to the scene of the derailment Thursday afternoon.
BNSF on Thursday evening couldn’t immediately say how many train cars derailed, and said the cause of the accident was not yet known. The company said the train consisted of 105 loaded cars, and all but two of those contained crude oil; the other two were buffer cars loaded with sand. The company did not say how much oil was on the train.
The train was coming from North Dakota, BNSF said. The company did not say where the train was headed.
The Federal Railroad Administration said it was sending a team of investigators to the scene of the accident.
BNSF said it was taking steps to prevent any crude oil from spilling into waterways, and will conduct air monitoring. "Protection of the communities we serve, the safety of our employees and protection of the environment are our highest priorities. We are guided by these priorities as we respond to this situation," BNSF said in a statement.Birth rates bounce around due to a bunch of different factors, but every so often, one event can spur a baby boom. While the most famous one occurred after World War II, sharp increases in birth rates have been caused by everything from soccer games to Communist decrees.
Some of these booms changed the course of a nation, while others are amusing demographic footnotes — and humans aren't the only one who can experience them.
See also: Woman Finds Birth Parents Through Viral Facebook Photo
Take a look at seven events that caused their own population spikes.
1. World War II
The World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., with legacy of the Baby Boomer generation. Image: Flickr, catface3
The end of World War II set off a massive spike in birth rates, especially in the United States, where the combination of peace, prosperity and the homecoming of thousands of young American men created the Baby Boom Generation.
Between 1946 and 1964, 74.6 million babies were born in the U.S., thanks to a few economic conditions and government programs that made it easier and safer for Americans to start families. The industrial demands of the war fueled an explosion of American manufacturing, and the factories that once made artillery and tanks later churned out cheaper automobiles and toasters.
As the economy boomed, the GI Bill also helped returning soldiers find affordable homes, solid jobs, subsidized education and vocational training. This gave them enough financial security to settle down and start families.
2. World War I
Making a new, stronger generation of countrymen and women is as patriotic as it gets. Image: Flickr, Daryl Williams
Roughly 16 million people died in World War I, which ended in 1918. In 1920, about 1.1 million babies were born in the UK, all as the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50-100 million people was winding down. It's hard to pinpoint the exact cause of the boom, but the spike in birth rate was unprecedented.
3. The Romanian abortion ban
In 1967, Nicolae Ceaușescu decided Romania's birth rate was too low. To change this, the general secretary of the country's Communist Party issued Decree 770, which banned abortion and the sale of contraception. The goal was to increase the Romanian population from 23 million people to 30 million, and the country's birth rate spiked from 14.3 births per 1,000 to 27.4 in one year.
However, the mandate created a disaffected generation of children who felt rejected and were often abandoned by families who couldn't afford to take care of them. In addition, 9,000 Romanian women died of complications from illegal abortions, and the abortion rate actually increased between 1979 and 1989 when the ban ended, except for a decline between 1984 and 1985.
4. FC Barcelona's win in the 2009 UEFA Champions League semi-finals
Andres Iniesta: The namesake of a mini-generation. Image: Flickr, Marc Puig i Perez
Die-hard sports fans will sometimes name their children after their favorite players. It's a lot less common for a part of a generation to be named in honor of one.
A brief sports explainer for the less devout before we begin: The UEFA Champions League is a yearly soccer tournament that pits the best teams from European leagues against each other. FC Barcelona is a Spanish soccer team that plays in, well, Barcelona. Current players whose names you may remember from watching this summer's World Cup include Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, Uruguayan serial biter Luis Suarez and Brazilian wonder-child Neymar.
In May 2009, FC Barcelona made it to the semi-finals against London-based Chelsea, and won on a last-minute goal from Andres Iniesta. There was much rejoicing, and nine months later, the birth rate in Barcelona bumped 16% higher than usual for February.
These babies are nicknamed "The Iniesta Generation," and even though they don't actually qualify as a demographic generation, it makes for a hell of "where were you when" story for Mom and Dad.
See also: New Wearable Baby Monitor Is Like a Fitbit for Infants
5. Corn
Sweet, delicious baby-making fuel. Image: Flickr, Michael Dorausch
OK, so there's a little more to it than that. Researchers at Washington State University found that the American Southwest experienced what are likely the highest birth rates in history between 1100 B.C. and 500 A.D.
These rates, which the research team attributes to advances in corn production, were so high and unsustainable, they triggered an overpopulation crisis. The southwestern population started to plummet in 1300, until the area was almost devoid of human life.
6. Hurricane Sandy
Hurricane Sandy left the city covered in flood water and half of Manhattan without power. Image: Flickr, Chris Ford
Baby booms are frequently and often inaccurately reported after natural disasters, and most of the evidence for the post-Sandy spike is anecdotal. However, two New Jersey hospitals experienced 34% and 20% increases in deliveries nine months after the storm hit the New York metro area in late October 2012.
While some post-storm baby booms are just natural fluctuations in birth rates, a study conducted by three professors through Johns Hopkins University found that natural disasters can lead to statistically significant birth rate increases.
This all depends on how severe the disaster is, since people fleeing for their lives have little ability or desire to do the necessary deed. The study found that storms are most likely to lead to baby booms in areas where activity and movement are limited along with potential danger and property damage.
7. The U.S. government shutdown?
While shameful moments in American history don't automatically qualify as natural disasters, many in the Washington, D.C. area thought 2013's federal government shutdown had a similar baby boom effect. Like the post-Sandy spike, the evidence here is anecdotal, and it's not like being furloughed prevents you from doing anything else but "being" with your significant other.
Even so, Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., saw an additional three births per day in July, and Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington delivered 99 more babies in April, May and June 2014 than it did during the same time in 2013, according to ABC.
BONUS: Cute animal baby boom
Red Panda baby booms are the best baby booms. Image: Flickr, Janice Sveda, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
While the government shutdown baby boom in |
than them." (Emphasis his.)
He hated men because of his feeling of entitlement to women.
And he's not alone. There are plenty of folks who think he's heroic for this, and I'll have a post up on them, soon. [Edit: I decided not to write about a small group of people in a dark corner of the internet. Sometimes, paying attention to these folks makes them money, and wins them influence. I decided, ultimately, not to give in to click-baiting.]
I've also been accused of conflating various different parts of the manosphere with each other.
To men's rights activists everywhere: when you stand right next to rape apologists, to men who call women animals, and when you allow groups like reddit's "The Red Pill" to stand with you, when you scream about false rape claims as if all claims of rape are false, it invalidates everything you might be trying to accomplish. I have a laundry list of my own regarding the ways that men and boys are discriminated against in this country. The prime example is the way that our shelter system rips homeless families apart. Because there are so few family shelters, and so many shelters for single mothers, men often choose to be homeless so that their families can have a roof over their heads. This is an issue I've worked on, and that I care about. But I've never seen you folks mention it. Probably because it has to do with socialism, poor people, and people who might not be white. Instead, you yell about false claims of rape. Even if this is an issue you care about, it's being drowned out by all the rape jokes you've been posting on your cute little forums.
When you stand shoulder to shoulder with the worst that the manosphere has to offer, don't be surprised when you all get painted with the same brush.
Despite your protestations to the contrary, I cannot tell the MRAs apart from the PUAs from The Red Pillers and Incels and all the other disparate groups. And that's your image problem for failing to make yourselves distinct from each other, not a problem with our perception.
And as far as the claims I'm making here about the Manosphere, and Rodgers? I'm far from alone.
The SPLC has a post up about Misogyny being the motive for this killing.
One of the major critics of the Manosphere, David Futrelle, writes in his post
As the person who sent this video to me this morning noted, it sounds almost like a parody of the misogynistic beliefs and rhetoric that I write about on this blog...
It is clear that his resentment at women was stoked by what I call the “new misogyny” and by steeping himself in at least one online community that reaffirmed his exaggerated, unwarranted sense of victimhood.
If you don't believe me on these points, take a look for yourself. Read his manifesto for yourself and compare it to the rants produced by redpillers, MRAs, PUAs, and others within the manosphere. A great starting place would be to read what Futrelle has been archiving over at his blog.In the fall of 2012, after reading about how Elaine Wherry set up a recruiter honeypot, we knew we had to invite her to First Round's CTO Summit to tell us all the inside story—so here goes.
In 2010, Meebo found itself in a pivotal position: For the first time, the company promised its investors it would generate significant revenue. As the team brainstormed its strategy on a quarter-by-quarter basis, they quickly realized their web JavaScript team should be doubled in Q1. But they faced a substantial obstacle. There was a dearth of JavaScript ninjas—the only type of engineers who could solve the problem of a homegrown, performance-oriented framework. Wherry tried lots of guerilla methods, but the bottom-line remained that a very limited number of people in the world had the necessary skill set, and about half were already working at the likes of Google.
To make a long story short, Wherry went on to create a false persona, Pete London, whose stacked resume was really based on Wherry’s own experiences. With a one-page website and a WordPress blog with a few JavaScript references, Pete London came to life on the web.
Nearly three years after the launch of the factious Pete London, Pete got 530 emails from 382 recruiters, from 172 organizations. He was offered seven iPads, one Xbox, one MacBook Air, five $1,000 referral cash incentives followed by two $10,000 referral cash incentives, eight coffees, seven phone calls, and six lunch invites.
This is the story of Pete London and lessons learned in recruiting.
Going Guerilla
For weeks, the internet showed Pete London’s fake profile very little love, not that he was hard to find or that he had “weak SEO,” as tens of thousands of spammers were able to locate his email address. But when Wherry launched his LinkedIn profile, traffic popped. At the time, Meebo had found a mere 5% of its engineering talent that way, so it was surprising to see so much activity.
LinkedIn is an overfished pond—focus on other areas of the internet to find the good candidates that aren’t already overwhelmed with inbound offers. Try “guerilla recruiting”—that is, everything from “JavaScript Bingo” to Google Ads to Boolean searches, GitHub, blog comments, student newspapers, Twitter keywords, meetups, Stanford CS classes, speaking events, etc. They’re essentially out of the box mechanisms to generate talent, and are really effective in finding and hiring great people.
Doppelganger!
Originally, Wherry penned her cold emails to potential JavaScript junkies, with a mindset that she was up against Amazon, Facebook, and the rest of the “ginormous” tech companies. She believed placing an emphasis on an “amazing, unique” startup experience was the most enticing way to lure people in. But the Pete London experiment proved that this approach was wrong: In fact, a whopping 85% of inbound emails were from startups—most of whom said the exact same thing (“We're a bright, wonderful culture startup, come join us").
Find a way to really differentiate yourself and make sure that you stand out—not from the Amazons, the Facebooks and the Googles, but from all of the other startups around the Web.
"Does It Work?"
Inevitably, within a startup-context, you are going to have to hire external recruiters at some point when you’re looking to scale. The good news: They can work.
The graphic above alludes to the data—if you separate out the external recruiters for large established companies and small companies, it turns out that the external recruiters for small startups actually do a pretty good job. So until you can hire a recruiting team of your own, rest assured.
Be Very, Very Careful
The mentality that the more help you get the better (i.e. more external recruiters equals more success) is a dangerous one. Consider that when you invite external recruiters into your organization, you share with them intimate details about your company: org charts, financial data and more. This puts your company front of mind, specifically what expertise you have in-house. Accordingly, when they eventually go to another company to recruit, your startup might be their next target.
Wherry saw this firsthand at 2:20 on a May afternoon when Pete London received an email from a recruiter asking him to consider some potential job options. A mere 15 minutes later, Wherry, the engineering manager, got an email from the same person offering to help her find great talent. This external recruiter was pulling Wherry at both ends: literally saying, "Hey Pete, come out of Meebo," and then saying to the engineering manager, "Hey, let me help you find great talent."
Whenever you're working with external recruiters, ensure a "no poach" rule is clearly specified within the contract and be very specific about which external recruiters you work with.
Time for Hoodies
The graph above speaks for itself: Starting in 2010 through 2012, the amount of recruiting activity in San Francisco increased about tenfold.
Regardless of where you are right now, whether you're just starting to figure out where your location is or if you're an established company, your San Francisco strategy should be clearly drawn up or figured out.
Build Your Cavalry & Beat the Manager
When you're working with your in-house or your external recruiters, there is the notion because they are recruiters, they should be your cavalry. They should be the people who come in and save the day and allow you to go back and spend your time doing engineering and other parts of your role. But if you look at Wherry’s data managers, they were consistently within the top 40th percentile of all recruiting activity—better than the people hired to do just that.
Ultimately, if you want to have a recruiter do a better job, ensure they include two out of three pieces of personalization.
Start On the Right Foot
Make sure you start with a pro intro, which means putting personalization up front: Rather than sticking with a bland opening, try something specific.
"Pete, I am reaching out to you given your strong front-end development experience, particularly with JavaScript. Your unique mix of front-end and back-end knowledge and experience really caught the attention of our current developer manager.”
Typical openings like “I was impressed with your profile,” “Sorry for the email,” and “Hi, my name is,” do not really help you stand out and are therefore ineffective (63% of Pete's emails looked fairly identical).
If you're feeling incredibly lazy, one way you could easily make your email better is if you look at this. After your recruiter has written that first draft, take out the first sentence. That's it. The resulting email is usually much, much better.
Follow Up, Don't Spam
Most of the emails directed to "Pete" came from an organization or came from a recruiter that he heard from previously. But a mere 12% acknowledged it was a follow-up.
Making sure your contact knows that it's your second time reaching out is critical as it helps to maintain a conversation history. As individuals, the longer the history we have with a given person, the stronger the relationship we perceive.
When you reach out to someone and say, "Hey, I wanted to see if you would be interested in this role," and then you reach out to that person again with, "Hey, I wanted to see if you would be interested in this new role. I’m really impressed with you," it implies ignored history and that the candidate is not really worth their time. The outreach immediately becomes less sincere and is interpreted as spam.
You, Your, Yours
Out of the hundreds of emails from 300+ recruiters, there were a mere five that stood out. As it turns out, however, they all shared the same thread: the use of the second person.
Instead of saying, "Hi, I’m a recruiter. We have some great positions over here. Call me," it was more along the lines of "From what I understand, you are a JavaScript expert. This would take your career more in the direction of new media content, and I would love to learn more about you and your interests."
Do Not Do What I Did
The reason that Wherry got into this predicament in the first place was because these JavaScript experts were so hard to find. In a nutshell, don’t do this!
Outside of finding good recruiters, employing the right sourcing techniques, beating a hiring crunch involves hiring more managers, and specifically managers who can help recruit. Their networks and expertise in reaching people in non-traditional ways will be beneficial, as opposed to bringing on individual contributors in a non-methodical fashion.
A Final Rule of Thumb
Solving the hiring crisis is a lot like any other engineering problem: You break down each piece of the process and you say, "Where are we losing people within our funnel?"
A good rule of thumb is to double check. Generally, your recruiter should be getting about a 12 to 20% response rate from cold outreach. That is just a good rule of thumb, so double check.There’s more to soccer culture than the professional game, which is why we’ve put together guides for each of MLS’ 19 markets. Whether you’re just dropping in on vacation or hitting the road with your fellow supporters, here’s the lowdown on what to do and how to do it.
SOCCER CULTURE
Soccer culture in Vancouver has a long, rich history influenced by a varied mix of ex-pats from footballing hotbeds. The game is now finding a new generation of supporters to enthrall, many of them disillusioned by the dire, morgue-like atmosphere to be found when the NHL’s Canucks play. Parts of the older generation of fans still do not rate the domestic game, but they are now being outnumbered by the younger crop who do. The city comes alive during major soccer tournaments like the World Cup, and the number of sell-outs the Whitecaps are getting these days shows that the excitement is local, too.
WHERE TO PLAY
Go to most parks at the weekend, and you'll find soccer games galore. Whether they'll let you join in is another matter. A couple of great places to find a pick-up match are Andy Livingstone Park (downtown at 89 Expo Boulevard) near the 'Caps’ home at BC Place, and a short Skytrain ride away at Trout Lake (3350 Victoria Drive) around 2 pm on a Saturday. You'll see a wide variety of soccer jerseys from all over the world at both places. Add to them with your MLS team of choice.
LOCAL CUISINE
La Belle Patete: (1215 Davie St) - Run like a Montreal poutine stand, by guys from Montreal who import the goods from Quebec. What is poutine? Fries, cheese curds and gravy, that's what, with added extras like Montreal smoked meat. If the game wasn't heart-stopping enough, this should do it.
(1215 Davie St) - Run like a Montreal poutine stand, by guys from Montreal who import the goods from Quebec. What is poutine? Fries, cheese curds and gravy, that's what, with added extras like Montreal smoked meat. If the game wasn't heart-stopping enough, this should do it. Bestie: (105 East Pender Street) – Sausage-fest anyone? You can't go wrong with this neat little sausage-and-beer parlor in the heart of Chinatown. Buns of fun for everyone. You could certainly make a wurst decision than not to head there.
(105 East Pender Street) – Sausage-fest anyone? You can't go wrong with this neat little sausage-and-beer parlor in the heart of Chinatown. Buns of fun for everyone. You could certainly make a wurst decision than not to head there. Vij's: (1480 W 11th Ave) - Top Indian food from a celebrity Canadian chef. If the restaurant is too far away, they also have a wonderful downtown food truck. Add some spice to your weekend and curry favor with your other half.
(1480 W 11th Ave) - Top Indian food from a celebrity Canadian chef. If the restaurant is too far away, they also have a wonderful downtown food truck. Add some spice to your weekend and curry favor with your other half. Honorable mentions: Fire Pizza (1918 Commercial Drive), Sula Indian Restaurant (1128 Commercial Drive), Japadog (various locations)
SOCCER BARS
Doolin's: (654 Nelson Street) - If faux Irish bars are your thing, Doolin's is for you. It's also home to the Whitecaps' supporters group the Southsiders, and their "march to the match" leaves from here.
(654 Nelson Street) - If faux Irish bars are your thing, Doolin's is for you. It's also home to the Whitecaps' supporters group the Southsiders, and their "march to the match" leaves from here. Red Card: (560 Smith Street) - Small but with some excellent eats, this sports bar might have something of a sterile look to it, but it has a great atmosphere and is close to BC Place.
(560 Smith Street) - Small but with some excellent eats, this sports bar might have something of a sterile look to it, but it has a great atmosphere and is close to BC Place. Library Square: (300 W Georgia Street) - Boasting very close proximity to BC Place (and the library, for you bookworms!), the home to the Whitecaps' Rain City Brigade supporters' group is always jumping on matchdays.
(300 W Georgia Street) - Boasting very close proximity to BC Place, the home to the Whitecaps' Rain City Brigade supporters' group is always jumping on matchdays. Commercial Drive: Not one bar, but a whole street of them! Vancouver's soccer capital during any big tournament, it's a good any time any game is on. A short skytrain ride away from downtown, with many great places to eat.
Not one bar, but a whole street of them! Vancouver's soccer capital during any big tournament, it's a good any time any game is on. A short skytrain ride away from downtown, with many great places to eat. The Alpen Club: (4875 Victoria Drive) - Another iconic home to fans during any big soccer tournament, this German bar and restaurant is passionate about the beautiful game. Out from the downtown core, but a must-visit if any German teams happen to be playing when you're in town.
WHERE TO VISIT
Stanley Park: Voted the "Top park in the world" by Trip Advisor last year, the 1,000-acre Stanley Park is nature at its finest and has something for everyone. The beautiful views afforded by the walk around the seawall let you see Vancouver in all its beauty. It's also home to the Vancouver aquarium - well worth a visit just to see the playful sea otters!
Voted the "Top park in the world" by Trip Advisor last year, the 1,000-acre Stanley Park is nature at its finest and has something for everyone. The beautiful views afforded by the walk around the seawall let you see Vancouver in all its beauty. It's also home to the Vancouver aquarium - well worth a visit just to see the playful sea otters! Capilano Suspension Bridge: Built in 1889, this rickety suspension bridge over the Capilano River affords wonderful views of British Columbia nature and a bigger drop than TFC's playoff expectations. Not the place to do a goalscoring celebratory backflip.
Built in 1889, this rickety suspension bridge over the Capilano River affords wonderful views of British Columbia nature and a bigger drop than TFC's playoff expectations. Not the place to do a goalscoring celebratory backflip. PNE/Playland: An August trip to Vancouver will allow you to experience more than 100 years of tradition at the Pacific National Exhibition Fair. Playland is a theme park attached and open all summer long. The added benefit for soccer fans? The whole venue is beside what remains of the Whitecaps' old Empire Stadium site.
An August trip to Vancouver will allow you to experience more than 100 years of tradition at the Pacific National Exhibition Fair. Playland is a theme park attached and open all summer long. The added benefit for soccer fans? The whole venue is beside what remains of the Whitecaps' old Empire Stadium site. Honorable mentions: The Gastown Steam Clock, Vancouver Lookout Tower, Seabus trip to North Vancouver and Lonsdale Quay
MATCHDAY
If you happen to visit Vancouver when it's raining (a very high possibility), you will get the chance to experience a unique scenario in MLS: a game played under a roof. BC Place will also become one of only two MLS venues to host a FIFA World Cup final after the Women's World Cup this summer. Matchday in Vancouver meshes 40-plus years of Whitecaps soccer history and a stadium-wide vocal buy-in.
MATCHDAY TIPS:How many single, well-to-do men in Marin County, Silicon Valley and other wealthy Bay Area enclaves would pay $15,000 or more for the chance to meet the woman of their dreams?
Quite a few, according to Executive Matchmakers, a new Marin-based firm that is believed to be the first and only match-making service exclusively for men of means.
“Our memberships start at $15,000 and go up from there,” says Megan Buquen, the company’s 34-year-old vice president. “We have a huge waiting list.”
In business less than a year, the company is mining a rich vein of Northern California professional men — CEOs, doctors, lawyers, politicians, entrepreneurs. Most live in Marin County.
“But we’ve got a ton of techies in Silicon Valley,” Buquen says. “It’s unbelievable the demand down there.”
A typical client is too busy for traditional online dating and is willing to pay Buquen and her staff to find a single woman who’s right for him in the company’s “Proprietary Black Book,” a database with a growing number of what the firm describes as “the most beautiful, eligible and desirable single women in Northern California.”
“The men we work with are looking for a committed relationship,” Buquen says. “They aren’t looking for a woman who’s 30 years younger or for one-night stands. A lot of men who come to us are worried about gold diggers, and we’re very good at making sure our women are not after their money. Our women are well educated, self-sufficient, and have as much going for them as the men. We’re matching men with their equals, and they love that.”
The agency has a team of scouts who fan out into the community looking for eligible women who fit this ideal profile at charity events, art openings, wine tastings, film festivals, high-end restaurants, tennis clubs and upscale gyms like Equinox and the Bay Club.
Prospective women are invited to fill out a profile and come into the company’s Sausalito office for an interview.
“We also do a background check, and if we approve them, they can be matched with one of our bachelors,” Buquen explains. The men pay. The women do not.
Do’s and don’ts
As part of their service, Buquen and her team of six women are available to coach the men on the do’s and don’ts of dating.
One client was so clueless about the whole thing that Buquen’s childhood friend, Vanessa Phillips, the firm’s director of sales and communications, took him shopping for a new wardrobe, giving him a complete makeover.
“It was so much fun,” Phillips says. “It’s such a heartfelt service. And what’s more meaningful than helping someone find love?”
The men don’t even have to arrange the first date. The agency will do that for them, often at a nice restaurant.
“We always suggest dinner, and tell them to dress nicely,” Buquen says. “The gentleman always pays. And we tell them, ‘Don’t talk about politics. And don’t talk about exes.”
As far as sex is concerned, clients are warned against sleeping with a woman until he has decided to become monogamous and is no longer dating anyone else.
After the first date, the participants are asked for feedback on how it went.
“If they like each other, we encourage a second date,” Buquen says. “With our most recent clients, after one or two dates they’re in relationships. When a client goes into a relationship, we put his membership on hold. That’s the fun part.”
Business acumen
Red-haired, sociable and unmarried herself, Buquen comes from a family that has been in Marin for three generations. She graduated from Redwood High School in 2000 and has an MBA from Dominican University in global strategic management.
Discovering that she has a knack for helping people find love, she worked for a top upscale U.S. match-making firm before starting her own match-making agency in London, Match d’Amour. When it was merged with one of the big match-making firms in Europe, the Vida Consultancy, she returned to the United States to continue her career in what is sometimes called “the dating industry.”
Her business partner in Executive Matchmakers is entrepreneur Charlee Brotherton, whom Buquen describes as “the most successful matchmaker in the world.” Brotherton owns a network of 23 other match-making firms throughout the country. Executive Matchmakers has access to the databases of those companies as well as the one Buquen is developing locally.
In becoming a matchmaker, Buquen has chosen a profession that dates back to the middle ages and has a colorful history in popular culture and entertainment. One of the longest matchmaking traditions, in Jewish communities in Eastern Europe and Russia, is famously portrayed in the musical “Fiddler on the Roof.” And the animated Disney movie “Mulan” features a comic version of the matchmaker in Asian culture.
More recently, the reality TV series “The Millionaire Matchmaker,” starring Patti Stanger, owner of the Beverly Hills-based “Millionaires Club,” a dating service for wealthy Southern California singles, ran for eight seasons on Bravo.
Buquen sees herself defining the role of the Marin County matchmaker.
“This is kind of my calling,” she says. “It’s my passion, really. No matter how sophisticated algorithms become, they will never replace the human element. Having someone who uses her humanity and intuition is priceless. So match-making is always going to be there. And, if anything, it’s growing.”The protests against President Trump’s policies since he took office have included marches of women, immigrants and scientists.
There was no march for people of faith. And yet, at every one of those other marches, large contingents of religious people joined in. They carried signs identifying their churches and synagogues, and often citing the scriptures that motivated them to participate.
The Rev. Jennifer Butler was among them. She is the chief executive of Faith in Public Life, a group in Washington that organizes leaders of many faiths to work together on politically liberal causes. The group is currently working on campaigns to preserve the Affordable Care Act and poverty programs, aid immigrants and refugees, promote gay and transgender rights, increase the minimum wage and address climate change.
She came to New York to talk with me about my recent story on the resurgence of the religious left under the Trump administration. The religious left is more diverse than ever before, including not just Christians but also Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists and others.This article is about the band. For other uses of the term, see Suicidal tendencies (disambiguation)
Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980[6] in Venice, California by vocalist Mike Muir, who is the only remaining original member of the band. Along with D.R.I., Corrosion of Conformity, and Stormtroopers of Death, they are often credited as one of "the fathers of crossover thrash".[7][8][9] Their current lineup includes Muir, guitarist Dean Pleasants, bassist Ra Díaz and drummer Dave Lombardo. Notable musicians who have contributed to the band's studio or live activities include guitarists Rocky George, Mike Clark and Ben Weinman, bassists Louiche Mayorga, Robert Trujillo, Josh Paul and Stephen "Thundercat" Bruner, and drummers Amery Smith, Jimmy DeGrasso, Brooks Wackerman, David Hidalgo Jr., Thomas Pridgen and session musician Josh Freese.
Suicidal Tendencies have released thirteen studio albums (four of which are composed of re-recorded or previously released material), two EPs, four split albums, four compilation albums, and two long-form videos. The band achieved their first success with their 1983 self-titled debut album; it spawned the single "Institutionalized", which was one of the first hardcore punk videos to receive substantial airplay on MTV. After releasing one new song on the split release Welcome to Venice (1985) and their second studio album Join the Army (1987), Suicidal Tendencies were signed to Epic Records in 1988, and continued their commercial success with its next three albums, How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today (1988), Controlled by Hatred/Feel Like Shit...Déjà Vu (1989) and Lights...Camera...Revolution! (1990);[10] the latter two were certified Gold by the RIAA.[11] Their 1992 follow-up album The Art of Rebellion was another success,[10] and included three of their biggest hits "Asleep at the Wheel", "Nobody Hears" and "I'll Hate You Better".[12][13]
After releasing two more studio albums (Still Cyco After All These Years and Suicidal for Life), the band broke up and severed ties from Sony and Epic in 1995. However, they reunited a year later and have continued to perform and record since then. After over a decade of work and many lineup changes, Suicidal Tendencies released their eleventh studio album with all-new material, 13, in 2013,[14] followed three years later by World Gone Mad (2016);[15] both albums were well-received by critics, and considered comebacks for Suicidal Tendencies.[10][16][17] Their most recent releases are the EP Get Your Fight On! and an album featuring unreleased and re-recorded material Still Cyco Punk After All These Years, both released in 2018.
Band history [ edit ]
Early career, controversy, and first hiatus (1980–1986) [ edit ]
Suicidal Tendencies formed in 1980 as a punk band in Venice, California.[18] The original lineup of the band consisted of Mike Muir on vocals, Mike Ball on guitar, Carlos "Egie" Egert on drums, and Mike Dunnigan on bass. After the recording of their first demo, Carlos Egert left the band and was replaced by Dunnigan's brother, Sean. Muir, at the time a student at Santa Monica College, originally only intended Suicidal Tendencies as a "party band", but as they grew in notoriety he soon found the band at the center of his life. Suicidal Tendencies had a rough start including being voted "Worst Band/Biggest Assholes" in Flipside in 1982 but the following year were voted "Best New Band". There were many rumors of the band members as well as their friends and followers being involved with gangs (especially Venice 13, Mexican-American gang that lived in the area), with Muir's trademark blue bandanna and violence at the band's performances as evidence.[18] In their original lineup photo, which can be seen inside their self-titled debut album, drummer Amery Smith is wearing a flipped up hat and under the bill are the markings "V13", which are initials for the gang Venice 13. Smith was not a member of V13. The hat worn in the photo was borrowed from V13 member Steve Mayorga, brother of Suicidal Tendencies bassist Louiche Mayorga. Eventually an entire gang sprang up around the group, the Suicidal Cycos (also known as the Suicidals, Suis or Suicidal Boyz) with chapters in Venice, Long Beach, Santa Monica, Orange County, Oceanside, San Diego and even a chapter in San Antonio, Texas. Other punk gangs in L.A founded at that time included B.P.O & KAOS 13 formed in 1983 by Brent Alden, bassist for the well known punk band False Alarm and founder of the punk crew DDT.
Vocalist Mike Muir formed Suicidal Tendencies in 1980, and is their only remaining original member.
Suicidal Tendencies quickly gained a following and began performing at larger gigs. They recorded a demo in 1982 and were featured on the Slamulation compilation LP on Mystic Records. The song featured was "I Saw Your Mommy", which was later featured on their self-titled debut album. The Dunnigan brothers quit after these recordings, with Mike Dunnigan later joining Tony Alva's band the Skoundrelz to be back with Mike Ball on guitar and Bela Horvath on drums. Ball stayed in the band for 2½ years before joining the Skoundrelz and was replaced by Dunnigan. Guitarist Rick Battson recorded the demo before the first album. Grant Estes learned that demo replacing him on guitar and playing on Suicidal Tendencies's first record.[19]
This controversy helped the band gain label attention, and in 1983 Suicidal Tendencies signed with the independent label Frontier Records and released their self-titled debut.[18] It was described by critic Steve Huey as "Fast, furious, and funny... Mike Muir proves himself an articulate lyricist and commentator, delving into subjects like alienation, depression, and nonconformist politics with intelligence and humor."[20] It contained the song "Institutionalized", which featured a music video that became one of the first hardcore punk videos to receive substantial MTV airplay, and greatly expanded the band's fan base. The song was featured in the 1984 film Repo Man, as well as in a 1986 episode of the TV show Miami Vice ("Free Verse", which also featured a cameo appearance of the group performing in a new wave/punk club) and in the 2008 film Iron Man, where the song plays in the background as Tony Stark works on his car.[18] Soon after the release of their debut album in 1983, Estes left the band and was replaced by Jon Nelson, former manager of the Venice-based band Neighborhood Watch. Nelson played with Suicidal Tendencies on all the early punk shows from 1983 to 1984 contributing the music for future songs like: "War Inside My Head", “You Got, I Want", "Human Guinea Pig", "You Are Forgiven" and "Look Up... (The Boys Are Back)", the latter ending up on the bands compilation record Welcome to Venice.[21] Though Nelson did not appear on any of the Suicidal Tendencies releases, there are some live recordings of the song "War Inside My Head" as well as others. All the music written by Jon Nelson was purchased by Muir upon his departure from the band for a small amount of money and a Flying V guitar. He is credited on the albums only as written by (Suicidal Tendencies) and in 1987 was erroneously listed as guitarist on the reissue of their debut album Suicidal Tendencies which was soon corrected to appropriately credit Grant Estes.
That same year was the beginning of Suicidal Tendencies's four-year recording hiatus and Mike Muir and bassist Louiche Mayorga formed the label Suicidal Records as well as the band Los Cycos.[22] Jon Nelson left the group and Suicidal Tendencies were banned from playing L.A. shows from an incident at Perkins Palace (their fans tore out ten rows of seats and promoters could not get the proper insurance to hire them)[23] Muir was also about to try his hand at producing as well as starting the new label. Los Cycos was originally Mike Muir (vocals), Bob Heathcote (bass), Anthony Gallo (guitars) and Amery Smith (drums).[24] After a few rehearsals Amery Smith left the line up to join Jon Nelson in starting their own band (the Brood). Los Cycos eventually included Grant Estes[25] on lead guitar and original choices Bob Heathcote and Amery Smith were replaced by Louiche Mayorga (bass)[26] and Sal Troy (drums). They recorded the song "It's Not Easy" written by Muir.[27] "Welcome to Venice" was the first record to be released on Suicidal Records,[28] the original masters were destroyed in a fire.[29] In 1989, Suicidal Tendencies re-recorded "It's Not Easy" for their release Controlled By Hatred/Feel Like Shit... DejaVu album.[30] The other Los Cycos track "A Little Each Day" which never made it to the album, was re-recorded for the 1987 Suicidal Tendencies release Join the Army and again on Still Cyco After All These Years released in 1993. In 2000 it resurfaced on the FNG compilation and a fourth time on 2008s (split) album Lights...Camera...Revolution!/Still Cyco After All These Years.[31] Suicidal Tendencies played on the track "Look Up... (The Boys are Back)" which was the introduction of guitarist Rocky George and drummer RJ Herrera.[32] The band found a new label in Caroline Records in 1986.[18]
First comeback (1987–1988) [ edit ]
With the line-up of Muir, Louiche Mayorga, George, and Herrera, the band released their second album, Join the Army, in 1987. The album was met with a mixed reaction from long-time fans due to its considerably more metal-oriented sound (an element brought to the table by Rocky George), as they were expecting another punk album. Nonetheless, Join the Army featured classic tracks such as the title track, "War Inside My Head" and "Possessed to Skate" (which featured a video, originally intended for an unsuccessful skateboard movie, which featured Timothy Leary).
Shortly afterwards, the band made some major changes. Rocky George's metal influences (reflected in his Motörhead-esque songwriting contributions to Join the Army) began in turn influencing Muir, who replaced Keven Guercio as singer for Mike Clark's speed metal band No Mercy prior to this. Muir hired No Mercy's Clark as a rhythm guitarist for Suicidal. Clark helped handle much of the band's songwriting, which progressed into a more thrash oriented musical direction. He fired Mayorga, who had been trying to keep the band in punk territory, and was replaced briefly by No Mercy bassist Ric Clayton, who was replaced by Bob Heathcote. Shortly after the band was picked up by Anthrax producer Mark Dodson and signed to the Columbia subsidiary Epic Records. The stylistic changes and signing to a major label outraged a few long-time fans, but Suicidal Tendencies began to pick up more fans from the heavy metal community as well.
The band's first release with Epic was How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today, released in 1988. The album was mostly stripped of the band's punk and hardcore roots, instead featuring a thrash-oriented sound with more complex song structures and a greater emphasis on instrumental skill than the band had ever shown previously. However, the album was considerably more melodic than most thrash metal albums, perhaps a lasting influence of the band's punk past. Singles and music videos were released for "Trip at the Brain" and the title track, which were successful and |
in the Wittenoom case and establishing a union slush fund."
Robert Vojakovic of WA-based Asbestos Diseases Society says Bishop "had a take-no-prisoners approach".
Of course, solicitors don't choose their clients. But Stephen Jones thinks Labor should point out Bishop's role. "You can't judge anyone by their clients, I suppose. But she had some pretty dodgy ones in my view."Scientific & Common Names:
Hura crepitans, more commonly known as the sandbox tree, possumwood, jabillo, and the dynamite tree
Native to:
Tropical regions of North, Central, and South America
Description:
Locally, the sandbox tree is better known as the ‘Monkey-No-Climb’ because its yellow-gray bark is covered with hundreds of sharp, squat, fleshy spines. This tree can be found in St. Croix’s rainforest, with many growing to 100 feet or more in height. The leaves, alternating and simple, are narrowly heart-shaped, hairy, and possess prominent veins. The tree produces both male and female flowers that have no petals, and contains a milky, caustic sap that that can be toxic.
The fruit are spherical pods approximately 3 to 4 inches in diameter. They have a dry husk and shallow vertical valleys like a pumpkin, outlining 16 cavities within which contain large crescent shaped seeds. The fruits starts out green then turns to brown as it dries. The fruit literally explodes when it becomes dry as a method of seed disbursement, and can be dangerous if standing nearby as it catapults the seeds hundreds of feet. Its seeds are also toxic, like those of castor beans (which they resemble).
Toxicity:
Ingestion of raw sandbox seeds may cause violent vomiting and diarrhea. The sap causes red rashes when it comes in contact with the skin, and can cause blindness when in contact with the eyes, making it quite a danger to handle. Fishermen have been said to use the caustic sap from this tree to poison fish, and the Carib Indians used the sap to make poison for their arrows tips.
Practical Uses:
The wood is used for furniture under the name ‘hura’. Before more modern forms of pens were invented, the unripe seed pods were sawed in half to make decorative pen sandboxes (also called pounce pots), hence the name ‘sandbox tree’.
Medicinal Uses:
The leaves are mixed and pressed with salt and applied to reduce swellings and boils. When pressed in oil, the leaves are used for rheumatic pain. An extraction of sandbox leaves has reportedly been used in baths, and fresh leaves have been placed on the temples to ease headaches or on other parts of the body to relieve pains.By BETH HALE
Last updated at 14:37 20 April 2008
A blonde-haired girl with her hands strapped into boxing gloves sobs at the side of the ring.
In another image her twin brother takes a direct hit to the face from a sparring partner.
Miah and Kian Flanagan are just five years old.
But already they are seasoned fighters, taking part in an alarmingly fast-growing'sport' that pits children against other children in the terrifying public arena of the boxing ring.
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Five-year-old Miah's face crumples in tears as she fights in the ring
The opponents - some of them barely old enough to be at school - kick and punch in chilling scenes, while parents shout impassioned advice from the sidelines.
Incredibly parental 'advice' includes encouragement to "come on Princess, go forward, kick 'em, kick 'em."
Welcome to the world of child Thai boxing, one of the fastest growing martial arts in the UK with now over 500 registered clubs teaching this sport.
Children as young as four or five are becoming the latest recruits to organised fighting, where some people's attitude is: "If you're good enough to fight, you're old enough".
The chilling snapshot into a pastime that is legal is laid bare on a Cutting Edge documentary to be shown on Channel 4 later this week.
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'Just enjoy yourself, baby' shouts her father as little Miah sobs
In the strictly governed world of conventional boxing youngsters must be at least 11 to compete.
But in MuayThai boxing there is no such limit. There is also no requirement for protective headgear, despite regular blows to the skull.
Parents have to sign a disclaimer before a fight, relieving promoters of any blame should their children be injured as they compete - sometimes in front of paying adult audiences.
Miah and Kian Flanagan live with their father Darren, a quantity surveyor, and mother Lisa, a nail technician, in Wigan.
The twins were enrolled in boxing lessons at their local gym seven months ago. Mr Flanagan is so passionate about the sport that he has converted the spare room into a gym so he can give the twins extra tuition.
Mr Flanagan believes that the training will help his daughter take care of herself.
"If someone grabs Miah when she's 15 what do you think is going to happen? She knows all the defence moves," he said.
"If I'd never taught my kids Thai boxing how guilty would I feel. Anyway Miah loves it - she's like a ballet dancer with boxing gloves at the moment," he told the the News of the World.
But footage from the programme shows that Miah often cries before going into the ring and her Dad instructing "Come on baby just enjoy yourself" before later ordering her "stop this now".
"Every time she goes in that ring, there is always a worry she will start crying," said Mr Flanagan, who says he has told his daughter she can give up if she does not enjoy it.
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Children as young as five are forced to fight each other in the ring as their parents look on
Such is his determination for his children to succeed that he even alters her diet to 'bulk' her up if she faces an older opponent.
Meanwhile his wife coats her daughter with glittery make-up and hairspray before she enters the rings.
Another child featured is Thai Barlow, already a veteran fighter at 10 and named after his parents burning passion for Thai boxing.
His dad Mark is his trainer who runs his own gym and mother Maxine was herself a successful fighter. Both Thai and his 14-year-old sister, a double world champion, have followed their parents' love of the sport.
On top of school and homework, a normal week for Thai consists of running over 15 km, doing 400 sit ups, and at least 10 hours on the bags and sparring.
Mr Barlow will travel anywhere in the world, forking out thousands of pounds to get his son fight experience.
"My dream and his mum's dream is for him to win a stadium title," he said. "I don't know what his dream is… probably to play with his soldiers."
On March 28 Thai took part in his first cage brawl, fighting inside a 23ft metal cage in front of a huge crowd paying 335 a ticket.
His opponent was nine-year-old Connor Butler, from East London. Both were shouted on by their parents, but Thai eventually lost for only the third time in 59 fights.
Despite his youth, his victories apparently include two knockouts.
Today Conservative shadow minister for Sport and the Olympics Hugh Robertson, said he was alarmed by the fight scenes described.
"If children are so upset by the prospect of doing any sport that they burst into tears before they do it then I don't think they should be forced to take part.
"While I support martial arts and boxing as sport I don't think they are sports for children below the age of seven."
Cutting Edge: Strictly Baby Fight Club is on Channel 4 on Thursday at 9pmBusiness is booming for a German company marketing 'virginity' to Muslim women eager for their husbands-to-be to believe they have been chaste until their wedding day.
The massive influx of refugees from mainly-Muslim countries into Germany has helped to boost sales.
The concept of hymen that can be purchased online originated a short while ago in China targeting the Middle Eastern market. But many people were worried about the quality of the product.
Business is booming for a German company marketing 'virginity' to Muslim women eager for their husbands-to-be to believe they have been chaste until their wedding day (file picture)
Now the Made in Germany marque is cashing in on what it claims is a desperate need among many Muslim women to pretend they are virgins before marriage.
Because it is a fraction of the average £1,750 it costs for a surgical procedure to replace the female hymen its products are being purchased swiftly and anonymously by people whose very lives could depend upon it.
Virginia Care sells a package containing two ultra-thin membranes that a woman can insert herself to make it appear that her hymen is unbroken.
It is being sold through the company website with the boast: 'Quality from Germany.'
Each membrane consists of two cellulose skins between which a sterile, freeze-dried blood powder has been injected.
The membrane is designed so that it fixes itself in place from the warmth and moisture inside the woman's body, and then when it is pierced during sex the blood mixture provides 'proof' that she is indeed a virgin.
The company has testimonials from Muslim customers saying that the product saved their lives. One wrote: 'If your product did not exist, I would not now exist either.'
Another wrote: 'I cannot begin to say how much you helped me. All the thanks in the world.' The package costs 49.50 euros.
Virginia Care sells a package containing two ultra-thin membranes that a woman can insert herself to make it appear that her hymen is unbroken. Pictured: The Virginia Care website
The issue of pre-marital sex for Muslim women in strict families is a dangerous - even life threatening - one.
Earlier this month a couple from Pakistan living in the German city of Darmstadt received life prison sentences for killing their 19-year-old daughter when they learned she had been having sex with a boyfriend they did not approve of.
The online hymen service has however caused outrage in Egypt where politicians have called for it to be made illegal.
A company spokesman said: 'It has been well designed and cannot slip out. During sex it provides a natural seeming result with a trace of blood mixed with body fluids.'
They said they deliver the product all over the world but almost all of the customers were women with a Muslim background, with business booming particularly from Muslim women living in Europe.
The package also comes with instructions telling a woman how to pretend that she has not had sex before.
It says: 'The woman needs to show pain. That is exactly what the man expects from a woman having sex for the first time.'
The firm even offers to different types, one is the Virginia Care Original but has a red-brown colour aimed mainly at parents and in-laws for the day after to prove virginity.Did you like Harry Potter but thought author J.K. Rowling lacked logic? Eliezer Yudkowsky, AI researcher and writer, did. So he created a 122-chapter fan fiction designed to right that perceived wrong. The result, Harry Potter and the Method of Rationality (HPMOR), is something brilliant.
HPMOR isn’t just a fan fiction, where characters fall in love with thinly veiled versions of the writer (although I totally fess up to that in my misspent youth). It’s a platform on which the writer bounces off complex ideas in a way that’s accessible and downright fun.
Just about everything in this work plays on Rowling’s original. In Rowling’s version, when Harry and Draco Malfoy meet at Hogwarts, Draco snubs Ron Weasley. Same here, only in HPMOR, Harry and Draco wind up conversing on methods of manipulation. And as for Rowling's Sorting Hat scene, we know the Hat isn’t quite sure where to sort Harry at first. But in the fan fic, the Hat ultimately sorts him into Ravenclaw… after acquiring self awareness.
It also outsmarts the original in one specific way, by also putting Hermoine Granger in Ravenclaw (where she should have been all along) and giving her more credit for her hard work.
But it’s not just about logic wrapped in a wizard's cloak. HPMOR has its own style and humor. For example, as Yudkowsky's Potter observes the sorting process, "Clever kids in Ravenclaw, evil kids in Slytherin, wannabe heroes in Gryffindor, and everyone who does the actual work in Hufflepuff."
HPMOR gives Ravenclaws the pride we never knew we needed. As the Potter fandom knows, Hufflepuffs are the charming do-gooders, Slytherins are the ambitious ones who don’t suffer fools, and Gryffindors are the reckless ones who charge in headfirst. They tend to capture the imaginations of fans in a way Ravenclaws don’t: I had but to attend New York Comic Con to see the racks of T-shirts dedicated to Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Slytherins, with almost no Ravenclaws among them. Because Ravenclaws are exactly as we appear — we wear the smarty pants in the Potterverse; we lack of the appeal of a hidden gem.
Ravenclaws know we're not hidden gems. We just naturally shine.
HPMOR has inspired its own fan fiction, art, and even poetry. It’s a love letter to Ravenclaws. Put it in your brain right now.There were thought to be five mass extinctions in Earth history. Fossil evidence is now pointing to a sixth – and it’s not the human-made Anthropocene
(Image: Sinclair Stammers/SPL)
THEY always get you when you’re down. Life’s biggest-ever disaster – the “great dying” 252 million years ago – was helped by another mass extinction just 8 million years before that.
If confirmed, it would mean that life in the Permian period was hit by a double whammy that made the extinction of the dinosaurs look like a tea party. This newly discovered second Permian extinction could have left ecosystems fatally vulnerable to the final knockout punch.
Permian life was hit by a double whammy that made the dinosaurs’ extinction look like a tea party
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The great dying put paid to more than 90 per cent of all marine species as well as 70 per cent of land animals. It is widely considered the most comprehensive extinction event of all time, and the only one that caused mass extinction of insects. It marked the end of the Palaeozoic era, which had run for 288 million years, and seen the evolution of the first marine animals with hard shells, and the first land plants and animals.
Trilobites (bottom right of picture), which had thrived for 270 million years, were wiped out. Reptiles like the sail-backed dimetrodon and the massive dinocephalians disappeared, replaced by the reptile ancestors of dinosaurs, birds, pterosaurs, crocodiles – and mammals.
The first person to find evidence that Earth’s history was punctuated by global extinctions was palaeontologist Jack Sepkoski, who studied species diversity across geological time.
As well as proposing a “big five” of mass extinction events, Sepkoski also found evidence of a smaller extinction peak slightly earlier in the Permian in marine organisms called foraminifera in what is now China. Although further evidence of extinctions around this time has been found, all of it was in the tropics, suggesting that the event was a regional, not global, affair.
But now David Bond of the University of Hull, UK, says there is evidence of a major marine extinction at the same time in the Arctic. Brachiopods – hard-shelled marine animals – left the most visible evidence of their demise. The fossil record Bond has uncovered in Spitsbergen, Norway, and in Greenland suggests that more than 50 per cent of all marine genera died during the event, with some groups losing 80 per cent of their genera. Ammonites and corals suffered heavily. Bond reported his findings on 19 October to the Geological Society of America meeting in Vancouver, Canada. “We can now say this is a real global mass extinction,” he says.
Because, on a geological scale, these two Permian extinctions occurred so close together, species numbers might not have had time to recover from the first before the second began, says Bond, and so whole groups of organisms might have been fatally weakened. For example, three-quarters of trilobite genera went extinct in the earlier Permian extinction, leaving only five surviving genera that were then wiped out at the end of the Permian. In contrast, other mass extinctions have been separated by at least 50 million years (see chart).FIG-mg29922301.jpg
There was a lot of volcanic activity in the late Permian, but how this translated into the extinction remains a matter of debate. Global warming caused by increased atmospheric carbon dioxide is a suspect, as is cooling from sulphur oxides and ash clouds, and ocean acidification in Arctic regions (Geological Society of America Special Papers, doi.org/wfg).
“Every mass extinction was the result of multiple factors, such as climate, sea level, anoxia and ocean acidification,” says Gerta Keller of Princeton University, who has shown that eruptions in India were also a factor in the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Hit for six
Bond has now called for the earlier Permian event to be added to the “big five” mass extinctions that have so far hit Earth.
“Bond’s ideas are reasonable,” says Mike Benton of the University of Bristol, UK, “but nobody has yet provided a detailed and thorough estimate of the severity of the extinction so it can be evaluated against the big five.”
Two earlier, independent counts of marine extinctions around the time of the earlier Permian event would place it as the third most severe extinction ever, with marine extinction rates of between 37 and 47 per cent, but a third study ranked it as tenth, with an extinction rate of 25 per cent. Different studies give different results for a variety of reasons, such as types of organism studied, and the accuracy of rock ageing, but Bond, who is also analysing Permian fossil data from Siberia, thinks his proposal will stand up. Keller says she would classify it as “a work in progress” as a potential sixth mass extinction.
As for the next big die-off, it is probably already under way, thanks to us. A working group set up by the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) is pondering whether our current era should officially be named the Anthropocene, to reflect the profound impact of human activity. Keller, for one, is convinced by the extinction data coming in for modern species.
So too is ICS member Tony Barnosk of the University of California, Berkeley. “We are at the beginning of a sixth extinction,” he says.
If further work proves Bond right, it is actually the seventh.
This article appeared in print under the headline “The sixth great dying”Is it ethical for a business to profit from its customers’ false beliefs? Or, more to the point, is it ethical to profit from your customers’ beliefs when you think those beliefs are false? What if you encourage those beliefs?
Case in point: a number of businesses have sprung up to take advantage of the fact that a number of fundamentalist Christians believe that May 21, 2011 (i.e., tomorrow) is the day on which “The Rapture” will happen, which will involve the return to earth of Jesus Christ, the rescue of believers, and the start of a process culminating in the destruction of the world in October. Enter the profit-seeking atheists. Eternal Earth-Bound Pets, for example, will guarantee (for just $135) to come to a believer’s house, post-rapture, to rescue their pets. Salvation, after all, is for human believers only, so the faithful “know” that atheists and animals will be left behind. (For more details, and more examples, see this item from ABC News: May 21, 2011: Profiting on Doomsday?)
Profiting from this particular set of false (i.e., unsupported) beliefs seems, frankly, pretty innocuous. Those who hold such beliefs are few, and are liable to be mocked by the vast majority of Christians, who scoff at the idea that the exact date of the Rapture can be determined so precisely. When the Rapture ends up not happening (and I realize I’m going out on a limb, there) those who ponied up for the “service” offered by Eternal Earth-Bound Pets will be out $135, but other than that they’ll be no worse for wear. But what about other examples?
Let’s start with a fictional example to test our intuitions. What if I find out that you believe, for whatever reason, and despite the fact that you live far from any indigenous populations of elephants, that your rose garden is in imminent danger of being trampled by elephants. And let’s say you also believe (for whatever reason) that elephants are deterred by he sound of the revving of a Porsche engine. Am I justified in selling you a Porsche that you do not otherwise need, and that perhaps you cannot truly afford? Would that be predatory? Your belief, here, is clearly a crazy belief, and my profiting from your delusion seems not-quite-right. But then, as far as you’re concerned, I’m genuinely helping you. On the other hand, what if the reason you have that delusional belief in the first place is that I’ve convinced you of it?
Next, let’s get back to real-life examples. But let’s look at one that doesn’t revolve around a single event, like Rapture insurance does. What about, for example, selling homeopathy? Now, it’s one thing for a homeopath to prescribe and sell homeopathic treatments. After all, the homeopath presumably believes that such remedies work, in spite of the lack of evidence for that belief. Now, that belief itself might be culpable — if you’re going to sell a product, then ethically you ought to do what you can to make sure it really works — but at least the homeopath is selling in good (if misguided) faith. What about when licensed Pharmacists, people with the training to know perfectly well that homeopathic treatments cannot possibly work, sell them? That happens all the time. Shoppers Drug Mart, for example — Canada’s largest pharmacy chain — sells homeopathic treatments, and all the franchisees of that chain are required to be licensed Pharmacists. That is, they are people whose scientific training tells them that such remedies have zero scientific credibility. So they, too, are profiting from their customers’ false* beliefs — beliefs that they, the sellers, know to be false. Of course, the difference between selling homeopathy and selling Rapture insurance is that in the case of homeopathy, people’s lives really might be at stake.
Information is crucial to the efficient operation of a free market. Asymmetries of information constitute an entire category of situations in which economists will tell you market failures are liable to occur. Knowledge, alas, can never be perfect. So what we instead insist on is that transactions at least be made in good faith. It’s clear that that means the consumer needs to have enough information to know that the product she is about to buy will satisfy her desires; what’s less clear is whether the consumer must also know enough to know whether the product will satisfy her needs.
—-
*Note: some of you may want to quibble with my use of the word “false” to refer to beliefs in either a) the Rapture or b) homeopathy. You may point out that saying that there’s a lack of evidence for a particular belief isn’t the same as saying that that belief is false. That’s technically true. But when a belief is implausible on the face of it, is unsupported by evidence, and conflicts with a great number of beliefs that are well-supported by evidence, it is entirely reasonable to call it “false.” At least until the Rapture.UTICA — The Utica Comets' goaltenders have made some noticeable changes.
Rookie prospect Thatcher Demko and veteran Richard Bachman each unveiled new helmets recently that feature impressive designs while still protecting them from pucks as they whizz near their heads.
They are fun changes for the goaltending duo, designed to show off their personalities.
But is it important for goalies to have a unique design on their gear?
“I think that’s all personal preference,” said Bachman, who said he keeps his masks and plans to display them in his home someday. “It just depends on the guy. … Some tell stories on their mask and it’s super-detailed. … Like for me, I try to flip-flop and put certain themes on masks and then keep some very simple.”
This time, Bachman went with a more classic feel. On the front of his mask is a V for the Vancouver Canucks in blue, white and green. That connects to a “big and bold” lumberjack version of Johnny Canuck, a popular Canadian cartoon superhero. On the back plate, which is blue, is a horseshoe (“For good luck. My wife wanted me to put it on there about seven years ago,” Bachman offered) and the initials of his young son, Knox, and Bachman’s late brother.
“This (mask), I was having trouble with what I wanted to do,” said 29-year-old Bachman, who returned to the lineup Dec. 30 after missing extended time because of a lower-body injury suffered in November. “The longer you play the more masks you have to come up with. … But this one, I printed out a couple templates because I wanted something old-school. I got (Knox’s) crayons out and he was coloring one and I was coloring the other. I was scrolling around the Internet looking at different logos. I started sketching it up and really liked it.”
Demko’s mask keeps it classy.
The front of his mask has a fairly simple design, with a prominent Canucks orca logo in blue and white on a green background. The back of Demko’s features a nod to the 21-year-old’s sense of humor. Featured prominently on the back plate is the title character from the movie “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.” The back also pays tribute to his alma mater, Boston College, and his late friend, Ian Jenkins.
“Honestly, I just wanted to do something different,” Demko said. “You can see it from far away and you know exactly what it is. It was kind of fun to switch it up a little bit.”
So, why the legendary fictional San Diego news anchor portrayed by comedian Will Ferrell? A simple reason: Demko is a San Diego native.
“The Channel 4 News team is one of the greatest ever,” Demko said with a big smile. “I’ve seen (the movie) probably 200 times. I can quote it from the beginning. So, I just thought it would be kind of fun to throw up Mr. Burgundy (on the mask).”
It is not the first time that Demko has had fictional characters on a helmet. His previous helmet this season featured characters Ricky, Bubbles and Julian from the Canadian mockumentary television series “Trailer Park Boys.” He said the actor who plays Bubbles, Mike Smith, tweeted to Demko after the mask was released.
“So, that was like a dream come true,” Demko said with a laugh, while acknowledging the show might not be suitable for younger viewers. “But, I think they’re funny and they’re big hockey fans.”
Demko and Bachman each worked with popular Swedish goalie mask artist Dave Gunnarsson of DaveArt Studios for their new designs. This is the first season that Demko has worked with Gunnarsson. Bachman has been working with the talented designer for at least five years and has created between eight and 10 masks with him.
“It was a very exciting project to paint and create this piece,” Gunnarsson wrote on his Facebook page this week in a post showcasing Demko’s mask.
Gunnarsson has worked with countless goalies to create stunning masks. Tampa Bay’s Ben Bishop has glow-in-the-dark Lightning bolts on his helmet, Bachman said.
“Each one (Gunnarsson) adds a new effect and it really brings something special to it,” Bachman said. “It’s fun to see what he’s got and comes up with these creations."
Bachman also worked with Gunnarsson to create the Stephen King-inspired mask with scenes from the movie “The Shining” he wore toward the end of last season with the Comets. Richard Bachman is also a pen name King used. For now, that mask has been retired.
“We’ll see how I’m playing,” Bachman said of the mask. “Sometimes if you need to get out of a little streak or something, I might change it up and pop it back on. But, I really liked that mask. So I could potentially wear that one again.”
Demko and Bachman both said they enjoy the reaction they get from fans at games and on social media.
“It’s fun to see the reaction of people on social media,” Demko said. “I feel like maybe that’s the reason I do it. It’s fun to kind of interact with people and hopefully get some people some good laughs."For the railway station near West Challow which opened in 1840 as Faringdon Road, see Challow railway station
Part of Farringdon Road pictured in 2007.
Plaque commemorating a Zeppelin raid on 61 Farringdon Road.
Farringdon Street, south of Farringdon Road
Farringdon Road is a road in Clerkenwell, London.
History [ edit ]
Its construction, which took almost 20 years between the 1840s and the 1860s, is considered one of the greatest urban engineering achievements of the 19th century. Not only was it one of the first engineered multi-lane roads, but it also buried the River Fleet in a system of underground tunnels, solving one of London's most daunting sanitary problems. Its construction also included the building of the world's first stretch of underground railway, a branch of the Metropolitan Railway that later became part of the London Underground running beneath Farringdon Road from King's Cross St. Pancras into the City at Farringdon.
The construction of Farringdon Road necessitated the removal of the Fleet Market that had been built in 1736 above the course of the River Fleet, which is now London's largest subterranean river. North of the market was Hockley-in-the-Hole (around Ray Street Bridge), an area notorious for bear-baiting and similar activities.
Current situation [ edit ]
Today, Farringdon Road is part of the A201 route connecting King's Cross to Elephant and Castle. It goes southeast from King's Cross, crossing Roseberry Avenue, then turns south, crossing Clerkenwell Road before going past Farringdon station. It finishes on the border between the City of London, the London Borough of Camden and the London Borough of Islington, at a junction with Charterhouse Street. Its line continues into the City as Farringdon Street.
Amongst the notable buildings on Farringdon Road are the former headquarters of The Guardian newspaper at No. 119, the so-called Zeppelin Building at No. 61 built in 1917 after a Zeppelin raid during World War I, and the western side of Smithfield Market.
A notorious building on Farringdon Road was the Farringdon Road Buildings, a five-tenement block of dwellings built for the working classes during the Victorian era. Lacking bathrooms and with poor sanitary conditions this building, one of the last slum dwellings to exist in central London, was still occupied until the early 1970s. Common features were poor lighting, overcrowding, with rat- and cockroach-infested living conditions, and people trapped by their own poverty. The residents were re-housed by Islington Borough Council and the buildings, close to Exmouth Market and the Royal Mail Mount Pleasant Sorting Office, were pulled down in the mid-1970s to be replaced by a multi-storey car park. A contemporary description of the buildings is given in George Gissing's novel The Nether World.[1]
The dwellings in Faringdon Road had an annex at the bottom of Safron Hill have been restored and now belong to the De Beers Diamond Group. The original set of dwellings were occupied predominantly by Italians and formed part of "Little Italy"
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
^ Gissing, George (2004). The Nether World. Kessinger Publishing. ISBN 1-4191-7540-8.
Coordinates:The online campaign by Flime in Berlin has called for diners to "donate any part of their body" as well as looking for an "open-minded surgeon".
However, politicians have condemned the Berlin restaurant for being a tasteless PR stunt according to Der Spiegel.
So far the location of the restaurant, if there is one, has not been disclosed.
"Members" willing to participate in the cannibal "Wari-culture" of the restaurant are asked to fill out a form.
It includes questions about medical fitness, Body Mass Index, how often one exercises and even if the donor is pregnant.
The restaurant claims to be inspired by the "compassionate cannibalism" of the Brazilian Waricaca tribe.
The website explains: "We see feasting as a spiritual act, in which the spirit and strength of the consumed creature is given to the guests."
Michael Braun, vice chairman of Berlin's Christian Democrats told Bild newspaper that he had received emails complaining about the restaurant.
He said: "I am assuming it is a misguided joke. But it is disgusting.
"In particular because a resident of Berlin was murdered by a cannibal not too long ago."
It is thought that he was referring to self-styled cannibal Armin Meiwes who was sentenced to life in 2006 after killing and eating a fellow Berliner who volunteered for the task.
Bernd Jurgen Brandes, a computer technician, volunteered to be eaten by Meiwes in 2001. The cannibal chopped off Brandes' penis and ate it after cooking it in garlic, salt and pepper.
He continued to eat the corpse over the next few months. By the time he was arrested Meiwes had eaten around 44lb of flesh.Chobani, the yogurt company, has filed a lawsuit against Alex Jones, the high-profile conspiracy theorist and the host of a popular right-wing radio show, for posting what it called false news reports about the company and its owner.
The suit, filed on Monday in district court in Twin Falls County, Idaho, named Mr. Jones and the media companies InfoWars and Free Speech Systems as defendants. It called “false” and “defamatory” several reports that appeared on InfoWars alleging that the company’s factory in Idaho, which employs refugees, was connected to a 2016 child sexual assault and a rise in tuberculosis cases.
The reports were published April 11 on InfoWars.com and on “The Alex Jones Channel” on YouTube. They were promoted on Twitter under the headline “Idaho Yogurt Maker Caught Importing Migrant Rapists,” and were spread widely online.
The founder of Chobani, Hamdi Ulukaya, a Turkish immigrant of Kurdish descent, has been the target of right-wing threats by people who accuse him of employing too many refugees in his factories, which began as a yogurt business in upstate New York and expanded to Twin Falls, a city of about 46,500 south of Boise.Dead Sounding Phish | A Song Analysis & Comparison
Dead Sounding Phish: A Song Analysis and Comparison
By: Matt Fricks
Since the announcement of Trey Anastasio as the lead guitar player for the GD50 / Fare Thee Well / Reunion / Goodbye / Whatever shows in Chicago this July, there has been no shortage of opinions of how well of a "fit" Trey will be in the style of Jerry Garcia.
While I'll refrain from chiming in with one of my own, I figured that it would be fun to do a song analysis with The Grateful Dead and Phish catalogs – comparing some of the notable pieces from both bands that I believe have some strong similarities.
Here are six comparisons. Have a listen in the Spotify Playlist below and judge for yourself.
“Fire on the Mountain” and “Meatstick”
This is one of the more obvious comparisons that I'll look at.
Both “Fire on the Mountain” and “Meatstick” have resounding similarities, beginning with a near-identical time signature. The steady pace of the tempo is highlighted by the chord structure as opposed to a more dominant main lead riff.
The chord structures in both pieces are not complex and they do not change for the duration of the songs. Consisting of just two major chords (both one full step apart from each other), the strumming is guided by the prominent bass lines of Phil Lesh and Mike Gordon before reaching vibrant and harmonized choruses.
“Tennessee Jed” and “Alaska”
Once again, these are two of the more easily-recognized comparisons. Aside from both song titles and the lyrical themes pertaining to places in the United States, we have another set of songs that have nearly identical in steadily-paced strumming patterns.
In “Tennessee Jed” and “Alaska,” the choruses are the ultimate crescendos, rather than a frequented instrumental passage used as the peak of a jam.
The biggest similarity that really seals this comparison is the shortest in terms of duration. Just before reaching the pre-chorus, both The Grateful Dead and Phish strike a powerful minor chord that pushes the major key of the chorus into a higher elevation, making it much more prominent.
“Feel Like a Stranger” and “Punch You in the Eye”
This is one that I’ll probably get questioned for – and understandably so.
My original thought for comparing “Feel Like a Stranger” and “Punch You in the Eye” came to mind when I thought about looking at common set openers for both bands. Both songs are heavily featured as first or second set openers in a live setting.
From there, additional similarities came to the forefront. Lyrically, these are not related at all…not even close. However, take a listen to structure of the instrumentation. Both “Feel Like a Stranger” and “Punch You in the Eye” feature staccato notes, particularly the guitar lines that are dominant with hammer-on riffs.
“Punch You in the Eye” is certainly faster-paced, but the alternating notes that are usually one-full step apart from one another are the true musical focuses of both songs. Even the overall sound emulates an aura of spaciousness so that even the subtleties in the instrumentation can be heard, giving both “Feel Like a Stranger” and “Punch You in the Eye” a strong sense of depth.
“Wharf Rat” and “Lifeboy”
Two of my favorites from both bands. I will briefly |
history, which would explain how society made transitions from one stage to another. This misunderstanding obscured what was crucial for everything Marx did: the necessity for social consciousness to break out of its existing, fetishised forms to the level necessary for communism. This was not a matter of replacing one way of thinking with another, for it implied what Marx called ‘the alteration of humans on a mass scale’.[2] Instead of this understanding of the revolutionary transformation of humanity, ‘Marxism’ set up a system of thinking which assigns to special people – radical philosophers, or social scientists, or economists, or the Marxist Party – the task of ‘interpreting the world in various ways’ on behalf of the rest of us. In a quite separate operation, their conclusions could then be communicated to the benighted masses.
The basic notion of historical materialism is well known. Plekhanov, one of its chief founders, puts it like this:
(I)t is the economic system of any people that determines its social structure, the ltter, in its turn, determining its political and religious structures and the like.... (T)he fundamental cause of any social evolution, and consequently of any social advance, being the struggle man wages against Nature for his own existence.... Marx’s fundamental idea can be summed up as follows: 1) the production relations determine all other relations existing among people in their social life. 2) the production relations are, in their turn, determined by the state of the productive forces. [3]
The basic principle of the materialist explanation of history is that men’s thinking is conditioned by their being, or that in the historical process, the course of the development of ideas is determined, in the final analysis, by the course of development of economic relations. [4]
So, whatever the details of the mechanisms proposed by any of its many versions, historical materialism claims to be a way of explaining history. It deals with the causes of social evolution, stressing that history is governed by necessary laws, that are as immutable as laws of nature.
When Plekhanov talked about ‘materialism’, he wanted to conjure up those eighteenth century French thinkers like Holbach and Helvetius, who argued that human thoughts and actions had their roots in material conditions of the lives of individuals. What they called ‘matter’, defined as ‘what acts in one way or another on our senses’, caused us to feel and think, and so to act, in specific ways. Plekhanov and Kautsky thought that Marx’s ‘materialist conception of history’ was an extension of this outlook to the explanation of history. In his eagerness to extirpate all forms of idealism, one of their disciples, VI Lenin, was led to write about ‘the analysis of material social relations... that take shape without passing through man’s consciousness’. [5]
Historical materialists ‘explain’ the transition from one stage of social development to another by the conflict between productive forces and social relations. Some practitioners here take productive forces to mean a discrete mixture: means of production plus labour-power. [6] The question they ignore is why? Here are the two aspects of social life, one the human power to produce, the other the social connections within which this power operates. But why are they separate? Why are they at war with each other?
If you explain something, you have to stand outside it. A ‘materialist’ explanation involves hypotheses about how some things external to the explainer cause other external things to happen. Here is the basic paradox: when the object to be explained is human history, it includes the wills and consciousnesses of the historical agents, not to mention the will and consciousness of the explainer. In general, they considered historical forces as determining the changes in social forms, as though history had nothing to do with the strivings of living men and women. Many devotees of historical materialism believed strongly in a socialist future and devoted their lives to struggling for it. Did they stand outside the causal process they imagined governed history, somehow immune to its influences?
Some might think that Plekhanov’s statement of historical materialism does not give a fair account of the theory. What about other, more sophisticated ‘Marxisms’? However, I think that Plekhanov, for all his crudity, actually gets to the heart of the matter. At any rate, he has the not inconsiderable merit of stating clearly just what he means. Since his opinions formed the basis for the outlook of Lenin and his followers, and therefore came to predominate in the Communist International, their influence on all later work is undeniable. When Stalin produced his obscene caricature, Dialectical and Historical Materialism, in 1938, Plekhanov certainly provided him with his model, one well adapted to bureaucratic requirements.
So, while not everybody using the term ‘historical materialism’ means exactly the same thing by it, what they all have in common is that they each have in mind a way of explaining history. This also applies to the various schools of ‘Western Marxism’, who often use the expression, although, they lack Plekhanov’s virtue of spelling out just what they think it means. (Karl Marx himself, let us recall, never used the term at all.)
Lukacs’ History and Class Consciousness, the origin of all such thinking, contains his famous lecture ‘On the Changing Function of Historical Materialism’, delivered in 1919 to his Budapest ‘Institute for Research into Historical Materialism’. Early in the lecture, he comes near to giving a kind of definition:
What is historical materialism? It is no doubt a scientific method by which to comprehend the events of the past and to grasp their true nature. In contrast to the historical methods of the bourgeoisie, however, it also permits us to view the present historically and hence scientifically, so that we can penetrate beneath the surface and perceive the profounder historical forces which in reality control events.[7]
But what ‘forces’ are these? How do they ‘control events’? Why are they ‘beneath the surface’? Although Lukacs goes on to relate this to his conception of ‘proletarian class consciousness’, (by which, do not forget, he does not mean the consciousness of the working class), he does not take issue with Plekhanov’s ideas. But then, from the time he joined the Communist Party, Lukacs was incapable of disagreeing openly with Lenin and thus, on this topic, with Plekhanov. (Lenin did not feel the same way about Lukacs.)
The story of the Frankfurt School is more complex. Before 1933, when they considered themselves Marxists, they used the term historical materialism fairly frequently, although assuming its meaning to be too well-known to their learned readers to require elaboration. Later, as they moved to the right along their various trajectories, they expressed differences with the theory, but still without explaining exactly what they were disagreeing with.
In 1932, within a few months of the first publication of Marx’s Paris Manuscripts, Herbert Marcuse’s extraordinary essay on them appeared. It is one of his most brilliant works, and undoubtedly completely original, since nobody had yet commented on the Manuscripts.
[8] But we would search it in vain for a direct reference to the topic announced in its title: ‘New Sources of the Foundations of Historical Materialism’. When Reason and Revolution came out in 1936, Marcuse had just as little to say about the subject.[9] Nor is his 1958 Soviet Marxism: a Critical Analysis [10] any more helpful on this point. In that book he treats Stalinist ‘theory’ as a kind of Marxism, although he sometimes hints at its great distance from Marx himself. Marx’s own ideas are not discussed in detail.
Finally, let us mention two of the later representatives of the Frankfurt School. Jurgens Habermas, who once wrote extensively on historical materialism, clearly assumed it to be a theoretical explanation of history. Significantly, he recommends Stalin’s 1938 essay as ‘a handbook of historical materialism’. [11] Alfred Schmidt’s History and Structure is an attack upon Althusser’s anti-humanist adherence to the Plekhanov story. He declares that his aim is to speak about ‘the cognitive primacy of the logical over the historical, without abandoning the materialist basis’ [12]. I cannot claim to have understood what this means. Maybe it is something like the view I am arguing for in this article, but I am not sure.
Marxism beieved that it possessed a theory of history, a set of general explanatory ideas to ‘guide revolutionary practice’, while the theory’s truth remained essentially outside any kind of practice. Of course, Marx himself was sometimes interested in explaining the world, but this was never his primary concern. His famous declaration that ‘the point is to change’ the world was not a recommendation to alternate a bit of thinking with some ‘practice’ (although that is the way some Marxists understood it), but an insistence that the objective truth of thinking was essentially bound up with the relations between human beings. [13] (See Aristotle’s use of the word praxis.) That is what I mean when I argue, in Marx at the Millennium, that Marx did not have a theory.
Certainly, he was keenly interested in theoretical ideas. But when he examined a theory, it was to criticise its categories, and to investigate them as symptoms of social illness. Why does history need explanation? Only because it is not made consciously. Having given up the idea that the course of history is determined by God’s will, and accepted that it can only be made by the willed acts of living men and women, we are faced with a problem: why are the outcomes of these acts so different from what any of the actors envisaged? History appears to be something that happens to us, not something we do. Historical theory thinks it can penetrate the mystery of historical development, but it does not explain the source of that mystery. Its own categories are taken uncritically from the existing set-up. Marx’s task was not just to solve this riddle ‘in theory’, but to uncover the reasons for the mystery in which our way of life is shrouded, and to ask: what must we do to live otherwise?
In the light of the outcome of the French Revolution, the questions which Hegel asked also involved the relation between scientific thought and the world it tried to explain. He answered in terms of the cunning irony of History. Spirit, ‘substance which is also subject’, ‘the “I” that is “we”, the “we” that is “I”, [14] worked out its dialectical logic, ‘behind the backs’ of individual consciousnesses. Although we have made society ourselves, it appears to us as if it were beyond ordinary thought, under the control of alien powers. Only philosophy can reveal what the human Spirit has achieved, and this only after Spirit’s work is done, when it is too late for the philosopher to tell anybody what to do about it.
The old scenario about ‘Hegel the idealist’ and ‘Marx the materialist’, in which Hegel was dressed up as Bishop Berkeley, and Marx as Holbach, or even as John Locke, totally mystified the relation between Marx and Hegel. For Marx, it was precisely Hegel’s idealism which enabled him to give an account of history, that is, history in its modern, ‘alienated’ form. This was because Hegel’s account was itself ‘alienated’, set against its object.
... Hegel... has only found the abstract, logical, speculative expression for the movement of history, which is not yet the real history of man as a given subject, but only the act of creation, the history of the origin of man. [15]
Marx agreed with Hegel that that history had indeed operated blindly hitherto, but contended that this was because it was the history of a false, inhuman way of life. A ‘truly human’ life, communism, now coming into being, will be quite different. Our social relations – and, centrally, our own consciousness of them and of ourselves – will be transparent to us. This was where Marx’s critique of Hegel’s dialectic began. A theory, even one as powerful as that of Hegel, assumes that its object is inevitably just what it is:
For it is not what is that makes us irrascible and resentful, but the fact that it is not as it ought to be. But if we recognise that it is as it must be, ie that it is not arbitrariness and chance, then we also recognise that it is as it ought to be.[16]
Marx’s ‘critique’ – a word which occurs in the title of almost all of Marx’s major works – turns questions of theory against the reality of the life which gives rise to them, demonstrating that this reality is inhuman. For him, the critique of philosophy, like the critique of religion ends with the teaching that man is the highest being for man, hence with the categorical imperative to overthrow all relations in which man is a debased. enslaved, forsaken, despicable being. [17]
Any attempt to describe this contradictory world in a theory is certain to run into difficulties. But these deficiencies may be taken as signals that questions had been raised which no theory is able to answer; to answer them would mean making actual changes in the world, not just in our heads. Then theory’s equipment, the ‘weapons of criticism’, must be exchanged for ‘the criticism of weapons’. Let us take two examples, frequently linked by Marx: first religion and then economics.
He did not devote any effort to finding out whether religious beliefs were ‘true’, but he was very interested in the question: why do people so obviously show a need to believe them? He concluded that society produces religion, ‘an inverted world-consciousness’, because it is ‘an inverted world’. Religion is the heart of the world, so its very existence demonstrates that this is a world with no heart.[18]
Marx admired the political economists who strove to explain why economic life works in the way it does. But the very existence of political economy as a science pointed to a mystery at the core of those economic activities in which everybody is engaged, which nobody can control, and which therefore are at the foundation of all social life. Here is where Adam Smith’s ‘invisible hand’ does its work, the counterpart to Hegel’s Spirit. However, political economy cannot imagine the possibility of a human way of living. (Religion says it knows another way, but that it is not, unfortunately, to be found in this world.)
This is the starting-point of Marx’s critiques of religion, of Utopia, of Hegel’s dialectic and of political economy. A critique demands an explicit standpoint, a criterion against which to measure the object under criticism. Marx described his standpoint as that of ‘human society and social humanity’. [19] In this, he differed from theorists, those whose main aim is ‘explanation’. They can never evade the task of justifying their premises, and this always leads them into a never-ending spiral of explanations. Above all, they can never explain themselves. Marx starts off with the knowledge that humanity is socially self-creating, while it lives in a fashion which directly denies this. This standpoint does not itself need justification, for it is the condition for discussing anything at all. Marx knew a critierion against which to judge history, which he grasped as the process of struggle through which ‘socialised humanity’ and its self-knowledge bring themselves into being. That is why he can say that ‘communism is the riddle of history solved, and knows itself to be this solution.’ [20]
Someone who attempts to ‘explain’ history, or, indeed, to do any kind of ‘social science’, tells us that some human action had ‘necessarily’ to take the form it did. But we, in turn, have the right to ask the scientist: ‘how do you know?’ If people’s actions are ‘determined’ by some necessity outside them, are you not yourself, along with your ‘objectivity’, ‘determined’ by the same forces? Marxism insisted on calling Marx’s conception of history ‘materialist’. But Marx’s materialism has nothing to do with ‘matter’ and ‘mind’, nor is it a ‘theory of knowledge’. [21] Marx knew that the history he investigated was the process of alienated social life, in which consciousness was inhumanly constrained by social being. Knowledge of this process was not something external to it, but itself developed historically in the struggle of living men and women to break out of these constraints. Thus Marx’s critical science was a part of the coming-to-be of real, human, self-consciousness, and presaged the coming-to-be of real, human, self-created social life.
Theoretical science, in the form of a particular scientific study, aims to explain some particular aspect of the world. Such a science cannot itself have a scientific explanation, any more than Utopia could explain itself. The great Utopians thought of themselves as scientific students of history. But their standpoint was that of ‘the isolated individual’, not situated within the actual world, but observing it from the outside. Utopianism told the world what it ought to be like. Thus their ‘materialist doctrine must... divide society into two parts, one of which is superior to society.’ [22]
Once Marx had discovered the historic role of the proletariat, he could clearly set out his alternative to this attitude:
But in the measure that society moves forward, and with it the struggle of the proletariat assumes clearer outlines, they
[the ‘socialists’] no longer need to seek science in their minds; they have only to take note of what is happening before their eyes, and become its mouthpiece. So long as they look for science and merely make systems, so long as they are at the beginning of the struggle, they see in poverty nothing but poverty, without seeing in it the revolutionary, subversive side, which will overthrow the old society. From the moment they see this side, science, which is produced by the historical movement and associating itself consciously with it, has ceased to be doctrinaire and has become revolutionary. [23]
Science which takes immediate – inhuman – appearance as its given object cannot envisage a human kind of world. Its task is to show, by means of some mental image or logical model, that this appearance has to be just as it is. Hegel’s dialectic aimed to reconstruct within his system the development of the object itself, and of its relations with other objects. This was a huge advance. However, Hegel only saw these relations as ideas. Thus his dialectic, too, was limited, and later came ‘to transfigure and glorify what exists (verklären das Bestehende)’. [24]
Marx’s standpoint, ‘human society and social humanity’, enables him to do something quite different. He traces the inner coherence of his object – money, say, or the State, or the class struggle. Then he can allow its inhuman meaning, its hostility to a truly human life, to shine through the appearance of ‘naturalness’ and inevitability. Its own development lights up the road which will lead us to its abolition.
Look again at Marx’s view of religion. People’s belief in another, heavenly, world points to the inverted, inhuman character of this earthly one. That tells us about religion, but we still have to understand theology, the scientific activity of systematising and formalising this belief. Marx, following Feuerbach, grasped this activity as itself a symptom of alienation. Theology, like political economy and historiography, is an upside-down expression of socialised humanity’s efforts to become conscious of its own self-creation.
Marx knew that human history was self-creation, ‘the creation of man through human labour... the emergence of nature for man’. [25] No theory of history whose horizons are limited by bourgeois society can know this. When it tries to describe the events of human self-creation, it remains imprisoned within a mental world which denies that such a process is possible. For communism, says Marx,
the entire movement of history, just as its actual act of genesis... is, therefore, also for its thinking consciousness the comprehended and known process of its becoming. [26]
Historians are spokespersons for the process in which humanity comes to be, creates itself and becomes conscious of itself, ‘within alienation’. But this process can only be grasped in terms of humanity as a united whole, and that unity is beyond their horizons. Humanity in its inhuman form appears as a collection of incommensurable, mutually incomprehensible, mutually hostile fragments. That is why, imprisoned within alienation, historians cannot know what they are doing. The historical movements cannot be seen for what they really are: the life-activities of individual human beings, struggling to free themselves. The ‘historical forces’, which historical materialism thinks dominate their lives, are seen as subjects, while the individuals whose lives are so determined are treated as mere objects. This inversion characterises the way life is lived and the way it appears, but it is not in accordance with the nature of humanity.
Because he saw humanity as self-producing, Marx knew that productive forces are really the essential capacity of humans to act humanly, that is, to create their own lives. ‘Man makes his life activity itself the object of his will and of his consciousness.’ [27] These productive powers grow inside social relations which simultaneously promote and deny human creativity, which pervert and distort it, that is, which are alien to humanity. The successive forms of society are given to each generation, but the development of human productive powers make possible the overthrow of all such forms.
Thus the key conflict is between productive powers, which are potentially free, and social relations which appear in the form of alien, oppressive forces. In a human society, productive forces and social relations would be ‘two different aspects of the development of the social individual’. [28] Today, however, the battle between them permeates every phase of human life. It secretes the poison which runs through the heart of every individual. Communism is the task of transcending this conflict, moving towards a society in which individuals will be able consciously to make their own social relations, so that ‘the individuals obtain their freedom in and through their association’. [29]
There has been considerable controversy among Marxists about the stages through which history has passed. A dogmatic historical materialism fixes an agenda for the movement from slavery, to feudalism, to capitalism, and – only after the completion of this list – to socialism. Those who help to move the list along, are labelled ‘progressive’, while those who call for socialism ‘before its time’, like those classes or nations whose existence does not fit into the schedule, have to be crushed. Many people have pointed out that Marx himself has no such ‘unilinear’ notion. But what is not emphasised sufficiently is that, in that famous passage from the 1859 Preface to The Critique of Political Economy, which Marx described as the ‘guideline’ [Leitfaden] for his study of political economy, he was discussing human ‘pre-history’, history in its inhuman shape.
The Communist Manifesto famously declared that ‘the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles’. But Marx never forgot that class antagonism is itself one of the manifestations of alienation:
Personal interests always develop, against the will of the individuals, into class interests, into common interests which acquire independent existence in relation to the individual persons. [30]
Every analogy between the proletariat and earlier classes is potentially misleading. The proletariat is unique among classes, in that its historic role is to do away with itself. It is ‘a class... which has no longer any particular class interest to assert against a ruling class.’ [31] It is the ‘universal class’, precisely because it is ‘the complete loss of man, and hence can win itself only through the complete rewinning of man’. [32] In the course of this upheaval, it could and must ‘succeed in ridding itself of all the muck of ages and become fitted to found society anew’. [33] It challenges the ‘laws of history’ by forming itself into the historical subject.
Marx’s famous ‘base and superstructure’ metaphor was distorted by historical materialism into a blind causal mechanism. However, on the single occasion when Marx used it, he referred solely to that ‘prehistory’, where economic activity dominated by self-interest fragments communal life. In ‘civil society’, ‘the field of conflict... between private interests and particular concerns of the community’ [34], community is shattered. On the one hand, economic activities are perverted, from expressions of human creativity into forms of oppression and exploitation. Only illusory forms of life falsely purport to represent the community. So, for instance, Marx claims that the State is ‘the illusory community’. [35] Law and politics, and institutions and ideological forms corresponding to them – religion, art and philosophy – exist as a ‘superstructure’ upon a fragmented economic basis.
Marx said that ‘consciousness is explained by the contradictions of material life’, that it was ‘determined’ by ‘social being’, and that ‘the mode of production of material life conditions the general process of social, political and intellectual life’. Historical materialism thought that these phrases described immutable laws of human development. Actually, of course, these were features of our inhuman life, its developing essence. While state, law, family, religion and all other antagonistic forms of life are our own work, these forms of our own social relations confront us as foreign powers, not merely ‘independent of the will’ of individuals, but dominating them as enemies.
All history is the outcome of conscious human action. But when human beings live inhumanly, their own social development appears as something outside their control. ‘The tradition of all the dead generations weighs like a nightmare [Alp] on the brain of the living.’ [36] Alienated history, Hegel’s ‘slaughter-bench of nations’ [37], can only appear as a nightmare.
Only if social relations were consciously made, opening up the space in which individual human creative potentialities can develop, would they be transparent to us. In such a ‘true community’, there would be no ‘superstructure’, and therefore no ‘basis’. Humans freely associating could freely create their own social and individual lives. Living in such a world, individuals could begin to grasp that history was their own process of origin, just as they would see nature as ‘their own, inorganic, body’. [38]
History has never been made by puppets controlled by ‘laws’. Living men and women have always struggled to tackle the problems of their time. But, constrained by social forms which were both their own handiwork and alien to them, they were unable to see how these problems could be overcome. This is how Marx describes the resulting appearance of historical necessity:
This process of inversion is merely an historical necessity, merely a necessity for the development of the productive forces from a definite historical point of departure, or basis. In no way is it an absolute necessity of production; it is rather a transitory (verschwindene) one, and the result and (immanent) aim of this process is to transcend this basis itself and this form of the process. [39]
When society no longer appears as an alien ‘second nature’, whose laws seem to be immutable, we shall get to grips with the problems of living as part of ‘first nature’, that is, of nature. Natural necessity would remain, of course, to be studied by natural science, to be the collaborator with technology in satisfying human needs. But historical necessity would gradually be overcome and transformed. If this is ‘materialism’, it is certainly not the ‘old materialism’, whose standpoint was that of ‘single individuals and of “civil society”. [40]
In the bourgeois epoch, the possibility arose of creating a new way of living. Within the antagonistic forms of the alienated world, ‘the productive forces developing within bourgeois society’ have already created ‘the material conditions for a solution of this antagonism’, for a world of free men, working with the means of production held in common, and expending their many different forms of labour-power in full self-awareness as one single social labour-force. [41]
In such a truly human world, a world without ‘superstructure’, without the distortions resulting from the clash between social relations and human forces of production, without the opposition of means of production to labour power, human life would be self-consciously self-created. We could increasingly learn how to talk over the conflicts which have always arisen as part of social life, and collectively make possible the free development of individuality. This movement towards freedom would mean that our social self-consciousness could increasingly ‘determine’ our ‘social being’. Historical materialism only describes the movement of alienated, life, but Marx views the whole of history as a process of overcoming alienation, and that, for him, is the point of studying it.
Relationships of personal dependence (which originally arise quite spontaneously) are the first forms of society... Personal independence based upon dependence mediated by things is the second great form, and only in it is a system of general social exchange of matter, a system of universal relations, universal requirements and universal capacities formed. Free individuality, based on the universal development of the individuals and the subordination of their communal, social productivity, which is the social possession, is the third stage. [42]
Historical materialism transformed that page from the 1859 Preface into a ‘theory of history’, while in fact it refers only the ‘second stage’ of Marx’s scheme. For him, the real importance of studying this stage of alienation, the prehistory of humanity, was to help us understand how it had prepared the ground for that ‘third stage’, the stage of human freedom, the beginning of our real conscious history.
Herein lies the direct opposition of Marx to historical materialism. The theorists of Marxism wanted to explain the past or predict the future. But Marx was not chiefly interested in either of these. Instead, he studied history, as he studied everything else, to illuminate the struggle between a way of life which required explanation and one which would be ‘worthy of our human nature’. [43]
NOTES
1. Marx at the Millennium (Pluto, 1996)
2. German Ideology. Marx-Engels Collected Works (MECW), Volume 5: 53.
3. Plekhanov, Selected Philosophical Works, Volume II, p 617.
4. Ibid., Volume III, p 45.
5. Lenin, What the ‘Friends of the People’ Are. Collected Works, Volume 1, p 140.
6. For example, GA Cohen, Karl Marx’s Theory of History: a Defence, p 32.
7. Georgi Lukacs, History and Class Consciousness, (Merlin, 1971) p 224.
8. Reprinted in H Marcuse, Studies in Critical Philosophy, NLB,1972.
9. Reason and Revolution, OUP, 1936.
10. Soviet Marxism: a Critical Analysis. Routledge, 1958.
11. J Habermas, ‘Towards a Reconstruction of Historical Materialism’, in Communication and the Evolution of Society, Heinemann, 1979.
12. Alfred Schmidt, History and Structure: an Essay in Hegelian, Marxist and Structuralist Theories of History, MIT Press, 1981. p109.
13. Second Thesis on Feuerbach.
14. Hegel, Phenomenology of Spirit, p 101.
15. Paris Manuscripts. Marx-Engels Selected Works (MECW), 3: 329
16. Hegel, The German Constitution. In Hegel’s Political Writings, Knox and Pelczinski, p 145.
17. Marx, Contribution to the Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Law: Introduction. MECW 3: 182.
18. MECW 3: 175.
19. Tenth Thesis on Feuerbach.
20. Paris Manuscripts, MECW, 3: 296-7.
21. Neither Hegel nor Marx can have a ‘theory of knowledge’. They both know that knowledge is a socio-historical movement. A ‘theory’ of this movement would have to include a ‘theory’ of itself, and that is impossible for any ‘theory’..
22. Third Thesis on Feuerbach.
23. The Poverty of Philosophy, MECW, 6: 177-8.
24. Capital Volume 1, Afterword to the Second Edition, p 103.
25. Paris Manuscripts, MECW, 3: 305.
26. Ibid., 297.
27. Ibid., 276.
28. Grundrisse, MECW, 29: 92.
29. German Ideology, MECW, 5: 78.
30. Ibid, 245.
31. Ibid., 77.
32. Contribution to the Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Law: Introduction. MECW, 3: 186.
33. German Ideology, MECW, 5: 53.
34. Hegel, Philosophy of Right, para. 289, Z.
35. German Ideology. MECW, 5: 46.
36. Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Napoleon, MECW, 11:103
37. Hegel, Philosophy of World History, Introduction.
38. Paris Manuscripts. MECW 3: 275-6.
39. Grundrisse, MECW, 29: 210.
40. Ninth Thesis on Feuerbach
41. Capital Volume 1, p 171.
42. Grundrisse, MECW, 28: 95.
43. Capital, Volume 3, p 959.Audio Transcript
“Exhort one another every day.” (Hebrews 3:13)
You know why it says every day? Because you’re being lied to every day. You are. Your flesh is lying to you, the world is lying to you, the devil’s lying to you. Remember Andy Nasselli’s message. Social media and all advertising, all TV programs, all movies — they all lie. All of them lie. Every day they’re lying to you. So, it’s no accident that Hebrews 3:13 says, “Exhort one another every day”.
If you have a small group that meets every two weeks, that’s fine. Just use email and be on the phone a lot. In other words, the pocket gatherings — weekly or bi-weekly — are to establish relationships that get this thing going for every day. You think you don’t need this every day. You don’t know what you’re up against. I’m so thankful for email and people that love my soul and have the courage to tell me things.
This is your calling. This is your calling as a Christian. No matter what occupation or vocation you do, this is your calling.
Christian friendships exist for this: to say things that keep each other believing.
Small groups exist for this: to say things that keep each other believing.
Christian counseling exists for this: to say things that keep each other believing.
Church planting teams — in Afghanistan or wherever — exist for this: to keep each other believing.
Christian marriage and parenting exists for this: to keep her believing. Yes, wives, keep him believing.
Whatever you have to say, whatever you have to do, is it not clear what we need to say? If the essence of deceit, sin, hardness, unbelief, falling away, eternal destruction, if the essence of the deceit is God is less to be desired than ___, what are you going to say? “He’s better, He’s better! Christ is better! His way is better — in a thousand experiential and biblical ways. He’s better!”
“Christian friendships exist for this, namely, to say things that keep each other believing.” Twitter Tweet Facebook Share on Facebook
That’s what you’re going to say. Hebrews 11 illustrates it with, “Even the reproaches of Christ are better than the pleasures of Egypt” (Hebrews 11:26).
If that’s the positive thing we’re going to say, the negative is also true. You’re going to die if you don’t turn around. You’re going to say, “The pleasures of Egypt are fleeting, don’t go there. You will perish in the Red Sea if you go there. You’ll die in the wilderness if you go there.” And we will warn them.
I have a letter here that was sent to me. I love to save letters. This was back when people wrote letters, 1992, handwritten by a young woman who was going here in the eighties and she was living in fornication and her conscience was bothering her and she came to see me. We drew that out, and after a little while I said to her, “You know, don’t you, that if you continue in this, you’ll go to hell?”
Here’s what she wrote seven years later. We talked in 1985. This was written in 1992:
I wonder whether you remember a very much younger me sitting in your office and telling you I was afraid God would have to use a car accident or some other awful event to get my attention. You pointed out that the consequences of my deliberate choice to continue sinning would be nothing short of hell itself. No one had ever before told me I was headed for hell, missionary kid that I was, ‘saved’ at age six. It was a turning point in my life and I have wanted to thank you and tell that ever since. I assured mom that a warning such as that conversation in 1985 made me feel the more loved, after I heard what you really think of it in listening to your message. That you cared enough to tell me, a stranger at the time, means more than ever with the echo in my ears, your compassion came through to me.
You say, “He’s better!” And you say, “If you don’t turn and fight this, you’re going to perish.” You say that to your roommate, you say it to your child, you say it to anyone.
Read, watch, or listen to the full message:Celebrity Big Brother star didn't want to 'hide away forever'
Rapper Lady Sovereign has come out as gay.
The Celebrity Big Brother star, 24, admits she was too scared about what people would say to reveal the truth before now.
‘Magazines would always ask about [my sexuality] but would get stopped by my publicists,’ she explains.
‘It was my choice, too, because I was a bit worried about it – but now I don`t really give a damn.’
Lady Sovereign, real name Louise Amanda Harman, is relieved she no longer has to keep the secret.
‘You can’t hide away forever,’ she tells DIVA.
‘It’s just stupid and now I’ve come out I feel a lot more comfortable with myself. But it was a bit scary back then, because some people do have horrible opinions.’
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wool to polyester fleece might be all you need to do.
Depending on the nature and severity of the allergy, you may be able to keep your pet even if you discover you are allergic to her. In fact, many people do.
Take whatever steps you can to minimize allergens. Most people with pet allergies also have other allergies, and the more you can eliminate of the non-pet allergens, the fewer problems you’ll have. The usual advice includes:
Dust and vacuum frequently.
Have the dog bathed regularly.
Keep the pets out of the bedrooms.
Put throw rugs on the furniture to simplify cleaning.
Use an air purification unit to filter out pollens, dander, and dust.
Avoid using scented products such as candles, air fresheners, and fabric softeners.
Parents allergic to pets
Another tricky situation can come up if you and your partner both have animal allergies and your kids have been pleading for a pet. No matter what they promise, children cannot be solely responsible for the care of an animal. You will be the one taking the pet to the vet clinic, at the very least.
Presuming that you’d like to bring a pet into the family, the obvious option is to choose a pet that you’re not allergic to. Consider White Cloud Mountain fish, for example. They are reasonably easy to care for, and there are very few allergens to worry about. Choose a fish food that you can tolerate being around, and you’re good to go.
A part-time pet might be the answer. For example, some riding clubs have the option of a “partial rental” of a pony. In this situation, your child goes to the stable to take care of her pony, either every day or alternating with another “renter”, and has her pet outside the home. In the case of severe allergies, she might need to shower at the riding club and change clothes before heading home. A teenager might even seek a job at such a stable.
Do one of your friends in the neighborhood have a dog that is home alone all day? If your child is old enough to babysit, you and your child might be able to come to an arrangement with the neighbor. Your child could go over to the neighbor’s house to play with the dog, keeping the dog company. The dog gets attention during the workday, the child gets a part-time pet, and the neighbor gets a happier dog, resulting in fewer behavioral problems.
If all else fails, encourage a hobby that involves animals that are not pets. Bird-watching is one option. Wildlife sketching or photography is another.
Next steps
Determine what you’re actually allergic to. Then, if you already have pets, start taking steps to minimize the damage, or If you are planning to bring home a pet, choose one that you won’t react to.
Bio: Sebastian Paulin is advocate for life with Pets. He enjoys spending his time with his animals including a gorgeous chocolate Labrador Cadbury and writing on his pet blog Love That Pet. He is currently expecting his first child and looks forward to sharing his life with not only his animals but his precious baby as well. Love that Pet is on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.About 2,500 light-years away is Kepler-90 (formerly known as KOI-351): a star with a planetary system that is set up a lot like ours. Information about the system comes from observations by the Kepler Space Telescope. The discovery of the seventh planet (though it is fifth in the sequence away from the star) was made by citizen scientists using Zooniverse’s Planet Hunter and was published on arXiv.org. Other details of the system were published by lead author Juan Cabrera of the DLR Institute of Planetary Research in the Astrophysical Journal.
Kepler-90 is a main sequence star (which is a bit brighter than our sun) has at least seven planets orbiting it, more than any other discovered system. It is set up much like ours with the rocky ones closer to the star and much larger gas planets around the exterior of the system. A distinct difference between Kepler-90 and our system is that the planetary orbits are much more compact than ours. The innermost planet, Kepler-90b, has a period of only 7 Earth days. As a comparison, Mercury takes 88 days to travel around the sun. The outermost planet, Kepler-90h is about one AU away from its star. This means that the entire system would fit inside of Earth’s orbit. All of the planets have smaller radii than Neptune.
The other planets all have relatively tight orbits as well. The rest of the planets have orbits that take 9, 60, 92, 125, 211, and 331 days respectively. However, the orbital periods aren’t precise. There is a 25.7 hour variation, which is larger than any other planetary system discovered. This could be because there are actually more planets than we have confirmed. Also, because the planets are so close to the host star, fluctuations in gravitational pull could also be affecting the orbital periods.
Despite any possible gravitational fluctuations, the system is believed to be very stable. Many astronomers may be able to use this planetary setup to learn more about planetary formation and also about what makes a stable system. The European Space Agency is deliberating on a mission called Planetary Transits and Oscillations of Stars (PLATO) which would allow for more in-depth analysis of exoplanets orbiting bright stars. It could also potentially provide information about the atmosphere of exoplanets and determine if there is the possibility for alien life. The ESA is expected to make a decision about the mission within the next few months.
Tour of the Seven-Planet System Around the Star Kepler-90 from Robert Simpson on Vimeo.Can looking at a picture of the Virgin Mother relieve pain? Yes. The real question is: how does this happen? In a recently published study in the journal Pain, scientists (Wiech and colleagues) measured pain perception in two groups of people, devout practicing Catholics and professed atheists and agnostics, while they viewed an image of the Virgin Mary or the painting of Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo da Vinci. Devout Catholics reported feeling more peaceful and compassionate when gazing upon a picture of the Virgin Mother. The devout Catholics also perceived electrical pulses to their hand as being less painful when they looked at Mary than when they looked at the lady in the painting by da Vinci. In contrast, the atheists and agnostics derived no pain relief while viewing either picture. I would like to know whether atheists also benefit from aspirin, but that's a topic for another study. MRI scans demonstrated that the Catholics' pain relief was associated with greatly increased brain activity in a small area located on the bottom left of their right prefrontal cortex. In contrasts, the atheists and agnostics demonstrated no response in this brain area. There was already ample evidence to suggest that this brain region is involved in controlling our emotional response to sensory stimuli, such as pain. Perhaps this study has, in fact, now shown us the location of the effect.
Much has been written about the value of the placebo effect in the practice of medicine, but how this effect emerges and whether it can be controlled are issues that not yet understood. Essentially, scientists have analyzed the effect based on results of placebo-controlled studies of actual on the brain or have compared only the effects of a placebo against the consequences of no treatment at all. Their findings have been intriguing, if still largely inconclusive. However, in one area of study that is not directly related to an actual treatment, the findings are more definitive. Numerous meta-analyses (which are later analyses of other researchers' data) have shown that only the perception of pain can be statistically demonstrated to be influenced by our minds, which scientists refer to as the emergent property of our brains. The impressive influence of our thoughts and expectations on how we experience pain is a true placebo effect.1111 Lincoln Road is a parking garage in the South Beach section of Miami Beach, Florida, designed by the internationally known Swiss architectural firm of Herzog & de Meuron. It is located at the western end of the Lincoln Road Mall at the intersection with Alton Road, and can house some 300 cars.[1] Since its opening in 2010, it has attracted considerable interest because its unique appearance is different from more traditional parking garage designs.
Background [ edit ]
In 2005, local developer Robert Wennett bought a SunTrust Bank office structure that was from 1968 and the Brutalist style.[2] This included an adjacent surface parking lot.[1] Intent upon revitalizing the western end of Lincoln Road Mall, Wennett decided not to completely eliminate the existing structure, but instead build something next to it of equal height – a parking garage.[2]
As Architectural Record has noted, "In the Pantheon of Building Types, the parking garage lurks somewhere in the vicinity of prisons and toll plazas."[1] The New York Times has labeled parking garages "the grim afterthought of American design".[3] But Wennett was determined to do something different, and interviewed ten well-known architects around the globe before choosing Herzog & de Meuron.[1][3] Construction began in 2008 and entailed closing the western end of Lincoln Road Mall.[4]
The resulting structure cost $65 million to build.[3][5] The overall project included renovation of the existing building into one used for storefronts and offices for creative firms, and construction of a new, smaller structure for SunTrust that also contained a few apartments.[1]
Design and use [ edit ]
The design, led by Herzog & de Meuron partner Christine Binswanger,[2] has been characterized as resembling a house of cards.[1] It is an open-air structure with no exterior walls constructed around buttresses and cantilevers that features floor heights varying from 8 to 34 feet.[1] Some of the internal ramps are quite steep in order to accommodate the wider height intervals.[6] Elevators and a central, winding staircase take drivers to and from their cars.[6] A glassed-in high-fashion boutique, Alchemist, sits on an edge of the fifth floor.[7][8] The parking garage features retail space at the street level, with tenants such as Taschen books, Osklen clothing, Nespresso coffee and MAC cosmetics and is joined to the other structures that were part of the project.[1] Wennett built a penthouse apartment for himself as part of a 18,000-square-foot (1,700 m2) space on the structure's roof that also features a pool and gardens with hanging vines.[7][8] Jacques Herzog of the firm called the parking garage the most radical work they had ever done.[2]
A car descends between the third and second floors of the garage, as seen from the central staircase. Part of the red neon "1111" sign that faces Lincoln Road Mall can be seen as well.
The garage has become a destination for architects and photographers interested in its design.[3][7] It has achieved renown as a tourist attraction as well, especially after it was featured on the front page of The New York Times in January 2011.[7] Several hundred people a day walk into the garage to look around.[6] Runners use it for exercise.[7] Those parking their cars often linger for the panoramic views it provides of the South Beach area, before going on their way (although acrophobics likely stay away from the edges).[3][7] One loyal customer refuses to park anywhere else and was quoted as saying, "It's a work of art more than a garage. Everywhere you look, there's a view."[6]
The seventh floor doubles as an event space.[1] The garage has drawn requests for many types of events to be held there, including wine tastings, dinner parties, and yoga classes.[3] It has been a site for weddings, and one woman had a drawing of the garage on her invitations.[3] It has also been the scene of celebrity-filled parties, such as one Ferrari gave during Art Basel Miami Beach week (where two dozen of the maker's automobiles ran up and down the garage's ramps). At Art Basel 2011, German automaker BMW unveiled both its i3 and i8 electric prototype concept cars on the parking structure's seventh floor.[8][9][10] A television commercial for the Lexus IS 250 was filmed there.[6]
Reception [ edit ]
A glass-enclosed fashion boutique sits at the edge of the fifth floor of the garage.
Since its opening, 1111 Lincoln Road has received varied reviews.[8][11] The director of Miami Beach's Wolfsonian Museum said that the structure "sets a new bar for what parking garages could and should be."[3] Architectural Record wrote that the designers managed to successfully relate the structure to the nearby surroundings, but more importantly, "are helping break the mold for the lowly parking garage, lifting it up out of its gloomy limbo into the light and air."[1] The Los Angeles Times referred to it as "stunning",[12] and the Associated Press wrote that it "has become a modern gateway to the see-and-be-seen cafe scene of Miami Beach's Lincoln Road."[7]
Some users have objected to the high price for parking at 1111 Lincoln Road, which can be up to four times greater than at other lots in the area.[3] (Conversely, drivers of luxury cars like parking at 1111 to emphasize their status.[3]) Others have complained that the garage is not sufficiently protected against South Florida's rainstorms.[11] University of Miami film professor Lisa Gottlieb said that appreciation for the garage reflected poorly on Miami Beach: "It says something about the aesthetic down here. I guess this is what we bring to the table – a fancy parking garage."[3] The "starchitect" phenomenon was reaching the Miami area, with Frank Gehry's nearby New World Center following in 2011 and Herzog & de Meuron's new Miami Art Museum in the works as well.[13][14] Given the success of the 1111 structure, owners of other new parking garages in South Beach have tried to add design elements to their properties.[6][14] In 2012, the American Institute of Architects's Florida Chapter placed 1111 Lincoln Road on its list Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places.[15]On 'Port Of Morrow,' The Shins Sail Back To The 1970s
Enlarge this image toggle caption Courtesy of the artist Courtesy of the artist
James Mercer's distinctive voice and earnest songwriting have always been at the heart of The Shins, but these days they are the band's only constant. Port of Morrow, the group's new album and its first in five years, finds Mercer leading a completely new set of musicians.
"I think I needed to shake up my surroundings in order to get back to a state of mind where I was enthusiastic about recording, and fleshing out these songs that I had developing," Mercer says of changing The Shins' lineup. "I needed to have some new mode before I was prepared to start it up again."
Port Of Morrow incorporates a palette of vintage-inspired sounds that is new for the band. Mercer says those decisions arose in conversation with the record's producer, Greg Kurstin — who, like Mercer, spent part of his upbringing in Germany.
"We talked a lot about German bands from the '70s — Faust and Can, and some of the production work that Brian Eno did in Berlin at that time — that sort of aesthetic," Mercer says. "Greg spent time in Germany around the same time as I did, coincidentally. For me it was my favorite part of my childhood.... Certainly in my mind it is conflated with the sounds of the records that came out then."
One such vintage element: a standout trumpet solo in the song "Fall Of '82," which could have been plucked straight from a classic Herb Alpert record.
"I really wanted a horn part there," Mercer says. "We were thinking about bands like Steely Dan and Chicago, the sort of classic pop of the '70s. I thought that'd be the perfect surprise instrumental break."Sean Hannity laid it all out on his radio show today and said, “what I’m calling a Republican establishment, Democratic establishment, media establishment, globalist, lobbyist, UN establishment. It’s everything that conspiracy theorists have said over the years and all of this is out there now in the open, in terms of what Hillary Clinton thinks and what she believes.”
He continued, “Let’s advance our progressive ideology to foment revolution. Who thinks like this? This is like, you know, Communism in the Soviet Union propaganda. It’s really sad but it’s also true and it’s also reality and it’s also the world you live. You know, Hillary Clinton’s dream of a hemispheric common market, open trade and open borders. She said that in one of her speeches.”
SEAN HANNITY: I want to go over this, what I’m calling a Republican establishment, Democratic establishment, media establishment, globalist, lobbyist, UN establishment. It’s everything that conspiracy theorists have said over the years and all of this is out there now in the open, in terms of what Hillary Clinton thinks and what she believes and what John Podesta thinks about Catholics and well let’s have left wing activists plot a Catholic Spring and lets infiltrate the Catholic Church. Let’s advance our progressive ideology to foment revolution. Who thinks like this? This is like, you know, Communism in the Soviet Union propaganda. It’s really sad but it’s also true and it’s also reality and it’s also the world you live. You know, Hillary Clinton’s dream of a hemispheric common market, open trade and open borders. She said that in one of her speeches. Hillary Clinton campaign said they wanted to face Trump in the general election. Okay, let’s see what happens in 27 days. I still think Trump can win. Now for the Nate Silvers of the world who say “Hannity doesn’t believe in polls, he only cites online polling after Trump wins the debate.” No, that’s not true. The polls right now are not accurate, because the polls out now reflect 72 straight hours more coverage of the Access Hollywood tapes that we now know that NBC purposely delayed the release of, to time it before the debate as TMZ reports. So it doesn’t reflect Donald Trump’s incredible debate performance, it doesn’t reflect yet another 1200 Wikileak drops today, it doesn’t reflect what we’ve learned from the previous Wikileaks drops, it doesn’t reflect that, you know, that Hillary knew that Saudi Arabia and Qatar were funding ISIS, it doesn’t reflect the media — you know what this is, this is a media assault on your mind. What you mean by that Hannity? Cause they’re propagandizing you, they’re posing as objective journalists and they are not as we know about Univision, as we know about NBC, as we know about CNBC, as we know about the New York Times and the Boston Globe and CNN. And we also know that they conspire and release questions to Hillary ahead of time. We know all of this is true.
CommentsAtal Bihari Vajpayee with Jai Prakash Narayan
Columbia University professor Philip Oldenburg has written about how “political scientists did not expect India to survive as a democracy, because it had a desperately poor, mainly agricultural economy, a religiously justified caste system and oppression of women; and was not just ethnically diverse, but composed of what could easily be separate nations.”
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He has reflected on how the pundits must have heaved a sigh of relief as a spell of authoritarianism descended upon the country, so now at least “facts on the ground matched their theory”.
It is a relief that the facts soon departed from theory and things changed. But what have been the various ways in which that phase left its imprint on India? There appear to be several takeaways.
The most familiar refrain is of the Emergency serving as an inoculation, ending up securing India from the virus of a full-blown dictatorship. But that too, is limited, as apart from the Rajiv Gandhi mandate, electors themselves ensured that they did not give too much power to any one party or leader — except now, in 2014.
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One lesson of that time turned out subsequently to be a blueprint for Opposition success. It learnt that the adage about Strength in Unity was not just a cliché. In 1989, as in 2004, unexpected Opposition combos rattled dominant political formations.
In a strict parliamentary sense, an absolute majority should kill the debate about the importance of the Opposition. But the fact is that even those who don’t have the numbers need to be accommodated. And no rule book, or plan to pack them in jails, can work for long. Majority or not, India is too diverse to be led by diktat.
The Emergency saw institutions expected to serve as pillars of a functioning and questioning liberal democracy quiver and shake. The judiciary left a lot to be desired, despite the fact that a court had dared to call out an irregularity in the election process of a popular Prime Minister. It was downhill after that — and even the press, with a few honourable exceptions, appeared happy to allow pre-censorship, or to applaud the idea of trains running on time.
The Indira Gandhi playbook, with its infamous, forcible family planning drive, seems to have pushed population control out of manifestos entirely, since. The methods and styles of even health practitioners talking population control could never include the N-word – nasbandi in this case.
The Emergency propelled several political leaders long in political wilderness straight into office, and introduced the idea of an ‘opposition’ leader in the ruling structure. The Leader of the Opposition (through The Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977) emerged from the first non-Congress government that followed the first election after the Emergency.
A few obvious lessons the Emergency imparted came to be shot through in later years with irony. Thus, several leaders who harvested a political fortune opposing the Emergency quickly warmed to the possibility of privileging personal political power over party organisation. As leaders incubated in the anti-Emergency struggle went on to establish family fiefs as parties, the lesson they appeared to have learnt from Sanjay-Indira seemed to be simply that it could be done — and that dynasties could be established in their own lifetimes.
For the RSS, the big learning lay in the importance of working by proxy. The utility of embracing leaders like Jai Prakash Narayan and, years later, Anna Hazare, was learnt in the Emergency years. As “dual-membership” — of RSS and government — was cited as a major catalyst for the Janata collapse by leaders like George Fernandes, the Hindu right felt it necessary to disengage, and emerge as a new political entity: the BJP, in 1980.
An enduring lesson India’s political classes imbibed silently was on the importance of keeping control over state media and the retention of the Emergency clause in the Constitution. So Prasar Bharati has remained a vital tool of control — far more of a ‘state’ broadcaster than a ‘public’ service institution. No party has freed radio airwaves either. The Emergency provision remains.
Then again, as those who lived the Emergency years continue to recall, even while the songs of resistance were sung and the people protested, sections of the elite were happy to live with authoritarian rule — something that allowed the Emergency to even survive for as long as it did.
The fact is that eventually, inspired by we don’t know exactly what — either incorrect IB reports, her conscience, or foolhardiness — it was Indira’s own decision to call an election that ended the Emergency, not a popular uprising. And that raises more questions than it answers.
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Speaking in a Constituent Assembly debate on August 4, 1949, Naziruddin Ahmad from West Bengal, influenced perhaps by the defeat of fascism four years earlier, said: “It is a strange thing that though dictators have always been unpopular and destroyed in the long run, yet, it is a strange phenomenon of modern times that dictatorships do grow up. They arise honestly out of good working democracy; they arise out of the desire to deal with lawlessness honestly by constitutional short cuts.”
[email protected] Rodgers has told Simon Mignolet he wants an immediate response to the goalkeeper’s glaring error against Ludogorets, with the Belgium international’s position as first choice coming under increased scrutiny.
The Liverpool manager had instructed his team to make a solid start to the Champions League tie against the Bulgarian champions on Wednesday only for Mignolet to present Dani Abalo with a third-minute opener when he fumbled a long-range shot from Marcelinho. Despite conceding that a bobbly pitch had made matters difficult for outfield players and goalkeepers during the 2-2 draw in Sofia, Rodgers did not excuse Mignolet for the mistake entirely and admitted the 26-year-old’s confidence had to be addressed.
He has demanded a reaction from the goalkeeper when Stoke City arrive at Anfield on Saturday with Liverpool still seeking their first win of November. “As a goalkeeper you have to be able to let these things go,” said Rodgers of the fumble. “The goal was a massive setback for the team but we need to keep his confidence as high as we can. We have to look to the weekend and keep a clean sheet.”
Liverpool have kept only two clean sheets in 19 games this season, the last coming against Hull City on 25 October, with Mignolet’s form contributing to the defensive vulnerability. His error against Ludogorets may have been the most conspicuous of the campaign and has increased pressure on a goalkeeper whose inability to command his penalty area has caused obvious tension with Liverpool’s defenders. The club’s former goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar added his voice to criticism of the £9m signing from Sunderland before the Champions League tie in Bulgaria.
Mignolet’s distribution also alarmed against Ludogorets and has been a recurring fault this season. Crystal Palace scored after the goalkeeper sent a routine free-kick out of play at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
Liverpool’s home defeat by Chelsea concluded with Mignolet slicing a pass intended for Martin Skrtel out for what would have been a corner but for the referee blowing for full-time.
Given Rodgers placed great store on José Reina’s passing ability when he first arrived at Liverpool as manager, before replacing the Spaniard in 2013 with Mignolet, who initially impressed during the team’s challenge for the title, the Belgian’s form represents a serious concern to the Liverpool manager. So, too, the lack of serious competition offered by Brad Jones, who has made only 23 appearances for the club since signing in August 2010.
Jones’ prospects are improving amid Mignolet’s troubles but, with interest in the former Barcelona keeper Víctor Valdés not developing into a transfer, Liverpool may have to pursue an established goalkeeper when the window reopens. January is a notoriously difficult transfer market, although Petr Cech’s future at Chelsea is in doubt after he lost his place to Thibaut Courtois and Marc-André ter Stegen, who was linked with Liverpool before joining Barcelona, has yet to secure a regular role for Luis Enrique’s team.
One player who did enhance his first-team prospects in Sofia was Rickie Lambert, who scored for the second game in succession with Mario Balotelli sidelined with a groin problem. Rodgers admits the England international’s work-rate is exactly what Liverpool require as they seek to drag themselves back into form.
The Liverpool manager said: “I am so pleased for Rickie because he has had to be patient and bide his time. He ran himself into the ground against Ludogorets. That is what I am looking for now; I am looking for footballers who have the mentality to work their socks off. It is about the moment we are in.
“There are times when you are doing well and can put all of your technical players in the team but when the confidence is low it is important that your team is made up of those guys who are going to work and press. The two full-backs [Javier Manquillo and Glen Johnson] were strong, I thought Lucas and Joe Allen were outstanding in central midfield, they showed good composure and nicked the ball when it mattered, and Steven Gerrard at No10 gave great support to Rickie.
“Rickie held the ball up well. As soon as Rickie got his first goal [against Palace on Sunday] he was a different person. You could see him at the training ground with a spring in his step, shoulders high, chest out. Ludogorets was a good result for us but only a small step in terms of where we need to go.”SU concept: Scratches
If a gem doesn’t look after their gem well it can get scratched which leaves scars on the gems physical form. Having scratches and thus scars is considered very ugly in Homeworld culture since they are no longer “perfect” or look as intended. It is common with quartz soldiers, however they can just about get away with it cause of their job roles and fighting (plus since they’re all sisters they like to view it more as trophies and medals of honor from fights).
For other gems, especially ones who are meant to be pretty like Pearls, this can really lower their rank and so fourth. It can be smoothed out but is very expensive and dangerous so it is rarely fixed.
Posted 1 year ago on December 27, 2017 with 2,622 notes.
Tagged as:There's a new use for artificial hearts, and it involves a more taboo bodily fluid than blood.
A device that mimics the squeezing action of the human heart has been used to pump urine into a microbial fuel cell, which could power robots that convert the waste into electricity.
"In the future, we hope the robots might be used in city environments for remote sensing," where they could help to monitor pollution, said study researcher Peter Walters, an industrial designer at the University of the West of England. "It could refuel from public lavatories, or urinals, " Walters said.
[pullquote]
Walters and colleagues at the University of Bristol have created four generations of these so-called EcoBots over the past decade. Previous versions of the robots ran off energy from rotten produce, dead flies, wastewater and sludge. [Super-Intelligent Machines: 7 Robotic Futures]
Each is powered by a microbial fuel cell, containing live microorganisms like those found in the human gut or sewage treatment plants. The microbes digest the waste (or urine) and produce electrons, which can be harvested to produce electrical current, Walters said.
The researchers have already proved the microbial fuel cells can use urine power to charge a mobile phone.
Now, the team has developed a device, made of artificial muscles, that delivers real human urine to the robot's microbial power stations. The pump is constructed from smart materials, called shape memory alloys, which remember their shape after being deformed.
Heating the artificial muscles with an electric current causes them to compress the soft center of the pump, forcing urine through an outlet that pumps it up to the height of the robot's fuel cells. Removing the heat allows the muscles to revert to their original shape, allowing more fluid to enter the pump much as a heart relaxes to suck in more blood.
Twenty-four of these fuel cells stacked together were able to produce enough electricity to charge a capacitor, which was used to trigger contractions of the artificial heart pump, the researchers report Nov. 8 in the journal Bioinspiration and Biomimetics.
Whereas conventional motor-powered pumps tend to get clogged, the artificial muscle pump has larger internal orifices, Walters said.
While the new pump does produce more electricity than it consumes (since some of the electricity comes from urine that's converted to electrons), it's still not extremely efficient. The researchers hope to improve the pump's efficiency for use in future generations of the EcoBot.
Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Jatenderpal Singh Bhullar, 25, is the first guardsman in 180 years of tradition to choose to wear his turban on the famous forecourt.
The Scots Guardsman previously said being the first Sikh to mount guard in a turban would be the "best thing in his life".
The 25-year-old said: "Conducting public duties while being a practising Sikh and wearing my turban is a great honour for me.
"I am very proud to be a member of the Household Division and to be the first Sikh Guardsman to mount guard in a turban will be the best thing in my life, especially as a member of the Scots Guards.
"The regiment is full of history, as is my religion."
Guardsman Bhullar, from West Bromwich in the West Midlands, has just joined F Company Scots Guards - what is known as an "incremental company" of soldiers responsible for delivering ceremonial duties in London.
As a 5 K Sikh - someone who adheres to all five symbols that mark Sikh identify - he will also be distinguishable from his fellow soldiers on parade by his beard.
Sikhs in the Household Division have guarded the Queen many times before, but have always worn the bearskin.
Sikh Chaplain to the Armed Forces Mandeep Kaur welcomed the move.
"Sikhs have served Britain in World War One and Two with their turbans intact, confirming their commitment towards righteousness and serving others and living their identity till their last breath.
"I applaud the British Army for being appreciative and respectful towards diversity.
"I salute the Scots Guards who have shown a great courage by adding more to their rich traditions.
"Guardsman Bhullar is the first Sikh guardsman to do ceremonial duties with the Turban and I, along with the Sikh community, are very proud of him and send our blessings that he makes his regiment proud of him as he serves his nation."Recent RAM dumps of XY by Slashmolder on GBATemp have brought to light new moves that may have be related to the Legendary Pokémon, Zygarde. Three new moves have been discovered in total, with further details such as power, accuracy and description (hidden in the spoiler below)
[spoiler]Hold Hands
Normal (Special)
Power: —
Accuracy: —
PP: 40
The user and an ally hold hands.
This makes them very happy.
Thousand Arrows
Ground (Physical)
Power: 90
Accuracy: 100
PP: 10
This move also hits opposing Pokemon
that are in the air. Those Pokemon are
knocked down to the ground.
Thousand Waves
Ground (Physical)
Power: 90
Accuracy: 100
PP: 10
The user attacks with a wave
that crawls along the ground.
Those hit can’t flee from battle.[/spoiler]
What do you guys think? I think it’s a huge hint that we’ll be getting two new games like we did with BW2 🙂 Thousand Waves also caught my eye, could this be a better version of Sand Tomb that has no turn limit?
Small update: We rectified the misattributed source, sorry. We strive to include the original and correct source, but know we can only do so when everyone correctly atrributes the source.Thank you all for your posts in this topic, especially for all the constructive feedback. We posted on the forums expecting that many of you will be vocal about this. We want to assure you, that we always read your feedback and discuss it internally, even if we don’t always agree with some of it. You are vocal, so it means you care about GOG.com and we really do appreciate it.
Games have changed a lot in the past years and new titles made achievements, cloud saves and other online features become a standard rather than an extra. Sure, some do not care about these functionalities and we understand it. Having said that, we believe that if we offer games with these features advertised to the general public, then the default installation flow is expected to result in a game with these features working out of the box. This is our reasoning for including the option to install GOG Galaxy during the game installation, and we do stand by it.
Yes, there are things which we can do better - there always are. Reading your feedback and giving it a second thought, we decided on the following:
1. We clearly noticed - yes, we did - that many of you prefer the old installers (let’s call them “classic”) and prefer to manage their growing libraries manually. Therefore, once we roll out “new” installers with the option to install GOG Galaxy, we will add a separate download of the “classic” ones. Going forward we will offer the option to download “classic” installers whenever a game is offered via a “new” installer.
2. As mentioned earlier, we will work on making the GOG Galaxy installer smaller, but at the cost of it being online only.
3. We will launch the new installers in a couple of weeks once point 1 is ready. Point 2 might take a bit longer, but with the “classic” installer option available, this should not affect anyone.
One more thing to keep in mind: everyday we fight to make more great titles available to you, DRM-free. To release many of them we must support their online features, while at the same time developers request ways to automate upload and updating games. Without GOG Galaxy we couldn't offer many of the games we offer today at all, even if you don’t use GOG Galaxy to play or update them.
Once again thank you for your feedback. We hope the above answers your concerns.
Edit: pinnedTexas is unique in a lot of ways, but our schools are especially unique. Here’s how.
1. You had to recite the pledge of allegiance to the State Flag
If you went to a school where immediately after the United States Pledge of Allegiance, you recited one pledging loyalty to the great flag of Texas, you definitely went to school in Texas. It’s the greatest country in the USA!
“Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible.”
2. You remember (and loved) this book
Tomie dePaola’s illustrated book about the state flower of Texas is a classic in all Texas schoolrooms. It follows the story of a young Comanche girl who sacrifices her single most prized possession to the spirits to help end drought and famine in Texas. The result of her sacrifice is the beautiful Bluebonnet that now graces our great state every year. If you need a refresher on this fantastic book, you can have a listen hear.
3. If you had/have a collection of mums
Image Via The Christys
I don’t know exactly how the Mum thing started in Texas, but it’s definitely a big deal. So big in fact that there are folks who call themselves professional Mum makers in a lot of Texas towns and mum making supplies at stores all over our state.
Via Texas Barbee Doll
Status in High Schools in Texas is based on how big of a mum you got. It’s a fact. The bigger and crazier the better. Heck, there |
a deal. But please hold your applause, indefinitely.
We momentarily went over the fiscal cliff but clawed our way back up the rock face. Unfortunately, we are most likely in store for a never-ending series of cliffs for our economy, our government and indeed our country. Soon we’ll have to deal with the sequester, a debt-ceiling extension and possibly a budget, all of which hold the specter of revisiting the unresolvable conflicts and intransigence of the fiscal cliff. Imagine an M. C. Escher drawing of cliffs.
Be clear: there is no reason to celebrate. This is a mournful moment. We — and by we I mean Congress, and by Congress I mean the Republicans in Congress — have again demonstrated just how broken and paralyzed our government has become, how beholden to hostage-takers, how vulnerable to extremism.
A fiscal cliff deal was cut at the last possible minute, covering a minimal number of issues. It was far from perfect and barely palatable. It was a compromise, and compromises are inherently imperfect. No one likes the whole of it, but they balance the bad parts against the good and see beyond dissension.
As the fiscal cliff votes came down to the wire, many repeated the aphorism: don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. But sadly, we are beyond even that. Now the perfunctory has become the victim of the grueling.Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
March 17, 2017, 10:48 PM GMT / Updated March 17, 2017, 11:20 PM GMT By Cynthia McFadden and William M. Arkin
Donald Trump promised during the campaign to implement a "secret plan" to defeat ISIS, including a pledge to "bomb the hell out of" the terror group in Iraq and Syria.
Now, the Pentagon has given him a secret plan, but it turns out to be a little more than an "intensification" of the same slow and steady approach that Trump derided under the Obama administration, two senior officials who have reviewed the document told NBC News.
The plan calls for continued bombing; beefing up support and assistance to local forces to retake its Iraqi stronghold Mosul and ultimately the ISIS capital of Raqqa in Syria; drying up ISIS’s sources of income; and stabilizing the areas retaken from ISIS, the officials say.
Two prominent military strategists told NBC News they fear the plan is insufficient, and won’t fulfill Trump’s pledges to "totally obliterate ISIS" and do it quickly.
"The current plan to defeat the Islamic State is just like that old saying: Plan B is just, ‘Try harder at Plan A,’" said retired Admiral James Stavridis, an NBC News analyst and dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. "We have not come up with new ways of approaching this. I would say the president might want to send that report back to his team to take another hard look."
"[W]e've been attacking their fingers and their toes."
Retired Air Force Gen. Dave Deptula, who planned the air campaign in the first Iraq war and is a vigorous advocate of conventional air power, insisted that the military should be directing more firepower at ISIS.
"If you view the Islamic state as a body, what's been going on with the current strategy is we've been attacking their fingers and their toes," said Deptula.
The bombing campaign against ISIS over the last two and half years, Deptula noted, has been commanded by Army generals. He says more air power is needed and that the Army should no longer be commanding the airstrikes against ISIS.
"I you want to win a football game, would you put in a swimming team coach to lead the team during the Super Bowl?" he asked. "No."
Last week, the commander of U.S. Central Command, Gen. Joseph Votel, signaled to Congress that the current approach is working. "The Counter-ISIS campaign has entered its third year and we are on track with the military plan to defeat the terrorist organization in Iraq and Syria," said Votel in testimony prepared for the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Votel said that the coalition’s efforts had killed dozens of senior ISIS leaders, downgraded the terror group’s forces and capabilities and taken back "large swaths" of territory.
"While we continue to make great strides towards countering ISIS trans-regionally, we recognize that we are dealing with a highly adaptive enemy," said Votel. "We will defeat ISIS militarily; however, a lasting defeat of this enemy will not be achieved unless similar progress is made on the political front."
'They'll Be Gone Quickly'
The irony of the similarities between the Obama plan and the Trump plan is that as a candidate, Trump repeatedly called Obama’s ISIS strategy a failure
"We have to be unpredictable starting now. But they're going to be gone," he said in August. "ISIS will be gone if I'm elected president. And they'll be gone quickly."
Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told NBC News that the defense department "delivered a preliminary plan to accelerate the defeat of ISIS" — a plan that is "is serving as the basis for broader discussions with the White House and our interagency partners."
Davis said the preliminary plan sent to the White House is a grand strategy - which places even more emphasis on diplomacy, economics and information than it does on the military. It creates, he says, a framework for more tactical questions to be answered later.
The plan "draws upon the whole-of-government, better synchronizing public diplomacy, cyber, information, financial, as well as military instruments of power, and it enhances our coordination across regions," he added.
The Pentagon’s ISIS plan highlights four "next plays," say officials who’ve seen it, suggesting "acceleration" in all of them. The "next plays" include "Support Iraqi Security Forces to capture Mosul" and "Support and develop more local forces in Syria." Both of those efforts have been underway for nearly a year.
According to a defense official, the plan eliminates much of the cumbersome decision-making process previously in place. This streamlining, the official said, will allow decisions to be made more rapidly and with greater flexibility.
Officially the U.S. government says it has 500 American troops deployed on the ground in Syria, and another 5,200 in Iraq. Senior military officials told NBC News the actual numbers are at least double that.
Stavridis said he thinks the U.S. needs "a minimum of 10,000 U.S. troops" on the ground to help local forces "cut out the heart of the Islamic State in Raqqa."
Nearly every expert agrees that military victory over ISIS is only the first step. Unless the U.S. and its partners deal with the conditions that created ISIS in the first place — grievances among Sunni Muslims who live in Iraq and Syria, where the governments are controlled by non-Sunnis — another version of ISIS is likely to rise up as soon as the conquering force departs.
And neither the Obama Administration nor the Trump Administration has been able to do much in getting the Shiite-dominated Iraqi government to grant political rights to Sunnis, experts say.
As for the Alawite-led Syrian government, it is bombing its Sunni opponents on a regular basis.Tater tots are pieces of deep-fried, grated potatoes served as a side dish. They are recognized for their cylindrical shape and crispy exterior. “Tater Tots” is a registered trademark of Ore-Ida (a division of the H. J. Heinz Company) that is often used as a generic term.
Ingredients
2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 cup vegetable oil
Directions
Step 1: in a large saucepan place potatoes and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and until parboiled cook it, about 6-7 minutes; drain well and let cool.
Step 2: Finely shred potatoes by using a box grater. Drain potatoes completely by using a clean dish towel or cheese cloth, removing as much water as possible.
Step 3: To a large bowl, transfer potatoes. Stir in flour, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano and dill; season with salt and pepper, to taste. The mixture should be workable but dry. Form potatoes into tots.
Step 4: In a large stockpot, heat vegetable oil.
Step 5: Add tots to the skillet, 5 or 6 at a time, and until evenly golden and crispy cook it, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
Step 6: Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
So, now you can make this most favorite dish at your home easily.Larry Green, Humboldt Park resident and founder of the Humboldt Park Fishing society, holds up a 5-pound large-mouth bass caught in the lakes of Humboldt Park. View Full Caption Larry Green
HUMBOLDT PARK — After artist Larry Green was diagnosed with kidney failure and started dialysis seven years ago, he turned to Humboldt's namesake park to stay active while he was receiving treatment.
But as he spent more time in the park, he fell in love with the lagoon that dominates much of the landscape.
"I'd go walking to get my strength back and when I saw the lake, I had to get a pole and see if I could catch something," said Green, of Logan Square. "I started with just bluegills and then tweaked my form and started fishing for bass."
Green said people started noticing him and asking questions. So he founded the Humboldt Park Fishing Society.
"I would run into people with the same interests, and I realized I should make a group on Facebook so we can share our knowledge and experience of the park," he said.
Pictured is a painting of Humboldt Park done by longtime resident Larry Green. View Full Caption Larry Green
The group now has 375 members — and he credits the park and the club with helping save his life — along with a kidney transplant he received two years ago.
The group's mission is to "promote, share and protect the love of fishing" as well as "promote catch-and-release or selective harvest," according to its Facebook page.
Fishing at the lake — which is separate from a swimming area that the park district recently said would not open this year — has gotten so popular that the group hopes to raise $2,000 at an upcoming July 11 fundraiser at the park in order to stock it with as many as 700 large-mouth bass this fall. That's up from the 185 the lake was stocked with when he started.
"Being at the park rejuvenates me," he said. "It's all about the people you meet and how you can get involved in your community."
Originally from Terre Haute, Ind., Green moved to Chicago in 1971 after getting a painting scholarship to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He's best known for his photography and paintings of Chicago water tanks, and published a book detailing their history to accompany his artwork called "Waters Tanks of Chicago."
His other work features birds, landscapes and his personal sanctuary, Humboldt Park.
About seven years ago, Green was celebrating his 55th birthday when he passed out and woke up in the hospital three days later. His doctors told him he was experiencing kidney failure and would be on dialysis for the rest of his life, or until he received a transplant.
"On Friday I was sick and I thought I had the flu. By Monday I was fighting for my life," he said. "I thought, this is how the Larry Green saga is gonna end. But no, that didn't happen."
After being told that he would be on the donor waiting list for five to seven years, Green decided to take matters into his own hands.
"I decided, well gee, I think I might put an ad on Craiglsist — I've got nothing to lose," he said. "I wrote a nice little piece that said I was in need and that I had two kids, and I got several messages from people, including the weird ones."
To ensure his safety, and the legitimacy of the donor, Green included that no money would be given to the donor and that they would have to go through his transplant coordinator.
Green eventually heard that a woman had reached out, and she was a match. He had the transplant in 2013.
Green now tries to help others through the fishing group.
"We like to help people out. We try and teach kids how to fish," said Green, who caught a 5-pound bass recently. "It's not like we're a group that can maintain laws or order, but we can suggest to people that we like to protect our environment."
The group has recently connected with the Humboldt Park Advisory Council to help with organizing events and fundraising.
Green — who runs his own interior landscaping company, Green Design — is now 62, but he said he feels like he's 29.
"It's part of my artist lifestyle," Green said. "It's not like I have money or anything, but I'm rich. I've had these 'wow' experiences, and that makes life fulfilled."
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:Harvard University Health Services Director Paul J. Barreira said he was “more concerned now” about the spread of mumps on campus than at any other point during the outbreak, worrying that a recent spike in the number of confirmed cases could adversely affect Commencement.
As of Monday there were 40 confirmed cases of mumps at Harvard and slightly less than a dozen students currently in isolation, according to Lindsey Baker, a spokesperson for HUHS. In an email sent to undergraduates Friday, Barreira indicated that there had been 34 cases of mumps at the time.
“I’m actually more concerned now than I was during any time of the outbreak, I have to say,” Barreira said. “I’m desperate, I’m desperate to get students to take seriously that they shouldn’t be infecting one another.”
The rapid spread of mumps could affect Commencement and other end-of-the-semester activities if more individuals become exposed to the virus, Barreira said.
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“The concern is that if there’s a spike this week, that means those students expose others, so now we’re looking at a potential serious interruption to Commencement for students,” Barreira said. “Students will get infected, and then go into isolation.”
Mumps, a viral illness that affects the salivary glands, is generally considered rare. Incoming freshmen are required to have received the MMRV vaccination, a vaccine commonly used to prevent the incidence of mumps.
Barreira said at one point after spring break, there were only two cases of mumps at Harvard and no students in isolation. “[T]hen all of a sudden we had 11 in isolation,” he said.
Per Harvard policy, students who have tested positive for mumps must be isolated from other people for a period of five days. Currently, students with the virus are isolated in either the Harvard Inn or students’ own homes, if they live nearby.
Barreira notified students of the first confirmed case of mumps on March 1. Since then, that number has steadily increased, and College administrators warned students traveling during spring break to practice good hygiene and avoid public transportation if they worried they may have been in contact with mumps. In March, nearby colleges such as Tufts University and Boston University reported having confirmed cases of mumps on their campuses. Colleges across the country, such as the University of Dayton, Miami University, and Indiana University have also reported confirmed cases of mumps.
Before spring break, Harvard had isolated students with mumps at the Harvard Inn without notifying other residents—primarily visiting students—because of the University’s policy of protecting patient privacy. Once students were alerted that individuals with the virus were in the same building, they raised concerns over transparency in communication.
Barreira said the increase in incidence of mumps on Harvard’s campus can be attributed to students taking inadequate precautions.
“Students are not acting in a responsible way, knowingly exposing other students to the virus,” Barreira said. “It’s both disappointing and frustrating because I thought we were on the decline.”
—Staff writer Ignacio Sabate can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ignacio_sabate.Heads up if you are amongst those who regularly drive across the border to visit Malaysia - you might soon experience a longer wait time at checkpoints.
Soon, all car travellers aged six and above will need to step out of their vehicles to scan both thumbprints as they go through immigration clearance at car counters.
This will be implemented via the new BioScreen system for everyone who arrive and depart through both the Tuas and Woodlands checkpoints, said the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) in a press statement on Monday (Sept 25).
Photo: Immigration & Checkpoints Authority
The system was launched in April 2016 and is used to capture thumbprints of visitors at Singapore's checkpoints.
It has since been rolled out to various clearance zones at land checkpoints such as for train and bus travellers as well as lorries and goods vehicles, ICA said.
ICA said it will implement BioScreen at car counters progressively to allow travellers time to familiarise themselves with the new procedure.
"The BioScreen system is an important measure in this regard, as it enables ICA's verification of travellers' identities to be more robust," ICA added.
While travellers can expect to experience slightly longer immigration clearance time, ICA said it will be monitoring the expansion of the BioScreen system trial and adjust their processes accordingly.
[email protected].
An article posted on the ScienceNews Web site today indicates that North America did, too, have a honey bee.
For nearly 400 years, we've been told that the honey bee (genus Apis) did not exist on this continent until 1622. That's when the colonists brought it over from Europe.The Native Americans dubbed it "the white man's fly."
But wait!
Honey bees existed at least 14 million years ago in North America, according to a fossil record recently identified by paleontologist-entomologist Michael Engle of the University of Kansas, Lawrence. The fossilized female worker bee, now at the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, was unearthed in paper shale from Stewart Valley, west-central Nevada. The geological epoch: Middle Miocene.
Engle, the lead author of research published in the May 7th edition of the Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, says the bee is definitely a honey bee. It has the distinctive hairy eyes, wing patterns and barbs on the stinger.
Unfortunately, this ancient bee--which Engle and his colleagues have named Apis nearctica--no longer exists. The researchers say it's most similar to the extinct species, Apis armbrusteri Zeuner from the Miocene epoch of southwestern Germany.
Extension Apiculturist Eric Mussen, a member of the UC Davis Department of Entomology faculty since 1976 and a noted authority on honey bees, tells us that "hairy eyes" is a distinctive feature of the honey bee. "All honey bees," he said, "have hairy eyes."
The Nevada bee certainly isn't the oldest known record of a fossilized bee. The oldest known bee is 100 million years old, found embedded in amber in Burma back in 2006.
But Apis nearctica is proof that North America was a native range of the honey bee. In the journal article, Engle says that "honey bees were likely truly absent" from North America duirng the Pliocense and Pleistocene, "not becoming reintroduced until the major European colonization of the New World in the early 17th century."
Fact is, the honey bee lived here, but it did not survive.
Which begs the question--OK, we have to ask--Was it some kind of a colony collapse disorder (CCD)?by
The 2017 racing season at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl is not lost it seems.
It was announced Monday that the track will open for the 2017 season under a lease agreement.
Longtime Legends car competitor, team owner and crew chief George Whitney will operate the track under the lease agreement.
Details of the track’s opening and reconfigured schedule are expected to be released within a week.
The announcement marks the end of weeks of drama, speculation and mystery surrounding the track’s possible opening for the 2017 season following the arrest in late March of track owner Bruce Bemer.
“The Speedbowl is my home track and I am proud to be given the opportunity to give back to a track that not only has supported family racing for generations, including mine, but has the best short track racing in New England,” Whitney said in a statement from the track.
Neith Bemer not Whitney were immediately available for comment. Terms of the lease were not disclosed.
The track had originally been scheduled to host its Blastoff Weekend May 6-7, but that event was officially postponed on April 26, with no word at that point about rescheduling or any modifications to the season scheduled.
On May 21, at about 11:30 p.m., a message was posted on the Speedbowl’s Facebook website stating that there was a “working agreement for the Speedbowl to be Leased for the 2017 racing season.”
That announcement, which was also on the track’s website, was gone from both places by the afternoon of May 22. On May 24 track officials released a statement officially retracting the announcement of a possible lease.
Bemer was the high bidder in a foreclosure auction of the Speedbowl in October 2014. Bemer was charged in late March with patronizing a trafficked person.
On April 4 former racing director Tom Fox led a group of high ranking track officials announcing their resignations from the facility. On April 6 it was announced by NASCAR that they were terminating their NASCAR Whelen All-American Series sanction of the track and also cancelling the scheduled July 22 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event at the facility. NASCAR is not expected to revisit a possible sanctioning of the track for the 2017 season.It was fun to take a look around the world on the eve of the 2016 election, and get an idea of how media in other countries was covering the event. How are they dealing with the outcome?
La Nación of Buenos Aires said the entire world was on “tenterhooks” waiting for the last votes to be counted, and Hillary Clinton to offer her formal concession, while a “thunderous collapse in world markets” accompanied the “surprise electoral turn.” As it turned out, the world swiftly came down off its tenterhooks, and the markets were just fine by the end of the day.
The Argentinian paper’s caricatures for Trump and Clinton next to the final vote counts were true works of art:
The Brisbane Courier-Mail predicted financial apocalypse for Australia if Trump’s victory held up:
Spain’s El Mundo was not happy about the United States entering “the era of populism,” crediting Trump’s victory to “the indignation of white, rural America”:
Austria’s Neue Vorarlberger Tageszeitung decided to check on us and see if we were all right after Tuesday night’s excitement, and warned the new U.S. head of state that he would face “enormous challenges” because “the country is deeply divided.”
Another Austrian paper, Voralberger Nachrichten, decided Hillary Clinton was the star of the show, even though she lost. (Dimly visible out-of-focus in the background: the guy who won):
For Trouw of Amsterdam, on the other hand, the cover story was all about Trump and his “revolution”:
Het Parool of the Netherlands trumped Trouw‘s appreciation of Trump with a cover that declared him “the hero of forgotten America”:
Brazil’s Journal do Comemrcio said a lot with a single gigantic punctuation mark. The accompanying cover text asserts that Trump’s “attitudes” are “often described as crazy or vain”:
Belgium’s De Morgen called for Americans to unite now that the election was over, with a cartoon that made it look like Trump and Clinton ran afoul of the creature from John Carpenter’s The Thing:
Italy’s La Stampa used two of the stranger photos of Clinton and Trump to commemorate “the day that changed America.”
Barcelona’s Ara declared Trump had set off an “earthquake,” and somehow found a single crowd shot that captured the full spectrum of responses to his victory:
Zurich’s Tages-Anzeiger said America must “digest” the results of the election now, and envisioned Uncle Sam complaining about a stomach ache:
Taiwan’s United Evening News saw the election as a much happier event:
The Arab News of Saudi Arabia portrayed Trump’s election as the “end of an era” that stretched from September 11th through the Obama years, and spent most of the front page blowing a raspberry at Barack Obama’s Middle East policies:IN 2003, 8-year-old Alex Ellison and his family set sail in the Caribbean on their 46-foot Beneteau 473, Promise. They had intended to take a one-year trip from Essex, Conn., through the Caribbean to South America and back, but ended up spending almost five years living in the islands, celebrating birthdays in Grenada, Christmas in the Pitons and spending three years in the rain forest of Nevis. “The world was now our classroom,” Mr. Ellison wrote in his memoir, “A Star to Sail Her By” (May 2011, iUniverse).
Here, he recalls some highlights.
Q. What do you most want to see again?
A. I almost don’t want to say this, but one of my favorite places would be the Tobago Cays, a cluster of five small, uninhabited islands in the Grenadines that form a sort of mini-archipelago. It’s circled in reefs, so there are no waves, and it has some of the best snorkeling in the Caribbean. It’s got all those winds off the Atlantic, so it’s cool. The coral was the best part. If you’re a diver, that’s part of what makes or breaks the site. And there, it was absolutely phenomenal.
Q. Best place to see nature?
A. Dominica is the best place for rugged jungle beauty. Almost the entire island is covered in jungle. We saw two waterfalls, 120 feet high, one with freezing cold water that came out of some underground reserve and the other, geothermally heated. Then they converged below to form what is called the “faucet of God.” There is a bunch of wildlife, very large marmot-like rodents called agoutis that you don’t get to see anywhere else.
Q. Favorite escape?
A. Gustavia in St. Bart’s is often called the Paris of the Caribbean and has some of the best beaches in the northern Caribbean. Saline is simply stunning. Close by is Anse de Colombier. It is a completely protected area under the Rockefeller Trust and one of my mom’s favorite places to escape to. She loved that harbor because there was no man-made construction nearby.
Q. Best place to go for a first-time visit?
A. You couldn’t go wrong in Grenada. It’s got an extensive rain forest and mountain range. And then the gorgeous beaches on the southern end. But the thing that makes it a really great island, a really Caribbean island, is the people. It’s a really warm, vibrant, happy culture. Laid-back.
Q. Favorite memory?
A. All of the islands have Carnevale at some point. My favorite was around my 10th birthday. We got up at 4 in the morning, piled into a van and headed down to St. George’s, the capital of Grenada, where there was a drifting party. The streets were sealed off, and there were vans open in the back with buckets of paint. They would douse you, and there were trucks with music coming from 10-foot-tall speakers, blasting the island with music at 5 in the morning.
Q. Advice for future island-hoppers?
A. One way is with Chris Doyle’s guidebooks. He’s sailed the Caribbean many years and regularly updates the books. There is a lot about navigation, but he also notes great beaches and local attractions and gives you a good backdrop on the culture of the islands.Transcript
>> She has a reputation as being cool and conservative, the former physicist who leads Europe's strongest economy. He's the wealthy real estate magnet known for shooting from the hip, the president of the world's biggest super power. And when German Chancellor Angela Merkel meets Donald Trump for the first time in Washington on Friday, it may be the American's most important state visit yet, because for months the two have been testing the countries relationship over differences and policy and values.
Merkel was said to have study meticulously ahead of the trip, German officials said she's poured over Trump's speeches and interviews even as far back as this, 1995 interview with Playboy where he laid out many opinions that will carry through to the Oval Office. She's also analysed his recent encounters with other leaders from Britain, Canada and Japan.
One German official telling Reuters that Merkel has been coached on the idea that Trump prefers to hear clear positions but with few details. They also said he doesn't like to listen to long conversations. But Trump is also expected to seek her advice. She's been chancellor for over a decade, making Trump her third US president.
And the White House has said Trump will pick her brain on how to deal with the sensitive diplomacy of another leader, Russian President Vladimir Putin. There's a lot more riding on the meeting. They've stood at odds on immigration and trade, the role of the European Union and other issues.G.P. Putnam Sons, David Burnett / ASSOCIATED PRESS This 2010 image released by G.P. Putnam Sons shows author Tom Clancy in Huntingtown, Md.
Updated: 11:05 a.m.
Tom Clancy, the wildly successful military and spy novelist, died Tuesday in a hospital in his hometown of Baltimore, the New York Times reports. He was 66.
The president of G.P. Putnam’s Sons, Clancy’s publisher, did not provide a cause of death, according to the Times.
Clancy’s books, revolving around the Cold War and its aftermath, spawned a many-million dollar industry that crossed over into film and video games. Thrillers like The Hunt for the Red October (1984), his first novel, and the Sum of All Fears (1991) were converted into blockbuster films starring Sean Connery and Ben Affleck, respectively, and also served loosely as plots for video games by the same names.
The former insurance broker became a prolific published writer through three decades, with his next book, “Command Authority,” scheduled for publication on Dec. 3. But in 2002, on release of Red Rabbit, he told TIME that writing remained a chore.
“I don’t recommend writing as a form of employment, because it’s such miserable work,” he said in an interview. “That’s how you tell a rookie: if they actually think the writing’s fun. I guess it is for the first one or two, but after that it just becomes miserable work, like digging in the dirt with a shovel. But it’s something you have to do. You can’t not do it.”Yesh Atid party leader MK Yair Lapid called Monday for a “comprehensive regional agreement” and an Israeli pullout from parts of the West Bank.
Speaking in English in Jerusalem, at a press conference organized by his party, Lapid made clear that he was delivering a political speech.
“At the next election, I’ll be running for prime minister, and will ask the Israeli public for their support,” he said.
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Lapid described the diplomatic plan his party would present at the next election — still as much as three years away — as aimed at “separation from the Palestinians.
“The details may be complex, but the basic idea is simple – Israel doesn’t want to absorb 3.5 million Palestinians. It is time to separate and guarantee our future as a Jewish and democratic state,” he continued.
A full Palestinian state, he added, “will only come about through an agreement — terrorism and international pressure will not move us towards such an agreement.”
He acknowledged the widespread skepticism at the possibility of moving ahead with stalled peace talks, especially noting the latest wave of Palestinian terror attacks.
“The perceived wisdom today is that peace between Israel and the Palestinians is not possible,” said Lapid. “Some believe the point of no return has passed; others are waiting for a change in circumstances, or a change in leadership.”
But, he added, “this passive approach to our destiny is misguided and dangerous. We need an approach based on pragmatism and genuine security for both sides. The answer is separation. As decisively as possible.”
Israeli security operations in the West Bank would continue after such a separation, Lapid said.
“The security coordination which exists today – and allows the IDF to act across the West Bank — must continue even after the separation. The Palestinian Authority will shout and claim that this is a breach of their sovereignty, but they know it is also in their own interest. If not for such coordination, Hamas will rise to power in the West Bank the same way it did in Gaza.
“We will not allow” such an outcome, he added, “and it is also the PA’s worst nightmare. We cannot allow a terrorist state on our border, we cannot allow a repeat of the process after the disengagement from Gaza.”
The initiative would not win Palestinian agreement, he acknowledged, but he “doesn’t look to reach an agreement only with the Palestinians, but full and normal relations — diplomatic and economic — with the entire Arab world.”
Such an initiative would also repair “our international standing,” he said.
* This piece was corrected on December 27, 2016. It originally said that Lapid urged a “unilateral” separation from the Palestinians, which was incorrect.Our Galaxy is approximately one-hundred thousand light years wide, and one thousnd light years thick. It would take a jet zero-point fourteen trillion years to go from one end to the next. Yet this...creature skims through solar systems and weaves through stars within mere seconds. No, I am mistaken, no living being could defy such logic, only that of a god, or in this beings case, demon. Within its wake, thousands of civilizations are brought to an end as their suns are hastily aged towards death, and in the stars final gasp of breath, take their worlds with it. It flies in such a pattern, so intricately and deviously constructed, that the sonic booms that reach each planet's surface before their doom consists of one word repeated over, and over, and over. "Nyan". In rapid succession, this word follows the demon wherever it ventures, and brings nothing but death within its sweet, misleading melody.But the worst of all, the thing that irritates me more than anything else; is that the demon smiles. Constantly, the devilspawn stretches a wide grin across its feline-like face, as worlds fall before its rainbow river of styx. It takes pleasure within its galactic genocide.It is heading for Earth, and expected to arrive within a month, the bloody good that does us. We have worked day in and out as to find some means against this abomination, but we all know it is for naught, for we have witnessed the debut, defense, and destruction of alien worlds all within a day, worlds much stronger, much farther than we had ever been. Ragnarok is soon to be upon us.I watched a snail crawl along the edge of a straight razor. That's my dream. It's my nightmare. Crawling, slithering, along the edge of a straight razor and surviving.The horror the horrorSara Keays, her daughter Flora and I were sitting in their kitchen eating sandwiches. Their Gloucestershire home, a 1704 Grade I listed building with rococo plasterwork, was, despite the Aga, almost as cold inside as it was freezing outside.
It was a grey December day in 2008. Around our sandwiches was a carefully arranged selection of rather ancient-looking autumn leaves — though the reason for their presence would not become clear until later. Flora, then 25 and 5ft 10in, bore an astonishing resemblance to her father Cecil Parkinson, who died from cancer earlier this week at the age of 84.
She was desperately ill as a child and had also been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome — a form of autism that makes it difficult for sufferers to form relationships.
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Celebration: Sara Keays and her daughter pose for Flora's 18th in 2002, but there was no card from Parkinson
Despite that, when I had arrived, Flora had been polite and welcoming. In many ways, she is a vivacious character and, over the years, had enjoyed gymnastics, ballet, ice-skating and horse-riding. She had also learned to drive.
I knew from past meetings that Flora loved to paint her nails, so I had bought her some nail polish. She thanked me politely, then struggled to remove the thick plastic packaging. ‘Goodness me, this is harder than a workout at the gym,’ she laughed.
Sara laughed proudly at her daughter and her face, stiff with stress, relaxed for a moment.
‘Flora has a really good brain, it’s just that it’s a brain with things missing,’ she said.
While the many obituaries this week for the Tory grandee touched on his political skill, charismatic chairmanship of the party during the 1983 election victory and steady hand as a Cabinet minister, few came close to conveying the anguish of the secretary with whom he had a 12-year affair — but whom he abandoned to raise their daughter alone after news of the scandal broke in the months after that General Election.
When Parkinson learned she was pregnant, he callously made it clear she must have an abortion.
When she refused to agree to this, he said he would have absolutely nothing to do with the child.
The first time I met Sara, in 1997, I wrote that at times she reminded me of a trapped animal: determined still to fight her corner, but with nowhere left to go.
I have interviewed Sara several times since that first meeting, including when Flora was 18, when they marked the end of a draconian injunction that Parkinson had secured to stop any mention of his daughter during her childhood.
Newborn: Sara leaving hospital with Flora in 1984
We spent several days together, during which time I felt I got to know Sara well. At first, she had a defiant, jolly hockey sticks air. But it was, I soon learned, a show put on for my benefit.
The elegantly |
time. She quickly parked and raced down the road to join us.
It had been about seven or eight years since I’d walked to the Crater, and I’d been too busy to actually look at the maps or notes, so I couldn’t remember which short bit of private property you had to walk through upon leaving the road.
I ended up departing prematurely, following a driveway for a couple hundred metres before realising this definitely wasn’t it. Not a good way to convince the crew I knew where we were going!
We headed along the road for a few hundred metres and, sure enough, there’s a National Parks sign at the right driveway.
As we headed down the (correct) fire trail, the trees were still enveloped in an eerie mist, but shortly after turning off onto the foot track the sky cleared up almost in an instant. Suddenly we had sunshine and clear blue skies.
It was enjoyable walking. The going on this trip is incredibly easy. The hills aren’t big, the inclines are pretty relaxed, and the scenery is quite attractive (unless you’ve got a rainforest addiction like Hannah!).
We made our way downhill to a small but pretty creek. We crossed it, and continued up a gully which, unfortunately, is quite eroded (putting a track along a watercourse never ends well).
Half way up the other side we took a short detour to a rocky platform where we enjoyed morning tea while overlooking some of the impressive pagoda rock formations this area is known for.
We made a final push up the hill before following the ridge a very short way to the impressive highpoint known as the Centre of the Universe. It’s an apt name, with an easy scramble taking us onto the summit where 360 degree views of the upper Wollangambe were spread before us.
I fought the urge to dismantle a towering cairn and headed back to our track.
My memory of this section was hazy, but I knew from the map that there wasn’t really a distinct ridge, more a series of vaguely connected high points. Thankfully the footpad was extremely clear and we moved along at a great pace.
As we walked the weather was rapidly turning. A smattering of fluffy white clouds turned to an ominous grey sky in just moments. It wasn’t raining, but it was clear that some precipitation wouldn’t be too far away.
The track deteriorated as we went, with some rocky ground making it hard to follow in places, so we performed a few minor detours.
Then there was the big mistake, which is apparently made by most people given the clearest path is the wrong one. We ended up at a nice lookout over a deep defile. Whoops. A short backtrack and an easy scramble down the steep slope had us back on the proper track.
At the final highpoint on the ridge, just before the track plunges down to the river opposite the Crater, we turned north instead, heading towards a large camp cave I’d been assured existed there. The reasonable footpad on this spur seemed to be pretty good confirmation that something nice must be at the end.
Soon enough we started moving down the hill more steeply before finally coming to a deep gorge.
The Wollangambe River pops out of a fairly narrow canyon section here, which looked deeper and more impressive that what I’d have expected this high up the catchment.
Across the gorge we could see our camp cave, but we were still some 30 metres or so vertically above it.
A short detour down the ridge and we had an easy path down to the river, with a couple well placed fallen trees ensuring dry feet as we crossed the river just near the cave.
This camp site is wonderful. The cave is huge, with big, flat, sheltered sleeping areas. And thanks to the floods earlier this year there was no shortage of good fire wood wedged up on the banks.
We dropped packs, set up camp, and had a late lunch.
Michelle decided to stay put and enjoy a lazy afternoon while the rest of us followed the river downstream towards Wollangambe Crater. Considering the gorge section just upstream, this is a really wide, open, flat valley.
The walking was easy — except when Andreas was swallowed up by a large log jam — and before long I could see the recognisable creek exiting the Crater.
I’ve heard plenty of theories and counter-theories about this place, but nothing concrete. For anyone who is used to walking in the mountains, it certainly seems unusual. A large, open, treeless bowl surrounded by low hills on all sides.
Apparently there’s no proof that it’s an impact crater, or volcanic in origin (despite the existence of many diatremes in the Blue Mountains), so we just had to be content not knowing.
Even with the threat of rain, the camp site was very tempting. We all lay in the long, soft grass enjoying the silence that was broken only by the birdlife. At least one lyrebird decided to let loose, and we spent quite some time enjoying his full repertoire.
Eventually we started feeling a bit more energetic, so Leah and I scrambled up one of the stunning white-barked gum trees that dot the campsite.
A cool breeze and a sprinkle of rain indicated that it was time to head back to base camp. We made great time along the river, finding an even easier path than the way there, and in no time we caught the smell of smoke.
As we walked we heard the piercing shrieks of black cockatoos. Looking skywards we suddenly saw a massive flock of them — something like 40 or 50 birds — which was a most unusual sight for a bird that normally sticks to small groups.
Sure enough, after a relaxing siesta, Michelle had decided to get the fire going for us, which was a pleasant treat.
It was still fairly early, so I went a short way up the river and found a nice little swimming hole for a quick dip. The water was icy — and the air wasn’t much better — so it was more a series of quick submersions followed by a few moments to thaw out again.
Back at the cave we all settled in for dinner, before sitting around the fire enjoying a drink and a laugh. (Apparently a few of us enjoyed both a little too much, because come morning one member of the group was looking extremely seedy!)
Most of the group had lugged tents, just in case, but Michelle and I chose the enjoyable open-air experience of falling asleep with the flickering of the firelight on the rocky roof above. The only downside came in the middle of the night, when I woke up because I could feel something tickling my nose. I opened my eyes, and there just millimetres from my face was a cute little bush rat rubbing against my nose with his whiskers.
Even after I stirred he only pulled back slightly, then came in for another little ratty kiss. I gave him a gentle push away, rolled over, and went back to sleep. They woke us a few more times, scurrying around our groundsheet, but seemed more inquisitive than anything else.
I’m not sure if everyone believed me come morning, especially as I’d been telling the story the night before of Adrian getting an erotic ear-nibble from a bush rat on the Bungleboori a few years back.
It had been raining on and off all night, preventing our enjoyment of the supermoon (except for a few moments when it almost peaked through a thin patch in the clouds), and the continuing drizzle wasn’t inspiring anyone to move.
Eventually, after several cups of tea and coffee, everyone packed up and we set off up the hill.
Even with rain jackets we got soaked. The bush was dripping with what looked like millions of diamonds. As we walked it was humid and steamy, but each time we stopped it was quickly very chilling.
We had to stop frequently, as our hungover walker was deteriorating. There’d been a couple subtle vomits earlier in the morning, but the addition of walking up hill with a full pack was making it worse. Eventually we reorganised packs so that Joan could at least have one less challenge to deal with.
And so it continued. Rain, wet scrub, pause to hurl. Rain, wet scrub, pause to hurl. In fact, Joan completely lost count, but we estimated it must have reached something like 25. Surely a record for a bushwalking hangover! (And also reason enough to never drink plum brandy.)
Interestingly, we still seemed to be moving at a reasonable speed. We spent more time on the correct track on the way back, avoided a few of yesterday’s detours, and before long were starting to get glimpses of the Centre of the Universe on the horizon.
We didn’t pause this time, our objective was the cars, and we were only a few kilometres from the end when we finally stopped for a light lunch. We couldn’t have spent more than five or 10 minutes before the cold had us all itching to move again.
Down to the creek then one last long push uphill towards Bell. Even with Joan’s poor condition we paced it out nicely and it was only early afternoon when we got to the cars.
We all quickly stripped off the wet clothing and got into some warm, dry attire (except Hannah, who had to put wet shoes back on) before agreeing that it was the perfect weather for some woodfired pizza.
After one last navigational challenge — where two of the three cars started heading down Bells Line of Road — we all managed to get back on track and head into Katoomba.
Enjoying a beer and a nice feed at the Station Bar, while outside the rain and mist seemed even more set in, made us extremely glad we hadn’t planned a longer walk for the weekend.SALT LAKE CITY—Inquiring about several potential scenarios, Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson reportedly asked his campaign aides what their best path to 270 electoral votes was while they were in the midst of packing up the candidate’s headquarters Tuesday. “Okay, let’s think through the electoral map and see where our clearest shot at victory is,” said Johnson to top advisors who were taping shut cardboard boxes containing unsold campaign T-shirts, bumper stickers, and buttons reading “#LetGaryDebate.” “Have we gained any traction in Florida? That would give us a lot more wiggle room in New Hampshire and North Carolina. And if we got a strong early turnout in Alaska and South Dakota, that definitely moves us a lot closer to 270, if not beyond.” At press time, Johnson was muttering to himself about the western Mountain states in an empty office as his campaign staff went out back and threw everything into the dumpster.
AdvertisementThe 2017 NFL Draft helmet and football are shown on display during the press conference announcing that the 2017 NFL Draft will be held in Philadelphia, Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016, in Philadelphia. (Chris Szagola/AP)
For the first time in Nevada, bettors will be able to wager on the NFL Draft, scheduled for April 27 to 29.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board granted approval Thursday for the state’s sports books to offer prop bets on the draft, according to board chairman A.G. Burnett.
Bettors won’t be able to wager on which player will be the No. 1 overall pick. But they’ll be able to wager on the total number of quarterbacks drafted in the first round, whether there will be more offensive players than defensive players drafted in the first round, and the over/under of the draft position for the first kicker taken, to name a few.
Other approved props include the total number of players drafted from a particular college or conference for the first round and for the entire draft.
There also will be matchup props on which college and/or conference will have more players drafted in the first round and in the entire draft, as well as other props.
An unidentified sports book petitioned the board to give it the ability to take bets on the draft under a regulation regarding “other events” that take place off the field, and the petition was approved for all books.
“It has to be something that makes us comfortable from a regulatory standpoint,” Burnett said. “Most importantly, that the outcome of the event can’t be affected by a bet that is placed.”
The board has denied requests in the past for books to take action on awards shows and competitions in which the results are known in advance.
The state’s sports books have received approval to take bets on the Heisman Trophy in each of the past three years and have taken action the past two seasons on baseball’s major awards: MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year. The board also granted approval this year to books to take wagers on the Super Bowl MVP and the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s playoff MVP.
Betting on the NFL Draft must cease at the close of business on April 26.
Follow all of our sports betting coverage online at reviewjournal.com/betting and @RJ_Sports on Twitter.
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at [email protected] or 702-383-0354. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.istock/thinkstock
The climate change threat has not lost a jot of its urgency. Without drastic emission reductions or controversial technical climate fixes, global warming is more than likely to continue throughout the twenty-first century and might severely alter our planet’s natural environments and the living conditions of billions of people, the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns in its latest report today.
Even if carbon-dioxide emissions were to cease overnight, the half a triillion tonnes of carbon that have been pumped into the atmosphere since major industrialization began in around 1850 will affect Earth’s biosphere, glaciers and oceans for centuries to come, the group says.
A summary for policymakers of the IPCC's latest report, on the physical basis of climate change, was released in Stockholm after four days of marathon negotiations between lead authors and government representatives from 195 countries, each of whom has to agree every line and figure in the final 36-page report.
In 19 headline messages, the summary lays out that observed changes since 1950 unequivocally point to climate change that is "unprecedented over decades to millennia". Relative to the 1986–2005 period, the global mean surface temperature is projected to further increase by between 0.3 and 4.8 °C by the end of the century, depending on future economic and technological development.
As glacier melt in Greenland and in parts of Antarctica is accelerating, sea-level rise — in the range of 26 to 82 centimetres by 2100 according to the latest IPCC projections — will increase the risk of flooding at many coastlines. The report also warns of increasing ocean acidification — a stark threat to marine biodiversity — and disruptions of the global water cycle and local fresh water availability owing to changing precipitation patterns.
"Climate change is the greatest challenge of our time," says Thomas Stocker, a climate scientist at the University of Bern in Switzerland who co-chaired the assessment. "I am proud that we have been able to convince politicians that what we have come up with is a robust assessment of climate change. The scientific essence of previous drafts has not changed and the main messages have all been kept."
Government officials and scientists spent four long days reviewing and editing the document, line by line. The marathon process extended through the night on Thursday and concluded at 5:20 am today. Gerald Meehl, a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmosopheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, says government delegates regularly sought to clarify the science but very rarely questioned the underlying messages or how scientists arrived at their conclusions. "It’s an exercise in language," Meehl says, "and we’re here to make sure that the science doesn't get changed."
The IPCC's assessment draws on real-world observations, such as of glacier and sea ice retreat, climate models based on four different greenhouse gas emission scenarios and a sweeping review of the scientific literature.
Overall, the report cites more than 9,200 scientific papers, two-thirds of which have been published since 2007. There is now an overwhelming body of evidence, says Stocker, that the 1 °C or so of global warming since the mid-nineteenth century is the result of human activity.
To give the world a 66% chance of limiting global warming to 2 °C, future emissions must be kept below 500 gigatonnes of carbon — a fraction of known untapped oil and gas resources — the report concludes.
"The IPCC has provided an even more robust scientific basis for action on climate change," says Johan Rockstroem, the director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre. "I am glad that the scientific community is standing very firm on the true scale of the threat we're facing."
A slowdown in the rise of global average temperatures in recent years suggests that global warming is proceeding more intermittently, and less predictably, than it does in some climate models. But the 'hiatus' since the record hot year of 1998 — probably due to increased heat uptake by the oceans — is no sign that global warming has stopped, as some would like to hope.
"Comparing short-term observations with long-term model projections is inappropriate," says Stocker. "We know that there is a lot of natural fluctuation in the climate system. A 15-year hiatus is not so unusual even though the jury is out as to what exactly may have caused the pause."
Claims that there might be something fundamentally wrong with climate models are unjustified unless "temperature were to remain constant for the next 20 years", he says.
"Surface temperature warming is not the only signature of climate change," says Brian Hoskins, director of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change at Imperial College London in the United Kingdom. "We're confronted with an interplay between different parts of a larger system which is clearly changing. It speaks well for the IPCC that it has tackled without fear the complexities involved in fulfilling its task."
A final draft of the full report, the fifth since 1990, will be released next week. The IPCC's reports on adaptation and mitigation of climate change, as well as a synthesis report, will follow next year. Its last full assessment led to the IPCC winning the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, together with former US vice-president Al Gore.Make and share funny memes with Meme Creator
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DENVER -- The fatal shooting of a woman in Denver last Monday is raising questions about the actions of the 911 dispatcher who handled the call. Kristine Kirk died after police say her husband shot her in the head.
According to records obtained by FOX31 Denver, she was on the phone with 911 for 13 minutes before she was killed at her home on South St. Paul Street near East Evans Avenue.
Sources tell FOX31 Denver there were police officers less than one mile away from Kirk's house while she waited for help to arrive. After the fatal call, the 911 dispatcher was suspended while the department investigated how she handled the call.
Complaints Against Denver 911 Employees
A FOX31 Denver Investigation found despite more than 60 complaints against employees of Denver 911 in the last two years, they are rarely written-up for complaints deemed justified by 911 supervisors.
Records obtained through an open records request found the majority of the time, operators, call-takers and dispatchers are primarily given coaching or counseling following complaints.
In the last two years we found two operators were written-up for errors made during emergency calls.
Another 911 Call Leads To Shooting Death
A Denver 911 operator was fired after he handled a call where the victim was shot and killed following the directions of the operator, according to a lawsuit filed by the victim's family.
On April 1, 2012, Denver 911 operator Juan Jesus Rodriguez answered the frantic call from Ran Pal. He said a group of men driving a Jeep Cherokee threw a beer bottle through the back window of his car and began yelling racial slurs. Pal also told the operator he thought the men had a gun.
Part of the 911 transcripts obtained by FOX31 Denver details how the victims were scared and in shock, but were able to escape from the suspects in the Jeep and get to an apartment complex in Wheat Ridge, seven blocks outside of Denver city limits.
"Yeah that's going to be out and uh that's going to be outside of Denver. I need you to come back into Denver so we can take a report,” Rodriguez told Pal, according to 911 transcripts.
Pal asked Rodriguez several times if an officer could come to the apartment because he is trying to recover from the attack, but the operator insists Pal and his fellow passengers must come back into Denver to file a police report.
According to records with Denver 911 that's not true. Rodriguez could have sent an officer to Pal's location.
Despite the victims’ request to stay outside of Denver city limits, in their apartment, they followed instructions and did return to Denver to wait for an officer.
Minutes after Rodriguez told them to wait at the intersection of West 29th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard with their hazard lights on, the suspects in the Jeep returned before police.
"They're back, they're back," Pal can be heard saying on the 911 call; Rodriguez asks if they can get away, and Pal told him his brother, Jimma Reat, was down. "They hit Jimma," a sobbing Pal told Rodriguez.
One minute after Reat is shot and dying in the arms of his brother, Rodriguez dispatches an officer for the first time, more than 12 minutes after Reat called 911.
In Rodriguez's 20-page termination letter it shows the operator failed to "decipher the situation" and despite the "caller stated six separate times that he was injured, in shock and didn't want to drive and needed time to recover," he still insisted the men return to Denver.
Rodriguez, who was fired more than a month after the death of Reat, "Showed a blatant disregard for the caller's health in your quest to have the caller return to the city of Denver," the termination letter states.
His termination also uncovered another complaint against him where he handled a call from a teenager who called to say he just killed his mother's boyfriend. The February 29, 2012 call, took place a little more than a month before Reat was shot and killed.
911 Call error in February 2012
The 911 call started with the juvenile admitting to have killed a man, “And he started to get aggressive and he forced my mom on the floor and I choked him out but I don’t know how long I choked him out for I think I killed him," the caller told Rodriguez.
Instead of sending help, Rodriguez spends more than five minutes trying to get an exact address for the apartment building where the incident happened.
The 911 call obtained through court records shows within 60 seconds there was enough information to dispatch help to an area indicated by his call screen pulled up.
Rodriguez asked the teenager to go outside to find an exact address of the apartment where he was located. When the teen follows the instructions, the door locks behind him. "I have to hop the fence because I'm locked out."
The teen hops the fence when Rodriguez instructs him to do CPR on the man.
"Can you get close to him?" asked Rodriguez. "No, I told you I choked him out," the teen responds.
"At no point during the conversation did you actively listen to what the caller had to say or appear to understand that a homicide had occurred," was written in Rodriguez termination letter.
It also said he "harangued" the caller with questions and had no appreciation for the caller’s environment.
In the verbal reprimand for this call, Rodriguez’ supervisor discussed scene safety with him. He was allowed to go back to work without any retraining.
FOX31 Denver contacted Juan Rodriguez through his attorney, but he did not want to talk to us.
The 911 employee who handled Kristine Kirk's call last week is on suspension while an investigation in that call is under way.A busy shopping day at a Publix store was violently interrupted when a plane crashed through the roof of the store Monday. So far, though, it appears no one was killed.
The Publix is at the Northgate Shopping Center is on East International Speedway Boulevard, about a mile from DeLand Airport.
Reporter Saul Saenz says a total of five people were hurt, three were seriously hurt, according to emergency crews. Two of those seriously hurt people were inside the plane. Saenz says no fatalities have been reported.
Sgt. Chris Estes with DeLand Police says three people with serious burns were taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center, the other two people were taken to Florida Hospital DeLand.
Officials have identified three of the victims:
Lisa Cordova and April Morris suffered minor injuries and were treated and released from Florida Hospital.
Brenden Beitler, 20, was taken with serious burns to Orlando Regional Medical Center.
Estes says this was a single-engine experimental amphibious plane which had taken off, had an issue and crashed. The plane is on the ground inside the store. The structural integrity of the supermarket itself has been compromised, and the roof as well.
Fire crews say they have not been able to get in and verify that every one did, in fact, get out of the store.
At one point, this was considered a three-alarm fire. Fire crews are currently in the mop-up phase.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are now investigating this crash.
Stetson University says one student was hurt in the crash. Witnesses say the students legs were severely burned in the fire caused by the crash.
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Witnesses report seeing plane crash
"I was walking back along the back of the store and God was on my left shoulder, God called me over to the left to look at the yogurt and just as I was walking up to the yogurts to look at the yogurt, I heard a loud boom and it sounded like really loud thunder. I happened to look up and all the ceiling tiles just blew out and stuff started flying off the ceiling and I looked to my right and there was a big huge explosion and I heard a man yell 'a plane just crashed into Publix, everybody run,'" described Phyllis Gould.
Randy Felix, who says he was in the Publix at the time of the crash, said he was in the deli section when he heard the rumbling. He said lights then went off, and then a plume of fire pushed to the front of the store. Felix says it affected about five to six aisles, and seemed to happen in the center of the store.
Customers started running to get out. Felix says he saw one customer with his legs badly burned.
Craig Maddox, whose son works at the Publix, told us the small plane crashed through the roof. He said he got his information from one of the Publix managers. He says all of the employees made it out okay.
Darlene Trezkop, who witnessed the crash, said the plane was flying fast and low when it crashed into the building.
Another witness, Stephen Lloyd, says he and his children saw the plane take off, turned his head for a moment, then heard the plane hit the building and saw the plume of smoke.
Evan Wallace, another witness, says he saw two people coming out of the back of the store on stretchers. He says he was told by Volusia County Sheriff's deputies that they were the pilot and co-pilot.
Pedro Pavel, 11, was outside the store with his mother. He said he heard the plane sputter, and crash into the building. He then felt the ground shake, and feared there would be a bigger explosion. He said his mother kept trying to get him in the car, but he felt paralyzed as he watched people run out of the store.
"There was a zip zoom, like artillery, if you've been on the business-end of that you know what it is," another witness said. "The first thing that came to my mind was terrorism, you know."
———————————————
Outside the store
Walt Logan, a Bright House Networks employee, said black smoke can still be seen from the building as late as 8 p.m. The building is part of a strip mall with some small and large businesses. Logan, also tells us that onlookers were pushed back because the gas line to the Publix had not been shut off yet. That gas line has since been turned off.
Stetson University, a large private school in DeLand, is urging its students to stay away from Northgate Shopping Center. Stetson tweeted a statement just before 9 p.m. from Vice-President Chris Kandus:
"Please stay away from Publix crash site to allow emer. crews to work. Reslife and oncall staff are avail. if needed."Coordinates: Nine Views (Croatian: Devet pogleda) is an ambiental installation in Zagreb, Croatia which, together with the sculpture Prizemljeno Sunce (The Grounded Sun), makes up a consistent model of the Solar System.
Prizemljeno Sunce by Ivan Kožarić was first displayed in 1971 by the building of the Croatian National Theatre, and since then changed location a few times.[1] Since 1994 it has been situated in the Bogovićeva Street. It is simply a bronze sphere around 2 metres in diameter.
In 2004, artist Davor Preis had a two-week exhibition in the Josip Račić Exhibition Hall in Margaretska Street in Zagreb, and afterwards he placed 9 models of the planets of the Solar System around Zagreb, to complete a model of the entire solar system. The models' sizes as well as their distances from the Prizemljeno Sunce are all in the same scale as the Prizemljeno Sunce itself.[1]
Preis did this installation with very little or no publicity, so his installation isn't well known among citizens of Zagreb. On a few occasions individuals or small groups of people, particularly physics students, "discovered" that there was a model of the solar system in Zagreb.[1] One of the earliest efforts to find all of the planets was started in November 2004 on the web forum of the student section of Croatian Physics Society.[2]
The locations of the planets are as follows:
Mercury - 3 Margaretska Street
Venus - 3 Ban Josip Jelačić Square
Earth - 9 Varšavska Street
Mars - 21 Tkalčićeva Street
Jupiter - 71 Voćarska Street
Saturn - 1 Račićeva Street
Uranus - 9 Siget (not at the residential building but at the garage across the street)
Neptune - Kozari 17
Pluto - Bologna Alley (underpass) - included in the installation before being demoted to dwarf planet
The system is at scale 1:680 000 000. Earth's model is about 1.9 cm in size and at 225 m distance from the sun's model, while Pluto's model is 7.7 km away from it.[3]
Gallery [ edit ]Speaking at an event in New York City Friday, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), seemingly went off script while talking about President Trump.
The event was held by the Personal Democracy Forum at New York University, and the senator grew frustrated speaking about the president’s failure to fulfill the promises he made on the campaign trail.
“He promised he was going to drain the swamp and get rid of corruption in Washington and change the culture there, so that no one can make a profit off of their government work,” she told the audience.
“Has he kept his promises? Fuck, no.”
She also called on Democrats to fight even harder than they have.
“This isn’t about politics—it’s about people… Though we as Democrats might be on the right side of all the issues… many hardworking families just haven’t felt us fighting for them in a very long time.”
She added: "Fundamentally, if we aren’t helping people, we should go the fuck home."
Gillibrand’s second use of the F-bomb was actually in her script, Mic reported.
Twitter (mostly) loved the senator’s swearing.BEIJING (Reuters) - Some International Olympic Committee officials cut a deal to let China block sensitive websites despite promises of unrestricted access, a senior IOC official admitted on Wednesday.
Paramilitary policemen march into the National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, at the Olympic Green in Beijing, July 30, 2008. REUTERS/Joe Chan
Persistent pollution fears and China’s concerns about security in Tibet also remained problems for organizers nine days before the Games begin.
China had committed to providing media with the same freedom to report on the Games as they enjoyed at previous Olympics, but journalists have this week complained of finding access to sites deemed sensitive to its communist leadership blocked.
“I regret that it now appears BOCOG has announced that there will be limitations on website access during Games time,” IOC press chief Kevan Gosper said, referring to Beijing’s Olympic organizers.
“I also now understand that some IOC officials negotiated with the Chinese that some sensitive sites would be blocked on the basis they were not considered Games related,” he said.
Attempts at the main press centre to access the website of Amnesty International, which released a report on Monday slamming China for failing to honor its Olympic human rights pledges, continued to prove fruitless by mid-week.
Other websites, including those relating to the banned spiritual group Falun Gong, are also inaccessible.
Beijing organizers said censorship would not stop journalists doing their jobs in reporting the Games.
“We are going to do our best to facilitate the foreign media to do their reporting work through the Internet,” BOCOG spokesman Sun Weide told a news conference.
“I would remind you that Falun Gong is an evil, fake religion which has been banned by the Chinese government.”
Reporters without Borders, a Paris-based media watchdog, said it was increasingly concerned that there would be many cases of censorship during the Olympics.
“We condemn the IOC’s failure to do anything about this, and we are more skeptical about its ability to ensure that the media are able to report freely,” the group said in a statement.
SMOG-WATCH
But the admission that the Internet will be partly censored is sure to lead to more criticism for the Olympics host nation, which is already deflecting barbs over everything from the quality of its air to its human rights record.
On Wednesday, Chinese experts said they were working on emergency plans to keep Olympic skies clear, including keeping cars off the roads in nearby provinces, but expected not to need them unless unusual pollution-trapping weather continued.
The city has already banned cars from roads on alternate days under an odd-and-even license plate scheme, suspended some factory production and opened new subway lines to try to clear its notorious pollution.
“The likelihood of needing stronger measures is very small,” said Zhu Tong, a professor at Peking University and leader of a technical group advising Games organizers on air quality.
Slightly cooler temperatures and rain on Tuesday have thinned the haze, but with below-par air quality readings on several days since the emergency measures took effect on July 20, worries remain about athletes wheezing air laced with fumes and dust.
Experts said that given the size of Beijing, the volume of pollutants that flow into the city from other parts of China, and the short time period before the Games open on August 8, there was little more that could be done.
“In this short a time-frame, even if you took all the personal cars off the highway, you might see another 10 percent improvement, but it would be small,” said Staci Simonich, an analytical chemist at Oregon State University who has been studying Beijing’s air quality.
“The best thing that could happen during the Games is to have it rain every night,” she said.
China also has other issues on its mind, including security in the restive region of Tibet, where official media said Chinese police had been mobilized to ensure “absolute security without a single lapse”.
The remote region erupted into rioting in March that sparked protests across China’s ethnic Tibetan areas and brought into focus international criticism of Beijing’s policies on the issue.
The Tibet Daily announced on Wednesday tough policing during the Games on top of a sweeping security crackdown already in place. China is at pains to avoid any shows of defiance by pro-Tibet independence groups that could embarrass the government before a worldwide audience.
(Additional reporting by Emma Graham-Harrison, Lindsay Beck, Chris Buckley, Liu Zhen and Simon Rabinovitch; Writing by Lindsay Beck; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)Danko Lazovic handed over this shirt to a keen pitch invader (Picture: REUTERS)
Partizan Belgrade forward Danko Lazovic was forced to go to rather extreme measures to get rid of one pitch invader after his side’s goalless Europa League draw against Tottenham – by not only shepherding the man off the pitch but also giving his shirt.
The keen supporter ran onto the pitch after the match in Belgrade before refusing to leave until he had, presumably, met one of his idols.
Despite three security guards attempting to hold back the over-zealous fan, Lazovic decided to quicken up the process of removing the man by heading over to him and walking him off the pitch.
But the Serbian forward went one step further and ensured the supporter wouldn’t return when he handed over his Partizan jersey – much to the delight of the jubilant fan.
Watch Lazovic’s cool gesture below.
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MORE: Tottenham fan and comedian Michael McIntyre gatecrashes official squad photoshootJanine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style
Remember Goat Simulator? I don't think there's any other game that I enjoyed as much but played so little of. When it first came out it was a genuinely entertaining diversion, but even when they released a new map I didn't feel much of a need to return; it all just wore thin too quickly. That's likely why their latest piece of DLC (released yesterday) has taken me by surprise. For the first time ever, I'm playing Goat Simulator and seriously planning to play more.
The Goat MMO Simulator DLC is absolutely free, and brings multiple new maps and atcivities into the game. It's simultaneously a snarky response to all the fans who speculated that it would be easy for the developers to patch in online multiplayer and a legitimately purposeful parody of your typical MMORPG.
Yesterday I tried Goat MMO Simulator out for the first time live |
party, Vicario was back in the hospital. He had experienced stomach pain on and off for three years, almost always after eating, and doctors had passed it off as acid reflux. But on March 12, the pain was agonizing and Vicario became ill in his bathroom. He called his mom, who notified Siegel. He called 911, and Joe was taken by ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital as the parents raced from Amherst to Rochester.
Doctors discovered a complete mess when they opened Vicario up.
"Everything was free floating," his mother says. "His stomach, colon, spleen, intestines... they found his spleen near his liver on the right side. It's supposed to be on the left."
Joe had been born without connective tissue, something his parents never knew until that night. His esophagus was twisted and his stomach was stuck up in his chest cavity by his heart.
While doctors were operating, they removed his appendix as a preventive measure. He spent two weeks in the hospital before returning to school — and his beloved job as hockey student manager. Vicario was visited in the hospital by several Tigers plus Wilson and Hills, who was on crutches following hip surgery.
"The little stuff I was going through was nothing compared to what he's going through," Hills says. "Joe is an inspiration to us. He battles back from everything."
Despite this back-to-back whammy — cancer and emergency surgery — Vicario manages to light a candle where others curse the darkness.
"If I'd had the chemo for my cancer, I wouldn't have been able to have the stomach surgery," he says. "I would have died within 24 hours. It was a blessing."
All about Joe
Vicario loves watching ESPN and reality shows like Big Brother and Survivor. He's addicted to Dole's strawberry kiwi juice, and his favorite food is his mom's lasagna.
"But I'm full-blooded Italian, so I love all Italian food," he says.
He's a regular on Facebook and Twitter and is as eloquent as he is dedicated.
"Be good," reads one post. "If you can't be good, be great."
Another: "If you're going through hell, keep going."
He has a driver's license, although he doesn't have a car. He lives alone in an on-campus dorm but is expected to gain a roommate this academic year. He has few regrets despite his numerous obstacles, but one is that he will never play the game his father played before him.
"That kind of bothers me," he says. "I wanted to follow in his path."
In many ways, he already has. Vicario knows he'll never score a goal or beat the syndrome that has been with him for 21 challenging years. He prays every day for God to keep him strong and healthy. He posts on Facebook, "I can and I will survive!"
Most of all, he's happy with who he is.
"Everything happens for a reason, and it's not a bad reason," he says. "I live the way I can. I'm here. I'm me. Life is good."
Mandelaro also writes for the (Rochester, N.Y.) Democrat & Chronicle.Gareth Bale will be moved into a new central midfield role as Carlo Ancelotti attempts to find a winning formula his new team of galacticos.
Bale has been playing as part of a front three alongside Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo since his world record transfer from Tottenham last summer.
But the introduction of Colombian star James Rodriguez this season could see the Welshman moved deeper to play alongside Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, according to Spanish paper Marca.
Real problems: Gareth Bale will drop deeper to add balance while Cristiano Ronaldo has had to backtrack
Real Madrid have started this season slowly, a Spanish super-cup defeat to city rivals Atletico followed by an unconvincing victory over newly promoted Cordoba and a shock loss against Real Sociedad.
There has been criticism over the sale of Angel Di Maria to Manchester United and despite assembling the most expensive squad in the history of football, Real have struggled to find the form that saw them crowned European Champions last season.
However, Ancelotti hopes that moving Bale into the role occupied by Di Maria last season he will strengthen the midfield and find a balance.
Elsewhere in Spain AS lead on the story of Ronaldo's dispute with Real Madrid's president Florentino Perez.
Mundo Deportivo hail 'King Neymar' while Italy is focused on the Juve row as international football dominates
The World Player of the Year had been quoted criticising the club, but now says his words were misunderstood and he is fully supportive of Perez in a move AS describe as 'breaking and going into reverse'.
'My comments have been misinterpreted. Yesterday I heard what my President had to say and I am with him 100 per cent'.
In Italy the front pages are occupied with two stories focused around champions Juventus.
La Gazetta Sportiva leads with 'A clash between Italy and Juve', after defender Giorgio Chiellini pulled out of the Italian squad with an injury.
Old Lady: Chiellini's withdrawal and Trezeguet's comments are the big stories in the Italian press this week
Corriere dello Sport takes the same line with the headline 'Blue Sparks'.
Italy team manager Gabriele Oriali questioned if the club were acting against the national team's best interests but Juventus have insisted that they always collaborate with the Azzurri.
Tuttosport splash on the comments of Juve legend David Trezeguet, who says his former club should be concentrating on the Champions League this season.Photo by Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images
So: On Wednesday night Stephen Colbert made sport of Washington football team owner Dan Snyder and his plan to undercut criticism of the team name by founding an organization for the uplift of "original Americans." Colbert ran though all the reasons why this was funny, then called back to a skit from one of the show's first episodes, way back from the fall of 2005—a joke about the host being caught on a "live feed" playing a racist Asian stereotype (Ching Chong Ding Dong, from Guanduong), then not understanding why it was racist. Colbert would make amends with his new "Ching Chong Ding Dong Foundation for Sensitivity to Orientals or Whatever." He'd played versions of the game since then, dressing up in a sombrero for "Hispanic heritage month." It's one of the Colbert character's oldest gags—he "doesn't see color," so he can't ever be blamed if he accidentally does something horribly racist.
Most of a day later, the official Twitter account of The Colbert Report tweeted a short version of the joke: "I am willing to show #Asian community I care by introducing the Ching-Chong Ding-Dong Foundation for Sensitivity to Orientals or Whatever." Bad move. This attracted the ire of a 23-year-old freelance writer and hashtag activist named Suey Park, who gained prominence last year with the #NotYourAsianSidekick micromovement.
I used to respect and enjoy your work, @ColbertReport. Fuck you. — Suey Park (@suey_park) March 27, 2014
The Ching-Chong Ding-Dong Foundation for Sensitivity to Orientals has decided to call for #CancelColbert. Trend it. — Suey Park (@suey_park) March 27, 2014
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For much of the night, Park made war on Comedy Central, and thousands copied the hashtag. The network had made a powerful hashtag enemy, as Park reminded it. This was her work. She started hashtags like Comedy Central started six-episode sketch shows. The Guardian had placed her in a list of the "top 30 young people in digital media," No. 12, right below "Kid President." Her Facebook fan page and Twitter account provided information on how to book her, because she "speaks on race/gender and social media" and is a "board member of Activist Milennials." For much of the night, her Twitter feed tracked 1) the progress of #CancelColbert, 2) tweets thanking her for the hashtag, and 3) tweets from racist idiots who were angry at her.
By the time she tweeted that, the right had caught on. Tweeting at Colbert was an unexpected opportunity for cultural revenge—the petard-hoisting of a liberal comedian whose schtick was saying outrageous things in the voice of a "right-winger." The prime mover was Michelle Malkin, the Asian-American conservative (and, it is inevitably said, author of In Defense of Internment) who names and shames the people who hurl slurs at her.
Co-sign! RT @suey_park I'm sick of liberals hiding behind assumed "progressiveness" #CancelColbert — Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) March 28, 2014
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If you managed to avoid the Internet last night, you missed a crash course in hashtag activism. In a smart and comprehensive piece for The Nation, Michelle Goldberg told its history, and how starting a trending hashtag on Twitter (the case study was #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen) allowed otherwise unknown activists to force discussions on their terms. Twitter is public, and individual blogs or magazines are public, but a tweet with the right hashtag can be forced into the visual spectrum of someone who might have otherwise never paid attention to an argument.
The argument happens on the hashtag founder's terms. Comedy Central and Colbert fumbled to respond, with the network taking the blame for the out-of-context tweet but—because you have 140 characters on Twitter—never explaining that the joke was at Dan Snyder's expense. The weaponized hashtag also takes power from the people who are trying to mock it—Twitter doesn't discriminate between earnestness and parody. People making fun of the humorlessness and bad faith of the hashtag end up keeping it in the "trending" column.
#CancelColbert is the liberal version of a circular firing squad. I love watching this. GO PC Crowd! — Liars Never Win (@liars_never_win) March 28, 2014
If you want a good laugh, read the #cancelcolbert hashtag. It's faux outrage at its finest. — World of Isaac (@WorldofIsaac) March 28, 2014
Have any of the #CancelColbert criticisms argued that the satire in context is offensive? http://t.co/6Idwc6Gch4 Or just the tweet? — James Poniewozik (@poniewozik) March 28, 2014
I'm ignoring the basic question: Does hashtag activism work? Well, any time a public figure or group of people is blitzed and told not to say something offensive, no matter how prideful they are, the instinct is to never say that again. Colbert was far, far from the first person to mock Dan Snyder's cluelessness with faux racism. Slate wrote about one effort last year; the Onion has done a bunch of stories about ways Snyder planned to improve the team name (like adding a liquor bottle to the logo); the Ego Trip collective wrote about it in "the Big Book of Racism." (I remember fondly the logo for the "New York Diamond Merchants.") The intent, in every case, was to shame Snyder or the owners of other teams with names playing on Native American stereotypes.Please enable Javascript to watch this video
The father of two teenagers, including a special needs student at Scripps Ranch High School in San Diego, was deported to Mexico Thursday following U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials ruling.
Gaston Cazares said he moved to this country illegally when he was 16 years old, leaving behind his family and everything he knew to chase the American dream, KTLA sister station KSWB in San Diego reported.
But because of tougher enforcement of immigration laws that began when President Donald Trump took office in January, Cazares will be sent back to his native country.
Cazares said before Thursday's hearing with ICE that he is heartbroken at the thought of leaving his wife of 23 years and both his teenage children, all of whom are American citizens, but his greatest fear is for his son, Ivan, who has autism and relies heavily on him.
"We watch movies together or go shopping or help me shave my beard," Ivan told KSWB.
"I tried to explain to him. I'm not sure that he understands everything," Cazares said. "The only thing he knows is they want to take me far from here."
Ivan is already struggling, having recurring nightmares.
Cazares' daughter, Yahaira, a senior at Scripps Ranch High School, says there's no time to be a typical teenager.
"I've never had the issue of complaining about my parents. I can't take them for granted," she said.
Yahaira vividly remembers how it all began in 2011. Her dad was arrested in front of her when the Pacific Beach restaurant where he works was raided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"He was taken and we didn't know where or for how long... and about a day or two later, we got a call, " Yahaira said.
In 2012, ICE granted Cazares a "stay of removal" based on Ivan's special needs. And every year since, he's checked in, and ICE has extended the stay for one more year – until this year's presidential election.
"Everything changed. Everything changed from night to day," Cazares said.
Nicole Leon, Cazares' immigration attorney, explains it this way: "Under the Trump administration, ICE is no longer exercising its discretion in this way, and so anyone who is subject to removal under the law is being deported regardless of circumstances."
The facts that Cazares is the breadwinner, pays taxes, has no criminal record other than his illegal immigration offenses, and has an autistic son were not enough to keep him with his family.
"My dad – he's important to me. He protects me, and I protect him," Ivan said.
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32.715738 -117.161084A MELBOURNE priest has come under fire for demanding his flock vote no in the upcoming same-sex marriage survey and for allegedly saying gay people should be shot.
Parishioner Liz Tasiopoulos claimed the comments were made by the priest at a service she attended at a Greek Orthodox Church in south eastern Melbourne on Father’s Day.
She told news.com.au the language used was especially hurtful as it came during a service which included a memorial for a woman who had committed suicide because she had struggled with her own sexuality.
“The priest was screaming at us [that same-sex marriage] was blasphemy. The comments were so hurtful I couldn’t stop crying,” Ms Tasiopoulos said.
It is the second time in less than a month that a Greek Orthodox priest has been accused of advocating gay people should be shot. In the earlier incident, the priest apologised but said he couldn’t remember the comments.
Following the latest allegations, news.com.au has contacted the church in question multiple times and the Greek Orthodox Church’s Archdiocese of Victoria and Tasmania but has not received a response.
Some parishioners have taken to social media to defend the priest, claiming that in Greek he said “my mouth is my gun”, however no one has disputed the priest became agitated when some people challenged him on his anti-same-sex marriage views. But Ms Tasiopoulos has told news.com.au she stands by her claims.
She said she attended a service at the church in Clayton on Father’s Day. The service came 40 days after the death of her friend. The passing of 40 days following the death of a loved one is observed in Orthodox culture.
Rather than reflecting on her friend’s life, however, Ms Tasiopoulos said the priest quickly used the service to attack same-sex marriage.
“He pointed out everyone was to vote no,” she wrote on the Greek Mums and Bubs Facebook page, a post which has since been reportedly been removed.
“Then one lady stood up and said, ‘I’ll vote yes.’ The priest (said), ‘shame on you’. She walked out, and then we all did as the girl we were there for was gay,” she wrote.
“As we walked, the priest said that all gays should be shot. He was yelling at us all standing in the rain.
“I’m so disgusted by all of this that I will never return [to] church again.”
Ms Tasiopoulos said some gay people also walked out of the church.
“A young man was in tears. I tried to console him as he had only just had the courage to come out.
“I told him God loves you, we love you, ignore him, while the priest was screaming at us that it’s blasphemy.
“I can’t fathom this much hate on Father’s Day as (the deceased woman’s) father was having to listen 40 days after he laid his only daughter to rest.”
The incident comes just a few weeks after earlier claims that another Melbourne Orthodox priest had made comments in church about shooting gay people.
Johnno George slammed Red Hill Greek Orthodox Church, on the Mornington Peninsula, in a post online.
“I went with an open heart to celebrate the Virgin Mary — instead I got a hate speech about anti gay marriage and how he would shoot dead anybody who was gay and wanted to be married with a gun he keeps in the back.”
“My church completely let me down today,” he wrote.
“You may have your own view of gay marriage but to talk about shooting people dead because of their sexual orientation is absolutely disgusting.
“It was made very clear to me I was not welcome in the house of God.”
Father Eleftherios Tatsis, of Red Hill church, responded to SBS Greek News about the comments. He apologised but claimed he did not remember saying the words.
“If I lost my temper and said something I shouldn’t have, I apologise, I’m only human,” he was quoted as saying in Melbourne Greek community newspaper Neos Cosmos.
However the article claimed Father Tatsis also said gay people were “pitiful” during the interview and compared them to spoiled fruit.
“My own granddaughter tells me ‘they are people too’ and yes they are, and I love them,” Neos Cosmos reported.
“But say you have a hamper full of oranges and one of those is rotten, all the oranges are going to rot”.
The same-sex marriage postal survey is due to be sent out to eligible voters on September 12.
On Tuesday, the High Court began hearing a challenge against the legal basis of the survey.
Same-sex marriage advocates argue it is unconstitutional to allocate $122 million of government funds to the postal vote when it could be decided in parliament.3 People Treat Sufferers Like Lepers
prudkov/iStock
Psoriasis isn't contagious, and coming into contact with someone else's skin flakes is harmless, if not entirely desirable. Still, humans have a gut-level reaction to the site of festering skin, and psoriasis sufferers can get kicked right out of a swimming pool on sight. "I need to cover myself when I swim," says Courtney. "I used to wear a bikini, but I would get so many stares from people around me. Not a lot of people see a huge red splotch on someone's skin and think, 'Oh, it's psoriasis, it's non-communicable, so I'm safe.' No, they'll assume it's something [that can spread] or something drug-related."
Bobjgalindo/Wiki Commons
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Must be from one of those drugs that you shoot into all the unreachable parts of your fucking back.
In fact, an employee at her local library once called the cops on Courtney, figuring somebody with skin that bad had to be Dancing With Walter White. "She gave me a funny look going in, and I don't know what made her want to do it, but fifteen minutes later, I noticed a cop behind me, who asked me to come with him," she remembers. "Once we were outside, he told me that someone had reported me to be using meth. I was shocked and I told him no. He asked about the psoriasis and I told him what it was. I even showed him my medication cream I had in my purse."
Yeah, when we said this condition turns you into a social outcast, we fucking meant it. It even determines your career path. "For jobs where you need to look presentable... you have a big streak of psoriasis on the top of your head, you aren't going to last long," she says. "I worked at a Walmart for summers between college, and I was moved from cashier to stock. The official explanation was because we needed more help back there, but my coworker (and best friend) who replaced me was honest about what the manager told her -- that [my psoriasis] was something customers didn't want to see."Flickr via proimos Evolution has revolutionized our modern scientific understanding of natural history and how our bodies came to be.
Yet evolutionary insights regarding health and disease are not typically emphasized with patients.
Medical education focuses on proximate causes of disease — infection, trauma, cellular regulation, etc. — as opposed to evolutionary understandings of how our traits and responses came to be in the first place.
What evolutionary insights are there for clinical medicine?
Medical conditions can occur when there is a mismatch between our evolved bodies and our particular society and environment. This idea challenges some of our notions of disease.
Hardly a day goes by when I don't see patients with lactose intolerance, allergies, obesity, anxiety, near-sightedness, ADHD, and flu symptoms. The lactase gene spread rapidly in historical populations with dairy husbandry. But 70% of the world's population is lactose intolerant, all of whom are "normal" in the context of their environments that were, until recently, lactose-free.
Allergies and autoimmune conditions are more common in developed societies where infections occur less frequently. This suggests a mismatch between our evolved immune system and our current environment. Recent evidence suggests that the incidence of autoimmune Crohn's disease has risen in places where the incidence of gastrointestinal worm infection has fallen.
Obesity likely represents a mismatch between our food preferences which evolved in environments of relative food scarcity, and modern environments with increased food availability and decreased activity levels.
Anxiety may have been an evolutionarily useful response — think of the advantage of being jumpy when you hear rustling in the tall grass in an African savannah — but now may be an inappropriate expression for our current environment.
According to a recent study, children who are genetically susceptible to near-sightedness are less likely to become nearsighted if they spend more time outdoors. This suggests near-sightedness may in part result from a mismatch between the outdoor environment in which we evolved and modern indoor activities such as reading and playing video games.
With an evolutionary perspective, conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder may be conveyed not as a disease, but rather a mismatch between a patient's evolved nature and our particular society's educational expectations. In all these conditions, an evolutionary approach helps clinicians and patients see medical conditions as contextual, rather than as an inherent defect. Evolution — natural history — becomes relevant.
Fever, cough, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. are evolutionary host defenses to expel infections, not, as patients often believe, infections themselves. Nonetheless the suffering can be marked. If treatment is provided to alleviate these symptoms, will our body's defense against infections be weakened? This area is ripe for additional scientific research.
Like the early days of pharmacology and microbiology, it is too soon to predict the extent of clinical relevance that an explicit evolutionary understanding can yield. Evolutionary thinking has already directly impacted clinical medicine in areas such as genetics and vaccine design.
Evolutionary principles also inform public health measures, such as the campaign to avoid inappropriate antibiotic use in humans and livestock to help prevent the evolution of resistant pathogen strains.
Just because a trait evolved does not make it good or bad. Evolution itself is impersonal and morally neutral. It is up to us to provide deliberate values into the blind shuffle of evolutionary selection. An evolutionary scientific understanding provides greater wisdom into health and illness.
Even in this world of technological marvels, the "history and physical" (H&P) is often emphasized as a physician's most valued diagnostic strategy. In essence, evolution is history. With an evolutionary perspective, the "H" in "H&P" can be understood and appreciated at a deeper level.Riyaz Amlani
Zameer Basrai
Pimenta
Catholic Secular Forum
Amlani
Catholic
Activists are upset that the police have registered a case against ‘unknown persons’, start online petition to shut down the pub.The troubles of pub Goregaon Social are far from over. A day after it pulled down “offensive” stained glass paintings and other materials and tendered an apology following objections by Christians, the community on Thursday said it wants the joint to face more music.Christian activists have now demanded the arrest of pub ownerand Ayaaz andof the Busride Design Studio who designed the interiors of the joint at Oberoi mall. “The fact that the offensive stained glass paintings and other material were taken down means that there was violation. We are pursuing the case with the police,” said Godfreyof the Watchdog Foundation, an organization that claims to work for interest of the Christian community.Pimenta added that an FIR under section 295A (hurting religious sentiments) has been registered and the section calls for stringent action. Another group known as the(CSF) has rejected the apology given by the pub management.“The police instead of making immediate arrests, registered the FIR against ‘unknown persons’ that too when all information as to who was responsible was in the public domain. We may have forgiven the culprits, but the law of the land must take its own course. The offense has been committed and guilty must be punished or it will give an impression that the perpetrators of the crime have political sanction or money power is at work,” said CSF’s general secretary Joseph Dias.The newly opened pub drew the ire of the community members because of its church-themed décor. Activists said that the pub had an objectionable depiction of Jesus holding a bag, Mother Mary having a Chain in her hand (instead of Rosary), Moses holding a computer tablet, St. Anthony shown wearing glasses etc.“Similarly, the tabernacle where Eucharist is stored or reserved is instead shown in the pub having some liquor bottles with inscription of Holy Cross on the container,” the complaint stated adding that there are messages from the Holy Bible inscribed on the tables. The activists also started an online petition to shut down the pub that has crossed over 5,000 signatures.A member from the pub’s management said that the design was based on an anti- consumerism theme against peoples buying habits. “We had called it church of anti-consumerism and the idea was to move towards the spiritual side,” said the source adding that there was absolutely no intention of hurting religious sentiments.Pub ownerapologised to the community as well as the Archdiocese of Bombay and said they have already removed all the imagery that the Watchdog Foundation considered offensive. “We have written to the Archdiocese of Mumbai expressing our deep regret on having inadvertently hurt the religious sentiments of thecommunity.“In the letter we assured that none of this was deliberate and that all offending design elements have been removed and we remain available to carry out any further changes that the church may deem offensive. They have accepted our apology in true spirit and advised us to avoid any such actions that may upset the sentiments of any community in the future,” he said.While much of the media horde tasked with covering the Yomiuri Giants has spent the spring either breathlessly reporting on every nuance of Shinnosuke Abe’s transition from catcher to first base or peppering manager Tatsunori Hara about what’s wrong with the club, Frederich Cepeda has been off to the side working up a sweat.
Cepeda’s brow is rarely dry when he’s on the field and even in the home dugout at Tokyo Dome on Friday, the beads were forming and rolling down his face as gripped the end of his bat, and smiled a big smile.
“I’m working hard,” he squeezed out in between deep breaths.
That’s been the Cuban slugger’s mantra this spring, as he’s thrown himself into practices almost as if trying to win over Hara and his teammates through pure grit alone.
If Cepeda feels like he has anything to prove this season, it might be because he knows the optics of his first year in Japan, a.194 average with six home runs and 18 RBIs in 52 games, weren’t very flattering.
He came to Japan right after playing in Cuba and was in the lineup four days after his arrival in May. He never seemed to find his footing in NPB and it wasn’t long before Cepeda had fallen out of favor with Hara, who can be fickle with some members of his starting lineups in the best of times, and went from playing everyday to mostly pinch-hitting, making it even harder to find a rhythm.
Cepeda is hopeful of making a much larger contribution this season.
With Abe coming off a subpar season at the plate and among the many Giants either slightly banged up or struggling at the plate this spring, Cepeda may get an opportunity to show everyone what he can really do. He’s already more comfortable this year, having had the opportunity to spend part of the spring in Japan.
“Last year I was playing in Cuba and then I came here,” he said. “It was tough. The culture was different, the game was different, and I don’t speak Japanese. It was very different from Cuba.
“This year, I’m just working hard. Maybe I can hit fourth or fifth and play in the outfield. Or not. Whatever they want.”
Cepeda hit.244 during spring training, connecting on one home run and driving in four runs in 49 plate appearances.
He probably arrived in Japan this year brimming with confidence after helping Cuba capture the Caribbean Series title for the first time since 1960. Cepeda was 2-for-4 with an RBI against Mexico during the championship game in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Feb. 8, and was the tournament MVP with a.471 average and seven RBIs in is 17 at-bats.
“It was good. It was important for us in Cuba to win the Caribbean Series,” Cepeda said. “We really wanted to win it.”
Cepeda wants to bring those types of numbers with him to Japan, and he’s putting in long hours to try and make it happen. Playing in Japan initially took Cepeda a little out of his comfort zone. Now seemingly more settled in, both he and the Giants are eager to see the fruits of his labor in 2015.Alan Wilson/https://www.flickr.com/photos/ajw1970/9873532606/in/photolist-ezqkdV-f9jMy2-g3urfN Throughout the Cold War the Soviet Union and the United States were constantly trying to check each other's military power. This drive for each country to outdo the other led to some truly bizarre pieces of military hardware.
One of the most astounding Soviet creations was the Bartini Beriev VVA-14. The plane, whose pontoons give it the bizarre look of a bomber airframe strapped to two Star Trek-like nacelles, was the work of Italian designer Robert Bartini.
It was envisioned as a vertical-take-off amphibious aircraft designed to act as a defense against US nuclear submarines. It was supposed to be able to skim the surface of the water, allowing it to have eyes on underwater targets while keeping it safe from sub attacks.
Only two Bartini Beriev VVA-14 prototypes were built, and the project was eventually scrapped.
The sole remaining prototype is on display outside at the Russian Air Force Museum in Monino, outside of Moscow.
Alex Beltyukov/http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beriev_VVA-14_in_2010.jpg
The Bartini Beriev VVA-14 had a three-person crew.
Screenshot/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAk3kwXfEWk
The plane's first flight was held on Sept. 4, 1972. At the time, the prototype had yet to be outfitted with its pontoons for aquatic landings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpY9l9XAFUE
The addition of the pontoons allowed the VVA-14 to land at sea.
Screenshot/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpY9l9XAFUE
In addition, the plane could efficiently hover along the surface of the water.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpY9l9XAFUE
The VVA-14 had two turbojet engines in addition to 12 turbofan engines that provided lift.
Screenshot/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAk3kwXfEWk
The plane logged a total of 103 flight hours over 107 flights before the project was canceled following Bartini's death.
Screenshot/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAk3kwXfEWk
NOW WATCH: Dramatic Video Of Sea Rescue Off Scotland Right Before Fishing Boat SinksIt began rather quietly as a underground fire at a dump in Canada's remote northern reaches. Then in May, the fire "erupted," spewing forth flames and toxic fumes over the city of Iqaluit. Faced with a football field-sized smoldering dump fire, this week the city council finally scrounged up the $2.2 million to put it out. How the hell does a dump fire spontaneously ignite—and why is it so expensive to put out?
Dump fires are distressingly common, actually. One estimate puts the number in the U.S. at 8,300 a year, but the size and longevity of
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Iqaluit's is unusual. Ever since the fire chief likened the dump to a volcano, we've been saddled with the unholy portmanteau of "dumpcano." You can even find the dumpcano on Twitter these days.
But dumpcanos don't just create themselves. A mix of bad luck and bad policies are behind this massive dump fire.
Footage of the dumpcano set to some rather dramatic music. Top image is a screen capture from this video. Carbon Capture/YouTube
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The Birth of a "Dumpcano"
Iqaluit's is one of the small minority of dump fires that spontaneously ignited—that's the bad luck. Spontaneous combustion can happen for a number of reasons: Rotting organic material naturally gets hot as it decomposes, batteries can short circuit, and smoldering things can be accidentally buried.
But Iqaluit's dump fire was the fourth since December, a pattern that suggests something more than bad luck. As reporter and Iqaluit resident Peter Worden writes in Vice, until 2002, Iqaluit routinely did open-pit burns in its landfill. Then concerned citizens sued the city to get them stop. That's good news for anyone who wants to breathe clean air (at least when accidental fires aren't burning), but that also meant more and more trash was just piling up, collecting more and more fuel and more and more possible sources of spontaneous combustion.
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Worden goes on to note in Vice that part of the reason there's so much trash in Iqaluit is that there is virtually no recycling in the city. The city is so remote that transporting cardboard to recycling plants just isn't worth the cost of fuel. So everyone's boxes and old futons and leftover paint and batteries and kitchen trash are all left to stew and smolder in the big old town dump.
One solution, an engineer tells Vice, is sorting out cardboard, wood, and paper, which can be cleanly burned off. That'll reduce the volume of trash (and dumpcano fuel) in the future, but it's a bit too late for this fire.
The Death of a "Dumpcano"
At first, Iqaluit's fire department decided to just let the dumpcano burn itself out. A shifting pile of hot garbage is pretty dangerous for firefighters, and it would have sucked up millions of gallons of water the city didn't have to spare. The wait-it-out strategy, however, obviously did not work.
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On Wednesday, the city council finally approved $2.2 million for a plan to drown the dumpcano after all. Fourteen firefighters will work 12 hours a day for a month to soak the garbage pile in water. It's pretty much a brunt force method, but it's cheaper than more high-tech alternatives.
The original plan was more ambitious and also twice as expensive. That would have involved a building a giant saltwater tank in which smoldering garbage was dunked one clawful at a time. Another way to put out dump fires involves depriving it of oxygen, either with foam or injecting an inert gas.
Hopefully, the month-long water offensive will put out the dumpcano once and for all. Let this be a multi-million dollar lesson in taking out your trash the right way.Bitcoin Upcoming Starbucks Digital Currency Is No Threat To Bitcoin And Fold
It is not the first time there is a connection between Starbucks and digital currency, as users of the Fold App have been able to pay their coffee with Bitcoin for quite some time now. But the major brand is trying to take things one step further, as there is a plan to issue Starbucks digital currency. The so-called Starbucks Rewards “stars’ could become the new official digital currency of this brand in the future, which would be linked to a prepaid debit card.
Also read: Open Source Blockchain Effort, HyperLedger, Elects Leadership Positions and Gains New Investments
Making Use Of The Starbucks Rewards Stars
Similar to most brands and store chains around the world, Starbucks is rewarding loyal customers with an incentive to come back. The Starbucks Rewards Stars can be used for future discounts at the next visit, which are stored inside a user’s mobile app or on their physical customer card.
However, a lot of consumers forget to spend this loyalty reward, which is a relatively common issue among big brands as of late. Checking up on all of the different card and loyalty points balances is becoming a major struggle for consumers, and most people don’t think it will be worth their time. As a result, a lot of Starbucks Rewards Stars remain unspent, and company executives want to do something about this scenario.
By the look of things, Starbucks will introduce their prepaid debit card later this year, thanks to a partnership with JP Morgan Chase. But there is more, as users would earn Stars wherever Visa payments are accepted, increasing the Starbucks brand and visibility. Moreover, there will be very few fees associated with using this card, as there will no charges for monthly services, loading, or overdraft.
This would effectively give consumers a reason to use their prepaid card more often in stores, and save up on Rewards Stars for free coffee afterward. Unfortunately, it remains unclear as to how these Stars will be awarded, although there is a likely chance rewards will trickle in a lot slower compared to buying coffee and food through the existing loyalty program.
Number crunching has to be taken seriously |
got a job. They're going to give me 15 bucks for acting like a convict. What's this pay?" He said, "It pays $320 a day." So I said, "How bad do you want this guy beat up? Shit, for 320 bucks" And he goes, "No, you have to be really careful, this actor's really high-strung. He's already socked a couple of people." I said, "For $320, man, give him a stick. I'll fight Godzilla for 320 bucks." I started training Eric Roberts how to box. Eric wanted to learn how to box, and I think he was scared of me, so he'd do whatever I told him to do. Andrey Konchalovskiy, the director, saw that he would do whatever I told him to do. I guess Andrey had some problems with it. So Andrey comes over and hires me. He says, "You be in the movie. You fight Eric in the movie." And that's where it started. From that day until right now, I've got 183 movies.
[2011, on why he works so much] I love doing it. Let me tell you something. When I was young, I was an armed robber. I did robberies. And there's no adrenaline rush like that. When you're using drugs and doing robberies, it's hard to distinguish whether you're doing robberies to support your drug habit, or doing drugs to support your robbery habit. Those guys that flip on motorcycles--it's like the same kind of adrenaline. It's unreal. The only time I ever felt that was when I heard Andrey Konchalovskiy yell, "Action!" And then I was like, "Wow. Here we are again. This whole adrenaline--". But this time I didn't have a gun. I was like, "Wow. This is awesome." I just totally got hooked. I found my calling. And then when I got my check, I said, "Fuck. Wait a minute. For the first half of my life, I went to prison for being a bad guy. Now they're paying me to be a bad guy."
[2011, on Anaconda (1997)] We got to go to Brazil on that. We're in Brazil on the Amazon River. The funny thing is, I used to have a fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Henley, who was anal about the Amazon River. She would always be crazy about it. She would say, "The Amazon this" and "The Amazon that," and I'm like, "Who gives a shit? I didn't care about the Amazon River. Forty years later, I'm doing "Anaconda" on the damn Amazon River. I'm sitting there, and Jon Voight, [ Jennifer Lopez ], Ice Cube are all asking questions, and I knew all the answers. They thought I was the smart guy. I know all about this! Thank you, Mrs. Henley.
[2011, on Baywatch (1989)] Wow. Red bathing suits. I couldn't believe that show. I'd be sitting in Venice, looking at all these girls running around and thinking, "They're paying me for this. Thank you, Jesus." You know what I mean? "I wish the guys in prison could see me right now." But what was amazing was about five years later, I went to Paris, and there's this big crowd at the airport. They're all waiting to see me. I'm thinking one of my movies, right? They know me from "Baywatch". "You were on 'Baywatch'!" I believe that thing was all over the world.
[2011, on Marked for Death (1990)] Steven Seagal, He was cool. He's all macho, "I got bigger nuts than you." But he was cool. He was all right. He kept trying to get me to do my own stunts. I went, "Ah, hell no. They got this guy who looks just like me." At times he would get overzealous, you know what I mean? You do your own stunts as an actor, and you end up getting hurt. It's not your job. You've got stunt guys. Stunt guys make a lot of money.
[2011, on Con Air (1997)] "Con Air!". You don't know how many people scream that to me at Target. "Hey! Johnny-23!" So a lot of people watched that movie. That was a lot of fun. The only problem: the biggest case of testosterone I've ever been in. It was 30 guys all trying to be bad-asses. It was so weird. If you would spit, somebody would spit a little farther. Pretty soon, you've got 40 people trying to see how far they can spit. If you did a push-up, somebody would do two, then three, then four. It was like a competition of who was the baddest ass. It was funny.
[on being raised by his parents and extended family of paternal aunts and uncles] It's kinda like Shirley Temple and John Wayne went to war. And what you see is a result of John Wayne winning.
[said in prayer, upon realizing that he was ready to turn his life around after being placed in solitary confinement following a riot at Soledad prison on May 5, 1968] God, if you're there, then it's gonna be alright. And if you're not, I'm screwed.
[on actors insisting to perform their own stunts]We have stunt people who do that stuff. And if they get hurt, I'm sorry to say but they just need to put a mustache on another Mexican and we can keep going. But if I get hurt, everybody's out of a job. So I don't choose to do that
[on Tom Cruise breaking his ankle on the new Mission Impossible movie causing production to be delayed]I know that all the big stars hate me to say this, but I don't want to risk 80 peoples' jobs just to say I got big "eggs" on The Tonight Show. Because that's what happens. I think a big star just sprained an ankle doing a stunt, and 80 or 180 people are out of a job.
Salary (1)It’s been the talk of the internet for weeks on end, and the day is almost here…or so every phone geek wishes. Google just invited a group of reporters to an “Android Press Gathering” on January 5th, and the word on the street is that they’ll be unveiling what I would like to call “The Messiah”. Maybe you’ve heard of it? The official street name is The Nexus One.
Rumors started running wild as soon as Google decided to hand out the sexy phone to their employees. As soon as the news hit the blogs, Google tried to get in front of the rumors by stating that they were simply testing new mobile technologies.
“We recently came up with the concept of a mobile lab, which is a phone that combines innovative hardware from a partner with software that runs on Android to experiment with new mobile features and capabilities, and we shared this phone with Google employees across the globe,” Mario Queiroz, vice president of product management wrote on Dec. 12. Really Mario?
I was one of thousands and possibly millions of individuals searching the web to find what this phone looked like, and then we all ran into it’s first unofficial picture. At a glance, I wasn’t really that satisfied. It looked simple….plain…..bland. What made me excited though, was the rumors of it’s speed and new firmware.
I spent weeks on end drooling over the anticipation of getting my grubby little finger tips on the phone, and my day came early. Oh yes, I was a good boy this year and Santa were nice enough to drop a late X-Mas gift under my malnourished tree.
Ladies and Gentleman, say hello to the Nexus One.
Full Gallery of the Review
Design
The Nexus One is a very slick and beautiful phone that almost makes other devices look out dated. Rather than going the direction of the Motorola Droid with it’s hard edged corners, it took on the characteristics of the iPhone head-on by creating a more curvy device. Where the iPhone flattens out on the top and bottom, the Nexus One takes on subtle curves that make the phone feel less boxy. The face of the phone even curves down slightly at the very bottom. There are four buttons and a trackball at the bottom of the phone which are very similar to the Droid, you know the regular features: Back, Menu, Home, and Search. Below is HTC’s all so familiar tracking ball. Rather than adjusting the earpiece down a bit, you’ll see that they decided to place it almost at the very top of the phone. Another very noticeable feature is the amount of space the screen takes up. It’s HUGE! A whopping 3.7” to be exact.
Physical Dimensions Vs iPhone and Motorola Droid
So we all can agree that the phone looks sexy as hell, but how can I explain the way it feels in your hands in three words or less? How about, “Pretty f*cking incredible”. As soon as you pick it up, the first thing you’ll notice is how slim it feels. Although it’s only slightly thinner then the iPhone (11.5mm vs. 12.3mm), it truly feels like it’s half the size. It’s amazing to know that it’s really not, but it may have a lot to do with the coating of the phone. The back and sides of the phone are coated in Teflon, and feels almost rubbery. It’s very difficult to explain, but whatever it is they nailed it. It’s hard, but almost feels soft to the touch.
Additional buttons on the external portion of the phone is the volume rocker on the top left side of the phone, and a power button on the top of the phone above the volume rocker.
Display
The display screen on this phone is simply incredible. There has yet to be any device out on the market to date that looks as crisp and clear as the Nexus One. The difference is like taking a look at a 30” television and trying to compare it with a brand new 46” Sony LCD. The Nexus One boasts a 3.7” (diagonal) widescreen, WVGA AMOLED screen, delivering at 720x480. Picture quality is very impressive.
Responsiveness to touch on the screen is definitely on par with the iPhone. There are no delays when touching apps and moving from screen to screen. Users have the ability to navigate left and right for a total of 5 screens. Thanks to the updated firmware, Android 2.1, the phone flies. While most phones will tend to lag a bit when opening, closing, and moving from page to page with touch and gestures, this phone moves with ease.
The sad part here is that there is no multi-touch on this device. So forget about pinching to zoom in and out, however if you MUST insist on using these gestures you can download an application called Dolphin. This app is a browser that allows you to do anything on an iPiPhonehone, within your browser on your Nexus One. It actually works very well.
Home Screen Background Images
One of the most blogged features on the Nexus One is the background images. When pictures first appear online, everyone noticed that the background image of the phone seemed to be animating. Well it does….they do….all 10 of them do, and they are called Live Wallpapers.
You can chose from the following:
Galaxy, Grass, Magic Smoke, Many, Nexus, Plar clock, Spectrum, VU meter, Water, Waveform,
Click here to view them all.
My favorite happens to be Grass. Depending on what time of day it is, the sky will change colors. If it’s in the afternoon, you’ll see a bright clue sky. If it’s when the sun is setting, you’ll see an orange sky. Right before you go to bed, the sky will be dark. Not only does the sky change on the time of the day, but you’ll see the grass blowing in the wind. Each time you navigate through screens it’s as if you’re brushing your apps through the grass.
You’ll also notice the Force Close window below. When I tried to load 2 of the wallpapers, that’s unfortunately what I came up with tonight. It worked before, but doesn’t seem to want to load right now.
Swipe
There are 2 options on the home screen. One option is on the lower left side of the display, and is used to unlock the phone. If you place your finger on it and swipe to the right, it will unlock everything. Prior to unlocking the phone the second option is on the lower right side. This option will mute or un-mute the phone. If you place your finger on it and swipe to the left, you can change that setting.
Scrolling
As stated earlier in this post, you have the ability to scroll right and left through the home screen pages by simply swiping the screen left or right. Google also added the oh so familiar HTC trackball, that allows you to scroll left and right as well. Both are very precise, but the trackball makes it quite easy to play a lot of the games available in Market.
The trackball has a nice feature similar to other HTC devices in the market, that can be set to flash for all of your notifications. It’s definitely a great reminder to see when the phone is laying down.
Connectors and Sensors
Like most devices on the market today the headphone jack is 3.5mm. When testing with several headphones, the sound quality is on par with the iPhone. It’s safe to say that the sound quality here is average.
The battery, sim card, and SD card are all in the same location, behind the phone beneath the back cover.
If you’re making a boat load of calls and frequently find yourself in noisy areas, you’ll be happy to know that there is an on-board noise canceling feature. I originally thought that they were the gold contacts at the bottom of the phone near the microphone, but folks are saying that’s likely for the dock that’s soon to come. At this point I’ve run a few test calls with friends while roaming in busy areas and they said the sound is pretty good. I can’t truly confirm as I wasn’t on the other side of that call.
The gold contacts is actually for Nexus One Accessories such as the docking stations.
An additional feature that was a smart move was the proximity sensor. Like the iPhone, when you place the phone to your ear it will automatically dim everything so you can’t press buttons. When you take the phone away from your ear, again the screen will quickly brighten.
Speaker
The sound quality of the speaker phone is pretty good. It’s a lot louder then the iPhone, but the sound isn’t totally crisp. It’s likely that they may have tried to cut costs here, and opted for a loud speaker rather then a good quality sound. It beats holding my iphone up to my ear in the car, while it’s on speakerphone. Kind of defeats the purpose of a speaker right?
The speaker is located on the back of the phone, which actually creates a slight problem. If you’re like me and you like to place your phone in your pocket it’s likely you may miss your call. When fabric is placed on top of the speaker it muffles out the sound quite a bit. When laying out on a hard surface it’s fine, because you’ll notice the camera protrudes out of the back a bit, which gives a little breathing room for the speaker.
Camera
The camera on board the Nexus One has 5 megapixels, with mechanical autofocus and LED flash. Physically, the camera protrudes a bit out of the back of the phone. You’ll notice it’s actually not the camera, but just the back cover of the phone that does this. As posted earlier in the Speaker section, this is done to give the speaker breathing room when placed on a hard surface.
As soon as camera mode is prompted, the phone goes in to landscape mode, offering the ability to snap a shot, switch from camera to video camera, or view previously taken photos. On the left side of the screen you’ll notice there is a bar that gives you additional options. If you drag it out (or simply press the menu button and select settings), you’ll see setting for Flash mode, White balance, Color effect, Store location, and Picture size. The camera feature gives you control over the pictures you take with these options. If I was to compare the camera quality with the iPhone I prefer the iphone because of it uses of natural colors while the Nexus One doesn’t. The Nexus One causes you to have to play around with the settings more to get the perfect picture.
Video on the Nexus One shoots at 27FPS, and again I don’t feel it truly matches up with the iPhone for the same reasons as stated above with the camera.
Unfortunately, we can’t give the Nexus One a perfect review when it comes to this area. Photos and video are just average, and very similar to all of the rest of HTC’s devices in the market as well as the Motorola Droid. iPhone definitely kicks but in this area.
The photo below is a picture taken in low light with the Nexus One
Android 2.1, Snapdragon & Processor
It’s safe to say that the paring of android 2.1, snapdragon, and it’s processor (QUALCOMM QSD 8250, 1GHz), it’s a sure shot! The phones speed is simply amazing. Navigating through the phone, installing applications, and surfing the web is blazingly fast.
My Nexus One is running with an ATT sim card. This means that unfortunately I’m forced to only run on the edge network rather then 3G. However it still runs very fast.
Applications
If I had to write about one application, it would be Home Car. Everyone has been going crazy about GPS systems these days, and who needs to go out and buy a Garmin GPS or iPhone app when you have Car Home? Car Home is a default application that comes with the Nexus One. When you open up the application have have 5 different options; Voice Search, Navigation, View Map, Contacts, and Search. The exciting part about this application is the Navigation button. When you select that button, it will take you in to Google Maps and ask for your location and end point address. When you place it in, you get your full set of directions as you would in your cars navigation system. I’ve used it a couple times and it works great!
The downfall of the Nexus One is that google still has yet to hit the Market with really good gaming applications. Hands down the iPhone is the clear winner, but developers are definitely starting to show promise with some of their latest apps. We all knew before that the android devices really couldn’t handle some of the games, but with the processing speed and snapdragon on the Nexus One, I’m sure we’ll all be pleasantly surprised in the near future.
Voice to Text
An addition that I completely fell in love with over the past few days, is the voice to text option. Any place on the phone where you can type, you can now talk. Emails, text message, and even text input boxes on sites while browsing. It’s all made possible by a small button that shows up where your comma would naturally reside on the keyboard. After clicking on it, a box appears and let’s you know when to speak.
If I had to rate this feature out of 10, it would get an 8. It’s not GREAT, but it works well. It’s definitely a safe bet that this will get a lot of users for those kids out there that are sending thousands of texts a minute. Why type it when you can speak it!
Battery Life
Like any phone that’s pulling all kinds of data, I have yet to see one that can last a long period of time. I’ve pushed it for about 12 hours while out in the wild, using everything on the phone. By the time I got home, it went completely dead. I would say that it’s even with the iPhone. Both aren’t really great, but I’m definitely ok with taking a wire to work to let it charge for 30 minutes or so.
Benchmark Test Vs. Motorola Droid
Nexus One Accessories
You can check our Nexus One Accessories Store for Nexus One Cases, Battery, Charger, Car Kits and more! And be sure to visit or Accessories posts page for the latest updates.
Wrap Up
If I had to walk in to a store today with endless funds to purchase a phone, I would have to go with the Nexus One. The main reasons I chose this phone is simply because of it’s hires display, speed, and it’s extremely attractive UI. On a 3G network, there is no reason to stray to any other device. Yes the iPhone shoots pictures and video a bit better, but if I REALLY want to shoot crisp photos I’ll do that with my real digital camera. At this point iPhone has the better gaming applications, but again the android Market is growing at a rapid pace. We’re likely to soon see some amazing stuff when developers get their hands on the Nexus One. I’m more concerned with the fact that I can actually MAKE phone calls from the Nexus One, and the fact that it makes browsing the web a truly unique and visually stimulating experience.
Currently, my main phone that I’m using is my Nexus One, and my iPhone is now my iPod. Hats off to Google and HTC on an amazing device!
For or up-to-date news and info on the Nexus One, be sure to Follow us on Twitter or Subscribe to our RSS. Our online Accessories Store is also launching very soon.
Guest post by: 3rd-Geer
Nexus One FULL Spec:
Physical Dimensions:
Height: 119mm
Width: 59.8mm
Depth: 11.5mm
Weight: 130g with battery; 100g without battery
Storage:
Flash: 512MB
RAM: 512MB
SD card: 4GB Micro SD card included (expandable to 32 GB)
Camera, photos, videos:
5 MP camera
Mechanical autofocus
2x digital zoom
LED flash
Geotagging capable
Cellular & wireless:
3G T-Mobile and EDGE on AT&T
Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n)
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
A2DP stereo Bluetooth
Location:
AGPS receiver
Cell tower and Wi-Fi positioning
Digital compass
Accelerometer
Display:
3.7 inch (diagonal) widescreen, WVGA AMOLED screen
External buttons & controls:
Physical power key
Physical volume up/down key
Tricolor, clickable trackball
4illuminated softkeys (Back, Menu, Home, Search)
Haptic feedback
Teflon-coated back cover
Connectors and sensors:
Dock pins for the Docking Stations or other Nexus One Accessories
3.5mm, 40connector, stereo headset jack
Earpiece
Speaker
Microphone
Second microphone for active noise cancellation
SIM card slot
Micro SD slot
Micro USB port
Proximity sensor
Light sensor
Tricolor charging and notification indicator LED
Processor:
QUALCOMM QSD 8250, 1Ghz
Audio decoders:
AAC LC/LTP, HE-ACCv1 (AAC+), HE-AACv2 (enhanced ACC+)
Mono/Stereo standard bit rates up to 160kbps and sampling rates from 8kHz to 48kHz
AMR-NB 4.75-12.2kpbs sampled @ 8kHz
AMR-WB 9 rates from 6.60kbit/s to 23.85kbits/s sampled @ 16kHz
MP3 mono/stereo 8-320kbps constant bit rate (CBR) or variable bit-rate (VBR)
MIDI SMF (Type 0 and 1), DLS Version 1 and 2, XMF/Mobile
XMF, RTTTL/RTX, OTA, iMelody
Ogg Vorbis
WAVE
Audio encoders:
AMR-NB 4.75-2.2kbps sampled @ 8kHz
Platform:
Android mobile technology platform 2.1 (Flan)
Image formats:
JPEG (encode and decode)
GIF
PNG
BMP
Video decoders:
H.263
MPEG-4 SP
H.264 AVC
Video encoders:
H.263
MPEG-4 SP
Power and battery:
Removable 1400mAh battery
Ad: White iPhone 4Under pressure from civil liberties advocates, Facebook has updated its policies to explicitly prohibit the use of company data for surveillance purposes.
Facebook announced the move on Monday after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) published records showing that Facebook and other social media platforms provided user data access to a company that marketed its products to law enforcement for surveillance purposes.
“Today we are adding language to our Facebook and Instagram platform policies to more clearly explain that developers cannot ‘use data obtained from us to provide tools that are used for surveillance.’ Our goal is to make our policy explicit,” wrote Rob Sherman, Facebook’s deputy chief privacy officer, in a post on the company’s privacy page Monday.
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The company said that it has been taking “enforcement action” against developers who create and market tools to be used for surveillance for several months.
“We want to be sure everyone understands the underlying policy and how to comply,” Sherman clarified.
The company said that the update was the result of months of work with advocacy organizations including the ACLU of California, Color of Change and the Center for Media Justice.
Facebook and other social media platforms give developers access to users’ public feeds to track trends and other public happenings.
The ACLU released records last October showing that Twitter, Facebook and Instagram gave user data access to Geofeedia, a developer of social media monitoring products marketed to law enforcement to monitor activists and protesters, including those in Ferguson, Mo. Facebook and Twitter cut off access to Geofeedia following the revelations.
The ACLU and other advocacy organizations signaled support for Facebook’s move on Monday, though some indicated that more needs to be done.
“We depend on social networks to connect and communicate about the most important issues in our lives and the core political and social issues in our country,” Nicole Ozer, technology and civil liberties director at the ACLU of California, said in a statement. “Now more than ever, we expect companies to slam shut any surveillance side doors and make sure nobody can use their platforms to target people of color and activists.”
“We applaud this first step from Facebook and encourage all technology companies to stand on the side of history that supports human rights and dignity,” Malkia Cyril, executive director and founder of the Center for Media Justice, said.
“When technology companies allow their platforms and devices to be used to conduct mass surveillance of activists and other targeted communities, it chills democratic dissent and gives authoritarianism a license to thrive,” Cyril said. “It’s clear there is more work to be done to protect communities of color from social media spying, censorship and harassment.”
Twitter took similar action in November, clarifying that its policy prohibits developers from allowing law enforcement to use its data for surveillance purposes and noting that doing so could result in suspension or termination.Age 14 was about the height of my love for video games, and at the time nothing seemed more amazing for a fan of games than the yearly Electronic Entertainment Expo.
E3 was always one of the craziest things about which to read — or more accurately, of which to see photos in glossy gaming magazines. Gaming’s biggest event seemed enormous, flashy and insane: Vegas for nerds like me, who found in video games both an escapism and some kind of cultural and social fulfillment that was hard to come by in the meat grinder of adolescence. E3 was always a thing I wanted to experience myself, where I could get an early taste of all the games I could play, and maybe a chance to speak with those people who managed, somewhat magically, to create them.
Just more than a decade later, I finally made it to E3 as a reporter for GameFront.com.
The first time was pretty incredible. My inner 14-year-old was blown away by the sight of the place: ads and trailers and booths and noise and lights and games crammed into the LA Convention Center, and everywhere people, like sand filling in the cracks and gaps between screen-covered boulders crushed tightly together. I played a lot, I spoke with many developers, and I wrote as fast as I could, every day, about everything that I had seen and touched and heard.
—
On Jan. 20, I filed a review of Capcom’s Resident Evil HD Remastered. As far as games are concerned, few have had as big an effect on me as Resident Evil (I even got a gig writing a trivia book about the franchise). Resident Evil stirred my fascination with zombies, solidified my love of horror, and was part of what made me excited about games years ago.
My Resident Evil HD Remastered review was the last thing I wrote for GameFront. It was never published.
Jan. 20 was the day Defy Media, GameFront’s parent company, notified us the contracts for the GameFront editorial staff were being terminated. Everyone on the editorial side was being laid off, effective immediately.
—
I met Ron Whitaker, GameFront’s managing editor, for the first time in 2014. I’d been talking to him just about every day for years, but it wasn’t until PAX East in Boston — my first PAX — that I actually got to spend time with him in a physical space. It was also my first time meeting Janelle Bonanno, who had come on to be GameFront’s editor in chief after a merger between GF’s old parent, Break Media, and Alloy Digital.
Sometimes I do this stupid thing at conventions where I buy cigarettes. It’s a point where I tend to relapse after having given them up; cons are lengthy affairs consisting of heading to an appointment, seeing a game, talking to the people making it, taking furious notes, and then repeating the process over and over again at a brisk clip. It’s nice to have a reason to take a five-minute time out and step outside, or have a conversation with someone.
The smokey conversations I had with Ron and Janelle, as well as Janelle’s husband Josh (then managing editor at our then-sister site, The Escapist), were the highlight of the convention. Across all the cons I attended, those times actually hanging out with GameFront compatriots Mitch Saltzman, James Heaney, Ron and Janelle, those were easily the highlights of my final year as a games journalist.
The thing I’d always loved about GameFront was the people with whom I’d worked. Over the years, our staff had grown and shrunk — we picked up some speed under Break, endeavored with our original team to be something a little different from the mainstream games journalism establishment, then spent time reacting to the merger and dealing with the loss of about half of our staff. Through all that, GameFront had been home to some remarkable talents, some extremely hard workers, a group of people who had interesting things to say and interesting things to write. We’d hoped to push the site even further, expanding and diversifying its voice, but it wasn’t to be.
—
There was a time around 2012 when things really shifted for me at GameFront. Up to that time, I’d been fighting to climb the ranks on the staff. I’d started as a walkthrough writer, but for my entire first year of churning out painstakingly detailed guides — the kind of games writing, and game playing, that has the potential to cross your eyes and exhaust your body with its mundanity — I’d asked for chances, opportunities, work. When there was a gap, I covered news, then started picking up the odd review, then started throwing pitches at the editors.
In my second year, I became extremely prolific on GameFront as I just took on all the work I could get my hands on, and I was pushing, along with the rest of the staff, to make the site into something more than a place to regurgitate press releases and chuck up reviews and previews.
And then — we started to make it happen. We started digging deeper into games. We started taking steps away from the “everyone else does it” sort of coverage. We tried to adopt a mandate of being the “thinking gamer’s” website. We developed new columns that sought out people from the wider community of people interested in games, to move beyond endlessly interviewing developers about products. We pushed in some different directions, and I was excited to be a part of it.
Best of it was the lasting friendships I made with the incredibly talented people who made up the site’s staff. Ron Whitaker, Janelle Bonanno, Ross Lincoln, Phil Owen, Mitchell Saltzman, James Heaney, Ben Richardson, Mark Burnham, Jeff Mills, Devin Connors, Marshall Lemon, Stew Shearer, Shawn Sines, Ryan Marsh, James Murff, Mike Sharkey, Jon Soucy, Matt Low, Chrystle Mealing, Leif Johnson, Nathan Meunier, Scott Nichols, Andy Chalk — all are great folks with whom it was a blast to work, for whatever length of time our paths crossed. Those people made sitting around and talking about video games worth doing for years.
—
My last E3 was in 2014. I doubt I’ll attend this year. Right now, I won’t have any reason to do so, or any credentials to get through the door.
I don’t think I’ll miss the convention part of it. But I will miss the smokey conversations.
After all the effort, all the talk, all the writing, all the interviewing, and all the hope, the editorial push of GameFront.com is essentially no more. After everything, it ended in a blink, and I can’t say that I’m not bitter about it. I am. For as hard as we all worked for our corporate overlords, we got plenty of reminders of how little we mattered — none quite so glaring as how quickly we were dismissed, however. It’s difficult not to feel disheartened on good days, crushed on bad ones.
But I don’t regret any of my time at GameFront, and I’m proud of the work I did. I’m glad I got to take a shot at doing something that, since I was a kid, I’ve wanted to do professionally. And I think I did a pretty good job of it while I had the chance.
Mostly, though, the best part is having met some great folks along the way. GameFront made that possible. Even if the site sinks beneath the waves of the Internet, even if all my efforts vanish into the inky depths of cyberspace, at least I have that.On last week’s Arsecast, I spoke a little about the ‘Time for Change’ protest at the Norwich City home game last Saturday, backed by three Arsenal supporters’ groups. In it, I suggested that I would not partake because, while I desire some level of change at Arsenal, I do not think I am indignant enough to volubly take arms against the manager inside the stadium.
Protests over television scheduling and ticket prices? Count me in. Aston Villa fans watching their club chloroformed into relegation by a negligent ownership model? Charlton and Blackpool fans trying to wrestle their club from the chokehold of vagabonds? Go for it, protest away. I know I would. There’s unanimity to those protests that I do not think we have reached at Arsenal.
I too feel the boredom and apathy of reliving the same season over and over again. Personally, I am not at the pitchfork stage yet, as I would be were I a Charlton, Villa or Blackpool fan. I admit that, when it comes to football, I wilfully try not to take it too seriously. I certainly do not wish to actively make myself unhappy about something that I choose to do with my leisure time, something that acts as a release valve from the stresses of everyday life. But that’s just me. I don’t wish to judge people that feel more strongly about the condition that Arsenal and Arsene are in than I do.
At least that is what I thought going into the game against Norwich. After the match, I was left feeling regretful. It felt like the online circus that revolves around Arsenal had been brought into the stadium walls. Like a terrible screenplay that somehow makes its way to the silver screen. (I do not think the supporters’ groups that backed it intended that at all). Previously on these pages, I have compared the effect of social media on the human psyche to the invention of the camera.
When the camera was invented in the 19th century, people became much more aware of their own image and began to dress far more extravagantly. The first ever photograph was taken in 1826; the ‘dandy craze’ took off in 1830. It’s not difficult to draw a connection between the two. With the invention of social media, we have all been handed a soapbox and a megaphone and, consequently, our opinions have turned into miniature works of performance art. If words are our weapons, then we are all poets now.
During the Norwich game on Saturday, the stadium became animated above a quiet, disapproving murmur on four occasions by my count. In the 12th minute and 78th minute, when the protest displays were made flesh. In the 53rd minute, as the crowd roundly booed the substitution of Alex Iwobi, itself a show of Punch and Judy petulance, and in the 55th minute, as Danny Welbeck smashed home the winner. Of those four decibel spikes, I think the goal created the least amount of excitement.
The 12th and 78th minute protests descended into abridged 60 second circus acts. A portion of the ground held their placards above their heads, a few bristled and booed those that did, a chorus of ‘One Arsene Wenger’ abounded from another section of dissenters. That is the very first time that chant has aired this season. It wasn’t so much a backing for the manager, as a disapproving veto to the protestors. I began to reflect on how bloody tiring it is to keep up with this level of internal politicking.
Worse still, these visual or vocal acts of yah booing genuinely seemed to interest people more than the game. Even more than the goal that won the game. I began to wonder what the Emirates might be like if everyone was as invested in backing the team, or, you know, enjoying the game as they are revealing which side of this imaginary divide that they personally happen to sit on. I began to look around at banners revealing all sorts of messages, some disparaging and some supportive of the manager, the regime, or whatever.
It struck me as quite ridiculous and a little vain that so many had come to watch a football match with the intention of distilling the contents of their twitter feeds |
players.
“Once we have everyone on board, we’ll go full swing in training. Going to either to New Zealand or Australia,” added Fahmy.
The national team plays a friendly match against KL Tigers on December 9.In a rare move, the Supreme Court has allocated 6 hours of oral argument spread over three days to the case of Health and Human Services v. Florida–the constitutional challenge to the Affordable Care Act, commonly called “ObamaCare.” SCOTUS will hear arguments from Monday March 26 to Wednesday March 28.
Day 1: The Anti-Injunction Act
The first day contained 90 minutes of oral argument on the issue of whether the Anti-Injunction Act prevents the court from ruling on the mandate until the provision goes into effect in 2015. Glossing over the technical details, the AIA is a century-old law prohibiting challenges to tax laws until taxes are collected.
The real significance of this part of the trial is that it will probably determine if the court will treat the fine levied against individuals for failure to purchase health insurance as a “tax” or a “penalty,” and this will determine if the individual mandate falls under Congress’s taxing power. If the court agrees to rule on the case now, as nearly everyone expects it will, the mandate fine could wind up being treated as a penalty, not a tax, and thus will rest solely on Congress’s power under the Commerce Clause.
Prediction: the Supreme Court will rule on the case now, as the mandate will inevitably go into effect. The court will treat the mandate as a penalty, not a tax.
FULL TRANSCRIPT [PDF]
FULL AUDIO RECORDING
Day 2: The Individual Mandate
The second day is arguably the most important day for the case. The court heard argument for two hours on whether the Constitution permits the government to force individuals to purchase a private product, merely as a condition of being a citizen.
The government argued that the Interstate Commerce Clause grants Congress the power to force individuals to purchase a product from a private company or face fines or prison. The challengers argued that the power to compel consumers’ commercial activity (purchasing insurance) is not part of Congress’s power to regulate (or, per Wickard and Raich, prohibit) existing commerce. They further argued that there is no limiting principle to this power that would prevent the government from compelling anyone to do anything it deemed necessary.
Prediction: Originally, I thought that the challengers had no chance of winning this argument, but after Solicitor General Verrilli’s weak performance today, there’s an even chance that the court will rule against the mandate. After some brutal questioning of Verrilli by conservative justices and his fumbling answers, several observers predict the court will rule against the mandate.
FULL TEXT [PDF]
FULL AUDIO RECORDING
Day 3: Severability and Medicaid Mandates on States
The final day featured 90 minutes of argument on whether, and to what extent, the mandate, if unconstitutional, is severable from the rest of the Affordable Care Act. A final hour of argument was afforded to the question of whether the law’s Medicaid mandates on the states are an unconstitutional usurpation of states’ rights.
If the court strikes down the mandate, the challengers argue that the whole law must also go–in a word, that the mandate is not severable from the rest of the law. The government concedes that if the individual mandate is found unconstitutional, the regulations on insurance companies must also go, but that the remainder of the Act’s provisions can be upheld. The court appointed an amicus curiae (friend of the court) to argue the position that the 11th Circuit held, that the mandate could be struck down and the rest of the law, including the insurance regulations, maintained.
The final question is whether the Department of Health and Human Services rules for the funding of states’ Medicaid programs is an unconstitutional imposition on states’ rights. The ACA requires that states enact a number of changes to their Medicaid programs, including expanding coverage and eligibility, or else forfeit all of their Medicaid funding–billions of dollars in budget support for some states. As part of a political deal to keep the projected cost of the ACA down, Congress did not provide any funding for these mandates on the states. The attorneys general for 27 states are suing to block these provisions as unconstitutional burdens imposed on state governments.
Prediction: I originally expected that if the conservative justices strike down the mandate, they would hold the government’s position, striking down the insurance regulations and leaving the remainder of the Act untouched. Some of Justice Scalia’s statements during the severability hearing, however, make me think that the court will not want to wade into deciding what portions of the 2,700 page law must go or be retained. The court typically does not want to get into making those types of policy decisions. While the states have a respectable argument, the court is unlikely to limit congressional discretion over Medicaid funding. The states’ best hope on this count is that the court will strike down the mandate and rule the whole Act unconstitutional.
FULL TEXT [PDF] – NFIB v. SEBELIUS (severability)
FULL AUDIO – NFIB v. SEBELIUS
FULL TEXT [PDF] – FLORIDA v. HHS (States Medicaid rights)
FULL AUDIO – FLORIDA v. HHS
It should be remembered that no ruling can be expected on this law for several months–probably not until at least late summer–and that my predictions (I’m not a lawyer) are likely as wrong everyone else’s. No matter what, I expect the decision to be very close: 5-4 or 6-3 in either direction. Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Kennedy seem to be the wild cards, and their decisions will probably determine the outcome of the case.
Other links:
Debate between The Cato Institute, the Center for American Progress, the Institute for Justice, and Northwestern University.
Reason.tv: Why Obamacare is “the Most Important Case” in 50 Years
Cato’s summary of the case and their briefs to the court on each issue.
Randy Barnett on why the ACA is bad law.
Michael F. Cannon on why the ACA is bad policy.The U.S. Cities Where Cycling Is Growing the Fastest
This table, showing the top 10 U.S. cities where cycling is growing fastest, comes from a new report from the League of American Bicyclists that analyzes census data. Though the census only tracks bicycle commuting — and thus understates how many people are cycling — the results tell an interesting story about cycling trends.
Notice a mix of rust belt cities and larger, more progressive metros that are doing a lot to improve conditions for cyclists. It should also be noted that cities like Detroit, Cleveland, and Baltimore had such small shares of commuters cycling in 1990 that, while percentage increases seem absolutely whopping, actual bike commuting rates are still somewhat modest. (The average bike commuting rate across the United States is 0.6 percent, the League reports.)
But even Portland had only a 1.2 percent bike commute mode share in 1990. It will be interesting to see where these cities are 23 years from now. Imagine if these trends continued.
The Bike League study is loaded with interesting city rankings. Check it out, and you’re almost certain to find your city on one of those lists.For Broncos linebacker Corey Nelson, being a backup is a lot harder than being a starter. It requires more discipline and focus throughout the week when practice reps are fewer and less significant.
Nelson has experienced both roles this season and his versatility to play well in each situation has earned him rave reviews from the coaching staff. He’s also a stalwart on special teams, with the second-most snaps and tackles this season.
In a defense full of stars, Nelson is one of the depth players doing dirty work and keeping the machine churning properly.
The Broncos’ third-year linebacker played well Sunday in Denver’s 20-10 win over Jacksonville, assuming a full-time role when starter Brandon Marshall left the game with a left hamstring injury in the third quarter. Marshall’s status for Sunday against Tennessee is in question, meaning Nelson may be in line for his second start of the season. Related Articles December 6, 2016 Jhabvala vs. Kiz: Should Broncos root for Chiefs or Raiders victory Thursday night?
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“I’ve got to step up to the plate,” said Nelson, the Broncos’ 2014 seventh-round pick. “That’s what this team is built on – the backups being just as good as the ones and filling that role.”
Nelson impressed the most with his coverage Sunday, particularly on Jaguars elusive running back T.J. Yeldon. Twice, Nelson defended Yeldon man-to-man, breaking up a pass while the Jaguars were driving for a touchdown. Coaches gave him a 90-percent grade for his performance.
Nelson competed with Todd Davis for the vacant starting linebacker spot opposite Marshall this summer. Despite losing out, he earned a role as a pass coverage linebacker and has played more than 30-percent of the defensive snaps this season. Nelson played 42 defensive snaps against Jacksonville.
Nelson, at 6-foot-1, 226 pounds, is trying to erase the perception that he’s solely a coverage linebacker. He has improved his keys in the running game and will have another opportunity against the Titans’ run-heavy offense.
“Corey can run and he’s really one of our fastest linebackers,” Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said. “We wanted to get him in the sub package because of his coverage ability, and actually, he’s played well against the run in the sub package, too. He’s made some really big hits. He’s a really good athlete just like all of our guys. If they’re good enough to play, I like to try and get them in the ball game.”
Marshall, who admitted last week that he has been having a “run of the mill” season, injured the same hamstring in October and it caused him to miss a game. Hamstring injuries typically linger and will likely be something to watch beyond this week.
Nelson’s role will be significant this week, whether Marshall plays or not, given the Broncos’ opponent. Tennessee’s top receiving weapon is tight end Delanie Walker, the AFC’s second-leading receiving tight end. Broncos defensive backs likely will shadow Walker, but Nelson also will see his share of Walker on underneath routes as well as running back DeMarco Murray.Net neutrality group Free Press and the left-leaning MoveOn.org are taking the fight over openness rules for the internet out of cyberspace and onto the streets Friday.
Google's street, that is.
*'We are trying to show that the public is against Google and Verizon's plan to turn over the internet to corporations'*The groups are calling on their members in the Bay Area to head down to Google's Mountain View headquarters Friday at noon to vent their grievances over Google's compromise with Verizon on the issue of openness rules for the wired and wireless broadband.
The two powerhouse companies, former arch-nemeses on openness issues and now close business partners in mobile devices, proposed compromise rules on Monday. The proposal, which the companies hoped would spur new legislation, suggested imposing some basic fairness rules on wired broadband, allowing ISPs to build their own net services available only to their customers and exempting wireless providers from rules that let customers use the apps, services and devices of choosing.
Monday's joint proposal has met with a backlash from net neutrality supporters, who were dismayed to see their biggest and most vocal corporate supporter, Google, making a back room deal with one of the nation's largest broadband and wireless companies. (I even called Google a "Carrier-Humping, Net Neutrality Surrender Monkey.")
Google defended its pact with Verizon on Thursday, saying it was a "myth" that it sold out on network neutrality.
Free Press is e-mailing its estimated 15,000 Bay Area supporters Thursday, and MoveOn will do the same to their local membership, which is likely to be many times the size of Free Press'.
The point, according to Free Press spokeswoman Liz Rose, is to make it clear to D.C. lawmakers that this is an issue people care about and to make it clear to those who don't know about the issue "what they are about to lose."
"We are trying to show that the public is against Google and Verizon's plan to turn over the internet to corporations," Rose said. "We can't leave any stone unturned. Can we get people out from behind their computers?"
Free Press has filed comments with the FCC, and gotten its members to write lawmakers and regulators, but the situation in D.C. still looks like the telecoms will be able to prevent the FCC from imposing openness rules on the net's transport layer. Seventy-four House Democrats joined with nearly every House Republican telling the FCC not to try to exercise authority over ISPs.
The FCC wants to re-classify ISPs into a category that gives it a legal way to keep ISPs from blocking users from using the devices, applications and online services of their choice. While such rules were part of President Obama's election platform, House Democrats have threatened to pull the FCC's funding if such rules on implemented on the powerful telecoms.
ISPs had long assumed the FCC had such power, but a federal court ruled the FCC no longer had that power, thanks to a deregulatory sleight-of-hand by the Bush Administration's FCC.
So now, Free Press and MoveOn are trying to get their supporters to close their laptops and make their voices heard in meatspace.
The groups have rented several buses that will leave from San Francisco's Opera House at 11 a.m. Friday.
Photo: Google HQ in Mountain View, CA. Credit: Håkan Dahlström
Follow us for disruptive tech news: Ryan Singel and Epicenter on Twitter.
See Also:Police detain a protester in downtown Moscow on May 26. | AP Photo State Dept. condemns crackdown on Russia protests
After Sen. Ben Sasse questioned why U.S. leaders were not commenting on the suppression of Russian protesters, the State Department criticized Russia's handling of peaceful protesters on Sunday, calling it "an affront to core democratic values."
"The United States strongly condemns the detention of hundreds of peaceful protesters throughout Russia on Sunday," said Mark Toner, acting spokesman for the State Department. "Detaining peaceful protesters, human rights observers, and journalists is an affront to core democratic values. We were troubled to hear of the arrest of opposition figure Alexei Navalny upon arrival at the demonstration, as well as the police raids on the anti-corruption organization he heads."
Story Continued Below
President Donald Trump and his White House have not commented on the situation, which came amid protests against corruption in the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Toner said the United States will continue to monitor and "call on the government of Russia to immediately release all peaceful protesters."
"The Russian people, like people everywhere, deserve a government that supports an open marketplace of ideas, transparent and accountable governance, equal treatment under the law, and the ability to exercise their rights without fear of retribution," Toner said.
Sasse, who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released a statement earlier Sunday saying Putin's "thugocracy is on full display" and that U.S. leaders are expected to call out those who "trample the basic human rights."
"The United States government cannot be silent about Russia’s crackdown on peaceful protesters. Free speech is what we’re all about, and Americans expect our leaders to call out thugs who trample the basic human rights of speech, press, assembly, and protest," the Nebraska Republican said in the statement. Sasse opposed Trump during the 2016 elections and has frequently been critical of him.
Opposition rallies against the Russian government took place Sunday in more than 80 towns and cities across Russia. In Moscow, reports indicate more than 650 people have been detained, including Navalny, Putin's most-prominent critic in Russia. The protests spurred from allegations that Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev accepted more than $1 billion in bribes from state banks and wealthy businessmen.
Trump has come under criticism for his kind gestures toward Putin. The FBI also is investigating potential connections between Trump campaign aides and the Russian government, which US intelligence officials suspect tried to interfere in the 2016 elections to help Trump win.
Nahal Toosi contributed to this article.NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Just as the housing market began to collapse near the end of 2007, a real estate agent in Bridgeport, Conn. asked Regions Bank if it would accept a $102,375 bid on a home that was underwater on its mortgage. Under the impression that this was the best offer on the home, Regions agreed to the short sale and released the mortgage it owned on the home.
Later that same day, the new owner -- an investment group owned by another real estate agent -- resold the home to a buyer who had been lined up before the short sale transaction went through. The final sale price: $132,500, netting the seller a cool $30,000 -- a profit that should have gone to Regions.
In this latest twist on short sale fraud, scammers have found a way to rip off mortgage lenders by tens of thousands of dollars -- sometimes in a matter of hours.
The scam artists, usually real estate agents, will secure a legitimate bid on a home, one where the borrower owes far more on the mortgage than the home is worth. Then they arrange for an accomplice investor to make a lower offer on the home.
The agent then presents the lower bid to the lender and asks them to forgive any remaining balance owed -- without disclosing that there was a higher bid made on the home. Once the short sale is approved, the scammer then sells the home to the higher bidder, often on the same day.
"These same-day resales are on average nearly $50,000 greater than the lender agreed upon short-sale price," said Tim Grace, senior vice president of product management and analytics at CoreLogic (CLGX), a financial analytics company based in Santa Ana, Calif.
Such transactions are expected to cost lenders more than $375 million this year, up more than 20% from last year, according to CoreLogic
The anatomy of a scam
Most of the time, pulling off one of these scams involves a real estate agent and an investor acting as a "straw buyer." Sometimes, the owner of the home is involved as well, but not often, said Robert Hagberg, an investigator for the mortgage giant Freddie Mac (FMCC, Fortune 500).
"In most instances, the sellers are apathetic; they've, basically, already lost their homes," he said. With nothing to gain or lose, they allow agents to handle the entire deal.
To get the banks to approve low bids, appraisals or broker price opinions are manipulated. Home prices have plummeted in many housing markets and the house may be worth far less than what the seller paid.
Sometimes, said Hagberg, fraudsters bribe appraisers or brokers to get the prices they want but they can employ sneakier methods as well. One method: Misstating the home's location so it's compared with much cheaper places.
One case in California last year involved an expensive Malibu property that the agent said was in Riverside, Calif.
"It didn't cause any alarm bells to go off at the bank," said Grace. "The short sale went through at $200,000, which was a fifth of its value. It was turned around for $1 million."
Sometimes an agent will point out every defect in the home to get appraisers to reduce their values, according to Hagberg. In Wisconsin, an agent left the windows open during spring rains and flooded the basement. He told the appraiser the plumbing burst and would need expensive repairs. All it really needed was a pump.
"When the flippers say there's something wrong with the electricity, the plumbing or the roof, the appraiser can't tell whether they're being deceived or not," said Hagberg.
Fraud ultimately hurts homeowners
Five years ago, when the housing market was thriving, lenders rarely heard of a short sale fraud. But as the housing market crumbled and beleaguered homeowners increasingly turned to short sales to get out of their underwater mortgages, the frauds increased as well.
Now, 13% of all existing homes sales are short sales, according to the National Association of Realtors. And last year, frauds associated with short sales comprised half of all fraud investigations for mortgage companies like Freddie Mac (FMCC, Fortune 500), according to Hagberg.
The impact of short sale fraud goes well beyond the direct losses to banks. These frauds have become so common, it has become more difficult for legitimate short-sale transactions to go through.
That hurts sellers because it forces more of them into foreclosure. It hurts banks by adding to their costs and it can make all the parties more cautious.
The frauds "defeat why we do short sales in the first place," said Hagberg.
In the Bridgeport, Conn. scam, two real estate agents were arrested. It was just one of four similar frauds that were listed in their indictment, which netted them a total of more than $180,000. They pled guilty and are awaiting sentence.
They may be out of business but with home prices off about a third from their peak nationwide and down 50% or more in many post-bubble communities, there are opportunities for other short-sale fraud artists to take their place.Welcome to First Click, an essay written by The Verge staff in which we opine on lives lived in the near future.
It’s Prime Day 2017, which is Amazon’s now-annual midsummer deals bonanza designed to entice the few of us that are left without a Prime subscription to sign up. Thousands of prices get slashed, as if being admonished for their insolent cost, and replaced with marginally more affordable ones. Delivery is free, unlimited, and same day in a lot of places. It’s open buffet season on consumer goods, and Amazon has that Prime ticket dangling in front of our ravenous faces. Only I’m not taking the bait, not today and probably not ever.
This is not to disparage those who do subscribe to Amazon Prime, because I certainly recognize the wide range of advantages it provides, from the effortless convenience of restocking on basic necessities in a hurry to all the movie and music streaming perks that Amazon keeps expanding on. It’s a valuable service and one that returns more value than its $99 annual cost, I’m not disputing that at all. But Prime has a lot of undesirable effects too, and those are the things I wish to avoid.
This is both a personal and philosophical matter, and I’ll try to separate the various strands of my anti-Prime angst into coherent topics:
First up has to be the matter of deals. Deals suck. Discounted goods are bad for me, as a consumer, because they nudge me into buying things I don’t need just to be frugal and collect the massive "saving" inherent in the discount. That’s how I’ve ended up with a collection of pristine, totally unworn sneakers that seemed too cheap to pass up. Discounts are also bad for the supplier for the obvious reason that they cut into their income. There is, of course, the ideal scenario where a supplier looking to free up space cuts the price of seasonal goods that need to be replaced at the exact same time as I need a thing of that kind and caliber — a win on both sides. But browse through Amazon even without the hyperactivity of Prime Day and you’ll see that deals are the norm rather than the exception. We’ve come to expect discounts on everything.
Insofar as possible, I think we should pay full price for the things we want. If we want to see more headphones like the Beoplay H6, more bags like the Peak Design Backpack, and more phones like the Galaxy S8, the strongest signal we can give to their manufacturers is to buy them at the full-fat price. Otherwise, maybe we just bought the thing that was on sale rather than the thing that lived up to our expectations of product quality. It doesn’t matter if the producer is a local artisan or a global chaebol like Samsung, the best way to exercise any influence on the direction of consumer goods and design is with your spending. (This is an ideal that I admit I don’t always live up to).
Still harping on the issue of Amazon’s deals, I find they have a devastating effect on the local supply of niche things. The locksmith on my local high street has no chance of competing with Amazon’s prices, derived from massive economies of scale, and if it weren’t for key repair and duplication services, he’d probably be out of business by now. Over the past decade, I’ve witnessed most of my nearby independent bookshops closing up, replaced either by estate agents, pizza chains, or the Waterstones book retailer that has none of the old charm but at least some of Amazon’s scale. I don’t wish to single Amazon out for blame in this, and I know Walmart has done far worse to the face of US retail, but at some point maybe we should consider our own agency in this move toward overwhelming and monolithic stores for absolutely everything.
Free delivery is never free. Amazon Prime makes it unbelievably easy to shop unthinkingly. You can just order up a ton of things of the same class, try them all out, and return the majority, keeping only one. That phenomenon has been so prominent with clothes that Amazon formalized it with the introduction of Amazon Prime Wardrobe last month. But for each of those back and forth trips, there’s a truck, a boat, a plane out there, pushing stuff around the world for the sake of our sheer indulgence and indecision. I don’t care how anyone rationalizes this (check out my colleague Thomas Ricker’s reasoned argument here), I consider it wasteful and polluting and not something I want to contribute to. As with paying a few cents for a plastic bag at the supermarket, being charged for delivery makes me more aware of the real-world cost of that delivery.
Amazon’s presence in online retail is so influential nowadays that the majority of other major US retailers (Walmart and Target notably absent) are throwing their own mini sales to fend off the effects of Prime Day. Best Buy, Macy’s, JCPenney, Newegg, Office Depot, Sears — and hey, even Google has a Google Home discount running for a couple of days. As of today, this is a totally consumer-friendly effect of Amazon’s growing domination (assuming the discounts aren’t coming at the indirect cost of people’s jobs), but what happens over the long run? What if Walmart and every other retailer never catches up to Amazon and Jeff Bezos’ company ends up in a truly dominant position with no meaningful competition? Bezos himself advocates sternly against complacency, but having a monopolistic retailer of everything is a bad dependency to develop.
Amazon’s employment practices are shit. If this list was ordered by priority or seriousness of the issue, Amazon’s treatment of its own workers would be right at the top. It was the subject of an undercover BBC Panorama documentary a few years ago, and reports of exploitative working conditions at Amazon warehouses persist. Everything about Prime that feels unbelievably cheap is only so because of the unbelievably cheap way that Amazon deals with the people discharging its duties. Even white-collar Amazon employees have reported the company’s work environment is not a healthy one. Yes, clothing retailers like Primark and consumer tech vendors like Apple and Samsung are just as guilty of exploiting cheap labour in distant countries, but that doesn’t liberate Amazon of its own responsibilities as an employer.
I don’t expect anyone to follow or join me in resisting Amazon’s primal pull toward Prime. You’ve got your own priorities in life and, in all honesty, nobody’s going to fix global injustice by disregarding Prime Day and taking a nice walk outside instead. But it makes me feel good to do exactly that, and so — in the ultimate expression of consumer choice — I’m opting not to consume Amazon’s enchanting deals elixir.Today on quora someone asked whether they should buy the BlackBerry priv or the iphone 6s and i managed to write an answer so good that he bought a BlackBerry priv and ignored the other answers that said iphone.
This guy is also a BlackBerry fan and was using a bold 9900 i think.
A thought struck me then. All the iphone supporters talked about benchmark scores and how the A9 chip is superior to snapdragon 808. I think the general consumer doesnt even care about this when he is willing to splurge that much money.
I told him about what the curved display can do and i told him about the keyboard and about the glass weave material that i love so much. I also told him that BlackBerry priv takes memory cards.
Iam so proud of myself because i have converted so many people around me who were iphone or android users to BlackBerry.
My best friend had an android phone and i convinced him to buy a black Q10 in 2016 and he loves it.
I also convinced another one of my friends to get a white Q10 in 2017 and he loves it too... he was a former iphone user.... he says he will never leave BlackBerry 10.
I got my uncle to buy a BlackBerry priv when he was considering an iphone 6. He thanks me each time he calls me for suggesting the priv.
One night i silently poured water on my moms phone so she would have to buy a new one and made her buy the BlackBerry Z30. She is as happy as she can be.
The same didn't work with my dad when i doused his phone in water to spoil it and make him buy BlackBerry because he used a sony xperia phone and they are waterproof... silly me... but i will soon get my dad to buy BlackBerry.
BLACKBERRY WILL RULE THE WORLD! Hahahaha (evil laugh)
Posted via my nokia 3310 (the old one)About This Game
Metal Drift is a vehicular sport combat game set in a distant future. As the player, you command an agile, high powered hover tank in a futuristic sports arena. Core game play centers on intense tank-on-tank multiplayer team combat seen through an immersive, first person cockpit. Layered on this is a goal-oriented game type that allows for high level strategy and team dynamics. Players can level up to unlock new ranks, weapons, and upgrades.
Each weapon and upgrade is specifically designed and balanced to allow different styles of play. Pair up the Stealth upgrade and the Shock Cannon to uncloak behind an enemy player and unload a devastating blow before disappearing again. Or choose the Sensor upgrade to see where all the nearby players are, and the Temporal Cannon to shoot them through walls! There are 56 possible combinations – choose whichever suits your strategy.Donald Trump has released a position paper on immigration outlining his plan to “make America great again” by forcing Mexico to build a wall on the U.S.’s southern border, increasing tariffs, deporting all illegal immigrants who have committed crimes, forcing companies to implement E-Verify, obligating employers to choose American workers instead of immigrants, and hiring 10,000 new federal employees.
Is this really what Trump’s so-called conservative defenders in the media want: A massive expansion of the federal bureaucracy combined with distortive, crippling regulation of private business?
Apparently, yes. From The Blaze:
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump unveiled his official position on immigration reform over the weekend and some conservative commentators were exceedingly supportive. In fact, Ann Coulter tweeted Sunday she believed his plan was “the greatest political document since the Magna Carta” and so good she didn’t care if Trump “wants to perform abortions in the White House after this immigration policy paper.” That’s high praise for a plan that would triple the size of a federal agency (ICE) while giving the government much greater cause to interfere in the affairs of all Americans—both native-born and immigrant—and harass businesses large and small.
People who describe themselves as conservatives shouldn’t need to be reminded of this, but such a plan would be economically ruinous if implemented. It ignores the considerable benefits of immigration and immigrant workers. The overwhelming consensus among economists is that immigrant labor is a huge boon to the economy—boosting wages, creating jobs, and lowering the price of goods. When the government prevents immigrants from doing the jobs they want to do, it slows down the engine of economic growth. Again, conservatives must understand this on some level, given that they can typically be found lamenting that government regulation is killing the economy. They know that EPA compliance kills jobs. Labor-related regulatory compliance isn’t any different.
It’s a very sad commentary on the state of the modern Republican Party that its current frontrunner is not a conservative on any issue—from taxes to abortion to free trade to friendship with the Clinton regime. He isn’t even a true conservative on immigration; if conservatism is even tangentially related to the idea that government should get out of the way so that private enterprise can flourish, Trump’s position should disqualify him from the label.
Interestingly enough, the candidate whose rhetoric on immigration and labor most closely matches Trump's is Democrat Bernie Sanders, who betrays his own camp's stance on the humanitarian necessity of opening up the nation’s borders. Irrational hatred of immigrants and disdain for economic thinking has infected both parties' presidential contests, and it’s a shame to see so many people taken in by ugly and destructive ideas that would impoverish them if implemented.
Related: More on the similarities between Trump and Sanders here and here.Coming Soon
Locke & Key
After their father's gruesome murder, three siblings move into a house with magical keys that grant them powers. Adapted from the comics by Joe Hill.
Shadow and Bone
Sinister forces plot against a young soldier when she reveals a magical power that might unite her world. Based on Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse novels.
Daybreak
Navigating a post-apocalyptic world full of zombies and Mad Max-style gangs, a teenage outcast searches for his lost love in this humorous drama series.
The Order
Out to avenge his mother's death, a college student pledges a secret order and lands in a war between werewolves and practitioners of dark magic.
Undercover
A major ecstasy producer living in luxury on the Dutch-Belgian border faces big changes when two undercover agents begin moving in on his operation.
Our Planet
From the creator of "Planet Earth," this series takes viewers on an unprecedented journey through some of the world's most precious natural habitats.
Giri / Haji
Helped by a young Japanese-British hustler, a Tokyo sleuth searches London for his brother, who's involved with the Yakuza and wanted for murder.
I Am Not Okay With This
A teen navigates the complexities of high school, family and her sexuality while dealing with new superpowers. Based on Charles Forsman's graphic novel.ROME – Fifteen Franciscan friars continue to live and work in Syria; two of the friars minister in towns controlled by Islamic State forces.
Father Michael Perry, minister general of the Franciscans, visited most of the friars the first week of April, but he could not enter areas controlled by Islamic State or by forces opposed to the government of President Bashar Assad.
He drove to Homs April 7, just hours after U.S. bombers attacked the nearby Shayrat air base in retaliation for the Syrian government's suspected use of chemical weapons.
"We didn't see anything, but we certainly sensed the tension," he told Catholic News Service in Rome April 12.
In Damascus, he said, he and the other friars could hear bombing "every 20 minutes, 24 hours a day" from one of the neighbourhoods controlled by opposition forces. "This was constant, a constant reminder that nothing is settled; everything is still up in the air and people feel a great deal of insecurity."
The people just want it to stop, he said.
"We have two Franciscans who are caught (in territories) under ISIS control," he said. "They are living in two villages, 25 and 40 kilometres from Aleppo. They have been able to negotiate space and pay what is necessary" in order to stay and help the estimated 300 families remaining. The families are made up mostly of the elderly, children and "those who are too poor or too weak to find another place to go."
"The friars are staying with them and showing their solidarity and suffering the same conditions as the people," Father Perry said. To be able to stay, they had to remove all crosses, pictures of saints and other visible signs that they are Christians.
"It's a miracle they've been able to negotiate the space, but it's a testimony to the perseverance and endurance of the Syrian people," he said. Both friars are Syrians.
Father Perry began his weeklong trip in Beirut with Franciscans helping those who have fled Syria. The rest of his trip took place by car, including long detours to avoid areas controlled by Islamic State or by opposition forces.
"All along the south and eastern side to the eastern entry into Aleppo, I did not see one town that was alive," he said. "They had all been bombed out, abandoned."
"The closer we got to Aleppo, we saw a few people who were beginning to farm again, but we just didn't see any signs of life, human life," Father Perry said. "By contrast, the fields were in full bloom with poppies and different coloured flowers. So it was this stark contrast of the death of humanity and nature almost saying, 'It's not over. Stop. It's going to come back. There's still hope. There's a future even if it doesn't look like there's one now.'"
At a Catholic parish in Aleppo, Father Perry brought a weighty contribution to the hope professed by parishioners, the women religious, the friars and Bishop Georges Abou Khazen, apostolic vicar for the city's Latin-rite Catholics.
Cardinal Angelo Comastri, archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica, had given Father Perry three of the bricks used to close up the basilica's Holy Door between jubilee years. Father Perry took one to South Sudan, one to Malaysia and the last he brought to Aleppo "as an invitation to dialogue, reconciliation and rebuilding."
"I've been in war zones for the (U.S.) bishops, I've been in war zones for Franciscans International, but I've never witnessed anything on the scale of Syria. Ever," Father Perry said.Getty Images
As it turns out, not everybody thinks Bears General Manager Ryan Pace got fleeced.
In fact, he got an endorsement of his bold move for a quarterback from a Hall of Famer — provided the move works.
Former Packers G.M. Ron Wolf said he respected Pace’s decision to trade third- and fourth-round picks and next year’s third-rounder to the 49ers to move up one spot to select Mitchell Trubisky.
“I admire anyone with the gumption to [do that],” Wolf said, via Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times. “If you have the conviction, which they obviously do, that this is their savior... you go and get him. It takes intestinal fortitude and he displayed that. He has a belief in the player. And not only Pace |
different languages.[9] The Italian political parties Green Lists and Federation of the Greens have licensed use of the symbol for their party electoral materials and logos.
Gallery [ edit ]
See also [ edit ]The Killers’ last album, 2012’s Battle Born, wasn’t a disaster. It had a few good moments, and “Runaways” remains my jam. But it was the sort of album that a band makes when it’s getting tired, when it loses interest in its signature sound but can’t figure out where to go from there. Since the album came out, the Killers have been fairly inactive. They’ve released a greatest-hits album and a few Christmas singles, and now frontman Brandon Flowers has a really good solo album called The Desired Effect on deck. If the Killers were to go quietly into that good night, I don’t think anyone would be all that surprised. But Brandon Flowers says the Killers aren’t going out like that. To hear him tell it, the Killers need to make another album, if only because Battle Born “wasn’t good enough” and “we all know it.”
Flowers made that confession in an NME interview, and he also says that the band has no immediate plans to get to work on the next LP: “Once [the band] all get on the same page, it’ll work. I need to persuade them to like the same things as I do.” (NME claims that last line was a joke, but I’d sort of like to think it’s not.)
NME also asked about an older comment Flowers made, when he called his bandmates “lazy.” Here’s his response: “Did I say lazy? I tell you, recently Dave [Keuning] has really shown a new interest in being the guitar player for The Killers. I don’t know if he saw it. I hope I didn’t upset him.”
Meanwhile, drummer Ronnie Vannucci, Jr. doesn’t seem all that scared at the prospect of the band ending: “I don’t fear the end of The Killers. If it’s over, it’s over. We scratch those itches [with side-projects]. I get a good feeling knowing Brandon is out there doing that too. I hope the other two do it. It gets weird sometimes when we starting talking about our shit with the other two.”Disney War / James B. Stewart
Documents the fierce executive battle for control of the Walt Disney Company, in an account that discusses how Michael Eisner lost his chairmanship and how the conflict reflects modern-day American capitalism and popular culture.
The Late Shift : Letterman, Leno, And The Network Battle For The Night / By Bill Carter
Recounts CBS’s wooing of late night talk show host David Letterman and how Letterman and Jay Leno faced off over who would host the Tonight Show.
From Scratch : Inside The Food Network / Allen Salkin
A behind-the-scenes history of the Food Network, published to coincide with its 20th anniversary, draws on inside access and interviews with hundreds of leading contributors to trace its rise from a tiny startup to a billion-dollar media and cultural juggernaut.
Live From New York : The Complete, Uncensored History Of Saturday Night Live As Told By Its Stars, Writers, And Guests / James Andrew Miller And Tom Shales
A lavish history of the seminal, long-running television series draws on backstage anecdotes and uncensored reminiscences to create an entertaining oral history of Saturday Night Live from the perspective of its stars, guests, and writers, including Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Billy Crystal, Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Martin Short, and many others.
Hershey : Milton S. Hershey’s extraordinary life of wealth, empire, and utopian dreams / Michael D’Antonio
One of the twentieth century’s most eccentric and idealistic titans of industry, Milton S. Hershey brought affordable milk chocolate to America, creating and then satisfying the chocoholic urges of millions. He pioneered techniques of branding, mass production, and marketing and gained widespread fame as the Chocolate King.
Slimed! : An Oral History Of Nickelodeon’s Golden Age / Mathew Klickstein
Slimed! is the first oral history to chronicle the surprisingly complex, wonderfully nostalgic, and impressively compelling story of Nickelodeon, the first kids’ network. Compiled from hundreds of original interviews with writers, actors, producers, artists, and other Nick alumni, this is the incredible story of Nickelodeon straight from those who made it happen
I Want My MTV : The Uncensored Story Of The Music Video Revolution / Craig Marks And Rob Tannenbaum
Presents the first decade of the MTV network, developing from a radical programming concept to a defining network for a generation and a force in the worlds of music, television, sports, fashion, and politics.
The Pixar Touch : The Making Of A Company / By David A. Price
Charts the turbulent history of Pixar Animation Studios in the context of the changing fortunes of computer animation, discussing the rocky early years, the volatile personal relationships involved, and the making of the studio’s innovative films.
Top Of The Rock : The Rise And Fall Of Must-See TV : An Oral History / Warren Littlefield ; With T.R. Pearson
From 1993 through 1998, NBC exploded every conventional notion of what a broadcast network could accomplish with the greatest prime-time line-up in television history. Here is the funny, splashy, irresistible insiders’ account of the greatest era in television history — told by the actors, writers, directors, producers, and the network executives who made it happen … and watched it all fall apart.
Insidetracks : A First-Hand History Of Popular Music From The World’s Greatest Record Producers And Engineers / Richard Buskin ; Foreword By Brian Wilson
Record producers and engineers talk about their work with the world’s greatest musicians, including the likes of Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Elton John, and Nirvana, among others.
Marvel Comics : the untold story / Sean Howe
Interweaves history, anecdotes, and analysis with more than one hundred interviews with Marvel insiders to reveal how Marvel, which introduced brightly costumed caped crusaders in the 1960s, became one of the most dominant pop cultural forces in contemporary America.
List Created 1/10/15 – James HartmannAtlanta United’s future may have been on the field in the final minutes of its 3-2 loss to Miami in the fifth round of the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday on the campus of FIU.
Helping the team to rally to tie the score at 2-2, only to see the winning goal scored in the final minutes of injury time, were 18-year-old Brandon Vazquez, who scored the team’s first goal, 17-year-old Andrew Carleton, who made his first start, and 18-year-old Lagos Kunga, an academy player who had recently signed a four-day contract.
None looked out of place against a Miami team filled with players with MLS experience.
Vazquez not only scored — it was his second goal in as many U.S. Open Cup game and third in all competitions — but in one sequence he beat his man off the dribble, found Carleton streaking into space in the penalty box, and hit him with a pass. Carleton’s volleyed shot sailed just wide.
It was a play made by two guy who seem very confident.
“Tata (Gerardo Martino) always tells us to be confident in ourselves and play one-on-one on the wings,” Vazquez said. “It was a positive play.”
Carleton, making his second appearance for the team, started well, but said he tailed off a bit in the first half, and then found a rhythm again. It was a foul called on Kwadwo Poku, who was trying to stop Carleton in a one-on-one situation, that resulted in the penalty kick that tied the score at 2-2. Julian Gressel, a 23-year-old, converted the penalty.
Carleton and Vazquez fulfilled their defensive duties in the Martino’s pressing system, and often switched sides of the field on offense to give Miami’s players different looks.
“I thought it was a decent game for myself,” Carleton, a native of Powder Springs, said.
Kunga was the biggest surprise. It was announced less than two weeks ago that he, George Bello and Patrick Okonkwo, are going to sign Homegrown Player contracts with Atlanta United in January.
On Sunday, he and Carleton were playing in the MLS academy tournament.
Next, they were told they were headed to Miami.
Next, Kunga wasn’t sure he was going to be in the 18. Then, he was.
Next, he wasn’t sure he was going to play. And then Martino started calling his name and he saw his number go up on the board in the 65th minute.
“It’s been crazy,” he said. “I tried to hold it all in. this whole year has been crazy for me.”
Kunga looked lively. He had one shot that sailed over the bar and created one chance.
“He looked sharp to me,” Carleton said. “He came on and made an impact off the bench.
“Awesome you’ve played with someone in the youth system, to be able to be on the field at the same time as him, is just another example of the youth that are coming through Atlanta now.”In both the United States and the European Union, the description “gluten-free” can be legally applied to foods made with wheat starch from which almost, but not absolutely, all gluten has been removed — the upper limit is 20 parts per million. The Catholic Church will allow bread of this kind to be used for communion.
But it will not allow truly gluten-free altar breads made with rice, potato, tapioca or other flours in place of wheat. (The Church of England has taken a similar position, while some other Christian denominations consider such breads acceptable.)
“The confusion can be great when these ‘breads’ are advertised as gluten-free alongside what are described as gluten-free but are in fact low-gluten altar breads,” according to the Catholic Church in England and Wales. “The confusion can also be the cause of great upset both to those Catholics who are allergic to gluten and to those who minister to them.”
The new instructions — given in a letter to bishops from the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments — said that the confusion had worsened because communion breads had become widely available, with varying standards of marketing and labeling.
“Until recently, it was certain religious communities who took care of baking the bread and making the wine for the celebration of the eucharist,” the congregation said. “Today, however, these materials are also sold in supermarkets and other stores, and even over the internet.”INDIANAPOLIS -- A 41-year-old man exposed his genitals and then fondled himself in front of two young girls on Indy's east side on Sunday, according to criminal charges filed this week.
Jasper Earl Williams, 41, faces two felony counts of performing sexual conduct in the presence of a minor and two misdemeanor counts of public indecency.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed Tuesday, a 12-year-old girl and her 11-year-old friend were playing on the porch of a home in the 600 block of North Jefferson Avenue around 2:00 p.n. Sunday when Williams approached them and pulled his pants down.
The 11-year-old girl told police Williams "looked in her direction, and then pulled his pants down near his ankles, and exposed his genitals. He then placed his right hand on his genital parts and began to play with himself as he was looking in their direction."
A neighbor who walked outside to smoke a cigarette told police she also saw Williams fondling himself in front of the girls. She said she thinks the sound of her screen door slamming shut startled him – at which point he pulled his pants back up and walked off.
"I walked outside and I saw a gentleman out here two houses down fondling himself, staring at those little girls that live across the street from me," Kris Phillips said. "His pants were completely down and he was fondling himself, staring at the girls over here having an afternoon lunch on the porch."
IMPD officers located Williams one block away from the porch where the incident allegedly occurred and took him into custody.
Marion County court records show Williams has previous convictions for public indecency dating back to 2002, when he pleaded guilty to one count of indecent exposure. Two counts of public indecency against him were dismissed in 2006 as part of a guilty plea.
In 2012, Williams was found guilty of one count of public nudity at a school or park and served 30 days in jail.
Two more charges of public indecency filed against him in June 2014 were dismissed.
In October 2016, Williams was sentenced to 365 days in community corrections and ordered to stay away from all Marion County public libraries following a conviction for criminal trespassing.
Court records show a judge revoked his community corrections assignment on Wednesday and ordered him to serve the remaining 186 days of his sentence in the Marion County Jail.Every HTC Vive will include a copy of Star Trek: Bridge Crew starting May 30th, according to the HTC Vive official Twitter account.
Further details on the HTC Vive official site revealed that this promotion is for a limited time only, and that the Star Trek: Bridge Crew bundle will cost $799. For gamers, that may be worth the buy since the HTC Vive headset itself costs $799. Also, purchasing a copy of Star Trek: Bridge Crew will cost $49.99, according to Steam.
Star Trek: Bridge Crew was officially released on May 30th and published by Ubisoft. In Star Trek: Bridge Crew, the players will be taking on the role of an officer on the Federation ship, the U.S.S. Aegis, and explore an area the Vulcans hope to call their new home while trying to steer clear of the Klingon Empire. The full description of the game can be found on Steam here.
There is also an option for co-op mode, where other players can join in the game and play as the Captain, Helm, Tactical or Engineer. Another feature of Star Trek: Bridge Crew‘s is the “Ongoing Missions” mode, which will offer more missions the player to try out aside from the main storyline.
This isn’t the first time HTC used promotional methods to pull in new customers. The most recent promotion before this one was that the HTC Vive was given an $100 off discount in April, according to IGN. This promotion was in celebration of the HTC Vive’s first birthday and also included a free Viveport Subscription (Viveport is the HTC Vive app store, the subscription allows players to play different games without needing to purchase every one) and a free download of Arcade Saga, according to the HTC Vive official blog.
Star Trek: Bridge Crew received a Metacritic score of 75 for PlayStation 4 and a score of 80 for PC. These generally positive reviews may make gamers want to buy the full bundle instead of purchasing just the HTC Vive alone.
A PC review from God is a Geek says, “Even if you’re not a Star Trek fan this is still a game worth considering, especially if you’re after a social virtual reality experience.” They gave Star Trek: Bridge Crew a score of an 80.
Another review, this time for the PlayStation 4, comes from GamesRadar+. They called the game “A thrilling, authentic recreation of Star Trek that brings out the team player in everyone.” They also gave Star Trek: Bridge Crew a score of an 80.
The HTC Vive seems to have some tough competition, which may be why they are doing a number of promotions within the past few months. In 2016, SuperData estimated that the Samsung Gear VR would’ve sold 4.51 million units, the PlayStation VR would’ve sold 750,000 units, the HTC Vive would’ve sold 420,000 units, the Google Daydream VR would’ve sold 260,000 units and the Oculus Rift would’ve sold 240,000 units, according to VentureBeat.
It seems that the Samsung Gear VR has completely overtaken the market, which may be why HTC is stepping up their game when it comes to selling the HTC Vive. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney kind of confirmed this report without talking about numbers, saying that the HTC Vive “is outselling Oculus 2-to-1 worldwide,” according to Road to VR.
It is unknown how long the HTC Vive will include a copy of Star Trek: Bridge Crew. It seems that buying the two together will be worth the $799 price, as opposed to buying the two separately. HTC definitely seems to be trying to pull in new customers in hopes to be considered tough competition against Samsung, Google, Sony and Oculus.
Featured image via Flickr/BagoGames.UPDATE: It’s not just gold imports that India is trying to curb. It looks like Kim Kardashian’s visit to India and her guest spot on the TV show “Bigg Boss” won’t happen after all. Reuters confirmed through two sources — who predictably enough didn’t want to be quoted — that the appearance on the Colors TV network programme has been cancelled because of a “visa issue”. We and other news sources don’t know what the problem was, but solving it became too hard because of her busy schedule, according to one of our sources. Kardashian’s tour to promote her new perfume, “Fleur Fatale,” or “Fatal Flower,” continues. The original post on her visit remains below.
Here’s an attempt at a ratings boost: Kim Kardashian, the U.S. reality television star whose nude photo shoot a few days ago in Paper magazine prompted a more than generous round of attention on the Internet, will be a guest on Indian reality TV show “Bigg Boss,” the channel which airs the show said on Sunday.
On the show, broadcast on Colors TV, small-time celebrities are locked in a house for 90 days without access to phones or the Internet. The show, which is in its eighth season, has seen falling ratings this year, and the entry of Kardashian on Friday could lift sagging viewership. The 34-year-old’s photo shoot for Paper magazine last week, in which she posed nude, got much attention from Indian Twitter users, not to mention many other people online. (The photos, which most people would agree are not suitable for work viewing, are here.)
Kardashian, whose show, “Keeping up with the Kardashians” is aired in India, is not the first guest to appear on “Bigg Boss”. In the past, wrestler Khali, actress Pamela Anderson, and Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds have been on the show.
A press release sent to reporters included a quote from Kardashian in Hindi: “Namaste India… main Kim Kardashian aa rahi hoon India… Bigg Boss ke ghar mein,” or “Hello India… I, Kim Kardashian, am coming to India… in Bigg Boss’s house.”As a UX researcher for a social media operation, Ute considers different interface designs that might allow users to make more social contacts. Ute gets a radical idea to test her hunches: What if we manipulated some of our current users’ profile pictures and measured the impact of those changes on their friends list? If successful, her research would provide valuable insight into the social media design elements most likely to result in sociability online. Of course, a successful study would also diminish the experiences of thousands already using her company’s service. In Ute’s mind, this is a simple A/B test, yet in the wake of recent controversy surrounding social media research, she’s starting to wonder if she should be concerned about the ethics of her work.
As a research scientist and professor at two different universities, I work to better understand the social and psychological impact of technology on human communication. Our experiments have tested the limits of accepted research design practice, with designs ranging from the manipulation of romantic jealousy using social networks to studying the impact of induced stress and boredom on video game experiences, and a host of other experiments and observations. Yet, these studies all share a common element: they were all subject to intensive internal and external ethical review practices to ensure that participants in these studies were both informed (either before or after the study concluded) and unharmed.
On these two points, recent debates surrounding the recent Facebook “emotional contagion” study have centered on notions of informed consent (Did Facebook users know they were in a study?) and minimizing harm (Were any Facebook users hurt by this study?). Yet, to the majority of UX researchers who have not undergone the same required extensive ethics training as biomedical and social scientists, some of these issues appear more abstract than useful. To this end, I offer below an “insider’s perspective” into the mechanics of research ethics, along with some issues that UX researchers might consider in their daily practice.
So, UX research isn’t research!?!
First, a quick primer on how we define research. As would be suggested in the job title, UX researchers are often tasked with gathering and analyzing user data, usually drawing comparisons between different interface designs to see which ones result in the most desired behaviors among particular users.
However, such activity does not usually fall under the legal definition of research. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services #46.102, research is defined as “systematic investigation, including research development, testing and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge.”
That last clause, “… generalizable knowledge” is key, as the vast majority of A/B testing is not intended to contribute to the larger body of knowledge on UX – indeed, much of this work is proprietary to those companies conducting it, and never released to the public. What might have well helped Facebook (ironically) is if they had never published the study in the first place, the idea of which led to a bit of confusion on Twitter as to why it’s okay to do research, so long as it isn’t published.
What that means for us UX researchers is that technically, any research is “allowed” because it isn’t research. However, in order to make ethical decisions that we are comfortable with as human beings, it’s worth digging deeper to understand why UX research isn’t subject to the same ethics reviews as other research.
Legally ethical research
One common reason that internal corporate research—such as product testing—is not often subject to ethics review is that most UX research is done on anonymous data, or data without any personal information.
Regarding the Facebook study, one university exempted the study from internal review because the researchers were never given direct access to any individual Facebook user data. In general, research on big data tends to be exempt from ethics review so long as the data is aggregated and not focused on individual persons, and many social and behavioral scientists have subscribed to this ethical perspective.
However, even when data is anonymous, this doesn’t mean that people aren’t affected. In most research ethics reviews, the main concern is balancing the risks and rewards of a given study. The research team must prepare an argument that the societal benefits of the study’s potential outcomes substantially outweigh any risks to people participating in the study.
As a dramatic example, a team of biomedical researchers might approach terminal cancer patients with an opportunity to participate in a case-control study in which they are randomly assigned to receive either (a) a proprietary and experimental cancer medication or (b) a placebo. In this case, the societal benefits (a potential cure for a particular cancer) are thought to outweigh the risks (the eventual death of terminal cancer patients not receiving the experimental medication).
Likely, the risks of most technology research (including my own) are far less extreme – perhaps influencing a user to spend more time reading a particular advertisement or sharing a story element with their social media followers. However, UX researchers should still ask the question: “Would participants in this study be exposed to risks that are greater than those encountered in everyday life?” If the researchers can honestly answer “no,” then their studies are usually fine. In the case of the Facebook study, most have argued that the purposeful manipulation of emotions exposed participants to unnecessary psychological risk (such as depression or other negative emotional states). Moreover, while the end result of the Facebook study turned out to be statistically minute, many have counter-argued that the authors had no way to fully understand the potential effects of their emotion manipulations in such a way that they could have meaningfully worked to mitigate harm.
A great example of ethically-sound and effective industry A/B testing was performed by Dr. Jeffrey Lin, a research scientist with Riot Games trying to better understand reports of “toxic chat” in the video game League of Legends. His team of scientists manipulated several features of the game’s chat system without (initial) player knowledge, eventually finding that one of the best ways to protect players from salty talk was to simply disable in-game chat features by default. The end result was a dramatic drop in offensive language, obscenity, and negative affect, even while the actual chat activity remained stable.
Why did their UX research get so much praise, while Facebook got so much poison? Similar to the Facebook study, data was collected and analyzed anonymously (raw chat data) and participants were not informed about the study. Similar to the Facebook study, Lin’s team was interested in emotions from technology usage (in fact, both studies dealt with the same “emotional contagion” effect). However, unlike the Facebook study, Lin’s work did not expose participants to negative effects beyond those already existing in the game (i.e., “toxic talk”) but instead, randomly assigned some gamers to the “chat off” interface as a potential treatment for an observed problem in their product: negative play experiences.
For a UX research analog, consider how many A/B studies are done on the impact of color scheme on interface behaviors. UX researchers are often tasked with designing interfaces that might be more emotionally stimulating to users so that they might engage in a desired behavior. Many are inspired by color psychology, with recent work applying the theory to algorithms able to retrieve images based on the emotional content of a web page.
Fitting a hypothetical question back into Ute’s original research model, we might wonder about the ethics of an A/B study that intentionally presents a user interface to make it purposefully frustrating, stressful, or an emotionally negative experience. Some might argue that testing both “good” and “bad” experiences is necessary in order to have a complete understanding of UX, but I would contend that the purposeful exposure to a negative experience does little to advance UX, while it does a lot to frustrate users who might not be in a state of mind to handle it.
How can we be more ethical?
What can the active UX researcher take away from all of this? A long breath of relief. It is unlikely that any eventual fallout of the Facebook study (including a potential Federal Trade Commission investigation) will result in a death knell for corporate and organizational A/B testing.
However, this breath of relief – as with any contemplative effort – should be followed by a deep inhalation and a consideration about the “real” units of analysis in any UX researcher: individual people.
Let’s reconsider Ute’s dilemma from our introduction, but this time through the lens of a few questions that I recommend all UX researcher ask themselves when considering the ethics of their own work. Indeed, these are essentially the same questions I ask myself (and my institutions’ ethics boards ask of me) at the start of any research:
Is the manipulation theoretically or logically justified? In scientific research, a research team often has to prepare a short literature review to explain the theory and logic behind their proposed manipulation. This is an essential step in the research process, as it provides the potential explanation for any observed effects. After all, what good is a positive A/B test if the researcher can’t give an explanation for the observed results? If Ute can’t produce a sound theoretical or logical explanation as to why she thinks visuals will be more engaging (although there is some data on the topic), then I might suggest that she needs to do more homework before conducting her study. Is a manipulation necessary for my research? As mentioned above, a key “tipping point” in the ethics debate around the Facebook study was the active manipulation of user’s news feeds. While experiments are often considered the “gold standard” of research, it is important to remember that they are not the only way to establish causality. In a famous example from 1968, scholars Donald Shaw and Maxwell McCombs were able to demonstrate that the mass media’s coverage of election topics in July of that year (a U.S. presidential election year) heavily influenced public opinion about the importance of these topics in November of that same year by using a cross-lagged correlational design, a simple design where researchers take multiple measurements and compare their influence on each other across time. One way that Ute could get around the ethical dilemma of actively manipulating user profiles is to use a similar design—watching users’ natural behavior over a set period of time and looking for changes in user behavior as a result of (in Ute’s case) using more or fewer photos in profile posts. Could the manipulation be potentially harmful in any way? Once a manipulation has been logically justified and considered necessary for addressing a UX researcher’s burning question, the project still isn’t ready for the green light until it can arguably pass the most important scrutiny: could the manipulation reasonably expose participants to any risks beyond what could be encountered in their normal usage of a site or platform? For Ute’s question, it might seem harmless enough to add or hide a few selfies on randomly selected user profiles. However, media psychologists suggest that selfies are a key component for identity expression, and we might question the extent to which Ute’s research proposal would disrupt these users’ online experiences. To some extent, the minimization of harm is very much related to having a clear understanding of the mechanisms behind a study (the first question in our list). How might our users feel about being studied? The first three questions deal more with planning and implementing a UX research project, but there is a final important ethical consideration: the user experience in the study itself. Often times in psychology experiments, researchers will conduct an exit survey where they will (a) explain to study participants the purpose of the study, (b) debriefed them about the mechanics of the study manipulations, (c) provide participants a chance to comment on the study and (d) ask them to offer oral or written consent, allowing the user’s data to be included in the final research report. While not always practical, such a practice can go a long way in making users feel included in the research process. In addition, these interviews can go a long way in providing qualitative data that might explain larger data abnormalities (in the business, we refer to this as mixed methods research). In general, chances are that if a UX research team doesn’t feel comfortable informing users about their role in a study, then they shouldn’t be conducting the study in the first place.
While intensive ethics training might not be practical, it wouldn’t hurt to at least consider the impact of the research beyond the data. Taking a more critical eye to the possible impact of A/B testing on users will not only result in more compassionate studies, but more compelling and effective results to boot.Even though the first season finale just aired last night, we already know what the second season of "True Detective" will cover.
The first season featured Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as detectives in Louisiana on the trail of a killer with satanic cult connections. In a new interview with Hitfix, "True Detective" creator Nic Pizzolatto briefly mentioned what was in store for Season 2.
"This is really early, but I'll tell you [it's about] hard women, bad men and the secret occult history of the United States transportation system," revealed Pizzolatto.
This latest bit of information paired with how Pizzolatto told Buzzfeed that he had been reading about the "last 40 years of Southern California government," still doesn't reveal much.
Maybe the second season will deal with the secret connection between the transportation history of Los Angeles and the occult?ATLANTA – An unlawfully present Jamaican national in ICE custody at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, was sentenced to more than three years in federal prison Feb. 14 for threatening a federal official during an immigration court hearing regarding his status.
According to court documents, Delroy Anthony McLean, 42, threatened to “bash the head” of a federal immigration judge and also threatened the life of the judge’s husband during court proceedings. McLean was convicted of threatening a federal official after a jury trial Oct. 4-5 in Columbus.
In addition to threatening a federal immigration judge, McLean also previously threatened ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) deportation officers and contract staff assigned to the Stewart Detention Center.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Melvin E. Hyde, Jr., prosecuted the case on behalf of U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia G. F. “Pete” Peterman, III.
“Federal judges are public servants who should be free from threats and intimidation while carrying out their duties. Respect for law and the courts is essential to the functioning of our judicial system. This substantial sentence should make clear that behavior such as that of Mr. McLean will not be tolerated in the Middle District of Georgia,” said Peterman.
McLean was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to serve his 41-month federal prison sentence; after which, he will be returned to ICE custody where he will face removal from the United States.
This case was investigated by ICE Homeland Security Investigations special agents in Savannah.When you’re in a movie theater or a meeting at work, there’s always that one person who either forgets to silence his or her phone, or intentionally chooses not to. Whether you’re looking out for your buddy, or attempting to prevent people from being rude, if you could prevent that unfortunately timed text or phone call from interrupting the event, you would. Now, researchers at the Technical University of Berlin have shown that a hacked feature phone can be equipped with this power.
The trick works on feature phones that are connected to the same GSM network, which would be AT&T, for instance. When a phone sends a text or makes a call, the request shoots off to a nearby tower, which then communicates with phones on the network in order to find out where the request is supposed to go. The receiving phone is found, and the message is sent. The Berlin team modified the firmware of a Motorola C1 phone’s baseband processor in such a way that it essentially poses as the phone that is supposed to receive the message or call. It does this by making itself known as the receiving device before the true receiver can.
The team tested the hack on their own phones, and found it worked like charm, leading them to estimate that just 11 phones can be used to shut down the location area of Germany’s third largest cell network, E-Plus.
You’re more or less not in any danger of this message interception technique hitting you, as it does not apply to 3G or 4G networks. In certain parts of the world, though, 2G is all there is, and this hack can easily disrupt communications. The Berlin researchers also note that the exploit could be fixed by adding in an extra exchange of encrypted codes, but it would be very expensive for networks to set up.
So, for now, if you’re seeing a movie in a 2G-heavy area and want to make sure people aren’t texting, talk to these Berlin researchers and try to procure a modified phone.Meaning, awesome. This Sunday, tune in to HBO for the second episode of How To Make It In America, a show about two 20-somethings hustling to make it in the downtown NYC scene. Just like you. Check out the trailer!
How To Make It In America focuses on the urban adventures of Ben (Bryan Greenberg), an aspiring designer who has seen previous passion projects derailed by fate and fortune, and Cam (Victor Rasuk), Ben's best friend, a free spirit and would-be future mogul, who takes it upon himself to get Ben "back in the game" after his breakup with girlfriend Rachel (Lake Bell), an interior decorator now dating a hot hotelier named Darren (Jason Pendergraft). In addition to scouring the downtown NYC scene for business and romantic connections, Ben and Cam follow a number of leads on a variety of entrepreneurial ventures, mostly in the ultra-competitive fashion industry. Among those who rub shoulders with Ben and Cam are Domingo (Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi), a well-connected street pal; Gingy (Shannyn Sossaman), who runs a downtown art gallery; David Kaplan (Eddie Kaye Thomas), a hedge-fund manager and high-school acquaintance who may prove useful as an investor; and Edie (Martha Plimpton), Rachel's eccentric interior-decorator boss.
Bonus: Luis Guzmán co-stars as Rene Calderon, Cam's reprobate cousin, who just got out of jail and is eying his own get-rich scheme involving an energy drink.
How To Make It In America airs Sundays at 10 pm EST after Big Love. Find out more here.Ranchi, June 24: The high-profile return of 128 Godda’s children from Kerala in June has revealed an irony that the administration, including policemen, can’t miss. The number of missing reports lodged in a thana has no bearing on how many minors have disappeared from the area.
As the 128 Muslim children, most of them girls, settle back in their dirt-poor homes and the administration mulls on their rehab in a bid to dissuade parents from sending them back to Kerala orphanages, Godda district is discovering how more myths get busted everyday.
Though topical, the problem is at least seven years old in Godda. But not all minors are Muslims and not all had been sent to Kerala. Children, irrespective of religion, are sent to Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan too. Preliminary findings suggest one out of every 10 children becomes untraceable, and what is worse, thanks to lack of initial missing reports, continues to stay off the radar even if relatives wake up.
Take Kirtan Yadav of Dighi village (Pichhri Tola) in Mahagama block, Godda. He is now hounding the administrative office in the hope of tracing his 10-year-old nephew who got lost in Mumbai in 2013.
Kirtan’s relative, Bhagirath Yadav, who runs a small dhaba on Deoghar-Pirpainti Road, told The Telegraph the boy was among 10 children between the ages of 10 and 15 sent to Mumbai last year.
“We know the whereabouts of nine boys but not our nephew. His father died years ago and we don’t know what to tell his poor mother,” he said.
Trafficking, entangled with family ties, is difficult to prove and stop.
Mahagama OC Pascal Toppo pointed out the obvious. “No missing report has been lodged by any Yadav in the past one year. Had the Kerala incident not happened, we would have never come |
negotiating table, says Russia
The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, said that he and the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, had made progress on plans for a Syria peace conference and that both sides had agreed it should be held soon.
In Moscow, deputies to Mr Lavrov said the main hurdle to the conference was uncertainty over Syrian opposition participation, and that the United States must do more to get Bashar al-Assad’s foes to the negotiating table.
“The main thing [that is needed] is readiness on the part of the opposition to take part in the conference. This is the main obstacle that does not allow us to set a date,” said Deputy Foreign Minister and special Middle East envoy Mikhail Bogdanov.
Mr Kerry and Mr Lavrov announced plans for the peace conference in May, but no date has been set, and battlefield gains by President Assad’s government have added to questions about when and even whether it will take place.
There were signs of a further push by government forces today, as Syrian troops shelled a rebel-held suburb of the capital, Damascus, killing at least 11 people, including women and children, according to activists.
Reuters, AP
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Subscribe nowVideo uploaded to YouTube by Syrian activists show scenes from Friday's huge protest rally in Hama [AFP]
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has removed the governor of Hama, one of the provinces at the heart of the ongoing protests, according to state television.
The sacking of Ahmad Khaled Abdel Aziz was announced on Saturday, a day after more than 400,000 people reportedly turned out in Hama city demanding the ouster of Assad and his government.
People filled the square around the central Clock Tower in what activists said was the biggest demonstration since the uprising began in March.
Referring to Assad's recent speech at Damascus University in which he characterised the protesters as "germs" that Syria must inoculate itself against, a local activist said: "Here we are, the germs of Syria," adding: "But we are big germs in huge numbers."
He said there was no visible security presence in Hama, only checkpoints at the entrances. "There's not even traffic police," he told Al Jazeera.
Al Jazeera's Rula Amin reports from Damascus on Friday's'massive rallies'
The opposition has deep roots in Hama, a city of 700,000. In 1982, under the rule of Hafez al-Assad, Bashar's father, the army stormed the city to crush a revolt by the Muslim Brotherhood, leaving about 20,000 people dead.
Syrian forces killed 28 civilians on Friday, a day of massive anti-regime rallies, the AFP news agency reported.
Most of the victims were killed in the Idlib province, where all week troops backed by tanks and armoured personnel carriers have swept through villages to crush dissent against Assad's government.
"Sixteen people were killed" in Idlib, Ammar Qorabi, the head of the National Organisation for Human Rights, told AFP on Saturday.
Another 10 people were killed when security forces opened fire to disperse protests in several cities, including eight in the central protest hub of Homs and two in the Damascus neighbourhood of Qadam.
More than 1,360 civilians have been killed in the Assad government's crackdown on pro-democracy protests since mid-March, according to human rights groups.
Al Jazeera's Rula Amin, reporting from Damascus on Saturday, said that in the past three months, there has been a young leadership emerging from the protests.
"They're trying to organise themselves in committees. There are a few different committees emerging. One of them, the most credible one, is the local co-ordination commitee," she said.
"At different levels you have people, the opposition figures, who are in the country [and] are the known faces and famous people who have been battling the regime for years."
Sorrow over sacking
An activist in Hama who spoke to Al Jazeera on Saturday said the sacking of Abdul-Aziz was, surprisingly, met with some sorrow among protestors.
"He didn't believe in killing people and used to go door to door to meet residents," said the activist. "We think he was sacked because the protests are getting larger and larger and now we are afraid they will send a security guy to be governor."
The sacking by Assad of Ahmed Abdul-Aziz, a former professor of international law at Damascus University, was published on SANA, the state-run news agency, which gave no reason for his dismissal. The governor was appointed in late February to a position often held in Syria for decades.
Following the killing of at least 67 protestors in a single day in Hama one month ago, Assad pledged an investigation, a sign of the regime's nervousness over attacks on a city still deeply scarred by the killing in 1982 of between 20,000 and 30,000 civilians, ordered by Assad’s father, Hafez, in response to an armed uprising by the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood.
But the sacking of the governor appears to have come in direct response to Friday's massive protest, which had a carnival-like atmosphere centred around Assi Square, renamed by the mainly young protestors Freedom Square.
Funeral protesters
In Homs this afternoon around 7,000 mourners went to the funerals for five protesters killed yesterday by security forces, an activist told Al Jazeera, with mourners chanting "Leave" and "We will not forget our martyrs’ blood!"
The five protesters include Bassam Salqini, Mohammad al-Masri and his brother Abed al-Muheimin al-Masri, Nader al-Saeed and 17-year-old Dia al-Najar.
The activist said that the body of Nashar was taken by secret police from the Burr private hospital yesterday who later told the family they could retrieve their son's corpse only after pledging to have a public funeral.
As Al Jazeera first reported in April and again in May, the regime has systematically attempted to block injured protestors from receiving medical care, as well as withholding their bodies from burial.
Nashar's family refused and received his body back anyway. During the funerals most shops and businesses were closed in Homs, said the activist.A migrant camp at dawn in the village of Berkasovo, near the North-Western Serbian town of Sid (AFP Photo/Elvis Barukcic)
Sofia (AFP) - Two female migrants found dead in a mountainous rural region of Bulgaria died due to freezing conditions, authorities said Sunday, as asylum seekers continue to try to reach the EU despite harsh winter weather.
The women were part of a group of 19 migrants, including 11 children, found Saturday by border police near the southeastern town of Malko Tarnovo. Their nationality was still unclear.
"Two women have died -- one younger and another middle-aged. Our border guards made every effort to help them, carrying them in their arms to try to warm them up, but it happened because of the cold," Interior Minister Rumyana Bachvarova announced Sunday told private bTV television.
The area was under harsh winter conditions with high winds, some 30 centimetres (12 inches) of snow and freezing temperatures.
A ministry statement said one of the victims was a teenager -- aged between 14 and 16 -- and the other was between 30 and 40 years old.
All of the children, aged between 4 and 16, were taken to hospital with frostbite and two adults were in critical condition, a hospital spokesman told Focus news agency.
This is the second report in Bulgaria this winter of migrants succumbing to cold, after the frozen bodies of two men were found in a mountainous area at Bulgaria's border with Serbia in January.
As refugees continued to flow from Greece through the Balkans on their way to western Europe, aid workers have sounded alarms over inadequate shelter from the current freezing temperatures and snowy conditions, particularly for children.
In January, almost 62,200 migrants and refugees entered Europe through Greece, most of them from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, the International Organization for Migration said. Close to a third of them were unaccompanied minors.The Wall Street Journal moans that normalization with Cuba hasn’t immediately brought political change there:
The reality is that Cuba’s future is still reserved for the Castro brothers and their political comrades to shape, and that hasn’t changed a whit since President Obama decided to recognize the Cuban regime in December.
There are many bad and weak objections to restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba, but this is one of the silliest. If restored ties and modestly increased economic exchange have any positive effect on Cuba’s internal politics, it will necessarily take many years and possibly even decades before there will be significant political changes. No one has promised–and no one expects–dramatic changes to Cuba’s political system because of the change in U.S. policy, and it is an unfair and unreasonable standard to use to judge that change. According to this survey, most Cubans don’t anticipate political change as a result of restored ties with the U.S., but they nonetheless overwhelmingly welcome the decision to resume ties.
Like most Cuba dead-enders, the WSJ editors have an extremely odd view of the purpose of establishing diplomatic relations with other states. They seem to think that having normal relations with certain governments “rewards” them, when in fact it makes it easier for the U.S. to promote its interests in that country and in the surrounding region. Refusing to have relations with the other regime does not punish them, but it does deprive the U.S. of a way to exercise influence there. The U.S. has had to cooperate and communicate with Cuba on various issues in the past for practical reasons, and it has had to do this through its limited “interests section,” but with normal relations both of these become easier for the U.S. That not only facilitates cooperation on issues that affect both countries, but it also helps the governments to keep crises from getting out of control. That benefits the U.S. by creating a regular mechanism for handling disputes and cooperating on issues that are of common interest to both countries. Normalization with Cuba also removes one of the irritants in our relationships with the rest of Latin America, which can only make our dealings with the rest of our hemisphere more constructive. We may hope that Cuba becomes a freer and more prosperous country as U.S.-Cuban ties increase, but even if it doesn’t it still makes more sense and it is better for the U.S. to have normal relations with their government. The alternative is to continue a discredited policy that hasn’t made the least bit of sense in more than twenty years.
As ever, hard-liners ignore the benefits that the U.S. reaps from engagement simply because they don’t like the idea of engaging with particular governments. This distaste for dealing with ugly regimes might be slightly credible coming from someone else, but most of the people that object to normalization with Cuba are some of the loudest boosters of U.S. backing for even more repressive and horrible regimes. The same people that berate the U.S. for doing too little to placate the dictatorship in Egypt and the despotism in Riyadh suddenly feel faint when contemplating the prospect of an embassy in Havana. The WSJ‘s position is typically preposterous, and no one should take their objections seriously.Tesla isn't the only automaker looking to get into the electric truck space. In September, Mercedes-Benz showed off its all-electric truck in Hannover, Germany at a tradeshow for commercial vehicles. The unveiling came just a few months after Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in his "Master Plan, Part Deux" that Tesla will unveil an electric semi truck in 2017 for hauling cargo. Scroll down for a closer look at Tesla's electric truck rival: Slides View As: One Page
Meet the Urban eTruck: a fully electric truck designed specifically for city driving that gets a range of 124 miles.
That may not seem like a ton of mileage, but considering it's designed for package or cargo delivery within cities, it's enough to complete a day's worth of routes.
The truck currently runs on three lithium-ion batteries that are part of a modular design, so you can add an extra battery pack to slightly bump that 124-mile limit.
Mercedes opted to have cameras replace the sideview mirrors.
And those cameras capture the outside world and display it on a screen right above the left side of the steering wheel.
The driver's instrument is also digital and there's a separate, 12.3-inch infotainment display on the center of the dashboard. That central display shows detailed information about the upcoming route.
The truck comes with three driving modes: auto, eco, and agile. Auto is best for a standard journey, but switching into eco mode will ensure the driver stays within her target range. Agile functions as a power mode.
Perhaps the coolest feature of the truck is its virtual monitoring system that ensures the truck can complete its route without running out of battery. The system looks at the pallet spaces in the truck, the weight, and expected driving time to ensure the driver is staying on track.
The truck also comes with a separate tablet that keeps track of the truck's battery life and how many miles it can travel before needing to re-charge.Recognizing that informal tribal law would remain the choice for most Afghans, the United States in recent years began spending money to support local councils and connect them more publicly with the government. But a review by an independent monitoring organization found that instead of bolstering the government’s image, the effort mostly reinforced the primacy of the informal courts — of which Taliban justice could be considered a radical extension, wielding a mix of Pashtun tradition and extreme interpretations of Islamic law.
President Ashraf Ghani made cleaning up the judiciary one of his first pledges in office, but it will be a daunting task. According to a poll released by Gallup in October, just 25 percent of Afghans expressed confidence in the nation’s judicial system.
The Taliban have seized on this discontent. In some areas, they have set up mobile courts to reach villages outside their zones of influence. They hold hearings two days a week in the southern borderlands, requiring plaintiffs to produce evidence and witnesses. In Kunar, Taliban legal experts embed with militant commanders to provide services to locals and the fighters.
While few Afghans recall the Taliban rule from 1996 to 2001 with any fondness, the lack of corruption in justice then was seen by some as a strong suit. Bribes were uncommon. The power of litigants and their extended clans mattered less. The implementation of Islamic law, or at least the rural Afghan version of it, was standard.
But the brutality at the heart of Taliban justice has not been forgotten. Mass public executions were common. Minor offenses, like cutting beards short or listening to music, often brought fierce beatings as punishment. Yet the government system still compares unfavorably in the eyes of many Afghans. “There are no people who think that government justice is better than the Taliban’s,” said Amanullah, a schoolteacher from the Andar district of Ghazni. “Even if someone feels they have had their rights violated, there is an appeals procedure within the Taliban system.”
Yegan, a 65-year-old farmer in Kunduz, said he went to the Taliban to resolve a dispute with his sister over their inheritance.
He admits that he did not want to share their father’s land. But after reviewing the case, the Taliban forced him to adhere to Quranic law and give her a share.Moments after pitching a five-round shutout against one of the best featherweights to ever don four-ounce gloves and cornrows, former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar got on the mic and observed, no more than half-jokingly, that maybe UFC President Dana White didn’t show up for the organization’s first event in the Philippines because “he owes me a title shot.”
Ha, just kidding, right? Except, you know, kind of not. Kind of actually totally serious, since Edgar (19-4-1 MMA, 13-4-1 UFC) is, after all, on a four-fight winning streak at featherweight.
That streak includes one thorough demolition of the legendary B.J. Penn, who showed up past his expiration date and suffered accordingly. It also includes consecutive wins over two perennial top contenders, fights in which Edgar dominated, as if trying to make his case as plainly as he could without being forced to endure the indignity of begging for another crack at the title.
If the UFC isn’t ready to grant his wish now, after this one-sided unanimous decision victory over Urijah Faber (32-8 MMA, 8-4 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 66 on Saturday, it’s hard to imagine what it might take. Short of kidnapping Conor McGregor and holding him for ransom, there’s nothing more that Edgar could do to make his case at the division’s top contender.
So now what? With UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo set to defend his title against McGregor in July, Edgar has a couple months to consider his future. The trouble is, from here on out there are a lot of variables that aren’t exactly up to him.
Say Aldo retains the title. In a way, that’s a good outcome for Edgar. His claim to a rematch is as strong as anyone else’s at the moment. With the McGregor hype balloon thus deflated, he could justifiably assume the next spot in line.
The only problem is, fighting Aldo is one of those rewards that, from a distance, looks not unlike a punishment. No doubt Edgar would relish the opportunity to avenge his loss, but would any of us be too surprised if the second fight looked an awful lot like the first?
Then there’s the other option, the one in which McGregor turns out to be every bit the champion he keeps telling us he is. Depending on how the fight goes (as well as how much money the UFC pockets as a result), it wouldn’t be at all out of the question for the UFC brass to give Aldo an immediate rematch. Then it wouldn’t matter how airtight Edgar’s case for a title shot is. He’d find himself on the outside looking in, with his mid-30s coming on fast.
If that’s the way it goes, according to Edgar, he won’t sit around and wait his turn. He also won’t have an easy time finding an opponent against whom he’d have more to win than lose.
That’s the problem with having made such a strong case as the division’s top contender. If you’re asked to keep making it while the title picture sorts itself out, the best you can do is hold firm at the top.
If that’s the way it goes, it’s not hard to imagine Edgar still in the same place months from now. Still headlining “Fight Night” cards. Still dominating quality opponents. Still joking about the title shot he knows he deserves. Finding less and less humor in that joke the more he tells it.
For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 66, check out the UFC Events section of the site.Want to travel to the distant future, to a distant world, be able to live to see what happens to the great-grandchildren of your great-grandchildren's great grandchildren? Would you like to be ageless, to take advantage of all the medical knowledge of the future, and perhaps even age backwards? Heck, I know I would! But everlasting life is not for the faint of heart- there's no going back, and there's no guarantee that where (and when) you're going to will be any better than here.
But it's worth a shot, right?
This is the realm of cryonics, or as it's more widely known, cryogenics; freezing something (organic or otherwise,) to put it into what essentially is a state of suspended animation. For most of us, Cryogenics sounds like something out of science fiction, something relegated to 20th Century Fox's "Aliens" series, or something so obviously ludicrous (at this point in time, anyway,) that it's nothing more than a money-trap for the rich and gullible. Yellow journalism as well as the cartoons of such famous artists as Gary Larson have given cryogenics a bad name- not that some of that reputation isn't deserved. In 1987, only three of the several dozen pioneers, (cryogenic guinea pigs, if you will,) including the original "cryonaut" James Bedford, were still frozen- the rest had thawed, unlucky men and women whose cryogenic companies had folded or whose relatives had refused or been unable to pay for the storage of their dead forebears. But, times change, as they always do, and cryogenics has become a very real, very safe scientific reality- though with one catch; We're not too sure about the unfreezing process yet. No one has been successfully "thawed" yet, but that's not to say there were failures- quite the opposite, actually; while no cryogenically frozen human beings have been awakened from their icy slumbers, test results on Animals (though no mature, multicellular adult organisms have actually been deep frozen for a long period and thawed directly, per se,) are promising. But don't let that dash your hopes- cryonists agree that it can be done, but has not for one simple reason; all their patients are dead.Religious Right leaders have been intensely frustrated that their inability to coalesce around a single candidate in the 2008 and 2012 GOP primaries helped John McCain and Mitt Romney, neither of which were evangelical favorites, secure the Republican presidential nomination. Strategists like Tony Perkins and David Lane dearly hoped that things would be different in 2016. As we have previously noted,
Although Perry’s tanking disrupted Lane’s plans to get conservative evangelicals to coalesce around a single candidate in 2012, it seems clear that he has similar intentions for 2016. He told the Houston Chronicle in June [2013], “We’re going to try to eliminate the stuff that they [GOP leaders] do to us every four years, which is picking somebody who has no chance of being viable and they kill us off and we have the McCains and Romneys left.”
But a survey of 94 evangelical “leaders and insiders” — as identified by World Magazine —suggests that they are not even close to a meeting of minds on a favored presidential candidate. Four candidates had the support of more than 10 leaders – Rubio (18), Bush (14) and Cruz and Walker (13 each) – all below 20 percent of the leaders who responded to World’s survey.Shia Saudi Arabian pilgrims in Nishapur, Iran
The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have no diplomatic relations following an attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran in January 2016. Bilateral relations between the countries have been strained over several geo-political issues such as the interpretations of Islam, aspirations for leadership of the Islamic world, oil export policy and relations with the United States and other Western countries.
Saudi Arabia is a conservative Sunni absolute monarchy established in 1932, with a tradition of close ties to the United States and the United Kingdom. Modern Iran is a Twelver Shia Islamic republic founded in 1979, with a political system that includes elements of a parliamentary democracy vetted and supervised by a theocracy governed by a "Supreme Leader".
Both countries are major oil and gas exporters and have clashed over energy policy. Saudi Arabia, with its large oil reserves and smaller population, has a greater interest in taking a long-term view of the global oil market and incentive to moderate prices. In contrast, Iran is compelled to focus on high prices in the short term due to its low standard of living given recent sanctions after its decade old war with Saddam's Iraq and its larger population.[1]
In the Syrian Civil War Iran has supported the Syrian government militarily and with billions of dollars of aid, while Saudi is a major supplier of aid to rebel groups. Both countries have accused each other of support for terrorism.[2][3]
Tensions [ edit ]
After the Iranian Revolution, relations deteriorated considerably after Iran accused Saudi Arabia of being an agent of the US in the Persian Gulf region, representing US interests rather than Islam. Saudi Arabia is concerned by Iran's consistent desire to export its revolution across the board to expand its influence within the Persian Gulf region—notably in post-Saddam Iraq, the Levant and within further south in addition to Iran's controversial, much debated nuclear program.[1]
Tensions between the two countries have waxed and waned. Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran soured particularly after the Iranian Revolution, the nuclear program, the 2011 alleged Iran assassination plot and more recently the execution of Nimr al-Nimr. There have also been numerous attempts to improve the relationship. After the 1991 Gulf war there was a noticeable thaw in relations.[4] In March 2007 President Ahmadinejad of Iran visited Riyadh and was greeted at the airport by King Abdullah, and the two countries were referred to in the press as "brotherly nations".
After March 2011, Iran's financial and military support for Syria during the Syrian Civil War, has been a severe blow to the improvement of relations.
On January 3, 2016. Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran, Iran was ransacked following the execution of Saudi-born Shia Islam cleric Nimr al-Nimr. The execution prompted widespread condemnation within the Arab World as well as other countries, the European Union and the United Nations, with protests being carried out in cities in Iran, Iraq, India, Lebanon, Pakistan and Turkey. Following the attack on its embassy in Iran, Saudi Arabia broke diplomatic relations with Iran and the Saudi foreign minister said that all Iranian diplomats were to leave the country within 48 hours.[5]
The difference of political ideologies and governance has also divided both countries. The Islamic Republic of Iran is based on the principle of Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists, which holds that a faqīh (Islamic jurist) should have custodianship over all Muslim followers, including their governance and regardless of nationality. Iran's Supreme Leader is a Shia faqīh. The founder of the Iranian revolution in 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini, was ideologically opposed to monarchy, which he believed to be unIslamic. Saudi Arabia's monarchy, on the other hand, remains consistently conservative, not revolutionary, and politically married to age-old religious leaders of the tribes who support the monarchy and the king (namely the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques) is given absolute obedience as long as he does not violate Islamic sharia law.[6] Saudi Arabia has, however, a Shia minority which has recently made bitter complaints of institutional discrimination against it,[7] specifically after the 2007 change in Iraqi governance and particularly after the 2011 events that spanned the region.[citation needed] At some stages it has gone as far as to call for overthrowing the king and the entire system.[8]
Country comparison [ edit ]
Timeline [ edit ]
1920s–1970s: during Pahlavi Dynasty [ edit ]
Saudi Arabia and Iran established diplomatic relations in 1929 following the signing of a Saudi-Iranian Friendship Treaty.[9]
However, relations were not active until the 1960s mostly due to differences in religious practices and Iran's recognition of Israel.[10] In 1966 the late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia visited Iran with the aim of further strengthening relationships between both neighboring countries. The Shah of Iran Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi reciprocated by paying an official visit to Saudi Arabia which eventually led to a peaceful resolution of the islands. The Shah supported King Faisal's efforts regarding Islamic solidarity and actively contributed to the establishment of multinational Islamic institutions, including the Organization of the Islamic World Congress, the Muslim World League, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference.[9]
In 1968, Saudi Arabia and Iran signed a demarcation agreement.[11] When the United Kingdom announced to withdraw and vacate from the Persian Gulf in the late 1960s,[12] Iran and Saudi Arabia took the primary responsibility for peace and security in the region. In the late 1960s, the Shah sent a series of letters to King Faisal, urging him to modernize Saudi Arabia, saying, "Please, my brother, modernize. Open up your country. Make the schools mixed women and men. Let women wear miniskirts. Have discos. Be modern. Otherwise I cannot guarantee you will stay on your throne."[13] In response, King Faisal wrote, "Your majesty, I appreciate your advice. May I remind you, you are not the Shah of France. You are not in the Élysée. You are in Iran. Your population is 90 percent Muslim. Please don't forget that."[13]
During the 1970s, Saudi Arabia's main concerns over Iran were firstly, Iran's modernisation of its military and its military dominance all over the region; secondly, Iran's repossession of the islands of Big Tunb, Little Tunb and Abu Moussa in 1971 which challenged the United Arab Emirates claim over the islands. The dispute remains till today.[14] But the relationship between Iran and Saudi Arabia was never as friendly as between the years 1968 and 1979.[10][15]
The relationship between the two countries was not without its tensions in the mid-to-late 1970s. As the Shah attempted to build an Iranian security architecture in the region, the Saudis resisted these efforts. Instead, King Khalid attempted to build bilaterial security relationships with the smaller neighboring Persian Gulf states which has lasted till today. The Saudis also argued for more modest OPEC price increases in 1976 and 1977 than Iran wanted.[16]
1979: Iranian Revolution [ edit ]
Following the theocratic Iranian Revolution led by Khomeini in 1979, Iran started to openly attack and criticise the character and religious legitimacy of the Saudi regime.[17] However King Khalid, the then ruler of Saudi Arabia, sent Khomeini a congratulatory message, stating that "Islamic solidarity" could be the basis for closer relations of the two countries.[18] He also argued that with the foundation of the Islamic Republic in Iran there were no obstacles that inhibited the cooperation between two countries.[19]
In a public address in 1987 Khomeini declared that “these vile and ungodly Wahhabis, are like daggers which have always pierced the heart of the Muslims from the back,” and announced that Mecca was in the hands of “a band of heretics.”[20] Upon this statement diplomatic relations between the two countries ended until 1991.[21]
1980s: Iraqi invasion of Iran [ edit ]
The Shia–Sunni conflict between the two countries also played a pivotal role in the Iran–Iraq War when Saudi authorities pledged US$25 billion of aid to the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein. Iraqi invasion of Iran increased Saudi concerns over stability in the region, hence their financial support to Iraq regardless of the "not-so-warm" relations between Baathist Iraq and Conservative Saudi Arabia. In doing so, Saudi Arabia recognised its worries that revolutionary Iran was a far greater threat to its survival and the stability of the region. Saudi Arabia also encouraged other Arab states of the Persian Gulf, including Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, to do the same by giving financial support to Iraq.[22] To cover the costs of the war Saudi Arabia dramatically increased its oil production. This increase in oil production by Saudi Arabia was aimed to weaken Iran's ability to fund its campaigns. However, this measure by Saudi Arabia also cost the Saudi government billions in revenue as oil prices plunged from over $30 a barrel to less than $15 by the mid 1980s.[22]
During the Iran–Iraq War, Iran flew their aircraft in Saudi airspace and also threatened Saudi Arabia and Kuwait with severe consequences if they would not stop supporting Iraq. Unlike America, Saudi Arabia, due to its very traditional Arab-Bedouin culture, did not break diplomatic relations with Iran even during the worst periods of tension following the revolution and during the Iran–Iraq War.[23]
[ citation needed ] 1984: Four Iranian F-4 warplanes Penetrate Saudi Airspace [ edit ]
On May 7, 1984 Iranian warplanes targeted an oil tanker in the Persian Gulf. This action resulted in Saudi Arabia undertaking air defensive measurements in the region to intercept Iranian warplanes. On June 5, 1984 two Iranian F-4 warplanes penetrated Saudi airspace to bomb oil facilities. Saudi F-15 eagles intercepted the Iranian warplanes, and shot down both F-4s[24].
1987 Hajj Incident [ edit ]
Until 1987, no satisfactory resolution was made to decrease the tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The already strained relationship between the two countries further deteriorated when clashes occurred between Iranian-led demonstrators and Saudi security forces on 31 July 1987.[17] The clash claimed the lives of around 400 pilgrims, out of which two thirds had Iranian nationality[citation needed]. This incident angered the Saudis and in retaliation, the Saudi administration instituted a ban on all Hajj (Pilgrimage) rituals and activities[citation needed]. Angry protesters in Tehran responded by ransacking the Saudi embassy and also detained and physically attacked a number of residing Saudi diplomats. As a result, one of the Saudi officials died from the injuries.[citation needed] In response, Saudi Arabia in 1988, cut its diplomatic relations with Iran and ensured that no Iranian could obtain a Saudi travel visa for performing the Hajj (pilgrimage).[citation needed]
Responses to Satanic Verses [ edit ]
The relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran gradually started to improve after the end of the Iran–Iraq War in 1988. Iran had accepted ceasefire with Iraq in July 1988 and soon afterwards, Saudi Arabia started improving relations with Iran.
In October 1988, the late King Fahd halted all media campaigns against Iran and asked Saudi administration to pressure Iraq into implementing the UNSCR 598. In 1989, Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani stated that Iran and Saudi Arabia were holding indirect talks to improve their relations.[25] But the issuance of fatwa by Khomeini against the Indian author Salman Rushdie again soured the relations between the two countries. Khomeini, the spiritual leader of Iran at that time, declared a death sentence for Salman Rushdie for certain anti-Islamic remarks in his book The Satanic Verses published in 1988. The Saudi government, which took this religious decree against Rushdie as an act aimed at gaining Muslim sympathy across the world, came up with its own verdict of making Rushdie appear before an Islamic tribunal before he could be delivered a death sentence.[25]
1990s [ edit ]
Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 2, 1990 [ edit ]
When Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, Iran criticised and condemned the invasion. This stance from Iran, in favor of the Kuwaitis, and the anti-Iraqi coalition of the Persian Gulf states helped to improve relations between Iran and the GCC, namely Saudi Arabia. Both Iran and Saudi Arabia rejected the use of force as a solution to regional problems and opposed the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq. Iran went further, by backing UN sanctions against Iraq. Iran viewed the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait as a serious threat, considering it the first step towards its expansionist mindset. During the war, relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia thawed considerably and the official ties were restored in 1991.[26]
This short resumption of political ties was followed by quick high level visits, notably, in April 1991, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati visited Saudi Arabia to propose an Iranian-Gulf Cooperation Council alliance with a mandate for the security of the Persian Gulf, during a meeting with the late King Fahd. He claimed the Gulf Cooperation Council was too weak and hence failed to prevent the invasion of Kuwait, and stressed the need of the inclusion of Iran to strengthen such a regional agency to ensure stability.[26]
The Hajj (Pilgrimage) issue was also resolved. In 1991, the Saudi authorities allowed 115,000 Iranian pilgrims, which was more in number compared to the 1988 quota of 45,000, that had led to Iran's abrupt boycott. The Saudis also agreed to an Iranian request of allowing 5,000 relatives and friends of the 412 "martyrs" of the 1987 incident to attend the Hajj Pilgrimage that year. In later years, Iran adopted a careful approach and undertook measures for preventing a repeat of that incident. Iranian authorities tried to discourage large demonstrations by its pilgrims and attempted to have them held within the confines of the Iranian encampment,[27] due to the fact that certain Iranian Shi'ite rituals are not accepted by other sects of Islam, and could have endangered the lives of Iranian Pilgrims if conducted openly.[further explanation needed]
Khobar Towers Bombing [ edit ]
On 23 June 1996, a massive truck bomb exploded near U.S. military barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, killing nineteen U.S. servicemen and wounding hundreds. The US government held Iran responsible for the attack. The charges against Iran, however, remained unconfirmed, and therefore did not substantively affect the Iranian–Saudi relations.[27]
1997 OIC meeting [ edit ]
The 1997 meeting of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Iran heralded a shift in the attitude of the Arab States towards Iran. Several Arab countries confirmed their commitment to the conference. Saudi Arabia, which was previously criticized by Iran because of its control over the main Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina and also because of its perceived reliance on the United States for security, also participated in the meeting. In the OIC summit meeting, Saudi Arabia was represented by Crown Prince Abdullah (later King) and its Minister of Foreign affairs Saud Al Faisal. Saudi participation proved helpful in the process of further reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia. As a result, Saudi ministerial delegations visited Iran and later on, the official visit of President Mohammad Khattami to Saudi Arabia took place in February 1998.[28]
This was the first visit by the Iranian Premier to Saudi Arabia after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. The aim was to address pressing economic issues of the time. Iran was looking for a reallocation of OPEC (Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) producing quotas to which it required strong support from Saudi Arabia. It was also reported that Iran was trying to persuade Saudi Arabia to consider exporting the Iranian Infrastructure to Central Asia. Iran also expected that the issue of the regional security alliance would be raised in which the alliance for the security of the region could be made to ensure stability on both borders of the Persian Gulf.[28]
A Comprehensive Cooperation Agreement was signed between Saudi Arabia and Iran in May 1998, in which both countries agreed to cooperate in the field of economics, culture and sports. The relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iran was further improved when Khatami, the then President of Iran, on his tour to |
wrote. “Sorry, feminists. Hate to break this good news to you.” (“It’s not chauvinism,” he signed off. “It’s chivalry.”)
It wasn’t just controversy for controversy’s sake; Miller was building his personal brand. “He very much knew the impact of his work, and he planned and plotted,” says an alum of the Duke Chronicle who worked with Miller. “He was very businesslike about it.” The paper was constantly running angry rebuttals to Miller’s column, like after he defended former Bush Education Secretary William Bennett, who said that the crime rate would go down if more black babies were aborted. (“The [Black Student Alliance] should be ashamed of its public evisceration of William Bennett,” wrote Miller.) “People read him, everyone knew who he was,” the alum says. “When he broke china, he went to the so-and-so alliance and apologized. He was always in a scrape like that. It smacked of architecture, like he intentionally provoked people, and it worked for him because he was making a name for himself.” Added the alum, “He very much felt like he was contributing to the Collected Writings of Stephen Miller. I think in his own mind, this would be anthologized one day.”
Breitbart News Daily Stephen K. Bannon interviews Stephen Miller for SiriusXM Broadcasts' New Hampshire Primary Coverage Live From Iconic Red Arrow Diner on Feb. 8 in Manchester, New Hampshire. | Getty
Miller told me the point of his columns was to “defend the idea of America,” but John Burness, who handled Duke’s public relations and frequently clashed with Miller when he was a student there, put it another way. “Part of his standing out was he put a moral tone on every issue he touched on,” he told me. “If you did not agree with him, there was something immoral about you. He defined the term sanctimonious.”
Miller studied political science, but the apogee of his college career was not academic. It was a PR coup: his public defense, in the pages of the Duke Chronicle and on national television, of the Duke lacrosse players accused of rape by a black stripper. He penned several columns in their defense under titles like “Prejudice,” “Persecution,” and “Crawl to Justice.” He alleged there was indeed a racial motivation for the case: that of the radical left in going after white lacrosse players. “Being a white, male lacrosse player was all it took,” he wrote in one column. In another, titled “Racial Hypocrisy,” he wrote, “But when a black man was recently accused of raping a white Duke student at a party hosted by members of a black Duke fraternity, suddenly these great defenders of virtue fell silent.” He went on the O’Reilly Factor and the Nancy Grace Show to defend the lacrosse players, wearing a suit, a smirk, and a gold pinky ring. Even then, he was already a polished, florid speaker.
The Duke lacrosse players were vindicated, and to this day Miller is still bursting with pride. “The thing that I’m proudest of is that I spoke out early and often on behalf of American legal principles in the Duke lacrosse case when it was not popular,” he told me. “I take great pride that, under enormous social and political pressure, I remained steadfast in my support for due process.” He showed his early television appearances to his Senate colleagues, and believes that he did as much as the lacrosse players’ lawyers in exonerating them.
The name he made for himself in fighting the university establishment, through his column and in inviting Horowitz to speak, would later reap benefits. It was Horowitz who, in 2009, would recommend Miller to his old friend, Jeff Sessions.
***
In 2014, during the height of the immigration debate, Tucker Carlson was having some bad thoughts. “I was having all kinds of heretical thoughts,” Carlson, who founded the conservative news site the Daily Caller, recalls. “I was upset about the war in Iraq and income inequality. I don’t know how Miller knew I had those thoughts, they were just thoughts I had in the shower.” And yet, Miller sensed an ally and reached out to Carlson. “He called me up and said, ‘Why don’t you have breakfast with Sessions? I think you’d like him,’” Carlson says.
He did, and Miller sat in on the meeting. But unlike most young staffers, Carlson recalls, “Miller felt totally free to pipe up and add his thoughts, in a notably self-confident way. I was impressed.” He came away liking both the men and convinced by their ideology, which Carlson described as “nationalist.” (When I asked him if today he too identifies as a nationalist, Carlson said, “of course.”) The Daily Caller quickly became one of Miller’s favorite outlets. He constantly called in tips and made himself available, and the Daily Caller ran stories on immigration and trade that showed Sessions and his agenda in a positive light.
Miller was also spreading Sessions’ gospel on immigration and trade by courting other influential conservative voices—Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham, Lou Dobbs, and Andrew Breitbart before his sudden death in 2012. When Breitbart launched his website, Miller organized a meeting for him with congressional staffers. (Breitbart told Miller he’d first heard of him during the Duke lacrosse scandal.)
Miller is providing the intellectual architecture for an insurgency against the Republican party.”
To the people who worked with him then, it’s no surprise that Miller ended up on the Trump campaign. “Whether the issue was trade or immigration or radical Islam, for many years before Donald Trump came on the scene, Senator Sessions was the leader of the movement and Stephen was his right-hand man,” says Steve Bannon, who is now CEO of Breitbart. To Bannon and advocates of slowing down both legal and illegal immigration, Sessions’ work to kill immigration reform in 2014 was akin “to the civil rights movement in the 1960s,” Bannon told me. “It’s only happened a few times in American politics, and Sessions did it with a cadre of talented staff.”
Sessions and Miller were the radical vanguard of a cause that, in the year of Trump, has grown into something bigger. “When I was in Sessions’ office, this movement for nation-state populism, the intellectual framework for that was being formed,” Miller told me. "A big part of my day was being in touch with the people who were the key players in that." He would send information blasts to a list of a couple hundred Hill staffers with data on the negative impact on immigration on wages, national security, and on what Miller refers to as “criminal aliens.” “We saw ourselves as a kind of think tank for immigration issues and linking that to the larger questions of globalism and populism,” Miller says of that time.
“You could not get where we are today with this movement if it didn’t have a center of gravity that was intellectually coherent,” says Bannon. “And I think a ton of that was done by Senator Sessions’ staff, and Stephen Miller was at the cutting edge of that.” Says Carlson: “Miller is providing the intellectual architecture for an insurgency against the Republican Party.”
Even before Miller left Sessions’ office to work for Trump, and before Sessions endorsed him, there was a lot of overlap between the office and the campaign. “In my own personal time, I first got involved in forming relationships in June after they announced,” Miller says. “I was in touch with people inside the campaign as early as then. Publicly, this played out as Senator Sessions’ early support for the campaign.” Miller talked a lot to his friend, conservative political operative Sam Nunberg, who was then an adviser to Trump. “On his free time, not in any official capacity,” Nunberg clarifies. “They were a resource for us.” Though Miller and Sessions helped the Trump campaign formulate its immigration and trade policies, and despite Sessions’ now-frequent phone calls with Trump, Nunberg took pains to explain that it wasn’t a question of one influencing the other. “This is where Mr. Trump’s head was at,” Nunberg says. “The premise that you can influence him, good luck with that.”
But the synergy is unmistakable. Sessions first reached out to Trump more than a decade ago, in 2005, when he heard him criticize the $1.2 billion renovation of the United Nations headquarters. Trump said he could have done it more cheaply, and Sessions had him come down to Washington to testify on the Hill. Since he became the first senator to endorse Trump, there have been rumors that he is a contender to be Trump’s vice president. He has become the chairman of Trump’s national security advisory committee, and helped craft Trump’s foreign policy speech—with Miller’s aid. When, in the wake of the Orlando shooting, Trump was roundly criticized for his proposal to ban immigration “from areas of the world when there is a proven history of terrorism against the United States,” Sessions did the rounds of the Sunday morning talk shows to explain. “The public data that we have indicate there are quite a number of countries in that region that have sent a large number of people that have become terrorists,” Sessions told Jake Tapper. He said Trump simply wanted to “slow down” the flow from places with “a toxic ideology.” (“I have tremendous respect for Senator Sessions. He is a terrific person, a great leader, and I am so grateful for his support,” Trump told Newsweek.)
Miller is also in frequent touch with Sessions, and Rick Dearborn, Sessions’ chief of staff, moonlights as an adviser to the Trump campaign, helping it smooth out relationships with K Street and the Washington establishment. Dearborn is one of a couple point men whom Speaker Ryan’s staff contacts when they have questions about Trump policy. “I do a lot of interesting things when I’m on vacation,” Dearborn explains. “When I’m on vacation, I do help when I can. But I don’t want that to be in the paper.”
Marco Rubio is, like, his biggest enemy,” says one Republican operative. “He just has this really vehement opposition to him.”
Miller is no different. While he was still in Sessions’ office, he wasn’t just talking to Nunberg regularly; he was pursuing other Trump-related goals. He hectored people in the campaign to not only go after Jeb Bush, but to attack Rubio as well. “Marco Rubio is, like, his biggest enemy,” says one Republican operative. “He just has this really vehement opposition to him. Marco encompassed everything that’s wrong with Washington. It came from dealing with him in the Gang of Eight [immigration proposal].” (His first warm-up speech, ahead of the Florida primary, was all about the evils of Rubio.) Miller also used his Senate email to go after reporters who he felt were going easy on Rubio at Trump’s expense. He would then leak those stories of purported journalistic malfeasance to Breitbart.com, which would reliably launch them into the conservative mediasphere. Miller does not dispute this, saying, “It’s for facts against falsity.”
Breitbart is Miller’s preferred media ally. “Every movement needs a dialogue,” Miller says. “Breitbart was a big part of that.” Miller worked tirelessly to make sure the dialogue kept going, and in the right direction. “When I first joined the staff, the first email I got was from him,” says one former Breitbart reporter. “It said something like, ‘Congratulations from everyone at Sessions’ office, we look forward to working with you.’” From that day on, the day’s first email would come from Miller, highlighting inaccuracies in other media outlets’ work or suggesting avenues for investigation. He worked primarily with two reporters at Breitbart, Caroline May and Julia Hahn, constantly feeding them scoops about the Disney workers’ plight, immigration numbers and welfare fraud. He used to organize a weekly Friday happy hour for Sessions and Breitbart staffers at Union Pub, across the street from the Heritage Foundation. “They’re all really good friends,” says the former Breitbart reporter.
Breitbart was also Sessions country long before it was Trump country. “Anything that Sessions sends out, Breitbart writes up immediately,” says the former Breitbart reporter. “There was no question whatsoever. They’d send out an email saying, ‘Anyone who has five minutes, can you write this up?’ I would do it sometimes because people were overloaded and it was just regurgitating a press release into a blog post.” The reporter added, “It was their way of repaying them” for the scoops. Now that Breitbart has also thrown in for Trump, the same happens for his news releases. “They’re all in the same boat together, Sessions, Trump and Breitbart,” the reporter said. “There’s no other politician that Breitbart does that for. They go above and beyond.”
They’re all in the same boat together, Sessions, Trump, and Breitbart,” the reporter said. “There’s no other politician that Breitbart does that for. They go above and beyond.”
The outlet also faithfully reports nearly everything Miller says on television. Each appearance merits a separate article, with headlines like “Stephen Miller Exposes Faux-Feminism of CNN Panel with Facts About Muslim Migration and Open Borders.” “We track this very, very closely,” Bannon explained when I asked why Miller’s television appearances get written up. “Stephen Miller is a jewel. We try to get as many of his TV things as we can. Some of them have been epic.”
The truth is, the influence goes both ways. As part of his warm-up act, Miller has taken to reading from Clinton Cash, the book on Clinton family corruption by Breitbart editor-at-large Peter Schweizer. He holds up the book and reads passages from it, like a teacher reading to his really rambunctious kindergarten class. Other times, he references it as proof that “Hillary Clinton is a career criminal, folks.” “All you have to do is read Clinton Cash,” he said at a recent rally. “Man, it’ll turn your hair white.” Sections of the book also found their way into Trump’s June speech attacking Clinton for her crookedness. “The book Clinton Cash, by Peter Schweizer, documents how Bill and Hillary used the State Department to enrich their family at America’s expense,” Trump said in his June 22 speech. “She gets rich making you poor.” He then proceeded to quote directly from the book, just like Miller.
“He talks to Bannon a lot,” the Republican operative says of Miller. “It’s no surprise that Stephen is reading from Clinton Cash. It’s no surprise that so many of Trump’s speeches are about Clinton Cash.”
Horowitz, Miller’s old mentor, also continues to be a player in this universe. In a recent column for Breitbart, he called Bill Kristol a “renegade Jew.” He too has adamant views on immigration—because of new arrivals, “there are now epidemic diseases that we didn’t have before,” he told me—and he used to organize conservative retreats at which Sessions was a frequent attendee. One of Horowitz’s pet issues, inner-city poverty as an outgrowth of Democratic political control, made it into Sessions’ Senate agenda, and, more recently, into a Trump speech. “The Democrat Party has run the school boards and the police departments and the City Councils and the mayor's offices in most of our inner cities, almost all of our inner cities,” Trump said at the Faith and Freedom Conference in June. “They have horribly failed in almost every single community.”
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve talked to [RNC Chairman] Reince [Preibus] about this, to Republicans, till I’m blue in the face. It’s like banging my head against a wall,” Horowitz told me. “Trump is the first Republican politician that put it into his speeches.”
Trump has become the candidate of the nationalist right, the people who had previously orbited around Sessions and his hard-core views on immigration. “A lot of people are transposing their views onto Trump, hoping that he’ll be a vessel for those views,” says Carlson. But he is convinced that, deep down, Sessions “watches in horror as the themes are mangled and misarticulated. Trump is not an articulate spokesman for these ideas at all. His favorite topic is himself.” The better spokesman, in Carlson’s view, is Miller. “I’m convinced that if you found a candidate who could articulate those view half as eloquently as Stephen, he’d win. There’s a huge market for that.”
Miller, though, avers that he's a true believer in the campaign. “I want it recorded for posterity,” he told me, “that I wake up in the morning certain in the knowledge that this is an opportunity that is not going to come again.”
Stephen Miller gets into a vehicle at the Republican National Committee Headquarters on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 12. | AP Photo
***
A few days before Trump gave his Clinton Cash speech, Miller warmed up the crowd for him in Las Vegas. Standing at the lectern with a bottle of Fiji water, Miller explained to the audience that this was a historic time. “Very rarely in history do people get the opportunity to vote for true, real, profound change,” he began, spinning the same themes he had used in our conversation. “I would venture to say this is an opportunity is not just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This is the kind of opportunity that comes once in many hundreds of years. And it’s important, it’s crucially important, that every morning we wake up, we’re cognizant of just how historic and how rare this opportunity is. ‘Cause folks, it’s not gonna come again.”
Unlike Trump’s stump speeches, Miller’s speeches are actually speeches. Though he too speaks extemporaneously, Miller gives his warm-up routine a recognizable rhetorical and thematic skeleton: he alliterates, he alludes, he uses parallel structure. His warm-ups have an arc, but it’s one that stops at its apogee, leaving the crowd just hungry enough for the denouement, for “the one man who can help us” to ride in and spitball.
With time, Miller has grown more confident on the stump. His speeches have grown more elaborate. “We have been betrayed and let down by politicians year after year after year after year after year after year,” he went on, before launching into a call-and-response. “They say, 'Oh, well, we’re going to secure the border.' Do they ever get it secure, folks?”
I want it recorded for posterity,” Miller told me, “that I wake up in the morning certain in the knowledge that this is an opportunity that is not going to come again.”
“No!” shouts the crowd. Miller closes his eyes and shakes his head.
“They say, 'Oh, well, we’re going to bring back our manufacturing jobs'; but do those jobs ever come back?”
“No!”
“They say they’re going to clean up D.C. and kick out the special interests. Do the special interests ever go?”
“No!”
Miller’s speeches have also gathered quite a following. Videos of them get tens of thousands of views, and Tucker Carlson’s Daily Caller sometimes adds transcripts of them along with the video. Miller is loquacious, well-spoken, intelligent, say his friends and colleagues. He is convincing. He even has two converts under his belt: his parents are now conservative Republicans, active donors in California GOP circles. I asked Miller what it feels like to give one of these speeches, to feel the energy of the crowd. “Donald Trump has said that he’s leading a movement, and that’s what I feel, that movement, that incredible energy that comes from being part of that movement,” he said. “I’m feeling the same sense of excitement as the people in the audience are about this movement. And frankly, what makes a warm-up speech work is that my enthusiasm and their enthusiasm are equal. So all of us feel at this juncture in history the potential of a fundamental change. It’s a feeling of excitement that comes from knowing that you’re part of something really special.”
In Las Vegas that June night, Miller ended the speech at a fever pitch. “And to the question I have for all of you,” he began his crescendo, “I want you to shout so loud, so that everyone who betrayed you, everyone who let you down, everybody who betrayed families like the Kate Steinle family … everybody who ignored your cries and pleas for help. I want you to shout so loud that it quivers the conference tables in Washington, D.C.”
A dramatic pause. A wag of the finger.
“Are you prepared, folks, to elect as president a man who will put America first, last, and always!” He too is shouting now, jabbing with his finger, bouncing in his knees, his face beatific with righteous anger. His eyes are finally smiling. “Are you prepared to elect Donald J. Trump as president of these United States! Are you prepared to take back your country!” The crowd is whistling, screaming. “Are you prepared for real change on behalf of America! God bless all of you, god bless this state, and God! Bless! The United! States! Of America! Thank you!”
And with that, Miller spins around on his heels, turning his back to the ecstatic crowd. He flashes a peace sign, and disappears into the darkness.What is Paul Carlyle's Diabetes Miracle Cure program? Does it actually show how to exchange diabetes? Read Diabetes Miracle review and finds out. A survey by a health magazine has uncovered that a creative and fruitful project, The diabetes miracle has been recently propelled to cure this ailment of various diabetic sufferers in a typical manner.
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Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi made the announcement Saturday, without giving any details, Iran's semiofficial Mehr news agency reported.
Iran is widely thought to have been the most likely target of the Stuxnet virus, which a top computer security expert told CNN was "the most complex piece of malware in the history of computing."
Tehran has insisted its controversial nuclear program had not been compromised by the virus.
Moslehi, the intelligence chief, did not mention Stuxnet in his statement, but said his ministry has "absolute control over the virtual networks and will foil all acts of sabotage."
Ralph Langner, who was among the first to identify and study Stuxnet, told CNN last week that it would have required insider information to deliver.
"In order to do the attack as Stuxnet did, you also need to have very detailed and specific knowledge about the targeted application and process," he said. "So you also need insider knowledge from a process control system person."
The virus, which he called "a cyberwar weapon," is designed to attack industrial control systems.
It is so sophisticated, he said, that it is designed to attack a specific machine only when it fulfils specific conditions, such as reaching a particular temperature or pressure, he said.
He said it had to be the work of a government, rather than a hacker group, because of the resources required to build and test it.
He did not speculate in an interview with CNN about who might be behind it, but asked mischievously last month on his website if there would be Israelis at the conference where he was presenting his Stuxnet findings.
Israel and the United States are both deeply concerned about Iran's nuclear program. They believe Iran aims to build a nuclear bomb. Iran denies it.
CNN's Atika Shubert contributed to this report.Drug companies are exploiting a loophole in the law and setting exorbitant prices for drugs needed for rare diseases, a group of top consultants has claimed. Victoria Macdonald looks into the issue.
In an open letter to the Prime Minister and the Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, and published online in the British Medical Journal, the neurologists and a patient group, say they are deeply concerned about the unintended consequences of the European Union’s regulations on orphan drugs.
They say that pharmaceutical companies are buying up existing, unlicensed drugs, obtaining a licence and then massively hiking the price. They point to one drug, called 3,4-DAP, which has been used for 20 years to treat Lambert Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome (LEMS) and congenital myasthenic syndromes, both of which cause serious and disabling muscle weakness. It cost between £800 and £1,250 per patient per year.
Earlier this year a pharmaceutical company, BioMarin, bought a slightly different version of the drug, one which had a stabilising compound, and put it on the market under the new name Firdapse. All its safety data was gained from the unlicensed drug, the letter says. The cost of prescribing the licensed BioMarin drug is between £40,000 and £70,000.
But the clinicians said that this is “simply a modified version that meets regulatory standards.” They said the drug company had been “allowed to set the price at an exorbitant level with no clinically relevant advantage”. In other words, there is little difference between the two drugs except for the price.
Funding
Some Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) are refusing to fund the new drug, called Firdapse. But in the meantime, the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority (MHRA) have told the manufacturers of the unlicensed 3,4-DAP to stop producing it. They have also said that now it is licensed, clinicians are obliged to use it.
BioMarin, itself, has written to number of suppliers of 3,4-DAP to say that now they have marketing authorisation for Firdapse, it would now be a breach of regulations for them to supply hospitals with 3,4-DAP.
BioMarin would not be interviewed, but in a statement said there were no safeguards in place with the unlicensed drug. Now, they said, “patients can be confident that they are taking a medicine which is required to conform to specified quality controls and which undergoes continuous safety monitoring.”
They also said they have completed a trial on the effect of taking the drug with food and were planning three more trials.
Channel 4 News spoke to Jannett Grandison, 49, who has LEMS. She said: “I went to bed one night and woke up the next morning in a wheelchair.”
Following her diagnosis she was prescribed 3,4-DAP by her neurologist David Nicholl, at City Hospital, Birmingham. But that stopped in May when the supply began to dry up.
Mrs Grandison said the drug had been working, that she had felt more strength coming back into her limbs.
Dr Nicholl said a block had been put on prescribing 3,4-DAP from September although, even earlier, by July, the drug did not seem to be available.
However, The West Midlands Specialised Commissioning Group, which advises primary care trusts on what drugs to pay for, has taken legal advice and now believes they are within their right to agree to the purchase of 3,4-DAP.
Licensed drug choice
David Lock, a barrister specialising in healthcare issues, said that if there is a choice between a licensed and unlicensed drug, doctors are strongly encouraged by the General Medical Council code of practice to prescribe the licensed drug because, in general, this will represent a lower level of patient risk and a greater chance of effective treatment.
But, Mr Lock said the code is silent as how the doctor should prescribe where the licensed product is not available on the NHS.
In this case, some PCTS are saying they will not agree to the purchase of Firdapse because it is too expensive. Therefore, it is not available. Dr Daphne Austin, who sought the legal advice, said she was disgusted by the price increase. She said that if the NHS paid the £40,000 per patient per year, other patients would suffer. Off the back of Mr Lock’s advice, she said she now believes the unlicensed drug can legally be prescribed.
It is estimated that if all PCTS in England agreed to the purchase of Firdapse, it would cost the NHS more than £10 million – the equivalent of 360 patients on dialysis.
In their letter, the consultants say that in “the present economic situation it seems vital to ensure systems are set in place to prevent excessive commercial profits being made that the expense of patients and public spending.”
In short, they want the loophole closed.Get the latest news and videos for this game daily, no spam, no fuss.
Following its release last year for consoles, professional wrestling game WWE 2K15 will come to PC later this spring, 2K Sports announced Tuesday. The publisher said in a press release that the PC edition of WWE 2K15 will offer the same experience as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 editions. The game was also released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
The PC version of WWE 2K15 comes with everything found in the console editions, as well as immediate access to to special versions of fighters Sting and Hulk Hogan. These were previously pre-order bonuses.
Perhaps the most exciting piece of news around the PC version of WWE 2K15 is that DLC released previously for the console versions will be free for the new computer edition. This includes content like the WCW and NXT Arrival packs, along with new Showcase modes like "Hall of Pain" and "Path of the Warrior." All told, PC players will receive 36 extra characters, four new managers, 26 matches, and 46 single-player stories for free.
"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that that's a pretty awesome deal," cover star John Cena said in a statement.
"I grew up playing games on my PC," Cena added. "Texas Instruments, Commodore 64… I was a huge PC gamer growing up, so this is big. Not only for our fans, but for me personally as well. Fans may not know this, but I was such a huge PC gamer that I bought a living room entertainment system just to play PC games back in the day. So don't be surprised if you flash forward 50 years and yours truly is sitting in his living room playing computer games!"
2K Sports did not announce an official release date for the PC edition of WWE 2K15, saying only that its arrival for computers is "only weeks away." System requirements have also not yet been announced.
The WWE 2K franchise is growing not only with a forthcoming PC version, but the first-ever WWE 2K simulation game was released earlier this month for mobile devices.
For more on WWE 2K15, check out GameSpot's review and some images in the gallery below.WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 09: U.S. President Barack Obama (C) meets with (L-R) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in the Oval Office at the White House September 9, 2014 in Washington, DC. Obama and the Congressional leaders met to discuss the Untied States' response to the Islamic State ahead of the president's remarks to the country tomorrow night. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Political differences between Democrats and Republicans are increasingly moving to polar opposites, with their political biases spreading into their social lives more dramatically than race or religious differences. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Political differences between Democrats and Republicans are increasingly moving to polar opposites, with their political biases spreading into their social lives more dramatically than race or religious differences.
The Stanford University research, “Fear and Loathing Across Party Lines: New Evidence on Group Polarization,” finds that Americans are increasingly divided along political partisanship, which is a stronger factor for bias than that of race. Hostile feelings among Americans were more ingrained in a widening divide between Republicans and Democrats.
The researchers measured racial bias between blacks and whites against negative feelings held between Democrats and Republicans. And while subjects did exhibit racial bias throughout the four-part study, their political biases more strongly affected people’s behavior outside of the voting booth.
“The polarization of the American electorate has dramatically increased,” said Stanford political scientist Shanto Iyengar, whose co-author was Sean Westwood, a post-doctoral researcher at Princeton University. “We show that the level of partisan animus in the American public exceeds racial hostility.”
In one study, researchers examined a game designed to test people’s trust, in which one player was given money and told they could give some, all or none of the finances into the hands of another player. Subjects gave much larger amounts of money to someone who shared their political association.
Partisan attitudes were tested to predict non-political behavior by examining how 1,000 people viewed the resumes of high school seniors competing for scholarships. Documents included racial cues such as “president of the African American Student Association” and others featured politically-tinged prompts such as “president of the Young Republicans.” The findings showed that race mattered, with African-American participants preferring African-American candidates 73 to 27 percent of the time and whites also showing a preference for African-American applicants – although by a significantly smaller margin.
But political bias showed a much larger impact.
Both Democrats and Republicans chose scholarships for applicants in their party about 80 percent of the time – even when the candidate from the other party boasted stronger academic credentials.
“Unlike race, gender or other social divides where attitudes and behavior are constrained by social norms of civility and tolerance – there are no similar pressures to temper disapproval of political opponents. People feel free to say bad things about their political opponents,” Iyengar told Stanford News. “We were particularly surprised at the extent to which party politics has become a litmus test for interpersonal relations. Marriage across party lines is extremely rare.”
The research operated under the assumption that racial hostility is a deeper line of divide than political opposition: “The general agreement that race represents the deepest divide in American society makes racial affect a particularly robust benchmark for the assessment of partisan affect.”
A multitude of recent surveys and polls also reflect a growing political polarization among Americans.
A June survey from the Pew Research Center showed that the overall share of U.S. adults who express consistently conservative or consistently liberal opinions has doubled over the past two decades from 10 percent to 21 percent. Subjects reported partisan beliefs that have intensified since 1994 was collected, with respondents stating that the opposing party’s policies “are so misguided that they threaten the nation’s well-being.”
The 2014 Pew survey found that 92 percent of Republicans are to the right of the median (middle) Democrat, compared with 64 percent 20 years ago. And 94 percent of Democrats are to the left of the median Republican, up from 70 percent in 1994.
Iyengar suggested that one tactic for diminishing the divide between Democrats and Republicans is “greater personal contact between” the two parties with “significant social interventions that enhance the political heterogeneity of neighborhoods and friendship groups.”Let’s review the central allegation of the Washington Post‘s latest “bombshell” on Jeff Sessions:
Russia’s ambassador to Washington told his superiors in Moscow that he discussed campaign-related matters, including policy issues important to Moscow, with Jeff Sessions during the 2016 presidential race, contrary to public assertions by the embattled attorney general, |
Vancouver Whitecaps women’s team that last took the field during the 2012 season. Following that season, the Whitecaps announced that they would no longer field a women’s team. The Whitecaps currently have a girls at the U-13 – U-18 level, which helps develop players into the Canada Soccer Women’s Regional EXCEL Centre (REX).
The Whitecaps have shifted focus towards other investments, including a residency program and a USL team that will eventually go a long way in helping to improve the future development of players for the MLS club. Mallett maintains that the Whitecaps organization hasn’t turned its collective back on the women’s game.
“We care about the women’s game; we haven’t discarded the women’s game,” he said. “We have lots on our plate. Let’s focus in on the elite REX program, hook up with the national program. Use our dollars and our efforts to try to do this with the (age) fifteens, sixteens, and seventeens and lead them on up there. I think because of the alliances with the associations (the NWSL has with) the Mexican federation, Canada, and U.S. and the subsidies that go there, I think that can kick on. We’ll keep an eye on what the other opportunities are in the women’s game.”
One of the star players on Portland Thorns FC is Christine Sinclair. When it comes to the club level, there is nothing more that Sinclair would like to see in Canada than a professional women’s soccer team. The all-time leading Canadian goal-scorer reiterated her thoughts while on TSN 1040 Radio last Thursday.
#CanWNT's Christine Sinclair on @TSN1040: “I would love to see a couple of professional teams here in Canada." https://t.co/i1NN3ly6WT — Har Journalist (@HarJournalist) July 9, 2015
Multiple sources indicated that Vancouver was close to obtaining an NWSL team for the league’s inaugural season in 2013, but talks broke down. It was thought that a Vancouver NWSL team would feature many Canadian national team players.
[MORE: Complete coverage of the Canadian women’s national team]
Vancouver Whitecaps FC president Bob Lenarduzzi talked about the long-term investment the Whitecaps are making and how much Canada coach John Herdman has been part of the ongoing development.
“I think we want to talk about the investment in the women’s game and that’s through the REX program that John Herdman is very much behind and has established a curriculum for that,” Lenarduzzi said. “There’s two centers right now, one in British Columbia, Quebec, and there will be one in Ontario. The best part of that involvement is John Herdman. You’ve seen what he’s done with the women’s team. He also recognizes that either his coaching career or whoever comes in after him will be determined by whether or not we’re producing players. We felt that with all that is going on, the best contribution that we can make was through the development of the younger players.”
One of the main reasons for previously failed women’s league in North America has been costs, combined with low attendance levels across the league. The NWSL is hoping to get a large boost in attendance because of the U.S. winning the World Cup. Some of that bump has already begun, with the Houston Dash drawing a record crowd of 13,025 fans on Sunday.
Portland is without a doubt the strongest franchise financially, but for other teams it can be a real struggle to balance costs, and put a product on the pitch that people want to come and watch. Lenarduzzi knows Vancouver is a special market, but he isn’t quite sold on fan support if Vancouver were to host a professional women’s soccer team.
“It’s difficult,” he said. “When you look at the league outside of Portland, the average attendances are around 3,000. I think Vancouver is a special market, but as Jeff said, we’ll keep and eye out on what’s going on. If we feel that we’re far enough down the road with our current projects — which are still a work in progress — it is something that we would look at. We want to make sure that if and when we do it, that we’re setting ourselves up for success.”
NWSL commissioner Jeff Plush mentioned in the days following the 2015 Women’s World Cup final that there are as many as a dozen groups interested in NWSL expansion teams. It is clear, however, that there could be some wait for a professional women’s team in Vancouver.The Indonesian Military (TNI) is reviving the community service program that was popularly known as ABRI Masuk Desa (AMD) during the New Order era.
There are reservations that the program could potentially be abused by certain political elites to garner support for the upcoming 2014 elections.
Under the revamped program, which is called TNI Manunggal Membangun Desa (TMMD), members of the TNI will be deployed to villages to build infrastructure and teach civic and defense strategy to the public.
The new program, which is to be implemented twice every year, is a continuation of the Soeharto-era ABM, which was terminated soon after the fall of the Army general's authoritarian regime in 1998.
Soeharto used the AMD as a tool to spy on any form of resistance toward his rule and to gain political support from villagers across the country for him to remain in power.
Army chief of staff Gen. Budiman gave assurances on Wednesday that the program would not be a repeat of the ABM, although its format was quite similar.
'We have no intention to enter into the civilian arena. As I said early on, my goal is to improve the military's professionalism by putting soldiers in the right places in this democratic state,' he said during a press conference in Central Jakarta on Wednesday.
The first implementation of the program ' which will run from Oct. 9 to 29, a mere six months before the 2014 presidential election ' will also involve 1,000 recent university graduates selected by the Youth and Sports Ministry.
The program will leverage infrastructure development and public awareness programs in 61 regencies, 77 sub-districts and 99 villages across the country.
For the infrastructure projects, the military will help local residents build roads, bridges, mosques and other public facilities. For public awareness, the military, along with the new graduates, will counsel villagers about defense, rural prosperity, HIV/AIDS and other social issues.
Al-Araf, an analyst from the human rights organization Imparsial and a former lecturer at the Indonesian Defense University, said that the community service program could easily be abused for political objectives, especially in the run-up toward the 2014 general elections.
'I think this activity could also be used by certain political parties to gain grassroots support in the villages,' he said.
Al-Araf also said that the military was not the ideal institution to be teaching villagers about state defense or civic education.
'Teaching state defense or civic education is the responsibility of local governments, not the military. Instead of teaching villagers, the TNI needs to focus on its readiness for preventing war or being involved in international peacekeeping operations,' he said.
In recent years, the TNI has made inroads into having a greater role in politics.
Earlier this month, the Army signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on counterterrorism with the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT).
Under the agreement, the military will be allowed to actively assist members of the public in tracing terror suspects or activities.
In July, the Army signed a MoU with the Trade Ministry to prevent smuggling at borders and ensure the smooth distribution of goods across the country. The agreement allows the Army to send troops to border areas to prevent illegal goods from entering the country.
The TNI will also help the government build 14 new highways, totaling 1,520 kilometers in length, in Papua and West Papua over the next two years. The heavy infrastructure development was recommended by the Presidential Unit to Accelerate the Development of Papua and West Papua (UP4B), as there are no private contractors that have the ability to do the job within the allocated budget of Rp 1.5 trillion (US$135.23 million).
Following the fall of the Soeharto regime, the new civilian government made efforts to abolish the military's sociopolitical role, which had been known as half of the military's dual function (Dwi fungsi).
In 1999, the Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI), which comprised the Police, the Army (TNI AD), the Navy (TNI AL) and the Air Force (TNI AU), changed its name to the Indonesian Military (TNI) and excluded the National Police. (koi)So I've always loved those images of one member of a couple pulling the other down by their tie to kiss them (saw it in Artemis fowl art and have thought it awesome since) so when Elsa makes incest legal and marries Anna, which one pulls the other down for the kiss? I'm thinking Anna, while Elsa gets embarrassed as Anna pulls her down and "mashes" their faces together.
Ties and kisses for best combo.
Both, though, right? It’s gotta be both.
Wait, I’ve got it: Elsa and Anna set out to plan the perfect wedding, drawing from all the books their library holds and all the gooey feelings in their souls to make it work. Most of the available wedding lore doesn’t really cover two brides, so they each decide it’s only right for their sister to be the most beautiful bride in the world. They can take up the groom’s role.
Being self-sacrificial dorks, neither ends up saying anything about it, content to let the other refer to them as a bride all day long to make for a better surprise.
Somehow, this turns into the Queen and Princess of Arendelle getting married in suits. A bit more flustered than their besotted selves were expecting, they both miss their cue to kiss the bride. Other bride. Groom. Person they are marrying.
Anna snaps out of it first, figuring that maybe they don’t have the best luck with ceremonies, but nothing has ever made her feel luckier than kissing Elsa, so carpe diem!
…Carpe Tie.
The tie provides much encouragement, let’s be real.
Later–much later–possibly at night–Elsa returns the favor.
(Obligatory fic rec: Do Not Disturb by j-peters0n)Ramallah, 28 April 2014 -- The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), the largest
coalition in Palestinian civil society that is leading the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement for Palestinian rights, issued a stern warning to Starbucks today that if media reports about its intention to purchase a stake in SodaStream prove accurate, it would be deemed complicit in Israel’s violations of international law and would, therefore, face the prospects of popular boycotts and the possibility of legal action.
SodaStream is an Israeli company that manufactures in Maale Adumim, an illegal settlement in the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT) and, as such, is deeply complicit in Israel's violations of international law. Settlements are illegal under international law and constitute a war crime.[1]
Leading UN officials and human rights organizations, including Oxfam, have condemned settlement-based industries as profiting from the Israeli occupation and colluding in the denial of Palestinian rights.
The BDS movement has consistently targeted complicit Israeli and international corporations -- involved in Israel’s occupation, settlements and other international law infringements -- such as Sodatream, G4S, Ahava, Mekorot, Elbit, Veolia, Caterpillar, Africa Israel, all Israeli banks, among others.
A BDS campaign against Starbucks is expected to drastically affect its market share in the Arab world and many countries across the world. Veolia, a French company involved in several illegal Israeli projects in the OPT, has lost or was compelled to withdraw from contracts worth billions of dollars[2] in Sweden, the UK, Ireland, the US and elsewhere. Similarly, G4S, a British-Danish security conglomerate, lost lucrative contracts in Europe and South Africa.[3]
SodaStream markets itself as environmentally friendly to hide the fact that it is, after all, part of a colonial enterprise. More than 200 Palestinian families were expelled from their homes to make way for the construction of Maale Adumim in the 1990s, in defiance of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Israel has announced its intentions to forcibly displace another 2,300 Palestinians from their land in order to facilitate further expansion of the settlement.[4]
Palestinian trade unions have consistently rejected any suggestion that the oppressive reality of living under a brutal occupation — sometimes leaving Palestinians with no choice but to export fresh produce through complicit Israeli companies or work in illegal settlements — is a reason not to take action to end international complicity in human rights violations.[5] Palestinian workers employed by SodaStream have explained that they face systematic discrimination and are “treated like slaves”.
Far from reducing its direct contribution to human rights abuses, SodaStream's plan to open a factory inside Israel beside Rahat, a planned Palestinian Bedouin township in the Naqab (Negev) desert, amounts to participation in Israel's plans to forcibly displace at least 40,000 Palestinian Bedouins into townships, a policy that has been widely condemned by the UN[6], the European Parliament and leading human rights organisations.[7]
Starbucks’ reported interest in SodaStream comes at a time when civil society, the private sector and governments across the world are increasingly shunning businesses that contribute to Israel’s occupation and violations of international law. International supporters of Palestinian rights have responded to calls for boycotts of SodaStream, organising protests across hundreds of stores and many European retailers have pledged not to sell products produced in illegal Israeli settlements. The Dutch and UK governments have recently warned businesses to avoid business links with illegal Israeli settlements.[8]
Following the recent high profile outcry about actor Scarlett Johansson's association with SodaStream, investment analysts have stated that SodaStream "comes with baggage" and that their illegal settlement factory is "a touchstone for controversy". Indeed, their first quarter 2014 results show a drop of 14% in their share price.[9]
As a signatory to the UN Global Compact, Starbucks claims to respect human rights in its operations. Given the wide scale violations of human rights that are part and parcel of the forced displacement that Israel has pursued in both Maale Adumim and the Naqab desert, any relationship with SodaStream would clearly conflict with the principles of the UN Global Compact.
Starbucks should abandon any plans it may have to purchase a stake in or enter into a partnership with SodaStream or any other company profiting from Israel’s occupation and settlements to avoid becoming a target for the BDS movement.
The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC)Polar Nuclear Lighthouses
This is quite amazing to me. Never heard of these before. The great northern coast of Russia is inside the Arctic Circle, and the shoreline is hundreds of miles from civilisation almost the whole way along. Lighthouses were required for the coast, because it’s a handy passage but it spends a hundred days of the year in near-permanent night. The problems were that they’d be miles from anywhere, and couldn’t realistically be supplied or crewed.
So the Russians erected autonomous nuclear-powered lighthouses. Which worked great, until the collapse of the Soviet Union. In fact, they probably would have been fine after that, if people hadn’t looted them for copper and anything else that looked like it wasn’t nailed down too hard. Including, apparently, reactor shielding.
So many of these great polar nuclear lighthouses are now radioactive deadzones. I would tend to doubt that the one in this fantastic series of pictures on EnglishRussia is one of them. But, honestly, you never know, abandoned-site explorers can be a little on the mental side. Anyway. Go and look.AN INDEPENDENT Scotland could undo “poorly designed” reforms to Britain’s welfare state, but would have to pay for a more generous system with higher taxes or bigger cuts to spending elsewhere, a major report says today.
The detailed paper by the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) says that a Yes vote next year – or greater devolution of welfare – would allow the country to reverse controversial UK changes, such as the benefits cap and cuts to child benefit, which it criticises for being badly conceived.
But it warns that, with Scotland’s population set to age more rapidly than Britain’s as a whole, a Scottish-only benefits system will gradually become more expensive to pay for than the UK’s.
Current benefit spending in Scotland comes to £3,238 per person per year, compared to £3,176 in Great Britain, the paper finds, with the gap expected to widen further over the coming decades.
Consequently, it concludes that a more generous system of welfare, as envisaged for Scotland by the SNP, “could not be sustained in the long term without discretionary tax rises or further cuts to spending on public services.”
The report comes after SNP ministers pledged earlier this year to scrap the “bedroom tax” for housing benefit claimants in the first year after independence, and provide better guarantees on pensioners’ income.
But the pro-UK parties last night said the SNP now had to explain how they intended to pay for an increasingly costly system of benefits, given the report’s conclusions.
David Phillips, a senior research economist at the IFS, and the author of the report, said: “Looking ahead, independence – or further devolution – would provide Scotland with an opportunity to design its own benefits system to reflect the priorities of the Scottish people.
It would also need to adapt it to the fact that Scotland’s population is projected to age faster than the rest of the UK.”
Today’s report finds that £17.2 billion was spent on benefits in Scotland in 2011-12, about 30 per cent of all government spending, with the largest sums coming from the state pension (£6bn), child and working tax credits (£2.2bn) and disability living allowance/attendance allowance (£1.9bn).
The cost per head of disability benefits in Scotland was more than 20 per cent higher per head than down south, reflecting the country’s poorer health profile. However, spending on housing benefit was much lower, reflecting the lower cost of rent.
The report also shows that the impact of recent benefit cuts was marginally lower in Scotland than in the UK as a whole. Between 2010 and 2015, household income was estimated to have fallen by 1.6 per cent compared to 1.7 per cent for the UK.
The paper argues that some recent benefit reforms have not been “particularly well thought out”, and says an independent Scotland could examine changing them.
But no reform would be cost-free, it says, noting that major change – such as making benefits more closely related to contributions – would either create a large number of losers, or else involve a massive increase in overall spending, if the government decided to keep a benefit “floor”.
SNP finance secretary John Swinney last night focused on the paper’s criticism of the UK welfare state.
He said a one-size-fits-all policy was wrong and a future Scottish Government would “put in place welfare policies that meet Scotland’s needs”.
However, Scottish Labour’s William Bain MP, said: “The report is clear: the SNP talk lots about how they would run welfare differently after 2016, but such reform would be difficult.”
‘Nation’s wealth’ would meet the pensions bill, insists Swinney
The SNP would use “the wealth of Scotland” to fund its pension commitments if it becomes independent, according to finance secretary John Swinney.
The Better Together campaign has said Scotland is heading for a “pensions time-bomb”, and challenged Mr Swinney to explain how he will fund pensions in a country where the number of elderly is rising faster than elsewhere.
EU cross-Border pensions regulations could also force UK pension providers to eliminate their funding shortfalls immediately if Scotland separates, according to unionists.
Speaking at an event at General Register House, where Scotland’s population statistics are compiled, Mr Swinney said Scotland has experienced an “encouraging” spike in its birth rate in recent years.
Social protection also drains less money from the Scottish budget than the UK, said Mr Swinney, who vowed pensions will be “properly and fully funded” under independence.
SEE ALSO
• Gavin McCrone: Shaping life after No vote
• Eddie Barnes: No vote could be win-win for SNPShare Share
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Epcot's Test Track originally opened back in 1999, and at that time represented the cutting edge of Walt Disney Imagineering created ride-systems. As Epcot's first thrill ride, it took guests through a series of vehicle tests and outside onto a 50 degree banked track at highway speeds. The complexity of the ride system caused years of delays to its opening, but ever since the official opening in 1999 it has become a firm favorite and must do for any Walt Disney World visitor.Just over 10 years later, and with a struggling General Motors looking to make more use of one of its most visited marketing locations, plans began to be formulated for a complete makeover of the attraction. After a collaborative design effort between GM and WDI, the original Test Track closed on 16 April 2012 to begin the transformation. The all new Test Track officially reopened on December 6 2012, with soft openings taking place just a few days before.The first thing that you may notice about the new Test Track is the specific focus on Chevrolet. No more GM Test Track, but instead, Test Track Presented by Chevrolet. This reflects the structural changes to GM as a whole, where a number of their automotive brands were eliminated. Test Track is now all about Chevrolet.Despite having only 8 months to complete the refurbishment, the new Test Track is a massively different experience. Nearly every set piece has been removed from the original attraction, with only the ride system remaining the same. The new Test Track takes a step towards the more traditional Epcot Center pavilion approach, with the idea that there is now more to the pavilion than just the ride. The experience is divided into three very distinct phases.First, guests enter the brand new queue area, which showcases Chevy concept vehicles, and gives guests the chance to take in some inspirational videos about the design process. This queue area is all brand new. Gone are the wide open spaces full of vehicle tests, and in its place come much more structured spaces, winding through the 'Chevrolet Design Center'. It is a sleek space, with modern lighting, curves and lots of eye candy. It is a nice space to be in, with a sense of calm that is very much a departure from what was there before. Worthy of a mention is the new music for Test Track - it has an old school Epcot Center feel to it, and fits so well with the new design. The score on the outside of the building and throughout the queue is a significant improvement over the former Test Track's industrial sounding version. The queue area leads to Chevrolet Design Studio, which is where the first fundamental difference from the old Test Track begins. Guests now get to actually design their own vehicle to be ran on the Test Track.At the design studio pre-show area, guests are split into groups and assigned a design kiosk number. Each kiosk can accommodate up to three guests, in which case all three guests will work on designing a single vehicle. Alternatively, guests can request their own individual kiosk to each create their own vehicle. Following a brief instructional video, the doors to the design studio open, and the fun begins. To get started, the guest touches their RFID equipped card to the kiosk and the design starts. Each kiosk is equipped with a very large touch screen which guides the guest through the process of designing their vehicle. Throughout the process, there are 4 key vehicle parameters that are being tracked - capability, efficiency, responsiveness and power. Each design change you make to your vehicle impacts one of these parameters, and will later be used to measure the final vehicle rating. The time given for the design process varies depending on how busy the attraction is, but it seems that so far there is approximately 5 minutes allocated to the design phase. A timer at the top of the screen tells you how long you have remaining. The design options are extensive, guests can customize the shape, size, color, graphics, engines, spoilers, and much more.Leaving the design studio, guests head to the 'Sim Track.' This is the original Test Track ride system, where your freshly designed vehicle will be put through its paces. The loading area has been completely re-built. Barely recognizable from before, it feels very different and looks fresh and new. Operating similarly to before, groups are assigned numbers on the loading area in preparation for boarding. The big difference this time is that the guests now use the RFID card to touch a reader on their boarding spot to associate their custom designed vehicle with the ride. A small screen by each guest confirms the vehicle has been uploaded to the Sim Car. After boarding the ride vehicle, the car moves to the seat belt check. From here it is very clear that things are now very different inside the ride building. Gone are the real-world tests in the warehouse, and in its place comes a very futuristic "Tron" like environment. Taking place mostly in the dark, with vivid lighting effects, the car still goes through the exact same physical track as before, but with all new visuals. The four key parameters that featured in the design phase are now measured by the Sim Car in each of the sections of the Sim Track. At the conclusion of each part of the test, a screen shows each vehicle in the Sim Car, and how it scored in that section of the test.Leaving the Sim Track, guests move into the post show area, where they now have the opportunity to take part in several interactive experiences. First, a huge video screen allows guests to scan their RFID card and see how they stack up against other designers with the performance scores of the vehicles. Next is the opportunity to create a Chevy commercial, featuring the very car that was created in the design studio. A digital driving table allows guests to actually drive a mini version of their car around a track against other guests - again all using the performance characteristics that were designed in the vehicle back in the studio. There are green-screen photo opportunities with Chevy concept vehicles, and also the chance to see a range of current Chevy vehicles in the Chevrolet Showroom. As before, the exit passes through the Test Track gift shop.New Test Track features both standby and FASTPASS lines, including an option for single riders. Standby riders get the full design experience, whereas FASTPASS and single riders get an abbreviated version of the design studio experience, where they are able to select from pre-designed cars, but not have the ability to design from scratch.This new version of Test Track succeeds on a number of levels. It has completely refreshed an aging attraction with an experience that is more engaging than its predecessor. Staying true to the Epcot Center Pavilion concept, you can now spend time in this pavilion, taking in all the pre-show design elements, the actual ride section, and then all the activities of the post-show area. Guests can easily spend a couple of hours in the Test Track attraction, doing more than just standing in a queue. The design studio element is really a clever way of occupying guests while they wait for the ride, but it serves much more purpose than just being a distraction to queue time. Unlike the interactive queue elements of say Space Mountain, the Test Track interactive queue elements stay with you throughout your time in the pavilion, with a role to play in the actual ride and in the post-show. No other attraction really has this degree of continuity and engagement.The new Test Track is a computing powerhouse, and there are still some issues being worked out. During our test rides we have seen a number of design studio kiosks out or action, vehicles not always uploading to the ride vehicles, and problems with vehicle performance data not being displayed during the Sim Track ride section. No doubt these issues are being worked on, but there is certainly a high reliance on computer systems in all aspects of this attraction.There are also a few elements of the attraction that don't quite make sense to some. While the ride section looks great, it does raise a few questions about what is actually going on. Why are we in an electronic "Tron" like environment and why do we then suddenly leave that environment and find ourselves outside in the Epcot parking lot.? The outdoor portion is also strangely silent - no music, no narration, just the sound of the wind. It is quite a jarring transition, and hopefully will receive some attention. If you can look beyond these few points, and accept what is taking place without questioning it, you will more than likely really enjoy the new Test Track.We think that the vast majority of guests are going to rate the new Test Track higher than the original. The design studio element, combined with the improved visuals of the ride section, and the more engaging post show improve the attraction in almost every way. Test Track was massively popular before, and we think it will be even more popular now. Test Track is now officially open, and is operating daily with the rest of Epcot.Check out the video below for a complete walkthrough of the entire experience, along with a side-by-side comparison of the original Test Track and the new Test Track. Scroll down even further for our new Test Track photo gallery.I was wondering whether a long simmering controversy would reignite in the wake of the focus on the Confederate flag.
Today.
What’s the deal with this flag, Minnesota?
First of all, they jammed about 10,000 things onto it. You’ve got your farmer, your sunrise, your waterfall, the state flower and, oh yes, your near naked Native American riding by on a horse.
“The image of the pioneer, a peaceful man who has laid down his gun and is plowing his field, is juxtaposed with the image of the Indian, who may still want to fight (his spear is at the ready) but who seems to be riding away,” writes Judith Harrington in today’s Star Tribune. She’s an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
“The pioneer/farmer is using a plow, a symbol of civilization. The white man is depicted as a ‘doer’ who is entitled to the land, trees and water, empowered by the concept of Manifest Destiny. The Indian is the vacating tenant. A peaceful transition is suggested, but this ignores the tense and problematic history of conflict between European settlers and Indians, such as the complicated history of treaties and the Dakota War of 1862.”
“It does not reflect the values and sensibilities of Minnesotans today,” she writes.
The flag has been occasionally debated almost since Gov. Sibley saw the painting and thought it’d be a great symbol of a pretty good state.
It’s not the only state flag getting a little criticism this week. In Massachusetts the governor has hinted he’d be open to a new design after the Confederate flag protests prompted a little introspection.
“By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty,” the state motto on the flag says.
“The irony of using a Native American on the arms of the political entity that destroyed them is rather like a hunter hanging trophy heads on his wall,” a respondent in a poll said.
“It is hard to read it all together as anything but a flag designed by and for the colonial conquerors who made the Bay State, the ones who won the land — with a short time out for Thanksgiving dinner — by all but eradicating the people who got here first,” writes Boston Globe columnist Yvonne Abraham.
In both cases, our state flags represent the way we frame history — war and conquest.
Would we even know how to begin thinking about our history any other way?Dying Light: How to Fast Travel Tired of taking the long way between the different game areas? Check out our guide to fast traveling in Dying Light.
The city of Harran, Dying Lights zombie filled setting, is massive. With two main sections of town, The Slums and Old Town, there is a lot of exploration to do, and a ton of collectibles to find. That’s where the game’s simple Fast Travel system comes into play. After all, we know Kyle Crane has to get tired of running all the time.
Although you can’t travel from safehouse to safehouse, you can travel between the different areas of the city.
*Note: Fast Travel can only be used after unlocking the different areas.*
The Slums to Old Town
The first thing you want to do is make your way to the Tower. From there, locate the room with the word “Shop” written on it.
Now move into the room and look to your left. You should see a poster. Interact with it to Fast Travel to Old Town.
Old Town to the Slums
First you’ll want to locate the safehouse I’ve marked on the map below.
Once you’ve marked it on your map, make your way there and then drop into the room and locate the poster on the wall. Interact with it to Fast Travel back to the Slums.
The Slums to the Antenna
We all know how long that final trek to the Antenna took, and if you haven’t gotten that far yet, then don’t worry, we haven’t spoiled anything. If you’re looking to shave a few minutes off your walking time, simply head to the area I’ve marked on the map below.
You’ll need to have an item, such as the grappling hook, to help you climb. However, once you’ve reached the overpass above the construction site, take out the zombies here and then interact with the door to enter a short series of tunnels right into the Antenna area.Editorial: It’s time to repeal the death penalty
Staff Last modified: 11/10/2013 1:06:06 AM
It is to the significant credit of the prosecutors in the capital murder case against Michael Addison that their arguments withstood numerous strong arguments from defense attorneys before the New Hampshire Supreme Court. It is to the significant credit of the lower court judge that the process was deemed fair.
But it is to the extreme detriment of New Hampshire as a whole that Addison is now one step closer to death. This week’s ruling should strengthen the resolve of those working to overturn the state’s death penalty statute, to keep New Hampshire government from ever again playing executioner in our name.
Addison is the man who shot a Manchester police officer to death in 2006. His victim, Michael Briggs, was a 35-year-old father of two from Concord. The shooting followed a weeklong crime spree, after which then-Attorney General Kelly Ayotte called Addison a “cold-blooded, coldhearted, remorseless killer” who deserved the death penalty for his crime. Addison’s lawyers said he fired the gun in a panic, that his actions were reckless but not purposeful. The jury sided with the state, and Addison was eventually sentenced to die, making him the only person on the state’s death row, in a state that hadn’t executed a soul since 1939.
About the same time, in a different courtroom, a different New Hampshire jury was weighing the case of John Brooks, a millionaire businessman accused of hiring three men to kill a handyman who Brooks believed had stolen from him. Brooks, like Addison, was convicted of capital murder, but his jury rejected the death penalty and sentenced him to life in prison instead.
Brooks was rich and white; Addison was poor and black. Brooks plotted his victim’s murder deliberately; Addison shot Briggs as he fled. Addison’s victim had the full force of New Hampshire law enforcement watching every twist and turn of the case; Brooks’s victim was little known and quickly forgotten. Different lawyers, different juries, different cases. But it’s difficult not to step back and wonder about the fairness of it all. In a state where the capital murder statute is rarely used, it’s hard to imagine two more starkly different outcomes.
The Addison case isn’t over – not by far. The state Supreme Court still must decide whether Addison’s death sentence was excessive or disproportionate compared with the penalties imposed in similar cases. Should the state win, there will no doubt be federal appeals that will take years to resolve.
In the meantime, state lawmakers should take advantage of the new opportunity granted them by a governor who, for the first time in the modern era, opposes the death penalty. They should repeal the capital punishment statute in 2014, knowing full well that the sentence meted out to Brooks – life in prison without parole – is justice enough for even the most remorseless killers. New Hampshire hasn’t used its death penalty in more than 70 years. We will be a better, fairer, more humane state without it.NASA is Tracking Electron Beams from the Sun
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NASA's Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) observes a wide array of particles that flow toward Earth from the sun to better understand the great space weather system that connects the sun to our planet. Credit: NASA/H. Zell
In the quest to understand how the world's weather moves around the globe, scientists have had to tease apart different kinds of atmospheric movement, such as the great jet streams that can move across a whole hemisphere versus more intricate, localized flows. Much the same must currently be done to understand the various motions at work in the great space weather system that links the sun and Earth as the sun shoots material out in all directions, creating its own version of a particle sea to fill up the solar system."People think of the sun as giving out light and heat," says Ruth Skoug, a space scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, N.M. "But it is also always losing particles, losing mass."For example, the sun sends out a steady outflow of solar particles called the solar wind and additionally giant, sudden explosions of material called coronal mass ejections or CMEs erupt out into space. Skoug studies a third kind of particle flow: jets of high-energy electrons streaming from the sun known as electron strahl. Through a new five-year study of observations of the strahl, Skoug and her colleagues have researched another piece of this giant space weather puzzle around Earth.Skoug says that each fast-moving electron is by and large constrained to move along magnetic field lines that flow out from the sun, some of which loop back to touch the sun again, others which extend out to the edges of the solar system. The charge on an electron interacts with the field lines such that each particle sticks close to the line, somewhat like a bead on an abacus – with the added motion that the electron gyrates in circles around the field lines at the same time.In general, the magnetic fields get weaker further away from the sun. A physical law that applies in those cases in which electrons are not pushed off course, or “scattered,” demands that the electron gyrations get smaller and more stretched out along the field line. If this were the only physics at work, therefore, one would expect the strahl to become a more and more focused, pencil-thin beam when measured near Earth. This |
stage where things that once used to fill me with fear barely cross my mind, and the thoughts that used to weigh on my mind feel lighter. I’m more comfortable with life and living than I have been for a long time.
This is not to say that you can avoid seeing a doctor to deal with your issues or making necessary lifestyle changes like getting a little exercise and eating well. I’ve done all of those too. But in my experience, skin care was a catalyst for me getting back on my feet and feeling like I was good at something again. Now it’s just a small part of my really fulfilling (but still far from perfect) life, but it holds a special place in my heart as the thing that picked me up and set me on a great new path. I hope that you are all healthy and happy and on the right track 🙂A newlywed couple walk to receive a blessing from Pope Francis at the Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square on June 15. (CNA/Daniel Ibáñez)
Are Many Marriages Today Invalid?
Important principles to keep in mind when speaking about marriage.
BENEDICT NGUYEN
Pope Francis’ recent comments opining that “a great majority of our sacramental marriages are null” (or “some of our sacramental marriages are null,” according to later Vatican editing of the text) set off another media firestorm. His words reveal a common tendency among many in the Church, including many good-hearted pastors and pastoral workers, to pre-judge pessimistically the validity of someone’s marriage.
Given widespread confusion in the culture and in the Church about the nature of marriage, especially due to the high rates of divorce in the West, it often can be tempting to conclude that large numbers of contemporary men and women are not marrying validly and, therefore, their marriages are null.
Yet rash conclusions about the validity or nullity of marriages can be seriously problematic and detrimental to many couples and the institution and sacrament of marriage. Often, such judgments don’t do justice to the fullness of what the Church teaches about marriage, and they don’t take into account the objective means the Church uses to determine the validity of marriage.
What’s a Valid Marriage?
Even before being a “sacrament,” the Church sees marriage as being a natural institution in which men and women are capable of entering into validly. It is important to remember that God created natural marriage to be a partnership between a husband and wife for the whole of life, ordered to the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring (Canon 1055.1). This spousal relationship is natural to the human person and is obtainable by the human person. Christ our Lord raised this natural marital relationship to being one of the seven sacraments of the Church — but only if it is between two baptized persons (Canon 1055.2). The marriage bond of a non-baptized person, while it may be valid and true, is not a sacrament and does not contain in it sacramental graces. Nonetheless, the Church does not see the ability to enter into a valid natural marriage as something only Catholics are able to establish. Non-Catholics can and do enter into valid natural marriages, except where there is a natural-law invalidating element, such as already being married to someone else.
Similarly, the Church does not see sacramental marriages, which only baptized persons are able to establish since it is a sacrament, as something reserved only to theologically sophisticated Catholics, as if some special gnostic-knowledge were necessary to marry validly or sacramentally.
In other words, the Church does not have a “high bar” of understanding that one has to clear, in order to marry validly and sacramentally, but rather a “low bar” of basics that one must not actively reject in order to do so. One does not have to have an exhaustive knowledge of what marriage is in order to marry validly.
Ignorance About Marriage
When it comes to ignorance about marriage, Canon 1096.1 of the Code of Canon Law says that for valid matrimonial consent, the parties must “at least not be ignorant that marriage is a permanent partnership between a man and a woman ordered to the procreation of offspring by means of some sexual cooperation.” Note that the Church here does not require agreement with these factors, but only that the person not be ignorant of them. In fact, the Church, in Canon 1096.2, even goes so far as to require explicitly that we are not to presume that a person is ignorant of this after puberty.
The point is that God, through the actions of Christ and his body, the Church, has designed marriage, and even sacramental marriage, to be a reality obtainable by the average man and woman — not just an impossible ideal that must be appreciated completely in theory first before being able to marry.
Errors About Marriage and Its Elements
But even if someone is not ignorant of marriage, can someone being in error about what marriage is validly consent to marriage? Sometimes yes, sometimes no, but again, here, there is a “low bar.” Contrary to popular misconceptions among many in the Church, simply being in error about the nature of marriage — including its permanence, fecundity, exclusivity or even its sacramental dignity — does not invalidate the act of marrying. In fact, as reflected in Canon 1099, such error only invalidates matrimonial consent if it “determines the will,” that is, only if it actually causes the person to choose, actively and in this particular case, something other than a true marriage.
In other words, simply growing up in a “divorce culture,” simply believing in divorce or simply misunderstanding the Church’s teachings on the sacramentality of marriage is not enough to constitute an invalid consent. For example, a man who believes in divorce still marries validly unless this belief causes him to intend explicitly, at the time of marriage, a divorceable union with this specific woman. Note that a general belief in divorce is not enough to invalidate consent. Rather, to be invalid, it must be something to the effect of “I, Tarzan, marry you, Jane, in a dissoluble union.” As another example, a general belief that marriage is not exclusive does not invalidate consent but, rather, it must be to the effect of “I, Tarzan, marry you, Jane, non-exclusively.” This is what it means for error to “determine the will” and is what Pope St. John Paul II emphasized in his important “Address to the Roman Rota” in 1993 and again in 2000.
Intention Against Elements of Marriage
Similarly, when it comes to invalidly marrying not due to “error” about marriage, but due to an intention against children, permanence or exclusivity, the intention to exclude these things (called “partial simulation”) only invalidates if it is a “positive act of the will.” The intention must actively and positively exclude these things at the time of marrying in order for the consent to be invalid. A mere erroneous belief, inclination or casual exclusion of these things is simply not enough to cause invalidity. Nor is merely a non-act (passive act) of exclusion, later acts of moral failing, such as adultery, or growing up in a divorce culture enough to render the act of marrying null. The exclusion must be deliberately chosen at the time of marriage. For example, a couple that marries not wanting children “right now” marries validly since they are not completely intending against children in this marriage. A couple that marries and uses artificial contraception, while committing a moral evil, still marries validly unless at the time of the marriage they intend for this marriage never to be open to offspring.
Given these important nuances, it is highly imprudent to try to determine, outside of a formal procedure, that a person has actively and positively chosen to exclude essential elements or properties of marriage or has determined to choose erroneously something other than marriage in a specific case. To do so, or worse, to project this onto a large number of Christian spouses, would lack foundation and be a grave injustice to Christian spouses, implying that a valid, sacramental marriage is only an unattainable ideal. Unfortunately, this can be seen in some of the views expressed at the recent synod and spills over into some of the language of Amoris Laetitia.
In fact, the Church’s law tries to protect marriages against this mentality by underscoring explicitly that as Catholics we presume the spouses are capable and are marrying validly unless proven otherwise (Canon 1060) to moral certainty (Canon 1608): Canon 1101.1 clearly regulates that when a man and a woman marry “the internal consent of the mind is presumed to conform to the words and signs used in celebrating marriage.”
The Danger of Pre-Judgment
Pre-judging the validity of marriages is a dangerous mentality that can do serious harm to the pastoral care of marriages, causing spouses to doubt whether they have married validly. The worse casualties would be those marriages experiencing difficulties, where such doubt could give rise to abandoning the marriage. This ultimately does harm to the institution and the sacrament of marriage.
No doubt, there are some cases where an invalidity is apparent, such as a Catholic marrying in a civil court without a dispensation, or situations involving divorced and civil remarriage without the previous marriage having been declared null. This is partially why those in such situations are not able to receive holy Communion. Yet even in these cases, the Church is careful in requiring that an official Church process or investigation must be done and a declaration made before concluding that the marriage is null.
However, situations involving possible invalid consent, such as error about marriage or intention against having children, permanence or exclusivity, should not be considered under such apparent invalidity. The fatal mistake that many make is to presume that such can be determined by us outside of a formal canonical process.
One simply cannot on one’s own conclude that a marriage “must be invalid,” whether one’s own or someone else’s. This ultimately lies at the heart of what some of the more radical proponents of the so-called “internal forum solution” are proposing — that even without a formal Church procedure, one is able to determine that a marriage “must be invalid.” Unfortunately, this mentality of informal pre-judgment also seems to be what is ungirding the somewhat problematic Article 14 of the new annulment procedures’ document, Mitis Iudex, which presents a canonically jumbled list of situations that allows for a briefer annulment process.
If determination of the validity of a marriage can be pre-judged and pre-determined outside of an official Church procedure, the ultimate result would be chaos and an anarchy that places us as a law unto ourselves, determining what is valid or not, what is good or evil.
Those of us who have had the privilege to work in marriage tribunals know that it is incredibly dangerous to prejudge cases, that is, to form an opinion about a marriage even before fully examining the evidence in detail. Such pre-judgment immediately colors one’s approach and easily compromises one’s objectivity and fairness. Every marriage case must be judged on its own merits, and every party deserves an objective consideration, rather than an “it must be invalid” pre-judgment.
The Presumption of Validity
So important is this principle of objectivity that the Code of Canon Law requires, as a matter of justice, that even in cases of doubt, marriage “enjoys the favor of law,” that is, the validity of a marriage must be upheld until the contrary is proven (Canon 1060). What this means is that, similar to the “innocent until proven guilty” principle in criminal law, marriages are to be considered valid until proven invalid.
In addition, so important is this presumption of the validity of marriages that the Church goes on to protect it by requiring that the presumption can only be overturned if there is “moral certainty” of invalidity, based on certain proofs (Canon 1608). That is, the invalidity cannot just be probably so or even more than likely so, but, rather, must be “morally certain” to be so.
Thus, it would be incredibly reckless and unjust for any of us, whether pastors, tribunal officials or even spouses themselves to pre-judge a marriage as “it must be invalid” without official, objective examination.
Just as it would be a travesty of justice to abandon the legal presumption of being “innocent until proven guilty,” it would be an affront against marriage to abandon, even informally or in our own minds, the important presumption enshrined in Canon 1060 of a marriage being “valid until proven otherwise.”
We pray that, with the current controversy over the Pope’s remarks, we are not also witnessing an erosion of this seriously important principle of the presumption of validity of marriages. To lose this presumption, especially in pastoral work, would be a great detriment to the sacrament of marriage and the salvation of souls.
Benedict Nguyen, M.T.S., J.C.L./J.D., D.Min (A.B.D.) is canonical counsel
and theological adviser for the Diocese of Corpus Christi, Texas, and an adjunct professor for the Avila Institute.The Chicago Bulls will host the 2020 NBA All-Star Game, and a group of dignitaries revealed some big plans about the event.
The Chicago Bulls will host the NBA All-Star Game in 2020, the league officially announced at a press conference Friday.
The announcement featured numerous dignitaries, including Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, and Bulls President and COO Michael Reinsdorf.
"It will be the epicenter of basketball around the world," Silver said in his remarks. "He (Mayor Emanuel) called regularly, and was very enthusiastic about bringing the game here. We look forward to being here."
2020 will mark the first time that the team has hosted the All-Star Game since 1988, when Michael Jordan won MVP honors in front of a packed house at the Chicago Stadium.
It was announced that both Navy Pier and Wintrust Arena, the new downtown home of DePaul basketball, will host events around the game.
There was a reluctance to bring the game to Chicago in the past, as team owner Jerry Reinsdorf had said that the league would have to "force me to take the All-Star Game" during a 2012 interview with ESPN.
Reinsdorf's son Michael, the COO of the Bulls, quoted his father during the press conference, saying that his own son and Mayor Emanuel convinced him to prod the league to select Chicago for the game.
"What he (Jerry Reinsdorf) didn't realize is that there are other influential people who thought otherwise," he said. "We understand the cultural impact that the All-Star Game will provide for Chicago."
Reinsdorf credited the expanded campus of shops and activities around the United Center as a selling point for the game, and thanked the city for aiding in the development on the Near West Side.
It is just the latest in a string of high-profile sporting events to take place in Chicago in recent years. The Stanley Cup Final and World Series have both been contested, but marquee events like the NFL Draft, the NHL Entry Draft, and the Warrior Games have also taken place at various locations in Chicago.
"Bringing the NBA All-Star Game back to the city for the first time in over three decades is a win for our city, our businesses, and fans of all ages who will have the chance to be part of one of basketball's biggest events," Emanuel said in a statement.
"This was a stadium. Now, it's a campus," he said. "The city of Chicago is in a different place and able to host the All-Star week. The city, not just the stadium, will host this event. We look forward to bringing the world's game to the most American of American cities."
Los Angeles is set to host the 2018 NBA All-Star Game, and Charlotte, who lost the 2017 game amid controversy over the state of North Carolina’s controversial “bathroom bill,” will host the 2019 contest.In the third and final installment of our three part (Part 1, Part 2) exclusive interview, ArenaNet’s Creative Director Daniel Dociu discusses Guild Wars 2’s marketing campaign, aspiring concept artists, and the games he plays. Then he tantalizes us with a little hint about the sylvari redesign…
Tap: What is your involvement with the Guild Wars 2 marketing campaign? What message and audience are you trying to reach?
Daniel: My involvement with the marketing campaign consists primarily of PR appearances, attending trade shows, and trying to take every opportunity that’s available to get in front of our fans and promote the game, pointing out the quality of the art, our intentions and vision. Beyond that, I work closely with our marketing department to ensure our visual branding is consistent and unified and that we don’t make the mistake of just putting it all together from isolated bits and pieces.
Tap: Of the many games studies programs at university level, a surprising number of students want to be concept artists – far more than there is room for in the industry. What does a well-rounded artist need to know to thrive in the business?
Daniel: I couldn’t agree more with that assessment of the supply far exceeding the demand. I always feel bad when I have to discourage people to pursue concept art as a career, simply because statistically the odds are stacked against them. I think most think that it’s the easy route. ‘Doodling’ is thought to be easier than learning 3D program, but it’s completely false. The ‘doodling’ that many students seem to consider qualifies as concept art is under-par. Concept art is primarily about communicating ideas, not letting your brush or pencil lead and the brain follow. I always encourage students to ‘get a foot in the door’ via the 3D modeling, texturing, or animation route. The odds are better for every position. The ones who really have what it takes to become concept artists will eventually get there one way or another, but the odds for getting your first job are higher if you pursue the production route. Anything but concept art.
Tap: You’ve said in the past that “good-caliber talent is hard to find,” and that “It’s really hard to get through the hordes of people who have no business being near a pencil.” Do you think this stems from such university courses encouraging participation in a field individuals really aren’t cut out for, or more the allure of the games industry?
Daniel: I think everything I’ve ever said will come back to haunt me! I’ll elaborate though. Firstly, as I said, I do think there is a supply that far exceeds the demand. It is borderline irresponsible on the part of art schools to pump out as many so-called artists as they do. The fact that many art schools are primarily businesses is seriously affecting the balance on the market. To assume all these students will end up working in the field of their choice is really quite far fetched.
Tap: What are the main skills that are lacking in students or young artists you encounter?
Daniel: I want to make it clear that talent is overrated. Talent is a short-hand term we use to encompass a wide range of qualities someone has to possess to be successful in a field. It’s not just some god-given gift you either have or don’t — if you have it, it will take you places whether you work on it or not and if you don’t you’re doomed — I don’t see things that way.
I think determination, discipline and really hard work are all components of success. You also have to be wired in a certain way. I’m not a psychologist and therefore not eloquent at defining those qualities, but there seems to be people who have more ease in functioning on that different plain; connections happening in a different way, whether by instinct, intuition, or something else. There is a little bit of that, but the main indispensable attributes are the ability to focus, tenacity and drive. It doesn’t happen often for all these qualities to be concentrated in one individual, let alone in thousands upon thousands of individuals.
Some people may have the artistic inclination and the creativity but lack the drive or ability of hard work and sustained intensity over four years of school. At the end of four years education, there is only a fraction of students who present themselves as a complete package with a convincing body of work (both quality and quantity wise) who would indeed stand a good chance in the very competitive job market. Everyone else may struggle a great deal, and it’s heart breaking for me as a parent to see all these kids misled into believing it’ll be a walk in the park.
Tap: Excluding MMOGs, what sort of games do you enjoy playing? Do you find yourself analyzing the visuals?
Daniel: You’ll be disappointed to hear, but I don’t play games much. I watch others play a whole lot though. The reason is because as soon as I pick up a controller or keyboard and get involved into a game, I find myself losing any trace of objectivity and any ability to be analytical and critical about it. By watching people, looking over people’s shoulders, I can maintain that level of detachment that allows me to learn from those games.
Tap: Did you have any input into the visual design of Guild Wars 2’s races (or the redesign, specifically the sylvari?) and what is your favourite Race/Class in GW2?
Daniel: As far as designing races, we have artists on the Characters and Creatures Team who are really passionate about character design. I felt the wisest thing to do would be to take advantage of their passion and let them do what they do best. My contribution was limited to overseeing the design of the races and giving occasional pointers, but I don’t take credit for generating the vision for the races. Just observing and suggesting occasional course corrections and channeling their creative energy is how I choose to interact with that team.
I really don’t have a favorite race though; they are all equally close to me. I think primarily in terms of habitats—the environments as defined architecturally and technologically by these races. They all have interesting aspects that intrigue me a great deal. Right now I’m more and more thinking of the next races to be introduced in future expansion packs and that’s what I’m all excited about. But I’m not revealing any secrets yet!
Tap: Was there any specific reason why ArenaNet chose to revisit some races? Was it to try to make them stand out or from an unhappiness at the finished product?
Daniel: Guild Wars 2 has been in development for a few years, and our tools and technology have evolved and our vision is constantly developing and changing. For some races the early design didn’t stand the test of time. You build and implement things, some grow on you and some tend to age poorly and beg for redesign. The sylvari were one of those cases where one of the artists on the team — she really came up with a new vision of what they should be and how to go about it and was itching to give them a re-work. That’s the sort of creative drive that would be a shame to deny. We said go for it!
Tap: Is everyone at ArenaNet now happy with the final design?
Daniel: We’re happy! Some aspects may still change between now and ship, although our time is running out and we’ll need to wrap it up sooner or later, but we always reserve the right to improve on certain aspects as time and budget allows. To iterate and make it better.
Tap: Finally, have you anything else exciting planned for today?
Daniel: Haha! I’m hoping to get some hands-on work done before meetings start at 10:00 am; from there on I lose control over my destiny!
And with that last word, Daniel left us in search of coffee. Although Daniel and ArenaNet’s PR team weren’t quite ready to provide us with more than a glimpse of the sylvari, we have since received an invitation to return to the subject in a few months. We hope to bring you some exciting details of the redesign very soon.
Everyone at Tap-Repeatedly is grateful to Daniel Dociu for taking the time out (at a very early hour!) to chat with us and provide such a wonderful insight into his creative genius. Thanks also to everyone at ArenaNet who made this possible, and allowed the interview to come together so quickly. Best of luck with Guild Wars 2 – we’re watching excitedly, and so are many others.
Email the author of this post at [email protected].× 1 of 14 Expand Shawn Scallen × 2 of 14 Expand Shawn Scallen The DFA1979 guys hear about the ruckus outside × 3 of 14 Expand Shawn Scallen The Austin PD tell Jesse F. Keeler the show will be shut down × 4 of 14 Expand Shawn Scallen × 5 of 14 Expand Shawn Scallen × 6 of 14 Expand Shawn Scallen × 7 of 14 Expand Shawn Scallen × 8 of 14 Expand Shawn Scallen × 9 of 14 Expand Shawn Scallen × 10 of 14 Expand Shawn Scallen × 11 of 14 Expand Shawn Scallen × 12 of 14 Expand Shawn Scallen × 13 of 14 Expand Shawn Scallen × 14 of 14 Expand Shawn Scallen Prev Next
Death From Above 1979 played to adoring crowds at Austin's Beauty Bar, while outside there was mayhem. Police on horses arrived to clear the adjacent alley while the band rocked inside.So, France was one heck of a trip, tons of comic tents to go through, lots and lots of walking and yummy food ^-^X_X the bus drive to get there was lousy though. (It never hit me that we were supposed to actually sleep through the night ON the bus while it was driving through the countries. Oof, I can't remember the last time I slept so poorly...)I didn't see any folks in yellow shirts thou, but I did see a bunch of police and soldiers walking around with big guns O.oAnywho, the next 4 months I'm gonna be mighty busy working on what's gonna become a kid's book! ^^ Written and illustrated by yours truly.Might or might not post a wee little thing here once in a while during those next 4 months. x'PThanks for sticking around! You guys are great- MM× Expand Photo by Jay Fram
How do you hatch fashion? You keep the young designers warm, protect them from financial worries for a few years, find mentors who’ll cluck over them and give them opportunities and exposure. It’s also important to keep them all in the same place (a 7,500-square-foot building on Washington Avenue) so they can commiserate and encourage one another instead of struggling all alone to break through.
The first six designers will enter the Saint Louis Fashion Incubator this month and stay for at least two years (or longer—one wants to open a factory in our new-old Garment District). They’re a little nervous about the creative pressure—all eyes will be on them—but they don’t expect any backstabbing; their work is too different. What all six share is a disdain for fast fashion and commercialism, a love of gorgeous fabrics and fine finishing, a feverish pursuit of originality. Their passion makes it easy to appreciate the difference between an outfit grabbed off a rack and a custom-fitted, hand-sewn piece of wearable art.
See also: The Fashion Incubator Reveals Plans for Its New Downtown Space and 5 Tips From Saint Louis Fashion Fund's Inaugural Class
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Allison Mitchell
Allison Mitchell Handbags
From Dallas, with sustainably obtained skins and hides
As a kid, Mitchell loved to draw and paint and work with clay, but she never even took an art class. Instead she majored in philosophy, worked in marketing, went to culinary school, cooked at a Japanese restaurant in Napa. A reporter recently asked if that was the inspiration for her fish-skin bags. “As entertaining as it would be to think that while I was cooking the fish I would think to make bags out of them, no, it didn’t happen,” she says dryly.
She loved restaurant work: “You are up till 3 a.m. working with sharp knives and hot things. It’s a special bond. But a plate of food, to me, wasn’t life or death, and it kind of has to be.” So she emerged. “I’d been in chef whites and those horrible nonslip shoes for years, and I was bulky, with short nails.” She started a marketing agency in Dallas. And one day, she made herself a faux ostrich-skin clutch to carry to a networking meeting—and everything changed.
A boutique buyer saw it and ordered 10. A manufacturer saw it and agreed to make it (she’d stitched and superglued hers). A blogger posted about it and, before Mitchell even had a website, she had email orders coming in from Japan. FashionX in Dallas invited her to participate.
“I thought it was a fluke for so long, I was almost afraid to keep designing,” she says. “But then it turned out I was really good at it, and I had a taste level that translated.”
First inspiration: “My mother. Let me give you a visual: She’s 5-foot-11 and blond. She had this presence; she could pull off big, drapy, drippy things. She’d wear these big ballgowns—also very avant-garde and architectural everyday clothes. My favorite was this Donna Karan marigold satin floor-length full skirt with pleats that got deeper as they fell.. She was that first taste, for me, of what a ‘look’ was, and how clothes can make you feel—even looking at them on someone else.”
Recent inspiration: “A Rick Owens leather glove shaped like a calla lily. One of my Fall 2017 bags echoes that shape, and there’s foil inside the leather so you can move the shape a little bit. It’s a cool technique my manufacturer showed me.”
When fashion’s shallow: “When designers push out collections they don’t put their soul into, either because they don’t want to do the work or because it’s starting to run them down and exhaust them. That’s when the pieces are just clothes, not fashion.”
Spring ’17 collection: “An ostrich-skin clutch with a handstrap that’s the natural curve of the ostrich leg. A hobo of eelskin, shiny strips stitched together, with an ostrich pocket that’s super functional, easy to get your keys. A retro lizard cross-body, well shaped. A stingray clutch lined in Japanese kimono fabric.”
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Charles Smith II
Smith II; S2 by Smith II
Design roots in Harlem, with basketball and modeling in between
As a kid in Harlem, Smith was more into clothes than he realized: “It was what made me feel confident in my insecurities at the time.” So he’d wear what his mom bought for him—then change at school, often into one of “those long Ts that are just now trending. It was natural for us, not a fashion statement. But stuff like that always started in Harlem, and then it spread like wildfire.”
His first career was basketball (NBA D-League), his second modeling: “They found me on the streets in New York, and two weeks later they sent me off to Milan.” Once he began designing clothes himself, “It was like a floodgate opened up. I became obsessed. Started with leather, which, it turns out, is the hardest material to work with! But I wanted a powerful effect, one that was aggressive. I had people wearing black ski masks, tight pants, kilts. Almost Roman and Egyptian silhouettes.”
Always, he wants his work to mean something. “I’m talking to the world every day. It’s hard for me to start a collection if I don’t feel the universe telling me anything.” Fashion’s shallow, he says, “when people just acquire it because of the label and don’t even understand the brand. Or when people let the industry change who they are.” Smith knows exactly who he is, and where he’s going: “I want to be a household name, so you can’t even mention fashion without mentioning Chanel. And eventually I want to be the creative director for Chanel. I’ve told Karl Lagerfeld I’m coming for his spot.”
Spring/Summer ’17 “Do Not Touch” collection: “Police injustice, it started with that, and the psychological mindset. You see something that says ‘Do Not Touch,’ and you either heed that or you want to provoke it; it’s like a red button on the wall that says ‘Do Not Push.’ And when art in a museum says ‘Do Not Touch,’ the value is automatically higher. I feel like we should hold people’s lives like they mean something. And when women are out and dudes are grabbing at them, they can say, ‘Uh, do you not see my clothes?’ And then it’s just good conversation.”
Learning on his own: “I visited houses, ateliers, talked to people—even the lady who does the tweed for a Chanel jacket. She lives on a farm on the outskirts of Paris.”
On his first show: “It was a group show at the Red Room in Dallas. The dressing room was maybe a little bigger than an airplane bathroom, and I had 18 models changing looks in that bathroom.”
On being in the industry: “People in high fashion are very intuitive; they can not just look at something but see into it. You start to see yourself differently. You take what you feel are imperfections and own them and understand how to work with what you’ve got.”
On Karl Lagerfeld: “I told him I want his spot, and I said, ‘I know you’re going to have to die for me to get it.’ He won’t retire—he’s a vampire. He loves what he does. He literally tells you, ‘I sold my soul to this.’”
And Alexander McQueen: “He was a psychopath, but a very artistic, beautiful one—very true to his truth. He got that out of his head and was able to bring people into his world in a few minutes. The presentations are so honest. For some people they are very dark. But not everybody is on the light and airy side of fashion. He pushed the limits like no one I’ve ever seen.”
On haute couture: “It’s a more personal thing—just the fitting, and the shaping to the body. It’s all hands-on. The fit has to be perfect. And the hand sewing, you take your time with it. There are over 100 techniques in haute couture and I’ve only tackled four or five. It can take months, even years, to finish something. Haute couture is an obsession.”
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Audra Noyes
AUDRA
From the suburbs of Delaware to LANVIN, in Paris
“I lost my father quite suddenly when I was a freshman in high school,” Noyes says. “Painting let me explore everything I was feeling but didn’t have words to say.” Fashion, too, was self-expression: She cut up her grandmother’s silk and lace nightgowns and sewed them into frilly tops. Grateful, she majored in art therapy. But by the time she graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design, she had a recommendation to apprentice with Alber Elbaz at LANVIN.
From Elbaz, she learned “the capability to dress women of many sizes and ages with the same silhouette.” She also soaked in his sense of ease and luxury, his playfulness, his ability “to juxtapose two worlds that would never collide.” Then she moved to John Galliano, where she worked on draping and evening wear. When she returned to LANVIN, she was asked to draw the collection.
“Alber’s croquis [sketches] are so quirky and playful, and that really developed my hand,” she says. With exquisite attention to detail, she launched her own collection in Paris at age 24. Every season since, she’s used her designs to tell a story of transformation. “Fall ’16 was the healing process—raw and vulnerable, exposed, then strength. We played a lot with embossed and velvet burnouts, like you are seeing the body and covering it up all within one piece. A painted wool—the encrusted beauty of the scar. And the beautiful end was this huge red and black dahlia in these strong silhouettes.
“When a woman wears my clothes, I want her to express herself, not transform into someone else,” Noyes says. “I have a great respect for unique beauty, for people taking chances.”
Spring ’17 collection: “We have this idea of the strong woman and what she needs to look like, but I wanted to go into my girly world, florals and little slip dresses. Embracing that can bring out one’s strength. There are drawstrings—what makes up the core of a woman? What holds her up; what is her spine? Blap piping, showing that structure. Scribbled flowers, showing my hand. Volume and ruffles showing movement and femininity.”
Fashion is shallow when… “we try to conform to society’s ideal of sexy or beautiful. When a woman is afraid to be herself. When we are so worried about money and trends that we lose the creative artisan touch.”
On the push for larger sizes on the runway: “As a young designer, you have to play the game to change it. I only make one sample set, and the applicable size at this time is 4 to 6. But there are designers using plus-size models, and there are plus-size models who are gorgeous and will be shaping the standard.”
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Emily Brady Koplar
Wai Ming
A native St. Louisan, her designs are sewn in NYC’s garment district.
She cuts apart her sketches, groups them by fabric, and either pops them into a binder so she can hole up in a hotel in New York or pins them to her studio wall—maybe next to a Gratacós crepe swatch from Barcelona or a magazine photo of a dramatic staircase installation. Architecture’s always been an inspiration: After visiting an astronomical sculpture park in India, she created a collection with the corals and pinks of sandstone, the black and white of marble, the strong lines of the giant astronomical tools, and sundial embroidery as embellishment.
Koplar started designing when she was 10 (ensembles for a troll doll). Resolved to be practical, she majored in economics at Boston University—then weaseled her way into the costume design program. When she went on to the Parsons School of Design in New York, fashion proved “a lot more work than economics. For tests, you can skim, but there’s no shortcut when you’re sewing something and the sleeve falls off. I basically learned how not to sleep. And how to make a cohesive collection.”
Already, Wai Ming—her middle name, which means “gift of light”—is getting attention. Taylor Swift wore one of Koplar’s sets—a sleeveless cropped top that criss-crossed in both front and |
orgasming all night before having their brains bashed in. They deserved it!
German women and children destroyed by Stalin’s Red Army rapists
“Women like the idea of their country being destroyed by a rampage of virile men.” — John Kaminski
LD comments: It is the above extremely toxic comment by Kaminski that has made the author of this article, Kyle Hunt, white-hot with rage — as he admits below. No matter how you look at it, it is an inexcusable comment to make. Did the two million German women who were mass raped by the Russian army after WWII welcome the attentions of the “virile men” who decided to go on a rape “rampage”? Did the German women in Cologne on Christmas Eve “like the idea” of being sexually assaulted by those “virile men” from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and North Africa? Kaminski has argued that his comments have been misunderstood, misinterpreted, and taken out of context. It is not for me to pass judgement on Kaminski here except to say that he could have chosen his words more wisely. For example, how could he possibly say: “Women don’t care about the welfare of their country or their civilization.” Such a comment is not only grossly unfair, it is offensive in the extreme to the vast number of women who DO care about the welfare of their country and civilization. I care about the welfare of my country. I certainly don’t wish to see my civilization go down the drain. I’m sure Kyle Hunt’s wife feels the same way about her country and civilization. I’m sure there are millions of good women everywhere who feel outraged to be told: “You don’t care about the welfare of your country! You don’t give a damn about our great Western civilization! All you want to do is open your legs to ‘virile men’ and be impregnated by their seed because all you’re after is ‘to maximize your chances of bearing viable offspring.’ “ Let Kyle continue. You can see he is really angry with Kaminski and would like to tear him apart apart, limb from limb, for uttering such abominations against the entire female sex. The crime Kaminski is being accused of is this: undiluted and indiscriminate misogyny. [LD]
KYLE HUNT: If I was on the air right now, instead of writing, I would be yelling!
I cannot express the rage I feel when White men allow their women to be blamed, instead of seeing how they are being victimized by Jews, non-White savages, and pathetic White men.
According to Kaminski, I am a male feminist for standing up for White women as they are being relentlessly assaulted from all angles. Others out there will say that I am “white knighting” for not going along with the toxic narrative of “Women Destroy Civilizations” and blaming our beloved mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters for everything that went wrong in our world.
Good, we need more White knights!!
Does this woman deserve to be spat upon by Muslims, jews, AND White men?
WHITE WOMAN BEING SPAT UPON
White women hold the key to our future – through their words, willpower, and wombs. Do not be fooled by the multi-faceted psychological operations being run to divide us from each other. White men and women need to stop fighting against each other, realize the existential threat facing us and our offspring, and come together to battle those who seek our destruction.
White women do not destroy civilization, Jews do!
And real White men do not condemn their women, they defend them!Photos by Tulika Bose
Last week, the Columbia University College Republicans hosted a talk by Tommy Robinson, a British anti-Islam campaigner who founded the extreme-right English Defence League in 2009. Robinson spoke to students via Skype—he’s been banned from the US since he went to jail for entering the country on a friend’s passport in 2012. His distance didn’t stop protesters and reporters from turning up. The campus newspaper, the Columbia Spectator, counted over 30 demonstrators inside Lerner Hall and more than 250 outside. National newspapers and outlets from Germany and Japan were on the scene to watch as protesters wielded signs and chanted while Robinson tried to speak. Others have since picked up the story. The response to Robinson was in many ways unsurprising—the far-right and free speech are hot topics in the urgent media debate on America’s open wounds.
ICYMI: “She identified herself as a reporter. He then walked behind her and punched her”
But now wind back a year. In an almost identical Skype address to the College Republicans at Columbia last October, Robinson waxed uninterrupted for an hour about how Islam promotes violence and “cannot assimilate” into British culture. When he called the Prophet Muhammad a “barbarian,” he was applauded, not jeered. A handful of pointed questions (including one from this reporter) followed his speech, but there were no banners or protests, and few raised voices. Although Robinson had no problem being heard in the room, his voice wasn’t amplified beyond Columbia’s walls. This year, a university media handler guided registered press to designated seats; last year there were no such arrangements—and no press—to be seen.
It might just be a fluke that last year’s Robinson event didn’t cross reporters’ desks. But that they showed up this year probably says less about Robinson’s words than it does an increased likelihood of a hostile response to those words.
We’re taking marginal events and shining a spotlight on them, and in this way viralizing them.”
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“There is growing interest in these types of protests, not necessarily because of what the speakers are saying, but because of how students are reacting,” says Toni Airaksinen, a senior at Columbia’s partner college, Barnard, who covered the event for the conservative college news site Campus Reform. “The media wouldn’t really be as interested in these campus events with conservative speakers unless there are protests.”
The election of Donald Trump didn’t invent student activism, even if it did give it a shot in the arm. Media attention, however, has intensified since Robinson spoke to Columbia students a year ago. Some news organizations forget that campus conflagration is nothing new—seeing instead an all-too-easy metaphor for the groaning tensions in the country as a whole.
“Many of these same things were happening on campuses all along and nobody was particularly worried about them,” says Sigal Ben-Porath, a professor of education at the University of Pennsylvania. “Right now, they draw a lot more attention because they are supposed to represent changes in the general public debate, which I think is misguided. We’re taking marginal events and shining a spotlight on them, and in this way viralizing them.”
Trump, the rise of the alt-right, and the scarring aftermath of the fatal white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, have lent campus clashes a media-ready viciousness and broader cultural relevance. In February, violence roiled UC Berkeley in response to a planned speech by far-right troll Milo Yiannopoulos. A month later, students at Middlebury College in Vermont shut down a talk by the controversial political scientist Charles Murray. And earlier this month, the Virginia director of the American Civil Liberties Union was hounded off-stage at the College of William and Mary, curtailing an address about free speech.
“We saw the same thing [as the Robinson phenomenon] at Berkeley,” writes Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of Berkeley’s law school and coauthor of Free Speech on Campus, in an email. “Last year, [conservative commentator] Ben Shapiro spoke with no attention at all. This year, it took $600,000 of protection. I think the Trump election has caused everything to be more polarized.”
The Robinson appearance touches on a deep divide in journalism when it comes to covering the more offensive fringes of the right under Trump: Do such views demand attention because of their apparent ascendancy in the country, or is the coverage itself responsible for spreading their appeal?
Approaching this question through the lens of student protests doesn’t resolve it; if anything it paints a one-sided picture. The debate over who can say what on a campus is more complicated than the alt-right phenomenon and camera pans of garish placards and left–right screaming matches.
It’s probably not news every time Murray or Ann Coulter shows up for a college talk. But it is noteworthy when a mainstream college club like the Columbia Republicans repeatedly solicits a fringe figure like Robinson—who is virtually unknown in the US, and who last weekend rushed to the scene of a London road traffic accident to make a video suggesting the driver, who was black, was a Muslim convert. The targets of hateful rhetoric, on whose behalf the free speech debate is supposedly weighed, are affected regardless of whether protesters show—and they often don’t. For every event that draws angry mass action and a national media response, many more pass without incident.
“Charles Murray has spoken at more colleges where he wasn’t interrupted than where he was,” says Scott Jaschik, editor of college news website Inside Higher Ed. “That’s not news. Protest draws people in.”
For every event that draws angry mass action and a national media response, many more pass without incident.
The atmosphere around controversial speakers on campus is febrile but also unpredictable, which poses a challenge for those on the higher education beat. “The campus climate now is such that you never know if something is going to blow up,” says Sarah Brown, a reporter at The Chronicle of Higher Education. “Universities are affected by this uncertainty, and I think so are we. We send a reporter to far-away college campuses and have to accept the fact that it’s possible nothing will happen.”
ICYMI: 7 quick tips for conducting tough interviews
Every good story hinges on tension; the easier it is to illustrate, the better and clearer the story. And there are new and difficult issues for the media to parse behind the vivid excitement of shouting matches and fist fights. Brown, for example, is interested in the breakdown in dialogue and understanding of the First Amendment between students on opposing sides of the political spectrum, while Inside Higher Ed is focusing its reporting on controversial proposed punishments for students who shout down speakers.
But we shouldn’t lead readers to believe that censorious, balaclava-clad leftists are suddenly lurking at college gates to chase away any right-of-center figure who dares show. Outlets like Breitbart—which said Robinson was “shut down” by the “alt-left” last week—use this type of campus caricature to undergird claims of a broader culture war. It’s a time-weathered tactic, used to potent effect by Ronald Reagan when he was governor of California in response to Vietnam-era college activism. The press should be wary of amplifying flashpoints that match Trump’s own “intolerant left” narrative.
Division is real, both in American society and on college campuses. But that doesn’t mean it manifests the same way across issues; there’s no single standard uniting the politics of immigration, police brutality, and university speech. The press should focus not on how snugly campus unrest fits the national mood, but on whether and how they reflect trends in higher education.
When we selectively cover protests, we blind ourselves to the full complexity of the college picture and risk reinforcing hacky-sack stereotypes of college students. As Airaksinen, who reported Robinson’s recent Columbia talk for Campus Reform, notes, “There’s a large population of older, mostly male Americans who like to look at what’s happening on college campuses and laugh at what the kids are doing these days.”
ICYMI: Former gossip columnist says there’s one fact about his past relationship with Trump that’s tough to admit
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Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist. He writes CJR's newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop.Agassiz’ delight in America’s nature was that of a recent immigrant, of someone who does not take for granted what the books say but finds pleasure in recognizing that reality never fails to live up to, or even to surpass, his expectations. His had been a charmed life, if only from a scientific point of view. Born in the shadow of the Swiss Alps into a family of clergymen, Agassiz defied his family’s wishes that he become a country doctor and trained with the best scientists in Heidelberg, Munich, and Paris. With the likes of Carl Philipp von Martius, Georges Cuvier, and, finally, Alexander von Humboldt as mentors, he produced gorgeously illustrated scientific works, produced on his own printing press, in which glaciers traveled down mountain slopes, carrying huge boulders with them, and spectral fossil fish told tales of the world as it once was. His concept of the Ice Age (or several ice ages) liberally borrowed from ideas first suggested by others but fused them into a theory of elegance and, as far as Agassiz’ own science was concerned, compelling usefulness: Assuming that the world at one or several points in its vast history was covered by large fields of ice helped explain why some species were not around anymore.
But while so much in Agassiz’ science seemed to drift, float, and travel, he was also adamant that nature never strayed from the plan God (or the Divine Mind, as he liked to say) had mapped out in the beginning and that all species stayed within their assigned boundaries—a position that set him up for the battle of his life: against Lamarck’s ideas about transmutation and, later, Darwin’s theory of evolution. Agassiz’ mentor Alexander von Humboldt, equipped with a more Mediterranean temperament, kept reminding his intense pupil to relax. “Vos glaces me font peur,” he told him. “Your glaciers make me shudder.” Yet Agassiz was undeterred: Climbing mountaintops and lowering himself into the crevasses of glaciers, Agassiz acquired a well-deserved reputation for egotism and recklessness.
Despite rising debts, Agassiz spent increasing periods of time living in a cabin made of rocks high up in the Alps, with droves of disciples assembled around him: a modern prophet who would not come down from the mountain. For up here, in the striations and scratches on the rocks, was God’s handwriting made visible.
Not surprisingly, Agassiz’ marriage with the artistically gifted Cecilie Braun withered. The small Swiss town of Neuchâtel, where he was a professor of natural history at a preparatory school, proved too small for his oversized ambitions. In the fall of 1846, equipped with a stipend from the King of Prussia (thanks to Humboldt’s good services), Agassiz set off for the New World and never returned. From a geological perspective, “America is the Old World,” he told his mesmerized audiences in Boston, New York, and Charleston, which was exactly what they wanted to hear. It seemed that America had been waiting for Agassiz, just as Agassiz had been waiting for America. Harvard created a chair for him, and from then on Agassiz’ name regularly made the front pages of the newspapers.
Photo caption Louis Agassiz, who specialized in marine zoology, had a deep-seated appreciation for the complexity and beauty of the sea’s soft-bodied inhabitants, particularly the jellyfish. The New York Public Library / Art Resource, NY
For his irrepressible enthusiasm, Agassiz was loved by many of his American contemporaries: by fishermen, farmers, as well as schoolteachers, all of whom he kept reminding that science was merely a name for nurturing a keen interest in one’s environment. But no one loved Agassiz more than the poets and philosophers. Agassiz knew the meaning of poetic ecstasy. He was Emerson’s transparent eyeball personified: the divinely entitled eye or “I” (pun intended) taking in, merging with, and appropriating whatever it sees. In a famous cartoon, Emerson’s friend Christopher Pearse Cranch portrayed the Emersonian eyeball in a top hat and a suit walking on spindly legs through a New England landscape. That roaming eye could have been Agassiz, to be sure, except for the fact that Agassiz’s torso rested on strong, capable legs. It wasn’t for nothing that the poet James Russell Lowell, apprised of his friend’s death while he was vacationing in Florence, compared Agassiz to a “mountain oak” and predicted that his impact would be felt for generations. Agassiz’ closest friend, the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, was less fulsome. Looking around the beach at Nahant after Agassiz’ death, the grief-stricken Longfellow saw little evidence that Agassiz, the great decipherer of nature’s secrets, had ever lived. The sea was foaming around Egg Rock as it had done for decades, if not centuries. “Why art thou silent? Why shouldst thou be dead?”
If not on the beach at Nahant, Agassiz permanently left his mark on the history of American science by making fieldwork—the art of “catching nature in the act” (or, as he would have said in his native French, prendre la nature sur le fait)—the hallmark of scientific activity.
Agassiz’ students learned their trade in the great outdoors, led by the master clutching a collapsible blackboard. Science as an abstract idea was of less interest to Agassiz than science as an activity, the profound pleasure that came from doing it. And Agassiz didscience wherever he went. Even when he went for walks around his beloved Cambridge, his pockets were stuffed with specimens. In a widely circulated story, his second wife, the brilliant Elizabeth Cabot Cary, shortly after their wedding, discovered a “good-sized” snake squirming in the boots she used for church. When she mentioned it to her new husband, he was mainly excited that it had been found again and said, “I wonder where the others are.”
Wondering where everything was became a kind of weird motto for Agassiz’ collecting activities. His acquisitive zeal knew no bounds. It is said that once, when his eyes, dim from the strain of too much watching, gave out, he used his tongue to explore a new specimen. He was unstoppable, even if this meant accumulating more material than his newly created natural history museum in Cambridge could hold: “The museum,” confessed Agassiz, “overflows from garret to cellar.” While his assistants were trying to wend their way past putrid barrels of pickled fish, sent from expeditions to remote locations all over the world, the museum never quite fulfilled the educational purpose Agassiz had set for it. But that was acceptable because Louis Agassiz was not a man to be measured even by his own standards.
Yet, there are other images of Agassiz, too, and they inevitably crowd out that lovely picture of the late-night watcher of jellyfish and the charming, if exasperating, collector of Amazonian fish. For this is what he was, too: an irascible, impatient, unpredictable professor who insisted that whatever his students did in his laboratory belonged to him; a savvy navigator of contemporary academic politics, who had Harvard presidents and Massachusetts businessmen eating out of his hand; a self-declared expert on the human races who required that slaves (first in the American South and then in Brazil) pose for demeaning photographs so that he could entertain himself and others by pointing out the alleged physical deficiencies that separated them from the white master race. Agassiz’ racist theorizing did a lot of damage, and there is little comfort to be derived from the fact that his views were embraced even by some of the abolitionists among his friends. Agassiz believed that the world was like a child’s puzzle box, a game that could be sorted out by anyone willing to look and learn. And yet Agassiz himself was a still bigger puzzle, one that even today never yields a coherent, definitive image.
Photo caption Cyanea arctica, commonly called the lion’s mane jellyfish, has long, toxic tentacles that Agassiz described as being like “floating tresses of hair.” In complimenting Antoine Sonrel, who drew it, Agassiz wrote, “He has succeeded in giving them all the variety of aspect which they present in active motion.” The drawing appears in Contributions to the Natural History of the United States of America, 1860. Courtesy Christoph Irmscher
Charles Darwin, his main antagonist, openly ridiculed Agassiz, even while he would continue to turn to him for advice on natural history matters. Darwin knew that he had to demolish Agassiz, whose worldwide fame and well-known contempt for any interpretation of nature that smacked of “development” (a word Agassiz, significantly, never learned to pronounce properly) seemed major obstacles to the wider acceptance of evolution in America. Fortunately, Darwin could rely on the services of the infinitely capable Asa Gray (1810–1888), a professor of botany and Agassiz’ colleague at Harvard. Agassiz was not prepared for resistance from within his own kingdom. The nimble-minded Gray had recognized Darwin’s importance early on and even contributed his own share to evolutionary thinking. After surveying the plant specimens sent to him from the U.S. North Pacific Exploring Expedition, Gray noted the surprising similarities between trees found in eastern Japan and the eastern United States, a fact that he knew could not be explained by Agassiz’ view that everything had been created separately according to some divine master plan.
Asa Gray, rail thin, short, always in a hurry, was the opposite of Agassiz in almost every respect, not only physically, but temperamentally. Today we would like to think of the struggle between the supporters and opponents of evolution as a duel between progressives and reactionaries, but this is not how things played out in the nineteenth century. Agassiz, a minister’s son who rejected organized religion and instead believed in the divinity that resides in all people (as long as they were white), was never to be found inside a church, while Gray was a devout Presbyterian who had once taught Sunday school and did not work on the Lord’s Day. Professor Gray had no problem regarding evolution as the ultimate proof of God’s power, a fact that bothered his friend Darwin, who once acidly remarked that while the perennially optimistic Gray was keen on observing the raindrops that nourish the earth, he, Darwin, was more interested in those that fall in the ocean—a wonderful way of summarizing Darwin’s view of nature in which there is little to offer comfort to muddleheaded humanity.
But when it came to pointing out Agassiz’ scientific fallacies, Gray pulled no punches. And he never relented either. There is an excellent, little-known example published in Nature during the last year of Agassiz’ life, when many thought Darwin’s battle had already been won (even Alexander Agassiz, the old man’s son, had secretly defected to the Darwinian camp). Gray, however, was not yet done with Agassiz.
Photo caption “Glacier de Zermatt” appears in Études sur les glaciers, a book Agassiz published in 1840 to describe his studies on the movement of glaciers, work that burnished his reputation as a scientist. Courtesy Christoph Irmscher
His little “squib” (Gray’s own word) in Nature had no name attached to it, though the botanical theme, the dislike it displayed for Agassiz, and the copious biblical references left no doubt as to who had produced it. Gray began with an anecdote. He had learned that when speaking recently to members of the Massachusetts State Board of Agriculture, Agassiz had also talked about the trees on the slopes of the White Mountains—how they start out as large, strapping specimens and shrink and dwindle the higher one gets until only puny shrubs are left at the summit. This was, Agassiz had said, incontrovertible proof “that the weak survive as well as the strong.” Gray found this interpretation laughable. Feigning sympathy for Agassiz, he wrote: “Probably no naturalist, however eminent, can be expected to know everything, or even all simple things.” Behind the façade of generosity, crumbling before he had even finished his sentence, lurked Gray’s amazement at Agassiz’s obtuseness. “Can it be possible that Prof. Agassiz supposes (as his argument seems to require) that the dwarf trees in question grow and survive near the top of the mountains, notwithstanding they are not the fittest, rather than because they are the fittest, for the conditions?” That was a rhetorical question, of course. As Gray saw it, the argument Agassiz had intended to be against evolution was actually an argument for it, albeit “an extremely simple and elementary one.” Agassiz, an unwitting supporter of evolution? This was the ultimate irony, of course, worse than the overt sarcasm dripping from Gray’s essay.
In his closing, Gray imagined Agassiz addressing the faithless results of his own scientific work as Balak, the King of Moab in the Old Testament, once spoke to the prophet Balaam when the latter, instead of cursing Israel, kept predicting good things for its future: “What has thou done to me? I took thee to curse my enemies, and behold, thou has blessed them altogether” (Numbers 24:10).
Photo caption Nahant on Massachusetts Bay was a favorite spot for Louis Agassiz to study the natural history of marine organisms and to make observations about geology. William Stanley Haseltine, who made several paintings of Nahant, including After a Shower in 1864, was familiar with the scientist’s work. Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York, USA / Gift of Helen H. Plowden / The Bridgeman Art Library
Taking my cue from the caustic Gray, here’s how I now imagine Agassiz. Again he is with his favorite animals, the jellyfish of New England, but now he is outside, on the beach, in the ocean water, greedily reaching for them. He reflects on that experience in an exquisitely written passage from Contributions to the Natural History of the United States of America, Agassiz’ unfinished tribute to the wonders of the country’s natural history. Having waded into the water after a particularly beautiful jellyfish, Agassiz notices how the animal, which at first seemed but a “moving fleshy mass, seemingly destitute of all organization,” becomes an individual, “contracting and expanding, while it floats near the surface of the water.”
Agassiz bends over to touch it and instantly feels “the burning sensation it produces upon the naked hand.” The jellyfish has stung him. There are not too many of these moments in Agassiz’ writing but they are noteworthy—moments when the scientific specimen comes alive, moments when the human presumption to see and seize is challenged. It is easier, perhaps, to deny other beings their right to life and dignity when one keeps them at arm’s length, separated by the lens of the camera or the objective of a microscope. Thinking of Agassiz knee-deep in the ocean water, of his burning, stinging hand, remembering a line from the poet Eugene Field’s savage little Tribune Primer, I do feel tempted to say Three Cheers for the Jellyfish.Nine terror suspects were arrested in London on Thursday. Photo: New Scotland Yard Shutterstock
Hate preacher Anjem Choudary, who has close relations with a notorious terror group in Norway and supports the killing of Western journalists, was arrested by anti-terror police in London on Thursday.
Choudary has admitted his link to The Prophet's Ummah group in Norway, reported VG recently.
Nine men were arrested, including Choudary, after a police operation in London. They are suspected of belonging to a terrorist organization and of encouraging the spread of terror.
The men are aged between 22 and 51 years old. They have been taken to police stations in central London for questioning, according to Sky News.
Police said in a statement released on Thursday: “These arrests are part of an ongoing investigation of terrorism related to Islam and are not a reaction to any immediate security threat.”
One of the arrested men is, according to Sky News, the radical Islamist Anjem Choudary. He is known as the most notorious hate preacher in the radical Islamist environment in England, and has connections to Norway through the extreme group The Prophet's Ummah.
For many years Choudary has been one of the most controversial Islamists in the UK. It is there he established the organization Sharia4UK. He also has an extensive network in other European countries, including Norway.
Choudary said in a recent interview with VG about his contacts in Norway: “I know people in The Prophet's Ummah, especially Ubaydullah Hussein, he is a good friend of mine. He has visited England and I have visited Norway.”
Both Choudary and Hussain have expressed their support to the terrorist organization ISIS and their atrocities committed in Iraq and Syria. This week, Hussain has been charged for several cases of encouraging killings and terror operations.
Choudary believes there are many in Norway who listen to his lectures and ask questions on Islam. However, he refused to give any numbers as to how many supporters he has.
Choudary said: “I have connections in many countries throughout Europe, but there are no administrative connections. To say it like this - there are no divisions of a movement. But you never know: maybe one day I'll come to Norway to live.”
Ubaydullah Hussain confirms that there is still good contact between The Prophet's Ummah and the notorious hate preacher living in London.
Hussain wrote in an email to VG: “We have very good contact abroad with, among others, Sheikh Anjem Choudary who functions as some kind of counselor to us. We also take part in his classes on internet.”#GamerGate is far from over. There’s still more to come. There’s still a few more tricks up our sleeves and a few more plays to be had. But through this process there’s something a lot of people may not have been paying attention to in regards to the effect of what the media has committed against game culture, or the effect this will have on gamers as the industry attempts to move forward through this consumer revolt.
#GamerGate isn’t one of those things that goes away just because it’s no longer in the news; it’s not one of those things we instantly stop thinking about just because we decide to take time away from the hashtag. It’s burned deep within our consciousness regarding the way the industry works, the way video game journalists establish their relationships, and the way the media still views the hobby of interactive entertainment.
Things are really put into perspective when you a see a video like Sockarina’s recent YouTube log called “Why I’m Here”. It’s not just a rally call or another bullet in the clip of a weaponized consumer revolt, it’s eye-opening about how this kind of cultural phenomenon has long-term effects in a deep-seated way.
Why I Am Here: Socks and #GamerGate Updates will resume tomorrow. I needed to get this off my chest. If you want to yell at me for whatever reason, there is a better chance of me seeing it on twitter. @Rinaxas
It’s not as if the people being doxxed, hacked or harassed will soon forget these events. It’s not as if these sort of things don’t mentally or emotionally wear you down. It’s not as if these are climatic moments of your own personal history that amount to nothing – they are events that help shape your own identity through a culture shared by more than a billion people on planet Earth.
I mentioned briefly in the APG Nation interview that this thing – the very outcome of #GamerGate has long-term consequential effects on the video game industry. Some people may laugh it off while others may think nothing of it, but even small instances of poignant fact-twisting, misclassified truth-seeking and character assassinations can have long and damaging effects on small and grand scales.
It all seems rather abstract and foreign until real-world examples come into play. Brad Wardell – in his own blog on Tiny Little Frogs – constantly calls for some way to find recourse on the tarnishing of
his name through poorly done articles from people like Ben Kuchera [via Breitbart] or the multiple hit pieces on Kotaku.
Gawker did an article about Max Temkin’s situation, noting that his five minutes of fame in the search engine spotlight wasn’t incorrigibly damaging, but he was fine… even though the the entire first page of his name is still all about… rape.
Irresponsible reporting is a dangerous game, as noted by The Washington Post.
The common response in this instance is usually…”But it’s just games”. It’s also an estimated $93 billion dollar industry, according to a report by Gartner. For the sake of comparison, the gaming industry in 2012 was worth nearly five times as much as the global music industry, if we go by the IFPI’s 2013 report, as noted on Billboard.com. It’s hardly “just games”. It’s a livelihood for a great many people.
Having the media utilize their platform to harm the culture can be a devastating thing, creating fragmentation and resentment from the core audience against the very product that they support. It’s a similar thing to what happened with Athiesm+, as outlined on Athiestrev.com.
At the moment we have individuals utilizing their media positions to dogmatically put down their own audience, as well as put down the creative minds that build content for that audience. Some people may claim it’s only a fringe group of the media, but when it’s from the media that controls the narrative through Google News and first-page search engine ranking, it’s the sort of narrative that can easily sway opinions, no different than what Brad Wardell mentioned in his post; how often do we hear about the harassment he receives courtesy of their poor reporting?
Worse yet, look at what precedent this sets for the gaming industry, regarding the treatment of women coming into the industry: from August up until now the common theme is that if you’re a woman and you want to get into gaming, don’t.
The internet is flooded (and continues to be flooded) with video games being attached to misogyny and sexism, no different than games being attached to just about every single nationwide media report on historically violent youth crimes just a decade ago. What impression does this set for the average person from the outside looking in?
The media has painted such a broad and hurtful brush across the industry that it makes game culture look as if it can’t be inclusive, diverse or accepting. That if you aren’t a “privileged white-male” you may as well pack up your bags and head home. Nevermind that mature, narrative game structure only ever gained legs within the interactive entertainment industry, over in the west, thanks to Jane Jensen. Nevermind that the point-and-click adventure genre was popularized and made famous thanks to Roberta Williams. Nevermind some of the most beloved JRPGs that helped shape the history of role-playing throughout the 1990s had their graphics designed by the likes of female illustrator and graphics designer Soraya Saga.
Michael Vargas from Pipewords described today’s current crop of pseudo-journalists and glorified bloggers as “charlatans” and the “weasel axis” in his interview with Niche Gamer. It’s a description that best illustrates individuals who not only disrespect the legacy of gaming, those who pioneered it and those who could potentially become its pioneers, but also disrespect its audience – the paying customer.
As the Digitimes article pointed out, what parent would encourage their kid to enter an industry tainted with the labels of “misogynists” and “rapist-apologists”? What kind of conversation do you have around that topic, especially with the media building a narrative around the dangers and dirtiness of being in the interactive entertainment industry? What kind of conversation do you have when games like God of War and Hitman are misused as examples to exemplify a culture that’s been labeled as being steeped in sexually degenerative behavior? Who steps away from this dialogue wanting anything to do with the gaming industry… especially women?
Why haven’t we had conversations in the larger media circles about Jenny LeClue? Or the potential long-term positive effects from games like Legend of Iya? Why can’t we discuss games with a growing audience like Erica Reed? Or the continued success of Nancy Drew? How about talking about Dex instead of decrying CD Projekt RED for Cyberpunk 2077 [the PC Authority article is legit, by the way]? Is inclusiveness only a topic that comes up in gaming from these journalists when discussing the most debased ways a woman can be portrayed in media?
The gaming journalists’ damaging articles and continued screeds of “misogyny” have created a cultural scar on the hobby itself.
As it’s been mentioned before: opinion pieces, editorials and criticism are necessary to create conversation. However, #GamerGate is not a conversation, it’s a one-sided attack from a blind, agenda-driven media machine that’s been built on greed, operates on click-bait and sustains itself on professional-victim propaganda.
The historical identity of gaming – as a diverse and welcoming institution – rests on the shoulders of those who wear #GamerGate as a badge of honor and represent it as a symbol of pride. If you truly want to curate a better form of gaming journalism, make your voice heard to the sponsors. Your voice matters more than you know.
Take away the legs on which the ivory tower has been stationed – remove their reliance on those who provide them with their funding and see the foundations crumble.
We are gamers and we don’t need gaming media’s toxicity or corruption.
With that said, keep supporting the good sites, keep giving your clicks to the gaming outlets that deserve it. Hidden gems like Honest Gamers have been trying to truck along to do the opposite of what Kotaku and Polygon have been doing – they want to provide honest news, reviews and opinion pieces for gamers seeking an alternative to click-bait. It’s time to stop rewarding toxicity.
(Main image courtesy of MAME-HLSL)Four people were killed and more than 200 injured in Bangladesh yesterday as hundreds of Islamists clashed with police in Dhaka and other major cities demanding execution of “atheist bloggers” they accused of blasphemy.
Islamists hate atheists. Their banner says, ‘ We demand the death penalty for atheist bloggers because they use obscene language to criticize Allah, Muhammad and the Quran.’ The banner carries the pictures of atheist bloggers. Asif Mohiuddin is among them. Asif was brutally stabbed by the Islamists a month ago.
His blog is known for its criticism of religions in one of the most conservative parts of the world. Even though Asif is a popular blogger, it is not easy for him to continue publishing his blogs. Islamic newspapers wrote against Asif Mohiuddin and his anti Islamic writings.
Cops asked him to stop writing.
Index for censorship is concerned about Asif’s freedom of expression.
Rajib Haider, another atheist blogger was slaughtered just a few days ago, for saying state and religion should be separated, education system should be completely secular, and politics must not be based on religion.
A few |
is no presumption of any obligation to serve.
Another reason for reading the Iliad is the fighting, although the battles do not even start until Book 4. Necessarily composed for audiences of fighters, because all able-bodied free men, rhapsodes included, were called to arms in the Greece of independent cities, the Iliad describes fighting with an exactitude that is perhaps entirely meaningful only for those who have themselves fought as individuals with individual weapons, for whom all of life and death can turn on the very smallest details of terrain, equipment and circumstance. Of these, only equipment can be controlled at all, and so one checks and rechecks one’s weapons and kit, after having cleaned, assembled, even repaired whatever is at hand; having never fought in a cold climate, I never had to worry about clothing, but I certainly fussed over the rest, and can now bore any victim by arguing the very, very detailed pros and cons of every weapon I ever handled. In the Iliad likewise, each account of combat begins with a precise account of the arming:
he uncovered his polished bow of the horn of a wild ibex … of 16 palms; these the worker in horn had worked and fitted together, and smoothed the whole with care … This bow he set firmly against the ground, bent it, and strung it … Then he opened the lid of his quiver, and took out an arrow, a feathered arrow that had never been shot, loaded with dark pains and immediately he fitted the bitter arrow to the string … And he drew the bow, clutching at once the notched arrow and the string of ox’s sinew; the string he brought to his chest and to the bow the iron arrowhead. But when he had drawn the great bow into a curve, the bow twanged and the string sang aloud, and the sharp arrow leaped.
The bowman is Pandarus, son of Lycaon, the target is Menelaus, within easy range under a truce, Athena having induced the treacherous attack to ensure that there will be no peace settlement. The listener would have immediately recognised the weapon, not a simple wooden reflex bow but one of horn or with a horn belly to add compression energy. Only the weapon with which Odysseus kills the suitors in the other epic was a more powerful compound bow, with layers of dried horse tendon on the back to add tension to compression, but that weapon, a very rare import from the far steppe, could not be strung by bending against the ground because it is so powerful that it reverses itself when unstrung (Odysseus evidently knew how to pull in the horns with bastard strings, because he strung it while sitting down). But in the Iliad all bowmen are despised because they can attack from a distance, and treacherously too, as Pandarus did.
‘Arrow-fighter’ is an insult, in spite of Apollo’s godly archery: ‘Argives, you arrow-fighters, have you no shame?’; ‘you archer, foul fighter’; ‘the bow is the weapon of a useless man, no fighter’; and most contemptuously when the mighty hero Diomedes addresses Paris, who has pierced his foot with an arrow:
Bowman and braggart, with your pretty lovelocks and your glad eye for girls; if you faced me man to man with real weapons, you would find your bow … a poor defence … All you have done is to scratch the sole of my foot … a shot from a coward and a milksop does no harm. But my weapons [heavy throwing spears] have a better edge. One touch of them and a man is dead.
The Iliad is an epic – the point is not to win but to gain honour by fighting not efficiently but heroically. Yet for all that, with an audience of soldiers, precision about kit is present throughout: when Agamemnon, at his best at the start of Book 11, neither arrogant nor greedy but valiant, sets out to fight, first there is the preparation:
the greaves first he set about his legs … next he put on about his chest the corselet [thorikos, ‘breastplate’] … and about his shoulders he flung his sword [a secondary weapon for the Iliad’s fighters, who were spearmen first and bowmen last] … and he took up his richly inlaid, valorous shield, that sheltered a man on both sides [i.e. a hoplite’s large shield] … and on his head he set his helmet with two ridges and with bosses four, with horsehair crest, and terribly did the plume nod from above.
One such helmet terrifies the infant Astyanax when Hector leans down to give him a parting kiss.
When the fighting begins, the relentless bloodletting is intermittently accompanied by technical asides. Agamemnon first kills the chief Bienor (‘shepherd of men’) and then his charioteer Oïleus, whom he strikes on the forehead with his spear, which goes right through the heavy bronze helmet to reach the bone ‘and all his brain was spattered about inside.’ Next he goes after two sons of Priam, Isus and Antiphus, who are in the same chariot; ‘he struck Isus on the chest above the nipple with a cast of his spear, and Antiphus he struck close to the ear with his sword, and cast him from the chariot.’ Next he kills Peisander and Hippolochus after rejecting their plea to be taken alive for ransom. He ‘thrust Peisander from his chariot to the ground, striking him with his spear in the chest, and backward he was hurled on the earth … Hippolochus he slew on the ground, and shearing off his arms with the sword, and striking off his head, sent him rolling like a rounded stone.’ Next he does his killing in bulk as he chases the fleeing Trojans: ‘And many fell from their chariots on their faces or on their backs … as he raged with his spear.’ He is then confronted by Iphidamas (who lives on as Jupiter’s asteroid 4791), ‘a powerful man and tall’; his spear cast having missed Iphidamas, Agamemnon stabs him with his spear beneath the breastplate, putting his weight in the thrust, but can’t pierce the belt as his spearhead is bent ‘like lead’. Agamemnon seizes the spear, and pulls it from the hand of Iphidamas, before striking him on the neck with his sword.
Spears cut through temples, foreheads, navels, chests both below and above the nipple. Even despised bows kill, and heavy stones appear as weapons. Joyful victors strip their victims of their armour and gain extra delight from imagining their weeping mothers and wives. Yet the Iliad is a million miles away from the pornography of violence offered by many lesser war books, battle paintings, martial sculptures and most obviously films, in which the enemy bad guys are triumphantly trampled or gleefully mown down, because the humanity of the victims, their terror and their atrocious pain, are fully expressed. The powerful affirmation of the warrior’s creed – we are all mortal anyway so let us fight valiantly – coexists with the unfailingly negative depiction of war as horrible carnage.Thousands lost power in Buckeye following monsoon activity Sunday night. (Photo: The Republic)
After years of debate, Arizona Public Service Co. won approval Tuesday to charge customers $5 a month if they refuse a "smart meter" to track electricity use.
Smart meters, used by nearly all 1.1 million APS customers, use wireless signals to transmit customers' energy use to the utility.
The company long ago proposed fees for customers who refuse the meters, similar to utilities in other states and its Arizona counterpart, Salt River Project.
SRP charges a $20 monthly fee for customers who don't want a smart meter, even though the company manually reads meters every other month, estimating the usage in between.
But the Arizona Corporation Commission wrestled with the concept for APS, approving fees in 2014, then rescinding them in 2015 amid legal concerns. By a 4-1 vote Tuesday, they once again approved them.
Customers who are using a smart meter today and want it switched out for a meter that does not use wireless communication will have to pay a $50 fee starting Oct. 1, when the monthly $5 fees for reading the meters also will begin.
When the commission debated the issue in 2014, several opponents voiced concern that the meters could violate customer privacy by allowing utilities to see what appliances were being used at what time, that they could cause fires, and that they could cause a variety of health problems for people and animals.
More than 15,000 APS customers who have so far refused to let APS install a smart meter will not need to pay the swap-out fee.
When APS applied in 2016 to raise rates, it included a proposal to charge swap-out fees of $70 plus $15 a month for smart-meter opponents.
The lower fees agreed to in a rate-hike settlement "result in fair and reasonable balancing of all APS ratepayers and the utility," Administrative Law Judge Teena Jibilian said Tuesday at the Corporation Commission open meeting. The commissioners accepted her recommendation to approve the fees.
Jibilian asked that the smart-meter issue be "bifurcated" from the overall rate increase approved last month, though never explained why a separate meeting was needed.
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She said the allegations that smart meters are a risk to health, safety, privacy and other concerns raised by opponents to the measure are not supported.
Sedona resident Warren Woodward, whose opposition to the meters prompted the commissioners to reverse the fees in 2015, said he disagreed with the decision.
"Obviously I don't support the (judge's recommendation) in any way, shape or form," he told the commissioners.
Commissioner Robert Burns was the lone no vote on the matter. He also was the lone vote against the broader APS rate increase last month, and said he opposed the smart-meter issue because it arose from the rate case.
READ MORE:
Lawsuit says APS' solar-battery research troubled
APS settles on rate-hike request of $6 a month on average
Read or Share this story: http://azc.cc/2w6j2gZI have always had the overriding feeling that I am not free to set my own course. Stanley Milgram, a Harvard psychologist, felt the same. He conducted experiments in which people believed they were inflicting lethal electric shocks on others. Milgram proved that many people are prepared to kill if they are absolved of the responsibility.
That's how I find playing football under some managers and certainly how I see some other players. "The gaffer's son", which is how these players are known, will carry out any instruction that his manager gives him (especially if it involves cutting a fellow professional in half), not because he is an arse-kisser but because it is how he is programmed. Mentally, he is at his happiest when he is carrying out somebody else's instructions.
The psychological side of the game comes to the fore at a time like this, when the run-in to the season is firmly upon us, meaning that the mind games have gone into overdrive. Sir Alex Ferguson is the undoubted master of this art and has a long list of victims, most notoriously Kevin Keegan.
On the other side of Manchester the queue for the psychologist's office must be out the door. A couple of weeks ago, Roberto Mancini said on the back of a defeat at Arsenal: "While you still have a chance, you should do everything and we have six games so never say never." Fast forward a week and after a convincing win against Norwich, the Manchester City manager said: "The title race is still over. Against a strong United side, it is impossible for us to win this title from the position we're in."
Ordinarily I'd say players pay little attention to a lot of what their manager says to the media but at this level, and with the spotlight Ferguson and Mancini are under as their two clubs go head to head for the title, it will have been impossible for any of them – even Mario Balotelli – to ignore each manager's attempts to unsettle the other.
And while there isn't anything out of the ordinary where Ferguson is concerned, the self-deprecating tone of Mancini's comments and the fact that nobody seems able to work out where he is coming from, including possibly the Italian himself, must be a source of confusion in the City dressing room. An alternative view would be that it has had the desired effect on the United players, given their recent wobble.
I have been party to all kinds of mind games in my career but the one that still grates with me is the occasion our manager stuck pages of derogatory comments attributed to a rival manager on the dressing room wall prior to the match against his team. After we'd won, he told us they were fakes. I didn't like that at all and neither did the other players.
On the pitch, mental toughness is a most important attribute. The crowd are trying to get to you, the other team are winding you up, when you make a mistake your own players and bench get on your case and sometimes it feels like even the officials are conspiring against you. Mentally weak players are the ones that make excuses in this situation. Nothing annoys me more than when a player having a bad game throws his arms around and screams at people in an attempt to convince the crowd that it is the fault of the guy he was trying to pass to. I've lost count of the amount of confrontations I've had at half-time with players that put on this cowardly act. I put them in the same category as the ones that run off in the opposite direction to celebrate tapping home from two yards after the winger has beat three men and put it on a plate for them.
The truth is that I'm not overly tough upstairs any more. As time has gone on my capacity for mental fortitude has become severely reduced through a combination of struggling with authority (which has always been a problem for me, as regular readers of this column will by now have realised), becoming a senior professional, money, honours and a track record that reads as it should.
But what I have come to realise is that it's amazing how much the mental side of the game complements your ability with the ball. You can have all the skill in the world but if you lack that bit of steel and drive to continue doing what made you successful, then you won't get very far. And right now, I'm not getting very far.
The same can't be said for the United and City players who will have the title in their sights on a night when the result may well depend on an individual who mentally switches off at the wrong moment. It could come down to following the ball rather than the man when Agüero and Silva play a one‑two around the box, or remembering that Valencia always has a touch inside before he goes outside (like Giggs used to), or not forgetting that the midfield very often pass Rooney on when he enters the penalty area only for him to score a header between two giant centre-halves who think he is being tracked.
Maybe it will be the moment Kompany dives in when he should stand up on the edge of the area or perhaps it will come down to remembering that Rafael goes walkabout with the ball and leaves gaping holes down the right flank when he is dispossessed in the middle of the pitch. It may be "roughing up" De Gea at the right moment or winding up Balotelli when he has just missed a chance. Staying alert to all these opportunities when they present themselves could be the difference between winning and losing at the Etihad Stadium.
As for Milgram's experiment, Peter Gabriel wrote a song about it which features on his album So. The song includes the repetitive chant "we do what we're told". During the darkest days of my depression I listened to this song over and over, day in, day out. I have no idea why and, to be honest, it makes my head hurt just thinking about it.
Follow the Secret Footballer on Twitter @TSFguardianOil giant will pay $4.5bn to US authorities and agrees to plead guilty to 11 felony counts of misconduct over fatal rig explosion
BP has agreed to pay the largest criminal fine in US history – $4.5bn – to resolve all criminal charges arising from the fatal oil rig explosion and catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The company said on Thursday that it had agreed to pay $4bn to the US government over five years, and $525m to the Securities and Exchange Commission. That money will be paid over three years.
The criminal settlement does not settle all of the claims against BP for the April 2010 blowout of the Deepwater Horizon, and the subsequent oil spill.
The oil giant is not yet off the hook for environmental damage to the Gulf of Mexico, and could face billions in restoration costs to waters, coastline and marine life.
But Thursday's deal does limit BP's exposure to further criminal charges and penalties, and frees the company to focus on resolving those other civil claims.
The fine is the largest criminal penalty in US history, easily outstripping the previous record of $1.2bn levied by the Justice Department against drug giant Pfizer over fraudulent marketing practices.
In addition to the fines, the oil company agreed to plead guilty to 11 felony counts of misconduct or neglect of ships' officers, arising from the deaths aboard the Deepwater Horizon when the rig exploded and sank.
It also agreed to single misdemeanour counts under the Clean Water Act and the Migratory Bird Act and one felony count of obstruction of Congress.
The settlement remains subject to US federal court approval.
"All of us at BP deeply regret the tragic loss of life caused by the Deepwater Horizon accident as well as the impact of the spill on the Gulf coast region," BP's chief executive, Bob Dudley, said in a statement.
"We apologise for our role in the accident, and as today's resolution with the US government further reflects, we have accepted responsibility for our actions."
The company's chairman, Carl-Henric Svanberg, said BP believed the settlement was in the company's best interests.
"We believe this resolution is in the best interest of BP and its shareholders," he said in the statement. "It removes two significant legal risks and allows us to vigorously defend the company against the remaining civil claims."
In London the company's shares, which had stopped trading before the news of the fine broke, closed down a fraction of a penny at 425.4p. So far, the company has set aside $38.1bn to settle claims and fines related to the disaster.
The Justice Department is expected to issue a statement on the settlement later on Thursday. It was expected that a number of BP executives and managers, including those working on the rig the night of the explosion, would be charged.
All but one of the 14 criminal charges announced on Thursday relate to the night of the explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon, and are based on the negligent misinterpretation of the negative pressure tests performed on the well.
A number of the investigations into the disaster have homed in on the final hours before the rig explosion, when engineers tried and abandoned different plans to finish off the well.
The final criminal count arises from statements BP officials made to a closed session of Congress about how much oil was gushing from its stricken well. The company is accused of deliberately underestimating the flow-rate – which experts say compromised efforts to cap the well.
It was not immediately clear how BP's plea would affect its operations in the Gulf. The oil company remains one of the major players in deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
BP said it was not aware of any government actions to suspend or curtail its activities in the Gulf, as a result of the settlement.
The settlement could also clear the way for the justice department to come to a plea deal with BP's partners on the doomed well: Transocean, which owned the rig, and Halliburton, which cemented the well.Before I was a dyslexia advocate, I was a mom sitting at the pool and complaining to a woman I will call Barbara about my daughter's school. Barbara had four children — the youngest still in college, the others launched into different adulthoods — and was one of those moms who got her kids, who deftly described the job of being four different moms to four different children.
I was speculating, I think, about how my daughter Phoebe, who has dyslexia, was being affected by attending her public middle school, and I asked for Barbara's advice. "Oh," she said, "I don't know. My kids with no issues, I sent to public school. My kids with issues, I sent to private school. I thought that's what you did." She smiled at me as if it was a candid piece of guidance. Life hack! We don't send kids with issues to the public schools.
First, I felt poor (how do people survive sending multiple children to private school and then four children to college?), then I felt dumb (was the obvious solution right under my nose?). And then I felt angry. I said to Barbara, "Oh, and it's all right with us if the public schools just don't serve kids with learning problems?" After all, about one in five children has learning and attention problems, and don't we need our public schools to help them become productive adults? Barbara gave me another smile, a kind one that seemed to say, "Of course you're right, my dear." Then she put on her goggles to do her laps.
Conversations such as this one, as well as my experience with Phoebe, sparked an interest in dyslexia and advocacy, and I ended up serving two years on a task force established by Maryland's governor and General Assembly to make recommendations about dyslexia education. (Much of what follows was influenced by the experts I met while on the task force, but the opinions expressed are my own.)
Through this experience, I've come to understand that reading is critical to a safe and productive adulthood, and a prerequisite to participation in civic life. A lawsuit filed this year against the state of Michigan contends that the opportunity to learn to read should be seen as a constitutional right — and a right that is being violated in Detroit, where only 6 percent of fourth-graders and 7 percent of eighth-graders read proficiently, according to National Assessment of Educational Progress scores. Whether this argument moves you or not (yes, the opportunity to learn to read is not spelled out by the Constitution), we should all become more aware of dyslexia and the policy changes needed to improve millions of lives.
The arc of Phoebe's treatment, I later realized, was typical of many students with dyslexia who need significant one-on-one help to obtain a good outcome. When she struggled with reading in kindergarten and first grade a decade ago, we tried not to fret too much, because her teachers told us that late bloomers often "take off" and read fluently by third grade. In second grade, we found her a private, after-school tutor. Yet even after two years of one-on-one instruction, the information wasn't "sticking" from one session to the next. "I know this is hard to hear," one of her tutors told me, looking at my face and recognizing my skepticism. But the tutor understood that Phoebe fit the best definition we have for a dyslexic: She couldn't read even after having been provided with very adequate instruction.
It was now time to pay for outstanding instruction — and word in my neighborhood was that I could find it at the Speech-Language Department of the Lab School of Washington. Phoebe did an intensive summer program before fourth grade, then was tutored twice a week there during the school years from fourth through sixth grades, and more sporadically elsewhere for a couple of years thereafter. Conservatively, we spent more than $35,000 on tutoring; the going rate for speech and language pathologists is more than $100 an hour. Every six months or so, I would eagerly ask her tutor, "How's it going?" and hope to hear, "We've turned the corner." Instead, I would be told that Phoebe was making steady progress at holding on to more letter combinations and sounds, and that her speed was not as slow as it used to be. This went on for years.
While not thrilled about the tutoring, Phoebe recognized that the sessions at the Lab School were "better" than the help she was getting at public school, even from reading specialists and special educators. Why was this? I believe it was because her tutor was using an Orton-Gillingham-based approach to help her remember phonics — the word sounds that "normal" readers can't recall learning to recognize in print because their brains held on to that information like flypaper in first grade. Developed in the early 20th century, Orton-Gillingham emphasized explicit, sequential, multisensory instruction (hearing, saying, tracing and writing). For example, Phoebe and her tutor might spend a session on the letter combination "ow" and the different sounds it makes, then review letter combinations Phoebe had mastered earlier. The training and materials for programs based on Orton-Gillingham tend to be expensive and work best one-on-one or in small groups, which may explain why this particular intervention wasn't available at her school.
During the summer before eighth grade, Phoebe's tutor reported that her grasp of phonics was now in the average range, which meant she could decode nonsense words (like a line from "Jabberwocky") about as well as her peers. But her fluency, the speed at which she read, was too slow for good comprehension or enjoyment. The fix for fluency was not more expensive tutoring in phonics (hallelujah!) but simply more time spent reading. Unsurprisingly, Phoebe thought books were "boring." "If only she could find something that captured her interest," her tutor said. During the school year, Phoebe came across that something: a smartphone app called Wattpad, where she read self-published stories, many of them by teen authors. She sweet-talked her teachers into accepting Wattpad as her free-reading book.
The summer before ninth grade, Phoebe was sitting on the deck with a teen romance novel. I saw her turning pages at my speed and thought she must be skimming. "What are you doing?" I asked. "I'm reading," she said. "What do you think I'm doing?" I snapped a photo of Phoebe with her paperback — memorializing this mundane yet magical scene. Giddily, I texted it to my mother. Teachers and special educators in the public schools had helped Phoebe learn to read. But I remain keenly aware that she probably wouldn't be reading fluently today if my husband and I hadn't had the resources to provide her with a few years of the best intervention around.
According to the National Center for Learning Disabilities, 20 percent of U.S. students have learning or attention problems. A small subset of these children — just over 6 percent — are formally identified as needing special education services; for many of these students that identification does not occur until third or fourth grade. Students with learning disabilities — brain-based difficulties in reading and math — are the largest group of special education students. And dyslexia is the most common learning disability; estimates of students affected vary between 5 and 17 percent of the general student population.
Parents of children identified as having learning disabilities might find it reassuring to read the federal laws pertaining to this group. The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in particular says wonderful things about the services public schools should be providing. But full funding of the act has never occurred. While Congress set the maximum grant for each state at 40 percent of the extra cost of special education, federal grants to the states under IDEA in 2010 covered about 17 percent of the excess cost, according to a paper by economists Laudan Aron and Pamela Loprest. Without money and stronger accountability systems, the best-practice services described in the law are aspirational rather than guaranteed.
Given those realities, it's not surprising that academic and social and emotional outcomes for many students with learning disabilities are bleak. According to the National Center for Learning Disabilities, 18.1 percent of students with learning disabilities dropped out during the 2013-14 school year — nearly three times the rate of all students. They also have higher rates of absenteeism, suspension and being bullied. And their graduation rate is 70.8, lagging 10 percentage points behind the general population. In the past decade, nearly half a million students with learning disabilities left school without a diploma, placing them at high risk for unemployment and involvement in crime.
For poor and minority children in underserved schools, the situation is even more dire. Kalman "Buzzy" Hettleman, a former Baltimore City school board member and longtime education policy researcher, describes the likely trajectory of a student with dyslexia in a low-income school: "The student falls behind and may not even be identified as needing extra help. If he or she is identified, the assistance is typically weak. By third or fourth grade, the student is years behind grade level and exhibiting behavior as well as academic problems. Referral to special education follows, [but] the student would not need special education if he or she had received timely interventions in general education. Moreover, the eventual help provided by special educators is too little, too late to enable the student to be successful."
Affluent children with learning disabilities often receive services both inside and outside the public schools. But "when poor and minority students fail to read, school systems attribute that failure to the students and their families, rather than [to] the inadequate instruction the school is providing," says Hettleman, an attorney who has represented hundreds of poor children pro bono. "The parents often do not have the clout to demand better instruction or intervention in the schools and lack the resources to get the tutoring and help on their own." Maryland special education census data shows this lack of clout in private school placement: In 2016-17, white students, who are 37 percent of special education students in Maryland, secured 76 percent of parentally requested private placement at public expense, whereas African Americans, who make up 41 percent of special education students, secured 11 percent, and Latinos, who make up 14.5 percent of special education students, secured 5 percent.
It stands to reason that conversations about dyslexia are more likely to take place among parents who can afford tutoring. "When I go to dyslexia conferences and talk to other advocates, I often say, 'We are not talking about this enough in my community,' " explains Lavaunda Roundtree, an African American teacher, academic therapist and dyslexia advocate who served on the Maryland task force with me. "I want parents not to be embarrassed or ashamed. If a child is not reading, it is an emergency. Children who struggle to read do not need to be doomed to a life of illiteracy."
No one — parents, teachers or policymakers — can look at the outcomes for public school students with learning disabilities and have confidence that merely working to secure special education status for individual children will save the day. It will take other steps.
Mandatory screening for predictors of dyslexia in kindergarten or first grade would be a good start. Research has shown we can reliably spot dyslexia tendencies — such as difficulty breaking down words into sounds or slow processing speed — before children are reading. (For example, a child could be asked to rhyme and identify sounds in words, or to quickly say aloud colors and numbers that they see.) Catching a tendency toward dyslexia earlier could make the needed interventions shorter. "The brain is more plastic at earlier ages, so a child treated at 5 or 6 may make progress more quickly than an older child," says Donald Bolger, professor of human development at the University of Maryland. "Second, the child has not been burdened with the frustration of reading failure, so is more motivated to read."
According to Laura Schultz, a state leader for the advocacy group Decoding Dyslexia Maryland, 20 states have laws regarding dyslexia screening. Virginia, Maryland and the District are not among them, though D.C. Council member Brandon Todd has sponsored legislation, now in the Education Committee, for a pilot program that would include early screening. Schultz is also pushing for universal screening in Maryland. "Over the last five years I have talked to hundreds of parents in Maryland, and we all have the same story," she says. "We wish we had known earlier, in kindergarten or first grade, so we could have gotten help sooner and our kids wouldn't have had to struggle so hard."
It's also important to improve teacher training. Reading success depends in large part on five scientific components — phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension — according to the National Reading Panel, which was established by Congress to determine the most effective way to teach children to read. Yet although the panel's findings were released in 2000, most teacher training programs haven't developed curriculums that cover those components, according to the National Council on Teacher Quality, a group that is highly critical of education schools. "Teacher educators have been more resistant than any group I can think of in reflecting scientific research when it comes to reading," says Kate Walsh, the organization's president. "Researchers consider this case closed, but changes have been slow." According to an NCTQ study, only 39 percent of 820 elementary education programs surveyed in 2016 included a lecture or assignment on each of the scientific components of reading.
The social and emotional climate dyslexic students experience in school is another cause for concern. Here, the public schools can learn from private dyslexia schools. Melissa Wood, director of the Speech-Language Department at the Lab School, says that when third- or fourth-graders arrive there from public school, "all of a sudden you see the sadness and anxiety dissipate. They are with other kids who are also having to work very hard." To nurture resilience in children with dyslexia, public schools need to adopt private school approaches, such as grouping students working on similar challenges; documenting improvement in concrete, appropriate ways (students are understandably disheartened by assessments that merely show how "off" the typical timetable their reading is); and educating students about dyslexia and brain plasticity.
Finally, we must accept that there are no quick fixes, and that solutions might cost money. As I learned with Phoebe, it can take a lot of practice for the brain to master phonics, let alone acquire all the other components of reading. "Tutoring — with an evidenced-based program — is the intervention that has the most scientific research behind it," says Hettleman. "Yet almost no tutoring of any quality goes on in the public schools. Providing students with the tutoring they need will of course cost money, but nothing like the money that is spent down the road in special education costs and lack of adult productivity."
But before we can think about spending more — or saving money through early identification — we have to learn more about what we're spending now. Public school special education budgets are known and visible; for example, Montgomery County budgeted $442 million for special education this fiscal year. However, the budgets for early interventions in general education — that is, programs for students who have not yet been referred to special education — aren't generally known. These interventions, which often take place in grades K-3, are arguably the most important programs for children struggling to read. Thus we need to know whether they are being appropriately funded and implemented. Last year, Maryland passed a first-of-its-kind law I advocated for that will require the disclosure of information about the budgets and number of students served in these programs. I hope parents in all states will demand this information.
It also may be time for a societal rethinking of how we view dyslexia. In 2013, Ben Foss, an entrepreneur and activist, published "The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan" — a manifesto about "coming out" as dyslexic. In it, he urges dyslexics to be open about their challenges and to access other ways of learning.
In Foss's case, that meant giving up on the struggle to "read with my eyes." He graduated from Stanford University's business and law schools by listening to reading material at high speed and by having his writing read back to him by a computer or person. Because he cannot easily read a menu with his eyes, he saw the value of making print instantly accessible to dyslexics and people with visual impairments. So he invented the Intel Reader — a device that allows people to scan text and have it read to them. In his view, finger reading (Braille) and "ear reading" should, like eye reading, be acceptable means of reading for pleasure and accessing information.
For me, the major insights of his book were that dyslexia is a community, not a disease, and that the dyslexic child is different, not broken. I told Foss how much my daughter and I appreciated his book and that, in it, I heard echoes of the gay rights struggle. "What the gay rights movement did really well is to deal with stigma and shame in a powerful way, a way that allowed people to embrace reality — so, yes, there is a similarity," Foss replied. "If you think about someone like Harvey Milk, he suggested people in his community come out in one-on-one relationships with other people, based on trust and reasonable risk-taking. Each dyslexic person or mom can do that, too, and help others to understand what dyslexia is." Foss particularly admires Eye to Eye, a national program that connects dyslexic kids in middle school with "mentor" dyslexics in high school and college, fostering that community he thinks is so important.
Foss also believes that problems such as lack of funding "will only change with advocacy, with the dyslexics and the moms in Decoding Dyslexia who are pushing for that change." Decoding Dyslexia, which was formed in New Jersey in 2011 and has chapters in all 50 states, encourages parents to connect and advocate. There are now 40 states with some kind of dyslexia law on the books — regarding teacher preparation, screening and pilot programs for struggling readers. Kelli Sandman-Hurley of Decoding Dyslexia California says the national organization has helped bring about such change "because you can't match the passion of a parent fighting for their |
2,5" (I guess) playsets for Civil War were shown.
No Civil War Spidey anywhere.
Star Wars:
Rogue One 6" Black Series were shown. Main heroine, main antagonist (looks like Admiral Thrawn, but without blue skin. Black droid (Assuming RO).
ANH Leia and TFA C-3PO.
3,75" Rogue One vehicles. Starfighter, a new kind of Tie fighter (flat wings shaped kinda like those of an Interceptor. AT-AT with mobile app enhanced control and firing Nerf darts (Smalelr than Vintage Collection). Many new 3,75" figures for TFA, OT,PT and RO.
Banner for Rogoue One with a big shot of Darth Vader.
Power Rangers:
Concept arts for the upcoming movie were shown, but i haven´t seen for myself.
Warcraft:
Jakks pacific has shown some of the toys for the upcoming Warcraft movie. Surprisingly heavy, but they could need a bit more paint apps and detailing.
All in all, I was a bit disappointed in what was shown. Felt like everyone was holding back the great stuff.
Hope these tidbits are still useful. Got some tidbits on information from the Nuremberg Toy Fair.Feel free to visit TFW2005 for Transformers related informations ( Nuremberg Toy Fair Transformers Details - TFW2005.com Marvel:6" Civil War Scarlet Witch on shelf, very accurate to Elisabeth Olsen.6" Red Skull with Iron man kind of armor.Marvel Legends Doctor Strange Box Art were shown.ML 3,75" Thor 2-pack with Jane Foster Thor & Thor Odinson, wielding Brohnjam.12" action figures with lots of articulation and interchangable hands and heads. Spider-Man, Captain America and Iron Man in comic style.2,5" (I guess) playsets for Civil War were shown.No Civil War Spidey anywhere.Star Wars:Rogue One 6" Black Series were shown. Main heroine, main antagonist (looks like Admiral Thrawn, but without blue skin. Black droid (Assuming RO).ANH Leia and TFA C-3PO.3,75" Rogue One vehicles. Starfighter, a new kind of Tie fighter (flat wings shaped kinda like those of an Interceptor. AT-AT with mobile app enhanced control and firing Nerf darts (Smalelr than Vintage Collection). Many new 3,75" figures for TFA, OT,PT and RO.Banner for Rogoue One with a big shot of Darth Vader.Power Rangers:Concept arts for the upcoming movie were shown, but i haven´t seen for myself.Warcraft:Jakks pacific has shown some of the toys for the upcoming Warcraft movie. Surprisingly heavy, but they could need a bit more paint apps and detailing.All in all, I was a bit disappointed in what was shown. Felt like everyone was holding back the great stuff.Hope these tidbits are still useful.Wooden flooring is timeless in our opinion. Carpet may flit in and out of fashion but a quality wood floor looks great in most design circumstances, however, we will freely admit that a dark wood floor is hardly original. How about creating the dark wood effect but doing so with an utterly innovative design and a material not oft used? Yeah, that sounds more like it.
Ting architects working out of London took old leather belts, cleaned and treated them, cut them to the same size, and used a water based glue to hold them together. The result is the Recycled Leather Belt Flooring ($75 per square foot).
This amazing looking floor has the effect of dark wood but is actually leather and we suspect feels soft under foot too. This is one of the most unique affordable design ideas we have seen in some time.Micah Sherman, 32, and Nicole Graf, 28, who moved from Brooklyn to cultivate cannabis, care for the "mother plants," which will seed their 7,000-square-foot indoor farm in a warehouse south of Seattle, on March 15, 2014, in Olympia, Washington. (Gilles Mingasson/Getty Images)
California's marijuana legalization initiative is "horrible, awful, very bad no-good drug policy," said a leading marijuana expert who helped implement Washington state's legal market. That said, he'd vote for it, anyway.
Mark Kleiman, a professor of public policy at New York University, wrote this week that marijuana would become so inexpensive under California's proposed legalization ballot initiative, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, that a dramatic rise in heavy marijuana use and marijuana-related disorders would be very possible.
Kleiman points to falling marijuana prices in Washington state, where the drug is already legal, as an example. He notes that some marijuana shops there are offering highly potent marijuana -- 18 percent THC -- for as little as $95 an ounce. He then does the math:
A typical joint contains about 0.4 gram of cannabis. $95/oz. is $3.50/gm. So a joint of “Uncle Ike’s Budget Bud” in Seattle has about $1.40 worth of cannabis in it. At 18% THC – aka “one-hit weed” – that should get three naïve users wrecked out of their gourds (if you’ll allow me the use of technical terminology) for about three hours each. That comes to about 15 cents per stoned hour, making cannabis far more cost-effective than even very cheap beer on a per-hour basis.
By Kleiman's reckoning, California's weed would be even cheaper than that within three years of legalization. This could be good for knocking out the illicit market, but there's a big downside, too: if pot is dirt-cheap, there's little to stop problem users from taking Dr. Dre and Snoop Dog's advice to "smoke weed everyday" quite literally.
Overall rates of monthly marijuana use among U.S. adults have changed little over the past several decades. But as Kleiman notes, some changes are happening within that group of monthly users: "In 1992, about 10 percent of people who reported using cannabis the past month reported having used it on 25 or more days that month. That number is up to 40 percent."
Kleiman worries that ever-cheaper marijuana could drive that proportion of daily users, many of whom meet diagnostic criteria for drug dependency, even higher.
Kleiman's criticism is significant, given the respect he commands in drug policy circles and his reputation as a radical centrist on marijuana issues. Many of the contemporary arguments against marijuana legalization seem like throwbacks of decades past, grounded in dubious arguments, misuse of statistics and the occasional outright falsehood.
But Kleiman comes at the issue from a data-driven public health perspective. He's less opposed to legalization per se than he is to the fully commercialized markets springing up in Colorado and elsewhere. He says that a truly ideal policy might look like what we currently have in Washington D.C., where growing and giving pot is legal but selling it is not. He points out that there are a host of other legalization options between prohibition and commercialization that policymakers could consider.
Advocates of California's ballot measure point out that it contains funding for the prevention of teen drug use and additional law enforcement. They say that it will build on and strengthen regulatory measures recently put in place in the state's medical marijuana market. And the measure has drawn support from a wide array of politicians (including Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Republican U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher), public health groups (including the California Medical Association), and civil rights organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union of California and the California NAACP.
Both Kleiman and the bill's backers agree on at least one thing: Given the current political environment, the measure is likely to pass this fall. Current polling in California puts support for legalization at about 60 percent, with 37 percent opposed.
Given all his concerns, I asked Kleiman whether he'd still vote for the California measure over the status quo. "Yes," he said, "unless there were some prospect of something better as an alternative."- Peter Zhang, Head Coach
Dear Liquid fans,After careful consideration, we have decided to use Piglet for this upcoming LCS Week. The staff and players collaborated on this decision, and we believe that it is in the best interest of the team. Keith has performed admirably during the past few weeks, making this change a difficult one to make. While everyone has seen the success we've had with Keith, Piglet has shown significant improvement within the team as well. We've made noticeable strides in team dynamics and communication with Piglet, and he's earned the right to show this off in LCS.Our focus isn't just on this week or the next; it is to continue improving each week and to reach our best condition for the playoffs and ultimately, Worlds. We will take advantage of this period in the season before making a more definitive choice leading into non-LCS week. As always, we appreciate our fans' patience and support for us.We love you guys.Why Does Obama Call ISIS 'ISIL'?
Many who closely follow the dueling Islamic terror narratives emanating from the White House are mystified by Mr. Obama's inability (or deliberate unwillingness) to utter the phrase "Islamic terrorists." Many are curious, too, about why he refuses to call ISIS "ISIS," steadfastly insisting instead that everybody in his administration call the terror group "ISIL." What's the difference, and why is it important? The agendas behind each diverge widely. In fact, the variance between the two is elephantine in scale. ISIS stands for the "Islamic State in Iraq and Syria," a terror group controlling a large swath of both Iraq and Syria in which the terrorists claim to have established a "caliphate," a state in which Islamic sharia law is imposed upon all living in the area, anyone who fails to adhere to strict Muslim guidelines has his head removed. Obama's contrary assertions aside, ISIS is by no means contained. In fact, the savage group (which prefers to be called the "Islamic State" or "IS") has metastasized on maps like immense pools of blood covering the ancient borders that once divided parts of Syria and Iraq.
ISIL, Obama's preference, stands for the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant." According to glaphyridae.com, "[t]he Levant in its geographical sense comprises the following political entities: the west part of Syria, Lebanon, west part of Jordan, Palestine (West Bank and Gaza Strip), Israel and Sinai (Egypt)." Other sources claim that it also encompasses parts of Turkey. All of these states embrace Islam, with one very notable exception: Israel, our only "blood brother" ally in the region that all Islamic terrorists want gone, violently and forever. That Obama uses ISIL in discussing the terrorists is extremely telling and chilling. To those of us who keep our fingers on the pulse of Middle Eastern geopolitics, the distinctions separating ISIS and ISIL are by no means meager. It's readily apparent that Obama considers both Israel and its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, thorns in each of his sides. Since 2009, his atrociously dismissive treatment of Netanyahu has been highly embarrassing, shocking, and outrageous, especially to those of us who cherish our relationship with the Jewish state. Israel has proven itself a tried and true friend since its return to its ancient homeland in 1948. Despite some disagreements between the U.S. and the Jewish state, no previous president has shown such a hideous and blatant disregard for Israel's head of state as has Obama. Nor has any previous president ever considered (to our knowledge) or suggested in a way bordering on insistence that Israel relinquish the land it now controls by contracting to its pre-1967 borders. Obama wants just that. Why? For Israel, a return to those boundaries would be suicidal, shrinking the country to a width of a very svelte nine miles and making it essentially indefensible. Besides Israel, Jordan and the Kurds in Northern Iraq have been stalwart friends and allies. Jordan is one of the 65 countries Obama claims are actively "engaged" in taking ISIS/ISIL out. In reality, roughly 60 nations in that vaporous coalition are contributing little or nothing to the cause but allowing their country's names to appear on a meaningless list. One exception, Jordan's King Abdullah II, is an eager participant in the war on ISIS. He traveled to Washington to ask Obama for more weapons so Jordan could better defend itself and play a larger role in the regional fight. In like manner, the Kurds, who constitute one of the fiercest fighting forces in the region, have been enormously supportive of the U.S., but they are fighting ISIS with guns from WWII. They too have requested contemporary weaponry. The plaintive requests from both have been ignored. Why were they rebuffed? Some very suggestive hints can be snipped from the speeches Obama has given, especially in Muslim countries during his humiliating "Apology (we prefer 'Apostasy') Tour." This was where Obama fondly reminisced about his Muslim roots in Indonesia, where he and his mother moved with the latter's second husband, Lolo Soetero, who adopted Obama and renamed him "Barry Soetero." An examination of Barry's Indonesian school record (a form ubiquitous on the web) lists his "Citizenship" as "Indonesian," a country that did not allow dual citizenship when Soetero (Obama) lived in Indonesia, which means Barry had to have relinquished his U.S. passport. Finally, and significantly, his "Religion" is listed as "Islam." When he became president, as he traveled through Muslim lands, he spoke wistfully of Islam. During multiple speeches he said "the holy Quran teaches" so many times we lost count, and he claimed that the Muslim call to prayer at dawn was "the prettiest sound on earth." He was amazingly quick to support the Muslim Brotherhood-inspired Arab Spring by encouraging the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and endorsing Mohamed Morsi as the new Egyptian leader. Morsi was a high-ranking member of the Brotherhood, an insidious, duplicitous organization seeking to foment widespread adoption of sharia law and surreptitiously funnel funds to Islamic terror groups. Taken together, all of this gets us closer to understanding why Obama refuses to call Islamic terrorists what they are. His use of ISIL could be a strong indication that he supports re-establishing Muslim rule and sharia law throughout the Levant, and good riddance to Israel. The somewhat murky and contradictory understanding of which religious tenets Obama truly follows has caused some thorny questions to arise. If he was a Muslim, when did he turn his back on Islam (his biological father's and stepfather's faith) and become a Christian? The answer may lie in a story appearing at the Washington Times website and at the Daily Caller. The Washington Times reports, "Several people who know Barack Obama well perceive him as Muslim. Most remarkably, his half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, has stated: 'My whole family was Muslim.' Her whole family, obviously includes her half-brother, Barack." The same article highlights some doubts about Obama's "Christian" conversion. His spiritual adviser, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, was asked about how he helped Obama renounce Islam. Stunningly, however, Wright claims he's not sure Obama actually did convert from Islam. That, of course, is not proof he isn't a Christian, but it certainly raises eyebrows. Edward Klein, who authored The Amateur, a book about Obama, told the Daily Caller that he interviewed Wright (and has him quoted on tape), who told Klein that he (Wright) "made it comfortable" for Obama to accept Christianity without having to renounce his "Islamic background." We believe it's time to stop whispering about what much of the nation is thinking, but we leave it up to you to decide why Obama calls ISIS ISIL, why he can't bring himself to call Islamic terrorists what they are, and why he acts in a manner that supports Islam over Christianity at every opportunity.NEW HAVEN — It started out as a deeply personal act, that of a father officiating at the wedding of his son.
But it was soon condemned as a public display of ecclesiastical disobedience, because the father, the Rev. Dr. Thomas W. Ogletree, is a minister in the United Methodist Church, which does not allow its clergy to perform same-sex weddings.
Dr. Ogletree, 79, is now facing a possible canonical trial for his action, accused by several New York United Methodist ministers of violating church rules. While he would not be the first United Methodist minister to face discipline for performing a same-sex wedding, he could well be the one with the highest profile. He is a retired dean of Yale Divinity School, a veteran of the nation’s civil rights struggles and a scholar of the very type of ethical issues he is now confronting.
“Sometimes, when what is officially the law is wrong, you try to get the law changed,” Dr. Ogletree, a native of Birmingham, Ala., said in a courtly Southern drawl over a recent lunch at Yale, where he remains an emeritus professor of theological ethics. “But if you can’t, you break it.”First grade means the true start of a formal education. Blend Images/Ariel Skelley/ Getty Images
Welcome to official schooling! Sure, kindergarten was a big deal, but that's really just an introduction -- one that's still pretty relaxed and play-based. This year, your child is going to get down to work.
A bunch of U.S. states don't actually require school attendance before first grade, so this really is the start of your child's formal education; you're in for some exciting stuff. If you thought your child grew up last year, just wait. Most first graders are 6 or 7 years old when this school year begins, and they're capable of a lot more than they were at 5 or 6. By the end of first grade, you'll have a full-on "big kid" on your hands.
Here, five of the coolest discoveries your child will make this year. The first one probably seems completely intuitive to you, but to your little one it can be a revelation...Ben Affleck says a feeling of emptiness in Hollywood led him to create the Eastern Congo Initiative, a grant-making and advocacy organization, in 2009.
While speaking at a panel discussion on Wednesday for the Clinton Global Initiative, the “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” actor, who was seated alongside Chouchou Namegtabe, a founding member of the South Kivu Women’s Media Association, revealed that after years in the spotlight, he felt an overwhelming sense to do good.
Affleck explained, “I was at a point in my life where I was feeling, even by Hollywood standards, sort of especially vacuous and meaningless – like I was doing nothing with the good fortune that I had, and doing nothing with what I had to put back.”
Related: Ben Affleck In Talks To Direct And Star In ‘Witness For The Prosecution’ Remake
The 44-year-old actor revealed that it wasn’t until he came across “a passage in a book” that he became aware of the many casualties from the conflict in Darfur and the war in the Congo. “I consider myself at least moderately well informed and I had no idea that this kind of crisis was unfolding without the world watching it and the human cost that we’ve seen,” he said.
“I wanted to approach this work from a really humble place,” Affleck continued, speaking about the creation of his Eastern Congo Initiative. “I didn’t want to be the celebrity who says, ‘Why in the world would a celebrity be an expert on anything, really other than being a celebrity?'”Jenson Button retired from Sunday's British GP after a collision with team-mate Fernando Alonso at the first corner
McLaren have rubbished speculation they are considering dropping Jenson Button and insist the former world champion will be staying on for at least another season.
Despite McLaren's miserable campaign, and the team's late last year decision to retain Button for 2015 after months of interminable dithering, speculation intensified this weekend at Silverstone that the veteran was racing in his final British GP.
But team boss Ron Dennis is adamant that Button will continue to drive for the team in 2016.
"Jenson Button has a two-year contract with McLaren," Dennis told Sky Sports F1. "We are not even thinking about drivers at the moment."
Chronically handicapped by a Honda engine which has proved to be both slow and unreliable, McLaren's two world champions drivers, Button and Fernando Alonso, have only scored a total of five points to date this term.
"Both of them are doing an amazing job," added Dennis.
The same, unfortunately, cannot be said of Honda with Eric Boullier, McLaren's racing director, acknowledging at Silverstone that their partners were now in a race against time to find a solution to their ongoing problems.
"We have a real challenge with our partners Honda, they are wrestling with reliability as well as performance," said Dennis. "Honda has a huge resource and it is applying it. We are obviously in deep discussion with them on a regular basis and it is not pleasant for them.
"Is it painful? Of course. But you have to use pain as a motivating force. It is a challenge but it is the right challenge because without the support of a company such as Honda I don't think it is possible to win the world championship. We have to go through this pain to get where we want to be."
Barring the occasional adrenaline-fuelled grumble in the aftermath of yet another humbling race weekend, Button and Alonso have displayed admirable stoicism since the start of the season. According to Dennis, his drivers’ unfaltering optimism is a consequence of driving what is, aerodynamically, one of the best cars on the grid.
"It would be very, very easy for both of them to be critical of McLaren - and they are not," said Dennis.
"They are driving the car and they know that the car is extremely quick in corners. It is not quite the match of the Mercedes at the moment but it is in many of the corners and it is certainly a match for most of the cars on the grid. Everyone in Formula 1 knows that. Everyone can look at data and establish where we are quick and where we are slow.
"But there is nothing more certain than that we will be back
"I believe step-by-step we will get there, we want to believe everything we are told by our partners, Honda, and if they deliver against their promises then there is no question that we will be far more competitive in the next few races."
Dennis also revealed in May that Alonso signed a binding three-year contract with McLaren when he agreed to return to the team last year after 'losing faith' in Ferrari's ability to build a championship-winning car.
McLaren CEO Ron Dennis says the team are battling through the pain in their search for a competitive car alongside engine supplier Honda. McLaren CEO Ron Dennis says the team are battling through the pain in their search for a competitive car alongside engine supplier Honda.
Don't miss the F1 Midweek Report for all the analysis of the British GP. Former FIA president Max Mosley and F1 correspondent for The Times Kevin Eason join Natalie Pinkham in the studio. Catch it at 8:30pm on Wednesday July 8 on Sky Sports F1.EXETER, NH - JANUARY 08: Republican presidential candidate former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (L) looks on as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks during a rally at Exeter High School on January 8, 2012 in Exeter, New Hampshire. With days to go before the New Hampshire primary, Mitt Romney is making a final campaign swing through the state. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
On Sunday, Jan. 8., New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was speaking at a Romney for President rally in New Hampshire when he was interrupted by some female hecklers. It’s difficult to make out exactly what Christie’s critics were yelling, but it’s something to do with jobs going down. Ever the class act, Christie’s response: “You know, something may be going down tonight, but it ain’t going to be jobs, sweetheart.” He then goes on to insult the women by saying that if they were from Jersey, they wouldn’t be so silly as to think that his policies don’t support job creation. (That’s the way to win New Hampshire voters for Romney at the upcoming primary: insult them by saying that Jersey voters are smarter!)
The video, which does not make Christie look great, wasn’t some hidden-camera “gotcha” depicting a private moment, a la the 2006 “macaca” video that may have cost George Allen his Senate seat. Rather, it was uploaded to the New Jersey GOP’s YouTube account. They seem to think his remark about “going down” is a zinger, something to be proud of, rather than recognizing it as flagrantly demeaning, even misogynistic. How would Christie have responded to male protesters saying the same thing? Probably not by changing the subject to what acts they perform in the bedroom. His handlers should be apologizing for the remark, not promoting it.
Funnily enough, Salon’s Tracy Clark-Flory has a new piece up about the prudes of the GOP. Clearly, Christie isn’t in that camp.At a so-called “storm relief event” on Tuesday, GOP hopeful Mitt Romney repeatedly refused to answer questions about his promise to eliminate the federal agency responsible for responding to disasters like Hurricane Sandy, which devastated much of the east coast this week.
“TV pool asked Romney at least five times whether he would eliminate FEMA as president/what he would do with FEMA,” according to a pool report. “He ignored the [questions] but they are audible on cam. The music stopped at points and the [questions] would have been audible to him.”
A subsequent pool report elaborated on some of the specific questions the Republican presidential nominee refused to answer:
“Gov are you going to eliminate FEMA?” a print pooler shouted, receiving no response.
Wires reporters asked more questions about FEMA that were ignored. Romney kept coming over near pool to pick up more water. He ignored these questions: “Gov are you going to see some storm damage?”
“Gov has [New Jersey Gov.] Chris Christie invited you to come survey storm damage?” “Gov you’ve been asked 14 times, why are you refusing to answer the question?”
As The Huffington Post’s Ryan Grimm noted on Sunday, Romney had pledged to “absolutely” abolish the Federal Emergency Management Agency when asked about it by CNN’s John King during a Republican primary debate earlier this year.
“Every time you have an occasion to take something from the federal government and send it back to the states, that’s the right direction,” the former Massachusetts governor said, adding that it would be “even better” to “send it back to the private sector.”
At the time, King even pressed Romney on whether he would completely eliminate federal disaster relief.
“We cannot — we cannot afford to do those things without jeopardizing the future for our kids,” the candidate insisted.”It is simply immoral, in my view, for us to continue to rack up larger and larger debts and pass them on to our kids, knowing full well that we’ll all be dead and gone before it’s paid off. It makes no sense at all.”
Campaign spokesperson Amanda Henneberg on Monday reiterated that Romney still believed that disaster relief should be left up to the states.
“Governor Romney believes that states should be in charge of emergency management in responding to storms and other natural disasters in their jurisdictions,” Henneberg said. “As the first responders, states are in the best position to aid affected individuals and communities and to direct resources and assistance to where they are needed most. This includes help from the federal government and FEMA.”
The Grio managing editor Joy-Ann Reid told MSNBC’s Alex Wagner on Tuesday that Romney might have a good reason for wanting to avoid questions about FEMA less than a week before the election.
“Do you know who likes FEMA? Florida,” Reid explained. “Florida loves FEMA and Florida is a very close state and Florida has had to rely on FEMA a lot because a lot of hurricanes have hit there. And you know who else is about to like FEMA? West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina. I mean, there are a lot of states where people say, ‘I don’t like the government, I don’t want the government in my life.’ But when something like this happens, you know who you want in your life? The government.”
Watch this video from MSNBC’s Now with Alex Wagner, broadcast Oct. 30, 2012.
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy%3NHK
North Korea launched a rocket just before 8 p.m. EST (9:51 a.m. Wednesday South Korean local time), and it later fell into the ocean 200 miles east of the Philippines, Yonhap News Agency reports.
It traveled an approximate distance of about 1600 - 1800 miles. More astounding though is that no one saw it coming. After a bit of misdirection this morning when they announced a delay, many wondered if the launch would happen at all, some were already calling it a failure.
The launch is the result of a year's worth of planning and assistance and we predicted earlier today that this launch would be a success.
North Korea has claimed that the purpose of the rocket is to put a satellite in orbit, but others say that it's just a test for long-range ballistic missiles.
Though no satellite ended up in orbit, North Korea certainly shocked the world, and showed that anyone within a 1500 mile radius is a viable target.
***
Here's what we wrote shortly before the surprise launch:
The media seemed to think that Pyongyang's inglorious prior launch somehow dictated future failure, but we felt that disingenuous and BI Military & Defense predicted DPRK success this year.
Maybe it was a reaction to the lazy media response surrounding the North's decision to halt the launch, pull the rocket apart, and make adjustments as a laughable indication of the failure to come.
We didn't agree, and even before tonight's launch we saw several reasons why this effort had a better chance of success than the one's before it.
First, the proof that North Korea understood its technological limitations and sought to fill its lack of understanding was confirmed in July of this year when two DPRK agents were arrested in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine.
Ukraine is the former Soviet country where 70 percent of all the Kremlin's Cold War ballistic missile production took place. Dnipropetrovsk, specifically, is the heart of that effort and was closed off to the outside world from World War II to 1991. In Dnipropetrovsk is a massive solid-fuel missile plant called Yuzmash, along with scholars and students exercising some of the sharpest aerospace engineering minds in the world.
The North Koreans were caught photographing some of these students PhD dissertations marked "Secret" that held "progressive technologies in building rocket systems, spacecraft, liquid-fuel engines, rocket fuel supply systems, and other know how," according to the Kiev Post.
If two DPRK agents were caught it seems safe to assume there were a handful of others that were not caught and returned to Pyongyang with the information they sought.
Even if there weren't, and the only two spies sent to glean needed missile tech were busted by the Ukraine Security Service, Iran is reportedly on hand for this year's launch.
Iran has enjoyed the fruits of Chinese ballistic missile research since at least the mid-90s and there's little reason to imagine Tehran would not do what it could to help the North with this launch.
Reuters reported the Iranians were on site December 2, but only as the launch date was extended and the rocket brought down has Tehran denied a presence on the ground.
Regardless, delaying a rocket launch rather than plowing forth unaware of impending problems could reveal a sophistication and understanding that was not a part of North Korea's previous long range ballistic missile launches.
And even if the delay was just the correction of an obvious problem, the care it implied suggested this launch had a better chance of success than those before it.David Sirlin just published an article on his design blog regarding the newly released competitive mode for Overwatch. In it, he highlights some of the problems with the format, problems that result in a lot of draws. Sirlin approaches them from the perspective of tournament play, which is his forte. He asserts that the fundamental issue with the game types in question is that the number of rounds they require is even when it really should be odd. It’s a simple solution, but when you analyze the dynamics of that game type, it really isn’t so simple. And there’s a bigger problem than that because of one of Sirlin’s underlying assumptions: that the competitive mode needs to have a tournament format. But Overwatch competitive mode isn’t a tournament – it’s a ladder. And there’s a huge difference.
The Challenge of Asymmetry
To start with, here’s what you need to know: Overwatch has two game types in particular that are causing us issues. The first is “Assault,” a game where the two teams are split into an attacking team and a defending team. The attacking team must take and occupy a sequence of control points, in order, before time runs out. Every point they take flips to their control permanently. That means that defense can only prevent the attackers from taking a point – they can’t capture it back. As such, their goal is to hold the attackers off of the current contested point for as long as they can, hopefully until time runs out.
The second game type is “Payload,” a similar game where the teams are split the same way. In Payload, the attackers are still trying to capture points, but they do so by moving a cart forward on a track. Any time there’s at least one attacker and zero defenders present near the cart, it moves forward. When the cart reaches a control point, it flips permanently, just like in Assault. Defenders must keep the attackers off the cart, and the cart away from the last control point, until time runs out. In both game types, both teams get a chance to play both attack and defense, and their performance is scored by the number of control points they took during their turn on offense. The problem: there are only so many control points on the map, and if both teams’ attack runs end up pushing all the way and capturing the final control point, they’ll both get maximum score for the map. Hence the problem with draws.
The whole issue can be framed as a problem with a truly asymmetric game – the goals of Team A and Team B are different goals. It’s really hard to know if offense and defense are balanced against each other, and if one side has it easier, then it’s kind of a coin flip who gets to win (i.e. whoever gets the easier side). This is especially true if matchmaking is any good, because ideally you’re striving for a 50% win chance for both teams. But if one team gets the advantaged side, that undermines all your matchmaking efforts. This dynamic is the entire reason why we switch sides at all: to give both teams a shot at both sides. That way it doesn’t matter if offense is balanced against defense – you get to do both.
It’s important to have a clear understanding of the problem so that you solve the right thing. Right now, Blizzard is solving draws by having a sudden death round where one team has a shorter amount of time to push only the first point on the map. Sirlin seems to believe that the reason people don’t like the tie-breaker round is that it’s not a proper round three, but an abbreviated pseudo-round. Actually, the real problem with the tie-breaker round is that by deciding the attacker with a coin flip, we’re right back where we started. We just got done giving both teams a chance at both sides in the interest of fairness, and now we’re going to undermine that in the worst possible way. Not only does one team get the advantaged side (whichever that happens to be), but if the advantaged side is attack, they’re maximizing the advantage by having them only capture the first point. If this is what we were going to do all along, then we shouldn’t have even played the first two rounds – they have no bearing on the sudden death round and were a huge waste of time.
But wasting time is exactly what Sirlin wants to do. He has an obsession with tourney-style rules and as such is a big believer in having the third round – in other words adding time to the match. In the TLDR, he even suggests tacking on some other game in the event of a tie, something like King of the Hill. Well gee, Sirlin, why did we even play this whole game of Assault if the game that actually mattered at the end was KotH? Why don’t we settle it with an ARAM match of League of Legends? Maybe a round of Calvinball?
Truth is, there’s a completely acceptable solution that’s staring everybody right in the face, and nobody’s willing to admit it: tie-break by comparing time taken or distance traveled. It’s a better solution than anything suggested so far for two big reasons. First, it doesn’t change the logical definition of the game. The game never stops being assault or payload. It doesn’t turn into something weird like mini-assault or KotH. It’s two teams comparing who can better accomplish the goal of a unified game. It doesn’t get any more honest than that.
Second, and more importantly, it keeps the matches as short as possible. It’s already kind of onerous that we even have to play twice at all. We have to remember that switching sides isn’t just another wave of the designer’s magic wand, because switching sides isn’t free – it’s a compromise that we made. We sacrificed player time in the interest of a fair match. Ideally we wouldn’t want to make the match twice as long, but it’s a trade-off that we made to even play this type of game at all. Trying to fix the resultant ties by tacking on even more rounds or, in Sirlin’s case, entire other games is the opposite of what we should be doing, because every second the match goes on is precious. Striving for the match to take up more seconds takes an already non-ideal situation and makes it even worse.
The Difference Between Tournaments and Ladders
So why does Sirlin want to do add more time? It’s that fixation on tourney-style rules. A tournament has to be relentlessly obsessed with “Who is the best one here?” Time is a factor there, too, because people at the tournament want to go home someday, but no self-respecting tournament would end any match in a draw, so time necessarily takes a back seat. As such Sirlin expects that time always takes a back seat any time you hear the word ‘competitive.’
But competitive mode isn’t a tournament. It’s a ladder.
Competitive ladders and tournaments are two different things. While both a tournament and a ladder are interested in who the best players are, the ladder is only interested |
not asking us to do this simply because it is the right thing to do. But because forgiveness is the right thing to do, it is a path to joy. And God wants us to have joyful hearts.
Pope Francis writes that mercy is “a wellspring of joy, serenity and peace.”
Sometimes in our world, merciful hearts are mocked. A merciful heart is seen as a weak heart. Rather, it is righteous anger that seems to be the preferred expression of courage.
We trust righteous anger; we do not trust merciful hearts.
For many of us, the first recourse before, during and after conflict is not to humbly seek the forgiveness of God and to forgive others. Rather, it is to blow our tops, to rage and rant, and to demand justice without a drop of mercy (which, as Aquinas would tell us, is not true justice).
Why is this?
Because mercy is much more difficult.
Mercy is the path of the truly courageous. It is not a virtue that makes us a doormat, a weakling or a pansy. It is the virtue that heals our wounded hearts so that we can respond to others like Christ—with assertiveness, love, objectivity, and peace.
Pope Francis writes: “In [the Gospel], mercy is presented as a force that overcomes everything, filling the heart with love and bringing consolation through pardon” (emphasis mine).
Through forgiveness, mercy is the force that overcomes everything.
Mercy and forgiveness are the oils the Lord uses to heal our wounds. Our wounds never completely go away, but they make us stronger, rather than weaker, more open, rather than afraid and closed, more peaceful rather than fearful and angry.
In this Year of Mercy, may we allow our maimed hearts to be healed by our Divine Physician with the oil of mercy, so that we may become more like Christ for others.
Most sacred, forgiving Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
Sister Theresa Aletheia Noble, FSP, is the author of The Prodigal You Love: Inviting Loved Ones Back to the Church. She recently pronounced her first vows with the Daughters of Saint Paul. She blogs at Pursued by Truth."We have nuclear bombs": this is what was said on February 19 on Russia Today by the Saudi political analyst, Daham al-Anzi, de facto spokesman for Riyadh. He repeated it on another Arab channel. Saudi Arabia had already declared [1] its intention to acquire nuclear weapons from Pakistan (not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty), of whom it finances 60% of the military nuclear program. Now, through al-Anzi, the Saudis have indicated that they started buying them two years ago. Of course, for Riyadh, this is to confront the "Iranian threat" in Yemen, Iraq and Syria, where "the Russians aid Assad." That is to say, where Russia supports the Syrian government to free the country from Daesh (Islamic state) and other terrorist groups, financed and armed by Saudi Arabia as part of the US / NATO strategy.
Riyadh has over 250 fighter-bombers with dual conventional and nuclear capability, provided by the US and by the European powers. Since 2012, Saudi Arabia is part of the "Nato Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency," the NATO agency that manages European Eurofighter and Tornado fighters, of which Riyadh bought from Britain twice the number of that of the whole Royal Air Force. In the same context, enter the imminent 8 billion EUR maxi contract - thanks to Minister Roberta Pinotti, efficient sales representative for the supply of weapons – to supply Kuwait (ally of Saudi Arabia) with 28 Eurofighter fighter Typhoons, built by a consortium including Finmeccanica with British, German and Spanish industries. This is the largest order ever obtained by Finmeccanica whose coffers will absorb half the 8 billion. Guaranteed with 4 billion in funding by a pool of banks, including Unicredit and Intesa Sanpaolo, and the group Sace Cassa Depositi e Prestiti.
And thus accelerates the conversion of military Finmeccanica, with outstanding results for those who enrich themselves with war: in 2015 Finmeccanica share value grew by 67%. Right in the face of the "Arms Trade Treaty" ratified by parliament in 2013, which states that "no State Party shall knowingly authorize the transfer of arms if the weapons could be used for attacks against civilian targets or subjects, or for other war crimes. " Faced with the denunciation that the weapons provided by Italy are used by Saudi and Kuwaiti air forces for the massacre of civilians in Yemen, Minister Pinotti replies: "Let us not transform the states that are our allies in the battle against Daesh into enemies. This would be a very serious mistake. "
This would be especially a "mistake" to allow it to be known who are our "allies" Saudi and Kuwaiti: absolute monarchies, where power is concentrated in the hands of the ruler and his family circle, where parties and trade unions are banned; where immigrant workers (10 million in Saudi Arabia, about half of the labor force; 2 million to 2.9 million people in Kuwait) live in conditions of exploitation and slavery, where those who call for the most basic human rights are hanged or beheaded.
In these hands, "democratic" Italy places bombers capable of carrying nuclear bombs, knowing that Saudi Arabia already has them and that they can also be used by Kuwait.
At the "International Humanitarian Law Conference," minister Pinotti, after stressing the importance of "respecting the norms of international law," concluded that "Italy is a immensely credible and respected country."Image copyright Google/Thinkstock Image caption The dog (similar to foxhound pictured) was running loose in traffic
Officers were justified in using a patrol car to kill a dog running loose on the A55, a review for North Wales Police has said.
The foxhound was deliberately run over near Conwy in February after police could not bring it under control.
The review said no action should be taken against the officers involved.
But it also recommended the force should introduce new procedures for dealing with similar incidents in future.
Traffic police drove at the dog at high speed on the dual carriageway between Llanfairfechan roundabout and the Conwy tunnel in the early hours of 22 February.
Firearms officers were sent to the scene, but there was concern they would not be able to get a safe shot.
The dog had gone missing from a hunt and police said the owner supported the force's decision.
'Regrettable'
The force voluntarily referred the incident to the Independent Police Complaints Commission because of the level of public concern.
The IPCC determined that North Wales Police should continue with its own investigation and advised on the makeup of the review panel, which included a vet, a representative of the RSPCA and a senior officer from the Metropolitan Police's Dog Support Unit.
The review has also recommended that patrol vehicles should carry slip leads and nets, which may have helped in this case.
Officers should get expert advice from dog handlers and vets if a similar situation happens again, it said.
Deputy Chief Constable Gareth Pritchard said: "It is regrettable that the dog died in this way and I fully understand the level of public concern.
"I am grateful to the panel who gave their time and expertise to carefully consider all aspects of the incident and for their diligence in coming to their conclusions and recommendations, which along with the learning points are being put in place by the force."A pair of Queen Victoria’s cotton knickers with a 114-centimetre waistline. Photo: Chippenham Auction RoomChippenham Auction Rooms/PA Wire
A pair of Queen Victoria’s cotton knickers with a 114-centimetre waistline could fetch thousands of pounds when they go under the hammer next week.
The pants will be sold alongside nightdresses, stockings and hats worn by Queen Victoria and her third child, Princess Alice.
All items of clothing, from the Yesterday’s World museum in Sussex, bear the stamp VR – short for Victoria Regina.
Auctioneer Richard Edmonds said the royal clothing is in “excellent” condition, having been preserved in tissue paper in a temperature controlled storeroom.
Edmonds, the principal auctioneer at Chippenham Auction Rooms in Wiltshire, dated the pants by measuring the waistline – 114cm.
“This is a particularly eclectic sale with a strong royal theme,” he said.
“Victorian royal clothing comes up for sale occasionally but rarely in this excellent condition.
“Items of Queen Victoria’s clothing were often given to members of the royal household, particularly after her death in 1901.
“There’s a lot more interest from abroad in this type of royal clothing than from UK collectors.
“The market in America and Russia is very strong so we could see lots of buying online or over the phone, or possibly in person at the auction rooms.
“We’ve been able to date the pants by measuring the waistband.
“As there’s such a good photographic record of Queen Victoria, it’s possible to calculate her waist measurement over time, so we know roughly when she would have worn items of this size.”
Other royal items included on the sale, on July 11, are a set of replicas of the Crown Jewels and royal memorabilia from the Victorian era to the death of Princess Diana.
Victorian silverware, antique furniture and the propeller from a 1935 Gypsy 3 biplane will also go under the hammer.
In 2014, a pair of Queen Victoria’s bloomers sold at an auction house in Kent for £6,200.A Florida woman accused of murder says the victim masturbated in front of her — but relatives of the 53-year-old social worker, who identified as gay, say her allegations are absurd.
Jaidan Sinead Zeiders, 26, of Tampa, was arrested Friday in connection with the Jan. 14 death of William Denham Jr., according the Tampa Bay Times.
Zeiders told police that Denham trespassed into her backyard and masturbated in her presence. She claimed she instructed two other men to attack him out of self defense, but denied participating in the beatdown herself.
“He never would have attacked anyone,” the victim’s sister Maureen Tourigian told the Tampa Bay Times. “Anyone who knows know him know that, and that he never would expose himself to a woman. He wasn’t interested.”
Denham was found clinging to his life on the sidewalk after the assault, news station WTVT reported. His groceries were laying next to his body.
Tampa Police said he was rushed to St. Joseph’s Hospital, where he later died of his injuries.
Medical examiners confirmed that Denham, Jr. died of blunt trauma to the face and body.
Zeiders faces charges of second degree murder. She is being held at Hillsborough County Jail on $100,000 bail.
A witness reportedly told cops he saw Zeiders and her pals beating and kicking Denham, Jr., and that heard the word “pedophile” used during the attack.
The two individuals Zeiders fingered as the real attackers are known to police, but have not been charged yet.Former Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke (D) is not afraid to toss the f-bomb at inquiring reporters from his hometown newspaper.
"'F--- you and the horse you rode in on.' I'm David Clarke and I approve this message," Clarke wrote last week in an email to Daniel Bice, a self-described "political watchdog columnist" for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Several of you have asked to see a screenshot of the exchange with @SheriffClarke's new official email account. Here you go. pic.twitter.com/OfftY9y1jq — Daniel Bice (@DanielBice) September 20, 2017
The email response came after Bice sent a list of questions to Clarke asking how the former sheriff felt about the loss of his round-the-clock security detail and the costly expenditures that the constant protection has racked up for taxpayers to cover.
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Bice reported last week that Milwaukee County, Wis., had spent more than $220,000 in 2017 to provide protection for Clarke due to the "multiplicity of threats" against him after he left his post late last month.
Clarke and his team appeared to enjoy sending Bice goading emails. In one, also shared by Bice on Twitter, a member of Clarke's staff asked if the reporter would like an extra-small shirt featuring a likeness of the sheriff — a gift in which "no tax dollars will be used."
Best email from @SheriffClarke and his team since he offered to buy me a Christmas present last year. Read below. pic.twitter.com/a8wb9R5jla — Daniel Bice (@DanielBice) September 20, 2017
Clarke, a vocal supporter of President Trump, joined the pro-Trump America First Action super PAC as a spokesman and senior adviser earlier this month.
Clarke has a history of lashing out at reporters.
In May, he went after CNN reporter Andrew Kaczynski, calling him a “sleaze bag,” a “hired gun” and a “CNN hack” on Twitter after he published a report that said Clarke had plagiarized his master's thesis.There were two very different sets of attendees in the City of Orlando and Orange County skybox suites when the Rolling Stones rocked the Citrus Bowl last month.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer enjoyed the tunes in the free skybox suite with some of Dyer’s top political and business supporters. Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs and County Commissioners used their skybox suite in a different manner, records show. The County skybox tickets were all donated to various charities, seven different charities in total.
In keeping with her own practice of distributing these tickets to charitable groups, Mayor Jacobs has established an unwritten policy urging the Board of County Commissioners to donate tickets to non-profit organizations. “This is actually a continuation of the practice I first established as the District 1 commissioner, and it has now become our model,” Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs said.
Based on the attendee list for the City of Orlando skybox suite, more questions could be raised about the proper use of the public skybox suites by city elected officials, as the Orlando Venues are public venues.
Inside the City skybox, Dyer and his wife, Karen, were joined by some of City Hall’s top officials. Chief of Staff Frank Billingsley, CFO Rebecca Sutton and newly appointed City Clerk Celeste Brown were all in the suite, and each brought a guest. Commissioner Regina Hill was also in attendance as a guest of the Mayor in the skybox.
Jay Berlinsky, a longtime friend of Mayor Dyer, joined the other city officials with a guest as well. Berlinsky is the founder and owner of SC Advisors, a development company that has worked on various city projects including the Amway Center and Citrus Bowl. In 2013, the Orlando City Council approved a no-bid contract with Berlinsky to serve as the city’s representative during the Citrus Bowl renovations, which was pushed by Dyer. His company was paid $14,500 a month under a three-year contract, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Berlinsky’s company had the same role during the Amway construction.
Must be nice to be friends with Buddy Dyer. No-bid contracts, huge payouts from the City and free skybox tickets to the Rolling Stones with the Mayor. But perhaps Berlinsky did “pay” for the tickets, using campaign contributions to repay Dyer. Just four days after the June 12th Rolling Stones concert, Berlinksy’s wife Kathleen donated $500 to Dyer’s re-election campaign. That same day, Berlinsky’s SC Advisors also donated $500 to Dyer’s campaign. Berlinsky also was Executive Vice President of CNL Realty, which by the end of June, had donated $7,000 to Dyer’s re-election.
Also joining Dyer in the skybox was Greg Lee, a partner at powerhouse law firm Baker & Hostetler, who specializes in sports law, land use, real estate development and government relations. Lee was recently appointed to the OUC Board, where his term ends December 31, 2016, and was the Orlando Magic team counsel involved in pushing the Magic entertainment complex next to the Amway Center. Lee also served as lead outside counsel to the United States Tennis Association (USTA) in the development of what will be the national headquarters of USTA Player Development in Lake Nona.
Political consultant and lawyer-lobbyist Screven Watson also joined the mayor in the skybox. Watson was the former Executive Director for the Florida Democratic Party when Dyer was minority leader in the state senate. Watson was an adviser for Dyer in Tallahassee, and also aided Dyer’s previous statewide campaign effort when he ran for Attorney General. Interestingly, Celeste Brown recently left her longtime position in Senator Bill Nelson’s office to come to City Hall and it makes you wonder if any conversations in the skybox hinted at possible future campaign plans for Dyer.
Another close Dyer ally and personal friend, Jennifer Quigley, attended the concert as a guest of the Mayor. Quigley served as chairwomen for See Art Orlando and is an appointed member of Dyer’s Downtown (DTO) Task Force. Years ago, Dyer even declared one day as “Jennifer Quigley Day” to honor her, according to Orlando Magazine.
It’s clear Mayor Dyer likes to entertain and show off to his closest allies and friends, especially when a huge event like the Rolling Stones concert comes to Orlando. But Dyer’s attendee list is very different compared to Orange County’s attendees.
At the June 12th Rolling Stones Citrus Bowl concert, seven different charities benefited from the Orange County skybox suite compared to the political supporters of Mayor Dyer. Twelve tickets were distributed to the Board of County Commissioners, with each Commissioner receiving two tickets, and four tickets were retained by Mayor Jacobs’ office.
“At the end of the day, public service is about helping others and this is just one small way that the Mayor’s office and the rest of the Board of County Commissioners are able to help the community in which we all serve,” Mayor Jacobs said.
According to the terms of the Community Venues Interlocal Agreement, the City of Orlando and Orange County each get skybox privileges. The two mayors have the option of using up to 24 tickets each, but typically elect to use 16 tickets as they will be charged to use tickets 17-24, based on information provided by Orange County.
Mayor Jacobs donated her four Rolling Stones skybox tickets to Wounded Warriors. The six other charities, each receiving two skybox tickets for the Rolling Stones from Orange County, were Make-A-Wish Foundation (District 1), Loaves and Fishes (District 2), Florida Abolitionist (District 3), Just 1 Book (District 4), Canine Companions (District 5), and Harbor House (District 6). The impact and benefits for the non-profits is clear.
“There are so many worthy non-profits in Central Florida, and our office has received great feedback from donating tickets to help in their fundraising,” Mayor Jacobs added. “Some of the non-profits that have benefited include Wounded Warriors, I-Dignity and Kids Beating Cancer.”
What a difference in the tale of two Citrus Bowl skybox suites at the Rolling Stones concert.CLOSE Paul Dehner Jr. puts Marty Brennaman on the hot seat during "The Closer" session on Beyond the Bases from the Moerlein Lager House.
Jim Kelch, who has been calling Reds games since 2010, did not have his contract renewed for 2018. (Photo: Enquirer file)
There will be one fewer voice on Reds broadcasts as the team did not renew the contract of Jim Kelch for 2018.
Kelch, 59, had been with the team since the 2010 season, serving on both radio and television broadcasts.
“Our goal is mostly to simplify, fewer people doing games,” said Karen Forgus, the Reds’ senior vice president of business operations.
Kelch was a Reds employee, as are Marty Brennaman, Thom Brennaman and Jeff Brantley. Forgus said all three are under contract for 2018. The Reds are in the process of re-evaluating their broadcast team.
Kelch was informed last month that his contract was not being renewed.
“They simply told me that with Marty (Brennaman) nearing the finish line that they were going to go in another direction in setting up the person who was going to follow him and I was not that person, so they were not renewing my contract,” Kelch told The Enquirer.
According to Forgus, the team is not actively seeking Brennaman’s replacement but did say the team had identified that it would not be Kelch.
Brennaman has been working on one-year contracts each of the last three seasons and is returning for 2018. Forgus said the Reds want Brennaman to continue as long as possible.
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Kelch joined the Reds in December of 2009 after 21 years as the lead radio and TV play-by-play announcer for Triple-A Louisville. Kelch continues to serve as the play-by-play voice for Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball.
“For me, it's simply trying to find another job in baseball and if that doesn't work out, finding another job period,” Kelch said. “I enjoyed my eight years with the Reds and they were the best years of my working life. But that's behind me now and I have to move on and try to do something else and I hope something good works out.”In early April 1945, Arthur Mainzer, barely 22, was a United States Army Air Forces cameraman assigned to documenting the war in Europe; he’d been serving for three years, and, so far, World War II had not been a horrific experience for him. In fact, it had been exciting. He’d had adventures, suffered no injuries and fallen in love. Already, the Allies were sensing victory, the Nazi military was clearly in its death rattle, and Mainzer was looking for the war to be over so he could marry Germaine, the French woman he’d fallen for, and bring her back with him to the States.
Mainzer, who is Catholic, was born in Canada, and when he was very young, his family moved to Chicago, where he grew up in a neighborhood with people of various races and religions, including Jews. As a youth, he kept up with the war news, and in 1942, soon after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces.
He’d been a film hobbyist in high school, so the Army sent him to technical school in Denver, where he learned the ins and outs of film cameras. He was then assigned to a unit in Culver City, working on military training films with an actor named Ronald Reagan.
By November 1943, Mainzer was assigned to be a combat cameraman in Europe. There, in a film unit headed by Capt. Ellis Carter, he accompanied many bombing missions; archival footage of his unit’s work shows bombs, sometimes as tracer-like streaks of light, hitting — or missing — their target.
In June 1944, soon after D-Day, Mainzer’s unit filmed bombing runs in Normandy and beyond. In the spring of 1945, three weeks before victory was declared in Europe, Mainzer was called upon to handle a special mission: He and his superior officer, Carter, were told to drive deep into Germany to a town called Weimar, where, they were told, a nearby labor camp had just been liberated. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower had ordered the soldiers in Gen. George Patton’s Third Army — who had entered that camp the day before — not to touch anything until the area was thoroughly filmed, and that was the job assigned to Mainzer and Carter.
“It took a long while for me to get over this. It’s something you never want to see. … You never want to see again.” — Holocaust cameraman Arthur Mainzer
So the two, traveling by jeep, made the six-hour trip across Germany. As they drove, they talked about technical matters: They discussed how to handle their recently acquired 16-millimeter color Kodachrome camera, and they talked about their lack of a tripod, which would force them to do hand-held shots using heavy rolls of 100-foot film, whose weight would make it difficult for them to brace themselves.
On April 15, 1945, the two cameramen arrived at Buchenwald. Nothing could have prepared them for what they saw — and smelled and felt — when they stepped into the camp. Just inside, they were greeted by a large sign that read: “JEDEM DAS SEINE,” a German expression that literally means, “To each his own,” but really means: “Everyone gets what he deserves.”
In the film “Shooting War,” Mainzer is quoted on camera: “As a soldier in the American army, I had no knowledge of these [concentration] camps. I had not heard anything about it. It was horrible. There were bodies stacked up like cordwood.”
Mainzer, now 92, lives in Agoura Hills, north of Los Angeles, and his heart-wrenching concentration camp footage captured that April day and afterward went on to be used as damning evidence during the Nuremberg Trials. It has been archived by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Veterans History Project and has appeared in at least two documentaries: the recently aired “Night Will Fall” and “Shooting War” from 2000, both of which include on-camera interviews with Mainzer. A 20-minute YouTube clip of camp horrors that he filmed has been viewed more than 25,000 times.
Today, Mainzer is gentle, good-humored and still — as the Irish say — a fine figure of a man. He was friendly and forthcoming during a visit by a Journal reporter, but he suffers from the early effects of Alzheimer’s disease, which makes it hard for him to give coherent answers to questions. Fortunately, he also gave interviews years ago, some of which are in the public record, and those accounts, along with the interview done this past week by the Journal, provide a personal dimension to the shattering images he captured on film.
“There was an awful stench,” he told the Journal of that first shocking visit to Buchenwald. “I shot almost all the footage because Carter just couldn’t do it — it was too much for him. He was sick; he couldn’t stand the sight of it, so he loaded the camera, and I shot. I didn’t feel so good either, especially in the close-ups.”
Scenes captured by young combat cameraman Mainzer immediately following the Allies’ liberation of Buchenwald
Mainzer’s footage shows huge numbers of dead bodies, skin-and-bone, piled haphazardly on a flatbed truck or lying on the ground. For each shot, he focused the camera on a single scene, as steady as he could for a long time, as much as 25 to 30 seconds for a single image. As the camera focuses on, or pans slowly across, bodies of people who have starved to death, 30 seconds can seem an eternity.
Then, often, the camera zooms in for a close-up. Even now, some 70 years since it was made, to watch the film is still unbearable.
Just as Mainzer was shooting, Eisenhower ordered the Third Army liberators to go into nearby Weimar and gather all the adult residents. In an interview carried out by the USC-Shoah Foundation, Leo Hymes, an American soldier from Idaho who helped liberate the camp, describes how he and his fellow GIs brought the local Germans into Buchenwald to witness what was there. “We marched everyone in that town through the camp, and we made sure they dug the graves,” Hymes said.
Mainzer filmed that event, too, in color. “German civilians from Weimar were paraded through a tour of the camp to show them the atrocities, to show them what the Germans had done,” Mainzer said in his interview in “Shooting War.” “Many of these locals wouldn’t even look at the … bodies. Some were crying or had their mouth and nose covered with a handkerchief. … In the film, you can see that they did this [only] because they were required to; they weren’t too interested in looking at the atrocity.”
“In my mind’s eye there’s an image burned,” Hymes said in the Shoah Foundation footage, “of this big, strapping woman in an SS uniform, with her sensible shoes, carrying this broken, naked skeleton of a body over her shoulders, with her mouth covered with her handkerchief as she takes this body to be dumped into the mass grave on top of thousands of other bodies.”
Benjamin Ferencz is a Jewish, Hungarian-born American lawyer sent by Patton to investigate Buchenwald after its liberation. He, too, was there when Mainzer was filming the camp. In Ferencz’s interview for “When Night Falls,” he says: “It was like peering into hell.” As an eyewitness to the horror, Ferencz would later serve as one of the prosecutors at Nuremberg.
There are images that, once seen, can never be unseen. Near the beginning of Mainzer’s YouTube footage, a dark-bearded man lies on the ground on his back, his head turned to one side. His eye sockets appear empty. His arms are placed over his chest in such a way that the fingers of his thin and delicate hands are laced, palms on his chest. A close-up of his forearm reveals a large “slave labor” tattoo: 126747.
The camera pans across piles and piles of twisted, emaciated bodies. The effects of disease, torture and starvation are obvious.
In an interview for the Veterans History Project, Mainzer described the scene: There “were areas where bodies were stacked up; they didn’t have time to burn them or bury them because the Allies were approaching. The Germans were getting ready to cremate some, but they didn’t have the time; they could hear the warfront approaching, so the SS guys [who ran] the camps just took off.”
The footage also shows human beings barely hanging on to life, some dressed in the now-familiar uniforms with wide vertical stripes. One man holds his hands clasped in front of him, as if in prayer, but the gesture is clearly meant as a thank-you to the liberators. There’s also a young man, legs much too weak and withered to hold him up, leaning against a doorway. And there’s a 4-year-old child amid the silent color footage, trying to smile — but the only expression he can manage is tears.How To Watch Downton Abbey Season 4 in the U.S.!
*So happy to report that it WORKED and you are now able to view previous episodes for up to one month. Information and links below!!!!*
Hi Downton Abbey Fans!
I know everyone is excited about the new season starting September 22, 2013 at 9pm in the UK! After last years disappointing season, I know we are all anxious for a bit of happiness, right? Hopefully, nobody will die this season. That would be amazing. What do you think will happen?!
If you started following my posts last year for Season 3 from this post, thanks so much for sticking around with me this last year! I have received MANY requests and dare I say a plea or two to share if and HOW I plan on sharing Season 4. Last season, I did no more than provide a place where you could find all of the links in one place. The videos are not hosted by my blog and I have no control over them.
I have no ethical issue watching this show through legal internet means. People in the UK are able to watch the shows after they air in the same way that we can watch them on PBS here in the U.S. after they air. Because of the internet, the rules change in a big way. The way I view it, people in the UK are watching them legally online, therefore I should be able to, even if an ocean away. I, personally, pay for all of my music and movies legally and never attempt to break the law. I see the attempt to keep this out of our hands, a way to make more money and put pretend barriers up for the U.S. from the UK. What? Craziness.
ANYWAY, you guys really just want to know how to watch, right?
**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be patient with each option. Not every option will work for every person simply because of your specific computer/setup. Try each option more than once until you find one that works!**
How to watch in the U.S. (5 options!):
OPTION 1: This option includes any extra videos and behind the scenes option on ITV!
*Update* I changed the information below to a step-by-step process once I watched the first episode all the way through!
Here’s what you need to do to get Downton Abbey to play on your PC:
1. Download Tunnel Bear here. You will need to pay the $4.99/month to get enough data for the season. No biggie in the long run! Tunnel Bear is a VPN (Virtual Private Network) which changing your IP address to reflect that of someone in the UK.
2. Confirm Tunnel Bear by e-mail.
3. Once you are signed in to Tunnel Bear, turn the knob you see to “on”. It will say “connected”.
4. Now, set the country option to “United Kingdom”. Your computer will now be compatible with the region showing Downton Abbey.
5. Go to http://www.itv.com/itv/
You’ll need a postal code to access the ITV player on the website. Use any of the ones on this list. If one doesn’t work, try another.
6. To watch the shows already aired Season 4 episodes, go to the ITV website’s Downton Abbey page:
https://www.itv.com/itvplayer/downton-abbey/
To watch the show live as it airs in the UK at 1pm Pacific Standard Time, go here to watch the live streaming ITV player:
http://www.itv.com/itv/
6. Make sure you turn Tunnel Bear to “off” when not watching Downton as you want your computer to know which country it is really in. :)
7. Hopefully, you’re smiling and watching Downton! If not, “like” and check my facebook page here for loads of questions answered, as well as the comments below.
OPTION 2:
1. Download this firefox add-on Media Hint here (great success and safe!!) or this VPN from here to give you a UK IP address to access UK shows instantly.
2. Go back and follow steps 5-7
OPTION 3:
Watch by clicking below in the questionably legal way click here from Watch TV Series:
Option 4:
Some previous links are available from the ITV website but you obviously have to have the ability to watch the player using options 1 or 2 above. ;)
Option 5: Download this ITV player automator here. I tried it and it worked.
In the meantime…
GET EXCITED!
Support your local PBS station here in the U.S. who provides shows like Downton.
Share your favorite characters and scenes in the comments below!! What’s going to happen?!
Amazon has all three previous seasons on Instant Video so catch up on Season 1, Season 2, and Season 3 here.
Watch the trailer for Season 4 here as well as a behind-the-scenes teaser here.
Check out some fun posts like this one from Downton Abbey Addicts, listing all of the new characters this season.
If you decide to wait for the U.S. air date, have fun waiting until:
January 5th, 2014!!! Crazy!
For more of my own Downton Abbey-era blog posts, read below! See you back soon! Sorry for the excessive exclamation marks. I’m excited.
Click on the above image to like my FACEBOOK PAGE so you can get the updates for NEW episodes!!
Also, check out my other Downton Abbey related posts:
Stick around and find us on:
F a c e b o o k // T w i t t e r // P i n t e r e s t // I n s t a g r a m // E m a i lNew figures from the NCAA, college athletics’ governing body, show that flagging graduation rates for the Cal football program are making a comeback, with campus officials and faculty members attributing the improvement to an ongoing cultural shift that is meant to emphasize the “student” in “student-athlete.”
‘Some Thoughts on Intercollegiate Athletics at Berkeley’ In a new paper, John Wilton, vice chancellor for administration, discusses Cal athletics’ links to academics, philanthropy and, ‘more fundamentally… Berkeley’s overall purpose.’
Over the past several weeks, Berkeley Athletic Director Sandy Barbour has led a chorus of voices from across the campus community in describing the so-called Graduation Success Rate of Cal football players – as reported recently by the NCAA, whose data was based on freshmen admitted to Berkeley from 2003 to 2006 – as “unacceptable.”
In an Oct. 29 letter to Cal donors and boosters, Barbour took responsibility for the poor academic performance, and described a number of measures the campus initiated more than a year ago to counter what she termed “a disturbing trend, particularly within our football program.” These include holding monthly, comprehensive reviews of the team’s academic-improvement plan, helping players to better manage their course requirements and the 2012 expansion of the Athletic Study Center.
The latest data provided by the NCAA for the Cal football program indicate the effort is bearing fruit, as seen in two key metrics that measure academic performance, the Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and the Academic Progress Rate (APR). The earlier, four-year figures showed that Cal’s football team had a GSR of 44 percent. Now, however, the new numbers from the NCAA show that the GSR for football players admitted to Berkeley in 2007 has risen to an estimated 65 percent, an increase of almost 50 percent.
The new, estimated APR, which, unlike the GSR, measures real-time academic performance and student-athlete retention, also shows marked improvement. While the football team scored a substandard 923 APR a year ago, the latest estimate for this year’s rate is 969 – a rate which, if sustained, would result in a graduation rate of about 85 percent. (The NCAA will release final, audited numbers in the spring. Cal athletics officials say they don’t anticipate changes to the current estimates.)
“The football team’s |
30-day money back return policy. Products may be returned for either a replacement or refund within 30 days of the delivery date. Prior to returning the item(s), an RMA must be obtained from BoxWave Customer Service. This RMA number must be present on the outside of the returned package. Returns sent in without an RMA may be ineligible for a refund or exchange.To receive a full purchase price refund or exchange, the returned product must be determined by BoxWave Corporation to be in restockable condition. For a product to be considered restockable, it must be in its original packaging and all parts and accessories must be in clean, unused, and undamaged condition. The returned package must also include a valid RMA number as issued by BoxWave Corporation.If the returned package does not meet the above requirements, a restocking fee of up to 25% may be charged. This fee will be determined based on the condition of the returned item(s). Once the restocking fee has been applied, a refund or exchange may be granted for the balance of the purchase price.Shipping and handling charges will only be refunded if a return is a result of (a)manufacturer defect or failure; (b)damage in transit; (c)mis-shipment; or (d)falsely advertised products as determined by BoxWave Corporation. The reason should be noted when the RMA request is made, and must be indicated in the RMA.The following are exceptions to the general return policy and have specific return policy rules:Please note that all item returns are final. By returning an item (or items) back to us, you are agreeing to the return policy terms and conditions listed above. 100-Day Warranty: All products purchased directly from BoxWave Corporation are covered by a 100- day warranty against any manufacturer defects or failures. We will be glad to set up an exchange for a replacement item within 100 days of the invoice date. Please submit the request via our Email Form with a detailed description of the manufacturer defects or failures of the product(s) received.This is so not news but neither was Alex Tew’s Million Dollar Homepage…until it actually became a million dollar homepage. So, stranger things have happened which is why we’re going to tell you about The Guy Who Fucked the Million Dollar Homepage. Yes, you read that right.
A guy named Bernd Zikulnig, a pilot, aims to sell one pixel for $1 million. If you recall, Alex Tew sold one million pixels for $1 each. How Zikulnig thinks he can get one advertiser to spend $1 million on one pixel (which you won’t even be able to see) is questionable but, then again, it’s not the pixel that has value. It’s the publicity that surrounds the stunt.
Maybe nothing will come of this. Maybe it will trump Alex Tew’s Million Dollar Homepage. All we can tell you is that strange things happen in marketing. Things come out of left field. And this one is certainly a left fielder.
Seemingly very humble and keenly aware of the unlikely success of selling one pixel for $1 million, Zikulnig writes, “The idea from Alex Tew to sell one million pixels for $1 each was genius. Really a lot of people have tried to copy his idea, with no success. But to sell one pixel for 1,000,000 USD would be incredible and unique in advertising-and internet history for ever. So unbelievable and crazy that nobody has ever tried it until now. I believe it’s possible! Let’s see, if I am right.”
Indeed. Let’s see if he’s right.
Reprinted by permission.‘Tis (almost) the season—which means end-of-year work deadlines are competing with plans to connect with friends and family. With new updates to the Google app, it’s easier to stay sane as you juggle work and play.
An Android Lollipop treat: new design to make what matters most pop
Whether you’re searching for the best sushi in Chicago, or you’re researching Van Gogh’s Irises for a school paper, you might notice the results you see in the Google app look a bit spiffier. That’s because we’re beginning to roll out Material Design to search, with bold colors, fluid animations and simplified layouts. (You'll see this if you’ve got your hands on one of the newest devices running Android Lollipop.)
Plus, if you own a Nexus 6, Nexus 9 or Samsung Galaxy Note4, here’s a power tip: you can now set up your phone so you can say “Ok Google” to ask a question even if your screen is off and your phone is unplugged—say, when you’re cooking and need a quick unit conversion without getting dough all over your phone.
Reminders for your half-baked plans
You can also rely more and more on the Google app to help you organize your life: you may notice a new card asking if you want to be reminded of, say, “dinner with Chris” or “drinks with Susan.” For those times you’ve gotten an email about something but forgotten to follow up, Google can now catch potential plans buried in your Gmail: it’ll prompt you to add them to your calendar then serve up reminders, so you can stay on top of staying in touch.
As you scramble to get through the end of the year, the app will also help you keep track of your trips (whether you’re seeing the family on Thanksgiving or jetting to Vegas for New Year’s eve), to-do lists (did you pay your utility bill? pick up the wine for your Christmas party?) and more (the Bulls score, where you parked your car) with Now cards.
Finding info in your favorite apps made easy
Google can now help you search for exactly what you need—even if it’s in another app. With a simple prompt like “Ok Google, search Tumblr for ‘Things Organized Neatly’” Google will take you right into the app. This now works with a number of apps, so you can also research the best Maui hotels on TripAdvisor, listen to your jam on TuneIn, find a dream home on Trulia, or get tips on how to carve a turkey on YouTube — right from the Google app. Try it out next time you need a shortcut.
And, your Google app now doubles as a virtual coin
Korean BBQ or pizza? Interstellar or St. Vincent? So many questions in life can be decided with a quick coin flip. Save those quarters for laundry and parking meters—just say “Ok Google, flip a coin” and make those decisions in a snap.
So as you figure out the rhythm of work and play around the holidays, try out some of the new ways Google can help.Photo via Facebook
For a week in late July, scores of anti-abortion protesters with the conservative Christian group Operative Save America descended upon Louisville, Kentucky. Their goal? To shut down EMW Women's Surgical Center—or what they called "the last remaining abortion mill" in the state.
It was intense and "emotions were jacked up," recalls Christine, a volunteer with Louisville Clinic Escorts who asked to be identified by only her first name. One day, she told VICE Impact, the protesters lined their children in front of a group of volunteers there to escort patients into the clinic, as if to lay their hands on them in prayer.
"The escorts turned their backs on them," she said. "That made Operation Save America so angry. They made vomit and spitting noises over the microphone, called us disgusting and dogs and animals, and said that we really hate children and that we want to murder children. It was such a performative thing that they were doing, It was almost like some weird avant-garde art show."
According to a recent report from the Abortion Care Network, independent abortion care providers like EMW perform about 60 percent of the abortion procedures in the country, making them vital in the women's reproductive health landscape. But their numbers are declining at an alarming rate—145 facilities have closed in the US since 2012.
"The instability of not knowing whether you're going to be able to stay open because of the constitutionality of a law is devastating to a small independent clinic."
Seven states in the US currently have just one remaining clinic. EMW is the last remaining abortion clinic in Kentucky, and earlier this year, Gov. Matt Bevin made it his aim to close it down. If he succeeds, Kentucky would be the first state without a single abortion clinic in operation, effectively banning the health service in the state.
Ernest Marshall, a physician and co-founder of EMW, told VICE News earlier this year that despite Kentucky being an anti-choice state, "there have always been plenty of pro-choice people [there]. It's never been smooth sailing. We were always threatened with obstructive laws, but we were never threatened with the possibility of closure."
Check out more videos from VICE:
At the heart of EMW's fight to stay open are licensing issues. Kentucky requires abortion providers have hospital and ambulance service agreements in order to stay open, an effective vehicle of anti-choice advocates. Earlier this year, the facility was threatened with a shutdown because they reportedly had the wrong signature on their documents. Because of last year's Supreme Court ruling in Whole Women's Health v. Hellerstedt —which found that abortion restrictions, commonly referred to as TRAP laws that are not medically justified or that impose a burden on women seeking abortions, are unconstitutional—EMW filed an emergency lawsuit against Kentucky. The case is set to go to trial in September.
In terms of how EMW came to be the last abortion provider in the state, Brigitte Amiri, director of the national ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project and an attorney representing EMW, told VICE Impact it's "definitely a campaign by the Bevin administration to pick off the abortion clinics one by one."
"When Bevin first took office," she continued, "there were two EMW locations—one in Louisville the other in Lexington. Planned Parenthood had also started to provide abortions in Louisville. Shortly after taking office, Gov. Bevin sued the Lexington EMW location, seeking its closure, and also sued Planned Parenthood in Louisville, seeking to prevent them from providing abortions. And because of that litigation, some of which involved the validity of the transfer agreement for both EMW Lexington and Planned Parenthood Louisville, that why there's only one abortion clinic right now."
Amanda Stamper, director of communications for Gov. Bevin's office, told VICE Impact, the administration "is working diligently to protect the health, welfare, and lives of women in Kentucky."
"The transfer agreements requirements in question—which were enacted in 1998 and not questioned for 19 years—are important measures for ensuring women have the proper life-saving procedures in place in the event of an emergency," Stamper says. "Essentially all healthcare facilities in Kentucky are required to have such agreements, and it is telling that the abortion industry believes that it alone should be exempt from these important safety measures."
"Any group that is very excited when abortion doctors get murdered, and they show up at your clinic, you get nervous."
She also said that EMW Lexington was shut down in 2016 "because it was filthy and didn't even have a license. Those sorts of unsanitary conditions can easily give rise to infections or complications that could require emergency transport and treatment at a hospital." She added that she finds it "very troubling that Planned Parenthood has shown so little concern for women's safety."
As if the state-sanctioned assault on abortion rights in Kentucky weren't enough, one estimate put between 600 and 700 OSA protesters in Louisville. (Earlier this year, Bevin, who's called himself "unapologetically pro-life," actually met with OSA's leadership.) Christine, the escort volunteer, also says several members of the Christian terrorist group Army of God, which has endorsed or taken responsibility for a number of abortion clinic bombings and other acts of violence, showed up.
"Fear is a strong word, but apprehension and nervousness, that was always there," Christine said. "Any group that is very excited when abortion doctors get murdered, and they show up at your clinic, you get nervous."
Christine, who volunteers regularly as a clinic escort, says the rhetoric during the OSA protest was more charged. "There was a lot more singing. We usually have loud speakers on Saturdays, but we had loud speakers all week," she recalled. "There were more of them, and the noise and the crying—that was very off-putting."
"People in these states are forced to travel farther and often need to find overnight lodging, take unpaid time off work, and find childcare, all while navigating their state's onerous abortion restrictions."
Ultimately, though, patients were able to get the care that they needed that week, thanks to the combined efforts of advocates, volunteers, and local and federal law enforcement. Additionally, the Department of Justice stepped in to help create a buffer zone in front of the clinic's entrance to prevent protesters from blocking patient "access."
In the month since OSA was in town, Christine says some new anti-choice protesters were emboldened to show up to the clinic, but that surge has since tapered off. And though EMW may be operating business as usual, abortion clinics across the US continue to fight to remain in operation.
"Every region of the US has been impacted by clinic closures," Nikki Madsen, executive director of Abortion Care Network, told VICE Impact. "However, people in need of care that live in states that are more politically hostile to abortion rights have the most barriers to access. People in these states are forced to travel farther and often need to find overnight lodging, take unpaid time off work, and find childcare, all while navigating their state's onerous abortion restrictions. This increases both their medical and personal out-of-pocket costs."
In one case study, a 38-year-old woman discovered she was pregnant at 20 weeks, despite using an IUD. Because of how far along she was, she had to travel 880 miles from Nebraska to a clinic in New Mexico that would perform the procedure after 20 weeks. In order to get there, she had to borrow the money for a plane ticket. She told researchers: "Why do you have to fight to make such a horrible choice? … Why do I have to fight and travel and put all this money on credit cards and beg for all this help? Why can that hospital [in my town] not be able to help me? … I can't afford this battle. If I didn't tell my family, I couldn't have done this. Period."
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Clinic closures and politically motivated restrictions on abortion disproportionately impact people who already have the fewest resources, Madsen added. So for women of color, young women, and parents struggling to meet ends meet—groups that are more likely to seek abortion services—the barriers to access are compounded.
Clinic closures also don't entirely prevent women from receiving an abortion; instead, it may force more women to induce an abortion themselves. As a recent op-ed in Scientific American points out, women have always found ways to end pregnancies—whether the procedure was legal or not. According to a 2015 study, after Texas passed several restrictive abortion provisions in 2013 (which were ultimately overturned), between 100,000 and 240,000 Texas women between the ages of 18 and 49 attempted to end a pregnancy on their own without medical assistance, despite how dangerous that can be.
"Independent abortion care providers like EMW are on the front lines in the fight to save women's health care," Madsen said. "They make the right to abortion a reality in this country. It's essential that our communities start paying attention to their role, identify who these providers are, and reach out to them and provide direct support."
READ MORE: Texas Effectively Bans Abortion After 13 Weeks, Even in Cases of Rape
As Kentucky women wait for the courts to make a decision about the future of abortion access in the state, EMW's future hangs in the balance.
"The instability of not knowing whether you're going to be able to stay open because of the constitutionality of a law is devastating to a small independent clinic," Amiri said. She's seen it first-hand with the Texas abortion facilities she's represented in the past. "One of the clinics that I represented in Dallas was just not able to continue its operations because, as one of the staff members said, 'Whiplash is not a sustainable way of life.' You can't go day to day not knowing whether you're going to be shut down depending upon what the court is going to find."
To support EMW, Kentucky's very last abortion provider, you can donate to the ACLU's national Reproductive Freedom Project, which is assisting in the clinic's lawsuits. People who live in Kentucky are also encouraged to volunteer as an escort with Louisville Clinic Escort or with the Kentucky Health Justice Network. And you can donate to the local Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky.Melania Trump’s professional website was recently deleted from the internet, according to The Huffington Post.
The deletion comes amid questions from the media about her degree in architecture from the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia.
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Her website said she earned the degree, but a book about her life, which was released earlier this year, claimed she left the university after one year to pursue her modeling career.
“Melania Trump: The Inside Story” claimed her husband, GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump Donald John TrumpREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails Trump urges North Korea to denuclearize ahead of summit Venezuela's Maduro says he fears 'bad' people around Trump MORE, and his advisers embellished the potential first lady’s education because “they were desperate to give off the impression that the Slovenian model was not just beautiful, but also smart and well-educated.”
The biography was written without Trump’s approval.
According to The Huffington Post, online archives of her website as far back as 2012 say Melania Trump earned a degree in design and architecture.
Last week's Republican National Convention schedule also stated that she earned the degree. The information is still on the convention's official website.
MelaniaTrump.com now redirects to a website for the Trump Organization.Erick Munoz awoke to his son’s cries in the wee hours of November 26, sure that he’d heard his wife, Marlise, get up to grab 14-month-old Mateo a bottle. When he got up to investigate, he found Marlise collapsed on the floor of their North Texas home, with no heartbeat and not breathing. A paramedic, Erick Munoz tried to resuscitate his wife and called for an ambulance.
In the emergency room, doctors restarted Marlise Munoz’s heart, but couldn’t undo the damage that an hour or more without oxygen wrought on her brain. Today, a machine breathes for Munoz, and her heart hasn’t beat on its own since November 26. Her doctors say there is no brain activity, and her husband and her parents would love to let her go, to properly grieve for the bubbly, enthusiastic 33-year-old woman they loved, but the State of Texas won’t allow it.
The reason: Marlise Munoz is pregnant.
“We know she’s gone,” Munoz’s mother, Lynne Machado, told RH Reality Check. ”There’s just no brain activity. To see this body, it contradicts itself. It’s hard to really comprehend.”
A paramedic herself, Munoz never wanted to be kept on life support, having seen the effects of brain death regularly as part of her job. According to Machado, Marlise and her husband had had many conversations about their end-of-life wishes. But those wishes have been overridden by a state law that says the 14-week-old fetus that was growing inside Munoz when she collapsed takes precedence over her advance directive.
In the days following Munoz’s admission to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, Machado and her son-in-law met with hospital officials, who said they had no choice but to keep Munoz on life support until she miscarried or the pregnancy came nearer to term and doctors could attempt a delivery.
“I understood that the intent of the law was to protect the fetus, to help it survive if it was viable,” said Machado. “But at 14 weeks, a fetus isn’t viable. We were told the fetus weighed between four and five ounces.” Doctors have as yet been unable to assess the damage that the many drugs used to revive Munoz’s heart, and her hour without oxygen, may have done to her pregnancy.
Now, Machado says she has had to cut back on her visits to the hospital; it’s too emotionally draining to see her “sun-shining” daughter reduced to a “shell.”
Instead, Machado remembers the times she spent taking Marlise and her brother—who died suddenly four years ago—to Christmas markets when the family was stationed in Germany. Ernest Machado, Marlise’s dad, is a career military man, and the Machado kids grew up speaking German and English, attended to by a German babysitter who looked after them while Lynne Machado taught elementary school.
The Machados lived in Berlin when the wall fell, and brought their love of German culture back to the States. Marlise and Lynne would speak German to each other when they went out shopping, and loved singing German Christmas carols at Christmastime.
“I drug those kids to every Christmas market within 50 miles,” remembers Machado, laughing to herself. As the kids grew up, holidays remained a special time for the family, with the teens making sure to be home every New Year’s Eve to shoot off fireworks with their parents before heading out to celebrate with friends.
Machado says her daughter had a remarkable resiliency, unafraid of trying new things and meeting new people, thanks to their military lifestyle. ”There wasn’t anything that was a challenge to her that she wouldn’t try to accomplish.”
And one of her daughter’s dreams, says Machado, was to be a mom; she says her now 15-month-old grandson, Mateo, reminds her of Marlise.
“Mateo has his mom’s smile and sense of humor,” says Machado. “He isn’t afraid of trying anything, either.”
Machado says Erick Munoz was a quiet, reserved counter to her daughter’s “loud, boisterous” nature.
“She adored her husband,” Machado said. “She was very, very, very happy.”
And what Machado wants badly, now, is for no other family to go through what the Machados and Munozes are experiencing.
“We plan to pursue and challenge this in Austin,” said Machado, who hopes to change the law so “no pregnant woman and her family have to go through what we have to go through.”
“She’d had numerous conversations with her dad and I, and the same with her husband,” with Munoz stating clearly that she didn’t want to be kept alive by machines, said Machado. But “the state law would have trumped any decision Marlise made with her husband and with us.”
When the hospital told Munoz’s family it had no choice but to keep the woman alive for weeks on end until her pregnancy became viable, Machado says they were “floored.”
“The law was something out of the blue, but her wishes were not,” she said.
The Texas advance directives statute dictates that “a person may not withdraw or withhold life-sustaining treatment under this subchapter from a pregnant patient,” but according to some legal experts interviewed by the Associated Press, the hospital could take Munoz off life support without violating the law. Nonetheless, hospital officials continue to insist they must keep Munoz’s body alive to sustain the pregnancy. A number of other states have similar laws, though many account for fetal viability at the time of brain death. Texas’ law, and laws in 12 other states, do not.
Munoz’s story has prompted a sometimes vicious debate in the news and on social media, with commenters insisting they know better than Munoz’s family what she could have wanted. Some even insinuate that Erick Munoz has nefarious intentions, callously plotting his wife’s death.
“Some of the comments have been very nasty, and we just have quit reading them,” said Machado. “First of all, they’re missing the intent of our message. This is not about ‘pro-choice,’ ‘pro-life.’”
Instead, says Machado, “this is about educating the public of a law that people don’t know about, and hopefully avoiding the pain and, frankly, the pure hell we’ve all gone through with this situation.”
Munoz’s doctors continue to monitor the fetal heartbeat, and Machado says they’ll know more in several weeks, once more tests can be run.
“Within the next six weeks we’ll know something,” she said. “But we don’t know what that something is.”
Now, when Machado takes her dogs out at night, she looks up at the Texas sky and imagines talking to her son and daughter. She imagines her kids up there among the stars, looking down on her from above. “I’ll talk and say, ‘I bet you two had a good laugh’ over something that happened in the day.” She wonders to herself, “Which one of the twinkling stars are you?”
“I just try to focus on the positive, and on nature,” said Machado. “Our faith in God is getting us through.”FXStreet (Mumbai) - China's reserves fell more than $87 billion in November, much higher than the $33 billion estimated, marking the third largest decline in reserves recorded by China. It is only slightly short of the $94 billion drop in reserves that the economy witnessed in August. Reserves had reached their zenith in June 2014 touching $3.993 trillion.
Back in October, when data on reserves had highlighted a decline in reserves for September, Singapore-based Zhou Hao, senior economist in Asia at Commerzbank had warned more fall was likely in the coming months. He had said, “As PBoC intervened into the forward market in the past month, the foreign reserves will likely plunge again when these forward contracts matures.”
How fall in major currencies against the dollar led the Chinese reserves to slide?
Major currencies weakened against the dollar in recent times. The euro has been falling steeply. It fell 4 per cent in November. China's euro holdings were hit in the process. The depreciation of the euro in itself accounted for a very sharp decline in the value of China's reserves. A third of the decline in China's reserve holding was due to the loss of euro’s strength. Apart from the euro, the Swiss franc, the Japanese yen and the sterling also fell when pitted against the dollar. The fall in currencies added up to weigh on China’s reserves.
Will inclusion of yuan in SDR impact China’s reserves?
On November 30th, the IMF decided to include the yuan in the SDR basket. The IMF had flagged their worry that the Chinese currency was too tightly controlled and that could prevent the yuan’s inclusion. China who was lobbying hard for this inclusion had then decided to devalue its currency. Following August’s devaluation the yuan had strengthened in September and October.
The currency however soon started falling and fell 1.25% in November. The investors are now apprehensive that post the inclusion Beijing will no longer intervene to defend the yuan and the currency will be allowed to slip with the objective of boosting the slowing economy. However, having said that, it must also be noted that China also has reasons why it should also control further weakening of the yuan. A weak yuan boosts exports but will hinder PBoC’s efforts to speed up recovery. Julian Evans-Pritchard, an economist with Capital Economics explained “depreciation would set back their efforts to encourage increased international use of the currency and could slow the process of economic rebalancing toward consumption.”
Also, being selected in the SDR will not automatically turn the wheel in favour of the yuan. No immediate substantial inflows of capital can be expected just because the currency got included in the SDR basket.
China’s trade balance and capital outflows
China’s trade data was released today. It showed November’s trade balance at $54.10 billion and revealed further weakening of exports. Exports declined worse-than-expected 6.8 per cent on year on year comparison, marking fifth straight month of decline. Imports on the other hand declined 8.7 per cent. Often when trade balances fail to translate into reserve increase, it results in capital outflows. This is what has happened in case of China. Though China has a merchandise surplus, it runs a deficit on services.PHOENIX -- In need of pass-rushing help, the Philadelphia Eagles reached a two-year deal with veteran defensive end Chris Long on Tuesday.
Philadelphia also added help for the secondary, agreeing to a one-year contract with cornerback Patrick Robinson.
Both signings potentially fill major needs for the Eagles.
The Eagles finished this past season tied for 16th in sacks with 34. Their inability to consistently get pressure on the quarterback with their front four -- a must in defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz's system -- held the unit back. The front office opted to part ways with starting defensive end Connor Barwin this offseason, furthering the need to add to the position.
The Eagles are in need of two new starting corners after releasing Leodis McKelvin and losing Nolan Carroll to the Dallas Cowboys in free agency. Robinson, at a minimum, adds some depth to a very thin cornerback group.
The Eagles are expected to target the corner position in the draft this April. This move will not change those plans.
Long, who has 58.5 career sacks, announced before the start of free agency that he wouldn't be returning to the New England Patriots.
On his Instagram account, Long thanked Patriots fans and expressed his admiration and appreciation for teammates and coach Bill Belichick, before writing, "This has zero to do with money.... It's the right move in my heart because I want to get back to being the player I was before. I'm thankful for my role this year, but as a competitor, I'm itching to do what I do best."
The 6-foot-3, 270-pound Long had signed a one-year contract with the Patriots on March 18, 2016, choosing New England primarily for the chance to compete for a Super Bowl championship after never having been a part of a winning season in the first eight years of his career with the St. Louis Rams. He brought a level of professionalism to New England that earned him widespread respect among teammates in the locker room.
He played in all 16 regular-season games, as well as all three playoff games, opening the year as a starter and finishing as a situational pass-rusher.
Long, 32, totaled 35 tackles and four sacks in the regular season. In Super Bowl LI, he made the most of his 15 defensive snaps, drawing a critical holding penalty that helped push the Atlanta Falcons out of range when they had been in position to kick a field goal late and possibly increase their lead to 11 points. The Patriots won 34-28 in overtime.
"We've always admired his level of play," Howie Roseman, the Eagles' executive vice president of football operations, said of Long. "And when you turned on the tape and watched him, he's a pleasant surprise, the way he plays, and it really fits what we're trying to bring and build in Philly.
"... When we were able to get a guy who brings a lot of the same qualities [as Barwin] on and off the field and things that we value, we thought that it made us better not only now, but the legacy he can have going forward to the players on our team."
The Indianapolis Colts released Robinson on March 10 after he completed just one season of a three-year, $13.5 million contract he had signed in 2016.
He only played seven games last season due to an assortment of injuries.
Robinson, 29, played the first five seasons of his career for the New Orleans Saints and spent 2015 with the San Diego Chargers. He has 10 interceptions and 59 passes defensed in seven NFL seasons.
ESPN's Mike Reiss and Mike Wells contributed to this report.Mark Kelly is a Navy combat veteran, retired NASA astronaut and co-founder with his wife, Gabrielle Giffords, of Giffords, formerly known as Americans for Responsible Solutions.
Handguns for sale at a gun shop in Merrimack, N.H. (Agence France-Presse)
That day in Tucson, amid a gun tragedy, one of the heroes almost got shot.
It was Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011, and a mentally ill young man who’d gotten his hand on a gun opened fire on my wife, then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), and her constituents at an event in a Safeway parking lot. He shot my wife in the head at close range, injured 12 others and took the lives of six people. One victim was a 9-year-old girl.
After Gabby’s would-be assassin dropped the full magazine as he sought to reload his gun and continue his rampage, people tackled him, kicked his gun away, subdued him as they waited for law enforcement to arrive and brought an end to the chaos. They were heroes.
The chaos nearly continued, though. Because the man who murdered those innocent people wasn’t the only one there with a loaded, concealed gun.
Joe Zamudio was shopping at a drugstore nearby when he heard the shots. Allowed to carry a concealed weapon under Arizona law, Zamudio recognized the sound of gunfire and rushed to the scene with his gun in his jacket pocket, his hand on his weapon and ready to fire. But then Zamudio — a good guy trying to do the right thing — almost shot another good guy.
As he rounded the corner, he saw a man holding a gun. Zamudio confronted him: “Drop it, drop it!” he yelled.
But that man with a gun was a good guy, too. He was one of the heroes who had wrestled the shooter to the ground. And he was moments away from being shot for the wrong reason.
[Now is exactly the right time to talk about gun politics]
To his credit, Zamudio held his fire — just barely. As he recounted to reporters later, “It was a matter of seconds.... I was really lucky.... I’ve never been in the military or had any professional training. I just reacted.”
The situation that played out in the Safeway parking lot that day shows the potential for tragedy and bloodshed when untrained people carrying loaded guns react to a crisis. Even with the best intentions, an armed person without the extensive firearms training that is required to respond under pressure in a crisis will risk making the situation worse, not better.
But this week, as we approach the seventh anniversary of the tragedy in Tucson and the fifth anniversary of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School — and after two of the five deadliest mass shootings in modern history happened in the last two months — Congress is working hard to pass one of the big-ticket items on the National Rifle Association’s wishlist, a bill that weakens our gun laws and poses serious threats to public safety.
The House of Representatives is on the verge of voting to allow people permitted to carry concealed weapons to carry them into any other state regardless of what that state’s law on such guns is. That would make it harder for law enforcement to do their job and allow all permit holders, even if they don’t have a single shred of training, to carry loaded, hidden guns on every street in our country.
[I love my guns. But I hate the NRA.]
Right now, each state has the right to determine the extent to which it will recognize the concealed carry laws of other states. Some states have strong laws, preventing dangerous people like domestic abusers and convicted stalkers from obtaining concealed carry permits and requiring training and a thorough evaluation as part of the process. In other states, concealed carry laws have much lower standards. The 12 states with the weakest laws, permitless carry states, do not even require a permit. That means a resident of those states may carry loaded, concealed guns in public spaces without ever having passed a background check.
The bill before Congress would allow people who have a permit issued by any state — including permitless carry states — to carry loaded, concealed handguns in any other state that allows concealed carry, even though they might not meet local public safety standards. This would mean an 18-year-old high school student from West Virginia could legally carry a concealed firearm in New York City, where residents must be 21 to even own a handgun.
And what would it mean for law enforcement? Nothing good. The bill would impose a threat of personal litigation on all law enforcement officers by allowing anyone whose ability to carry a concealed gun is mistakenly questioned by law enforcement to personally sue the officer. This bill would also effectively require them to be an expert on nationwide gun laws as they work to determine if it’s legal for someone from out of state to be carrying a gun in whatever state they might be visiting. Just as concerning, it will mean that more law enforcement officers will have to confront more people with guns. And think back to the tragedy in Tucson: When law enforcement officers arrive at a crime scene where multiple people are holding guns, how do they even know who the good guy is?
We need politicians to show courage and listen to the American people, who want stronger laws to make them safer, not giveaways to gun lobbyists that threaten the safety of our communities. And that’s exactly what this irresponsible bill would do.
As members of Congress consider this bill, they have to ask themselves if they want to be remembered as voting to help the Washington gun lobby instead of supporting law enforcement and public safety. And they should know that their constituents are watching their decision closely.
Read more:
Gabrielle Giffords: We need courage to face our gun-safety problem
Why I boycotted Congress’s latest empty moment of silence for gun victims
I’m a responsible gun owner. So I destroyed my gun.Traore: I'm not just defensive
By Football Italia staff
Bakaye Traore has been presented to the Press on his second day as a Milan player and declares that he is more than just a defensive midfielder.
The 27-year-old agreed a Bosman transfer to the Rossoneri from Nancy in mid-May, agreeing to a three-year deal once his contract in France wound down to its conclusion this summer.
A tall midfielder with more goals than yellow cards to his name, the French-born Mali international has reflectedon where he feels he will fit in with his new club.
“I was surprised by the wonderful welcome from everyone. It is a dream come true to play here and now I want to repay that faith on the pitch,” Traore told Milan’s official website.
“I am a versatile midfielder - I can play in any position in a midfield diamond, from the inside midfielder, further back and playmaker.
“It has been said that Italy is playing a more defensive football, but I disagree - there is much more to me than believed in France, I hope to demonstrate that here and realise my full potential.
“I have been compared to Patrick Vieira as a midfielder, who at Arsenal showed his ability to do well both in defence and attack.
“My teammates who speak French are helping me in these days to understand the drill, but I will soon understand everything myself.”Two kids suspected of launching |
DeMaio/Amherst College.
First, they needed a medium — in this case a quantum state of matter known as a Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC). At normal temperatures atoms behave a lot like billiard balls, bouncing off one another and any containing walls. But they do so more slowly as you lower the temperature. Get the temperature down to billionths of a degree above absolute zero, and the atoms are so densely packed, they start to lose their individual identities. You end up with an ultra cold sample of quantum matter.
Physicists created the first BECs in 1995, 70 years after they were first predicted, but once they figured out the trick — and had the right technology — making BECs became routine. “Now it’s like you sneeze and a BEC comes out,” said Hall. More specifically, the quantum matter in the Amherst/Aalto experiments is a superfluid, since it flows with no viscosity.
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The next step was to actually tie the knots via clever manipulation of magnetic fields. The superfluid sample has a quantum field, best envisioned as a series of points in space, each with a specific orientation. Think of a bunch of arrows all pointing up, for example — that is the starting state of the superfluid. When a knot forms, it has a core, essentially a circle of points where the arrows all point down. Hall compares it to a god’s eye yarn pattern. “If you followed the magnetic field line, it would go toward the center, but at the last minute it would peel away into a perpendicular direction,” he said. “It’s a particular way of rotating these arrows that gives you this linked configuration.”
The experimental setup was so delicate, that once the process started, even bathroom breaks were verboten, as Möttönen discovered to his detriment during one of his visits to the lab. The slightest movement of any metal object — like an office chair — could disrupt the magnetic field and keep the knots from forming. “We were limited by our ability to keep our attention focused,” Hall admitted. “After an hour of this, your back is killing you.”
But all the effort and aching backs paid off in the end. “We started with absolutely nothing working and we worked for more than year before we got results,” said Möttönen. By the time they were done, “It was just matching one to one with the simulations.” The group has gotten much more adept at twisting knots into quantum fields since then, even managing to take movies of the knots they make.
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Quantum knots in a superfluid. Credit: David Hall.
The knots created by Hall and Möttönen resemble smoke rings, which seems especially appropriate, given the history of knot theory in physics and mathematics. Back in the 19th century, Scottish physicist Peter Tait performed a number of experiments involving smoke rings. William Thomson (Lord Kelvin) was struck by how these rings could form and be stable enough to travel pretty far across the room before dissipating. Tait described them as being like “rings of solid India rubber.”
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It inspired Thomson to develop a theory that atoms were knots tied in the swirling vortices of a medium then known as the luminiferous aether. At the time, it was believed this aether must exist to explain the strange behavior of light. An ideal fluid with no friction (zero viscosity) would make such rings stable, and the aether was conceived as an ideal fluid, much like the superfluid used in the Amherst/Aalto experiments. Different kinds of knots would correlate to different kinds of atoms — hydrogen or oxygen, for example. Tait even compiled a classification of types of knots, attempting to build his own version of a periodic table of elements.
It wasn’t correct, of course: by the dawn of the 20th century, experiments had confirmed that there is no such thing as the luminferous aether, and without it, the theory doesn’t work. But some physicists consider vortex knot theory to be the original string theory.
One of the open questions is what happens to these quantum knots over time. The knots are topologically stable: unlike the knots we tie in ropes or shoelaces, a topologically stable knot cannot be untied without cutting the rope, although you can relocate the knots within the rope. Similarly, the quantum knots in the Amherst/Aalto experiments cannot be separated without breaking the rings. “It can’t un-knot itself; it’s stuck in whatever weird way it’s been twisted together [in the superfluid],” said Hall.
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The only way the knot can escape its topological prison is to shrink, which it should do over time, because it will seek to minimize its energy, much like a ball wants to roll down a hill to minimize its potential energy. So these knots may not be dynamically stable.
Hall would especially like to find out whether the knot can last longer than its superfluid medium. “If it does, then it’s effectively stable,” he said. “But if the superfluid hangs around and the knot winks out of existence, then it’s clearly dynamically unstable and that would be sad, because then it’s hard to study.”
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This is very fundamental research, so real-world applications are far in the future. Hall likes to think of scientific advancement as a pyramid, with fundamental research at the base.
“Each higher group [applied physicists or engineers, for example] is picking out things from the layers below and putting them together in new ways,” he said. “You get your consumer products at the apex of the pyramid, but you just don’t know, at the base, what’s eventually going to be useful.”
That said, Möttönen believes the work might provide a good proof of principle for physicists interested in developing topological quantum computers. Such a design would braid qubits into a kind of knot; different kinds of braids would encode different computational tasks, and those structures would be topologically stable. “The result does not depend on the positions of these things,” said Möttönen. “If you move them around a little, it doesn’t matter, so [such a computer] should be really robust against any error.”
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The design is still very much in the early stages, but it’s promising enough that Microsoft is collaborating with physicist Charles Marcus (now at the University of Copenhagen), among others, to bring the project to fruition.
What would be really interesting is if the Amherst/Aalto group can manage to create more complicated quantum knots. Perhaps there is an entire class of these objects, much like the chart of real-world knots compiled by Tait in the 19th century. For Hall and Möttönen, this is just the beginning of the story.
[Nature Physics]
Top image: Visualization of a quantum knot. Credit: David Hall. Bottom image: Mikko Mottenen. Credit: Heikki Jantunen/Unigrafia.Evan Vucci / AFP / Getty Images U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during a visit at the Siem Reap Center, a shelter for sex-trafficking victims, in Cambodia on Oct. 31, 2010
Three days before the U.S. congressional elections last fall, Hillary Clinton stood halfway around the world from Washington, pledging to young victims of human trafficking at Cambodia's Siem Reap Center that they would continue to enjoy the support of the U.S. State Department, which then provided some $336,000 to the shelter. The acclaimed center, situated near the magnificent temples of Angkor Wat, was an oasis of peace for some 50 survivors who, before they were rescued or escaped, had endured slavery in brothels, where they were forced to have sex with as many as 30 men a day. At the shelter, they received counseling, studied hairdressing, learned to sew, and otherwise worked to rebuild their lives and reclaim their humanity. In the evenings, they did aerobics together.
On Monday afternoon, some eight months after that visit, as she unveiled the State Department's 11th annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report to a packed room in the department's ornate Benjamin Franklin Room, Clinton only hinted that the result of the congressional elections had left in doubt the long-term value of her pledge to the survivors. "Even in these tight economic times, we need to find ways to do better," Clinton told the overflowing crowd. (Watch "Nepal: Escaped from the Sex Trade, Unable to Go Home.")
Clinton's confidence belied the fact that in April, Congress slashed the grant-making capacity of the State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. When the Republicans won the House last November, the office's $21.2 million annual budget to fight the war on slavery was already microscopic. At the time, it was barely equal to the U.S. government's daily budget to fight the war on drugs. For fiscal year 2012, Congress sliced away nearly a quarter of those antislavery funds, as part of its broader $8 billion State Department budget cuts.
For Mark Lagon, a former Republican staffer on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who headed the TIP office during the Bush Administration's second term, the budget cuts are "a sign that all programs are evenly hit, even those with broad nonpartisan support." But Lagon was troubled that shoestring yet lifesaving overseas antislavery programs would feel those cuts most dearly. "We need to spend 10 times as much on fighting human trafficking and ending slavery," said Lagon, "and it would still be a bargain even at that price."
In this year's trafficking report, the constraints on the TIP office are not limited to the budget. Annually, the report ranks countries based on how well they fought slavery in the previous year. Countries demonstrating the most effective antitrafficking efforts are placed in Tier 1; recalcitrant nations are placed in Tier 3, where they could face nontrade sanctions, including prohibitions on development assistance. While the 2011 report ranks most of the 184 countries in the middle, the State Department ranked 42 nations just above those threatened with sanctions, on the watch list of Tier 2. Antislavery activists claim that ranking a country in the watch list for some consecutive years amounts to a cop-out. In congressional testimony last year, Holly Burkhalter, vice president for government relations at the International Justice Mission, decried the misuse of the list as a "parking lot for U.S. allies that actually belonged in Tier 3." (Healthland: "State Dept. Report Targets Human Trafficking in the U.S.")
Three years ago, when Congress reauthorized the 2000 Trafficking Victims Protection Act, the law that created the TIP office, it moved to clear out the "parking lot." The new law mandated that any country that had been on the watch list for two consecutive years would be downgraded to Tier 3, unless that country presented a written plan and a demonstrated capacity to improve its slavery record. This year, all but five of the 19 "parking lot" occupants avoided the automatic downgrade. Of those five that were dropped under the law, Libya and Venezuela join Cuba, North Korea, Sudan, Zimbabwe and other Tier 3 countries already facing U.S. sanctions. (Others in Tier 3 include Middle East allies such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.)
Antislavery activists were quietly furious that most of the longtime watch-list inhabitants stayed off of Tier 3 again this year. The State Department included India among six countries that it upgraded to Tier 2, citing the country's implementation of a national identity-card program, which could help prevent human trafficking. But India did little to address the slavery of millions who are trapped in debt bondage. China, Russia and Uzbekistan were among seven countries granted waivers as they had offered written plans to improve their trafficking records. (See "Human Trafficking Rises in a Recession.")
But according to this year's report, Uzbekistan still uses slave labor to pick cotton, which then finds its way into clothes made and shipped across the world. Remarking on Uzbekistan's continued watch-list status, Lagon said, "A waiver is outrageous given the regime's refusals to allow in inspectors, and even Walmart is spurning [Uzbek cotton]."
In the 2011 report, the State Department also used diplomatic contortions to dodge another congressional mandate. Last year, members of Congress, outraged by allegations of unpunished trafficking cases perpetrated on U.S. soil by officials of foreign missions, used an appropriations bill to require that "the Secretary should include all trafficking cases involving [servants of diplomats] in the Trafficking in Persons annual report where a final civil judgment has been issued." At least one such case is missing from this year's report. There is no mention of the case of Zipora Mazengo, a Tanzanian woman who had been held as a slave by her country's Minister of Consular Affairs in Washington for four years. To date, the $1 million judgment against the diplomat in that case remains unpaid. This year, while the report mentions diplomatic abuses in nine countries, it fails to name the diplomatic missions whose employees abused domestic workers in the U.S.
Interspersed in the report are images of the long struggle against slavery. On page 21, the writers include an example of slave-free labeling on a bowl of British sugar from the 1820s. Two pages later, the report hails the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act of 2010, which will require companies that do business in the state and have gross global receipts over $100 million to make similar slavery disclosures on their websites. Throughout the report and its release, State Department officials highlighted the need to address slavery in the supply chains of consumer products.
The report concludes with an arresting image: the remains of an indentured child servant whose master had bludgeoned him to death before throwing him under a pile of garbage in a cellar. The child, approximately the age of the youngest of the freed slaves with whom Clinton spoke in Siem Reap, was killed in 1665. But his skeleton and his story serve as reminders that governments must do much more than "pass laws or discuss human trafficking as a diplomatic issue." With reporting by Sophie Elsner
Skinner is a senior fellow at the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism of Brandeis University.
See why domestic work is a global issue.The following is the full-length, official press release issued earlier by WWE. They also have a conference call set for 11am EST to discuss the earnings, plus they'll discuss the WWE Network, which they list as an area for growth in the future: Adjusted Operating income was $5.4 million as compared to $3.1 million in the prior-year quarter, and Adjusted Net income was $1.3 million, or $0.02 per share, as compared to $1.8 million, or $0.02 per share, in the prior-year quarter. On an “As Reported” basis, the results of WWE's movie portfolio, including reduced film impairment charges, were a significant component of the rise in fourth-quarter earnings. Excluding the impact of these impairment charges and network-related expenses, the growth in “Adjusted” Operating income was predominantly from the licensing of new television programs and digital content, which more than offset ongoing investment to support the company's long-term growth objectives. Adjusted earnings, however, declined due to an increase in the effective tax-rate. “In the fourth quarter, we continued to make important progress on our key strategic initiatives, expanding the production and licensing of new programs and enhancing our brands,” stated Vince McMahon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Although we did not announce the launch of a domestic television network during the year, we believe, now more than ever, that we can realize the full value of our intellectual property using a variety of approaches in our global markets. Our confidence is based on the rising value of content and the tremendous global appeal of our brands.” “In 2012, our traditional core businesses (excluding the results of WWE Studios and network-related expenses) delivered EBITDA of $77 million, in line with our performance over the preceding four years, which has ranged from $76 million to $96 million. Based on the anticipated expiration of key commercial agreements and other opportunities to maximize our content value, we believe we have the potential to achieve a significant increase in earnings,” added George Barrios, Chief Financial Officer. “In order to achieve this growth, it is critical that we invest in our production and creative capabilities. We expect that 2013 EBITDA performance will approximate our 2012 results, plus or minus 10%. In addition, we anticipate that net income will be impacted by incremental expenses from the return to a more normalized tax rate (30%-35% as compared to 26% in 2012) and increased depreciation of approximately $2 million to $3 million that derives from our ongoing capital investments to support our long-term growth initiatives. (Please see "WWE Announces Business Plan And Path to Significant Earnings Growth" release for more details.)
Comparability of Results
Our results for the current-year quarter included $2.3 million in network-related operating expenses and a $0.5 million film impairment charge. Results for the prior-year quarter included $4.0 million in network-related operating expenses and $12.2 million in film impairment charges. In order to facilitate an analysis of our financial results on a more comparable basis, where noted, we have adjusted our results to exclude these items. (See Schedules of Adjustments in Supplemental Information.)
Three Months Ended December 31, 2012 – Results by Region and Business Segment
Revenues increased 2% based on our growth in North America. Revenues from North America increased 12% driven by increased rights fees from the licensing of new television programs and digital content, increased home entertainment sales and, to a lesser extent, increased ticket sales from a higher number of live events in the region than the prior-year quarter. Revenues from outside North America declined 21% or $7.2 million primarily due to an anticipated reduction in the number of live events, which impacted our Live and Televised Entertainment segment (as described in the business segment discussion below).
The following tables reflect net revenues by region and by segment (in millions):
Three Months Ended December 31,
2012 December 31,
2011 Net Revenues By Region: North America $ 87.6 $ 78.2 Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA) 19.1 19.1 Asia Pacific (APAC) 7.0 9.4 Latin America 1.4 6.2 Total net revenues $ 115.1 $ 112.9
Three Months Ended December 31,
2012 December 31,
2011 Net Revenues By Segment: Live and Televised Entertainment $ 82.0 $ 81.0 Consumer Products 20.4 18.7 Digital Media 12.1 8.9 WWE Studios 0.6 4.3 Total net revenues $ 115.1 $ 112.9
Live and Televised Entertainment
Revenues from our Live and Televised Entertainment businesses were $82.0 million for the current quarter as compared to $81.0 million in the prior-year quarter. Increased rights fees from the production and licensing of new television programs were affected by timing, with 8 fewer international live events and a reduction in the number of pay-per-view events (3 vs. 4 in the prior-year quarter).
Live Event revenues declined 13% to $23.3 million from $26.9 million in the prior-year quarter primarily due to a reduction in the number of international events and lower average attendance at both our domestic and international events. There were 75 total events, including 52 events in North America and 23 events in international markets, in the current quarter as compared to 78 events in the prior-year quarter, including 47 events in North America and 31 in international markets. North American live event revenues increased 9% to $13.9 million from $12.7 million in the prior-year quarter, reflecting increases in the number of events and average realized ticket price, which more than offset a slight decline in average attendance. There were 5 additional events in the period, representing an 11% increase while the average ticket price for the quarter's events increased 4% to $44.64 from $42.87 in the prior-year quarter. Average attendance declined 5% to approximately 5,700 from 6,000, primarily due to weaker performance. International live events generated revenues of $9.4 million as compared to $14.2 million in the prior-year quarter, reflecting a 26% decline in the number of events, with 8 fewer events in the period, and an 11% decrease in average attendance to approximately 5,600 from 6,300 in the prior-year quarter. The decline in average attendance was predominantly due to weaker performance, as the prior-year quarter included an especially strong eight-event tour in Mexico. Partially offsetting the decline in events and attendance, the average ticket price increased 5% to $69.81 due in part to changes in the mix of ticket sales.
declined 13% to $23.3 million from $26.9 million in the prior-year quarter primarily due to a reduction in the number of international events and lower average attendance at both our domestic and international events. Pay-Per-View revenues were $13.0 million as compared to $14.6 million in the prior-year quarter reflecting the production of three pay-per-view events in the current quarter as compared to four in the prior-year quarter. In addition, revenue and buys were impacted by the timing of our Pay-Per-View distribution in the U.K. as our television partner in that country selected one fewer event in the current quarter for distribution via pay-per-view. On a comparable basis, for the events produced in the quarter, revenue increased approximately 4% as a 3% decline in buys was more than offset by a 7% increase in the average revenue per buy due in part to an increased proportion of buys to view our events in high definition, which generally attracts higher retail prices.
The details for the number of buys (in 000s) are as follows:
Three Months Ended Broadcast
Month Events (in chronological order) December 31,
2012 December 31,
2011 October Hell in a Cell 199 182 October Vengeance — 121 November Survivor Series 208 281 December WWE TLC 175 179 Prior events 70 33 Total 652 796
Television revenues increased 20% to $40.6 million from $33.9 million in the prior-year quarter primarily due to the production and licensing of new programs. An additional hour of our Raw program was licensed to the USA Network and debuted in July 2012, and a new Saturday morning kids show, WWE Saturday Morning Slam, was introduced on The CW Network in August 2012. In addition, during the quarter, WWE began distribution of a new original series, the WWE Main Event, which airs on ION Television.
Venue Merchandise revenues were $3.8 million as compared to $3.9 million in the prior-year quarter. The 3% decline was primarily due to a decrease in total international attendance that arose from 8 fewer international live events in the current-year quarter. Total paid attendance and sales per capita at our North American events increased 4% and 5%, respectively.
Consumer Products
Revenues from our Consumer Products businesses increased 9% to $20.4 million from $18.7 million in the prior-year quarter, primarily due to strong unit sales from our home entertainment catalog that were partially offset by lower sales of our licensed products.
Home Entertainment net revenues increased 48% to $9.6 million as compared to $6.5 million in the prior-year quarter driven by the promotion and strong sales of our catalog titles and two additional, lower-priced new releases. Revenue Growth stemmed from a 43% increase in shipments to nearly 1.2 million units and improved sell through rates of our prior-period releases that more than offset a 16% reduction in average price to $11.31.
increased 48% to $9.6 million as compared to $6.5 million in the prior-year quarter driven by the promotion and strong sales of our catalog titles and two additional, lower-priced new releases. Revenue Growth stemmed from a 43% increase in shipments to nearly 1.2 million units and improved sell through rates of our prior-period releases that more than offset a 16% reduction in average price to $11.31. Licensing revenues declined 12% to $8.4 million as compared to $9.5 million in the prior-year quarter with reduced sales across most product categories, especially video games, as well as novelty products, and apparel. Royalties earned from the sale of video games declined by $0.5 million primarily from the absence of WWE All Stars, which was released in March 2011 and was not refreshed in 2012. In addition, shipments of our annual franchise video game declined 21% to 128,000 units. Royalties from the sale of toys increased 11%, or $0.6 million, reflecting the successful launch of our Brawlin' Buddies toy by Mattel. THQ Termination Agreement / Take-Two License Agreement On December 19, 2012, our video game licensee THQ Inc. ("THQ") declared bankruptcy. As a result, the Company reserved $1.7 million as bad debt for amounts that were due the Company from THQ at December 31, 2012. The amounts reserved primarily related to sponsorship agreements and various services WWE provided to THQ in support of WWE '13. In connection with the termination of our license agreement with THQ, the Company will recognize approximately $8.0 million of revenue during the first quarter of 2013 relating to the unrecognized portion of an advance received when the Company entered into the license agreement with THQ in 2009. Additionally, upon termination of the agreement with THQ, the Company entered into a multi-year agreement with Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (Take-Two) to be the Company's video game licensee. As a result of THQ's bankruptcy, the Company will not collect royalties due in the first quarter. The Company has estimated the amount of this econmoic loss at between $4.0 million to $5.0 million, and does not believe that this loss will have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition or results of operations.
Magazine publishing net revenues were $1.7 million as compared to $2.0 million in the prior-year quarter, reflecting lower newsstand sales in the current-year quarter.
Digital Media
Revenues from our Digital Media related businesses were $12.1 million as compared to $8.9 million in the prior-year quarter, representing a 36% increase.
WWE.com revenues increased to $6.2 million from $2.7 million in the prior-year quarter, primarily due to increased rights fees associated with the licensing of original short-form content to YouTube and the licensing of next-day access of current WWE TV programs to Hulu Plus. The related programming agreements with YouTube and Hulu commenced February 2012 and September 2012, respectively. Sales of online advertising also increased from the prior-year quarter.
increased to $6.2 million from $2.7 million in the prior-year quarter, primarily due to increased rights fees associated with the licensing of original short-form content to YouTube and the licensing of next-day access of current WWE TV programs to Hulu Plus. The related programming agreements with YouTube and Hulu commenced February 2012 and September 2012, respectively. Sales of online advertising also increased from the prior-year quarter. WWEShop revenues declined to $5.9 million from $6.2 million in the prior-year quarter as a 10% decline in average revenue per order to $47.10 was partially offset by a 4% increase in the number of online merchandise sales to 125,000 orders.
WWE Studios
During the quarter, WWE Studios recognized revenue of $0.6 million as compared to $4.3 million in the prior-year quarter, reflecting the timing of releases. There were no feature films released in the current quarter as compared to one release, The Reunion, in the prior-year quarter. WWE Studios' movie portfolio generated a loss of $0.6 million, including a $0.5 million film impairment charge, compared to a loss of $13.8 million in the prior-year quarter, which included $12.2 million in film charges. Excluding the impact of those charges in both the current and prior-year quarter, the WWE Studios' movie portfolio generated essentially break-even results compared to an adjusted loss of $1.6 million in the prior-year quarter.
Profit Contribution (Net revenues less cost of revenues)
Profit contribution increased 89% to $45.9 million primarily due to improved results (i.e., reduced losses) from our WWE Studios' movie projects as well as increased rights fees from the licensing of new television programs and digital content, stronger sell-through rates of our home entertainment catalog titles and a reduction in certain talent-related expenses. The profit contribution margin increased to 40% compared to 22% in the prior-year quarter. Excluding the impact of film impairments, our Adjusted Profit contribution increased 27% to $46.4 million and our adjusted profit contribution margin was 40% compared to 32% in the prior-year quarter. (See Schedules of Adjustments in Supplemental Information.)
Selling, general and administrative expenses
SG&A expenses were $37.4 million for the current-year quarter as compared to $33.3 million in the prior-year quarter. These results reflected the return to a more normalized level of management incentive compensation, which resulted in a year-over-year increase of approximately $2.3 million, increased salary expenses, and incremental bad debt expense due, in part, to the bankruptcy of our former video game licensee. The rise in staffing costs (excluding management incentive compensation) was incurred to support the expansion of our television and digital content, including a potential network.
Depreciation and amortization
Depreciation and amortization expense totaled $5.9 million for the current-year quarter as compared to $4.1 million in the prior-year quarter. The increase in depreciation and amortization expense derives from our investment in assets to support our long-term growth objectives, including the launch of a potential network.
EBITDA
EBITDA was $8.5 million in the current-year quarter as compared to a loss of $9.0 million in the prior-year quarter. Improved results were driven by the performance of our movie portfolio and the licensing of additional television and digital content, partially offset by the aforementioned increase in SG&A expenses. Adjusted EBITDA (excluding the impact of network-related expenses and film impairments) increased 57% to $11.3 million from $7.2 million in the prior-year quarter.
Investment and Other (Expense) Income
Investment income, interest and other expense, net was a loss of $0.2 million in the current-year quarter compared to a loss of $0.2 million in the prior-year quarter.
Effective tax rate
The current year quarter's effective tax rate was 75%. The current quarter was adversely impacted by $0.4 million of additional tax expense as a result of differences between estimated and actual full year taxable income. Additionally, the fourth quarter rate reflected a $0.2 million increase in unrecognized tax benefits and $0.2 million to provide for dividends from a foreign subsidiary. In total, these items were responsible for 33 percentage points of the quarter's 75% effective rate.
Summary Results for the Year Ended December 31, 2012
Total revenues for the year ended December 31, 2012 were $484.0 million as compared to $483.9 million in the prior year. Operating income for the current year was $43.2 million versus $37.0 million in the prior year. Net income was $31.4 million, or $0.42 per share, as compared to $24.8 million, or $0.33 per share, in the prior year. EBITDA was $63.2 million for the current year as compared to $52.0 million in the prior year. Excluding items that impacted comparability on a year-over-year basis, Adjusted Operating income was $52.6 million compared to $64.4 million in the prior year, and Adjusted Net income was $38.6 million, or $0.51 per share, compared to $43.3 million, or $0.58 per share, in the prior year. On an “As Reported” basis, the results of WWE's portfolio of movies, including a $22.2 million reduction in film impairment charges, was a significant component of the rise in EBITDA for the year. Excluding the impact of these impairment charges and network-related expenses, “Adjusted” EBITDA declined 9% as growth from the licensing of new television programs and digital content, as well as improved results from our Pay-Per-View operations, were more than offset by lower video game sales, ongoing investment to support the company's long-term objectives, and $10.8 million in incremental expenses from the return to a more normalized level of management incentive compensation in the current year.
Year Ended December 31, 2012 – Results by Region and Business Segment
Revenues were essentially flat to the prior year as growth from North America was offset by a corresponding international decline. Revenue from North America increased 4%, or $15.4 million, as the licensing of new television programs and digital content, improved home entertainment sales, and a rise in the number of domestic live events were partially offset by lower revenues from our movie releases. Revenues from outside North America declined 11%, or $15.3 million, primarily due to an anticipated reduction in the number of live events and lower sales of licensed consumer products, particularly in the Latin American and EMEA regions.
The following tables reflect net revenues by region and by segment (in millions):
Year Ended December 31,
2012 December 31,
2011 Net Revenues By Region: North America $ 365.9 $ 350.5 Europe/Middle East/Africa 70.7 76.1 Asia Pacific 37.1 38.7 Latin America 10.3 18.6 Total net revenues $ 484.0 $ 483.9
Year Ended December 31,
2012 December 31,
2011 Net Revenues By Segment: Live and Televised Entertainment $ 353.8 $ 340.0 Consumer Products 87.8 94.9 Digital Media 34.5 28.1 WWE Studios 7.9 20.9 Total net revenues $ 484.0 $ 483.9
Live and Televised Entertainment
Revenues from our Live and Televised Entertainment businesses were $353.8 million for the current-year period as compared to $340.0 million in the prior-year period, representing an increase of 4%.
Year Ended December 31,
2012 December 31,
2011 Live events $ 103.7 $ 104.7 Venue merchandise 18.8 18.3 Pay-per-view 83.6 78.3 Television rights fees 139.5 131.5 Other 8.2 7.2 Total $ 353.8 $ 340.0
Consumer Products
Revenues from our Consumer Products businesses were $87.8 million for the current-year period as compared to $94.9 million in the prior-year period, representing a decrease of 7%.
Year Ended December 31,
2012 December 31,
2011 Licensing $ 46.3 $ 54.4 Home entertainment 33.0 30.4 Magazine publishing 6.0 7.7 Other 2.5 2.4 Total $ 87.8 $ 94.9
Digital Media
Revenues from our Digital Media related businesses were $34.5 million as compared to $28.1 million in the prior-year period, representing an increase of 23%.
Year Ended December 31,
2012 December 31,
2011 WWE.com $ 19.7 $ 12.5 WWEShop 14.8 15.6 Total $ 34.5 $ 28.1
WWE Studios
During the current year, WWE Studios recognized revenue of $7.9 million as compared to $20.9 million in the prior year, reflecting the timing of releases from our movie portfolio. Film performance improved by $24.0 million over the prior year driven by the $22.2 million reduction of impairment charges in the current year.
Profit Contribution (Net revenues less cost of revenues)
Profit contribution increased 18% to $199.6 million primarily driven by reduced losses from our WWE Studios film projects, the strong performance of our Pay-Per-View events, and the licensing of new television programming and digital content. The growth in profit from these businesses was partially offset by reduced video game sales and the return to a more normalized level of management incentive compensation, which resulted in a $3.2 million increase in expenses on a year-over-year basis. Excluding the film impairment charges in the current and prior year, Adjusted Profit contribution increased 5% to $200.8 million and Adjusted Profit contribution margin increased to 41% from 40% in the prior year. (See Schedules of Adjustments in Supplemental Information.)
Selling, general and administrative expenses
SG&A expenses were $136.4 million for the current-year period as compared to $116.7 million in the prior-year period. This 17% increase reflected the return to a more normalized level of management incentive compensation, which resulted in a year-over-year increase of approximately $7.6 million, higher salary expenses as well as increased bad debt expense. The rise in staffing costs (excluding management incentive compensation) was incurred primarily to support a potential network. Network-related costs, including staffing costs, totaled $8.2 million in the current-year period. Excluding these costs in both periods, SG&A expenses increased 14% to $128.2 million from $112.7 million in the prior-year period.
EBITDA
EBITDA increased 22% to $63.2 million from $52.0 million in the prior year. The growth in profit contribution, driven by reduced losses from our WWE Studios film projects and the strong performance of our Pay-Per-View events, more than offset the aforementioned increase in SG&A expenses. Excluding the impact of network-related expenses and film impairments, however, Adjusted EBITDA declined 9% to $72.6 million from $79.4 million in the prior year.
Investment and Other Income (Expense)
Investment income was $2.2 million in the current year as compared to $2.1 million in the prior year. Interest expense of $1.7 million in the current year includes the amortization of loan origination costs and a fee on the unused portion of our revolving credit facility, which was established in the third quarter of 2011. Interest expense in the prior year was $0.6 million and related primarily to our mortgage which was repaid in full in |
seen them play for England on so many occasions," he told reporters.
"I've worked with them for one month and I'm still learning about what they're good at and finding areas for improvement.
"I was very pleased with the performance of the two front players."
Liverpool forward Andy Carroll started with Manchester United's Welbeck in attack and opened the scoring in the first half before England were, according to Hodgson, "rocked on their heels" by Olof Mellberg's left-footed strike and then subsequent header.
Media playback is not supported on this device Welbeck flick puts England back in front
Hodgson brought on Walcott on the hour mark, and the Arsenal winger equalised from 20 yards with almost his first touch before setting up Welbeck for a sublime finish 12 minutes from time.
England sit second in Group D with four points knowing a point against Ukraine on Tuesday will be enough to secure a place in the last eight.
"I'm happy going into the final group game knowing a draw or win will see us through," added the manager.
"Our goal is making certain that we continue doing what we've done in the four matches [Hodgson has been in charge] and not slip from that standard."
The England coach reiterated his intention to field Wayne Rooney in the starting XI for the next game. The Manchester United striker is available after serving a two-match suspension, ruling him out of the first two fixtures of Euro 2012.
"Against Ukraine, a player like Rooney can make a major difference and I am delighted to welcome him back," Hodgson continued.
"If I did leave him out, all hell might break loose in the dressing room.
"Rooney is a striker that sometimes drops deep like Ashley Young did in the first game [against France] and [Sweden striker] Zlatan Ibrahimovic did today. I'll probably push Ashley to the wing when Wayne comes back."HARRISBURG – Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary B. McCord, U.S. Attorney Bruce D. Brandler for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and Special Agent in Charge Michael Harpster of the FBI's Philadelphia Division announced today that Jalil Ibn Ameer Aziz, age 20, a U.S. citizen and resident of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty today before Chief United States District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner to conspiracy to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization and transmitting a communication containing a threat to injure.
According to U.S. Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, on December 22, 2015, Aziz was charged in an indictment with conspiring and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization (Counts 1 and 2). A superseding indictment was returned on May 18, 2016, which added Solicitation to Commit a crime of violence (Count 3) and transmitting a communication containing a threat to injure (Count 4).
According to the superseding indictment, from July 2014 to December 17, 2015, Aziz knowingly conspired to provide, provided and attempted to provide material support, including personnel and services, to ISIL. The superseding indictment also alleges that during the same time period, Aziz solicited, commanded, induced and endeavored to persuade others to kill and attempt to kill officers and employees of the United States. The superseding indictment further alleges that he knowingly tweeted the names, addresses, photographs and military branches of approximately 100 U.S. service members to followers and viewers of his Twitter account. The communication also contained threats to injure the service members, stating “kill them in their own lands, behead them in their own homes, stab them to death as they walk their street thinking that they are safe.”
Aziz pledged his allegiance to the leader of ISIL and used at least 71 different Twitter accounts to advocate violence against the United States and its citizens, to disseminate ISIL propaganda and to espouse pro-ISIL views. On at least three occasions, Aziz allegedly used his Twitter accounts and other electronic communication services to assist persons seeking to travel to and fight for ISIL. In one instance, Aziz allegedly acted as an intermediary between a person in Turkey and several well-known members of ISIL.
Aziz passed location information, including maps and a telephone number, between these ISIL supporters. A search of a tactical/military style backpack located in Aziz’s closet identified five loaded M4-style high-capacity magazines, a modified straight edge knife, a thumb drive, medication, flashlights, a toothbrush, sunflower seeds, a lighter, nail clippers, fingerless gloves, a pocket watch and a black balaclava, which is like a ski mask and similar to those worn by ISIL supporters.
“Jalil Ibn Ameer Aziz conspired to provide material support to ISIL by aiding individuals in their pursuit of traveling overseas to join the designated foreign terrorist organization and by using social media to propagate ISIL’s threats to injure U.S. service members,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General McCord. “The National Security Division’s highest priority is counterterrorism, and we will remain vigilant in our efforts to hold accountable those who seek to provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations and threaten members of our military.”
United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler said, “The security of the American people is the highest priority for our office and the Department of Justice. While we cannot eliminate terrorism completely, we can bring to justice those responsible for providing material support and resources to terrorist groups and for spreading hate and destruction in our communities and abroad. Thankfully, the defendant’s activities were disrupted by the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force and justice will be served in this case.”
"As evidenced here, ISIL loyalists need not travel to the field of battle to threaten lives and do harm," said Michael Harpster, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Division. "An American citizen provided material support to terrorists from American soil, while enjoying all the rights and privileges scorned by ISIL. We are gratified that Mr. Aziz is being brought to justice for these acts."
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), which includes the Pentagon Force Protection Agency and the Pennsylvania State Police, with assistance from the Harrisburg Bureau of Police. Assistant United States Attorney Daryl F. Bloom and Trial Attorneys Robert Sander and Adam L. Small of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section prosecuted the case.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The maximum penalty provided in the statute for Count 1, Conspiracy to Provide Material Support and Resources to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, is 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of up to life and a $100 special assessment. The maximum penalty for Count 4, Transmitting a Communication Containing a Threat to Injure, is five years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of three years and a $100 special assessment.
Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
# # #(Bellwether Harbor) — Only one day after coming to us here at the shelter, Bella gave birth to eight beautiful puppies! All are happy, roly-poly babies. They love attention and are eager to be welcomed into their new homes.
Five of Bella's pups are male, the other three are female. All of our dogs are also microchipped before going home. One female is fawn, one is light brindle and one is dark brindle. There is an assortment of tan and light and dark brindle males.
Due to their age, they are not yet neutered or spayed. All have been dewormed and started on vaccines. These adorable babies are American pit bull terriers. Their date of birth was April 20, 2011.
For more information, contact Bellwether Harbor at 231-924-9230 or e-mail [email protected]. Visit Bellwether Harbor online at www.bellwetherharbor.org.
Bellwether Harbor is located at 7645 West 48th St. in Fremont.
Follow Booth Features on Twitter: @BoothFeatures.The first "must know" about EPA's "Clean Power Plan" (CPP) is that electricity is good and enables the basic services for human existence. We want to encourage, not discourage, the use of electricity. Electricity is a particularly high form of energy and the efficiency in which it is utilized far exceeds the inefficiency of generating it.
Electro-technologies are systems and equipment that use electricity to produce and process consumer goods. From refrigerators to vacuum cleaners to laptop computers, electro-technologies are all around us and becoming more pervasive in our lives, not less. Electro-technologies are more efficient than their fuel-burning counterparts and, unlike standard fuels, have no waste products at the point of use. No smoke, ash, combustion gas, noise, or odor.
Capitalizing on the energy- and CO2-saving potential of electricity is critical to securing a sustainable energy future and a clean and safe environment. Electro-technologies also offer a variety of non-energy advantages: better manufacturing precision and control, improved product quality, higher worker productivity, and reduced environmental impacts.
Thus, the least developed and most air polluted nations on Earth are those that use the least amount of electricity (see here). To illustrate, promoted by environmental groups as the solution to "green" transportation, electric cars could expand home power use by more than 50%, while reducing "well-to-wheel" GHG emissions 30-50%.
Figure 1: The Benefits of Electro-Technologies: More Electricity Means More Efficiency, Less CO2
Sources: EIA; USDA; JTC; Mark Mills
Overall, the CPP aims to cut CO2 emissions by 30% from 2005 levels by 2030, with an interim target of 25% on average between 2020 and 2029. The CPP allows states to craft their own compliance plans, with some reported flexibility measures. Yet, some see EPA forcing states to impose a mix of California-style capping, taxing, and mandating. I've already documented here how it's actually been natural gas that's winning California's "rush to renewables."
For the U.S., natural gas just surpassed coal for the first time as the top source of power generation. About 31% of electric power in April was natural-gas fired, versus 30% for coal. The 2030 target set for each state will be based on the capacity to reduce emissions using EPA's four “building blocks," all of them favoring natural gas:
1. Make fossil fuel power plants more efficient.
Per EIA, "to express the efficiency of a generator or power plant as a percentage, divide the equivalent Btu content of a kWh of electricity (which is 3,412 Btu) by the heat rate...if the heat rate is 10,500 Btu, the efficiency is 33%. If the heat rate is 7,500 Btu, the efficiency is 45%." A lower heat rate is more efficient, requiring less fuel consumption while also reducing emissions. Natural gas has a heat rate of just 7,948 per kilowatt hour, compared to 10,449 for nuclear and 10,459 for coal (see here).
2. Use low-emitting natural gas combined cycle plants more where excess capacity is available.
Cleaner natural gas is the power source of choice of those energy sources that are the most affordable and reliable. Per EPA, the average emission rates in the U.S. for natural gas-fired generation per MWh are 1,135 lbs of CO2, 0.1 lbs of SO2, and 1.7 lbs of NOx....compared to 2,249 lbs of CO2, 13 lbs of SO2, and 6 lbs of NOx for coal. Natural gas will be the main low-cost compliance option.
3. Use more zero- and low-emitting power sources such as renewables and nuclear.
4. Reduce electricity demand by using electricity more efficiently.
I've already documented (see here) how the U.S. has become much more electricity efficient, yet electricity use continues to grow - only down recently because of The Great Recession, which left us with stagnant/fallen incomes. More people, making more money...need more energy.
The Clean Power Plan (CPP) Will Make Natural Gas Easily the Most Important Source of Electricity, from the latest (2015) EIA Annual Energy Outlook (AEO) for 2030
Sources: EIA, AEO 2015 and "Analysis of the Impacts of the Clean Power Plan," May 2015
Consumer societies like ours, where spending constitutes nearly 75% of the economy, need huge amounts of power available all the time, and cheaper energy to increase disposable income. And it's natural gas that gains market share under normal conditions: "the wind doesn't blow" and "the sun doesn't shine." Even in the current low price environment, U.S. natural gas production continues to boom. EIA's "High Oil and Gas Resource" scenario is rapidly materializing.
EIA's reference case already has U.S. natural gas production rising from 75 Bcf/day in 2014 to 91 Bcf/day in 2030 and over 97 Bcf/day in 2040. Experts at Navigant have U.S. gas output soaring to 110 Bcf/day by 2035! I've already documented both the massive oil (see here) and natural gas (see here) resources/reserves at our disposal.
And natural gas prices will be adequate for producers because the demand market will be there: fuel switching to gas electricity, a manufacturing revival based on gas, idiosyncratic gas uses such as vehicles and the backup for wind and solar power, and the emerging liquified natural gas (LNG) export business. U.S. gas demand has been outpacing even the best forecasting models (see here).
And the rise of natural gas isn't due to political favoritism, California for instance is expensively doing all it can to incorporate renewables and natural gas is still easily winning, but because of affordability, availability, and reliability. Additionally, if a carbon tax is ever thrown into the mix (U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island wants $42/metric ton), natural gas could surge to over 60% of our electricity - double today's share. Led by Florida, Texas, and Utah, gas is clearly the leader in new power capacity additions.
In fact, the CPP makes it basically impossible to build a new coal power plant without carbon capture and storage, which would increase costs 80%! Some 90 gigawatts of coal capacity, about 30% of the total, could retire by 2020 - more than double the retirements projected in the EIA's Annual Energy Outlook 2015 base case.
The Breakthrough Institute has shown how it's natural gas that fills the coal void. And assuming a $15 per ton CO2 tax in 2020, natural gas is EIA's clear winner at a levelized cost of electricity of $75 per MWh. EIA classifies wind and solar power as still "non-dispatchable" in 2020, compared to "dispatchable" natural gas, more reliable and available as needed.
Indeed, the symbiotic relationship between natural gas and renewables, where gas is the "spinning reserve" backup generation required to compensate for their intermittency, is exactly why those blocking more natural gas infrastructure projects are actually blocking more wind and solar development.
U.S. Power Generation Under the EIA's "High Oil and Gas Resource" Scenario
Source: EIA, "Analysis of the Impacts of the Clean Power Plan," May 2015Wade writes:
Foghorn, my Dad is planning on getting his CCW license, and is already thinking about the handgun to use. But he says that he is going to get a.22lr or something similar, saying that ‘accuracy is more important than force’. He has hunted his entire life, and is an extremely good shot with both rifle and pistol, but I think he is too cocky when he says “all you need to do is shoot someone in the head and the party’s over”. How can I convince him that he may not be able to hit what he’s aiming at in a high-stress situation, and that he needs to look into a more versatile caliber?
I’ve got some bad news — your Dad isn’t completely wrong. And, because I have nothing better to do today, we’re going to open up that whole can of worms...
Your dad is completely correct in that a properly placed.22lr round will take a man down for good. Despite the relative thickness of the human skull a typical.22lr round does have enough power to successfully penetrate and cause sufficient damage to kill a human from close range. And on the more fleshy bits of a human it is perfectly capable of inflicting some damage.
The issue we run into with the.22lr round, and one that you seem to have correctly identified, is that when you don’t hit a particularly useful organ it doesn’t do much immediate damage. The best example I can think of in this case is the wild hogs of Texas and the gulf coast, which have a nasty tendency to survive and escape if they’re not hit with a large enough caliber or in the right spot. Humans posess a similar ability to survive extreme punishment and damage without actually dying.
We could sit here all day long until we’re blue in the fingers discussing the relative merits of the different calibers, but the best solution is always the same: cold, hard data.
About a year ago Greg Ellifritz over at Buckeye Firearms concluded a pretty darn impressive analysis of gunfight data recorded over a 10 year period, the total count of incidents included in his analysis topping 1,800. It doesn’t give us a statistically significant look at murders in the United States, but the data is sufficiently large and normal to give us the ability to use his results to compare the effectiveness of different calibers.
Admittedly 9mm does take up a disproportionate percentage of the observations and.32 data is a little skimpy, but its good enough for our purposes. So, using his data, let’s take a look at how well the lowly.22 round does compared to other handgun calibers (and shotguns, just for comparison sake).
First things first, let’s see what percentage of observed gunfights ended in a fatality for the person on the receiving end.
The graph is pretty clear on this:.22 caliber firearms are just as deadly in a gunfight as any other handgun caliber. In fact, it beat the average (far right). Surprisingly, every caliber that begins with a 4 (.40 S&W,.45,.44 Mag…) performed worse than the.22 caliber firearms in terms of putting the opponent in the dirt for good.
The next thing I thought was interesting was the metric about how many rounds it took to incapacitate the opponent.
In case you were wondering, the smaller the bar in this example the better the round performed. And, in terms of performance in putting the opponent down, only a shotgun beats the.22 round. I get the feeling that in reality you can chop a round off the 9mm’s numbers, as the double tap has been trained into almost every shooter these days and probably means the numbers are artificially high.
Greg also includes something about a “one shot stop” percentage, but I don’t agree with his methodology on it and is not presented here. Go read up on it at the original site if you’re interested.
There’s a small fly in the ointment: the percentage of incidents where the opponent was not incapacitated.
Another chart where large bars are bad, and here the mouseguns aren’t doing so hot compared to the big boys. However, I get the feeling that this chart is somewhat deceptive with its results. Newer shooters have a tendency to get the smaller guns with smaller calibers, and also have a tendency to not be as well trained as those carrying the larger rounds. So, instead of this chart being an argument against the lowly.22 round I see it as an argument against poor training. As we saw with the last chart, IF you can hit the guy there’s a great chance he’s going down. But the issue is hitting him, and incorporating some of the accuracy results from the original study seems to back up my suspicions.
So, in short, what’s the answer? Is a.22 a good self defense round? According to the numbers, it looks to be among the best in terms of stopping the threat. Add in the fact that it’s lightweight, low recoil and uses firearms that are ridiculously easy to conceal and you can see where a.22 caliber firearm for concealed carry might be a winner.
So, in the immortal words of HAL, “I’m sorry Wade, I can’t do that.” According to the best numbers I could find, I can’t come up with a valid reason to convince your Dad to move to a higher caliber. Not only is it an effective round, but its size and weight means that your Dad is more likely to actually carry the gun instead of leaving it at home because it was too inconvenient to bring along. And, as we all know, its often the mere presence of a firearm that can save one’s life.
Does that mean I’ll be swapping out my Wilson Combat 45ACP 1911 for a Derringer? Hell no. But it doesn’t stop me from looking at some of those mouseguns for the hot Texas summer…
[Email your firearms-related questions to “Ask Foghorn” via [email protected]. Click here to browse previous posts]It was a scene straight out of the 1950s, but the year was 2017. Travis Allen, a Republican from southern California, took to the floor of the state assembly on 8 May to denounce communism. “To allow subversives and avowed communists to now work for the state of California,” he railed, “is a direct insult to the people of California who pay for that government.”
Allen was speaking out against a move to remove language from the California code that that bars members of the Communist party from holding government jobs in the state.
Anti-communist language remains on the books in several states, and in California, at least, it’s not going anywhere. After facing backlash from Republicans, veterans and the Vietnamese American community, the bill’s sponsor, the Democratic assemblyman Rob Bonta, announced last week that he would not move forward with the bill.
Who said it: tech CEO or communist leader? Take our quiz Read more
“I’ve been called a commie. I’ve been told to go back to China. I’ve had death threats,” Bonta told the Guardian. He described as “ironic and curious” the fact that one of his Republican opponents was “wrapping himself in the flag” while “supporting a law that blatantly violates our first amendment rights”, but said he respected the emotions that the issue had raised for refugees from communist regimes.
With intrigue about Russia driving the daily news cycle, cold war sentiments are bubbling up again, despite the fact that our erstwhile adversary is decidedly capitalist these days. It’s a marked reversal from just a year ago, when an astonishing number of Americans embraced the candidacy of a self-identified socialist, and a reminder of how deep anti-communist suspicion runs through the American psyche.
Bonta is not the first legislator to fail in an attempt to drag state laws into the 21st century. A similar effort was made in California in 2008, when a bill passed only to be vetoed by the then governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. “I see no compelling reason to change the law that maintains our responsibility to ensure that public resources are not used for purposes of overthrowing the US or state government, or for communist activities,” the governor wrote in his veto statement.
Joe Fitzgibbon, a Democratic state representative in Washington, has attempted three times since 2012 to pass legislation getting rid of his state’s law barring communists from voting or having government jobs, but he has faced considerable opposition from Republicans.
He called the law “a mark of shame for Washington state” in a recent interview with the Guardian, and said he would keep trying.
“I wonder if now that Republicans have a different opinion on Russia, if maybe they’ll be more receptive,” he said. “My hope is that they will change their tune on whether people should be discriminated against for their political beliefs. Maybe they can talk to their Russian friends about that.”
Lest there be any misunderstanding: members of the Communist party are currently allowed to hold government jobs in every American state. Such laws were passed around the country during the so-called red scare of the 20th century, but they have long since been ruled unconstitutional by the supreme court.
Some states have managed to move on. Arizona lawmakers voted in 2003 to update the state’s loyalty oath. Now, instead of swearing they are not members of of the Communist party, elected officials and public employees must vow not to be terrorists. Candidates for elected office in Illinois still receive a loyalty oath when they register to run, but filling it out is optional. Pennsylvania stopped requiring candidates to sign a loyalty oath in 2006, after a Socialist Worker party candidate objected.
While these red scare relics can seem comical, Michael Risher of the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California said they could still have serious consequences. “Occasionally someone will dredge them up and use them to try to scare people … to stop them from speaking out,” he said.
In 2006, he recalled, a California legislator asked the state attorney general whether an anti-subversive law could be used to go after Mexican American student activists. At the time, there was considerable rightwing suspicion about the student group MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlán) and its supposed goal of reconquista, or returning California and other parts of the south-west to Mexico.
“The danger is not so much that someone will be sentenced to life in prison, but that they will be restrained from doing something that they would otherwise do,” Risher said.
In New York City, a public school principal has been placed under investigation over allegations of recruiting students to join the Progressive Labor party, a communist group. The principal, Jill Bloomberg, is an outspoken critic of racial inequality in the school system, and she has sued the city’s department of education for violating her civil rights.
Communist party members may still be barred from US citizenship Read more
Bloomberg accused the school district of using “a tactic that people have used for years to discredit very, very legitimate anti-racist fight back: to cast it as communism, as if that automatically discredits it”. She is not a member of the communist group, she said, “but if I were, it would not be illegal or a violation of the school’s regulation”.
Either way, she said the investigation had placed a pall over her school, as teachers second-guess their ability to speak freely to their students. “If you’re teaching the Harlem renaissance and the civil rights movement, can you say Paul Robeson was proud to be a member of the Communist party?” she asked. “Or can you only talk about communism if you present it as a negative?”
For Rossana Cambron, a national vice-chair of the Communist Party USA, which has about 5,000 members, the failure of Bonta’s bill was “very disappointing”. Still, she said, such efforts are in no way a priority.
“We’re too busy fighting Trump to be looking into those kind of things.”As gun enthusiasts, people who sell guns, and the President of the United States all travel to Atlanta for this year’s annual National Rifle Association convention, the organization that quite literally rewrote the Second Amendment, is promoting a new initiative: NRA Carry Guard, a three-tiered service package that provides training, legal advice, insurance for criminal defense costs, and “immediate access” to payments for incidentals such as bail, compensation while in court, “psychological support,” and, gruesomely, “clean-up costs.”
It also offers a 24–7 hotline for “emergency assistance.” The wallet-sized card shown on Carry Guard’s website lists three easy steps for a person who is “forced to act in lawful self-defense:” 1) Call 911. 2) Wait for the police. 3) Call NRA Carry Guard.
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For decades, the gun lobby has facilitated concealed carry and “stand your ground” legislation in large part by focusing on the racialized threat of lurking criminals or rapists. Today, as the number of states with stand your ground laws grows and the president himself is set to deliver a keynote address, that anxiety is being funneled into the fear of going to court—or being jailed—for killing someone when you shoot them. (Over the last five years, however, studies have shown that the best indicators of whether your self-defense argument will keep you out of prison are generally your gender and the color of your skin.)
In an op-ed in one of the NRA’s publications on Thursday, right-wing TV host and NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch describes watching her children play in her yard in graffiti-riddled, “decaying” St. Louis, arms crossed with a 9 mm on her hip.
In subsequent paragraphs, she explains how gun owners are marginalized in America, citing the most “lawsuit-happy culture in the history of the world” and “the extra threat of widespread bias and misunderstanding” facing gun owners today.
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Insurance packages such as this one aren’t new—in fact, as The Trace reports, it’s likely the NRA ripped the idea off from anther Second Amendment organization, the United States Conceal Carry Association. A few months ago, according to the president of the USCCA, reps from the NRA met to discuss collaborating on an insurance plan. Less than two weeks before the convention, the USCCA was disinvited from Atlanta by the NRA, an unsurprising show of force from such a politically ruthless organization.
Despite the massive PR push, it remains unclear how popular Carry Guard will be, or how often that all-important emergency hotline will ring. But based on an incident last year in Florida, the original stand-your-ground state, we do know how it could be successfully used. Last year, a man paying less than $30 a month for the USCAA’s services fatally shot his unarmed neighbor, Carlos Garcia, in a dispute over the volume of Garcia’s music.
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According to an investigation by the Tampa Bay Times, Nick Julian IV called 911 after killing Garcia and repeated several times: “He attacked me and I had to use force.” and “I was afraid for my life”—a slight alteration from what was written on the back of the USCAA’s extremely helpful instructional card: “I was attacked, and was forced to defend myself. Please send the police and an ambulance.” He then hung up and called the number listed on the back of the card, well before the ambulance arrived and Garcia was proclaimed dead.
Julian’s father, the only witness, also spoke to the USCAA’s lawyer: Both men claimed Garcia had charged in Julian’s direction, forcing him to shoot. All charges against Julian were dropped.
In The Trace story, a smaller insurance provider—which covers all, rather than part, of its subscribers’ legal fees, and thus vets cases more aggressively— describes reading the police reports of his customers’ incidents: “We once had a guy who basically snuck up and shot his spouse at a traffic light. So we did not provide coverage there. But that’s a rare occurrence.” One would hope.In recent weeks, adidas Skateboarding has focused on its collaborative efforts alongside A$AP Ferg and his Trap Lord endeavor; the brand has taken part in the new “Nandos” visual and hosted a special live event to support the joint collection. Now, adidas skateboarding has revealed plans for a second joint line with Paris skateboard label Magenta.
Setting their sights on a 2017 fall collection, Magenta and adidas Skateboarding are teaming up to bring us an exciting new range of footwear and on-trend contemporary streetwear and menswear pieces. Inspired by the fashionable staples for football, court and track, the two brands ensure each of the items featured in their second apparel collection is a “testament to premium design and artistry” and maintains both of their commitments to “functionality, adaptability, and attention to detail.”
Along with the unveiling of the new collection, Magenta and adidas Skateboarding also bring us a new skate visual to support their 2017 joint fall collection. Known as “Boulevard Magneta,” the vignette stars some of adidas Skateboarding’s best professional skaters and athletes from the Magenta crew; together, the riders hit the streets of Paris to show off their skills.
You can view a trailer for “Boulevard Magenta” below, and check out Magenta and adidas Skateboarding’s new 2017 fall collection above. Both “Boulevard Magenta” and the new apparel will arrive on September 16.Science Fair Winner Designs Device To Cut Virus Spread On Planes
Enlarge this image toggle caption Courtesy of Kathy Wolfe/Intel Courtesy of Kathy Wolfe/Intel
When 17-year-old Raymond Wang saw the Ebola outbreak on the news last year, it got him thinking about viruses and how they spread around the world, especially on airplanes.
He dug into the literature, and found some disconcerting studies. For instance, one study estimated that a person sick with H1N1 swine flu has the potential to infect 17 others during a 17 hour flight.
Wang thought commercial airlines could do better. So he went to work.
Using computer simulations, Wang designed a device that can potentially curb disease transmission on planes by optimally directing airflow in a cabin.
What happens when a passenger sneezes on an airplane? Raymond Wang YouTube
Now take a look at what happens to that sneeze when the cabin's ventilation system includes Raymond Wang's airflow device. Raymond Wang YouTube
Wang, a junior at St. Georges School in Vancouver, predicts the device can "improve the availability of fresh air in the cabin by 190 percent and reduce the concentration of airborne germs by 55 times."
And oh yeah, the device won the teen $75,000 — and the top prize — at this years Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh in May.
All jetliners these days have air filters (called HEPA) that remove more than 99.97 of particles in the air, including bacteria and viruses.
That reduces the spread of diseases in a cabin immensely. But what if the air has a hard time reaching the filter? If somebody in your aisle sneezes, could the virus-packed air swirl around and hit you before it gets to the filter?
To figure that out, Wang created 32 simulations to track the movement of pathogens swirling around a Boeing 737 cabin. He also made a model of the cabin to confirm his simulations were correct.
He found that the traditional airflow in a cabin continuously throws around contaminated air without giving it a chance to be absorbed into the HEPA filter. Wang's device fixes this by creating "personalized breathing zones" for each passenger, he says. It's essentially a wall of air stopping infectious particles from traveling in your personal space.
So could this device actually reduce the spread of bacteria and viruses on a plane?
Maybe a little, says Dr. Mark Gendreau, aviation medicine specialist at Lahey Medical Center in Peabody, Mass.
"When you think about what needs to take place for someone to come down with an infectious illness, it blows your mind away — all the things that have to come into place," Gendreau says, "One of the big things is luck: Are you in the wrong place at the wrong time?"
Although Wang is on the right track with his device, Gendreau says, the issue is more complicated than just putting a device in the cabin's air system that will alter the ventilation pattern.
In most cases, how we get an infectious disease while travelling isn't through airborne particles, but by touching surfaces contaminated with large droplets that are expelled from the coughing, sneezing and talking of your sick aisle buddy.
And, Gendreau says, you don't have to wait for airlines to change their cabins if you want to keep from getting sick in the air.
"The big thing is the passengers' behavior when they travel — what things do they do that will put them at a greater risk that will bring infectious diseases to themselves?" he says.
At the top of Gendreau's list: Have good personal hygiene.
The next time you fly, he says, be sure to bring a lot of hand sanitizer and use it often if you want to stay healthy. You can follow more of his advice on how to avoid getting sick on the plane here.Google has become an increasingly active participant in the world of education, particularly when it comes to exploring the role technology can play in re-imagining the way we learn. With Google Play for Education, Android and Play-powered Samsung tablets for the classroom and its work with MOOCs and online courseware, the company is expanding its presence both in traditional academic spaces classroom and outside.
Google’s educational experiments continued today, beginning with the launch of its first MOOC-style course, now open to the public, on how to interpret and understand online data. The second experiment, quietly announced on Google’s Open Source Blog, was the launch of Oppia, a project that aims “to make it easy for anyone to create online interactive activities” that others can learn from.
The motivation behind Oppia, Google explained in its announcement, stems from the fact that, while a growing amount of educational content is now delivered via video and SMS, much of it remains static and asynchronous. Or, said another way, digitizing a lecture or presentation isn’t enough; there is still plenty of room for improvement when it comes to the way these tools create opportunities for interactivity, dialogue and feedback.
Google’s new open source project essentially aims to take the headache or mystery out of the process by providing the framework by which anyone can quickly create these types of interactive learning experiences and add them to their site. But, beyond that, Oppia also has potentially interesting implications for teachers, and not necessarily in a way that reduces their concern of one day being replaced by a robotic or holographic, AI version of themselves.
In other words, Oppia works to improve the interactivity of the learning process by assuming the role of a mentor or teacher who asks questions of the learner. Then, based on how the learner responds to those questions, the teacher decides how to proceed, which questions to ask, how to give feedback and so on. In describing Oppia, Google says that one can think of it as a “smart feedback system,” which is an attempt to begin automating how we “te |
. Test scores lagged behind even those of the city's large group of underachieving schools. Parents said they noticed teachers were expecting less, and student behavior was becoming a problem. They felt their fortunes start to fade. Jordan, a middle-class mom who works on child welfare for the Annie E. Casey Foundation — one of the partners in the school — considered pulling her daughter and younger sons out. Hopkins officials say they are overhauling the school, with a new principal, new curriculum and even planned architectural fixes. "We know this is hard, but we know it is important to do," said Mariale Hardiman, interim dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Education. "It is not going to happen overnight. It is not going to happen without a lot of starts and stops." As Maryland has grown more diverse, its schools have grown more segregated. By 2014, more than one in four public schools was highly segregated, meaning the student body was 90 percent or more students of color, according to the Maryland Equity Project at the University of Maryland. Maryland was the third-most-segregated state in the nation for black students in 2014, the Civil Rights Project at the University of California at Los Angeles reported last year. In those segregated schools, researchers say, students often find themselves with less-experienced teachers in less-rigorous classes — and more likely to lag behind their peers. Research going back decades shows that all students — white, black, affluent and disadvantaged — do better when they learn in integrated classrooms. But according to the Century Foundation, a progressive think-tank based in New York, only 8 percent of students nationwide, or roughly 4 million students, are in integrated classes. That a new school with the ambitious backing of two universities, the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the city government has been unable to reach its goals is a testament to the difficulty of making it happen. The outcome might have been predicted. Fewer than a dozen schools in the majority-black city have a balanced racial and socioeconomic population — one that is about 50 percent minority or poor — and many of them are charters and some of the highest performing in the city. That precious balance, researchers say, is the best-known antidote to the academic struggles of students from low-income families. At Henderson-Hopkins, the good intentions of Hopkins, Morgan and the other partners were no match for the astute low-income parents from just outside the neighborhood who battled to get more seats at the new school. And then the middle-class children never showed up, in part because the recession delayed construction of the new housing planned in the redevelopment. Jordan sees another reason why. "If I was a doctor would I send my child to Henderson-Hopkins?" she said. "Absolutely not.... The academics are not there." An architectural star The new school — officially Elmer A. Henderson: A Johns Hopkins Partnership School — replaced an old neighborhood institution that had been named for the city's first African-American assistant schools superintendent. In the city's old numbering system, schools for black children were labeled 100 or higher, and this school was No. 101. Henderson-Hopkins, with its dreams of integration, was symbolically taking the place of a once-segregated school. The East Baltimore community is also being overhauled. More than 740 families, including more than 300 homeowners, were relocated with financial help from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The city government, Hopkins and nonprofit groups are managing the transformation of the once-deteriorating neighborhood into new homes, offices and retail spaces as partners in the nonprofit East Baltimore Development Inc. The idea was that those who lived and worked in the EBDI footprint — nicknamed the Piano, for its shape — would attend Henderson-Hopkins. The families who had been moved out were given top priority.
The school had an auspicious start, hailed as a design masterpiece by architecture critics. The building was divided into five areas, or "houses," each with its own cafeteria and flexible open spaces that would allow for small groups of students to learn together doing projects, art, theater and other activities. Connected to the school is the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Early Childhood Center, which shares the same board but is not part of the school. It accepts children from ages 6 weeks through prekindergarten. Together, the Weinberg center and the school are roughly the footprint of a large Walmart, with concrete courtyards, small green spaces and trees. School leaders said they didn't anticipate the overwhelming demand from the community for what was the first school built in East Baltimore in 20 years. The first year, there were four applicants for every one place. Parents were attracted to the beautiful new building — and the brand. "We knew if Hopkins came in, they would bring the best of the best," Nia Redmond, a neighborhood activist, told The Baltimore Sun in 2011, when the school was being planned. Officials described the school as a place that would give students a world-class education, and at the same time serve as a laboratory for the next generation of urban educators. Morgan State University would bring expertise on how to teach kids, particularly in science, math and engineering. Students from both universities would intern at the school and mentor children. As a "contract school," Henderson-Hopkins operates with relative freedom within the city school system. Families are allowed to apply for a spot each spring, and originally, those living in the immediate neighborhood got priority, followed by employees at Hopkins and nearby workplaces. Patricia Welch, the dean of the School of Education and Urban Studies at Morgan, helped lead the effort to build the school and now heads the board that oversees it. (Baltimore Sun video by Lloyd Fox) Patricia Welch, the dean of the School of Education and Urban Studies at Morgan, helped lead the effort to build the school and now heads the board that oversees it. (Baltimore Sun video by Lloyd Fox) SEE MORE VIDEOS Suspicion and revolt But for months prior to the opening, as neighbors watched the project being built, the community grew upset. Patricia Welch, the dean of the School of Education and Urban Studies at Morgan, helped lead the effort to build the school and now heads the board that oversees it. She says there was a perception among residents that Hopkins was creating a top-notch school for the children of professionals. The neighbors felt they would be left out. "Then it was like, 'Oh, no. You will not,'" Welch said. "The community spoke up and said, 'That is not going to happen. Stop.'" The news that families living in the area wouldn't automatically be allowed to enroll their children in the school — instead, they'd go through a lottery — made residents even more skeptical. "A lottery? What the heck are you talking about?" asked longtime community activist Shrene Burnett, 81. "There wasn't supposed to be a pick and choose. If you qualify, you qualify." The low-income families who live around Johns Hopkins Hospital in East Baltimore have long had an uneasy relationship with the powerful, world-famous institution. There's the case of Henrietta Lacks. The Turner's Station woman's cells, removed during a cancer operation at Hopkins in 1951, were used without her knowledge to create a cell line that's still used for research. African-American neighbors used to warn their children not to walk near the hospital at night, for fear they'd be kidnapped and taken inside for experiments. For years Hopkins has run programs to engage the community on violence, sickle cell anemia, diabetes and other challenges. But some neighbors still say that they don't want to go to the hospital, afraid they would become part of research. More recently, their concerns have focused on EBDI. Some residents always feared Hopkins was going to make a land grab for their neighborhood, and some feel that's what happened. It didn't help that the recession hit, slowing progress on EBDI. Many of the homes from which families had been moved stood vacant for years, creating a nuisance and an eyesore. As the new school building took shape, parents from all over the city put their children's names in the school's lottery. Meanwhile, the economic downturn had slowed construction of middle-income housing, and developers wanted to know: If they built houses, would they be able to tell prospective buyers they had a spot guaranteed in the new school? It was an awkward and untenable position: to hold seats open in a new school for middle-class families who weren't yet there, while poor families from the city were clamoring for a spot. "Politically, we didn't have the appetite to do that," said David Andrews, then the dean of Johns Hopkins' School of Education. State Sen. Nathaniel McFadden, who represents the neighborhood in the General Assembly, said leaders tried to convince residents that they wouldn't be pushed out, and that the area would be mixed-income, with middle-class blacks and whites living alongside low-income families. "We had many focus groups. Honestly, we tried to do that," McFadden said. "But because of things that had happened years ago, they believed that was another trick by Hopkins." The situation was made worse by the number of dilapidated city schools that were failing to provide an adequate education for children. Too many city parents were too desperate for a good school to give every child a place. Their anxiety was in front of Andrews every day. He and his wife had renovated and moved into a house just blocks from the where the school was rising. Mothers and fathers were knocking on his door. "I heard you are the guy who is building the school," he recalled parents saying. He always talked with them, hoping they would understand they had the greatest chance of getting in. It became clear, he said, that Hopkins couldn't protect the seats for middle-income kids. So in a step that they knew would make their goal of integration much more difficult, Hopkins officials opened all the spots, not only to neighborhood families, but also to those who lived just outside of the neighborhood. And instead of having classes of 20 students, as first designed, they increased class sizes, then added more classes per grade to handle even more children. "The demand was so great so fast from the surrounding neighborhood," Andrews said, "that it dominated the applicant pool." By the fall of 2014, the student body at the school was 90 percent low-income and black. The Hopkins workforce was moved down from second to third priority, after neighborhood children and siblings of children in the school. In 2015, 110 children whose parents worked at Hopkins and adjacent institutions, such as Kennedy-Krieger Institute, applied. Only 15 got in.
More students, more problems For three years before the new building opened, neighborhood children attended school in trailers near the old Henderson school. Though the school was in the middle of the massive EBDI demolition efforts, parent Crystal Jordan had savored the tight-knit feeling there. But after the move to the new campus — just south of the Amtrak line, bordered by Chester Street, Ashland and Patterson Park avenues — everything changed. In the fall of 2014, the small group of about 280 kids who'd been going to school together in the trailers were joined by about 100 newcomers from all over the city. Not only was the school not integrated, but the building's open spaces, meant to spark creativity, proved more distracting than helpful for teaching. Most importantly, academic performance on the state tests was far below the state average, and the suspension rate was high. In the three years between the 2012-2013 school year and the current school year, Henderson-Hopkins' enrollment more than doubled to 567 students, while the number of out-of-school suspensions — most of them for attacks and fighting — tripled. Jordan said the new atmosphere was tough. Her oldest daughter, now in eighth grade, started to get bullied, and she worried about whether to take her out of the school. Jordan worked with teachers and administrators to try to stop the bullying and enrolled her two younger children in the elementary grades. She stayed, she said, because she knew that her voice as a parent would matter not just for her child but for other children. Yet she knows the academics are not up to par. Other parents say they can't hold out any longer. Glenda Curtis, who enrolled her now-fourth-grade son as a kindergartner, was originally attracted by the pledge of a diverse school. "That was one of the things that drew me in... and talking about how the children of doctors from Johns Hopkins would be attending," Curtis said. It has taken too long for them to deliver on the promises. My child is suffering as they work out the kinks. I just don’t think the education is there. — Glenda Curtis, who enrolled her son as a kindergartner. He is now in fourth-grade. But now she is considering pulling her son out. "It has taken too long for them to deliver on the promises," she said. "My child is suffering as they work out the kinks. I just don't think the education is there." Only 8 percent of Henderson-Hopkins' elementary students are passing the state tests in reading and math, compared to 11 percent citywide, according to a Baltimore Sun analysis. The middle school is performing slightly better: 10 percent passing, just above the citywide average of 7 percent. Segregated, still unequal Those scores may not be surprising. Schools filled with students living in high concentrations of poverty are like boats going against a strong tide. Student achievement has always been closely linked with a family's income. While there are examples of schools where low-income students have great success, researchers say, they are the exceptions. No school system has been able to translate that success across a district. In the past two decades, as states and the federal government tried to put more money and pressure on poorly performing schools to succeed, student achievement rose very little. The Obama administration, for instance, spent $7 billion on a variety of strategies to turn around the worst-performing schools in the nation. Just a few months ago, the administration declared those efforts largely a failure. Some education reformers say school systems should now focus efforts on socioeconomic integration, which is often intertwined with racial integration. Middle-class peers matter for students from low-income families, they say, because wealthier families are better able to advocate for their kids at all levels, from the teachers to the school board. Sean Reardon, a Stanford University academic whose formal title is professor of poverty and inequality in education, has scrutinized test data from across the country and concluded America's schools are becoming more segregated by class. "Poor schools have a harder time attracting the best teachers. They have parents who have less political and social capital," Reardon said. "They don't have the social networks... the economic resources to advocate on behalf of their children." Another significant point, Reardon says, is that students who are from low-income families and high-performing are less likely to get exposed to the same academic rigor. Jordan, the parent at Henderson-Hopkins, believes conditions would be different if the school were in another part of town. She wishes Hopkins and Morgan, who seemed so excited about the project, would bring more resources. "Resources are limited because of the area the school is in... because of predominantly black students. If [the school] was lifted up and put in Roland Park," she said, "it would be run the way it needs to be. You would have the resources and the teachers." Hopkins and Morgan officials say the socioeconomic mix of their students isn't an excuse for the poor academic performance. Hopkins has been paying for an additional nine staff members, including a music teacher, to supplement the public funding. Restart Henderson-Hopkins leadership is now fully engaged in changing the school's culture. Last summer, Hopkins replaced three of the four key administrators. Ten first-year teachers were hired, replacing teachers who left the school. The new principal, Deborah Ptak, has years of experience leading schools in the city and in Madison, Wis. She called this year a "restart," and believes it will take three to five years to turn the school around. She has switched to a curriculum aligned to the Common Core standards — the one that is standard across Maryland — and has focused on providing support and professional training to her new teachers. She is also grappling with the much-vaunted architectural design, which hasn't worked well. The school doesn't have the money to staff four small cafeteria spaces, so three have been closed. The interior walls are a polished, gray concrete, so some brightly colored paintings and signs have been put up. Because teachers have found the school's open spaces difficult to teach in, Ptak purchased six-foot-high partitions. This summer, the school will replace those partitions with solid walls. A brand-new library, funded by the Weinberg Foundation, is just now getting filled with books. While parents say the elementary school is functioning better than the middle school, they point to problems with discipline and teacher competence. They say the staff needs to be more aware of the culture that most of the students come from. Jordan said the rookie teachers don't have enough knowledge to discipline students and aren't invested enough in their students' success. I have a building full of teachers who have the will to bring quality education to the students of East Baltimore. We are working to hone their skill. — Deborah Ptak, principal of Henderson-HopkinsResearch in the social, behavioral and economic sciences (SBE) builds fundamental knowledge of human behavior, interactions, and social and economic systems, as well as organizations and institutions. Systematic studies of these networks and their behaviors can provide rewarding careers in the academic world, government, and industry.
Science Careers, through the support of the National Science Foundation, offers coverage of opportunities in this field, with a focus on the career paths and decisions made by real practitioners. Through the experiences of the scientists profiled in this series, students, graduates, and even those working in other fields can evaluate the potential of SBE for their own careers and life goals.
Jarita Holbrook: Guiding Star
A. Sasso, 1 June 2007
Jarita Holbrook moved from Caltech astrophysics to studying the anthropology of astronomy by indigenous Africans.
Responding to Violence in Schools
P. Shulman, 4 May 2007
Aaron Kupchik, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at the University of Delaware, studies school violence and discipline. His conclusion: The cure is often worse than the disease.
A Question of Balance
A. Sasso, 23 March 2007
Joan Brenner Coltrain built a rewarding career for herself applying stable-isotope analysis to anthropology problems. And she did it on her own terms.
Priming the Mind
P. Shulman, 2 March 2007
Yale graduate student Lawrence Williams wants to understand how factors we aren't aware of influence our thoughts and decisions.
A Model Archaeologist
P. Shulman, 22 December 2006
Former fashion model Amanda Adams helps places tell their stories.
Saving Languages, Sustaining Communities
A. Sasso, 24 November 2006
University of New Mexico Linguistics professor Melissa Axelrod partners with Native American communities to rescue and revitalize languages on the brink of extinction.
Dissecting Dialects
R. Arnette, 15 September 2006
Jennifer Bloomquist, an assistant professor in the Department of Africana Studies at Gettysburg College, studies linguistic variation among residents of the Appalachian Mountains.
Policy Issues and Emotions
C. Choi, 8 September 2006
Charles Taber, an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at Stony Brook University in New York, talks about his career and his research on race and human behavior.
Special Feature: Careers in the Decision, Risk, and Management Sciences
R. Arnette, 30 June 2006
How--and why--do we make the decisions we make? Science Careers examines the work and opportunities in an emerging interdisciplinary field.
Decision Analysis Meets Environmental Policy
S. A. Webb, 30 June 2006
Environmental decisions often involve a baffling mix of cost, benefit, and uncertainty.
Funding for Decision Science Research: Negotiating the Maze
A. Kotok, 30 June 2006
Decision-science funding is divided into programs for basic decision-making research and programs that focus on a wide variety of applications.
Baby Talk and Monkey Talk
V. Chase, 2 June 2006
Jessica Maye, a linguist at Northwestern University, wants to know why babies are so much better at acquiring language than monkeys--or even human adults.
Group Diversity: Mock Juries Reveal Surprising Effects of Diversity on Groups
A. Sasso, 5 May 2006
A study conducted by Samuel R. Sommers indicates that juries including a mix of ethnicities perform better than all-white juries.
Neural Prosthetics
Victor Chase, 28 April 2006
Christa Wheeler found the perfect field to meld her interests in medicine and body mechanics.
RISE: Training Minorities in Environmental Science
Edna Francisco, 17 March 2006
The NSF-funded RISE program at Arkansas State University encourages underrepresented minorities to enter careers in environmental science.
Making the Most Out of Life
Irene S. Levine, 17 March 2006
Christina Fong, a decision scientist at Carnegie Mellon University, deftly balances her roles as public economist, teacher, and spouse.
Minority Admissions: Countering Cultural Blocks
Anne Sasso, 10 March 2006
A recent study suggests that many minority or disadvantaged students have misconceptions about college and the application process.
Finding Answers to Society's Ills
Robin Arnette, 17 February 2006
Monique Clinton-Sherrod, a social psychologist at RTI International, studies domestic violence and substance abuse and trains counselors on effective strategies.
Piecing Together the Past
Robin Arnette, 9 December 2005
Anthropologist Rachel Watkins pieces together what life was like for a group of people living in a particular time and place.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Grant No. SES-0549096. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.James Martin/CNET
San Francisco -- and the tech industry -- are beaming with Pride this weekend.
The United States Supreme Court on Friday ruled same-sex marriage a constitutional right, one day before San Francisco begins its famous Pride festivities, one of the largest celebrations of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender -- aka LGBT -- culture in the country.
The tech industry is practically euphoric, especially after high-profile executives this year, from Apple CEO Tim Cook to Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff, publicly advocated advancing gay rights.
But that advancement works both ways, said Gary Virginia, board president of SF Pride, which organizes the celebration. Speaking out is not just a personal decision for tech execs; it makes good business sense too, he said.
"They attract a younger population for their workforce, and it's been proven that social attitudes are changing," said Virginia. "So it behooves them to have progressive policies to attract LGBT employees. I think they see the benefit of it."
The celebration caps off a landmark year for the gay rights movement. In September, Apple's Cook wrote an essay saying he's gay, making him the first openly gay CEO of a Fortune 500 company. A month later, he allowed for his name to be attached to an LGBT antidiscrimination bill in his home state of Alabama.
James Martin/CNET
In March, Benioff said he had canceled all Salesforce events in Indiana after its governor signed a law that would allow businesses to refuse service to anyone in the LGBT community on religious grounds. Less than a week later, dozens of executives from Airbnb, Ebay, Jawbone, Lyft, PayPal, Twitter and other companies signed a joint statement in The Washington Post against the religious freedom laws either passed or being considered in several states.
The tech industry is a relatively recent ally. LGBT leaders point out it's taken decades to achieve Friday's Supreme Court decision. New York City, for example, is commemorating the anniversary of the 1969 riots at the Stonewall Inn, which many consider the jump start of the movement. The 1978 assassination of Harvey Milk, an openly gay San Francisco board supervisor, galvanized the national LGBT community.
Pride Parade
Tech giants including Apple, Facebook and Google have been mainstays of San Francisco's giant Pride Parade for years. But the year of activism from the tech industry leading up to this year's parade has been a standout, particularly fueled by Cook's public support of the issues, said Kellie McElhaney, director of the University of California, Berkeley's Center for Corporate Responsibility.
"When you have him stepping up, that's huge," she said, referring to his role as the leader of the most valuable company in the world. "It's different from anything we've seen in the past."
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
But that doesn't mean the relationship between the tech industry and the LGBT community hasn't had its share of friction. Members of the drag and transgender community last year protested against Facebook's policy requiring all members to use their real names. Some people petitioned the parade to ban Facebook from marching in it this year. The SF Pride board, however, voted to let the company march.
"That's just really not how Pride operates," said Virginia, responding to criticism for not banning the company.
"Facebook flat out said, 'We know it's an imperfect system,'" he said, adding the social network will hold four meetings with the LGBT community in the coming year to devise a solution.
"Facebook has been a staunch supporter of the LGBT movement for numerous years," Virginia said. Virgina points to Facebook joining Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Twitter in a 2013 friend of the court brief filed with the Supreme Court protesting the Defense of Marriage Act, which attacked same-sex marriage.
The social network is proud of marching in the parade, as well as its commitment to LGBT rights "as a company and employer," Facebook said in a statement.
And Virginia said he's happy to have those companies on board.
"The tech industry was on the right side of history for equality."Image copyright Asahi Shimbun / Wataru Sekita Image caption Suika the cat returns home
A cat has been reunited with his owners three years after going missing in the devastating Japanese tsunami, it is reported.
Suika, a black short-haired feline, lived with Kazuko Yamagishi and her husband Takeo in Ofunato, north-eastern Iwate Prefecture, until the tsunami struck on 11 March 2011, Asahi Shimbun newspaper reports. While the Yamagishi home escaped devastation - unlike the rest of the town - their cat was nowhere to be seen. The couple searched for Suika for three months before giving up hope.
But on 10 April another couple spotted a black cat curled up in a nearby pine forest. He was friendly and wore a collar, and they took it to the Ofunato Health Centre. After several days nobody had claimed the cat, so the centre put an announcement in a local paper. It was when an employee was taking a photo of the cat that he noticed the Yamagishi name and number in faded letters on the collar.
"Where have you been?" Kazuko Yamagishi asked her long-lost pet when they were reunited. "It's just like a dream," she said. It is not clear how Suika survived the ordeal, but a bell on his collar suggests someone else took care of him while he was away.
Image copyright Asahi Shimbun / Wataru Sekita Image caption Kazuko and Takeo Yamagishi get to hold their cat Suika after three years
Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via Twitter.US economists have relentlessly harangued the Japanese for their supposed mismanagement of their post bubble era, which has lead to nearly 20 years of low growth, borderline deflation, with a not-much-discussed, robust export sector.
Along with others, we complained in the early days of the Fed/Treasury emergency response that they were taking one of the worst elements of the Japanese playbook, namely, trying to prop up the value of dud assets, rather than figuring out how to do more price discovery and ameliorate the attendant reaction (not damage, mind you, the damage was already done when the bad loans were made). Yes, the Treasury has made some capital injections into banks, but without cleaning up the balance sheets, the benefits are limited. Even with supposedly more aggressive action on realizing losses, our banks act a lot like their Japanese pre-writedown zombie counterparts.
So in yet another “putting lipstick on a pig” initiatives, the authorities, having unwittingly copied the heretofore-seen-as-failed Japanese playbook, are now trying to reposition Japan as a source of valuable lessons.
Trust me, you would never have seen anything along these lines two year ago, starting with the title of the New York Times story “Japan Offers a Possible Road Map for U.S. Economy.” Pretty soon, we’ll have our very own Ministry of Truth (I kid you not, read the article).
From the New York Times:
The Bank of Japan kept rates near zero for most of the last decade in an effort to end a long economic stagnation, and raised them only two years ago. Many economists say they believe that the zero interest-rate policy finally worked in Japan after regulators took aggressive steps that succeeded in restoring faith in Japan’s financial system and Tokyo’s ability to oversee it. Now, with the Fed and President-elect Barack Obama turning to the same sorts of unconventional policy tools to battle the worst global economic crisis since the Depression, economists and bankers say they hope that Japan’s lessons are not lost on Washington. They say the United States needs to take the same kinds of confidence-building steps, and much more quickly than Japan did….
Yves here. Why does this remind me of that phase of the Iraq war when the US claimed the problem was not how the war (notice how we never say occupation?) was going, but the perceptions of the war within Iraq, and launched a PR campaign? That was such an astounding success that it gets nary a mention these days.
Back to the article:
Economists and former Bank of Japan officials say the biggest lesson they learned was that cutting rates alone has almost no effect when the financial system has fallen into a crisis as deep as the one Japan faced in the 1990s. Japanese banks simply refused to lend in an environment where borrowers could suddenly go bankrupt, saddling lenders with huge, unforeseen losses. The Bank of Japan tried even more extreme measures, like using its powers to create money to essentially stuff cash into the nation’s commercial banks in hopes they would start lending again. Exasperated central bankers found that commercial banks just let the money pile up instead of lending it out. Economists say the United States faces a similar situation, after the sudden collapse in September of Lehman Brothers created fears of additional failures. Economists also fault Washington for its inconsistency in dealing with the financial crisis, leaving the impression that it does not have a clear strategy for dealing with ailing lenders. In Japan’s case, economists and former bankers say, credit began to flow freely again only after 2003, when regulators adopted a tough new policy of auditing banks and forcing weaker ones to raise new capital or accept a government takeover. Economists said the audits finally removed paralysis in credit markets by convincing bankers and investors that sudden failures were no longer a risk, and that the true extent of problems at banks and other companies was finally being revealed. Economists say Washington needs to do something similar to make banks and financial companies more transparent, and reassure investors that there were no more collapses like that of Lehman Brothers on the horizon.
Yves here. The need for writedowns along with recapitalization was the lesson of the widely-touted Swedish approach, in the wake of its early 1990s financial crisis. But Sweden went even further. It nationalized dud banks, replaced management, spun out bad assets into an independent company. That entity was deliberately overcapitalized, It was able to do triage on borrowers, liquidating ones that were goners, but more important, restructuring loans and often extending new credit to ones who looked viable.
Back to the Times, this time for comic relief:
Economists and former central bankers said another lesson from Japan’s experience was the importance of consistency. This became apparent in 2000, they said, during one of the bank’s more embarrassing episodes, when it raised interest rates, and lowered them back to zero a year later when the economy faltered.
It’s a little late to worry about consistency….Chris Herhalt, CP24.com
Toronto police say they are treating the assault and robbery of a woman wearing Islamic garb near an elementary school in Toronto’s Flemingdon Park neighbourhood on Monday as a hate crime.
Const. Allyson Douglas-Cook says police were called at 3 p.m. to an area near Grenoble Public School, east of Gateway Boulevard and Don Mills Road after a woman said she was assaulted by individuals who allegedly hurled racial slurs at her during the attack.
Police said the woman was kicked and beaten, before fleeing to the school nearby, where someone inside called police for her.
The two male assailants allegedly robbed the woman of her cell phone, police said. The woman was on her way to pick up her son from school when she was attacked.
Toronto paramedics said they were called to 9 Grenoble Drive at 3:43 p.m. for a report of a female who was kicked. She was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.
Douglas-Cook said the woman wore clothing commonly associated with the Muslim faith, and the incident is being investigated as a hate crime.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact police at 416-808-5400.(Photo by Cody Pickens)
Asaf Darash, an Israeli entrepreneur, was putting his 18-month-old son to bed when he received the news he had been dreading. He had applied to renew his temporary visa back in April. It was now the middle of September, a few weeks away from his visa expiration, and immigration officials had still not responded. As he watched his son fall asleep, he opened an urgent email from his attorney. His application was denied. He faced deportation.
“You read it and you’re like ‘No, this can’t be right,’” Darash recalled. “I remember standing in the middle of the house and thinking ‘What do I do now?’”
Darash moved to the United States six years ago to study computer science at the University of California at Berkeley. After earning a Ph.D, he started a company, Regpack, that helps organizations process online registrations. He worked 16-hour days for two years to get his startup off the ground. Now, those long hours are paying off. He is attracting investors and adding clients. And he is doing something unusual in a bleak economy: He is creating jobs. He has 15 employees in San Francisco, and plans to hire dozens more.
Darash has a soft voice, piercing brown eyes and a smile that reveals a small gap between his front teeth. His head is shaved bald. He is, in many ways, not a typical tech entrepreneur. At 38, he is old by startup standards. While many of his peers wear t-shirts and sandals to the office, Darash dresses in button-down shirts tucked into designer jeans and black leather shoes.
I met Darash a few weeks after his visa was denied at his office in downtown San Francisco. The windows were open, and you could hear the clang of trolley bells down below on Market Street. Behind him were framed photos of his wife and two kids — ages 8 and 18 months. It was a Thursday morning, and he had just showed off his company’s software to a potential client. Later, he would meet with his programmers and talk to investors. Then, he would close his office door to talk privately with
lawyers about his last-minute options to remain in the country.
Stories like his are not unique. They’re also troubling for the U.S. economy, advocates say. For the first time, the number of immigrant-founded startups is in decline, as foreign-born entrepreneurs struggle to obtain a limited number of visas and green cards and decide to launch companies in other countries that offer perks to start businesses there. Losing founders like Darash, who launch startups that create jobs, means that America risks losing a source of employment and a competitive edge in the global economy as the country claws its way out of a recession, they say.
For years, immigrant entrepreneurs have propelled the growth of Silicon Valley, building some of the most successful tech companies in the world: Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, was born in Russia; Elon Musk, co-founder of PayPal and Tesla, was born in South Africa; Vinod Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems, was born in India. When they immigrated, it was likely easier for them because there was not a backlog that there is today, according to Vivek Wadhwa, a professor at the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University who researches high-tech immigration.
Vinod Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems. (Noah Berger/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Immigrants are more than twice as likely to start a business as native-born Americans, according to a report earlier this year by the Partnership for a New American Economy. And their companies have produced sizable economic benefits. This year, engineering and technology companies founded in the United States employed about 560,000 workers and generated $63 billion in sales, according to Wadhwa. About a quarter of those companies had at least one foreign-born founder.
An estimated three out of every four startups fail, if not more. But by the conventional wisdom of Silicon Valley, Darash’s chances were even slimmer. For one, he does not have a co-founder. He insists he doesn’t need one. (Paul Graham, creator of the startup incubator Y Combinator, has said having a co-founder is critical because “a startup is too much for one person to bear.”) Darash also never worked for a major tech company before, so he did not have the network of contacts that help other entrepreneurs find engineers and meet investors.
But what he has lacked in support and connections he has made up for through a work ethic that borders on obsession.
“Asaf is a stubborn guy,” said Adam Gries, a childhood friend and founder of Smart Bites, a smartphone app that teaches people English. “He gets into his head that something is going to happen and he’s tenacious.”
Darash awakes every morning at 4:30 a.m., takes the BART train from his home in Berkeley to San Francisco, and arrives at the office by 6 a.m. He works for an hour, then walks across the street to the gym to swim and lift weights (A back injury he suffered while serving in the Israeli army requires him to stay physically strong). He typically does not go home until 9 p.m., after his children have gone to bed. Employees say he is a “total workaholic” who sends emails past midnight and sleeps just a few hours a night.
“I have a one-and-a-half year old who sees his Daddy maybe three hours a week,” Dar |
and in the new research, only 20% of students from either era reported having six or more partners after turning 18.
(MORE: What the U.S. Can Learn from the Dutch About Teen Sex)
That discrepancy in perception may explain the conflicting beliefs about whether college kids are really hooking up more than they used to — or not. The current study did find — based on reports by the students of their own sexual relationships — some evidence that recent generations of college students are having slightly more casual sex and so-called friends-with-benefits relationships. About 44% of students in the 2000s reported having had sex with a “casual date or pickup,” compared with 35% in the 1980s and ’90s — and 68% reported having had sex with a “friend” in the previous year, compared with 56% in the earlier group.
How students think of their liaisons with fellow students has clearly changed, and so has the college culture, apparently. All of the evidence points to the fact that college kids today are drinking less, taking fewer drugs and even having less sex than their parents’ generation. Hooking up just isn’t what it used to be.By By Marcus Hondro Jan 15, 2012 in Politics The Canadian Liberal Party, at a biannual Party convention, voted on Jan 15 to support the legalization of marijuana. The party, severely trounced in the last election in May of 2011, was seeking to get attention across the country and may have done so. It was Lavoie and his group who made the proposal to bring the resolution before the membership and he said that they were pleased with the 77 percent support it got. As Lavoie's remarks suggest, the vote does not mean legalizing marijuana will become part of the Liberal Party's official platform in 2015 but as they review it further it may well be. Had the resolution failed it almost certainly would not have. Canada and marijuana laws In July of Steven Harper's governing Conservatives have taken things in the other direction as in some cases they seek mandatory sentencing for marijuana offenses in an omnibus Should the Liberals Party go into the next federal election in 2015 with legalizing marijuana as a part of its platform it would make for the first time that two of the countries three major national parties supported its legalization. The country's fourth national party, the Green Party, which holds but one seat in the 308 seat house of commons, also supports legalizing marijuana. “There is no doubt that there’s a strong will from the membership to have this part of our election platform,” Samuel Lavoie, the president of the Young Liberals of Canada, told reporters on the convention floor in Ottawa. “As to whether it will be a platform commitment in 2015, we will see.”It was Lavoie and his group who made the proposal to bring the resolution before the membership and he said that they were pleased with the 77 percent support it got. As Lavoie's remarks suggest, the vote does not mean legalizing marijuana will become part of the Liberal Party's official platform in 2015 but as they review it further it may well be. Had the resolution failed it almost certainly would not have.In July of 2001 Canada became one of the first nations in the world to make the use of marijuana for certain, designated medical purposes legal. Since then the Liberals have supported decriminalizing the possession of marijuana and the country's other major party, the NDP, have supported outright legalization of marijuana.Steven Harper's governing Conservatives have taken things in the other direction as in some cases they seek mandatory sentencing for marijuana offenses in an omnibus crime bill now before the country's Conservative-controlled Senate.Should the Liberals Party go into the next federal election in 2015 with legalizing marijuana as a part of its platform it would make for the first time that two of the countries three major national parties supported its legalization. The country's fourth national party, the Green Party, which holds but one seat in the 308 seat house of commons, also supports legalizing marijuana. More about liberal party of canada, liberals suport legalizing marijuana, legalization of marijuana, liberal convention marijuana vote More news from liberal party of can... liberals suport lega... legalization of mari... liberal convention m...As he prepares for a final four-race charge in his bid to win a fifth Verizon IndyCar Series championship, Scott Dixon doesn’t draw inspiration from the previous titles.
“You’re obviously very grateful for the four championships, but for me, the hardest ones are the ones that you lost,” said Dixon, whose titles came in 2003, ’08, ’13 and ‘15. “Those are what inspire you and keep you going. Each year, it’s about race victories that I lost out on that I think about more than the ones I’ve won.”
Since claiming the championship in his first Verizon IndyCar Series season 14 years ago, the 37-year-old Chip Ganassi Racing driver from New Zealand has been a title contender in 12 of 14 seasons. There have been so many close calls — he’s been second twice, third four times, fourth once and was sixth last year.
He currently sits a close third in the points, just eight behind leader Josef Newgarden of Team Penske and one point behind Helio Castroneves of Team Penske.
And make no mistake, Dixon is still as hungry as ever in the No. 9 NTT Data Honda.
“Yeah, of course,” he said. “There can always be more. That’s what you’ve got to keep pushing for.”
He laments too many points that weren’t earned. Dixon was annoyed that he didn’t win the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, where he finished third. He thought he had the car to win the next race, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, where he finished fourth.
Dixon won the pole for May’s 101st Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil and was confident he would have finished in the top five, but he was taken out in a crash with Jay Howard’s lapped car. Finishing 32nd in such an important double-points race was costly.
He thought he could have won the Rainguard Water Sealers 600 at Texas Motor Speedway, but was involved in an incident and had to settle for ninth place.
“You add up those points,” he said. “That’s a lot of points, man. But that’s why it’s hard to win.”
No driver has more respect around the paddock than Dixon. And no current competitor has more series titles. His 41 career wins, which includes the 2008 Indianapolis 500, rank fourth on the all-time list, one victory behind Michael Andretti.
“I think he’s extremely underappreciated,” said Ryan Hunter-Reay, the 2012 champion for Andretti Autosport. “I think he’s a legend for what he’s accomplished. I don’t want to say that too much because I’m racing against him every weekend.
“It’s been amazing what he’s been able to do. And through the eras of Indy car racing, this is the tightest it’s ever been. The data shows that. From P1 to P-last, whatever that may be, this is the tightest INDYCAR has ever been. To be consistent nowadays, it seems to be even harder.”
The top six drivers are separated by 58 points, with more than 250 points available in the final four races. Nine different drivers have won races in 13 events, led by Newgarden, who triumphed July 30 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for his third victory of the season.
“You know, there’s certain people within the series that you go, ‘Well, they’re always a threat,’” Newgarden said of Dixon. “Whether they’re fast or they’re not fast on a weekend, they’re always a threat. He’s one of those guys. He’s always going to be a threat. If he’s P10 on the charts in practice, he’s still going to be a threat. He’s just one of those phenomenal drivers you can’t count out.”
When assessing his chief competitors, Dixon obviously points to the four Team Penske cars that surround him in the standings. In addition to Newgarden and Castroneves, defending series champion Simon Pagenaud is in fourth, nine points behind Dixon, and 2014 champion Will Power is fifth.
“There’s no other team like that right now,” Dixon said of Team Penske. “Nothing comes even close. When you’re trying to win the championship, it’s tough when you have to go up against four drivers like that, but also a team with the resources and capability of Penske.”
That said, Dixon smiles when asked about the competitiveness of the series. He welcomes more drivers into the fray. That challenge drives him, too.
“It’s just competition,” he said. “I love competition. That’s what it’s all about. To be the best, you have to beat the best that’s out there. Why would you not want competition. That’s important.
“You have your usual suspects over a championship season that can be there at the end, but any given weekend throughout a season, you have a broad range of 10 to 15 people who can win. I remember the days when you’re competing each weekend with maybe three or four strong cars. I remember having a bad qualifying and being fourth or fifth. That’s not the deal now. If you have a bad day, you’re going to be 15th or worse. It’s tight and very tough.”
So there’s no time to think about what he’s done; it’s about what he needs to do. His legacy in racing can be relished when he retires.
“It’s not something that’s apparent to me right now,” Dixon said. “It’s important that I do the best I can for my team and for myself and I put the effort in. I think what everybody hopes for when they’re done with their career is they can reflect on it and be happy with what they achieved.”
Dixon and the other championship contenders will be back at it again Aug. 20 in the ABC Supply 500 from Pocono Raceway. The race airs live on NBCSN and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network at 2 p.m. ET.
For more information about Honda Racing, visit http://hpd.honda.com/.When I first began looking at the new Sigma 35mm f/1.4, I made judgements about its quality. “It’s plastic, yuck.” “I bet that focus control feels like a rusty zipper.” “The AF selector switch will tick me off.” “It won’t match the speed of my Nikon’s and my focusing tendencies.” My preconceived notions were that I was set for a so-so experience.
To begin with, the price point offers a nice trade-off for the professional concerned with the bottom line and an easy saver-upper for the am-hobbyist; Sigma’s bread and butter. This might not be the best 35mm you’re ever going to lay your paws on, but it’ll be close.
This is a walkabout lens. For street, 35mm is superb, offering a perfect balance of tight and wide without being so bulky that you can’t pocket and swap when needed. Your street your kit is going to take a beating (unless you’re that guy who always puts his camera away after every picture) and at $899 some may be hesitant to street this, putting it through the normal abuse that’s commonly doled out during hobby and unpaid street or travel photography.
The question then becomes: should it be in your bag?
On the technical side of things, it’s unquestionably sharp. Sigma tends to do one thing quite well and that’s fast mid-range primes like this 35mm and the popular 50 f/1.4. There are a lot of reviews on other sites that pixel-peep this lens to death, comparing sharpness in corners, contrast, bokeh and light falloff. They all agree on one thing: despite the price, this is a big boy lens for all intents and purposes.
With similar characteristics to the other dogs in the yard, the problem for Sigma gear is you never know if it’s a purebred or a mutt, with no clear indication of what you actually have. Sigma’s refreshed lens design (read: Art Series) gives me hope that hiccups of the past may be forgotten. Fingers crossed.
Some reviewers have gone so far as to call the 35mm “leagues ahead of the Zeiss and Nikon” in sharpness. This, above all else, is most important if you’re shopping with the future in mind.
If you’re planning to plop this lens on your 12-24MP camera now and on the 36-48 megapixel monsters down the road, fear not, you may be better off with this Sigma than a Nikon or Canon equivalent in terms of optical lens quality and how it will hold up on the higher megapixel cameras in the future.
Tackling some of those judgements I’d made: the plastic… Ugh. No way through it. It is most definitely plastic. You’d think this would be horrible but you would be wrong. I do feel like the barrel can withstand quite a few knocks without showing any indication of the hardships endured, and the plastic body is much better than Sigmas of the past.
A 35mm f/1.4 can only be so light, and this Sigma is tolerable. I wouldn’t call it perfect, but on a D700 and the D3 the weight balance — front element to rear LCD — was nice. With my left hand on the barrel it immediately felt right at home. It is however, heavier then both the Nikon and Canon counterparts.
The weight of the focus control is fantastic. Wonderful for quick pulls on the occasional video or even precise manual focus usage. No rusty zippers, yet there’s just enough hesitation to prevent accidental focus pushing even in the thickest of mosh pits.
It’s quick. When street shooting with auto focus for quick grabs of people as they passed — both during the day and at night — it was snappy. This was not only a pleasant surprise but an area where a failure would nix any chance this lens had of getting my hard earned dollars.
On the topic of focus, I did experience the same issue reported on message boards describing completely back focused photos when using the outer edge focal points. Essentially, it’s as though the lens ignores the fact you’ve moved the focus point and maintains the idea that it’s still in focus from however it was last used. To me this feels like an electronics issue, and I suspect easily fixed with a firmware update via the Sigma USB dock (or a brown UPS truck).
It’s quiet… err… sort of. Noisy lenses are a nuisance and a hindrance to good photo making. It pleased me to hear (or not hear) how quiet this Sigma 35mm is. I say ‘sort of’ because the copy I tested has a rather noticeable but intermittent squeak. Let’s call it “The Sigma Focus Warning System.” It was on by default with no way to disable it:
I suspect a screw came loose during shipping. Perhaps this is simply a quality control issue — remember that purebred to mutt analogy from earlier? — and the root cause of the outer edge focus point problem. Who knows and either way, having a focusing issue like this with a $900 leaves me little confidence. Peeping the screen is nice post-shot, but it shouldn’t be required to defeat a focusing issue.
The AF/M selector has a definitive snap about it and doesn’t rattle. If it loosens up in the future, put some tape on it.
The distance scale’s feet markings are a darkish grey, so much that in low light conditions they virtually disappear. I’m not sure what Sigma had in mind. My guess? There was a sale on grey paint.
The jury is still out as to whether or not this is a bokeh monster. There are those who complain, but there’s always complainers. I tried to shoot a lot of pictures wide open so you guys/gals would have a good idea of what to expect. Personally, I have no complaints and would be more then satisfied with its bokeh quality for professional work.
If I were a Canon shooter, I’d have a harder decision to make than a Nikon user would — do I plunk down the extra few hundred for the Canon 35mm f/1.4 L or not? If you are going to own it over five years, your dollar per day of ownership for the Siggy is about 50 cents a day versus nearly 70 cents for the Canon.
For the record it’s almost 90 cents per day for the Nikon. As a Nikon shooter though, if I were in the “I rarely need this focal length” category, consideration has to be given to the 35mm f/2… better DOF scale for street, much cheaper, lighter, smaller, has f-stop control on the lens, meaning I can use it on my old Nikon film bodies. Put it in my bag and forget it.
The allure of the f/1.4 is great however, and for the extra $500 getting that much more light to my sensor and the narrower DOF is a draw. And by the way, have I said the Sigma is sharp? The Sigma will blow the older 35 f/2 out of the water.
The 35mm has a 67mm filter thread. Now I need to have a step up ring to manage my standard 77mm filters, breaking the ability to use the hood. Nikon’s 35mm f/1.4 is also 67mm, and Canon is 72mm. But hey, I’m not using that hood anyway. That said, I shot this once with not one but two filters stacked and barely detected a hint of vignetting. What I did see could just be the light falloff I mentioned above.
I tested the lens on a Nikon mount, but Sigma has it in Canon, Sony, Pentax, and (of course) Sigma flavors too. With the other brands in mind, you should know the lens cap doesn’t suck — in a pinch-cap form, the lens cap is on par with the others. The hood feels like a brittle petal shaped piece of plastic, and I can’t see anyone who uses their gear vigorously not having a broken lens hood after a few months. It’ll stay in the box.
Conclusion
Sigma has really stepped their game by launching this great lens at a killer price. $899 for a 35mm 1.4 SLR lens — wow. It should be compared side-by-side to any 35mm for anyone making that purchase.
I said “this isn’t the best 35mm you’ll ever lay your paws on,” and I might be right — there is room for improvement, but just barely. The optical characteristics of this lens, the focusing speed and aesthetics (Zeiss anyone?) are wonderful. While the 67mm thread is an inconvenience to me, there are an awful lot of people who never ever use filters anyway.
The back focusing issue with outer edge focal points is mostly confined to a small number of bodies (D700, D600, D800 and my D3) and likely, most will not experience it in everyday use.
I’d have a hard time giving this lens up for the more expensive Nikon and Canon equivalents. Given that it certainly has the feel of a professional lens and the optical quality to go along with it, I think the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 definitely has a place in my bag.
Update: Sigma confirmed with us that the lens had been checked over and tested to confirm it was in good working order before the courier picked it up and we all came to the agreement that it had taken a bit of a knock in shipping. The box did have an indentation on it, that in my experience — from working at a the post office years ago — is indicative of box abuse.
The good people at Sigma suggested that the squeaking was a sign that a screw had come loose and that loose screw was the root of the back focusing issues we’d experienced. The second lens Sigma loaned us had no issue whatsoever. It didn’t squeak, nor did it have any focusing problems, so the lesson here has to be: cherry pick your lenses.The incident occurred around 9:30 p.m. Sept. 13 at Montrose Pier, the witness said. View Full Caption DNAinfo/Adeshina Emmanuel
UPTOWN — Last week, Stephanie Lipka was playing a game on her phone on a pier at Montrose Harbor when she witnessed what she believes was a rape in progress.
She immediately called police, telling a 911 dispatcher that the attack was still happening, but by the time officers arrived — about 30 minutes later on bikes — the victim and attacker had disappeared, she said.
No victim has come forward since, police said, but Lipka, 43, said she wants to share the story publicly in an effort to reach out to the rape victim.
"It's absolutely ludicrous" that everything took so long, Lipka said. "I want her to know someone is trying to help her."
Around 9:30 p.m. Sept 13, Lipka said she was playing Ingress, a location-based game, when she noticed two people at the end of the pier. Although it was dark, she said she saw a young woman "with her legs in the air." The woman was screaming "'Someone please help me!'" and "'No'" repeatedly, Lipka said. She said she was positive what she saw was "a rape in progress." Not knowing if the attacker had a weapon, she stayed out of sight and called 911.
"There was no way off the pier other than through me, and I had no way of knowing if he had a weapon, [so] I backed down the pier," she said in a Facebook post recounting the story. "Meanwhile, [the two people] must have gotten off the pier and through the woods because they didn't pass me."
After a frustrating call with a police dispatcher, she went to the end of the pier hoping to flag down a responding officer, but she couldn't find anyone more than 15 minutes after she had called.
Officers on bikes eventually showed up after 10 p.m. — about 30 minutes after she called, she said.
The officers told Lipka they were dispatched from Addison Street and the ride took over 20 minutes, she said.
After telling officers what she saw, Lipka said a "misogynist" male officer told her, "That's a long way on the pier for someone to come out there without screaming."
She said officers didn't make a written report, take her name in case she was needed as a witness, or search for the man or woman she saw.
There was a call for service matching the address and time of Lipka's story around 9:30 p.m., but it was closed about 40 minutes later, and no report was made, said Officer Bari Lemmon, a Chicago Police Department spokeswoman. No victim has come forward since, she said.
Lipka, who declined to give more details about what she witnessed in case the victim surfaces, said she is in disbelief about how her call was handled.
It's "so upsetting, and I feel like I need to do something to let people/alderman/media know what a bad job dispatch did and how unseriously an active crime call was taken," she posted on Facebook. "Thirty minutes to dispatch is unacceptable. I feel so sick right now."
Similar incidents have happened, but it's not a frequent occurrence, said Sarah Layden, director of Advocacy Services for Rape Victim Advocates.
The group plans to follow up with police about its response, Layden said.
"It was a little concerning to hear the way police responded in this particular case," said Layden, who added that "police response can sometimes become unpredictable, depending on what else was going on in the district."
The Police Department has been working with Rape Victim Advocates to make "improvements to their response" to sexual assault calls, she said.
When someone witnesses an assault, the first thing they should do is "establish their own personal safety. While the reaction should depend on the situation, the witness shouldn't interject unless they still feel safe," she said.
The witness should then call police and paramedics, Layden said.
If the victim is no longer at the scene, "providing police with details of what you witnessed [can] corroborate the story if the victim comes forward," she said.
But, Layden added, assaults are "hard to investigate and prosecute for a number of the reasons."
Rape Victim Advocates can be reached at (312) 443-9603 or [email protected].
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:President Kennedy stands under a Saturn I booster on its launch pad during his November 16, 1963, visit to Cape Canaveral. (credit: NASA) Analyzing the new Kennedy tape
Last Wednesday, on the fiftieth anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s May 25, 1961, “we should go to the Moon” speech, the Kennedy Presidential Library released a recording of a 46-minute meeting in the Oval Office between President Kennedy and NASA Administrator James Webb. The timing of the release, while clearly linked to the speech anniversary, is a bit unfortunate, since it catches Kennedy at perhaps the lowest point in his enthusiasm for the lunar landing program that he had announced 28 months earlier. The contrast between his 1961 clarion call to space leadership and his 1963 views on the future of the lunar landing effort is rather stark; the differences raise the question of what John Kennedy actually thought about his decision to send Americans to the lunar surface. The contents of the tape are largely consistent with my assessment of JFK’s thinking in late summer of 1963, although he turns out to have been a bit more pessimistic about the state of the effort than I had thought him to be, and more willing to justify Apollo on military grounds than his public rhetoric suggested. Some of those who have heard only the six brief excerpts from the meeting that the Library posted on its web site, JFK’s remarks suggest that he was looking for a way out of the Apollo commitment. That is not my interpretation. After having listened several times to the recording of the whole meeting, I conclude that Kennedy was very concerned about what he and Webb agreed was declining political and public support for Apollo, and was in fact looking for a way to keep the program moving forward in the face of increasing criticism of its costs and goals. At one point in the meeting, Kennedy remarks, “I think this can be an asset, this program. I think in time—it’s like a lot of things, this is mid-journey and therefore everybody says ‘what the hell are we making this trip for’—but at the end of the thing they may be glad we made it.” Kennedy’s primary concern was, “we’ve got to defend ourselves now.” At the end of the meeting, Kennedy tells Webb, “We’ve got to hold this thing.” There is little indication here that Kennedy was seeking to abandon his 1961 commitment; rather, he and Webb were discussing the best tactics to keep the program from falling victim to its critics and to the changed political and economic situation in the 1963–1964 time frame. What is surprising is the approach Kennedy thought necessary to achieve this objective: giving the Moon effort a military rationale. I had long been aware that a recording of this September 1963 meeting existed. As I began almost a decade ago the research that led to my recent book John F. Kennedy and the Race to Moon (see “Review: John F. Kennedy and the Race to the Moon”, The Space Review, February 28, 2011), I requested the release of the tape. But the Kennedy Library was then and remained firm in its insistence that it was reviewing (slowly) the existing tape recordings of Kennedy’s meetings and telephone conversations in chronological order, and it was not willing to jump the chronological sequence to meet the needs of any particular researcher. This of course was frustrating. Fortunately, the contents of the tape are largely consistent with my assessment of JFK’s thinking in late summer of 1963, although he turns out to have been a bit more pessimistic about the state of the effort than I had thought him to be, and more willing to justify Apollo on military grounds than his public rhetoric suggested. The tape in context: growing criticisms of Apollo While there had been little criticism of the Apollo initiative in 1961 and 1962, as 1963 began the lunar landing program was being questioned on multiple fronts. This growing criticism concerned President Kennedy, and that concern is clearly reflected in his comments during the September 18 meeting. As Kennedy sent his FY1964 NASA budget request of $5.7 billion to Congress in January 1963, The New York Times editorialized, “we do not think the matter [the lunar landing program] has been sufficiently explained or sufficiently debated.” Former president Dwight Eisenhower was vocal in his skepticism, calling for more “common sense”; in June he described Project Apollo as “nuts.” Eisenhower’s vocal opposition worried Kennedy; the former president was still widely respected. Congressional Republicans questioned the contributions of Apollo to national security and suggested that “if our vital security is not at stake,” a slower-paced program might make more sense. In its August issue, the widely-read Reader’s Digest included an article headlined “We’re Running the Wrong Race with Russia,” suggesting that the real threat in space was “Soviet strides toward military conquest of the space just over our heads.” The scientific and liberal communities were also critical of the priority being given to Apollo, but it was the criticism coming from conservative circles that most troubled President Kennedy, particularly as he looked forward to his 1964 re-election campaign. In response to the Reader’s Digest article, he asked James Webb and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara to prepare a response to the article; a week later, he asked Vice President Johnson to lead a quick review of the space situation, asking, “How much of our present peaceful space program can be militarily useful? How much of our capability for our moon program is also necessary for military control of space?” Kennedy added, “I would be interested in any other thoughts on how to justify the large amounts of money” being spent on space. In response, James Webb argued that “all” of the civilian space program “can be directly or indirectly militarily useful.” Secretary McNamara did not agree with this assessment; Webb told Kennedy that “the Secretary of Defense will not want to support the program as having substantial military value.” Webb was noted for his verbosity, and this meeting is a good example of that tendency. Webb’s talking took up 90 percent or more of the 46 minutes of the meeting; at times it seems Kennedy had a hard time getting in a word edgewise. While both houses of Congress had supported the exponential increases in the NASA budget that Kennedy had requested in the aftermath of his May 1961 speech and again in 1962, the House of Representatives, and particularly its NASA authorization and appropriation committees, were in August and September 1963 poised to make significant reductions in the NASA budget. The Committee on Science and Astronautics approved a NASA authorization of $5.2 billion, and NASA was anticipating that amount would be reduced by another $100 million in the House Appropriations Committee. This reduction in the budget—more than ten percent of Kennedy’s request—would put the “before this decade is out” deadline at risk, and would mean that there would be no lunar landing attempt while John F. Kennedy was president. As he considered his options with regard to Project Apollo, Kennedy was also mulling over returning to a theme he had first raised in his Inaugural Address, where he had said to the Soviet Union, “let us explore the stars together.” As he met with Soviet ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin on August 26, Kennedy reflected on the high costs of the lunar landing project, saying that “If outer space was not to be used for military purposes, then it became largely a question of scientific prestige, and even this was not very important.” Kennedy suggested that “if each [country] knew the other’s ambitions and plans, it might be easier to avoid all-out competition” and that “if Mr. Khrushchev thought that a cooperative effort was possible, he [Kennedy] would be interested.” A meeting to plan political tactics All of these factors provided the background to the September 18 White House meeting, which had been requested by James Webb. Webb’s goals were to bring the president up to date on the implications of the reduction in the NASA FY1964 that was about to emerge from the House Appropriations Committee, to discuss his difficulties in working with the Department of Defense in shaping a national space effort, and to report on indications that the Soviet Union might be increasingly open to expanded space cooperation. Webb also wanted to discuss with Kennedy how to reduce any potential political vulnerability in terms of Kennedy’s 1964 re-election stemming from the president’s support of Project Apollo. Most of the meeting ended up focusing on the tactics that the president and NASA might employ to deal with the lessening political support for Project Apollo and on how best to protect Kennedy from space-related attacks during the 1964 campaign. Possible ways of compensating for the Congressional budget reductions by asking for supplemental appropriations were also discussed. Webb was noted for his verbosity, and this meeting is a good example of that tendency. Webb’s talking took up 90 percent or more of the 46 minutes of the meeting; at times it seems Kennedy had a hard time getting in a word edgewise. The excerpts that the Kennedy Library has posted include most of what the president said during the meeting; what is missing from the excerpts is the totality of Webb’s verbal barrage. In his presentation to Kennedy, Webb in the space of a few sentences moved from detailed analysis of Congressional personalities and politics (which Kennedy seemed to enjoy) to sweeping statements regarding the contribution of space capabilities to US power. If anyone emerges from this recording as a combination of pragmatic politician and visionary, it is Webb, not Kennedy. Webb’s vision, however, was not tied to long-term space science and exploration but rather to the impacts of space development on US global leadership and improved quality of life at home. One of the president’s major concerns was what he described as a “still period” in space activity. Project Mercury had had its last flight in May 1963; the Soviet Union had launched the first woman in space, Valentina Tereshkova, in June 1963. The first mission in the next US human spaceflight program, Gemini, was not scheduled until late 1964, and the US intelligence community could make no estimate on when the Soviet Union might launch its next mission. This lull in human spaceflight, thought President Kennedy, made the task of defending Project Apollo particularly difficult. Several times during the September 18 meeting he returns to this point, saying, “unless the Russians did something dramatic—and we don’t have anything dramatic coming up for the next 12 months,” there was “going to be an attack on the budget.” At the time of the September 18 meeting, Kennedy appeared to be at a low point in his enthusiasm for the political impact of the effort. During the meeting he commented that “I don’t think the space program has much political positives” and “right now space has lost a lot of its glamour.” What is perhaps the most surprising thing to come out of the tape release is Kennedy’s statements that “unless the Russians do something spectacular, the only way we can defend ourselves is if we put a national security rather than a prestige label” on Apollo and that “we’ve got to wrap around… a military use for what we’re doing and spending in space.” Kennedy at one point asks Webb, “How are we going to do that?” Webb suggests several possibilities, including considering the whole space budget, civilian and military, in a single review and having the Air Force take on the development of an experimental space station testing the impact of long duration flights on humans, a role he compared to military leadership in the exploration of Antarctica. Webb also offers to step aside as NASA Administrator before the 1964 election so that Kennedy could appoint a “military man” to be in charge. (Kennedy’s response to this suggestion is, “I don’t think that is what we ought to do now.”) Webb reports that the Department of Defense and the Air Force have not been cooperative in working with NASA, hoping that if they wait long enough they will recapture the space missions they lost in 1958 when NASA was created. Kennedy responds, “So they want to control it all?” At the end of the meeting, Webb offers to bring together a small group of trusted individuals to provide options to the president with respect to giving Apollo a more military aspect, providing what Kennedy had described during the meeting as a “military shield.” Despite his public rhetoric in support of Project Apollo, Kennedy from mid-1962 on had worried about the benefits of the undertaking compared to its rapidly increasing costs. Webb had argued in late 1962 that the real goal was space preeminence, but apparently that argument had not convinced the president. At the time of the September 18 meeting, Kennedy appeared to be at a low point in his enthusiasm for the political impact of the effort. During the meeting he commented that “I don’t think the space program has much political positives” and “right now space has lost a lot of its glamour.” While still wanting to go on with Apollo, Kennedy during the meeting mused that “this looks like a hell of a lot of dough to go to the Moon… putting a man on the Moon really is a stunt and it isn’t worth that many billions. Therefore the heat is going to go on unless we say that this has some military justification and not just prestige.” During the meeting, Webb asked President Kennedy, “What image do you want to present beyond this military image?” Kennedy’s response was revealing in terms of his viewing the space program primarily in domestic political terms: “Obviously you want to present… the kind of improvements in our national life which will come from this—the leadership of the United States and the national security we’ll get from it—all those factors.” Then he added that “the only thing that isn’t today particularly a plus” is the diminishing political support for the program compared to a year earlier. It is impossible to say in retrospect how much of JFK’s questioning attitude toward the space program as of September 1963 reflected his thoughtful assessment of its long-term pluses and minuses, and how much reflected the shorter-term political situation as Kennedy worried about how he would defend the program as he sought a second term in office. I tend to think that it was the second of these considerations that was dominant. Within two months Kennedy regained his enthusiasm for the enterprise, as he saw in person during a November 16 visit to Cape Canaveral just what was being developed. Kennedy appears to have had some difficulty in valuing the massive space undertaking in abstract terms, but once he could get a hands-on sense of what was involved, he again became (if only for the few days remaining in his life) its ardent supporter. To the Moon together? As mentioned earlier, I had for many years thought |
Record; Monsy Alvarado, Katie Sobko Andrew Wyrich and Keldy Ortiz, The (Bergen County, N.J.) Record; Dan Radel, Asbury Park (N.J.) Press; Mackensy Lunsford, Asheville (N.C.) Citizen-Times; Paul Hyde, The Greenville (S.C.) News; Patrick Anderson, (Sioux Falls S.D.) Argus Leader; Wayne Risher, The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal; Jason Gonzales, Jim Myers and Lizzy Alfs, The Tennessean; Vic Kolenc, El Paso Times; Jenna Hanchard, KING-TV, Seattle; Keith Uhlig, Wausau (Wis.) Daily Herald.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2ldsx5qNew York City physician and cancer specialist Dr. Nick Gonzalez focuses on alternative cancer treatment using a three-pronged nutritional ap...
http://humansarefree.com/2015/12/the-cancer-treatment-so-successful-that.html
"I started going through his records and even though I was just a second year medical student, I could see right away there were cases that were extraordinary," he says. "Patients with appropriately diagnosed pancreatic cancer, metastatic breast cancer in the bone, metastatic colorectal cancer... who were alive 5, 10, 15 years later under Kelley's care with a nutritional approach."
The 'Impossible' Recoveries of Dr. Kelley's Cancer Patients
William Donald Kelley
Kelley’s theory 50 cases of appropriately-diagnosed lethal cancer patients still alive five to 15 years after diagnosis, whose long-term survival was attributed to Kelley’s program Patients Kelley had treated with pancreatic cancer between the years 1974 and 1982
The Truth About Medical Journals: Why Gonzalez's Book Was Never Published
"We tried to publish case reports in the medical journals; the whole book, parts of the book, individual case reports-with no success," he says.
"Robert Good was at the top of his profession: President of Sloan-Kettering, father of modern immunology, and did the first bone marrow transplant in history. Yet, he couldn't get it published," Gonzalez says. "He couldn't even get a single case report published.
In fact, I have a letter from one of the editors, dated 1987, who wrote a blistering letter to Good saying, 'You've been boondoggled by a crazy quack guy. Don't you see this is all a fraud?'
It was just the most extraordinary, irrational letter... [Because] the patients' names were there, the copies of their pertinent medical records were there... Any of them could have called these patients, like Arlene Van Straten who, 29 years later, will talk to anyone... But no one cared. They wouldn't do it; they didn't believe it.
They couldn't believe it.
It was very disturbing to me because I say, 'It is what it is.' I come out of a very conventional research orientation, and it was astonishing to me-I had assistance; I had the president of Sloane-Kettering who couldn't get this thing published because it disagreed with the philosophy that was being promoted in medicine; that only chemotherapy, radiation, or immunotherapy can successfully treat cancer, even though the success rate was abysmal. The idea that medical journals are these objective and unbiased repositories of the truths about science is total nonsense. Most of them are owned by the drug companies. They won't publish anything that disagrees with their philosophy."
"When I last spoke to him in the summer of 1987, he accused me of being part of a CIA plot to steal his work, and I knew that I had to move on," Dr. Gonzalez says.
"To this day, of course, I give him credit for his brilliant innovation. It's kind of like Semmelweis, who ended up going crazy during the 19th century after showing doctors should wash their hands before delivering babies and no one accepted that. Semmelweis just went off the deep end, and that's what kind of what happened to Kelley, I say with great sadness."
Starting the Alternative Cancer Treatment Practice
"Here's a woman that was given six months to a year to live AND developed metastases while getting aggressive multi-agent chemotherapy, yet 23 and a half years later, she's alive and well, enjoying her life and just doing so well.
"We could see that Kelley's approach really worked and when I report these cases I'm giving Kelley the credit because he developed this treatment," Dr. Gonzalez says.
Recognition from the National Cancer Institute
"It showed the best results for the treatment of pancreatic cancer in the history of medicine."
Chemotherapy vs. the Kelley Treatment
Five survived for two years
Four survived three years
Two survived five years
"My friends say, 'Why did you get involved with something like this? How could you trust the NCI?'
"Well, the NCI had been very fair, up to that point, and the then-director, Richard Klausner, in face-to-face meetings with him said he thought I was doing something really interesting and needed to be properly supported," Dr. Gonzalez says.
How to Sabotage a Clinical Study 101
"[F]rom our first meeting, we knew something has changed significantly," Dr. Gonzalez says," and all the people that had initially been assigned to the study, who were supportive and believed we were doing something useful, were taken off it.
"Turned out the principal investigator at Columbia, who's supposed to be completely neutral, had helped develop a chemo regimen that was being used against us-a conflict of interest that was never declared," Dr. Gonzalez explains.
"[T]here are specific requirements for entry into a clinical study. Ours is a nutritional program, and when the first protocol version was written, we had a list of specified criteria... They have to be able to eat... Ours is a nutritional program, so patients have to be able to eat. If they can't eat, they can't do the therapy. They have to be able to take care of themselves...
This is a program the patients have to follow at home.
... Initially, the patients could do it and responded to the treatment. Then, there was a sudden change, around 2000-2001, when the Columbia group took total control of the entry of patients in the study. We were excluded from that process, except during the initial months. The thinking was that if we were involved in the admission process, we'd enter the dreaded bias, whereas if conventional doctors were in control, they couldn't possibly be biased.
Of course, the chief investigator helped develop the chemo regimen used in the study. That's virtually the definition of a 'potential bias'!
He started sending us patients that couldn't eat. We had patients that were so sick we would never have accepted them into our private practice. That were so sick, they died before they got the treatment.
Whether it was a trick to the protocol or not, the Columbia team, the NCI, and the NHI insisted that we had an 'intent to treat provision into protocol.' This means that the minute a patient is accepted into the trial, they're considered treated, even if they never do the therapy. So the chief of the study at Columbia would enter patients that were so sick, several died before they could pursue their treatment. But because of this intent to treat provision into protocol, they were considered treatment failures.
Ultimately, 39 patients were entered for treatment. Maybe at best, being kind and optimistic, maybe five or six actually did it, the great majority were so sick they couldn't do it."
"So the study was a total boondoggle; a waste of $1.4 million," Dr. Gonzalez says. "Even though I won the grant, all the money went to Columbia. It's all gone. The data, as far as I'm concerned, is worthless, and the NIH and NCI are using it to show that my therapy doesn't work.
"So that's how this long journey of 30 years, from when I first met Kelley, has gone.
"I tell people now regarding the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), I wouldn't send a dog to that group.
They're not there to help you objectively investigate alternative therapies; they're there to undermine them. It gives the illusion that the government's interested in alternative therapies, when in fact that office is being used, as it was in my case, to help undermine promising useful alternative therapies."
Gonzalez's Three-Pronged Approach to Cancer Treatment
The Dietary Protocol:
"In terms of diet, Kelley... found that patients diagnosed with the typical solid tumors: tumors of the breast, lungs, stomach, pancreas, liver, colon, uterus, ovaries, and prostate needed a more vegetarian diet," Dr. Gonzalez explains. "But he had all gradations of a vegetarian diet; one that was 80 percent raw, one that was 80 percent cooked. So even on the vegetarian side, there were all different variations.
"Some had minimal animal protein, some had fish, some had also red meat.
"A patient with immune cancer (leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and sarcomas, (which are connective tissue cancers that are related to immune cancers) tended to do best on a high-fat, high meat diet.
"... Then there are balanced people that do well with a variety of foods, both plant foods and animal products, but they don't tend to get cancer.
"Cancer tends to occur on the extremes, the extreme vegetarians-those that tend to be too acid-or extreme meat eaters, who tend to be too alkaline. Balanced people don’t tend to get cancer too much. So we continued the individualized approach, as did Kelley."
Individualized Supplementation and Enzyme Protocol:
"For example, our vegetarian patients need completely different supplements from our meat eaters. The vegetarians do very well with most of the B vitamins, while the meat eaters don't. The vegetarians don't do well with vitamin A, but the meat eaters do. The vegetarians do well with vitamin D; the meat eaters not so well with large doses, and so on," Dr. Gonzalez explains.
"The meat eaters do well with calcium ascorbate as a vitamin C source, while the vegetarians do well with large doses of ascorbic acid. So the supplement protocols are very individualized and very precisely engineered."
"It is thought that the conversion of the plant-based ALA into the fish-oil based eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is not that efficient," he says, "But we find that our vegetarian patients actually do it very well and don't use the fish oil or animal-based omega-3 fatty acids as effectively."
"They don't do well with flaxseed," he says. "Those are the people who can't make the conversion."
"The essence of Kelley's work was based on the work of Dr. Beard, which goes back to the turn of the last century, about 110 years ago. Beard was a professor at the University of Edinburg, an embryologist actually, not a medical researcher, who first proposed that pancreatic proteolytic enzymes are the main defense against cancer in the body and are useful as a cancer treatment," he explains.
"That would be my advice - get an enzyme that isn't completely activated," Dr. Gonzalez says. "More active isn't better when it comes to pancreatic enzymes, just like more and more D isn't better than getting the right dosage. You want the right proportions of activated and inactive-most of it as an inactive precursor."
The Detoxification Protocol:
"They fell out of favor not because they didn't work, but because the drug industry took over medicine, so things like coffee enemas were kind of laughed at," Dr. Gonzalez says. "So Kelley learned about coffee enemas from conventional literature and incorporated them into his program and found them extremely helpful."
"[Organic coffee] is loaded with antioxidants," Dr. Gonzalez says. "In fact, there are recent studies showing that coffee loaded with antioxidants can have an anti-cancer effect and that coffee may actually help suppress cancer.
"But you have to use organic coffee, it has to have caffeine, and you have to use a coffee maker that doesn't have aluminum, and preferably no plastic."
"We have a preparation that we put together and it's very effective... It's an algae and it chelates heavy metals and halides. I never use intravenous chelation; we just use sodium alginate."
Final Thoughts
New York City physician and cancer specialist Dr. Nick Gonzalez focuses on alternative cancer treatment using a three-pronged nutritional approach.He’s had remarkable success treating patients diagnosed with some of the most lethal forms of cancer that conventional medicine cannot effectively address.Alternative cancer treatments are a kind of "forbidden area" in medicine, but Dr. Gonzalez chose to go that route anyway, and has some remarkable success stories to show for his pioneering work.He didn't set out to treat cancer at first, let alone treat patients. His original plan was to be a basic science researcher at Sloan-Kettering, a teaching hospital for Cornell Medical College. He had a chance meeting with William Kelley, a controversial dentist who was one of the founders of nutritional typing.Dr. Kelley had been practicing alternative and nutritional approaches for over two decades at the time, leading him to begin a student project investigation of Kelley's work in the summer of 1981.This preliminary review led to a formal research study, which Dr. Gonzalez completed while doing his fellowship in cancer, immunology and bone marrow transplantation.After going through thousands of Kelley's records, Dr. Gonzalez put together a monograph, divided into three sections:According to Dr. Good, the president of Sloan-Kettering who had become Gonzalez' mentor, if Kelley could produce even one patient with appropriately diagnosed pancreatic cancer who was alive 5-10 years later, it would be remarkable.They ultimately tracked down 22 of Kelley's cases. Ten of them met him once and didn't do the program after being dissuaded by family members or doctors who thought Kelley was a quack.The average survival for that group was about 60 days.A second group of seven patients who did the therapy partially and incompletely (again, dissuaded by well-intentioned but misguided family members or doctors), had an average survival of 300 days.The third group consisting of five patients, who were appropriately diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer and who completed the full program, had an average survival ofIn Dr. Gonzalez' words,One of those patients included a woman diagnosed by the Mayo Clinic with stage four pancreatic cancer who had been given six months to live. She'd learned about Kelley's program through a local health food store. She completed his treatment and is still alive today, 29 years later.However, despite-or rather because of-the remarkable success of the treatment, Gonzalez couldn't get his findings published.This is an important point that many fail to realize.Those of us who practice natural medicine are frequently criticized for not publishing our findings. My justification for that is that it's not going to be published anyway, and Dr. Gonzalez's anecdotal story confirms this view.His mentor and supporter, Dr. Good, was one of the most published authors in the scientific literature at that point, with over 2,000 scientific articles to his name. He'd been nominated for the Nobel Prize three times, and yet he was refused because the findings were "too controversial," and flew in the face of conventional medical doctrine.If the cream of the crop is refused, how does a general primary care physician get an article published?He doesn't...By the end of 1987, it was clear that the work would never get published, and since Dr. Good had retired from Sloan-Kettering, they no longer had the power-base to conduct clinical trials.Dr. Kelley, realizing his work would never be accepted, let alone get published, "went off the deep end," in Dr. Gonzalez' words, and stopped seeing patients altogether.Dr. Gonzalez set up a practice in New York together with his associate, Dr. Linda Isaacs, and started seeing patients using Kelley's three-pronged approach. The results were impressive.One of his remarkable success stories includes a woman diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer, which is the most aggressive form. She'd been given a death sentence.Today, over 23 years later, she's still alive and well, and cancer-free.In 1993, as part of a legitimate effort to reach out to alternative practitioners, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) invited Dr. Gonzalez to present 25 of his cases in a closed-door, invitation-only session.On the basis of that presentation, the NCI suggested he conduct a pilot study with patients diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer, which in conventional medicine is known to be an untreatable, highly lethal form of cancer.Interestingly, Nestle stepped in to finance this pilot study. It may seem an odd choice, but the business motivation was the same then as it is today-making junk food appear healthier is a good business move, even if it's only in theory.Supervised directly by Dr. Ernst Wynder, a premier cancer researcher, the study was completed in early 1999 and published in June that year. According to Dr. Gonzalez:To put his results in perspective, the chemo drug, Gemzar, approved for pancreatic cancer dates back to 1997, and the major study that led to its approval had 126 patients. Of those, 18 percent lived one year. Not a single patient out of the 126 lived beyond 19 months.Dr. Gonzalez' study had 11 participants, of which:Based on these results, the NCI decided to fund a large-scale clinical trial, to the tune of $1.4 million, to test his nutritional approach against the best chemo available at the time.But that goodwill soon disappeared.About a year after the study was approved, Klausner left the NCI and was replaced by new management with a wholly different attitude.In fact one of them couldn't even talk to me. She said she'd be fired if she talked to me; if she took my phone call.I was told by another person who had supported me at the NIH that I shouldn't call him at his office; that he was afraid his line was tapped, and I should only call him at home.That's how insane the politics over this clinical study got. I couldn't believe it! I thought this was just something you'd read about or see on TV, or that some paranoid or crazy person would make up. But here I was living it.Coming out of Robert Good's group, I don't say that to impress people, but my background is so pure and conventional! It was unbelievable to see that the profession I respected and wanted to join could behave like this."Unfortunately, the study was, in the end, sabotaged.As a result, the chemo treatment appeared to be a clear winner in this head-to-head evaluation of treatments against incurable pancreatic cancer.In 2006, Dr. Gonzalez and his partner filed a complaint with the Office of the Human Research Protection (OHRP), which is a group responsible for making sure federal-funded clinical trials are run properly.After a two-year investigation, the OHRP determined that 42 out of 62 patients had been admitted inappropriately.Unfortunately, this never made it to the media, and the Columbia team was able to publish the research findings without mentioning the results of the OHRP review.Although most of the studies done on this approach were done on pancreatic cancer, Dr. Gonzalez uses it to treat ALL cancers, from brain cancer to leukemia. His treatment, which is based on Kelley's work, consists of three protocols: diet, supplements and enzymes, and detoxification.The cornerstone of the treatment is a personalized diet based on your nutritional or metabolic type (which happens to be a key component of my own optimized nutrition plan ).Dr. Kelley originally had 10 basic diets and 90 variations that ranged from pure vegetarian and raw food, to heavy-protein meals that included red meat three times a day.The second component is an individualized supplement protocol, designed for your particular metabolism. Omega-3 fats are also prescribed, but even here Dr. Gonzalez prescribes different types of omega-3s depending on the patient's nutritional type. In his experience, vegetarians, or carbohydrate types, tend to fare better on flaxseed oil, which contains alpha linoleic acid (ALA) - a plant-based omega-3.Chia and hemp seed oils can also be used.Protein types, on the other hand, appear to need the EPA and the DHA and do better on animal-based omega-3 such as krill oil.In addition to vitamins, minerals and trace elements, he also prescribes large doses of pancreatic enzymes When treating cancer, however, he found it's important to take the right ratio of active and inactive enzymes. The inactive precursors are particularly active against cancer. They also have far longer shelf life, and are more stable.His proprietary enzyme formula is manufactured by NutriCology. According to Dr. Gonzalez, pancreatic enzymes are not only useful as treatment for active cancer but are also one of the best preventive measures.Antioxidants, such as astaxanthin, are also very helpful, both in the prevention and treatment of cancer.The third component is a detoxification routine. Coffee enemas are used to help your liver and kidneys to mobilize and eliminate dead cancer cells that have been broken down by the pancreatic enzymes.Coffee enemas, although often scoffed at today, were actually used as part of conventional medicine all the way up to the 1960s, and were included in the Merck Manual, which was a handbook for conventional medical treatments into the 1970s.When you drink coffee, it tends to suppress your liver function, but when taken rectally as an enema, the caffeine stimulates nerves in your lower bowels, which causes your liver to release toxins as a reflex. Other detox strategies include colon cleanses and liver flushes developed by Kelley.It's important to realize, however, that, naturally caffeinated coffee, and were you to do this at home, you'd also want to use non-bleached filters to avoid introducing toxins into your colon.Dr. Gonzalez also relies on sodium alginate as a detoxifying agent.He recommends taking three capsules three times a day, away from meals, for six weeks to detoxify your body of heavy metals, such as mercury, and halides.This is one of the most fascinating interviews I've ever done, and it is chock full of information-far more than I can summarize here. So please, I urge you to take the time to listen to the interview in its entirety.In addition to expounding on the subjects mentioned above, Dr. Gonzalez also reviews the benefits of optimizing vitamin D during cancer treatment, and how iodine supplementation can benefit breast cancer-not to mention help protect against thyroid cancer, in light of the current nuclear crisis in Japan.We discuss the benefits of juicing and chiropractic adjustments, and the importance of regular exercise for cancer patients. We also review the dangers of electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure, in terms of how it may aggravate cancer growth and hinder cancer recovery, and the benefits, along with some surprising precautions, of Earthing or grounding.For more information about Dr. Gonzalez and his practice, see www.dr-gonzalez.com. He's also working on a series of books, two of which have already been published and received five-star reviews:This written summary is only a small glimpse of the insights that were shared in our interview. If you or anyone you know struggles with cancer I would strongly encourage you to listen to the entire interview.Thankfully, Dr. Gonzalez is still on the front lines and actively engaged in helping people by helping coach them with natural alternatives to toxic drugs and radiation. His office is in Manhattan and he can be reached at 212-213-3337.By Dr. Mercola The existing medical establishment is responsible for killing and permanently injuring millions of Americans, but the surging numbers of visitors to Mercola.com since I began the site in 1997 - we are now routinely among the top 10 health sites on the Internet — convinces me that you, too, are fed up with their deception. You want practical health solutions without the hype, and that's what I offer.A self-proclaimed “pastor” recently walked into a store in Alaska, where kids and parents were waiting to take pictures with Santa, and yelled to the crowd that Santa didn’t really exist, their parents put the presents under the trees, and Jesus Christ was the real reason for the season.
This isn’t even the first time “Pastor” David Grisham Jr. has done this. (I put that word in quotation marks because, while he uses the word to describe himself, he doesn’t seem to have any kind of congregation.) He did the same thing last year at a mall in Texas. And in 2010, with his group Repent Amarillo, he published a video of Santa getting shot by a firing squad.
The man is full of Christmas cheer.
In the video above, maybe the least self-aware line is when he says to the crowd, “… He’s not real. It’s just fake. Your parents have been telling you a story that is not true!” (Oh, the irony…)
I suppose the best thing about the video is that no one really seems to be paying attention to him. There are no crying children or angry parents. Just a bunch of people annoyed by the loud preacher whose only goal seems to be to ruin everyone’s day.
His rant doesn’t even make sense. Grisham is telling parents to substitute one myth for another, and he’s sending a message to children that they shouldn’t trust adults who tell them these stories. I could understand a Christian complaining about the commercialization of the holiday, but in some ways, getting kids excited about Christmas is a perfect opening to talk about Jesus. Their belief in Santa will eventually disappear on its own, and the hope is that their faith in Jesus will remain. You don’t have to kick Santa out of the picture prematurely to get there. Grisham’s idiotic publicity stunt, then, is a self-inflicted wound. Why would anyone want to join whatever club that jerk is a part of?
Grisham is like a guy who stands outside a movie theater and spoils the film for everyone wanting to see it. That doesn’t make them sympathize with his passion; it makes them want nothing to do with him. Ever.
(Side note: Grisham’s Facebook page is full of other compassionate nuggets like, “If an actress is willing to be a WHORE by appearing nude, she has little room to proclaim sexual harassment.” He just oozes the love of Christ, doesn’t he?)
(Thanks to Dana for the link. Portions of this article were published earlier)Wikimedia launches a space for collaboration open to all contributors: phabricator.wikimedia.org. Primarily devoted to software development, this platform also welcomes non-technical projects. Wikimedia Phabricator has been available since September for early adopters. Its prime time starts this week, after having incorporated 73,681 reports migrated from Bugzilla, the bug management tool that has served our projects during a decade. Farewell Bugzilla, welcome Phabricator!
As far as we know, we are maintaining the biggest public Phabricator instance in terms of number of tasks filed. Phabricator is a third-party open-source software development platform that we decided to use for project management, bug reporting, design of new features, and (one day not too far away) code review, all in an integrated fashion. Wikimedia Phabricator has already more than 800 users, who are getting their Bugzilla activity automatically assigned. New users can join and claim their Bugzilla history as well.
Main features
Phabricator comes with many improvements over Bugzilla:
The desktop UI looks contemporary. Most features are mobile-friendly as well. Interacting via email is possible.
Users can log in with their Wikimedia (SUL) credentials, and the LDAP access used for Labs and Gerrit is available as well. Email addresses are finally private.
Bug reporters, developers, designers, product managers, and other contributors use the same tool to discuss issues, features, and other tasks.
Tasks are editable, and can be assigned to multiple projects. In fact, projects are like tags in a flat structure.
There are workboards for project planning, and possibility to upload mockups and add notes.
Users enjoy auto-saved comments while typing.
Users can edit their own comments (with history).
There is no mid-air collision when someone adds a comment while you are writing yours.
Known issues
In general, fluent Bugzilla users who are new to Phabricator will need a few days to get used to the different paradigms this tool proposes.
There are some areas that require improvement:
Suggestions for duplicates when creating a new task.
Even if Phabricator’s search is powered by Elasticsearch, it needs some fine-tuning to get to Bugzilla’s efficiency.
Advanced Bugzilla users will also find that some actions take more clicks (assigning blocker/blocking tasks, for instance).
There is a complete list of known issues and we will keep working on them after the launch.
Key features implemented
Phabricator is free software available for anybody. The Wikimedia Phabricator team has worked on key features to adapt it to our projects:
Migration script keeping relevant data and metadata, allowing users to claim their activity from different services and unify it in Phabricator.
Wikimedia Single User Login.
Private tasks accessible to a user group and reporters.
Separate file hosting domain.
Automatic redirects from old Bugzilla reports to Phabricator tasks.
Wikimedia username visible in Phabricator user profile.
Custom IRC bot to report activity.
Updated interwiki links and wiki templates (e.g. phab:T2001)
Also, we have updated a lot of on-wiki documentation that was related to Bugzilla. Those pages now refer and point to Phabricator.
The Phabricator upstream developers have also implemented many features and bugfixes based on our feedback, and we really appreciate their support with this undertaking.
Bugzilla archived
Existing links to Bugzilla reports are automatically redirected to their equivalent Phabricator tasks. Wikimedia Phabricator already had 1,391 tasks before the migration, and we could not assign to Phabricator tasks the same number as their Bugzilla counterparts. Instead, we are providing a memorable solution: just add 2,000 to a Bugzilla number, and you will get its Phabricator task number, i.e. Bug 123 is T2123.
Users can still check the old Bugzilla instance, now retired in read-only mode. They can log in to check their votes and their saved searches, which we could not migrate.
What comes next
The migration from Bugzilla marks the first step of the migration of the Wikimedia Foundation software development teams (who also need to migrate from Trello and Mingle), and of the Wikidata team at Wikimedia Germany (from Scrumbugz).
The RT migration is underway, coming in a couple weeks. RT is the tool used by the WMF Operations team to handle requests. Expect some thousands of additional tasks coming to Phabricator through this migration.
Code review is the next frontier. The Gerrit Migration Bot has been updated. Diffusion, Phabricator’s code repository browser, is available already now. With Diffusion, developers can import existing repositories, beginning the deprecation of another tool, GitBlit. The migration of the Gerrit code review tool will take more effort and a few months. The actual bottleneck is MediaWiki’s continuous integration system, a tough nut to crack.
Get involved
This is a very exciting project! We welcome your help.
PHP developers are welcome to contribute enhancements and new features upstream. Learn more at Phabricator/Code.
And for Phabricator support and camaraderie, join. See you there!
Quim Gil, Wikimedia FoundationThis is news that truly disheartens me. I had an incredible amount of respect for Juke Ellington. I knocked out a mix last year consisting of tunes he suggested (and credited him as a collaborator), and I was awaiting a remix from him for some stems from a record (juke, of course) that I had been working on. He seemed to be churning out records at a ridiculous pace, and now we know why. The accusation that he's stealing tunes from people, making minor tweaks, and releasing them as his own seemed like an impossibility. But that's exactly what he's been accused of, and the links on Reddit paint a vivid picture.
Here we have a tune from Kid Urban, a promising producer from the UK.
The record in question was removed the tune from Juke Ellington's SoundCloud page. But, alas. It was posted on BlastMeTracks' page on YouTube. And it does indeed appear to be the same exact tune. The samples are in the same place. The sequencing sounds exactly the same. He didn't even bother to change the name of the tune. The only difference seems to be that the record has been pitched down:
At some point yesterday, Juke Ellington decided to remove all of the pictures of himself, and admit wrongdoing. Excuse his English, it's not his first language:
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This isn't quite as bad as I first assumed. But I'm wondering why you would take someone elses' work and put your name on it as if you created it? As a heads up to any aspiring producer, stealing music is the most disrespectful move you can make. It shows that you don't care for the art, the artists making it, or the fans that think that these tunes are yours. Sampling a record without approval or allowing people to secretly ghost produce tracks might be unethical, but they are practices within the industry that are tolerated. Ripping an entire record is inexcusable. Juke is the father of a young child. I don't know what else he does for money. This article runs the risk of ruining his musical credibility forever. As someone who advocated for him, was disappointed when paperwork held him from playing in the U.S., and someone who's collaborated with him, I'm fuming.
So there is no confusion down the road, please pay attention. Anyone proven to steal material from another and repackage it as their own will be blacklisted at this site, and any other site I work at for all of eternity. I reached out to Juke Ellington for a statement, and will update you if he decides to respond.
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EDIT After posting this article, it looks like BOTH Juke Ellington and Kid Urban simply purchased the song from DreamFellas on SoundClick and released the track as their own. It's the third track on their page.
UPDATE Juke Ellington took to his Twitter page this morning to speak out about the situation after a Twitter conversation we had with a DAD reader:
@DoAndroidsDance @really_dood its better than buy these song, use them, dont admit & make a new aka — juke ellington (@jukeellington) July 2, 2013
@DoAndroidsDance @really_dood ive made a big shit, now iam gonna work for it, ive lost respect and its normal, but i dont leave music — juke ellington (@jukeellington) July 2, 2013
@DoAndroidsDance @really_dood hated or not, iam gonna work like a beast,i know I disappointed fulll guys, i pref assume than block everyon — juke ellington (@jukeellington) July 2, 2013
@DoAndroidsDance @really_dood than block everyone & make a new project — juke ellington (@jukeellington) July 2, 2013
@DoAndroidsDance i know ive disapointed dudes and iam sorry for dat,but we learn with our errors, iam gonna work for prove who iam — juke ellington (@jukeellington) July 2, 2013
It might be too late, but he's being open and honest about the situation after being found out.Meanwhile, Saudi and Emirati television networks weighed in, with the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya network broadcasting a report highlighting Iranian courts’ death verdicts against 27 Sunni scholars.
The Abu Dhabi-based Sky News Arabia denounced Iran’s execution record, which it estimated to be at least 753 cases since the relatively moderate Rouhani took power in 2013.
Zeid Raad Hussein, the United Nations ’ high commissioner for human rights, described the mass execution in Saudi Arabia “as a very disturbing development indeed, particularly as some of those sentenced to death were accused of nonviolent crimes,” according to a news release on the U.N.’s website Sunday.
He added that he was “extremely concerned about the recent sharp increase in the number of executions in Saudi Arabia, with at least 157 people put to death in 2015, compared to 90 executed in 2014, and lower numbers in previous years.”
He urged the Saudi government to “impose a moratorium on all executions and to work with the U.N. and other partners on alternative strategies to combat terrorism.”
The kingdom’s election to chair a key panel of the U.N. Human Rights Council last summer caused an uproar from activists around the globe.
Shiite Muslims make up 10% to 15% of the Saudi population, found mostly in its oil-rich Eastern province. They have long sought a greater role in the country’s governance, and complain of systematic discrimination.
Al-Nimr was a frequent critic of the Saudi government who, according to a 2008 U.S. diplomatic cable, said in a meeting with U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia that he would “side with the people” in a conflict, “never with the government.”
In the same meeting, he added that he would not endorse violence — a position that remained largely unchanged throughout his confrontations with the Saudi government.
He also insisted he had no connections with Tehran, despite accusations to the contrary by Saudi authorities.
In 2012, Al-Nimr was shot multiple times and arrested by police, triggering a wave of protests in Qatif that left three Shiites dead. Al-Nimr's nephew was also arrested and sentenced to death, although that punishment has yet to be carried out.
He was handed a “discretionary” death sentence in October 2014. Observers, however, did not expect the verdict to be carried out; in the past, Saudi rulers have often shown leniency toward political prisoners.
However, the new Saudi king, Salman, who was crowned last January after the death of his half-brother, King Abdullah, has taken a more heavy-handed approach, according to F. Gregory Gause, professor at the Bush School of Government at Texas A&M University.
“Nimr was arrested under the previous ruler, who followed the precedent of rulers before him and was likely to commute death sentences in political cases,” said Gause in a phone interview Sunday.
“The new king is not following that same pattern, that’s for sure,” he added.
Gause said that Nimr’s execution, along with those of accused Al Qaeda members, who are Sunni, was aimed at mollifying the kingdom’s Sunni critics by saying, “We’re not just picking on you.”
Others agreed.
“For the internal Saudi audience, the executions bore a message that there is no differentiation between |
inject_at:projectile_details))))))&c:join=weapon_datasheet^inject_at:ammo&c:join=item_category^on:item_category_id^to:item_category_id^inject_at:category&c:join=item_attachment^on:item_id^to:item_id^list:1^inject_at:attachments(item^on:attachment_item_id^to:item_id^inject_at:attachment(zone_effect^on:passive_ability_id^to:ability_id^inject_at:attachment_effects^list:1(zone_effect_type^on:zone_effect_type_id^to:zone_effect_type_id^inject_at:attachment_effects_description))) http://census.daybreakgames.com/s:iridar/get/ps2/item?item_id=43&c:lang=en&c:join=fire_mode^inject_at:fire_mode^list:1,item_to_weapon^inject_at:fire_mode_2(weapon,weapon_to_fire_group^on:weapon_id^to:weapon_id^list:1(fire_group^on:fire_group_id^to:fire_group_id,fire_group_to_fire_mode^on:fire_group_id^to:fire_group_id^list:1(fire_mode_2^on:fire_mode_id^to:fire_mode_id^list:1(player_state_group^list:1^inject_at:player_state_group,player_state_group_2^on:player_state_group_id^to:player_state_group_id^inject_at:player_state_group_2^list:1,fire_mode_to_projectile^on:fire_mode_id^to:fire_mode_id^inject_at:projectile(projectile^on:projectile_id^to:projectile_id^inject_at:projectile_details))))))&c:join=weapon_datasheet^inject_at:ammo&c:join=item_category^on:item_category_id^to:item_category_id^inject_at:category&c:join=item_attachment^on:item_id^to:item_id^list:1^inject_at:attachments(item^on:attachment_item_id^to:item_id^inject_at:attachment(zone_effect^on:passive_ability_id^to:ability_id^inject_at:attachment_effects^list:1(zone_effect_type^on:zone_effect_type_id^to:zone_effect_type_id^inject_at:attachment_effects_description)))
By weapon name
By weapon name http://census.daybreakgames.com/s:iridar/get/ps2/item?name.en=M77-B&c:lang=en&c:join=fire_mode^inject_at:fire_mode^list:1,item_to_weapon^inject_at:fire_mode_2(weapon,weapon_to_fire_group^on:weapon_id^to:weapon_id^list:1(fire_group^on:fire_group_id^to:fire_group_id,fire_group_to_fire_mode^on:fire_group_id^to:fire_group_id^list:1(fire_mode_2^on:fire_mode_id^to:fire_mode_id^list:1(player_state_group^list:1^inject_at:player_state_group,player_state_group_2^on:player_state_group_id^to:player_state_group_id^inject_at:player_state_group_2^list:1,fire_mode_to_projectile^on:fire_mode_id^to:fire_mode_id^inject_at:projectile(projectile^on:projectile_id^to:projectile_id^inject_at:projectile_details))))))&c:join=weapon_datasheet^inject_at:ammo&c:join=item_category^on:item_category_id^to:item_category_id^inject_at:category&c:join=item_attachment^on:item_id^to:item_id^list:1^inject_at:attachments(item^on:attachment_item_id^to:item_id^inject_at:attachment(zone_effect^on:passive_ability_id^to:ability_id^inject_at:attachment_effects^list:1(zone_effect_type^on:zone_effect_type_id^to:zone_effect_type_id^inject_at:attachment_effects_description))) Make sure to type the name exactly as it appears in-game, including blank spaces, dashes, quotes and capital letters. http://census.daybreakgames.com/s:iridar/get/ps2/item?name.en=M77-B&c:lang=en&c:join=fire_mode^inject_at:fire_mode^list:1,item_to_weapon^inject_at:fire_mode_2(weapon,weapon_to_fire_group^on:weapon_id^to:weapon_id^list:1(fire_group^on:fire_group_id^to:fire_group_id,fire_group_to_fire_mode^on:fire_group_id^to:fire_group_id^list:1(fire_mode_2^on:fire_mode_id^to:fire_mode_id^list:1(player_state_group^list:1^inject_at:player_state_group,player_state_group_2^on:player_state_group_id^to:player_state_group_id^inject_at:player_state_group_2^list:1,fire_mode_to_projectile^on:fire_mode_id^to:fire_mode_id^inject_at:projectile(projectile^on:projectile_id^to:projectile_id^inject_at:projectile_details))))))&c:join=weapon_datasheet^inject_at:ammo&c:join=item_category^on:item_category_id^to:item_category_id^inject_at:category&c:join=item_attachment^on:item_id^to:item_id^list:1^inject_at:attachments(item^on:attachment_item_id^to:item_id^inject_at:attachment(zone_effect^on:passive_ability_id^to:ability_id^inject_at:attachment_effects^list:1(zone_effect_type^on:zone_effect_type_id^to:zone_effect_type_id^inject_at:attachment_effects_description))) Make sure to type the name exactly as it appears in-game, including blank spaces, dashes, quotes and capital letters.
Implant Effects
Query https://census.daybreakgames.com/s:iridar/get/ps2/item?item_category_id=133&c:limit=500&c:lang=en&c:sort=name.en:1&c:join=zone_effect^on:passive_ability_id^to:ability_id^list:1(zone_effect_type) https://census.daybreakgames.com/s:iridar/get/ps2/item?item_category_id=133&c:limit=500&c:lang=en&c:sort=name.en:1&c:join=zone_effect^on:passive_ability_id^to:ability_id^list:1(zone_effect_type)
Vehicle Attachments
Query http://census.daybreakgames.com/s:iridar/get/ps2/vehicle?name.en=Flash&c:lang=en&c:join=vehicle_attachment^list:1(item(zone_effect^on:passive_ability_id^to:ability_id^list:1(zone_effect_type))) http://census.daybreakgames.com/s:iridar/get/ps2/vehicle?name.en=Flash&c:lang=en&c:join=vehicle_attachment^list:1(item(zone_effect^on:passive_ability_id^to:ability_id^list:1(zone_effect_type)))
Nanoweave Armor
Query https://census.daybreakgames.com/s:iridar/get/ps2/item?name.en=Nanoweave%20Armor%205&c:lang=en&c:join=zone_effect^on:passive_ability_id^to:ability_id^list:1(resist_info^on:param1^to:resist_info_id(fire_mode^on:resist_type_id^to:damage_resist_type^show:damage_resist_type%27item_id^list:1(item^show:name.en))) https://census.daybreakgames.com/s:iridar/get/ps2/item?name.en=Nanoweave%20Armor%205&c:lang=en&c:join=zone_effect^on:passive_ability_id^to:ability_id^list:1(resist_info^on:param1^to:resist_info_id(fire_mode^on:resist_type_id^to:damage_resist_type^show:damage_resist_type%27item_id^list:1(item^show:name.en)))
Built-in Armor and Resistances
Query http://census.daybreakgames.com/s:iridar/get/ps2/profile_2?profile_id=26&c:join=profile_resist_map^on:profile_id^to:profile_id^list:1^show:resist_info_id(resist_info(resist_type^show:description^inject_at:resist_type))&c:join=profile_armor_map^on:profile_id^to:profile_id^list:1^hide:rank(armor_info(armor_facing^show:description^inject_at:facing)) http://census.daybreakgames.com/s:iridar/get/ps2/profile_2?profile_id=26&c:join=profile_resist_map^on:profile_id^to:profile_id^list:1^show:resist_info_id(resist_info(resist_type^show:description^inject_at:resist_type))&c:join=profile_armor_map^on:profile_id^to:profile_id^list:1^hide:rank(armor_info(armor_facing^show:description^inject_at:facing))
These queries pull a lot of info at once, and if you intend to make several queries in a short time frame, you may be required to register a Service ID.
Both queries above pull information in English. If you want to pull all languages, simply remove &c:lang=en from the query.
Or you can specify another language: de, en, es, fr, it, tr
There are other queries you can make to the Census, as explained here and here.
How to find out weapon’s Item ID?
You can make a query using weapon’s name:
http://census.daybreakgames.com/get/ps2:v2/item?name.en=Force-Blade
Make sure to type the name exactly as it appears in game, including blank spaces, if there are any. The Item ID will be listed in one of the first fields, e.g: “item_id“: “19”
If you’re having trouble typing the weapon name properly, or if you don’t know the name, then another way is to make a query of all weapons of certain category.
Or query for a list of categories:
http://census.daybreakgames.com/s:iridar/get/ps2/item_category?c:limit=500&c:lang=en
Examples of queries for all weapons in “Carbine” category:
http://census.daybreakgames.com/s:iridar/get/ps2/item_category?c:limit=500&c:lang=en&name.en=Carbine&c:join=item^list:1
http://census.daybreakgames.com/s:iridar/get/ps2/item?item_category_id=8&c:limit=500&c:lang=en&c:show=item_id,name
This Excel Sheet can:
download weapon stats from Census API and display them in formatted form, including information about weapon’s projectile
and display them in formatted form, including information about weapon’s projectile make manual query to Census API about a weapon with a simple double click
analyze and calculate weapon mechanics, such as Bullets to Kill, Time to Kill, bullet damage at certain range, analyze weapon’s Cone of Fire and Recoil properties.
An alternative to PlanetStats. It displays more weapon stats, but can potentially be outdated, and you still have to know weapon’s Item ID. DasAnfall may be necessary to find out such weapon stats as:
Equip and Unequip Times
Projectile Lifespan
Projectile Gravity
Weapon’s Fire Modes
For example, you can use PlanetStats to find out that TRAC 5 has ID of 43.
Then link to the DasAnfall page of TRAC 5 will look like this:
http://stats.dasanfall.com/ps2/civ/index.php?id=43
As you may notice, DasAnfall lists weapon stats several times. This is done because PS2 weapons have separate stats for each fire mode.
For example, TRAC 5 has 4 modes: single shot, full auto, single shot while ADS, full auto while ADS.
Most weapon stats are identical in different fire modes, but it’s important to understand that as far as game engine is concerned, those are all completely different weapons.
It is theoretically possible to make a weapon that will function like a full auto grenade launcher while firing from the hip, and like a sniper rifle while ADSing, and could also switch into a Flak Turret fire mode.
An alternative to PlanetStats.I stopped at Wawa (a convenience store) on my way home tonight, to get myself coffee creamer. While I waited for my turn to pay, I gazed to my right. Directly in front of my line of vision was a large babyman standing at the automatic teller machine. He was wearing pajama bottoms which hung low, below his belly, with his undies showing. His open jacket and shirt were both too short, which allowed a full five-inch view of his midsection, all the way around. He was punching buttons with his right hand, and his left hand was down the front of his pants. I feel a need to explain that the location of this machine was fully visible to any customer in the store.
Now, I want you to understand exactly what I’m saying here, so pay close attention: This man was not paused in mid-scratch, or mindlessly resting his passive hand. He was enthusiastically handling himself, at great length. At first glance, I thought he was adjusting. We’ve all seen this. But he continued to diddle and shift, until his left-handed movements were more uniform and rhythmic. And his right hand continued to push buttons.
This went on for so long, three customers were served in the line ahead of me.
This went on for so long, I wondered what kind of business he could actually be conducting at this ATM.
I couldn’t look away. It was like a train wreck. So much going on here. So much wrong here.
Customers were served, and then it was my turn. In order to address the cashier, I had to turn my back to babyman. I looked cashier in the eyes and quietly but clearly said, “Okay. There is a man, directly behind me, masturbating at the ATM.”
She said, “What did you say?” because, goodlord, what did I just say? This prompted me to repeat the sentence more slowly and with precision, adding, “Because, it’s Valentine’s Day. And if you can’t love yourself, who will love you, even in the middle of Wawa? You know, because life is just too short to wait till you get home.”
Her eyes became huge as she ever so slightly, cartoonishly shifted her torso to her right, allowing her a clear view over my left shoulder.
She said, “Where?”
Apparently he’d finished his transaction?
I turned to look. Like some kind of awful Valentine’s Day slasher skit, he was standing right behind me.
AdvertisementsThe creator shares an exclusive preview of his new Oni Press series, and talks about his influences, why he's taking a break from super hero comics and why Ernest Hemingway is his new hero.
The first issue of Joshua Hale Fialkov and Gabo’s new series, The Life After, hit comic book stores and digital storefronts Wednesday, introducing readers to its hero, Jude and the hauntingly strange world in which he lives—or, more correctly, doesn’t live. Prepare for spoilers and an exclusive look at the series’ second issue.
As the end of the debut issue revealed, Jude (and everyone else in the series) is actually dead as the result of suicide, something that he wasn’t aware of. That the truth was revealed to him by Ernest Hemingway may give some idea of the tone of this surprising, beautiful new series that definitely isn’t what you’d expect given the subject matter.
STORY Joshua Hale Fialkov Talks Origins, Future of 'The Bunker’
“I’ve learned over time that a lighter touch on heavier material can make something hard to take considerably easier, and this is a book about big, weighty things,” Fialkov told THR of the upbeat tone of the book. “By taking a more whimsical, funny approach, I think even people who resolutely disagree with the viewpoints of the story can find something to latch on to.”
The writer pointed to novelist Kurt Vonnegut as an influence, saying that he remembers reading Cat’s Cradle as a teenager and “realizing that there was a place in the world for the type of stories I wanted to write, and in the style that I wanted to write them. I think that Vonnegut’s sense of self is so well stamped on his work that he is the books he wrote. That’s something that, while certainly, all of my books come from a personal place, there’s also a bit of distance between me the person and me the storyteller. This is a book that comes straight out of my brain with very little internal editing before it hits the script page. It deals with scary, big ideas, but, I think, it deals with them the way I’ve always wanted to deal with them.”
The Life After, like his critically-acclaimed The Bunker, is a concept he created and controls, with artist Gabo (Independent company Oni Press publishes both series), something that Fialkov appreciates after spending the last five years working on characters owned by Marvel and DC.
“I’m a trouble maker as an employee,” he admits, saying that he’s taking “a sort of self-imposed exile” from working on company-owned superheroes for awhile. “I want to treat every book I do as though it’s 100% owned by me, because, at the end of the day, nobody is blaming an editor if that book sucks. They’re blaming me. Even if the art is sub-par, I take the blame for that. So, for my money, being thorny and vocal to get work I’m proud of is worth it, no matter what doors it shuts, because, as the saying goes, nothing shuts doors and costs you audience faster than producing junk.”
Not that the opportunity to work on titles like Ultimate FF, I, Vampire and Adventures of Superman wasn’t fun, he hastens to add. “Look, getting to make Wolverine talk or Batman growl or Superman go through a time hole to team up with Kamandi is an absolute joy,” he said. “Every time I write a Spidey joke or an Iron Man smart-ass comment is, honestly a pleasure. But, it’s a specific itch, and I’ve spent the past three or four years scratching it. Creator owned is completely different.”
A common argument for working on company-owned superheroes over creator-owned material is an economic one, but Fialkov said that he’s “made just about as much money doing The Bunker as I did working on the Marvel and DC stuff, and, there hasn’t been a single bad moment doing it. So, you look at the two paths, and, at least for right now and very much for me, it seems pretty clear which one is to be followed.”
The writer is equally passionate about the growing digital comics market, which comes as no surprise considering the digital origins of The Bunker. “The future is digital, definitely,” he said. “But, there’s a reason everyone keeps saying ‘the future’ rather than ‘the present.’ We’re still not quite there.”
The success of The Bunker, which receives its first print collection next month, didn’t come easily, he explained. “I pretty much worked on it 24/7 for the four or five months that we ran it digitally, and we made money, certainly, but, not quite enough to support the workload for [artist Joe Infurnari] and I,” he said. “Had we not made the strides on the media side, we would’ve been in a lot of trouble, but I can almost guarantee that had we not published how we did, we would have had even more trouble selling the ancillary rates, which, like I said, is what has made it so lucrative for us.”
For now, though, Fialkov is focusing on personal work like The Bunker and The Life After—which brings us back to the question, how did Ernest Hemingway end up in this series, anyway?
“I’m a huge fan of the Philip Jose Farmer Riverworld series that takes a bunch of historical figures and puts them in a completely bizarre and confusing new world,” he explained. “The way that the short hand of who they are helps to sell that story was a huge influence on me. The list of people who could populate the afterlife for suicides and rise above the control of the powers that be is a very short list, and while we were crafting a character it would keep coming back to, ‘Someone like Ernest Hemingway.’ And then we realized, “Oh, right, it can just be Hemingway.”
STORY Joshua Hale Fialkov Fights Like Hell in 'The Devilers’
Looking ahead to the second issue of The Life After—which you can get a sneak preview of below—Fialkov said that one of his favorite things about the project is the way that every subsequent issue “reframes the story that we’re reading,” something he attributes in part to the work of his artist on the series, Gabo.
“Issue 2 was the first time that happened for me. I saw his pages and I just knew that he’d come up with better stuff than I had planned, and, so the book morphed into something else,” he said. “Gabo has such an amazing vitality to his work, and his sense of wonder remains fully in check, despite, y’know, being an adult. I think that’s something a lot of us lose, that he’s managed to really hang on to. His imagination and sense of humor are stamped all over the book. The paths we walk together on this book are just a complete and utter delight. I can’t wait to see where we go next.”
The Life After No. 1 was released in comic stores and digitally this week. The second issue will be released in August, but below you get to see the first five pages. It’s almost worth dying for.SHOREWOOD, MN—Citing both having to work early the next morning and several other inconveniences presented by a recent party invitation, local swingers Doug and Tiffany Finsky told reporters Wednesday that there is no way they are driving all the way out to goddamn Oakdale.
According to the sexually adventurous couple, traveling to the event that their friends Linda and Joe Tremaine are hosting in the Minneapolis suburb over an hour’s drive from the Finskys’ home would likely not be worth the hassle, with the pair stating they would probably end up spending more time sitting in the car than they would at the party.
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“Sorry, not gonna happen—we’re just not driving all the way out there on a weeknight,” said Doug, 46, expressing his frustration that it would be “80 damn miles round-trip” and probably run him $15 or more in gas costs. “It’s way out past Woodbury, and this thing doesn’t even start until 9 p.m!”
“Plus there’s still that construction on [Interstate] 494, so you have to give yourself an extra 20 minutes with the traffic,” Doug continued. “By the time we shower, say goodbye to everyone, and get out of there, we won’t be home until after midnight. Not a chance.”
An aggravated Finsky added that having to stop by Cub Foods to pick up margarita mix on the way would only add to the drive time.
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The couple went on to explain that they felt increasingly put out at having to always be the ones forced to make the trip to the bimonthly sex parties, saying that they couldn’t remember the last time the Tremaines had attended a similar gathering at the Finskys’ home.
“If you’re going to force a bunch of people to go out of their way to come to your place, the least you can do is put in a little effort. The last time we were there, pretty much all they had were some generic cheese-and-veggie trays from the grocery store and a handle of cheap vodka.”
“If you think about it, most of the people going tonight live way closer to here anyway,” said Tiffany, 45, expressing her belief that the current arrangement was the result of the Tremaines’ unwillingness to travel rather than an honest desire to host a great erotic event. “And if you’re going to force a bunch of people to go out of their way to come to your place, the least you can do is put in a little effort. The last time we were there, pretty much all they had were some generic cheese-and-veggie trays from the grocery store and a handle of cheap vodka.”
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Though the couple said they generally enjoy such gatherings, their decision not to “schlep all the way out” to the eastern suburbs—which is reportedly twice as far away as the orgy they recently attended at a friend’s house in Eagan—was further cemented by news that certain of their closer friends in the Twin Cities’ kink community would not be in attendance.
“If Diane and Will [Rappoport] aren’t going to be there, then what’s the point?” Tiffany said. “Those two are great. To be honest, they’re basically the only reason we even go to these things anymore.”
In addition to the long commute and disappointing guest list, the polyamorous couple presented several other arguments as to why driving “halfway to goddamn Eau Claire” just wasn’t going to happen, including the Tremaines’ penchant for keeping the central air far too cold, their use of overpowering citrus-scented candles, an irritating techno music playlist, and “cat hair all over the couches, the carpets, the stuff in the basement—everything.”
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Though the Finskys said they felt a certain amount of guilt skipping the sex party, they maintained that they would do their best to attend upcoming events.
“It’ll be fine—we can just catch up with everyone next weekend over at the Powells’,” Doug said. “Their annual ancient Greece–themed soirée is always a blast, and their place is practically just up the street.”
At press time, the couple had decided to stay in for the night and watch Criminal Minds.Posted by Kathleen
As you are probably aware, we play… a lot of Magic. And if you play Magic, you’re probably wondering why we haven’t offered any of our own Magic inspired merchandise. But wonder no more! After a bunch of testing and samples, we are thrilled to finally offer LRR playmats and card sleeves for sale!
If you’re looking for a classy playmat, we have you(r table) covered. Choose from either a simple LRR logo design, or the OCD special ‘Diagram’ version.
These are the same quality of playmat you’d find in your local game shop! This is a standard mat that measures 60 cm wide x 35 cm high (23.5 wide x 13.75 inches). Both playmats clock in at a cushiony 3mm thick.
But of course, if you want to protect your cards with a playmat, you’ll also want sleeves right? We have those! These high quality sleeves (we tested them a bunch before we were willing to sell them) come in a universally applicable “I Think We’re Just Dead Here” design. Please note, these sleeves come in bundles of 200 – that’s enough for two commander decks, three standard decks, five draft decks or half a cube!
You can also order a combo playmat and sleeve pack that comes with the playmat of your choice and 100 sleeves! All available in the LRR Store!Target CEO Brian Cornell is speaking out after 1.2 million people signed a petition boycotting the company over its transgender bathroom policy.
Cornell appeared on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” where he confirmed that the company will not be reversing its policy.
The retail giant released their pledge last month, stating any transgender individual shopping at Target can use whichever bathroom corresponds with their gender identity. Target’s original pledge stated:
“We believe that everyone — every team member, every guest, and every community — deserves to be protected from discrimination, and treated equally. Consistent with this belief, Target supports the federal Equality Act, which provides protections to LGBT individuals, and opposes action that enables discrimination. In our stores, we demonstrate our commitment to an inclusive experience in many ways. Most relevant for the conversations currently underway, we welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity.”
Cornell referenced the civil rights movement of the 1960s and reminded everyone that Target was one of the first companies to use African American models in their advertisements.
“And back then, you know, it wasn’t well received,” Cornell said about those ads. “We had a lot of tough feedback, but sitting here today, we know we made the right decision.”
Another reason for the policy is that the safety in their stores remains a top priority, according to Cornell.
“We took a stance, and we’re going to continue to embrace our belief of diversity and inclusion, just how important that is to our company, but we’re also going to make sure our focus on safety is unwavering,” Cornell said.
The online petition against Target was led by the American Family Association, who claims on their website that they met with Target asking them to create a unisex bathroom “for the trans community and for those who simply like using the bathroom alone.”
“Target representatives were gracious and respectful, but sadly, they rejected our offer,” the statement read.American country music singer
Brad Douglas Paisley (born October 28, 1972) is an American country music musician and songwriter. Starting with his 1999 debut album, Who Needs Pictures, he has released eleven studio albums and a Christmas compilation on the Arista Nashville label, with all of his albums certified Gold or higher by the RIAA.[1] He has scored 32 top 10 singles on the US Billboard Country Airplay chart, 19 of which have reached number 1. He set a new record in 2009 for most consecutive singles (ten) reaching the top spot on that chart.
Paisley has sold over 11 million albums and won three Grammy Awards, 14 Academy of Country Music Awards, 14 Country Music Association Awards, and two American Music Awards. He has earned country music's crowning achievement, becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry.[2] Paisley also wrote songs for Pixar's Cars franchise ("Behind the Clouds", "Find Yourself", "Collision of Worlds" (along with Robbie Williams), "Nobody's Fool", etc.).
Early life [ edit ]
Paisley was born on October 28, 1972, in Glen Dale, West Virginia. He is the only child of Douglas Edward "Doug" Paisley, who worked for the West Virginia Department of Transportation, and Sandra Jean "Sandy" (née Jarvis) Paisley, a teacher.[3] He was raised in Glen Dale, West Virginia. He has stated that his love of country music stems from his maternal grandfather, Warren Jarvis, who gave him his first guitar, a Sears Danelectro Silvertone,[4] and taught him how to play at eight years old. In third grade, he performed for the first time in public by singing in his church. Initially, they were just going to have him play the song on the guitar instead of a piano. But then the adults heard him sing the tune and said, "forget the choir, let's just have Brad do the whole thing." After that, he never had to ask for a gig until he left Glen Dale. He later recalled that "Pretty soon, I was performing at every Christmas party and Mother's Day event. The neat thing about a small town is that when you want to be an artist, by golly, they'll make you one."[4] At age 13, he wrote his first song, "Born on Christmas Day",[4] which later appeared on his album Brad Paisley Christmas. He had been taking lessons with local guitarist Clarence "Hank" Goddard.[4] By 13, Goddard and Paisley formed a band called "Brad Paisley and the C-Notes", with the addition of two of Paisley's adult friends.[4]
While in junior high, his principal heard him perform "Born On Christmas Day" and invited him to play at the local Rotary Club meeting. In attendance was Tom Miller, the program director of a radio station in Wheeling, West Virginia. Miller asked him if he would like to be a guest on Jamboree USA. After his first performance, he was asked to become a member of the show's weekly lineup. For the next eight years, he opened for country singers such as The Judds, Ricky Skaggs and George Jones. He would become the youngest person inducted into the Jamboree USA Hall of Fame. He also performed at the Jamboree in the Hills.[5]
Paisley graduated from John Marshall High School in Glen Dale, West Virginia, in 1991,[6] and then studied for two years at West Liberty State College in West Liberty, West Virginia. He was awarded a fully paid ASCAP scholarship to Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he majored in music business and received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the Mike Curb School of Music Business in 1995.[7] He interned at ASCAP, Atlantic Records, and the Fitzgerald-Hartley management firm. While in college, he met Frank Rogers, a fellow student who went on to serve as his producer. Paisley also met Kelley Lovelace, who became his songwriting partner. He also met Chris DuBois in college, and he, too, would write songs for him.[5]
Within a week after graduating from Belmont, Paisley signed a songwriting contract with EMI Music Publishing;[5] and he wrote David Kersh's "Top 5" hit, "Another You", as well as David Ball's 1999 single, "Watching My Baby Not Come Back". The latter song was also co-written by Ball.[8]
Career [ edit ]
1999–2001: Who Needs Pictures [ edit ]
His debut as a singer was with the label Arista Nashville, with the song "Who Needs Pictures" (released February 1, 1999). In May of that same year, he made his first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry.[1] Seven months later he had his first No. 1 hit with "He Didn't Have to Be", which detailed the story of Paisley's frequent co-writer Kelley Lovelace and Lovelace's stepson, McCain Merren.[9] The album also produced a Top 20 hit with "Me Neither" and his second number 1 hit, "We Danced", both in 2000. By February 2001, the album was certified platinum.[10]
Later in 2000, Paisley won the Country Music Association's (CMA) Horizon Award and the Academy of Country Music's best new male vocalist trophy. He received his first Grammy Award nomination a year later for Best New Artist. On February 17, 2001, Paisley was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry.[1] He was 28 when he accepted the invitation, and was the youngest member ever to join. PBS did a 75th anniversary concert special, in which Paisley and Chely Wright sang a song that they co-wrote called "Hard to Be a Husband, Hard to Be a Wife". This song later appeared on the compilation album Grand Ole Opry 75th Anniversary, Vol. 2.[11] The concert would get a CMA nomination for Vocal Event of the Year.[12] Paisley would later contribute to Wright's 2001 album Never Love You Enough, co-writing the tracks "One Night in Las Vegas", "Horoscope", and "Not as In Love". Paisley co-produced the former two tracks with her, in addition to playing guitar on them and featuring members of his road band, The Drama Kings; he also sang backing vocals on "One Night in Las Vegas" and "Not as In Love".[13]
2001–03: Part II [ edit ]
In 2002, he won the CMA Music Video of the Year for "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)". Several celebrities made notable guest appearances in the video, including Little Jimmy Dickens, Kimberly Williams, Dan Patrick, and Jerry Springer. His three other singles from the Part II album, "I Wish You'd Stay", "Wrapped Around", and "Two People Fell in Love", all charted in the top 10. The album stayed in the charts for more than 70 weeks and was certified platinum in August 2002. To support his album, he toured the country as the opening act for Lonestar.[14]
2003–05: Mud on the Tires [ edit ]
Paisley released his third album, Mud on the Tires (2003), following Who Needs Pictures and Part II. The album features the hit song "Celebrity", the video of which parodies television shows such as Fear Factor, American Idol, The Bachelorette, and According to Jim, and included such celebrities as Jason Alexander, James Belushi, Little Jimmy Dickens, Trista Rehn, and William Shatner. (Paisley later contributed to Shatner's album Has Been.) The album's title track, "Mud on the Tires", reached Billboard No. 1 in 2004.[15]
In addition, the ninth track from Mud on the Tires, "Whiskey Lullaby", a duet with Alison Krauss, reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts, and No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100. The music video for Whiskey Lullaby also won several awards and was rated No. 2 on the 100 Greatest Videos by CMT in 2008. The album was certified double platinum.[14]
2005–07: Time Well Wasted [ edit ]
In 2005, after touring with Reba McEntire and Terri Clark on the Two Hats and a Redhead Tour, he released Time Well Wasted, containing 15 tracks. This album includes "Alcohol", two duets — "When I Get Where I'm Going" with Dolly Parton and "Out in the Parking Lot" with Alan Jackson — and a bonus track, "Cornography", a comedy track featuring "The Kung Pao Buckaroos": Little Jimmy Dickens, George Jones, and Bill Anderson. On November 6, 2006, Time Well Wasted won the Country Music Association CMA Award for Best Album. It also won album of |
. The businesses are usually more open, making it is easier to make connections across the company. In startups or small businesses, you may even know every employee of the company personally. Thus, the culture of the company is even more important than larger businesses and many of these companies put more work into creating a positive and close working environment.
There are many small and medium sized businesses out there that job seekers should consider. While larger companies may have a brand that you recognize or seem more stable, SMBs have a lot to offer in their own right. These are only six of the perks that come from working at a small or medium sized business.A gay football player.
Even today it seems to be something very rare in the game.
Growing up, football was always my outlet to get out whatever I had built up inside me. When those pads came on, I felt at home.
I started playing football in third grade, and I still fall more in love with the game every year I play.
I grew up in a very small town called Richwood, Ohio, and graduated with a class size of barely 100 students. In high school I never had a problem with standing out. I made friends with everyone and tried to stay positive and nice to every kid in the school.
My coming-out story is a little different from many others you see today. Freshmen and sophomore year of high school I knew I was gay, but the thought of anyone knowing that part of me was single-handedly the most terrifying thought in my head, especially growing up with a family full of farmers who weren’t really exposed to that kind of thing yet.
I was always terrified with the locker room talk that went on about gays and how gross they are and how wrong being gay is. Yes, that talk was there. It just pushed me further into the back of the closet.
I always told myself I would never come out until I was done with high school and football.
Boy was I wrong.
My junior year of high school, right after my season had finished up, I had told only about five people who I truly was. Being in a small school, word traveled fast. Someone I had told had “accidentally” told another person about me being gay. Before long the rumor had stretched out to most, if not all, faculty and students at my school.
The football player was gay.
The news of the rumor left me thinking. Why was I lying about who I am just to please everybody else?
Everyone was so accepting and loving that I just felt foolish for ever hiding who I am.
The next day I came out and confirmed the rumors. After telling my friends and coaches and family, everyone was so accepting and loving that I just felt foolish for ever hiding who I am.
The people at my school quickly realized that, with one of the captains of the football team being gay, it really doesn’t define you. It’s simply a part of who you are. My teammates took it really well and didn’t treat me the slightest bit differently.
If anything, I got more respect because of it.
My senior year came along, and I was determined to make the most of it. That year in school was the best year I have ever had. I was on the honor roll both semesters, I was named homecoming king and prom king, and I was also voted as our student body president for my final year.
It went even better for me on the field. I set a goal to be one of the first openly gay athletes to get an All-State Honor for football in the state of Ohio. With wrapping up my final season I did just that. I was named to the first team All-Conference, First Team All-District and Special Mention All-Ohio.
Being given those honors was such a great experience for me and really gave me a huge confidence boost.
After my senior season had finished up I had started to delve deeper into what college I was going to attend. There were many colleges that I found to be good contenders, but once I stepped on Capital University’s campus I fell in love.
I went to Capital on a visit because I was being recruited at the time. The players, coaches and all-around environment were so very welcoming and made me feel right at home. I signed my letter of commitment shortly after my visit and was ready to move on from my small town to take on Columbus.
Capital Univ. is a small Division 3 private school that is a part of the Ohio Athletic Conference, which includes football national semifinalists John Carroll and Mount Union.
At camp that summer, I was way more nervous about having to tell my new teammates that I was gay. I was so worked up about it the night before that I even had the thought of just going straight back in the closet. I decided to not even mention it and just let them find out.
After only a few days everyone knew, and everyone was so accepting. They treated me like family.
After only a few days everyone knew, and everyone was so accepting. They treated me like family. I’m so thankful for my teammates at Capital because just by creating that family-type bond, I am able to excel on and off the field during my college career.
My first year of college football was the time of my life. I started the season getting the chance to play on special teams and getting some reps at receiver.
After the first two games we had an injury on the team that gave me the opportunity to become the starting punter. I ended the season with a career high for a punt – 54 yards – and dropping four punts inside the 20.
My goal for next season is to be one of the first openly gay football players in the NCAA to score a touchdown and receive an All-Conference honor.
If you are in the closet and also an athlete and you’re reading this, I want you to know that coming out is not as scary as you make it out to be. It is the most relieving experience you’ll ever come to term with.
You finally get to be yourself and show people that the LGBT community knows how to play ball too.
Wyatt Pertusett will be a sophomore next season playing for the Capital Univ. football team. You can find him on Facebook, or on Instagram @WyPert or on Twitter @WyattAPertuset.
Story editor: Cyd ZeiglerThe one advantage of a potentially insignificant quarterbacking matchup between the Texans and Raiders on Saturday is that it might highlight two of the best young defensive players in the league -- Oakland linebacker Khalil Mack and Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.
And in Oakland, amid the absence of a premiere passer, some of Irvin's teammates are talking about Mack the way one might discuss an offensive MVP candidate.
"The guy's a walking Hall of Famer, the best in the business," Bruce Irvin told CSN Bay Area of Mack. "I'm blessed to be able to suit up with him week in and week out."
Mack, when asked about Clowney, had this to say:
"You can say he's grown, but you could tell he has that kind of capability," Mack said. "Just watching him last year, he was amazing against the run and came up just shy of all those sacks and all those different things. With time, you can tell that he's been blossoming and he's a hell of a player."
Clowney, as we saw in the last Oakland-Houston game, can shut down the Raiders running attack almost by himself (with a little help from Vince Wilfork and a heavy defensive personnel set up front). Latavius Murray had just 12 rushes for 33 yards back in November. As for Mack, he logged a sack and was not easily contained by just one offensive lineman. He nearly forced an early game-changing pick and his jams at the line also, at times, effected the release of Houston tight ends -- some of Brock Osweiler's favorite targets.
During the leadup to this game, many have convinced themselves that the quarterbacking will make the Wild Card matchup un-watchable. They've decided not to hone in on the defense -- to see what everyone else is raving about.Housing Secretary Ben Carson Clarifies Comment That Poverty Is A 'State Of Mind'
Enlarge this image toggle caption Chris Carlson/AP Chris Carlson/AP
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson is standing by his controversial comment that poverty is a "state of mind," but he says that "how a person thinks" is only one component that contributes to being poor.
"What I said is that it is a factor. A part of poverty can be the state of mind," he told NPR in an interview. "People tend to approach things differently, based on their frame of mind."
His agency, he says, wants "to find ways to make sure that people understand that the person who has the most to do with what happens to you, is you."
Carson, who grew up in poverty, said in a Sirius XM radio interview last month that "poverty to a large extent is also a state of mind." The comment drew widespread criticism from anti-poverty advocates who say it implies that poor Americans are at fault for their poverty and that they're better off without government aid.
Carson is scheduled to appear before a House appropriations subcommittee Thursday to defend President Trump's 2018 budget request for his agency.
Carson will likely face tough questions about his comments on poverty as well as the administration's proposal to cut more than $6 billion — or 13 percent — from HUD's budget. Among the programs targeted: public housing, housing vouchers, community development block grants, and other aid for low-income Americans.
The administration argues that much of this spending is ineffective and inefficient and that the money would be better spent elsewhere. And Carson tells NPR his agency's approach is aimed at breaking cycles of poverty long term. Housing advocates say the cuts would be devastating for millions of Americans who can't afford a place to live without assistance.
Carson sat down with NPR's Pam Fessler at his HUD office last week to talk about some of these issues. Here are some highlights:
Interview Highlights
You made these comments about poverty largely being a state of mind. Can you explain how much you think a "state of mind" accounts for somebody being poor?
You know Americans are industrious people. That's how America got to be a great place. We're not a little feeble people who have to be spoon-fed.
What I said is that it is a factor. A part of poverty can be the state of mind. Poor in spirit. And people tend to approach things differently, based on their frame of mind.
A good example would be, if you were a minor league baseball player, and you were brought up to the majors and you look up on the mound and you say, "Nolan Ryan! Oh no, he's a legend. He's got a 100 mile per hour fastball. I'll probably not even see the ball." You're probably not going to get a hit. If you come up and say, "Nolan Ryan. He's an old man. I'm going to knock the cover off the ball," you are probably going to have a much better chance.
So one of the things I think government can do very well is to help create the right kinds of mindset, frame of mind, by providing ladders of opportunity so that people can really see what's going on around them. A lot of times if you go to a disadvantaged neighborhood, you ask the kids, "What do you want to do when you grow up?" You get about five different answers. But there's a thousand. We need to show people the other 995 and how you get there. And those are the kinds of things that create that can-do attitude that is so important, and that for such a long time was a part of the American mindset. And there are those now who want people to think that somebody else is in control of you and that you're a victim. We want to find ways to make sure that people understand that the person who has the most to do with what happens to you, is you.
I want to make sure I'm clear. You're saying it's only one component of people being poor, or the main component?
Of course [state of mind is] just a component [but] it is an important component, how a person thinks. And I know there was a recent article that says, no, the state of mind is caused by poverty. I totally disagree with that. I think you can have a lot of people who are in poverty who are not adversely affected by that at all, who have a winning attitude and who will do whatever they need to do to be successful. And I would encourage people to go to the Horatio Alger Society website, and read those hundreds of biographies there of Americans who rose through incredible odds and severe poverty to become leaders in our society
So what are you going to do at HUD to give people what you say is the right state of mind to get out of poverty?
A number of things, but one of the interesting concepts we're working on are centers that will be put into neighborhoods, repurposing some of the old buildings, and exposing people to what those many opportunities are, exposing people to some basic skills that people used to get, for instance in high school, creating mentorship programs.
There are a lot of people out there who would be delighted to take people under their wings but they don't have a good mechanism for doing that. (And) to provide day care for so many of the young ladies who end up getting pregnant and then their education stops. Provide them a mechanism so that they can go back and get their GED, get their associate's degree, their bachelor's degree, their master's degree, take care of themselves and teach their children to take care of themselves, so that you break the cycles. The systems that we have been using for decades don't seem to be breaking the cycles. They seem to be adding to them, so we have to start thinking a little bit differently about these things.
But these centers aren't included in the president's budget. So how are they going to come about? Is this something HUD is going to do?
Yeah, these are things that we're working on. We're working on concepts, on how do we break these cycles, not how do we continue them. So many people just are focused on, but if we change this, then it won't go on like it always has, but maybe we don't want it to go on like it always has. We have three to four times as many people in need of affordable housing as we can provide. The more we can move out the more others we can help. Success is not how many people we can put into public housing, it's how many we can get out of it.
The president's budget, though, calls for tremendous cuts in the HUD budget. You told the National Low Income Housing Coalition that nobody would be thrown out on the street under your watch. But many analysts look at those numbers and say that people will be thrown out on the street under this budget. Are they wrong?
I think [analysts are] wrong, absolutely. We're paying very close attention to the vulnerable population and making that a very important part of how things are executed. Bear in mind, there are a lot efficiencies that will save us a lot of money. And there's also a new model that we're really concentrating on. The old model was the federal government rides in on the white horse and plops down millions of dollars and says, "Build this place for all these people." And then goes on to the next project. The new model is the federal government seeds the project, and oversees and facilitates, along with the housing authorities,... bringing in those private partners, bringing in the nonprofits, bringing in the faith community.
And there's a lot more money there than there ever could be in the federal government. And you also get those people vested in the project, so now their income stream is dependent upon that project being successful. And having that done at the local level is going to be so much better.
So you don't think anybody's going to be thrown out on the street?
I don't think anybody's going to be thrown out on the streets. We're paying very careful attention to that.
Los Angeles County [has] reported that its homeless population went up 23 percent last year, which is an amazing number. But this budget calls for cuts in homeless assistance. Do you think we're going to be seeing increases in homelessness in lots of other places?
I don't think so. Of course, the other part of that story is a number of places, like Bergen County [N.J.], have reported there's no homelessness there. It's been eradicated. We're going to continue to make that a high priority, fully recognizing that it actually costs more to leave people homeless. That person sleeping under the bridge who's going to wind up in the emergency room, sometimes getting admitted for a week in the hospital? That week hospital stay costs more than it costs to put them in a place for a year. But putting them in a place is not enough. That's only Part 1. Part 2, we have to diagnose why they're in that condition. And Part 3 is we have to treat it.
There are a number of things in the president's budget to encourage home ownership, but we have many millions of people in this country who aren't even close to that point. What's in the budget to help them?
For one thing, people are closer to it than you might think, but it's a matter of making sure they're educated properly. A lot of times people maybe bite off more than they can chew. And that's one of the reasons, for instance, that we are now looking at being able to guarantee mortgages on individual condominium units. Because that can frequently be the first step. You buy that kind of home, you build up equity, you save, and then you move to the next step. In 2008, there were so many people who deceived individuals and simply said you've got an ever expanding price here. It's going to be your piggy bank for the rest of your life. And you can always count on that. And look what the results of that were. So we're working to make sure that the education of the people is such that they understand how you go about building that equity, and how you go about making your first, second, third steps to acquiring a home. Because, quite frankly, in America... the primary source of wealth is home ownership.
How are you going to educate people?
We have multiple places around the country, more than 1,200, of individuals who are trained... and we're working with them. We're also looking at some uses of social media and the Internet to help keep people well-informed on how to do things. Giving them little quizzes that they can take, and things of that nature. It's really just a matter of making sure people are well-informed. You know Americans are industrious people. That's how America got to be a great place. We're not a little feeble people who have to be spoon-fed. But we do have to recognize where we are right now and utilize what we have in order to help facilitate the use of the tremendous intellect and energies that exist within our society.
But there are some people who you would say are poor, who might want to try but they can't get out for other reasons besides their state of mind?
Of course, there are people of all types. But our duty in government and in HUD is to provide the avenues, the mechanisms, to allow anyone who can get out to get out, and I think that's going to be most people.
This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.On May 23, 2011, the Israeli Special Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs Task Force on minority religious groups presented its report to the Minister of Welfare and Social Affairs, Moshe Kahlon. The Report derogatorily grouped together as so-called "cults" or "sects" approximately 80 belief systems and contains a blueprint for systematic, government-fueled intolerance directed at minority religious communities throughout Israel.
Ironically, the Report was released one day before Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed a Joint Session of the U.S. Congress and stated, "As for Jerusalem, only a democratic Israel has protected freedom of worship for all faiths in the city." If the Report's recommendations are implemented, this will no longer be the case.
No democracy would admit to being intolerant of minority faiths or opposed to religious liberty. The tactic used to discriminate against targeted minority faiths in some countries is to redefine the notion of "religion" to exclude disfavored minority groups by labeling them as so-called "cults" or "sects." This is the tactic embraced by the Task Force in the Report.
Although the United Nations Human Rights Committee, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Religious Freedom, the Human Rights Directorate of the Council of Europe, the European Court of Human Rights, human rights groups, scholars, and experts in the field have all called for a broad definition of religion consistent with notions of pluralism, minority rights, freedom of conscience, and religious liberty as mandated by human rights instruments, the Report adopts a restrictive classification system designed to marginalise targeted minority faiths.
Classifying religious groups into "religions" and "sects" violates religious human rights standards. It is impermissible and arbitrary for the government to confer benefits on groups it classifies as "religions" while denying benefits and enacting oppressive measures against groups it classifies as "sects".
Israel has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and other international human rights instruments guaranteeing the right to freedom of religion and the principles of non-discrimination and equality. It is therefore bound to uphold these standards as a member of the international community.
The Human Rights Committee has found freedom of religion is not limited in its application to traditional religions and any tendency to discriminate against any religion or belief for any reason -- including the fact that they are newly-established or represent religious minorities that may be the subject of hostility by a predominant religious community -- contravenes Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights:
Article 18 protects theistic, non-theistic and atheistic beliefs, as well as the right not to profess any religion or belief. The terms "belief" and "religion" are to be broadly construed. Article 18 is not limited in its application to traditional religions or to religions and beliefs with institutional characteristics or practices analogous to those of traditional religions. The Committee therefore views with concern any tendency to discriminate against any religion or belief for any reason, including the fact that they are newly established, or represent religious minorities that may be the subject of hostility by a predominant religious community. General Comment No. 22 on Art. 18 (Para 2).
Moreover, the 1996 Annual Report by the Special Rapporteur on Religious Freedom to the United Nations Human Rights Commission provides the Rapporteur's opinion on the broad scope of the term religion and the need for equal treatment of all religions, including so called "sects." The Special Rapporteur notes:
Religions cannot be distinguished from sects on the basis of quantitative considerations saying that a sect, unlike a religion, has a small number of followers. This is in fact not always the case. It runs absolutely counter to the principle of respect and protection of minorities, which is upheld by domestic and international law and morality. Besides, following this line of argument, what are the major religions if not successful sects? *** *** *** *** Again, one cannot say that sects should not benefit from the protection given to religion just because they have no chance to demonstrate their durability. History contains many examples of dissident movements, schisms, heresies and reforms that have suddenly given birth to religions or religious movements. As to governmental efforts to distinguish between religions and sects, the Rapporteur concludes that: "All in all, the distinction between a religion and a sect is too contrived to be acceptable. A sect that goes beyond simple belief and appeals to a divinity, or at the very least, to the supernatural the transcendent, the absolute, or the sacred, enters into the religious sphere and should enjoy the protection afforded to religions.
Most countries do not consider the issue of "sects" a national problem or a threat for the State. The Dutch, Swedish, and Swiss governments have taken up the issue and found there is no need for concerted government action, and many other countries like the United States have determined that this is simply not an issue necessitating government action.
The attempt to define a "cult" in the Report is so vague that it could just as easily be applied to all religions. It is also based on almost uniformly biased sources.
Laws that are excessively vague, discriminate in intent and application, and allow for the imposition of draconian measures on religious communities and their parishioners are incompatible with the rule of law in a democratic society and thus violate fundamental rights protected by all major international human rights treaties.
The Report impermissibly presumes that certain faiths classified as "cults" are "dangerous" and should be "fought against" through specific and widespread administrative and legislative measures. No State is entitled to declare that some beliefs are "pseudo-religious" or pathological.
As an international court that embraces universal human rights principles, the European Court of Human Rights decisions are instructive on this matter and bear heeding. The Human Rights Court's 10 June 2010 decision in Jehovah's Witnesses of Moscow v. Russia articulates the State's duty of neutrality in religious matters.
119. The Court further reiterates that the State's duty of neutrality and impartiality prohibits it from assessing the legitimacy of religious beliefs or the ways in which those beliefs are expressed or manifested. Accordingly, the State has a narrow margin of appreciation and must advance serious and compelling reasons for an interference with the choices that people may make in pursuance of the religious standard of behaviour within the sphere of their personal autonomy.
The Report considers some beliefs to be acceptable while others are not, assessing their legitimacy in total violation of the duty of neutrality. This is clear from the Report's recommendation regarding government sponsored "public awareness campaigns" to "warn" the public about certain belief systems that have been classified in the Report as "cults".
Likewise, the Report classifies all consenting adults who choose to join a minority faith because they sincerely believe in the faith's tenets as "victims". This biased approach ignores the fundamental human right of personal religious autonomy that allows an individual to freely choose to adopt a religious belief.
Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights not only protects the right to freedom of religion, it also states this right "shall include freedom to have or adopt a religion or belief of his choice... " This right to change one's religion is emphasized by the UN Human Rights Committee in its General Comment 22 on the scope and interpretation of Article 18:
The Committee observes that the freedom to "have or to adopt" a religion or belief necessarily entails the freedom to choose a religion or belief, including the right to replace one's current religion or belief with another or to adopt atheistic views, as well as the right to retain one's religion or belief. Article 18.2 bars coercion that would impair the right to have or adopt a religion or belief, including the use of threat of physical force or penal sanctions to compel believers or non-believers to adhere to their religious beliefs and congregations, to recant their religion or belief or to convert.
Proselytism and the decision of an individual to convert to a new faith is a manifestation of religion or belief encompassed within the right to freedom of religion or belief under international human rights law.
International and legal standards mandate that religious minorities be treated fairly and without discrimination in the same way as other religions. These standards also mandate strict impartiality by government officials and entities.
The Report also classifies individuals who have decided of their own free will to join these faiths as "victims" who, despite their protestations to the contrary, are under "thought control" and "mind control."
These findings are truly remarkable in light of a host of scientific and academic studies unanimously finding that the theory of "mental manipulation" or "religious brainwashing" have no merit. Over the last two decades, the international academic community, including scholars from psychology, sociology, and religious studies, has articulated an almost unanimous consensus that "mental manipulation" and "brainwashing" theories as applied to religious communities are completely lacking in scientific merit. Brainwashing has never gained any scientific credibility.
Major studies by the leading authorities in the field and by organizations such as the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Sociological Association debunk the myth of brainwashing as it applies to new religious movements. These studies echo the position taken by the Dutch government in 1984 in its Report on New Religious Movements that "new religious movements are no real threat to mental public health". The Swedish government reached a similar conclusion in its report.
These studies, and the vast majority of government reports on the subject, determine that any issues could be resolved by using the existing legal arsenal and be resorting to normal legal methods. Consequently, they did not recommend taking any political or legal measures that encroach upon international human rights norms. For example, in its Recommendation 1178 (1992), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe concluded that legislation on "sects" was undesirable on the grounds that such legislation might interfere with the right to freedom of conscience and religion guaranteed by Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Parliamentary Assembly's Recommendation 1412 (1999) encouraged member states to adopt an approach "which will bring about understanding, tolerance, dialogue and resolution of conflicts" and "to take firm steps against any action which is discriminatory or which marginalizes religious or spiritual minority groups."
Yet, this encouragement of tolerance and dialogue in government reports and the rejection of "religious brainwashing" in academic and scientific reports are ignored in the Report in an attempt to justify oppressive government measures around a scientifically debunked myth. As a United States Federal Court held in denying expert witness status to the major proponent of this discredited theory, Margaret Singer, "the (American Psychological Association) found that Dr. Singer's report lacked scientific merit and that the studies supporting its findings lacked methodological rigor."
The Report extensively relies upon Margaret Singer's discredited theories to further the myth of religious brainwashing as a scientific truth even though the APA and American courts rejected Singer as an expert over two decades ago.
Indeed, many of the "experts" relied upon in the Report are biased individuals who are completely unqualified to render credible opinions. For example, the Report relies on Steven Hassan who presents himself as an "expert" on religions, basing his theories on Singer whose work has been rejected by numerous U.S. Courts. In March of 1996, in the case of Kendall v. Kendall, the United States District Court for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts also rejected Hassan as an expert witness. Hassan's testimony in this case shows that he was charging $200 per hour for preparation and $1,500 per day for his "expert testimony" on new religions, yet he had never testified in court before and his only qualification was a night school degree in an unrelated field.
Likewise, the Report relies on Rick Ross who has no academic qualifications and who has been found liable for damaging an individual through forced "deprogramming". In 1994, Ross violently abducted, abused, and forcibly detained Mr. Jason Scott, a member of the United Pentecostal church. Ross held Mr. Scott at a remote Washington State location for almost a week to try to hammer him out of his religious convictions. Mr. Scott won a multi-million-dollar jury award against Ross, with the Court noting that the conduct of Ross was "oppressive."
The Report also relies on the Center for the Victims of Cults (CVC). On March 4, 2011, the Israeli paper, Yediot Ahronot, published an article detailing the close relationship between CVC and Yad L'Achim. The article noted that CVC was established in 2006 for the purpose of having a seemingly secular group attack targeted faiths because of Yad L'Achim's image. The article notes that Yad L'Achim "suffered a bad image" due to its religious coercion activities, and that "fighting cults under the guise of a secular center can give them in the eyes of many a legitimacy to attack organizations and groups."
The U.S. State Department has issued human rights reports for the last ten years regarding detailed instances of violence committed by Yad L'Achim including pressuring landlords, employers, and MOI officials to assist its campaign against groups it deems "dangerous cults."
The Jerusalem Institute of Justice filed a submission in February 2010 to the Attorney General in the Ministry of Justice requesting to dismantle Yad L'Achim due to its criminal activities, as well as classifying it as a terrorist group under the Terror Prevention Order. The submission to the Attorney General detailed Yad L'Achim's involvement in violent persecution of minorities, racism, violence and terror, and the distribution of inflammatory material.
The Report calls for oppressive legislative measures for groups designated as "cults." It recommends that its exceedingly vague definition of "cult" based on the one-sided "definitions of theorists, therapists and organizations in the field" be legislatively enacted. It also recommends that the definitions be used as a starting point to "serve as a basis for a bill against the leaders of cults or sects against the activity."
Religions are not above the law. However, any legitimate concerns are much more effectively addressed by the enforcement of existing laws on common criminal activities. Special laws against "sects", on the other hand, are discriminatory and endanger the religious liberty of every citizen.
What justifies intervention by Israel in this area? As a matter of law, restrictions on religious freedom, including the right of an individual to manifest one's belief through adopting the religion of one's choice and the right of a religious organization to manifest belief through proselytism, are only justified if Israel can demonstrate that such restrictions fall within the narrow limitation clauses of the relevant international instruments. Any attempt by the State to interfere with religion must be "strictly necessary" to fulfill a "pressing social need" that "is proportionate to the legitimate aim pursued."
Yet, the Report provides no factual foundation to justify State intervention and no legal justification whatsoever to restrict fundamental religious freedoms.
The Report also recommends that the government engage in "building a data base regarding" so-called "cults." This raises the concern that a government record repository will be created identifying individuals by their religious association and beliefs. Such a repository could easily be abused and transform these records into tools of persecution by those opposed to religious tolerance while further marginalizing religious minorities and creating an atmosphere of discrimination and fear.
International and legal standards mandate that new religions and religious minorities be treated fairly and in the same way as other religions. These standards also mandate a spirit of tolerance towards minority movements.
The Institute on Religion and Public Policy recommended that the Minister of Welfare and Social Affairs decline to implement the recommendations in the Report as many of them contravene fundamental rights and would initiate oppressive measures targeting all the faiths derogatorily designated as "cults" or "sects."There is much debate about what spurs political violence. The explanations are multi-fold. There is one aspect that I’d like to discuss as it relates to Africa, and that is the role of Saudi Arabia. Let me be clear: With the exception of a handful of countries, none of which are in Africa, Saudi Arabia, that is to say the government, the religious establishment and members of the ruling family and business community, does not fund violence.
Promoting intolerance and supremacism
It has, however, over the last half century launched the single largest public diplomacy campaign in history, pumping up to $100 billion into ultra-conservative interpretations of Islam. That campaign has succeeded in making ultra-conservatism a force in Muslim religious communities across the globe. It involves the promotion of an intolerant, supremacist, anti-pluralistic interpretation of Islam that even where it rejects involvement in politics creates an environment which, in given circumstances, serves as a breeding ground, but more often fosters a mindset in which militancy and violence against the other is not beyond the pale.
What that campaign has done, certainly in Muslim majority countries in Africa, is to ensure that representatives of Saudi-backed ultra-conservatism have influence in society as well as the highest circles of government. This is important because, contrary to widespread beliefs, the Saudi campaign is not primarily about religion, it’s about geopolitics, it’s about a struggle with Iran for hegemony in the Muslim world. As a result, it’s about anti-Shi’ism and an ultra-conservative narrative that counters that of Shi’ism and what remains of Iran’s post-1979 revolutionary zeal.
The campaign also meant that at times resolving the question of whether the kingdom maintains links to violent groups takes one into murky territory. Again, I want to be clear, certainly with the rise of the Islamic State (IS) group and its affiliates in Africa and elsewhere, and even before with the emergence of Al-Qaeda, Saudi Arabia has made countering jihadism a cornerstone of its policy. That is, however, easier said than done.
What is evident in Africa is that the kingdom, or at least prominent members of its clergy, appear to have maintained wittingly or unwittingly some degree of contact with jihadist groups, including IS affiliates. What I want to do is anecdotally illustrate the impact of Saudi-backed ultra-conservatism on three African states – Nigeria, Niger and Mali – and how this at times relates to political violence in the region.
Nigeria
Let’s start with Nigeria. One of the earliest instances in which Saudi Arabia flexed its expanding soft power in West Africa was in 1999 when Zamfara, a region where IS affiliate Boko Haram has been active, became the first Nigerian state to adopt Sharia. A Saudi official stood next to Governor Ahmed Sani when he made the announcement. Freedom of religion scholar Paul Marshall recalls seeing some years later hundreds of Saudi-funded motorbikes in the courtyard of the governor’s residence. They had been purchased to enforce gender segregation in public transport. Sheikh Abdul-Aziz, the religious and cultural attaché at the Saudi embassy in Abuja, declared in 2004 that the kingdom had been monitoring the application of Islamic law in Nigeria “with delight.”
Like elsewhere in the Muslim world, local politicians in Zamfara were forging an opportunistic alliance with Saudi Arabia. If geopolitics was the Saudi driver, domestic politics was what motivated at least some of their local partners. Nonetheless, the lines between militant but peaceful politics and violence were often blurry. Political violence analyst Jacob Zenn asserts that Boko Haram even has some kind of representation in the kingdom. A Boko Haram founder who was killed in 2009, Muhammad Yusuf, was granted refuge by the kingdom in 2004 to evade a Nigerian military crackdown. In Mecca, he forged links with like-minded Salafi clerics that proved to be more decisive than his debates with Nigerian clerics who were critical of his interpretation of Islam.
Once back in Maiduguri, the capital of Nigeria’s Borno state, Yusuf built with their assistance a state within a state centred around the Ibn Taymiyyah mosque and a compound in the city centre on land bought with the help of his father-in-law. Yusuf’s group had its own institutions, including a Shura or advisory council, a religious police force that enforced Islamic |
an alumni group called Fairness to Israel attended Puar’s talk and prepared a transcript on the basis of a recording that was obtained by the group.
In the context of the ensuing controversy about Puar’s talk at Vassar, it is important to note that her supporters claim that “anyone who heard her Vassar lecture…can attest [that] her words are carefully chosen.” If so, it would obviously be in Puar’s interest to refute her critics with the help of the existing recording of her Vassar talk. This is especially true given that Puar faces serious allegations. In the words of Mark G. Yudof and Ken Waltzer, whose Wall Street Journal op-ed, “Majoring in Anti-Semitism at Vassar,” seemed to enrage Puar’s supporters in particular:
Ms. Puar passed on vicious lies that Israel had “mined for organs for scientific research” from dead Palestinians—updating the medieval blood libel against Jews—and accused Israelis of attempting to give Palestinians the “bare minimum for survival” as part of a medical “experiment.”…Ms. Puar’s calumnies reached a new low. She spoke of Jews deliberately starving Palestinians, “stunting” and “maiming” a population. The false accusation that a people, some of whose members were experimented on at Auschwitz, are today experimenting on others is a disgrace.
But it seems that Puar has no interest whatsoever in clearing herself of the charge that she “passed on vicious lies…updating the medieval blood libel against Jews.”
When members of a closed Facebook group got involved in a prolonged and highly contentious debate over whether the criticism of Puar was justified, one group member decided to contact Puar in order to prove that she would welcome the publication of the recording to ensure that her words could be accurately cited in the context she intended. However, Puar responded by threatening legal action if the recording was made public; a follow-up request for clarification of her stance remained unanswered.
Given that even her supporters have implicitly acknowledged that Puar’s “views are controversial,” Puar’s conduct means in effect that the controversy she generated by exercising her academic freedom and her right to free speech cannot lead to a serious debate that reflects academic norms and contributes to a deeper understanding of the complex discussions about contemporary anti-Semitism. Puar is obviously intent on forcing her critics to rely on unpublished documentation that was shared with a very limited number of people under the strictest fair use conditions, while her supporters passionately denounce the criticism of her Vassar talk as “heinous and misinformed attacks” against a well-respected academic. As I have argued elsewhere, the people who drafted the cited letter in support of Puar and the hundreds of academics who signed it seem willing to endorse the preposterous notion that speculating about Israel harvesting organs from Palestinian corpses to satisfy the requirements of a “weaponized epigenetics” is “grounded in serious scholarship and thorough research” and reflects “the highest professional and scholarly rigor.”
The massive support Puar received from hundreds of her colleagues in the wake of her lecture at Vassar highlights that the controversy that erupted has implications far beyond Vassar. Indeed, as Puar’s supporters point out, there is a published article that served as the basis for her talk at Vassar; however, the article, entitled “The ‘Right’ to Maim: Disablement and Inhumanist Biopolitics in Palestine,” arguably provides plenty of material for Puar’s critics to bolster their case. Puar’s own website also lists several lectures she has given on topics related to her talk at Vassar as well as several relevant publications; furthermore, the website states that “she is working on her third book, Inhumanist Biopolitics: The Prehensive Occupation of Palestine,” and that she “participates regularly in forums on Palestinian self-determination, the BDS movement (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions), and building solidarity coalitions.”
The controversy that followed Puar’s talk in Vassar should also be seen in the context of another heated debate that followed recent revelations published by The Tower, which documented the conspiracy theories promoted on Facebook by Oberlin College professor Joy Karega. The initial response of Oberlin’s president was criticized as “tepid,” and there was broader (self-)criticism of the Left’s reluctance to condemn the “vile, high-octane, Klan-grade anti-Semitism” displayed by Karega.
In stark contrast, the few and reluctant Left-wing critics of Puar’s Vassar lecture—such as Mira Sucharov at Haaretz—barely conceded that “the unsubstantiated charge of using ‘body parts for experimentation’ cuts close to the bone of blood libel myths,” arguing at the same time that this was “not necessarily…in and of itself, anti-Semitism.” But if Sucharov invokes the qualification “in and of itself,” what about the rest of Puar’s lecture? Sucharov claims to have the transcript, and if she actually read it, she must know that it is full of cherry-picked “facts” shorn of any relevant context, which are used to “bolster” completely unsubstantiated speculations, resulting in a demonization of Israel that can hardly fail to evoke the echoes of similar efforts to demonize Jews throughout the centuries.
But if Puar has her way, the controversy generated by her lecture at Vassar will not develop as a reasoned debate that addresses important questions about contemporary anti-Semitism. Instead, it will simply be a display of the unquestioning partisan loyalty she enjoys among many of her colleagues who are all too ready to denounce criticism of her as “heinous and misinformed attacks.” Anyone eager to get the information to assess the various claims will be thwarted because Puar prefers to withhold this information in order to stifle the debate that her lecture at Vassar triggered.
Petra Marquardt-Bigman is a German-Israeli researcher and writer with a Ph.D. in contemporary history.
[Photo: American University of Beirut / YouTube]Getty Images
The Broncos left running back Jamaal Charles off the active roster for Sunday’s game and Charles sounds like he’d prefer it if they dropped him off the roster altogether.
Charles said that he feels “like I never got a chance to show people that I can carry the load” with the Broncos this season. Charles was active for the first 14 games with 69 carries for 296 yards and 23 catches for 129 yards while playing about 15 snaps per game, something he said “sucks” because he thought there would be a more equitable split with other backs.
Getting released now would offer at least the possibility of catching on with a team bound for the playoffs, but Broncos coach Vance Joseph said the team hasn’t considered it. Charles doesn’t know why they haven’t.
“I ain’t playing. Might as well,” Charles said, via Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post. “No reason for me to just sit around and look at people play. It is what it is. I’m still going to be supportive of everyone on the team no matter what. I mean, they got my rights right now.”
Charles signed a one-year deal with the Broncos, so he’ll be free to move on come March. If that timeline got bumped up, Charles certainly wouldn’t object.White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Monday that “of course” President Donald Trump’s comments should be taken as fact “if he’s not joking.”
“The question in simple terms is, when he says something, can we trust that it’s real or should we assume that it’s phony?” NBC News’ Peter Alexander asked Spicer during his daily briefing, referring to the Congressional Budget Office’s reports on Obamacare and its expected analysis of House Republicans’ new repeal bill.
“Yes!” Spicer interjected. “It’s real. Absolutely.”
Members of Trump’s administration joined congressional Republicans over the weekend in preemptively knocking down the non-partisan CBO’s analysis of the repeal bill’s costs and how many people would lose coverage if it passes.
“How can we believe that it’s real when you just told us that it was phony but now it’s real?” Alexander asked, apparently referring to Trump’s comments on the jobs report from his first full month in office.
On Friday, Spicer said that while Trump repeatedly called jobs data from the previous administration “phony” during his presidential campaign, employment numbers were nevertheless “very real” now that he is in office.
“I did not tell you that,” Spicer said to Alexander.
“The President said the numbers were phony then but very real now,” Alexander said. “Can you say affirmatively that whenever the President says something, we can trust it to be real?”
“If he’s not joking, of course,” Spicer said. “Every time that he speaks authoritatively, that he speaks, that he’s speaking as President of the United States.”Special teams were Canada's backbone at the 2016 Spengler Cup, so it was only fitting that the championship-winning goal came while killing a penalty.
Cory Emmerton's short-handed goal in the second period stood up as the winner as Canada downed HC Lugano 5-2 Saturday, defeating the Swiss side in the tournament final for the second straight year.
Canada came into the final with nine power-play goals over four games but was shut out on four chances Saturday. The other half of the special teams came though, however, as Canada allowed just one goal on six penalty kills while Emmerton scored the Canadians' second short-handed goal of the tournament.
"Our penalty killing was excellent," Canada head coach Luke Richardson said. "We may not have scored on the power play, but we generated some good chances and got a short-handed goal again. In short tournaments like this that really is the key, and that's what came through for us all the way through."
Canada won its 14th Spengler Cup title, and only host club HC Davos (15 championships) has been more successful at the tournament However, Davos has been involved since the tournament's inception in 1923, while Canada did not have a national team competing at the Spengler Cup until 1984.
Nick Spaling, who spent six full seasons in the NHL before joining Swiss side Geneve Servette for the 2016-17 campaign, had an empty-net goal and two assists
"Nick had a great game today. He came in with a bit of an injury and we weren't sure if he was ready to go, but he said 'I'm here and I'm playing,"' Richardson said.
Chay Genoway, Marc-Antoine Pouliot and Andrew Ebbett also scored for Canada, while Dario Burgler had both goals for Lugano.
Zach Fucale ended his impressive tournament with a 40-save performance, picking up his fourth straight win after taking the starting job from Drew MacIntyre.
A star in junior hockey, Fucale has struggled in his transition to the professional game and is currently playing for the Brampton Beast, the Montreal Canadiens' ECHL affiliate. But he showed poise in Davos, particularly in the final.
"He came up with two huge saves in the second period, and he just settled in and played with a lot of confidence," Richardson said of Fucale, who added a Spengler Cup championship to his world junior, Memorial Cup and Ivan Hlinka under-18 titles.
Lugano goaltender Elvis Merzlikins allowed four goals on 36 shots before being replaced by Stefan Muller, who stopped all 10 shots he faced.
Chemistry is key
Richardson said Canada quickly found the chemistry that is so important in a short international tournament. It showed as the Canadians put a tough 7-4 tournament-opening loss to Dinamo Minsk behind them and improved as the tournament progressed.
"You can always find good hockey players but you've got to find the right people," Richardson said. "I think we had a great group of people here, but it doesn't always work out like that.
"That chemistry doesn't always jell in that short period of time, but it did this year. So that's credit to [Canada general manager] Sean Burke and all the players that came here."The shares of diamond and jewelry concern Blue Nile (NILE) are being pounded this morning, with the stock down more than 24% in electronic trading. After the close last night, Blue Nile reported that fourth-quarter earnings fell to $4.2 million, or 30 cents per share, from $6.2 million, or 41 cents per share, a year ago. Revenue dropped 2.1% to $112.3 million.
Even more striking, Blue Nile's guidance for the first-quarter and the full-year were well below Wall Street's targets. Specifically, the company sees first-quarter earnings of 4 cents to 7 cents per share on sales of $81 million to $84 million. The consensus first-quarter view currently sits at earnings of 17 cents per share and $86 million in revenue.
For the full year, Blue Nile said it expects a profit of 70 cents to 85 cents per share on revenue of $384 million to $417 million. Wall Street had forecast earnings of $1.06 and revenue of $386 million.
Wall Street's expectations were pretty low to begin with, as all 12 analysts currently following NILE rate the shares a Hold or worse, indicating little room for downgrades. There is room for potential price-target cuts, however, as the current 12-month consensus target of $37.50 rests about 16% above NILE's premarket trading range near $32.50.
Options traders were also not expecting a major rally out of NILE heading into the company's quarterly report. Overall, some 71,000 puts and 82,600 calls are open in the weekly February series of options, resulting in a put/call open interest ratio of 0.86. Peak call open interest totaled 2,731 contracts at the February 40 strike, which was in the money ahead of the event. Meanwhile, peak put open interest totaled 3,698 contracts at the February 35 strike, which was out-of-the-money yesterday.
If you were among those put buyers holding February 35 puts, your options should open more than 3 points in the money this morning.
Technically, NILE is set to open well below former support at its 50-day and 200-day moving averages. In fact, the stock appears to be headed toward its November trading range between $31 and $35.
For those bulls holding on to hope that NILE will rebound from today's losses, a March or May 30/35 strike bull call spread could be the way to go. While we could look up the ask for this spread as of the close last night, with NILE set to plunge on the open this morning, you would be better off checking prices with your broker.Cotton gin owner John Carroll holds leftover cotton seed from last year’s harvest in his warehouse that can hold 2,600 tons of cotton seed. The cotton seed is sent to a mill in Pine Bluff, Ark., where it’s made into oil. - Kate Archer Kent
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In Louisiana, cotton was once known as “the king.” Today, cotton planting is at a record low, and its days as the lucrative cash crop for Southern farmers has faded into the distant past.
Ken Cochran, 93, can remember how his family was able to eat during the Great Depression. The former World War II pilot and school principal chopped cotton as a teenager and earned 75 cents a day.
“Working in the cotton field was what was available for cash,” he says, from his lakefront cabin just minutes from the cotton fields.
Cochran grew up on a farm in Vivian, La. His family lost all their savings during the Depression, and his father couldn’t find work. He recalls that a truck would pick up all the out-of-work people from the town square and take them to the fields. He says blacks and whites toiled side by side.
“The black man who furnished us our water used to sing a song, and we would hum, and we would sing, and we would sweat. They didn’t give us break time very much,” Cochran says.
That was the cotton plantation of yesteryear. Now, the crop is produced using heavy machinery, not field labor.
David Kerns stands in rows of cotton at the Louisiana State University research station in Winnsboro. He’s impressed with the 1,000 acres of cotton growing around him. As the state’s cotton specialist, very few farmers are calling on him for advice about how to manage the crop.
“It’s simple economics. Farmers want to make more money, just like anybody else would like to make more money,” Kerns says. “Currently, they can make more money growing corn and soybeans than they can cotton.”
If the price of cotton stays as low as it is, farmers will start to sell off their machinery, and that could prevent them from ever growing cotton again. With so little of it being planted, that’s putting a number of cotton gins out of business.
John Carroll has been operating a cotton gin in the tiny farming community of Gilbert, La., since 1976, when he took it over from his grandfather. Every fall, he hires a crew of about 15 local men to help him in the around-the-clock ginning process, separating the cotton fibers from the seeds. He says in its heyday, Louisiana had more than 100 cotton gins. There are 29 left.
“Most ginners are not young. It’s hard work. It’s long hours. It’s not something that attracts a lot of young people,” Carroll says.
Carroll thinks about getting out of the business, and selling his gin for parts. But he’s loyal to the 20 farmers who’ll be bringing their cotton to him come September. And if he quits, he says, it’s likely that the big cotton warehousing facility down the road will go bust.
“The whole infrastructure is right on the verge of not necessarily collapsing, but there’s going to be a lot of consolidation,” Carroll says.
The United States is a distant third behind China and India in cotton production. That’s not going to change with the textile mills and garment factories concentrated in the Third World. But Kerns says the world wants the U.S.’s cotton because every bale is inspected for its quality. He says Texas still plants quite a bit of it because farmers there can't switch over to grain crops, due to a lack of water.
The cotton ginner, John Carroll, passed down his farm land to his son, along with some fatherly advice.
“You job is to make money for your family and for your business, and I’m not going to tell you what to plant,” Carroll says with a smile. But he’s definitely not steering his son toward cotton.One of the most significant trends in Chinese dining in the United States in the past decade is the appearance of "authentic" Chinese food near college campuses all over the country — restaurants that serve the culinary needs of the 300,000 students from mainland China studying at U.S. universities. The current generation of international Chinese students is different from past generations due to their wealth and high likelihood of returning to China when school is over. Authentic non-Cantonese Chinese restaurants have popped up anywhere there's a university with any concentration of students from China. Even where two years ago there was a paucity of Chinese options near UCLA, as my L.A. Weekly article described, suddenly there is a plethora of choices there. But even though the University of Southern California has the second largest enrollment of students from China among American universities, numbering around 5,000, restaurants serving authentic Chinese food for these mainlanders near campus appeared to be nearly nonexistent.
It's not as if there's never been somewhat authentic Chinese food near the USC campus. Some 30 years ago, there was Campus Chinese Restaurant on Vermont Avenue; it made a terrific pepper chow mein, but it fell victim to the 1992 riots. More recently there was Bamboo Express in the University Village mall, which served authentic Western Chinese food alongside Panda Express–type items, but that shopping center fell to the wrecking ball. Interestingly, the owners then opened up Qin West restaurant in Chinatown and then another branch on Westwood Boulevard, bringing the first authentic mainland Chinese food to both Chinatown and the Westside. Then there was the Shan'xi Food Truck that haunted the USC campus; it did so well that it morphed into the sit-down House of Bao restaurant, the second authentic mainland-style Chinese restaurant in L.A.'s Chinatown. However, that restaurant folded after just a few months, and I don't know if the truck operation ever came back. Likewise, I presume the Bamboo Wheel Shanghai-style truck went out of business when the associated Bamboo Creek Restaurant in Monterey Park closed down.
I had heard hints that there were various Chinese food trucks currently parked around the USC campus. However, driving down Jefferson near McClintock by international student housing, I spotted only one Chinese food truck, Tasty Wok and three taco trucks, including Tacos Guadalajara and Fluffy Tacos. I also drove by the various small shopping centers on Figueroa but saw only the places that have been there for many years. I guessed that the popcorn chicken at A Cup of Joy on Figueroa would have to do for authentic Chinese food, along with the on-campus Asian food court at Fertitta Hall for the non-international students.Speaking to Washington Post reporter Karen Tumulty via a telephone earpiece, Kristin Anderson recalls Donald Trump groping her while she was sitting next to him at a nightspot in New York in the early 1990s. (Alice Li,Brian Young/The Washington Post)
Speaking to Washington Post reporter Karen Tumulty via a telephone earpiece, Kristin Anderson recalls Donald Trump groping her while she was sitting next to him at a nightspot in New York in the early 1990s. (Alice Li,Brian Young/The Washington Post)
Kristin Anderson was deep in conversation with acquaintances at a crowded Manhattan nightspot and did not notice the figure to her right on a red velvet couch — until, she recalls, his fingers slid under her miniskirt, moved up her inner thigh and touched her vagina through her underwear.
Anderson shoved the hand away, fled the couch and turned to take her first good look at the man who had touched her, she said.
She recognized him as Donald Trump: “He was so distinctive looking — with the hair and the eyebrows. I mean, nobody else has those eyebrows.”
At the time of the incident, which Anderson said took place in the early 1990s, she was in her early 20s, trying to make it as a model. She was paying the bills by working as a makeup artist and restaurant hostess. Trump was a big celebrity whose face was all over the tabloids and a regular presence on the New York club scene.
The episode, as Anderson described it, lasted no more than 30 seconds. Anderson said she and her companions were “very grossed out and weirded out” and thought, “Okay, Donald is gross. We all know he’s gross. Let’s just move on.”
Over the years, Anderson, now 46 and a photographer living in Southern California, recounted the story to people she knew, casually at first.
One friend, Kelly Stedman, told The Washington Post that Anderson told her about the encounter a few days after it happened.
“We were out at a girls’ brunch” at the Great Jones Cafe in Manhattan, Stedman said, recalling that when she and two other friends heard the story, they found themselves “laughing at how pathetic it was” on Trump’s part.
Anderson said she lived in New York City from 1991 until 2008. Brad Trent, a New York photographer, said he heard the story about Trump from Anderson at a dinner with a group of people in March 2007.
“It was just girls saying stories about how they got hit on by creepy old guys,” Trent said of the conversation around the table. “That’s when I found out about it.”
Anderson is one of a number of women who have come forward in recent days and said that Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, made unwanted sexual advances.
As Trump has done with others who have made accusations, his campaign said Anderson is making the whole thing up.
“Mr. Trump strongly denies this phony allegation by someone looking to get some free publicity. It is totally ridiculous,” Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks said in an emailed statement.
Anderson, who said she does not support Trump or Democrat Hillary Clinton, did not initially approach The Post. A reporter contacted her after hearing her story from a person who knew of it, and she spent several days trying to decide whether to go public.
Anderson’s decision to do so follows last week’s disclosure by The Post of a 2005 video in which Trump boasted to “Access Hollywood” host Billy Bush that his celebrity gave him the ability to grab women “by the p---y. You can do anything.”
Trump insisted that his comments were “just words” and dismissed them as “locker room banter.”
Pressed about them in Sunday night’s debate against Clinton, Trump said that he had never done the things he had talked about, which would constitute sexual assault.
What Anderson described, however, is consistent with the behavior Trump described on the video.
“It wasn’t a sexual come-on. I don’t know why he did it. It was like just to prove that he could do it and nothing would happen,” Anderson said. “There was zero conversation. We didn’t even really look at each other. It was very random, very nonchalant on his part.”
Anderson said that she was particularly disturbed by the way the video caught Trump and Bush, who were aboard a bus, crudely discussing Arianne Zucker, an actress they spotted waiting to escort them onto a soap-opera set. Bush has since been suspended from his job as co-host of NBC’s “Today” show, and the network is reportedly negotiating his departure.
“I watched this woman — who could have been me; it could have been anyone — walk in and shake his hand,” Anderson said. “That was just nauseating, because she has no idea what she was walking into and what could possibly happen to her. And that’s just wrong.”
As Anderson agonized over whether to tell her story publicly, the New York Times reported the accounts of two women who said that Trump had groped them, and a People magazine reporter wrote a first-person story claiming that in December 2005, Trump pushed her against a wall and began “forcing his tongue down my throat.”
That decided it for Anderson.
“It’s a sexual assault issue, and it’s something that I’ve kept quiet on my own,” Anderson said. “And I’ve always kept quiet. And why should I keep quiet? Actually, all of the women should speak up, and if you’re touched inappropriately, tell somebody and speak up about it. Actually, go to the authorities and press some charges. It’s not okay.”
After nearly a quarter-century, there are details that Anderson struggled to recall.
The place was packed.
“There was a table in front of the couch, and there were people standing, people sitting. People are sitting on the arms of the couch,” she said.
She cannot name the people who were with her at the club but says it is likely they were co-workers from the restaurant where she was a hostess and with whom she long ago lost touch.
She believed her encounter with Trump had been at China Club but could not say for sure that it was not another Manhattan nightspot.
What she does remember vividly is the tufted red couch. As she pondered whether to share her story publicly, she Googled old photos of the club and found an image of a room crowded with the kind of couch she remembered.
A Newsday gossip item from December 1992 described China Club, located then at Broadway and 75th Street, as “Donald’s Monday-night nest,” where he made a practice of picking up women. At the time of the item, Trump had recently divorced his first wife, Ivana, and was not yet married to his second, Marla Maples.
On the busiest nights of its heyday, New York magazine once wrote, China Club would be “packed with more than 1,200 people, dancing, screaming, drinking, talking, mating, and smoking.”
Timothy Gleason, a longtime China Club manager, said he “never heard any accusations like” what Anderson described about Trump.
Anderson knows that because she has come forward, her personal life may be intensely scrutinized. She shared the fact that there have been rough spots. She has been twice divorced. In her breakup with one boyfriend, the couple placed restraining orders on each other. She was granted custody of their 5-year-old son.
Only in recent years did the incident with Trump start to take on larger meaning to her, Anderson said.
“Every once in a while, it [would] come up in a ‘remember the time when...’ conversation, and we [would] have a moment of disgust,” she wrote in an email to a Post reporter as she considered going on the record. “It didn’t cross my mind then that this person was a predator.”
Now, she said, she sees that behavior as a “gateway” to something worse.
A stranger “sort of groping you on the side, on the sly, like you’re some kind of stuffed animal on the couch. That’s really not okay, and it opens the door for much worse behavior on [his] part and for the girl, allowing worse things to happen to them because they feel that it’s inconsequential.”
“It’s really not nothing, and it sends an awful message to women that they’re nothing,” she added.
Anderson said she is not enamored with either of the major-party candidates. In May, records show, she switched her voter registration from Democrat to “no party preference.”
Anderson suggested jokingly that she might write in a vote for Mitt Romney or Oprah Winfrey to avoid casting one for Trump or Clinton.
“Both of them have some things that are good. And both of them have some things that are bad,” she said of the two major-party nominees. “But mostly, I’m just thinking — wow, this is the choice we have? This is it?”
Read more: Two speeches in two hours crystallize the state of Campaign 2016
Trump recorded having extremely lewd conversation about women in 2005
Amid crisis, Trump spreads another conspiracy theory — about his campaign
Alice Crites contributed to this report.CHAMPAIGN — A student advisory referendum calling on the University of Illinois to divest from companies linked to human-rights violations failed, 56.8 to 43.2 percent.
The ballot question referenced human-rights violations of the Palestinian people along with those of "all peoples," though campaign organizers say they weren't singling out Israel.
UI senior Muhammad Yousuf of UIUC Divest, which sponsored the campaign, said Friday he was pleased the referendum got as many votes as it did.
"We definitely knew that the results were going to be close. The fact that it failed by such a close margin is really great to us," he said.
"As much as it (stinks) to have lost this time around, we're planning to continue our campaign in semesters and years to come. I don't see it as a monumental failure by any means."
Yousuf said the group will continue working with different university bodies to improve the referendum's language in the future.
The ballot question included a list of 17 companies — among them Boeing, Caterpillar, ExxonMobil, General Electric and Hewlett-Packard — chosen by matching UI investments with reports from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other groups.
University officials said the resolution would have been advisory only and difficult to implement.
"The divestment campaign is so broad and far-reaching that institutions would lose control over the management of their assets if they agreed to or participated in this type of action," said UI spokesman Tom Hardy.
"You'd basically be in a buy-sell situation any time some group had an issue with a company."
The UI's $2 billion-plus investment portfolio is held mostly by the University of Illinois Foundation, not the campus, said spokeswoman Robin Kaler.
Much of it is in co-mingled funds, and divesting from individual companies would mean liquidating extensive holding and paying higher fees to manage active funds, Hardy said.
Earlier, Yousuf said UIUC Divest had hoped to persuade the university to use a passively managed fund with a "human rights violation screen." That approach is modeled after one supported by the "Beyond Coal" initiative pressuring the UI to divest from any companies tied to the coal industry.
Students voted Wednesday and Thursday on the referendum, along with others on mass transit, Krannert Center and newspaper fees.
These referenda each passed with more than 80 percent of the vote.
The student transportation fee was approved, 84.9 percent to 15.1 percent. This $62-per-semester fee funds the continuation of the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District's transportation services.
The Krannert Center fee was approved, 87.8 percent to 12.2 percent. This $17.28-per-semester fee helps ensure that Krannert Center performances cost $10 or less for students.
The Collegiate Readership fee was approved, 81.4 percent to 18.6 percent. This $2-per-semester fee provides students with free copies of The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, USA Today and the Wall Street Journal.While the news last week focused on reports of Russian interference in US elections, Republicans in North Carolina were busy subverting democracy at home.
What began as a special legislative session to help victims of Hurricane Matthew quickly turned into something very different when the GOP-controlled legislature hastily passed a series of bills stripping incoming Democratic Governor Roy Cooper of his constitutional powers. Most noteworthy, Cooper will no longer get to appoint a majority of members to the state board of elections or 100 county boards of elections, and the state board will be chaired by a Republican in all even-numbered years—i.e., any time there’s a major congressional, statewide, or presidential election. With Republicans holding a super-majority in the legislature, this is a guaranteed prelude to future voter-suppression efforts. The bill also makes it harder for the state Supreme Court, which has a 4-3 Democratic majority, to review future challenges to election-law changes. Outgoing Republican Governor Pat McCrory signed the bill 48 hours after it was first introduced.
In addition, Republicans reduced the number of public employees the governor could appoint—from 1,500 to 425—prevented the governor from appointing members to boards of state universities, and required the governor’s cabinet picks to be confirmed by the legislature. These moves have been described as “a brazen power grab,” but they are more akin to a coup.
Republicans have turned North Carolina, previously one of the most progressive states in the South, into a laboratory for voter suppression and offered a disturbing preview of what’s to come under Trump. The legislative coup is merely the latest in a series of outrageous and illegal actions by the North Carolina GOP to undermine democracy in the state.
First, after taking power after the 2010 election for the first time since 1870, North Carolina Republicans gerrymandered legislative and congressional districts by resegregating the state politically in violation of the Voting Rights Act. Federal courts have already struck down two congressional districts for racial gerrymandering and ordered new elections for 28 General Assembly districts next year. In other words, the legislature that stripped power from the next Democratic governor was elected by illegal means.
Second, a month after the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in June 2013, the North Carolina legislature passed the country’s worst voter-suppression law. The “monster” bill required strict voter ID, cut early voting, and eliminated same-day registration, out-of-precinct voting, and preregistration for 16- and 17-year-olds. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit found that North Carolina’s law targeted African Americans “with almost surgical precision” and was “as close to a smoking gun as we are likely to see in modern times.”
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Third, even after the courts restored a week of early voting in 2016, GOP-controlled county election boards limited early-voting hours and polling locations. The executive director of the North Carolina Republican Party called on Republicans to make “party line changes to early voting” that included opposing polling sites on college campuses and prohibiting early voting on Sundays, when black churches held “Souls to the Polls” voter mobilization drives. The North Carolina GOP bragged before Election Day that “African American Early Voting is down 8.5% from this time in 2012. Caucasian voters early voting is up 22.5% from this time in 2012.” After aggressively using their majorities on state and local election boards to suppress votes, Republicans then took those majorities away from the new Democratic governor.
Fourth, despite all of these suppression efforts, Cooper managed to defeat McCrory—the only race in 2016 where Democrats picked up a governor’s seat in a state Trump carried. But McCrory refused to concede for nearly a month, spreading bogus allegations of voter fraud that included wrongly accusing a 101-year-old World War II veteran of voting twice.
The pattern in North Carolina is clear: When Republicans win, they suppress the Democratic vote to solidify power in future elections. And when they lose, they rig the rules to prevent their opponents from being able to fairly exercise and maintain power. This is what happens in a dictatorship, not a democracy. And it’s a preview of what to come in Trump’s America.
I’ve written that Trump is the greatest threat to American democracy in our lifetime because, unlike his Democratic or Republican predecessors, he has little respect for basic democratic institutions like a free press or a fair election. But Trump is also such a threat because his party, as we’re seeing in North Carolina, has displayed the same brazen disregard for the will of the people. And now it will control the White House, the Congress, the courts, and two-thirds of state legislatures.
It’s becoming increasingly clear that the struggle to preserve what’s left of American democracy will be a defining fight of the Trump era.American lawyer and politician
Amy Jean Klobuchar (; born May 25, 1960) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States Senator from Minnesota. A member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, Minnesota's affiliate of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the Hennepin County Attorney.
Born in Plymouth, Minnesota, Klobuchar is a graduate of Yale University and the University of Chicago Law School. She was a partner at two Minneapolis law firms before being elected county attorney for Hennepin County in 1998, making her responsible for all criminal prosecution in Minnesota's most populous |
, they wish it would.
So maybe you should do something about it. Consider taking the leap and owning a convertible. Which one is right for you?
To my thinking, the actual open-air component should be central to the experience, not an afterthought. Both the Mustang and the Camaro fall into the afterthought camp, destined for rental fleets. They’re as close to charmless convertibles as you’ll find. Open-air cars should seem affable and approachable, and the gruffness of a muscle car makes a strange pairing, like a four-wheeled mullet. They are faux convertibles.
(Lamborghini)
If you’re really looking for the mix of speed and sun, you might consider the Lamborghini Huracán Spyder. I just spent a week in one, and found that the canvas roof lowered in a handful of seconds and made it easy to listen to the glory of the naturally-breathing V-10 engine. It is even better-looking than the coupe, top up or down; a dartlike sheath of liquid metal.
Oh, you say you’re not an original Google investor? Well, the car does start at around $265,000, so a lack of towering wealth might be an impediment. And in truth, the outright Lamborghini-ness of the car slightly detracts from the convertible experience. Your friends will likely focus on the fact you bought an Italian exotic and not the fact that it so wonderfully lacks a roof.
You are very much out in the elements; fresh air swirling around your body
Which brings me back to the Mini, which starts at around $30,000 for the Cooper S convertible. The open-air model has always been central to Mini’s BMW-era brand, and the car broadcasts accessibility. It has four seats and the cabin is expansive, so when you drop the top you are very much out in the elements; fresh air swirling around your body. It is the opposite of a targa-style car, which is sort of a convertible for those who can’t really commit.
The Mini was recently updated, but it’s still got a soft top, and cutely features an app called Journey Mate which pings your phone when the forecast calls for rain and your car is parked with the top down.
Still, when it comes to design, the first generation of BMW-owned Mini Cooper convertible is my favorite, produced from 2005 to 2008. It was smaller and had a much a lower hood. Compare the two and the newer car looks like an overgrown sibling. Kelley Blue Book shows a very basic 2005 example in good condition can be had from a private seller for an average of $4,200. Which sounds fabulous, except that many of the earlier Minis are known for poor quality, and it could cost you twice that to get all the bugaboos fixed.
(BMW)
Since we’re already talking used cars, and talking about buying a convertible on a budget, let’s skip over the many excellent new cars from the VW Eos to the Audi TT and Mercedes SL and Jaguar F-Type and Ferrari 488 Spider.
Let’s get down to basics. Hardtops are silly. If you’re looking for a metal roof, buy an uncompromised coupe or sedan. And a convertible isn’t a natural grand-touring car, so you can chuck the luggage space. And it’s really hard to talk to anyone in the back seat with the top down anyhow, so let’s do away with rear seats, too.
Look for used examples, ones that will last you a couple of summers
Which leaves us with small, soft-top two-seaters, and that puts two of the world’s greatest roadsters in your sights: the Porsche Boxster and the Mazda Miata MX-5. They are one-trick ponies in the best of ways, delivering unadulterated summer fun.
The new Porsche, now rebranded as the 718 Boxster, starts at $56,000 and has 300 horsepower. Sublime, but pricy for a summer toy. A new Mazda (155 hp) remains wickedly economical, starting at a friendly $25,000.
But both models been around for a long time, and here’s my actual advice: look for used examples. Ones that will last you a couple of summers. Wring every bit of fun out of them, and then move on.
In the case of the Boxster, a 2004 example in good condition can be had for some $14,000 or less. It may not be beautiful or perfect, and power may seem quaint at 225 hp, but you will find yourself looking for excuses to wile away hours on back roads to the beach.
And if that sounds too pricy for a summer toy, only used on lazy Sundays, then you can pick up a Miata for thousands. Mazda’s been making them since 1990 and you might pay $4,000 for a not-so-bad version. The top opens manually. With one hand. While you’re still seated. It will seem like the coolest trick ever. You will run it to the top of its rev limiter and it will feel like you’re tearing down the road. The wind will rip at your hair. You will still be under the speed limit.
No part of the convertible equation could be more central — or fun — than that.
Mazda's new MX-5 RF is a gorgeous hardtop MiataProtestant pastor in Indonesia first to be charged with blasphemy
ICC Note: Reverend Abraham Ben Moses, a protestant pastor is accused of trying to convert his taxi driver to Christianity. For that, he became the first Christian cleric to face blasphemy charge, filed by the second largest Islamic organization in the country. He could face up to five years in prison. The Protestant Church has provided him with a lawyer. Between 2005 and 2014, at least 106 people were prosecuted and convicted under blasphemy laws. The regulations are often used to target religious minorities in the country.
12/13/2017 Indonesia (UCA News) –A Protestant pastor is facing a possible prison term in Indonesia after being named as a suspect in a blasphemy case.
It is the first time a Christian cleric has been accused of blasphemy in the predominantly Muslim country, religious leaders say.
Reverend Abraham Ben Moses, 52, has been detained at a Jakarta police station for more than a week following his arrest at his home in Tangerang, Banten province.
He was arrested after a video featuring a conversation involving him and a taxi driver went viral on social media.
In the video, Rev. Moses is heard quoting the Quran on marriage and claiming that the Prophet Muhammad was inconsistent with his teachings. He is also heard asking the taxi driver to convert to Christianity.
“We are still questioning him and witnesses and gathering evidence,” Ariwibawa Anggakusuma, a spokesman for the police cybercrime unit, told ucanews.com on Dec. 12.
“He could face more than five years imprisonment,” he said.
Members of Indonesia’s second largest Islamic organization, Muhammadiyah, filed a police complaint against Rev. Moses on Dec. 8.
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[Full Story]Ray Dolby, Who Pioneered Recorded Sound, Dies
Enlarge this image toggle caption Ian West/PA Photos /Landov Ian West/PA Photos /Landov
Ray Dolby, who invented some of the technologies that revolutionized film and sound recording, died at age 80 today in San Francisco.
Even if Ray Dolby doesn't ring a bell, you have undoubtably come upon his name in the movie theater or along the edge of a cassette tape. You've also heard his work: He pioneered a noise reduction format called Dolby SR and his company was instrumental in developing surround sound technology.
The Los Angeles Times reports:
"Dolby, born in Portland, Ore., was a precocious inventor. While attending high school in San Francisco and then at Stanford University, Dolby worked at Ampex Corp., where he was the chief designer of the first practical videotape recording system. "By the end of his life, he held more than 50 patents and had received two Oscars for scientific and technical achievement, several Emmys and a Grammy."
In a statement, his son David Dolby described his father as "thoughtful, patient and loving."
"He will be sorely missed," Dolby added. "But his legacy of innovation will live on."
The AP reports:
"'Today we lost a friend, mentor and true visionary,' Kevin Yeaman, President and CEO of Dolby Laboratories, said in a statement. "Yeaman said that Dolby invented an entire industry around being able to deliver a sound experience. His work spanned helping to reduce the hiss in cassette recordings to bringing 'Star Wars' to life on the big screen in Dolby Stereo."
Dolby had been living with Alzheimer's and was diagnosed with leukemia this summer.
His company published a video that encapsulates his life:South Africa is one of the few places in the world where cage diving with great white sharks has a high rate of success. The weather conditions and the abundance of food is just perfect for spotting this majestic creature.
The Great White Shark
The great white shark is the well known King of the ocean, a big shark that can reach up to 6 mt in length, 3,300 kg in weight and live up to 30 years. Prefers water temperature between 12 and 24. An amazing creature that you can watch from the safety of an underwater cage.
Best places to cage diving
Great white sharks have been spotted in United States (Atlantic Northeast and California), Japan, Oceania, Chile, and the Mediterranean, but by far the best location of all to cage diving with them is in South Africa and more precisely Seal Island in False Bay and Dyer Island in Gansbaai. The most active period to have better chances is between February and September.
How does it work
You rather go around the Seal Island in False Bay because is less touristy and in the right season you have very good chances to see the great white.
The departure is early in the morning, around 6am, and it takes 30 minutes to reach the spot. The morning dives in three main activities: Natural predation, Decoy predation and Cage Diving.
Natural predation
As soon as you arrive at Seal Island the spotting contest starts, everyone looks around for seals returning to the island and for sharks trying to get they breakfast. The sun is still low but you can feel the activity in the air. Now is the moment when you see the “flying sharks”; keep always an eye on the most solitaire seal and you’ll get the natural predation jump.
Decoy predation
When the sun starts to raise or if there is not much activity going on the staff will tow a seal shape in the water to attract some great white trying to give them a bit. That is the photographers moment. Your camera should be pointed at the decoy and your finger should be on the camera trigger. Here is when you take the perfect shot of a flying shark.
Cage Diving
This is the real reason why you’re reading this article and why you start showing a great desire of anticipation when thinking about cage diving with great white sharks. The boat puts an anchor, the cage goes into the water and the divers get ready. A bit of chumming, some noise to attract the sharks and you’re ready to jump into the cage. A longhouse regulator hangs into the cage so that you can stay comfortable down and take pictures and video, and… you don’t want to come up to take a breath when the great white comes near the bars of the cage, nose to nose, sporting his natural killer grin, do you? These moments are vivid in the mind of whoever lived the cage diving and will be in yours for your lifetime though you experienced it only once.
When everyone on the boat has a big satisfied smile, is time to go back home to check on the video and pictures.
I want it!
South Africa is the location for shark diving, we go there once a year for the sardine run and our trip includes the baited dives and the cage diving. Here what you can do:We love the DIY Network. We think they provide useful information for homeowners who want to tackle their project themselves. Despite what other professionals think, we like the idea of more people learning wood working and home improvement. We wish more people would take the time to learn a trade, even if it is just a hobby. DIY Network did a great write up on how to do crown moulding we have posted it below, but suggest to everything to check out everything that the DIY Network has to offer. Step 1: Determine Which Type of Crown Moulding to Use Choose which type of style and wood you would like to use for your new project. To purchase hard wood mouldings click here. If you are on a budget you can use MDF mouldings, but do not use them in a kitchen or bathroom. The moisture may ruin the mouldings.
Step 2: Cut the Corners of the Moulding The hardest part of installing crown moulding is cutting the corners. You can’t do it like any other trim pieces because the moulding sits at an angle between the wall and the ceiling (Image 1). Using a coping saw (Image 2) is the easiest way to cut the corners because a coped joint is tighter than a mitered joint. A coping saw is also good for a beginner. Any gap in a coped cut can be easily concealed with a little bit of caulk. Another tool that will make the job easier is a power miter saw (Image 3). It’s accurate and makes a cleaner cut than a plastic miter box.
Step 3: Measure and Mark the Wall Measure the wall for the length of your first piece of moulding. Mark the wall to show the bottom edge of the moulding.
Step 4: Cut the First Measured Piece Once you determine the length, take the moulding to the saw and cut in a straight line at a 90-degree angle — you want both ends of the moulding to butt against the side walls.
Step 5: Cut the Next Piece to Fit an Inside Corner Move the miter saw guide to the 45-degree angle point and set the moulding into place. The edges need to be pressed firmly against the saw table and the vertical side fence. This is the first key to a straight cut and a good fit.
Step 6: Understand How the Pieces Fit Together The second key is not so obvious and can be a bit confusing. The moulding is upside down, meaning the edge against the vertical fence is the bottom of the moulding and the edge against the table is the top of the moulding (think of your table as the ceiling).
Step 7: Cut the Moulding at a 45-Degree Angle With the moulding in the proper position, use a 10-inch saw blade to cut a perfect 45-degree angle. It is also important here to make sure you cut the moulding angle in the right direction: for an inside corner, the bottom of the moulding should be longer than the top part of the moulding ; for an outside corner, the top of the moulding will be longer than the bottom.
Step 8: Cope the Joint When you cope a joint, you scribe the end of one moulding to the face of the other. Darken the front edge with a pencil and then use the coping saw to cut as close to the line as you can. You need to hold your thumb against the side of the blade to guide the start of your cut. Start slowly, so you don’t splinter the delicate edge. Cut at a slight angle. You want to cut off more from the edge of the moulding and you don’t need to cut it all at one time. Cut out small pieces to make creating this coped joint easier.
Step 9: Check the Fit Check the fit against a scrap piece of moulding to reveal any gaps that need to be trimmed. Use the coping saw to cut off the high points.
Step 10: Attach the Moulding to the Wall Once the fit is right, take the moulding to the wall. For a long piece, you’ll need some help holding it. Push the end into the corner, making the fit as tight as possible; attach it to the wall. Use the caulk gun to cover up any gaps in the joint (make sure you’re using paintable caulk). You may need another small piece of moulding to finish out the wall.
Step 11: Make Miter Cuts for the Outside Corners The outside corners should meet exactly (a caulk gun can’t help you much here). Less experienced DIYers may want to paint the crown moulding, since paint and caulking can be used to hide any small mistakes — with stained moulding, it’s much harder to disguise imperfections.A Man was found in a mummified state in a basement flat in Dublin’s Ballsbridge, an inquest heard.
A Man was found in a mummified state in a basement flat in Dublin’s Ballsbridge, an inquest heard.
Gardai had been seeking to speak to Ian Rawand, of Waterloo Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 for more than a year before he was found.
The father of one, a retired engineer, had split from his wife twelve years previously and they had not spoken in eight years, Dublin Coroner’s Court heard.
Mary Rowand told how she was contacted by Gardai who were trying to contact her husband in relation to a number of unpaid fines. She arranged to meet Gardai at her ex-husbands address on January 21 2015.
Gardai had called to the address numerous times over the past 18 months, the court heard. Concerns were raised when it became clear Mr Rowand’s pot plants had died and cobwebs were forming on the windows. A locksmith assisted Gardai to enter the house and the downstairs flat where Mr Rowand lived, which was locked from the inside.
Mr Rowand’s mummified remains were discovered in the bedroom, Garda Matthew Tracey of Donnybrook Garda Station told the court.
“Gardai were trying to make contact for around 18 months in relation to a number of outstanding warrants,” Garda Tracey said.
“The body was found in the bedroom, dressed in pyjamas in a crouched position,” the garda said.
A carton of milk with a best before date of January 2014 was found in the fridge.
Mrs Rowand said her husband had a circle of friends in the Dublin Trout Anglers Association who said they last saw him about a year before he was found at his home in a badly decomposed state.
She said he had an Eircom connection but was not sure if he had a mobile phone.
Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan carried out an autopsy but was unable to determine the cause of death due the advanced state of decomposition. Dr Mulligan was able to rule out a heart attack, stroke and a skull fracture as possible causes of death. The autopsy revealed no evidence of trauma and no definite disease that would have lead to the man’s death.
Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane returned an open verdict.
Online EditorsAston Villa centre back Joleon Lescott found himself at the centre of yet another social media storm Tuesday night after supposedly offering out a fan during a heated exchange of words on the player’s Instagram account.
‘I’m at the training ground tomorrow. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE come down and try. FACT YOU WONT’ read his venomous reply to the aggrieved Villa fan on the popular photo sharing platform on Tuesday.
In the aftermath of the 33-year-old’s rather embarrassing Twitter antics just three days previous (although perhaps not as embarrassing as the performance he put in on Sunday) it’s clear the self-confessed boyhood fan of Aston Villa is already past the point of caring just half a year into his likely short-lived and forgettable stay with the club.
After accepting that relegation is an almost cast-iron certainty for our floundering club this season, the general consensus amongst Villa fans we’ve spoken to seems to be ‘sayanora, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.’
And why should it be any different?
Whilst the blame for Sunday’s humiliating defeat against Liverpool lies with all eleven players who pulled on a Villa shirt that afternoon, Lescott, a supposed role model to young fans and an ambassador for the club took to social media straight after the game to do the most childish, irresponsible and unprofessional thing ever.
It beggars belief that a man who has made nothing short of a small fortune doing a job he loves, a job that is actualised by so many yet achieved by so few would choose to rub the fans’ noses in it in the way that he did.
Posting a picture of a £100,000 Mercedes to mock the very fans that have just shelled out large portions of their own pay packets to come and see you perform horrifically at your own job isn’t the way to behave in any walk of life. Neither is gloating about your supposed ‘model wife’ and then, after having second thoughts about your rash outburst, citing the lamest of excuses this side of the 21st century as a reason as to why it happened in the first place.
For us, the centre back’s only chance of redemption this season was for him to own to what he’d done Sunday afternoon and face the consequences like a man. But after Tuesday evening’s tantrum, it is clear Lescott is only concerned with adding fuel to the fire, even dishing out further abuse to Talk Sport pundit and former Villa striker Stan Collymore, labelling him a tool.
Has the former Man City, Everton, West Brom and Wolves man gone too far? For us, the answer couldn’t be clearer.
In an age where being held accountable for your actions still seems to be an anomaly for the modern-day footballer, we hope we never get to see Joleon Lescott put on a Villa shirt again.Even before the announcement and introduction of the Raspberry Pi 3, word of a few very powerful single board ARM Linux computers was flowing out of China. The hardware was there – powerful 64-bit ARM chips were available, all that was needed was a few engineers to put these chips on a board, a few marketing people, and a contract manufacturer.
One of the first of these 64-bit boards is the Pine64. Introduced to the world through a Kickstarter that netted $1.7 Million USD from 36,000 backers, the Pine64 is already extremely popular. The boards are beginning to land on the doorsteps and mailboxes of backers, and the initial impressions are showing up in the official forums and Kickstarter campaign comments.
I pledged $15 USD to the Pine64 Kickstarter, and received a board with 512MB of RAM, 4K HDMI, 10/100 Ethernet and a 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex A53 CPU in return. This post is not a review, as I can’t fully document the Pine64 experience. My initial impression? This is bad. This is pretty bad.
Hardware
This un-review covers the least expensive Pine64, featuring a 1.2 GHz Allwinner A64, 512MB of RAM, Ethernet, HDMI, and two USB ports. This is the reward for pledging $15 to the Pine64 Kickstarter campaign. According to the Kickstarter campaign, this board should have shipped in February. It arrived on April 13th. That’s surprisingly fast for a Kickstarter campaign, and not at all a knock at the Pine team.
Right now, the Pine64 is available for preorder in three configurations. The lowest tier, the one being reviewed here, is $15 USD with worldwide shipping. The Pine64+ includes 1GB of RAM, Gigabit Ethernet, and connectors for a camera, LCD, and a touch panel. This version costs $19 USD, plus $7 shipping to the US, $12 for the rest of the world. The top-tier Pine64+ 2GB includes 2GB of RAM, priced at $29, plus $7 shipping to the US, $12 for the rest of the world.
Although this is a little esoteric for a hardware un-review, I would like to mention the mechanical layout of the Pine64. It’s huge. It’s just a hair larger than 3″ x 5″, more exactly 127mm x 79mm. This is significantly larger than the current crop of Raspberry Pis and the Odroid C2.
There’s a lot of space on the Pine64, and the headers, ports, and plugs take full advantage of this fact. Power, Ethernet, and HDMI are all on one side of the board, USB and the 3.5mm mic and headphone jack are opposite, the SD card is along the side. There’s a DSI header to connect a touch sensitive LCD, but the connector for the touch panel is on the other side of the board.
Concerning the specific Pine shipped to me, I would have to rate the assembly as somewhat lackluster. The board itself is bent in the middle, with a visible gap between the board and spacer of the pin headers. It’s difficult to photograph, but you can see it plain as day. If I were grading Pine’s QA, this would be a solid D – the board works, but I’m surprised that it does.
The hardware is pretty much what you would expect from a 64-bit ARM board. The quad-core ARM A53 Allwinner CPU is effectively the same CPU that is found in the Raspberry Pi 3. The GPU, however, is entirely different. The SoC unfortunately features a Mali 400-MP2 graphics processor, a GPU that isn’t well supported and lags behind the efforts to open source the Broadcom VideoCore IV found in the Raspberry Pi. To be fair, GPU support on single board Linux computers is almost always terrible; the Mali 400 is just slightly more terrible than any other option.
As far as software is concerned. there are a number of distributions available on the Pine64 wiki, including Ubuntu, Arch, and Android images.
Getting Started
If you buy a printer, you’re not getting a CD full of software. If you buy a laptop, all the recovery software will only be available either through a download or on a recovery partition. No one ships software anymore and Pine64 is no exception. You get your SD card images directly from the Pine64 wiki, with Ubuntu, Arch, and Android Lollipop distros available. There’s one problem here – Pine64 isn’t using their own hosting, and have instead relied on Google Drive and Torrents to distribute their software images to everyone. The Ubuntu image is 7 Gigabytes, and as I’m writing this paragraph, it’s downloading at about two megabits per second. You can do the math for that. At least they offer a few torrents for SD card images. I suspect those torrents will be faster once Pine64s ship out to backers and the number of seeders increases.
With the image in hand, you would expect writing an image to a microSD card to be exactly the same as a Raspberry Pi or any other single board computer – use Win32DiskImager or dd and write the image to a card. This is not true for all distributions. According to the Pine wiki and forums, the recommended software to burn an image to an SD card is PhoenixCard, a piece of software developed by Allwinner that writes disk images to SD cards. It may start up with a Chinese UI, and according to community member [Michael Larson] fails one in every fifteen times at writing an image to an SD card.
With a somewhat reliable way to write a software image to the SD card, you would think booting the Pine64 would be easy. Not so. At the time of this writing (and with multiple attempts), several of the distribution images simply don’t work. The Android distro did not boot on my machine, the Arch distribution did not work. The Ubuntu image worked, but this was an effort by community member [Michael Larson]:
The Ubuntu experience was tremendously slow on the Pine64 and I suffered several reboots. As of this writing, I have tested all of the software distributions on the Pine64 wiki. Only the Ubuntu distribution works poorly, and right now I consider the Pine64 to be a waste of $15. This will hopefully change in the near future, and I will gladly write a new review when I can boot the Pine.
Peripherals and Expansion
One of the biggest draws of a Linux single board computer is a plethora of pins and GPIOs and peripherals. The Pine64 has plenty of pins, including a 40-pin header based on the Raspberry Pi’s expansion port. This is awesome – there are hundreds of ‘hats’ available for the Pi, and although many of them are built around the Pi’s particular SoC, having the artificial Pi standard available on the Pine is great.
There are other ports and headers, including a 34-pin Euler Bus. What’s a Euler Bus? This is the most information you will find on the Euler Bus, linking to (again) Google docs. There’s an IR receiver in there, headphone out, UARTs, SPIs, and even I2C. Not bad.
Conclusion
I have one of the first thousand Pine64s in the world. Every ARM/Linux single board computer is built on the efforts of the community around the board, and the Pine64 is no exception. The efforts of Linux hackers like [Michael Larson] have turned the Pine64 from something that rolled out of a reflow oven into a somewhat useful board.
However, Pine, or the people behind Pine, have not held up their end of the bargain. It’s relatively easy to pick up a few thousand ARM chips, hire an EE for a month or two to produce a single board computer, and find a contract manufacturer in China. The hard part is getting the software working, getting the documentation together, and fostering a community that isn’t stumbling in the dark trying to get this board to work. This is where the Pine64 fails. The forums are a mess right now, and the comments on the Kickstarter campaign aren’t much better.
The software support and documentation is so sparse, I literally can not get into a Linux terminal. With a day sunk into setting up the Pine, I only have a picture of a Pirates of the Caribbean desktop that came on a distribution produced by someone completely unrelated to the Pine team. This isn’t just me, either; a few of the Hackaday Overlord devs gave the Pine a shot, too. The results were inconclusive.
This is not a review of the Pine64, because a proper review would look at the hardware and software, do a few benchmarks, blink a few LEDs, and maybe try to get a Dreamcast emulator working. I am unable to do this. In turn, this turned into a review of the people behind the Pine. The Raspberry Pi Foundation has shown that you can rely on the community and user forums for a great deal of support, but you need to bring a bit more to the table than a board whipped up by a contract manufacturer. I do not have a working OS on the Pine64, and the Pine team has not managed to meet my minimum expectations.It’s one thing to decide you’re going to create content for your website, but it’s another thing entirely to make it engaging. It’s not as simple as telling your customers what you’re up to in the business. You must have your finger on the pulse of your industry and be ready to create exciting content that will make people want to share. How do you do that? Here at Pixus, our content team have picked up some tips and tricks over the years, so let us tell you.
Be Informative
The chances are that you know a lot about your industry, so don’t shy away from it! Tailor your content so that it informs and helps people. For example, if you sell a product that people may not know much about, tell them about it! Our client Kimberly Access sells scissor lifts, so we created an article about the ‘history of scissor lifts‘ to inform the audience about what a scissor lift is! You can teach people using your content too. If you are an accountant, why not write a blog post about the different types of taxes and who needs to pay them? If you’re an estate agent, educate your audience on the different types of fees that they should be prepared to pay. The most important thing about being informative is that you don’t push sales too much. Don’t say ‘this is what we can do for you’, say ‘this is why you need us to do what we do for you’.
Be Unique
Take a different angle on your content. If you have a less creative industry like plumbing or mortgages, be unique in your content. Think quizzes, infographics or a different perspective on a much-discussed topic. If your company wants to do a blog post about buying a house, why not do a ‘what type of home suits you best?’ funny quiz? Or for plumbing, a ’10 worst plumbing disasters of all time’ piece would be a unique way to engage your readers. You want to show off your personality so that customers are enthusiastic about your product or working with you. Just because your industry may not be overly creative doesn’t mean that you have to be.
Tell Stories
No, we don’t mean fairy tales that start with ‘once upon a time’. We’re talking about real stories. Ask your customers how they use your product and create content around this. Fashion? ‘How this customer styled our bestselling dress’. DIY? ‘How this couple used our power drill to transform their home’. Events? ‘Our customer’s wedding day’. Human interest has always been at the heart of the news, so use it to inspire your content. Speaking of the news, find news stories that your customer could be interested in and create content around that. How? Well, let’s take into consideration this week’s news stories. The Presidential Election has been everywhere so why not create a blog post about how it affects the UK? This could work particularly well from a financial standpoint or even travel- will travel to the USA be affected? For something lighter, turn to the entertainment side of the news. MP Ed Balls has been tearing up the dancefloor on Strictly Come Dancing, so if you’re a dance clothing supplier or even an events planner, you could write a blog post about his dances. Lastly, it’s almost Christmas and the festive adverts are out in full force. If you work in advertising, why not do a round up of what you think are the best Christmas adverts? Always be up to date with the news, and the content inspiration will follow.
Entice Your Readers
If you’re in a position to do so, a competition can be a great way to entice your readers to visit your site and engage with your brand. You see a lot of competitions from fashion brands, where you can win anything from a free item of clothing to a holiday. With fashion being such a saturated market, it can be difficult to break through, so a competition is a great way to build your following and if you run them regularly, you’ll win loyalty too- loyalty from customers is invaluable when it comes to sales.
Be Interesting
Creating content doesn’t have to mean words, words and more words. You can use visuals to get your message across. Think of videos, infographics, GIFs and images. You can create your own videos or simply embed ones that you think would be of use to the reader within the article. Infographics can help you get the topic of your blog post across, and they are also highly shareable! Lastly, GIFs and images can turn a boring piece into something visually engaging.
Involve The Audience
Buzzfeed Community is a great example of this. The website regularly asks the audience to contribute to their articles. Current examples include ‘which is the best hostel in Europe?’ ‘the most bizarre picture you have with Santa’ and ‘tell us about the time you were catfished’. These are all relevant topics to the Buzzfeed brand and asking the readers to contribute their own ensures that they will share it with their friends and family. Another way to involve the audience in your content creation is to see what keywords they’re searching for and the questions that they are asking. Tools like Twitter and Answer the Public are great for this. Once you see what your audience is searching for, you can use it as a jumping point for the topic of your blog post. Easy!
Creating content can be difficult if you don’t know where to start. It can feel like you’re juggling to try and create content which is informative, engaging and relevant. At Pixus, our team can juggle! We create unique content for our clients that is relevant to their industry whilst remaining interesting. To get started, call us on 0151 426 9977 or say hi through our online contact form!Log on to official websites - cbseresults.nic.in or cbse.nic.in
Click on the tab which reads Class X results tab
Enter your roll and school number.
Take a print out for future reference.
NEW DELHI: The CBSE Class X results today threw up more than one surprise with the pass percentage dropping by over 5 per cent since last year and boys outperforming girls, a marked shift from previous batches.The number of boys scoring the perfect 10 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) was also more than the number of girls this year, officials said.The pass percentage in the Central Board of Secondary Education's Class X result fell to 90.95 per cent from 96.21 per cent last year, registering a dip of 5.26 per cent.However, the pass percentage of boys improved by a significant margin, jumping from last year's 78.9 per cent to 93.4 per cent; that of girls improved from 88.6 to 92.5 per cent. Unlike recent years, boys have done better than girls by 0.9 per cent.While 1,05,188 boys have scored a CGPA of 10, 1,00,950 girls have scored the perfect number.Trivandrum region has the highest pass percentage at 99.85, followed by Madras at 99.62 and Allahabad at 98.23 per cent. Delhi fared badly, recording a pass percentage of 78.09 per cent against last year's 91.06 per cent, a fall of 13.67 per cent.CBSE announced the results of five regions -- Delhi, Chennai, Dehradun, Trivandrum and Allahabad -- at around noon. The results of the remaining five regions -- Ajmer, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Guwahati and Patna -- were announced towards the evening.Anxious students and parents had to wait as the board's website crashed half an hour before the result was scheduled to be declared due to heavy traffic.A total of 16,67,573 candidates from 16,347 schools had appeared for the exam at 3,972 centres across the country this year.This was the last batch appearing for the optional board examination for Class X with the CBSE restoring the compulsory examination from next year.On May 28, the board had declared the results for class XII which had seen a dip of over one per cent in the pass percentage.Budget |
least 50 families as it brings in money through employment,” Amy Peake, the founder of Loving Humanity, told the Indian Express.
She is currently in Vadodara to prepare way to ship 12 machines and the raw material for manufacturing low-cost sanitary napkins and expects to begin production soon.
Muruganantham, a school dropout from Coimbatore and who brought his wife her first sanitary pad to "impress her", is feted as among India's most creative grassroot innovators. The road to his invention of the sanitary-pad-making machine is evocatively narrated in the documentary, Menstrual Man, as well as this BBC magazine feature.
Muruganantham sells his machines for Rs 75,000, which can produce 200-250 pads a day and costs about 2.5 rupees. On an average, branded sanitary pads manufactured by multinational companies range from Rs 6-12. The ones developed by Bedekar's group has a custom-made disposal machine, akin to an incinerator, developed by her scientist husband Shyam.
More than it being a low-cost product in a country, where less than 8 in 10 women use a sanitary napkin, the business model hinges on it being used, managed and sold by women, several of whom are extremely poor and now have an alternate source of employment.
Approximately 80 percent of Syrian refugees in Jordan live in urban areas in the north of Jordan, while the remaining 20 percent live in the Za’atari, Marjeeb al-Fahood, Cyber City and Al-Azraq camps.
Northern Jordan has been dramatically altered by the Syrian civil war. Since the uprising began in March 2011 right across the border in the city of Deraa, Jordanians have experienced the conflict via the thousands that have crossed into their country through the towns of Jabir and Ramtha.
As of February 2015, over 622,000 Syrians had registered with UNHCR in Jordan.By Ryan Lau | United States
In 1992 as a graduate student at Stanford now Senator from New Jersey Cory Booker (D) pinned an Op-Ed for the Stanford Daily entitled So much for stealing second. In it, he details that in 1984, while at a New Year’s Eve party, he groped a woman’s breast without her consent. The first time she pushed his hand away, but the second time, as Booker recalls, he hit his ‘mark.’ Booker continues that after the assault, he and the woman struck up a cordial friendship and that she confided in him that that night she had been drunk and unsure about what she was doing.
Booker Admits Error
Senator Booker goes on to state that while attending Stanford he saw the error of his ways. He claims that he moved away from viewing sexual relations as being best achieved through “luck, guile, strategy, or coercion.” To a more progressive sentiment, one clearly displayed in his “soliloquy titled ‘The Oppressive Nature Of Male Dominated Society And Its Violent Manifestations: Rape, Anorexia, Battered Wives.’
Senator Booker called on President Trump to resign as a result of the infamous audio recording outlining a particularly sexually explicit conversation with the then real estate mogul and Billy Bush. Both Senator Booker and recently disgraced Minnesota Senator Al Franken (D) chastised Trump for his alleged misconduct.
Sexual harassment and assault are serious and unfortunately pervasive problems in our society. Women of all creeds, ethnicity, and backgrounds are coming forward and bravely exposing the people that once preyed on them. Continuing to bring offenders to light, particularly with the aid of the national spotlight, is what is necessary to change the culture around sex and sexual encounters.
A Difference in Situations
Admittedly, Senator Booker’s case is far different from that of Harvey Weinstein, or Kevin Spacey, or even Al Franken. Senator Booker was only 15 when he inappropriately groped the young woman, whereas the others were grown men. In the article, Booker outlines that the woman kissed him first and then things escalated to a point she was uncomfortable with.
This is not to excuse the actions of Senator Booker, but rather to point out that the line between welcomed flirtation and sexual advances, and sexual harassment and/or sexual assault can be a blurry one. Moreover, one should be able to understand that a 15-year-old boy who is just beginning to experience sex and sexuality is not as culpable as a powerful man in his 40s and 50s who repeatedly coerced women into sex; as was the case with Harvey Weinstein.
In the 1992 Op-Ed Booker notes that he chose to recall his own personal experiences regarding sexual misconduct so as not to bask in hypocrisy.
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Like this: Like Loading...‘There’s this idea that speech is violent’
Jack Foley, 20, political science, San Rafael, Calif.
When I was leaving home, going to university, I really considered myself a die-hard centrist. When I got to college, I found myself drifting more and more to the right. There is this overwhelming and prevailing orthodoxy on campus — people don’t want to expose themselves to other viewpoints.
I’ve become more vocal in what I believe in since the whole Milo Yiannopoulos event. I really felt more driven to get out of my shell. I really wanted to challenge this prevailing orthodoxy that if you are Republican, you are racist; if you are conservative, you are sexist; if you fall on the right, you are a homophobe.
There’s this idea that speech is violent, that simply by espousing a view that you don’t like I am attacking you, I am oppressing you, I am assaulting you. That view is fundamentally incompatible with a Western, liberal democratic society.
I’ve got mixed feelings about inviting Ann Coulter. Is Ann Coulter the best representative of conservative thought? No, I would say not, but also at their meetings, I’ve been there and they invite people who are completely uncontroversial and nobody even knows that they were coming. So by inviting controversial folks like Ann Coulter, Milo Yiannopoulos, David Horowitz, whoever, it’s a way to test the right to free speech that they should be entitled to for right or wrong.
Who decides who is too controversial? In my constitutional law class, my professor invited [the political scientist] Charles Murray to speak to the class. But the professor said: “Please don’t text your friends. I don’t want a protest around this.”Washington state’s Swinomish tribe faces a water rights battle in the Skagit River basin, the likes of which we have seen before. It’s reminiscent of the dispute that broke out around a decade ago in the Klamath River basin in California and Oregon. That dispute led to a fish kill of about 70,000 salmon after federal intervention severely reduced water flows in the Klamath and its tributaries.
The Swinomish tribe’s fight, however, is uniquely theirs. The tribe is currently arguing before the Washington State Court of Appeals that the Washington Department of Ecology acted illegally in exercising a rarely invoked “overriding consideration of public interest” (OCPI) state water law loophole.
Using OCPI, the Department of Ecology could designate large quantities of water from the Skagit River and its tributaries for domestic, municipal, commercial, industrial, agricultural and livestock watering uses despite the fact that the river consistently fails to meet the basic flow requirements to sustain its health. This broadening and misuse of OCPI is also the topic of a recent amicus brief filed in support of the Swinomish tribe jointly by Earthjustice and the Center for Environmental Law and Policy.
The Skagit River system is the third largest in the western United States and the only one in the lower 48 states to harbor all six species of Pacific salmon. The rivers and streams that flow into the Skagit account for a quarter of all the fresh water flowing into the Puget Sound.
The Swinomish people depend heavily on the salmon and other migratory fish of the Skagit River system for “subsistence, culture, identity and economy,” as they describe in their opening brief to the appellate court. Low river flows have already adversely impacted salmon populations and the tribe’s ability to exercise these practices, which are protected by federal treaty. Further state mismanagement could have catastrophic effects on salmon populations and the communities that rely on them.
During the Klamath River tug-of-war, agricultural irrigators characterized river management as a decision exclusively between people and fish. This deliberate verbiage overlooked the fact that many people—the Yurok, Hupa, Karuk tribes and commercial or recreational fishermen—have a legitimate interest in the river and the health of its fish.
As a steward of the Washington’s waterways, the Department of Ecology has a responsibility to seek fair methods of meeting the state’s water use needs. This expansion of OCPI is an unprecedented maneuver in more than 30 years of administrative practice. It reinterprets this dispute as a people versus water scenario and downplays the human interest in both instream and out-of-stream water usage.By Raúl Carrillo
I delivered the remarks published below at the First International Conference on MMT on September 22nd, 2017. The panel, entitled “Modern Money, Courts, and Civil Rights — Against Legal Predation”, explored the interplay between the cycle of crisis, austerity, and privatization, and the concomitant loss of rights for the public. I was joined by two esteemed law professors: Angela P. Harris, formerly of UC Davis School of Law, and Martha McCluskey, of the University at Buffalo School of Law. The panel was moderated by Danny Sufranski, MMN Harvard Chapter President.
These remarks were delivered solely in my capacity as a director of the Modern Money Network and do not reflect the views of any past or present employers.
Good morning, everyone. My name is Raúl Carrillo and I’m a director of the Modern Money Network (MMN), a student-driven interdisciplinary organization promoting public understanding of money, law, finance, and the economy (obviously embracing MMT as a foundation). By day, I’m an attorney specifically focused on consumer financial protection or as one notorious predator, Capital One, would say, “What’s in your wallet?” Perhaps a better way to put it, is that, in the Minskian sense, I help people manage their “survival constraints.”
I’ve been digging in this space for about ten years now. As a college student, I bailed on orthodox macro after Lehman fell, as many of us did, and sought intellectual refuge in the law. After graduation, I worked for then-Attorney-General, now-Senator Kamala Harris during the multi-state mortgage fraud settlement. After meeting Rohan Grey, and helping get MMN up and running at Columbia Law, along with many of our other colleagues who are here this weekend, I served at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as Special Counsel to the Enforcement Director, mostly focused on litigation strategy and policy for a range of issues…from debt collection itself, to the rules of payday lending, student loans, auto loans, medical debt, you name it…all the way to payments access, credit reporting, and the broader surveillance system that circumscribes everyday lending in this country. While I was at the Bureau we started to take on Wells Fargo, Navient, Equifax, all the companies it’s cool to hate now.
Currently, I’m a Staff Attorney at New Economy Project, an economic justice non-profit in New York City. In terms of practice, my major role there is monitoring something called the “Financial Justice Hotline”, where any low-income New Yorker can call for free legal assistance. Policywise, I’m especially focused on helping immigrants navigate the financial system, helping build generative rather than extractive sources of credit, and keeping an eye on how technology is changing the debtor’s rights landscape. I’m not here representing New Economy Project, but I mention these issues because I’m going to touch on some of them as we move along. But first let me provide a map of where I’m going.
Today, I have the unusual luxury of leaving descriptions of MMT and arguments concerning Fed rates, transmission mechanisms, and monetary policy impact on consumer lending in the hands of experts. In fact, there’s another panel at 3:50 today on “Modern Money, Interest Rates, and Credit” and another on Sunday: “MMT, Finance, and Interest Rate Policy.”
So, I have two personally refreshing goals this morning:
(1) First, I’d like to impress upon folks a theme that I’ll be stressing throughout the conference: when it comes to the economy, law is not merely a governing force (as many on the right would have economists believe) nor a reflective force (as many on the left are inclined to think). It is also a constitutive force. What I mean by that, is that the law doesn’t just intervene into the economy on the back end, and it doesn’t merely reflect deeper forces in the economy either. Rather, a lot of the economic concepts we talk about not only have a particular meaning in the context of specific legal parameters, but only exist given the deeper architecture of legal regimes, in the sense of systems design. I’m going to do my best to articulate what that means and what that looks like when it comes to consumer finance.
(2) Second, I’m going to talk about how people actually experience the government’s failure to sufficiently spend money for public purpose. People don’t experience the absence of MMT insights as policy failures in a grand sense. They experience it as personal pain. Over time that pain can become chronic, but at first it’s acute. For some of us, it’s devalued assets, houses, cars, etc., but most people in this country live paycheck-to-paycheck — or no-paycheck-to-no-paycheck — and thus experience the survival constraint pain on the liability side, where their debt is expounded, compounded, and sometimes straight-up fabricated. And within this group…there is what we call “disparate impact” in the legal world. As Sandy Darity, Darrick Hamilton, and other fellow travelers consistently point out, for many folks on the periphery, especially people of color who lack intergenerational wealth, the lack of MMT informed-policy means permanent austerity and perpetual depression.
With that in mind, we must cultivate a way to talk about Modern Money from the bottom-up and from the outside-in. We have to draw the map from people’s suffering to the macro failures. I personally think we can do this best by talking about (1) consumer debt, (2) criminal justice debt (which Prof. Harris is going to cover), and (3) taxes (which Prof. McCluskey will discuss).
So, first, MMT, and consumer finance systems design. MMTers like to tell a very important story about how public debt is not a problem, but private debt might very well be. We often do this by talking about the Clinton Administration, sometimes about Japanese experiences, but usually about the Clinton Administration. We say the Clinton budget surpluses and the trade deficit meant that private consumption (decreased household savings and increased household debt) had to compensate for the drag. Because the private sector cannot survive in negative territory in the way the public sector can…we got a crisis.
This is not the full story of course, and how could it be? I don’t think any of us pretend it is and oftentimes we can’t afford to go that deep into detail. But we’re at a point as a group where we have to grapple with further granularity frequently. We have to remember that people don’t experience private debt in the aggregate or in a vacuum, so we shouldn’t consistently talk about accounting identities without accounting for identities, that is, people’s specific experiences, as social groups and classes and as individuals. Underneath the sectoral balances, people experience austerity and crisis through very detailed, sharp legal machinery that’s often built to exploit them: not only at the level of bad legislation and bad regulation, but through the courts themselves.
For example, the Clinton surpluses ultimately led to the mortgage crisis. But the mortgage crisis was, of course, just as much a legal phenomenon as a macroeconomic phenomenon. There’s a lot to say about how what Legal Realists like Robert Lee Hale would call the “background rules” allow for something like the mortgage crisis to occur. But even more directly, this particular private debt crisis manifested first via the manipulation of law….obviously on the “high finance” side with respect to securities and derivatives, but necessarily also on the “low finance” side, principally through the use financial technology, like MERS, which was used to circumvent centuries of precedent concerning property titling and mortgage recording, from Anglo-American and Hispano-American traditions of property law (which were problematic to begin with). (If I can recommend two great books on this whole mess: Vermont Law Professor Jennifer Taub’s Other People’s Houses & David Dayen’s Chain of Title).
Second, as my MMN colleague, Nathan Tankus, has stressed consistently, the aftermath manifested in what was essentially a slap on the wrist in response to a grand fraud perpetrated upon the American public. Having been there in the moment, I’m quick to note that this was a situation of titanic complexity and a good number of good people tried to do the right thing. That being said, what ultimately manifested under the Obama Administration’s banner, with a rubber stamp from the courts and a slew of administrative agencies, was utterly insufficient and unjust, and compounded many of our broader macroeconomic and social problems.
I think we all know at least parts of this story and many MMTers have occasionally written about it. So why am I repeating it here? Because again, we have to stress the systems design aspect and the rules that filter how people deal with sectoral-balance issues, because that’s what people see in front of their faces. People experience austerity and crisis through the legal grinder: through foreclosure, garnishment, forced arbitration, tax interception, imprisonment, etc.. And some people filter all that through additional layers of oppression. The crisis aftermath demonstrated in spades that law is elastic at the apex and rigid at the periphery, as Katharina Pistor at Columbia Law has argued.
Understanding this is a necessary complement to understanding Minsky’s Financial Instability Hypothesis. As the saying goes, “poor people are constantly bumping into sharp legal things”, but the skewers cut extra deep during a bust and fully entrap poor people of color in the Hedge stage. Orthodox economists and regulators absolutely fail to see this or willfully ignore it. As Angela’s co-author Georgetown Law Professor Emma Coleman Jordan highlighted in her recent article, The Hidden Structures of Inequality, a search of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) transcripts from 2007-2008 fails to reveal a single mention of race – not one within the entire 1,800 pages. That’s not merely a monetary policy oddity, that’s a cognitive and ideological failure that ultimately caused unprecedented disparate impact. The Fed did not understand how much Black and Latino wealth was tied to housing value and this in turn exacerbated how badly they underestimated the severity of a potential crisis. As a result of this specific failure, from 2005 to 2009, white household median wealth fell by 16%, but Black median wealth fell by 53% and Hispanic median wealth fell by 66%. From 2010 to 2013, white household median wealth increased by 2.4%, Hispanic median wealth fell by 14.3%, and Black median wealth fell 33.7%.
This has to be part of our MMT story. Many of these folks were reaching for, essentially a middle class life, and a legal-economic design problem that could have been rectified by MMT insights pushed them back down. We have to connect those dots for people. I’d argue most people understand the status quo is unjust on a visceral level, but it’s up to us to supply macro analysis in narrative form. People are trying to manage their survival constraints, mostly on their own, against forces far more powerful than themselves. We have to demonstrate how in lieu of an “MMT world” we live within consumer credit markets, designed and governed by corporate creditors that reflect their political and legal interests rather than anything “natural” in the economic world.
As economic thinkers who claim to be hard-headed about operations and coercion, we should assert this is true at the most basic level. For example, let’s consider interest rates on small-dollar loans. Again, other folks throughout the conference will discuss the strained, delayed, and slow relationship between Fed rates and the rates consumers ultimately see. But whatever that relationship is, lending also occurs within qualitative legal parameters, in the context of power. I like to say I belong to the Frederick Douglass School of interest rate theory. Douglass said, “Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them.” In this vein…“Find out just what [rates] [debtors] will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of what will be deemed a [“natural”] or [“reasonable” interest rate]…” and that is what will be imposed upon them. May seem a bit silly, but when you consider the white supremacist history of predatory lending in this country, maybe not such a stretch.
The point is, the Fed can do whatever it wants, but when it comes to transmission of credit terms to the public, on the financial periphery, at least, we’re not just talking about what markets will bear in relation to monetary policy changes. We’re also talking about what the public and the state will allow and what we will not. People on the peripheries, get credit on whatever terms pawn shops, check cashers, payday lenders, or whomever happens to have financial power on their block happens to dictate. Big banks aren’t much better, especially since banking supervisors aren’t always wielding the Community Reinvestment Act and other fair lending laws aggressively. It’s so bad right now, low-income consumer advocates can usually predict the APR on clients’ loans before we even see a contract: it’s.01% under the state usury cap, simply because that’s how high we let them go. That’s all that’s preventing a race to the bottom.
Right now is a particularly important time to talk about all this and connect these dots. Consumer finance, in general, is becoming increasingly complex and moving faster and faster, meaning it’s becoming harder for people to see the forest through the trees. Today, in the current environment of federal deregulation, the American Bankers Association is trying to get banks back into balloon‐payment payday loan. Subprime mortgages are coming back, auto finance is a total racket, healthcare woes will churn medical debt until we fix that system, and student debt is just going to get more abusive under Betsy. Additionally, there’s a debt crisis for living expenses in many major cities. I’ve encountered mattress debt, sewing machine debt, and puppy dog debt. Then, on top of all this, people are taking out loans so they can pay their debts to courts, municipalities, prisons, and other entities other folks on the panel will talk about.
And that’s only half of this whole process. Debt collection itself has become such an abusive industry that Human Rights Watch is covering it. Since the crisis, we’ve seen an explosion of “debt buyers” — companies that purchase allegedly delinquent accounts for pennies on the dollar and then go after low-income folks for all that they’re worth. The claims are often false and there is frequently no evidence that defendants owe anything at all. But courts consistently enter judgments in favor of debt buyers, many of them default judgments because debt buyers engage in something called “sewer service” — they falsely claim to have notified defendants of lawsuits but instead essentially throw the summons in the sewer. People are being defrauded and fleeced in new and “innovative” ways. In her empirical work, UConn Law Professor Dalié Jiménez has found that “in many contracts, sellers disclaim all warranties about the underlying debts sold or the information transferred.” They’re not even trying. The originate-to-distribute-to-collect business model relies on fraud. Moreover, it relies upon violations of our constitutional rights to due process and our right to have our day in court.
This is not the world we want to live in and it’s a world MMTers should fight tooth and nail. Many orthodox economists and financiers argue this is not only necessary, but desirable. They like this world and some are starting to disguise what they’re doing, as usual, with new technology. In a keynote lecture at a Post-Keynesian Conference in Denmark in 2011, Jamie Galbraith asserted that high finance has “nothing to do with the real world of things, of exchange. It is a world of technology, of factory-produced contracts, of uncontrolled legal complexity.” This is becoming more and more true for the world of “low finance”, as well. Technology, in particular, threatens to turn consumer finance into a predatory lending hellscape. In his recent testimony before the Senate Banking Committee, MMN Friend and Maryland Law Professor Frank Pasquale argued we’re moving toward a world of artificial-intelligence-based underwriting and regulators can’t keep up. We’re in the dark about how new algorithms are judging us and what they’re doing with our data, which is principally financial data. As the Equifax breach showed, we have no idea if corporations can protect our privacy and civil rights.
“Innovation” can very well just be a cloak for not only usury and redlining, but profitable violation of our civil rights. Some might say that’s ultimately the point. As Bob Hockett & Saule Omarova argue in The Finance Franchise, the online lending models aren’t even that “disruptive” to begin with: for example, the “peer-to-peer revolution” is actually just a reactionary return to the orthodox “one-to-one” intermediation model of finance. It’s nonsense. Yet many bad regulators, including economists, are ready to give the fintech firms everything they want. For example, The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency wants to give Special Purpose National Bank Charters to online lenders. Although they say this is to level the playing field and take lending into the 21st Century, a national charter’s chief function isn’t promoting competition, it’s allowing non-bank predatory lenders to circumvent state usury caps simply by moving their business online and getting approval from…the Trump Administration.
These new threats aren’t merely promoted as “innovative”, but beneficial. They’re cast as services because they offer the neoliberal holy grail: “ACCESS TO CREDIT” or “FINANCIAL INCLUSION.” It’s considered “woke” and “socially responsible” to leverage technology to “bank the underbanked.” This principle sometimes arise from good intentions. Credit is important. It’s crucial. But I don’t think have to tell this audience that bank credit and small-dollar loans are not solutions to structural problems in our economy. Exploitative credit can just make things worse, again, especially for immigrants and communities of color that don’t have intergenerational assets. More importantly, we shouldn’t live in a world where people have to survive on private credit. And if people DO need credit, they should be able to get it from a trusted source, like a postal bank or a municipal bank, or a neighborhood institution like a Community Development Credit Union.
MMTers need to differentiate ourselves from the orthodox folks here and push back against the shallow “Access to Credit” rhetoric. It’s especially important for us to do this because many of the people who push this stuff, happen to also be fiscal hawks at both the state and federal levels. In the Administrative Law world, there is something called the Bootlegger-Baptist strategy. Silicon Valley and Wall Street have paid a lot of fiery preachers to say government spending is bad, wasteful, etc.. Who knows if they truly believe this. Their actual aim is to make room in the temple for the money changers. They are opening up space for the “bootleggers”, for predators to come in and do the profitable dirty work in the absence of economic security.
So what do we about all this? MMTers already have the answer: we spend money for public purpose on things that actually make people’s’ lives better as whole people. We can’t just throw money at people. (I mean this in the context of lending obviously, but if you’ll indulge me a minute, I’m also talking about some approaches to Basic Income here. If you’re just receiving a check, but you don’t have any increased, structural power over other aspects of your life, the money is just going to go down the drain. Forget income, people are in debt up to their eyeballs, and they’re being plundered. The way things are going now, if we get UBI without transforming the underlying structure of the economy, people are going to get their UBI money on prepaid Chase debit cards loaded with fees, their financial data is going to surveilled by anyone who can check a consumer reporting system, and they’re going to lose their checks on the back-end to abusive, fraudulent debt collectors.)
MMT’s ultimate contribution to Consumer Finance is showing a world beyond the “Let Them Eat Debt or Let Them Eat Cash” approaches by actually spending public money not only for public purpose but for public power. If you subscribe to MMT and believe in some form of social justice, we don’t have a choice. Without sufficient federal financing, people aren’t just left without certain goods and services; they’re left at the mercy of predators without their biggest defense, the public purse-strings, which by Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, belong to them by right. We need a Black Lives Matter budget. We need Fiscal Feminism. We need to stop balancing budgets on the backs of people who break their own backs, regardless of where they’re from. We have to give people jobs, healthcare, education, due process, safe streets, safe water, safe air, etc., all the good stuff. I hear people say this will be messy, complicated, and difficult. I tell those people to get a load of the status quo. We have an economy that eats people’s fundamental rights for breakfast. MMT can show how to change this and in doing so, we can give people a real say in the broader forces that pull at all our survival constraints incessantly. In short, I see MMT as enabling real, deep economic democracy, across the board, and I’m excited to be here to talk about that with you all for the next three days.In my last post I described how I trained a ConvNet (Convolutional Neural Network) to recognize traffic lights in dash-cam images. The best performing single network achieved an impressive accuracy of >94%.
While ConvNets are very good at learning to classify images, they are also somewhat of a black box. It’s hard to tell what they’re doing once they’re trained. Since I never explicitly “told” the network to focus on traffic lights, it’s possible that it’s using some other visual cues in the images to predict the correct class. Maybe it’s looking for static cars to predict a red light? 🤔
In this post I describe a very simple and useful method for visualizing what part of an image the network uses for its prediction. The approach involves occluding parts of the image and seeing how that changes the network’s prediction. This approach has been described in “Visualizing and Understanding Convolutional Networks”.
Self-driving cars today use much more sophisticated methods for detecting objects in a scene, as well as many more sensors as inputs. The ConvNet we examine throughout the post should be seen as a simplified version of what self-driving cars actually use. Nonetheless, the visualization method described in this post can be useful and adapted for different kinds of neural network applications.
You can download a notebook file with the code I used from here.
Example #1
I started with the following image which has a red traffic light:
The network predicts this image has a red traffic light with 99.99% probability. Next I generated many versions of this image with a grey square patch in different positions. More specifically, a 64 x 64 sliding square with a step size of 16 pixels.
Example of image with 64x64 grey square patch
I ran each image through the network and recorded the probability it predicted for the class “red”. Below you can see a plot of a heat-map of those recorded probabilities.
The color represents the probability of the class “red” when there was a square patch covering that position. Darker color means lower probability. There’s a smoothing effect because I averaged the probabilities each pixel got for all the patches that covered it.
Then I plotted the heat-map on top of the original image:
Very cool! 👏 The lowest probability is exactly when covering the traffic light. I then repeated this process with a smaller patch size of 16x16:
Exactly on the traffic light! 🎯
Example #2
I kept examining more images and came across this interesting example:
The ConvNet predicted the class “green” with 99.99% probability for this image. I generated another heat-map by sliding a patch of size 32x32 and a step size of 16 pixels:
Hmm… something’s not right 😕. The lowest probability for “green” that any patched image got was 99.909% which is still very high. The image with the lowest probability was:
That actually looks fine, it covers the traffic light perfectly. So why was the network still predicting “green” with a high probability? Could be because of the second green traffic light in the image. I repeated the sliding patch process on the patched image above and plotted the heat-map:
Much better! 👌 After hiding the second traffic light, the probability for “green” dropped close to zero, 0.25% to be exact.
Looking at mistakes
Next I wanted to see if I could learn anything interesting by using this technique to understand some the network’s misclassifications. Many of the mistakes were caused by having two traffic lights in the scene, one green and one red. It was pretty obvious that the other traffic light is the part of the image that caused the mistake in those cases.
Another type of mistake was when the network predicted there’s no traffic light in the scene when there actually was. Unfortunately this technique was not very useful for understanding the reason the network got it wrong since there was no specific part of the image it focused on.
The last kind of mistake I looked at was when the network predicted a traffic light when there actually wasn’t one. See the example below:
And with the heat-map plotted on top:
Looks like the network confused the parking sign light for a traffic light. Interesting to see that it was just the right parking sign and not the left one.
Conclusion
This method is very simple yet effective to gain insights into what a ConvNet is focusing on in an image. Unfortunately it doesn’t tell us why it’s focusing on that part.
I also experimented a little with generating a saliency map as described in “Deep Inside Convolutional Networks”, but didn’t get any visually pleasing results.
If you know of any other interesting ways to understand what ConvNets are doing, please write a comment below 👇About This Game Qasir al-Wasat is a stealth action-adventure set in an enigmatic 12th Century Syrian palace. You play as an invisible creature, summoned from another world to complete an assassination mission. Although deadly, you are a fragile being and must navigate the trap-filled corridors without alerting guards and… whatever else might be locked in this fortress in-between worlds.
Step lightly and watch out how you choose to kill your victims, for loud noises and blood stains will surely give out your position to enemies. Remember you can be put down with a single stroke. While exploring the dark corridors, will you fulfill the mission given to you by the enigmatic sorcerer, or will you investigate the mysteries of the palace, at you own risk? Players can search for hidden messages, eavesdrop the fortress’ guards conversations and look for secret passages since not everything is as it seems and there are ancient treasures waiting to be found.
Qasir al-Wasat is built around the tension between action and investigation. The palace is riddled with puzzles, a rich story, nasty traps and an ancient treasure that might be simply too magnificent to ignore. Explore it while embodying a lonesome creature from the underworld, and discover Its peculiar view of humanity. Qasir’s visuals are a love letter to intricate medieval Persian Miniatures, rooted in a thorough historical research. Alongside, an unusual soundscape that is created procedurally with each gameplay.
The gates are open and the sorcerer is summoning you, delve into the obscure world of Qasir al-Wasat.Since Jack Horner and James Gorman’s book How to Build a Dinosaur debuted almost three years ago, periodic lectures, interviews and articles have piqued the public’s curiosity about reverse-engineering a non-avian dinosaur from an avian one. Perhaps a “chickenosaurus” isn’t as outlandish as it sounds.
The possibility of creating a long-tailed chicken with teeth and claws is based on the fact that birds are living dinosaurs. A relatively minimal amount of tinkering could turn a bird into something like its non-avian ancestors. But, during the dinomania of the late 1980s and early 1990s, the idea that birds were derived from dinosaurs was still something that made people tilt their heads and say “What?” Rather than focus on efforts to turn birds into something akin to a dromaeosaur, dinosaur documentaries envisioned the real evolutionary changes by which one lineage of non-avian dinosaurs were adapted into early birds. Even better, two shows animated this change.
Within the array of Mesozoic programming from the early 1990s, one of my favorite shows was The Dinosaurs! This four-part PBS miniseries featured scientists investigating the details of dinosaur lives, and different prehistoric vignettes were presented in colorful animated sequences. The one that stuck with me most powerfully was a short scene about the origin of birds. A small, green dinosaur akin to Compsognathus runs through a forest, but when the theropod pauses on a branch it rapidly grows feathers. In an instant the small coelurosaur changed into Archaeopteryx. The 19th century naturalist Thomas Henry Huxley was absolutely right when he imagined that, when clothed in feathers, a dinosaur like Compsognathus would look little different from archaic birds.
But a similar clip from an earlier, 1989 episode of the series The Infinite Voyage is even better. The episode, “The Great Dinosaur Hunt,” is an excellent snapshot of how perspectives on dinosaurs were changing in the wake of the “Dinosaur Renaissance,” and the program included a similar coelurosaur-to-bird transformation. This time, though, the change starts with a fuzzy, feather-covered dromaeosaurid similar to the sickle-clawed Deinonychus. Rather than focus on |
not depend on the sequence of the skills imparted to young minds”.It sought creation of separate funds by the companies for skill re-training of employees. “Companies can contribute a set amount to an individual’s fund which can then be transferred as the individual switches jobs. The goal of such an initiative will be to incentivize lifelong education and upskilling”.When Metro started the Union Station Master Planning process, the agency kicked off with a series of focus groups including many kinds of stakeholders – transit users, transit operators, neighbors and business improvement groups.
One of the themes heard overwhelmingly is that while our stakeholders were excited about the master plan and a future vision for the station, they wanted Metro to make immediate improvements. Which, in fact, Metro plans to do with a signage improvement program as detailed in the document posted above.
Among our stakeholders, it was noted that many people get lost in Union Station. Some of the common complaints: it’s a big place and it’s often hard to know where you are — and where you’re supposed to go to reach buses and trains and places such as Olvera Street, which is only a block away from Union Station’s frontage on Alameda Street.
It’s not surprising that visitors often cannot find their way around. When the station opened in 1939, clarity of circulation was inherent in the design. Street cars, taxis and private cars were funneled to the front side of the station. Once inside, passengers went from the ticket hall in front to the waiting room to the gates that led to platforms. Carefully laid tile in the floors guided arriving and departing passengers to the appropriate locations and it was easy to get around without much thought and without much signage.
After a major decline in rail service that lasted through the 1980s, Union Station is a far different place today. The station is now served by the Red/Purple Line subway and the two segments of the Gold Line — which will one day be linked to the Blue and Expo Lines via the Regional Connector project. There are more than a dozen Metro Bus routes that stop near the station, not to mention stops for other muni buses. Union Station also serves inter-city rail (Amtrak) and commuter rail (Metrolink), the FlyAway bus to Los Angeles International Airport, inter-city buses and various shuttles.
In 1995 Metro opened its headquarters building in the “Gateway Center” area of the station, followed by the opening of Patsaouras Bus Plaza and the East Portal. This represented a fundamental change in the design of the station – we now had an east entrance to the station and the passageway (aka the tunnel) now had two sides to it. Efforts were made to direct transit users and visitors across the station as it grew and changed, but signs were added on a piecemeal basis and there was never a consistent design.
For example, in our study of the existing signage conditions, we identified signs directing customers to “Metro Headquarters,” “Gateway Center,” “MTA Headquarters,” or “Gateway Plaza.” Four different names for the same building!
With Metro’s purchase of the station in April 2011 and commitment to planning for the long term, the new Environmental Graphics and Signage plan (the “Plan”) is a first step in that direction. The Plan brings a deep knowledge of the movement of passengers across the station and provides a plan and design that offers both beauty and consistency. The plan also takes advantage of new technology Metro is testing to make Union Station a pilot site for better incorporating technology into our transit system.
Some highlights of the signage plan are below. Thanks to Selbert Perkins Design for their work on the project and the following renderings:
•Preservation of the four existing historic mounted signs.
With close supervision of our consulting historic architect, ARG, Metro is removing, documenting and storing the last of the concourse gates and the Information cabinet. Other historic signage will remain, as shown in the above slide.
•Opening up the concourse. The Plan aims to create clear sightlines from the passageway to the western (Alameda) entrance to the station and to the South Patio, key travel paths for transit users and visitors. This will be achieved by the removal and storage of the historic signs, coupled with the recent removal of the seating from the concourse area.
•Moving the “queuing” of Amtrak passengers waiting for seat assignments and boarding in the concourse. Many users had their travel path blocked by stanchions and rows of baggage-carrying passengers lined up from the concourse down into the waiting room. These passengers now get their information at the Amtrak service desk and wait in the historic seating in the beautiful waiting room.
•New electronic signage in the waiting room. To reiterate the use of the waiting room as a place to sit and wait, and in close cooperation with Metrolink, two new electronic LED signs will be placed in the waiting room, offering arrival and departure information for both Amtrak and Metrolink services. This data will mirror the data that is currently provided in the information cabinet:
And how the new waiting room signs will look:
•Standard nomenclature. The Plan offers both a new naming convention for general orientation around the station as well as a standardization across the names of various “places” on the station property. The overall site remains Union Station, but we have designated “Union Station East” and “Union Station West” to help general orientation for first time visitors, and we continue this convention on maps and directional signage.
•Perimeter improvements. The Plan includes a series of perimeter wayfinding signs at scales appropriate for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers. We are also introducing identity pylons at 3 main corners: Alameda/El Monte Busway, Cesar Chavez/Vignes and the entrance to the Patsaouras Bus Plaza.
The corner of Cesar Chavez/Vignes now:
And how it will look:
•East Portal Pylon and Interactive Help Desk. We will place a new pylon in the East Portal, carefully located outside the path of travel for transit connections, to provide a clear marking point as well as pilot a new interactive “help desk” function. The pylon will include four, 55-inch interactive touch-screens that provide Metro’s trip planner system, web page as well as internet access focused on tourist and destination information.
As it looks now:
As it will look:
•New bus bay markers at Patsaouras Bus Plaza. We will replace the bus bay markers with new markers, equipped with Metro’s real time NextBus system at every marker.
As it looks now:
As it will look:
The removal of some existing signs is set to begin March 11, with the with the complete signage package in place by May 3, when Metro will host a slate of activities honoring the 75th anniversary of Union Station. The first stage of this Plan does not include the Gateway Parking Garage, but this will be re-signed in a subsequent phase and is scheduled to be completed by fall 2014.
Like this: Like Loading...The final Dota 2 major before The International kicks off on with the group stages on June 3, with 16 teams vying for $3 million and a trophy that's sure to win them a ticket to The International 6.
Groups have been locked and the first matches are set in stone. A solid performance in the group stage means starting off in the upper bracket, while landing in the bottom half of your group sends you to a slog through the lower bracket of the double-elimination main event.
Who has a long road ahead, and who is enjoying their placements? Let's break down the Manila landscape, group-by-group.
Group A: OG and Newbee Dominant, Prominent
Teams: OG, Team Empire, Newbee, Complexity Gaming
The most likely "group of death" among the four set for this major, Group A pits two likely favorites for the top spot against two longer shots that may struggle to keep up.
For OG and Newbee, this may look like an easy berth to the upper bracket, but don't count out the magic of Russian Dota; Team Empire has pulled off upsets in the past, like with its third/fourth finish at ESL One Manila. As for Complexity, this line-up has fallen to titans like Newbee in the past, but the team has experience on its side and the luck of not having to face Digital Chaos again until the main event.
OG and Newbee should easily seize upper bracket berths from their Group A competition, but if you're looking for the wildest shot in the dark to bet some rares on, you might want to keep an eye on the Complexity-Newbee matchup.
Group B: Shakespearean Dota
Teams: Wings Gaming, Digital Chaos, Team Secret, Natus Vincere
Team Secret, shown here at The International 2015 with Artour "Arteezy" Babaev (middle). Valve
I really want to personally meet and shake the hand of whoever constructed Group B, because it's the must-watch group at Manila. Team Secret, who recently cut Aliwi "w33" Omar and Rasmus "MiSeRy" Filipsen in order to pick up Artour "Arteezy" Babaev and Saahil "UNiVeRsE" Arora, now has to face w33 and Misery's new squad, Digital Chaos. Meanwhile, former Na'Vi and current Secret drafting mastermind Clement "Puppey" Ivanov will be facing his old friend Danil "Dendi" Ishutin, who has constructed an impressive squad in the new Natus Vincere.
Sitting on the periphery of the drama and old rivalries is Wings Gaming, a Chinese powerhouse who's likely to make some waves on their way up the bracket. It seems likely Wings will escape Group B unscathed, with the other three teams fighting and clawing for the second berth into the upper bracket.
If we go by tournament performance alone, Natus Vincere is a solid choice for that spot, but Digital Chaos has been having dominant showings (though only within the American region) and Secret is a star team in desperate need of a strong tournament showing. Na'Vi will likely be in for a fight to make it out of the group stage on top.
Group C: Upset City
Teams: Team Liquid, Alliance, Vici Gaming Reborn, Fnatic
Team Liquid, shown here taking on Team Secret at the Shanghai Major. Tim Franco for ESPN
Group C, from the outset, is the group most prone to shocking upsets. Team Liquid sits at the top, the favorite in both the group and the tournament, but it's still facing several teams it has little experience against.
Alliance seems primed to start picking games off of the other teams, with a history of always managing to dent the armor of larger squads, but it's never followed all the way through. Vici Reborn, meanwhile, is likely sighing relief at facing teams that aren't Wings or Newbee -- but it's still a team that could fall prey to upset.
Never count out the home team advantage, either. Fnatic's last tournament run in Manila surprised many, and with Mushi at the helm and MidOne performing spectacularly in recent sets against teams like MVP Phoenix, this is a squad that could topple giants. Group C will likely see Team Liquid escape bloodied yet unbowed -- and the second spot could possibly go to Alliance or Fnatic, if they can manage to topple Vici Reborn.
Group D: The Leftovers
Teams: Evil Geniuses, Mineski, MVP Phoenix, LGD Gaming
The general consensus on the Group D placings has been confusion. While this might have been a balanced group three months ago, it screams of an arrangement that still believes Evil Geniuses is at the top of the Dota scene.
Evil Geniuses could, by all means, recapture that kind of status at Manila. But as far as groups go, EG has lucked out a bit here, as it should easily escape Group D with an upper bracket berth. MVP Phoenix is the other likely contender an upper bracket berth here, as it's a team that has faltered in online matches but always seems to bring it together for LANs.
LGD Gaming could be a wild card, as Zhang "xiao8" Ning team is made up of impressive individuals, but LGD lacks the team cohesion that has made Wings, Newbee and Vici Reborn so dominant. Mineski will follow behind, the easiest bet for the lower bracket.
Evil Geniuses might as well start planning ahead for the upper bracket now.RECEIVED wisdom, among both scientists and breeders, is that a modern, thoroughbred racehorse runs about as fast as it is possible for anything horse-shaped to run. Examinations of historical records, conducted over the past few years, have concluded that winning times have stagnated. Undermining received wisdom, though, is one of the most enjoyable pursuits in science. And, in a paper just published in Biology Letters, Patrick Sharman and Alastair Wilson of the University of Exeter, in England, have done just that.
Those previous studies of equine velocity focused on results from the winners of a small number of elite races. Mr Sharman and Dr Wilson used two much bigger sets of data—one covering 2,243 races run in Britain between 1850 and 1996 and the other more than 50,000 races held (also in Britain) between 1997 and 2012.
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In all, they looked at 616,084 times set by 70,388 horses. They found that, contrary to received wisdom, the average speed of racehorses has continued to increase—with a particularly rapid improvement after 1975. At the top of the sport, in elite competitions such as Royal Ascot, the picture is more complicated. Over middle distances (8-12 furlongs, a furlong being just over 200 metres) and long ones (14-20 furlongs) Mr Sharman and Dr Wilson found that winning times had indeed stagnated in recent decades. But over the shortest distances (five to seven furlongs) things had continued to improve. Specifically, the speed of the best short-distance horses rose by about 0.1% a year between 1997 and 2012. That might not sound much, but it was enough to reduce the average winning time over six furlongs from 72.92 to 71.74 seconds—a difference at the finishing line of more than seven lengths.
Mr Sharman, who describes himself as a racing fan first and a geneticist second, offers two explanations for his contrarian result. One is the sheer size and diversity of his data-sets, which offer a much more comprehensive view of the field than was previously available. Prestigious races of the sort focused on in the past tend to be middle-distance events, so the short-distance effect was not perceived.
The other explanation lies in the level of detail he examined. As any racing fan will tell you, the harder the ground, the faster a horse can run. Surprisingly, previous analyses had ignored this and looked merely at raw running times. Mr Sharman, by contrast, tried to account for the going. Horses have tended to run on softer ground in recent years, he notes (perhaps because harder ground is riskier as well as faster), and that tends to drag times down.
All this suggests that horses have not actually reached a hard, genetic limit to their performance. A little more imagination by breeders might thus pay dividends.
At the moment, breeders of thoroughbreds have only limited genetic material to work with. The animals in their stables are all descended from but a few dozen sires and dams. Indeed, 95% can trace their lineage back to a single 18th-century stallion called the Darley Arabian. Other parts of the horsey population—despite being slower overall—may contain genes that, if they could be isolated, might let thoroughbreds go faster still.
Extracting these genes using the tried and trusted methods of selective breeding would, however, be a decades-long project, and Mr Sharman notes that racing has been slow to adopt the sophisticated genetic techniques which have caused things like poultry yields to shoot up recently. It might therefore be worth trying a bit more science before declaring that horses will never run faster than they do today.I have been on Team “Night Owl” for as long as I can remember.
Sure, I remember waking up as a kid to watch Mr. Wizard before taking the bus school, but as I grew older I shifted my daily routine further and further back. By high school, I was struggling to get out of bed to get to school on time, and all through through college an “early” bed time was 2 am.
Even in my adult life I struggled to get to bed before 1 am. During my nearly six years of writing articles for Nerd Fitness, I’d guess that 90% of my writing was done after 10 pm.
And I wanted to be a morning person, but I just couldn’t do it. I remember asking on Twitter:
“I can’t seem to get myself to focus during the day, and do my best work at night. How do I become a morning person?”
And the responses all came back saying the same thing: “You’re a night person, just learn to live with it.”
But as we explained in our comprehensive article on sleep, just two in ten of us are true “night owls.” The rest of us are morning people (larks) or somewhere in the middle (hummingbirds).
Little did I know that I fell where most people do – somewhere in the middle! I wasn’t a true night owl – just someone with bad habits! And I was missing out on all sorts of stuff as a result – namely quality sleep, sunlight, and a social life!
So, I stopped making excuses, and over the past six months, I’ve turned a corner.
Today, I’m going to talk about HOW I became a morning person and why you should consider it too.
If you’re somebody working weird hours, don’t worry, we got you covered there too.
Why Become a Morning Person?
You might already be thinking, “Steve, I’m a night person too, and I like it that way. Why mess with a good thing?”
However, you might also have realized: “Hmmm, I never seem to exercise after work, I wake up feeling like crap, and I drag myself through the first half of the work day before finally getting my act together around 2 PM.”
Why should you switch teams and give the morning a chance? I’m glad you asked:
1) Your willpower bar is fully charged in the AM. Remember our talk about willpower, and how it’s a finite resource? Like in any RPG game (sleeping in the Inn recharges your health meter), getting a good night’s sleep recharges your willpower. If you’re somebody that tends to get bogged down and busy at work and never has the energy to work out after work, use some of that willpower BEFORE work on getting to the gym and you’ll never miss it. Your willpower is most full in the morning.
Hat tip to my buddy James Clear for this one 🙂
2) Get your sh** done before anybody can bother you. I realized that the reason why I was so productive at night wasn’t because it was night… it was because there was nobody awake to distract me! Once I discovered that I could do the same thing early in the morning, my life changed.
If you’re somebody with children, or hectic roommates, you may find it difficult to get anything done AFTER work, try getting it done before.
3) Actively prepare for the day rather than stress the f*** out! Prepare your lunch. Sit down and eat breakfast (or don’t eat it at all). Go through your morning ritual. Get in the groove…instead of snoozing a million times and then running out the door with a bagel in your mouth.
4) Stop leaving things hanging over your head. When I worked only at night, there was always that looming feeling of “I have things that need to get done” hanging over me. It was stressful – it’s tough to relax when there are things that need doing.
HOWEVER, when you exercise in the morning, or get your work done early, you can close up that laptop at the end of the day and say “I’m done.” Now I truly enjoy my evenings.
There are two main components of becoming a morning person: getting to bed earlier, and then waking up earlier.
Let’s tackle them both.
How to get to bed earlier
When I decided to transition into a morning person, my first thoughts were “this is going to be tough.”
You see, we can lie, justify, and rationalize anything and everything to ourselves. It’s actually quite impressive. So, I started by accepting the fact that I can get to bed earlier, and wake up earlier.
Here’s how I did it:
1) Focus on small incremental changes. When most people decide to “get up earlier,” they go from waking up at 8:30 am to waking up at 6:00 am. They set a few alarms, go to bed at their usual hour (probably midnight or later), and then struggle for a week to get up at 6:00…or they snooze and have to start over.
Instead of going from 8:30 to 6:00, I went from 8:30 to 8:15 for a week. Then from 8:15 to 8:00 for a week. Then from 8:00 to 7:45, and so on.
By SLOWLY adjusting my sleeping schedule, my body didn’t freak out, and I could actually let it happen.
2) Go to bed earlier. I’ve covered this in our extensive guide on How to Not Suck at Sleeping, but I’ll lay out the basics here. For starters, the reason I was always up so late was because I was sitting at my computer staring at bright lights until 10 minutes before bed, or watching TV/playing videogames and then struggling to fall asleep.
So, I set myself up to win by upgrading my batcave:
I installed Fl.ux on my computer. It automatically adjusts the brightness of your computer screen after the sun has set, so you’re not staring at glaring lights at night (which can mess up sleeping patterns).
It automatically adjusts the brightness of your computer screen after the sun has set, so you’re not staring at glaring lights at night (which can mess up sleeping patterns). I used Self-Control to block specific time-wasting websites after a certain hour. I found that I was sitting at my computer doing NOTHING at the end of the day. So I blocked those sites (gmail, facebook, etc.), and suddenly I had no reason to still be at my computer.
I found that I was sitting at my computer doing NOTHING at the end of the day. So I blocked those sites (gmail, facebook, etc.), and suddenly I had no reason to still be at my computer. Commit to no video games or TV after 10:30 PM. Assassin’s Creed IV kept me up until 2 am for too many nights. Damn you, Edward Kenway. I also set alarms and committed to turning off my TV after 10:30 pm. That has since shifted to 10 pm, and now even earlier. Oh, and I know if I watch Cosmos before bed I’m going to lie awake questioning my existence…so instead, I read.
Assassin’s Creed IV kept me up until 2 am for too many nights. Damn you, Edward Kenway. I also set alarms and committed to turning off my TV after 10:30 pm. That has since shifted to 10 pm, and now even earlier. Oh, and I know if I watch Cosmos before bed I’m going to lie awake questioning my existence…so instead, I read. Reading [fiction] in bed. This one was Steve-specific, but I realized I couldn’t read nonfiction (I get too excited and come up with ideas). Instead I read fiction that wound my brain down and puts me to sleep. For me, that was The Martian.
I realized my struggle was not with getting up, but rather going to bed earlier. Making a commitment to get to bed early is a crucial part of the process.
So, stop staring at bright screens! Put the phone down. Turn off the TV. Get off your computer. Read a freaking book 🙂
Now, let’s focus on the other half of the equation: getting up earlier!
How to wake up earlier
First and foremost, DON’T RELY ON YOURSELF. Remember how I said we’ll justify anything? You know those mornings where you wonder why you snoozed without even waking up? If you’re not used to waking up early, your body might refuse to do so. So we’re going to use our batcave to set us up to succeed.
1) Put your alarm clock across the room. Remember how we talked about building a better batcave to help you get to sleep earlier? You can do the same thing for getting up earlier. If you can reach your alarm clock while still lying in bed, the chance of you hitting snooze is approximately 1000000.33333% higher. That’s a fact. So, put your alarm clock across the room! Make it SUPER loud and annoying, so your only option is to just get out of bed and turn it off.
In college I had my alarm clock across the room and on my dresser. I fell asleep one night with both arms behind my head, and woke up to a blaring alarm at 7 am…with both of my arms dead asleep. As my roommate looked angrily at me, I had to swing my arms, Ace Ventura style, until I knocked it off the bureau and broke the damn thing.
2) Wake your ass up! The toughest part about waking up earlier than normal is that fogginess we all experience first thing, which can affect our productivity, mood, etc. So, the first thing I do is splash cold water on my face, and then go through a basic mobility warm-up and handstand practice exercise.
Another great option is to use this time to go for a brisk 5-10 minute walk. You know, like a Morning Mile. In fact, 5-10 minutes of walking every day will eventually get you to Mordor if you follow through!
3) Caffeine is your friend. Instead of using caffeine to stay awake later playing more video games, use it as part of your morning routine to wake up earlier. We’ve already covered caffeine extensively on the site, so I won’t dig in too deeply. The goal: enough caffeine to give you focus, but not too much that it becomes less effective with each increased day.
4) Use technology to your advantage: If you couldn’t tell already – I’m a big fan of using technology to remove willpower from the equation and actually force ourselves to do stuff. Now, we don’t need to shock ourselves to get out of bed (though if you want to, my buddy Maneesh can help)…but you can use technology to make your wake up easier:
Use Twitter scheduler: Schedule an embarrassing tweet to go out the next morning, 10 minutes after you’re supposed to wake up. If you don’t get up and go to your computer in time, the tweet goes out. Hat tip to Thomas Frank.
Schedule an embarrassing tweet to go out the next morning, 10 minutes after you’re supposed to wake up. If you don’t get up and go to your computer in time, the tweet goes out. Hat tip to Thomas Frank. Try a sunrise alarm clock: Part of the reason we struggle with earlier mornings is the grogginess, and that can stem from being woken up while we’re in deep sleep. By using something like a sunrise alarm clock, we can gradually come out of deep sleep into light sleep, and then be woken up.
Part of the reason we struggle with earlier mornings is the grogginess, and that can stem from being woken up while we’re in deep sleep. By using something like a sunrise alarm clock, we can gradually come out of deep sleep into light sleep, and then be woken up. Check out the Sleep Cycle App: Not only does it track your sleep, but it can also tell when you’re in deep sleep or light sleep, and will wake you up when your sleep pattern is least likely to make you groggy. It’s been fascinating for me to track those stats…when I can actually remember to set it up!
In all of these instances we are taking the decision making process out of your hands and putting it in the hands of technology or a third party. The fewer decisions you need to make, the less willpower you need to use, the more likely you’ll be to find success in becoming an early bird.
build a morning routine
The last piece of advice for you: build a morning routine around something you’re looking forward to doing. I used to love my quiet nights spent yelling into my computer or at my TV playing games, but now I honestly look forward to my quiet mornings, waking up with the sun, and going through my full morning routine in a silent house.
Here’s a morning routine that works for me:
Wake up with sunrise alarm clock, which wakes me up gradually.
Put on water to boil for tea.
Perform a basic mobility routine.
Five minutes of handstands.
Sit down at my computer, put on my epic trance playlist (thanks PM!)
Spend 10 minutes checking ESPN, Yahoo, scanning for any important emails.
Jump into writing mode, and block all big sites.
Take over the world.
That’s my routine, but I’d love to hear yours. How do you crush your mornings? What’s your morning routine?
And if you’ve transitioned from night-owl to early bird, what was your favorite tactic?
If you’re trying and failing to transition, what’s your biggest hurdle?
-Steve
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photo source: Michael: cheerios, Reji: morning sky, Kevin Dooley: sleeping cat, Khalid Almasoud: lonely placeIn a rare interview on the eve of the 25th anniversary of Chernobyl on Monday, Col-Gen Nikolai Antoshkin said he was shocked at how poorly Japan had coped with its own nuclear disaster.
"Right at the start when there was not yet a big leak of radiation they (the Japanese) wasted time.
The Soviets had evacuated 44,600 people within two and a half hours and put them up in "normal comfortable conditions" on the same day, he recalled.
"Look at advanced Japan," he said. "People are housed in stadiums and are lying about on the floors of sports halls in unhygienic conditions."
Gen Antoshkin said he thought the Japanese were simply unable to cope on their own. "It is clear that they do not have enough strength or means. They need to ask the international community for help," he said. "I think the Japanese catastrophe is already more serious than Chernobyl. The main thing is that they do not allow it to become three, four or five times more serious."
Gen Antoshkin, 68, was in charge of Soviet pilots who flew over Chernobyl's stricken fourth reactor, dropping lead, sand and clay from the air to try to contain radiation. In the ten days after the accident on 26 April 1986, his pilots flew 4,000 such flights, exposing themselves to huge radiation doses.
Gen Antoshkin insisted that his men, many of whom later died from cancer, knew the risks they were taking. "Of course the pilots knew (they were getting high doses) and the consequences," he said. "But the pilots knew that the reactor needed to be covered as quickly as possible. You'd tell the pilot to leave but he'd come back."
Radiation levels were so high that they were off the scale, he added, and precautions were as basic as being told to change uniform and have a good wash.Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White is a Duke fan, and he was positive the Blue Devils would be able to beat Mercer in the second round. He even went as far as to promise a fan a season ticket if Mercer won.
When the Bears pulled the upset of the tournament, White said he would partially hold up his end of the bargain.
Predictably, White was roasted by fans on Twitter after not holding up his end of the deal, and he fired back Sunday morning.
Y'all people are crazy on twitter you want me to man up and pay a bet to a person that had nothing to lose in the bet #soundsridicules — Roddy White (@roddywhiteTV) March 23, 2014
Plus it's illegal to gamble in the NFL — Roddy White (@roddywhiteTV) March 23, 2014
The fan involved, for his part, is completely fine with White chickening out.
I don't expect anything from @roddywhiteTV because it wasn't even a legit bet. I do not want to be a distraction to The Falcons organization — Dylan Hoyt (@DHoyt77) March 23, 2014North Queensland Toyota Cowboys head coach Paul Green has named his side for the World Club Challenge match against English Super League champions Leeds Rhinos at Headingly Stadium.
Green will take the same 17 players who won the 2015 National Rugby League grand final against the Brisbane Broncos into the Leeds match, including co-captains Johnathan Thurston and Matt Scott.
Matt Wright and Josh Chudleigh complete the 19-man touring squad.
The match kicks off at 7pm Sunday local time – broadcast times for Cowboys members and fans watching the broadcast follow.
Broadcast (Australia): Monday 22 February
GEM Qld: 4.40am (kick off 5am) / GEM NSW: 5.40am (kick off 6am)
NORTH QUEENSLAND TOYOTA COWBOYS
1 Lachlan Coote
2 Kyle Feldt
3 Justin O'Neill
4 Kane Linnett
5 Antonio Winterstein
6 Michael Morgan
7 Johnathan Thurston (c)
8 Matthew Scott (c)
9 Jake Granville
10 James Tamou
11 Gavin Cooper
12 Ethan Lowe
13 Jason Taumalolo
Interchange
14 Rory Kostjasyn
15 John Asiata
16 Scott Bolton
17 Ben HannantPlease, for the love of good looking photos, turn off the flash. Flashes on most consumer cameras are nearly useless. Unless you absolutely can't see anything in the photo without the flash, you're better off without; it's that simple. Photos of people and things almost always look better without the flash, and beer definitely falls in that category. Flash light reflects off the glass, and washes out the photo. Improve the ambient lighting if you need to, or find another location to shoot before you turn the flash on.One theme you'll notice in my photos is that I like to shoot with a shallow depth of field, meaning very little in the photo is in focus, other than the subject. I do this because things and people generally look better when they are isolated from the background.So how do you shoot with a shallow depth of field? If your camera allows you to set the aperture, great! Choosing a wide aperture(lower number) will give you a shallower depth of field, and it also lets in more light, which is usually a bonus when shooting indoors. If your camera doesn't allow you to control the aperture, choose the portrait mode, and the camera should do that automatically.Now that we're shooting with a shallower depth of field, we need to talk about focus. When you shoot with a wide aperture, less is in focus, so you need to make damn sure that your subjectin focus. Photographing beer can be tricky in this sense because images refract through the beer, and your camera's autofocus may struggle to focus on what you intended. It's always a balancing act between focusing on the glass, or focusing on the image refracted in the glass.I find that beer looks best when there is even light through the beer to empathize the color, but not too much light so that the rest of the photo is under exposed. Also, direct sunlight tends to wash out the photo. Basically, don't shine a flashlight through the beer or hold the beer up to a light, and don't try to take photos of beer in direct sunlight. You can get great photos indoors, but you need to turn on all your lights, and definitely don't use the flash.If you can keep your beer out of the dead-center of the photo, it's usually for the best. Photos almost always tend to be more interesting when the subject isn't dead center. One of the basic composition concepts in photography is called the rule of thirds. Imagine if your photo had two vertical lines dividing it into three equal sections. The rule of thirds is that you should compose your photo with the subject along one of those lines rather than in the center.I do have a DSLR, and I love it. It takes some fantastic photos. With that said, you don't need an expensive camera to take great photos, nor does an expensive camera lead to great photos. I shot this photo and this photo with my iPhone, which I can promise you is no where near as good as a typical point-and-shoot camera. Sure they aren't as sharp and crisp as a DSLR shot, but they still capture the eye.So get creative, and spend a little time taking better photos of your beer. The awesome thing about digital photography is it doesn't hurt to practice as much as you want. Get out there, take some pictures, evaluate which photos you liked, and what you liked about them. Then wash, rinse, and repeat!Hi everyone, I'm going to take the plunge here and try to answer some of your VOX and Hydra related questions. It's been 12 years since my last post to the TiVo forums, so go easy on me. I'll never be able to fill Margret's shoes.
Regarding our 4th generation user experience (aka Hydra), we will be making it available to all MINI, Roamio, BOLT and BOLT+ customers starting on the release date - 10/29. There will be a web page where you can request the update, and we will also have an on-box upgrade application. If you purchase an accessory VOX Remote, pressing the blue button on the remote will automatically trigger the update as long as your box is running the latest version of the current gen3 software (20.7.4). We have no plans to push the gen4 experience to customers unless they explicitly request it, however gen4 is required in order to have access to the voice features.
New customers who purchase and activate a BOLT, BOLT+, BOLT VOX or Roamio device after 10/29 will automatically receive our gen4 experience. Gen4 is where we will be placing a majority of our effort for new features and functionality going forward. If somebody wants to downgrade to gen3, they can, but the downgrade experience is less than ideal. It is a complete wipe of the box and all recordings are lost. We are trying to make this *very clear |
jump shot, he'd be a lottery pick. Unfortunately, he has the worst jumper of all wing prospects. Despite that, he brings plenty of other positive attributes that make him a tantalizing prospect, including top-notch athleticism, versatile defense and nifty passing. If he can develop even an average mid-range jumper, then he'll have a long career in the NBA as a lock down defensive-oriented role player.
18. Cameron Payne: 6'2, Point Guard, Murray State, 20 years old
Payne has elite shiftiness and is a creative off-the-dribble scorer, despite being undersized. The sophomore does an excellent job of playing at different speeds, especially in the pick-and-roll, where he was a lethal playmaker. Payne's shot selection improved this past season, but his efficiency could stand to rise in a clearly defined role.
19. Kris Dunn: 6'4, Point Guard, Providence, 20 years old
Dunn is alluring prospect, with great size and shifty ball handling skills that'll make your jaw drop to the floor. But he often soars out of control after trying to do too much. Though he's a playmaker that can create space with his dribble, he hasn't developed a reliable jumper. Dunn's promising physical tools also show up defensively, since he has excellent lateral quickness, but his lack of fundamentals hinder his production. Dunn has major warts as a prospect, but is a project that could exceed his expected mid-round value.
20. Tyus Jones: 6'1, Point Guard, Duke, 18 years old
Jones went off for 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting, leading the Blue Devils to victory in the National Championship with pull up jumpers out of the pick-and-roll. But Jones isn't going to have success in the NBA as a go-to scorer; that success will primarily be due to his playmaking and instincts. He has a stellar first step that he uses to manufacture open looks for his teammates. Jones has his size working against him, but should be able to become a competent game-manager.
21. Jerian Grant: 6'5, Point Guard, Notre Dame, 22 years old
Grant will be a very good floor general at the next level because of his ability to play at different speeds, change directions quickly and make accurate passes off the dribble. Grant's fast first step bodes well for his ability to create in half-court situations, though he'll need to add upper body strength to battle inside, which was a problem in college.
22. Sam Dekker: 6'9, Forward, Wisconsin, 20 years old
Dekker is versatile and can play both forward positions in the NBA. He's an inconsistent three-point shooter, as proven by his performance in the title game, but when he gets hot, his dribble drive game opens and becomes even more dangerous.
Dekker is a jack of all trades, but a master of none, which could limit him to being just a role player. He possibly has higher upside depending on his usage in a particular system.
23. Jarell Martin: 6'9, Forward, LSU, 20 years old
Martin is built like a freight train with the mobility of a Corvette. Martin can both plow through defenders like a bowling bowl or flash around them with crossovers and spin moves. The big man shot just a hair over 30 percent from three in his two years at LSU, but has sound fundamentals that he should build on.
Despite his skills driving closeouts, Martin can get careless with the ball by putting his head down or by making head-scratching passes. He had an awful assist-turnover ratio and will need to play in control to win the trust of his coaching staff. And though he has versatile defensive potential, his lack of length may hinder his ability to defend most power forwards and rebound well at his position.
24. R.J. Hunter: 6'5, Shooting Guard, Georgia State, 21 years old
College prospects that shoot less than 30 percent from three usually don't get touted as shooting specialists, but Hunter is exactly that because of his ability to hit shots from all over the court off the catch, the dribble or screens. Once he isn't receiving the full attention of college defenses, Hunter could flourish as a shooting specialist.
25. Devin Booker: 6'6, Shooting Guard, Kentucky, 19 years old
Booker has textbook range from the perimeter, which led to a 41 percent three-point mark as a freshman. However, he had major struggles shooting off the dribble, largely due to his slow first step and lack of athleticism. It's possible that Booker will be nothing more than a specialist at the pro level, so his development as a ball handler and defender will be key in determining how much he plays.
26. Kevon Looney: 6'9, Forward, UCLA, 19 years old
With a long wingspan, Looney is a spectacular rebounder for his position and has the potential to be a versatile defender. He complements these skills with floor-spacing and solid court vision. But Looney could be a one-trick pony unless he dramatically improves on his dribble drive game and natural touch. Looney is an intriguing prospect, but his thin frame and lack of athleticism may hold him back from being anything more than a situational backup.
27. Montrezl Harrell: 6'7, Power Forward, Louisville, 21 years old
Few athletes play with as much intensity and passion as Harrell did in his three years at Louisville. The high-motor forward showcased elite explosiveness and is one of the best finishers at the rim in the draft. However, Harrell will be limited as an energy bench player unless he can add a jumper or become an elite rebounder.
28. Caris LeVert: 6'7, Guard, Michigan, 20 years old
LeVert has improved significantly over his three years at Michigan, with his positional versatility being his most appealing trait. The 20-year-old can play both guard positions and small forward, which could be of value for a team looking for an auxiliary talent. LeVert is a knockdown spot up shooter and he has a rapid first step, but he hasn't developed a mid-range jumper or the finishing ability to make scrambling defenders pay.
29. Demetrius Jackson: 6'1, Point Guard, Notre Dame, 20 years old
The ball slows most players down, but Jackson somehow gets faster when he has it. Despite playing at lighting speed, Jackson also remains polished and in control of his dribble His assist totals likely would've been much higher had he not played next to Jerian Grant, but Jackson isn't just a passer, since he's a gifted shooter from three and mid-range. Another year at Notre Dame could boost Jackson's draft position, since he'd be the team's full-time point guard.
30. Christian Wood: 6'11, Power Forward, UNLV, 19 years old
Whichever team drafts Wood will have a project on their hands, but he could be worth it. At 19 years old, Wood is raw, but he has excellent potential as a rebounder and as a shot blocker. He must add strength and become more engaged mentally, but the untapped potential is there. Wood is a streaky shooter, but if he finds consistency he could be a threat to drive closeouts.
SB Nation presents: The Elite Eight of the most important things in lifeThe Hawks denied a Wednesday report that the team and general manager Wes Wilcox have parted ways.
The Hawks issued the following statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Hawks leadership is undergoing a period of evaluation and looking at how basketball operations works best. There are no changes to report at this time and any reports indicating otherwise are inaccurate.”
Several members of the Hawks organization, including high-ranking officials, were unaware of such a personnel move when reached by the AJC.
Hawks principal owner Tony Ressler gave Wilcox a vote of confidence in an interview with the AJC several weeks ago. Ressler said he valued the working relationship between head coach and president of basketball operations Mike Budenholzer and Wilcox.
“I’ve said to Bud and I’ve said to Wes, I think they are both really, really talented,” Ressler said last month. “I really think they both have great basketball minds. I think Bud is a great coach. I think Wes understands the league, understands players, understands the draft, understands how to scout, understands players’ strengths and weaknesses. I feel we have to great basketball executives.”
Wilcox is in his second season as general manager and fifth the team after serving as assistant general manager. Wilcox has been in the NBA for 15 years including director of player personnel with the Cavaliers.OS X, the world’s most advanced operating system, took some large leaps forward in its latest release called Yosemite. Technology such as Continuity, Mail Drop, and users being able to send and receive phone calls via the Mac, all in a speedy new OS are great advances. But for all of Yosemite’s achievements on the tech side of the house, did it go too far with its look and feel?
Jonathan Ive, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Design, is not only in charge of hardware design, but also leads the team responsible for iOS and OS X’s look and feel, known as the User Experience (or UX). Ive’s first UX reveal came in the form of iOS 7. By any measure it was a jarring experience. The OS became simple in form, flat as a pancake with an intuitive feel, but some colors were drastically faded, while others were jarringly bright. The mobile OS took many technological steps forward, but it was not easy on the eyes in the least.
Over time Ive refined iOS, and for the most part, completed the task in iOS 8. Looking back, iOS 7’s design language almost looked rushed, with iOS 8 having very few UX complaints to its name. iOS 8 is simply what iOS 7 always wanted to be.
But what of OS X Yosemite? Is it another iOS 7, or did Ive and the team learn from user feedback?
The fear of another eye fatiguing OS being brought to life in Yosemite is non-existent. Yosemite certainly has its design quirks, but Ive did not introduce any overly saturated icons, as the OS utilizes a sensible, calming, color palate. Following the iOS theme of flat, Yosemite introduces that concept across the board. From Safari to Mail flat is the mantra. App icons are also flat and while they still contain a bit of skeuomorphism, within applications the idea of real-world nobs and buttons are almost non-existent.
Discussing the design language amongst my colleagues, the largest areas of concern crop up in the areas of Yosemite’s overly muted colors. Stacked windows are nearly identical in color, making them difficult to differentiate. Within Safari, one tab to another blend in far too easily. It becomes nearly impossible to tell between the active and inactive tabs when a bright or rich color behind Safari is bleeding through the transparent design.
Gray scale is the theme of the day with Yosemite. Mail and other pre-installed applications have become so monochromatic, it makes me wonder whether Ive used a Mac Plus to design Yosemite’s color palette?
Not being overly critical, the look and feel of Yosemite is an advancement, with a clean and snappy feel. But there are certainly design elements where Ive’s team can enhance the OS with just a few simple color, shadow or saturation tweaks to make the interface even easier to use. With Ive’s history of iOS refinements, we expect nothing less with OS X Yosemite.
Recent ArticlesGran Turismo Sport is definitely one of the eagerly anticipated titles to be coming to the Playstation 4, featuring a shift from the “Car Collecting” nature of previous GT titles, over to a more online competition mindset. In the Spring, a closed Beta began, and incremental updates to the Beta featured improvements to the title. However, all good things must come to an end, and the Gran Turismo Sport Beta is slated to end July 16th, at 11 PM Japan Time (UTC +900).
The Gran Turismo Sport Closed Beta initially began in the United States back in March, before expanding to Europe in April and Asia in May. In the beginning of the Beta, the community was quite concerned about the state of Gran Turismo, fearing that it wasn’t going to make a significant step forward from the forgettable Gran Turismo 6. However, with the recent patches, it looks like the title is coming together nicely! Let’s hope more improvements hit the title before the rumored November release date?
I unfortunately never got the opportunity to test out Gran Turismo Sport for myself, but judging from opinions from friends, it sounds quite positive! Did you test out Gran Turismo Sport during the Beta? Let us know in the comments!April 19th, 2016
Getting FOSS Text-to-Speech App Ready for Prime Time
The Heart of Linux
The lead developer of a new text-to-speech app based on MaryTTS talks about what’s been done and what remains to do.
It’s been a while now since we talked about creating a front end GUI to the open source text-to-speech program, MaryTTS. I have a personal stake in this, as I lost my larynx, and thus my voice, due to throat cancer.
The state of text-to-speech software in the Linuxsphere is horrible. Don’t get me wrong, the software is out there and much of it is fairly good. Where we fall down is that it requires using the command line to get much of it to work. Often TTS software in Linux comes in parts and pieces that have to be assembled in order to get it to work, and the terminal is where most of that work needs to be done.
This is the case with MaryTTS. It’s well-maintained, superb software that would meet most any TTS needs, but when I first discovered it, there wasn’t a GUI available for it. After fooling around with it for a couple of days, I realized that without a decent interface, Mary would be fairly well ignored by those who need her the most. That’s when I decided I needed to approach the community about getting this fixed.
With perfect timing, Rijk Theodoor Oosterhoff introduced himself to me.
Oosterhoff is a native of the Netherlands with a command of the English language many native English speakers do not possess. After three other software engineers talked among themselves, Oosterhoff was decided to be the project lead. He has been steadily working on the project since.
I could give a blow-by-blow, a this-and-that account of how it’s gone since then, but I thought I would ask Oosterhoff to give us his account. I began by asking him about his background in programming and specifically in Java, since that is the language in which MaryTTS is written.
“Programming is just an amazing thing to do. Before I became a professional software engineer I was a project manager at the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment. We managed an automatic monitoring network and to keep up with modern measurement techniques we developed new instruments. That is to say, we let companies do all the fun stuff. “My work only consisted of managing the contracts about research and so on. I was not up to this task and really hated the work. During weekends and in the evening, I spend much time on hobby projects involving websites and my personal groupware/linux server. In the end my boss gave me the opportunity to study Java and work temporarily at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) as a junior software engineer. He reasoned that I would be better off chasing a career that would be more in line with my talents, something for which I am still extremely grateful today. “I never looked back one second and really love my job every day. In programming I find something of myself. It takes all your intelligence, all your creativity. You make something out of nothing. You have to work very close together with other people who are much smarter than you are (well, in most cases). Altogether it is really the best job in the world. And when I come home I simply cannot stop programming. I therefore have several pet projects to work on when there is nothing else to do. That is not as often as I want to, as our house is from 1904 and constantly needs some fixing. “My simple and humble pet projects are just for fun, but I play around with new frameworks. By fooling around with all the new stuff I can find, I find useful exercises that come in handy in my professional work as well. Besides this, I really believe in free software and want to give something back to this fine community. In my professional and personal life I try to use free software as often as possible. To paraphrase a popular statement: ‘Free software is eating the world.'” “In programming I find something of myself. It takes all your intelligence, all your creativity. You make something out of nothing.”
It’s that “something out of nothing” part that leaves me dumbfounded. I mean, more dumbfounded than I usually am. I’ve never thought of programming as a creative thing. I’ve thought of it as math, but never once as a creative tool. Yet, now that I give it some thought, someone has to figure out those bullet and death ray vectors as to where they originate and to where they go. So I asked Oosterhoff about his thoughts and processes in deciding to help get this job done. He is as clear as he always is in answering my question.
“TypeTalk [the project’s temporary name which will be changed soon] came to me as a question I could not put down. When I first read your blog I thought that there would be dozens of people rushing in, but I kept it as a bookmark to see what would come of it. I cloned MaryTTS from GitHub and found that I was able to run it right from the start. Just one night fumbling around and I was able to fire up the engine and get some speech from my PC. But as the days went by I did not see anyone really jump to your help with an announcement that a new project had started, it seemed as this job was just waiting for me. “I put together a little GUI for myself and wrote you an email. As I only work on this project when I find time for it, the project only progresses as fast as you have noticed, which is not that fast. But you probably don’t want to test a new version every day anyhow. For now I think we have come quite far. We have a website. (https://github.com/TypeTalk/TypeTalk) It’s very simple, but still there are some not to miss download buttons on it. We have a project GitHub account, and if anyone wants to get involved with this project, I can create for you some credentials to become a participant. “We have packages in rpm and deb formats and those can be found under the ‘releases’ button under the brown bar. We have had a couple of releases and the GUI is a simple but effective front end. The last release is somehow that I intended to build in the first place. I wanted to create a GUI that would enable the user to keep his hands on the keyboard and whenever he needs to he can strike a specific combination to let the computer speak whatever he wants to say. All buttons have keybindings and using the tab key you can cycle through the GUI elements. “The only thing I find disappointing is the fact that users keep having trouble installing the software. Do not think that I blame you or any user for this, not at all. This is not your fault, but I would like it to install every time without any error. It might have to do with the fact that I chose Java 8. For non-programming people, it is hard to understand this makes all the difference in the world. I just hope that in time this issue goes away. “For me this is a valuable lesson, not to jump to a new version too soon. This month a new Ubuntu LTS is coming to us and hopefully everybody will switch to this and its derivatives. Java 8 will be standard in the repos with that release. But keep in mind, TypeTalk has worked for most testers using the right click on TypeTalk jar and the open with OpenJDK Java 7 and Jave 8 Runtime, as well as Oracle’s closed-source releases. It’s the.Deb and.RPM files that have been difficult.”
While Oosterhoff has done a huge amount of work, he acknowledges that there is still a long way to go before he’ll be truly satisfied with the way it is. The 1.3 release introduces a couple new voices and some other more subtle changes to how they work and how they can be manipulated in the voices configuration.
Here is a short list, in his words, of the things he thinks important to the ongoing development of TypeTalk:
Auto-completion: Typing is slow compared to speech, so we need to find a way for people to type faster. More control over sound: Maybe we can put in a pause or slow down when people put in a couple of spaces or a comma. This is extremely important in making the voices as realistic as possible. If you have ideas in this area, please share these as I could use some guidance as to where to start. Better integration with the desktop: I fooled around with a systray icon, but this is not well supported in Java and many distros are moving away from this concept. I am thinking of getting better integration anyhow. Speed startup time: Maybe I can start the server in the background and than you only have to start the frontend. A real package manager: A human, I mean, that is able to get it in the Debian repos. A way of installing extra voices: I provide a couple of voices, but I found that some voices take 500MB to download. I cannot include this in the package, but if people are able to download and install new voices that would be nice.”
So there we are folks. This is the way software should be built, the way it should be created and the manner by which it can be improved. Some of the sharpest minds I’ve ever encountered will read this and it’s from this that we hope you choose to assist. There is no ego. There is no arbitrary choice of who’s in charge or will there be anyone demanding anything at all. There is just the code and the minds that will make it brilliant. for the people who will need it.
It will Be FOSS and it will belong to everyone.
RelatedFerrostaal Industrial Projects has secured a contract to develop 54 MW Sainshand Wind Farm in Mongolia.
The construction of the plant is expected to begin from next month onwards at a cost of $115 million approximately.
Once the farm is completed in 2016, it will be the largest one in the country with nearly 27 towers and 190 GWh of electricity every year.
The farm will deliver around 52 MW to the state-owned energy supplier National Power Transmission Grid, according to the power purchase agreement entered with Ferrostaal.
In addition, the company has also entered into an engineering procurement and construction term sheets for the work on the park.
The project site at Sainshand is located in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert, having one-year wind measurements of 7.4 meters per second.
Mongolia is dependent on coal-fired power plants for its power requirements and now wants to implement renewable measures to expand green energy portfolio.
The country has kept a target of achieving 20 percent energy production from renewables by 2020.
In 2013 Mongolia opened its first wind farm, a 50 MW facility at Salkhit.
Mongolia is estimated by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to have good-to-excellent wind resources of over 2,550 terawatt-hours per year.
The Ferrostaal has arranged financial grant from leading international development banks on a 70 percent debt and 30 percent equity basis.
In another development, Ventinveste, a consortium of Portugal’s major energy and engineering companies, and Ferrostaal secured 220 million Euros of investment for a new wind farm project located in the North and central Portugal.
Project Âncora will consist of four wind farms with a total capacity of 171.6 MW, enough to power 125,000 homes.
Sabeena Wahid
[email protected] what is probably the institution’s broadest effort in the Bitcoin space to date, the American National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a three year grant worth US$3 million for research on the science and applications of cryptocurrency.
New wave of disruption
The research project is led by Cornell University's Elaine Shi, and includes faculty members from Cornell, the University of Maryland, and UC Berkeley, hence combining crypto researchers with programming languages researchers and system builders.
As can be read in the abstract of the project, the NSF believes that Bitcoin and blockchain technology will severely impact and shape the future of money. The foundation considers cryptocurrencies a new wave of disruption, and as such believes the topic demands more research and understanding than is currently available.
The abstract reads:
“Unfortunately, usage of crypto-currencies outstrips our understanding. […] This work aims to establish a rigorous scientific foundation for crypto-currencies. To achieve this, this work blends cryptography, game theory, programming languages, and systems security techniques.”
Speaking to Cointelegraph, the projects co-PI (Principal Investigator), Cornell's Emin Sirer, further explained:
“We plan to investigate the fundamental principles of cryptocurrency protocols, develop programming language support for smart contracts, and open-source secure systems infrastructure for cryptocurrency services, such as exchanges.”
In particular, Sirer explained that the project sets out to solve real-world problems Bitcoin is facing today. One of the research topics, for instance, is Bitcoin's scalability, a subject that has as of late attracted a lot of heated debate, in particular regarding the block size limit.
Sirer:
“My group has been hard at work looking into how to make Bitcoin scale better, how to simulate the Bitcoin network realistically, and how to build databases and web servers that can securely handle valuable assets, like cryptocurrencies.”
- Emin Sirer
The project will not be limited to Bitcoin, however. Notably, the NSF indicates to expect that improved cryptocurrency designs could emerge from the research.
The abstract reads:
“Expected outcomes include new crypto-currency designs with provable security properties, financially enforceable cryptographic protocols whose security properties are backed by enforceable payments in case of a breach, smart contract systems that are easy to program and formally verifiable, as well as high-assurance systems for storing and handling high-value crypto-currencies and transactions.”
The NSF is a Unites States government research agency whose goal it is to promote the progress of science. With an annual budget of US$7.3 billion, the NSF funds some 24 percent of all federally supported basic research conducted by American colleges and universities. The cryptocurrency research will take place under the NSF division Computer and Network Systems (CNS).
Cornell University has published several papers on Bitcoin and cryptocurrency so far. The best known of these is probably a 2013 paper by Ittay Eyal, which argued that less than a majority of Bitcoin miners could in theory successfully attack the network. Last week, Eyal published a new paper under Cornell University's wings, in which he claims that mining pools will probably shrink in size over time.
Cointelegraph reached out to the NSF, but received no response at time of publication.Israel's ambassador joined Spanish officials Friday in celebrating the name change of the ancient Spanish town of Castrillo Matajudios ("Camp Kill Jews") to Castrillo Mota de Judios ("Jews' Hill Camp").
The event came a year after the north-central village of some 50 inhabitants voted to change the name after the mayor argued it was offensive and the village should honor its Jewish origins.
Documents show the village's original name was "Jews' Hill Camp" and that the "Kill Jews" name dates from 1627, after a 1492 Spanish edict ordering Jews to convert to Catholicism or flee the country. Those who remained faced the Spanish Inquisition, with many burned at the stake.
Ambassador Daniel Kutner said the town's decision to celebrate its Jewish past was to be praised. "It must be remembered that the expulsion from Spain was for Jews a traumatic event of historical dimensions and set out the trajectory for the Jewish people from there on," he said at a brief ceremony before a road sign bearing the new name was placed at the town's entrance.
The name change was formally approved by the regional government of Castilla y Leon in June.
Researchers believe the village got its previous name from Jewish residents who converted to Catholicism and wanted to reinforce their repudiation of Judaism to convince Spanish authorities of their loyalty. Others suspect the change may have come from a slip of the pen.
No Jews live in the village today but many residents have Jewish roots and the town's official shield includes the Star of David.
New coat of arms of Spanish village formally called "Camp Kill Jews", now "Castrillo Mota de Judios". October 23, 2015. AFP
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(CNSNews.com) – The price of electricity in the United States for May was 13.1 cents per kilowatt hour (KWH), which is the highest it has been on record for that month, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which tracks the price going all the way back to 1984.
Thirteen cents per KWH is the highest price for the month of May in 29 years, according to the BLS numbers.
These price data come at a time when President Barack Obama has announced a “new national climate action plan” to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to combat alleged man-made global warming and spend more federal money on “clean energy” projects.
The coal industry, which produces about 45% of the electricity in America is expected to be the hardest hit by the federal regulations, raising its costs and the cost of electricity for consumers. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said that Obama’s plan is “a war on America” because the regulatory burden and costs will severely damage the U.S. coal industry.
The Consumer Price Index-Average Price Data at the BLS show that the U.S. city average price of electricity per KWH was 13.1 cents in May 2013, which is the latest month’s price data available. (See here and scroll down to “Electricity per KWH,” then click on the dinosaur icon for historical data chart.)
The BLS numbers show that the price per KWH in May 2012 was 12.9 cents; for May 2011, 12.9 cents; May 2010, 12.7 cents; and May 2009, 12.6 cents.
The price of electricity per KWH, compared with May 2013, was lower for every May going back to 1984, when the BLS data starts. In that year, the price per KWH was 8.1 cents. Those prices are in nominal numbers, not adjusted for inflation.
The BLS press office confirmed to CNSNews.com that the May 2013 price of 13.1 cents per KWH is the highest price for that month on record.
Back in January 2008, in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, then-Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) boasted about his cap and trade plan to combat global warming, saying, “You know, when I was asked earlier about the issue of coal, uh, you know — Under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket. Even regardless of what I say about whether coal is good or bad. Because I’m capping greenhouse gases, coal power plants, you know, natural gas, you name it — whatever the plants were, whatever the industry was, uh, they would have to retrofit their operations. That will cost money. They will pass that money on to consumers.”
In a June 27, 2013 speech at Georgetown University, President Barack Obama announced his “national climate action plan.” In his remarks, the president said, “This plan begins with cutting carbon pollution by changing the way we use energy -- using less dirty energy, using more clean energy, wasting less energy throughout our economy. … Today, about 40 percent of America’s carbon pollution comes from our power plants. … So today, for the sake of our children, and the health and safety of all Americans, I’m directing the Environmental Protection Agency to put an end to the limitless dumping of carbon pollution from our power plants, and complete new pollution standards for both new and existing power plants.”
On June 25, Sen. Manchin (D-W.Va.) issued a statement concerning President Obama’s plan stating, “[T]he regulations the president wants to force on coal are not feasible. And if it’s not feasible, it’s not reasonable. It’s clear now the president has declared a war on coal. It’s simply unacceptable that one of the key elements of his climate change proposal places regulations on coal that are completely impossible to meet with existing technology."
“The fact is clear: our own Energy Department reports that our country will get 37 percent of our energy from coal until 2040," said Manchin. "Removing coal from our energy mix will have disastrous consequences for our recovering economy. These policies punish American businesses by putting them at a competitive disadvantage with our global competitors. And those competitors burn seven-eighths of the world’s coal, and they’re not going to stop using coal any time soon.”With Sonic Society Season 11 looming next week, David Ault hosts a special Summerstock extra- Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” an OTR short directed and starring David Ault, edited and co-starring Jack Ward, and special guest stars David Cummings from The No Sleep Podcast, and showcasing the heart-stopping terror-filled music of Sharon Bee.
About The Author
Born to Teachers and Amateur Audio Enthusiasts in the small rural community of Belwood, Jack's first love was stories- writing, reading, telling, and singing. He developed his acting skills through High School, University, and through film and community theatre. Jack writes the lion's share of Electric Vicuna's Audio Drama scripts and has his own writing site at www.jackjward.com He's thrilled to co-host the Sonic Society with his wonderful, talented, friend David Ault!Ethan Miller / Getty Images Childish Gambino performs during the Life is Beautiful festival on Oct. 26, 2013, in Las Vegas
The actor Donald Glover, 30, will appear on only a few episodes of the next season of Community (which starts in January on NBC), but he’s staying busy as his rap alter-ego Childish Gambino. His new album, Because the Internet, drops Dec. 10.
He spoke to TIME for this week’s issue, and an extended version of that conversation is below.
TIME: First of all, your album art for Because the Internet is a GIF. In terms of pronunciation, do you say it with a hard G or a soft?
Childish Gambino: I say GIF like Gregory. Giff.
Do you feel strongly about that?
I mean, Jif is a peanut butter. I feel like it’s only right that GIF should sound different. The other way is confusing.
(MORE: Trebek Trolls Us All By Making ‘Final Jeopardy’ Question About the Pronunciation of ‘GIF’)
What’s the other half of that “because the internet” sentence?
I was working with Beck, and he asked me a question about whether rappers talk to each other and I started off the answer by saying, ‘I don’t like starting answers with this, but because the Internet…’ and he said, ‘You should name your album that.’ It started as a joke and the more we talked about it the more it was like, it actually makes sense. It’s weird to me that there’s not a similar title [out there already], because the Internet is everything. These words will end up on the Internet, somewhere, somehow. Everything we do is put into information online so I thought it was appropriate for the times.
And it lives there forever.
Yeah, my grandkids will see that.
So how much time do you spend on the Internet every day?
It’s probably easier to answer how much time I don’t spend on the Internet, which would probably be the time when I’m sleeping, so I guess about four hours.
What is that time usually spent doing?
Emailing, checking up on information, getting sent Vines, reading a tweet, any sort of information. The album’s sort of about how I only connect through that really. I mean, how often do you sit down and talk to someone for like two hours? It’s not like a bad thing. I don’t want anybody to think this is an indictment. But I thought it was an interesting thing. People used to talk a lot longer and now it’s, like, if I sit down and talk to someone for two hours and not look at my phone, not only is it like a great feat, like it’s hard to do, but I’d be probably in trouble. People would be like, ‘Where were you? Were you sick? Did you get in trouble?’ Something would be wrong.
On the song “3005” you say you’re scared of the future. Any futuristic thing in particular?
I’m afraid of the great robot war. It’s coming. You should know that. [laughs] Honestly, I’m not scared of the future at all. I think the future is progress if we treat it right. But I think a lot of other people are afraid. I feel like most people are afraid of the future. If you go on Tumblr you’ll see a lot of nostalgia, a lot of, ‘Remember Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Remember Sister, Sister? Remember Clarissa?’ It’s a lot of that. I don’t think we want to go forward, because it’s a little scary.
This is the first time ever we can see all our mistakes in front of us. My parents used to be, like, ‘Aw man, look at how we used to dress in the ‘70s.’ Now kids are aware of, ‘OK, this is going to look dumb soon.’ We can see our mistakes in real time. That’s why there’s a lot of retro things. So if you’re like, ‘Oh that looks silly,’ well, this is taken from something that already worked so you’re kind of out of the loop.
Do you consider yourself anti-nostalgia?
To be fair, probably, yeah. I don’t see the point. I like memories. Memories are all we have. That’s why everybody’s afraid to die, honestly. You really won’t know but the thing is memories, people are like, “I’ll miss things, I’ll miss |
handles everything, aka by moping and causing the others to prove their worth to him in his eyes, so that he will finally trust others again. And of course, he will mope about and be angry for a while, and everyone else will tell him to get over himself because it will be so groan-inducingly horrid.
Unanswered questions:
What did Stan do in his past to have the Author comment on it? How does it connect to what he’s doing now?
How long ago in the past did Stan “make a deal with a witch”?
How long has Stan been not been able to “hear” and how long has the Author been able to “see”?
What does Grenda have to do with all of this?
Why would the Author tell a story of 3 potentially different episodes all smashed together into one?
Why is the Tale considered “forgotten”??
These aren’t questions I can answer, and everything is merely speculation. It’s possibly I’m only seeing what I WANT to see, aka Grembert = Grunkle Stan. It’s possible I’m totally off-base and everything is not metaphorical. It could be the entire site was made up to confuse us all! But these aren’t answers I can give because in truth they don’t yet exist. It is but a theory, and a theory it will remain.A Detailed Look at the Kobe 9 Elite Low “Beethoven”
4.00 / 5 8 VOTES This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. The opinions and information provided on this site are original editorial content of Sneaker News.
Just incase you missed out on the NIKEiD rendition of the Nike Kobe 9 Elite Low, the Swoosh still has some more tricks up their respective sleeves, like this “Beethoven” Kobe 9 Elite Low headed our way in the middle of August. The pair features a clean array of white, wolf grey, and black in an homage to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony matching the number in the Kobe catalogue. Hit the click for more from this Nike Kobe 9 Elite Low and let us know if you plan on grabbing a pair once they arrive at retailers August 16th. And just incase you can’t wait, see what you can find on eBay.
Source: Hypebeast
Nike Kobe 9 Elite Low “Beethoven”
Color: White/Black-Wolf Grey
Style Code: 639045-101
Release Date: 08/16/14
Price: $200Fortunately, the number of people who receive welfare and other forms of assistance is well-documented. The U.S. Census Bureau and independent research organizations collect and analyze such data, and it can be used to debunk the myths about people on welfare and how much the federal government spends on social services.
President Trump has regularly claimed that dependence on welfare is "out of control" and even wrote about it in his 2011 book, "Time to Get Tough." In it, he stated, without evidence, that recipients of TANF, popularly known as food stamps, "have been on the dole for nearly a decade." He suggested that widespread fraud in government assistance programs was a significant problem.
Politicians also play up these stereotypes about welfare recipients. During the 2015‒16 Republican primary, the problem of an increasingly expensive welfare state was commonly cited by the candidates. In one debate, then Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said, "We are on the path to socialism right now. We’ve got record dependents, a record number of Americans on food stamps, record low participation rate in the workforce."
We've all heard the stereotypes about welfare recipients: They're lazy. They refuse to work and have more kids just to collect more money. In our mind's eye, they are most often people of color. Once they're on welfare, they stay on it, because why would you choose to work when you can get free money every month?
In addition, programs that primarily help the middle class, namely the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit, are included in this 10 percent.
Of the 3.7 trillion dollars the U.S. government spent that year, the largest expenditures were Social Security (24 percent), healthcare (25 percent), and defense and security (16 percent), according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (a nonpartisan research and policy institute).
Many Republicans have claimed that social services expenditures are out of control and crippling the federal budget, but these programs accounted for just 10 percent of federal spending in 2015.
Far from enrollment and spending on TANF being out of control, they are not even remotely sufficient.
What's worse, reports the CBPP, the cash benefits paid to families have not kept pace with inflation and home rental prices, so the benefits received by needy families enrolled in TANF today are worth about 20 percent less than what they were worth in 1996.
When it debuted in 1996, TANF provided important and life-changing assistance for 4.4 million families. In 2016, the program served just 1.36 million, down from 1.6 million in 2014, despite the fact that the numbers of families in poverty increased over that time period. Just over five million families were in poverty in 2000, but that number is now close to six million. That means TANF does a poorer job of lifting families out of poverty than did its predecessor, AFDC, prior to welfare reform.
Contrary to President Trump's claims about welfare, far fewer families in need receive support from this program today than did when welfare reform was enacted in 1996. The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) reported in 2016 that since welfare reform was enacted and Aid for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) was replaced by TANF, the program has served progressively fewer families. Today, the program's benefits and eligibility for them, which are determined on a state-by-state basis, leave many families in poverty and deep poverty (living on less than 50 percent of the federal poverty line).
However, it's worth pointing out that most benefits recipients are concentrated within Medicaid (15.3 percent of the population as a monthly average in 2012) and SNAP (13.4 percent). Just 4.2 percent of the population received housing assistance in a given month in 2012, just 3 percent received SSI, and a combined 1 percent received TANF or GA.
The study also found that the average monthly rate of participation was just about one in five, meaning more than 52 million people received assistance during each month of 2012.
During 2012, more than one in four Americans received some form of government welfare, according to a 2015 report by the U.S. Census Bureau titled "Dynamics of Economic Well-Being: Participation in Government Programs, 2009–2012: Who Gets Assistance?" The study examined participation in the six major government assistance programs: Medicaid, SNAP, Housing Assistance, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), TANF, and General Assistance (GA). Medicaid, which falls under healthcare spending, is included in this study because it serves low-income and poor families who cannot otherwise afford medical care.
Though TANF serves fewer people today than it did in 1996, when we look at the bigger picture of welfare and government assistance programs, many more people are receiving help than you might think.
Conversely, those most likely to be short-term participants are white, those who attended college for at least a year, and full-time workers.
Those more likely to be on the long-term end are those living in households with incomes below the federal poverty line, including children, black people, female-headed households, those without a high school degree, and those not in the labor force.
While most people who received government assistance between 2009 and 2012 were long-term participants, about a third were short-term participants who received aid for a year or less, according to a 2015 U.S. Census Bureau report.
So when one imagines a welfare recipient, that person should not be an adult sitting on a couch before a television. That person should be a child in need.
The 2015 report by the U.S. Census Bureau also shows that children participate for longer durations in these programs than adults. From 2009 to 2012, more than half of all children who received government assistance did so for somewhere between 37 and 48 months. Adults, whether they are over or under 65 years of age, are split between short- and long-term participation, with their rates of long-term participation far lower than those of children.
The vast majority of Americans receiving one of the six major forms of government assistance are children below the age of 18. Nearly half of all children in the U.S.—46.7 percent—received some form of government assistance at some point during 2012, while about two in five American children on average received assistance in a given month during the same year. Meanwhile, fewer than 17 percent of adults under the age of 64 received assistance on average during a given month in 2012, as did 12.6 percent of adults over the age of 65.
Additionally, more than 9.4 million children were enrolled in CHIP in 2017, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a program that provides medical care to children from families earning above the Medicaid threshold but not enough to afford healthcare.
The highest rates of child enrollment in Medicaid are concentrated in the South and Southwest, but rates are substantial in most states, with the lowest state rate at 21 percent, or one in five children.
However, the organization's analysis of coverage by state shows that rates differ widely across the nation. In three states, more than half of all children are enrolled in Medicaid, and in another 16 states, the rate is between 40 and 49 percent.
The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that, in 2015, 39 percent of all children in America—30.4 million—received healthcare coverage through Medicaid. Their rate of enrollment in this program is far higher than that for adults under the age of 65, who participate at a rate of just 15 percent.
Many Who Receive Benefits Are Working
A map shows the percent of non-elderly Medicaid recipients who have at least one full-time worker in the household. Rates were above 50 percent of all enrollees in every state in 2015. Kaiser Family Foundation
Data analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that, in 2015, the vast majority of people enrolled in Medicaid—77 percent—were in a household where at least one adult was employed (full- or part-time). A full 37 million enrollees, more than three in five, were members of households with at least one full-time worker.
The CBPP points out that more than half of SNAP recipients who are able-bodied working-age adults are working while receiving benefits, and more than 80 percent are employed in the years prior to and following participation in the program. Among households with children, the rate of employment surrounding SNAP participation is even higher.
The 2015 report by the U.S. Census Bureau confirms that many recipients of other government assistance programs are employed. About 1 in 10 full-time workers received government assistance in 2012, while a quarter of part-time workers did.
Of course, rates of participation in the six major government assistance programs are much higher for those who are unemployed (41.5 percent) and outside of the labor force (32 percent). It's worth noting that those who are employed are more likely to be short-term rather than long-term recipients of government assistance. Nearly half of those who are recipients from homes with at least one full-time worker participate for no longer than a year.JTA
An American-born teacher who pleaded guilty to child molestation at a Jewish school in Melbourne allegedly was assisted in fleeing to Israel by his employer.
In a pre-sentencing hearing Wednesday at the County Court of Victoria, the prosecution argued that David Kramer should receive the maximum sentence of five years in prison when he is sentenced on July 24.
Prosecutor Brett Sennett told the court that Rabbi Avrohom Glick, the then-principal of the Chabad-run boys’ school in Melbourne, did not report allegations about Kramer to police because he was “concerned for his welfare.”
Instead, the college paid for Kramer to flee to Israel in 1993 before he returned to America, where he offended again, the court was told.
Kramer’s attorney, Tim Marsh, attempted to shift blame from his client to the college.
“There could have been an investigation, there should have been an investigation but instead there was a cover-up,” he said.
In April, Kramer pleaded guilty to five charges of indecent assault and one charge of committing an indecent act with a minor at Melbourne’s Yeshivah College in the early 1990s. Of the four victims, two now reside in the United States.
Kramer, 52, was extradited from America to Australia last year after he had served a four-year jail sentence for sodomizing a 12-year-old child at a St. Louis synagogue.
Manny Waks, the head of Tzedek, a support group for Jewish victims of child sex abuse, said outside court that the revelations about Glick were “absolutely astounding” and called on him to resign from his post at the college.
“It’s clear that the Yeshivah leadership cared solely for the welfare of the perpetrator,” he said. “It seems no consideration whatsoever was given to the welfare of the victims. Yeshivah and its leadership need to be held to full account.”
Last year, Yeshivah apologized “unreservedly” to victims for “any historical wrongs that may have occurred.”
Kramer’s sentencing next week will bring to a close the first in a series of child sex abuse cases that have rocked the Jewish community in Australia.The threat was there in April, on the night Steph Curry shot his way to superstardom, when, for a few moments, Oracle Arena seemed to levitate by the force of fans’ screams. It was there last October, when the A’s crowd stunned the visiting Tigers by standing and cheering for 20 minutes, all to celebrate a season that had just ended with a loss. And it was there again this September, when the parking lot outside O.co Coliseum filled before 7 a.m. with football’s most degenerate tailgaters, there for their terrible Raiders’ game against the even-more-terrible Jaguars.
The threat is constant in Oakland. So much so that petitions have been signed, activist groups formed, and mayoral speeches given. “If we don’t do something,” says Chris Dobbins, a 41-year-old season-ticket holder for the A’s, Raiders, and Warriors, “if we don’t get the political will to really fight for this, then all of this will be over. It’ll be gone.”
He says this while sitting at a bar that overlooks the field at O.co Coliseum, where the first-place A’s are playing the third-place Angels in front of a crowd fit for a last-place team. By this he means the A’s, along with their cotenants the Raiders, as well as the next-door neighbor Warriors. He means that this crowd, paltry as it may be, will no longer come together. Some will drive to see the San Jose A’s in their new park; others will just stay home. He means that this piece of land, long a gathering point for loyal masochists in green-and-gold or silver-and-black or shirts that say We Believe, will be no more than a parking lot. He means that this city, San Francisco’s long-tougher and now-hipper little sister, will cease to be a big-league town.
The threat is simple. Today, Oakland has three teams. Within five years, it could have none.
It’s nice to think that all of that matters.
It’s nice to think that sports are important, that we’re rooting for more than a jersey. “The teams are a fabric of the community,” says Dobbins, and when he says it he’s speaking for millions, not just those around Oakland, but anyone whose allegiance is based on geography. It’s nice to think that sports contribute to civic life. They bring people together. It’s nice to say that, regardless of race or class, we all throw our hands skyward and scream the same way. “It gives a sense that you’re a part of this world,” says Dobbins. “These teams, especially ones that have Oakland across the jersey — they say that this city matters.”
But what happens when you take that away? What happens when you take a city — one more famous for its violence than for anything else — and you eliminate those pieces of laundry that announce its existence to the world? What happens when economics and politics and demographics all conspire, moving franchises to cities deemed more important, to fans deemed more fit to support a team? If you do that to a city — if you strip it not just of one team but of every team — then what do you have left? In Oakland, we might soon find out.
Jean Quan thinks this is important. She’s Oakland’s mayor, the first woman and the first Asian American to hold that office, and she’s walking into the back room of a sports bar on this Wednesday night to update constituents on their teams.
The room is awash in green-and-gold and silver-and-black. Scattered throughout are splashes of Warriors blue. It’s the monthly meeting of Save Oakland Sports, a group started by Dobbins and now in the process of applying for nonprofit status. There are more than 40 people in attendance — a cross section of race and class, about 90 percent male. Dobbins stands up front, addressing the fans in a blue shirt and tie, and as he watches Quan walk in, the sound of his voice is swallowed by cheers.
Quan is 63 years old, too radical for most cities but in Oakland not quite radical enough. She is shaped like a thumbtack and has the voice of an alto racetrack announcer. She is followed into the room by her husband, Floyd Huen, who wears an A’s cap and jacket. They’ve come to update the group on each team’s status in Oakland, to explain how and why, they believe, all three will remain in town. When she reaches the podium, Quan grabs the hat off the top of Huen’s head. “I’m waving this in San Francisco’s face!” she yells, because in Oakland, Giants fans’ suffering is nearly as important as A’s fans’ joy. “This is our year, not theirs!”
For now, that’s true. But if the A’s keep winning, future years could belong to San Jose. That’s where owner Lew Wolff wants to move the team. San Jose is an hour south of Oakland and the capital of Silicon Valley, a fast-growing sprawl of new transplants and newer money. Wolff wants those transplants to fill his seats and their dollars to go toward his luxury boxes, and he wants all of this to happen in a pristine downtown ballpark, one that would render the Coliseum obsolete.
The Raiders, likewise, want to see the Coliseum destroyed, but unlike Wolff, Raiders owner Mark Davis has said he wants to remain in Oakland. Still, the team’s lease with the Coliseum expires at the end of this year, and though Davis wants a new stadium nearby, he also looks 400 miles south and sees Los Angeles, a city with nearly 10 times as many people and zero NFL teams. “I’m like a pinch hitter in the bottom of the ninth,” Quan tells the crowd. Previous mayors, she says, could have helped the Raiders make a deal for a new stadium, but they didn’t. Now, time has almost run out.
And then there are the Warriors. The only team that doesn’t even claim Oakland in its name — “Most people around the country don’t even know where ‘Golden State’ is,” says Dobbins — is also eager for a new home. Owner Joe Lacob looks across the San Francisco Bay and sees a world-class city with plenty of basketball tradition but no basketball team, and he envisions a waterfront arena and high-priced free agents and courtside season tickets for the tech industry’s newly rich. That move is a done deal, according to popular wisdom. But not according to Quan. “The Warriors will be here as long as I’m mayor,” she says. “And I expect to win a second term.”
At this, they all clap. Moments later Quan’s husband asks how many in the room are Oakland voters. And in a moment that says at least something about the fight to keep Oakland’s sports, only four people raise their hands.
Here’s what you’ve got to understand,” Maurice Greer says, but before he continues he turns and looks away. We’re in the left-field bleachers at the Coliseum. The A’s are losing to the Angels 8-1, and throughout the stadium, fans, of which there were never very many, have started to go home.
Except in the outfield. In both left and right fields, there are signs and drumbeats and screams, reminders that, yes, in fact, this is a September home game for a first-place team. Any pitch could spark a comeback, Greer says, so he’s not going to miss one just so he can talk to me. He jumps up into the aisle, where he stands and screams while C.J. Wilson settles into his stretch.
Wilson throws a strike. Greer returns. “What you’ve got to understand is that the Oakland A’s are tied to the social movements of the city,” he says. “The Black Panthers, the Free Speech Movement, the A’s, the Raiders, all of that — it’s all bound up together.” Wilson winds up again and Greer steps away. “Hold up,” he says.
After another strike, he returns. “You take the team away, you’re taking away something that represents that piece of the history.”
Oakland emerged as a port city in the late 19th century. Because San Francisco sits on a peninsula, ships sailed right past it and into the bay, where they dropped off cargo in Oakland, whose location made it well equipped to transfer goods from the ships to trains. It grew into one of America’s most diverse cities over the course of the 20th century. African Americans from the South came to work at the port. They joined immigrants from Asia and Latin America in making Oakland their new home.
Between 1900 and 1930, Oakland quadrupled in size. Growth slowed in the following decades, but when the American Football League began play in 1960, it deemed Oakland fit for a team. And so the Raiders were born. In 1968, the Athletics moved to Oakland from Kansas City, and in 1971 the local basketball team moved across the bay, changing its name from the San Francisco Warriors to the vague but more inclusive Golden State.
All the while, Oakland and Alameda County became home to the fringes of leftist political movements that were gaining traction throughout the United States. In 1964, nearby Berkeley hosted the Free Speech Movement, a series of student-led protests that led to reforms allowing political activity on campus. The Movement turned Berkeley into Berkeley. Huey P. Newton started the Black Panther Party in Oakland in 1966, and while the civil rights movement gained momentum in the South, the Panthers’ militant strain of black activism gained traction out west.
Much of this — the concurrent rise of Oakland sports and Oakland radicalism — is coincidence. But on occasion the two worlds overlapped. In 1965, the Raiders were scheduled to play an exhibition game against the Jets in Mobile, Alabama. Four Raiders, however, refused to play. The problem: Mobile’s Ladd Stadium segregated black and white spectators. Rather than continue amid a player-led protest, the teams moved the game.
The A’s launched a dynasty in the early 1970s, winning three consecutive championships from 1972 to 1974 — just as the Black Panther Party was rising to power in city politics. One piece of the Panthers’ strategy was the launch of a sports section in their propaganda-filled newspaper, The Black Panther. Readers picked up the paper for news about Ken Stabler and Reggie Jackson, but when they kept reading, they found op-eds advocating overthrow of the capitalist system.
Still, talk of the intertwining of Oakland’s teams with its political movements is, more than anything, talk of nostalgia. The ’60s and ’70s were great because the Raiders and A’s were winning and Oakland, in the national conversation, mattered.
But today, the people of Oakland have noticed a coincidence. The A’s are good. The Warriors are good. And it just so happens that, right now, Oakland matters again.
Quan likes to use the term “renaissance.” We’re back at the sports bar, and the mayor is nestled in a corner booth with her husband and Dobbins and Save Oakland Sports vice-president Bryan Cauwels, rattling off Oakland’s attributes like she spent the past week trapped inside the visitors’ bureau.
“We have the best weather in the country … We’re the hottest place in the country for food … One of the greenest cities in the country … Most walkable, most bikeable … “
She says this in between bites of onion rings, occasionally interrupted by bites of a grilled crab sandwich, pausing once to cut off a piece of her husband’s steak. After a pause to chew, she mentions the big one, courtesy of real estate company Movoto: “We’re the most exciting city in America — it’s true.”
It is true. Oakland is having a moment. Long considered the Brooklyn to San Francisco’s Manhattan, Oakland has absorbed the members of the creative class who’ve been driven across the bay by soaring rents. But as much as experimental cuisine and modernist galleries have helped to revitalize downtown, the restaurateurs aren’t the ones putting Oakland in the headlines. Activists are.
Occupy Wall Street may have started in New York, but the movement found its truest home in Oakland. Never mind that there are no major banks headquartered here. Never mind, either, that the only Fortune 500 company within a five-mile radius is Clorox. Oakland’s tradition of radical protest (and, perhaps just as importantly, its yearlong good weather) made it hospitable in 2011 and 2012 to Occupy protesters.
Except, that is, when it wasn’t. Police raided the protesters’ encampment twice in the fall of 2011, both times on Quan’s watch. The protests continued, attracting activists from San Francisco and across the region, prompting a New York Times Magazine article: “Oakland, the Last Refuge of Radical America.”
So what does this have to do with pro sports? Nothing, really, and that’s the point: Oakland’s most recent turn in the spotlight can be attributed to its activists and its creatives and not, in any way, to its teams. In fact, one notable protest in the area was decidedly anti-sports. Up in Berkeley, when Cal wanted to build a new athletic training center, construction was hindered because activists took up residence in soon-to-be-cut-down trees.
Yet whatever the relationship between Oakland’s renaissance and its teams, Quan insists the franchises matter. “Oakland is so used to being dissed,” she says. “We’re treated like San Francisco’s ugly stepsister. When the media talks about Oakland, they malign it. But we’re a tough city, a blue-collar city that has this chip on our shoulder, and that’s represented by these teams — teams we stuck with even when they were losing.”
Between Quan and Cauwels, talk turns to a potential conflict if and when the A’s clinch the division. The team wants to host a downtown rally on October 1, the same day the Chinese community will be celebrating a national holiday.
“We’ll work it out to do both,” says Quan.
“Imagine that,” says Cauwels, thinking through the mascots used in each community’s celebrations. “We could have a lion, a dragon, and an elephant all in the same place at the same time.”
“That,” Quan says, “is Oakland for you.”
On September 15, the Oakland Raiders played the Jacksonville Jaguars at O.co Coliseum.
That, when describing the scene at a Raiders home game, is all that needs to be said, right? The Raiders played a football game. As for the rest of the scene — you can fill in the blanks. You know, for example, that because the Raiders played a football game, there was a caravan rolling into the Coliseum parking lot around 6:45 a.m., dozens of cars, half of which seemed to be blasting 2Pac and Dr. Dre’s “California Love.” And you know that, because the Raiders played a football game, the parking lot smelled like sweat and weed and brisket, that some fans had the team logo tattooed on their arms and others had “Raiders” scrawled in Sharpie across their bald heads. You know that a few wore jerseys with prison inmate numbers and that one or two had T-shirts that read “Occupy the NFL.”
At this point, if you follow sports at all, the setting is implied. The Raiders played. An octogenarian in a wheelchair smoked a cigarette while pointing at the picture of Al Davis on her shirt. One implies the other. No more needs to be said.
Amid all this — all these passionate fans, here despite the general mediocrity of their team — I met 25-year-old Ray Perez. Perez is a college student from West Sacramento, and he moonlights as a server at Joe’s Crab Shack, and he was dressed, as you have no doubt already inferred, in prison pants and a Raiders jersey and fake dreadlocks and a helmet covered in protruding knives. His face was painted black, except for the parts of his face that were painted silver. On the back of his jersey was written the name by which he is most often called: Dr. Death.
Though he became Dr. Death, one of dozens of self-made Raiders fan characters, only three years ago, Perez has been attending Raiders games since he was 7. He can barely remember the days when the Raiders played in Los Angeles (the team moved back to Oakland in 1995 after 13 seasons away), but Perez still cringes anytime he sees an L.A. Raiders logo. Someday, he thinks, the L.A.-adorned gear will make for a nice collector’s item, a relic of a long-forgotten time, but not yet. “When the stadium deal gets done, then, maybe, yeah,” he says. “But not until then.”
Mark Davis, the team’s owner and Al’s son, has said repeatedly that he wants to stay. But the Coliseum is one of the oldest and most dilapidated venues in the NFL — a concrete husk with few amenities and zero charm, a place most famous this year for the overflowing of its dugout toilets. So L.A. beckons, as it does to most every cash-strapped team, but “Oakland,” Davis recently told ESPN.com, “is absolutely where we would prefer to get something done.”
Right now, the Coliseum and Oracle Arena sit surrounded by a giant parking lot, which is surrounded by still more parking lots, which are surrounded by low-income neighborhoods. This disconnects the venues from city life, but it allows for tailgating and for ease of transport — it’s all right off the freeway. It also enables the longstanding Oakland tradition of postgame white flight. Dobbins is a lifelong Oaklander and a member of the city’s school board, but he says bluntly, “People from the suburbs want to be able to come to Oakland for a game without feeling like they have to spend any time actually in Oakland.” Talk of pro sports’ importance is often talk of economics. People come from out of town for a game, the thinking goes, but they stay in town for dinner or drinks or a stroll around town. In Oakland, because of the venues’ isolation, this effect is virtually nonexistent.
Oakland has proposed a plan for what it calls “Coliseum City,” a development effort around the stadium modeled after Los Angeles’s L.A. Live. It would include new venues — one for the Raiders (definitely), one for the Warriors (ideally), and one for the A’s (perhaps, but we’ll get to that soon). It would also include shopping and entertainment, as well as a business park and housing developments.
The Raiders, Davis has said, would like to build the NFL’s smallest stadium, with 58,000 seats, on this land. Quan insists that minimal (if any) public financing would be needed to get it done. The Raiders declined to make anyone available to be interviewed for this story, but team spokesman Mike Taylor issued a statement: “Both sides are conducting studies to determine the financial viability of the project. There is a real sense of urgency for both parties.”
The hope among fans is that the same crowds will come out for games, with their same eccentricities and same derelict charms. Inside the Coliseum, just minutes before kickoff against the Jags, a man stood in the front row, leaning over the divider that separates fan from field, smacking its surface and screaming at Jags third-year lineman Cameron Bradfield. “Seventy-eight!” he yelled. “Get the fuck over here! Come here so I can fuck you up!”
His name was Frank. He was sitting with a friend, who explained that Frank had just been released from prison. And no matter what comes of Coliseum City, for the Raiders to be the Raiders, home games will need to remain hospitable to ex-cons.
Let’s go back to the A’s game. Same venue, different day, different crowd. As in: The Raiders actually had a crowd. The A’s had a smattering of people who happened to be wearing green and sitting inside a baseball stadium. Any resemblance to a crowd seemed coincidental.
Wolff, the owner, noticed. “There is something wrong here,” he told USA Today. “You would think that with our lead, people would want to come out, count down the magic numbers, and all that stuff. Even if you’re not a loyal fan, you would think this time of year, where the teams are in the standings, and where every game means something, people would come out.”
They would, explained Dobbins — if it wasn’t for Wolff. “You’re not going to commit to a team unless that team commits to you,” he said. “There’s still passion and energy — just look at the playoff games last year — but to come out on a Monday night, to commit like that, a lot of people don’t want to do it when the ownership doesn’t want the team to be here.”
In 1990, under previous ownership, the A’s drew nearly 36,000 fans a game. This year, despite the team’s success, they’ve averaged a little more than 22,000, which ranks 23rd in Major League Baseball. But in the right-field bleachers, the diehards remained, chanting and clapping and beating drums, even in the middle of a blowout.
“Lew Wolff wants us to stay home,” says Jorge Leon, 28, a season-ticket holder and lifelong fan. “He wants to be able to say, ‘Look how empty this place is.’ He wants that excuse.”
Oakland fans like Mark Davis, if for no other reason than that he’s Al’s son. Feelings toward Warriors owner Joe Lacob are more complicated. Yes, he wants to move the team to San Francisco, but the Warriors have always felt like they belonged to the entire Bay Area as much as to Oakland. Besides, fans think, at least the team is finally winning.
There is no ambivalence toward Wolff. Quan sums up her constituents’ feelings: “I don’t think he even loves the game,” she says. “He doesn’t care.” Wolff has been open for years about his lust for San Jose. Financially, his motives make sense. “Oakland is very clearly an inadequate market,” says Andrew Zimbalist, a sports economist at Smith College. Money flows to teams from corporations, Zimbalist explains, whether through stadium ads or box suites or corporate season-ticket packages. San Jose has Facebook and Google. Oakland has Clorox and Ask.com. “From a corporate standpoint,” says Zimbalist, “Oakland is one of the weakest markets in baseball.”
Save Oakland Sports is organizing an East Bay business summit, scheduled for November 7, with invitations sent to business leaders around the area. The idea is to show the teams that corporate money is available in Oakland — there just needs to be more dialogue between companies and teams. They’ve invited Mark Davis to be the keynote speaker. So far, he has yet to respond.
It’s difficult to isolate Oakland as a market unto itself. For television, Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose are grouped together, combining to make the sixth-largest market in the country. “Historically, Oakland was thought of as just a piece of the Bay Area marketplace,” says Zimbalist. “But the dynamics there are changing.” San Jose has boomed, while Oakland’s population and economy have stagnated. And the Giants and 49ers have a broader footprint regionally. “San Francisco is just a more familiar city,” says Dobbins. “If you live in some random Northern California town, you’re probably a Giants fan.”
But Dobbins counters Zimbalist’s thinking. “It’s probably true that in San Jose they could get more corporate money, and there would be a state-of-the-art stadium, and that place would probably be packed,” he says. “But if there’s an ownership group that is committed to Oakland, the same thing can happen here. The same thing has happened here.”
For now, A’s fans can thank their cross-bay rival for keeping the team from moving to San Jose. MLB rules give each team a local monopoly. As a franchise, you’re granted geographic territory, and once that has been established, no other team can move in. The Giants control the rights to the San Jose market. They don’t want the A’s infringing on their territory. So, for now, the A’s will remain in Oakland. But the city of San Jose has filed a lawsuit against MLB that could pave the way for a move and forever change the league’s exemption from antitrust laws.
Meanwhile, Oakland is offering its own plans for potential ballparks. There’s the Coliseum City option, which would keep the A’s at their current site but in a new stadium. And then there’s the possibility of following baseball’s recent trend by building a stadium downtown. The city owns land at Howard Terminal, a site that sits on the bay near a number of restaurants and bars. Quan wants to build there. “You put it right there and it changes downtown,” she says. “The Asian Americans will go to Chinatown for dinner before the game. The |
unions, it has, since the 1980s, been far more potently adopted by the far right.
In the film, Mr Thompson interviews a diverse array of Australians about the Southern Cross, from tattoo artists — many of whom refer to it as the “Aussie Swazi” thanks to ubiquitous requests for the symbol — to academics, artists, advertisers and, of course, Aboriginal people.
He also interviews former surf lifesaver Phil Dennis, who had the Southern Cross tattooed on his back 12 years ago in honour of his great uncle Percy who died at Gallipoli, and Percy’s son Sydney, who perished in WWII.
He got the tattoo, he said, to honour his heritage and to reflect his pride in his family and his country.
Then things changed, he wrote in an opinion piece for the ABC last year.
“I got that tattoo before Cronulla. I got that tattoo before Bendigo,” he said, of high profile race riots and anti-Islam protests, where the Eureka flag was prominently displayed.
“Since then, groups such as Reclaim Australia and United Patriots Front all have used our flag, our symbols, to hide behind. To peddle their view point, their propaganda.
“My Southern Cross has been hijacked.
“At first I didn’t realise the impact it would have. But as summers passed; on the beach teaching nippers, at the pool teaching kids how to swim and eventually as a teacher, teaching surfing, I have heard passing comments, fragments of conversations from parents, peers and students on how they interpret the tattoo on my back.
“The person they see in the symbol I wear is not who I am.
“I’m not a racist, a bigot or violent.”
Also among the interviewees in We Don’t Need a Map is Big Day Out founder Ken West, who banned the Australian flag from the national festival in 2007, because of its corruption as a symbol of racism and bigotry.
Being in front of the camera is a departure for Mr Thornton, for whom Samson and Delilah, his first feature film, won him the prestigious Cannes Film Festival Camera d’Or prize in 2009.
The film was described as a “survival love story”, depicting two Aboriginal teenagers who steal a car to drive to Alice Springs.
In the end, he said the exploratory documentary taught him a lot, even mellowing that forcefully-held opinion that catapulted him into the centre of a national debate in 2010.
“The irony is, after making the film, I won’t judge that book by its cover any more,” he told Radio National.
“Hey, I might even get a Southern Cross tattoo.”
We Don’t Need a Map is showing at the State Theatre on Sunday and Tuesday, as part of the Sydney Film Festival. After the screening on Sunday is In Conversation with Warwick Thornton, starting at 3.45pm.
Click here for tickets.Antonio Conte led Chelsea to the Premier League title in his first season in charge
Chelsea are confident manager Antonio Conte will sign a new contract this summer.
The Italian, 47, still has two seasons left on the three-year deal he signed when he joined the club last summer.
The Stamford Bridge outfit are keen to reward Conte for an outstanding debut campaign in which he won the Premier League and reached the FA Cup final.
Despite rumours that he was thinking of a return to Italy, Conte said last month that he wanted to stay in London.
Chelsea are still to make a signing this summer.
Everton striker Romelu Lukaku has been linked with a return to the club he left for £28m in 2014, while Leicester forward Riyad Mahrez and Juventus right-back Dani Alves - who is also a target for Manchester City - have been identified as possible targets.
On 9 June, striker Diego Costa said Conte had sent him a text message to say he no longer wanted the Spain striker at the club.A 34-YEAR-OLD woman stabbed her boyfriend with a knife in a drunken row over who had eaten most chips.
Blackburn magistrates heard the man suffered a wound to his shoulder after being stabbed with the kitchen knife by Dianne Margaret Clayton.
Clayton, of Limbrick, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to assaulting Simon Hill causing him actual bodily harm.
She was remanded on bail until January 4 for the preparation of a pre-sentence report.
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Andrea Fawcett, prosecuting, said on the night of the incident both parties and other witnesses had been drinking.
“The catalyst for this incident appears to be who had eaten more of the chips than the other person,” said Mrs Fawcett.
“The aggrieved refused to make a statement but it appears that during the row she has picked up a kitchen knife.”
Mrs Fawcett said Clayton held the knife against Mr Hill while shouting at him and then poked him with it.
“Given that a knife was involved the injury is far less serious that it could have been,” said Mrs Fawcett.
“She has no previous convictions but has a recent caution for possession of a bladed instrument.”
Richard Prew, defending, said his client could remember little about the incident.
“She has some injuries herself which she can’t explain,” said Mr Prew.(CNN) With the announcement Interior Minister Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef becomes next in line to the Saudi throne, and the King's own son Defense Minister Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in line after him, Saudi Arabia's ruler King Salman has at a stroke modernized the face of the monarchy.
The question is: In preparing the monarchy for the future, has King Salman modernized the country?
Saudi is typical for the Gulf -- by far the majority of its population is under 30 years old.
But elsewhere in the region, younger leaders are increasingly the norm. Qatar is a point in case. The current Emir is just 35 years old, and his father was in his early 60s when he was ousted two years ago.
And yet in Saudi Arabia, since the country's founder, Abdulaziz Ibn Saud, died in 1953, only his sons have been King -- passing the throne brother to brother, resulting an aging monarchy in an evermore youthful region.
Read MoreFREEHOLD -- An Asbury Park man jailed on drug offenses was hit with more charges after authorities found 35 hits of fentanyl up his rear end.
Shaeddenz Coleman, 29, was charged with drug possession and possession with intent to distribute after authorities found the contraband - 35 wax paper folds contained in a plastic bag - "within his anal cavity," according to a complaint filed Nov. 29.
The fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, was found Nov. 20 while he was an inmate at the Monmouth County jail in Freehold, the complaint said.
Besides those two offenses, Coleman is charged with possession of a hypodermic needle, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and drug possession, according to jail records.
He is being held in the Monmouth County jail in lieu of $15,000 bail, according to the complaint.
MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on FacebookCHAPEL HILL, N.C. (MarketWatch) — New Hampshire’s primary results are a sideshow compared with the most important political poll of all: the stock market.
Which is ironic, since — in contrast to the presidential campaign so far, which has confused matters more than clarified them — the stock market is voting loudly and clearly: The Republicans are likely to regain control of the White House this November.
It’s easy to overlook the outsized influence that the stock market has on presidential politics, since its message doesn’t change on a day-by-day basis, or even week to week. Accordingly, it doesn’t fit into the daily news cycle that dominates the media’s attention. That’s why most political commentators rarely mention the stock market or the economy — and focus instead on such Earth-shattering topics as the latest “Trumpertantrum” or on which computer server a few emails were sent over a decade ago.
So remember the words of James Carville, Bill Clinton’s campaign strategist in 1992, about what really determines presidential elections: “It’s the economy, stupid.”
Contrast the stock market’s performance in those years in which the incumbent political party retains the White House with how it does when the incumbent party loses. As you can see from the chart at the top of this page, a strong stock market is correlated with the incumbent party winning. A declining stock market is associated with a change of parties at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Of course, as statisticians constantly remind us, correlation is not causation. Furthermore, it’s important to emphasize that the results plotted in the above chart are only barely statistically significant, so they should be interpreted as being more suggestive than conclusive. (The absence of strong statistical significance is in large part due to the small sample: There have been just 18 U.S. presidential elections since 1900 in which the incumbent party won, and 11 in which there was a change.)
One silver lining for the Democrats is that the stock market has wasted little time in producing such awful election-year performance — with the S&P 500 SPX, -0.08% down almost 10% in just six weeks and the Nasdaq Composite COMP, -0.07% down 15%.
Contrast this year with 2008, for example: Though the stock market in that year wasn’t a stellar performer over the first half of that year, it wasn’t until September and October that the bottom dropped out. That was just a few short weeks before the November election — in which, needless to say, the incumbent party lost.
If my hunch is right, then look for significant new stimulus programs to be announced in coming weeks. For example, the Federal Reserve might not only reverse its interest-rate decision from last December but announce a new program of quantitative easing.
It was just such stimulus that stopped the 2011 bear market in its tracks. That major decline began on April 29 of that year, and by mid-September the S&P 500 was already down some 17%. On Sept. 21, the Fed announced its so-called Operation Twist program, in which it would lengthen the average maturity of its Treasury portfolio away from shorter-term securities to longer-term bonds. The 2011 bear market ended just eight trading sessions later, on Oct. 4.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see something similar in the coming weeks.
Click here to inquire about subscriptions to the Hulbert Sentiment Indexes.Michael D'Antonio is the author of the book " Never Enough: Donald Trump and the Pursuit of Success " (St. Martin's Press). The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.
(CNN) Though many individuals likely contributed to the President's decision to fire FBI Director James Comey, one notable one may have been Roger Stone, a 64-year-old close friend of Donald Trump and central figure in the FBI investigation into Trump campaign ties to Russia.
In the middle of the Watergate scandal, Stone, who engaged in dirty tricks during Richard Nixon's 1972 campaign, was discovered to have hired a Republican operative to infiltrate the George McGovern campaign and was subsequently fired from his job. After the President's resignation, Stone remained an ardent Nixon apologist and loyalist. He even had the man's face tattooed on his back and devoted his life to ruthless, anything-goes politics (or political consulting, as you may know it). Stone's motto was and continues to be: "Admit nothing, deny everything, launch counterattack." And anyone who has watched Trump closely over the years would think it was his personal slogan, too.
Stone was introduced to Trump in the 1980s by the notorious Roy Cohn. Then a Manhattan lawyer who represented several reputed mobsters, Cohn had become infamous in the 1950s as the chief inquisitor during Joe McCarthy's "Red Scare" hearings in the United States Senate. After McCarthy's inquisition was shut down, Cohn began a new life as a political and legal fixer. He became a mentor to Stone and Trump and taught both men how to manipulate the media and bully opponents. After he died, they carried on in his spirit.
In Cohn's absence, Stone became Trump's main adviser for many political efforts, beginning with a flirtation with a run for the White House in 1987 (Trump even gave a speech in New Hampshire). But as much as Trump may have appreciated Stone's extreme pugnaciousness, he also had his reservations. Stone traffics in conspiracy theories and misogyny (see his disgraceful comments about Hillary Clinton) and has repeatedly suggested that leading political figures should be killed or kill themselves.
In 2015, Trump called Stone a " loser " and made a show of separating himself from him. Then, in the spring of 2016, Trump seemed to embrace him again. "Roger is never too far away from Trump," a source told Dylan Byers of CNN Politics. "He's always talking to Donald." Yet another source said, "Roger and Trump always wind up finding their way back to each other."
In the White House, Trump has continued to answer calls from old friends, and Stone seems to be among them. Days ago, the DailyCaller published a story with the headline, "Roger Stone still talks with President Trump." Reporter Kerry Picket wrote, "Republican political operative Roger Stone says he still communicates with President Donald Trump, and the last conversation he had was relatively recent."
Both CNN and Politico are now reporting that Stone has been among those urging Trump to fire Comey. And the President's longtime friend would have reason to want Comey fired. Stone is at the center of the controversy over Russia's attempt to influence the 2016 election -- after tweeting a message that predicted trouble for Clinton campaign official John Podesta, whose hacked emails were then published by WikiLeaks. Stone also hinted at an "October surprise" that would be devastating to Clinton and said he had communicated with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
More recently, as he was subject to more scrutiny, Stone called the FBI probe into his activities " a witch hunt." In taking on the FBI directly, Stone employed his longstanding strategy of always staying on the offensive. Operatives who use this method view every conflict as a matter of survival, which justifies the use of any weapon that might be at hand. Thus, an opponent can be labeled a criminal, and crowds can be exhorted with chants of "lock her up." No tactic is too low if you are fighting for your life.
Trump has adopted a similar approach to dealing with those who oppose him. His violent rhetoric about protesters -- "I'd like to punch him in the face" -- at his campaign stops and his indulgence of conspiracy theorists like Alex Jones of InfoWars, a radical right-wing radio show host, showed that he, too, was comfortable doing whatever was required to get what he wanted.
In addition to their aggression, Trump and Stone also share a preference for defying convention. One reliable way to do this involves making statements that are too shocking to believe. Thus, we have Stone responding to Comey's firing with the comment it's " about time " and then Trump taking to Twitter to say, "Have not spoken to Roger in a long time -- had nothing to do with my decision." Stone later took to Twitter as well, saying that while he hadn't "urged" the President to dismiss Comey, he supported his decision "100%."
Understanding this ruthless Stone/Trump approach makes it easier to recognize what may have happened with Comey. Since the FBI investigation into Trump campaign ties to Russia was hitting close to home, both Trump and Stone stood to benefit from Comey's dismissal. And given their 30-year history of working together to further their objectives by any means necessary, this decision fits well within an existing paradigm.
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With Comey's firing, we now have a new demonstration of the lengths to which these men will go to thwart their opponents. Under Stone's apparent influence, Trump has sacrificed the integrity of the presidency and thrown the nation into a political crisis that may eventually rival the one provoked by Nixon's abuse of presidential power. As CNN contributor Jeffrey Toobin noted, Stone subscribes to " Nixonian hardball," which includes using what others consider unethical methods in order to win.
He and Trump have brought this style of play back to the White House.Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 To Support Bluetooth 4.0?
When Nokia unveiled the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 earlier this month both smartphones were listed as supporting Bluetooth 3.1, not Bluetooth 4.0. However, it looks like Nokia is now going to include support for the latest version of Bluetooth in the Windows smartphones.
WMPowerUser spotted that the Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 have appeared as Bluetooth 4.0 certified devices over at Bluetooth.org. That opens up the potential for the smartphones to support new low-power Bluetooth accessories, which wouldn't have been possible had they only supported Bluetooth 3.1.
The Nokia Lumia 920 (pictured above) and the Lumia 820 are Nokia's first Windows Phone 8 smartphones which are due to launch in the 4th quarter of this year. Sadly, we still don't have any more precise details on their launch but they could land as early as October.
One of the most interesting things about the Lumia 920 is that it supports 4G LTE and will be one of the first smartphones to launch on EE's 4G LTE network in the UK. While the Lumia 820 is a more affordable Windows mobile that should offer a good alternative to mid-range Android handsets.
3G will be reviewing the Nokia Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 as soon as we can get our hands on the mobiles and we'll also bring you all the latest news about Nokia's Windows Phone 8 smartphones when we get fresh information.A former executive with a major Santa Ana-based credit union has admitted embezzling nearly $2.7 million from his employer over more than a decade.
David Lugo, 41, was a systems administrator and later vice president with SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, which has 45 branches and $10 billion in assets. SchoolsFirst said it discovered the embezzlement a few months ago and reported it to the FBI.
Last week, Lugo agreed to plead guilty in federal court to two counts each of wire fraud and mail fraud, court records show. He admitted spending the illicit proceeds on cars, meals and rent; family trips to Hawaii, Europe and Disney World; his daughter’s USC tuition; and jewelry for his wife and daughter.
Lugo, who is still free, will appear in court Oct. 6, but a date for him to formally enter a guilty plea hasn’t been set. His attorney, Jeremy Goldman, declined to comment on the facts of the case until after the plea.
It’s unclear what sentence Lugo will receive, his lawyer said. Under the law, the maximum prison term is 80 years, but guidelines are likely to call for a far shorter sentence.
A plea agreement Lugo signed outlines his scheme. Starting in 2003, he ordered unneeded computer equipment for the bank, including two large Cisco products called “switches” that function as part of corporate computer systems.
When the equipment was delivered by UPS, Lugo took it out of the office and sold it to companies that buy equipment for resale. He then deposited the proceeds in his own Wells Fargo account.
“Defendant knew (SchoolsFirst) FCU was unlikely to detect his theft as the inventory of the IT Department was not well monitored and other employees were not in a position to understand the company’s IT equipment needs,” the Sept. 11 plea agreement says. “When defendant suspected his theft had been discovered, he tried to erase any computer entries relating to the purchases of IT equipment that he later stole and sold for personal profit.”
Over 11 years, Lugo stole $2,698,566.54.
The case was first reported by OC Weekly. Prosecutors did not file charges until this week, after Lugo had agreed to plead guilty.
As part of the plea, Lugo will give up property, including a Volkswagen and Tiffany jewelry he bought in May.
In a statement, SchoolsFirst said it has tried to “enhance controls” to prevent a repeat of the embezzlement. It said none of its 600,000 members lost money and none of their personal information was compromised.
Contact the writer: [email protected] or 949-229-5950Advocates for special needs students are calling on the B.C. government to ban so-called "isolation rooms," where they say children deemed unruly are being restrained.
A report issued by Inclusion B.C. and the Family Support Institute says more and more families have told them their children are being secluded at school, sometimes in no more than a closet.
The report, "Stop Hurting Kids: Restraint and Seclusion in B.C. Schools," reveals the results of an online survey, which yielded 200 examples of children being left alone in everything from windowless offices, to padded rooms to a gym equipment closet.
Adrianne Wicks says her daughter Savannah, who suffers from seizures and is mildly autistic, spent most of Grade 2 in her Victoria elementary school alone.
"The teacher held a vote in the classroom, and she was in essence, voted out of her class … and the teacher then grabbed her by the arm and dragged her across to the resource room," said Wicks.
'Emotional trauma'
Inclusion BC's Executive Director FaithBodnar says sometimes the children are isolated for hours at a time.
"Most of the students who were restrained were five to 10 years old, just starting out in the school system," said Bodnar.
"Restraint and seclusion have long-term emotional effects on children and youth, their families and communities where they live; over 75 per cent of the students in our survey suffered emotional trauma.”
Bodnar says one of the most concerning figures in this survey is that 72 per cent of parents learned about restraint or seclusion from someone other than the school.
“This points to the fact that our survey is revealing only the tip of the iceberg in terms of restraint and seclusion in our schools. Clearly, this is about a systemic, fundamental problem, not an isolated event.
"We're really, really troubled and concerned that children are not safe in school, particularly that children with special needs are not safe in schools in our province."
Bodnar is calling on the provincial government to ban the isolation rooms.
B.C. Education Minister Peter Fassbender says he's concerned by reports that some children with special needs have been locked away at school for hours, and says he will initiate a discussion about policies and practices.
“We’re going to have that discussion about what some of the issues might be, what some of the protocols are that should be looked at. What we need to do is make a very well-thought-out decision if we do make any changes in light of that.”Choir directors and singers!
We continue to receive numerous requests for Straight No Chaser sheet music and arrangements, particularly around the Holidays. We’re honored by your requests, and would like to give away several selections for free!
Because of publishing concerns, we are only able to give away our original songs and those in the public domain. Unfortunately, we are not able to give away or even sell any of the other arrangements that are not listed below.
Hark the Herald Angels Sing / Angels We Have Heard On High
Jingle Bells
What Child Is This?
Silent Night
Indiana Christmas
Christmas Wish
We hope that you enjoy! Please make sure to print the arrangement and performance credit in all of your choir programs and advertising (Ex: “Arranged by Walter Chase” and “As Originally Performed by Straight No Chaser – www.sncmusic.com” ) and have fun!
Make sure to upload your performances to YouTube throughout the holiday season – we’d love to see them!
Hope to see you out on the road,
SNCIn the wake of President Trump’s historic victory, a 21-year-old student from the University of Michigan claimed an unknown white man approached her and slashed her face with a safety pin. Halley Bass said she was targeted for wearing a safety pin that stood in solidarity with immigrants who were suffering from the U.K.’s vote to Brexit. Or, so that’s what she told the police.
On Monday, however, Bass admitted that she made the entire story up as a way to gin up fake hate crimes about Trump supporters, reported Michigan Live.
Investigators knew the story was over the top, especially because Bass continued to refer to other hate crimes as proof that her story was legitimate — many of which were hoaxes as well. Ultimately, cameras from nearby stories to where the incident would have taken place showed that Bass was nowhere near the alleyway she claimed the attack happened.
“I was suffering from depression at the time,” Bass told the judge. “I made a superficial scratch on my face. It was visible, and I was embarrassed about what I’d done. So I made up a story and told a friend that a stranger had done it while I was walking. I was encouraged to report it to the police. I made the mistake of doing that.”
Bass and her attorney asked the court that she be referred to mental health court.
Latest VideosIt has been a productive year at the Crater of Diamonds State Park. To date, October 26th, 2013, nearly 400 diamonds have been found over the span of the year, with some rather large ones, several over 2 carats. For instance, Oklahoma teen Tana Clymer found a beautifully formed 3.85-carat canary diamond on October 19th, very similar to the fine diamond that was found by the late Marvin Culver, also of Oklahoma, in 2006. That diamond, the 4.21 carat “Okie Dokie Diamond” has been featured in several books, magazines and has been on display to the public a few times. Another large diamond, a 5.16 carat diamond was found by 12-year-old Michael Dettlaff of North Carolina in August. A 2 carat brown stone was found in June and all of these stones have one thing in common…
Many of these large diamonds are often found on the surface of the digging area.
One of the things many people are shocked to see upon arriving at the park is the actual mine area. It looks like a freshly plowed dirt field, waiting to be seeded and farmed. This area is poked and prodded, pitted and flipped, in search of the small gems distributed in the dirt.
Finding the park is very easy, once you are in the general area of Murfreesboro, Arkansas you will see signs pointing to the famous state park. You pay a nominal fee per person and go out into the field to search. You can dig, collect dirt and screen it, looking through the mud for a glassy pebble.
Or, you can do what many of the people who find the large diamonds do, simply walk around the dirt field, looking for crystals that have risen to the surface.
Either way, the Crater of Diamonds State Park is a great place to visit and try your luck at finding a precious stone. The chance of finding one of these stones is stacked against you, but if you happen across one of those rare 2+ carat stones, the Associated Press would like to acquire your photo posing with the stone.Image copyright Fiona Hyslop MSP Image caption Fiona Hyslop previously visited Japan in 2015
Scottish External Affairs Secretary Fiona Hyslop is to travel to Japan to promote the message that Scotland is "open for business".
Ms Hyslop is to undertake "an intensive week of activity" focusing on business, trade, tourism, education and culture.
She will meet business leaders in Tokyo and Nagasaki to promote Scotland as a place to invest and do business.
The cabinet secretary said Japan was "a very important international partner for Scotland".
The Scottish government said Japan was one of the top 20 destinations for Scottish exports, and was the seventh largest source of foreign direct investment with Japanese firms employing 6,250 people in Scotland.
'Ripe for investment'
Ms Hyslop, who previously visited Japan in 2015, will meet senior figures from companies which are already investing in Scotland, such as Mitsubishi, life sciences firm Kyowa Hakko Kirin and medical firm Reprocell.
She said: "Scotland and Japan have much in common - a wealth of expertise, a passion for innovation, a highly educated and skilled workforce, and a desire for increased international collaboration across all sectors.
"There will be much to share and much to discuss during my time there, including providing reassurance that, despite the UK's vote to leave the EU, Scotland remains a progressive, outward-looking internationalist country that is open for business and ripe for investment.
"I'm confident our dialogue will deliver mutual benefits."Wen-JR, whose real name is Roméo Jonathan is a 3D digital artist from France. Originally starting out with creating themes using Adoboe Photoshop and flash, he soon started having a passion for C4D which soon opened up another artistic talent.
Currently working on his own comic titled ‘Darkness’, I personally can’t wait to see a preview of it when it is released!
You can view Roméo Jonathan’s full portfolio over at deviantART or you can visit his official website.
As always we would love to know which your favorite is in the comments below and if you have enjoyed this resource we would very much appreciate if you can share it with your Facebook and Twitter followers.
We are opening our doors to contributors! So if you love fantasy art, love MMORPG’s or want to recommend an extremely talented artist that we should feature, please� contact us!
All art work is © Roméo Jonathan – All rights reserved.
TagsSinger Justine Skye sung the national anthem at the home opener for the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night. However, that’s not all she did. After performing the anthem, Skye took a knee.
Her gesture wasn’t a hit with everyone in attendance. According to the Associated Press, some fans began booing her for kneeling:
The national anthem singer here in Brooklyn took a knee at the end of her performance. More boos than cheers from the fans. — Brian Mahoney (@briancmahoney) October 20, 2017
The singer posted video of her protest to her Instagram account after the game:
It’s unclear just who Skye thinks is attempting to silence her. Especially considering her protest is just one of several staged by anthem singers recently. Most notably, by former American Idol singer Jessica Sanchez, who last week took a knee after singing the anthem at a Raiders game.Crews work to rescue swans on Deschutes
SUNRIVER, Ore. - After the illegal shooting of a male trumpeter swan, Chuck, on Thursday in Sunriver, the rest of the swan family -- his mate, Gracie, and their four cygnets -- have left the Lake Aspen area near the Sunriver Nature Center, officials said Monday amid efforts to bring them back to a safer location.
The five swans have made their way to the Deschutes River and are near Benham Falls.
Simon Wray with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, along with workers from the Sunriver Nature Center, have been working to get the swans back to Sunriver, since they can't fly, due to their wings being clipped.
Wray said he fears they are getting to close to the falls, as well in danger from other natural predators around the area.
"The cygnets are also flightless, and we're concerned for coyotes and other things potentially on the river," Wray said Monday. "Our goal is to be able to trap them and take them to a more secure location at Sunriver," Wray said.
Wray has been working all weekend on trying to get the swans back to the resort community.
He said where they have stopped on the river is a safe spot for them, for the time being, but he hopes to be able to get them out of there as soon as possible.
These swans are a part of an effort to reintroduce trumpeter swans to the area, so it can be dangerous to have them be so far away from their original home.
"The male that was shot and the female are a part of a captive breeding program for our trumpeter swan restoration program here in Oregon," Wray said. "And so, to get them back up there is the best place, they'll be fed through the wintertime."
Sunriver Police Chief Marc Mills said they are working with Oregon State Police in the investigation.
Mills said they have determined what type of gun was used to shoot the swan, but they were not ready to reveal that information amid the ongoing investigation.
He also added these birds are protected, and there are game hunting violations related to the shooting, which led veterinarians to decide it would be best to humanely euthanize Chuck.
"We have several game violations that are in play here," Mills said. "One, swans are not a game animal, or a game bird, so there is a misdemeanor charge for that."
Sunriver police and the Sunriver Nature Center are planning to offer a reward for anyone with information that may lead to an arrest.
Mills said he believes that after reviewing the initial findings of the investigation, it does not appear the shooting was accidental in nature.Saint Aelred the Queer The Surprising History of Homosexuality and Homophobia An essay in hypertext by Scott Bidstrup "He was the refuge of my spirit, the sweet solace of my griefs, whose heart of love received me when fatigued by labors, whose counsel refreshed me when plunged in sadness and grief... What more is there, then, that I can say? Was it not a foretaste of blessedness thus to love and thus to be loved?"
-- Saint Aelred, from his eulogy on the death of his homosexual lover, Simon
W hat Catholicism and most other modern Christian churches vigorously deny is just how much homosexuality was not only tolerated, but practiced by many of its founding fathers, and the degree of toleration, if not veneration, it received. Afrocentrics often deny that homosexuality was a feature of African cultures in ancient times. And more than a few anglicized Native Americans would be shocked to learn that homosexuals were not only common among their tribal ancestors, but were even venerated as being spiritually gifted.
Homosexualty and bisexuality, we now know from modern research, is ubiquitous throughout the world. It exists in all cultures, and has at all times in history. A relic of our evolutionary history, homosexuality and bisexuality is very commonly practiced in nearly every culture, whether tolerated or not. The only difference is the openness with which it is practiced.
Another thing we know from modern research is that some degree of bisexuality, in the absence of cultural taboos, is not only extremely common in men, but is probably the rule! "Homosexuality of convenience" which occurs in the absence of available female partners (such as is commonly seen in prisons, for example) is widespread even in cultures that frown on homosexuality. Most men, at some time in their lives, experience homoerotic feelings towards other men - whether they choose to admit it or not. The percentage of men who have had a homoerotic experience to orgasm in amazingly high even in America. By the age of 49, fully 60% of American men have had such an experience, according to research by Masters and Johnson. We not only know that homosexual experience was ubiquitous, but that it tended to follow certain general patterns, nuanced by local traditions, taboos and prejudices.
Among these patterns are a tendency of partnerships to form between adolescents of differing ages, with the older male performing the more active (usually insertive) role, and the younger performing the more passive (usually receptive) role. The more tolerant the society, the older the senior partner became, to the point of being intergenerational in some cases, such as ancient Greece. In nearly all cases, however, taboos existed against homosexual rape, and most such societies had taboos or laws intended to protect an unwilling junior partner from an aggressive senior partner.
We also know that there is there is a small minority of men — estimates range from 3 to 7 percent depending on the precise criteria used — who seem to be biologically disposed to homosexual orientation, and for whom there is no element of bisexuality at all. They show no interest in forming relationships with women and may consider even the idea to be repugnant. But that leaves the vast majority of men in the middle, who on at least rare occasions, find other men to be erotically interesting.
The fact of the ubiquity of bisexuality is probably the source of the rumor that homosexuality is a chosen orientation. The fact that many men have erotic attraction to both sexes to at least some degree and are therefore offered the opportunity (or required by society) to choose is why many religious groups seem to think that sexual orientation can be changed. There is not a shred of evidence to indicate that a significant shift really can occur - "reparative therapies" succeed only in repressing one sexual response in favor of the other, often with pyschologically devastating results.
Ancient Attitudes
Such a notion runs counter to what we know of homosexuality, and what we know of its history and its biological origins. We now know, for example, that most men in ancient Greece and Rome engaged in at least occasional homosexual contact, and a not insignificant number of the marriages consummated in both civilizations were homosexual. We know that homosexuality, though not known by that name, was not only tolerated, but even celebrated in the arts, theater and in cultural activities. The ancients did not view gender as a determining factor of who should love or be married to who; the qualifications related solely to matters of age and biological relationship (incest).
We know that the ancient view of homosexual sex was that it was innocuous, harmless (so long as both parties were fully consenting), and could be as much a symbol of love between the participants as heterosexual sex. Indeed, in most African cultures, mutual masturbation and anal sex engaged in by pre-marriage adolescents was considered to be nothing more than childplay.
Indeed a vast corpus of literature has been left us by the ancients, which celebrates same-sex relationships, and which in many cases is homoerotic. Much of the literature of "straight society" also makes clear, in a variety of ways, that homosexual relationships were widely acknowledged, not considered immoral or "sinful," but rather were considered a normal part of life. In many "primitive" societies, such as those studied in Africa and the Pacific Islands, the patterns seen are often the same as those seen in ancient Greece and Rome. Adolescent males would often pair-bond, engage in frequent homosexual relations, and exhibit great love for each other, until the time came to become fathers and husbands. They would then make a choice - going on to find (or be assigned) a wife, and abandoning their same-sex partner. The choice was often difficult - and not a few chose to remain with their |
’t know he was Israeli? Am I supposed to track every user’s IP to know their country of origin? Can I not reply to emails by readers who happen to be Israeli and who are telling me that they enjoy what they have to say?
I’m not advocating normalization. In the case of war, I – Elie Fares – would be the first to support whoever wants to defend my country because they are, at the end of the day, my people. But don’t you think that worrying about an email or blog reply to another person who might as well be just like us is taking it too far?
This reminds me of a day when I was searching for an article to read about Lebanon’s oil reserves. One of those articles was on Haaretz, which required you to register in order to be able to read the article. And I couldn’t register because I didn’t know if that would be considered illegal as well. Is that normal? Is that how things are supposed to be?
I recently received an email from an Israeli whose name I won’t mention – and the email was touching. People advised me not to reply. So I didn’t. But I really, really wanted to. Not because I “approve” of the state of Israel. Not because I want to leak out information which I don’t have. Not because I want to feel a rebel in doing so. But because the following email really does warrant a reply as decent as the email itself:
So here it goes.
Dear SD, Thank you for your email. I’m sorry I couldn’t reply earlier and I believe this isn’t quite the reply you were expecting. But it’ll have to do for now. I was told not to reply via email. Others told me of a workaround that couldn’t be tracked but that would have been way too fishy. So I figured I’d do it here, out in the open, because I really have nothing to hide. This is, after all, a simple reply to an email. I sent this Hala’s way. She didn’t have too many kind things to say which is understandable if you ask me because she’s the one who was hurt due to repeated wars not me. So I will never fully understand what she has gone through. But she has said this with which I agree: “We know that human beings do not enjoy killing each others unless they’re sick people, your soldiers follow orders, they fear orders, they are taught to be obedient for their “cause.” I am not as young as you think I am – voting age in Lebanon is 21 and I’m already beyond that point. And thank you for always reading – even if it’s about the road state in my country. I’m afraid your wish will never happen in our lifetimes. It’s the way things are. But I know many Lebanese would love to visit our enemy to the South. Best, Elie
So what is our legal limit as Lebanese when it comes to internet contact which is becoming frequent lately with Israelis? Where is that line that we don’t really want to cross?German Publishers File Criminal Complaint Against Two News Sites For Mentioning Name Of Unauthorized Ebook Site
from the really-now? dept
“With the direct and multiple naming of the Internet address the reader is immediately aware of the illicit supply of the website. With regard to objective journalistic reporting there was no need for direct nomination,” the publishers write in their complaint.
“The publication of the Website and its Internet address immediately enabled a broad mass of readers to become aware of the site. The reader is also indirectly encouraged to take advantage of the offer, taking advantage of the illegal site that has been highlighted by the play of the interview.”
We know that some legacy players who rely too heavily on copyright law seem to react negatively to any discussion of unauthorized distribution of files, but a group of German book publishers have apparently taken this to the next level. As highlighted on TorrentFreak, they've resorted to filing criminal complaints against two news websites, Der Tagesspiegel and Zeit.de, for publishing an interview with the creators of a website called Boox.to, which offers up unauthorized downloads of ebooks. Again, this is not the unauthorized site itself they filed the complaint over, but ratherfor daring to name the site in the interview that was done.Of course, this raises the obvious retort: if publishing an interview helps make a "broad mass" of people more "aware of the site," what do they think filing a really stupid and ridiculous lawsuit against these websites will do?
Filed Under: copyright, criminal, germany, journalism, publishing
Companies: boox.toThe findings show that—far from being a purely self-interested voting bloc—American millionaires have complicated views when it comes to the wealth gap and opportunity in America. They are unashamed of their own wealth and attribute their success to hard work, smart investing and savings. They also believe that anyone in America can get wealthy if they work hard.
Yet millionaires also believe that cultural and family issues prevent many Americans from climbing the wealth ladder. They advocate improved education, higher taxes on the wealthy and better savings incentives for the poor and middle class as important changes that would reduce inequality.
Read More This hedge fund chief made $3.5 billion in 2013
The CNBC Millionaire Survey polled 514 people with investable assets of $1 million or more, which represents the top 8 percent of American households. The respondents came from around the country and were split between Democrats, Republicans and Independents.
The online survey was conducted in March by Spectrem Group on behalf of CNBC. The overall margin of error was 4.3 percentage points.Sunday can't get any worse for the Baltimore Ravens.
Minutes after the team's 19-13 loss to the Denver Broncos, the club announced that pass rusher Terrell Suggs tore his left Achilles and is out for the year.
Suggs was carted off the field in the fourth quarter, stripping Baltimore of a team leader and one of the NFL's difference-making pass rushers -- even at age 32.
It's worth noting that the injury is not a repeat of his 2012 setback, when Suggs tore his right Achilles in the offseason. Still, this late in his career, it's fair to wonder what this means for Suggs' future in the NFL.
"It's hard to replace a guy like Terrell Suggs," Ravens pass rusher Elvis Dumervil told NFL Media's James Palmer. "He brings so much to our defense, so it's a blow where we kind of have to rally as a team. Guys have to step up, myself included. It was one of the reasons I came here, so it's huge. But we got guys here, we have depth and we got to rally behind each other. No one wants to feel sorry for us that's for sure."
It's a tremendous loss for the Ravens, but what we saw from Baltimore on Sunday provides hope: The team frazzled Peyton Manning, sacking the Broncos quarterback four times and holding Denver to just 3.2 yards per play. Losing Suggs -- one of six players with 100 sacks since 2003 -- will mean more playing time for Dumervil and added pressure on Courtney Upshaw and fourth-round pick Za'Darius Smith.
Suggs was a big part of the effort on Sunday, with the former Defensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl-winner pestering Broncos blockers and helping to fuel a front seven that controlled the line of scrimmage. Future dominance in Baltimore won't be easy without him on the field.A fight inside a Houston-area high school escalated into a series of stabbings Wednesday that left a 17-year-old student dead and three others wounded, sheriff's officials said.
The stabbings happened during a fight between several students in a school corridor. The Harris County Sheriff's Office said 17-year-old student Luis Alonzo Alfaro pulled a knife during the fight and fatally stabbed one student and wounded three others.
Alfaro admitted to the stabbing under questioning by sheriff's homicide detectives and was charged with murder, the Sheriff's Office said in a statement released Wednesday evening.
Sheriff's spokesman Alan Bernstein referred queries about whether Alfaro had an attorney to the district clerk's website, which had not been updated as of Wednesday night. Alfaro also was not yet listed in the jail's booking system.
Authorities provided few details on what may have led to the fight, and no other information was available on the teenager who was killed.
"We believe a confrontation of some sort occurred... that ultimately led into a physical confrontation that produced weapons," Sheriff Adrian Garcia said. "There has been some information that this may have been gang related."
School district officials canceled classes at the high school for the rest of the week.
Some parents said the fight was the continuation of a disturbance that broke out Tuesday. Officials at the school, which has about 3,500 students, would not confirm their comments.
"Every parent sends their child to school believing school should be one of those safe haven places," Spring Independent School District Superintendent Ralph Draper said. "This is what we spend our nights and days working toward and what I lose sleep over.
"In my nearly 30-year career, this is the one thing you pray never to experience."
Parent Tara Campbell said she received text messages from her daughter about the fight and that her daughter said students who witnessed the episode snapped cellphone photos of the victims as they lay on the ground.
Campbell said she intended to have her daughter home-schooled, saying she's grown tired of fights at the school.
"Last year there were gang fights consistently," she said. "This is ridiculous. This is an ongoing situation."
Lakesia Brent said her son, a sophomore at the school, sent her multiple text messages asking her to come pick him up.
"He's just afraid," she said, adding that fights at the school were a problem in the last academic year.
The school was placed on lockdown following the stabbings, which occurred about 7 a.m., and students were released to the care of their parents later Wednesday.
Many parents were upset that the school district did not provide them information in a timely manner.
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Draper defended the district's actions, saying they focused on two goals — securing the school and making sure no action was taken to compromise the investigation — before communicating information to parents about what had happened. He said students were not immediately released because some of them were potential witnesses who needed to be interviewed by investigators.
"When street violence pours into the school, it compromises the safety of all our students," Draper said.Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey last week announced the existing GST exemption for low-value imports would be removed, starting July 1, 2017. Non-resident companies will be expected to collect and remit the GST to the ATO. But will such a system work in practice?
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
The low-value threshold (which exempts imports costing less than A$1,000 from GST), has been on the government’s radar for a number of years. It is high by international standards, and apart from the forgone GST revenue, it gives an unfair pricing advantage to overseas retailers.
In 2011, the Productivity Commission said:
There are strong in-principle grounds for the low value threshold (LVT) exemption for GST and duty on imported goods to be lowered significantly, to promote tax neutrality with domestic sales. However, the Government should not proceed to lower the LVT unless it can be demonstrated that it is cost effective to do so.
But the Productivity Commission also estimated it would cost $2 billion to collect the additional $600 million of additional tax revenue dropping the threshold would deliver. This cost estimate was based on the assumption that all parcels would be subject to the same GST collection method as currently applies to imports costing above $1,000. That is, each parcel would be individually processed by Customs and Border Protection, with the GST being collected from the Australian consumer before the parcel was released.
The Re:think tax discussion paper floated the idea that “there are alternative arrangements for collecting GST on low value goods that would not be as prohibitively expensive as current arrangements”.
Last week the states and territories unanimously agreed to a Commonwealth proposal to reduce the low-value threshold to nil, and to impose the requirement to collect and remit GST to the ATO on the overseas vendor.
With little concrete information available as to how such a system will be implemented and how it would be enforced, the proposal leaves more questions than answers.
Three Challenges
According to the Treasurer’s press release:
“As goods would not be stopped at the border, administering a vendor registration model would have a relatively low cost.”
If goods are not stopped at the border, Customs and Border Protection are presuming that the overseas vendor has complied with the relevant GST requirements. However, the information currently required to be provided on an international mail declaration would provide no indication as to whether GST had been collected and remitted to the ATO. Even if the item did indicate whether GST had been collected, the various scenarios outlined below highlight the potential difficulties of an overseas vendor registration system.
Scenario 1: The overseas supplier is not required to be registered, meaning the imported good(s) are not subject to GST
Australian businesses are only required to register for GST if their annual turnover is greater than $75,000. Goods and services sold overseas are not included when calculating turnover for GST purposes. The Treasurer has indicated this would be the same for international businesses, with the figure that is relevant for GST turnover based on the value (in Australian dollars) of goods sold in the Australian market.
As not all overseas businesses will be required to register for GST, abolishing the low-value threshold will still not result in all imports being subject to GST. If an international parcel did indicate GST had not been collected, would an overseas supplier simply be able to note on the parcel that GST registration was not required? If so, how would customs determine the accuracy of that statement?
The Treasurer was unsure how many overseas businesses would be required to register, telling a journalist during a press conference, “There could be hundreds … there could be a very large number” and then “I’ll come back to you about the specific figures that we have, but we’re working to improve that data”.
Scenario 2: The overseas supplier is required to be registered based on turnover, but has not registered and has not collected GST
The Treasurer was vague when asked what would happen if an overseas company did not collect GST as required, stating “increasingly the global pressure is going to force them to respond”.
Again, it is unlikely Customs and Border Protection would know whether an overseas supplier was required to register for GST. And if an overseas supplier was unwilling to register for GST despite being over the turnover threshold, would they willingly acknowledge this? If it was acknowledged on the parcel that registration was required but had not occurred, would the ATO pursue the overseas company, or would Customs and Border Protection revert back to current collection procedures and require the Australian consumer to pay the outstanding GST?
The Low-Value Parcel Processing Taskforce has said that any GST obligations imposed on international suppliers directly would “likely be non-enforceable, and hence rely on voluntary cooperation by suppliers”. However, using current collection procedures would result in additional processing costs that are cost-prohibitive when applied to low-value parcels.
Scenario 3: The overseas supplier is registered, and has collected GST from the Australian consumer
Assuming the overseas supplier has registered for GST and has collected the necessary tax from the Australian consumer, there is still no guarantee that the GST would be correctly remitted to the ATO. But the cost of auditing such an entity would likely be prohibitive.
Difficult To Measure, Harder To Enforce
One of the reasons for abolishing the low-value threshold is to ensure overseas businesses are competing on a level playing field with their Australian counterparts. But this will only occur if the system for collecting GST on imports can be adequately enforced.
The Commonwealth proposal to require overseas suppliers to collect and remit GST on low-value imports raises numerous questions as to enforcement, with comments made by the Treasurer indicating a significant level of voluntary compliance by overseas suppliers will be required.FOR the fans, golf tournaments obviously make economic sense. The pleasure of watching Lee Westwood float a 90-yard pitch to two inches must be worth whatever we paid to watch it happen, or we wouldn't keep paying it. This holds true whether we are buying tickets to watch Mr Westwood in the flesh or simply slouching in front of the television.
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But what about the towns that host golf tournaments, and the companies that sponsor them? A town will include many people who, for some bizarre reason, are not golf fans. And a corporation, not being human, cannot appreciate the artistry of Rory McIlroy's backswing.
Corporate sponsors are convinced they get a good deal. Consider Travelers, an insurance company. It sponsors an annual tournament called, cryptically, the Travelers Championship, which starts on June 21st.
“It's great for our business,” says Andy Bessette, the chap at Travelers who, among other things, oversees its sports sponsorship. He cites three benefits. First, “global brand exposure”. The tournament is one reason, he says, why the Travelers' red umbrella is “one of the most recognised icons in the world”.
Second, says Mr Bessette, the tournament is good for the community. Since 2007 it has had an estimated “economic impact” of $135m on the state of Connecticut, where it is held. Third, the tournament raises lots of money for charity.
This last point is clearly true. The Travelers Championship donated $1m to assorted good causes last year. (A large beneficiary is the Hole in the Wall Gang Club, which takes severely disabled children to summer camps.) All PGA tournaments are organised as charities. Between them they have given more than $1 billion to charity in the past decade and a half.
Mr Bessette's other two points are hard to prove either way. Do golf tournaments benefit the community? They attract an influx of visitors, who no doubt spend money on hotel rooms, baggy shorts and copies of the Wall Street Journal.
Does that really add up to $135m of economic impact, though? Such estimates are notoriously unreliable. Andrew Zimbalist of Smith College did a survey of the economic literature on big sporting events such as the Olympics. He found that benefits were hard to pin down.
The new roads and stadiums that cities build before hosting the Olympics can be used long after the athletes have gone home exhausted. However, they must be paid for; plenty of Olympic cities go deep into debt to finance them. A big sporting event may attract lots of free-spending visitors. But some might have come anyway, and some will simply reschedule a planned visit so that it coincides with the Olympics.
Yet a golf tournament is different. It typically requires little new construction—the golf course is already there, and no golf tournament attracts Olympic-sized crowds, so it probably does not require new hotels. Also, while some people will no doubt reschedule visits to London to coincide with the Olympics, this seems less likely for Cromwell, Connecticut. It's a nice place, (named after the Englishman who had King Charles I's head cut off), but not a must-see destination.
As for the benefits to advertisers, Mr Bessette is probably right. People who buy insurance are quite likely to be middle-aged men. Golf is “the game that best connects with our audience,” says Mr Bessette. A big red umbrella floating in a lake by the course (see picture above) gets plenty of exposure on television. Before the tournament, the pros compete to see who can land one closest to the flag on the umbrella. And if you bring your children, they can compete to chip onto a replica of it.
As any golfer knows, life is full of hazards. Pity you can't insure against an approach shot that hooks into the water.At least ten people have been killed in Turkey as the unrest in the country enters its fourth day. Overall around 30 people were killed in violent protests over the fate of the Kurdish town of Kobani assaulted by the Islamic State jihadists in Syria.
The latest deaths on Thursday evening happened in clashes between rival groups in the southeastern province of Gaziantep. Defying a curfew imposed by the army, at least 20 people were wounded when pro-Kurdish activists and their opponents attacked each other with pistols, rifles and axes, Dogan news agency reported.
Separately, in the eastern city of Bingol, two police officers and a guard were killed while a police chief was wounded when gunmen attacked them. The attack happened while law enforcement was investigating the scene of recent Kobani-related clashes.
The wounded officers were taken to Bingol State Hospital for treatment. Three of the attackers were later killed while three others were captured after they clashed with security forces shortly after they fled the crime scene.
In the south eastern province of Mardin, one protester was killed in scuffles with police, AFP reports.
Meanwhile, police used tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons against a students in Ankara, namely those protesting in support of Syrian Kurds in Kobani at the Middle Eastern Technical University (ODTÜ) campus and at Ankara University. At least 25 people have been detained, while one woman was reportedly injured after being hit by pressurized water in the face, Hurriyet Daily News reports. The violence has prompted the Rector’s Office of Ankara University to cancel all classes on Friday.
Earlier in the day, 28 people were detained following a row between a Muslim Youth group and students at Istanbul University.
Police also detained 50 anti-war activist women who staged a protest against IS and the government at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, AFP reports.
Meanwhile Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Thursday that he would not allow peace process between Ankara and the Kurdish rebels to be “sabotaged” and derailed, blaming clashes in the country on “dark forces” instigating unrest.
“It’s very obvious that this game is aimed at sabotaging the peaceful environment in the east and southeast as well as the peace process and our brotherhood,” Erdogan said referring to negotiations between the government and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).Published: 04:24 EST, 5 April 2016 | Updated: 05:49 EST, 5 April 2016
A transgender former banker claims to be the first and only person to have both ears cosmetically removed as part of her ongoing quest to become a 'dragon'.
Born Richard Hernandez in Maricopa County, Arizona, the 55-year-old has undergone a number of painful procedures over the past few years including nose modification, tooth extraction and eye colouring.
She also has a forked tongue and a full-face tattoo as part of her transformation into a'mythical beast'.
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Copy link to paste in your message +18 Dragon lady: Tiamat is November 2012, before undergoing nose and ear surgery. She has had extensive cosmetic treatments and body modification, including facial tattooing and 'horns' on her forehead (pictured)
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Copy link to paste in your message +18 Dramatic transofrmation: Tiamat before (left) and after (right) her reptilian nose procedure with scarring
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Copy link to paste in your message +18 Richard Hernandez and his son Marcos Hernandez in April 1997, virtually unrecognisable before the surgery
Now going by the full name Eva Tiamat Baphomet Medusa - or Tiamat for short, the name of a dragon video game character - she has taken on several personas over the years and undergone multiple stages of transformations before finally settling on becoming a dragon.
She has also had horns implanted onto her forehead, and tattoos and scarification on her face and chest that resemble reptilian scales.
The whites of Tiamat's eyes are stained green, giving her what she calls her 'Medusa green eyes of death'.
She now likes to be known as the Dragon Lady and describes herself as a mythical beast.
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Copy link to paste in your message +18 Tiamat in 2015, with his modified nose and ears. Also visible are her forehead horns and facial tattoos
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Copy link to paste in your message +18 As he was: Richard Hernandez and his son, Marcos Hernandez in April 1997, before transitioning into a woman
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Copy link to paste in your message +18 Richard Hernandez before his transition, pictured with his 'Mama' Amalia C. Valdez in Texas (left) and in fancy dress in 1998 (right). Now living as a woman, she has not undergone full gender reassignment surgery
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Copy link to paste in your message +18 Before and after pictures of Tiamat's 'double Van Gogh' ear removals, which left her with prominent stitches
'The Dragon Lady' opens up on her reptilian transformation v f Loaded : 0% Progress : 0% w 00:00 f Play LIVE d Mute w 00:00 Current Time 0:00 / Duration Time 0:00 t Fullscreen g Need Text Video Quality j n l h m k i Foreground --- White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan --- Opaque Semi-Opaque Background --- White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan --- Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window --- White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan --- Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Default Monospace Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Sans-Serif Casual Script Small Caps Defaults Done Khloe opens up about Caitlyn Jenner's transformation The U-2 Dragon La… Ariel Winter open… Ariel Winter open… Nicole Kidman op… Cate Blanchett op… Lady Gaga opens … Gwyneth Paltrow … Former Neighbou… Dawn French ope… Lindsay Lohan op… Chanelle Hayes o… Chelsea Clinton o…
On her website, Tiamat explains: 'I am the Dragon Lady, A pre-op M2F (male to female) transgender in the process of morphing into a human dragon, becoming a reptoid as I shed my human skin and my physical appearance and my life as a whole leaving my humanness behind.
She adds that she wants to embrace her'most natural self awareness as a mythical beast.'
Tiamat has a large Facebook following, has given interviews on YouTube to outlets specialising in body modification and regularly posts inspirational quotes.
On a recent photo of herself, she wrote: 'I don't care what people say about me or my views, and if I have to I will defy and stand alone against the world, but never will I make any compromise to my integrity.'
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Copy link to paste in your message +18 Painful: Tiamat before (left) and after (right) her reptilian nose modification, with visible stitching. The procedure was carried out by professional body modification artist Emilio Gonzales in April 2015
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Copy link to paste in your message +18 Human reptile: Tiamat shows off her snake tattoo on her arm, part of her dramatic'dragon' transformation
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Copy link to paste in your message +18 Tiamat in February 2016: In recent years she had her ears removed as part of her quest to become a 'dragon'
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Copy link to paste in your message +18 Tiamat with her 'Metamorphosis Team' tattoo artists, Rick Moreno (right) and Drew De la Fuente (left) at the New York Tattoo Convention. Her 'horns' are visible on her forehead but her ears and nose are still intact
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Copy link to paste in your message +18 Dragon lady: Tiamat (right and centre) with friends at the New York Tattoo Convention in June 2013
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Copy link to paste in your message +18 Tiamat shows off her horns, tattoos and newly-modified ears in a recent photo taken in February 2016
On another, she wrote: 'I am what I am. I am my own special creation.'
Despite not having undergone gender reassignment surgery, she says she is dealing with some'serious gender dysphoria' and 'loves' her 36B chest.CFN – Post-secondary can be an equally exciting but challenging time for students, especially on their wallets. This year as I begin my first year of a new program, I would aspire to live a far more minimalist lifestyle and attempt to save as much money as I can.
The following are some ways I plan on achieving this as well as tips for first year post-secondary students or anyone who would like to save money while attending a post-secondary institution:
– Do not purchase textbooks right away. If they are absolutely a must see if an older addition would suffice, and look for it used.
– Voluntarily open up a joint bank account with your parents and put all of the money which you plan on saving and/or using for school in it. It will act as a second opinion on your spending and if ever you may have financial problems, your parents may be able to forward you money; try to avoid that.
– If you have a computer and can take notes on it without getting distracted by social networking use that. There is no need for a giant binder that may cost you $3-5 each when chances are the Prof will barely give hand outs.
– If you are like me and don’t like taking your laptop to class, purchase notebooks on sale (I got mine for 30 cents per notebook) and keep well organized notes. Use a desk at home as your primary means of organization instead of separate binders
– Leave credit cards, and other bank cards at home in order to avoid useless spending. You don’t want your student loans, grants, line of credit, or savings to be tempted away by impulse spending. Only bring what you need
– Avoid donating to Student Union, they already get a decent chunk out of your tuition
– Live without TV for a while, most of what you can watch on TV you can get online.
– Avoid the Student meal plan and cook for yourself; it is cheaper
– If you want to take part in extra curricular, consider a part-time job. Do NOT rely on your loans and/or grants
– Do not get yourself a home phone. Your cell phone should suffice. Do not get swindled by the “student plans” some places advertise, just make sure the phone can do the minimum of what you need.
– Make coffee at home. Bring a thermos to school if you must.
– Purchase a reusable water bottle/container, do not purchase plastic ones regularly.
– Have an entertainment budget. If you are going out drinking and you are concerned of spending. Set a limit and space out your drinks with water (i.e. glass of whisky, glass of water, glass of whisky, continued)
– If you want to keep active, look to use the facilities at the school which access to is usually a part of your tuition. Do not purchase a gym membership to another place.
– Concerning housing, you do not have to necessarily live close to the campus. As long as your place is accessible to public transportation and you can afford to commute everyday it may end up being cheaper than living in a student neighbourhood (Ottawa example — Sandy Hill) when you could live with a bit of a commute. For uOttawa/Carleton students, in this particular case you could take wonderful advantage of your uPass.
– Be minimalist when it comes time to purchasing University merchandise. You don’t need a binder, t-shirt, sweatpants, hat, and sweater emblazoned with your University logo or mascot. Just a shirt will do.
– Meet a local and take your own tours. Do not spend good money for tours which can be done for free. For the tours which you can not do for free, set a spending limit.
– For food, do not go for the name brands, usually the no name brands are of similar quality and are significantly cheaper.
– Keep an eye out for research studies, they usually give out $20-100 for a couple hours of your time.
– Focus more on your studies, less on going out and partying. It may seem like a cliche thing to mention, but you are paying a lot of money to attend a post-secondary institution. Make it count, some people can not afford to attend, and may have had to drop out because of it.
– Keep your receipts and review spending once a month. Attempt to rationalize reasonable ways of saving a little bit of money from the month prior. Example: If you spent $200 on food this month, attempt to bring it down to $180 without severely impacting your diet. Continue the pattern until you reach a sufficient amount.
Remember, post-secondary is a wonderful time in your life. Try to enjoy it as best as you can but do not get tempted by overspending or living beyond your means. To be success in life, sometimes we must live the way some people won’t so that in the future we can lead a life the way some people can’t.
Born and raised in Cornwall, Ontario, Stéphane is a principled moderate as well as a journalism student at Algonquin College. He is avidly passionate about politics, policy-making, as well as getting youth involved in the democratic process.
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Stéphane also loves to observe and explore his surroundings, take part in rational discussion, learn new things, write, and meet new people.
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If you wish to contact or sponsor Mr. Groulx email us at [email protected] or call our hotline at 613 361 1755In previous essays in this series I sketched some features of the temperance movement in nineteenth-century America, but I think it might prove helpful to provide additional details, especially given the considerable overlap between the prohibition movement and the abolitionist movement. I shall therefore postpone my final remarks about Lysander Spooner’s Vices are not Crimes until the next essay.
In 1830 a temperance publication (Journal of Humanity) praised the American Temperance Society, the leading reform organization, for its adherence to strictly voluntary methods. It “stands pledged to the public fully, and we trust irrevocably, never make any appeal to legislators or officers of the law, for the aid of authority in changing the habits of any class of their fellow citizens.”
When abstinence has been achieved by “legitimate means—such as the influence of example and appeals to the reason and conscience”—then this journal would report and praise such progress. But it would never endorse political efforts to bring about even this laudable goal. The “astonishing success of temperance efforts” in recent years was due largely to “the scrupulous care, with which agents and societies generally have avoided every measure that could lead to the association of their labors, even in the minds of the ignorant and prejudiced, with the operations of government and law.”
Moral suasionists (in contrast to prohibitionists) argued that vices could be corrected only by the light of truth, and that to punish sinners for their poor judgments—which is a weakness inherent in human nature—runs contrary to Christian principles. True virtue comes from within. To compel a person to abstain from alcohol may change his behavior from fear of punishment, but it does not constitute authentic moral reform. Unless a change comes from the reason and conscience of the individual it does not possess moral value. Only voluntary persuasion, not coercion, can bring about this goal.
Another common argument against legal prohibition was especially interesting. If we allow a social problem to become the object of law, then political hacks will fall over themselves in an effort to gain votes by posing as champions of the cause in question. An important social cause will thereby degenerate into a debating point between political factions whose real objective is to gain or maintain political power. This would demean an important social crusade, needlessly divide those who favor the cause of temperance reform, and create a situation in which false promises and misrepresentations are rampant, as political factions criticize other factions for their incompetence in solving the problem while offering their own agendas as the only solution. And all this for the sake of gaining votes.
Given the remarkable success of the voluntary temperance movement during the 1820s and early 1830s—hundreds of distilleries and taverns closed up shop for lack of business, and membership in temperance societies increased dramatically—why did so many leading reformers begin to call for prohibition during the mid-1830s? One reason had to do with the increasing influence of teetotalers—those “ultras” who called for total abstinence not only of distilled liquors but also of fermented drinks like wine and beer. The controversy over this matter was intense, and it caused a serious rupture in the temperance movement. The revolutionary physician Benjamin Rush (a close friend of Thomas Paine who suggested the title Common Sense for Paine’s highly influential pamphlet) was an early advocate of temperance who maintained that beer and wine could profitably be used to wean drunkards off hard liquor. Rush became something of an icon in the temperance movement, and many reformers followed his lead. But the ultras would have none of this; alcohol was alcohol in whatever form it was taken, so moral people should abstain from wine and beer as well as from whiskey and other spirituous liquors.
This controversy brought about a significant decline in the membership of temperance societies for the first time in years, as moderates (some of whom had no problem with drinking per se so long as it was not excessive) refused to affiliate themselves with the ultras. Some ultras made matters worse by attacking moderates as traitors to their cause. In addition, every state had licensing laws that regulated the manufacture and sale of liquor, but these laws were easily and frequently evaded. The ultras maintained that licensing laws, even if strictly enforced, gave the government’s permission to drink alcohol and so represented a sanction of drinking by government. This made state governments complicit in the sin of intemperance. No right-thinking Christian could possibly tolerate this situation, according to the ultras. This illogical leap from a government respecting the freedom of individuals to choose for themselves to supposedly sanctioning their choices remains with us today, as ultras in the war on drugs complain that the legalization of marijuana in some states amounts to a sanction, or approval, of its use by those state governments. (In this series I have usually avoided comparing the war on alcohol to the war on drugs; the similarities are obvious to my readers, for one thing. But in this case the temptation was too great.)
After the controversy over beer and wine had thinned the ranks |
differences, the Finance Committee proposal not only drops the public insurance option, it also eliminates a mandate for all employers to provide health coverage. It would require individuals to have coverage or face a fine of up to $750, but includes subsidies to help low- and middle-income Americans obtain health care plans.
In the House, Democratic leaders have been meeting to try to merge the three versions passed out of House committees while bringing down the overall cost by $200 billion. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, has said she expects a final version for consideration by the full chamber soon, but has not provided a specific timetable.
Fiscally minded "Blue Dog" Democrats in the House -- and conservative Democrats in the Senate -- are worried about estimates of how much the plans will cost.
With questionable prospects for any Republican support, the Democratic leadership wants to bring liberals, progressives and conservatives in the party together to use its majority in both chambers to pass a bill this year.
In the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada needs 60 votes to overcome a possible Republican filibuster. There are 60 seats in the Democratic Senate caucus, but some independents or moderates are unlikely to support a public option or some of the most costly reforms.
Reid could implement a legislative option known as reconciliation, which would require only 51 votes to pass a health care bill. However, Republicans warn against such a move as shortsighted legislative warfare that would sow deep and long-lasting division.
Snowe has proposed a possible compromise: a "trigger" mechanism that would create a public option in the future if specific thresholds for expanded coverage and lower costs are not met. The trigger has yet to be included in any proposal.
If the House and Senate passed their versions, a conference committee would then negotiate a final version that would require approval from both chambers before going to Obama for his signature.
All About Health Care Policy • U.S. Senate • Barack ObamaRecent developments in the Indian Ocean have been a witness to India’s mustering enough political will to advance its regional interests through actionable deliverables, visibly in opposition to mere notional assertions of the past. As India reorients its Indian Ocean policy, a tripartite transformation is underway—a regional outlook that ties together India’s Act East policy, its Look West policy and, most noteworthy, its cooperation with the United States in the regional maritime domain.
Acting East
The transformation from a Look East to an Act East policy has been at the center of India’s maritime recalibrations in the past few years. Such an approach has been accompanied by an improvement in relations with not just the individual countries to its east, but with strong regional organizations such as ASEAN. Countries of specific focus for India have recently included Vietnam, Brunei, Thailand and Indonesia.
The maritime area extending from India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands has also been critical to India’s recent regional maritime calculus. The focus on the Andaman Sea, for instance, has been critical to both India’s developing role in the Indo-Pacific as well as its by now axiomatic desire to be a regional net security provider. In this regard, from April 19–27 in the Andaman Sea, INS Karmuk along with a Dornier maritime patrol aircraft participated in the twenty-second Indo-Thai Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT). CORPAT has been underway since 2005, taking place biannually to ensure the safety of international trade and shipping lines. The twenty-second CORPAT had a clear focus on search and rescue at sea and preventing unlawful activities, furthering India’s regional net security provider agenda. India has also extended naval cooperation with Thailand in other areas, such as training of Thai navy and coast guard trainees. For this purpose, Indian naval ships Tir and Sujata and sail-training ship Sudarshini, along with the Indian Coast Guard’s Varuna, were deployed in Phuket, Thailand as part of an overseas deployment this spring.
Another country that has been involved with India recently in maritime CORPAT exercises is Indonesia. The Indonesian-Indian CORPAT followed the Indo-Thai CORPAT. The 2016 CORPAT exercises between the two countries marked the twenty-seventh in the biannual series since 2002. In the ongoing exercise, which lasts almost a month, both countries are working to secure Indian Ocean sea lanes from the twin threats to commercial shipping and international trade, besides improving interoperability—a rather manifest component of most maritime exercises. Since 2014, both navies have consistently raised the bar for the next year in terms of resources and commitment. The most outstanding factor of the latest chapter of Indonesian-Indian CORPAT exercises has been the geostrategic optics involved in choosing the venue of Port Blair in the Andaman Sea, once again underscoring the high priority accorded to the maritime area in India’s latest Indian Ocean policies.
India’s eastward maritime attention has been complemented by unprecedented multilateral diplomacy with the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus). Between March 2–8 this year, India hosted on its soil a multinational field training exercise called “Force 18,” comprising the eight dialogue partners of the ADMM Plus. These countries included important countries to India’s east like China, Australia, South Korea and New Zealand. The peacekeeping component of Force 18 focused on regional stability.
India’s eastern maritime inclination has been further concretized by its enhanced focus on the Andaman Sea, and by extension the Indo-Pacific. The aforementioned CORPAT exercises largely took place in the Andaman Sea. The maritime area comprising the Andaman Sea has become strategically crucial for India over the years. This message was made loud and clear when India built its first Tri-service theater command of the Indian Armed Forces, based at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The post has assumed special strategic significance, not only because it allows India to keep a close watch on China’s naval forays in the Indian Ocean, but also because it proves a good launch pad for India’s anticipated net-security-provider role in the region.
Besides India’s aforementioned eastern maritime rejuvenation, the latest step has involved an Indian geostrategic push for the South China Sea, which the Ministry of Defence in India has labeled a region of “of vital strategic importance to India.” On May 18, India sent four ships of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet for a two-and-a-half-month operational deployment to the South China Sea and northwestern Pacific. India’s step, coming on the heels of several bilateral steps to increase maritime cooperation with the United States in the Indian Ocean and the Asia-Pacific, has been widely interpreted as pitting India against growing Chinese maritime dominance in the region.
An Indo-U.S. Grand Regional Maritime Strategy
The Andaman Sea, along with the larger Indo-Pacific, has become indispensably critical to the joint India-U.S. regional grand maritime strategy that is in the making. This has been sufficiently established by both the gradual strengthening of the U.S.-India defense partnership through deliverables, and the series of bilateral agreements signed between the two countries, bringing them closer than ever before. India and the United States signed the “U.S.-India Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region” in January 2015. The mention of the South China Sea, together with “freedom of navigation and over flight,” brought out the common interests between the two countries in the Asian maritime theater.
This sentiment was supplemented by the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) agreed to, though not signed, during the visit of the United States’ Defense Secretary Ashton Carter to India in April 2016. The LEMOA contains apparent anti-China rhetoric. Ashton Carter’s April visit also underscored the need for a navy-to-navy bilateral discussion between the two countries on the issue of antisubmarine warfare. China’s submarines, which have been spotted more frequently in the Indian Ocean since 2010, have raised hackles both in New Delhi and Washington, causing the countries to come together on the issue. To advance the pledge made in April this year, India and the United States have started discussions on antisubmarine warfare (ASW). ASW is likely to prove a critical maritime deterrent strategy against China’s Indian Ocean adventures. The most likely cooperation in ASW between India and the United States will be in naval aviation, as India’s naval aviation has reached a “ threshold of transformation.” The United States’ Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol/anti-submarine warfare aircraft and the Indian Navy’s P-8I Neptune, an export version of the P-8A, constitute the most modern ASW technologies.
More notable is the maiden maritime security dialogue between India and the United States held recently, where both countries discussed Asia-Pacific maritime challenges, naval cooperation and multilateral engagement, stressing the bilateral maritime agenda. The involvement of officials from the Defence and External Affairs Ministries of India shows that the current establishment is demonstrating renewed policy seriousness toward India’s littorals.
The rhetoric surrounding a regional grand strategy in the Indian Ocean and the Indo-Pacific has been gradually moving from a stage of tacit consent to one that is fast becoming unequivocal. During his most recent visit to New Delhi, the commander of U.S. Pacific Command, Adm. Harry B. Harris, invoked the idea of the now defunct Quadrilateral Initiative, in a clear shot at reviving the idea of cooperation between India, Japan, Australia and the United States. Outlining his choice of the term “Indo-Asia-Pacific” versus the term “Asia-Pacific,” he voiced Washington’s desire to bring back Australia to the quadrilateral maritime partnership that went awry due to Beijing’s opposition soon after it was proposed in 2007.
Looking West
The part of the Indian Ocean to India’s west has traditionally been the outlier in its regional maritime strategy. However, more recently, there has been a perceptible shift in India’s maritime policy to integrate some of the countries that lie to its west. India’s western maritime focus in the Indian Ocean has been accelerated by the growing Chinese presence in the region, but more importantly by a realization that a holistic Indian Ocean strategy (one that conforms to a regional grand strategy in principle) is probably a better way to stop the Chinese juggernaut in the longer term. A few immediate concerns in the Indian Ocean that have retooled its erstwhile maritime policies are China’s port-led encirclement of India, Chinese control of the Indian Ocean port of Gwadar in Pakistan, China’s gaining basing rights in Djibouti in East Africa and, most recently, an increase in the frequency of Chinese submarine visits in the Indian Ocean.
Although India has officially protested at some of the aforementioned Chinese steps in the Indian Ocean, it has considered a long-term comprehensive maritime response to increasing Chinese footprints in the Indian Ocean to be a fitting countermeasure. India’s recent finalization of the Chabahar Agreement, along with Iran and Afghanistan, is aimed at mitigating Chinese leverage in the Indian Ocean through its unbridled access to the Gwadar port. This has been backed by India’s heightened sense of responsibility towards guaranteeing security in the Indian Ocean, besides a show of strength in the Persian Gulf. India has increased routine reconnaissance in the western Indian Ocean. Recently, a naval Poseidon-8I long-range patrol aircraft on routine reconnaissance thwarted a pirate attack on the high seas by flying over a merchant vessel that was being targeted by three pirate ships, around eight hundred nautical miles from Mumbai.A gritty, provocative true-life story of three friends from the 'hood, Rameck Hunt, Sampson Davis, and George Jenkins, who made a pact in high school to find a way to go to college and then medical school. They not only accomplished this, but they're now spreading the word to inspire other inner-city kids to stay off of drugs, out of gangs and to take the educational route to a better life. THE PACT captures the pathos of the men's individual journeys, the integrity of their voices and the power of their rare friendship. Their stories affirm the values that ultimately sustained and drove them: courage, tenacity, and faith. And they give tribute to the life of the mind and its power to turn dreams into reality. Written by Andrea KalinQtum: Full Steam Ahead in 2018
As the world’s first Proof of Stake (PoS) platform, Qtum combines Bitcoin blockchain with the smart contract tech of Ethereum.
Qtum got going after the sale of $10 million in tokens (51% of their coins) in 90 minutes via a crowdfunding campaign in March 2017. The company started on the right foot with angel investors including Anthony Di Iorio (founder of Ethereum and CEO of JaxxWallet), Chen Weixing (founder of Kuaidi), and Jeremy Gardner (co-founder of Augur).
Since then, Qtum continues to gain in momentum.
Picking Up Speed
We touched base with one of Qtum’s co-founders, Jordan Earls, in October and co-founder, Patrick Dai, presented at TechCrunch in Shanghai this week. Dai reiterated Qtum’s mission of developing programs based on PoS consensus since smart contracts are at the core of DAPPs.
Also at TechCrunch, Dai noted that the Qtum X86 Virtual Machine (early 2018 in Roadmap below) will be a gamechanger since it will support more mainstream programming languages, equipping as many developers as possible to launch more applications on the platform.
Richtopia CEO, Derin Cag, cited Qtum as moving up the list of top 100 companies in the distributed ledger space. Although the power score has dropped from all-time high of 70 (now at 40), in just over three months, Qtum moved up nearly 20 places in ranking.
Other Developments
In addition to being available on exchange sites like CoinSwitch, coinbase and CEX.IO, Bit-Z launched Qtum earlier in the month.
Other activity includes the currently live Vevue ICO on the Qtum blockchain with 40 million tokens (1 QTUM=100 Vevue tokens). In a recent blog post about the soft launch, Vevue founder, Thomas Olson, said that Vevue is a community project, and their success is only as strong as the community they build. To make sure none of the interested community members are left out of the ICO, the team has opted for a soft launch so all tokens don’t sell out in seconds.
Activity by new players such as Vevue is exactly why the release of X86 is widely anticipated. Since the plan for the Virtual Machine is to allow as many diverse developers to come onboard, new communities will be able to set up shop using the Qtum platform.
Updated Roadmap
As noted earlier, a milestone we’re all looking forward to early next year is the X86 Virtual Machine. According to the updated timeline, we’ll see the iOS wallet, API and Dapp store to follow later in the year.
(Source)An immigration judge in Atlanta denied an attorney’s request to delay a hearing that fell during her six-week maternity leave and then scolded her in front of a packed courtroom when she showed up with her four-week-old strapped to her chest and the infant began to cry, the attorney said.
When Stacy Ehrisman-Mickle took on two young brothers as clients in early September, she immediately filed a request to postpone their next hearing, which was set for a month later, she said. In an order denying her request, immigration judge J Dan Pelletier Sr wrote: “No good cause. Hearing date set prior to counsel accepting representation.”
Reached by phone on Thursday, Pelletier said immigration judges can’t make public comment and referred questions to the public affairs office of the executive office for immigration review, the branch of the Department of Justice that oversees immigration courts. That office said in an email it couldn’t comment on the judge’s action and that a complaint had been filed and was being processed.
Ehrisman-Mickle’s clients came to her in early July for a consultation, but they couldn’t afford to hire her right away, she said. They went to their first immigration court hearing on 2 September without a lawyer and then came to Ehrisman-Mickle’s office with their mother four days later, on a Saturday, to hire her.
Ehrisman-Mickle told them she would take their case but that their next hearing on 7 October fell during her maternity leave. She told them she’d have to file a motion to delay the hearing but that it shouldn’t be a problem because two other immigration judges had already granted similar motions based on letters from her doctor, she said.
She filed the motion on 8 September and it was received by the court the following day, she said. Pelletier ruled on the motion 2 October and Ehrisman-Mickle’s office received the decision the following day, the Friday before the Tuesday hearing, she said.
At home in bed, Ehrisman-Mickle was shocked when her secretary called to tell her the motion had been denied. Her truck driver husband was out of state, her four-week-old daughter was too young for day care and she has no family in the area, she said.
“I was in a state of panic. I didn’t know what to do with my baby,” she told the Associated Press on Thursday.
She called her daughter’s pediatrician to ask if it would be safe to bring the baby with her to court. The doctor told her it would be OK as long as she kept the infant in a carrier on her chest facing her body and didn’t let anyone touch the baby.
During the hearing, her baby began to cry, and Pelletier scolded her for inappropriate behavior and commented that her pediatrician must be appalled that she was exposing the baby to so many germs in court, she said.
“I was embarrassed. I felt humiliated,” she said.
Another lawyer who was present in the courtroom confirmed the details of Ehrisman-Mickle’s story. He asked that his name not be used because he doesn’t want the judge to retaliate against his clients.
Pelletier finally agreed to delay the hearing until 24 October, the day after Ehrisman-Mickle expects to be cleared by her doctor to return to work, she said.
Ehrisman-Mickle said she filed a formal complaint against Pelletier the same day as the hearing. An investigating judge called to get her side of the story after the complaint was filed but she hasn’t heard anything further, she said.
Georgia State University College of Law associate professor Tanya Washington said it was reasonable of Ehrisman-Mickle to believe the judge would delay the hearing to accommodate her maternity leave. Furthermore, Ehrisman-Mickle demonstrated a real commitment to her clients by showing up with her baby, Washington said.
“I think the judge yelling at her for being unprofessional by appearing with her child is unreasonable, insensitive and unprofessional,” Washington said.Chicago college students caught giving or selling their discounted CTA cards to friends or strangers may end up losing the card and paying full fare until the next school year, the transit agency said Wednesday.
Forrest Claypool, the CTA president, told reporters the CTA has been conducting stings at CTA rail stations across the system for five weeks to catch riders using ill-gotten free and reduced-fare cards. The agency has confiscated 1,800 cards in these stings and estimates the revenue from the fradulent use of the cards to be $2.8 million.
Of the 1,800 cards collected by Tuesday, about 64 percent were free-ride cards that were supposed to be used by low-income senior citizens and people with disabilities. About 11 percent of the confiscated cards—210—were U-Passes with pictures on the cards that revealed they didn't belong to the carrier.
The owners of the confiscated cards face losing their discounted ride privileges. A U-Pass owner can avoid a card suspension by showing the CTA a police report or some other documentation proving the card was taken or lost, and pay a $50 replacement fee, CTA spokeswoman Tammy Chase said. If the evidence bears out, they'll get the card back.
The CTA sent letters to owners of the confiscated cards, notifying them that the card had been used by someone else, Chase said.
For college students, the letter "reminds them that under the CTA U-Pass contract, full-time students enrolled at schools participating in the U-Pass program are entitled to unlimited rides while school is in session, but only they are authorized to use the card," Chase said in an email to RedEye.
Sixty colleges and universities are enrolled in the U-Pass program, up from 50 in 2009, CTA spokeswoman Catherine Hosinski said. The CTA estimates there are nearly 129,600 students with U-Passes.
U-Passes are good for up to five years and automatically reactivate when the student's next full term begins, Hosinski said. Cards cost $50 to replace.
Claypool said the CTA initiated the stings after seeing a 20 percent spike in free rides so far this year; the agency is conducting an audit to determine the reason for the uptick in free rides. The agency found that some card holders were lending their cards to family or friends.
"We found a person in her 20s using a senior citizen’s card. We found a son using his mother’s card. We found a card being used by the cardholder’s spouse," Claypool told reporters during a news conference Wednesday at CTA headquarters, on the Near West Side.
The CTA said security cameras outside of stations caught people offering CTA rides for a $1. The seller would then walk the rider to the turnstile, tap the discounted ride card and then go outside to sell more rides.
The CTA said there have been as many as three arrests related to the stings but CTA Security Chief Jim Keating said police have "discretion" on whether they will arrest someone, give them a citation or just confiscate the card.
The fines for a ticket for not paying a CTA fare range from $50 if the ticket is paid within seven days to up to $500, according to Steve Sheely, assistant director in the city Department of Administrative Hearings.
College students told RedEye the CTA has setup stings in the last week at the Division Blue Line stop in Wicker Park and the Fullerton stop on the Red and Brown lines in Lincoln Park.
Amanda Crane was heading home to Lakeview after her DePaul political theory class this past Thursday where she entered the Fullerton stop and was carded.
Crane, 21, said CTA security asked to see her U-Pass to make sure the picture on the card was her.
"I am all for a safer Chicago and creating safety in the city, seeing three officers and a canine unit to check your Ventra was a little bit excessive," Crane said.Story highlights Family accepts Rodman apology for "outrageous" remarks
"I embarrassed a lot of people," Rodman says in a statement released by his publicist
Rodman had made a bizarre outburst about an American detained in North Korea
"I had been drinking," he says, admitting that it's not an excuse
Former NBA star Dennis Rodman apologized Thursday for his much-criticized outburst about an American citizen imprisoned in North Korea, saying he was stressed out and had been drinking when he made the remarks on CNN.
The family of that imprisoned American, Kenneth Bae, said Thursday that they accepted Rodman's apology for his "outrageous" remarks but said they hope his comments "have not further endangered" Bae.
The eccentric basketball veteran is in North Korea for a controversial visit that has been rife with bizarre moments, including Rodman's rendition of "Happy Birthday" to the country's leader Kim Jong Un at a packed sports stadium on Wednesday.
In an exclusive interview Tuesday with Chris Cuomo of CNN's "New Day," Rodman provoked outrage by appearing to suggest that Bae -- who has been held in North Korea since 2012 -- may have done something to deserve his sentence of 15 years of hard labor.
"I want to first apologize to Kenneth Bae's family," Rodman, 52, said Thursday in a statement released by his publicist Jules Feiler. "I want to apologize to my teammates and my management team. I also want to apologize to Chris Cuomo."
Bae's family had said they were shocked by Rodman's comments about the captive American.
JUST WATCHED Rodman sings 'Happy Birthday' to Kim Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Rodman sings 'Happy Birthday' to Kim 00:48
JUST WATCHED Rodman to CNN: I don't give a s*** Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Rodman to CNN: I don't give a s*** 08:25
JUST WATCHED Rodman fiery on Kenneth Bae question Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Rodman fiery on Kenneth Bae question 02:27
JUST WATCHED Rodman defiant in odd N. Korea defense Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Rodman defiant in odd N. Korea defense 08:11
"He was in a position to do some good and to help advocate for Kenneth," Bae's sister, Terri Chung, said Tuesday. "He refused to do so. But then instead he has chosen to hurl these outrageous accusations against Kenneth. He clearly doesn't know anything about Kenneth, about his case. And so we were appalled by that."
Rodman attributed his outburst to stress.
"I embarrassed a lot of people," said Rodman, who traveled to North Korea with other former NBA players for a basketball game against a North Korean team. "I'm very sorry. At this point I should know better than to make political statements. I'm truly sorry."
He said the day of the interview had been "very stressful."
"Some of my teammates were leaving because of pressure from their families and business associates," he said, adding that his dream of "basketball diplomacy was quickly falling apart."
"I had been drinking," he said. "It's not an excuse but by the time the interview happened, I was upset. I was overwhelmed."
In a written statement Thursday afternoon, Chung said the Bae family would accept his apology.
"As Rodman has stated, being drunk and stressed is not an excuse for what he said, but we acknowledge he is human and we all do make mistakes," the statement said. "Our greatest concern remains the health and freedom of my brother Kenneth. We hope and pray that Rodman's comments and ongoing antics have not further endangered my brother. Kenneth's health and freedom are precarious."
Human rights criticism
The NBA and the U.S. government have said they have nothing to do with Rodman's visit to North Korea, his fourth in less than a year. The Irish online betting company that had backed the trip withdrew its name from the venture last month after North Korea announced that Kim's once powerful uncle had been purged from his top government posts and executed.
Rodman befriended Kim, an avid basketball fan who inherited power from his father, during his first North Korean visit last year and has described the young dictator as a "very good guy."
The two unlikely comrades appeared to be getting along famously at the basketball exhibition game Wednesday for Kim's birthday. The young leader, whose exact age is unknown, is believed to be in his early 30s.
"It was, as you might imagine, a bizarre and unusual occasion that won't easily be forgotten," Simon Cokerell, general manager of Koryo Tours, said in a YouTube video posted after he accompanied Western tourists to watch the event.
Birthday ball game
Accompanied by his wife, Kim emerged in the stadium in Pyongyang to cheering crowds who for several minutes wished him a long life, stopping only when the leader hushed them. Rodman gave an impromptu speech and then led the crowd in singing "Happy Birthday" to Kim.
Images released by The Associated Press also showed Rodman appearing to bow to Kim.
Rodman's squad and a North Korean team played two games, Cokerell said. In the first contest, the Americans lost to a North Korean squad, 47-39. The second game pitted squads with Western and North Korean players on each team.
"That game was actually much better; there was a lot of showboating, showing off, alley-oops, slam-dunks and that sort of thing," he said.
Rodman, who during his professional career set an NBA record for rebounds, didn't play the whole time, according to Sean Agnew, a tourist who said he had attended the unusual sporting event with Koryo Tours.
After participating for about 15 minutes, Rodman got changed and went to sit next to Kim in the audience, where the two spent the rest of the game smoking and laughing together, Agnew said.
"Kim Jong Un really seemed to be enjoying himself," said Agnew, who arrived in Beijing from Pyongyang on Thursday.
Next move uncertain
The next phase of Rodman's visit remained unclear Thursday. Feiler, the publicist, said he couldn't disclose when Rodman would return to the United States.
One of the other former NBA players involved in the game, Eric "Sleepy" Floyd, flew to Beijing on Thursday, but there was no sign of Rodman at the airport.
"It was fun, a lot of fun," Floyd said of the North Korean visit, before he was engulfed by a throng of journalists at the airport.
Agnew, who stayed in the same hotel in Pyongyang as Rodman's team, said he thought that the U.S. basketball players remaining in North Korea might be going skiing.
North Korean state-media recently published photos of Kim riding a ski-lift in a newly developed ski resort.
Outburst on CNN
Regardless of his next move, the shock waves from Rodman's bizarre performance during his CNN interview on Tuesday continue to reverberate.
Most striking were his comments on Bae, a Korean-American who was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor last year on charges that he planned an operation to topple North Korea's government through religious activities. The regime accused Bae of urging people to carry out "hostile acts" against the state.
Bae's family members say he is a devout Christian who ran a legal tour operation in North Korea but didn't fully understand the system there. His health has deteriorated during his detention and he was transferred to a hospital last year.
The U.S. government has repeatedly called on North Korea to grant Bae amnesty and release him.
But in his interview with CNN, Rodman intimated that Bae might have done something wrong without specifying what.
"Do you understand what he did in this country?" Rodman asked Cuomo. "No, no, no, you tell me, you tell me. Why is he held captive here in this country, why?"
"I would love to speak on this," Rodman said, before abruptly switching topic to talk about how his fellow basketball players had left their families behind to come to North Korea for the exhibition game.
Bill Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who has visited North Korea, said Rodman had "crossed a line" in his comments about Bae.
Laura Ling, an American journalist who was imprisoned in North Korea for several months in 2009, said Rodman's remarks were "incomprehensible."by Friends of the Classless Society
The following text, by the Freundinnen und Freunden der klassenlosen Gesellschaft, was published in the October and November issues of the German leftist magazine Konkret. Our Friends take a somewhat narrow view of racism, but they provide a useful overview of the politics of migration in Germany, the European country that has received the bulk of asylum claims, as well as a critique of various responses on the German left.
1.
Last fall it appeared as if we were witnessing a political turning point. A mass movement of migrants showed fortress Europe the limits of its reach. This was, however, only a movement in the literal sense of the word and certainly not the awakening of a “multitude” shaking the foundations of the prevailing order. Migrants had no demands beyond the right to remain in Europe, a right which they had already temporarily asserted. In Germany, as the state failed to mobilize adequate resources, the logistics involved with the arrival of refugees were mostly left to volunteers. Meanwhile, the radical left took to celebrating the collapse of the European border regime as an act of “self-empowerment” or as “autonomy of migration”.
Others spied a sinister capitalist master plan behind Angela Merkel’s temporary open border policy. According to this interpretation, the policy sought to use cheap, docile immigrants to restructure the European labour market. Some on the left viewed this as a threat and have therefore joined calls for the erection of walls around Europe. They were further emboldened by the mass sexual assaults on New Year’s Eve in Cologne, in which hundreds of women were groped, robbed, and, in a few cases, raped by a large group of men of “Arab or North African appearance”. In light of the EU’s deal with Turkey and the internment camps currently being planned for Libya, both of these interpretations look dubious. After being taken by surprise, the powers that be have regained control of the situation and their need for cheap labour seems rather limited. On the contrary, the events of the past year reflect an overwhelming surplus of labour power, both in the countries of origin and in Europe. This surplus intensifies competition within the working class, breeding nativism, division and fear of poverty. If we are to understand this situation, we need to do more than decry racism.
2.
Some have argued that the fissures that have emerged in the European border system would not have been possible but for the instability resulting from the so-called Arab Spring. Helmut Dieterich, for example, concludes that the ensuing mass migration is part of that revolt: “The movements of refugees and migrants have opened up new perspectives that no one in Europe would otherwise have dared dream of”1. Indeed, the 2011 toppling of despots that had allied with the European border agencies to seal off migration routes – with torture, the de facto enslavement of stranded migrants and regular bombardments of refugee boats – created a vacuum that allowed smugglers to organise the passage of tens of thousands emigrants with little interference. But did this open up “new perspectives”?
Dieterich is not alone in his views. For years, critical academics and the left have pushed the notion of an “autonomy of migration”. At first glance, this notion merely points to the fact that migrants are sometimes able to overcome state restrictions on movement. This is obviously the case. Mass illegal immigration challenges a status quo, which is in part maintained by the existing border regime. Following the workerist perspective that posits struggle as the engine of history, supporters of this thesis put the focus on migrants as autonomous agents who form a collective by moving to another country and struggling for a better life.
This interpretation seems somewhat jarring with respect to refugees fleeing the misery of war in Syria and Iraq. For them, the “Arab Spring” did not open up “new perspectives”. People displaced by war do not become agents of subversion by boarding a raft on the Turkish coast. Though certainly impressive, their trek across numerous Balkan borders is not a self-determined assault on fortress Europe but an act of sheer desperation. In countries where people’s decision to leave is not motivated by terror and civil war, the primary reason is the need to find a market for one’s labour power. The mass exodus is not the result of the Arab Spring’s victory, but its defeat.
Whatever the differences between individual countries, a growing surplus population struggling for “bread and freedom” was a significant part of the scenery from which the unrest in the Middle East emerged in 2010, to spread like wildfire from Tunisia. But the governments toppled by this unrest were soon replaced by new ones that proved just as brutal, as in Egypt; or the uprisings were transformed into civil or gang wars, as in Syria and Libya. For now, the Arab Spring has led to a barbarisation in the form of war, mass arrests of activists, torture, and Islamist terror regimes – and there is little prospect of the economic improvements that the movements had longed for. Even though most are fleeing war in Syria and Iraq rather than unemployment, this war is itself linked to the surplus of labour: reliance for subsistence on unavailable wage labour creates problems for the powers that be and opportunities for jihadists.2 Romanticisations of the fact that people flee the ensuing hellholes contribute little in terms of clarification.3
The other side of the coin is a simplistic anti-imperialism rife with conspiracy theories. Movements of migrants are interpreted as attacks on the “anti-imperialist axis”, and German workers. According to Arnold Schölzer, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Junge Welt, for example, imperialism has caused waves of migration since its inception, by globalising war and crisis. This “supermigration” engenders a “superprofit”, claims Schölzer, because refugees are potential scabs. Therefore, their “import and export […] has to be prevented” (Junge Welt, 6 April 2016). Such National Bolsheviks are no exceptions among German left-wing nationalists. For them, migrants are but capital’s pawns in its war on the native working class. The same newspaper allowed Werner Rügerner to voice his paranoid ideas, claiming that migration from Syria was part of a “NATO-sponsored labour policy” designed to weaken Assad and worsen working conditions at home (Junge Welt, 22 September 2015).
Although it is generally true that permeable borders scare workers more than capital, there is nothing to suggest that a need for cheap labour was behind Merkel’s open doors in this particular case. Just a few years ago, the German government brusquely vetoed a suggestion by an Italy plagued by mass unemployment to resettle refugees arriving on its coast across Europe. Moreover, it appears that those who arrived in 2015 are destined to spend more time at welfare offices than on factory floors for the foreseeable future.
Capital’s representatives face a difficult choice: full employment could encourage workers to act up, but burning a portion of surplus value to feed masses of unemployed is not an attractive option either. Despite all the talk of a labour shortage in Germany, very few of the newly arrived refugees have been able to find work.4 Given that three quarters of German economic leaders apparently do not see any chance of this changing even in the long term, and are relieved that the stream of immigrants has abated, claims about a “NATO-sponsored labour policy” seem quite ridiculous.5 Today’s situation is completely different from the post-war era, when Western European economies absorbed millions of workers from their former colonies and actively sought out “guest workers”.
3.
If refugees are not bearers of a labour power that fulfils the needs of Eurozone administrators, that leaves the question of what drove the German government to suspend the 2003 Dublin II Regulation — according to which the country through which an asylum seeker enters the European Union is responsible for that person’s fate — and to open the borders in the summer of 2015. It would appear that this was an attempt to stabilise an increasingly chaotic situation: as growing numbers of migrants were stranded along Europe’s internal borders, mainly in the East, Eastern European countries were openly threatening to break with German policy, and Greece was no longer willing or able to enforce the European border regime.
The chaos primarily resulted from the ruling class overestimating its ability to steer the flow of new migration and underestimating the determination of migrants – to that extent the thesis of an “autonomy of migration” is |
it’s so fast and things happen so quickly it’s all about anticipation. You cannot react,” Spithill said. “You’ve got to be just ahead of it. If you get a step or two behind on these boats, or something goes wrong, it just avalanches and you can never get ahead again. And that is something that is so new to this game.”
We spoke before the death of Andrew Simpson, but Spithill said a return to racing slower monohulls would be a setback.
“It’d be sort of like going back as a Formula One driver to, I don’t know, a Mini Cooper or something,” he said.
Organizers may re-think their vision for future America’s Cup races. One in which speed and safety are on equal footing. But the rush of sailing and watching these machines may be too tempting for the America’s Cup organizers to hit the brakes any time soon.It’s a not-so-hidden secret. Game developers will let you know a game isn’t fully polished by calling it an “alpha” or “beta.” But once a game launches, there shouldn’t be anything “beta” about it. Gamers expect it to work.
We feel the same way about our graphics. We don’t want gamers beta testing our work when they play their games for the first time. So we created GeForce Game Ready drivers.
We release Game Ready drivers at or before each major game launch. And one of best ways to ensure they possess the highest level of quality is to secure certification from Microsoft’s Windows Hardware Qualification Lab (WHQL).
As the launch of Windows 10 and DirectX 12 nears, our GeForce drivers have taken a major step forward: WHQL certification has arrived.
It’s no small task. Next to the operating system, the graphics driver is one of the most complex pieces of code on a PC.
We worked closely with Microsoft to develop the new DX12 standard. And that effort has paid off with day-one WHQL certification.
Great Games, Great Drivers, Great Gaming
It’s already been a phenomenal year for gaming. Among the incredible titles launched this year: Dying Light, Evolve, Total War: Attila, Battlefield: Hardline, Grand Theft Auto V and Project Cars.
We’ve had a GeForce Game Ready WHQL-certified driver for each and every title. Go back a year earlier and the same is true: Every major game launch of 2014 was accompanied by a WHQL-certified Game Ready driver.
More blockbuster titles are on the horizon. As are games using the new DirectX 12 API, which Microsoft reports is seeing rapid adoption.
We’re working on DX12 on many fronts. Our engineers are providing drivers, working with game engine providers, and co-developing with Microsoft. We’re also helping game developers deploy their DX12 titles.
GeForce has been the GPU of choice for key DX12 demos from Microsoft since the API was announced. Combining the world’s fastest GPU hardware with a high-quality graphics driver made for the perfect showcase for the next-generation features of Windows 10 and DirectX 12.
Event Showcase Demo GPU Used GDC 2014 1st DX12 Game Demo Forza DX12 GeForce GTX TITAN Black GDC 2015 1st Confirmed DX12 Game Demo Fable Legends DX12 GeForce GTX 980 BUILD 2015 1st 4-way SLI DX12 Demo WITCH CHAPTER 0 [cry] DX12 4 x GeForce GTX TITAN X BUILD 2015 1st CryEngine DX12 Demo King of Wushu DX12 GeForce GTX 980 BUILD 2015 1st Explicit Multiadapter DX12 Demo Unreal Engine Race DX12 GeForce + Integrated
Plus, our Maxwell and Kepler GPU architectures already support DX12, with support for Fermi coming later.
Windows 10 and DirectX 12 are coming fast. GeForce gamers are Game Ready!BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. — The U.S. beat Guatemala 5-0 on Friday to stay perfect through two games of World Cup qualifying, but the Americans lost star striker Alex Morgan to a left ankle injury, the same ankle that recently kept her sideline for seven months.
U.S. Soccer said Morgan has a left ankle sprain and she will get an MRI to determine the extent of the injury. Morgan was chasing down a loose ball in the 37th minute when her feet tangled with Guatemala defender Londy Barrios, causing Morgan’s ankle to roll. She left the field on a stretcher before gingerly walking to the locker room.
“I’m not feeling too bad right now. It actually feels OK,” Morgan told Fox Sports’ Jenny Taft after the game, adding that she felt relieved. “I have it taped up and (Saturday) we’re going to get the appropriate scans to look more into what’s going on.”
Morgan sprained her left ankle in October 2013 and returned too soon, leading to a stress reaction that kept her sidelined until June of this year. She has 49 goals in her 77 appearances for the United States. Morgan said in June after she came back that she no longer thought about her previous ankle injury.
“She’s pretty optimistic, which is a good sign,” U.S. coach Jill Ellis said. “She’s a tremendous player. It would be a loss if we didn’t have her.”
The victory improves the U.S. to 2-0-0 in World Cup qualifying, setting up the team for likely advancement to the semifinals next week in Philadelphia as one of the group’s top two teams. The top three teams at the CONCACAF Women’s Championship advance directly to the World Cup.
Tobin Heath led the way on Friday with two goals, opening the scoring for the U.S. in the 7th minute and adding the United States’ third goal in the second half.
Heath’s 7th minute goal was the only of the first half for the U.S. women, who were again wasteful in front of goal in the opening 45 minutes. Despite out-shooting Trinidad & Tobago in Wednesday’s CONCACAF Women’s Championship opener, the U.S. only won 1-0 and nearly gave the game away late.
There appeared to be a hangover effect on Friday at Toyota Park, but the U.S. finally found its finishing touch in the second half. Carli Lloyd scored 31 seconds into the half, and Heath added her second goal of the game eleven minutes later, cheekily flicking the ball into the net after Lloyd volleyed Megan Rapinoe’s corner kick.
Rapinoe’s free kick in the 58th minute — a minute after the third U.S. goal — found the head of a wide-open Whitney Engen for the finish and Rapinoe scored a goal of her own in the 66th minute when she hammered a right-footed shot past Guatemala goalkeeper Alicia Navas.
“We talked about at halftime about really trying to get deeper on our crosses, looking toward the back post and it resulted in that,” Ellis said.
As part of her lineup rotation, Ellis sat forward Abby Wambach and defender Christie Rampone. Press also sat to start, as Ellis’ third change to the lineup, but Press replaced the injured Morgan just before halftime.
Group A play wraps up on Monday at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. The U.S. plays Haiti, while Guatemala takes on Trinidad & Tobago.
Earlier in the night, Trinidad & Tobago defeated Haiti, 1-0 to pick up its first win of the tournament. Trinidad & Tobago played the final half-hour with 10 players after losing goalkeeper Kimika Forbes to a red card. Haiti and Trinidad & Tobago each have 3 pts. from two games each. The top two teams in the group advance to the semifinals.If you’re reading this, chances are you’re sitting down, which means you’re probably digging yourself an early grave.
At least, that’s the gist of a few articles that have made the rounds recently. A particularly popular article in Men’s Health cited a study in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise that will make any desk jockey wince. Examining the lifestyles of more than 17,000 men and women over 13 years, the report found those who sit for most of the day were 54% more likely to die of heart attacks. According to Men's Health, that statistic was true even if the people in the study were nonsmokers and regular exercisers.
Another report cited in a recent New York Times Magazine story tracked 123,000 Americans and found the death rate for those who spent six or more hours a day sitting was 20% higher than for men who sat for three hours or less. For women, the difference was 40%. No one's really sure exactly why that's the case. You certainly burn fewer calories sitting than you do standing and moving around, but weight gain isn't necessarily the primary reason that sitting is so bad for you.
If you’re like me, you’ve read those articles and wondered, “OK, what’s the alternative?” Aside from switching occupations (maybe it's time to brush up on those dormant lumberjacking skills), your best bet might be a standup desk. Right now, such desks are tiny niche in the market, but, thanks to those recent articles, things are picking up.
Jim Gattuso, who owns the domain name standupdesks.com, says that traffic to his site has quadrupled in recent weeks. Up until now, though, he had done a pretty good business, mostly for people with back problems. Gattuso started his business about 17 years ago when he was suffering from back pain and was looking for a standup desk. He couldn’t find one, so he contracted with a furniture maker in Ohio’s Amish country. The furniture maker was willing to make a desk, but he had one stipulation: “If I wanted him to build me one, I’d have to have at least three pieces made.” Gattuso kept two for himself and then decided to try to sell the other one on the Internet. It sold so fast that he realized there was a market for such things.
The cult of standup desks may be small, but proponents are vocal. Donald Rumsfeld is said to be a fan as is writer Philip Roth. Rob Schwartz, chief creative officer of ad agency TBWA\Chiat\Day LA, got a standup desk seven years ago because he heard Ernest Hemingway used one. “I figured, he’s a pretty good writer, so maybe I could use one, too,” Schwartz says. Physical issues didn’t play a role in Schwartz’s decision — he doesn’t have a bad back and isn’t worried that sitting all day will cause him to have a heart attack. “You get more done when you’re standing up,” Schwartz says. “When you’re sitting, you’re naturally recessive, you’re receiving, when you’re standing, you’re ready to do something... I don’t know. I used to be a bartender, so maybe that has something to do with it.”
Jon Paulsen, CEO of The Human Solution, which sells ergonomic office furniture, says that, despite the hype, a sit-down desk won’t kill you. “[Sitting is] not necessarily a bad thing, but doing anything for eight hours a day is bad,” he says. Paulsen, a certified ergonomist, recommends an electronic retractable desk, which can help you easily go from a sitting to a standing position. Desks with adjustable cranks provide too much of a barrier to going back and forth, he says. The important thing is to vary your routine. “It’s a great way to change your posture up,” he says. “As people get older, they find more benefits to moving around during the day.”
Such solutions don’t come cheaply. An electronic retractable desk will run you $1,000 to $2,000, but Paulsen says you can get “a real nice one” for $1,100 to $1,200. What if that’s out of your reach at the moment? Paulsen says make a point of getting up every half hour or so and walk around. “It’s good to take microbreaks,” he says. Such advice may be hard to follow, but, as any stand-up desk evangelist will attest, it's better to look weird than to die young.
For a look at some standup desks, click on the gallery below.Apple is pulling the plug on Beats Music on Nov. 30, shortly after launching the beta of an Android app for its Apple Music streaming service.
The company is now encouraging both Android and iOS users of Beats Music to transition to the Apple Music streaming service, which was launched by the company in June.
After the launch of the Apple Music app for Android phones, it has become easier for Apple to do the inevitable - shut down Beats Music, transition Android users and focus on Apple Music.
“All the pros that curated music for you are still crafting more amazing experiences,” wrote executive Dale Bagwell on a Beats support page. “Plus, on Apple Music, you’ll get even better recommendations based on music you already listen to and love, 24/7 global radio with Beats 1, exciting material from your favorite artist, and more.”
Beats Music subscriptions will be cancelled on Nov. 30, but users have the option to move their picks and preferences over to Apple Music, he added.
The company also provided detailed instructions for users moving from Beat Music to Apple Music on the support page. Apple had said earlier it was no longer accepting new subscriptions for Beats Music and recommended to users to move their current Beats subscriptions over to Apple Music.
Apple unveiled in June the subscription music service, which is priced at US$10 a month with a family service also available for up to six family members for $15 per month. The subscription rates vary in some countries.
The service offers a three-month free trial. Unlike some of its rivals, Apple Music doesn’t offer free music supported by advertisements.
The company’s CEO Tim Cook said last month that it had 15 million subscribers for the service of which 6.5 million had started paying while 8.5 million are still in the free trial period.
The iPhone maker acquired Beats Music and audio gear company Beats Electronics in May 2014 for $3 billion, hinting at its interest in the streaming music market.
Correction clarifies time lines at paragraphs one and sixOh, this is rich. Our friends at Media Matters have put together a delightful little video-compilation for all to enjoy. It’s called, “Sexual Harassment: You Decide” and features a montage of various inappropriate moments with the various ‘on-air personalities’ from Fox News. (So I know I’ve decided.)
One has to wonder why any woman would want to appear on Fox much less work for that lousy bunch good ol’ boys. I mean, it’s Fox News for crying out loud. The general rules of common decency, etiquette and respect for women do not apply. Such rules simply have no place there. In Foxland, ‘Fair and Balanced’ news is more like ‘Fair and Are You F**king Kidding Me?’
Yet women get Foxed every day on the show. We see some of them in this lovely audio-visual potpourri of insulting, demeaning, and sexist slurs. Such comments in any other company would lead to a sure expulsion or lawsuit. Not with Fox. They are immune to all the laws, in all the lands.
Where to begin … Here are a few of the least offensive slurs. The best are left for viewing pleasure. It’s well worth the 77 seconds of time. Just make sure that you wait a half hour before eating after watching this:
Brian Kilmeade: “Thank you, Hooters! That’s how I wake up everyday.”(Thank you, Bob we’re not surprised!) Brian Kilmeade: “She’s a great actress. And she’s got a great body.” (Oh, Brian…) Rush Limbaugh: “I love women. Where did all this get started? I LOVE the women’s movement – especially when I’m walking behind them!” (Pig.) Glenn Beck: “You are so hot – and I mean that!” (Glenn, Glenn, Glenn… you are so not – and I mean that.)
Here’s the video:
Oh, to have only heard her say:
“Glenn, I’ve got some time, a camera, and an attorney. Why don’t you stop by?”
I imagine the Fox News Sexual Slur and Harassment Archives are packed full. Thanks, Media Matters, for taking the time to pluck out some jewels and put them on video. They make me proud to be a Liberal.I miss AJ. You miss AJ. We all miss AJ.
So we talked with Dynamo Theory about AJ (and Saturday’s matchup).
LAG Confidential: Right now Houston is sitting pretty in the standings, 3rd in the Western Conference ahead of FC Dallas on goal differential. Are the Dynamo a playoff team this year?
Dynamo Theory: Short answer: Yes. Long answer: I hope so; the Dynamo have been amazing at home, playing the brand of soccer that the coach wants which is all out offense despite the propensity to be scored on simply because the personnel can score more goals in this system. The problem is their road performances. They don’t play that brand on the road and are typically more conservative which leaves gaps in the defense and allows teams to extend possession within the Dynamo’s half of the field. When they play their style, it’s an uncontrolled offensive wonder because they can take a defensive clearance and turn it into a goal scoring opportunity. On the road, they’re far more patient, conservative, and not willing to take the chances they do at home. In MLS, a team doesn’t have to be good on the road to be a playoff team; they just need to be good at home. As it stands, the Dynamo are among the best at home so I think that’s what makes them a playoff team. They must be better away from home to turn a good team into a great team and compete for the MLS Cup.
LAG Confidential: I'm conflicted about Houston. I love watching them play, but I despise the organization for stealing AJ DeLaGarza away from us. (Wait, that's not even a question)
How has AJ worked out for the Dynamo? We miss him in LA dearly.
He has fit in amazing. For a team with only 1 starter from last year’s defense (DaMarcus Beasley), the defense has come together faster than I thought it would. Another piece, Leonardo, another former LA Galaxy member, has helped cement the chemistry along the back. While the defense hasn’t been close to perfect, they have shown up in big moments. AJ in particular is adept at knowing when to push up the field which is what our style of play demands, and he can make crucial defensive stands on the other end. He’s also really taken to the culture in Houston and has shown a disdain for Dallas which has helped his arrival to be very well received by Houston fans.
LAG Confidential: No team has more goals this year than the Dynamo. What's the secret to Houston's deadly attack?
Dynamo Theory: Tough answer to give because I’d love to know why they can’t score on the road. At home this team scores goals because of the system set by Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera. That is a system where 3 forwards in a 4-3-3 formation seldom retreat to play defense and are ready to spring a counter attack. Alberth Elis, Romell Quioto, and Erick “Cubo” Torres are ready to pounce on any opportunity given. This is a quick group of forwards that aren’t afraid to take defenders on, they can pass well, and they are proven goal scorers. Any extra attention given to any one of them gives the other freedom. The combination of speed and vision towards goal provides them with plenty of chances to score within this system – when they play the way they do at home. I think it’s fair to say that the offense is the heart of this team and they live and die by this group. When they aren’t given service as they do at home, they suffer, but when they do…watch out, they’ll score plenty.Update: Both Merry Monk locations, in Albany and Saratoga Springs, will reopen Wednesday (5/17), eight days after being seized by state authorities for nonpayment of more than $460,000 in back sales and other taxes. Co-owner Jeremy O’Brien tells me negotiations with the state tax department resulted in permission to reopen after a repayment agreement was worked out. Both locations will return to their original hours: lunch and dinner daily in Albany, weekday dinner and weekend brunch and dinner in Saratoga.
Original post: The Merry Monk locations in in Albany and Saratoga were seized today (5/9) by state authorities for unpaid taxes. There is a sign on the door announcing as much at the Albany restaurant, and the restaurants, at 90 N. Pearl St. and 84 Henry St., are closed.
The state database for delinquent taxes lists 12 warrants totaling more than $217,000 for Merry-Monk Albany. Merry Monk-Saratoga, too, has a dozen tax warrants (here and here) totaling more than $242,000.Knocking the chatter. Katherine Heigl continued her self-reflection journey on The Howard Stern Show on Wednesday, April 20, by addressing her controversial 2008 comments about Knocked Up — and the subsequent fallout with costar Seth Rogen and director Judd Apatow.
"I know, I always get into it … just stick my foot in [my mouth]," Heigl, 37, cracked to the SiriusXM host. "I liked the movie a lot. I just didn't like me." (Heigl portrayed a TV personality who gets knocked up by a pot-adoring, directionless man played by Rogen.) "She was kind of like, she was so judgmental and kind of uptight and controlling and all these things and I really went with it while we were doing it, and a lot of it — Judd allows everyone to be very free and improvise and whatever — and afterwards I was like, 'Why is that where I went with this? What an a–hole she is!'"
That frustration with her character led Heigl to criticize the raunchy and wildly successful comedy in her 2008 Vanity Fair cover story. At the time, Heigl described the flick as "a little sexist," and added: "It paints the women as shrews, as humorless and uptight, and it paints the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys. It exaggerated the characters, and I had a hard time with it, on some days. I'm playing such a bitch; why is she being such a killjoy? Why is this how you're portraying women? Ninety-eight percent of the time it was an amazing experience, but it was hard for me to love the movie." Her castmates were not pleased with the outcome of the piece.
"Again, it was one of those situations, it was a huge opportunity for me," Heigl said Wednesday. "I was being interviewed for Vanity Fair. Like, I was on the cover of Vanity Fair, it was a huge big deal for me! And the journalist [Norman Jean Roy] was really, really lovely. I don't mean to imply on any level that she trapped me … she just said, 'You know a lot of women felt that it was a little sexist,' so then I felt obligated to answer that and so I tried in my very sort of ungracious way to answer why I felt that it maybe was a little. If you read the whole quote, I'm just saying that can be the nature of broad comedy … but they just took the sexist thing out."
Stern implied that Heigl broke a golden rule in Hollywood — "you don't criticize the movie that's coming out" — and Heigl agreed she was in the wrong. "No. That was dumb, yep," she said of her behavior. The actress further acknowledged that she should've called Rogen and Apatow to apologize, but she didn't.
"I did it publicly, instead, and kind of tried to say, look, 'This was not what I meant and this was an incredible experience for me and they were incredibly good to me on this movie, so I did not mean to s–t on them at all,'" Heigl said of her experience. "I've thought about like, writing a note. I feel embarrassed. I don't want it to feel insincere on any level."
The actress told Stern on Wednesday that she would like to work with Rogen again, though he may not feel the same. "I ran into him at a restaurant and I didn't quite realize that it was as serious as it was … I walked up like, 'Hey, guys!'" she recalled. "And they were like very, like, [really cold] and I was like, 'Oh, you're really mad, I didn't realize that it was that bad … I get it."
Rogen, 34, expressed his outrage to Stern back in 2009, saying: "We read that and thought, 'Oh, well, that's, uhhh, I don't know what to make of that.' And then you're like, 'Well, at some point, I'm gonna get a call like, 'Sorry, I was tired,' and then the call just never [came]."
Heigl acknowledged her past mistakes on Wednesday, and owned up to many offenses. "I absolutely owe anyone an apology I unwittingly offended or disrespected," she said, later concluding: "I get it. It was an immature dumbass moment."
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The Last of Us was hailed as one of the defining games of the PS3, roundly sweeping up nearly every award on offer at a suite of shows last year. Reviewers agreed that it set a new bar for narrative in video games. But it's not actually Druckman and Staley's experience with The Last of Us that has me most excited for Uncharted 4. The two also worked on Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, which in my opinion is hands-down the best game in the franchise. Uncharted 3 was a perfectly serviceable and enjoyable Nathan Drake adventure, sure, but Uncharted 2 was something special -- just like The Last of Us was. If we can get some of that magic back for Uncharted 4, the PS4 just might be unstoppable.
While the game has neither been confirmed for E3 or, technically, confirmed as "Uncharted 4," there's already a steady stream of chatter from industry insiders that this game will come to define what the PS4 is capable of. We're almost sure to see more of it next week, and I'm excited. I've yet to see a game that has capitalized on the power of either next-gen console, and if anyone is going to do it, it will be Naughty Dog.
"We sure hope you're surprised by how amazing it looks! It's going to be an exciting story, and I think people are going to really buy into this one in a way that I think is consistent with the rest of the stories. It's a stand-alone adventure like all of them are; we don't expect people to have played the past games to enjoy the current one. But you're going to get to experience Drake and his crew in a new way," studio co-president Evan Wells told Game Informer.40 Years Later US Bombs Still Kill In Laos
A Legacy Of The Vietnam War
It is one of the legacies of the war in Vietnam. Even so the conflict in Vietnam ended in 1975 countries such as Laos and Cambodia are still paying an heavy price as the authorities still struggle to get rid of a massive quantity of unexploded bombs. Between 1964 and 1973 two billion kilograms of bombs were dropped on Laos by the US military. This constitute the heaviest aerial bombing in history, and Laotians are still paying the price today. More bombs were dropped by the US on Laos during the Vietnam war than during World War II in Europe.
Unexploded Ordnance Kill Thousands Every Year Worldwide
The problem of unexploded ordnance (UXO) is extremely bad in Laos, but it also affects, to a lesser extend, Bosnia, Cambodia, DR Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Lebanon, Sudan and Vietnam. Lao People’s Democratic Republic ( Lao PDR) is the most bombed country in the world per capita. From the 1.3 million tonnes of bombs dropped by the US on the country, up to 30 percent of some type of ordnance did not detonate.
Laos Historical Background
Modern day Laos– Lao People’s Democratic Republic- has it roots in the ancient Lao kingdom of Lan Xang, established in the 14TH century under King Fa Ngum. For 300 years Lan Xand had influence reaching into present days Cambodia and Thailand as well as over all what is contemporary Laos. After centuries of gradual decline, Laos came under the domination of Siam (Thailand) from the 18TH century to the 19TH century when it became part of French Indochina with Vietnam and Cambodia. The Franco-Siamese treaty of 1907 defined the current Laos border with Thailand. In 1975, after the US were defeated in Vietnam, the communist Pathet Lao took control of the government, ending a six-century old monarchy, and instating a socialist government aligned to Vietnam. A gradual return to private enterprise and the liberalization of foreign investment laws began in 1988.
Laos Endemic Problem With Unexploded Ordnance
In Lao PDR, unexploded ordnance (UXO) still contaminates the ground affecting a quarter of all villages and preventing farmers access to much needed land to plant crops. The numbers are staggering: Between 1964 and 2008, they were at least 50,000 UXO casualties. In 2008 alone the casualties were as high as 600.
Just like in other part of the world, the UK based organization MAG International makes a difference between life and death in Lao PDR with its comprehensive program of UXO removal. In 2009, MAG Lao PDR said they had increased productivity in bomb removal by almost 90 percent over the last year in land cleaning from UXO.
37 Years After The Massive US Bombing Stopped, How Is Lao PDR Doing?
Connie Cappos and Andrew Coyne just came back from a six weeks journey to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, and were willing to answer a few questions from News Junkie Post (NJP) in the context of this article.
NJP: When you were in Laos did you noticed a lot of people badly injured from unexploded ordnance dropped by the US?
Connie Cappos: In Vientiane( Laos capital) we saw a lot of people begging on the streets having suffered such injuries. They were mostly young adults. In Laos, there is not that many streets kids, as opposed to Cambodia. The Laotian government seems to be a lot more on top of things than the one in Cambodia in this regard. Further, there is very little children or women sex trafficking( proposed to Westerners) in Laos in contrast to Cambodia where it is rampant.
Andrew Coyne: Exactly, In Laos I was very discreetly approached in the streets to buy marijuana or opium, but in Cambodia it was constant solicitations from people such as taxi drivers not only for drugs but also for sex trade.
NJP: Even so the Vietnam war ended in 1975, do you feel that there is still a deep animosity from people towards Americans?
Connie Cappos: None of the people in former French Indochina truly trust Americans and Westerners in general, especially the older generation. So yes, a sense of distrust is still very much at play.
Andrew Coyne: The area of former South Vietnam is actually the part of the region displaying the most animosity towards Americans. A lot more than around Hanoi, in the north.
NJP: Which ones of the 3 countries seems to be doing better on an economical and social stand point?
Andrew Coyne: Unquestionably Vietnam on an economical stand point. The service industry is quite good, and a lot of people have access to modern technology.
Connie Cappos: I agree, Laos is very slow and more traditional. It is a sleepy country compared to the buzzing Vietnam. Laos is still mainly centered on farming and traditional craft. The people in Laos seem to be a lot more at peace with their trouble past than the people in Cambodia.
Andrew Coyne: Yes Cambodia appears to be still struggling with its own awful legacy of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouges. Corruption is rampant, and it seems that some former elements of the Khmer Rouge are running the sex trade and drug trafficking like a mafia. We saw a lot of people walking around in the streets carrying AK 47. Of the 3 countries, Cambodia is definitely the one still struggling for social harmony.
NJP: Thank you both for your time.
Editor’s Note: All the photographs illustrating this article are by Connie Cappos. Please follow The News Junkie Post on Twitter.Square Enix held a Final Fantasy XV: Episode Duscae feedback-focused live stream this morning, detailing the changes the development team are making in response to user feedback, announcing the release of an upcoming patch to the demo, and announcing plans for E3 and Gamescom, the latter of which promotion for the main game will officially begin.
Find everything summed up below.
■ An Evaluation of Episode Duscae by the Numbers
The global average score determined by everyone who played the demo is 8.3. In North America, the game scored an 8.6, in Japan an 8.0, and in Europe an 8.3.
Global Breakdown
Music – 9.3
Weapons design – 8.9
World design – 8.9
Event scenes – 8.8
Graphic quality – 8.9
Open-world gameplay – 8.6
Voice acting – 8.6
Character dialogue – 8.5
Main character design – 8.5
How much did you like Noctis’ personality? – 8.4
How much did you like Gladiolus’ personality? – 8.5
How much did you like Ignis’ personality? – 8.4
How much did you like Prompto’s personality? – 7.9
Sub-character design – 8.1
Game difficulty – 7.9
Story – 8.4
Tutorial – 8.2
Navigation – 8.2
Map design – 8.3
Battle system – 7.7
Amount and variety of content – 7.8
Controls – 7.4
Japan Breakdown
Music – 9.4
Weapons design – 9.0
World design – 8.9
Event scenes – 9.0
Graphic quality – 9.0
Open-world gameplay – 8.4
Voice acting – 9.1
Character dialogue – 8.8
Main character design – 8.4
How much did you like Noctis’ personality? – 8.6
How much did you like Gladiolus’ personality? – 8.6
How much did you like Ignis’ personality? – 8.6
How much did you like Prompto’s personality? – 8.1
Sub-character design – 8.3
Game difficulty – 8.0
Story – 8.5
Tutorial – 8.3
Navigation – 8.4
Map design – 8.5
Battle system – 7.8
Amount and variety of content – 8.0
Controls – 7.1
North America Breakdown
Music – 9.4
Weapons design – 9.0
World design – 9.0
Event scenes – 8.8
Graphic quality – 9.1
Open-world gameplay – 8.8
Voice acting – 8.2
Character dialogue – 8.4
Main character design – 8.6
How much did you like Noctis’ personality? – 8.3
How much did you like Gladiolus’ personality? – 8.5
How much did you like Ignis’ personality? – 8.4
How much did you like Prompto’s personality? – 8.1
Sub-character design – 8.1
Game difficulty – 8.0
Story – 8.6
Tutorial – 8.2
Navigation – 8.1
Map design – 8.3
Battle system – 7.6
Amount and variety of content – 7.7
Controls – 7.5
Europe Breakdown
Music – 9.3
Weapons design – 8.7
World design – 8.7
Event scenes – 8.7
Graphic quality – 8.6
Open-world gameplay – 8.6
Voice acting – 8.6
Character dialogue – 8.4
Main character design – 8.4
How much did you like Noctis’ personality? – 8.2
How much did you like Gladiolus’ personality? – 8.3
How much did you like Ignis’ personality? – 8.0
How much did you like Prompto’s personality? – 7.7
Sub-character design – 7.9
Game difficulty – 7.9
Story – 8.2
Tutorial – 8.2
Navigation – 8.0
Map design – 8.0
Battle system – 7.6
Amount and variety of content – 7.6
Controls – 7.5
What interesting you about Final Fantasy XV?
It is the new numbered Final Fantasy game – 69% (Japan) / 48% (NA)
I like all Final Fantasy games – 74% (Japan) / 52% (NA)
I like games set in an open world – 15% |
just couldn't resist.)Look… I’ll be the first one to say that Philly fans are tough… I grew up in the Delaware Valley… I know… But the thing that never gets recognized is the fact that the knowledge and passion that Philly fans bring to the table are unrivaled by any other American city… bar none. I am proud to call Nashville my home... My family has lived here for the last 25 years, and this market has the makings of a great sports city. Philly is already there and has been there for years. Are there some idiots in the crowd… of course there are. Should we paint the entire city or fanbase on the actions of those idiots… of course not... But let’s not let the facts get in the way of a good story.Sometimes movies make things up or gloss things over to further the story along, like the movie “Invincible” didn’t mention that Vince Papale played in the WFL before making the Eagles… but… the truest part of that movie was the first few minutes that took place at the end of another losing Eagles season, when someone tried to leave early as the clock was winding down. The fan was told “sit down… there’s a game going on.” I seen that happen personally at the Vet and the Spectrum and believe me… The record of futility for Philly sports teams can make it very hard to be a Philly sports fan, but it does help toughen you up… and makes the victories all the more sweet. My memories of the Stanley Cup parades in ’74 and ’75, the World Series wins, the greatest season in my memory, 1980, when all four of my hometown teams made the respective finals of their leagues, The Eagles in the Super Bowl, the Sixers and Flyers making the finals and those Fighin’ Phils… the Phillies finally breaking through and winning an elusive world championship.It’s the one thing that most people don’t understand about Philly fans… they point to the actions of a few idiots… actions that have happened in every stadium or arena in this country… and paint the entire town with it. It just isn’t right, it isn’t truthful… But you know the funny thing? Philly fans simply don’t care. They know the truth and they simply don’t care what the media or opposing fans think. It’s one more thing that I like about Philly fans… so, let me say again…Kudos to the fans from Philly that came last night, you are welcome in Smashville anytime!----------------------------------Random Notes- Colin Wilson finally got a little puck luck last night, breaking a goal-less streak that stretched back to November 6th, however Wilson couldn't convert on two golden opportunities to win that game in overtime, hitting the post on one breakaway and just missing the net on another.- The Predators went 0-5 on the power play last night.- Last night was Matt Cullen’s 1,100th NHL game. That’s a lotta games…- Patric Hornqvist returned to the lineup last night and made an immediate impact.- Nashville is now 0-3 in shootouts and have yet to register a goal in the skills competition.- The cheer that went up at Bridgestone Arena last night when Auburn beat Alabama was loud, I mean really loud… I am still stunned at the turn of events that led to that finish.--------------------------------------You are invited to follow me on Twitter. Search for @PredPAPaul… Not only will I be updating when I get news or updates, but we are having a bit of fun by getting your input on Gnash introductions, weigh in on Twitter and who knows, we may use your introduction for the best mascot in the NHL at the next Preds game! You can also keep up with all the goings on with SlapShot Radio by following the show on Twitter @SlapShotRadio1Also... make sure to "like" SlapShot Radio on Facebook... here's the link -------------------------------------SlapShot Radio, Join Pete Weber and I as we chat with hockey’s best, every Wednesday night at 7pm on 102.5 the Game and the SlapShot Radio Network. Our next show is Wednesday December 18th.SlapShot Radio is brought to you by Dr. Jane Bacon at Hermitage Family and Cosmetic Dentistry (615-872-7762), and Burger Republic, check their excellent menu out at their website, Defend Quality… Burger Republic.Want to be part of the SlapShot Radio family?Advertisers… reach out to me to access our activated listener base, we have special deals available as we head toward the holidays with the best hockey talk in the mid-South. Contact me at paul(@)slapshotradio(dot)comRadio station owners/programmers, contact us to carry SlapShot Radio on your station, we are satellite delivered every week via SkyView on the SlapShot Radio Network.Our podcasts are posted… Click here to download or listen to any of this season’s podcasts.-------------------------------------KINDLE USERS: Please subscribe to Predators Buzz, a one-stop feed for all things Predators-related on HockeyBuzz. Your subscription includes a free 14-day trial and is just 99 cents per month thereafter. For more information, click here.a>.Now 71, Keeler has spoken out openly about her role in the events which led to the resignation of Profumo, the Secretary of State for War, from the Macmillan Government in June 1963, aged 91.
His career came to an abrupt end after it emerged that Keeler, with the Cold War at its height, was conducting a simultaneous affair with Yevgeny Ivanov, a Soviet spy.
Keeler has now confessed she played a bigger part in the espionage ring coordinated by Stephen Ward, than had been previously thought.
"However I dress it up, I was a spy and I am not proud of it. The truth is that I betrayed my country," she told the Sunday Mirror.
“I tried to block it out – I was too scared. Just by admitting that for the first time I have freed myself of an enormously heavy emotional burden."
She said her involvement in the operation run by Ward, a society osteopath who committed suicide on the last day of his trial for living off immoral earnings, started before she had ever met Profumo.
She was asked to deliver an envelope to the Soviet embassy in London which, she was told, contained details of a bridge game for Ivanov.
"I knew I was passing on information but over all the years I have always told myself it was only papers to do with bridge.
“It wasn't of course. I was a stupid young girl. If I had fully understood then I would never have done anything that would harm my country.
"I was recruited by a clever, charismatic but dangerous man."
According to Keeler, she also was present at meetings attended by Ward, Anthony Blunt, who was later exposed as a member of the Soviet spy ring and Sir Roger Hollis, the head of MI5 – who has since also faced accusations of treachery.
Ward, she says, tried to exploit her complicated love life, asking her to use pillow talk during her affair with Profumo to discover when nuclear warheads were being moved to Germany.
According to Keeler, the history of the Profumo affair has, by concentrating on sex, missed the real significance of what happened.
"History says my story is about sex. It is, of course, but that is just moments of it. Over all the years the sex has taken the searchlights off the spies."NewsEnd of Life, Freedom
April 28, 2015 (LifeSiteNews.com) -- More than half of all Dutch physicians specialized in euthanasia would consider approving euthanasia for a demented patient, according to a survey carried out last year and made public last week at an academic symposium held at the VUmc Free University in Amsterdam.
“SCEN” doctors – as they are known – form the Support Consultation Euthanasia Network Netherlands whose members can be called upon by family doctors who face a euthanasia request and who need help with the procedure, specialized and independent advice as to whether their patient should “benefit” according to the requirements for “careful” euthanasia, or a second opinion as prescribed by the Dutch euthanasia law.
547 physicians – 82 percent of all SCEN doctors – took part in the survey, making it a very accurate representation of the present state of mind of those who play a leading role in the practice of euthanasia in the Netherlands. They are often called in when a family doctor is unsure whether acceding to a euthanasia request complies with the “requirements of careful practice.” Compliance with the “strict” criteria of the law is assessed retrospectively, once the act has been performed and declared: should it not be judged “careful,” the family doctor would then face prosecution. A SCEN doctor’s opinion is no guarantee, but it is extremely rare for the Regional Euthanasia Control Commissions to disavow it.
In the survey, 4 percent of the SCEN doctors said they had personally approved euthanasia for a person who was unable to express his or her personal will because of advanced dementia.
Considering the first such case registered – and approved – by a Regional Euthanasia Control Commission took place only four years ago, in 2011, this is no small number: it means 22 SCEN doctors have already approved euthanasia in that context even though the actual amount of acts performed would probably be lower.
Even more worryingly, 52 percent of the doctors said they could imagine personally approving euthanasia in the case of a demented person incapable of expressing his or her will, should the patient have requested it through advance directives or a “living will.”
This growing preparedness to consider lawful the deliberate killing of a dependent and defenseless person is something of a novelty in the Netherlands. Most doctors remain squeamish about euthanasia for the mentally incompetent and refuse to act upon advance directives drawn up when the patient was still well enough to do so.
This is a sticking point between family doctors and the Dutch euthanasia lobby, which argues that the euthanasia law provides for such cases. The euthanasia lobby is in fact right: the letter of the 2001 law clearly states that advanced directives can justify euthanasia. But on the other hand it is the family doctor who makes the final decision. A very large majority of practicing doctors refuse to act on the provision. It is even this fact that has motivated a growing tendency to euthanize patients with incipient dementia, so as to avoid refusing their request once they would become incapable of expressing their death wish.
But overall resistance against euthanasia on mentally incompetent patients is apparently dwindling.
Not surprisingly, 49 percent of the SCEN doctors who participated in the survey said they consider that the limits of what is considered “acceptable” and compliant with the law have broadened since they entered the network – on average since 8 years; some since the law came into effect. This is proof positive of the “slippery slope” syndrome.
The Dutch euthanasia law’s broadening scope is a sign that the Control Commissions are not controlling much: cases where they judge a euthanasia act “not careful” are extremely rare. The present survey shows that the SCEN network is also playing a role.
Eleven percent of the surveyed SCEN doctors said they had already approved euthanasia for patients who were simply “tired of living,” who had no severe or terminal illness causing “unbearable suffering.” Thirty-two percent are prepared to consider doing so in the future, even though the law does not provide for such cases.
Seventy-five percent of the SCEN doctors consider it acceptable to approve euthanasia for a person refusing all treatment. A small majority would consider approving the killing of a person incapable of communicating, provided there was a living will, but also – even more alarmingly – on the basis of information afforded by third persons.
The survey showed that 70 percent of SCEN doctors have occasionally given advice for treatment in order to relieve a patient’s suffering; 62 percent suggested one time or another that palliative care would be more relevant than euthanasia. The professional journal Medisch Contact considered this to go beyond their scope: offering genuine help would encroach on palliative care doctors’ responsibility and go against their own “independence.”
The survey’s authors say they were “satisfied” to find that the personal experience and beliefs of SCEN doctors does not “interfere” with their judgment as regards the compliance of a euthanasia case with the law: “Seen in the light of the quest for standardization of judgment-forming this is a positive result,” they conclude.Back in 1989, in his smash hit Say Anything, John Cusack famously stood with a boom box above his head outside the home of the woman he loved blasting Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes." With his latest films on the Iraq war, Cusack is standing outside Hollywood with a TV above his head broadcasting his political movies calling on the public to wake up and "Do Something."
John Cusack began working on his new film War, Inc., which premieres in LA and New York May 23, about a year into the US occupation of Iraq. From the moment US tanks rolled into Baghdad, Cusack was a voracious consumer of news about the war. He took it deadly seriously, regularly calling independent journalists and asking them questions as he sought as much independent information as he could. Watching the insanity of the erection of the Green Zone and the advent of the era of McWar, complete with tens of thousands of "private contractors," Cusack set out to use the medium of film to unveil the madness. He wanted to do on the big screen what independent reporters like Naomi Klein, Nir Rosen and Dahr Jamail did in print. Over these years of war and occupation, Cusack has become one of the most insightful commentators on a far too seldom discussed aspect of the occupation: the corporate dominance of the US war machine.
Cusack is no parachute humanitarian. While he continues to do the Hollywood thing with big budget movies, he is simultaneously a fierce un-embedded actor/filmmaker who has been at the center of two of the best films to date dealing with the madness of the Iraq war. Without big money sponsors and the backing of powerful production companies, Cusack has spent a lot of his own money on these projects.
Cusack's film Grace is Gone, was one of the most under-rated and under-viewed movies of 2007. Cusack should have been seriously considered for an Oscar for his portrayal of Stanley Philipps, a man whose wife dies while deployed as a soldier in Iraq. The film centers on Philipps's painful inability to explain to his two young daughters (powerfully played by two amateur actors, Shélan O'Keefe and Gracie Bednarczyk) their mother's death. Instead of telling his daughters the terrible news, he embarks on a surreal road trip to a theme park with the girls as he fights for his own sanity and grapples with his own support for the war that has just taken the life of his wife. The film is a jolting picture of a man caught in the free fall of a nervous breakdown and the ricochet impact of the death of soldiers in the war. It was an outright shame that Grace is Gone did not get wide distribution. I was at a screening of the film in New York and there were not many dry eyes at the movie's conclusion.
Perhaps the film's lack of commercial success was due to the so-called "Iraq movie fatigue" that took hold in Hollywood a couple of years ago. But Grace is Gone is not simply an "Iraq movie" or a "war movie." It isn't even really an "anti-war" movie. It is a haunting and moving film that cuts across political lines to tell the story of the suffering and shattering of so many US military families with loved ones deployed in Iraq. Had it received the distribution it deserved, Grace is Gone would have resonated strongly with both supporters and opponents of the war, a rare accomplishment.
War, Inc. is a radically different kind of movie. In fact, it really defies genre. It is sort of like this generation's Dr. Strangelove, A Clockwork Orange and The Wizard of Oz mixed together with the un-embedded reporting of Naomi Klein, spiced up with a dash of South Park. It is a powerful, visionary response to the cheerleading culture of the corporate media and a pliant Hollywood afraid of its own shadow.
On the surface, War, Inc. appears to be a spoof of the corporatization of the occupation of Iraq. Cusack plays a hit man, named Hauser, deployed to Turaqistan with the mission of killing a Middle Eastern oil baron (named Omar Sharif). Hauser's employer is a secretive for-profit military corporation run by the former US vice president, played by Dan Aykroyd. We first meet Aykroyd's character as he sits, pants down, on a toilet seat during a closed-circuit satellite videoconference call to give Hauser his mission. Hauser arrives in the Turaqi capital and heads for the "Emerald City" (read: the Green Zone), where his cover is director of a trade show for the military corporation, Tamerlane, which is basically running the Turaqi occupation. Hauser soon falls for a progressive journalist, played by Marisa Tomei, who is in Turaqistan to investigate Tamerlane, and what follows is an insane ride through Cusack's interpretation of the radical corporatization of war.
Singer Hilary Duff gives a surprisingly fun performance as a pop star, Yonica Babyyeah, who performs a song in the war zone with the lyrics, "You say you want to invade me, baby/Enslave me, baby." As Duff delivers the song, she caresses a phallic gas nozzle decorated with diamonds while singing, "I want to blow you....up." Obviously Cusack and his co-writers, Mark Leyner and Jeremy Pikser (REDS/Bulworth), sought to tap into the extreme nature of the corporatized war and take it to another level, but anyone who thinks the premise behind War Inc. is "over-the-top" has not been paying attention to real life.
Cusack, Leyner and Pikser are not predicting the future, they are forcefully -- and with dark humor and wit -- branding the present for what it is: the Wal-Mart-ization of life (and death) represented in the new US model for waging war. With 630 corporations like Blackwater and Halliburton on the US government payroll in Iraq getting 40% of the more than $2 billion Washington spends every week on the occupation, Cusack's "futuristic" film is not far from the way things really are. A powerful, for-profit war corporation, run by the former US vice president "owning" the war zone; tanks with NASCAR-like sponsor logos speeding around the streets firing at will; "implanted journalists" watching the war in IMAX theaters in the heavily-fortified "Emerald City" to get "full spectrum sensory reality" while eating popcorn; a secretive "viceroy" running the show from behind a digital curtain are all part of Cusack's battlefield in the fictitious Turaqistan. But how far are they from the realities of the radically privatized corporate war machine Washington has unleashed on the world?
War Inc. is already an underground cult classic and will likely remain so for years to come. The film is not without its shortcomings -- at times it is confusing and drags -- but its faults are significantly overshadowed by its many strengths. It also accomplishes the difficult feat of being very entertaining and funny, while delivering a powerful punch of truth. War, Inc. is a movie that deserves a much wider viewing than the barons of the film industry are likely to give it. But by filling the theaters in the opening days, people can send a powerful message that there is -- and must be -- a market for films of conscience.Facing Cancer Is Even Tougher If The Only Radiation Machine Is Broken
Enlarge this image toggle caption Ofeibea Quist-Arcton/NPR Ofeibea Quist-Arcton/NPR
If you happen to be a cancer patient needing radiation in Senegal, getting past the shock of the diagnosis and onto treatment is a major hardship at the moment.
The country's only radiotherapy machine — indeed for a long while the only one in French-speaking West Africa — is broken. That's the machine whose radiation is used to treat primarily breast, head and neck tumors and bone cancer.
Aristide Le Dantec teaching hospital, one of the oldest and largest in Dakar, the Senegalese capital, buzzes with activity. Dozens of mainly female patients are waiting to be seen at a cancer outpatient clinic.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Ofeibea Quist-Arcton/NPR Ofeibea Quist-Arcton/NPR
It's in this department that patients would normally receive radiotherapy treatment. But that hasn't been an option in Senegal since late last year.
Dr. Mamadou Diop is charge of the cancer institute at Aristide Le Dantec Hospital. In consultation with his colleagues, Diop made the decision to switch off the Cobalt radiotherapy machine in December, after it kept breaking down. He says it had simply become too dangerous — for patients receiving treatment and technicians operating the machine.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Ofeibea Quist-Arcton/NPR Ofeibea Quist-Arcton/NPR
As a young intern in his final year of medical school in 1989, Diop saw what he describes as a revolutionary radiotherapy machine then for Senegal being wheeled into the hospital. Today, it's just taking up space.
"This is the waiting room," says oncologist and radiotherapy specialist, Dr. Mamadou Moustapha Dieng, giving NPR a tour of the radiation center. "Patients come here. This is the treatment room. This is the cabin. This is the machine. You see it," he says, pointing to a huge, cream-colored and distinctly 20th-century looking machine.
The Senegalese government has promised four new radiotherapy machines for Senegal — including a replacement for this hospital – will be installed this year.
Until then, patients must travel to Morocco for treatment — at the government's expense, with help from the Senegalese Anti-Cancer League.
The League has recently refurbished Aristide Le Dantec's brightly-lit chemotherapy department, with rows of new daybeds in the ward. The chemo unit stands in sharp contrast to the dated, kaput Cobalt machine sitting in an empty treatment room in the radiotherapy unit across the way.
Michel Djery Dogue, 24, twice had surgery for a tumor on his tongue last year and has just completed chemo. He's one of dozens of Senegalese booked for radiotherapy in Morocco. Dogue winds a scarf around his head covering prominent scars from surgery on the side of his face and under his chin.
"It's a shame I can't have my radiotherapy here in Senegal," says Dogue.
Diop, head of the cancer unit, says the problem in Senegal — and elsewhere in Africa — goes much deeper than one broken radiotherapy machine. He says the government continues to spend more time and money on infectious diseases such as malaria, which affect many more people and are inexpensive to treat compared with cancer.
"I don't want to hear another word about high-cost cancer care," says an exasperated Diop, adding, "When you're talking about the effect on people's lives and families, how do you measure the cost?"
Diop says Senegal needs to fast-track training cancer specialists and set up one-stop centers where patients have access to all the treatment they need.
"We need to do more screening and record numbers and patients and which cancers are most prevalent," says Diop, stressing that the focus needs to be placed squarely on chronic diseases that are killing the Senegalese.
Senegal doesn't have good statistics on cancer numbers or deaths. Currently, Diop says, prostate cancer is thought to be the country's number one cancer. But he is convinced that breast cancer is a bigger killer in Senegal.
"How do I tell a mother of 35 or 40 that she's come too late and the diagnosis is that she may not survive, despite treatment? That disrupts an entire family, the children's education, the family's future. We must prioritize cancer in Senegal and other African countries, as well as infectious diseases."
The priority right now for widow Madeleine Sene, is her only child, Michel Djery Dogue — the tongue tumor cancer patient.
"We want him to receive radiotherapy in Morocco and return home safely to Senegal," she says. "That's what we're praying for."
Sene clutches her rosary as if for comfort as tears well up in her eyes.What is college? To Madison Comer, a confident 6-year-old, it is a very big place. “It’s tall,” she explained, outlining the head of Tuffy, the North Carolina State mascot, with a gray crayon. “It’s like high school but it’s higher.”
Elizabeth Mangan, who plans to be a veterinarian because she loves her puppy, pointed out that she, too, would attend North Carolina State. “Me and Madison are going to the same college,” she said.
And what is college? “It’s someplace where you go to get your career.”
Billy Nalls, meanwhile, was drawing curving horns and jagged teeth on Rameses the Ram on a paper pennant representing the University of North Carolina. “I’m drawing him as angry,” he said. In college, Billy wants to learn to make a Transformer (“It’s like a robot that comes from Cybertron”). And what happens at college? “You get smarter and smarter every day.”
Matriculation is years away for the Class of 2030, but the first graders in Kelli Rigo’s class at Johnsonville Elementary School in rural Harnett County, N.C., already have campuses picked out. Three have chosen West Point and one Harvard. In a writing assignment, the children will share their choice and what career they would pursue afterward. The future Harvard applicant wants to be a doctor. She can’t wait to get to Cambridge because “my mom never lets me go anywhere.” The mock applications they’ve filled out are stapled to the bulletin board.The excavation site at East Smithfield. Hendrik Poinar, an evolutionary geneticist at McMaster, has identified the bacteria responsible for causing the 1348 Black Death. Photo reproduced courtesy of the Museum of London
(Medical Xpress) -- The bacteria responsible for causing the 1348 Black Death, identified as one of the most cataclysmic events in human history, has been identified by a McMaster researcher.
Using a novel method of DNA enrichment coupled with high-throughput DNA sequencing, Hendrik Poinar, an evolutionary geneticist and member of McMaster's Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research (IIDR), graduate student Kirsti Bos and collaborator Johannes Krause of the University of Tubingen have discovered that the now-extinct version of the Yersinia pestis bacterium initiated the bug that caused 30-50 million European deaths between 1347 and 1351. Never before have researchers understood the cause of the plague, which continues to claim some 2,000 deaths a year worldwide.
"The Black Death is arguably one of the most dramatic examples ever of emerging or re-emerging disease," said Poinar, noting his study suggests this plague was the second of three pandemics, starting with the Plague of Justinian in 541 AD and culminating with the 20th century's modern pandemic. "By studying the origin of this disease it may yield information concerning the organism's evolutionary history as a human pathogen."
"Black death killed 50 million people in Europe in 1348 and spread from China through the Middle East to Turkey, Messina, Sicily and into the ports of Genoa and into London and then to Paris," he said. "One-third of the population of Europe died and the question in the beginning was, 'What was the bug that started it?'"
Poinar and Bos discovered that individuals buried at East Smithfield, a mass grave site on the outskirts of London in 1349, harboured Yersinia pestis genes after analyzing the DNA of 109 human skeletal remains. His group also studied the DNA of the remains of 10 humans unearthed at St. Nicholas Shambles, a site pre-dating the Black Death medieval plague.
Preliminary data presented in this work suggest that the Black Death pathogen may be a now-extinct variant. Poinar said the bacteria was thought to be particularly virulent in 1348 and acted on genes that facilitated transmission caused by flea bites, encouraging bacterial proliferation in the respiratory system during bouts of pneumonia.
"Our next goal is to sequence the entire DNA, and I am confident that this new technique will lead to answers that will change our understanding of the history of plague and our concept of emerging and re-emerging diseases," he said.
The research, which appears in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was supported by an IIDR collaborative grant with collaborators Brian Coombes, assistant professor of biochemistry and biomedical sciences and David Earn, professor of mathematics and statistics. Funding was also received from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and Canadian Research Chairs.
Explore further Cause of the big plague epidemic of Middle Ages identified
Provided by McMaster UniversityThe most striking feature of Legacy games is their permanence. Unlike many other tabletop games, the decisions you make in a Legacy game are felt in future games. New objectives are introduced, new components are added, and some are even destroyed. This permanence is the heart of the Legacy format and adds a thrilling new layer to your campaigns.
In Pandemic Legacy: Season 1, this permanence takes many forms. Cities slowly descend into chaos as panic spreads, diseases mutate, and new cards come into play. Over the course of your campaign, the characters you play can forge relationships, developing lasting friendships or getting locked in bitter rivalries. Far from being simple story beats, these elements tie back into the gameplay, becoming a part of the fabric of your world.
On a more personal level, Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 includes many elements that give the game an individual feel. Eradicating a disease, for example, allows you to write on your board and give that disease a name. Small touches such as this give each campaign a personal feel and reinforce the idea that each game is its own unique world.
Delivering Hope
Following in this tradition, you will have many opportunities to leave your mark on the world as Pandemic Legacy: Season 2 plunges you into a world torn apart by a virulent plague. Those who remain in this post-apocalyptic setting cluster in the few remaining cities, barely eking out an existence. In this harsh environment, antibiotics, food, medicine, tools, and other supplies are precious commodities.
During the opening months of your campaign, delivering supplies from your home in the havens to the cities that need them most is your main focus. Supplying the mainland slows down the spread of the plague and gives you a valuable foothold for future operations. But with a limited number of supply cubes available at the beginning of a game, you’ll need to create more if there’s going to be enough to go around.
The eight Produce Supplies cards offer an intriguing choice between generating a large number of cubes and planning for future games. Using the “Local Production” ability on one of these cards provides a quick influx of cubes in your current haven or supply center while also preserving the card for later use. Choosing “System-Wide Production,” however, grants a huge boost when you desperately need supplies, but also forces you to check one of the boxes on the card, pushing it one step closer to being removed from the game. With what awaits you in future months unknown, “System-Wide Production” is a risky proposition indeed.
Searching for Answers
Perhaps no other element of Pandemic Legacy: Season 2 has as visible of an impact on your campaign than these acts of discovery. Only nine cities are on your grid at the beginning of the game, but the tantalizing possibilities of what lies beyond are on full display. Once you have established the appropriate infrastructure in select cities across the map, you can begin to explore some of the lost world by taking the Recon action.
Discarding the City cards required to Recon takes you on a journey beyond your known world, allowing you to open some of the sealed packages included with the game. What you find there will dramatically alter your campaign. From new cards and objectives to new components and mechanics to experiment with, each package takes your world in thrilling new directions.
A Better World
When it was released in 2015, Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 thrilled gamers around the world with its engaging gameplay and thrilling storyline. Players were swept up in a globe-spanning struggle for the survival of humanity where their choices had an immediate and lasting impact on their world.
Now, Pandemic Legacy: Season 2 is poised to continue this tradition. Maintaining the taut thrills of the original while striking off in exciting new directions, the game allows you to leave your mark like never before.
The world is a shadow of what it once was. What remains of humanity is barely hanging on as the plague continues to devastate the population. But there is still reason for hope. You have the supplies and the team to save humanity. Venture into the unknown with Pandemic Legacy: Season 2, coming soon!
Pandemic Legacy: Season 2 is a standalone game that can be enjoyed without having played Pandemic Legacy: Season 1. Join the havens in their struggle to save the world. Pandemic Legacy: Season 2 is scheduled to be released soon. Head to your local retailer to pre-order your copy today, or you can place your pre-order through Z-Man Games here. To pre-order the Black Edition, click here. To pre-order the Yellow Edition, click here.John Dopson, mayor of Jacksonville, population 140, was driving a Jacksonville police cruiser when he was pulled over Monday by Telfair County deputies, the sheriff's office said in a statement.
Dopson declined to take blood and urine tests, "indicating the reason for his refusal was because he knew it would show positive for 'weed,'" according to the statement.
In addition to the impersonation charge, he was charged with driving under the influence of drugs.
The sheriff's office said it had been investigating the mayor for some time "in response to numerous complaints related to the daily personal use of a marked and equipped City of Jacksonville patrol car by an individual who possesses no law enforcement authority."
"Citizens should have confidence a marked police cruiser will be operated by a legitimate law enforcement officer and not just someone with access to a police car, living out some childhood fantasy."
Dopson "can be observed daily operating a marked and equipped Jacksonville GA patrol car," the sheriff's office said, often "with its blue lights activated."
"Although flattered by Dopson's obvious fascination of real law enforcement officers and the services we provide related to public safety, we cannot allow this type of illegal and very dangerous activity to continue," the sheriff's office said.
"Citizens should have confidence a marked police cruiser will be operated by a legitimate law enforcement officer and not just someone with access to a police car, living out some childhood fantasy."
Dopson was appointed mayor late last year even though he has been awaiting trial since last March on a felony aggravated assault charge, according to state court records. The Associated Press reported that Dopson was accused of pointing a gun at another man in an incident that was recorded on video.
Dopson's attorney of record in the assault case couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday night.Late last year, both the PS4 and Xbox One were released in China. Much to the excitement of industry analysts, who were frothing at the mouth at the amount of units both companies would sell. The reality in fact has been far starker.
Bear in mind that China hasn’t had games consoles released officially until very recently and the main gaming platform of choice has been the PC.
Unsurprisingly, PC gaming in China is absolutely massive and its uptake of various freemium titles has been the stuff of fiscal legend. China is also unique in the nature and breadth of its PC gaming obsession.
In that trying to repeat the same game types and monetization models outside of Asia hasn’t exactly resulted in the same fountains of cash as seen in China.
Likewise the idea that China would absorb gaming consoles with the same fervor as in the US and Europe has been proven to be not the case.
In the last year both the PS4 and Xbox One have only managed to sell 550,000 consoles. That’s a combined figure as well and it is woefully low compared to figures in the US and Europe, even in Japan in fact.
Some of this is down to Chinese legislation that is limiting the number of games released on either console but the main issue is the fact that other forms of gaming are more widely available for a greatly reduced cost.
Either way it seems that Chinese gamers are going after the platforms they find familiar and that’s very much the PC in this case. With that in mind it will be interesting to see how both Sony and Microsoft deal with this situation in China.
There’s definitely a massive market available but the appeal consoles have in China is clearly interpreted very differently than it is in the West. Of the two platforms though, the PS4 has more of a chance if Sony can leverage its Japanese software library there.
While diplomatic relations between China and Japan are suitably frosty, Japanese pop-culture is still very popular in China and that holds true for games (especially those tied into anime and manga).
In any case it’s clear that for both consoles, a Chinese release hasn’t resulted in the huge financial success people were expecting. It will be interesting to see if either company manages to improve their strategy in appealing to a clearly very different consumer base in the future though.
Follow me on Twitter and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii.
Read my Forbes blog here.The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the largest residential complex in the history of the Mission District on Tuesday, 3½ years after the so-called Beast on Bryant was proposed. The OK came despite criticism from some Mission residents that the neighborhood has too many luxury developments already.
But Supervisor David Campos, who represents the Mission District, said the project at 2000-2070 Bryant St. was a good deal that would bring much-needed affordable housing to the neighborhood.
Over the past year, developer Nick Podell took extensive strides to appease opponents, including giving adjacent land to the city for it to build affordable housing.
“I believe that on balance this neighborhood is better off having this project approved than not,” said Campos, who just a year ago supported an 18-month moratorium on the construction of market-rate housing in the Mission.
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wide range of miR-22-3p Ct values (Fig. 6) may be due to commercial changes in reagents designed to improve miRNA detection. Highly abundant miRNAs that were detected with Ct < 35 in all subjects were used as normalizers (Fig. 4) rather than the global average level, miR-423-5p, miR-124-3p or U636,71,73,86,89. Constraints included (i) significant ANOVA and Tukey HSD between groups, (ii) significant FDR to correct for multiple comparisons, and (iii) focusing on miRNAs that were detected in more than two thirds of subjects per group that may be viable biomarker candidates for use in the general population36,71,86. Ages were comparable between groups74 (Table 1) and there were no differences in expression between males and females43,87. Next generation sequencing is an excellent discovery tool but needs careful internal standardization to be as sensitive as QPCR for quantification90,91,92. Adequate sample sizes were essential because our initial findings with about a dozen subjects per group showed differences between START and STOPP after exercise93, but these differences eventually regressed to the mean as more subjects were analyzed. This is especially pertinent to smaller studies examining the differential diagnosis of CFS and GWI85,86,87,94,95.
Limitations of the testing paradigm include the intensive nature of the exercise and magnetic resonance imaging characterization of GWI subjects to determine their phenotypes. Lumbar puncture was required to obtain the cerebrospinal fluid miRNA biomarkers, but this procedure is not a contraindication to making an objective diagnosis of GWI. On the contrary, magnetic resonance imaging with cerebrospinal fluid QPCR miRNA profiling may be complementary tools for diagnosis of CFS, GWI and their subtypes.It is clear looking at economic data that young Americans were not sent the memo regarding this economic recovery. People do realize that the “Great Recession” officially ended in the summer of 2009, right? We’re heading into year six of this recovery but many are simply seeing lower paying jobs, a deeper reliance on debt, and inflation hitting in important segments of our economy. For example, some of the top employment sectors in our country are in the form of food services and retail that tend to hire a disproportionately large amount of young workers. But with more people going to college and taking on record levels of debt, working retail is not going to cut it. Back in 2000 about 25% of 25 year olds carried some form of college debt. Today that percentage is up to 45%. That is a major jump and shows that for many, simply going to college requires some form of debt assistance. And that is why we now have over $1.2 trillion in outstanding student debt across the country. But young Americans are also seeing hits to their net worth. Let us look at the “recovery” for young Americans.
In debt we trust
We now seem to be programmed into debt dependence. Need a car? Take on an auto loan even if it means getting a subprime loan. Want a home? Take on a big mortgage with a low interest rate to hide the fact of the big amount. Need an education? Student loans are there to help you, regardless of your income level. All of this has created a heavy reliance on debt. And with 45% of 25 year olds now carrying student debt, the young person with no college debt is looking like the exception.
Take a look at this growth in student debt:
The number of students and the amount borrowed has ballooned. Nearly half of those 25 year olds are carrying some form of college debt. And the average amount of those between 22 and 25 is over $20,000. This is the key age range of when people actually exit college and hit the workforce.
Having this much debt before even earning a paycheck makes it tougher for young people to save for retirement. Many are simply living paycheck to paycheck. Young adults used to earn good money relative to the national median income. That trend has reversed dramatically over the last decade. Take a look at this data:
In 1974 those 25 to 34 years of age earned 150% of the national median income. Today it is down to 110% and heading lower. What is problematic is this is a good portion of your entering workforce and this group in the past largely drove economic activity in housing, large goods buying, and producing changes in demographics. This is where the future growth of the country will occur. What is happening is more of a two-income trap with many working in the low wage portion of our system.
Even if we look at net worth data, younger Americans are having a tougher time today than in the past:
The median net worth of those 35 and younger is $3,662. This essentially amounts to one month of living expenses in most large metro areas of the country. When you see information like this it isn’t hard to believe that half the country is living paycheck to paycheck. And many want to assume that people are choosing to live one step away from poverty.
So what are the solutions? First, overall productivity is not trickling back down to the average American worker. While the economy grows and recover, most gains are going to a very small portion of the population. Nothing wrong with merit based benefits but we have corporate welfare helping big players in a non-competitive way. For example, big banks buying up single family homes and crowding out regular buyers. These big banks took advantage of bailouts and low rates and now are becoming one of the nation’s largest landlords. End result? Rents are up and so are home prices but incomes are stagnant. All that happens is more disposable income is sunk into a largely ineffective portion of our economy. Step one is to stop this welfare for the financial system.
The next step is for younger Americans to be wiser about their financial lives. Take charge early on. Be careful about the kind of debt you take on. There are plenty of great used cars you can buy on Craigslist or other places for a fraction of the cost of a new car. Don’t be tempted by the lure of hot wheels to take on big debt when you are planning for your financial future. Next, choose a college and major wisely. This may be difficult for young people to do but it is crucial. If you have doubts, community colleges are the way to go for your first two years. Most of time you are doing general education classes for your first two years. Then, you can transfer to your dream school and focus on whatever major you want to do. For young people these are likely the two biggest steps you can take to start off on the right footing. Otherwise, you are looking at being young, broke, and deeply in debt.
If you enjoyed this post click here to subscribe to a complete feed and stay up to date with today’s challenging market!It’s no surprise that the Lodge 12-inch pre-seasoned cast-iron skillet is our favorite. Besides being from one of the most iconic cookware brands in the country, it has a smooth cooking surface, comfortable handles, and a large cooking area. In our tests, the Lodge performed as well as, and sometimes even better, than the more expensive, lighter pans, both vintage and new. Lodge’s products are used by chefs and cooking personalities, widely available, and affordable. Oh yeah, and they’re still made in the USA.
What made the Lodge skillet stand out from the competition is the quality of the seasoning. Out of the box, it was the front-runner because the surface, while appearing rough and pebbly, felt smoothest to the touch when compared with all of the other new, affordably priced pans we tested. Our initial observations were confirmed when cornbread inverted from the skillet almost completely intact, save for a small bit of crust that stuck in the middle. For a brand new skillet, that’s impressive performance and in stark contrast to the Utopia Kitchen—an obvious knockoff of the Lodge design—which unmolded half of the cornbread, leaving the rest stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Another characteristic of the Lodge that jumped out at us when comparing the skillets is the comfortable handle. The design of the small stick handle allows you to naturally grasp it at the position where you have the most control, choked up at the base. The roomy helper handle on the other side of the skillet is big enough to wrap your fingers underneath with a bulky dishtowel. When we were pouring hot oil, our grip on the handle was secure and we always kept control of the pan.
With a diameter of 10 inches, the Lodge has one of the largest cooking areas of our picks. That’s big enough to fit a large rib eye steak, 6 ounces of standard-sliced bacon, or four large fried eggs.
The Lodge was a solid performer in every test. We were left with only one stray drop of oil on the countertop when testing the pour spouts. Cornbread had a crisp golden crust. Steak seared pretty evenly with minimal spottiness in a couple of places. Fried eggs released with moderate golden laciness around the edges, and the shape of the pan allowed for good spatula maneuvering. Sam Sifton was impressed by the Lodge, saying, “The only thing I really don't like about the new Lodges is the excessive branding,” referring to the logo emblazoned on the helper handle. He added, “I like their performance a lot.”
Two more very important things that make Lodge skillets desirable are their availability and affordability. Lodge skillets are available on multiple websites (including Amazon) as well as through national retail chains, independently owned hardware stores, and cooking stores. This skillet is an affordable pan that will become smoother with use and most likely last a lifetime with proper care. That longevity easily beats the short life expectancy—three to five years—of a nonstick skillet.
The 10.25-inch Lodge skillet is just as durable and even more affordable, sometimes a third of the price of of its 12-inch sibling. It has less usable cooking area, so searing large roasts and spatchcock chickens might not be possible. Still, it’s a great value, especially if you live in a smaller household.
Lodge skillets have a huge following from home cooks and professionals alike. Chef Jeremiah Langhorne uses them in his kitchen at The Dabney in DC. He told us in an interview, “I cook a great deal with cast iron at the restaurant. We have a large wood-burning hearth and the only pans we use in the hearth are cast iron.” When asked what he liked to cook most in cast-iron skillets, he said, “We love the sear, the char cast iron can put on fish, meat, or vegetables. Cornbread must be made in a cast iron.”Digimon Adventure tri Part 2 PV 1
Next weekend...return to the digital world
Posted by Crunchyroll on Saturday, March 5, 2016
Updated: The Crunchy roll twitter page has updated that they will stream Chapter 2 Ketsui on Saturday, time is still TBA. Will update once they announce it :)Be sure to check their website(source link above) for available country to stream. And they will stream live of Chapter 1 along with chat on March 12 (? They said Friday on the post) at 5PM PST!And as well as a Digimon contest. Check their page for details :)According to crunchy roll's twitter and facebook pageThey tease that "Next weekend... return to the Digital World."Currently waiting for their announcement on the day and time they will put the stream for the movie.This video was broadcast on the February Nico Nico Digimon Adventure Special (When they first showcase the second PV and the first six minutes of Ketsui) as "Review the movie in 3 minutes."(The Japanese sentence were: "San(3) bun de wakaru( or Something like that)". A quick 3 minutes review of what happen in the first movie.Samuel Johnson said it 240 years ago: “Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel.” Rudolph Giuliani proved it last week at a fundraiser in New York for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker when he exhumed commie-baiter Sen. Joe McCarthy by asserting that while he and Republican fatcats like himself were America-loving patriots, Pres. Obama and his family were not.
“I do not believe, and I know this is a horrible thing to say,” Giuliani said, “but I do not believe that the president loves America. He doesn’t love you. And he doesn’t love me. He wasn’t brought up the way you were brought up and I was brought up through love of this country.”
In the media frenzy that ensued, Giuliani — who spent $50 million campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 only to win just one (1) delegate to the Republican convention — embarked on a victory lap of right-wing media outlets during which he doubled down on his petty spitefulness.
That seemed to come to a halt yesterday when he issued a banal non-apology, which included this delicious tautology: “My bluntness overshadowed my message.” Bluntness was his message. After all, when you’re accusing the president of being anti-American, why be polite?
Of course, hardly anyone in the mainstream media questioned Giuliani’s standing to make such a blood libel against the president. After all, a large percentage of the reporters and pundits who covered the controversy live in New York and remember when, for reasons that remain mystifying to the rest of the United States, they anointed him “America’s Mayor” in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
The fact is, Giuliani has no standing to accuse Pres. Obama, or anyone, of being unpatriotic — or of being badly brought up, for that matter. When it comes to patriotism, Rudy is a quintessential chickenhawk — a warmongering draft dodger. In fact, he received more Vietnam-era Selective Service deferments — six — than even the bloodthirstiest chickenhawk, Dick Cheney, who sought and received a mere five deferments to avoid serving in Vietnam.
In fact, it’s hard to find a patriot in Giuliani’s family. His father, Harold Giuliani, avoided the draft in World War II by outing himself as a convicted felon. He’d served time under the name Joseph Starrett in Sing Sing for robbing a milkman in Harlem at gunpoint. Harold Giuliani was later employed as a thug working for Rudy’s mother’s brother, who ran a loan sharking business out of a bar in Brooklyn. That uncle and the uncle’s four brothers all managed to dodge the draft in World War II.
Pres. Obama was just 13 when the Vietnam War ended, but, in contrast with Giuliani’s family, Obama’s antecedents were bona fide patriots. His grandfather, Stanley Dunham, not only served in World War II, he was among the troops who invaded France on D-Day. The president’s great-uncle — his grandmother’s brother — Charlie Payne, served in the 89th Infantry Division, which liberated the concentration camps at Buchenwald. The president’s grandmother was a warworker who built B-29 fighter planes.
Giuliani has behaved like a scoundrel in his personal life, too. He married his childhood sweetheart, and second cousin, Regina Peruggi, and then cast her aside by having the marriage annulled on the grounds that they were cousins. Later, when he was mayor of New York, he failed to inform his second wife, Donna Hanover, an actress and news presenter, that he was leaving her for a younger woman, before announcing their separation at a press conference.
Finally — since Rudy chose to bring the president’s family into this squalid affair — it should be noted that, in 2010, Giuliani’s daughter Caroline, then 21, was arrested for shoplifting, which speaks to his own poor parenting. Everyone makes mistakes when they’re young, of course, and to Caroline’s credit, she reportedly voted for Pres. Obama in 2008.The New York Jets moved quickly on Michael Vick during Friday's visit, belying general manager John Idzik's glacial reputation.
Free-Agent Tracker Follow all the developments on the NFL's open market with our up-to-the-minute tracking of 2014's free agents.
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Minutes after releasing Mark Sanchez, the Jets announced the signing of Vick. The contract is for one year at $5 million, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reports, via a source involved in the process.
It's not guaranteed starter money, but even the best backups don't typically earn $5 million.
The Jets' brass already had planned to give Vick an opportunity to compete with Geno Smith for the starting job before the former Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons quarterback even stepped in the door.
Vick, 33, not only has a major experience edge, but also offers a mastery of Marty Mornhinweg's offense after starting 36 games in four years under the former Eagles coordinator.
Idzik presaged the signing in Thursday's press conference.
"Whenever you have inside knowledge on a player, with a coach who has worked with them, a player who has played with them, there's some member of your staff that has been around that player for a while -- that is a tremendous advantage," Idzik said. "There is less projection. Especially if you're dealing with a position that entails a lot."
Although Idzik hand-picked Smith in the second round of last year's draft, Vick should be viewed as the favorite to start the season opener on a team that features a defensive front seven ready to win now.
If Idzik can pull off a trade to reunite DeSean Jackson with Vick, he might just challenge the Patriots' stranglehold on the AFC East -- and inject a dynamic element to his reputation in one fell swoop.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" discussed DeSean Jackson trade talks, played running back roulette, and welcomed Lance Briggs into the studio.Los Angeles Central Library (Photo by Neil Kremer Follow via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
If you've been avoiding your local library because you owe them money, it's time to rekindle your relationship.
The Los Angeles Public Library will absolve your late fees if you return your overdue books and media between February 1-14. Your items must be undamaged, and can be returned to either the circulation desk or placed in the book drop at any of the LAPL's 73 branches. And just like that, your balance will be set to zero. You may also return materials for others if you have them on you, or if you're an authorized user or sponsor of that person's library account.
The library will also clear your old fines for materials you previously returned, hold-shelf expired fees, as well as fees on TechKiosk devices that were not returned on time on checkout day. However, those fines will not be cleared if you took the TechKiosk device out of the building.
You can also get a new library card for free if you lost yours.
Fines that will not be cleared include fines on any materials that are not returned, fines on items that have been damaged, fines on items from other library systems or the $15 fee from Unique National Collections, a library collections agency. The latter fee can't be cleared by LAPL because it comes from a different agency. You also can't get a refund on fines you've already paid. You may choose to replace a lost item with approval from a librarian. In that case, the lost fee as well as the processing fee will be cleared. Find more information here.Win Butler and Régine Chassagne perform outside the Capitol Records building in Hollywood, Calif., on Oct. 29, 2013.
Photo by Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
Digging around Ticketmaster recently for information on Arcade Fire’s upcoming tour, I was braced to battle for megavenue nosebleed seats and to shell out $15-plus for mystery “service charges.” But this caveat caught me off-guard:
Please Note: NIGHT OF SHOW: Please wear formal attire or costume.
This directive appears on ticket information pages across the band’s U.S. stops. NME reported that frontman Win Butler told a crowd in “suits, dinner jackets, masks and even full costume” at a London gig earlier this month: “To anyone who felt uncomfortable dressing up—I’m not sorry.” And before a show in Montreal in September, the band tweeted:
http://t.co/nCAOx4SF22 Formal attire or costume MANDATORY. (Formal wear = suit, dress or fancy something...) — Arcade Fire (@arcadefire) September 9, 2013
Arcade Fire isn’t the first group of rock musicians to impose a dress code. LCD Soundsystem requested fans wear black or white for their final show, Laura Marling told fans to wear black-tie to a special collaborative show, and dressing up for New Year’s Eve or Halloween performances isn’t uncommon. But those aren’t run-of-the-mill tour dates.
And that’s the thing: For most of us, formal attire is reserved for weddings or special nights out. Trying to force otherwise ordinary rock shows into the special category strikes me as presumptuous—an attempt to reinforce the band’s status as capital-A Artists. But Arcade Fire is no longer an indie darling playing intimate general-admission venues: They’re releasing albums that top pop charts and playing arenas named for the likes of Verizon, Pepsi, and Comcast. Asking attendees to dress up might seem to restore an air of specialness to unspecial tour stops at unspecial concrete behemoths that double as ice rinks and basketball courts—but nothing about a routine date in an arena decked out in corporate branding is arty. And demanding that fans old and young scale many flights of steep stairs in ball gowns only to sit in seats possibly soaked with overpriced Bud Light from last night’s hockey game seems less than thoughtful.
Butler and company are known for their earnestness and onstage theatrics—qualities I’ve appreciated in their songs and in live shows at venues both large and small. Nowadays, the band can afford to alienate some fans with requests like their costume mandate—but that doesn’t mean they should. If their music and live shows are good enough, they don’t need fans to play dress-up to make them memorable. And although the dress code surely won’t be enforced (I’d love to see ticket-takers try to turn away attendees whose outfits don’t meet the band’s guidelines for “formal”), it’s still a poor way to repay people for supporting the band’s music.
I haven’t decided if I’ll go to Arcade Fire’s show when the band stops in Washington next year. I love their music, and their past live shows are among the best concerts I’ve seen. But this dress-code gimmick reminds me of Arcade Fire’s graffiti advertising gone wrong from earlier this year. It feels like another misguided attempt by a big band to retain some vestige of their erstwhile smallness. It’s not working.
Update, Nov. 21: Arcade Fire has responded with a statement on their Facebook page.
To everyone really upset about us asking people to dress up at our shows… please relax. It’s super not mandatory. It just makes for a more fun carnival when we are all in it together. So far these have been the best shows we have ever played.
See you soon.
Love,
Arcade FireWhen Civilization 6 launches this October, gaming’s longest-running 4X strategy series will receive its most significant update since it switched to hex-grid world maps. Lead designer Ed Beach was kind enough to walk us through several of the incoming changes--most notably “unstacking” cities by spreading districts across multiple tiles on the world map--when he appeared on our E3 stage last week.
But because Civilization is such a dense experience, we decided to sit down with senior producer Dennis Shirk to speak in greater depth about the new city building mechanics, political agenda system, and cultural advancement rewards.
GameSpot: Let’s start with the big change: cities that extend to multiple tiles. Why the decision to unstack cities, and how will this impact the game?
Shirk: What I'd wanted to do is change up the way the landscape basically affects your game. In Civ 5, you settled cities based on the resources that were in the area, but you didn't care necessarily about much else. Everything is built in the city center: buildings, wonders--everything goes there. It's not a very interesting decision, you just build it. That's the only choice you have: to build it, not to build it. By unstacking the cities, what [we’re] able to do is make you think about where you're putting down your settlement.
If you want a city to be a science city, you know you're going to build a campus district. Campuses get adjacency bonuses, for example, from mountains and jungle. So if you find that perfect spot and you put down your city that has a lot of mountains and jungle, you're going like, “I'm specializing this city to be science-generating.” That's also where you're going to build your library and your research lab or your university. And that's across the board for all the districts--they all have strengths and weaknesses based on where your city's located.
They also take up a tile. So every tile they're taking up, you're not going to be building a farm there or a mine. So you have to balance this out. You can't build all the districts there, you can't build all the wonders, because you've got to be able to keep your people fed. You still have to do those basic things to keep your civilization moving. So as you're putting down cities and districts in different places, you have to specialize. Do you want more culture out of a city? Do you want more production? So you have to play the map. And that's the coolest thing, figuring out this puzzle of the map.
Fresh water is a lot more important now than it was before. You can't just plop a city down in the middle of the desert and expect to do well with it because it will never grow. It doesn't have enough fresh water access. There are some new concepts. There are two things that you need to do to have a city thrive: You need its people to be happy--so they have to have enough amenities coming in, like luxury resources--and you need the housing. It's just a concept called housing, but it's basically your population cap. So if you don't have fresh water access out of the gate, you're going to be trapped at one population because you have to have water.
So are maps still procedurally generated?
Yes.
Did that present any design problems? Because, in theory, you could end up with a map that's terribly inhospitable and makes the game either unplayable or just un-fun.
Oh, definitely. After we put the system in the game, the first time we fired up an archipelago map, we're like, “Nope, not going to work.” [Laughs] We had to make changes and adjustments to that. We found that players were restarting a lot if they weren't getting that perfect mix of mountains right away, because mountains are really powerful now for stuff like that. So we've had to re-tune the way the map generates and staggers stuff out.
But the district system [has] gone through many iterations, and it got to that sweet spot. We've made it so that, for example, not having mountains when you first come in can be offset by the amount of rivers that you have. We always have these balances in place now, where having the different challenges of different starting locations makes the game much more interesting. So you're not always going to have that same strategy when you come back in.I think that would be death for a game like Civilization, where it allows you to play the exact same way every time and you get to get away with it. That's not very interesting.
So you want to force dynamism on players, in a way; make them react.
Right, because you're not going to come back and play it anymore if you don't have those kinds of things. Something that [lead designer] Ed Beach had developed back on the Brave New World expansion when he was doing a lot of the AI work was a mayhem level. This is something that happens in the background; it's how they tune the game. You want this constant level of mayhem, kind of like the real world, where you never have quite this perfect world going on.
So if you're playing your perfect build or strategy, heading towards that culture victory, something will most likely happen somewhere that may take your attention off it for a little bit. Whether your ally is at war with somebody else and you have to make the decisions if you're going to help them or not, or it's happening directly to you. There's going to be something going on all the time.
How do you decide what’s an appropriate level of mayhem?
We obviously do a lot of watching what human players do, because you want the AI player to be as challenging to play as if you're playing against a human. We've also got many systems at the office that's literally just playing itself all day long, and then the AI guys are just reading the logs and watching. We never really had that on Civ 5. We'd always have to execute games manually. And this way it's just constantly running, constantly collecting data all the time.
That is slightly terrifying. It sounds like Skynet.
No, it's not quite teaching itself, it's strictly data that's being fed to another guy. That would be a little scary if we were like, “Okay, he's going to play, and you run an algorithm so that it gets better every single time, and learns from itself.” Yeah, Civilization is the start of Skynet, and then it all goes south. [Laughs]
Exactly! It’s interesting to hear that you guys design mayhem into the game. It almost begs philosophical questions about the nature of mankind. If you're making a game that is literally called Civilization and you feel there’s an inherent necessity for chaos and conflict, I don't know what that says about humanity. I'm guessing it wasn't intended as a commentary.
No, not at all. They're not even injecting mayhem. It's about controlling what the AI decides they want to do. So you have the knobs that you turn, and the mayhem level that they watch is just based on how the AI decides to play, how crazy they get, and making sure that's tuned to that perfect spot. You want that little bit of mayhem because it makes for interesting gameplay. In terms of real life, you don't want that at all. But real life may not be the most interesting game to play all the time.
What about players simply who want to perfect their own little corner of the world? Can they treat Civ 6 like a world building game and not so much like a conquest game?
They can. Well, first off, aside from what you can do in-game, there's always going to be that world of modding: people that design specific scenarios, specific ways to play. But just as in Civ 5, if you want to play a builder game, you don't invite Montezuma and Genghis [Khan] to the party. You go into “advanced setup,” you make sure that you're setting the civs that are really going to all be builders. You choose all the builders in the game, and then just have a build-a-thon, and go from there. But if you want the party, you go random and see where they land.
So the idea of distinct AI personalities returns? Like, different Civilizations have pre-programmed behavior sets that will correlate with historical precedents?
Even more so now. Like in Civilization 5, Montezuma always played a very specific way. He'd probably be just rampaging and invading. But we have very specific historic agendas now, which allow the way you interact with the civs to be much more interesting. Like Theodore Roosevelt's is, when he's on his own continent, as long as other civs that are on his continent are not causing trouble, he's probably going to be friendly towards them. But if they're causing trouble--they're going to wars or starting wars--he's probably going to be their enemy.
So you can actually have some fun with this, because you might have Emperor Chin nearby, and he's causing you problems. You're trying to play that builder culture game. He's not necessarily going to let you do that because his historic agenda is that he's a wonder builder. He wants to have the most glorious civilization and as many wonders as possible. And if other civilizations are beating him in that wonder race, that's a problem for him. He might get jealous enough to go ahead and start stealing wonders from you, in terms of taking cities.
So maybe you do a little bit of baiting, and you start playing with this information, and you draw him into a war with you, because then Teddy Roosevelt will most likely come to your aid. And now you've basically got this formal war that nobody is going to be angry at you about--because you didn't start it--and in the end, you've come out on top. So there's a lot of things that you can play around with these agendas now that make the game so much more interesting.
Are civilization's historical agendas going to be apparent to players, or is it something they're just going to have to figure out over time?
No, the historic agendas are the one thing that they can see when they come in. It's discovering all the rest of how [leaders are] playing they have to figure out.
How do you actually pick which leaders represent each civilization?
This time around was based around what we thought the personality would do for the game because certain leaders are going to fill certain gaps. We want X number of leaders that act this way, some that act this way, some that act this way, so you can have that balance going into the game. So it's not just about if they were a great leader, it's what they do.Whenever we have a leader that we think would bring a really interesting historic agenda to the table, like Teddy Roosevelt with his Big Stick policy, that's usually how we choose them. Of course there's going to be a balance. Some are Civ stalwarts. Some places really expect certain things to be in the game. We also always want a percentage that have never appeared in the game before, so we try to keep a percentage of those as well.
So obviously players can set their own political agendas as well, but it seems like that system has changed slightly. Can you describe the new system a little more deeply, and explain how it will impact the actual gameplay?
Well, we split the trees now. Before you only had the tech tree, so culture players or builders were at the mercy of people who were driving hard science because they'd always have more advanced units and eventually could steamroll you if they wanted to. So I really wanted a way for the cultural player to compete in the world. So we have a culture tree and we have a tech tree. But the thing is, the culture tree is where all of your policies live: the ability to unlock new governments, the ability to unlock more cards, these policy cards.
For example, you have militaristic cards, economic cards, you've got wild card slots, things like that. Now those are only unlockable in the civics tree, so if you're playing a hard culture game and you go deep into that tree, you could unlock some really advanced governments and a plethora of cards to choose from because you're the shining beacon of cultural awesomeness in the world. Whereas if you're playing a hard science game, you don't necessarily get to go as deep, you've got a more primitive government. You're not as enlightened, you're just strictly on the tech, you want more advanced units.
So as a result, if somebody is threatening you--one of those science players--they may have infantry and you've only got riflemen because you're not as far technologically. But because you've got all these great military policies plugged in, your riflemen are about half as much to produce and they've got all these benefits and their 50-percent stronger in certain areas because you've got that flexibility of government, and now you can stand toe-to-toe with these more advanced civilizations.
Will this affect diplomacy at all? Can you talk about anything that's been added, or any layers of depth or new mechanics that have been added to the diplomacy system?
We're not talking too much about diplomacy, but what I can say is, [leaders] also have random agendas, and they're hidden. An example would be, maybe [a leader] loves industry. That could be the second agenda that he has. You can't see it because you don't have exposure to the information. So if you're this weak-kneed culture civilization, his opinion will start going down; you don't know why.
So maybe to expose some of that information, you establish a trade route. And now that unlocks a little bit of visibility. You start getting rumors and gossip coming back. Still don't know what that hidden agenda is. The next thing you do is you send a delegation. He likes that, that's great, you get a modifier from sending the delegation. Plus the delegation starts sending you information. Now you realize, oh, he's an industry lover, that's why he didn't necessarily like me, that's why that negative modifier is there. So now you can kind of adjust to that as well.
And then of course you can keep going up the information chain to spies eventually, things like that. But [with] a lot of that information trading, you can become a merchant of information if you want, depending on the certain civ that you're playing--because you've got these different levels of visibility based on your engagement, you've got these different things that you're trying to discover.
Do you judge your coworkers based on which Civilizations they tend to prefer?
Silently, yeah. We don't say it verbally, but we always do.The makers of a video game featuring a cartoon version of Kim Jong Un have decided to cancel their work, citing fears of a possible online attack “inspired” by a recent high-profile hack at Sony Pictures Entertainment allegedly in response to the studio’s film, "The Interview," which depicted a plot to assassinate the North Korean leader.
"Glorious Leader! is a satirical 16-bit run 'n' gun," according to the developer, and it allows users, playing as Kim Jong Un, to “fight your way through a convoy of Americans who can only be up to no good,” sometimes while riding a unicorn.
Atlanta-based developers Moneyhorse Games debuted their project on crowdfunding site Kickstarter.com in December 2014. By early January, the team had raised $16,815 from 570 backers, but decided to halt development |
for National Policy, the Acton Institute, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, and more.
Betsy, former chair of the Michigan Republican Party, is married to Richard’s son Dick, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in Michigan in 2006. She has been a board member of Advocates for School Choice and headed All Children Matter, which “has pumped contributions into state elections since its inception in 2003.” She played a central role in All Children Matter, its successor the American Federation for Children and AFC-affiliated state political action committees, like one that raised more than $6 million for the 2010 election cycle in Pennsylvania alone. The American Federation for Children also spent heavily helping Wisconsin Republicans who faced recall elections. AFC is affiliated with the Alliance for School Choice.
Researcher Rachel Tabachnik noted in a 2011 Alternet profile of the DeVos family’s school privatization efforts that after voucher initiatives were consistently defeated by voters, the DeVos family shifted their strategy to a legislative one, and began spending millions on both campaign contributions and lobbying.
Like many privatization advocates, DeVos has resisted efforts to hold charter schools and non-public schools to the same standards reformers apply to private schools. As Chalkbeat notes, since she and her husband helped get Michigan’s charter school law past, they have “worked to protect charters from additional regulation.” That may be why there has been little action in the state to improve or close low-performing charter schools.
When Michigan lawmakers this year were considering a measure that would have added oversight for charter schools in Detroit, members of the DeVos family poured $1.45 million into legislators’ campaign coffers — an average of $25,000 a day for seven weeks. Oversight was not included in the final legislation.
The DeVos attacks on public education are part of a broader push by right-wing DeVos-funded groups to attack public employee unions. The New York Times reported in 2011 that FreedomWorks was “pushing anti-union legislation in several states, and saw the school choice legislation as part of that larger battle.” A 2014 Mother Jones story detailed the DeVos clan’s anti-union agenda and the hardball it played with its political money to jam through right-to-work legislation. “Nowhere has the family made its presence felt as it has in Michigan, where it has given more than $44 million to the state party, GOP legislative committees, and Republican candidates since 1997.”
DeVos is a board member of Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Excellence in Education, which supports Common Core standards – trashed by Trump on the campaign trail – as well as “school choice.” Betsy has also served on the board of the Acton Institute, which promotes right-wing economics as undergirded by conservative theology.
The Religious Right DeVos family also “gave heavily to efforts to ban same-sex marriage in Michigan” and “helped turn Michigan into a ‘right-wing work’ state. Betsy’s brother Erik Prince, founder of the controversial military contracting company formerly known as Blackwater, is also a right-wing funder; her industrialist father helped found the Family Research Council.Although Donald Trump is doing less well among evangelicals than George W. Bush, John McCain or Mitt Romney did, analysts have suggested that many evangelicals support the Republican nominee because of long-standing “culture war” issues such as abortion and gay rights. Trump has said he is antiabortion and promised to appoint conservative justices to the Supreme Court, so evangelicals are willing to set aside concerns about his moral character. It may also be that they support Trump simply because he’s not Hillary Clinton. Partisanship is powerful.
Our research points to another factor. Even though messages from religious leaders — such as the magazine Christianity Today’s call for evangelicals to speak up about Trump’s “blatant immorality” — could weaken support for Trump, few Americans are hearing about the presidential candidates from their clergies.
We draw that conclusion from an online national survey we conducted in September of 2,572 American adults through Qualtrics Panels. Although the sample is not a probability sample, it closely resembles the demographic makeup of the U.S. public.
We first asked respondents whether they had heard their clergies talk about Trump, Clinton and several issues. We emphasized that their responses were anonymous and would not threaten their churches’ tax-exempt status.
Among white evangelicals who reported attending worship services (21 percent of our sample), very few reported hearing about the presidential nominees in their houses of worship. For instance, just 9 percent said they had heard their clergies speak about Trump and just 6 percent about Clinton. When we asked respondents about their perceptions of their clergies’ support for Trump, there were no differences between those who said their clergies spoke about him and those who didn’t.
On the other hand, a larger share of white evangelicals said their church leaders had spoken about immigration (12 percent). And 31 percent said they had heard messages about the importance of participating in the electoral process.
By comparison, about twice as many black Protestants and Muslims in our survey reported hearing about Trump from their clergies.
This suggests that support for Trump remains high among evangelicals in part because local religious elites are not regularly talking about his candidacy. Were those discussions to occur, it’s possible that they would highlight concerns that many evangelical leaders might have about his moral character.
So what would happen if churchgoers heard critical messages about Trump connected to the values that many evangelicals embrace? To answer that question, we embedded an experiment in our survey.
Respondents were randomly assigned to read one of three versions of an anti-Trump editorial modeled on an August column by Napp Nazworth published in the Christian Post.
One version read in part that Trump’s appeal is “dangerously close to Satan’s offer to Jesus in Luke 4:9: ‘All this I will give you,’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me.’ ” A second version said that “Trump’s reasoning runs directly against Matthew 25:40.” This is the oft-cited verse about how treatment of “the least of these” is equivalent to the way one treats Jesus. The last version offered an argument about pragmatism, suggesting that Trump is outside the acceptable bounds of a compromise candidate.
After reading the editorial, respondents were asked to rate Trump on a “feeling thermometer,” a scale ranging from 0 (very cool) to 100 (very warm).
The figure below shows that the “Satan” condition significantly reduced Trump’s rating. Compared with a control group (that did not read an editorial), white evangelicals in the Satan treatment rated Trump nine points lower. Nonwhite evangelicals — who are cooler to Trump across the board — moved similarly, lowering their rating 11 points on average. (The treatments had no effect on feelings toward Clinton.)
Neither the “least of these” treatment nor the argument that Trump was not an acceptable pragmatic compromise had an effect. The unique effects of the Satan treatment are consistent with an understanding of evangelicals placing a high priority on individual sanctity by avoiding sin.
Ultimately, Trump’s support among evangelicals is certainly due in part to the power of partisanship and the Republican Party’s conservative stance on social issues. But our findings suggest that it is also due to the fact that evangelicals are hearing little about the presidential race from their local religious leaders.
Paul A. Djupe teaches political science at Denison University and is an affiliated scholar with PRRI.
Anand Edward Sokhey is an associate professor of political science at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Amanda Friesen is an assistant professor of political science at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis.
Andrew R. Lewis is an assistant professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati.WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Six soldiers including four Americans were injured on Thursday in two blasts in northeast Sinai caused by improvised explosive devices, the Pentagon said.
The Multinational Force and Observer peacekeepers were evacuated “by air to a medical facility where all are receiving treatment for non-life-threatening injuries,” Captain Jeff Davis said in a statement.
The four Americans were struck by the second blast as they were en route to help the soldiers hurt in the first, according to Major Roger Cabiness.
The MFO was created as a result of the 1979 peace treaty between Egypt and Israel and is based in Sinai, the peninsula that lies between Israel, the Gaza Strip and the Suez Canal. About 650 Americans are currently assigned to the force, Cabiness said.
Israel has called on Egypt to crack down on growing lawlessness in the Sinai, which has become a hideout for jihadi groups opposed to Israel.
Islamist militants were suspected of killing 16 border guards last month in North Sinai, prompting Egypt to send armored vehicles and hundreds of troops in the biggest build-up in the demilitarized zone since Egypt’s 1973 war with Israel.
Cabiness said the Pentagon remains concerned about the deteriorating security conditions in the region.
“We are considering what, if any, additional measures might be needed to ensure force protection. This includes bringing in additional equipment if necessary,” he told Reuters.At fourteen years of age, Kathryn DiMaria has already done what many self-proclaimed gearheads won't even attempt in their lifetimes. The Dearborn, Michigan teen is rebuilding a car from the ground up.The intrepid youngster asked her parents when she was just twelve to start a Pontiac Fiero project, even offering to pony up all the funds herself. Father, Jerry DiMaria only expected the project to last a few months, but two years later, Kathryn is still at it. In this CNN video, the two are at Maker Faire (a DIY festival) rebuilding a 3.4-liter V6 engine out of a Chevrolet Camaro to replace the 2.8-liter mill found in the Fiero.The whole family hast pitched in, with Kathryn's mother teaching her how to sew in order to complete the interior, father Jerry providing much of the technical know-how, and even her sister is chronicling Kathryn's progress through photos. Jerry even started a thread in a Fiero forum which has been live for two years and is now 22 pages long. Of the project, one forum member wrote, "welcome to the madness."Apparently math and science lessons are coming into play in her project, hopefully putting an end to the "Why do I need to learn this?" argument, at least among her classmates. The lessons will hopefully allow Kathryn to follow her dream to become an engineer. The target date for the project's completion is Kathryn's sweet 16. You can check out her progress in the video belowA Motown legend is about to get his own avenue.
Milwaukee near Woodward in Detroit’s New Center area will have a portion of it renamed “Stevie Wonder Avenue.”
“I never imagined that in my lifetime this honor would be bestowed upon me. I didn’t, but God did,” Wonder said in a statement. “I am so thankful and filled with gratitude that the city where I grew up would give me a forever moment — a moment that is captured on Milwaukee Ave. and in my heart. I am overjoyed.”
The intersection of Milwaukee and Woodward is about a mile east from the famed Motown recording studio on Grand Boulevard.
Other Detroit musicians who have streets named after them include Berry Gordy Boulevard, Aretha Avenue, Miracles Boulevard and Temptations Drive.
A ceremony that is open to the public will happen at the corner of Milwaukee and Woodward with two high schools performing, Cass Tech High School and the Detroit School of the Arts at noon on Wednesday. Parking will be available at the Center for Creative Studies garage on Baltimore.
Although Wonder made a large part of his career in Detroit, he is a Saginaw native and currently resides in Los Angeles, California.
We’ll leave you with a clip of Little Stevie Wonder back in 1963 in the Motortown revue playing Harmonica. Enjoy!CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 29: of the Chicago Bears of the Cleveland Browns at Soldier Field on August 29, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) Phil Emery. (Getty Images)
Adam Hoge-
HALAS HALL (CBS) — The Bears answered their most pressing offseason question by announcing a seven-year extension for Jay Cutler on Thursday.
But there are still a number of lingering questions that need to be answered if the Bears are going to continue working toward winning a Super Bowl, which general manager Phil Emery reaffirms as the team’s goal every time he holds a press conference.
Here’s my take on all the topics discussed Thursday at Halas Hall:
Too Much For Cutler?
At first glance, $54 million guaranteed seems like a lot for Cutler. And $18 million a year is more than what I initially thought he would get.
But keep in mind that the Bears can play with the cap hit, which is ultimately what matters. For instance, Aaron Rodgers is reportedly earning about $40 million this season, but his cap hit is only $12 million. That’s because a lot of the guaranteed money is loaded into the signing bonus, which can be spread out across the first five years of the contract.
That means Cutler’s cap hit for next season could theoretically be around $11 million, which is a lot less than the reported $16.5 million the franchise tag would have cost.
Update: Pro Football Talk is reporting that the deal does not have a signing bonus and all the guaranteed money is in the first three years of the deal. Essentially, that means the cap hits will be higher in the first three years, but the Bears assume no-risk in the last four years of the deal. They can either bring him back each of those last four years or cut him with no cap penalty. If the numbers in the report are correct, that means Cutler’s cap hit in 2014 will be $22.5 million, which is obviously a lot more than what the franchise tag would have cost in cap space. Personally, I find it hard to believe the cap hit will be that high and I expect more information will come out.
Either way, Cutler’s cap hit in 2014 will impact what Emery will be able to do with the defense, but there’s still room to work with. The numbers still need to be finalized, but even with Cutler, Matt Slauson and Tim Jennings re-signed, I’d be surprised if the Bears don’t still have somewhere around $15 million in cap space to work with and they can still free up another $10 million or so if they cut ties with Julius Peppers.
Thus, this deal still makes a lot of sense for the Bears, who now have their franchise quarterback for the last three years Marc Trestman is under contract, with the possibility for four more if the Trestman-Cutler duo produces championships.
Tucker, DeCamillis Future Up In the Air
The Bears left the door open to coordinator changes Thursday when Marc Trestman said “everything is on the table.”
That said, Trestman also raved about defensive coordinator Mel Tucker and sounded like a guy who wants to bring him back.
“What we saw in the first three games was a Mel Tucker defense that looked very similar quite frankly to the tape that I looked at (of) 2012. That’s the facts. That’s what it looked like to me. So No. 1, the transition to the schematics was outstanding and the teaching was very clear, our gap controls, our fits, our ability to disrupt, all those things came into play,” Trestman said.
So why not just say Tucker is coming back?
Because the Bears still don’t know what scheme they’ll be running on defense in 2014 and it’s possible a different coordinator will become available that would be a better fit. Also, Trestman says he still hasn’t gotten through all the tape to finish his evaluation of the defense. He liked what he saw in the first three games and didn’t like what he saw in the last three games. The work Tucker did during the 10 games in between also matters in the evaluation.
Meanwhile, special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis isn’t necessarily safe either. Emery said the Bears’ kick and punt return units improved in 2013, but said there was a “falloff” in kick and punt coverage. He also said penalty discipline was an issue on special teams as well.
What To Do With McClellin?
To his credit, Emery was very critical of himself, specifically when talking about his drafting of defensive players. The reality is that he has yet to hit a home run with a single defensive player in the draft. Shea McClellin has underachieved. Jon Bostic and Khaseem Greene have potential, but they haven’t put it together yet. Isaiah Frey has provided good value for a sixth round pick, but it’s unclear what his ceiling is.
Think about it like this: Emery has not drafted an Alshon Jeffery, Kyle Long or even Jordan Mills on the defensive side of the football. Do you trust him to do that? That remains to be seen, but fans should be encouraged that he took responsibility for those failures Thursday.
“We needed another safety to provide competition to improve our group. That’s on me,” Emery said. “I selected Brandon Hardin. I put that young man in a bad position to succeed, moved him from a corner to a safety and he wasn’t able to make that transformation, and that’s on me.”
It continued when he got to Shea McClellin:
“What we have to do with Shea is find ways to use the unique talents and skills of the players that we have,” Emery said. “Putting him at defensive end, that’s on me, not giving him the ultimate opportunity to succeed. He produced in a positive way but the overall impact of the last two seasons has not been at a high enough level.”
So, if McClellin is not a defensive end, what do the Bears do with him?
“We’ll look hard at Shea doing other things besides being lined up at defensive end,” Trestman said. “If that means moving him to a linebacker position as we move forward, that will be under consideration as well. But there’s no doubt as Phil and I watched the tape this week that he’s capable of more, and we’ll work towards that as we move forward. He’s got it in him. It’s our job as coaches, and it starts with me, to get him in a position to be more successful, and we feel confident we can get that done.”
Which brings us to a much larger question…
Which Defensive Scheme Will The Bears Use In 2014?
I’ve been among those ruling out a switch to a 3-4 the last few months, essentially because Emery has been ruling it out.
But that tune changed Thursday when neither Trestman and Emery ruled it out.
I maintain that Shea McClellin alone is not a good reason to switch to a 3-4. You don’t make a drastic switch like that just to accommodate one player — a unproven player at that. If it’s just about Shea, the Bears can find other ways to use him at linebacker.
“(A 3-4) doesn’t have to be an option to line up Shea at Sam linebacker,” Trestman said. “It doesn’t have to be an option to do that. It’s one of the options, but it doesn’t have to be a 3-4. Could it? Certainly. It just sounds easier because there’s four linebackers and there’s two other potential pass rushers involved, but it doesn’t have to be. But all of that will be on the table as a consideration to how we get more out of him.”
With McClellin at linebacker though, you’re starting to talk about a surplus of linebackers and deficiency on the defensive line. I’m not necessarily talking about talent, but simply numbers.
If Emery was to bring back both D.J. Williams and James Anderson, the Bears would already have six linebackers on their roster (along with Bostic, Greene, McClellin and Lance Briggs), which is typically what a 4-3 defense breaks camp with. You have to imagine Emery will want to draft another linebacker in May, so how do you make room for seven linebackers?
A 3-4 would accommodate that, but so would not re-signing Anderson (the Bears need to bring back Williams because they don’t have a proven middle linebacker elsewhere on their roster) or, wait for it… trading Lance Briggs.
Briggs isn’t happy right now, which Emery confirmed Thursday.
“(He) sounds like a very frustrated player who loves football and knows that there is a higher level of play that can be attained and is frustrated and angry about it. We share in that frustration and anger,” the general manager said.
Both Emery and Trestman talked highly about Briggs on Thursday, saying that he was playing at a Pro Bowl level before he got hurt. But does Briggs want to be a part of this thing going forward? His frustration the last few weeks makes that unclear.
Personally, I think moving Briggs makes this defense immediately worse, but if you can turn him into a high draft pick or simply extra draft picks then it might make sense, especially if he’s not fitting in with the current locker room. It all depends on what his value is coming off a shoulder injury at 33 years old. It might not be as high as the Bears would hope.
Again, all of these questions are hard to answer right now without knowing what scheme the Bears will be playing in 2014. Corey Wootton and Julius Peppers actually fit the mold of 3-4 defensive ends, but will they be back next season? Wootton is a free agent and Peppers is carrying an $18 million cap hit for inconsistent play. Meanwhile, you still don’t have a true two-gap nose tackle that can play a 3-4. That would have to addressed in the draft.
My guess is that the Bears will still be a 4-3 defense next year, but have more hybrid looks with changing personnel groups. The Seattle Seahawks do that well out of a base 4-3, while New Orleans has gotten more creative under Rob Ryan with a base 3-4. It can be done.
What’s Next For McCown?
Cutler’s signing doesn’t necessarily mean Josh McCown is done in Chicago. They want him back and Cutler wants him back. The problem is, he’ll probably have other options and will certainly command more than the minimum salary benefit deal he played on in 2013.
That said, the Bears saw firsthand how valuable he was as a backup quarterback and with the cap space they have, they might be willing to pay him more to stay in Chicago. Remember, Emery gave Jason Campbell $3.5 million to be the backup two years ago.
McCown will have decisions to make for his family and it may even involve the chance to start somewhere else. As I say often, it only takes one. It only takes one executive out there to think you can be the guy. That’s why the Bears will have some competition when it comes to bringing McCown back.
The Lovie Factor
One destination for McCown could be Tampa, where new head coach and former Bears head coach Lovie Smith likes him a lot. Of course, Lovie likes a lot of guys on the Bears roster, including free agent cornerback Charles Tillman and non-free agent linebacker Lance Briggs.
Emery sort of dismissed the idea that Smith’s hiring in Tampa will impact his ability to retain some of his own free agents, but he surely can’t be ignoring that notion.
“Oh yeah, most definitely,” Jennings said when asked if Lovie’s hiring might affect some of the Bears’ free agents. “That’s how this game works. That’s how this league works. Guys know guys, and they want to bring them into the system. So I wouldn’t be surprised at all, with Coach Smith being the head coach there, that he’s going to bring his guys into that system and try to run it the way he wants to run it.”
Extra Points
– Expect to see much more of wide receiver Marquess Wilson in 2014. Emery talked him up Thursday and it’s possible he could replace Earl Bennett on the roster, which would free up some cap space.
– Wilson, Cutler, Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Martellus Bennett and Matt Forte will all be a part of Marshall’s training group in Florida this offseason.
– Emery said right guard Kyle Long is an alternate for the Pro Bowl. He thought Long excelled in one-on-one pass protection this season, but had some technique and assignment issues from time-to-time. It will be interesting to see if the Bears consider using him at tackle instead of guard next year. That still seems like his destined position at some point in his career.
Adam Hoge covers the Bears for CBSChicago.com and is a frequent contributor to 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter at @AdamHoge.• Blatter challenges accusers to prove if he is corrupt • ‘I own a golden cross that has been blessed by Pope Francis’
Sepp Blatter has warned that anyone who associates him with the recent scandal at Fifa “should go to jail” and insisted that “he will go to heaven one day”.
Fourteen senior executives of football’s governing body were charged with corruption on 27 May by prosecutors in the United States over bids for major tournaments dating back 24 years.
Blatter is due to relinquish his role as Fifa president at an extraordinary congress to be held between December and March. However, after speculation that he could yet remain in his role was dampened by Fifa, Blatter is adamant that he has not committed any crime and revealed that he has been relying on his string Christian faith to help him through the crisis.
“I have a clean conscience,” he said in an interview with German magazine Bunte.
“If somebody accuses me of being corrupt, I ask him whether he knows the meaning of that word. Whoever calls me corrupt will have to prove it, but nobody can prove that because I am not corrupt.
“I am open to correct or positive criticism. I can use that to reconsider if I need to change in the future. But if anybody calls me corrupt because Fifa is corrupt, I can only shake my head. Everybody who says something like that should go to jail.
Blatter added: “My faith has given me strength during the last week. I am a religious person and pray, too. I own a golden cross that has been blessed by Pope Francis. I believe I will go to heaven one day. But I believe there is no hell. I disagree with the pope on that.”
Blatter’s US lawyer confirmed on Tuesday that the 79-year-old will not attend the Women’s World Cup final in Canada this weekend “for personal reasons”.There was a time not too long ago when “thinking outside the box” was the credo of major-league general managers seeking to gain an advantage on the competition. Forward-thinking teams, led by the Oakland A’s duo of Sandy Alderson and Billy Beane, maximized payroll value via advanced use of statistics such as on-base percentage and emerging — at the time — non-traditional analyses. The A’s move towards sabermetrics, beginning in the late 1990s, led to Moneyball. The rest of baseball, especially small-market teams, were left scrambling to catch up. Then in 2014 came Major League Baseball’s experiment with Statcast, a radar/video system starting out in three ballparks, now installed in all 30 stadiums, that seemed intent on levelling the playing field of information. What once had been outside the box has all 30 teams inside the same box. Ross Atkins, the Blue Jays’ second-year GM, was asked if it’s now possible for teams to ever achieve separation again.
Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins believes the Jays have improved their depth at the upper levels of the minor leagues over the last year. ( Nathan Denette / THE CANADIAN PRESS )
“No question, that’s what we think about on a daily basis,” Atkins said. “It was: OK, here’s the information available to us. Other teams have it, so it’s what you do with it. Not everyone has the same way to interpret it and teams are building their own ways of measuring information and data, so there are different stats and different measurements of information that are generated and created by teams. I don’t think there was a team that, right out of the gate, knew what to do with Statcast, and now teams are able to properly apply (the results).” Statcast and the new wave of information may help to explain the similar free-agent view that the 30 big-league teams had of some players who had trouble finding the contracts they felt they deserved. Among the disappointed free agents were Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Mark Trumbo, Chris Carter, Billy Butler and Pedro Alvarez. “Statcast is relatively new and it’s: How are we going to be prepared to use this information effectively before the other 29 teams are?” Atkins said. “The difference can be in how different teams interpret and weight the information.”
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The Blue Jays are trying to separate themselves from other organizations in the minds of major-league players and potential free agents by enlisting a high-performance team of employees to work with players on life, nutrition and health, veering away from antiquated weight training, meals and muscle-building. “It’s not just keeping guys on our major-league field,” Atkins said. “It’s getting them better. So, the strides that Aaron Sanchez made last year? Aaron Sanchez made them, but a lot of people had a hand in helping him, there’s no question. That’s also helping us acquire better international players. (High performance) is involved in trades. They’re working with analytics to help find the right indicators of future success and the right indicators of development.” Atkins entered a Jays scene a year ago in which much of the upper levels of the minor leagues had been thinned out as far as pitching prospects were concerned by those very trades that had allowed the Jays to make the post-season in 2015 and 2016, ending a 21-year drought. So are the Jays behind in terms of almost-ready-for-prime-time prospects at Double-A and Triple-A. “Actually, I think that our (prospect pool) is relatively diversified,” Atkins said. “If you think about our Triple-A outfield, our Double-A rotation, our Triple-A infield — depending on where guys land. “Last year’s draft, the (Francisco Liriano) trade last year (in which the Jays also acquired two prospects, outfielder Harold Ramirez and catcher Reese McGuire, for taking on Liriano’s salary), the acquisition of (Cuban free agent Lourdes) Gurriel, I think there is plenty of upper-level talent. I think the one area where we’re lacking a little bit is our Triple-A rotation.”
Some of the prized prospects to whom Atkins refers include outfielders Anthony Alford and Ramirez; pitchers Sean Reid-Foley, Conner Greene and Ryan Borucki, plus infielders Rowdy Tellez, Gurriel and Richard Urena. Meanwhile, it’s not just the major-league team where Atkins is trying to create a winning environment. He feels he owes it to the Buffalo ownership and fans to put a competitive team on the field at Triple-A. If successful, it serves a dual purpose.
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“We feel that responsibility,” Atkins said. “We think about it two ways. We have to have depth for our major-league team and ideally we want it to be guys that we’ve scouted and developed, potentially traded for and developed. But when that’s not there, for two reasons we need to make sure we sign (free-agent veterans such as) Lucas Harrell, T.J. House, Jarrett Grube and Brett Oberholtzer. The purpose is, one, for our major-league team and two, to put a winning team in Buffalo.” So does winning breed winning at the major-league level? Does Atkins feel a responsibility to fans to maintain a contending team? “I just get up every day and think about: How are we going to get better,” Atkins said. “Not just our major-league team, but amateur scouting, international scouting, player development, high performance, building out our baseball operations team and staff to collectively make better decisions to help us win and sustain winning. I don’t focus on the past. I don’t focus on why we’re in certain positions. I focus on the present situation and how to improve it.”The winning bidder for Captain John’s Restaurant has bought himself a boatload of problems that could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix before the ship can be restored or even scrapped, marine experts say. There was considerable surprise in the tight-knit marine community that anyone would make a positive bid for the aged Jadran, given the hefty price tag just for the approvals and insurance needed to tow it from the foot of Yonge St.
John Scales by Captain John's. He and a group of U.S. investors decided at the last minute not to bid on the boat.
On Thursday, Toronto entrepreneur James Sbrolla bought the boat for $33,501 at a court auction. “It could cost them $100,000 just to move that ship one foot,” says Boston-area businessman John Scales, who decided, at the 11th hour, not to bid on the ship on behalf of five U.S. investors. They were fearful that the upfront costs would be too risky without any assurances beforehand of a new place to dock the former seafood restaurant. Because the Jadran no longer has working engines, at least two tug boats will be needed to move it, one to steer the ship, the other to act as brakes.
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That could cost anywhere from $25,000 for a short tow to at least $100,000 if it has to be taken through the Welland Canal to a scrap yard, according to experts interviewed by the Star. Insurance would add at least $25,000 more. On top of that, the ship’s hull is stuffed full of asbestos removed from pipes and machinery, says Wayne Elliott, an experienced ship scrapper with more than 100 vessels under his belt. Elliott, whose Marine Recycling Corp. of Port Colborne was the No. 2 bid for the Jadran, filed a three-inch binder with the Federal Court handling the complex case Thursday, outlining many of the problems. It set a price of $303,756 to tow and scrap the 300-foot ship by the Aug. 22 deadline set by the court. Elliott estimates the costs of asbestos removal and disposal alone at $125,000. “I mentioned to the (Toronto) port authority two years ago, when I first went on board, that people shouldn’t be wandering around the ship,” for fear of stirring up asbestos fibres, said Elliott in a telephone interview Friday.
Passenger cabins have been removed and bulkheads have been breached over the last few decades, leaving the Jadran compromised and so top heavy, “the stability of the vessel is questionable,” Elliott adds. “That ship was once a very fine, elegant vessel, there’s no doubt about that. But here we are, 55 years later, and it’s full of mould and asbestos. Hopefully, whoever bought it knows what they are doing and understands the laws.”
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“It will be quite the job to move it,” says Bill Provis, a senior marine surveyor with Mississauga-based Granite Claims Solutions, which provided the cost estimates for the court. “There is a lot of red tape involved.” Moving a ship is much like flying a plane: You can’t just hook up a rope to a tug boat. A flight plan, of sorts, has to be filed and approved by various government bodies, including the Coast Guard, outlining the expected route and a specific destination. The whole thing has to be tightly sealed and heavily insured. New owner Sbrolla says he’s working on all that. “I’ve heard from dozens of people, some more credible than others,” looking to possibly partner and restore the floating restaurant to its former glory, he said a telephone interview. “We’re cautiously optimistic. We’re looking at the logistics much more closely than we did before the bid. We’re talking to potential partners and looking, concurrently, at the potential for scrapping the ship if we can’t find a higher or better use.” Sbrolla remains confident he can have the ship ready for towing from the prime Yonge St. slip in time, and that he will have somewhere to take it. If not, he would most likely forfeit the $33,501 — it has to be paid in full by the end of next week — and the ship would go to the second-highest bidder. But, under a court condition, a winning bid has to exceed the appraised value of the ship, set at negative $125,000 (the negative value is due to the fact that the $600,000 worth of metal in the ship doesn’t cover the cost of the scrapping process). Marine Recycling’s second-place bid is, in essence, negative $303,756, because it is asking the port authority for that much to get rid of the waterfront landmark. Those costs would be offset, somewhat, if the winning bid falls apart and Sbrolla forfeits his $33,501. But, either way, the sad saga of Captain John’s may be far from over.TL;DR: Thanks!, what's next, and the stronghold we didn't reach.
Hi!
All of us made history yesterday, reaching a new record for the most funded video game on Kickstarter! Thank you so much for your support, both through your pledges and through your spreading the word to others.
We had 74,405 backers on Kickstarter, raising $4,188,927. As of midmorning yesterday, we had about 2K backers and $127K through PayPal. In the last day, we reached the two major Stretch Goals at $4M and $4.25M, and also the 12th Fathom, and we’re thrilled to be able to add these aspects to Torment!
Thanks also to everyone who came to the party yesterday (either in person or virtually). In case you missed it, you can view the video at http://www.twitch.tv/inxile_entertainment/b/387052030, though we plan to edit into it into a more focused video sometime in the future.
So, What’s Next?
Colin and I are meeting today and tomorrow to plan the next steps before he returns to Michigan on Monday. We’ll send an Update on Monday with the final totals and some additional information about add-ons and the PayPal store. As before, the majority of the team at inXile HQ continues to charge forward on Wasteland 2.
Meanwhile, after a short break to recover from the intense past couple months, our Torment pre-production team will be moving ahead. We’ll be looking at the gross total of funds raised and determine how much we project for the development budget (i.e., taking into account the fees and costs of physical goods and fulfillment). Over the upcoming weeks, we’ll be developing our plan for Torment and better establishing the scope of the game. Meanwhile, we’ll also be working more on the creative and design aspects of the game, in preparation to |
up to 15 pages of black and white/greyscale comics; plus 5 softcover comp copies of the anthology, and the right to purchase additional copies for ½ cover price for as long as the anthology remains in print.
Rights
Contributors cede to Beyond first worldwide print and digital rights to the story for a full calendar year from date of publication, and non-exclusive worldwide print and digital reprint rights in perpetuity. Intellectual property and trademarks, and all non-publishing licensing rights, remain with the creators.
CONTENT GUIDELINES:
What we want:
Original urban fantasy and post-apocalyptic stories exploring, expressing, and including queer, trans, and genderqueer themes and characters. Adventures set in and around the end of the world, and hijinks surrounding city magic.
Post Apocalypse is an incredibly broad genre, and we are interested in both dystopia and utopia visions of the future. Verdant green spaces sprung up in the ruins of cities, and rusted outposts built on the edge of evaporated oceans. Post-culture and counter-culture, new societies and societal decay. How do people live, adapt, learn, and love after the end of the world and everything we know is gone?
Urban Fantasy takes magic out of the far-off realm of high fantasy and places it into a contemporary setting. Fae courts held in downtown back alleys, modern witches consulting magic subreddits for tips on how to augment a spell, doorways to eldritch spaces tucked between skyscrapers, suburban monster hunters, and mythical creatures blending in (or purposefully standing out) among bustling crowds.
some excellent resources that better describe these genres:
- post apocalypse (on Wikipedia)
- urban fantasy (on Wikipedia and TVtropes)
some works to get inspiration/in line with what we have in mind:
Nausicaa (comic and animated movie)
Hunger Games (book series)
Mad Max: Fury Road (movie)
Mirrormask (movie)
Spirited Away (animated movie)
Gravity Falls (television series)
Kiki’s Delivery service (animated movie)
Hellboy (comic)
REMINDER: We will be accepting submissions only between February 29th and April 4th, 2016
HOW TO SUBMIT A STORY TO BEYOND:
>> SUBMISSION FORM IS HERE <<
COMICS SUBMISSIONS MUST INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
A complete creative team. This means everyone you need to produce 3-15 pages of black-and-white, lettered comics, to press specs. We unfortunately won’t be doing any matchmaking, but try social media or various art sites to find interested parties. ALL CONTRIBUTORS MUST BE 18 OR OLDER TO SUBMIT A STORY.
A title. (Working titles are okay. Just make sure we know that’s what you’ve sent.)
A page-count. We will consider stories from 3 to 15 pages long.
A synopsis. Include a detailed and finished plot (this includes beginning, middle, and end). Page breakdowns are a plus, but not necessary for the original submission.
Comic samples. If everyone on your team has previous comics experience, please include links to or files of previous comics work. If anyone on your team *does not* have prior comics experience, they need to send at least three sample pages of relevant work (script, pencils, inks, ect.). Black and white/greyscale comic page samples are preferred.
Brief bios and/or statements (optional but encouraged). Please tell us a bit about yourself, and why you’re interested in being in Beyond. These are for our eyes only—if you’re accepted into Beyond, we’ll ask for a public bio for the anthology and website.
Remember that this is a QUEER anthology, so be sure to make it clear to us how your characters identify (gender and/or sexual orientation) in your pitch!
SOME THEMATIC GUIDELINES
We’re interested in:
Original, previously unpublished works.
Smart, innovative storytelling.
Effective use and understanding of genre.
Diverse and conscious representations of gender, sexuality, race, and culture.
Unquestionably queer stories and characters as the primary focus of your comic.
Creative use of urban fantasy & post-apocalyptic elements and settings.
Fun stories! Close-calls, daring escapes, epic adventures! Monster hunts, urban exploration into unseen magical spaces, barter systems at the end of the world, quiet interludes of self-reflection, family bonding, and what grows up when society falls down.
We’re not interested in:
Zombies or horror comics.
Magical girls/boys/nonbinaries (as a genre), or magical schools (think: Harry Potter). Magic at school (a regular school) is completely acceptable.
Previously published works and/or extensions/side stories of existing works.
Stories where queerness is implied/left open to interpretation/depicted vaguely in any way.
Stories about the only gay person on the straight planet / the only nonbinary person on the binary planet.
Stories meant to demonstrate that discrimination is wrong and non-hetro/cis sexual orientations and gender identities are valid. We take these ideas as givens.
Stories where the primary focus is coming out/coming-to-terms with a character’s gender/sexuality. Especially stories where coming out is difficult and/or painful, and approval/acceptance is up for debate. We strive to make Beyond a place where love, tolerance, acceptance, and understanding are a given.
First date/meet-cutes. Stories can absolutely involve romance and relationships, but Beyond is not primarily a romance anthology. Adventure, exploration, heroes journeys, daring-dos, and hijinks are our preference over romantic introductions.
The following tropes: Tragic queers (or martyrs in any way). Characters too virtuous for this fallen world. The campy/“gay best friend.“
Gratuitous violence, explicit sex, sexual violence, nudity, hate speech, drug use, self-harm, appropriation, and/or tokenism.
Directly derivative works, i.e. “Basically Star Wars,” “Literally exactly Hunger Games.”
And we will flat-out reject any story that includes:
Anything dubious in relation to consent and/or underage relationships. Deliberately outing a character in a bullying/hateful way. Any sexualized or glorified violence.
Bigotry, homophobia, transphobia, queerphobia, racism, sexism, misogyny in any way/shape/form. Even if it’s to illustrate that a character is “the villain” or that their point of view is wrong.
Trademarked characters or settings you don’t own or didn’t create (including characters who have lapsed into the public domain).
Direct adaptations of works from other media.
Straight-up pornography. (Beyond is intended for an adult reading audience, but the stories must be G through PG-13.)
Work from an incomplete creative team (a writer without an artist/artist without a writer).When there's a person perched high on the ledge of a city building, normally, it's not okay to encourage that individual to jump. But in Boston on Saturday cheering for someone to take a 90-foot plunge into the harbor was in good taste for an urban cliff-diving event.
Using the eight-story tall Institute of Contemporary Art as their launching pad, 12 divers competed in the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, a competition that included events in Mexico, Chile, and Greece, The Boston Herald said.
It took three seconds for competitors to make splashdown and they traveled at speeds up to 60 mph, Reuters reported.
Four-time Olympic medalist Greg Louganis, who judged the event, told CBS News that the divers leapt from heights about three times higher than what he did during his career.
"It's pretty hairy," he told the TV station.
The makers of Red Bull, the highly caffeinated sweetened beverage, have used extreme sports as a way to market their energy drink. They've promoted a downhill ice-skating race and an obstacle-course air race.
CHECK OUT THE BREATH-TAKING JUMPERS:The IPCC has issued a statement about all of the criticism being heaped upon them by bloggers and journalists regarding poor sourcing of references.
Me thinks they are clueless about how to handle public relations.
Here’s the release:
Recent media interest has drawn attention to two so-called errors in the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) of the IPCC, the first dealing with losses from disasters and the second on the subject of Amazon forests. The leadership of the IPCC has looked into both these instances and concluded that the challenges are without foundations. In neither case, did we find any basis for making changes in the wording of the report. We are convinced that there has been no error on those issues on the part of the IPCC. We released a statement about the disaster issue. As far as the second subject dealing with the Amazon is concerned, again, the IPCC has valid reasons for publishing the text as it stands in the report.
In response to these baseless charges, we have decided to provide details on the manner in which the IPCC has implemented its principles and procedures. These are the foundations that provide assurance on the validity and accuracy of statements made in the AR4.
Statement on IPCC principles and procedures – 2 February 2010
h/t to Richard North of the EU Referendum
In other IPCC news, it’s all a plot.
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Reddit“…I heard my friend gasp so I looked over at him and he was looking forward into the trail so I pointed the flashlight where he was looking and something was crouched down on the edge of the trail.”
The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word cryptid as “An animal whose existence or survival is disputed or unsubstantiated, such as the yeti.” For the following witnesses to living cryptids, there is no dispute. In this series of National Cryptid Society’s case files, you will read what the witnesses have experienced in their own words.
Keep an open mind when reading these accounts, and also remember one’s perception and memory of an event can be influenced by the emotions felt at the time of the occurrence. The contributors to this series of articles are doing the best they can to recount what are in some cases very shocking and traumatic experiences.
If you have a personal cryptid sighting story you would like to tell us, please visit our “Make A Report” page on this site.
NCS Case File #60: Grey Humanoid Being in the Woods around Lake Camelot
Submitted by Josh; first reported on Reddit, additional information gathered in communication with the NCS.
Date: October 25th, 2017. Around 10 P.M.
Location: Wooded trail near Lake Camelot, a small residential area Southwest of Peoria, Illinois
Witness statement reported to the NCS:
“Me and two friends were walking through a trail in the woods at 10 pm on October 25th. We usually walk on the trail all of the time so it isn’t something new or different to us. It isn’t like a paved out trail more like a trail we made ourselves because we walk the same path every time. I had a flashlight on and my two other friends did not. I was pointing my flashlight to the left of me into the woods not really paying attention to what was in front of me because we usually don’t see anything odd. But I heard my friend gasp so I looked over at him and he was looking forward into the trail so I pointed the flashlight where he was looking and something was crouched down on the edge of the trail. It was on the left side of the trail facing our direction. It looked very alert and frozen that we saw it and it saw us. I didn’t see it move and me friends didn’t either but we decided to run back the way we came from after we ran around 20 feet back we looked back and didn’t see anything.
My description of what we saw is I gray small to medium sized creature. I’d say around 4-5 feet tall but it was crouched down. The arms were not very skinny like some online pictures of aliens the arms were very defined and a little bit muscular. The arms looked human like with 5 fingers. The legs on the other hand looked less human like. I couldn’t see the feet but shape and direction the legs were going reminded me of frog legs. I couldn’t see the torso very well either.
The head was around the same proportion as a humans head but the shape of the head was square with one point on each side of the head. I couldn’t identify if those were ears or something else. The creature was gray and either had no hair or very short hair. My two friends said if didn’t have hair but I thought it had short hair.
From what I saw the eyes were fully black. I didn’t see many features in the face though I didn’t even see a mouth but I didn’t look at it very long so that could be incorrect. It didn’t move and it didn’t make any sounds when we saw it although we heard squeaking noises earlier while walking but we thought it was a baby great horned owl but looking back at it they don’t sound like what we heard. It just stared straight at us and we left and then turned around and didn’t see it again. I plan on going out there again with my two friends to see if we can find any more information.”
Additional Witness Statements:
After the initial contact with the witness additional details were gathered on this particular sighting.
Nothing was blocking my view of the creature. Just pointing the flashlight at it caused a lot of shadows so I couldn’t see certain parts of the body. The top of the head was square shaped and it tapered little bit at the bottom. Like an upside down trapezoid. I couldn’t recognize what the face looked like but from what I remember it had slanted fully black eyes. The creature was crouched down. 4-5 feet was an estimate if it was standing up. It was probably 2 and half feet tall crouched down.
“I would like to add the fact that we also heard the screeching noises from several different areas in a small interval of time. We don’t fully believe that the creature made the noise, but it could be entirely impossible(if it did happen to make the noise) that it is extremely agile or there are multiple.”
NCS Notes:
There are currently 25 reports on the Mutual UFO Network in Peoria County, Illinois spanning from 2007 to the present. [i] One of those reports describes multiple abduction experiences by some kind of creature, though the description of the beings do not match the above witness account save for the eyes. On its face, there seems to be no direct connection between the above report and the MUFON reports but they are notable as it shows a pattern of unusual activity in that area and author Denver Michaels will discuss this in his supplemental commentary below.
According to the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, there have been three reports in Peoria County. August 2011 (Class B) – Possible footprint found near Peoria, May 2010 (Class B) – Mushroom hunter hears vocalizations and finds footprints near Jubilee College State Park and October 2007 (Class A) – Deer hunter has sighting at dusk near Jubilee College State Park.[ii] Again, the sighting of the creature in the above report may not have any direct correlation to the BFRO reports, but it also shows a pattern of unusual activity.
There is one other instance of a 5′ tall pale being in the Midwest, and I could never get the exact location from the witness. It was one of the first National Cryptid Society Case Files. NCS Case File # 3: Unknown Pale White Beings in the Midwest
Discussion:
The following is an area where NCS members and guest contributors will add their thoughts and opinions on the above NCS Case File. This portion of the report will be updated as additional commentary is available.
Rich Daniels, frequent NCS contributor and editor. Rich Daniels is a researcher that has recently presented his findings at the Marinette/Menominee Bigfoot Convention in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and is the founder of the Crypto Encounter Group, a support group for individuals who have had traumatic experiences[iii] with animals undocumented by current science. Daniels has also been featured on the Bigfoot the Truth Told[iv].
“The first thing that came to my mind was the Dover Demon. There are some similar features but not exactly matching. The head shape described stands out as unique, unlike any other to my knowledge. Robust arm development differs from alien sightings. But the grey skin and slim legs match alien encounters. The overall size of the creature does not lend itself to Bigfoot or Dogman. This is, at least in my experience, an encounter with a heretofore unknown creature. What I find most striking is the quite detailed description provided from only a few seconds of the creature being in only partial view. The details provided indicate a powerful experience by the witness while the inclusion of only what could be seen without speculation about what features could not be seen lends itself to a genuine response. The witness is definitely sure of what he saw while being certain he didn’t know what it was in any way. Truly an enigmatic encounter.”
“On its face, this is certainly a strange case. However, as unbelievable as it sounds, similar encounters have occurred before. It seems to me, that the being observed in the woods was an “alien.” And by alien, I simply mean to infer that a “typical” gray alien was spotted. Alien, to me at least, does not necessarily mean extraterrestrial—we do not know where these beings come from. As crazy as it sounds, perhaps they are interdimensional; they could also be from a parallel universe. It also should not be ruled out that these creatures are some type of apparition or even a thought form. But for the purposes of analyzing this report, I will stick with the term alien as I think it fits the best—whatever alien means. The alien hypothesis fits in many ways: the size of the creature; the grayish color of the being; the skin was smooth; and, maybe the most telling, the creature had almost a featureless face and black eyes. Of course, cryptid sightings are never as cut and dried as you would like them to be. There are problems when trying to place the alien label on the cryptid observed in the woods. For one thing, the head was normal-sized; typical gray aliens usually have large, elongated heads. The trapezoidal shape of the creature’s head is also perplexing. Another aspect that falls outside of the “normal” gray alien sighting is the arms. Typically speaking, the arms of gray aliens are normally spindly and scrawny—rarely are they described as muscular. Problems aside, in my mind, gray alien best fits the cryptid in the woods. Furthermore, coincidentally—or maybe not—a UFO was reported in Peoria two days earlier. In fact, the witnesses who reported the UFO believes he was abducted. The following report can be found on the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) website.
“I remember sitting at home watching TV late one night and a light outside my picture window caught my attention i peeped threw the blinds to see what was up but i notice a round disk like craft just hovering just below the neighbors garage across the back yard i found it odd because it was to big to be a drown that the kids play with and what really had my tripping was it had a light at the bottom of it and it will come off and on seconds apart from each other so i raised the blinds completely up so i could have a full view of what i was looking at and this us were i couldn’t believe what i saw their were six maybe a foot tall little black things each one walked under the object the object lite up and the thing went into to the object then the next one would walk the light would come on etc after all six were inside it zapped into the sky now after the second black figure went into the light i ran to get my cell phone to record what i was seeing but when i played the video back just pitch black darkness a couple days after that i remember waking up from a very deep sleep witch normally i sleep light i was very very very constipated light my “A” was sore i couldn’t understand why the same morning i noticed a patch of my hair was gone like it was smooth bald like no hair every grew there and its still bald currently i couldn’t believe my eyes i began to have dreams or vision of aliens and being taken away so one day i took a selfie and noticed that behind me in the photo is my bedroom door and in the door was the alien watching me that’s when i had evidence there stood the being its head eyes and mouth extended neck and you can see some torso i believe i have been abducted by aliens please help me with answer or just a generalized understanding on why this is happening to me because i don’t believe in this stuff.”
Are the two events related? It is hard to say; the possibility should not be ruled out or dismissed out of hand. As strange as it sounds for an alien to be in the middle of the woods, this sort of thing is not without precedent. Aliens have been spotted in woods and fields before, sometimes collecting soil samples. These bizarre encounters are difficult to explain and even harder to understand. The phenomenon may not even be knowable for us—yet.”
“Great sketches, and weird! They remind me of an illustration I made several years ago (see attached) for a story on an old sighting of a creature viewed inside a landed UFO, 1974, near Frederic, WI by a farmer named Bill Bosak. The story, but not this [illustration], is in Monsters of Wisconsin p. 82. I just went by the witness description when I drew this, and the resemblance to yours is uncanny.”
You can find more about Linda Godfrey by visiting her blog, Facebook page and Twitter. You can also find her books on Amazon.com.
[i] www.mufon.com
[ii] https://www.bfro.net/GDB/show_county_reports.asp?state=il&county=Peoria
[iii] https://nationalcryptidsociety.org/2017/07/07/cryptid_encounter_syndrome/
[iv] https://nationalcryptidsociety.org/2017/10/09/emotional-responses-to-cryptid-sightings-bigfoot-the-truth-told-with-rich-daniels/
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Mahan was behind the wheel of a Toyota Prius tooling the small California town of Morgan Hill in late January, a routine trip to pick up the dry cleaning and drop by the Taco Bell drive-in for a snack.
He also happens to be 95 percent blind.
Mahan, head of the Santa Clara Valley Blind Center, “drove” along a specially programmed route thanks to Google’s autonomous driving technology.
Look, ma! No hands. And no feet!” Mahan jokes at one point in a video of the event, posted online Wednesday by Google. “I love it,” he added.
“Wouldn’t it be wild if you called for a taxi and a car showed up with no one in it? Wouldn’t that just be nuts?” — Eric Bridges, the American Council of the Blind
More On This... Airlines Eye Future of Flying, Open Doors to Modernization
Google announced the self-driving car project in 2010. It relies upon laser range finders, radar sensors, and video cameras to navigate the road ahead, in order to make driving safer, more enjoyable and more efficient -- and clearly more accessible. The search engine giant was awarded a patent on the system in December.
In a Wednesday afternoon post on Google+, the company noted that it has hundreds of thousands of miles of testing under the belt, letting the company feel confident enough in the system to put Mahan behind the wheel.
“There’s much left to design and test, but we’ve now safely completed more than 200,000 miles of computer-led driving, gathering great experiences and an overwhelming number of enthusiastic supporters,” Google wrote.
“The concept of it is pretty awesome,” Eric Bridges, government affairs director for the American Council of the Blind, told FoxNews.com.
“There are a lot of hoops that are going to need to be jumped through in the years to come: Things like driver’s licenses and regulatory stuff to allow these vehicles to traverse roadways. But the technology is absolutely intriguing,” he said.
Mahan has no driver's license, of course -- just one of the hurdles that had to be crossed: Google enlisted the aid of Sergeant Troy Hoefling with the Morgan Hill Police Department to accompany the drive.
Bridges, who is himself completely blind, took a ride in Google’s self-driving car last year, on a visit to the company’s Mountain View, Calif., facility.
"We had it out on the Interstate and allowed it to take over. It was pretty amazing, going in between lanes, making sure there was enough distance between us and the car next to us in another lane,” he said.
Bridges noted that the technology has incredible potential not just for the disabled.
“Wouldn’t it be wild if you called for a taxi and a car showed up with no one in it? Wouldn’t that just be nuts? But conceivably, that could happen, given this technology.”
“They’re helping to change the world in a lot of ways,” he added.
The video underscores the incredible potential of technology to help enable the disabled, but Google cautioned that it may be years before such technology is ready for the public.
“We organized this test as a technical experiment outside of our core research efforts, but we think it’s also a promising look at what this kind of technology may one day deliver for society if rigorous technical and safety standards can be met.”Atheists are the least trusted minority in America today.
What, you were thinking of a different group? If so, that isn’t surprising, given that there has been great pushback (as there should be) against negative attitudes towards Muslims, members of the LGBT community and immigrants.
However, not many are quick to defend atheists. As a result, 47.5 percent of Americans would disapprove if their child wanted to marry an atheist, and 40 percent of Americans would not even vote for an atheist as president (a University of Minnesota study and a Gallup poll, respectively).
In an effort to combat misunderstanding and prejudice, I have compiled and responded to five common misconceptions of atheists and atheism.
1. “Atheism is a religion.” Yes, it sounds absurd, but this is one of the most common misconceptions. The most essential thing to understand about atheism is its definition: the lack of a belief in any god. If atheism is a religion, then abstinence is a sex position and “not collecting stamps” is a hobby.
2. “Atheism makes no sense because without religion, what basis would we have for morality?” How about a basis in respect for human rights, and a commitment to equality and moral progress? Atheists have the capacity to be moral (or immoral) just as religious people do — the difference is, no atheist has ever justified atrocities (bombing abortion clinics, beheading cartoonists, medical neglect/murder of children) in the name of atheism.
3. “Atheists believe everything came from nothing.” This stems from a misunderstanding of the Big Bang theory (no, not the sitcom). The truth is, although it is well-accepted the universe expanded from a singularity, scientists do not yet know why or how this process began. An atheist is simply someone comfortable saying “I don’t know” when it comes to such questions.
4. “If atheism is true, life is meaningless.” No atheist I have ever met would say that life is “meaningless.” Each one has their own interests, passions, family and friends that make living worthwhile. Consider this: if the totality of our conscious experience is limited to this one life, shouldn’t we treat it as the infinitely valuable gift that it is?
5. “People are just atheists because they are angry at God/because they hate religious people/because they don’t want to believe/because (any other made-up reason).” Atheism is not a choice. Do you, reader, believe in Zeus? Probably not. But you never chose not to believe in Zeus — you have simply lived your life without having been convinced otherwise.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I implore you to take seriously and spread awareness of the bigotry against atheists, as you would bigotry against any other minority group, in accordance with Guilford’s core values of community, diversity and equality.I just want to make this absolutely clear, I don't care if you worship pie in the sky that forbids tonsillectomies it really has nothing to do with you whatsoever. The fact that you also own a pie in the sky factory does not allow you to decide what anyone's health care should be.
It is between the patient and her/his doctor.
It has absolutely nothing to do with you.
I don't care if you think skin grafts are an abomination unto Nuggan
I don't care if some shriveled old monk thinks contraception makes Catholic Jesus cry.
Fine, if your god forbids any cutting of follicles you can go around looking like a tangled sheep for all I care this does not mean I have to do the same.
Our physical health has nothing to do with you or your god[s]
Quite frankly it is the same if I demand my employees cannot have insurance because they are wearing a cross because religious symbols offend my soul.
This is what freedom from and of religion means.
Keep out of my health care and I will keep out of yours.
Giving power to religion to control others is so against the first amendment as to be absurd. SCOTUS should have kicked this out without even bothering to hear the arguments.
Religion is not a science, religion has nothing to do with medicine.
Why are we even having this bloody stupid argument in the first place?
Keep your religion away from me. I could not care one iota what you think your god thinks, I don't care what you believe in, really I don't. Worship pie for all I care, just leave me out of it.
You can go see a priest for health care if you want, I'll go see a doctor.The monitoring mission continued observing a large number of trucks moving coal from Luhansk region into Russia, it said. It was reported earlier that the monitors had seen Russian customs officers making sure the trucks were empty when leaving Russia, the report said.
Besides, there has been an increase in the number of people passing through both checkpoints, with more people traveling to Ukraine than to Russia, it said. On average, the number of entries/exits has increased from 6,663 to 7,112 per day on both checkpoints throughout the reporting period. More people entered Ukraine than Russia. The balance of entries and exits was minus 268 (those traveling from Russia) per day for both checkpoints, the report said.
Traffic at Donetsk checkpoint is still above that of Gukovo’s.
Throughout the reporting period the monitors observed 739 men and women in military uniforms crossing the border in both directions, mainly into Russia, the mission said. The monitors also observed several Cossacks and a number of ambulance vehicles crossing the border in both directions at the Donetsk checkpoint, the OSCE said.
Apart from Russian border vehicles, the monitors did not observe any movement of military vehicles and equipment.
The OSCE also said that on Dec. 19 and 21, 2014 its monitors observed two Russian convoys heading to Ukraine through the Donetsk checkpoint, the first one consisting of six and the second one of 92 vehicles. Those were the tenth and eleventh convoys to have crossed the Donetsk checkpoint since the monitors arrived at the Russian checkpoints, the report said.
The first convoy, according to Russian officials at the checkpoint, was carrying presents for children in Donbas: toys and sweets. Ukrainian customs officers were not present during their inspection.
In the second convoy, 91 vehicles bore the inscription “Humanitarian help from the Russian Federation” and one bearing the inscription “presents for the children of Donbas.” The vehicles stopped at the customs control point and the trucks were opened and inspected by Russian border and customs officers. The monitoring mission saw that Ukrainian officers were present during the inspection, the statement said. The convoy returned to Russia on the evening of the same day.ADVERTISEMENT
The Justice Department, for example, has five accounting systems that currently do not interact with each other. Overall, 21 of 26 agencies reported widespread use of manual processes to transfer data between systems.
Some agencies have attempted sweeping overhauls of their accounting systems only to get caught up in the consolidation of hundreds of distinct processes and networks. These updates almost always end up sprawling well beyond their original budget and timeframe.
One of former Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra's signature initiatives was to put a halt to several updates of agency financial management systems, citing cost, among other factors.
But the decision to kills those projects left federal agencies where they were before, relying on a variety of disparate, aging accounting systems.
The committee also criticized agencies for failing to post financial information online for public consumption, particularly regarding loans and contracts. Issa has generally supported the work of the Obama administration through sites like the IT Dashboard to make more data on government spending public.
However, the committee cited a report from transparency watchdog the Sunlight Foundation, noting only 35 percent of the grant data on the federal transparency site USASpending.gov is accurate. The site has been the target of frequent criticism, thanks to errors in the data submitted by agencies.Master Class: Number (N)ine by Jian DeLeon March 30, 2016 Master Class: Number (N)ine Words Jian DeLeon
Date March 30, 2016
Share It's often said that the devil is in the details, an idiom that has never been more apt than when discussing the appeal of Takahiro Miyashita's clothing. Miyashita, born in Tokyo in 1973, first came to the United States at 16 and was immediately enamored by the Americana aesthetic. By then he had already been assisting stylists on shoots for Japanese magazines in his home country, impressive for someone his |
up the International Committee for Relief to the Wounded, later to become the International Committee of the Red Cross. Its emblem was a red cross on a white background: the inverse of the Swiss flag. The following year, 12 governments adopted the first Geneva Convention; a milestone in the history of humanity, offering care for the wounded, and defining medical services as "neutral" on the battlefield.With the Tim Burton film on its way, we thought you might like a peek at one of the Dark Shadows tie-in novels — written by the actress who played Angelique on the original television series! Here is the first chapter of Dark Shadows: Angelique’s Descent by Lara Parker, out on April 10:
Dark Shadows’s two most popular characters, Barnabas Collins and Angelique, were eternally bound by love and hate. Now actress Lara Parker, Angelique herself, tells the story of how it all began.
The dashing heir of a New England shipping magnate, Barnabas Collins captures the heart of the exquisite, young Angelique amidst the sensual beauty of Martinique, her island home. But Angelique’s brief happiness is doomed when Barnabas deserts her and becomes engaged to another. With this one betrayal, Barnabas unleashes an evil that will torment him for all time.
For Angelique is no ordinary woman. Raised in the mysterious black art of voodoo witchcraft, she long ago pledged her soul to darkness and became immortal. Vowing to destroy Barnabas, a vengeful Angelique damns him to eternal life as a vampire—a companion to accompany her forever. Little does Angelique understand the depth of Barnabas’s fury….
One
Barnabas woke trembling, his heart pounding, his breath coming in gasps. An enormous weight seemed to be pushing down on his body, and his limbs felt sluggish and bound. He dug his fingers into the pillow smothering his face, and clawed his way out of the dream. For a long moment he lay panting in the darkness, floating out of the nightmare, feeling himself drift as the harrowing visions spiraled down into a deepening vortex.
He rolled over with a sigh and forced open his eyes. Reaching for the sheets, he stroked their cool surfaces with his fingertips; then he twisted toward the window, where the sky brightened with a false dawn.
Aberrant thoughts ran through his skull as he struggled for release from the panic that gripped him. He wondered whether he should wake Julia and ask for another injection. She kept the vial on her dresser and would be pleased if he woke her, glad to be of assistance.
His eyes darted around his bedroom, craving some reassurance. Streaks of light wavered on the bedpost, the carving of the dresser, the gleam of the mirror. Outside his window, the branches of the oak tree slashed the moon with thick shadows.
He sat up heavily, swinging his feet off the bed onto the prickly texture of the carpet. As he stared into the dark, the tendrils of the nightmare wound their way back into his mind. The woman in his dream had been eager, moaning to meet his embrace, lifting her mouth to his, her warm body pressing against him. Her hair was fragrant and her skin smelled of musk, and he could recall the pity for her that formed itself into a cloud around the hunger flooding through his veins. He barely knew her, a downtrodden girl from River Street; and he had found her as he had found all the others, in nightly foraging through the gloomy bars huddled down by the docks. How trusting she was as she bent to him. His hand had moved beneath her cape, up the small of her back, where he could feel the seams of her dress stitched at her waist. He ached with a helpless, limb-weakening need, and his mouth soured at the thought of his contemptible obsession.
“I can’t breathe...” she whispered as he crushed her to him.
He meant then, before it was too late, to let her go. But she touched the back of his neck lightly with her fingertips, and he shuddered. He could read her thoughts, even as her movements betrayed her motives: her heady incredulity at his advances, her fantasies tumbling together in a jumble of possibilities. “Collinwood—lady of the estate—the envy of her friends—position and ease...” Her provincial mind could hardly conceive of the wealth! Was it possible that he could love her? Make her his wife? She was desperately, recklessly willing.
She slipped the tie of her cape, revealing the sheen of her breast, and he caressed her skin. She gave him a wanton glance, and grasping his huge hand in both her pretty ones, she covered it with feverish kisses. Then, with a sigh, she melted in his embrace.
He gathered the fall of her perfumed hair and slid it back gently. It was not her breast he sought. His lips grazed the collar of her dress and brushed against the curve of her neck. Her pulse was drumming there....
NO! No more! With an effort Barnabas wrenched himself back into consciousness. Breathing raggedly, he rose, walked to the window, and looked out. The moon was full and lay cradled in the branches of the great oak tree behind Collinwood. It shone on the slates of the round tower roof, and across the stone walls, thickly veined with vines. It floated on the flagged portico with its carved balustrade and on tall leaded windows, flush on the first floor, arched above, wherein slept the family he called his own.
As always, the moonlight seduced him, and he ached to walk there, liquid silver in his veins rather than blood. But he was calmed by the newest thought he had now upon waking, and he could still hear Julia’s incredulous voice in his mind. “Barnabas! We have done it! You are cured!” The realization that he was no longer a creature of the night, and that at last he could with a clear conscience return to his bed and rise with the sun—that simple acceptance of a gift so profoundly longed for, yet so unappreciated by ordinary men, flooded his mind with desperate joy.
From where he stood at the window, he could just make out, far off, beyond the woods, the Old House nestled in a glade, gleaming with the ghostliness of a Grecian temple. He felt a throb of nostalgia and, at the same time, malevolent fascination. The house was a graceful neoclassic beauty misplaced among New England maples and hemlocks, and he envisioned, as he had so often in the past, a home more destined for music and laughter: lovely balls with candlelit chandeliers and swirling couples, charming girls in flowing skirts, dashing young gentlemen. The many rooms would have been maintained by good-natured slaves who roasted venison with spices, ironed linen and polished silver, and did all things necessary, that the fortunate gentry might pursue their lives in pleasure and comfort.
But this had not been the fate of that doomed mansion, hidden away in a cold New England town, though magnolias hung their ivory blossoms over the lawn. Instead the moon cast an icy sheen on the pale edifice, effacing any ambience of warmth or gaiety. Now abandoned, it was not a temple, but a tomb, its empty rooms still echoing with generations of the Collins family, where he himself had lived, hidden, sleeping in a basement room, leaving, only to return again to Collinwood in yet another disguise, as a cousin or distant relation.
Recalling these memories now was like tasting the most foul and rotten fruit. “So like Barnabas,” they always said. “Why, you could be his twin!” And, as before, he was welcomed into the incestuous fold, embraced by the secrets and unspoken guilt that isolated and distanced the family from the outside world. “It is amazing. He is so like the portrait,” they would murmur to themselves.
And he, enduring shame and unspoken horrors, had remained among them for seven generations, feigning a semblance of normalcy, dead, but not dead, his grisly hungers rising and abating with the years of experimentation. His hope would brim into vague promise, only to crash again and again in utter despair as the inexorable grasp of the curse, like iron manacles, twisted once again around his soul.
Until now.
Now, finally, unbelievably, inconceivably—he was free. “Barnabas! We have done it! You are no longer”—he grimaced at even the memory of the word—“a vampire....” The realization that he was cured was still difficult for him to accept. He had lived so long as a prisoner of his abominable hungers.
He threw open the casement and breathed in the cool night air. He could smell the sea, damp and pungent, and the soft mist as it rose from the wide lawns of the estate, sweet with the perfumes of gardenia and narcissus in bloom. An owl hooted two quavering notes, and far off another answered. The lure of the moonlight was strong as it revealed the world below in stark and glittering detail. Everything was as clear as in the day, but devoid of color. The shades of gray were infinitely various, and the whole was textured in a divine chiaroscuro that sculpted every object. He could still see the dew on the grass, the curve of the thick leaves of the magnolias, the fleshy perfection of the flowers.
Barnabas felt his composure returning as his breathing quieted, and his beating heart regained its normal pattern. He was free. Cured at last. Human. Why then was he haunted by these dreams? Almost nightly he woke in a fevered rush of shameful memories. If those ghastly years, those centuries of anguish, were truly behind him now, if his life was finally to be easy and normal, unfolding in the most ordinary fashion as he aged, grew old, and died—like any other man—why, then, was he still tormented by these visions of the life he had lived before? Surely they would soon fade and disappear forever.
A dog howled, long and mournfully, and another answered, plaintive, lonely, night-bound, and Barnabas grimly recognized a kindred soul. He, too, had roamed the moonlit stretches of that lawn, which hugged the stone stairway and the flagged walk, when his only social interaction had been after the sun had set and the fireplaces were lit in the great parlor. Only then could he enjoy human companionship, grow to know—perhaps even to love—the many Collinses who called this house their home. This was where it had all begun.
This was where he had welcomed his bride-to-be from Martinique, the dark-eyed girl with alabaster skin and radiant smile, his beloved Josette. This was also where her maidservant had traveled with her, the green-eyed vixen who had haunted and destroyed his life, the mysterious and beautiful Angelique.
Barnabas shivered, thinking to close the window, but he felt captured by the moonlight falling on the far-off mansion, and by the melancholy within his breast. For this was, of all nights, the very last night the house would stand.
He and Julia had agreed, after much discussion, even argument, with the rest of the family, that it was to be razed and destroyed. The wrecking crew was coming in the morning. Perhaps that accounted for the intensity of the dream, and he hoped that with the destruction of the house would go the anguished memories. Julia was right. It was ridiculous to keep the Old House standing when for two centuries the family had lived in the elegant new estate, the Great House at Collinwood, where he now slept, and rose, and walked in the sun. The Old House was rotting, falling to ruin. Only the moonlight gave it solidity. Its rooms were empty and abandoned. Too long it had been a residence of ghosts.
Barnabas shivered truly now from the cold. The howling dogs wailed again, as if mourning for some lost cave of comfort, and he reached to close the window against the night air. Just then the wind gusted and caught the trees, tossing their black branches, and the moon reeled. He looked across the gables of the roof and down to the wide lawn, and started suddenly, his breath catching in his throat. For he saw, or thought he saw, the figure of a woman standing in the shadows of the trees.
It was only her silhouette he saw, but she was dressed all in white, and her skirts skimmed the grass. She was wearing a cape that covered her hair and shadowed her face; but from the angle of her head she seemed to be looking up to the window where he stood, and he caught the gleam of her eye.
Was this some vision conjured up from his ruminations? Had he let dreams and reflections bring forth ghosts? No, this was no phantom. She stood clearly outlined against the long windows of the west wing. Then she turned and began to walk away, disappearing into the dark trees.
Who could this woman be? Perhaps her car had broken down on the road, and she had ventured up the long driveway where, intimidated by the dark windows, she was afraid to come to the door. Now she was lost, unable to find her way back to the road. Curiosity fluttered at the window of reason, for his guilty recollections were as active as ever. Some victim, he found himself surmising, perhaps the lady in his dream, some haunted soul seeking recompense, craving solace, still wandering in the world of the undead. Reaching for his robe and slippers, he smiled bitterly at the caprices of his imagination. There were no ghosts at large this night. Still, who was she? If she was in distress, he should come to her aid.
Moving across the room, he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the massive gilt mirror above the dresser. He remembered when he had been unable to see his image in the glass, and it distracted him. There, in the moonlight, stood an elegant gentleman with dark hair softly curled and only slightly graying at the temples. He was a man of sophisticated, even noble, lineage, possessing an aristocratic visage: wide cheekbones; an aquiline nose; coal black eyes set deep beneath heavy brows; a delicate, sensuous mouth; lips that curved into a charming, secretive smile with only the slightest lift of the corners. It was a face of exquisite sensitivity, the face of a poet. But, smoldering in the hollows of the eyes, there was a glance so intense as to be fiercely hypnotic.
Making his way down the long hallway to the stairs, Barnabas passed the door to Julia’s room. Momentarily, he hesitated, wondering whether he should wake her and send her to investigate in his place.
He had made her a solemn promise to cease all visits to the Old House. It had been a condition of his cure and the long weeks of convalescence. He thought of her patience and her professionalism, her tireless experimenting, never giving in to despair, a scientist at work, searching, testing, hypothesizing, always with such optimism. Dear Julia. He knew her motive was love; she was more devoted than any woman he had ever known. Her strength was in her knowledge. She had saved him, and it was only right that he make her his wife. She had spoken so seriously, her eyes bright above high cheekbones, “You are like an alcoholic, Barnabas, who must never again take even a sip of wine, you understand? Promise me never to return to that place!”
This was the reason he hesitated, but deciding that he would only look over the lawn, he moved resolutely forward down the grand stairway and into the foyer.
The moonlight glazed the hallway with an icy sheen. As he made his way toward the door, he glanced—as he had done thousands of times before—at his portrait hanging on the wall, thought by everyone to be the portrait of his ancestor, Barnabas Collins. There he was, dressed in the costume of an eighteenth-century gentleman, imperiously grasping a cane, the silver handle shaped in the head of a wolf. Shaking his head ruefully, he opened the door and entered the world of the night.
Barnabas moved across the damp grass toward the woods. The wind tumbled the branches of the trees, and a scattering of leaves fell about his feet. The dew was heavy on the grass, and the aroma of cherry and plum trees in spring bloom perfumed the air. The mournful owl uttered its oboe notes again, and Barnabas looked up to see the great bird swoop with amazing silence over his head, its wide wings drawing a swift curtain across the moon and leaving a following shadow on the grass. Barnabas felt almost giddy as he saw that he, too, cast a long silhouette across the lawn.
But he was the sole human wanderer in the landscape, and the old bitter loneliness ached in his heart. The woman was nowhere to be seen. She had vanished, and he wondered if he had imagined her.
Still, something tugged at him, drew him farther. He reached the edge of the trees. As if in a dream, he trudged through the woods, searching for the fleeing phantom and still seeing nothing. Only the dark trunks stared out at him, until he noticed the unmistakable shape of the bird once again, this time on the reaching branch of one great oak. As he drew nearer, the owl cocked its rounded head in his direction, looking down at him curiously. Then it lifted, like a sail catching the wind, its wings silvering as it floated across the tops of the trees.
Barnabas considered turning back. Some vague foreboding hung in his chest, but he kept on, crossing one more clearing and then another.
Mysteriously, his thoughts turned to Angelique and their last encounter. At that time, her death had moved him to compassion. After inflicting lifetimes of suffering, she had been grievously contrite, and she had tried once more to lift the curse. “Is it possible for you to forgive me?” she had whispered. “All I did was for love of you.”
He had been drawn into those azure eyes once again, brimming with tears, and he had faltered. His lips close to her cheek, he murmured, “Yes, I forgive you. I love you. I have always loved you.” Before she had died in his arms, he had said those words!
What covenant had he made through eternity that would never release him from its grasp? And yet he had been amazed at her beauty, even in death. He had marveled at the shape of her arm and the curve of her shoulder as she fell against him.
Over a century ago he had wavered in his responsibility to himself and to his family and risked everything: love, youth, and life itself, to be with her. Why? She was everything he despised; she was of questionable parentage, traitorous, violent, devoid of virtue. But she had kindled a fire in him; even now he remembered the pure agony of wanting her.
That first night, after he had told her to leave, Angelique had walked to the door, her skirts flowing like molten gold over the carpet. Then she had turned to look at him with a gaze so unwavering, so filled with the promise of abandon, her opal eyes dark and luminous, a glistening drop on her lip, a gaze so knowing and so locked into his that he fell into the sea of it. She was liquid silk when he reached for her, with an odor all her own, like grasses near the sea, and her kiss was as he had remembered it, so full and moist, that he had imagined, as his body throbbed to her, that he could live on her mouth. Then he had lost all memory of himself as he plunged into the fierceness of her embrace, and she sucked the marrow from his bones and filled them with her own fire.
Barnabas shuddered to think of her again. Surely she had been the pursuer, and he had been hypnotized by her power. How many thousands of times had he turned the facts over in his mind, arranging and rearranging them to leave himself feeling guiltless, without blame. He had lost his soul to Angelique. For a time that was true. He was sure of it. She had been ecstasy greater than any man should know.
In that moment before her death, he had faltered in the strength of his resolution and spoken to her the words she longed to hear. Once again he wondered how he could have been faithless to his tender Josette?
Josette! Her unblemished mind, her radiant sweetness, were as real to him now as they had been the day he met her. She was gently bred, full of kindness, delightful in manner and in conversation. Suddenly he had an overwhelming desire to see Josette’s grave, to stand at the place where the family had buried her after her desperate flight from the horror he had become.
He was tired, exhausted even, from his futile search through the woods, but he decided to make his way to the graveyard. He felt certain that standing at Josette’s grave would relieve this sick sensation in his stomach.
It was some time before he was moving along the cliff at Widows’ Hill. He was breathing hard from the effort, such exercise being rare since his cure. He resigned himself to the fact that he did not have the strength he had become accustomed to as a vampire, when these stretches of cliff and meadow were but a moment’s flight on the wings of the wind. When he stood at the spot where Josette had flung herself to her death, he could smell the salt air and hear the waves crashing far below. He looked out at the dark sea. The moon hung at the edge of the horizon, its dappled moonstream flowing across the water. He turned and started for the graveyard.
At last he arrived at the entrance to the burial place of the Collins family. Jasmine twined profusely through the iron enclosure, sweetly perfuming the air, and there was another aroma, of gardenias, tropical and heavy in the mist, blooming waxen on black bushes by the gate. From where he stood he could see the mausoleum and the carved gargoyles of the vault, where his years of daylight had been spent, hidden behind a stone door, sleeping in a casket. His heart lightened in anticipation as he walked toward the place where he knew Josette was buried, remembering how often in the distant past he had come and stayed for hours, praying for her soul.
But somehow he became confused; Josette’s grave was not where he remembered it. There were only flattened markers and toppled headstones, carved heads, and once elegant Victorian statuary now ruined by time. There were sepulchers enclosing the remains of the deceased, and here and there a stone sarcophagus stretched as a tomb. He began to wander, searching among the gravestones, disoriented and angry with himself. Had his mind as well as his body lost its strength with his transformation? He became impatient with his inability to recall Josette’s resting place, as if he could have possibly forgotten a thing so important to him, and he began retracing his steps, stopping by gravestones, brushing off leaves and dirt with his hand, attempting to read the names obscured in the shadowy dark.
Thoroughly frustrated, he found himself standing beneath a large marble angel, deeply weathered and softened by moss. Barnabas had no recollection of having seen the monument before. The angel hovered above its guarded grave like a medieval figure from a Gothic cathedral, dark wings lifted against the sky. The deceitful moonlight played upon the rain-streaked features as if the tracks of tears were traced there. The marble drapery of the robes seemed to fold softly and float away from the body. For a long moment he stood mesmerized by the heavenly vision, and he reached out to touch the form of the leg beneath the garment, musing on the dissembling capacity of marble to appear pliable as flesh or as supple as fabric, when it was in actuality nothing more than cold, hard stone.
Then his eye fell to the inscription, which was quite clear in the moonlight, and his blood froze! “ANGELIQUE BOUCHARD, 1774–1796,” and beneath it: “LOVE SLEEPS IN DEATH’S EMBRACE.” He was appalled. It was the grave of Angelique! Who had placed such a memorial there? An angel! Good God! Surely this was an absurd representation, he thought, superficially based, perhaps, on her name, but so incongruous with the woman it represented. He shivered unconsciously to think of her again—Angelique—his lover and nemesis, now gone, while he, having vanquished her forever, still breathed on this earth.
The angel was abruptly transformed in his mind. No longer endowed with a gentle holiness, it appeared macabre and threatening. Barnabas backed away, more disturbed than curious, and the search for Josette’s grave ceased to be important. He had started toward the gate, intending to return to Collinwood, when he glimpsed the woman he had seen earlier—behind the far gravestones. It was she!
She was moving quickly, her smoky shape wavering among the tombs. His throat tightened, and a new energy pulsed through his limbs. This time he was determined to stop her, and he rushed toward her as though she were his release from darkness.
He was surprised, some moments later, to find himself on the grounds of the Old House. The mansion seemed to float in the moonlight, like a ghostly palace. He reached the brick steps, and his hand rested against one great alabaster pillar. He was out of breath. The portico was now deserted, and only the wind whistled through the columns, tossing frosted leaves along the long corridor of the porch. The woman was nowhere to be seen, and he was intensely disappointed and furious with himself for having lost her. He felt a vague premonition of danger, which he shook off impatiently, even angrily, as he climbed the steps.
There, suddenly, in the shadow of the porch, he saw her again. Something about her posture seemed to indicate that she had been waiting for him. There was a quickness to her movement as she turned toward the door. Now curiosity was burning in his gut. He was certain she was a ghost, leading him into the house.
Once again he hesitated. Was it foolish to risk entrance there? It had been over a month since his cure, and the pain of his transformation had subsided to various annoying discomforts, with every sign pointing to the success of the medication and the permanence of the change. Still, it had been many years since he had felt the need for what one would call courage. He had been rash and arrogant as a youth, before the curse, possessing a willful craving for adventure. Now, once again life would be a challenge. He felt eager to risk, to pit himself against the perils of the world, to rejoin the land of the living. And the house held so many memories! He felt a sharp pang of regret that it was to be torn down. He suddenly had an overwhelming desire to walk through the rooms and hallways one last time. He pushed open the heavy door and jerked back when the hinge whined like a wild animal caught in a trap, and the bolt fell with a clang.
Barnabas was met by a silence so deep it seemed the house was wrapped in a velvet cloak. Odors, both dank and familiar assailed his nostrils: the mildew of the carpets and drapes, the dust thick on the furniture, cold damp ashes in the fireplace, and the stale smell of things long abandoned, flattened and faded by a veil of cobwebs. There was another odor, less suffocating, but vile nevertheless—the putrid reek of decay and death. It hung in the air like wisps of smoke, and seemed to come from beneath the floor, as though the rats that lived in the basement of the doomed house had starved and perished.
He walked across the parlor, his footsteps a hollow tapping, and looked out through the tall windows of leaded glass. He thought he heard a rustling sound, and he turned and gazed about the room. It was empty save for the shadows. Then he heard the sound again and glanced at the massive fireplace. He saw that a box of long wooden matches had been spilled and left there on the brick hearth, but the grave of the chimney was cold and dark. He steadied his nerves, closed his eyes, and listened. He fancied the air was fluttering with vague whispers and murmurings, but he waited, until he was certain he heard nothing except the dull pounding of his own heart.
He moved with determination across the entrance hall and up the wide stair with a heavy banister to the rooms above, where Joshua, Naomi, Jeremiah, Sarah, and so many others once had slept. A ghost among ghosts, he wandered through each chamber, his gaze lingering on some remembered texture or pattern of rug or spread. All of the paintings and valuables had been long since taken away. But there were still papers and photographs, odd pieces of clothing, trinkets and toiletries—the undesirable debris of lifetimes—piled on chairs or floor.
With inescapable sadness, he looked into Josette’s room. Memories flashed upon his inward eye and caressed his senses as he relived the freshness and sweetness of her face. He remembered with a hollow ache the delicacy of the hand she lifted to be kissed, the modesty of her glance when they had first been introduced, and her gentle voice. “Monsieur Collins. My father has told me you come from America and that you are a gentleman of enviable reputation and charm. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
Drawn down the back hall to the servants’ quarters, he now stood opposite Angelique’s doorway, which was closed. His heart skipped a beat as he imagined that once again he heard the soft rustling sound and something like a sigh. He paused, then, brushing aside the silly apprehension, turned the doorknob.
The room was quite chilly, for the window had been left open. Barnabas remembered the few times he had entered this room in the past. It was much like the others, though smaller and less refined, and he realized with some distaste that his dealings with Angelique had usually been in his own bedroom, in the parlor, or elsewhere on the estate. He had always resisted coming here, and when he did it was for the purpose of making amends.
With a sharp pang he recalled the night he had asked her forgiveness, hoping they could be friends, saying he would always think of her with affection, and she had, in her fiendish seductiveness, enticed him, melted his resolve, and lured him to her bed. “Lie to me,” she had whispered. “If all your pretty words were lies, then lie to me again.”
With a shudder, he glanced at the small cot with its satin pillows, the small vanity, perfume dried to an amber stain in a crystal bottle. A faded green gown, which he recognized, with raveled lace at the collar, hung in the wardrobe. A single wrinkled glove and a bonnet with a limp ostrich plume lay on the shelf, grimy with dust.
He was about to turn and leave when the fragile organdy at the window fluttered, and its ragged edge lifted a little and fell. He thought this must be the source of the sound he had heard earlier, for, even though the night was still, a breath of air rustled the curtain. As he watched, the breeze grew stronger and shuffled the pages of a small book lying in the dust on a table by the window, almost as though an unseen hand were flicking through them.
Barnabas crossed to close the window, realizing the absurdity of the gesture, since the house was to be razed in the morning, and he began to feel somewhat ashamed, invading, after all these years, this private place that had belonged to someone he had known for so long. Better to let everything be demolished with its secrets, buried away beneath the earth. This little room, he thought, betrayed Angelique’s provincial roots. She was, after all, born to be a servant, despite her pretensions to wealth and gentility. Nothing about her chamber spoke of an aristocratic nature.
And yet she had been determined to be his wife, even force him into marriage. She had returned again and again, in every lifetime, to taunt and plague him with her insatiable desires.
There were times when his hatred of her was so intense that he plotted her death, and other times, fierce and unfathomable, when he had longed for her with unabated lust. There were times when he knew in his deepest heart that only she understood him in his torment, she being the cause of it, and only she shared with him his desperate secrets and his profound knowledge of evil. At those times he had allowed himself a sense of oneness with her, and even something close to—dare he to think such a thing—something close to love. If love is hatred’s twin, the only other emotion as allconsuming, then it was true that he had felt toward her a bitter and remorseless love.
He reached for the casement. Angelique’s room was on the side of the house facing the sea, and far off the moonstream still glowed upon the water. Barnabas began to tremble, for the house was thick with fearful memories. He no longer possessed the strength of twenty, or the indomitable power of the Devil’s apostle. He was as vulnerable as any ordinary man, not only to physical danger, but also to the plagues of terror. It had been a mistake to come here. He stood at the window paralyzed, fearing to move and yet aching to flee.
Once again a cold breeze swept into the room. The pages of the book ruffled as before and, undeniably, he heard a sigh, then a low moan—like the moan of pleasure in love—then another long sigh. The hair on the back of his neck rose, and he was suddenly certain that she was there.
He turned and saw her, and his blood turned to ice in his veins. She was lying on the bed, which before had been empty, her filmy garment spread around her like the tissue of moonlight. Beneath its smoky mist he could see her breathing body and the graceful curve of her thigh. She held out her ivory arms, and he glimpsed the soft gleam of her eye and the invitation in her smile. With a savage effort, he backed away, wheeled, and lunged for the door.
He ran like a madman, stumbling down the dark hallway, not stopping until he was in the dim parlor. He lurched for the fireplace, his hands jerking awkwardly at the scattered matches, grasping, breaking, cursing, striking, until at last he had a tiny flame. He cupped a quivering palm around it and, dropping to one knee, held it to the edge of the nearest drapery.
The threadbare velvet caught and rippled as a stream of fire ran up the edge of the fabric and hovered a moment beneath the golden fringe before it exploded in flame. The fire hissed across the top of the window, drenched the room in a golden aura, and hummed with the sound of burning. He wrenched the curtain loose, and a blazing part of it fell to the floor, where he dragged it to another tapestry and set that aflame as well. Now the room shone with the fires of Hell and was filled with a roaring sound, deafening and implacable. Then, buried deep within that tone—reverberating, pulsing, taunting him—he heard the echo of Angelique’s chilling laughter.
Barnabas bolted, ran out into the night, and did not stop until he was in his own room at Collinwood again. There, from the safety of his window, he could see the glow on the edge of the night as the Old House burned like the torch of a distant volcano against the dark sky.
Dark Shadows: Angelique’s Descent © Lara Parker 2012The decision by FBI Director James Comey to announce a new probe of Hillary Clinton’s emails just days before the election is under enormous political fire. But as a leading privacy scholar notes, Comey’s move also raises doubts about whether the investigation is legal under the Fourth Amendment, which protects Americans from unreasonable search and seizure.
The privacy issue has emerged because the FBI did not come across the emails in the course of a Clinton investigation, but from an unrelated probe into the underage sexting activities of disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner. (One tabloid has since dubbed the matter “Dickileaks.”) In searching his laptop, the FBI says it found 650,000 emails belong to Huma Abedin, who is Weiner’s ex-wife and a long-time Clinton aide.
The problem, from a legal point of view, is that a search warrant isn’t supposed to let law enforcement get access to everything on a computer. Instead, in this case, the FBI should only have been able to retrieve information related to Weiner’s sexting activities. The other evidence should have been off-limits unless a court had given the FBI permission to look for it. It’s as if the police had a warrant to search Weiner’s closet, but then decided to snoop around his bedroom as well.
Yes, the FBI has since gotten a separate warrant to search the Abedin emails, but that doesn’t change the fact the agency likely had no right to come across them in the first place.
As law professor Orin Kerr explained in a widely-read Washington Post article, the so-called “plain view exception”—which can let police seize evidence without a warrant—doesn’t appear to apply in this situation. Kerr’s piece is worth reading in full, but here’s a key paragraph from his argument (my emphasis):
The Fourth Amendment plain view standard doesn’t allow a seizure of emails based on a mere we-hope-to-later-determine standard. The government can’t seize the emails just because the Clinton investigation is extra important and any possible evidence is worth considering. Rather, the Fourth Amendment requires the initial look at the emails to generate “immediate” probable cause that they are evidence of a crime first, before their seizure is permitted and |
for their learning needs.
As the FOAMed spreads:
Social Media can be intimidating and FOAM shouldn’t necessarily be synonymous with it.
Does FOAM exist without mainstream social media platforms?
In my opinion: Yes!
I prefer to view FOAM as a Tao. A way. An ethos.
As much as it pains me to admit, one does not need twitter to support or use FOAM.
Part-and-parcel of our global expansion is accepting that many find social media confronting or confusing. You wouldn’t throw a medical student into a resus room and shout “intubate!”
Let’s not apply a similar pressure to the more technologically conservative amongst us. In order to assist our colleagues, we can encourage them to start gradually, perhaps with an email subscription to a few high output blogs relevant to their area of interest.
Having said that, I truly believe that the connectedness that occurs through social media is one of the greatest strengths of FOAM.
What began as a small and tight knit circle of content creators in the critical care arena – the original pioneers of FOAM, has become a diverse and vibrant community – branching off into; paediatrics, general practice, family medicine, toxicology, wilderness medicine, ultrasound, ICU and many more: each with their own focus, leaders, memes, subcultures and hashtag!
The essential component remains that through Social Media, these offshoots and diverse threads of #FOAMed are able to constantly interact. With this comes a cross-pollination. We are maintaining a refreshing and innovative culture which encourages interdisciplinary collaboration and the breaking down of silos, rather than the tribal mentality of many modern medical institutions.
Information Overload
Content Consolidation
Sourcing Quality
Delivering Diversity
Just a few of the many tribulations and triumphs we have to look forwards to.
I see a bright future reflected in the glimmering surface of #FOAMed
Watch this space.
With Special thanks and gratitude to Dr Michelle Johnston ( @Eleytherius) and Dr Penny Wilson ( @NomadicGP ) for their advice, input and editing.In sharp contrast to the openness and transparency of our time, the Iran nuke deal, a major diplomatic development, was negotiated covertly in Oman and discretely in Geneva. Is this the return of diplomacy to ‘normality’ after an unrealistic shift to the open digital diplomacy so enthusiastically promoted a few years ago? It IS!
The Iran nuke deal shows that – sometimes – translucency better serves the public interest than transparency. Iran and the USA could not make such deal in front of cameras or with a flood of tweets from the conference room.
Such negotiations would have been little more than posturing for their allies and the galleries back home. In this case, the right mix of discretion and secrecy - absolute secrecy in Oman and caution in Geneva - helped the USA and Iran to reach a compromise, to avoid tension, and ultimately to improve the chances for peace. This is the main function of diplomacy and the criterion for evaluating diplomatic methods, including the appropriate level of transparency.
Full transparency does not help in negotiating highly emotional issues. On such issues, compromise is not easy to sell back home, especially when it competes with national pride and the need to make a deal with the ‘Great Satan’ and ‘terrorist state’ as the USA and Iran were respectively demonized. Immediately after the deal was sealed, both sides – the USA and Iran – rushed home to declare their victory in negotiations. They had to persuade their local public and their allies of their success, something which is often more difficult than persuading an opponent across the negotiating table.
The Iran deal also made a clear demarcation in the use of e-tools. Conference rooms were ‘Twitter-free’ zones. Traditional press channels were the only way for the public to learn what was going on in the negotiations. But once the deal was reached, the flow started with the tweet sent by the Iranian minister Zarif at 3.03 on Sunday morning: ‘We have reached an agreement.’
Twitter remains a powerful tool of public diplomacy. However, negotiations – especially sensitive ones – are still more successful if they are conducted with the necessary discretion.An unexpected choice of product has been used in this water installation
Luzinterruptus - the anonymous art collective - has created an intriguing and striking installation to evoke the importance of water.
Using an unusual choice of material, the Spanish group showcased the vital need for water with an 'Interactive Rain' concept.
In fact, the material used was 3,000 condoms. That's right: various sizes (though mostly extra-large) of the common condom were the basis for this installation.
The condoms were filled with blue water and lighted before being strung from the ceiling. This formed a cubic space that people could walk through as they entered the Totally Thames festival.
The condoms are conveniently the correct size and shape for creating the large droplets of water, but in addition to that the artists said:
'We thought this as being conceptually appropriate, as condoms are designed to preserve in them the true source of life...'
One of the issues the artists faced when setting up was when the odd wasp would pierce and burst the extra-strength condoms, making the task that much more difficult and tedious.
The aim was to highlight the importance of water - aligning with the Totally Thames festival water theme - particularly at a time when, 'it is abhorrent to privatise it [water] and trade it for the profit of just a few', said Luzinterruptus.
This installation took place at the Totally Thames festival in London during September 2014 at Watermans Arts Centre. It was a recreation from its initial instalment in Campo de la Cebada, Madrid, in 2013.
Read more:
Beehives and moons: Our future cities?
The Waste House
FX Awards 2015: A snapshot of the eveningJERRY BROWN, the veteran governor of California, is basking in glory. The golden state, once described as America’s Greece because of its fiscal woes, is reporting a $1.2 billion budget surplus (see article). But the euphoria is premature. California still has a mammoth long-term pension gap. If it used the same pension accounting standards as private companies must, its total debts would be a terrifying $1 trillion.
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California is far from alone. Few fiscal problems are as grave, or as little understood, as underfunded state and municipal pensions. The funding gap for all state schemes is estimated at $4 trillion—25% of GDP.
Politicians long ago realised that if you offer public-sector workers bigger retirement benefits, they vote for you today and the bill does not arrive for years. Some states have allowed staff to “spike” their final-salary pensions by racking up lots of overtime in their last year on the job, vastly increasing their retirement payouts. Some retire with packages worth millions. The states granted these generous benefits on the basis of recklessly optimistic assumptions, such as that their pension funds’ assets would continue to generate the same bumper returns as during the equity bull market of the 1980s and 1990s.
It gets worse. To calculate the cost of pensions, one must use a discount rate on future liabilities. The higher the discount rate, the lower the liabilities appear to be. States and municipalities use the expected return on assets in their pension funds, which they guess to be 7.5%. But this is a strange approach. The liability will still exist even if the expected return is not achieved. If the stockmarket performs badly, taxpayers will have to make up the shortfall. Pensions are a bond-like liability, so the discount rate should be based on a bond yield. In any case, the states’ assumed investment return is far too high at a time when Treasury bonds yield a piffling 2%.
Rosy assumptions allow the states to put less money in the pension pot today. In the private sector, companies discount their liabilities in their accounts at a median rate of 4.7%. Falling bond yields have made defined-benefit pensions far costlier; many private companies have therefore closed their schemes to new members or shut them entirely. The states, by contrast, can pretend that their promises are affordable.
Stop digging
Not everyone is fooled. Moody’s, a ratings agency, is switching to a discount rate based on bond yields when calculating the states’ creditworthiness. Amazingly, even under their own rosy assumptions, state pension schemes are in trouble. In Illinois they are only 40% funded; in New Jersey, 53%. As people live longer, their pensions cost more. In California, the giant CalPERS fund is requiring taxpayers to chip in more from 2015 and the CalSTRS fund for teachers needs an extra $4.5 billion annually for the next 30 years—more than the surplus the state is now trumpeting. The governor of Illinois, Pat Quinn, has called a special legislative session for June 19th to discuss pensions, after two ratings agencies downgraded the state’s debt.
States need to wake up. The priority is to make taxpayers aware of the scale of the problem by accounting for it properly, rather than pretending the stockmarket fairy will magic it away. The second step is to do as much as legally possible to slow the growth of future benefits.
New employees should not be offered final-salary pensions. The accrued pensions of existing public-sector workers should be paid, but their benefits from now on should be renegotiated, for example by aligning pensionable ages with those for Social Security (if state courts allow it, which some, bizarrely, do not). And all the dodges, such as allowing employees to put in longer hours in their final year to increase the final-salary number, should go.
If costs are not cut, the eventual result will be a huge rise in taxes when the pension funds run out of money. The burden will fall on private-sector employees, who do not qualify for such a gilded retirement. They will not be happy.Nearly $8-billion in unexpected revenue, lower-than-expected costs for the Alberta floods, lower direct spending and an accounting change have all contributed to the federal government's significantly improved bottom line.
Finance Canada released additional details on Monday confirming last year's deficit was much smaller than the government had projected just eight months ago. The deficit came in at $5.2-billion rather than the $11.4-billion estimated earlier this year in the budget.
The Conservative government is keeping a tight grip on federal spending as it moves closer to balanced books, but the opposition says "stealth cuts" are at the root of Ottawa's shrinking deficit.
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Direct program spending came in $2.8-billion lower than expected, marking the fourth year in a row that spending in that area has declined. The category excludes items such as provincial transfers and represents spending that is directly under the federal government's control.
Treasury Board President Tony Clement, who oversees how departments manage the various spending cuts and budget freezes that are part of the government's plan to eliminate the deficit, said the better bottom line comes from a culture change in the public service.
"The psychology of government in terms of seeking new funds has been broken," he said in an interview with The Globe and Mail.
Measured as a percentage of gross domestic product, overall federal spending has dropped from 17.7 per cent during the peak of stimulus spending in 2009-10 to 14.7 per cent last year, which is slightly smaller than the 15 per cent when Stephen Harper's government was first elected in 2006.
Opposition MPs say the government celebrates the lower spending but does not explain what has been cut. NDP MP Guy Caron said the Conservatives appear to be inflating their deficit estimates to make themselves look good later.
"This is nothing to be proud of," he said.
Liberal MP Scott Brison said more detail is needed on cuts and whether they are sustainable.
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"Clearly, one-time asset sales and stealth cuts form a significant part of this adjustment, but again, the Conservatives aren't being open or transparent with the details," he said.
Monday's Finance Canada report indicates several factors contributed to the smaller deficit. One is an accounting change related to bond buybacks that means, for comparison purposes, the estimated deficit figure from the February budget is reduced to $15.9-billion from $16.6-billion. After that adjustment, the final deficit figure was $10.7-billion smaller than projected.
The main factor was $7.7-billion in unexpected revenue across all streams, including personal and corporate income tax, employment insurance premiums and $2.8-billion in "other revenues."
The report said the estimated federal liability under the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements for assistance related to the 2013 flood in Alberta was $1.2-billion lower than expected, "reflecting updated information from the province."
The report marks the second year in a row that the final deficit numbers came in significantly smaller than projected in the preceding budget. At this time last year, the government announced the 2012-13 deficit came in at $18.9-billion rather than $25.9-billion as projected in the 2013 budget.Wednesday, June 9, 2010 at 1:46AM
Unite the Union, the trade union representing cabin crew employees of British Airways, has said it will continue to strike through the summer if it cannot reach an agreement with the airline over pay and benefits. Unite’s twelve-week legal protective period ends next week, requiring the union to re-ballot its members and pass another strike resolution in order to continue the industrial action. The Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) tried to schedule new talks between officials of British Airways and Unite the Union, but as yet, it is unsuccessful. Tom Woodley of Unite, said recently, “We will stand up to BA bullies – even if it means another strike.”
The Daily Mail reported earlier this month that Unite the Union is “losing support among the public and its own membership.” Nevertheless, the multinational trade union remains the largest in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 2007 with the merger of Amicus the Union and the Transport and General Workers’ Union. British Airways was formed in 1974 with the merger of the British Overseas Airways Corporation and British European Airways. It is the United Kingdom’s highest-profile airline, and is headquartered very near its main hub Heathrow Airport (IATA: LHR; ICAO: EGLL) in the London borough of Hillingdon.
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Unite the Union begins strike series against British Airways (May 24, 2010)
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original story (UK Daily Mail)So finally, the first step in the creation of Telangana has been taken. After at least half a century of agitation, the demand for this state has been conceded by the Union government. Yet, there can be no denial that the decision was driven totally by political expediency. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, which faces a tough general election in less than a year, decided to use statehood as a weapon to garner parliamentary seats.
There is no denying that India needs smaller states. Some states are simply too unwieldy—due to large populations spread over huge areas—to be effective administratively. The question is how to reorganize these states in an effective and least partisan manner? It is not possible to avoid political considerations in the process as by its very nature the creation of new states is a political act. But at the very minimum concerns about administrative and financial viability of new states have to be addressed. The UPA’s handling of Telangana pushed all these issues to the background until only the maximization of political gains remained important.
There are three issues—one financial and the other two political—that need to be addressed carefully while forming new states.
First and foremost is the question of administrative and financial viability of the new states. Usually, when demands for statehood are made, there are equally strong claims about the viability of these states. In the case of Jharkhand, for example, it was claimed that abundance of mineral resources was enough to make the state prosperous. A decade later, the reality is different. Similar claims are being made in the case of Telangana. This welter of claims and doubts needs to be disentangled carefully. Otherwise, states are sure to fall back on an old demand: special status. Even mineral-rich states are not immune, Orissa is a good example.
The denial of a special status demand is not the end of special and extraordinary fiscal transfers from the Union government to the states. Very often, new states continue to get special grants and outright transfers for extended periods. A proliferation of such demands will be an unhealthy trend. Even as the demand for Telangana was agreed to, immediately there were cries for new states such as Vidarbha and Gorkhaland. If, hypothetically, the latter two are conceded they will certainly require financial help from the Centre for a long time. This has other repercussions. Transfers of resources from the Union government to the states are governed by the recommendations of the Finance Commission (FC), a constitutional body. What will happen to FC recommendations when more and more states demand resources over and above what this body recommends? It will, for starters, dilute FC’s recommendations and move away from rule-based fiscal transfers to a more ad-hoc system where political concerns will dictate such transfers. This will be a dangerous trend with unforeseen consequences.
Second, in the din of these demands the dangers of emergent federal imbalances have been lost sight of. In India, political representation of states in Parliament is not based on any theory of “equality of states" as, for example, in the US. The population of each state determines the number of members it sends to the Lok Sabha. Similarly, there is no notion of equality in the Rajya Sabha. Creation of smaller states automatically gives greater political power to large states. For example, the division of Andhra Pradesh—which had 42 members in the Lok Sabha—will undo this large majority. This also means one less state with 40 MPs or more. This means more political power to states such as Uttar Pradesh that have one less big state to contend with. To be sure, India is not a Union of warring or fractious states. But creating small states without ensuring equity in representation can have unforeseen political consequences. It will certainly upset the inter-state political equilibrium in the country.
Finally, there are strategic and national security issues in creating new states with ethnic majorities especially in border regions. The demand for Gorkhaland is one such example. Take a look at the map of the country and you will see the demand is being made in a region that provides a vital link to the North-Eastern states. This is a politically sensitive issue: the needs of ethno-linguistic minorities need to be balanced with broader concerns about national security.
The question of new states in India needs to be deliberated with care and sensitivity. It also requires a hard-nosed look at financial, administrative and national security concerns.
Does India need more states? Tell us at [email protected] 2009 I lamented the state of Markdown:
Right now we have the worst of both worlds. Lack of leadership from the top, and a bunch of fragmented, poorly coordinated community efforts to advance Markdown, none of which are officially canon. This isn't merely incovenient for anyone trying to find accurate information about Markdown; it's actually harming the project's future.
In late 2012, David Greenspan from Meteor approached me and proposed we move forward, and a project crystallized:
I propose that Stack Exchange, GitHub, Meteor, Reddit, and any other company with lots of traffic and a strategic investment in Markdown, all work together to come up with an official Markdown specification, and standard test suites to validate Markdown implementations. We've all been working at cross purposes for too long, accidentally fragmenting Markdown while popularizing it.
We formed a small private working group with key representatives from GitHub, from Reddit, from Stack Exchange, from the open source community. We spent months hashing out the details and agreeing on the necessary changes to turn Markdown into a language you can parse without feeling like you just walked through a sewer – while preserving the simple, clear, ASCII email inspired spirit of Markdown.
We really struggled with this at Discourse, which is also based on Markdown, but an even more complex dialect than the one we built at Stack Overflow. In Discourse, you can mix three forms of markup interchangeably:
Markdown
HTML (safe subset)
BBCode (subset)
Discourse is primarily a JavaScript app, so naturally we needed a nice, compliant implementation of Markdown in JavaScript. Surely such a thing exists, yes? Nope. Even in 2012, we found zero JavaScript implementations of Markdown that could pass the only Markdown test suite I know of, MDTest. It isn't authoritative, it's a community created initiative that embodies its own decisions about rendering ambiguities in Markdown, but it's all we've got. We contributed many upstream fixes to markdown.js to make it pass MDTest – but it still only passes in our locally extended version.
As an open source project ourselves, we're perfectly happy contributing upstream code to improve it for everyone. But it's an indictment of the state of the Markdown ecosystem that any remotely popular implementation wasn't already testing itself against a formal spec and test suite. But who can blame them, because it didn't exist!
Well, now it does.
It took a while, but I'm pleased to announce that Standard Markdown is now finally ready for public review.
standardmarkdown.com
It's a spec, including embedded examples, and implementations in portable C and JavaScript. We strived mightily to stay true to the spirit of Markdown in writing it. The primary author, John MacFarlane, explains in the introduction to the spec:
Because Gruber’s syntax description leaves many aspects of the syntax undetermined, writing a precise spec requires making a large number of decisions, many of them somewhat arbitrary. In making them, I have appealed to existing conventions and considerations of simplicity, readability, expressive power, and consistency. I have tried to ensure that “normal” documents in the many incompatible existing implementations of markdown will render, as far as possible, as their authors intended. And I have tried to make the rules for different elements work together harmoniously. In places where different decisions could have been made (for example, the rules governing list indentation), I have explained the rationale for my choices. In a few cases, I have departed slightly from the canonical syntax description, in ways that I think further the goals of markdown as stated in that description.
Part of my contribution to the project is to host the discussion / mailing list for Standard Markdown in a Discourse instance.
talk.standardmarkdown.com
Fortunately, Discourse itself just reached version 1.0. If the only thing Standard Markdown does is help save a few users from the continuing horror that is mailing list web UI, we all win.
What I'm most excited about is that we got a massive contribution from the one person who, in my mind, was the most perfect person in the world to work on this project: John MacFarlane. He took our feedback and wrote the entire Standard Markdown spec and both implementations.
A lot of people know of John through his Pandoc project, which is amazing in its own right, but I found out about him because he built Babelmark. I learned to refer to Babelmark extensively while working on Stack Overflow and MarkdownSharp, a C# implementation of Markdown.
Here's how crazy Markdown is: to decide what the "correct" behavior is, you provide sample Markdown input to 20+ different Markdown parsers … and then pray that some consensus emerges in all their output. That's what Babelmark does.
Consider this simple Markdown example:
# Hello there This is a paragraph. - one - two - three - four 1. pirate 2. ninja 3. zombie
Just for that, I count fifteen different rendered outputs from 22 different Markdown parsers.
In Markdown, we literally built a Tower of Babel.
Have I mentioned that it's a good idea for a language to have a formal specification and test suites? Maybe now you can see why that is.
Oh, and in his spare time, John is also the chair of the department of philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley. No big deal. While I don't mean to minimize the contributions of anyone to the Standard Markdown project, we all owe a special thanks to John.
Markdown is indeed everywhere. And that's a good thing. But it needs to be sane, parseable, and standard. That's the goal of Standard Markdown — but we need your help to get there. If you use Markdown on a website, ask what it would take for that site to become compatible with Standard Markdown; when you see the word "Markdown" you have the right to expect consistent rendering across all the websites you visit. If you implement Markdown, take a look at the spec, try to make your parser compatible with Standard Markdown, and discuss improvements or refinements to the spec.
Update: The project was renamed CommonMark. See my subsequent blog post.Chris Martenson: Welcome to this Peak Prosperity podcast. I am your host Chris Martenson. The big news for late 2014 and now heading into 2015 is the collapse in the price of oil. As I look at my trading screen right here on the 12th of January, 2015 I see WTIC Crude, that’s US crude, falling another 4.8% on the day. It traded for a while at less than $46 a barrel—$46. And Brent Crude, the world benchmark, is trading at $47…$47. These prices are damaging to oil exploration companies' bottom lines today, tomorrow’s hope for production, and these prices are destabilizing to an increasing number of oil exporting nations.
To help us make sense of all of this today, we welcome Gail Tverberg to our program. Gail is a professional actuary who applies her risk assessment expertise to finite world issues—oil depletion, natural gas depletion, water shortages, climate change—and how this relates to the economy. For years, Gail authored some of the most informed analysis on the global net energy predicament in her posts at The Oil Drum, published under the pen name Gail the Actuary. But today, she runs the very popular blog, OurFiniteWorld.com. There you will find both intelligent articles and intelligent comments. Gail, thank you so much for joining us again.
Gail Tverberg: Thank you for inviting me.
Chris Martenson: First, the price of oil. How do you explain the dramatic and so far relentless decline in the price of oil—simple supply and demand or other factors at work here?
Gail Tverberg: Well, I think there’s a variety of factors at work. One of the things we’ve noticed is over the last, oh, more than ten years, the cost of extraction has been going up rapidly but people’s wages have not been going up, certainly not as rapidly as the cost of extraction has been going up. And at the same time, the governments have been doing all kinds of things to try to increase the amount of debt and to try to make debt more accessible. So, they’ve lowered the interest rates. They’ve done something which is called quantitative easing, which gets more money out there. And also, China has done some things in the growth of its infrastructure. That has added a great deal of debt as well and it’s added a great deal of demand for oil. But, what has happened is that this debt is starting to reach limits. The fact that it’s reaching limits and the fact that incomes aren't really growing to keep up with supply means that we can no longer afford the oil prices we were paying before.
Chris Martenson: So, if we can’t afford the price of oil… The numbers I’ve read is that there’s somewhere between a 1% and 2%, let’s call it a 1.5% over supply at this moment. I’ll admit, it’s hard to store oil above ground. So, even though that sounds small, it can create issues pretty quickly. But still, 1.5% oversupply of oil leading to a more than 50% price decline, is that normal behavior in your mind?
Gail Tverberg: Well certainly it isn’t for other kinds of commodities, but that’s what seems to happen for oil. We get all kinds of strange things, especially if there’s a lot of financial issues behind it. It’s really an affordability issue as opposed to a supply issues.
Chris Martenson: Yes. Let’s talk about that relationship really quickly then. One of the things I harp on a lot of course is the relationship between energy and the economy, but specifically oil and the economy. I know you do too. For our listeners, how important is oil to the global economy, generally, and to this concept of economic growth, specifically?
Gail Tverberg: Well, what we need is cheap energy. We need cheap, liquid oil. When it’s high priced it really messes up the economy. What we need is…we need oil to run our cars and to operate our trucks and such things, but it needs to be cheap.
Chris Martenson: Well, it’s cheap today.
Gail Tverberg: It is today. But, you have to be able to keep pulling it out at that same price. The critical thing is that you can’t keep pulling it out at that price. What is going to happen, I’m afraid, is that once it goes down, we won’t be able to get it back up again.
Chris Martenson: Really? Why is that?
Gail Tverberg: Well, there’s several reasons. One of them is that very low interest rates have been helping keep the production up. Once you get your interest rates back up because there’s been a lot of failures, particularly in the shale industry, the costs will be higher. So, they can’t pump it out for the same price that they had it before. But, there’s also the issue that these old wells need to be produced continuously and they need continuous investment. If you cut that off, it’s going to be very hard to restart them. So, there will need to be an extra investment just to get it back online. Trying to do that becomes extremely difficult when the price is low. If it’s really an affordability issue, you've got a double hurdle then. Not only do you have to get the price up, but you have to get the price very high so you can get lots of investment dollars so you can kind of make up for lost time, besides everything else. As we know, it takes a long time to get new production online.
Chris Martenson: It certainly does. The story that I hear emerging here, it’s one that I told a long time ago and I know other people in the peak oil arena have said as well. I’ve heard it from Hindberg [PH]. I heard it on The Oil Drum a lot. It’s this idea of both high oil prices being a problem and low oil prices being a problem. That sounds like a real predicament—not a problem. It sounds hard to solve. Is that really where we are at this point? You just said that above a certain price the economy can’t afford the oil. There’s all these feedback loops that sort of impact that whole scenario. But, at too low of a price then oil production can’t increase or even remain stable necessarily. So, A.) is that a fair characterization of where we are? If it is, what does that tell us about where we really are in this story?
Gail Tverberg: Yes. I think it is a fair characterization of the story. I think too that it gets to be even worse than what we think because financial institutions have sold derivatives based on the assumption that things can kind of go along as normal. So, you start seeing very strange motions in terms of the rise of the dollar, the fall of the dollar, and a variety of other things besides just these oil price changes. Over time, what you're going to get is a bunch of business failures. That’s going to come through these derivatives and it’s going to come through the financial system in a different way than just the oil price itself would. So we have multiple impacts of these things, some of which are not obvious when you just first look at the story.
Chris Martenson: They’re obvious to somebody because we know now that within the banking system, at least in the US, it looks like taxpayers have been put on the hook for a portion of the derivative structure that banks carry. We know that depositors have been moved down the chain of claimants to become almost last in line should any sort of a bankruptcy or other dissolution proceeding happen for a bank. But these derivatives that you're talking about are not just oil derivatives, right? You mean all of them—the credit default swaps, the interest rate swaps—all of those pieces. Those are all basically predicated on this idea that we’re going to have robust future growth like we’ve had in the past, say 4% real GDP globally, forever and ever. Is that right?
Gail Tverberg: Right.
[Talking over each other.]
Chris Martenson: Go on with that. I’m wondering, what do you think happens to that structure of…to me it’s like the price of the entire bond market and stock market has a growth component built into it. In the bond market, it's really explicit, as well as in the stock market. When that growth premium comes out, which is something Jeremy Grantham at GMO has been talking about, other people are starting to get their hands around this. I don't think the growth premium has been taken out of the markets yet. But if it does, what do you see happening?
Gail Tverberg: I think the issue is there’s not exactly a growth premium. It’s the fact that it either grows or it collapses…that you don’t have enough when you get to the end of the time period to pay back your debt with interest. In other words, a virtuous cycle turns to a vicious cycle. We hear about Ponzi schemes—this isn't a scheme as such, but what happens is you end up with a situation where you can’t repay a debt with interest. So, that affects everything all the way up from just your basic loans to your derivatives to everything else. I think that’s one of the big issues that’s coming up as we get to lower oil supply…not lower oil supply—an inability to keep the prices up with the cost of extraction.
Chris Martenson: I’ve studied this a bit and we’ve chewed these numbers at Peak Prosperity some. I’m wondering about your take on this. It’s tricky to get your hands around this idea of really what a marginal barrel costs. Of course all different projects have a different range. We know that some arctic stuff might have a full cycle cost $120 or more a barrel. We know there’s still a few cheap barrels to be had out there. But, the shale production seems to be the world’s new marginal producer, meaning that’s the one you can turn to and turn it on or off if the price is right. What’s your sense of what the full cycle or all-in costs are for shale? I understand it varies by region obviously, Bakken is different from Eagle Ford and all of that. But, I’ve seen Wall Street sell side analysts give us numbers as low as $25 a barrel. My numbers suggest that even at $90 a barrel I can’t find anybody who is turning a profit on a free cash flow basis ever, yet, so far. Have you looked at that? Where do you think the truth lies?
Gail Tverberg: I don't think we know for sure. I know that all the numbers we’ve looked at so far are based on a zero interest rate policy and lots of borrowing with cheap money. So, if it’s $90 today, it’s not going to be $90 when they come back in again. It’s going to be $135 or $150 a barrel. And, if it’s $25 a barrel today, it’s going to be $50 a barrel tomorrow when they have to pay real interest rates on this stuff. So, it’s going to change. Even if we did know what the marginal cost of the barrel was today, it doesn't tell us what it will be for the next few marginal barrels.
Chris Martenson: Yeah, it’s certainly a moving target because of course the cost structure of drilling and fracking a well is rapidly coming down as labor prices and bid prices for rigs and things comes down. I don't think there’s much more than 10-15% overall wiggle in those numbers because a lot of it is the cost of steel and sand and stuff that’s a little bit more firm. But, at any rate, there is a little wiggle room on that side as well. I’m just convinced that the all-in cost of production for the companies, when I was looking at it, was probably closer—on a break even standpoint—was probably closer to $110-$120 a barrel. But the thing that always concerned me was I don't think society is getting its proper severance taxes out of that to pay for road damage, bridge damage, the eventual capping costs of abandoned wells, and other things like that. It certainly seemed like if you wanted to fully burden the cost of a barrel of oil for all of the true costs, it would probably have been $150 a while back. That’s what I think, but it’s hard to get good numbers.
Gail Tverberg: Yeah, I would agree with you. I guess the point I was trying to make was even when you're doing it that way you have to be sure to also count in for the fact that estimate was made with ultra-low interest rates. So, if you're going to try to put in real interest rates besides, or you know interest rates that aren’t based on a zero interest rate policy, the cost…if they were $150 fully burden before, that’s comparable to something quite a bit higher if you have a higher interest rate that these folks have to pay when they’re trying to borrow a lot of money in order to try to extract this oil.
Chris Martenson: Alright. So let’s talk about peak oil. First of all, real or not?
Gail Tverberg: Well, I think that what happens is a financial collapse and as a result the oil production drops. So, it doesn't happen in the order that you think it does. Certainly, conventional oil has peaked and what has kept it up is all kinds of financial shenanigans |
try and create some distance between the swordsman and himself, but the Feroxian seemed unfazed by the attack. His blade danced around him, barely missing Brooks each time he struck.
"Could use a little help here, Samuel," the mage thought, before quickly realizing that the priest was beset upon by two archers and yet another myrmidon, barely managing to keep himself out of harm's way.
The swordfighter set upon Brooks struck again, his blade digging into the earth where the mage was standing only mere moments ago. Brooks used the additional time granted to him to unsheath the small dagger strapped at his side before the myrmidon regained his composure and began to let blow after blow fall upon the mage.
This time, however, Brooks had the advantage of having a bladed weapon, and was able to parry one of the myrmidon's strikes handily. The Feroxian swordfighter must have not realized that Brooks had a dagger on him, because he hesitated long enough for Brooks to turn the pages of his spellbook to a random spell before casting.
Lines of magical electricity appeared in the iconic yellow spellcasting runes around Brooks, electrocuting the myrmidon as he wailed in pain. As he fell, a swift strike with Brooks' dagger to the back of his neck was enough to dispatch the swordfighter.
Brooks turned his attention back to Samuel, who was dancing around the pile of ash that was once the conestoga wagon. How he was ever going to explain that to his friend Jonathan, he may never know.
Pushing that unpleasant thought aside, he noticed that Samuel was able to defeat one of the archers all on his own, who was now slumped against the easternmost wall of the path underneath the portcullis, unconscious.
"The crafty guy must have thrown him into the wall," he thought, laughing slightly at the idea of an Eastern archer flying headfirst into a brick wall. Composing himself, Brooks flipped the pages of his book open to Fire, the field of magic he was most comfortable with. Focusing briefly, he shot the basic spell at the myrmidon striking at Samuel's wooden staff hilt.
Noticing the flames out of the corner of his eye, the myrmidon ducked swiftly before turning his attention to Brooks. He scowled angrily before charging at Brooks, sword at the ready.
"That's gonna cost ya!" Brooks shouted, magical power dancing at his fingertips. He reached both hands back before shoving them forcefully forwards with force, red-hot fire appearing around the approaching swordsman. He had no time to even scream before the flames consumed him, leaving nothing but a charred corpse in its wake.
Brooks closed his spellbook, panting heavily at the amount of energy he poured into his last Elfire spell. He wearily looked back at Samuel, who had blasted the second archer into the wall, joining the first. The mage limped tiredly up to the priest, clapping him proudly on the shoulder.
"See? I told you that you could do it!"
Samuel grinned, the beginnings of a prideful blush appearing on his cheeks.
"Heh. Perhaps using magic isn't so bad after all. I really do like wind spells."
"Oh? Then we'll have to keep up your training once we get back on the road… oh wait, damn."
Brooks looked sadly at the charred remains of the proud conestoga wagon they were riding in that very afternoon. Samuel smiled comfortingly.
"We'll find a way to get to Stormguard, Brooks. But for now, there's a fight that needs our attention. Lester and Desmond need our help."
The mage nodded sadly, glancing once more at the charred wreckage before following in Samuel's wake. The two rushed along the easternmost wall in the pathway underneath the portcullis, robes dancing in the newly-blowing wind.
A faint whistling sound appeared on the wind as Samuel and Brooks ran along the Feroxian border pass's easternmost wall. Dancing in the faint torchlight, a spinning, familiar hand axe appeared from the dense fog, sailing directly into the back of Brooks' knee. The mage violently crashed to the ground, yelping in surprise.
"Brooks!" Samuel shouted, voice mixed with concern and surprise. He knelt at Brooks' side, noticing that his spellbook had been wrought from his hands, and was laying in the snow with the pages opened to a spell that Samuel did not recognize.
Out from the darkness, a lone archer appeared, bow at the ready. Her right shoulder was torn open and bleeding profusely, but she held the bow fully taut despite the pain.
"Damned Ylissean," the archer spat, "The captain gave the order to stand our ground, and I'm not about to roll over and die just because a couple of knee-quakers decided to show up."
The archer let the arrow fly, sailing through the air and embedding itself in the ground just in front of Samuel's feet. Thinking quickly, Samuel grabbed Brooks' book and began to cast the spell the pages were open to.
As the spell channeled briefly, Samuel's hair began to stand on edge. A thick, energetic power began to flow from the yellow runes surrounding him.
"Breathe, Samuel… and release!" the priest poured as much energy as he could into releasing the build up, magical energy. From above, two massive bolts of lighting directly struck the archer, their sound reverberating through the gateway. The power of the spell was massive enough to knock Samuel back, falling back first onto the snow-covered pathway.
Samuel began to right himself, his vision spinning from being knocked onto the back of his head. He rose, rubbing the injury soothingly, before remembering Brooks was still in danger. He rushed as quickly he could to the mage's side, removing the hand axe from his leg. Brooks uttered nary a word in protest, having fallen unconscious from the sudden blow.
Raising his slightly-damaged healing staff, Samuel channeled his energy into the red gem affixed to the top. Green light coalesced, enveloping the fallen mage. The wound on the back of Brooks' knee closed, and his breathing began to normalize. Samuel returned it to its holder on his back, turning Brooks upright.
"Are you alright, Brooks?" the priest asked, shaking the mage slightly.
Brooks opened his glass-covered brown eyes, which focused intently on Samuel's face before nodding.
"I'm alright. Thanks for the save, buddy."
Brooks sat upright, turning his attention to the small fires where the Feroxian archer once stood.
"Samuel," the mage asked, looking back at the white-robed priest, "What spell did you use to do… that?"
"This one," Samuel replied, handing the spellbook back to its owner, still turned to the page the book had landed open on. Brooks studied the page for a moment before gasping in shock.
"This is Elthunder," Brooks gaped. "You… were actually able to use Elthunder?"
"Yeah. That's… good, I guess?"
"Good? That's absolutely fantastic! I'm not even able to use that one. And believe me, I've tried!"
"Really? You're serious?"
"Absolutely But we still have more important matters to see to, right? Lester and Desmond are still fighting out there."
"Can you walk?" Samuel fretted in concern.
Brooks rose to his feet, taking several tentative steps forward.
"Looks like it. Imagine that, fantastic at both healing and spellcasting. Who knew?"
Lester pulled his spear from the neck of the fourth Feroxian cavalier, while Desmond kicked the fallen body of a soldier. Among them were the broken corpses of another fighter and the third cavalier the Easterners had sent their way.
Desmond's ears pricked at the sound of movement, too faint for Lester to hear. As Desmond's gaze shifted towards the movement, so too followed Lester's, spotting the silhouettes of two robed men making their way up the northward path.
Samuel and Brooks stepped out of the fog, both looking like they had seen their fair share of battle. Brooks dragged a heavy, curved throwing axe behind him comically, unable to lift the weapon. As soon as Samuel laid eyes on Desmond, he instinctively reached for his healing staff and pointed its red-gemmed head at the taguel.
"You're injured, Desmond. Let me fix you up," Samuel spoke attentively, beginning to channel as healing energy appeared around the taguel. The bruise around his eye where the first fighter had beaten him began to disappear, while the gash at his side and various other scrapes sealed completely. He then turned his attention to Lester, looking him up and down. "And you are not, Lester."
The stern look on the paladin's face did not falter.
"These East Feroxians fought like children. I expected a better-trained force manning their conquered territory."
Brooks laughed raucously, patting Ranofer's side firmly. Desmond, noticing the weapon the mage was attempting to carry, asked,
"Hey, is that my hand axe?"
Brooks composed himself before nodding.
"I think so," he affirmed, struggling to hand the weapon back to its owner. Desmond, saving the mage the trouble, stepped towards him and plucked the axe effortlessly from his grip.
Lester and Samuel erupted into laughter at the very sight, the paladin nearly falling from Ranofer's saddle. Desmond, however, interrupted the fleeting joyous moment. Silence fell upon the nighttime plains of Regna Ferox.
"One thing, though… what happened to the lady with the spear? She's Feroxian, she wouldn't flee a battle like this."
"I don't remember cutting her down," Lester pondered, stroking his chin. "Have you dealt with her, Brooks?"
The mage shook his head slowly in disappointment and worry.
"Afraid not, no. Samuel and I haven't seen her since she took off at the start of the ambush."
The paladin humphed, Ranofer kicking at a pile of pebbles.
"That makes four unaccounted Feroxians. Two armored knights, a hooded man, and her." Lester raised his sword and red-gold kiteshield, the gold-armored white horse trotting in place. "Be on guard and stay close. They could come from anywhere."
As if on cue, the characteristic clanking of heavy armor appeared from further up the northern path through the darkness. Torchlight illuminated the four approaching figures as the fog began to fade. Two heavily armored knights, a hooded man, and the imposing, spear-wielding Feroxian woman from before, exactly as Lester had accounted for.
"Stay vigilant, everyone. They advance."
The wind began to howl and snowfall once again began as the party of Feroxians approached into shouting distance. The knights held wicked spears at the ready, while the hooded figure held a spellbook open to an obscured page.
"You lot have slaughtered my men, and ruined my standing with my captain," the lightweight knight shouted from across the snow-covered path. "For that, I will slaughter you all."
"I am willing to end this quickly, Feroxians" Lester retorted, maintaining his ever-calm disposition, "Lay down your weapons and we will grant you just deaths."
The female knight spat, an indistinguishable expression crossing her face from the intensity of the snowfall.
"Like hell I'm going to lay down and die to a bunch of Naga worshipping, Western-loving Ylisseans. Guardsmen, advance!"
The knights and mage exploded forwards like a spring, charging into battle with gusto. The hooded Feroxian mage selected Lester as his target, firing a simple Fire spell at the armored paladin as he drew his blood-red lance from its sheath on Ranofer's armor in anticipation for a long-ranged battle. He raised his shield to block the incoming spell, but its force was still great enough to knock the paladin from his mount's saddle. Startled, Ranofer reared up on her hind legs before charging off in the opposite direction from battle.
Lester landed upon the snow-covered ground shield first, pain coursing through his left arm. He quickly pulled himself to his feet, rushing forward only to stab the air where the Feroxian mage was standing a moment before. The Feroxian was nimble, seemingly appearing behind Lester instantaneously. He only heard the sounds of pages before an excruciating shock coursed through his body.
Crashing into the ground, Lester screamed in agony as the mage channeled electricity through his body. Pain like he had never experienced coursed along his skin, his gilded armor doing little to protect him from the Thunder spell.
"I expected more from you, paladin," the mage chided arrogantly, erupting in maniacal laughter. "To think someone as weak as you was responsible for—"
The mage cut off, and his spell ended as abruptly as his speech. Struggling, Lester managed to glance backward to where the mage was standing before. A familiar, curved axe protruded from the left side of his skull, as he fell limply to the opposite side.
Desmond casually strolled up to the fallen Feroxian and injured paladin, plucking his throwing axe from the mage's bloodied scalp. The taguel kneeled at Lester's side, a large white vial in hand.
"Hey, you okay?" he asked with a concerned tone, rolling the armored man to a face-up position.
"I… am fine," Lester responded, wincing after each and every word. He managed to pull himself into a sitting position, noticing that the ends of his short, brown hair were singed off as he rubbed the back of his head.
"You don't look that way, pal. Drink this, it'll make you feel better." The taguel laid the vial at the paladin's side before standing up.
"One of the knights had this concoction on him," Desmond continued. "Luckily, it didn't break when he fell after I lopped his head off."
Desmond charged back into the fray, assisting Brookswith the remaining heavily armored knight. Samuel was attempting to help as well, his short blasts of Wind having little effect on the massive wall of a man.
Lester uncorked the vial, letting every last drop of the pale liquid flow down his throat. His vision began to blur as the healing took effect quickly. The red lines on his hands, and presumably running down the rest of his body, faded into the natural olive color of his skin. As the burning sensation passed as well, the paladin rose, feeling as fit as ever.
The paladin pulled himself to his feet, the waves of healing still disorienting. He could hear fighting, but his vision was blurred like a weathered oil painting. The figures in the snow danced gracefully, green and red particles of magic floating like ribbons.
Shaking his head to clear the cobwebs from his mind, Lester took a step forward putting his weight on his blood-red hilted lance. He stumbled, quickly picking himself back up and watching the horizon in the distance.
As his vision began to clear, he noticed a distant figure slowly approaching him from out of the fog, carrying a gold-adorned steel throwing spear. Their simple set of blue armor was light, yet heavy enough to take a hit. The scarf tightly woven around their neck was enough to conceal their face, yet at the same time reveal exactly who they were.
"So the Ylissean pup has woken from his dirt nap," she mocked, planting the pointed end of her spear in the ground, the long iron chain rattling in response.
"Well? Here I am!" the knight raised her arms to the side and above her head in challenge. "Come and take a stab at me, paladin."
Even through the miasma of Lester's concoction-addled mind, he was aware enough to take notice of the obvious baiting strategy the knight employed. Lester held his ground, spear and kiteshield at the ready.
"Not buying in, huh? That's alright, I suppose."
"Why are you doing this?" Lester asked, surprising himself that he was able to form coherent thought despite the state he was in. "This is Western territory, a Western gate. You have no right to be here."
"Why?" the knight replied, eliciting a slight chuckle from her. "Same reason as you, I suppose. We both have our orders to fulfill. Yours to your exalt, and mine to my captain."
"I suppose you understand what comes next, then." Lester stood up a little straighter upon saying this, the side effects of the concoction finally ceasing after the brew worked its healing powers.
Lester could not tell in the gloom, but the hint of a smile seemed to spread across her face.
"That I do, paladin. Hell, if you were Feroxian you'd be the kind of man I'd like to share drinks with. But no matter." The light-armored knight plucked her regal spear from the snow, calmly walking forwards. "Time to end this. Have at you!"
– – –
The knight lunged forward with almost inhuman speed, and was soon upon Lester before he could even comprehend it. The effects of the concoction had all but ended, yet Lester's limbs still felt slow and heavy. Fortunately, the heavy golden-red armor that the paladin wore was enough to keep most of the knight's assault from harming him.
A stab from the knight's lance struck plumb to Lester's kiteshield, causing her to stumble backwards. Noticing the opening, Lester swung his lance in an arc only to connect with the ground that the knight was standing upon moments ago.
Raising a challenging smirk, the knight held her spear horizontally, pointed directly at Lester.
"Y'know, you and I are a lot alike, paladin," she taunted, "Just following orders."
Lester scowled angrily, almost being blown back by a strong gust of wind. Perhaps he was still weak from the concoction, but Lester was more concerned with his nerves. He was never nervous going into battle, ever.
He raised his kiteshield once again, refusing to fall for the knight's bluffs. He was in no condition to charge her, and even if he was she was far more agile than he. Defensive tactics would be the key to walking away from this battle. This did little to please the thirst for combat the knight harbored, the confident smirk fleeing her face quickly.
"So that's how it's gonna be, huh," she muttered, giving a short sigh, "Two can play at that game, then."
Instead of lunging forward with ferocity, she shifted the regal spear into a throwing position. Aiming briefly, she lobbed the spear at the paladin, who deftly blocked it with his shield. Before he had the chance to move to face her while she was unarmed, a quick tug on the chain attached to the weapon brought it back to her grasp.
She tossed the weapon again, Lester stepping back from the spear's path this time. The regal spear whistled through the air, impaling itself into the snow-covered ground. The knight once again gave the chain a powerful tug, but the weapon had landed at just an angle that made it difficult to pull.
Noticing her error, Lester raised his spear, thrusting it straight down into the connecting chain. Lester's weapon bounced off, seemingly doing little to sever the chain. He brought it down once again, this time with more force.
Ka-chink.
The wrought iron chain split in two, the end attached to the spear falling uselessly into the snow. The Eastern knight at the other end dropped the broken, useless chain links in panic. She quickly, with shaking hands, unsheathed a small dagger and held it towards the paladin with both hands her face carrying an expression of horror. Lester had never seen a Feroxian person, Western or Eastern, genuinely scared before.
Lester pushed his emotions to the side, gripping his spear intently. This was his chance, nothing she could do would be able to stop him. The paladin charged, heavy footfalls against the snow clanging like iron against iron.
"I will not hold back!" his cry of anger, mixed with something that seemed like vengeance, rang across the battlefield. The roar even reached Desmond's ears, tilting his head to the sky and away from the body of the fallen general he was standing over.
Metal met flesh, and the end of Lester's spear ran cleanly through the light layer of armor and heart of the East Feroxian knight. As he pulled the wicked blade from the knight's chest, her legs began to buckle, falling to the snow with an unceremonious thump.
"…Clever ploy, Ylissean," she said, her voice nothing more than a whisper, "I guess I had you pegged all wrong…"
The knight seized up one final time, her last breath escaping her lungs. The pool of scarlet that flowed from underneath her was the only sign that the corpse ever had any life to begin with.
Lester stared at the body. No matter how many times he would kill, this part would never get any easier. He took several paces back, reclaiming the regal spear from underneath the pile of ruined chains. The intricacy of the weapon felt off for a nation as simple as Ferox.
"You were wrong," he muttered, placing the Easterner's spear blade-first into the snow. Even though she was his enemy, her body and weapon at least deserved some measure of respect.
"You and I are nothing alike."
"You know, Lester, I felt like the battle between you and the leader would have… y'know, lasted longer. Been more noteworthy, maybe."
Brooks appeared behind Lester, almost as if he materialized from the whirling snow around the battlefield, or what was left of it. Brooks beckoned Lester, and the two began to walk together to the cart parked underneath the portcullis.
"Just because she was their leader does not mean we would spar in a duel fit for legend. That is material for children's tales." Lester returned a stern gaze to the dark-robed mage before sighing heavily.
"She was just one woman. Not an entire army."
"I know, but I was looking forward to telling the story to the others over the campfire tonight. All I have right now is: 'Lester stumbled into the enemy confusedly, she hit him a few times, he broke her weapon chain and killed her.' The end. Not very exciting."
"If I were you, I'd be more concerned about whether or not we'll have a campfire."
Lester pointed to the burned remains of their transportation, which elicited a groan from the mage as he remembered what had happened to it. The thrown torch, and the cart going up in a puff of smoke. As the two neared ever closer to the ruined remains of the conestoga, they could see Samuel digging through the ashes, salvaging what supplies he could.
The two approached Desmond, who was standing anxiously next to the ruined cart.
"C'mon, c'mon… please be okay…"
"Desmond? You okay?" Brooks asked, with concern heavily weighing his voice.
"Gwah!" The taguel jumped, and turned with a rattled expression that quickly faded into a more neutral face.
"Brooks? Oh, it's you. It's you. Sorry about that," Desmond laughed nervously to himself while Lester and Brooks stared with confused expressions. "What? I'm… just hoping that our stuff survived the fire! Yeah, that's it."
"You do not sound so sure," Lester spoke simply, causing Desmond to sweat nervously.
"What? Quit staring! Don't you two have something better to do?"
"I do not believe so."
"Ugh… go find another Eastern lady to skewer. I need space."
As if to diffuse the conversation, Samuel poked his head from the gray ash heap that was once a cart, and started towards the group.
"Alright, here's what I've pulled. Brooks' tinderbox…" the priest tossed the iron box to Brooks, which he deftly caught before giving a disappointed look at the newly blackened exterior.
"I just had this thing replaced last week…" Brooks pouted, stashing the item into his robes.
"…Lester's first aid kit, two canisters of water, three vulneraries, and… this thing," Samuel finished, before setting a heavily-ornamented, steel box on the ground. Objects within clattered around at the sudden shock.
"YES!" Desmond's face beamed with joy, as he ran up and plucked the keepsake from the ground. "It's okay!"
The taguel pulled the box into a tight hug, falling over backwards into the snow with it.
"Pray tell, Desmond. What is that thing?" Lester asked innocently, standing over Desmond with a curious expression.
"My rock collection."
"What." Brooks spoke, his one word proving more than enough to express his bewilderment.
"But I thought you disliked rocks," Lester continued, still as innocently curious as ever. "Considering you have never used your beaststone in combat."
"That's different!" Desmond argued, standing upright to meet the paladin at eye level.
"I do not see how."
"Damn it! Leave me alone, old man!"
"But I am only one year older than you."
Desmond began to argue furiously at the paladin, who returned all of his points with simple emotionless responses. All the while, Samuel approached Brooks with an unsure expression.
"What're we to do now?" he inquired, not able to meet Brooks' gaze. "We've lost our transport, and the chill of midnight is encroaching quickly."
"Don't worry," the mage returned with a comforting gaze, "I've been in this situation before. We'll have to keep walking until we can find something to burn or someone else who has set up a shelter."
Samuel nodded, but behind him the arguing taguel stopped mid sentence with his head turned to the sky. His expression was unreadable, which was never good news in Desmond's case.
"Wait. I smell something," he spoke plainly, nose tilted in a specific direction unflinchingly. "Truth be told, I've smelled it since we've gotten here, but I haven't had the time to pay it much mind."
"What is it? Describe it to me," Lester demanded, his serious expression unaltered from their previous conversation.
"…Iron. And not the kind that they use in weaponry. And… something else beneath that. Something I can't really describe."
"Iron…" Lester turned the word over on his tongue, almost tasting it as he spoke the word while pacing up and down on the snow. "Iron, iron…" After pondering for a moment, he turned back to Lester, his expression still neutral. "Lead the way, Desmond. I have a vague idea of what it is you speak of."
Desmond nodded, and lead his other three companions away from the destroyed cart and down the northward path. As they walked, Desmond was able to pick out a faint scraping sound from beneath the howling of wind and snow. The beckoned the three towards the detour, and approaching the noise revealed Ranofer, stamping the snow impatiently.
"Ranofer! My girl, there you are!" Lester wrapped his arms around the white horse's neck, and could faintly tell that the regal mare was shivering slightly in the frigid air.
"She's cold," he stated, leading her back to the other three. "We need to find something to warm her up, and quickly."
Desmond nodded knowingly, patting Ranofer on the head comfortingly before turning to Lester.
"She'll make it. C'mon, we need to find the source of that smell before the cold sets in much more deeply."
The other three nodded, while Desmond quickened his pace to a jog. After a short while, he stopped at a mound of slightly raised ground just outside the gate. The wind blew ever harder while the snow continued its relentless onslaught. Shivering slightly as the wind buffeted his bare chest, he kneeled at the ground and placed a hand atop it.
"This is the spot."
Lester joined his friend at his side, kneeling down as well. By now, even his weaker human nose could detect the presence of something foul. The two robed men covered their noses with their thick, cloth robes.
"This, Desmond…" Lester began, adopting a solemn tone, "…is a mass grave. Undoubtedly, the Western Feroxians who once manned this gate are all buried here. I do not wish to open it."
"A mass grave?" Desmond's voice was almost seething at even the thought. "Typical of the East, using nothing but dirty tactics. I can't believe I ever lived alongside them."
The taguel stood, hiding his gaze from the rest of the party.
"C'mon. Let's keep moving."
– – –
"Feroxian nights are a lot like Feroxian days. More often than not, they're colder than cold, and in a lot of terrible ways. Oh, how I've terribly missed you, Regna Ferox."
Desmond spat at the snow drifts, his saliva comically freezing in midair before piercing through the thick layer of snow.
"Hey, Brooks? How long until we find something to burn?"
"How the hell should I know?" the hatless mage roared against the howling gale, holding a small, magical fire in his right hand. "I've never been up here before!"
"Of all the times our cart had to go up in flames…" Desmond shielded his face with the flat of his arm as a heavy gust of wind blew towards the taguel, nearly knocking him over.
"Steel yourselves, friends," Lester reassured, yet his voice wavered. "Only a few more steps."
Because of the cold, the paladin was forced to dismount Ranofer and was leading her with a rope. The majestic horse appeared cold, weak, and frail despite her elegant armor and coat.
"It was 'a few more steps' a few steps ago, too," Brooks complained. He took another step, tripping over as he stumbled onto a stone buried by the massive layer of snow, extinguishing his fire and reducing the visibility to next to nothing. "Gods damn it…"
"Hey Brooks? Do you think you can get that light back up?" Samuel's voice was barely a whisper against the howling squall of wind and snow. The priest had the hood on his white, blue-trimmed robe pulled up to combat the storm, but did little to shield against the onslaught.
"Yeah, yeah, hold on. I can't really focus with this storm… wait a minute."
Brooks craned his head forward, squinting to focus on something on the horizon. Surely enough, something that wasn't darkness was buried deep within the heavily falling snow. Something warm, inviting, and cozy…
"Light!" Brooks exclaimed, pointing forward. In the rage of the storm, his companions had some difficulty pinpointing the beacon of hope, but eventually picked out its warm gaze against the backdrop of endless nighttime void. Just down the slope the four were standing upon, a small, fuzzy, orange patch illuminated several of the snowflakes before their luster was extinguished by reentering the darkness of midnight.
"Hold a moment," Lester cautioned, killing the joyous mood of the other three quickly. "I sense danger. We must be cautious in our approach."
"Oh please," the bespectacled mage scoffed, "We just took down how many Easterners? Twenty? And with the element of surprise, too."
Lester appeared quite disgruntled at Brooks' lack of concern, his voice becoming that of a low growl.
"All I am saying is to be cautious. We are still going over there regardless."
Brooks nodded, satisfied with Lester's answer. He turned the pages of his book with some difficulty due to the wind, yet eventually managed to light a small fire above the palm of his hand once again. He shut the pages of the tome before the falling snowflakes had a chance to ruin the neatly inked pages.
"C'mon. Only a few more steps now," Brooks added before chuckling at his own unintentional joke.
The lightened mood seemed to quicken the steps of the four companions, the heavily falling snow much less of an issue than before. Brooks took the vanguard, his tiny flame doing little to suppress the incoming onslaught of snowflakes.
After several labored paces, the white barrier slowly turned to that of welcoming orange warmth. In the light, objects surrounding the welcoming fire became more visible. The central campfire became plain, and a tiny, covered wagon lay damaged nearby. And was that… red cloth? A scarlet bundle of something lay still within the confines of the wagon, contrasting heavily to the otherwise ordinary items inside.
Brooks started laughing maniacally, rushing over to the steadily roaring fire.
"Eheheh… so warm…" Brooks began to pant and drool heavily as he kneeled over the fire.
Lester took a seat next to the mage, an inquisitive expression upon his face.
"The wagon is positioned just so to block the brunt of the wind," he noted, "Very clever, indeed."
"Hey, bring Ranofer over to the fire, Desmond," Samuel urged, finding a spot next to the other three. Desmond nodded, tugging on the rope entrusted to him by Lester as he spoke something quietly to the mare. At his beckon, Ranofer trotted up to the campfire and collapsed of exhaustion next to it, a rumbling snore emanating from her shortly after.
"Hey, Lester," Desmond asked, leaning back against the sleeping horse, "Why do you think that… y'know, all of this is here?"
The paladin pursed his lips as he lay his kiteshield, scabbarded sword, and warspear against a nearby stone. He reclaimed his spot near the fire, and responded,
"I am not quite sure myself. The previous owner may have gone searching for food and succumbed to the cold. Or perhaps…"
He turned slightly to his left, where the red bundle of cloth had leapt from the damaged cart and was brandishing a segmented gray blade with a gold hilt. The grip was fashioned out of burnished red leather, a similar shade to the color of the cloak its master was wearing.
The sword-wielder drew back her scarlet hood, revealing that the cloak was white on the inside. And more importantly, the owner of the campsite was a fair-skinned girl, with striking eyes as gray as her blade and two long blonde pigtails that rested in front of her shoulders.
"…she has been among us the whole time," Lester finished, surprisingly calm about the owner of the fire pointing a blade directly at Brooks' neck.
"Y-you there," she demanded, grip tightening on the blade's hilt, "State your name and your business or I will end you here and now."
Brooks raised both his arms above his head in surrender, looking incredibly panicked.
"I-I-I-I just wanted some fire, that's all! Please don't kill me!"
"Name. Business. Now," the red-cloaked woman articulated, refusing to lower her gaze from the frightened mage, "I will have it. Please." She tacked on the please at the end of the sentence as if to invoke some measure of sympathy from the mage.
Lester stood up, bowing respectfully to the cloaked girl.
"Pardon my friend's manners, miss," he spoke, his interpersonal skills once again proving useful. "His name is Brooks, and those two over there are Desmond and Samuel."
The priest and taguel both raised a hand in greeting, not daring to move an inch.
"And I am Lester. We are travelers, and our cart has been destroyed, and with it our supplies. We respectfully ask if we may seek refuge here for the night, and no longer."
The cloaked girl turned to the paladin, her glowering expression melting into that of recognition almost instantly.
"Wait a moment. That face… clean shaven, short hair, defined jawline… traveling with two humans and a taguel… I know you." She paced around the paladin, taking in every inch of him. "You are Lester of Blackwood, paladin of Ylisse. Right?"
"T-that I am, miss," Lester stuttered, taken aback. "Have… we met, before?"
"Ack!" she exclaimed, quickly sheathing her curious blade, "Dammit Esthara, you are such an idiot!"
As soon as the blade disappeared into its scabbard, Brooks retreated behind Ranofer, who was still snoring away. He poked his head up from behind her to watch the scene from a safe distance.
Clearing her throat, Esthara continued, "I apologize, Lester. I am a student of the professor of strategy, Kairos. I have grave news."
Her expression became downcast as the snowstorm ever raged on, with only the protection of Esthara's small, damaged wagon to provide comfort against the storm.
Roster
No.001 Nila
A resident of Plegia and descendent of one of the famous time travelers of Ylissean past, Morgan. Although weakly, he carries the same blood of Grima used to revive the fell dragon generations ago. He was a tactician for the Plegian Mercenaries in the past, who eventually dissolved under his leadership.
The most likely fall asleep while reading.
Born on December 20th, age 24.
Class: Tactician (Sword|Anima, Dark from Shadowgift)
No.002 Matthew
The leader of a group of fighters known as the Justice Brigade, who prefers the name Matt. He brought the group together after he and Hunter fled a devastated city in Western Ferox, one of the first Western settlements destroyed by the marauding nation. His confident personality is what the Justice Brigade's foundation stands upon, yet he harbors doubts of his own sometimes.
The one who slouches the most.
Born on January 2nd, age 21.
Class: Wyvern Lord (Axe|Lance)
No.003 Hunter
A Feroxian duelist with a deadly mastery of swordplay. He has lived in not one, but two villages that have been razed by magic-wielding bandits or conquesting Easterners. The loss of his sister invoked a keen sense of justice within him and a fear of magic and fire.
The least fond of parlor tricks.
Born on January 25th, age 22.
Class: Swordmaster (Sword)
No.004 Chastity
An Ylissean Falcon Knight—who prefers to go by Chast—with pale white skin and red eyes. Her albinism runs in the family, being shared with her father. She had high hopes of joining the Ylissean cavalry, yet was advised to pursue a separate line of work by her father. She instead took up work as a mercenary, and eventually |
There has been some speculation that Sarah Gray may have intentionally killed some her children, although it's mostly unsubstantiated.
As mentioned, there's no mention of the barrel on Sluman Gray's tombstone. The inscription, which is weathered and very hard to read lists the captain's name and only says, "Aged 51 yrs. 4 mos. Died onboard ship "James Murray" near island Guam.
We didn't notice anything else unusual here—safe to say, the only spirits in this cemetery are any that might still be in the barrel containing Sluman Gray.
If You Go: Liberty Hill Cemetery is located on Route 87, approximately a mile north of the Lebanon green. Like many cemeteries, it is free and open to the public from dawn to dusk year round.
As always, we ask if you visit, please be respectful of all those interred there, including Capt. Gray and his family. And of course, it is NOT BYOB—no bringing your own barrel.Frank Field, work and pensions committee chair, believes department has not revealed scale of problems with welfare changes
The chairman of the parliamentary committee investigating the rollout of universal credit has accused the government of withholding “bad news” over the faltering progress of its flagship welfare changes.
Frank Field said he suspected that ministers had only pressed ahead with the accelerated rollout of universal credit this month because civil servants at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) had withheld the true scale of the problems.
The MP says that despite evidence of mounting problems with universal credit, the DWP has yet to provide new written evidence to the work and pensions committee, and has so far refused to answer four formal letters requesting statistics and clarifications of policy sent to David Gauke, the work and pensions secretary, over the past six weeks.
Quick guide What is universal credit and what are the problems? Show Hide What is universal credit? Universal credit (UC) is the supposed flagship reform of the benefits system, rolling together six benefits (including unemployment and benefits, and tax credits) into one, online-only system. The theoretical aim, for which there was general support across the political spectrum, was to simplify the system and increase the incentives for people to move off benefits into work. How long has it been around? The project was legislated for in 2011 under the auspices of its most vocal champion, Iain Duncan Smith. The plan was to roll it out by 2017. However, a series of management failures, expensive IT blunders and design faults means it is six years behind schedule and rollout will not be complete until 2023. What is the biggest problem? The original design set out a minimum 42-day wait for a first payment to claimants when they moved to UC (in practice this is often up to 60 days). After sustained pressure, the government announced in the autumn 2017 budget that the wait would be reduced to 35 days from February 2018. This will partially mitigate the impact on many claimants of having no income for six weeks. The wait has led to rent arrears and evictions, hunger (food banks in UC areas report notable increases in referrals), use of expensive credit and mental distress. Ministers have expanded the availability of hardship loans (now repayable over a year) to help new claimants while they wait for payment. Housing benefit will now continue for an extra two weeks after the start of a UC claim. However, critics say the five-week wait is still too long and want it reduced to two or three weeks. Are there other problems? Plenty. Multibillion-pound cuts to work allowances imposed by the former chancellor George Osborne mean UC is far less generous than originally envisaged. According to the Resolution Foundation thinktank, about 2.5m low-income working households will be more than £1,000 a year worse off when they move to UC, reducing work incentives.
Landlords are worried that the level of rent arrears accrued by tenants on UC could lead to a rise in evictions. It's also not very user-friendly: claimants complain the system is complex, unreliable and difficult to manage, particularly if you have no internet access.
And there is concern that UC cannot deliver key promises: a critical study found it does not deliver savings, cannot prove it gets more people into work, and has plunged vulnerable claimants into hardship.
Field said: “For the secretary of state not to answer letters shows either a huge discourtesy to parliament or a sign that the government knows the game is nearly up in trying to present this mega-reform as a success.
“I don’t know if the DWP is deliberately concealing information about universal credit or is simply incompetent. Either way, it is not good enough. This has obvious echoes in the far greater failure of not paying hungry claimants on time.
“One letter simply asked if the conference announcement on advance payments was, despite appearances, simply a restatement of existing policy. You’d think they could at least answer that one.”
Field’s comments come as Gauke prepares for a potentially uncomfortable appearance before the inquiry committee on Wednesday morning, just hours before an Labour opposition day debate calling for the accelerated rollout to be paused.
The work and pensions committee inquiry was launched last month amid mounting concern – including on the government backbenches – that flaws in the design and implementation of universal credit, which was meant to streamline and simplify the benefits system, is causing confusion and chaos for many claimants and landlords.
The committee has since received over 100 evidence submissions on universal credit from claimants, landlords, councils and charities. Of those so far published on the inquiry website, almost all report major problems, with consequences for claimants ranging from debt and rent arrears to mental distress and hunger.
Field said: “Given everything we have heard, I was surprised that David Gauke opted to proceed with the accelerated rollout. I strongly suspect his decision, together with the failure to tell us anything, reflects a culture at the DWP of those most invested in universal credit not telling anyone, including their ministers, bad news.
“The overwhelming picture we are getting is that universal credit as currently configured is very bad news. We have heard nothing, to the contrary or otherwise, from those running it.”
Earlier this month Gauke delivered an upbeat assessment of universal credit in his speech to Tory party conference in Manchester. He rejected calls for the rollout to be paused, calling the changes a step towards a Tory vision of the modern welfare state that was “compassionate, practical and aspirational”.
Liverpool city council said local authorities were moving into “dangerous and uncharted waters” as the cost of supporting increasing numbers of low-income residents plunged into financial crisis by long waits for universal credit payments became unsustainable.
In evidence to the work and pensions committee inquiry it said: “Given the growing pressures caused by the government’s multiple welfare reforms and the additional hardship resultant from UC [universal credit], the ability of the council and its partners to support those most affected and protect vulnerable households is not likely to be affordable for much longer, or ultimately sustainable.
“We, along with many other local authorities, are now in what I consider to be ‘dangerous and unchartered waters’.”
A DWP spokesman said: “We are fully engaged with the work and pensions select committee. The secretary of state recently met its chairman and will be appearing before it this week. Meanwhile, committee members have taken up our invitation to visit a jobcentre to see how universal credit works for themselves.
“The department also published a raft of research and analysis of universal credit, following requests from the work and pensions select committee, five weeks ago. This included evidence showing that the vast majority of people are paid on time and in full, and that people are moving into work faster than under the old system.”We’ve seen examples of kind pedestrians paying good deeds forward, but Cate Cook is trying to inspire an entire community to follow in her footsteps.
Cate has been the secret orchestrator of hundreds of secret sweet gestures all over Adelaide, South Australia since January. Her Yours Kindly Facebook page documents all of her anonymous gifts – from leaving bubble wands on park benches, to leaving change taped to parking meters, to leaving flower bouquets in public spaces.
The page has over 2,800 self-identified ‘Kindness Warriors’ who have been inspired by Cook’s gestures and imitated the generosity in their own communities.
MORE: Man’s Cancer is Healed After Doing Random Acts of Kindness for a Year
“We are a kindness community and people are often sharing kind deeds that they have done – leaving chocolates, opening doors, buying care packs for homeless people, writing inspirational notes, paying for someone’s coffee, etc.,” Cate told the Good News Network. “Recently after a TV interview, the cameraman and sound technician both said that what I am doing is inspiring and such a great thing that they were going to go and do acts of kindness too. It truly is a ripple effect.”
As further evidence of her compassionate nature, Cate celebrated her 62nd birthday in August with 62 different acts of kindness around the city.
WATCH: Simple Act of Kindness Marks His Third Day on the Job
The mission supposedly took seven and a half hours to complete, but she says it was well worth it.
“It was a long, but incredible day. The smiles and genuine appreciation on the faces of people were so uplifting. It truly was a magical day, and I would say the best way to spread happy cheer and enjoy my birthday.”
Get Inspired With Your Friends: Click To ShareTony Abbott’s climate “strategy” – repeated sagely in many columns since Tuesday – is to “neutralise” the “environmental” argument with his new 26% greenhouse target and then attack Labor’s policy on economic grounds. This argument is several different kinds of stupid.
First the target can only “neutralise” the environmental argument if voters are silly enough to accept two things. One, that Australia has no obligation to do its fair share of the job of limiting global warming to 2 degrees. (The target is sort of in the ball-park of other developed nations’ targets, but it doesn’t represent a fair share.) And, two, that they take on trust that the Coalition’s “surprise box” of yet-to-be-announced climate policy (see graphic below) is capable of meeting the target, and delivering the environmental benefit. (Using a range of policies is probably quite sensible, but the only announced policy is the emissions reduction fund – all the others are not yet detailed, to the deep consternation of business leaders, who are calling out the policy void.)
Second, the economic “attack” can only succeed if voters are silly enough to accept that the cost of the yet-to-be-announced, and therefore uncosted Coalition policy is smaller than the costs of Labor’s yet-to-be-announced and therefore also uncosted alternative.
Let’s start with the government’s policy. We can’t “cost” it – as in add up the dollars needed for the various parts – because the various parts of the surprise box have not yet been detailed. But the target has been modelled. The government has not yet released the modelling, by leading economist Warwick McKibbin, but Guardian Australia has reported on it. It says the 26% target will shave 0.2% to 0.3% from GDP in 2030.
Then let’s look at the Labor policy. Oh, wait, there isn’t one. There are also no alternative targets. There’s a promise to have some sort of emissions trading scheme and a vague pledge to have 50% renewables. But there’s no detail. All those Bill Shorten press conferences in front of solar arrays and wind turbines have been long on rhetoric and devoid of policy fact. So there are no costings of Labor’s policy either.
Tony Abbott defends 2030 emissions target criticised as 'pathetically' low Read more
This was obviously a problem for Abbott’s big comparative economic costings “attack”. So he made some up. Drawing on a carefully-placed story in the Daily Telegraph, which was based on publicly available modelling done by the Climate Change Authority three years ago, the government alleges Labor’s non-policy will cost $600bn, and cut 2% off GDP growth in 2030. I discuss the origins of this blown-up “scary” number in more detail here.
And even if Labor did decide to back a 40% greenhouse gas reduction target by 2030 – there is much more recent modelling of that. The government’s own modelling! The same modelling that showed a 26% target would shave 0.2% or 0.3% from GDP growth also found, using the same assumptions, that a 35% target would cut 0.3% to 0.5% from GDP and a 45% target would cut 0.5% to 0.7%. That’s a quarter of what the other modelling said. Much less scary. How inconvenient. No matter, Abbott proceeded with the argument that only Labor’s yet-to-be-announced policy will come at a cost to “growth and jobs”, whereas his yet-to-be-announced policy will protect them.
In the real world – rather than the sometimes entirely fictional world of political rhetoric – companies and voters would like to know exactly what policies the major parties are considering, instead of hot air comparing the unknown economic costs of two yet-to-be-announced plans.Photos: Nathan Perkel Top-Hatted Tinkerer: Sean Slattery, whose steampunk persona is that of a 19th-century inventor named Jake von Slatt, holds one of his creations, a telegraph sounder that clacks out text feeds from the web. He’s also built a wimshurst high-voltage generator [top] using parts bought at Home depot.
Sean Slattery puts on his goggles and starts up the engine of his Frankenstein’s monster of a car, its fiberglass body imitating that of a 1929 Mercedes SSK, its chassis taken from a 1972 Volkswagen Beetle. He bought it on eBay for US $1500, and after major repairs he is now ready to add his own hack. He plans to paint the machine black with gold filigree, mount brass headlights and a slanted grille, and install a compact boiler to drive the vehicle with the fiery might of steam. Call it the Steampunk Car.
Steampunk is a burgeoning subculture that draws on the elaborate aesthetics and romantic worldview of 19th-century England to envision how things might have looked had a few key technologies been developed further. It conjures a gaslit cityscape filled with steam-powered robots, mechanical computers, ray-gun-toting aeronauts, and monocled mad scientists.
Steampunk diehards talk and dress as if they lived in such a world. Some stay in character all the time—whether at a steampunk gathering or the supermarket. Slattery, 46, takes things a bit more casually. Most of the time he’s a regular guy: a Linux system administrator, married, with two daughters. It’s when he walks into his garage, crammed with metalworking tools and hunks of brass he’s found at the town dump, that he becomes Jake von Slatt, proprietor of the Steampunk Workshop.
On a recent summer afternoon, he parks the Steampunk Car at his home in Littleton, Mass., and guides a visitor through the property. In the backyard sits a school bus converted into a fully equipped Victorian-style recreational vehicle. On his office desk, he keeps a brass-adorned PC “fit for the office of Queen Victoria herself.”
“I’ve always been fascinated at this blend of the old and the new,” he says, “particularly when there’s an element of anachronism—something out of time.”
Steampunk has its roots in the 1980s as a type of speculative fiction, its name a tongue-in-cheek derivation from another literary subgenre, cyberpunk. But in the past few years, the movement has been “steamrolling,” as Slattery puts it, with the emergence of steampunk fashion, music, and design.
Feeding this growth are the pipes of the Internet. If the computer hackers of the 1980s had hobbyist clubs, the steampunk community has Facebook, YouTube, and online forums like Brass Goggles, where they philosophize about their lifestyles, discuss novels like The Warlord of the Air (1971), by Michael Moorcock, and Lord Kelvin’s Machine (1992), by James Blaylock, and share photos of their handmade prop weapons (“This is Chekhov, the newest darling in my personal arsenal, a rotary-dial gun”).
“It’s about a society that is learning to bubble up on networks,” says sci-fi writer Bruce Sterling, coauthor with William Gibson of The Difference Engine, a 1990 novel that many steampunk fans cite as a big inspiration. “That’s the part that’s really weird and new and remarkable about steampunk—not the brass, top hats, and whalebone but that it’s digital and rootless and headless.”
Photos: Nathan Perkel Retro Ride: Sean Slattery (aka Jake von Slatt) plans to convert his faux 1929 Mercedes into an anachronistic steam-powered Victorian vehicle.
The desire to make things is an integral part of the steampunk movement. Drawing inspiration from fantastical works like Jules Verne’s Les Voyages Extraordinaires and H. G. Wells’s The Time Machine, steampunk adherents embrace the do-it-yourself ethic, and they prize unique, intricate designs over disposable, bland creations.
“It’s part art and part just tinkering with stuff, trying to create something that no one has really tried to do before,” says I-Wei Huang, known as Crab Fu, an artist and animator based in Dixon, Calif., who has built a collection of steam-powered mechanical critters.
Another artist, Richard “Datamancer” Nagy, is even trying to make a living out of it. He recently relocated from New Jersey to California to be at the “fabrication headquarters of the U.S.,” he says. His most famous creations are a laptop computer disguised as a music box and retro-futuristic keyboards.
Von Slatt, Crab Fu, and Datamancer are among the most prolific steampunk contraptors. But they’re far from alone. Countless steampunk artifacts—a Jules Vernian water-cooled PC with brass pipes and a porthole, a time machine named Dihemispheric Chronaether Agitator “capable of traveling forward in time at exactly 1 SPS [second per second]”—have appeared on the Internet. Jacob “Jake of All Trades” Hildebrandt, a student at Michigan Technological University, is currently building a steam-powered TV in his dorm room and documenting the process in his blog.
Recently, steampunk appears to have reached an ebullient point. Brass and clockwork items labeled “steampunk” are proliferating on eBay and Etsy. Already, there’s a steampunk interior design blog, a steampunk cookbook, and a soon-to-open steampunk boutique in New York City. Media coverage in outlets from The Wall Street Journal to Maxim Russia—and this magazine among them—have helped disseminate steampunk even further. It doesn’t come as a surprise that the result was a bit of a backlash.
One Polish steampunk purist took issue with those who think that “imitating 19th-century upper class is rebellious or revolutionary.” A poseur posted a mocking video—“Keep it brassy!”—on his blog. And Design Observer published a harsh critique by one Randy Nakamura, who called steampunk fabricators “mediocre hobbyists” and characterized the movement as “closer to Disney than punk or sci-fi.”
Steampunk fans regarded the criticism as pointless. What’s wrong, they asked, with some Victorian-era fans who enjoy building stuff, adding that the movement does strive to find a deeper ideology. “If you can imagine another world, it can allow you to creatively confront the challenges of the present,” says John “Manyjohns” Shamberg, a member of Kinetic Steam Works, a San Francisco Bay Area arts group, whose creations include a 10-meter-high steampunk tree house. “This is where steampunk gets its depth, by combining a recognition of a rather dystopic past/present with a utopic imperative.”
As steampunk grows, the discussion will probably continue. The question is how the movement can remain true to its DIY and anticonsumerist principles. Will steampunk evolve into something lasting—or will it disappear like thin vapor?
Back at the Steampunk Workshop, Slattery is not concerned about where things are heading. He’s having too much fun, he says, creating things and meeting like-minded people. For him, the challenge has been finding time for all his steampunk activities, which lately include finishing the steam-powered car, building a furnace that uses a BMW fuel injector to melt metal, and maybe steampunking a bulldozer he saw on Craigslist.
“My wife has been extremely tolerant,” he says, “even on a few occasions when I found myself signing e-mails to her as ‘Jake von Slatt.’ ”INDIANAPOLIS -- Fazoli's is planning to hire hundreds of new employees for its Indianapolis restaurants next week.
The company is hosting a "National Signing Day" at 119 of its locations across the country, including over a half-dozen right here in Indianapolis.
The event will be Tuesday, October 24 from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
During the all-day event, managers will review applications and conduct interviews before making on-the-spot offers to hundreds of applicants. They are also offering a 90-day signing bonus to new employees and a number of prizes for those who attend the event.
Fazoli's restaurants included in the event in Indianapolis are:
6450 East 82nd St, Indianapolis, IN 46250
7218 West 10th St, Indianapolis, IN 46214
2374 West 86th St, Indianapolis, IN 46260
3924 Lafayette Road, Indianapolis, IN 46254
5202 West Washington, Indianapolis, IN 46241
8401 S. Madison Ave. Indianapolis, IN 46227
7511 E Washington St, Indianapolis, IN 46219
4742 Emerson Ave. Indianapolis, IN 46203
Those interested in registering for National Signing Day can apply online. Applicants can also apply online anytime.
MORE TOP STORIES | Police raid Indy, Avon properties, find $1.3M-worth of weed and $77,000-worth of cocaine | WATCH: Campfire video sparks questions about ghostly presence at Indiana campground | Husband dead, wife critical after their car was hit while turning into church parking lot | Vice President Pence leaves Colts game after 49ers kneel during national anthem | HOME TOUR: This is what brand new looks like
Top Trending Videos‘I don’t often use the term “England” because I think it’s racist,’ says Llewelyn-Bowen
Dandyish Changing Rooms presenter Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen is proud of his Welsh roots. However, the interior designer seems less keen on being associated with England.
‘I don’t often use the term “England” because I think it’s racist,’ says Llewelyn-Bowen. ‘Whereas “British” can be used in the way that “To be Roman” didn’t mean coming from Rome at all.
‘I like that... and this is me speaking as a Welshman — an aborigine of the island. I’m very pleased to welcome you all in, obviously.’
The BBC TV presenter expressed his views on Englishness after being asked by the magazine Cotswold Life to name his favourite things about the scenic area.
Llewelyn-Bowen, 52, was himself born in London and owns a 17th-century manor house in Gloucestershire, where he lives with his wife, Jackie, and daughters, Cecile and Hermione. They own another house in Cornwall, where they run a gift shop.
Suggesting he associates England with Anglo-Saxons, rather than Celts, he adds: ‘You have to understand that the English all come from just outside Amsterdam, which is why they tend to be ginger and tall.’
ITV executive producer Brian True-May was suspended after saying Midsomer Murders was the ‘last bastion of Englishness’ which relied on an ‘English genteel eccentricity’
An old friend of the TV presenter once claimed he was born plain old Laurence Bowen. Llewelyn was actually his surgeon father’s middle name, and Laurence adopted it.
Englishness has become a term fraught with politically correct difficulties.
In 2011, ITV executive producer Brian True-May was suspended after saying Midsomer Murders was the ‘last bastion of Englishness’ which relied on an ‘English genteel eccentricity’. He suggested the detective drama would not work if there was racial diversity in the village.
And former Newsnight reporter Paul Mason, who is now a prominent Jeremy Corbyn supporter, said he did not want to be English.
Speaking in 2015, he claimed: ‘I predict all attempts to create an Englishness that can encompass Wigan and Henley will fail, for the same reasons that Gordon Brown’s “Britishness” initiatives failed.
‘One person’s Englishness is another’s racism.’
Every political campaign that Eddie Izzard has been involved in has ended in failure, but the cross-dressing comedian is undeterred. He’s declared he still wants to be a Labour MP.
‘I’m a radical moderate,’ Izzard says. ‘I want to get out there and do radical things, but with a moderate message. The first general election after 2020 I will go up for election if they will have me.’
77 years on, HM's cousin is still pretty as a picture
The Queen’s cousin Princess Alexandra, 80, came face to face with her three-year-old self when she went to the Philip Mould gallery in London to admire a portait of her by Sir Oswald Birley.
The Queen’s cousin Princess Alexandra, 80, came face to face with her three-year-old self when she went to the Philip Mould gallery in London
The illustrious artist, father of Annabel’s founder Mark Birley and grandfather of 5 Hertford Street owner Robin, painted many members of the Royal Family, including George V, Queen Mary, George VI, the Queen Mother and the Queen.
Uma Thurman, star of gory films such as Kill Bill, clearly is not a fan of that part of her own output. ‘I don’t really like violence, I’m not the kind of person who wants to go and see people get shot up for fun, but it has its place in the arts.’Disney has finally revealed the cast for its live-action reboot of Aladdin.
Will Smith, 48, who had already been named as taking on the role of the Genie, has now been confirmed along with Naomi Scott, 24, who will portray Princess Jasmine and newcomer Mena Massoud who has been announced as Aladdin.
The casting was announced at Disney's D23 Expo in California on Saturday.
British star Naomi is best known for her role in the recent Power Rangers reboot while Egyption-born, Canada-bred Mena is set to star in the upcoming Jack Ryan television series.
Cast revealed: Will Smith has been confirmed to play the Genie in the live action reboot of Disney's Aladdin
It's not yet known who will portray villainous Jafar, though Peaky Blinders star Tom Hardy is said to be in the running as director Guy Ritchie is said to be a big fan of the 39-year-old hunk.
A source said previously: 'Guy is a huge fan of Tom's work and securing him would be a major coup.
'There have been conversations and, although nothing is set in stone and things are subject to change, he's certainly one of Guy's favoured choices.
'It just depends on schedules whether he'll be able to sign up.'
Fresh faces: Newcomer Mena Massoud has been announced as Aladdin and Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine
Aladdin is one of Disney's most beloved and successful classics earning more than $504 million worldwide and the characters are prominent at the company's theme parks
It was reported several days ago that Ritchie was struggling to find a lead actor for the film.
Both Riz Ahmed and Dev Patel are understood to have been considered but Disney was more keen on casting an unknown actor.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, over 2000 actors and actresses read for the roles of Aladdin and Jasmine.
It seemed finding a male lead who can act and sing, in his 20s, was difficult especially as the studio needed someone of Middle-Eastern or Indian descent.
Tough decision: It was reported several days ago that director Guy Ritchie was struggling to cast the lead actors
The British director is working on bringing Disney's classic 1992 animation back to the big screen along with Sean Bailey, head of motion picture production at Disney.
Charlie and The Chocolate Factory writer John August has penned the script for the musical movie, which is believed to be non-linear in its structure, something that is a hallmark of Ritchie's early work such as cult British crime romp Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
Following the adventures of the street rat, the story is based on a Middle Eastern folk tale of Aladdin who is granted three wishes by a genie who is captive inside a magic lamp.
Favorite: Ritchie wants Tom Hardy to play villain Jafar
The original won two Oscars for the music including Best Music and Original Song for A Whole New World.
Aladdin is one of Disney's most beloved and successful classics earning more than $504 million worldwide and the characters are prominent at the company's theme parks.
It has also been turned into a hit stage show playing at theatres all over the world.
Aladdin is now set to start shooting in August.Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops wants new offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley to take his offense back in time.
Well, not all the way back. But the 31-year-old Riley will bring back the pass-happy Air Raid offense that helped Stoops and the Sooners dominate the Big 12 in the 2000s.
"We had so much success with it through the years, and just little by little here in the last several years, we kind of slowly drifted away from it," Stoops said. "I had a goal in mind to get back to running that type of system, and I felt we got the absolute best guy to do it."
Stoops introduced Riley to Oklahoma media Saturday. Riley said he’s ready for the challenge after running East Carolina’s explosive offense for five years.
"It’s an absolute honor to be here," he said. "It’s a little surreal to be here in this environment and this program. It’s something I’ve wanted for a long time."
Former Lake Travis High School star Baker Mayfield should have an advantage at quarterback. He transferred from Texas Tech last year after operating the Air Raid and being named the Big 12 offensive newcomer of the year in 2013. He sat out last season but is eligible for the upcoming year.
"I got a chance to watch Baker as a freshman at Texas Tech," Riley said. "We tried to heck to get him at East Carolina when he left. He’s a very good player."
Riley said he believes Mayfield, Trevor Knight and Cody Thomas are capable quarterbacks.
"We’re going to be very blessed in that quarterback room," Riley said. "I’ve heard people on the outside say that’s a question mark. To me, we have three guys in that room who have started major college football games. There’s plenty to work with in that group. … We have what we need in that room to be successful."
Riley is considered a disciple of former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, but he said his offense more closely resembles Dana Holgorsen’s West Virginia offenses that emphasize the run game more. The Sooners still plan to pound it with all-conference running back Samaje Perine, a Hendrickson High product, in the new system.
"I am very aware, as Lincoln is, the quality of running backs we have," Stoops said. "That will not be a problem. As bright as Lincoln is, he’ll find ways to take advantage of the great running backs that we have and tailor our offense to the personnel that we have."
Riley said he expects the offense to move at a quick pace.
"When you play as fast as we do, there has to be a lot of trust with everybody involved with it," he said. "That’s one nice advantage that I have, having coached receivers and moving on to quarterbacks. I think we’ve got a pretty good idea of what we want to do. We’re going to get in there with the staff, and it will be a group effort. I’m really looking forward to working with those guys."
Riley already has noticed the difference in coaching at Oklahoma on the recruiting trail.
"It has been crazy, but it’s been fun," he said. "It’s pretty fun walking into these high schools with those two letters (OU) on your chest and knowing you have chance with any player, anywhere, anytime."Stephen Harper has been Prime Minister for not quite nine years and, by now, everybody knows how these things work. You rise in Harper’s Conservative party by demonstrating a willingness to debase, when asked, any notion of accuracy or relevance. That doesn’t have to be your primary function—Jason Kenney often says things that are true and pertinent, and Finance Minister Joe Oliver, and Public Works Minister Diane Finley and many others. But raging non-sequitur idiocy must be part of your tool kit, along with other techniques, or you won’t get far.
For a year, Pierre Poilievre, minister of state for democratic reform, answered every question from the NDP’s Alexandre Boulerice, on any subject, by calling Boulerice a separatist. Oh, how we laughed. The two of them even joked about it at the Press Gallery dinner. There are cabinet ministers who made it to the big table, only after they demonstrated a sustained willingness to answer real questions with real baloney. Nor is the instinct new. More than a decade ago, I wrote a column calling Herb Gray “The Gray Fog” because it seemed funnier than calling him “the guy who never answers questions in QP,” and folks wiped away a tear. Good ol’ Herb.
To this cardinal virtue of successful governments—shamelessness—add Conservative innovations in the area of non-sequitur casting. Gone are the days when a Jane Stewart, human resources minister from 1999 to 2003, would get up, day after harrowing day, to take questions on a controversy in her area of ministerial responsibility. That simply gives trouble a face, the Conservatives tell themselves, so it’s better for a minister in hot water to answer fewer questions, not more, while some all-purpose wet blanket—a Poilievre back in the day, a Paul Calandra this year—takes all incoming flak. Done right, it kills a story for television. “Tonight: Minister in hot water. Here’s somebody you’ve never heard of, talking about it.”
All of this requires that government MPs behave in artificial ways, but the House of Commons is an artificial place, and success there requires very specific rituals, as does success in, say, gamelan or sumo. If you’re self-conscious, you can’t execute the compulsory figures. You have to just go with it.
So, of course, a question from the Opposition Leader on the terms of a shooting war would go to Calandra, who could not possibly know the answer. Rob Nicholson, who, being the defence minister, might know, stayed seated and untroubled. [UPDATE: That’s wrong. He wasn’t there. Apologies to the minister — pw] [UPDATER: I was right the first time. He was there! I revoke my apologies to the minister, but hope his weekend is almost as restful as his appearances in QP. — pw] Being unable to provide information—not a bug, in the normal run of government QP management, but a highly attractive feature—Calandra had no alternative but to say something to annoy his questioner.
His two problems were that (a) even if you’re fond of Israel and worried about the NDP’s position on that file, this really wasn’t the time to be raising such questions; and (b) the questioner in, er, question was Tom Mulcair.
When Mulcair chastised Speaker Andrew Scheer for permitting Calandra’s non-answers, it was a bit of theatre. Any speaker in Canada would have permitted those non-answers, including any speaker in Quebec’s National Assembly, where Mulcair learned how to do this. There is no tradition of speakers enforcing relevance of answers in question period in Canada (there is in some other Commonwealth Parliaments), and Mulcair surely knew this. But getting snippy with Scheer had other consequences. It forced Scheer to defend himself; it pushed Scheer back on his heels, a feeling he may seek to avoid in future confrontations with Mulcair; and it shone a bright spotlight on Calandra’s own behaviour.
In short, and not for the first time, Mulcair showed he can be a bigger SOB than whoever is in his face.
Things started happening quickly after that. Already on Wednesday, Calandra’s smart-ass act was kiboshed for question period, and James Bezan, more earnest and lower-key, was the designated question-taker in Calandra’s place. By Thursday, actual ministers were taking questions, including Nicholson, who is rumoured to be the Minister of National Defence, and Chris Alexander, the immigration minister.
And then, on Friday, Calandra’s apology. I don’t know Calandra well, but, offstage, he is a pleasant fellow, in my experience. All he was doing on Tuesday was what government MPs have done for ages: ignore an honest question and go for the jugular. He did it with material prepared for him, no doubt, by the Conservative Research Group. He basked in his colleagues’ applause when he did it. When the prim schoolmarms of the press gallery tut-tutted, he chuckled, because the outrage of the prim schoolmarms has often preceded Conservative triumph.
I don’t believe any of this—the obfuscation, the wall-eyed oblivion in the face of the glaring senselessness of his own statements on the floor of the people’s House, the bravado in response to outrage—comes naturally to Calandra. He seems altogether too plain and gentle a man for any of that. But he has been taught that this is how you rise in today’s Conservative party. It is, in fact, how he rose until now. He has had to learn these habits, and part of what makes Calandra a figure of curiosity on Parliament Hill is the spectacle of such an ordinary fellow behaving, consistently, in such a bizarre fashion.
Just this once, he pushed too far. Part of his problem was that he was jutting his finger into the chest of a man, Mulcair, who would as soon bite his finger off as put up with the jutting. And then the |
in the peer group,” the company said in a statement. “Nonetheless, Chrysler Group recognizes that this matter has raised concerns for its customers and wants to take further steps, in coordination with NHTSA, to provide additional measures to supplement the safety of its vehicles.”
Economics professor and automotive industry expert Bernie Wolf told CTV News that the latest Chrysler recall is expected to cost the company $300 million.
“(It’s) almost half a year of their income,” he said.
Wolf said he expects affected Jeep owners to take advantage of the recall, even if it is voluntary.
“You don’t want to be driving a car that, potentially, if you get hit in the back is going to go on fire,” he said.
Wolf said the latest Chrysler recall is “by no stretch” one of the largest.
In 2009 and 2010 Toyota recalled more than 14 million vehicles worldwide for sticky gas pedals, faulty floor mats problem breaks and other defects.
The company was fined more than $66 million by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for not notifying the agency about the problems in a timely manner.
Full statement from Chrysler Group
June 18, 2013, Auburn Hills, Mich. - Chrysler Group LLC and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have resolved their differences with respect to NHTSA’s request to recall 1993-2004 Jeep® Grand Cherokee and 2002-07 Jeep Liberty vehicles.
As a result of the agreement, Chrysler Group will conduct a voluntary campaign with respect to the vehicles in question that, in addition to a visual inspection of the vehicle will, if necessary, provide an upgrade to the rear structure of the vehicle to better manage crash forces in low-speed impacts.
Chrysler Group’s analysis of the data confirms that these vehicles are not defective and are among the safest in the peer group. Nonetheless, Chrysler Group recognizes that this matter has raised concerns for its customers and wants to take further steps, in coordination with NHTSA, to provide additional measures to supplement the safety of its vehicles.
Chrysler Group regards safety as a paramount concern and does not compromise on the safety of our customers and their families.
With files from The Associated PressThe Okanagan Valley has earned a spot on Wine Enthusiast magazine's top 10 list of travel destinations.
The magazine calls the region in British Columbia a "shining jewel," which has long been a centre for agriculture and a four-season outdoor playground.
"But it's the 131 wineries, more than 8,000 acres of vineyard and broad range of wines that make this one of the greatest wine touring experiences in the world," reads the article.
The magazine, which includes the list in its February travel issue, lauds several B.C. wineries for opening on-site restaurants, focusing on locally sourced ingredients, seasonal menus and panoramic views. Cited are Miradoro at Tinhorn Creek, Old Vines at Quails' Gate, Terrafina at Hester Creek and Burrowing Owl's Sonora Room.
"If you value balance, varietal purity, complexity and a more European style, the Okanagan is worth exploring," Wine Enthusiast writes.
There are three U.S. destinations on the list: Finger Lakes, N.Y., Orlando, Fla., and Mendocino, Calif.
Rounding out the list are Piedmont, Italy; Hawkes Bay, N.Z.; Rhone Valley, France; Galicia, Spain; Loire Valley, France; and Istria, Croatia.
Also on HuffPostGetty Images
Publicly, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has said nothing about whether coach Mike Pettine will return for the 2016 season. And Haslam isn’t answering that question privately either.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that Pettine asked Haslam to tell him whether he’d be back beyond Sunday’s season finale or not, and Haslam refused to answer.
“Pettine actually asked him, ‘Have you made a decision about my future?’ And Haslam would not answer, and that essentially ended that meeting,” Rapoport said on NFL Network.
Haslam’s refusal to answer strongly suggests that he’s not going to bring Pettine back: If Haslam believes Pettine is the right man for the job going forward, presumably he’d tell Pettine that.
So the Browns, who in the last eight seasons have gone from Romeo Crennel to Eric Mangini to Pat Shurmur to Rob Chudzinski to Mike Pettine, appear poised to make yet another coaching change. And hope that the next coach can win a playoff game, something none of the Browns’ coaches since their 1999 return has been able to do.Introduction:
Jenkins is continuous integration tool that can automate our development process. This article will explain why we need to use Jenkins, installation of Jenkins, configuring Jenkins, and creating our first project. First, we need to setup the basics, and then we will see how we need to setup MEAN stack app in order to integrate unit and functional test cases, and how to do this continuous integration with Jenkins.
Why do we need to use Jenkins?
It is obvious that generally a project is developed by a team of many members, and not by a single person. So processes like Merging code, Release Coordination, Determining the build status, Maintaining all the updates can be difficult.
In this difficult situations, Jenkins helps us to automate everything. Jenkins being a solution for continuous integration merges all code continuously into one central build. Therefore, we are going to perform continuous integration with Jenkins. Jenkins by monitoring, regulating, comparing, merging and maintaining your project acts as your projects headquarters.
The core functionalities of Jenkins are automated integration and external build monitoring. It not only makes it easy for us to maintain the code but also monitor our builds and ensures that other developers merge their code before the code gets ready.
Let’s set up and learn Jenkins and how to use it.
Pre-requisites:
You should have the VPS running and you should log-in as root.
I wrote this article for Ubuntu 14.04 x64, but the same instructions will work for Ubuntu 12.04 and up.
Web server – nginx
Java at least 1.8 for functional testing using selenium web driver
Installing Jenkins:
Before installing the Jenkins, We the following two steps have to be done to add key and source list to apt.
Adding the key.
wget -q -O - http://pkg.jenkins-ci.org/debian/jenkins-ci.org.key | apt-key add -
2. Creating the sources list.
sudo sh -c 'echo deb http://pkg.jenkins.io/debian-stable binary/ > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/jenkins.list'
After updating the apt’s cache, we can install Jenkins now.
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install Jenkins $ sudo service Jenkins status
Now the Jenkins is run, go to http://ip-of-your-machine:8080. We will now be able to see a default Jenkins screen. We can log in with help of “admin” user credentials
Suppose if you want to create “one more user”, you can create a user with help of Manage Jenkins -> Manage Users option from Jenkins admin dashboard.
Manage Jenkins Plugins:
Once we install the Jenkins and configure it, We need to install the right plugins that suit our project needs. For installing and managing the plugins follow the below steps.
Inside the menu, Click on Manage Jenkins and in the sub Menu click on Manage Plugins. By clicking on the link you land on a page where the list of all previously installed plugins are available and needs to be updated. You just have to click on update button given at the bottom to update the plugins.
To view the list of all the available plugins click on Available button on the same page. This shows you the list of all the available plugins. The challenge you face now is to select the right ones for your project. You can refer Jenkins wiki for this purpose, it provides a good summary of each available plugin making it easy to select the right plugin for our needs.
Here are a few, some generic, some specific to the app:
Git plugin
Jenkins Disk Usage
Node js
After selecting the right plugins. Click on Download now and install after the restart button.
Creating Project and schedule build:
Now that everything is up and running, it’s time to create our first project.
General: Click the New Item link and create a freestyle project with project name
Source code management: Fill source code management details like Git credentials to access our project repo
Schedule build trigger methods in any of the following: Trigger builds remotely (e.g., from scripts)
Build after other projects are built
Build periodically
Periodically need to trigger, GitHub hook trigger for GITScm polling
Poll SCM
Setup build environment: We build env for MEAN application, so we need to configure Node & npm details
Execute Shell script: Add a execute shell script to run our unit test cases
#!/bin/bash echo "---------------------------START OF BUILD---------------------------------------------------" echo $PWD cp../.env. npm install npm test echo "---------------------------------END OF BUILD-------------------------------------------------"
Click the Save button at the bottom of the screen. Then click the “Build Now” button in the project dashboard.
Build output: Once setup is done, We can able to see build output continuously in Jenkins dashboard.
Install Protractor and Selenium WebDriver for functional testing:
Protractor is an end-to-end test framework for AngularJS applications. Follow below steps to install protractor and selenium web driver:
$ sudo su - jenkins
$ npm install protractor -g
$ webdriver-manager update
$ ln /usr/lib/node_modules/protractor/selenium/chromedriver /usr/bin/chromedriver
$ exit
Setup Headless Chrome browser
Follow below steps to setup headless chrome browser:
$ echo "deb http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main" | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list
$ wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add -
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install libxpm4 libxrender1 libgtk2.0-0 libnss3 libgconf-2-4
$ sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable
$ sudo apt-get install xvfb gtk2-engines-pixbuf
$ sudo apt-get install xfonts-cyrillic xfonts-100dpi xfonts-75dpi xfonts-base xfonts-scalable
$ sudo apt-get install imagemagick x11-apps
To launch the web driver with Xvfb at backend
Script is present in /etc/init.d/selenium:
#!/bin/sh
Xvfb -ac :99 -screen 0 1280x1024x16 &
#disown $1
export DISPLAY=:99
webdriver-manager start /dev/null 2>&1
Execute this script and verify the service on Port. Xvfb may be useful for other browser dependent applications in non-GUI mode.
Add a execute shell script to run our functional test cases
In Post Build section, add below script to execute end to end functional testing using protractor:
cd application path protractor protractor_conf.js
Conclusion:
Hope this helps you to integrate unit and functional testing of MEAN stack application, and thereby perform continuous integration with Jenkins. Enjoy JENKINS!!New Delhi: Overseas investors poured in $2 billion in the Indian capital markets this month so far, taking total inflows to a staggering $42 billion since January this year.
The net investment by foreign investors into equities stood at $116 million (Rs 553 crore) during December 1-26, while total inflows in the debt market in the same period were $1.94 billion (Rs 12,065 crore), as per the latest data.
Market analysts say that FIIs or Foreign Institutional Investors, which got re-christened as FPIs, or Foreign Portfolio Investors, have been betting on the Indian markets, mainly on account of the reforms agenda of the government.
Moreover, foreign investors are pumping funds into debt in order to take advantage of higher yields.
The debt market attracted most of the funds this month, and investment in equities was just $116 million as FPIs sold shares in the 12 trading sessions to Friday last.
The net investment by overseas investors into the equity market has reached $16 billion (Rs 96,573 crore) this year so far, while in the debt markets it is at $26.4 billion (Rs 2.6 lakh crore), aggregating to $42.4 billion (Rs 2.56 lakh crore)
This has taken their cumulative net investments into the Indian equity markets, since being allowed over two decades ago in November 1992, to $162 billion or nearly Rs 8 lakh crore. The cumulative figure for debt securities has grown to over $51 billion (Rs 2.65 lakh crore).As governor, Romney faced challenge on gay marriage
When Massachusetts' highest court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage, the Republican's response alienated constituencies on both sides. Critics say he took it as an opportunity to pivot right, hoping to raise his national profile with conservatives.
But soon he devoted his attention to trying to block the ruling. Among his moves: resurrecting a 90-year-old state law, aimed in part at preventing interracial marriage, to keep same-sex couples from flocking to Massachusetts for weddings.
Romney had vowed while running in Massachusetts to defend and expand the rights of gays and lesbians, although he opposed same-sex marriage and civil unions. When the court ruled, he initially promised to follow its decision, while also seeking a state constitutional amendment to overturn it.
Romney, now the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, faced one of the biggest challenges of his four years in office. His response would alienate constituencies on both sides and contribute to criticisms that he shifted positions for political gain, a charge renewed in his two bids for the White House. At minimum, Romney's handling of the gay marriage ruling — laid out in interviews with key players and state documents — provides a window into his decision-making style and political tactics.
WASHINGTON — Ten months into his term as Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney was abruptly confronted with an emotionally charged issue: The state's highest court ruled that gays had the legal right to marry, thrusting the state into the forefront of the same-sex marriage debate.
The battle served to boost his national profile and conservative credentials in the years leading to his first presidential run in 2008.
To supporters, he emerged as a steadfast defender of traditional marriage. But critics and some onetime allies believe that Romney's national ambitions — and a resulting need to tack to the right — eventually drove the way he dealt with Goodridge vs. Department of Public Health.
"He needed issues that would help him pivot," said Rich Tafel, who founded the national gay rights group Log Cabin Republicans and advised Romney how to secure the state chapter's endorsement in his unsuccessful 1994 Senate bid.
Tafel watched with dismay as Romney used his opposition to the Goodridge ruling to appeal to conservative groups around the country. "I think he truly does oppose gay marriage, but the speed with which he jumped on and rode that issue struck me as political," he said.
Aides to Romney reject that judgment, saying that as governor he was motivated solely by his belief that marriage should remain between a man and a woman, and that the court was overstepping its bounds.
"His position remained constant from the very day that the decision was issued," said senior advisor Peter Flaherty, who was Romney's deputy chief of staff and helped craft the administration's response. "To say that it had to do with anything other than his performing his duties as governor of Massachusetts in compliance with the law and consistent with his executive role is baseless."
When it comes to gay marriage, Flaherty added, "I have never seen a change in tone, a change in approach, a change in purpose."
Romney sought office twice in Massachusetts — challenging Sen. Edward M. Kennedy in 1994 and running for governor in 2002. Both times, he paired his opposition to gay marriage and civil unions with strong support for other gay rights. During the race against Kennedy, he told the Log Cabin Republicans that he would "provide more effective leadership than my opponent." He promised to co-sponsor a federal nondiscrimination act and support efforts to allow gays and lesbians to serve "openly and honestly" in the military.
"If we are to achieve the goals we share, we must make equality for gays and lesbians a mainstream concern," he wrote in an October 1994 letter. "My opponent cannot do this. I can and will."
In his 2002 campaign for governor, Romney declined to back a proposed state constitutional amendment to prohibit same-sex marriage because, he said, it would also have outlawed domestic partnership benefits. At one point, after his Democratic opponent said she would sign a bill legalizing gay marriage, Romney promised to make domestic partner benefits a "hallmark of my leadership as governor," the Boston Globe reported at the time.Len Ryan Wiseman (born March 4, 1973) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for his work on the Underworld series, Live Free or Die Hard, and the 2012 film Total Recall.
Early life and education [ edit ]
Wiseman was born and raised in Fremont, California.[1] He attended American High School and later studied film at De Anza College in Cupertino, California.[2]
Career [ edit ]
Wiseman began his career in film as a property assistant on a number of Roland Emmerich films: Stargate (1994); Independence Day (1996); and Godzilla (1998).[2] After creating advertisements for clients including Sony, he directed music videos for artists such as Megadeth, En Vogue and, Static-X. He received a Best Art Direction nomination for Quarashi's "Stick 'Em Up" at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards and a Best Director nomination for Rufus Wainwright's "Across the Universe" at the Music Video Production Association (MVPA) Awards.[2]
In 2003, Wiseman co-created and directed the film Underworld. Despite receiving generally negative reviews from critics, the film did well at the box office. He directed the 2006 sequel Underworld: Evolution, and produced the follow-ups Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, Underworld: Awakening, and Underworld: Blood Wars.
In 2007, he directed the fourth installment of the Die Hard series, Live Free or Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis, which opened to generally favorable reviews and box office success.[3][4] He directed the 2012 release Total Recall, which starred Colin Farrell, Jessica Biel, and his wife Kate Beckinsale.[5] In 2013 it was announced that Wiseman would direct a live action film version of the comic book series The Darkness (though no updates have been announced as of March 2016).[6]
Wiseman has also directed the pilot episodes of three television series—the 2010 launch of CBS's Hawaii Five-0, the 2013 pilot of Fox's Sleepy Hollow, and the 2016 pilot of Fox series Lucifer.[7][8] All three series were picked up for ongoing production, though Wiseman was not involved in further episodes.
Personal life [ edit ]
Wiseman's first marriage was to a kindergarten teacher named Dana.[10] He divorced her, finalized near Christmas 2003, after meeting actress Kate Beckinsale on the set of his 2003 release Underworld.[10] Beckinsale also ended a relationship with her partner Michael Sheen.[11]
Wiseman married Beckinsale on May 9, 2004, in Bel-Air, Los Angeles, California.[12] On November 20, 2015, it was announced that they were separating[13] and in 2016, he filed for divorce, citing 'irreconcilable differences'.[14]
Filmography [ edit ]
Film [ edit ]
Television [ edit ]
Year(s) Name Director Executive Producer Writer Directing episode Notes 2010 Hawaii Five-0 Yes Yes No Pilot 2013-2017 Sleepy Hollow Yes Yes Story Pilot (also story) Creator; produced 62 episodes; 2nd unit director in ''This Is War'' 2015-2018 Lucifer Yes Yes No Pilot Produced 35 episodes 2017 APB Yes Yes No Hard Reset Poduced 10 episodes 2017-2018 The Gifted Yes Yes No rX Produced 15 episodes 2019 Swamp Thing Yes Yes No Pilot Produced 13 episodes
Music video [ edit ]
Year Performer Name 1999 Megadeth Crush Em Insomnia Vega Let Me Get It 2000 En Vogue Riddle 2001 Static-X Black And White Mephisto Odyssey feat. Static-X Crash Brooke Allison The Kiss-Off (Goodbye) 2002 Quarashi Stick 'em up Rufus Wainwright Across the Universe
Commerical [ edit ]Tags: view-configuration predicates django by Carlos de la Guardia Wed 17 April 2013
Though Pyramid is my web framework of choice, I've been doing more Django development recently at work. I honestly want to do Django "the right way", and I'm the kind of person who benefits greatly from twitter links, blog posts and github code browsing, so I try to follow Django developers and companies. I also figured it wouldn't hurt to buy the best Django book on the market.
Django has been very good for us and I like it a lot, but of course I can't help comparing how some things are done between the frameworks. I don't do this because I want to bash Django, I simply want to let people know about some really cool Pyramid features and Django makes an excellent point of reference because it has been so successful that most Python developers know about it.
Anyway, that should explain why I was paying attention when Jacob Kaplan-Moss tweeted last week that he had just created django-multiurl, a Django plug-in for allowing multiple views to match the same URL.
Django stops resolving URLs at the first match, so it's not possible to do it "out of the box". With django-multiurl you can do this:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 from multiurl import multiurl urlpatterns = patterns ( '', multiurl ( url ( '/app/(\w+)/$', app. views. people ), url ( '/app/(\w+)/$', app. views. place ), ) )
This sets things up so Django can try one URL after another until it gets to the correct one, but this is not automatic. In your views, you need to raise a multiurl.ContinueResolving exception to let Django know that this was not the right view and it needs to continue resolving. That looks like this:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 from multiurl import ContinueResolving def people ( request, name ): try : person = Person. objects. get ( name = name ) except Person. DoesNotExist : raise ContinueResolving return render (... )
If all the views included in the multiurl call end up raising the ContinueResolving exception, a 404 error will be raised.
This is a good thing to have in your Django toolbox, but it got me thinking about how great Pyramid's view configuration system is. Not only does it easily allow similar functionality to the multiurl extension for Django, but goes way beyond that in both flexibility and extensibility.
For example, I'm sure everyone has seen code like this before:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 def a_view ( request ): if request. method == 'POST' : form = ExampleForm ( request. POST ) if form. is_valid (): process_data ( form ) return HttpResponseRedirect ( '/success/' ) else : form = ExampleForm () return render ( request, 'example.html', { 'form' : form })
This is a single view, but we actually have code for two different actions. If the request method is POST, we want to do validate the form and redirect; if the method is GET we want to render an empty form. In this example the code for each action is very short, which makes the example easy to understand, but in a real application each action could be several lines long.
In Pyramid we could do that, but there's another way:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 from pyramid.httpexceptions import HTTPFound from pyramid.view import view_config @view_config ( route_name = 'example', request_method = 'GET', renderer = 'form.pt' ) def a_view_get ( request ): form = ExampleForm () return { 'form' : form } @view_config ( route_name = 'example', request_method = 'POST' ) def a_view_post ( request ): form = ExampleForm ( request ) process_data ( form ) return HTTPFound ( location = '/success/' )
In this example, we have one view for the GET action and one for the POST action. If you look closely, you'll see that both views use the same route, which is similar to the multiurl thing, except no exceptions need to be thrown. Pyramid analyzes the request and finds the view that matches best. This last step is known in Pyramid as view lookup.
What do we gain by this? Well, the code is less complex for each view and it's simpler to test. We also get more readability. This style of view configuration comes in very handy for REST applications, for example:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 from pyramid.view import view_config from pyramid.response import Response class RESTView ( object ): def __init__ ( self, request ): self. request = request @view_config ( route_name ='rest', request_method = 'GET' ) def get ( self ): return Response ( 'get' ) @view_config ( route_name ='rest', request_method = 'POST' ) def post ( self ): return Response ( 'post' ) @view_config ( route_name ='rest', request_method = 'DELETE' ) def delete ( self ): return Response ( 'delete' )
In the example above, we have one view for each REST verb that we need. They all use the same route, so the URL would be the same. By the way, notice that here we have a class where each method is a view. In the previous example we just used functions as views. To Pyramid it's all the same, any callable can be a view, even an instance of a class. Also, look at the __init__ method. All the views in our REST class share that common initialization, so for example all of them could use self.request.
Now, I'll be the first to admit that there's nothing specially innovative about using the request method to find the correct view to execute. Flask can do that. For Django, both Django REST framework and Django Piston offer similar mechanisms. Outside the Python world, Ruby on Rails has REST as a default route configuration method, and its magic config process even creates seven routes and controller actions for each declaration, one for each REST verb.
What sets Pyramid and its view configuration system apart is that unlike most frameworks, it can use much more than the request method to determine which view to invoke for a request. Look at it this way: the request has lots of information available, why limit a framework's view configuration mechanism to just the request method?
Pyramid lets developers use several pieces of information from the request to determine which views will be called by the view lookup mechanism. This is done by adding predicates to the view configuration. Think of a predicate as a True or False statement about the current request. In the REST example above, both route_name and request_method are predicates.
A view configuration declaration can have zero or more predicates, and all things being equal, the view that has more predicates that all evaluate to True, will be called by the view lookup mechanism over other views with fewer predicates. In other words, more specific view configuration declarations have preference over less specific ones.
It's no accident that the REST example we discussed above uses route_name and request_method as predicates. Since those are the most commonly used view routing mechanisms across frameworks, they should make the concept easier to understand. At least, I hope they do. Let's take a look now at some of the more generally interesting predicates that Pyramid accepts in view configuration declarations.
The request_param predicate configures a view to be called only if the GET or POST variables of the request contain the specified variable name. This can be useful if for example we want one view to be used if a certain option is selected and a different one if it's not:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 @view_config ( route_name ='subscribe', request_param = 'level=normal' ) def normal_subscription ( request ): return Response ( 'Subscribed!' ) @view_config ( route_name ='subscribe', request_param = 'level=premium' ) def premium_subscription ( request ): return Response ( 'Subscribed, Sir!' )
The match_param predicate is similar, but looks at the match dict for the route. If you have a route like this:
config. add_route ( 'blog_action', '/blog/{action}' )
You can use match_param to get away with using a single route declaration and having a bunch of action views for that, rather than creating seven different routes for your seven views (for example).
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 @view_config ( route_name = 'blog_action', match_param = 'action=create' ) def create_blog ( request ): return Response ( 'Created.' ) @view_config ( route_name = 'blog_action', match_param = 'action=edit' ) def edit_blog ( request ): return Response ( 'Edited.' )
Note that both request_param and match_param allow passing in a sequence of strings if you want to take account of more than one parameter. Also, adding a value is not mandatory, so you could also check merely for the presence of a variable name, regardless of its value.
Lots of web applications nowadays need to do a lot of work for Javascript clients that require JSON responses. Web frameworks like jQuery know to add an HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH header with the value set to XMLHttpRequest to signal an AJAX request. The xhr predicate is used to declare this kind of view.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 @view_config ( route_name = 'ultimate_answer' ) def answer ( request ): return Response ( 'The answer is 42.' ) @view_config ( route_name = 'ultimate_answer', xhr = True, renderer = 'json' ) def answer_json ( request ): return { 'answer' : 42 }
In the xhr example, the renderer bit is not a predicate. It's just a view configuration setting telling Pyramid to return a JSON response. The predicate is the thing responsible for getting to that view.
Another interesting predicate is accept, which looks at the Accept HTTP header. You can do content negotiation using that, but be very careful, since some clients return */* in that header and thus results may vary from what you expect. It's best to try out the different clients for what you want to do first and adjust the predicate use according to the results. An example:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 @view_config ( route_name = 'content', accept = 'text/html' ) def normal_view ( request ): return Response ( 'This is text.' ) @view_config ( route_name = 'ultimate_answer', accept = 'application/rdf+xml' ) def rdf_view ( request ): return Response ( 'This is not text, it' s RDF. ')
The last two predicates are commonly used ways to look at HTTP headers, but you might have a less general need. That's why the header predicate exists:
1 2 3 @view_config ( route_name = 'content', header = 'any-header-even-custom' ) def my_special_view ( request ): return Response ( 'This is special.' )
The header predicate accepts a sequence of headers as well, and you can use the equals sign to look for a specific value, like in the request_param example above.
Of course, we have seen each predicate on its own for simplicity, but they can be combined in any way you choose. Just remember that as you add predicates to a view configuration, it becomes more specific and will take precedence over views with fewer predicates if everything else is the same.
Here's an example of using multiple predicates:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 @view_config ( route_name = 'blog_action', match_param = 'action=create', request_method = 'GET' ) def show_create_page ( request ): return Response ( 'Creating...' ) @view_config ( route_name = 'blog_action', match_param = 'action=create' ) request_method = 'POST' ) def create_blog ( request ): return Response ( 'Created.' ) @view_config ( route_name = 'blog_action', match_param = 'action=edit' ) request_method = 'GET' ) def show_edit_page ( request ): return Response ( 'Editing...' ) @view_config ( route_name = 'blog_action', match_param = 'action=edit' ) request_method = 'POST' ) def edit_blog ( request ): return Response ( 'Edited.' )
This is by no means the full list of predicates, but it should be enough to give a good idea of their use and potential. You can take a look at Pyramid's documentation if you want to see the full list.
If you are hooked and start using them for everything, you might find that even the full list is no longer enough for your ambitious needs. Fear not, Pyramid allows you to easily use your own custom predicates, known as third party predicates in Pyramid.
One other really nice feature of Pyramid that I would like to talk about some time, is its configuration system. Third party predicates can be added using this system. First, you need a predicate factory (it's OK, that just means a class that is used to construct the predicate):
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 class IPAddressPredicate ( object ): def __init__ ( self, val, config ): self. val = val def text ( self ): return "ip_address = %s " % val phash = text def __call__ ( self, context, request ): addr = request. remote_addr return addr. startswith ( self. val )
The __init__ method must expect as parameters the value passed in the view_config declaration and the current configurator instance. Its main job is to save the passed in value for use during the actual predicate test.
The text method must return a description of the predicate behavior which is used in error messages.
phash must be a unique description of the predicate, used by the internal view configuration process. Usually it's just the same as what text returns.
The main predicate functionality is in the __call__ method. It receives a context and a request, which can be examined to determine if the predictae is True or False.
In the example above, our predicate receives an IP address or a portion of one and if the current client IP starts with this value, returns True. This could be used to test if a given request comes from inside a network, for example.
To use this predicate we need to add it during Pyramid's configuration stage:
config. add_view_predicate ( 'ip_address', IPAddressPredicate )
Once we do this, we can use it in our view_config calls:
1 2 3 @view_config ( route_name = 'internal', ip_address = '192.168.1' ) def internal_view ( request ): return Response ( 'only called if IP is internal.' )
One final thing about predicates. They can be used in route configuration as well, not just views. Route configuration is a different topic, though, so we won't go into detail about that here.
This was only an introduction to predicates, we didn't really go over all view configuration options for Pyramid. Please consult Pyramid's documentation for a much more detailed overview of its powerful view configuration systemA 65-year-old Fort McMurray man has been charged with causing injury to animals after three horses were found dead and 82 others were found distressed and in poor health on two northern Alberta properties earlier this month.
On Feb. 3, the RCMP’s livestock investigations unit and the Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals visited a property in the Wandering River area, about 200 kilometres north of Edmonton, to do an inspection, according to a previous court order.
There they found three horse carcasses and 52 horses in poor condition. Two horses and two donkeys were confined to corrals where there was not enough food or water, the RCMP said in a news release.
After visiting a second property that day, they found 20 more horses in distress.
Two days later, police returned to the properties with a search warrant. A veterinarian determined all of the horses were in distress. Once police completed their searches, 82 horses and two donkeys were seized and relocated to a facility for examination and treatment, police said.
Gary Herbert Sparshu has been arrested and charged with one count of cruelty to animals, two counts of causing an animal to be in distress and two counts of failing to provide proper care to an animal. He is also facing two counts of disobeying court orders, which required him to reduce the number of horses he owns to 60, and provide the ASPCA with a list of properties where horses were being kept.
Sparshu has a criminal record dating back to 1995 for charges relating to animals. In 1996, he was fined $5,000 for causing an animal to be in distress. In 2014, he was fined $3,500 after pleading guilty to the same offence.
He has been remanded in custody and will appear in provincial court in Boyle on Tuesday.
http://[email protected] twitter.com/otienaEveryone knows that New Jersey is the diner capital of the world. Bergen County alone has 30+ diners! We take our diners seriously in Bergen and typically have that one favorite spot to go for all-day breakfast, a late night tuna melt or cheeseburger, an informal business meeting, Sunday brunch, family gatherings or other diner attractions. Of course, the incredibly long and moderately-priced menu, friendly service and, seemingly limitless hours of operation are important too. But which Bergen County diner is the best?
New Jersey’s Best Diners
NJ.com food critic Peter Genovese has recently released his picks for single best diner for each of New Jersey’s 21 counties. New Jersey diners were judged on quality of the food, atmosphere, and service. According to Genovese and his team of judges, the Chit Chat Diner in Hackensack is Bergen County’s best diner. Located minutes from Routes 4, 46,17 and 80 at 516 |
just replace the paper towel with a clean one.)
Two to four days later: Wait until the vigorous foaming stops, or at least 2 days. Make sure the paper towel is clean, and move the jug to the refrigerator (or the porch, if the weather is predictably 45°F).
12 to 24 hours later: Rack the mead (it’s becoming mead now!) to a clean jug, put on a clean paper towel, and return it to the refrigerator.
12 to 24 hours later: Rack the mead to a clean jug again, and add ¼ cup of vodka or grain alcohol to kill the yeast. Put on a clean paper towel, and return the jug to the refrigerator.
Keep the mead in the jug in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days. Then bottle the mead, using a clean funnel or plastic hose. The mead is supposed to be drinkable in 10 days, and really pretty good in about 2½ weeks. (I find that I can start this mead about a month before I want to serve it, and it turns out fine.) Keep the mead refrigerated, and don’t let it get too old – drink it within 6 months or a year. It’s not a fine wine, and it doesn’t age like one!
Keep in mind that you’re dealing with living yeast and wild honey. Your results won’t be entirely predictable, and you should adjust things as you see fit. Occasionally, things just won’t work the way you expect them to (so I’ve heard – it’s never happened to me, of course! J). It just happens, so don’t be discouraged and try again. And if you have a question along the way, ask someone who’s tried home brewing, or call your local homebrew store – they’re usually very helpful. Finally, don’t think that homebrew stores are only found in the suburbs. A great one is right in center city Philadelphia – Home Sweet Homebrew.Pope Tawadros II, 60, was elected earlier this month but the official enthronement ceremony was held on Sunday at the Coptic cathedral in Cairo. He replaced Shenouda III, who died in March after leading the ancient church for 40 years.
The packed cathedral repeatedly erupted into applause as the ceremony progressed. The ceremony's climax came when the papal crown was placed on Tawadros' head before he sat on the throne of St. Mark, the Coptic church's founding saint.
Tawadros did not address the televised ceremony, but had a brief speech read on his behalf by one of the church's leaders in which he pledged to work for the good of Egypt, with its Muslims and Christians alike.
Egypt's Christians make up about 10 per cent of the nation's estimated 83 million people, making them the largest single Christian community in the Middle East.
Christians have long complained of discrimination, particularly in the last four decades as the country's Muslim majority moved toward religious conservatism. The rise to power of Islamists after the ouster nearly two years ago of authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak has deepened their concerns, amid increasing attacks targeting their churches and businesses.George Keburia is a name to remember – if the sole mentioning of him doesn’t already trigger the release of serotonin. Whereas other designers booked success after graduating from institutions like Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, this creative genious from Tbilisi is entirely self-taught, and managed to make it to the top of the Georgian fashion scene. His shows are among the most anticipated during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Tbilisi, and he is co-responsible for the recent obsession with Georgian fashion.
His success is clearly not limited to his home soil, as he has been featured in magazines like Vogue, W Magazine, and i-D, and his brilliantly tailored pieces have been worn by the likes of Lady Gaga. This darling of Tbilisi’s fashion scene is not the one to shy away from political messages in his creations, and his spectacularly expanding fan base adores him for that.
We love his work, we love his vision, and we love how he embodies all the elements that we like so much about Tbilisi. We are proud and slightly humbled that George made time to talk to us about ‘post-Soviet cool’, his city’s rising popularity, and the connection between inspiration and location.
Hello George, thank you so much for talking to us! Recently, the Western world has started discovering the fashion scene in Georgia, Ukraine, and Russia: Gosha Rubchinskiy, Demna Gvasalia, Anton Belinksiy, and yourself have been featured extensively in many respectable magazines worldwide. With this fascination with the so-labeled ‘New East’, how do you feel about being associated with this ‘post-Soviet’ generation of designers?
First, I should say that I am thrilled to be mentioned alongside such designers. To be honest, sometimes I do not comprehend the extent of my success, because usually I am focused on everyday work and I forget to look at myself from a different perspective. Besides, I do not like talking about my success, but obviously there is a growing attention, and I am very excited about it.
During an interview, Gosha Rubchinskiy expressed that he thinks the ‘post-Soviet tag’ is a cliché invented by the media. He believes that it originated in the press not knowing how to put it in a box, and that youth culture is the same worldwide. How do you feel about this ‘post-Soviet’ label?
I consider that the ‘post-Soviet tag’ invented by the media is accurate enough based on our aesthetics, which were used by Gosha, Demna, and Anton. I think that the post-Soviet aesthetics have already had their time, and people are getting tired of it. As a result, I think that the press will change its emphasis, and the designers will change their aesthetics.
It seems like many bloggers and magazines are praising Tbilisi as the hottest new fashion destination – almost as if they are surprised that creativity also originates from ‘less obvious places’. Do you think that Tbilisi’s fashion scene is finally getting the attention it deserves, or do you feel that it is a superficial hype which is perhaps patronizing Georgia’s (/Russia’s/Ukraine’s) talent and potential?
Fortunately, Tbilisi is in a similar spotlight as Kiev was several years ago. I consider that this attention is well-deserved, as there is a very unique group of creative and talented individuals in Georgia, and that there are many fresh perspectives that Georgian designers can offer to the fashion industry. By itself, Tbilisi is also a spectacular place to visit with its culture, landscapes, diverse architecture, and club scene: the city has a huge potential and I consider that this is just the beginning…
In your opinion, is there an integral connection between geographical location and inspiration?
Yes, but it is difficult to specify the precise impact. I’m not sure, it is either that location usually inspires me, or vice versa, that I try to escape from geographical inspiration.
How do you see the development of Tbilisi’s creative scene unfolding in the near future?
Tbilisi’s creative scene will attract more interest, leading to a better integration into global fashion. As a result, Georgian designers will have more and better opportunities to show their collections not only in Georgia, but also worldwide.About This Game
FEATURES
MAJOR FEATURES ADDED SINCE EARLY ACCESS LAUNCH:
New Game Modes: 3 New game modes have been added since launching to early access (including the fully featured strategy mode!)
3 New game modes have been added since launching to early access (including the fully featured strategy mode!) New Environments: The starting planet has been greatly expanded and 4 all-new areas have been added, including the new Cave and Waterfall areas.
The starting planet has been greatly expanded and 4 all-new areas have been added, including the new Cave and Waterfall areas. New Bots: The bot family has grown since launch, now with a variety of attack types and a Medic to keep everyone in good shape.
The bot family has grown since launch, now with a variety of attack types and a Medic to keep everyone in good shape. New Weapons: Many new futuristic weapons have been added, including the Bubble gun, Plasma shield, and grenade weapon.
Many new futuristic weapons have been added, including the Bubble gun, Plasma shield, and grenade weapon. Oculus Touch Support: Full Oculus Touch support with in-game model of touch controllers for Rift version.
Full Oculus Touch support with in-game model of touch controllers for Rift version. Twitch Mode: Join in from chat while watching a live stream. Spawn items to help, or enemies to hinder the player.
Join in from chat while watching a live stream. Spawn items to help, or enemies to hinder the player. Other Additions: Added home spaceship, added Leaderboard, added Minimap and much more...
You’ve been deployed on an alien planet full of hostile enemies. You must defend yourself by building and commanding an army of cosmo bots to gather resources and destroy the opposition.Built from the ground up for VR, Cosmic Trip lets you experience real-time strategy like never before. Feel what it’s like to destroy alien enemies using futuristic weapons. Strategically build swarms of badass robots to defend yourself and gather materials.No more sitting and clicking! Cosmic Trip places you in the center of the action with some of the most intuitive controls found in a VR game to date.Nominated for best art direction at the 2016 Proto Awards and best visual design at the 2016 VR Core awards, Cosmic Trip features color-rich alien worlds and beautiful environments.Cosmic Trip features a full no-compromises real-time strategy mode, built natively for VR with help from our Early Access community. Feel what it’s like to blast away enemies with your turret, listen to groovy tunes provided to you by your pal, friend bot and watch as your army of robots gather resources and destroy alien forces right in front of your face!Xiaomi has announced an upgrade to the 12.5-inch version of its first laptop, the Mi Notebook Air. The Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air 12.5 was announced last year along with a bigger 13.3-inch version, both using different processors. While the 13.3-inch version packs an Intel Core i5 processor, the 12.5-inch version comes with an Intel core M3 (6th generation) processor.
Now, Xiaomi has given the Mi Notebook Air 12.5 a processor upgrade and this it announced via the official Mi Notebook Weibo account. The upgrade now sees the Notebook Air 12.5 featuring a seventh generation Intel Core M3 processor which brings a 12% improvement in performance over the previous generation. The 12.5-inch Mi Notebook also now comes in an additional 256GB storage version in addition to the initial one with 128GB storage. Both storage options still retain their ability to be expanded further.
The new Mi Notebook Air 12.5 retains the same configurations as the previous version. It sports same ultra-slim build just 12.9mm thick, all-metal body and weighed just 1.07kg. There is 4GB of RAM supporting the processor and the laptop is reputed as able to offer up to 11.5 hours of use. It also comes with fast charge support.
Read Also: Xiaomi Notebook Air 13.3″ gets a $40 off on Lightinthebox (coupon)
The new Xiaomi M Notebook Air 12.5 would be up for registration on March 30 by 10 AM on Mi.com. The price has not been announced but the original version starts at 3,499 Yuan (~$507). Perhaps, this new version with its upgrades may start a little higher than that.
(source)Having been a fan of this group for thousands and thousands of years, I decided to write this review for the new fan. So yeah, there are a lot of little factoids; albeit with what I hope is a personal touch – I’m a fan after all. Workingman’s Dead (1970) is a wonderful studio album that is warm, inviting, and a whole lot of fun to listen to. Yeah I know the Dead are to be experienced live. Fortunately for me, I love their music in all its forms, be it live (warts and all), studio, or unplugged. It all brings a smile to my face.
This 1970 release is highly significant because it marks the emergence of the Dead’s unique blend of acoustic folk, blues, jazz, progressive, and rock that would reach its fullest expression on albums like Blues for Allah (1975) and Terrapin Station (1977). Because the music is largely soft and acoustic, i.e., folky, the tunes have an introspective quality, although they can be very lively at times (like Cumberland Blues). It also has some of my favorite tunes like Uncle Johns Band, Dire Wolf, New Speedway Boogie, and especially Casey Jones, which got me into the group in the first place. The lyrics by Robert Hunter are also essential. He was a de facto member of the group.
The Dead were absolute masters when it came to tone color, texture, and timbre and this album is a great example of that. Acoustic guitars are used most often, although lead guitarist Jerry Garcia occasionally plays leads on a clean sounding electric and provides some magnificent pedal-steel work. Jerry is easily one of my favorite guitarists and my goodness could he ever play (yes, I miss him too). Although Jerry and rhythm guitarist Bob Weir provide lead vocals, rich vocal harmonies influenced by the Beach Boys are used a lot. While the vocal harmonies were a new and distinctive element of the Dead’s sound, I also liked the rougher vocal delivery of Ron *Pigpen* McKernan on Easy Wind. The subtle use of percussion (as opposed a full kit) adds an earthy quality to the music. Virtuoso Phil Lesh was a pioneer when it came to expanding the tonal qualities of a bass guitar and he is all over this album. Also, he is one of my absolutely favorite bassists (I’m a bassist – hence the obsessive detail). My understanding is that Phil used one of two basses on Workingman’s Dead; they allegedly sound the same so who knows what he used:
1. A semi-hollow body Guild Starfire bass guitar that was significantly modified by Alembic with foam rubber!, filters and other electronics to yield a quadrophonic sound. The bass is absolutely hideous looking, but the sounds that Phil gets out of it are amazing.
2. It was either that bass or a Gibson SG bass (also modified by Alembic).
The sound quality of this reissue is nothing short of astonishing – and no, I don’t remember what my old LP sounds like. The Dead were meticulous when it came to recording and this version boasts rich, deep bass and crystal clear highs. Breathtaking, really. The bonus tracks are cool and feature live versions of the studio tracks. Although it will give you an idea of how the band modified their studio tracks in a live setting, they do not capture the essence of an entire recorded live performance. The CD comes in a digipak and has a little color booklet that I can barely read – my eyes are pretty bad.
So there you have it. This is an excellent album of folky acoustic music with just enough of a rock element to give it some oomph. Also, this album is significant because the band really changed their sound. For those of you that are new to the band, do not be intimidated into thinking that you have to be *experienced* or *seasoned* to *understand* live recordings of this group. That’s hogwash. Recommended starting points for the new fan include Workingman’s Dead (1970), American Beauty (1970); Grateful Dead Movie Soundtrack -Winterland (excerpts from five consecutive concerts in October 1974); Great American Music Hall (full concert – live) (8/13/75); Blues for Allah (1975); Cornell University (full concert - live) (5/8/77); Terrapin Station (1977); Red Rocks (full concert - live) (7/8/78); and the Closing of Winterland (full concert - live) (12/31/78 – 1/1/79).This a short post about what you can do to protect your privacy in today’s world. Though nothing is 100% safe and as long as people are using technology, their privacy can be threatened. Yet, without technology – life’s just no good.
1. Stop Using GOOGLE and FACEBOOK
They are collecting mountains of data on you, selling it to advertisers and loaning it to government agencies. Seriously, limit or stop all use of these services. Instead of using Google search I’d suggest checking out DuckDuckGo.com, a free software project that doesn’t profile or track its users search queries.
2. Use FIREFOX
There’s not much choice between browsers, but Firefox is the most open in the main gang. It is open source, which is a plus, and it’s not owned by a giant corp that’s part of the PRISM surveillance program like Apple (Safari) and Google (Chrome).
3. Get a Few Browser EXTENSIONS
There are various ways you’re tracked on the internet, including the browser version you use, your OS, the fonts on your system, your browsing patterns, as well as things like JavaScript and other plugins. Here are a few Firefox extensions that will, hopefully, mitigate some of that:
NOSCRIPT. This is a free and open source extension that blocks JavaScript, fonts and other plugins from loading automatically. As the name indicates, there are no scripts allowed by default and you can change settings on a page by page basis.
Ghostery. Free but proprietary. Wikipedia describes it as enabling “its users to easily detect and control web bugs which are objects embedded in a web page, invisible to the user, that allow the collection of data on the user’s browsing habits.” This means it stops the various servers owned by large corps such as Google, Facebook, Twitter from automatically tracking when you visit a website with their embedded code in it.
HTTPS Everywhere. From Wikipedia “HTTPS Everywhere is a free web browser extension for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Opera, a collaboration by The Tor Project and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Its purpose is to automatically make websites use the more secure HTTPS connection instead of HTTP.”
AdBlock Plus. This is another free and open source extension similar to Ghostery, but aimed at automatically blocking ads. Apart from being useful to stop annoying intrusions, it blocks ad servers from tracking you.
4. Remove your INTERNAL WiFi CARD and Replace it with a REMOVABLE ONE
This simply allows you to have physical control over when you want to be connected to the Internet. If your system is compromised, even if it appears that your computer is not connected, it could still be sending packets. Being able to pull the plug at a moments notice is valuable.
5. Install a Software FIREWALL
This will simply allow you to decide what connects in and out of your system. There are a ton out there, so have a look for yourself. One thing to note is if you torrent a firewall app, there’s a chance it could compromise your entire system. It’s probably best to be legit here. You’ll be amazed at the amount of apps which constantly try to “phone home” to their servers.
6. Don’t install RANDOM Software
This item is linked to a point in the above section about torrenting software. I’m not going to tell you what to do in regards to torrenting, but be aware when you’re downloading and installing random software, there’s a chance it’s either completely backdoored or contains some level of spyware. If you don’t NEED it, go without.
7. Use OFF-THE-RECORD(OTR) Chat Encryption
Find out whether the chat apps you use have OTR compatibility, and if so turn it on. This enables end to end encryption between you and to whomever you’re talking, so passive snooping cannot take place.
8. Turn OFF Your Computer When Not in Use
When you’re not using your computer, turn it off completely (and remove that new external WiFi card). Aside from being better for security (in terms of getting passwords from RAM), you can guarantee no apps will secretly be “phoning home.”
9. Learn About PGP/GPG for Email and Use it
PGP (pretty good privacy) for email allows you to send and receive encrypted emails. You need to generate your own public key signature and share it with your friends. The catch is that they need to do the same (which can be frustrating). Be aware that your email content is the only thing encrypted, and anyone looking in will still be able to see other meta data.
10. Get a PASSWORD Manager
Password managers are great for generating and storing long complicated passwords so you don’t have to memorize them all. The idea is that you can generate a brand new password for every single service or account you use, compartmentalizing any risk, so if one of those services is breached, everything else you use isn’t automatically too. Make sure that you have a strong, memorable master password.
11. Encrypt Important FILES
If your system is ever lost, compromised or stolen, it’ll be more likely that your files will remain untouched if they’re encrypted. Same goes for sending important files over the Internet. Think about sending them as encrypted files. Also, look into full disk encryption for your computer. There are plenty of tutorials online to suit your particular set up.
12. COVER Your Webcam
This used to be the reserve of hyper paranoid individuals, but the Snowden revelations (and others) have shown that there are many operations secretly recording peoples webcam feeds. Yes, even ordinary people like you with “nothing to hide.”
13. Remove your Laptops Internal MICROPHONE
This may seem a little paranoid, but if you don’t ever use it, you may as well get rid of it. There is still a chance that your microphone is being listened in on. It’s another way of mitigating the data that can be collected on you. You can always plug in headphones with a built-in mic when you need one.
14. Try BITMESSAGE
If you’re working on sensitive material, you might consider using the Tor browser bundle. It automatically obfuscates your IP address and provides a decent level of protection. There are some theories that it may have been broken, but they haven’t been proven (yet), so be aware.
15. Use MULTIHOP VPN
A VPN or virtual private network encrypts your network data through a server (or servers) and makes web requests on your behalf. This means when you visit websites, your IP address will appear as wherever the VPN’s server is making the request from. They’re good for stopping automatic ISP snooping, but they are not a magic bullet. Remember you are placing your trust in the VPN service and some may not deserve it.
Bonus Point: Stop Using your PHONE
Seriously. This is not something most people would be willing to do but if you really care about your privacy, you should ditch the phone (aka George Orwell’s worst nightmare). Think about it, this thing tracks your location in realtime, your movement habits, it knows who you are in contact with, it knows the exact relationship with each person and what you say to them. It knows what apps you use, what you browse for, how you browse, what you buy, what you don’t buy, what people in your life look like and their location (with photos and geo tagging).
I mean for god sake that’s insane. Phones are much less configurable than computers so you have even less control of your data. If you’re not willing to do that, then at least remove the battery from your phone (if you can), when you’re not using it.
Thanks and be safe!Eczema is a complex disease, but in most cases presents a consequence of allergy. Therefore, many patients improve their situation by expelling certain food from their diet, which usually produce an allergic reaction (e.g. milk, dairy products, eggs, hazelnuts, etc.). Eczema can occur on any part of the body but it is more frequent in areas where the skin folds.
The first thing to be taken for the prevention and treatment of eczema is to use cotton clothing, avoid strong chemicals for personal hygiene products that irritate the skin, prevent excessive drying of the skin and use a moisturizer for skin care of good quality (the most suitable cream is on a natural basis, without preservatives and strong odors).
The first symptom of eczema is dry blushed skin on which will, in a few days, appear small, liquid filled bubbles, so-called vesicles (small blisters). They soon begin to peel off and to secrete its secretion, and will make you feel itchy. Scratching irritated skin may cause minor superficial injuries, which can become infected.
Eczema and Vitamins
Sometimes, a lack of vitamin B6 may be the cause of eczema, so in this case a person should increase the intake of this vitamin. Vitamin B2 has an antioxidant effect on the skin and refreshes tissues, leading to healthy skin. While vitamin B3 absorbs carbohydrates in order to maintain healthy skin.
Vitamin E has antioxidant properties, which help to heal skin and hydrates. Additionally, vitamin E helps to strengthen the immune system. It is believed that vitamin E soothes itching of the skin if applied directly to the place affected with eczema. The most productive source of natural vitamin E are wheat germ and wheat germ oil. Then nuts (almonds).
Likewise, the insufficient amount of zinc in the body can cause this skin condition. Foods rich in zinc are whole grains, wheat germ, peas, green beans, red meat, eggs...
Vitamin C is a natural antihistamine and boosts the immune system. It regulates histamine in the body without causing harmful effects. Although vitamins effectively treat the condition, the form in which we consume them is also very important. You should include them in your daily diet since it is not enough just to take vitamin pills.
Natural Remedies For Treating Eczema
For the natural treatment of eczema in the summer period use moisturizing lotion which includes juice of fresh cucumber and almond oil. While in the winter time traditional medicine recommends the use of lotion that consists of two tablespoons of coconut milk (use water if u don’t have coconut milk), one tablespoon of olive oil and a few drops of essential oil of ginger.
To relieve the symptoms of eczema you can use lining of fresh dandelion leaves and mint. Chop proportionally equal amounts of leaves of these plants and add 3-4 drops of natural oil. With this mixture cover the affected skin by eczema. Wrap and hold for about 30 minutes, then rinse with clean cold water. For the treatment of eczema traditional medicine also recommends lining of thyme or calendula flowers.
Lily oil is known to have a beneficial effect on the skin. It is used to treat a variety of rashes, blemishes and it is considered as a useful natural remedy against eczema. To prepare lily oil you need to place the petals and stamens of the flower in a glass jar, covered in olive oil (the ratio 1:3). Place the glass jar in the sun and leave to stand for 6 weeks. Then strain and use the oil to treat the affected area of the skin several times during the day.
Home Remedies For Treating Eczema
Cold pressed coconut oil, also can help in the treatment of many skin diseases, so it should not be forgotten when it comes to eczema. U se coconut oil freely on the surface of the skin, which are affected by inflammation.
Peeled cucumber is an excellent antiseptic, cleans and disinfects the skin and removes freckles.
Marshmallow tea (made from leaves and roots) can also be used on the skin because it softens the skin.
Treat the affected area with apple vinegar four times a day and three times during the night. Eczema and itching will soon disappear.
Nettle tea. Boil water and put nettle. When it boils remove from the heat and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Drink in small sips every 15 minutes, at least 4 cups a day in the beginning. The best way is to transfuse tea in a thermos bottle.
Make a calendula tea, add 5 drops of lavender essential oil and with soft brush apply it on the affected skin two times a day.
Use fresh leaves of aloe vera on the vulnerable areas of the skin - it is a one of the most miraculous balsams against eczema.Donald Trump has furiously reacted to a conservative super PAC backing Ted Cruz which used an advert slut-shaming his wife Melania.
The ad, circulated on social media, shows the former model in a nude 2000 GQ photo shoot with the words: 'Meet Melania Trump, your next First Lady. Or you could vote for Ted Cruz on Tuesday.'
But just before results started to trickle in, Mr Trump responded to the ad in characteristic bombastic fashion on Twitter.
'Lyin' Ted Cruz just used a picture of Melania from a G.Q. shoot in his ad. Be careful, Lyin' Ted, or I will spill the beans on your wife!', he wrote.
Cruz for his part, was quick to respond, saying: 'Pic of your wife nor from us. Donald, if you try to attack Heidi, you're more of a coward than I thought. #classless.'
The super PAC Make America Awesome, which describes itself as an independent group focused on 'unconventional and cost-effective tactics' created this ad attacking Donald Trump through his wife Melania (pictured, in a GQ photo shoot in 2000)
Furious: Trump hit out at Ted Cruz for the advert, saying he would'spill the beans' on his wife Heidi Cruz. It was unclear exactly what he meant although she has a history of depression
Careful Donald: Cruz quickly responded, saying if he tried to attack Heidi, he would be'more of a coward than I thought'. He also called it 'classless'
Ted Cruz and wife Heidi wave to supporters during a campaign stop earlier this month in Concord, NC
Founder of the PAC, Republican Liz Mair, told Buzzfeed the ads are expected to reach 10,000 Mormons a day. The religious group is known to dislike Trump (pictured with Melania)
It was unclear what exactly he was refering to regarding Ted's wife Heidi Cruz, although it is well documented she suffered from depression 10 years ago, culminating in an incident in 2005 when cops found her with her heads in her hands beside a Texas expressway. A police report said she was a 'danger to herself'.
Cruz, who has a precarious 50.1per cent polling average, needs to win a majority backing in order to take all 40 of Utah's delegates.
Republican strategist Liz Mair, who founded the super PAC Make America Awesome, told Buzzfeed the ads have been targeting Mormons, who have been shown in previous election results to dislike the Donald.
While Trump is already expected to lose the Utah caucuses with just 11.9per cent of the vote, the PAC is hoping to tip the majority in favor of Ted Cruz, whose backing is on a knife's edge with 50.1per cent polling average.
If he fails to win the majority in Utah, the delegates will be split proportionally among the three candidates, diminishing Cruz's chances to top Trump, who is projected to take Arizona.
The Make America Awesome campaign also includes an ad highlighting Romney, a devout Mormon, and his public condemnation of Trump.
A third ad quotes the Donald on his previous pro-choice stance, although the candidate has now flip-flopped in the abortion debate and declared himself pro-life.
Mair told Buzzfeed the online campaign, which is the group's first endorsement of a specific candidate, is expected to reach 10,000 Mormons a day.
She also said the Melania ad will be promoted on Instagram specifically targeting LDS women.
HEIDI CRUZ'S BATTLE WITH DEPRESSION A 2005 police report that was uncovered last year details an incident where Heidi Cruz was taken in by a police officer after she was found sitting just feet away from a major roadway in Austin, Texas. On August 22, Cruz left her home shortly after 10pm and walked for miles before sitting down by the MoPac Expressway. Officer Joel Davidson was dispatched after reports came in of a woman sitting dangerously close to the side of the road with her head in her hands. When Davidson arrived on the scene Cruz identified herself and revealed she was not on any medication and had just two sips of a margarita that night, something Davidson confirmed saying she was not intoxicated at the time. Davidson 'believed she was a danger to herself' and eventually Cruz left with him in his patrol car. At the time, Cruz had recently left her job working for National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice to be with her husband, who was serving as Solicitor General. Cruz had been commuting between Washington DC and Texas for an entire year as the couple's jobs kept them 1,500 miles apart. She had also just begun a new job working at Goldman Sachs as a private wealth manager. After the police report was released, an advisor to Senator Cruz put out statement saying; 'About a decade ago, when Mrs. Cruz returned from D.C. to Texas and faced a significant professional transition, she experienced a brief bout of depression. 'Like millions of Americans, she came through that struggle with prayer, Christian counseling, and the love and support of her husband and family.'
Election results in Wyoming and Idaho, where there are significant Mormon populations, show the religious group favoring Cruz and Kasich over Trump.
History professor Matt Bowman told ThinkProgress.com that Mormons, who have historically experienced religious persecution, dislike the Republican frontrunner for his Islamophobic comments.
He added: 'Mormons place a high premium on being nice, and Trump is not nice.'
Make America Awesome is described on its website as 'a SuperPAC dedicated to blocking and reversing Donald Trump’s political ascent.
'We are an independent group, and are not authorized by any presidential candidate or candidate committee. Our focus is on using unconventional and cost-effective tactics, as opposed to stereotypical high-cost, limited-yield methods with the objective of providing maximum donor value.'
In reference to an anti-Trump ad they ran in January criticizing his business methods, the super PAC tweeted: '...If Trump’s opponents are serious about defeating him, they need to start running attacks that work with his voters now...'
The Make America Awesome campaign also includes an ad highlighting Romney, a devout Mormon, and his public condemnation of Trump
A third ad quotes the Donald on his previous pro-choice stance, although the candidate has now flip-flopped in the abortion debate and declared himself pro-life
But the photo slut-shaming Melania has raised a number of eyebrows across the political spectrum.
In an article on Mic.com, Anna Swartz wrote there were plenty of other reasons to attack the Republican frontrunner, from his 'racist tirades' to his 'extreme anti-immigration rhetoric'.
Others defended Melania and pointed out the fact that she is fluent in five languages and studied architecture and design before working as a model and running her own businesses.
Conservative news websites have also called the ad 'despicable' while others have pointed out the PAC's strategies could very well backfire.
Both Democrats and Republicans are voting in the Utah caucus and Arizona primary tonight. The Democrats will be voting in the Idaho caucus.I’d been on two painkillers and an anti-depressant for over a year, but the pain and depression had improved very little. I asked the doctor for an alternative. “Let’s just increase the dosage” he said. Great, another doctor eager to saturate my veins with mind-altering chemicals. It was like clockwork. I’d show up at a new doctor’s office, fill out the paperwork, wait for an eternity, and then tell my story. About how I’d survived a traumatic accident, but was stuck with the anxiety and pain of Fibromyalgia. About how the drugs were barely helping, and I was looking for something better. Every time, they’d throw more drugs at the problem and have me on my way. Why? Did they really feel sentencing a kid to a life on drugs was practical? Or, were they trying to hit the quota that would earn them a Hawaii vacation from Big Pharma?
I knew a drugged life was unsustainable, I just didn’t know where else to turn. I was hit by a car in college, and wide-spread chronic pain followed. Deep pain. Heavy pain. Pain that made my bed the happiest place in the world. I was desperate for anything that would help, and drugs seemed like the best option. After a couple months on them, it started to feel like I was floating. Like happiness and misery were far below me. My energy was suppressed, but so was the pain. Seemed like a decent trade-off.
It didn’t take long for me to forget what life without drugs felt like. Soon, I was so accustomed to them that I didn’t notice what effect they were actually having. Something I did notice were the withdrawals that would come without them. Floodgates would open, and anxiety and vertigo would rush in until I shut the gates with a handful of pills. The thought of coming off them was terrifying, inconceivable even.
Like any great loss, the loss of my former self had shaken me to my core. My soul’s pendulum swung so far out into the dark that I lost sight of the light. Endless tears, sleepless nights, suicidal thoughts; I felt everything I never expected to feel.
Shards of a shattered life surrounded me, threatening to cut me if I ignored them. Instead, I picked them up and put them back together. Time passed, and I learned to embrace the pain instead of running from it. Soon, I felt absolute pride in my struggle. I even realized that pain is a shortcut to meditation unlike any other. It locks the mind in a deeply visceral sensory awareness, giving great weight to sounds, colors, and all the waves of the world. Certainly not something to dread.
Harnessing my pain as a source of strength became second nature. Eventually, I could look at the trials behind me and feel content. No desperate yearning for my old body, only appreciation for the power I’d gained. Sadly, the intense awareness of environment was an affliction in the grayscale office I’d resigned myself to. The old me thought anything more than sitting at a desk would cause too much harm. The new me craved a life of constant motion and gratifying challenges. So, I became a teacher, and spun my life into gold.
At the end of each day, my body would burn with pain that had amplified since the morning. I didn’t care. The satisfaction of purpose the day brought lifted me high above it. Still, there was something keeping the pendulum from falling back into the light. No doubt, it was the drugs.
As enlightened as I’d become, I felt removed from myself. My intelligence was stifled, my sexuality was buried, true expression eluded me, and my anger |
have all been the clients of Tokyo-based creative agency mo’design, making its founder Motoki Mizoguchi one of the most quietly influential figures within the industry. Having begun operations at the turn of the millennium in 2000, the reputed agency has since played an important role in the aforementioned brands, giving them the distinct characters that we instantly recognize them for today.
Billed as a graphic design company, mo’design’s purview is nevertheless wide-ranging and its repertoire includes everything from lookbook styling and photography, to logo and even T-shirt designs. Most recently, Mizoguchi completed the cover-to-cover design and layout of Rizzoli’s retrospective volume on Hiroshi Fujiwara, topping out a professional partnership that goes back to 2001, when the two met while doing the cover shoot for iconic Japanese streetwear monthly, BOON.
Born in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture in 1966, the preternaturally creative Mizo-san — as his colleagues refer to him by – grew up with a natural fascination for music and the arts, but quickly latched onto foreign street culture when his friends at school introduced it to him. Later, he gained his design chops attending the prestigious Kuwasawa Design School at night while working at a graphic design office during the day, before graduating to become a freelance graphic designer. It was during this period, at the tail-end of the ’90s-era cultural boom in Harajuku, that Mizoguchi founded mo’design from his office space. His timing proved to be fortuitous — Tokyo found itself once again the epicenter of a cultural seismic shift, with the darlings of the Urahara movement (namely BAPE and UNDERCOVER) seeing respective explosions in popularity in the West, while the likes of Stussy chose to expand into Japan, often their first overseas destination to set up shop.
“Everyone looked to be overflowing with energy,” said Mizoguchi of this particular time. “There was a feeling that the scene would continue to grow. Now it feels much more mature.” Initially, much of mo’design’s business came from Mizoguchi’s personal connections with fashion brands and editors of fashion magazines, who urged him to expand his creative faculties to designing graphics for T-shirts. That initial push kickstarted an affinity with clothing that has lasted the length of Mizo-san’s career. “I still continue to work in the field of fashion because I enjoy making designs from an artistic approach. Because I enjoy it so much, I’ve become preoccupied by it,” explains Mizoguchi.
While mo’design is Mizo-san’s bread and butter, he realized his passion project in 2006 with the launch of in-house magazine, bootcamp. Now on its 15th issue, Mizoguchi founded bootcamp as a showcase for the talented creators he so often rubbed shoulders with in the art and street fashion scenes. “In that era, I felt that there were very few media platforms presenting these talents to the rest of the world, and even those few platforms weren’t as open to the public,” he reflects. For that reason, bootcamp has remained a free paper for the entirety of its existence.
Outside of work, Mizoguchi is an avid surfer and snowboarder, and while these twin pursuits serve as an outlet from his design work, they have also informed his dealings with clients such as Burton and Nike. “For example, I had a snowboarding trip and a meeting with a future client at the same time. Sometimes you can get different ideas and perspectives in places outside of Tokyo.”
With recent projects such as the branding for the POOL aoyama and THE PARK・ING GINZA under his belt, Mizo-san is not content to rest on his laurels. Next year will mark another major milestone in the growth of mo’design in the form of MODES, an independent publishing house focusing on fashion and art books that will further flesh out Mizoguchi’s lifelong love for print and graphic design. Looking back before this leap, he reminisces, “At first I didn’t think I would work in the street culture scene but I continued to follow my passion and it brought me where I am today.”
Mizo-san’s Favorite Projects for mo’design
Fragment/Hiroshi Fujiwara by Rizzoli
I was in charge of the art direction and editing of Hiroshi’s work collection. Almost everything was under my direction, including photography direction.
THE PARK・ING GINZA
For THE PARK・ING GINZA we designed the logo and are currently the head of art direction and graphic design. I feel as though I am participating in the project as part of the brand and this makes it fun as we build it from the ground up.
the POOL aoyama
We designed the logo and were in charge of art direction and graphic design. Similar to THE PARK・ING GINZA, I also participated in that project as part of the brand.
Starbucks Camouflage Bottle & Mini Starbucks Card
A series created in collaboration with Starbucks. The series was also designed with Hiroshi Fujiwara and with a camouflage theme. The camo pattern of the card was inspired by a photograph of a vintage camouflage jacket. This is one of my favorite projects because I like military design and I also always drink Starbucks.
WTAPS Catalog
In charge of art direction and design for WTAPS clothing catalogs. I’m honored to help WTAPS as they are one of my favorite brands.
The Shadow of the Official Art Works/Hiroshi Fujiwara
I was in charge of the art direction and editing for Hiroshi’s work collection released in 2003. It was the first collaborative project we did. We approached it with a considerably experimental angle and had it printed.
Burton “The Wall” Board Graphics
This was a special edition board designed at the Burton Snowboard exhibition. I designed this in collaboration with Hiroshi Fujiwara following the theme of “The Wall.” With this project we incorporated actual size photographs of walls into the board design. I have been enjoying snowboarding for over 10 years now and still continue to have fun every season. This project was one of my favorites because of my passion for the sport and I also had opportunity to use the board myself.
Seditionaries
Jun Takahashi and Hiroshi Fujiwara’s private collection of punk seditionary clothes. I was in charge of art direction and design, and I was grateful to work on this project and interact with such a precious collection of vintage clothes.
The JSB Legacy by J Soul Brothers
In charge of art direction, graphic design and CD jacket design. It is fun to be able to work with major artists in Japan. My son is also a fan of theirs.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The 120th Precinct took to the Twittersphere Monday night to distribute photos of dirt bike riders wanted for questioning in the shooting of a couple in New Brighton on Sunday.
The array of photos on a "Wanted" flier show four individuals riding dirt bikes together down the street.
The NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Public Information's office had previously said that two suspects were sought in the shooting, but the flier singles out a lone "perpetrator riding a dirt bike," who "intentionally discharged multiple rounds from a firearm striking two victims."
The shooting, which occurred at 5:37 p.m. Sunday in front of 224 Jersey St., injured a couple who were standing on their front stoop.
The victims, Pat Vamosy-Schmidt, 63, and her husband, Ed Schmidt, 71, were taken to Richmond University Medical Center, West Brighton, with gunshot wounds to the right forearm and abdomen, respectively, according to police.
A RUMC spokesman said Tuesday that Ms. Vamosy-Schmidt was in stable condition and that her husband was in critical but stable condition.
Neighbors do not believe the couple, who are longtime New Brighton residents and beloved members of the community, were targeted by the gunman. Police have said that the motive for the shooting is not known.
North Shore City Councilwoman Debi Rose visited the scene of the shooting Sunday night and returned Monday with police and volunteers to distribute fliers seeking help from residents.
Anyone with information about the shooting should call Detective Richard Dinkle at 718-981-2714, Detective Borough Staten Island at 718-876-8196 or the NYPD Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-8477(TIPS).Introduction
For those of you not yet aware, The Elder Scrolls: Legends (TES:L) has had some very exciting news lately. While everyone in the TES:L community is no doubt thrilled for new content in the coming month to shake up the meta, the end of fall also means the end of a stagnant game state for some fans. As the Reddit threads piled up and the Twitch streams grew more and more detached, I felt this was the most appropriate time to begin the Monthly Survey series.
The goal of this series is to chart opinions and attitudes toward various aspects of TES:L much like I have in the past; however, the difference here is that the survey I created can be retaken once every month. By doing this, I hope to longitudinally track the ebb and flow of TES:L, both providing the community at large with a cross-sectional snapshot of the game’s state while simultaneously supporting the game’s stakeholders, Direwolf Digital and Bethesda Softworks, with some supplementary data that they can utilize at their leisure for decision-making.
That all being said, grab your sweetrolls and iron helmets – we’re going on a magical statistical adventure!
The Players
Before we dive into the classes and game modes, let’s talk about you – the players who bring life to the game. At the conclusion of the survey, which I closed for analysis on October 30th (one day before the Return to Clockwork City announcement was made – nailed it.), 407 people had completed it. Of those 407 people, 94% identified as male, 3% identified as female, 2% preferred not to answer, and 1% identified as neither male nor female. The average age was 27 years old with a range of 12 to 65 years old. Thanks to some new tools I employed this time around, there were no duplicate entries that needed to be deleted, so the final sample size remained at 407.
When asked to report their time spent with TES:L in terms of months, the largest category of players responded as having spent about 3 months playing TES:L (n = 50), while the average was around 7 months. A large portion of the respondents on the survey (n = 121) had only started playing in the last 3 months, which may be a positive indicator of the impact of the Heroes of Skyrim expansion. On a smaller scale, most players reported playing around 6-10 hours per week (n = 123).
The Arena
The simplest place to start digging into the game itself is with the Arena game modes. I asked participants to describe how difficult or easy it is to gain ranks in both solo and versus arena using a 7-point Likert scale, where 1 represented extremely difficult and 7 represented extremely easy. Responses tended toward the difficult end of the spectrum, with averages of 2.59 and 2.62 for solo and versus arena, respectively. You can see this visually represented in the two charts below.
These results are largely consistent with findings I reported on back in August. While there is still a tendency toward finding the progression in arena a difficult task, it seems to have stabilized compared to when Heroes of Skyrim was a fresh set. Further in line with previous findings, it seems as though more and more players are starting to reach the Grand Champion rank in each of the arena modes, as illustrated by the next two charts.
That’s quite the skew! While we could try to infer what this overwhelming majority means, a more meaningful comparison can be drawn in future months if the game’s stakeholders opt to perform another “soft reset” of arena ranks, similar to what occurred at the start of the Heroes of Skyrim expansion. Differing data then can tell us more about the appeal of ranking up in the arena, whereas the current results may just be the product of hitting a ranking ceiling (in other words, there’s nowhere else to go after rank 1). A more meaningful gauge of arena gameplay that I may incorporate in future renditions is how often players play arena on a weekly basis.
Constructed
The ladder (aside from being chaos) has been the venue for a wild array of deck types in the last few months. Let’s first take a look at what is surely a dire, arduous struggle to get to the top of –
Oh.
Well, that’s interesting. More than a third of the respondents reported having reached Legend rank before. Of those people who have achieved that golden glory, the average rank most end up finishing the season at is around #331. In the visual above, you can also see what I call pressure points along the ladder – specifically, ranks 4, 5, and 9. This makes sense given the context of the ranking structure, as ranks 5 and 9 feature more “levels” within them than adjacent ranks, making travel time a bit slower through them. If so many have hit ranked before, how do they feel about the process?
With an average of 2.5 on the same 1-7 scale I used for describing arena difficulty, it seems most players feel the process is just a bit difficult on average. It sure doesn’t seem that way given the context of all the players hitting Legend, but that could also be a function of the potential sampling bias involved in this survey.
Colors, Classes, and Highlights
Now that we have a baseline for what’s happening on the ladder, let’s zoom in a bit to see what cards and classes are making the magic happen.
In my first Warlock Analytics report, you might have noticed an astonishing difference between the perceived power of the color blue versus the other five colors. Well, just like Jarl Ulfric defeated King Torygg (too soon?), blue has been dethroned. Sort of.
Before we can discuss this result, we should also consider the same comparison, but with the ten classes instead. Take a look:
In a stunning turn of events, Crusader has bolted almost to the top of the list in recent months. Granted, it’s still second fiddle to the terrifying Scout class, but Crusader’s popularity surge may very well explain the sudden rise of red as a major power in the game. Similarly, the emergence of Ramp Scout over the summer likely gave both green and purple the kick they needed to compete, giving us this surprisingly even split between the major colors (sorry, gray). The classes themselves aren’t too far off either, and these results somewhat corroborate with results shared in the October Dev Diary with Direwolf Digital – the classes are hitting their targets, while Scout seems to be over-performing. If you haven’t yet read the Dev Diary and what this means for future development cycles, I highly encourage you to do so for refreshing insights into the back end of the game.
Developer/Publisher Satisfaction
If you thought this section was going to be about Pete Hines and how much he likes Fighters Guild Recruit, I’m sorry to disappoint (although, it is a pretty rad card). I included a series of items in the survey about overall sentiments towards Bethesda Softworks (the publisher) and Direwolf Digital (the developers) as a way to gauge both successes and areas that may require some attention over the game’s future. These items are meant to serve as a general pulse check and are neither meant to incite panic nor induce elation. For starters, let’s talk about quality.
And there’s apparently quite a bit of it. Most respondents reported feeling satisfied with the overall quality of the game’s content and subsequent content releases. However…
Players aren’t so thrilled with the gaps between content releases. While the gap between Fall of the Dark Brotherhood and Heroes of Skyrim was only between March and July, the gap between Heroes of Skyrim and Return to Clockwork City has been a noticeable one. Whatever the reason may be for this slightly delayed release cycle, it certainly put diehard TES:L fans on edge.
Other items regarding the performance of the game’s stakeholders were much less disparate. When asked to rate their satisfaction on the frequency and quality of balance changes in the game, most players responded in the neutral to satisfied range. While there have been some balance changes that raised a few eyebrows initially (I’ll miss you, Echo of Akatosh, even if others won’t!), it seems the rate at which Direwolf Digital dishes out content changes and bug fixes is appreciated.
While I had also asked about the level of communication each company has with the player base, I’ve opted to not include those results in this initial report. As I later discovered in talking with respondents, there was some confusion as to what role each company performed in the game’s development and management. Rather than risk the propagation of potentially incorrect data, the items will be restructured and revisited next month.
Conclusion & Closing Thoughts
The initiation of this series has not come without difficulty. As both a fan of this game and a researcher, it’s both riveting and tiring to immerse myself so fully in analyses such as these. While these initial averages and highlights may not seem like much at first, they provide crucial baselines for future comparisons that can track the impact of new sets, design decisions, and marketing strategies for the game. Particularly if you feel there were items not reported this time around that were in the survey, fret not – they’ll appear further down the pipeline.
It is my hope that the continuation of this series serves the goals I had described before: a lens through which players can observe deeper insights into a wonderfully innovative game, and a tool with which stakeholders can continue to shape and mold this game in new and fascinating ways.
AdvertisementsThough most borderline alcoholics don't need an anti-fun vaccine for alcoholism, those that drink a little too much could probably use the world's first vaccine for alcoholism. Made by Scientists in Chile, the vaccine "works" by screwing over people who drink. Seriously, once you pump yourself with the juice, you'll experience the worst hangover of your life.
According to The Santiago Times, the way the vaccine works is by telling the liver to not "express genes that metabolize alcohol." So if some poor sap takes a swig of alcohol, he'll be ridden with severe nausea, an accelerated heartbeat and an all around shitty time. The thinking is if you drink while vaccinated, it's going to suck immediately. It's not a foolproof fix for alcoholism but if the shot can make an alcoholic regret even taking a sip, it helps make the first step in fixing the problem a lot easier (of course it does nothing for the addictive personalities who'll just find something else to fixate on).
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The idea for the vaccine came from recreating a gene mutation in people of the Far East (think the Chinese, the Japanese, etc.)—certain people of those ethnicities cannot breakdown alcohol and thus, have lower alcoholism rates. The vaccine goes into preclinical trial this Spring and into human testing later this year. [The Santiago Times via FoodBeast]Review: Car Seat Headrest, 'Teens Of Style'
Note: NPR's audio for First Listens comes down after the album is released. However, you can still listen with the Spotify playlist at the bottom of the page.
toggle caption Courtesy of the artist.
"All of my friends are getting married / All my friends are right with God / All of my friends are making money / But art gets what it wants and art gets what it deserves."
Will Toledo makes smart guitar-pop music for loners and weirdos who can't help but overshare their loneliness and weirdness with the world. Those opening lines to the moody and slightly funky "Times To Die" are the closest thing to a raison d'être for Toledo and his Car Seat Headrest moniker. The 22-year-old is openly self-aware, yet his writing is universal in the way it captures boredom, lovesickness and anxiety. There's also an implied "whatever" in there somewhere, but not because he doesn't care — if anything, Toledo probably cares too much and can't help but let it all hang out in a string of clever one-liners and introspective metaphors blown wide-open.
Since 2010, Car Seat Headrest has self-released 11 albums on Bandcamp, amassing followers the new old-fashioned way, by tweet-of-mouth. Toledo's early teenage experiments — earning that name by recording vocals in the back of the family car in Virginia — are rough, but quickly followed by a string of wild and imaginative albums, including 2010's My Back Is Killing Me Baby, 2012's Monomania and 2014's How To Leave Town. Like one of those '60s underground psych/garage-rock Nuggets comps squeezed into a GarageBand file, his work reflects a voracious musical appetite that follows the spirographic lines of Beck and Guided By Voices without falling into the traps of style worship.
For those not ready to plunge into a sprawling catalog, Teens Of Style offers a helpful introduction to Car Seat Headrest that reworks 11 songs from Toledo's short yet already prolific career. Toledo is joined by bandmates Jacob Bloom (bass) and Andrew Katz (drums) in his new Seattle home to turn these home-recorded explorations into full-spectrum, heart-pounding psych-pop songs. The most dramatic entries are the ones that always played out larger than they were, like the languid rocker "The Drum," now rounded out in low-end fuzz to complement the spinning-top rhythm. The four-on-the-floor power-pop song "Something Soon" also benefits from Katz's clean-cut drumming and a warm Rhodes keyboard and does the thing the original couldn't: release the youthful restlessness of Toledo's desperate yelp ("Heavy boots on my throat / I need something soon") amid a Technicolor wash of overdriven guitars and distorted Beach Boys harmonies.
Normally, when an artist reworks his or her past material, the result is an overproduced mess, but Toledo's still living these songs, and his new band finds other ways in. He does, however, tinker with the referential lyrics here and there, most notably imbuing a Biblical metaphor with an homage to his new Matador Records boss ("Got to have faith in the one above me / Got to believe that Lombardi loves me"). But his odes to W.B. Yeats (the Phil Spector-esque "Maud Gone," complete with sax solo) and Raymond Carver ("Something Soon") remain lyrically intact, as does the Diego Velázquez-inspired "Los Borrachos (I Don't Have Any Hope Left, But The Weather Is Nice)," which includes this cunning couplet of Greek soap opera: "Stop burrowing through old chocolate boxes / Like a heartbroken Bacchus."
Teens Of Style doesn't include any of Car Seat Headrest's 10-minute epics, the ones that hint at something outwardly grander, but it does capture the compact symphonies bouncing around Toledo's brain. It's a strong stepping stone to next year's Teens Of Denial, on which Car Seat Headrest will move from the bedroom to the studio.Sorry about the mess. This article or section needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of article quality.
"I've been almost killed several times. I'm not dead. I hold no ill will to any who did try to kill me." ―K'Kruhk to Sian Jeisel on Saleucami [src]
K'Kruhk was a male Whiphid Jedi Master who lived from around the end of the Galactic Republic to the time of the One Sith and the Second Imperial Civil War as a member of the New Jedi Order. An apprentice of Lilit Twoseas, K'Kruhk survived his Master's death during the Yinchorri Uprising and went on to serve with distinction in the Clone Wars. A disastrous loss of life at Teyr led K'Kruhk to question his cause, and he joined a dissident movement on Ruul. Betrayal by one of his own, however, caused him to reaffirm his absolute loyalty to the Republic and the Jedi High Council, and he would go on to serve on Saleucami in the final weeks of the Outer Rim Sieges.
Despite countless brushes with death, K'Kruhk survived both the Clone Wars and the Great Jedi Purge, living to see the demise of the Galactic Empire and the return of the Jedi, albeit while in hiding from the agents of Darth Vader. Only when Luke Skywalker's New Jedi Order was well-established and the last elements of Palpatine's Empire destroyed did the Whiphid finally emerge from hiding.
Some period between the events of the Galactic Civil War and the Yuuzhan Vong War, K'Kruhk joined the New Jedi Order and was still active even past the rise of Darth Krayt, serving as a member of the Jedi High Council, and taking a leading role in the Jedi resistance to the ascendant Sith. K'Kruhk's efforts were integral in forging an alliance between the Jedi, the Galactic Alliance Remnant, and the Fel Empire. With the death of T'ra Saa at Taivas, K'Kruhk became the oldest and most experienced of the surviving Jedi, and participated in the alliance's final assault on the Sith-held Coruscant.
Following the deaths of Darth Krayt and Roan Fel, K'Kruhk became one of the three Triumvirs of the restored Galactic Alliance. During his tenure, K'Kruhk had to contend with both Empress Fel's ambitious G51 communications array project and the threat posed by an underground One Sith Order, whose members had infiltrated key government positions across the galaxy. K'Krukh was also concerned by the emergence of the rogue Sith Darth Wredd, who wanted to destroy the One Sith and reinstate the Rule of Two. He was one of the first high-ranking Triumvirate officials to realize that Darth Wredd was pursuing his own independent agenda.
Contents show]
Biography Edit
Early life Edit
"You know me, Master Windu. You were there when my first master… Lilit Twoseas… was killed." ―K'Kruhk [src]
Born over five decades before the Battle of Yavin, K'Kruhk enjoyed a conventional upbringing as a Jedi, raised from an early age in the Order after being identified as force sensitive when he was an infant. He was raised in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, with his actual homeworld of Toola only a distant memory.[2][1]
Yinchorri Uprising Edit
Before the age of thirteen, K'Kruhk was selected by Lilit Twoseas as a Padawan. Based on Twoseas's apparent youth, K'Kruhk was likely her first Padawan.[2] As her apprentice, he fought alongside Micah Giiett, Plo Koon, and Qui-Gon Jinn during the Yinchorri Uprising. The Uprising was typical of the many isolated skirmishes of the decades before the Clone Wars—a minor, petty squabble inflamed by dark puppeteers behind the scenes. As the Jedi attempted to hold the crumbling Republic together, the Sith secretly worked to undermine them.[2]
Along with Jinn, Koon, Giiett, and Jinn's apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi, the diplomatic group comprised such notables as Mace Windu, Tsui Choi, Adi Gallia, Eeth Koth, and Saesee Tiin. The Jedi Council, believing the Yinchorri to be cowardly bullies at heart, believed an appropriate show of force would defuse the situation without the need for military action. Unfortunately, the Yinchorri were already being goaded to war by agents of Darth Sidious, and reacted to the Jedi mission with an unusual amount of hostility and attacked the Jedi as soon as their consular ships entered the Yinchorri home system.[2]
Giiett performed a simple trick involving simple misdirection with cups and balls to K'Kruhk and Obi-Wan Kenobi. This seemingly innocuous piece of entertainments was intended to teach the Padawans an important lesson: do not always rely on the Force, as there are far more mundane ways to confound and mislead one's enemies. K'Kruhk remembered this and used the concept to help the Jedi evade pursuing Yinchorri starfighters, by jettisoning a few empty escape pods, which the easily-fooled Yinchorri immediately chased, thinking their prey had abandoned ship. The Jedi were able to then crash-land on the planet, the Yinchorri believing their ship to be empty.[2]
Once the Jedi arrived at their rendezvous locations, the situation escalated. Koth, Gallia, and Choi were ambushed by Yinchorri on Yitheeth while Windu, Jinn, and Tiin found no sign of the Yinchorri High Command on Yinchorr. K'Kruhk, a member of the group led by Koon and Giiett found himself fighting for his life on Yibikkoror, after their crash site was ambushed by Yinchorri warriors who had finally seen through K'Kruhk's ruse. In a brief moment of levity during the blaster-fire, K'Kruhk asked Masters Giiett and Koon why they claimed to be friends even though they bickered constantly. Koon gave a typically long-winded and philosophical response, whereas Giiett simply made another sarcastic remark. K'Kruhk and the others were eventually rescued by Adi Gallia's team, who arrived just in the nick of time, helping the stranded Jedi on to their still-functional ship. After their escape, K'Kruhk and the Jedi Masters at Yibikkoror reunited with Koth's team and set out to rescue Windu's squad, trapped by a large group of Yinchorri on Yinchorr.[2]
It was in this rescue mission that his Master was killed, battling for her life on Yinchorr. As they attempted to escort Windu's strike team back to the ship, they were ambushed by hordes of Yinchorri. K'Kruhk was threatened by the weapon of a Yinchorri warrior; Twoseas leaped in to save her Padawan. Positioning herself between K'Kruhk and his assailant, she took the full force of the blow, dying at the hands of multiple Yinchorri in front of her stunned Padawan. Maddened by the loss, K'Kruhk went into a battle frenzy, not halting his slaughter of Yinchorri until he was able to recover his master's body.[2] Although he would complete his training under another Jedi, the loss of his first mentor would haunt him for the remainder of his life.[3]
Clone Wars Edit
Certainties and doubts Edit
"I, too, had questions. Every battle I have with fallen Jedi like you answers them." ―K'Kruhk to Quinlan Vos [src]
In the following decade, K'Kruhk matured into a dedicated and capable Jedi Knight. In 22 BBY he joined the task force sent to Geonosis to rescue Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Senator Padmé Amidala.[8]
When the call for Jedi to serve as commanders came after the First Battle of Geonosis, K'Kruhk obeyed without question. In the early months of the Clone Wars, Jedi General K'Kruhk led the 416th Star Corps into the Battle of Teyr on the planet Teyr. It was a terribly costly battle. Many clones died under his command, despite K'Kruhk's best efforts, and the Whiphid considered calling off the attack to save the lives of the others. The troops under his command, however, persuaded him otherwise. They could still achieve the objectives and their lives were unimportant in the greater scheme of things. In essence, they were born to die for the Republic.[3]
Against his better judgment, he pressed ahead with the attack. Whether the Republic was ultimately victorious is unknown, but the high death toll deeply wounded K'Kruhk, and he was so distraught he dropped out of the war entirely, leading many to believe he was dead. It was soon discovered he had gathered with other Jedi unsure of the war on Ruul, led by Master Sora Bulq. When their refusal to serve in the war became known, Mace Windu came to negotiate with them. Unlike other dissidents, such as Sian Jeisel and Rhad Tarn, K'Kruhk never doubted that Windu's appeals were made in good faith, but he sorely misjudged the motives of Bulq.[3]
In truth, the whole event was a set-up, organized by the Sith to either kill Windu or, failing that, kill other Jedi and blame it on the Jedi Councilor. The acolyte of Count Dooku, Asajj Ventress, arrived at Ruul, ready to carry out the plan and engaged the Jedi in several lightsaber duels. After the deaths of Tarn and Mira, it became apparent Bulq was part of the conspiracy. The Weequay had gone to the dark side and allied with Dooku. His duel with Ventress had been a sham to conceal their alliance.[3]
Chastened, K'Kruhk rejoined the war effort, declaring simply that "Evil must be opposed".[3]
Hypori and later Edit
Soon after, K'Kruhk was chosen to be part of a strike team on Hypori, led by Jedi Masters Ki-Adi-Mundi and Shaak Ti. The mission was a disaster from the start and turned into a Separatist trap. Orbital mines destroyed most of their fleet and the surviving troops and Jedi, including K'Kruhk, were marooned on the surface of Hypori, forced to make a desperate last stand against the droid armies.[9]
It was here that K'Kruhk became one of the first Jedi to face General Grievous and live to tell the tale. Halting the advance of his legions of droid troops, Grievous took on the surviving Jedi alone, displaying dazzling ability with dual lightsabers. Tarr Seirr, Daakman Barrek, and Sha'a Gi were killed. When K'Kruhk charged Grievous and engaged him single-handedly, he managed to briefly disarm one of Grievous's lightsabers, but left himself open and was quickly struck down by a slash across the waist and a near-fatal overhand strike.[10]
Critically wounded and thought dead, he was left behind by the rescue team that recovered Ki-Adi-Mundi, Shaak Ti, and Aayla Secura. In reality, K'Kruhk had entered a state of hibernation, allowing himself to heal his wounds while feigning death.[11]
After the departure of Grievous, K'Kruhk awoke, and was able to escape Hypori to once more assume the role of General in the Grand Army of the Republic. However, Grievous did steal K'Kruhk's green lightsaber. The weapon became one of Grievous' favorites, the cyborg keeping it handy and using it up until and including his final battle with Obi-Wan Kenobi on Utapau.[9][12]
Recuperating, K'Kruhk was reassigned to Coruscant, and charged with the protection of Senator Viento. He silently observed his ward as the Senator went about his business in the Senate and at political functions. At one such soiree, Viento was deep in discussion with the Supreme Chancellor when K'Kruhk noticed a mysterious Kiffar taking unusual interest in the pair of politicians. The Kiffar was a disguised Quinlan Vos, and he managed to leave the premises before the Whiphid could discover his plans. Later that evening, Vos bypassed K'Kruhk as the Whiphid guarded a sleeping Viento, and broke into the Senator's apartment, preparing to dispatch Viento there and then. The sound and smell of the ignited lightsaber alerted K'Kruhk to the crime, and the Whiphid was forced to battle the rogue Jedi to protect the Senator.[13]
K'Kruhk, unfortunately, failed in his mission. Vos murdered Viento and K'Kruhk burst in just as it happened. Attacking Vos, K'Kruhk suffered severe injuries in the ensuing battle after falling from an airspeeder. The physical injuries were great, but perhaps less so than the enormous emotional trauma. Vos had been a childhood friend of K'Kruhk and Vos's apparent betrayal of the Jedi wounded the Whiphid deeply. In anger, K'Kruhk declared Vos no better than Sora Bulq, Dooku, and the countless other traitors to the order.[13]
Siege of Saleucami Edit
After extensive bacta treatment and months of recovery, K'Kruhk returned to the front line during the Siege of Saleucami. Ironically, he would serve alongside Quinlan Vos, recently returned to the fold after the Rendili crisis.[14]
To the surprise of other Jedi like Jeisel, K'Kruhk had apparently forgiven Vos, accepting that the Kiffar's actions had all been done with the sole intent of maintaining his cover and that no malice had been intended. By this stage, K'Kruhk's many injuries and brushes with death had given the Whiphid a developed sense of gallows humor, and he joked that he had learned to carry basic medical supplies with him at all times. He had witnessed many deaths within, and more was to come: in the early days of the siege, the Jedi Ausar Auset was vaporized before the stunned eyes of both K'Kruhk and A'Sharad Hett.[14]
K'Kruhk trusted totally in the leadership of Oppo Rancisis and believed that with the Jedi Councilor's fine grasp of tactics and battle meditation, the battle would swing the Republic's way. Understandably, K'Kruhk was devastated when Rancisis was murdered by Sora Bulq and, though he believed Quinlan Vos to have good intentions, was horrified by the fellow Jedi's plan to "read" Rancisis's battle plan from the head of the Thisspiasian's corpse.[14]
The next morning, K'Kruhk attended Rancisis's funeral presided over by A'Sharad Hett. There, the assembled Jedi remembered those who had already fallen on the fields of Saleucami. Hett began with the memory of Auset, a comrade-in-arms of A'Sharad's late father. Then, the others followed: Xiaan Amersu recalled Xeltek, Jeisel recalled Durnar, Aayla spoke the name of Master Tholme, and K'Kruhk himself honored the memory of T |
ally misunderstands, or is deliberately ignoring, how the Medicare Advantage program works.”Scientists have warned, women who decide to delay their first baby until their late-30s are running the risk of being left childless because of age-related infertility.
Scientists have warned, women who decide to delay their first baby until their late-30s are running the risk of being left childless because of age-related infertility. Matthew Ennis Photography
YOUNG women who decide to delay their first baby until their late-30s are running the risk of being left childless because of age-related infertility, scientists have warned.
A woman's fertility declines dramatically after the age of 35 and an increasing number of women are finding that they have to turn to IVF treatment to have any hope of becoming pregnant, experts said.
"Things are really going downhill between the ages of 30 and 40....the best cure of all is for women to have their babies before this clock strikes twelve," said Professor Mary Herbert, a reproductive biologist at Newcastle University.
"They should think of family planning not just in the context of preventing pregnancy but also think of it in the context of having your babies at a time when you still have your reproductive fitness...I would be worried if my own daughter didn't have a child at 35," Professor Herbert said.
The number of British women between the ages of 35 and 39 giving birth for the first time has increased from 6.8 per cent in 1986 to 17 per cent in 2008. This has been accompanied by significant increase in the number of women over 40 seeking fertility treatment, many of whom will ultimately fail to become pregnant, the experts said.
Fertility specialists are increasingly concerned about the trend towards having children later in life because, although it can work for some women, it causes problems for many more because female fertility declines so rapidly after 35.
"Family planning has got to include when you are going to have your children as well and what we are seeing over the years is an increase in the age of women seeking fertility treatment," said Jane Stewart, a consultant in reproductive medicine at Newcastle University.
"We cannot get away from the age-related decline in fertility and I think to put forward the idea of delaying having children is fine for some people but it's not fine for everybody," she said.
"I don't think women understand the risks they run when they reach the older ages....It's better to think about it [in your 20s] and having that thought process inform all possibilities," she told the British Science Festival in Newcastle.
Women are born with a certain number of egg cells in their ovaries and these are gradually lost as they get older, Dr Stewart said.
"Women at the age of menopause have effectively run out of eggs. We do run out of time," she told the meeting.ES News Email Enter your email address Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid You already have an account. Please log in or register with your social account
David Cameron was dealt a bitter new blow today by an exclusive poll revealing that support for Ukip hit record levels during the Maria Miller expenses scandal.
As the Prime Minister officially launched the Conservatives’ European elections campaign, Ipsos MORI disclosed that backing for Nigel Farage’s anti-EU party has surged to 15 per cent — its joint highest rating yet.
Polling was carried out from Saturday to Monday while Mr Cameron was loyally defending his then Culture Secretary.
The results will be seen by many Tories as confirmation Ukip was helped by the scandal. The survey also shed possible new light on why Chancellor George Osborne reportedly intervened to force yesterday’s resignation by Mrs Miller.
It found that he delivered the most popular Tory Budget for a generation and now enjoys the highest satisfaction rating of any Tory Chancellor since 1980 — but these personal triumphs are not being translated into higher Conservative popularity.
Instead, the Tories are down a point since March to 31 per cent — six points behind Labour, who are up two points to 37 per cent.
Other key findings in the exclusive poll revealed:
Nick Clegg’s decision to challenge Mr Farage to two live debates backfired. The Liberal Democrats have plunged four points since last month’s survey to nine per cent, while Ukip has jumped four points. Mr Farage’s personal rating is up from 31 to 40 per cent, highest of the four main leaders.
Eight in 10 people share Ed Miliband’s view there is a “cost of living crisis” in Britain, suggesting critics are wrong to think his campaign has run out of steam.
David Cameron maintains his lead as the most capable Prime Minister, beating Mr Miliband by 34 to 20 per cent.
The PM is also seen as the most “out of touch” of the four leaders.
Tory MPs will be most agonised by the contrast between Mr Osborne’s successes and the party’s overall score. More than four in 10 people polled think the Budget was good for them and nearly half say it was good for the UK. This is the best personal score for a Tory since Nigel Lawson in 1987 paved the way for Margaret Thatcher’s third election victory.
Nearly half the public are satisfied with Mr Osborne as Chancellor.
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Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos MORI, said: “George Osborne’s Budget has gone down well with the public. But it hasn’t yet had the impact they might have hoped, as its shine for the Conservatives has been rubbed off by the Maria Miller scandal and Ukip’s rise.”
A senior Lib-Dem minister shrugged off the evidence that the Clegg-Farage debate backfired, saying: “We achieved what we set out to do, which was to show we are the only party prepared to fight to defend our EU membership.”
Launching the Tory Euro-elections campaign, Mr Cameron said the Tories were the only party making “real change in Europe that works for you”. He declared: “Three words sum up everything we are about in Europe: Britain’s National Interest.”Differences between Windows Phone Silverlight apps and Windows Phone Store apps are a recurring source of confusion for Windows Phone developers.
A frequently asked question on the Windows Phone forums is “Why can’t I create an app package? When I go to the store menu it has only a ‘Launch Windows App Certification Kit…’ option”.
The reason is that the developer is writing a Windows Phone Silverlight app, and app packages are used only by Windows Runtime apps:
Visual Studio Project Type Package Type Package Built Silverlight Windows Phone Silverlight 8.0 Xap With project Windows Phone Silverlight 8.1 Xap With project Universal Windows 8.1 Appx By Store menu Windows Phone 8.1 Appx By Store menu Shared N/A N/A
Silverlight apps use xap files which are generated as part of the normal build process. They don’t have a separate packaging step. Build the app and look in the project's bin\<configuration> folder and you’ll find the xap. Build for Release and the bin\Release\<app>.xap file is ready to upload.
Universal apps (both Windows Store and Windows Phone Store apps) need to be built into app packages to be uploaded to the store, and this menu is the way to do that. When you build a Universal app for debugging the project files are built but not packaged for installation. The app doesn't need to be packaged until you are ready to upload it to the store or to send it to another machine for testing. If you deploy a Universal app’s Windows project locally you can examine the staged Appx in the project directory\bin\<configuration>\Appx. Windows Phone projects will create this directly to the phone. The compressed appx isn’t needed until you want to deploy the app to another system (i.e. for testing or release), and that file will be created in the project's AppPackages folder by the “Create App Packages…” menu.
With a Windows Store or Windows Phone Store project selected the menu looks likes this:
If the solution or Shared project is selected the create options will be disabled:
- Rob
Follow the Windows Store Developer Solutions team on Twitter @wsdevsol.I believe that we have a legitimate case of inequality based on the fact that every state has a different law regarding being able to “write-in” someone of their choosing. Some states deny a voter their right to have a “write-in” candidate on the ballot. Some states allow it, but have a deadline and require paperwork to be filed by a candidate to even be considered. Additionally, some of these write-in deadlines occur even before National Conventions take place, which eliminates a candidate in any particular party to be able to run as a “write –in” if they lose the nomination. Other states simply allow that any voter can write-in which means voters are on unequal grounds across the Nation, which violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution; all voters must have exactly the same rights.
Where do we go from here? We can decide to do nothing or can we to decide to go ahead and file this voters rights case, knowing the courts may not care. The right thing to do is to keep the pressure up and keep these issues burning bright in the minds of liberty minded people. Along the way, hopefully other will be converted to the Cause of Liberty. We will discuss those goals over the next few days.
So, we are going to need Plaintiffs from every state who is committed to seeing this through. You will not need to be present in court or to have an affidavit. Please send your contact information to Pepper Draper at [email protected] – Richard GilbertThe Grateful Dead reunion concert over July Fourth weekend has made Chicago the nation's top travel destination and has been a bonanza for city hotels, with bookings more than doubling over last year and room rates rocketing, according to Orbitz Worldwide data, released Tuesday.
It's no secret that Chicago hotels have long been sold out for Independence Day weekend. It's normally a top summer travel weekend anyway, but demand jumped with the scheduling of the Grateful Dead concerts July 3, 4 and 5. The Dead shows are expected to draw 70,000 fans each night to Soldier Field.
Orbitz said that on those three days, Chicago hotel bookings are up 122 percent over last year, and hotel rates are up 77 percent, to $340 per night.
One example: The average room rate during Fourth of July weekend at the Inn of Chicago is $584, Chicago-based Orbitz said. That's far higher than for another summer holiday weekend, Labor Day, when the rate at the same hotel is $186.
Many hotels have a minimum length of stay for that weekend, but those that don't have "extremely high" room rates, Orbitz said.
The good news for out-of-town Deadheads? Airfares didn't climb with hotel rates. The average airfare to Chicago for that weekend is $396, down 3 percent from last year, Orbitz said.
Ticket reseller Stubhub says 86 percent of people attending the Chicago shows are traveling from outside Illinois.
Single-day ticket prices for the Chicago shows are averaging $862 each but have been posted for as low as $154, Stubhub said.
After Chicago, the top U.S. destinations for July Fourth weekend are Los Angeles, New York and Las Vegas, Orbitz said.
The Field Museum launching Grateful Dead exhibit this summer. June 4, 2015. (WGN TV) The Field Museum launching Grateful Dead exhibit this summer. June 4, 2015. (WGN TV) SEE MORE VIDEOS
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Twitter @spendingsmartIron Man may have seemed as polished as fresh power-armor, but the movie actually had no screenplay at all, says Jeff Bridges. The chaos freaked him out, until he decided to think of it as a $200 million student film.
In an interview with InContention, Bridges explained that the Marvel superhero movie rushed into production to make its release date, with the director and star making up scenes as they went along:
"They had no script, man. They had an outline. We would show up for big scenes every day and we wouldn't know what we were going to say. We would have to go into our trailer and work on this scene and call up writers on the phone, 'You got any ideas?' Meanwhile the crew is tapping their foot on the stage waiting for us to come on." Bridges, director Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. would literally act out sequences during primitive rehearsals, Downey taking on Bridges's role and vice versa, to find and essentially improvise their way to full scenes, the actor recounts. Bridges says that the entire production was probably saved by the improv prowess of the film's director and star. "You've got the suits from Marvel in the trailer with us saying, 'No, you wouldn't say that,'" Bridges continued. "You would think with a $200 million movie you'd have the shit together, but it was just the opposite. And the reason for that is because they get ahead of themselves. They have a release date before the script, ‘Oh, we'll have the script before that time,' and they don't have their shit together. "Jon dealt with it so well," Bridges continues. "It freaked me out. I was very anxious. I like to be prepared. I like to know my lines, man, that's my school. Very prepared. That was very irritating, and then I just made this adjustment. It happens in movies a lot where something's rubbing against your fur and it's not feeling right, but it's just the way it is. You can spend a lot of energy bitching about that or you can figure out how you're going to do it, how you're going to play this hand you've been dealt. What you can control is how you perceive things and your thinking about it. So I said, ‘Oh, what we're doing here, we're making a $200 million student film. We're all just fuckin' around! We're playin'. Oh, great!' That took all the pressure off. ‘Oh, just jam, man, just play.' And it turned out great!"
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First off, that's amazing that he called them "suits." He really is The Dude. And second, this is just hilarious. I can't believe they let Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau just run with this stuff. But, thank goodness they did, because what came out was a pretty great action flick blended with biting humor. Still I can't imagine what it must have been for everyone else on set. [InContention via Worst Previews]NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Warren Buffett is considered the most respected and successful investor. Often called "The Oracle of Omaha" for his impressive investing prowess, he is among the world's wealthiest people. Buffett studied under the legendary Benjamin Graham at Columbia University who had a major impact on Buffett's life and investment strategies. Buffett is chairman of Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.A) which he built from a textile company into a major corporation with a market cap over $200 billion. Under Buffett's leadership, Berkshire shares averaged a 21.4% compounded annual gain in per share book value from 1965-2006. He follows a value investing strategy that is an adaptation of Graham's approach: Discipline, patience and value consistently outperforms the market. His moves are followed by investors worldwide. Buffett seeks to acquire great companies trading at a discount to their intrinsic value, and to hold onto them for a long time. He will only invest in businesses that he understands, and always insists on a margin of safety. Regarding the types of businesses Berkshire likes to purchase, Buffett has said,"We want businesses to be one that we can understand, with favorable long-term prospects, operated by honest and competent people, and available at a very attractive price." What follows are Buffett's top 16 stocks with the highest dividend yield as of March 31, 2014. 1. Verizon Communications (VZ) Shares Held by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway: 11,023,000
Holdings Value: $524 million
Portfolio Weighting as of 3/31/2014: 0.50%
Yield: 4.39% Verizon Communications Inc. is a provider of communications, information and entertainment products and services to consumers, businesses and governmental agencies. Its two segments are Wireless and Wireline. TheStreet Ratings team rates VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC as a Buy with a ratings score of B. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation: "We rate VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC (VZ) a BUY. This is driven by several positive factors, which we believe should have a greater impact than any weaknesses, and should give investors a better performance opportunity than most stocks we cover. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, notable return on equity, expanding profit margins, compelling growth in net income and impressive record of earnings per share growth. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had generally high debt management risk by most measures that we evaluated." You can view the full analysis from the report here: VZ Ratings Report
2. Kraft Foods Group Inc. (KRFT) Shares Held by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway: 193,000
Holding Value: $10.8 million
Portfolio Weighting as of 3/31/2014: 0.01%
Yield: 3.64% Free Report: Jim Cramer's Top Stocks for 2014 Kraft Foods Group Inc is a consumer packaged food and beverage company. It manufactures and markets food and beverage products, including refrigerated meals, refreshment beverages and coffee, cheese, and other grocery products. TheStreet Ratings team rates KRAFT FOODS GROUP INC as a Hold with a ratings score of C. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation: "We rate KRAFT FOODS GROUP INC (KRFT) a HOLD. The primary factors that have impacted our rating are mixed some indicating strength, some showing weaknesses, with little evidence to justify the expectation of either a positive or negative performance for this stock relative to most other stocks. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its notable return on equity, expanding profit margins and good cash flow from operations. However, as a counter to these strengths, we find that the company has favored debt over equity in the management of its balance sheet." You can view the full analysis from the report here: KRFT Ratings Report
3. Sanofi (SNY) Shares Held by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway: 3,906,000
Holding Value: $204.2 million
Portfolio Weighting as of 3/31/2014: 0.19%
Yield: 3.63% Free Report: Jim Cramer's Top Stocks for 2014 Sanofi is a healthcare company, engaged in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of healthcare products. TheStreet Ratings team rates SANOFI as a Buy with a ratings score of B+. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation: "We rate SANOFI (SNY) a BUY. This is driven by a number of strengths, which we believe should have a greater impact than any weaknesses, and should give investors a better performance opportunity than most stocks we cover. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, expanding profit margins, growth in earnings per share and increase in net income. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had lackluster performance in the stock itself." You can view the full analysis from the report here: SNY Ratings Report
4. ConocoPhillips ( COP) Shares Held by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway: 11,080,000
Holdings Value: $779 million
Portfolio: Weighting as of 3/31/2014: 0.74%
Yield: 3.50% Free Report: Jim Cramer's Top Stocks for 2014 ConocoPhillips is engaged in exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas. TheStreet Ratings team rates CONOCOPHILLIPS as a Buy with a ratings score of A-. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation: "We rate CONOCOPHILLIPS (COP) a BUY. This is based on the convergence of positive investment measures, which should help this stock outperform the majority of stocks that we rate. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, solid stock price performance, attractive valuation levels, good cash flow from operations and largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures. Although no company is perfect, currently we do not see any significant weaknesses which are likely to detract from the generally positive outlook." You can view the full analysis from the report here: COP Ratings Report
5. General Electric (GE) Shares Held by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway: 10,586,000
Holdings Value: $274 million
Portfolio: Weighting as of 3/31/2014: 0.26%
Yield: 3.08%
Free Report: Jim Cramer's Top Stocks for 2014 General Electric Co is a diversified company with products & services that range from aircraft engines, power generation, oil & gas production equipment, & household appliances to medical imaging, business & consumer financing and industrial products. TheStreet Ratings team rates GENERAL ELECTRIC CO as a Buy with a ratings score of B. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation: "We rate GENERAL ELECTRIC CO (GE) a BUY. This is driven by a few notable strengths, which we believe should have a greater impact than any weaknesses, and should give investors a better performance opportunity than most stocks we cover. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, good cash flow from operations, increase in stock price during the past year and expanding profit margins. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had sub par growth in net income." You can view the full analysis from the report here: GE Ratings Report
6. Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) Shares Held by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway: 52,793,000
Holdings Value: $4,255 million
Portfolio: Weighting as of 3/31/2014: 4%
Yield: 3.04%
Free Report: Jim Cramer's Top Stocks for 2014 Procter & Gamble Co provides branded consumer packaged goods. It markets its products in about 180 countries through mass merchandisers, grocery stores, membership club stores, drug stores, department stores among others. TheStreet Ratings team rates PROCTER & GAMBLE CO as a Buy with a ratings score of A. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation: "We rate PROCTER & GAMBLE CO (PG) a BUY. This is based on the convergence of positive investment measures, which should help this stock outperform the majority of stocks that we rate. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its good cash flow from operations, growth in earnings per share, increase in net income, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures and expanding profit margins. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had somewhat disappointing return on equity." You can view the full analysis from the report here: PG Ratings Report
7. Coca-Cola Co. (KO) Shares Held by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway: 400,000,000
Holdings Value: $15,464 million
Portfolio: Weighting as of 3/31/2014: 14.6%
Yield: 2.83%
Free Report: Jim Cramer's Top Stocks for 2014 Coca-Cola Co manufactures, distributes and markets non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. TheStreet Ratings team rates COCA-COLA CO as a Buy with a ratings score of B+. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation: "We rate COCA-COLA CO (KO) a BUY. This is driven by a few notable strengths, which we believe should have a greater impact than any weaknesses, and should give investors a better performance opportunity than most stocks we cover. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its expanding profit margins, good cash flow from operations and notable return on equity. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had lackluster performance in the stock itself." You can view the full analysis from the report here: KO Ratings Report
8. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Shares Held by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway: 327,000
Holdings Value: $32 million
Portfolio: Weighting as of 3/31/2014: 0.03%
Yield: 2.62%
Free Report: Jim Cramer's Top Stocks for 2014 Johnson & Johnson is a holding company, which is engaged in the research and development, manufacture and sale of a range of products in the health care field within its Consumer, Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices, and Diagnostics business segments. TheStreet Ratings team rates JOHNSON & JOHNSON as a Buy with a ratings score of A+. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation: "We rate JOHNSON & JOHNSON (JNJ) a BUY. This is based on the convergence of positive investment measures, which should help this stock outperform the majority of stocks that we rate. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, increase in stock price during the past year, impressive record of earnings per share growth and compelling growth in net income. Although no company is perfect, currently we do not see any significant weaknesses which are likely to detract from the generally positive outlook." You can view the full analysis from the report here: JNJ Ratings Report
9. United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) Shares Held by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway: 59,000
Holdings Value: $5.8 million
Portfolio: Weighting as of 3/31/2014: 0.01%
Yield: 2.57%
Free Report: Jim Cramer's Top Stocks for 2014 United Parcel Service Inc (UPS) is a package delivery organization less-than-truckload industry & provider of supply chain management solutions. It operates in three segments; U.S. Domestic Package, International Package and Supply Chain & Freight. TheStreet Ratings team rates UNITED PARCEL SERVICE INC as a Buy with a ratings score of A-. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation: "We rate UNITED PARCEL SERVICE INC (UPS) a BUY. This is based on the convergence of positive investment measures, which should help this stock outperform the majority of stocks that we rate. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, notable return on equity, good cash flow from operations and solid stock price performance. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had sub par growth in net income." You can view the full analysis from the report here: UPS Ratings Report
10. Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) Shares Held by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway: 41,130,000
Holdings Value: $4,017 million
Portfolio: Weighting as of 3/31/2014: 3.8%
Yield: 2.56% Free Report: Jim Cramer's Top Stocks for 2014 Exxon Mobil Corporation is engaged in energy, involving exploration for, and production of, crude oil and natural gas, manufacture of petroleum products and transportation and sale of crude oil, natural gas and petroleum products. TheStreet Ratings team rates EXXON MOBIL CORP as a Buy with a ratings score of A-. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation: "We rate EXXON MOBIL CORP (XOM) a BUY. This is based on the convergence of positive investment measures, which should help this stock outperform the majority of stocks that we rate. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its attractive valuation levels, good cash flow from operations, increase in stock price during the past year and largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows low profit margins." You can view the full analysis from the report here: XOM Ratings Report
11. Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC) Shares Held by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway: 463,458,000
Holdings Value: $23,052 million
Portfolio: Weighting as of 3/31/2014: 21.8%
Yield: 2.55% Free Report: Jim Cramer's Top Stocks for 2014 Wells Fargo & Co is a diversified financial services company. It provides retail, corporate and commercial banking services through banking stores and offices, the internet and other distribution channels to individuals, businesses and institutions. TheStreet Ratings team rates WELLS FARGO & CO as a Buy with a ratings score of A. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation: "We rate WELLS FARGO & CO (WFC) a BUY. This is based on the convergence of positive investment measures, which should help this stock outperform the majority of stocks that we rate. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its solid stock price performance, growth in earnings per share, increase in net income, expanding profit margins and notable return on equity. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows weak operating cash flow." You can view the full analysis from the report here: WFC Ratings Report
12. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) Shares Held by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway: 58,052,000
Holdings Value: $4,437 million
Portfolio: Weighting as of 3/31/2014: 4.2%
Yield: 2.47% Free Report: Jim Cramer's Top Stocks for 2014 Wal-Mart Stores Inc, operates retail stores in various formats under various banners. Its operations comprise of three reportable business segments, Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam's Club in three categories retail, wholesale and others. TheStreet Ratings team rates WAL-MART STORES INC as a Buy with a ratings score of A. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation: "We rate WAL-MART STORES INC (WMT) a BUY. This is based on the convergence of positive investment measures, which should help this stock outperform the majority of stocks that we rate. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, good cash flow from operations, reasonable valuation levels and notable return on equity. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows low profit margins." You can view the full analysis from the report here: WMT Ratings Report
13. M&T Bank Corp. (MTB) Shares Held by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway: 5,382,000
Holdings Value: $652 million
Portfolio: Weighting as of 3/31/2014: 0.62%
Yield: 2.36% Free Report: Jim Cramer's Top Stocks for 2014 M&T Bank Corp is a New York business corporation and a bank holding company. The company through subsidiaries provides individuals, corporations and other businesses, and institutions with commercial and retail banking services. TheStreet Ratings team rates M & T BANK CORP as a Buy with a ratings score of A. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation: "We rate M & T BANK CORP (MTB) a BUY. This is based on the convergence of positive investment measures, which should help this stock outperform the majority of stocks that we rate. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its expanding profit margins and solid stock price performance. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had sub par growth in net income." You can view the full analysis from the report here: MTB Ratings Report
14. U.S. Bancorp (USB) Shares Held by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway: 80,027,000
Holdings Value: $3,429 million
Portfolio: Weighting as of 3/31/2014: 3.2%
Yield: 2.27%
Free Report: Jim Cramer's Top Stocks for 2014 U.S. Bancorp is a multi-state financial holding company. It provides financial services through its subsidiaries, including lending and depository services, cash management, foreign exchange and trust and investment management services. TheStreet Ratings team rates U S BANCORP as a Buy with a ratings score of A-. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation: "We rate U S BANCORP (USB) a BUY. This is based on the convergence of positive investment measures, which should help this stock outperform the majority of stocks that we rate. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its good cash flow from operations, expanding profit margins and solid stock price performance. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had sub par growth in net income." You can view the full analysis from the report here: USB Ratings Report
15. Deere & Co. (DE)
Shares Held by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway: 3,979,000
Holdings Value: $361 million
Portfolio: Weighting as of 3/31/2014: 0.34%
Yield: 2.24% Free Report: Jim Cramer's Top Stocks for 2014 Deere & Company operates in three business segments: agriculture/ turf, construction/forestry, & financial services. The company helps customers to be more productive as they help to improve the quality of life for people around the world. TheStreet Ratings team rates DEERE & CO as a Buy with a ratings score of A-. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation: "We rate DEERE & CO (DE) a BUY. This is based on the convergence of positive investment measures, which should help this stock outperform the majority of stocks that we rate. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its attractive valuation levels, notable return on equity and increase in stock price during the past year. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had sub par growth in net income." You can view the full analysis from the report here: DE Ratings ReportSteven Fletcher didn't see it coming.
Up until Monday morning he was the minister of state for transport in Prime Minister Stephen Harper's cabinet and then suddenly, he was out. In an interview Wednesday, Fletcher said he was caught by surprise when he was dumped during Harper's major shuffle that saw eight new MPs appointed and a long list of portfolios change hands.
"What can you do?" he asked.
Fletcher said he understands Harper wanted more women in cabinet. Shelly Glover and Candice Bergen, both Manitoba MPs like him, were among the four new women added to the roster. Harper also dropped two women from cabinet, Senator Marjory LeBreton and Diane Ablonczy.
First elected in 2004, Fletcher has had a role in the shadow cabinet or ministry since he arrived on Parliament Hill. He was parliamentary secretary for health at one point, then minister of state for democratic reform, then was given the transport role in 2011.
Now that he's out of cabinet, he finds himself with a lot more time on his hands.
"I'm going to make an effort to be far more accessible to constituents, to people in Ottawa, to the media," Fletcher said.
Fletcher will stay on message
The MP for a riding in Winnipeg said he has specifically asked not to be named a parliamentary secretary or committee chair and he doesn't even want to be part of MP junkets. He wants to use his new-found freedom to talk about the things he cares about: infrastructure, mining, energy distribution, and Canadian history.
What he won't do is become the next Brent Rathgeber — in other words, an Independent MP, comfortable with criticizing the government on a variety of topics. Rathgeber recently quit the Conservative caucus in part because of his frustration with dealing with the Prime Minister's Office and feeling like he couldn't speak his mind.
"I will use the freedom," said Fletcher, "But if people are expecting me to veer off message or go against the Conservatives, that is not going to happen."
But he said he will take the opportunity to show his sense of humour more. Something he already tested on Monday after the cabinet shuffle by tweeting: "I am Conservative. I am a traditionalist. I wish I left Cabinet in the traditional way — with a sex scandal!"
He said he'd like to get back into cabinet one day, pointing out he's only 41 and "not over yet".
Fletcher, who became a quadriplegic in 1996 after a car collision with a moose, stepped aside briefly from cabinet in January 2012 to undergo surgery to stabilize his neck. By March, he was back on the job.
But now without a cabinet position, Fletcher is determined to find a way to keep contributing to the debate and stay involved.
"I've got a lot of stuff I've worked on in the past, that for lots of reasons, hit a road block. I intend to pursue those things now."West Oakland has never fully recovered.
Welcome to West Oakland: A Changing Neighborhood
Meet those working to improve the lives of all in the community -- the newcomers and long-time residents.
The neighborhood has long struggled with crime and blight, and much of the area has been under heavy gentrification pressure as the recovery, tech boom and displacement of San Francisco workers have gained momentum. And neighborhood activists complain that city officials haven't offered much leadership in addressing the area's issues, let alone managing them.
“It was like a community hub, and we plan to bring it back.”
Tony Coleman
“They’re going to get it ready. But who are they getting ready for?” he says.
The neighborhood is simmering with activity and more development is coming. The writing is on the wall, Coleman says.
Coleman says he's a community activist at heart, not a businessman. But he acknowledges that it may take the same aggressive business-savvy sense that's being deployed around the neighborhood to create the kind of establishment he dreams of -- a place that will serve everyone in the community. Even then, a lack of property ownership and a lack of adequate resources mean that small-business owners like Coleman will have to find more creative ways to stay.
You Have to Make Your Rents Affordable
Several years ago, Coleman was searching for a space that could serve his vision. But he didn't have a lot of money or a line of credit. He walked up and down Seventh Street. Rents were too high, he says. Then he found the property owned by Lucy Lequin.
“You have to make your rents affordable,” she says. “I made it affordable.”
In 1995, Lequin helped convince the city to create a historic district around |
through periods of great destruction. He points to the Black Death, the First World War or the famines that were the direct result of government policies in the Soviet Union and Communist China.
The First World War, touched off by the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, cascaded into catastrophe in large part because of numerous military pacts between European powers that drew them into the conflict. There was no European Union or United Nations to serve as a buffer; in fact, those treaties may have served as a deterrent to stave off aggression.
Now, thanks to globalization and economic neo-liberalism, the countries of the world are more interconnected economically than ever. This time around, with a world population several times greater than it was 100 years ago, and resources scarce, disaster could take a different form, and cascade quickly through a globalized economy.
For all our thoughts that we could never let a third world war happen, we should listen to the signs. When xenophobia plays well in national politics, it’s a sign people are more ready to fight for what they think they’re losing rather than for what’s right. And with other global problems facing us, not the least of which are climate change and economic inequality, a global war would be disastrous and cause untold suffering.
In 1914, the Napoleonic wars had largely passed out of living memory. Today, the same has happened for the First World War and, increasingly, the Second.
It’s well to remember every Remembrance Day the sacrifices made in those conflicts, but we should also be vigilant against what led to them: militarization, deep social inequality and a tendency for a country’s leaders to find an easy target for its citizens’ rage.
When a potentially pivotal moment comes, even though it’s unlikely to involve an archduke this time, if we aren’t already working to solve the huge problems that face us, we may find the desire for a scapegoat plunges us into an even worse catastrophe.AFP
SAN FRANCISCO -- Apple on Friday rid its App Store of some applications that it said could snoop on people's data and posed a security threat.
While Apple did not disclose which apps were pulled from its virtual shelves, the list was reported to include software capable of blocking ads from appearing inside other applications such as Facebook.
"We've removed a few apps from the App Store that install root certificates which enable the monitoring of customer network data that can in turn be used to compromise SSL/TLS security solutions," Apple said in an email response to an AFP inquiry.
"We are working closely with these developers to quickly get their apps back on the App Store, while ensuring customer privacy and security is not at risk."
The security concern centered on the ability of installed root certificates to route data in a way that allows for what is known in the hacker world as a "man-in-the-middle" attack.
Data from mobile devices, even if it is encrypted, could be sent through an intermediary computer server and inspected.
Ads are a source of revenue for many apps, including Apple News. The California-based technology giant shares in revenue generated in any applications on its mobile devices.
The newest software powering Apple mobile devices allows apps that block ads from pages while surfing the Internet using Safari web browser but does not extend that capability into applications people use.
While blocking ads promised to make surfing the Internet from iPhones or iPads faster and rein in telecom data use, it also sabotages what has long been the main way websites make money while providing free content or services.Project Management:
Our team working on project management oversees the big picture and aids in the planning, initiation of work and the coordination between teams.
This week completed drafting release notes for v0.9.11, user stories that would serve as functional requirements for internal team, and design calls. Preparing assignments for v.0.9.12. Workflow document created for team assignments, and formation of “Squads” for tasks.
Clojure-Team:
Our Clojure team is the core of our development team, they handle the functionalities of our application and house our largest team of developers.
#1584 and 1689 — Worked on new iterations
Investigated and discussed how ‘eth.sendTransaction’ is used inside the jail and sync/async calls there
Improved wallet pull requests based upon feedback
#1783—Fixed wallet transactions tab
#1780 — Fixed iOS bug where incorrect icon padding in toolbars was found
#1802 — Fixed minor UI issue where wallet screen had different length buttons
#1807 — Fixed some inconsistencies in the wallet UI
Got RN logs to work in release mode
#1749 — Amended push notification spike pull request. Fixed the mismatch in behaviour between released build for real device
#1788 — Pull request to get RN release logs for iOS
#1798 — Pull request issued to enable warnings as errors and list acceptable warnings
#1708 — Jenkins CI basic profiling and suggestions
#1750 — Executed repo clean
#1791 — Pull request to fix builds failing when RN packager times out
#1324 — Worked on app crash issue for Android
#1605 — Finished work on popup issue ‘No protocol method IAssociative.-assoc defined for type cljs.core/symbol:’
Added several new issues related to protocol messages
#1805 —Finished refactoring protocol listeners
#1526 — Begun and finished work on Wallet design — Request Transaction for iOS
Made progress on network switching issue by discovering reason for app crash
#1782 — Fixed sticking errors when fetching balance / price / transactions in new wallet, allowing more frequent refreshes.
#1733 — Further fixes on issue where username reverts to default, submitted for merging
#1760 — Added some fixes on history data bindings for Ethereum transactions and merged into codebase
#1776 — Resolved issue where resource-ids need to be added for specific elements. Issued PR for #1789 to assist automated testing.
#1785 and #1786 — Added two propositions for enhancement
#1812 — Worked on a fix for the history order, improving subscriptions in order to reduce total computations
#1819 — Renamed history into transactions
Miscellaneous bug fixes in small PRs such as compilation fixes, double post of status in discover ta
#1710 — Worked on test units, refactored console-command handling and signup / confirmation process. Ready for further testing
#1810 — Begun work on a rework of the /send command handler
#1773 — Further work on Wallet — Create initial send screen. Added QR code reading and some design fixes. Added SVG assets
#1628 — Added testnet warning so no real ETH or SNT is sent to app
#1754 — Made changes to command scopes pull request. Made short-preview work, improved code style and made rebase
Go-Language Team:
Our Go-language team handles the forked Go-Ethereum implementation in Status — This is the “backend” of Status that allows you to connect directly to the Ethereum Blockchain.
Discussed how Send Transaction should operate and how it should be included into release
Worked on the Status Workflow document
#194 — Investigated sendAsync issue and discovered why it doesn’t work
Reviewed code
Worked on build binaries in Travis as a part of #201
#253 — Refactor of small nodemanager merged
#301 — Implemented working Jenkins integration, needs a couple of clarifications before merge
Node switching analysis
Light protocol analysis
#94 —Work on implementation a check of disk space before sync begins
Modified deployment scripts for whisper nodes with notification server enabled
#300 — Improved analysis. Turning this analysis into requirements
#293 — Finished and closed, adding Fetch API and fixes #289 by using safe Otto VM wrapper whenever possible
#294 — Investigated issue where sub-accounts are not listed for eth_accounts call
Started fix within #304 — refactoring RPC client code
#194 — Made some changes, issue blocker has caused it to remain pending at the current time
#271 and #276 — Added changes in regards to exisiting comments. #271 should be ready for merging shortly
QA team:
Our QA team handles the testing of the application, works with users reporting bugs, and they are crucial to getting feedback and report bugs to our development team with details.
Nastya:
Testing pull requests
#1584 and #1706 — Further testing on both these issues. Identified some additional bugs
Testing pull requests
Partially described a user story from ‘minimal user flow’ perspectiv
#1789 — Elements reworked to use accessibility IDs
#165 — Added more test units for group chats
#1811 — Added additional verifications and accessibility IDs to group/one-to-one chat tests
‘Remove user from group chat’ test has been added in scope of #165
Desktop team:
Our desktop team works towards building the Status client on desktop.
Local build of Go with MinGW-w64
Investigating elimination of forbidden API calls on UWP platform
Discussion with Go team regarding UWP support
Compilation and success in running pure MinGW dll with Go runtime on UWP. Certification kit reporting 17 forbidden API calls
Investigating Go runtime changes to support UWP
Join Our Community
Status is an open source project, and if you’d like to get involved with development — the single best way would be to build Status for yourself, explore our open issues, and come say Hi on our Slack. We prefer to hire core contributors based on Pull Requests.
If you feel you can help us grow our community in other ways, we’d love to hear your ideas. You can also Tweet at us, like our Facebook or subscribe to the Status Subreddit.A few weeks ago, Microsoft tested a version of the Windows Store with Windows Insiders which allowed users to install Windows 10 UWP apps to Xbox One using their PC. The company also later followed up to add a new progress bar and other UI improvements to the Windows Store in both Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile. Today both of these changes are rolling out to general non-insider PC and mobile users by way of a new update.
There is still no official changelog from Microsoft, but both the new download progress bar and the option to remotely install Xbox One apps from PC are delivered in a version 11703.1001.45.0 update to the Windows Store.
As seen above, the option to install an app on Xbox One from the PC appears between the Install and Share buttons on an app page in the Windows Store. Only certain UWP apps that are available and searchable on both PC and Xbox One will have the button, and when pressed, a message will alert users that the app is trying to be installed on Xbox One.
Also seen above, the download bar is much slimmer, and now shows the total size of the app, and the current download speed. Also new is the location of the share button, which now sits alongside install “install” and “launch” in the store.
The update is slowly rolling out to all users, so if you don’t see it just yet, it’s best to be patient and wait things out. But as always, once you have updated, let us know your thoughts by dropping us a comment in the section below.
Share This
Further reading: App updateRepublicans celebrate the House passage of the American Health Care Act.
The Senate Republican plan to unveil a health-care bill, then race it to the floor without hearings, has inspired an archival outpouring of vintage 2010 Republican complaints over the allegedly secretive passage of Obamacare (which in fact was developed in public, with dozens of hearings).
But one doesn’t need to travel back seven years to unearth Republican procedural hypocrisy. Mere weeks will do. When the House passed its health-care bill just last month, Republicans insisted that they would work slowly and carefully to craft a well-designed bill. “The Senate is starting from scratch,” said Susan Collins. “We’re going to draft our own bill, and I’m convinced that we’re going to take the time to do it right.” This promise was not confined to the party’s shriveled moderate wing but included reliable right-wingers. Lamar Alexander: “The Senate will now finish work on our bill, but will take the time to get it right.” John Cornyn: “We’re not under any deadline, so we’re going to take our time.” Tom Cotton: “Get it right, don’t get it fast. GOP shouldn’t act like Dems did in O’care. No excuse to release bill Mon night, start voting Wed.”
The current Senate Republican plan is to introduce a bill next Tuesday and vote on it Thursday. “By all accounts,” summarizes health-care reporter Dylan Scott, “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is agnostic about the actual policy of the bill his chamber is drafting.” The Republicans’ notion of taking their time and getting it right, rather than rushing to meet an arbitrary deadline, has been turned on its head. Why did Republicans suddenly decide to get health care done fast, not right? There is a larger point here than hypocrisy and broken promises. A short period of examination yielded the same conclusion in the Senate as the House: Republicans have realized their party is constitutionally incapable of writing a satisfactory health-care law. Whether the Republican health-care law passes or fails, an entire policy agenda has died in the process.
++
Policy ideas have certain life cycles. They are developed in academic settings, incubated by policy entrepreneurs in think tanks, and groomed for candidates to run on and then, finally, implement in office. At some point they either meet the test of political viability, or they fail.
Some of the most promising-sounding ideas survive until this final stage before they die. Cap-and-trade was the hot climate-change policy, so elegant and attractive that both the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates endorsed it in 2008. But Democrats discovered the following year that it couldn’t pass the Senate, and nobody has seriously tried to revive it since. If you asked a Republican in the 1990s to name a policy idea other than tax cuts, they would probably have suggested school vouchers, which conservatives believed would enable the GOP to claim the mantle of innovation and opportunity for urban minorities. Vouchers crashed and burned at the ballot box, and ever since, Republican candidates have avoided the concept like the plague. The same fate awaited Social Security privatization, which was the next big thing in conservative policy until it failed in 2005, and now even its fiercest advocates never mention it anymore.
That is what is happening to conservative health-care policy in 2017. Over the years, and especially since 2010, the conservative movement intelligentsia has expended a great deal of energy on developing alternatives to Obamacare. The central idea they settled upon was to turn American health-care consumers into price-sensitive shoppers. Health care was failing, they believed, because its pricing mechanism was too opaque. People did not know how much they paid for health care, but if the pricing were more transparent, they would use their power as consumers to bring down costs. The solution was to give them “skin in the game,” rather than have third parties (like employers) cover all the costs for them. Health care should be priced less like fire insurance, where somebody writes you a check when emergency strikes, and more like buying a television, where the sticker price is sitting right there and you decide whether it’s worth paying more for a better product.
Liberals fiercely objected to the analytical assumptions underlying this policy goal. But the merit of the arguments is somewhat beside the point. Indeed, as we now see, it will always be beside the point. This was the moment Republicans had to finally put their ideas into practice. And the GOP decided, without any significant dissent, to ignore the policy blueprint their own wonks had spent years developing.
Why didn’t Republicans decide to write a conservative health-care bill? Because Americans don’t want one. Marketized health care with transparent pricing turns out to be literally the opposite of what the country prefers. Washington Post reporter James Hohmann travels to Georgia’s sixth district, the site of the contested special election, and finds through “dozens of interviews” that even the Republicans in this affluent district want a health-care plan that gives them less, not more, skin in the game. One representative right-wing voter hates Obamacare because, he tells Hohmann, “I have to pay a $40 co-pay just to see a doctor.” Any authentic conservative health-care program would increase, not decrease, that amount. “Their expectations might seem unreasonable to anyone who is closely following the debate or is steeped in the complexities of public policy,” reports Hohmann, “but they believe Donald Trump can and should enact a replacement plan that will both reduce their costs and improve their quality of care.”
Why would they have these expectation? Because while Republican wonks have been advocating more skin in the game for consumers, Republican politicians have been promising the opposite. That is why Mitch McConnell denounced Obamacare for having the very features — high deductibles and co-pays — that conservative wonks would like to extend: “In addition to premiums going up, co-payments going up, deductibles going up. And many Americans who actually did get insurance when they did not have it before have really bad insurance that they have to pay for, and the deductibles are so high that it’s really not worth much to them.” And it is why President Trump promised vaguely to take care of everybody and give them something “terrific.”
In the face of the impossible contradiction between what their own voters expect and what they are prepared to deliver, the Republican solution has been to hide the ball. That is why they have settled on a strategy of maximum speed, minimum transparency, and flamboyant dishonesty. (“There are no cuts to the Medicaid program,” says Health and Human Services director Tom Price, when his own budget proposes to cut the Medicaid budget nearly in half.) The Senate’s concession to the concerns of its most politically vulnerable members is to delay its implementation several more years into the future (the exact length of the delay being a subject of negotiation). Republicans can’t live with the effects of their own bill, but they also don’t want to admit they can’t improve upon Obamacare.
Rather than design a health-care bill that pursued conservative priorities, they have kept the structure of Obamacare and simply drained its resources in order to finance a large, regressive tax cut. It turns out you can work pretty quickly if you don’t care about substance. Whether or not they dismantle Obamacare, the Republicans have already given the conservative health-care agenda a permanent burial.Prosecutors say there is not enough evidence to convict Jan Böhmermann over satirical TV sketch about Turkish leader
A German standup comedian who provoked a major diplomatic row between Berlin and Ankara over a poem insulting the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has been told he will not face prosecution.
German prosecutors said on Tuesday that they had dropped their investigation into Jan Böhmermann because of insufficient evidence he had committed a crime.
Turkey asks Germany to prosecute comedian over Erdoğan poem Read more
Böhmermann created a furore at the end of March when he read a poem on state TV in which he lampooned the Turkish leader, arguing that he was doing so to test the boundaries of satire. The Turkish government had previously demanded the removal of a satirical song from another German comedy show.
Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, was widely criticised for appearing to give in to Ankara’s demands for Böhmermann to be prosecuted under an obscure paragraph of the German legal code forbidding offensive remarks against organs or representatives of foreign states. Such insults are theoretically punishable by up to three years in prison, and up to five years if the insults are considered slanderous.
Böhmermann said at the time that he felt Merkel had “filleted me [and] served me up for tea” to Erdoğan, warning that she risked damaging freedom of speech in Germany.
But on Tuesday, prosecutors in Mainz said “criminal actions could not be proven with the necessary certainty” and that the charges would be dropped. They said the poem was protected by so-called Kunstfreiheit, or artistic freedom.
However, legal proceedings are still not over for Böhmermann. On 2 November, a Hamburg court will decide whether a private prosecution that Erdoğan himself has brought against the comic can go ahead.
Erdoğan’s lawyer, Michael-Hubertus von Sprenger, said his aim was to enforce a complete ban of the poem, which includes references to child pornography, bestiality, repressing minorities, kicking Kurds and slapping Christians.It was a dark and stormy night: Perfect weather for animating skaabs. Each of the young stitchers waited with patient apprehension for their turn on the rooftop as the Head Stitcher carefully examined the projects one last time to make sure that all of the amalgamated flesh was truly dead and carried no signs of Emrakul’s corruption.
Meanwhile in the library, students and researchers worked in near silence with only the occasional scratch of a quill, a muffled cough, or the turn of a page to distract from the storm raging outside.
In the sea of madness and delirium that Innistrad had become, somehow this place had survived as a sanctuary.
Welcome to Nephalia Academy.
I am absolutely thrilled to be able to introduce you all to Nephalia Academy, which is the Magic Judge program’s official preview card for Eldritch Moon.
(Keep reading! Lots of information below the cut!)
Magic has never quite had an effect like this before, but of course it’s going to make some of you think of Library of Leng:
The replacement effects of Nephalia Academy and Library of Leng are almost identical, but there are two important differences:
Nephalia Academy’s replacement effect only applies to cards that you discard because of spells or abilities an opponent controls, whereas Library of Leng applied to any card that wasn’t discarded to pay a cost.
Nephalia Academy’s replacement effect causes you to reveal the cards if you put them on top of your library, whereas Library of Leng has you put them there without revealing the cards.
So, comparisons to an Old Weird Card™ aside,
How does Nephalia Academy actually work?
Let’s look at a basic case where your opponent targets you with Mind Rot while you control Nephalia Academy:
When Mind Rot goes to resolve, you’ll choose two cards in your hand and discard them. (Nephalia Academy doesn’t change the fact that the cards were discarded.) For each of those two cards, you can choose to discard it to your graveyard as normal, or to apply Nephalia Academy’s effect to it and reveal it then put it on top of your library instead. If you choose to put both of the cards on top of your library, all players will know which one is on the top and which one is second from the top.
All right, simple enough, but I can already hear the “but what if…”s from the audience, so let’s get to some of the less simple situations:
“What if I discard a card with Madness?”
Well, it depends on how you’re discarding it, because Nephalia Academy only works with cards that your opponent causes you to discard. If you discard Fiery Temper to your own Heir of Falkenrath, then Nephalia Academy has nothing to say about the matter.
If we assume that you’re discarding it to your opponent’s Mind Rot or Duress or the like, then we have two separate replacement effects each wanting to modify the discard. If you choose to apply Nephalia Academy’s replacement effect and send it to the top of your library, then Madness will never trigger and you won’t be able to cast Fiery Temper for R since it never ends up in exile.
“What if the discard is optional? Or what if I discard instead of doing something else?”
Excellent questions! It doesn’t matter if you could have done something other than discard the card, like letting that Murder you targeted Reality Smasher with get countered by the triggered ability, for example. You can still use Nephalia Academy’s effect and discard to the top of your library since your opponent controls the spell or ability that caused you to discard the card. The same holds true for making choices for your opponent’s Remorseless Punishment.
“What about cards that trigger when I discard? Or cards that care about what I discard?”
Wow, you’ve got all the right questions today, hypothetical reader! So, you’re still discarding the cards, even if they go to the top of your library because of Nephalia Academy, so cards like Liliana’s Caress will still trigger. The card is revealed as it moves to the top of the library, so effects that look to see what kind of card you’re discarding, such as Waste Not, will be able to trigger appropriately. Similarly, this means that you’ll be able to discard cards of a specific type if the spell or ability asks you to do so. For example, you’ll be able to discard an artifact card from your hand to the top of your library to satisfy your opponent’s Wrench Mind.
“But what can I do with it that’s really weird?”
All right, we’re through the more common stuff, but there’s one particular class of cards that have a cool and weird interaction with Nephalia Academy. Cards like Guerrilla Tactics and Metrognome have abilities that trigger when a spell or ability an opponent controls causes you to discard them. If you discard these cards to your library with Nephalia Academy, they’re revealed on the way and so those abilities will trigger and you’ll get to deal 4 damage or get four Gnome tokens. Huzzah!
So I’ve said about all I can say regarding this fine little utility land. I’m sure some of you will have more questions about specific interactions, and so I encourage you to send them to my inbox.
Thanks for reading!Airstrike on checkpoint was a ‘mistake from the American side’ as they tried to help Afghan forces fight off a Taliban offensive threatening the provincial capital
US airstrike kills at least seven Afghan police officers in Uruzgan
An American airstrike has killed at least seven Afghan police officers in the embattled southern province of Uruzgan, according to local officials.
The US has launched airstrikes in the province to help Afghan security forces repel an offensive by the Taliban who recently came close to capturing the provincial capital, Tarin Kot.
The errant airstrike occurred on Sunday around noon when a police post off the highway leading to Kandahar came under attack. Officials say the US apparently tried to defend the police forces and accidentally struck the checkpoint.
“It was a mistake from the American side. There was bad communication between them and the police,” said Abdul Karim Khadimzai, head of Uruzgan’s provincial council. He said seven police were killed and one gravely injured.
Colonel Michael Lawhorn, a spokesman for the US military in Afghanistan, said: “US forces conducted two airstrikes down there against individuals that were firing on Afghan forces. Beyond that I can’t confirm anything.”
According to Obaidullah Barakzai, who represents Uruzgan in parliament, the policemen who died were part of a reserve unit tasked with securing the highway. They were apparently not wearing uniforms at the time of the attack, he said.
“The police battalion said they wore uniforms, but I heard from the foreigners that they were wearing civilian clothes and carrying guns. That is why they were attacked,” he said.
The US military could neither confirm nor deny that claim, though Lawhorn said, “We have heard the same reports.”
Taliban return to Afghan town that rose up and drove out its leaders Read more
Uruzgan, long one of the most contested provinces in the country’s south, is said to be the birthplace of the late Taliban founder Mullah Omar. It was also where former president Hamid Karzai launched a guerrilla campaign to oust the Taliban in 2001. As such, Uruzgan has symbolic value to both sides of the conflict.
In early September, after months of steadily gaining ground throughout the province, the Taliban made a sudden advance on Tarin Kot. Within a day, they had entered the city and were attacking the police headquarters and the governor’s compound, sending officials fleeing to the airport.
Only when reinforcements arrived, in the form of troops from nearby Kandahar, and US airstrikes, did the security forces push back the militant force.
Uruzgan has grown increasingly perilous after the assassination of its controversial police chief, Matiullah Khan, in 2015. A strongman who rose to power and grew rich with support from international forces, Khan also ruled through tribal politics, sowing the seeds for anti-government unrest.
On Monday, a day after the erroneous airstrike, the ambassador of the Netherlands, whose troops were in charge of Uruzgan from 2006 to 2010 when they handed over command to Australians, paid a rare visit to Tarin Kot. He said on Twitter that the situation in town was returning to normal.Nov 7, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; General view of flag after a touchdown against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports. Tennessee won 27 to 24.
ESPN’s Football Power Index has added to the hype behind Tennessee football, as it projects the Volunteers to win every game on their 2016 schedule.
Okay, so this doesn’t translate to an above 50 percent chance that the Tennessee Vols will go undefeated. But according to ESPN’s Football Power Index, they are set to be the favorite in every game as of right now.
After placing the Vols at No. 5 in their preseason poll, the FPI formula now projects Tennessee football as a favorite in every game they play during 2016, yes even against the Alabama Crimson Tide.
They have a 59 percent chance of beating the Tide and a 79 percent chance of beating the Florida Gators. Their two toughest games are projected to be at the Georgia Bulldogs and at the Texas A&M Aggies, where they have approximately a 56 percent and 59 percent chance of winning respectively.
However, their overall projected record is 10-2. That’s because while they are projected to win each of those four games individually, the likelihood of them winning all four games is very slim.
It’s similar to Stephen Curry. If he’s shooting one jump-shot, it’s likely to go in. But the likelihood of him shooting 10 jump shots and all of them going in is much lower.
Still, all the math seems to fall into Tennessee’s favor, which is just another reason to increase the hype behind this football program for the 2016 season.
Between the ESPN FPI and the preseason polls that are coming out this week, Tennessee clearly has the highest expectations they have had in over a decade.
Now they have to do something with it.No other way to say it: Paul Ryan is a right-wing extremist.
His budget plan would essentially turn back 80 years of national consensus and replace Franklin Roosevelt's America with Calvin Coolidge's. He has a 100% voting record with the National Rifle Association, and is a hero among those who oppose reproductive rights.
And yet Paul Ryan is on the national ticket of one of the two major parties in the United States. If the polls are to be believed, he is a whisker away from being the next Vice President, and no matter how things turn out in November, at only 42 he'll be talked about for president at least as long as Harold Stassen was. Harold Stassen. Just Google him.
So, here's my question.
What if there were a Democratic politician who was unabashedly for the elimination of assault rifles and handguns? What if she was for complete funding of the reproductive choices of all Americans so that poor women had the same options as middle class women? What if that same candidate supported a death with dignity act that allowed people with incurable diseases to make their own decisions about how and when to end their lives? What if she supported the extension of Medicare to all Americans? What if that candidate understood the fact that global warming is a threat, that it is almost all human-caused, and that we need a massive effort, including a sizable carbon tax, to do something about it now? What if that Democrat thought we were spending way too much on the military and not enough on schools and intended to do something about it? What if she thought we should return to a progressive income tax and eliminate the special treatment of capital gains so that people who worked for their money didn't pay any more per dollar earned than people whose money worked for them? And what if that candidate thought that two people who loved each other and wanted the state to recognize their bond should be allowed to do that, and rather than just saying she believed it (as Obama has), actually did something to make it happen (as the president has not)?
I could go on, but you get the point. That candidate would be considered by the dominant strategists in the current Democratic Party as not a viable choice. And yet that candidate would have strong views that were the mirror opposite of Paul Ryan's and, in most cases, somewhat closer to the mainstream than his.
For all the well-deserved bashing that Ryan is taking from my party, the Dems need to ask themselves why they won't encourage the growth of unabashed liberals the way the GOP has allowed far-right politicians to blossom.
I'm not arguing for further polarization in politics. I'm arguing for an honest, principled debate between people who don't apologize for being conservatives and people who don't apologize for being liberals. A good debate, an election, and then the compromises that move a working democracy forward.New Battle Feature - Orders
In an upcoming update, we will make new Battle Trophies available in the game – Orders. Now any player in Arcade and Realistic battles can also become a commander. At the beginning or during a battle, an “Order” can be activated. For fulfilling the “Order”, players receive an in-game currency reward. Only one “Order” can be active at once, and players from both teams can complete it. Available “Orders can be gained as a Battle Trophy or bought in the item store.
“Be the Best!” order
Collect as many points as possible within the allotted time.
“Jack of All Trades” order
Be the first to destroy three enemy vehicles of different classes: fighter, bomber, attacker, light/medium tank, SPG and AA gun. Only player vehicles are counted.
“Winning Streak” order
Be the first to achieve a winning streak against enemy vehicles.
Only player vehicles are counted.
“Blind Hunt” order
Destroy the marked targets within the allotted time. A reward is given separately for each target. Maximum number of targets: 5.
“Avenger” order
Destroy the marked targets within the allotted time. A player who destroys a target becomes the next target. A reward is given separately for each target.
“AAA” order
Destroy enemy aircraft.
“Antimech” order
Destroy enemy ground vehicles..In a great victory for open standards, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has just standardized Opus as RFC 6716.
Opus is the first state of the art, free audio codec to be standardized. We think this will help us achieve wider adoption than prior royalty-free codecs like Speex and Vorbis. This spells the beginning of the end for proprietary formats, and we are now working on doing the same thing for video.
There was both skepticism and outright opposition to this work when it was first proposed in the IETF over 3 years ago. However, the results have shown that we can create a better codec through collaboration, rather than competition between patented technologies. Open standards benefit both open source organizations and proprietary companies, and we have been successful working together to create one. Opus is the result of a collaboration between many organizations, including the IETF, Mozilla, Microsoft (through Skype), Xiph.Org, Octasic, Broadcom, and Google.
A highly flexible codec
Unlike previous audio codecs, which have typically focused on a narrow set of applications (either voice or music, in a narrow range of bitrates, for either real-time or storage applications), Opus is highly flexible. It can adaptively switch among:
Bitrates from 6 kb/s to 512 kb/s
Voice and music
Mono and stereo
Narrowband (8 kHz) to Fullband (48 kHz)
Frame sizes from 2.5 ms to 60 ms
Most importantly, it can adapt seamlessly within these operating points. Doing all of this with proprietary codecs would require at least six different codecs. Opus replaces all of them, with better quality.
The specification is available in RFC 6716, which includes the reference implementation. Up-to-date software releases are also available.
Some audio standards define a normative encoder, which cannot be improved after it is standardized. Others allow for flexibility in the encoder, but release an intentionally hobbled reference implementation to force you to license their proprietary encoders. For Opus, we chose to allow flexibility for future encoders, but we also made the best one we knew how and released that as the reference implementation, so everyone could use it. We will continue to improve it, and keep releasing those improvements as open source.
Use cases
Opus is primarily designed for use in interactive applications on the Internet, including voice over IP (VoIP), teleconferencing, in-game chatting, and even live, distributed music performances. The IETF recently decided with “strong consensus” to adopt Opus as a mandatory-to-implement (MTI) codec for WebRTC, an upcoming standard for real-time communication on the web. Despite the focus on low latency, Opus also excels at streaming and storage applications, beating existing high-delay codecs like Vorbis and HE-AAC. It’s great for internet radio, adaptive streaming, game sound effects, and much more.
Although Opus is just out, it is already supported in many applications, such as Firefox, GStreamer, FFMpeg, foobar2000, K-Lite Codec Pack, and lavfilters, with upcoming support in VLC, rockbox and Mumble.
For more information, visit the Opus website.U-M evolutionary biologist Alison Davis Rabosky holding several ground snakes, a non-venomous species that displays four strikingly different color patterns. Rabosky is breeding ground snakes in her lab to understand the genetics behind color variation in mimicry systems. Image credit: Eric Bronson, Michigan PhotographyANN ARBOR—Red on yellow, kill a fellow. Red on black, friend of Jack.
That folk rhyme is supposed to help people distinguish venomous coral snakes from several non-venomous “mimics,” animals that discourage predators by deceptively imitating a dangerous species.
Problem is, the rhyme is unreliable due to the vast amount of color and pattern variation, called color polymorphism, found in both coral snakes and their mimics. The harmless ground snake, a common coral snake mimic, displays four strikingly different color patterns, only one of which closely resembles its dangerous red-and-black-and-yellow-banded counterpart.
If a mimicry system offers protection from predators, then why hasn’t evolution eliminated the “failed mimics,” such as ground snakes sporting color patterns that don’t remotely resemble a coral snake? That’s the puzzle that University of Michigan evolutionary biologist Alison Davis Rabosky has spent the last four years trying to solve.
U-M evolutionary biologist |
Thirdly, private digital money supply is relatively fixed, which is difficult to adapt to the needs of modern economic development. Take bitcoin for instance, there is a contradiction between the system-set supply cap and the expanding social production and circulation of commodities. If it is widely used, it will cause deflation and curb economic development. This is the root cause of the collapse of the gold standard.
Fourthly, the private digital currency lacks the central regulation mechanism, which makes it difficult to satisfy the needs of stabilizing modern monetary system. The absence of centralized distributor and regulatory institutions, the so-called “de-centralization”, is a common feature of private digital money. If private digital money is universally accepted by the whole society and monetary authorities can not stabilize the fiat money through the centralized adjustment mechanism, not only the economy become unstable but the national credit-based monetary system will also be shaken. [4]
Fifthly, private digital money poses challenges to anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing and capital controls. Common features of private digital currency like anonymous transaction and free cross-border transfer makes it easy for criminals to cover up their sources and destination of funding. Individual can easily circumvent the personal foreign exchange remittances cap (editor’s note: One Chinese may exchange RMB for up to 50,000 USD a year)and foreign management regulations, which will facilitate money laundering, terrorism financing and evasion of capital controls.
Lastly, private digital money increases the difficulty of protecting consumer rights. Private digital currency transactions are prone to fraud, theft, and fake because of the high volatility of private digital money, the lack of regulation of market participants, the lack of user fund security and the opacity of transactions. This does not only result in the absence of consumer rights protection, but also increase the difficulty of evidence-based regulatory authorities investigation. [6]
Therefore, in order to cope with impact brought by the rapid development of private digital currency on monetary sovereignty, monetary policy, financial risks and consumer protection, monetary authorities should clearly recognize that the country should start researching digital currency issued by central banks as soon as possible. In the future, with the support of national credit central bank digital currency should continue to meet the society’s demand for money-using technology, and become settlement and payment method that are widely accepted. In this way, the monetary authorities can expand the use of sovereign money to reduce the impact of private digital currency on the monetary system and the whole financial system.
Monetary authorities have the natural advantage of issuing the central bank’s digital currency.
A wide variety of private digital money is created or distributed by different private entities and they are decentralized. They have different system settings and trading methods. Competition between them are fierce. In contrast, the central bank digital currency is controlled by the monetary authorities and therefore centralized, which makes the monetary authority gain natural advantage in the market.
Firstly, the central bank’s digital currency is backed by national credit and could be accepted by the public more easily. Central bank digital currency is a new form of sovereign currency, which is the the same legal tender and mandatory bills like sovereign money. As a result, the public can quickly adopt to the use of central bank’s digital currency just like the existing sovereign money, which requires no re-pricing of the central bank’s digital currency. Various private digital currencies has no national credit support, and high volatility will trigger realtime re-pricing in the course of transaction, which is why the private digital currency will not be widely accepted by society.
Secondly, the central bank’s digital currency is more conducive to improve the liquidity of the economy and reduce transaction costs. Each private digital currency has its own system settings. The compatibility and fungibility problems between the various systems actually increase the complexity of economic transactions. In contrast, central bank digital currencies with national credit support adopt a unified system standard, and the increase in transactional convenience will increase the total volume of transactions, thereby increasing the liquidity of the whole economic system.
Thirdly, the central bank digital currency has the monetary autorities as the lender of last resort (LLR), bank run is not likely to happen. Like other forms of sovereign money, the monetary authority is the lender of last resort in the central bank’s digital currency, providing protection for monetary stability. And private digital money has no LLR, currency providers and trading platform is prone to deposit runoff in urgent events.[7].
Fourthly, the supply of central bank’s digital money is controlled by monetary authorities to meet the needs of modern economic development. Unlike the private digital money, once the central bank’s digital currency is released, the monetary authorities will adjust the supply of central bank’s digital money supply in accordance with the needs of economic development, so as to maintain the feasibility of the central bank’s digital currency and promote the development of the modern economy.
Fifth, the monetary authorities can maintain the stability of the digital currency via centralized regulation mechanism to ensure the normal operation of the modern economy. Low value volatility is a prerequisite for currency to act as a measure of value and means of circulation, and economic fluctuations are often accompanied by currency fluctuations, so maintaining currency stability is also a necessary condition for the normal operation of modern economy.
Sixthly, the monetary authorities will enhance the security of central bank digital currency through technical measures to protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers. Unlike private digital money, the central bank digital currency will protect the user’s fund safety through cryptographic algorithm, and establish a controllable anonymous mechanism to achieve traceability under certain circumstances. These measures will further enhance the safety of central bank’s digitial currency and protection of user transaction safety.
A central bank digital currency is conducive to the effective operation and transmission of monetary policy
Unlike the existing electronic form of the fiat currency, the future central bank digital currency will likely be the standard currency for a combination of technologies such as blockchain, mobile payments, trusted cloud computing, cryptographic algorithms, security chips and so on. Therefore, the future central bank digital currency will help China in all aspects of building a new financial infrastructure, improving China’s payment system, lifting efficiency of settlement and payment. More importantly, the central bank’s digital currency can eventually form a large database, enhancing the convenience and transparency of economic activities, which will help the effective operation and execution of monetary policy.
First of all, the central bank’s digital currency helps regulators track money flows when necessary, thereby reducing money laundering, tax evasion and evasion of capital controls. Existing digital currency technology can not only record each transaction but also to track the flow of funds. In contrast to private digital money, regulatory authorities can control master the use of central bank digital money via controllable anonymity mechanisms, which is a supplementary part to the current monitoring and control systems and the effectiveness of existing systems [10].
Secondly, the central bank’s digital currency information superiority can improve the accuracy of monetary indicators. The bigdata system formed by the central bank’s digital currency will not only improve the measurability of monetary velocity, but also facilitate the calculation of monetary aggregates and the analysis of monetary structure, which will further enrich the monetary indicator system and improve its accuracy.
Thirdly, the information superiority of the central bank’s digital currency can help regulators to use policy instruments more accurately and more flexibly to track capital flows and to monitor and evaluate financial risks in an integrated manner. The transparency of economic activity will be greatly enhanced when the central bank’s digital currency is universally accepted and used by society as a whole, and regulators can collect real-time, complete and authentic transaction ledgers at different intervals for various institutions, which is the analytical database for monetary policy and macroprudential policy.
Fourthly, the central bank’s digital currency technology will help the interest rate effectiveness of monetary policies. Existing digital money technology supports “peer to peer” payment and settlement, which increases the liquidity of market participants. Only the central bank’s digital currency, which is universally accepted by the whole society, can radiate this advantage to participants in different financial markets, thereby increasing the liquidity of different financial markets and the market liquidity of individual financial markets. This will lower the interest rate level of the entire financial system, making the interest rate term structure smoother and the monetary policy interest rate transmission mechanism smoother.
To sum up, the innovation of central bank digital currency is to adapt to the development of the situation, keeping up with the pace of the times, retaining the control of monetary sovereignty,better serving the currency issuance and monetary policy, not just to replace the cash flow of paper currency.
(This article is the author’s personal point of view, does not represent the views of the institution that the author work for)
Detail of reference is here.Are Low Interest Rates Deflationary? A Paradox of Perfect-Foresight Analysis
NBER Working Paper No. 21614
Issued in October 2015
NBER Program(s):Economic Fluctuations and Growth, Monetary Economics
We illustrate a pitfall that can result from the common practice of assessing alternative monetary policies purely by considering the perfect foresight equilibria (PFE) consistent with the proposed rule. In a standard New Keynesian model, such analysis may seem to support the “Neo-Fisherian” proposition according to which low nominal interest rates can cause inflation to be lower. We propose instead an explicit cognitive process by which agents may form their expectations of future endogenous variables. Under some circumstances, a PFE can arise as a limiting case of our more general concept of reflective equilibrium, when the process of reflection is pursued sufficiently far. But we show that an announced intention to fix the nominal interest rate for a long enough period of time creates a situation in which reflective equilibrium need not resemble any PFE. In our view, this makes PFE predictions not plausible outcomes in the case of such policies. Our alternative approach implies that a commitment to keep interest rates low should raise inflation and output, though by less than some PFE analyses apply.
Acknowledgments
Machine-readable bibliographic record - MARC, RIS, BibTeX
Document Object Identifier (DOI): 10.3386/w21614
Published: Mariana García-Schmidt & Michael Woodford, 2019. "Are Low Interest Rates Deflationary? A Paradox of Perfect-Foresight Analysis," American Economic Review, vol 109(1), pages 86-120.
Users who downloaded this paper also downloaded* these:PHILADELPHIA — About 12 police officers were videotaped on Monday beating three men stopped in response to a drug-related shooting, and six of the officers have been removed from patrols, Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey said Wednesday.
In the incident, captured by a Fox TV helicopter, officers surrounded a car carrying the three men. They were pulled from the car, and two were kicked and punched on the ground by officers on the driver’s side. The third man was beaten by other officers on the passenger side.
The incident, on Monday night, in the Hunting Park section followed the shooting death of Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski, 39, a 12-year member of the force, on Saturday in the nearby Port Richmond section.
Sergeant Liczbinski was pursuing three robbery suspects. The police arrested a man sought in the case late Wednesday night, the Associated Press reported. Another was arrested on Sunday, and a third was fatally shot by an officer shortly after the officer’s killing, The A.P. said.
Advertisement Continue reading the main story
Mr. Ramsey said at a news conference that the police were under great “stress and pressure” after Sergeant Liczbinski’s death. He is the third Philadelphia officer to be killed in the line of duty in the last two years.Tuesday, the New York Times reported that Trump asked Comey to shut down the FBI’s investigation into his then National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.
The Times cited a memo Comey reportedly wrote after the February meeting with Trump, which took place the day after Flynn resigned.
Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), the chairman of the House Oversight Committee (who has announced he will resign next month due to a “mid-life crisis”) responded by demanding that the FBI turn over all “memoranda, notes, summaries, and recordings” of any conversations between Trump and Comey.
Credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Trump denied the allegation that he asked Comey to halt the investigation two days later, at a press conference alongside Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.
The Times also reported Tuesday that Israel was the source of the classified information Trump shared with the Russian Ambassador and Foreign Minister.
This could further complicate the U.S. relationship with Israel, whose government had reportedly already urged American officials to be careful handling the intelligence Trump shared.
The revelation also came at a less-than-ideal time for the President, who embarks on his first overseas trip this weekend to Saudi Arabia, Israel, Italy, and Belgium.
The trip has largely been overshadowed by a firehose of news, much of it a direct result of Trump’s behavior.
The administration dispatched National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster to attempt to address the intelligence-sharing controversy, although he seemed to confirm the Times’ reporting by issuing a carefully worded statement at a press conference and refusing to deny that Trump shared classified information.NordVPN Introduction
NordVPN solves one of the most significant problems with commercial VPN service providers and then tops that off with a long list of excellent features. After years of using and reviewing dozens of VPN services the one problem I’ve always encountered is unreliability. You can be sitting at your desk trying to access Hulu from halfway across the world only to realize that there aren’t any servers available. On a recent visit to China, I was not surprised to find out that my VPN refused to connect. That’s when turning to NordVPN’s obfuscated servers saved the day for me. In my experience, the servers are never down, and even in hardcore totalitarian countries, it’s still possible to access just about any type of content without having to worry about being spied on by local law enforcement. Though NordVPN offers a long list of other great features which are also worth considering. We will try to run through them one at a time so that you get a good feel for what to expect.
Why Obfuscated Servers Are a Big Deal?
The vast majority of people using VPN services are those who are trying to bypass local censorship. However, like the technology used to circumvent censorship, those used to enforce it have also improved. So, unlike in the past, a regular VPN service just didn’t cut it for me in China. I assume the same goes for Iran and North Korea. A recent post on Reddit from a guy in Egypt complained of the same thing to this person too I recommended that they use NordVPN.
An obfuscated server is a big deal because unlike a regular server this one cannot be traced and blocked by your country’s censorship team. Plus, the connection it forms is more secure than a regular VPN tunnel since its nearly impossible to either know the IP of the server or the person connecting to it. The biggest advantage of this type of technology is that it does not even raise suspicion within the ISP that a user may be connected to the internet via a VPN which is obviously good news in countries where VPN usage is banned.
nordVPN features
SmartPlay makes streaming from geo-locked websites easy
Want to stream the latest Netflix shows, watch Hulu TV, while also downloading a few classics from Amazon Prime? Well with NordVPN’s SmartPlay feature you have access to over 150 streaming services which would otherwise be restricted in your country. Plus, thanks to smart optimization you don’t notice the otherwise apparent slowdown as you would without the feature. So, fewer loading screens, next to no lag and better audio quality for all users.
More servers and even more countries
NordVPN is continuously adding new servers to their list. They currently boast of having over 5118 servers based in 62 countries. Having servers is a growing number of countries can be beneficial for users across the board as they can hop from one to the next to find the best in terms of speed and usability. Plus it also ensures that there is always a server available regardless of the conditions.
Better security with encrypted proxy
NordVPN is amongst the first to introduce what’s called encrypted proxy extensions. These extensions are currently available for Chrome and Firefox. They help by encrypting all the information you send to the proxy server which further makes it difficult for hackers and the government to intercept your information. However, while only what you access from your web browser goes through the proxy, everything else works as if you’re not using a VPN or proxy.
Block ads on the fly
Now you no longer need to use a separate Adblocker. In my experience adblockers tend to be touch and go which means that they are not 100% accurate. Though CyberSec’s new feature protects you from dangerous websites and instantly prevents annoying ads from popping up.
Dozens of payment methods
You can pay for your NordVPN subscription via Mastercard and Visa credit cards, Paypal, Paymentwall, and Bitcoin, etc. More payment methods are continuously added to facilitate users from across the world.
The Pros The Cons Does not log any of your browsing data.
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Adblocker which also protects you from dangerous websites.
Allows P2P and torrent usage.
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Works simultaneous across 6 devices.
Encrypted proxy extensions for Firefox and Chrome.
Military-Grade Encryption (2048 bit SSL).
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Dedicated Apps available (Android, iOS, Mac, Windows).
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conclusion
My experience with paid VPN services have been mixed over the years. Though I feel strongly about NordVPN especially since I travel a lot to countries where internet access is censored. The service works as advertised and requires no extra knowledge on your part. All you need to be sure of is to pay for your subscription on time which is made immensely easy with close to a dozen payment options. Plus, the service is highly reliable and if you do experience issues simply calling their hotline is all that’s needed.
I also liked the fact that it blocks ads automatically and the same goes for dangerous websites. Plus, NordVPN’s encrypted proxy add-on is surprisingly useful if all you want is to change the IP address and remain anonymous online via your browser while everything else works as usual.
All of these features and more lead me to recommend NordVPN to anyone and everyone. We also wrote a complete walkthrough guide about NordVPN, so if you are new to using a VPN, we highly recommend you read this guide.Ottawa police are once again asking for help to identify a knife-wielding robbery suspect who possibly smelled like kitchen grease.
It happened two weeks ago at the Mac's Milk convenience store on Alta Vista Drive, and you can watch a video of the incident above.
It shows a man, believed to be in his 50s, entering the store on Aug. 13 at 1:45 a.m. and asking for cigarettes, police said.
He then took out a long knife and demanded more cigarettes as well as lighters and cash. Police said he spoke English and Arabic.
No one was hurt.
The suspect is described a Caucasian or middle-eastern man, about 50 to 55 years old, standing at about five feet five inches tall.
He has grey hair and a salt-and-pepper beard, and at the time of the robbery he was wearing black pants and a navy blue short-sleeved shirt with large horizontal stripes.
A police news release said the man "possibly smelled of kitchen grease."
Anyone with information is asked to call the robbery unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 5116, or Crime Stoppers at 613-233-8477 (TIPS) — toll free at 1-800-222-8477.Bell's Cruciate Paralysis and Hemiplegia Cruciata
The condition named 'cruciate paralysis' by Bell (*) is an infrequent neurological finding. The lesion is situated at the cervicomedullary junction, proximal to the pyramidal decussation. The corticospinal tract of the upper extremity descends more medially and anteriorly relative to that of the lower extremity. Also, the decussation of the upper extremity fibers is located proximal to the level of the foramen magnum, which is approximately one cord segment proximal to that of the lower extremity. This anatomic and topographic difference sometimes causes unusual clinical manifestations such as cruciate paralysis and hemiplegia cruciata.Characteristically, patients with cruciate paralysis present with bilateral paresis of the upper extremities without significant involvement of the lower extremities. This condition may be caused by mechanical injury, metabolic disorders, or complications of surgery of that area. When the neural compromise occurs predominantly on one side, spastic palsy on the ipsilateral side of the upper extremity is present, which is associated with spasticity on the contralateral side of the lower extremity, described as hemiplegia cruciata.
References
(*) Bell HS. Paralysis of both arms from injury of the upper portion of the pyramidal decussation: 'cruciate paralysis'. J Neurosurg 1970; 33: 376–380.
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But real life has proven stranger than science fiction.
While the movie featured genetic engineers extracting dinosaur DNA from mosquitos fossilized in sap turned to stone, the toonie-sized gemstone found in Myanmar actually contains a tiny tail segment from a 100-million-year-old dinosaur.
Scientists aren’t sure how the 38-mm-long piece of dino tail ended up in amber.
“It’s really strange,” said Scott Persons, a University of Alberta paleontologist, who was among a group of U of A scientists who joined an international team of researchers studying the find.
“Before this, it’s not something that would have ever occurred to you that something like this could happen,” Persons said. “It may have been that the animal was alive, got its tail stuck and maybe the animal had to do something dramatic like gnaw off its own tail. Or maybe it broke its tail off in the resin or maybe it got stuck there and died.”
A more likely scenario is the creature died and its remains were covered in the sticky secretion, he said.
The tail, from near the tip end and covered with tiny feathers, comes from a dinosaur about the size of a robin. It could be a hatchling or an as-yet-unknown species of small dinosaur.
Researchers believe the dinosaur was a two-legged carnivore that belonged to the same general group as tyrannosaurus rex.
But can scientists extract DNA from the tail to clone the dinosaur?
“Without question this is as close to the Jurassic Park scenario as we’ve ever gotten,” Persons said. “Amber is really, really good at preserving soft tissues … but I wouldn’t hold your breath at finding good genetic material in this specimen. Even though it’s preserved in amber, we’re still talking about nearly 100 million years.”
Persons calls this find the “tip of the iceberg” because it’s shown the potential for new amber-preserved dinosaur specimens to be found in Myanmar.
“Once everyone hears about this specimen, there’s probably going to be a dinosaur-amber rush and a lot more really cool specimens are going to come out.”The achievements interface in the game.
Achievements are a system in the game to help gauge what a player has accomplished in the game. They are awarded for completing various tasks spanning all game types; PvE, PvP, and WvW. Completing an achievement may reward the player with achievement points, a mastery point, an item, or a title. Players also get achievement rewards for obtaining enough achievement points for the tier. These rewards include coin, laurels, gems, weapon and armor skins, account bonuses, achievement chests. Achievements are organized into achievement categories, which are organized into logical groups to aid in navigation.
Progression, achievement points, and titles are shared across all characters on an account. Most items rewarded from achievements are account bound. Upon obtaining an achievement, the player will be notified with a popup in the lower right corner of the UI stating the name, tier, description, and achievement points gained. Many achievements have multiple tiers and a notification will appear upon completing each tier. For these tiered achievements, the menu shows progression along the current tier, not the overall progression.
While most achievements are standard and require completing certain tasks in the game, others have special purposes or requirements. Meta achievements act as an umbrella achievement for the achievement category, requiring other achievements in the category to be completed. Other achievements serve as an umbrella achievement for certain achievements in the category, such as Learn to Kite. A few achievements are repeatable, granting achievement points every time the progress bar is filled at which time its progress is reset. Some achievements have prerequisites and will not progress until all tiers of the prerequisite achievement have been completed.
In the game, players in the same guild or party may view each other's total achievement points, but with the exception of wearing a title, only the player can see their individual achievements obtained. Outside the game, players may compare their accumulated achievement points with others on the leaderboards here: NA / EU.
Achievement rewards [ edit ]
Primary article: Achievement rewards
Once you reach enough achievement points, you will be granted achievement rewards, including an achievement chest, permanent account bonuses, laurels, coins, gems, and unlockable reward skins. Achievement rewards are awarded for every multiple of 500 achievement points, except for the first reward which is awarded for 100 points.
Players are also awarded a title at every 5,000 achievement point interval.
Summary [ edit ]
The summary provides information on log-in rewards, unlocked rewards, account bonuses, recently completed achievement, and nearly completed achievements. Unlocked skins can be copied an unlimited number of times on any character.
Watch list [ edit ]
Up to 20 achievements can be added to a watch list and will be displayed in the Achievements UI panel. An achievement can be added or removed by toggling the eye in the bottom right corner of each achievement on and off. The Watch List can be sorted by Tier Completion, Total Completion, or the list can be customized by dragging the achievements in the Watch List tab. Up to a maximum of 6 achievements are displayed on the achievements UI. If there are more than 6 achievements on the watch list, the top six will be displayed. Achievements that have been completed are removed from the watchlist automatically.
Having any achievements on the watch list will override the default watch list. By default, Daily Achievements for open world, PvP or WvW are displayed, depending on where you are in the game. Once the Daily Completionist meta-achievement is completed nothing is displayed by default, except while in Fractals of the Mists or LS3 zones like Bloodstone Fen where achievements from the corresponding daily categories are displayed until they are all completed.
The watch list is useful for tracking a group of related achievements, especially Living World achievement categories.
Categories [ edit ]
Achievement categories are organized in logical groups:
Character quotes [ edit ]
When a character completes an achievement they will occasionally shout out one of the following lines, depending on their race and gender.
Race Gender Male Female Asura More accolades.
More knowledge for me!
Ahh! Recognition. Another testament to my greatness.
It's not showing off if you earned it.
More knowledge for me! Charr It's easy when you know how.
I've attained the awesome. Achieving; the life for me.
I did it!
I cover myself in glory. Human One more thing for my list of accomplishments.
That's how it's done.
I achieve things. I'm an achiever. Another personal victory.
Is it just me, or am I amazing?
Just one more confirmation of how great I am. Norn I'm the master of life!
One challenge down.
It's my destiny.
That's how you do it. Another proud moment.
I am awesome. Sylvari Ah, it was nothing.
It's all skill!...And a little luck.
I deserve an award. I earned that.
Score one for me.
We'll go down in history!It is probably safe to argue that a dunk becomes "Dunk of the Year" quality when it's not only mimicked in a video game, but also illustrated by a well-known artist.
Patrick Truby, who has illustrated similar pieces for NBA.com, ESPN, the New York Times, San Francisco 49ers and more, created a new drawing depicting Derrick Williams' huge dunk on Bismack Biyombo last month.
RELATED: Fan Recreated D-Thrill's Dunk in Video Game
As was the case with the video game duplication, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and although Derrick's highlight is impressive in all mediums, the black and white line art is pretty special.
Check out the short animation that was posted on ESPN Sportcenter's Instagram two days ago!
Our No. 1 play of the NBA season: Derrick Williams dunks on the Hornets, animated by @patricktruby. A video posted by SportsCenter (@sportscenter) on Apr 15, 2015 at 3:32pm PDT
And just for good measure, here's the complete clip from the game broadcast!Intel Corp. (INTC) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) are teaming up to develop a new computer semiconductor aimed at taking on Nvidia Corp. (NVDA).
Citing a person familiar with the matter, The Wall Street Journal reported that later Monday Intel and AMD are expected to announce a notebook computer semiconductor that combines a processor from Intel with a graphics chip from AMD. The semiconductor is targeted at laptops that are lightweight and thin but can run powerful video games. With personal computers seeing lackluster sales, the one bright spot has been high-end laptops that can play these graphic-intensive games. Intel and AMD are aiming to capitalize on that and at the same time steal market share from Nvidia. (See more: Intel's Stock Can Rise Over 20%: BMO Capital.)
According to The Wall Street Journal, the new chip will mark the first time the two rivals have collaborated since the 1980s. While Intel has long been the dominant player in the PC chip market, leaving AMD in second place for decades, it hasn't been successful in the graphics chip market. The latter has become more of a formidable competitor to Intel thanks in part to its success on the graphics side of the semiconductor market. Nvidia is still the leading player in the graphics chip market with customers buying its products for high-end gaming and for cryptocurrency mining, but AMD has been slowly chipping away at that lead. Up until the launch of the combined Intel and AMD chip, gaming computers, be it a laptop or desktop, required an Intel semiconductor as well as a high-end chip from either Nvidia or AMD. With this new semiconductor, Intel is aiming to get a piece of the sales that typically goes to either of those two competitors. It will also mean more revenue for AMD, noted the report.
A spokesman for AMD told the paper the chip it is working on with Intel won’t compete with its own Ryzen Mobile semiconductor that combines processing and graphics. The spokesman said the Intel chip is targeting gamers while the chip AMD is launching by the end of the year isn’t specialized to support that market specifically. “We’re playing in a complementary market,” the spokesman told the Wall Street Journal.
For AMD, any good news could bode well for its stock, which as of late last month, turned negative for the year. (See more: AMD Stock Turns Negative for the Year.)The RT-23 (NATO reporting name SS-24 Scalpel) РТ-23 УТТХ «Мо́лодец» ("brave man" or "fine fellow") was a Soviet ICBM developed and produced before 1991 by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau in Dnipro, Ukraine (then part of the Soviet Union). It is cold-launched, and comes in silo– and railway-car–based variants. It is a three-stage missile that uses solid fuel and thrust vectoring for the first stage, with 10 MIRV warheads, each with a 550–kt yield. All missiles were decommissioned by 2004.
History [ edit ]
The missile was the culmination of a major Soviet effort to develop a medium solid-fueled missile with multiple basing modes: silo-based and rail-based versions were deployed, and a road-mobile version was considered but rejected. This made for a much more survivable ICBM, as the rail-based missiles could move around the rail network and thus be difficult to detect and track. The new missile was to replace the older liquid-fueled UR-100N missiles which were entirely silo-based. Its United States counterpart was the Peacekeeper Rail Garrison, which was never deployed.
Train-based ICBMs do offer some advantages over missiles in fixed silos, namely that the enemy can never be sure where they are—or, more accurately, where all of them are at any given moment. But as a 2014 RAND study[1] pointed out, rail and truck launchers have their drawbacks. Maintaining a missile on a train is more difficult than in a silo, while rail lines and roads can be blocked by snow, which tends to restrict railroad ICBMs to warmer climates. In addition, because there are only a limited number of rail lines and highways in an area, enemy surveillance can focus on a few areas. And, once located, mobile missiles are more vulnerable than ICBMs in hardened silos.[2]
The missile was tested through the 1980s and began to be deployed in 1987. Its production facilities were located in Ukraine. After the Soviet Union broke up in 1991, Ukraine had no interest in producing ICBMs, so the production of the missile came to an end. A typical missile launch train was composed of three M62-class locomotives (a standard diesel electric locomotive of the period), followed by generating power car, command car, support car, and three missile launch vehicles, forming a nine-car set. The lead locomotive was driven by three officers, and the two immediately following engines were driven by two enlisted personnel each. The missile launcher has the shape of a refrigerator car, and the service cars are converted passenger carriages.
Just before the breakup of the USSR, 92 missiles were operational, 36 silo-based and 56 rail-based. The 36 silo-based missiles located in Ukraine were deactivated by mid-1996, disassembled and put into storage pending decision on a feasible disposal method, but the 56 missiles in Russia remained in service. The missile was to be banned under the provisions of START II, but that treaty was never ratified. The remaining ten silo-based missiles in Russia were deactivated around 2000. After 2000, the rail-based missiles were also gradually withdrawn from service, with the remaining 15 decommissioned in August 2005. The last SS-24 ICBM in Russia was eliminated in April 2008.
Its proposed successor, the RT-25, was a medium-range ballistic missile program that was never developed.[3]
Variants [ edit ]
DIA SS-24 PL-04 SS-24 SS-24V SS-24 NATO Scalpel Scalpel Scalpel Scalpel Bilateral RS-22B RS-22A RS-22V Service RT-23 RT-23 RT-23 UTTKh RT-23 UTTKh GRAU 15Zh44 15Zh52 15Zh60 15Zh61 Design Bureau SKB-586, NPO Yuzhynoy Acad. V. F. Utkin SKB-586, NPO Yuzhnoye Acad. V. F. Utkin SKB-586, NPO Yuzhnoye Acad. V. F. Utkin SKB-586, NPO Yuzhnoye Acad. V. F. Utkin Approved 23 July 1976 1 June 1979 9 August 1983 9 August 1983 Years of R&D January 1969 - March 1977 November 1982 - 1987 1983–1989 1983–1989 'Engineering and Testing'First Flight Test 26 October 1982 Failure, 12/1982 Success April 1984 31 July 1986 27 February 1985 IOC canceled 19 August 1988 12/1987 Deployment Date Canceled November 1987 28 November 1989 28 November 1989 Type of Warhead MIRV MIRV MIRV MIRV Warheads 10 10 10 10 Payload (t) 4.05 4.05 4.05 4.05 Total length (m) 23.3 23.4 - 23.8 18.8 - 23.4 23.3 Total length w/o warhead (m) 18.8, 19 19 19 19 Missile Diameter (m) 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.4 Launch Mass (t) 104.5 104.5 104.5 104.5 Operating Range (km) 10,000 10,000 - 11,000 10,100 -11,000 10,100 - 10,450 CEP (m) 500 500 150-250 150-250 Basing Mode Silo Railroad
Former оperators [ edit ]
Gallery [ edit ]
See also [ edit ]MINNEAPOLIS, MN – A house shown in the opening credits shots of The Mary Tyler Moore Show is for sale. This Victorian-era structure has been extensively remodeled for maximum lighting and expanded to 9,500 square feet of living space. It has seven bedrooms, seven bathrooms, two half baths, and a sauna.
Following the open model of contemporary houses, the center island kitchen shares a space with the main family room. The second floor has guest/nanny quarters. The third floor has another family space divided into multiple rooms.
The current price tag for this Mary Tyler Moore house is $1.7 million. That's higher than the median price for the Kenwood neighborhood situated on Lake of the Isles.
Address: 2104 Kenwood Pkwy |
the past; i can only guess that it was to do with the segwit announcement; or someone wanting to see which addresses are still active. can only guess..
james
someone is spamming existing addresses on the mooncoin blockchain;i noticed this with lots of amounts of 10 as well.never had this sort of activity in the past; i can only guess that it was to do with the segwit announcement; or someone wanting to see which addresses are still active. can only guess..james
Ok thanks for your reply. It was one address I used in 2014 and one I used this week. Nothing to worry though. Ok thanks for your reply. It was one address I used in 2014 and one I used this week. Nothing to worry though.
gormadoc
Offline
Activity: 31
Merit: 0
NewbieActivity: 31Merit: 0 Re: [MOON] Mooncoin 🌙 32885+ funded addresses. LTC, then DOGE, then MOON! June 07, 2017, 06:20:24 PM #1615
i've got wallet.dat from earlier (with all coins are on it because i'm not mining anymore since 2 years)
And no, noone has access to my pc.... i was at home alone...cut the lawn and come back and my coins are missing.
I've updated the wallet a few month ago...and successfully downloaded the blockchain (last time 13 weeks ago). Today I want to download the blockchain again because the rising of moon...and *bash*...all are gone on 6.6.2017 at 11.23....
I've earned 1 Mooncoin too as you can see in may transactions... but i've never mined the last to years. From who the Mooncoin was sent you can't see... even where four of the big transactions are sent... (k.A.).
I'm very sad at the moment, hope to see the coins again.
I'm already in communication with mooncoin_foundation but there is no solution yet
Greetings
Gormadoc Hey Barry,i've got wallet.dat from earlier (with all coins are on it because i'm not mining anymore since 2 years)And no, noone has access to my pc.... i was at home alone...cut the lawn and come back and my coins are missing.I've updated the wallet a few month ago...and successfully downloaded the blockchain (last time 13 weeks ago). Today I want to download the blockchain again because the rising of moon...and *bash*...all are gone on 6.6.2017 at 11.23....I've earned 1 Mooncoin too as you can see in may transactions... but i've never mined the last to years. From who the Mooncoin was sent you can't see... even where four of the big transactions are sent... (k.A.).I'm very sad at the moment, hope to see the coins again.I'm already in communication with mooncoin_foundation but there is no solution yetGreetingsGormadoc
barrysty1e
Offline
Activity: 604
Merit: 500
Hero MemberActivity: 604Merit: 500 Re: [MOON] Mooncoin 🌙 32885+ funded addresses. LTC, then DOGE, then MOON! June 07, 2017, 06:35:22 PM #1617 Quote from: gormadoc on June 07, 2017, 06:20:24 PM
i've got wallet.dat from earlier (with all coins are on it because i'm not mining anymore since 2 years)
And no, noone has access to my pc.... i was at home alone...cut the lawn and come back and my coins are missing.
I've updated the wallet a few month ago...and successfully downloaded the blockchain (last time 13 weeks ago). Today I want to download the blockchain again because the rising of moon...and *bash*...all are gone on 6.6.2017 at 11.23....
I've earned 1 Mooncoin too as you can see in may transactions... but i've never mined the last to years. From who the Mooncoin was sent you can't see... even where four of the big transactions are sent... (k.A.).
I'm very sad at the moment, hope to see the coins again.
I'm already in communication with mooncoin_foundation but there is no solution yet
Greetings
Gormadoc
Hey Barry,i've got wallet.dat from earlier (with all coins are on it because i'm not mining anymore since 2 years)And no, noone has access to my pc.... i was at home alone...cut the lawn and come back and my coins are missing.I've updated the wallet a few month ago...and successfully downloaded the blockchain (last time 13 weeks ago). Today I want to download the blockchain again because the rising of moon...and *bash*...all are gone on 6.6.2017 at 11.23....I've earned 1 Mooncoin too as you can see in may transactions... but i've never mined the last to years. From who the Mooncoin was sent you can't see... even where four of the big transactions are sent... (k.A.).I'm very sad at the moment, hope to see the coins again.I'm already in communication with mooncoin_foundation but there is no solution yetGreetingsGormadoc
i had a similar incident occur in the cryptsy days; was horrid.
i'm talking with mooncoin_foundation in regards to details.
i'm aware that there are other compiles of mooncoin by other people; different platforms/logos etc
in the meantime people - please only use compiles found from the official repo at
james i had a similar incident occur in the cryptsy days; was horrid.i'm talking with mooncoin_foundation in regards to details.i'm aware that there are other compiles of mooncoin by other people; different platforms/logos etcin the meantime people - please only use compiles found from the official repo at https://github.com/mooncoindev/mooncoin james just like a chocolate milkshake, only crunchy..!The power of participation.
This is my next subject. It flows concurrently with my points on entry. In my previous posts I have explained what I perceived as the reason why entry is important however it shouldnt be the only focus of your trading.
Alot of traders tend to focus 'pinpoint picture perfect entries' and 'razor sharp profit producing exits.' My personal take on entry is that as long as you clearly define the main momentum and have the ability/skill to see where you currently stand in that momentum this will give you the first reasons to why you should enter/exit. You need to read the road signs.
I understand entry/exit plays an important role if you aim for constant 80pip take profit with 40pip stop loss. You are looking too closely. Take a step back. What you conceive as 80pip profit is only a ripple in the ocean and you have just stopped yourself looking at the bigger picture and settled with just entree. Unknowingly you might still be focusing too much on todays profit or this weeks profit.
You are forgiven for sloppier entries when you start but as long as your position is towards the main trend you are already in good shape. Entries will improve over time. As far as entries are concerned, we want minimal risk entries (do your homework) that will give that position an opportunity to reach its full potential hopefully 8000 pips later.
And you will reap exponential rewards if you let it happen. Nobody knows where the market will be heading and this shouldnt hinder you in anyway. You need to participate to what is happening. You need to be in the market to make it happen. If its up then BUY, if its down then SELL. Yes, you have heard it before but do you know what it means and how to implement it?
Every month I receive an email from my regional offices showing me how much it would cost to buy another 100,000 units of a particular good to be imported. I take three looks. One look at the current price i need to pay and two looks at previous prices i paid before which is price one month ago and price one year ago. If its cheaper I place an order and sign off on the cheque and thats that. If its not then I dont. Then I dont sit there and twidle my thumbs and look exasperated. I ring the appropriate regional office and tell them to try export more of our goods to that particular country. If this blip of price fluctuation continues for months then I would shift my operational views with that particular country from importing to exporting.
I request that you think about my story. You might learn something.
Currently I have bundles of positions. Just like my business I categorise positions accordingly even though they may be from same pair of currency. Each bundle is different to each other and I treat each bundle as each individual entity. As long as that particular bundle exits completely with profit then its mission accomplished. I have bundles of positions that are sell and bundles of positions that are buy. They are not offsetting each other as you might perceived to be. Yes they may be from the same capital pool but I treat them as two different scenarios.
To help you understand, in some weekly trend, you will find that there are corrections. And this correction can last from days to weeks even. Even though last 8 months was down, the price right now is telling you up. Go with the flow and participate. Be in the action. You can speculate on the sideline with your certified indicator/system or be in the game and bring home the trophy and the prom queen home.
Review a week or two later (or more preferably) and you will see that your new legs becomes a solid profit making machine. This set of new legs is a different group to your main group of positions on the main trend. Keep your bias on the downtrend as this was your main trend for the last 8 months but you will have opportunities to make profit on the correction. Just like my export and import business.
Once the trend resumes, your main group of positions will continue producing profits and you have opportunities to add positions to this group once again with greater probability of surviving.
When I comeback from my dinner arrangement I will try and answer the PMs you kindly sent. Thank you
Moving on.
2Australian start-up SafetyCulture has brought the ‘world’s most used inspection app’ to Windows 10 thanks to enterprise demand to ‘ensure seamless data collection and reporting for users.’ The app was already available on Android and iOS, and the company has grown from a small group of people in Townsville to become a global leader in workplace safety. The app is used more than 50,000 times per day, in more than 80 countries and by more than 1 million users monthly, as the app ensures ‘workers are empowered to take responsibility for their safety, as SafetyCulture iAuditor makes it easy to conduct on-site audits, identify hazards and produce sharable reports that can be analysed to streamline operations, cut overhead costs, save time and protect workers’ health.’
The company has stated that the new Windows 10 version of the app has ‘resulted in hundreds of signups before the app’s release and continues to fuel the company’s steep growth trajectory, as the software has been used to facilitate more than 30 million inspections to date.’
Chris Bright, ISV Lead at Microsoft Australia said: “Mobile is the perfect vehicle to help companies maintain safe, quality workplaces across the globe. In an increasingly connected world, it’s critical for organisations to protect their people and environments, and partnering with SafetyCulture to bring the No. 1 app for conducting safety inspections into the Windows 10 app store makes this goal a reality.”
Gillian Findlay, Chief Operating Officer at SafetyCulture, said, “Working with Microsoft and its customers brings us one step closer to our core mission – helping build safer workplaces. With availability on Windows 10 and automatic syncing with the SafetyCulture platform, the SafetyCulture iAuditor app creates a seamless experience for workers and managers alike to conduct offline inspections and analyse the data to improve operations.”Employer-based health insurance premiums climbed 4.2% this year for family plans, according to an annual Kaiser Family Foundation report. That's up from 3% the year before.
Since 2008, average family premiums have climbed a total of $4,865.
The White House cheered the news, saying it was a sign of continued slow growth in premium costs.
That much is true. Since 2006, the average annual increase for family plans at work has been 4.9%, down from around 10% a year from 1999-2005.
Slightly less higher premiums aren't what President Obama promised Americans when he ran for office touting his medical overhaul. He specifically said his plan would cut premiums.
"We will start," Obama said back in 2008, "by reducing premiums by as much as $2,500 per family."
That $2,500 figure was Obama's mantra on health care. You can watch the video if you don't believe it.
And Obama wasn't talking about government subsidized insurance or expanding Medicaid or anything like that. He specifically focused on employer provided health care.
For "people who already have insurance, and the employers who are providing it," he said at one campaign event, "we will work to lower your premiums by up to $2,500 per family."
So was he talking about lowering the rate of increase? It sure didn't seem that way. On CNN he said, "We're going to reduce costs an average of $2,500."
Every time the subject came up, he promised to cut premiums, not slow the rate of increase.
If what he meant was "we're going to keep the rate of increase in premiums about where it's been for several years now," he was being purposefully misleading.
Of course, even if he did mean what he didn't say, Obama can't claim credit for the slowdown.
The truth is that the current trend started in 2006, long before Obama took office, and longer still before ObamaCare took effect.
And the continued trend of modest premium increases has been due largely to the shift in the employer market toward health savings account-type plans, which just happened to hit the market in 2005.
But that's a topic for another day.
Follow John Merline on Twitter @IBD_JMerline.People tend to not like being lied to, over and over
On Tuesday, Politico reported what the House GOP sees as their secret weapon in winning the political battle over the sequester: Their unpopularity.
“And, for once, the GOP is buffeted by its unpopularity: House Republicans kept their majority with mid-teen approval ratings after two years of political warfare,” Jake Sherman wrote. “They aren’t spooked that their numbers will move any lower.”
Nice.
Republicans have put off their investigation into why they’re so unlikable and decided to take their unpopularity for a spin by embracing a policy Americans won’t like and refusing a compromise 76 percent of Americans say they want.
They’re prepared to sabotage the economy because they think the debt is too high — even though the deficit is rapidly shrinking — but they won’t do the basic thing we need to do to get control of the debt: Get rid of tax loopholes. Republicans have said that will not happen — not in a box, not even if Fox goes off the air.
New revenue is necessary for two reasons. The first is political. Democrats can’t agree to cuts unless the billions in tax breaks given to hedge fund managers, big oil and corporations are dealt with first. The second is mathematical. Ending tax breaks for those who can afford to see them end does the least damage to the economy. And raising taxes is the only way to get back to the nearly balanced budgets we had circa 2000.
It would be better to wait to solve our deficit until we fix our economy. But the GOP says we can’t wait because look at this giant debt clock we discovered when President Obama became president!
As Slate‘s Dave Weigel wrote, “The idea that you can be a deficit hawk while ruling out any tax increase, ever, is politically and mathematically untenable.”
And that’s exactly why Americans are increasingly sick of Republicans. The hypocrisy.
You can’t say you care about the debt after blowing the surplus and swearing to all-powerful Grover that you’ll never raise taxes.
You can’t say you’re for a smaller government and then use the government to decide how many forced ultrasounds a woman has to endure to make a medical choice.
You can’t say you’re for fiscal discipline and let Mitt Romney pay a lower tax rate than most nurses.
You can’t say you’re for families and stop millions of Americans from getting the same access to marriage that you have.
You can’t accuse groups that don’t exist of stealing elections and then spend millions making it difficult for anyone but rich, white men to vote.
You can’t say you love America and be unable to contain your hatred for the President, the First Lady and anyone who doesn’t vote Republicans.
People may not know President Obama has cut the deficit each year he’s been in office or that Ronald Reagan actually socialized medicine. But they get it when they’re being treated like a fool. And there is no messaging, no rebranding that will make that okay with most people.
So if unpopularity is the GOP’s trump card, they don’t have to worry about it going away.
[Picture by Keith Allison]Fernando Henrique Cardoso (Foto: Nacho Doce/Reuters)
Depois de ouvir a conversa do presidente Michel Temer (PMDB) com o empresário Joesley Batista, o ex-presidente Fernando Henrique Cardoso voltou atrás e disse que não há motivos para renúncia do mandatário.
Na quarta-feira (17), o FHC escreveu em uma rede social que “o país tem pressa” e que esse gesto - a renúncia - “facilitaria uma solução” para a crise nacional.
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Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.SplitCalc.co
A simple pace calculator for running
The other day I recalled using a handheld pace slider made of plastic and how easy it was to quickly find paces/splits.
I figured making a web app with the same ability would be fairly easy to implement – so here it is.
Hopefully you find it useful. If you have any ideas or input on improvement, feel free to drop me a message
Kevin Jantzer
Fellow runner & coach
Changelog
Sept 7, 2016
Improve spacing between results.
Sept 19, 2015
New "cut-down comparison" feature. Useful for seeing different race times or when coaching multiple athletes. Make sure to have a limited set of splits selected.
Sept 13, 2015
Splits can be reset to the default list. Scrolling direction changed on mobile to feel more natural.
Sept 11, 2015
You can now create custom splits and delete ones you don't want. To delete a split, press and hold on the split until it disappears.
May 1, 2015
Added 3200 split for those non Oregon runners
Mar 30, 2015
Added 1600 split for Pamela Borg of Yreka, CA
Mar 24, 2015
Initial release.PS4 1.7 Firmware Update Allows HD Streams on Twitch Too, Side Bar Chat; More Coming Before Release
Giuseppe Nelva April 25, 2014 3:52:46 AM EST
The official press release sent by Sony to accompany the announcement of the release of firmware update 1.7 had a couple new details that weren’t previously mentioned.
We already knew that the new update would allow us to broadcast in HD on Ustream, but the option will be activated for Twitch too. In addition to that, the ability to archive video from your streams will be added (dependent on the service used itself and not natively on the console).
As an added bonus, the video released today shows the chat moved to the side of the stream instead of the current positioning at the bottom, as you can see in the picture above.
Since this last detail was not mentioned in the press release, at the moment it’s unclear whether this will become the new default option, or if there’s a customizable setting. Despite the different positioning, a comparison made in Photoshop reveals that the screen estate occupied by the game remains pretty much the same.
In addition to that Community Manager Chris Owen mentioned on Twitter than more details are coming in response to fans asking if there’s more to the update that we don’t yet know.
More details will be released before the firmware release, yes. All will be revealed soon enough : )
That seems a very clear hint to the possibility that we haven’t seen everything of firmware update 1.7 yet.(Reuters) - While foreign ministers raced to Geneva for a crucial phase of talks over Iran’s nuclear activities earlier this month, passengers with the country’s national airline faced a little-noticed drama on the other side of the world.
A Boeing 747 set to be dismantled is seen in the recycling yard of Air Salvage International (ASI) in Kemble, central England November 27, 2013. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
As a 37-year-old Boeing 747 climbed out of Beijing bound for Tehran, the Iranian crew received a cockpit alert that one of the jumbo jet’s four Pratt & Whitney engines was on fire.
The Iran Air pilots shut the engine down, activated a fire suppression system and flew back to the Chinese capital.
Both the November 8 incident and the actions taken to remedy it, as reported by accident database Aviation Herald, highlight the juggling act needed to keep Iran’s fleet in the air after years of sanctions and challenges in procuring parts.
The relief plane that was dispatched to pick up stranded passengers is not just a jet but a time capsule, symbolizing the 34-year chill in ties between the United States and Iran.
It entered service weeks before the 1979 hostage crisis and is the only original 747-100 jumbo still flying passengers. Its resale value of $60,000 would not pay for fuel for the trip.
For years, aircraft such as these have been kept in service through parts imported on the black market, cannibalized from other planes or reproduced locally, aviation sources say.
Now, following last week’s interim deal to ease a decade-long standoff over Iran’s nuclear activities, Tehran will be allowed limited purchases of aircraft parts and repairs.
The immediate problem Iran faces is that some of its aircraft are so old that parts may not be readily available. The 747-100 was first launched in 1966 and Boeing hasn’t built a new one since 1982.
“The last 747-100 we saw was about 10 years ago,” said Mark Gregory, head of Europe’s largest aircraft recycling company, UK-based Air Salvage International.
On paper, Iran’s need for parts could be a boon for salvage firms and any second-hand stockiest who have had unwanted bits of the oldest types used by Iran accumulating dust for years.
“Everybody is lucky if somebody wants to buy because it is a dead market. These parts don’t sell like fresh bread from the baker,” said Derk-Jan van Heerden, general manager of Netherlands-based Aircraft End-of-Life Solutions (AELS).
Barring a full lifting of sanctions, the volumes involved are not enough to make much difference to the profits of global aerospace firms and parts manufacturers, analysts say.
But the renewal of old business relationships marks the tentative early steps of a process that could, depending on diplomacy, resuscitate a market frozen in time for a decade.
Iran is already indicating that sanctions relief may plant a seed for future aircraft purchases if economic ties are fully restored. Diplomats caution that depends on the uncertain outcome of months of detailed negotiations that lie ahead.
“With the new deal made in Geneva, hopefully we will be able to purchase parts directly from manufacturers and not from middlemen for a higher price,” said a senior Iranian official.
“We are looking forward to the time when sanctions are lifted and then we will purchase 250-400 planes, whether from Boeing or Airbus,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Jetmakers, salvage firms and parts suppliers have responded cautiously and stress nothing can be done without approval. But Iranian officials say people claiming to represent at least one foreign firm have made overtures as the sanctions thaw loomed.
“We will first have to learn about possible changes in the legal situation in detail before we can make any business assessment,” a spokesman for Europe’s Airbus said.
A spokesman for Boeing declined comment.
Van Heerden, who is also deputy director of the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association, said the industry has end-user agreements designed to avoid parts being used illegally.
CUTTING OUT MIDDLEMEN
Last week’s deal calls for licensing of an unspecified quantity of aircraft parts and services for Iran’s fleet.
But the mechanism and timing remain unclear and governments are expected to keep a strict eye on how funds are spent.
“I suspect there will be a tight rein initially on who supplies which parts to Iran. It is in the interests of all the governments and the manufacturers to ensure that there are no issues over the quality of the parts being supplied,” said Bill Cumberlidge, executive director of leasing firm KV Aviation.
Items likely to be closely scrutinized include tail parts for the oldest Boeing 747s, which until 1980 were made with depleted uranium as counterweights, until tungsten took over.
An Iranian airline official said carriers were waiting for news on how and where any unfrozen funds could be deployed.
“The first issue would be that of finance and banking transactions. There are many planes out there but the problem has always been that we cannot buy them,” he said.
The lack of parts has not prevented Iran Air and three others - Iran Aseman Airlines, Kish Air and Mahan Air - from passing safety audits of the International Air Transport Association.
“Many middlemen provided us with aircraft parts and even once one plane, carrying hundreds of parts, landed at (Tehran) Mehrabad airport,” the senior Iranian official said.
“Iran managed to get everything it needed for its airplanes; even some very sophisticated parts.”
But there has been a spate of reported incidents involving items with a limited life such as engines and landing gear, and the cost of running a covert re-supply operation has been high.
Parts that Iran might now seek to buy could cost anything from a few dollars for a tray table to millions of dollars for an engine. Airbus and Boeing may themselves have to scour the second-hand market for parts for old jets they no longer have.
In addition to parts, Iranian airlines also urgently need training, said a Dubai-based consultant whose clients include Iranian carriers. Poor training of Iranian pilots on elderly Russian aircraft was blamed for a series of crashes that killed more than 190 people in 2009, leading the Iranian authorities to clamp down on purchases of Russian equipment, he added.
Iran has an active fleet of 189 passenger aircraft with an average age of 22 years. It also has 76 in storage with an average age of 24 years, says UK aviation consultancy Ascend.
The situation for flag carrier Iran Air is worse. Its 37 active aircraft have an average age of 24 years. Two of its active Boeing 747s have been flying for close to four decades.
Slideshow (13 Images)
The fleet includes some planes for which there are ample parts, such as the Fokker 100 and MD-80. Many have been recently mothballed, making their spares relatively cheap.
Others, like the earliest vintage Boeing 747s and the first Airbus A300 aircraft, depend on a shrinking supply of parts or a steady flow of organ transplants from other “donor” aircraft.
“Ultimately the most cost-effective solution for Iran, when sanctions allow, would probably be to upgrade their fleet. There comes a stage when it becomes impossible to support aircraft because of their age,” Air Salvage’s Gregory said.Well, you’d probably start with quiet negotiations to give both sides maximum room to compromise. And then you’d go back to what Republicans had said about deficit reduction in March, which is that a successful plan would be about 85 percent spending cuts and 15 percent tax increases, and you’d offer them that. Your base wouldn’t like it, of course, but hey, you want a deal.
And let’s say you wanted to cut a deal on health-care reform. Presumably, you’d go back to past health-care reform plans the Republican Party had offered and try to craft something similar. You’d notice that Republicans particularly seemed to like the individual mandate — no surprise, given that they invented the thing — so even though you opposed it during the campaign, maybe you’d add that. Sure, liberals wanted Medicare for All, or an employer mandate, but hey, you want a deal.
Global warming? Well, Republicans came up with cap-and-trade in the 1990s, and in 2007, Newt Gingrich had said he’d “strongly support” extending it to carbon emissions, so that’d be an obvious approach.
It’s possible that none of this would work, of course. Perhaps coal-state Democrats would join with denialist Republicans and fight cap-and-trade. But at least you’d get points for being bipartisan, right?
Wrong. What I’ve described is, of course, the Obama White House’s agenda, which borrows many ideas from the Republican Party of the mid-1990s and early-Aughts, and has not been treated as particularly bipartisan. In my column this week, I wrote that this was, in part, because bipartisanship doesn’t mean what Democrats think it means. A “bipartisan bill” isn’t a bill that includes ideas from both parties. It’s a bill that includes votes from both parties. That’s what Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell means when he says “President Obama needs to decide between his goal of higher taxes, or a bipartisan plan to address our deficit.” A bill that includes ideas from both parties won’t be bipartisan, because Republicans won’t vote for it. A bill that only includes Republican ideas can be bipartisan, because Republicans will vote for it.
But after writing this morning’s post on the Republican report that recommended the exact deficit-reduction package that the Republican leadership ultimately walked out on, I realized that even that definition of “bipartisan” doesn’t quite get it right. Rather, a “bipartisan” bill is a bill that the opposing party treats as bipartisan, while a partisan bill is a bill that the opposing party treats as partisan. That puts the agency where it belongs: on the minority party. The idea that the president can “be bipartisan” is dead wrong. He can be partisan, designing bills that the opposing party would never want to vote for, but he can’t be bipartisan unless the opposing party lets him. And knowing that any reputation he gets for bipartisanship will be used in his reelection campaign, why would they do that?This is potentially good news even if you're not a self-described chip geek: Tegra K1 offers long battery life, just like Samsung's own Exynos chip, but the graphics should be better for things like gaming and interactive websites -- the sorts of rich web apps frequently used in classrooms. And if you've ever used a Samsung Chromebook, you know there's room for improvement there: For all of Samsung's plus points (a crisp display, comfortable keyboard), the Chromebook 2 is relatively sluggish. But will this be more robust than those new Core i3 models we're seeing? That remains to be seen.
On a superficial note, the Chromebook 13 is definitely more basic-looking than the Chromebook 2. Whereas Samsung's model comes kitted out with a fake-leather lid, the Chromebook 13 is made of plain white plastic. It's clear that if Acer made any sacrifices to reach that lower price point, this is it. Then again, this is a perfectly serviceable, if unexciting, design, and the full-sized keyboard is naturally more spacious than what you'll find on Acer's older 11-inch Chromebooks.
The Chromebook 13 is up for pre-order today, starting at $279 with a 1,366 x 768 display, and $299 for the full HD model. Of note: The full HD machine is rated for 11 hours of battery life, compared with 13 for the 1,366 x 768 version. In addition to the US, it will be sold in various European countries, including the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, France, Germany, Russia, Italy, Spain, South Africa and Switzerland. As a heads-up, the Chromebook 13 doesn't have a touchscreen for now, though that could change: When we asked an NVIDIA rep if a touch edition was in the works, he winked and said "That's an interesting idea." Consider it confirmed, folks. Almost.Nine people have been fined after admitting to revealing online the identity of a woman raped by the footballer Ched Evans.
The woman's name was circulated on social networking sites, including Twitter and Facebook, after Evans' conviction, at Caernarfon crown court, in April.
Some of the defendants also abused the victim online, calling her names including "money-grabbing slut" and "poor little victim".
They all claimed they had been unaware that naming her was a criminal offence. The law gives victims and alleged victims of rape and other sexual offences lifelong anonymity.
District Judge Andrew Shaw ordered the defendants to pay the victim compensation of £624 each. The court was told a fine was the maximum penalty the charge could attract.
Shaw said rape was one of the only crimes punishable by a maximum sentence of life. He said: "It's a crime against women which subjects them to the most intimate personal violation."
Each of the defendants had identified the victim, and others had added abuse. "You did so without proper knowledge of the facts and without any heed of the feelings of the victim," he said.
Shaw said the defendants, who were relatives or friends of Evans, had posted the comments with "deliberate malice". He added: "Your actions have re-victimised this woman."
The defendants appeared at Prestatyn magistrates court charged with publishing material likely to lead members of the public to identify the complainant in a rape case, contrary to the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act, 1992.
The defendants from north Wales are: Benjamin Davies, 27, from Rhyl, Michael Ashton, 21, from Llanddulas, Dominic Green, 23, from Rhyl, Craig MacDonald, 26, from Prestatyn, Holly Price, 25, from Prestatyn, and Gemma Thomas, 18, from Rhyl. Paul Devine, 26, Daniel Cardwell, 25, and Shaun Littler, 22, all from Sheffield, also pleaded guilty.
Evans, a former Sheffield United and Wales striker, was found guilty of raping a 19-year-old woman in a Rhyl hotel room. He admitted having sex with her but the woman told the jury she had no memory of the incident, and the prosecution said she had been too drunk to consent to sexual intercourse.
Evans is due to challenge the conviction at the court of appeal on Tuesday.
Nita Dowell, prosecuting, told the court that after Evans' conviction the case had attracted a huge amount of interest nationally and internationally, with 6,000 hits about it on Twitter alone.
Dowell said the victim had been subjected to abuse, and that north Wales police had received numerous complaints from members of the public and groups such as Rape Crisis.
She said the first defendant to identify the victim had been Price, a biology teacher. The court heard she had retweeted a comment that named the victim, and said: "money-grabbing slut. poor little victim. WTF?"
The court heard Price told police she had been an "idiot" and wanted to apologise to the victim.
Green named the victim on his Facebook page. The court was told he accepted his action had been an "act of utter stupidity", and that he had failed to realise the move had been, in essence, a form of publication.
Devine posted a tweet Dowell said was of "particular concern". It read: "She is to blame for her own downfall. Lets find her address."
The court heard Devine was angry as Sheffield United had just lost to MK Dons. The court heard he wanted to apologise to the victim as it had never been his intention to cause her harm.Longtime Woodhaven resident Joy Freiberger didn’t notice the unsolicited realty offers coming to her home that much when she was working — but in retirement, it’s hard not to notice the constant pitches made by real estate agents.
“Their calls are nonstop and the pitching is nonstop,” Freiberger told the Queens Chronicle. “It just doesn’t feel real. You don’t know who’s coming to your home.”
Freiberger is not alone in experiencing this.
The Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association receives numerous complaints of offers landing in homeowners’ mailboxes and some getting an agent walking straight up to their door.
“You can have some that are as often as four, five times a day,” said Martin Colberg, president of the WRBA.
The offers all have the same theme — agents can sell your home for cash, a lot of it. Some of the pamphlets, copies of which were provided to the Chronicle, show comparative sales in the neighborhood.
One such ad, given to the WRBA on Jan. 18, said the realtor had closed 15 deals in five months in Woodhaven and surrounding neighborhoods.
It also reads, “Your house will be next,” seemingly assuming the sale.
Another was simply a white piece of paper with the words “I am interested in buying your house ALL CASH,” with the agent’s name and phone number on it.
Colberg said nobody that he’s heard of has decided to sell a house because of a pamphlet found in the mailbox.
“Not a single one,” he said.
It’s unclear how many offers come to Woodhaven residents’ doorsteps every day — the WRBA depends on residents’ sending them copies to keep track of it, but not everyone does so.
Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven) said he only hears of the issue at the civic’s meetings.
“I don’t really hear about it anywhere else,” he said, adding no other parts of the district seem to be having problems with it.
The issue is nothing new and goes back to at least the 1970’s when |
The 30-minute documentary, "Ralph," from WNED-TV on the life and legacy of the late Buffalo Bills owner Ralph C. Wilson, will get a preview screening at the PBS station on Monday night before airing at 8 p.m. on Dec. 15.
The program from WNED's chief program officer John Grant will deal with Wilson's life and legacy and is funded by New Era Cap Company, with additional support from Five Star Bank.
It is narrated by ESPN's Chris Berman, famous for saying "nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills."
The film originally was scheduled to air Friday but the date was pushed back by production delays.
The preview screening at WNED is free but the station says seating is limited so guests need to RSVP here.
Doors open at 6 p.m. Monday, with the screening starting an hour later.
"Ralph" features archival material and interviews with former Bills Coach Marv Levy, Hall of Famers Thurman Thomas and Jim Kelly, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Wilson's widow, Mary Wilson, long-time Buffalo News sports reporter Vic Carucci and football historian and Bills collector Greg Tranter.
Monday's preview will include a panel discussion with Grant, Thomas and Carucci and comments from Mary Wilson, who will be there. There will be a Q&A afterward.
The Wilson program is being paired on Dec. 15 with another football-related program, "Gridiron Underground," which airs at 8:30 p.m. on that night.
Here is a summary of the Canadian documentary, which has a Syracuse University connection.
"1951. Bernie Custis, a standout quarterback at Syracuse University, has his invitation to play in the national East-West-all-star game rescinded when the organizers discover he is black. At his first pro football camp in Cleveland, he is told that the NFL is not ready for an African-American quarterback. But if his heart is set on playing quarterback, there is a place where he can go. That place is Canada."
Email: [email protected] REVIEWS: HOUSE OF HERMITS
Maguire, Nancy Klein, An Infinity of Little Hours: Five Young Men and Their Trial of Faith in the Western World's Most Austere Monastic Order. New York: Public Affairs, 2006.
The subtitle of An Infinity of Little Hours reveals this book as a mystery story. We are presented with five young aspirants and wonder whom among them will successfully persevere through postulant to novice to solemn profession as a Carthusian monk.
The characters (dramatis personae, as listed in the appendix) are carefully, even meticulously, followed in their daily habits, thoughts, and feelings. The time is 1960 to 1965. The setting is St. Hugh's Charterhouse in West Sussex, England, known as Parkminster, ten acres of enclosed gardens and some seventy buildings, a series of cells attached to the cloister -- a magnificent and atmospheric world. Writes Maguire:
The sheer size, the scale, of Parkminster grabs the soul. Walking through the cloisters gives an unbearably exhilarating, breathless feeling of being in another world, on another planet, in a different reality. The Charterhouse exudes a sense of limitless space and chill. Everything, including its ceremonies, is simple, stark, and austere.
And hovering over the early sixties of our setting is the potential for reform from the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). The Carthusian order, founded in 1084, had remained virtually unchanged since the beginning, in terms of content, authority, and ethos. Thus can the author speak of "pre-1965" Carthusians.
Because the Parkminster ex-monks the author communicated with were brought together under her auspices for the first time since being novices, it is difficult to gauge the pre- or post- prism through which they observed the past and through which they construed the information they volunteered. Is it nostalgia, reminiscence, unvarnished fact? The author only admits to rearranging the chronology a little and to changing the names.
Add to this the martial-like relationship among the former monks observed by the author ("Carthusians are like the U.S. Marines -- once a Carthusian, always a Carthusian...") plus the fact that the author herself is married to an ex-Carthusian, and our perspective on the hermit-monks takes on a more subjective and ambiguous sense. We are dealing with a portrait of a culture frozen in the fifties, on the cusp of a transition, looking at a handful of representatives of that culture who go from aspiring hermit-monks throughout the book to a handful of wistful old men unsure of what it all meant.
The mysteries and paradoxes deepen. Not much is widely known of the history and spirituality of the Carthusian Order, especially at the time these five young men decided to enter it. As tantalizingly mysterious as pre-1958 Buddhist Tibet glimpsed occasionally by outsiders like Alexandra Daivid-Neel, the Carthusians of Parkminster are glimpsed here by Nancy Klein Maguire.
Everything seems paradoxical. The "solemns" or professed monks live apart from the postulants and from the brothers who do their labor. But while professed to emphasize solitude, the monks do spend a lot of time with their fellows, communicating constantly if not verbally. Their tradition of prayer and chant is really not so very mysterious after all, much of it Benedictine, consisting of Gregorian chant, Office (recitation of Matins, Lauds, Prime, etc.) and the like. There seems a lack of consciousness of the special spirituality represented by the Carthusian's hybrid eremitism. For example, the prior confesses to not liking John Cassian. And, like a beneficed medieval monastery that Bruno could not have imagined, Parkminster's economic model is feudal, and the grand artificial setting does not seem conducive to solitude.
"Never reformed because never deformed," ran the order's proud motto. This pride in longevity and tradition is like that of a successful climber to a cool mountaintop; those who would ascend the mountain must give themselves up entirely, doggedly, in a bargain that calls for a clear head and a strong constitution.
The true mystery in this book is what happened to those who went so far and did not make it. What motivated them in the first place and why did they fall, slowly over the course of years, to the point of quitting?
Questions
Because the author's sources are (initially) the ex-monk's correspondence, little background on the intended spirituality of the Carthusian order is explored, and little of its impact on its subjects. Bruno, founder of the order in the twelfth century, was inspired by the classic example of the desert hermits of early Christianity and, perhaps, Romuald of Ravenna, the eleventh-century founder of the Camaldolese Order who personally established hermitages in Spain and Italy (though Maguire does not mention him). Under these models, the hermits lived separately but came together weekly for liturgy and a common meal, perhaps a brief period of fellowship during which they might check on one another's physical and emotional state of being. But the life of solitude with God reigned in their hearts.
The coenobitic model of the Benedictines and their successors had long deviated from eremitism, though it wisely considered being a hermit the pinnacle of spirituality and not the beginning. Bruno tried to integrate being a monk and being a hermit (again, Romuald's example is a precedent). Bruno placed his followers in detached huts within communal grounds, attempting to safeguard the classic solitude of the desert with the minimal survival benefits of a community. What Bruno bequeathed was a stark and rigorous psychological desert fit only for the strongest.
The author tells us that
While acclimating to eleventh-century life, the novices also had to adapt to the most rigorous monastic regime in the Western world; by modern standards, the early monk founders appear to have designed the regime for the purpose of discomforting and disrupting. From the founders' perspective, however, they created customs designed to encourage a life of prayer and meditation.
The regimen was not contrived by its founder to inconvenience. The provision of room and board, tranquility and security would have been a godsend to the intelligent young male of the eleventh century. The cubiculum of the 1960s monk would have been a virtual luxury to millions around the world, certainly today let alone in the Middle Ages. Not bathing for a fortnight, no running water, even two meals a day, are not hardships to many in the world less ascetically inclined. One may daresay that to the solitary they ought not to be even now. But, "by modern standards" this was all new and challenging to the five young men, and the changes of the Vatican Council discussed at the end of the book (hot water any time, etc.) missed the point.
Several of the postulants cited Thomas Merton's Seven Storey Mountain as a strong influence in their decisions to become solitary monks rather than parish priests (all the Parkminster monks were expected to be ordained at their solemn profession). Ironically, Merton himself wanted to leave the too busy Trappists for the more austere and solitary Carthusians, but the public did not learn of this in the fifties.
The five postulants brought their collective culture, socialization, values, and personalities -- in short, their baggage -- into the monastery with them. And perhaps the baggage was too much to successfully leave behind, as in the story of one of the five, Bernie. Bernie, Maguire tells us,
quit college and joined the Trappists in Spenser, Massachusetts. He thought the Trappists had a marvelously balanced life; he had almost everything he wanted. Yet he could not suppress a desire for greater solitude, and after nearly two years, he decided to join the Carthusians.
However, on the voyage to England, Bernie enjoyed a Hollywood movie on shipboard and "fell in love with a glorious young woman" who was a fellow passenger. When he left Parkminster years later, he looked up the woman -- too late, for by then she was married and with children. Who can be convinced that Bernie had a mature "desire for greater solitude," as the author puts it?
The other postulants -- all of them survived the two-year vote by the established monks, entitling them to a simple profession of three more years -- are Paddy, Hans, David, and Chuck. More clues to the postulants' characters are to be discerned along the way: the banal content of letters from home, their tenuous intellectual depth, their undistinguished world view, their physical strength, their degrees of austerities, what makes them peevish, their self-reproaches and haunting memories, their struggles to define God and the spiritual life. All of these factors amounted to baggage that Carthusian spirituality could not overcome.
Was something intrinsically missing in the postulants or in the Carthusian regime? Or does it just take a different psychology, one absent the baggage of superficial society, popular culture, and false expectations? Is psychology more important than spirituality? Is spirituality always beyond the reach of those with psychological impediments? Or were the postulants normal young men who simply lacked an understanding of themselves and their true capabilities? Did their misconceptions about solitude, community, or religious belief fall short? Was the institutional setting that attracted them with its vision of a corporate solitude, its compelling version of spiritual logic, something that failed them or that they failed to understand?
These are the real mysteries, but the author does not really explore them, perhaps not to offend the men she collaborated with in creating the book. One cannot demand that the book to be other than it is, of course. Perhaps these essential questions can be explored in a sequel. In any case, the reader will suspect that the young men who did not make it did not explore the questions, either.
In an ironic way, then, the book is a testimony not only to the five men but to the fate of the Carthusians and the Church at large since the reform of the 1960's. Parkminster's monks numbered one hundred at the beginning of the twentieth century, but the number had dwindled to just sixteen during the period covered by the book. There are doubtless fewer today.
The humane concern over those of the five who left the monastery is touching but sad.
The price of failure... was high. They found isolation in the world much worse than in their cells. Secular humans felt remote to them, and they were remote to others. They had staked their lives on their dreams of being a Carthusian monk. They had no other dreams, no other ambitions.... They had been living in monastic time for five years, but secular time had not stood still for them. While they were in the Charterhouse, the world had changed, mores had changed, even the Catholic Church had changed. Like Rip Van Winkle, they awoke to a foreign world.... They could talk to no one. They were alone, suffering the very harsh price for leaving the Charterhouse.
Yet for those postulants who remained, something obviously worked. Their voices will remain silent and their secret to "success" probably unavailable. So the mystery lingers, on both sides of the Charterhouse walls.
Conclusion
An Infinity of Little Hours is a compelling book to read. Though the format is sometimes weak and redundant, the story is crafted to keep the reader engaged, intrigued, and wondering, long after the book is finished.
¶Check your device model!
Settings -> About device -> Model number. See the third post for exact supported model numbers. If your device is a totally different model, itwork (may even brick)!CF-Root is the root for "rooting beginners" and those who want to keep as close to stock as possible. CF-Root is meant to be used in combination with stock Samsung firmwares, and be the quickest and easiest way for your first root.CF-Root has been available for many devices and has clocked overdownloads. This is not even counting custom ROMs that already include it. Don't be a leech, buy me a beer (and use the "Thanks" button!). Imagine if every CF-Root user has donated me $1...- SuperSU binary and APKrecoveryFlash the CF-Auto-Root package as PDA in ODIN (details on how to do that are in next post), and your device should reboot into a modified recovery (signified by a large red Android logo) and it will installfor you and restore therecovery, and reboot back into Android.If you don't get to the red Android logo, boot into recovery manually ("adb reboot recovery", or boot while holding Power+VolUp+Home).Using this root increases your flash counter. You should run Triangle Away (see below) after rooting to reset the counter. Note that if you want to run custom kernels or custom recoveries, your flash counter will be set to 1 at every boot. Either configure Triangle Away to reset the counter at every boot (Play version only) or only reset the counter when you need to go into warranty.Did you see the red Android logo during rooting, but SuperSU does not appear? This may sometimes occur due to left-over files and settings, however, you can usually install SuperSU from Google Play at this stage and it'll just work. Triangle Away can be used to reset the flash counter after installing CF-Root. The flash counter keeps track of how manyfirmwares you have flashed, as this voids warranty. (No idea what this about? Read up on it, you will want to use this!)As this CF-Root does not include a custom kernel,does not have root access by default (you can still get it by typinginside the shell), nor issupported, nor willandwork on system files. adbd Insecure can be used to remedy this situation. (No idea what this is about? Don't worry about it!)For requests for new roots and generic discussion - please keep device specific discussion in the thread you are viewing now.I have personally moved away from permanent custom recoveries, and I am no longer supporting them. On newer devices they cause flash counter and OTA flashing issues. If you really want one, others do provide versions of CWM and TWRP for most devices. Personally I just use Mobile ODIN to install ZIPs and Titanium Backup for my backup/restore needs. I do always want root though, and as such I'm still supporting CF-Auto-Root as quick way to root.Dancing is one of the oldest, most powerful forms of seduction. When done well it can melt the heart of any man or woman you wish. That's why dance instructors are such vital members of our society. They take the awkward, two-left-footed masses and transform them into gyrating, thrusting love machines. Fortunately for the Albany Area, one of the best in the world lives right in our backyard.
Meet Dancin' Dave, who owns a couple of web sites selling instructional videos on how to dance, with the promise that it will help you to find romance. He is incredibly passionate about cutting a rug, and knows a ton of different dance styles.
His dances start out fairly innocuous, ranging from the Chicken Dance to different types of ballroom dances. Then, things took a turn for the weird when he showed off his more racy side in a club dancing instructional video.
Your friends at Q103 have put together a highlight film for Dancin' Dave, a greatest twists compilation, if you will, in honor of the Albany area's best dancer. Enjoy.Photo by: Robin Scholz/AP Tara McCauley, special projects coordinator at C-U Public Health District, shows her new poster warning of vaping dangers at the public health district in Champaign on Friday, June 30, 2017. Image
CHAMPAIGN — Without any laws to stop the use of e-cigarettes in local public places, the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District is urging businesses to voluntarily adopt their own restrictions to keep their properties vape-free.
At least 300 businesses in Champaign County have added rules against vaping to their own smoke-free policies to date, said Tara McCauley, special projects coordinator for the health district.
"We get calls sometimes from restaurants who ask, do we have to let people vape, and we say, of course not. You can have your own policy," she said.
Unlike cigarette smoking, which was banned in public places under the state's 2008 smoke-free law, vaping remains legal in local bars, restaurants, workplaces and other most other public gathering spots unless cities pass ordinances or private property owners post policies that say otherwise, McCauley said.
The use of e-cigarettes is prohibited on all state-supported college campuses, and a handful of Illinois cities have banned their use in public places.
State law and Champaign and Urbana city smoke-free ordinances were passed before the rising popularity of e-cigarettes, McCauley said.
"That's why we've been working with so many restaurants to develop e-cigarette policies," she said.
Champaign's smoke-free ordinance, passed in 2007, covers only lighted or burning tobacco leaf products, City Attorney Fred Stavins said. Nobody has ever inquired about updating the ordinance to include e-cigarettes, he said.
The health district is concerned about health hazards linked to vaping, especially as e-cigarettes continue to grow more popular among teens and young adults.
Illinois law prohibits the sale of e-cigarettes to minors under 18, but plenty of middle-school and high school students are vaping in area counties, according to Illinois Youth Survey reports from last year. In Champaign County, 9 percent of high school seniors responded that they'd used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days, compared to 4 percent who had used cigarettes.
A Surgeon General's report last year found vaping was growing nationally among high school students, from just over 13 percent in 2014 to 16 percent the following year. Among middle and high school students who had ever used e-cigarettes or who had used them on a past-30-days basis, use nationally had more than tripled since 2011.
The public health district has released a new educational poster of its own warning about vaping health hazards. The poster done by McCauley says e-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among youth in the U.S., but they're "not harmless water vapor."
Studies have found e-cigarette vapor contains toxic chemicals found in formaldehyde, antifreeze, pesticides and heavy metals, and vape has been linked to such health issues as cancer, popcorn lung and bone marrow damage, according to the health district.
Survey says...
In Illinois Youth Survey reports last year, students were asked if they used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days. Responses by county for high school seniors included:
Douglas: 25 percent
DeWitt: 21 percent
Ford: 19 percent
Vermilion: 13 percent
Champaign: 9 percentBEIJING — The failure of Chinese leaders to tackle the problem of excess industrial production has intensified an economic slowdown in the country and threatens to wreak havoc on global markets, a prominent European business association said in a new report on Monday.
Warning that the effects of overcapacity had become “ever more destructive,” the report by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China blamed government policies and recalcitrant officials for inefficiencies across many of China’s major industries, including steel, cement and chemicals.
“Without a sustained effort to address it now, overcapacity may well seriously impede the effectiveness of China’s economic reform agenda,” said Joerg Wuttke, president of the chamber. He said ineffective policies and parochialism among provincial officials had exacerbated the problem.
China has for decades grappled with overcapacity, which occurs when demand for a product falls below what an industry is capable of producing. But the problem has worsened significantly in recent years, as the government has pumped capital into heavy industries like shipbuilding and glassmaking, even as global demand has fallen.What is the universe? Is it a massive wormhole? Are we living in just one of many universes? Is everything actually just a 2D hologram? No one really knows, but scientists are trying to work it out anyway.
Stephen Hawking: Black holes could be passages to other universes
In August, Stephen Hawking said black holes could be one-way passages to other universes. The physicist was talking about the information paradox when he made these comments at a conference at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology. He said objects falling into black holes are not necessarily lost – but could end up in another universe.
"The existence of alternative histories with black holes, suggests this might be possible," he said. "The hole would need to be large and, if it was rotating, it might have a passage to another universe. But you couldn't come back to our universe. So, although I'm keen on space flight, I'm not going to try that. The message of this lecture is that black holes ain't as black as they are painted. They are not the eternal prisons they were once thought. Things can get out of a black hole, both to the outside, and possibly, to another universe."
LHC could prove existence of parallel universes
In March, physicists said the Large Hadron Collider at Cern could be used to prove the existence of parallel universes. Mir Faizal, one of the authors of the study published in Physics Letters B, told Phys.org the detection of mini black holes at a certain energy level could provide such information.
"Normally, when people think of the multiverse, they think of the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, where every possibility is actualised" he said. "This cannot be tested and so it is philosophy and not science. This is not what we mean by parallel universes. What we mean is real universes in extra dimensions.
"As gravity can flow out of our universe into the extra dimensions, such a model can be tested by the detection of mini black holes at the LHC. We have calculated the energy at which we expect to detect these mini black holes in gravity's rainbow [a new theory]. If we do detect mini black holes at this energy, then we will know that both gravity's rainbow and extra dimensions are correct."
We might have bumped into another universe
Caltech cosmologist Ranga-Ram Chary made headlines in October after publishing a paper that said we may have bumped into another universe. While only tentatively making this suggestion, he said he had found a mysterious glow while mapping cosmic microwave background (the light left over from the early universe). In his study, he removed everything from the CMB, such as stars, gas and dust, and while he should have found nothing except noise, he found patches of the sky were 4,500 times brighter than they should have been. He also said they appear to come from just a few hundred thousand years after the Big Bang.
Chary said there was around a 30% chance the fluctuations were nothing out of the ordinary, but added: "It could also possibly be due to the collision of our Universe with an alternate universe whose baryon to photon ratio is a factor of around 65 larger than ours."
Testing the holographic principle
Evidence for the holographic principle is still lacking, although scientists are edging closer to finding ways of testing it (read more from the TU Wien in Vienna here). The idea states we could be living in a 2D hologram – with the universe just appearing 3D to us. Like an image on TV, each 'pixel' could only contain a finite amount of information. When this is applied to the universe, if you zoom in far enough, there would be a limit to the amount of information space-time can contain.
Scientists working on the Fermilab experiment recently announced they had found no evidence of a hologram universe. Their experiment – using the Holometer – looked for tiny fluctuations that would indicate a change to the beam of light they were studying. A fluctuation would indicate a quantum jitter – suggesting a hologram universe. Craig Hogan, one of the scientists involved, said this does not prove the holographic principle does not work. "This is just the beginning of the story," he said.
The Milky Way is just a massive wormhole
In January scientists from the e International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) of Trieste, said the Milky Way could be a huge galactic transport system – or a wormhole. The team combined equations of general relativity with a map of the distribution of dark matter in the Milky Way. Supposing wormholes exist, they said the findings suggest our galaxy could contain a space-time tunnel "and that the tunnel could even be the size of the galaxy itself", study author Paolo Salucci said.
"We could even travel through this tunnel, since, based on our calculations, it could be navigable. Just like the one we've all seen in the recent film Interstellar. Obviously we're not claiming that our galaxy is definitely a wormhole, but simply that, according to theoretical models, this hypothesis is a possibility. In principle, we could test it by comparing two galaxies – our galaxy and another, very close one like, for example, the Magellanic Cloud, but we are still very far from any actual possibility of making such a comparison."Last night, a group of Harvard students kicked off a four-week course dedicated to building skills to take action against Donald Trump’s agenda.
More than 6,500 individuals and groups registered from 50 states and 20 countries for the Resistance School‘s first of four sessions, while 15,000 viewers live-streamed the event.
The course is open to viewers globally, and encourages people to enlist as groups, from full-fledged organizations to potlucks, rather than individuals. “This is a movement moment,” Timothy McCarthy, a Harvard Kennedy School professor who spearheaded the first lecture, told the Crimson. Schools are “places for intellectual exchange, for social transformation, and yes, when necessary, for political resistance,” he said.
Sessions taught by Kennedy School lecturers and political operatives like recently-elected Democratic National Committee Vice Chair Michael A. Blake include “How to Mobilize and Organize our Communities” and “How to Sustain the Resistance Long-Term.” The Kennedy School, where all the founders are students, is the staging ground for lectures but is not formally linked to the project.
Co-founder Joseph L. Breen said the idea came from conversations after the election about how best to stand up to Trump. “We felt like there were a lot of folks who wanted to get involved with political activism but didn’t have the tools to do so,” Breen told the Crimson.
The group is building on a surge in anti-Trump activism, including the Women’s March in January, and a barrage of constituent calls to Congress about everything from Betsey Devos’s appointment as education secretary to the slow dismantling of the Environmental Protection Agency.
The organizing stands counter to pre-election apathy. Only 59% of voters turned up for the US presidential election, slightly more than 2012, but a paltry showing in a highly divisive, ground-breaking race. ”When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty,” the Resistance School’s website says. The group has compared itself to Dumbledore’s Army, the covert group in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series who must mater the dark arts to defeat Lord Voldemort.
McCarthy, whose expertise crosses politics and social movements, kicked off the first lecture with “How to Communicate Our Values in Political Advocacy.” His reading list includes a rich collection of essays, mission statements, and founding documents and articles, ranging from Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address to Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions and “A Vision for Black Lives” (there’s also a values worksheet).
Kennedy School public policy lecturer Marshall Ganz, whose third session covers “How to Structure and build Capacity for Action,” told the Crimson for him the class is about more than just resistance. “It is about turning this into an opportunity to renew our politics.”
Correction (April 6): This post was updated to reflect new figures about the online audience for the school’s first event. The group’s Facebook page says 43,000 people viewed the session, but that is not necessarily how many people streamed it in its entirety.Justin’s note: Yesterday, Casey Research founder Doug Casey and I discussed the opioid crisis that’s spreading across the country like a virus.
Today, Doug and I pick up that conversation. But this time, Doug shares his thoughts on the militarization of US police departments. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did.
Justin: Doug, yesterday you called out anti-drug lawmakers, or what you called “drug warriors,” for their immense hypocrisy and stupidity. But what about the growing number of “warrior cops” who seem to view the United States as their own personal battleground?
Time to buy old US gold coins
Doug: I started writing about the militarization of American police back in the 1990s, when it started happening in earnest. And it’s very disturbing, because the way a solider deals with the enemy is necessarily quite different from the way the police are supposed to deal with citizens.
The US has these numerous continuing wars around the world, so they wind up with lots of spare military equipment. And what to do with it? They bring it home and give it to the police because they think it might be helpful. And then, driving APCs and wearing body armor, the police get the wrong idea.
Furthermore, all the military vets—many of whom have extra y chromosomes, as do most police generally—like the idea of wearing a uniform and like the idea of carrying a gun and giving and taking orders. They’re preferred hires for police forces. But they shouldn’t be, because you inevitably pick up bad habits, and inappropriate skills, hanging out in a war zone.
All these things compound upon the other. It’s a very bad trend. I see no reason why that trend is going to turn around. In fact, I expect it to accelerate, especially as the economy turns downhill and people become more restless and the Deep State feels that the plebs have to be kept under control. So, yeah, it’s a trend that’s been accelerating for several decades. And it’s going to keep accelerating until some type of a crisis blows it all up.
Justin: Yeah, I can only imagine how much US police departments will up the ante when the next financial crisis arrives.
Doug: That’s right.
Another key distinction here is that there are two ways police can relate to society. One is as peacekeepers, and the other is as law enforcers. Keeping the peace just makes sure that the bad elements of society don’t become violent or don’t violate other people’s rights to life and property—that’s basically it. That’s what a peace officer does. Other than that, he keeps his nose out of everybody’s business.
But the people in today’s police aren’t brought up to think that way. They’re indoctrinated to think in terms of law enforcement—totally different thing. Because there are thousands and thousands and thousands of laws—federal, state, local—and they’re supposed to enforce them all; it has nothing to do with keeping the peace. This is another bad trend which is bound to accelerate.
Justin: It’s scary to think how much more militarized US police departments could become. They already have grenade launchers and armored personnel carriers, after all. And now, the state of Connecticut wants to give its police officers drones that fire missiles. What could they possibly want next?
Doug: Yeah, what could possibly go wrong? It’s one reason why I’m actually quite happy to be living kind of off the grid in a rather remote place in Argentina. These things aren’t even being imagined, much less happening, down here. It really seems like every trend, every single trend in the US, is going the wrong way. It’s completely out of control.
Where will it end? Science fiction has always been a much, much better predictor of the future than any think tank. A couple of movies come to mind. One is Running Man, 1987, now 30 years ago, with Arnold Schwarzenegger. In it, Arnold plays a cop righteously hunting down accused miscreants, for the amusement of the hoi polloi. Their trial and punishment was basically a game show. It anticipates the direction of today’s shows like Cops and Bad Boys. These shows always make the cops out as upstanding heroes. The offenders are generally lower-middle-class whites, for drug violations, and not blacks—that would be too politically incorrect.
In Total Recall, 1990, they deal with the subject of pre-crime—predicting who is likely to commit what felony, and taking preemptive action. In fact, neuroscientists are making great strides to determine pre-crime. Very disturbing—you’d better look, act, and think like a good little lamb to avoid being locked up.
And then, of course, Orwell’s 1984 and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Things are evolving in the direction of both books, simultaneously.
Justin: Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Doug.
Doug: My pleasure.
Reprinted with permission from Casey Research.BEIJING (Reuters) - The need for an EU-China investment agreement is urgent and would be the easiest way for Chinese President Xi Jinping to meet pledges of making China’s economy open to the world, European Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen said on Monday.
European Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen attends a session during the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China May 14, 2017. Picture taken May 14, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer
Xi promised $124 billion on Sunday for his new Silk Road plan, which aims to bolster China’s global leadership ambitions by expanding infrastructure between Asia, Africa, Europe and beyond.
China has used the initiative to help portray its economy as open to the world, distinct from a rising wave of global protectionism, as U.S. President Donald Trump promotes an “America First” policy.
Hosting world leaders on the second day of a two-day summit in Beijing, Xi said on Monday that it was crucial for his signature foreign policy and global development plan to “reject protectionism”.
“President Xi has repeated this message several times now, and it is a good sign, and we want to help him deliver. The easiest way to deliver what he has said is to speed up EU-China investment agreement negotiations,” Katainen, the head of the European Union’s delegation to the meeting, told Reuters.
Such an investment deal is “urgently needed” to boost business links between the two sides, Katainen said in an interview on the sidelines of the summit.
China and the EU are set to hold their own summit in Brussels in early June, during which the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) currently under negotiation will be a central focus.
Katainen said more Europeans were demanding that China give EU businesses access to its market in the way that EU markets were open to Chinese investment.
“People in Europe are just asking for reciprocity. Nothing more,” Katainen said.
“Something must change now. Also, taking into account what President Xi has said, it would be not that encouraging if the (EU-China) summit would not deliver even though the political will has been expressed so directly several times,” he said.
Katainen said Europe wanted to see “concrete, measurable outcomes” from investment talks, adding that he could imagine “results” within a year if Beijing could show strong enough political will to make market access offers.
Despite China’s pledges to remove market barriers, the government has faced increasingly fervent criticism from foreign business groups and governments alike. They say Beijing has done little to address discriminatory policies that favor Chinese companies.Syrian government forces seized control of a key neighborhood of Homs on Monday, activists and state media said, delivering a blow to besieged opposition fighters in the city once dubbed “the capital of the revolution.”
Rebels had retreated from about 95 percent of the Khaldiyeh neighborhood by midday Monday after a morning air raid that was followed by bombardment with surface-to-surface missiles and mortar shells, activists said. Syrian state television went further and said government forces had “restored security and stability” to the area.
The fall of the neighborhood, which had been in rebel hands for more than a year, marks a strategic loss for the opposition, slicing in two the remaining rebel-controlled territory in the city. It also builds on a steady string of government gains in central and southern Syria, where the tide seems to have turned in favor of President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, bolstered by militants from Iran and Lebanon’s Shiite Hezbollah movement.
Government troops made inroads into Khaldiyeh over the weekend. They took the 13th-century Khalid ibn al-Walid mosque on Saturday, and its shrine was severely damaged in the fighting.
The operation has taken a devastating toll, leveling large areas of Khaldiyeh. Photographs of government forces moving into the neighborhood showed the level of destruction as soldiers picked their way through battered streets piled with rubble. An aerial image distributed Monday by activists, who said it was taken by a downed surveillance aircraft, showed flattened buildings |
the worse of everybody. NASCAR does everything it can to make our cars as safe as possible but things happen and his car looked the most damaged of everybody. One of these times these accidents isn't going to go well for me. I've been very fortunate but one of these times it won't go well."
Track safety workers cut the roof off of the No. 43 Ford and were able to remove Almirola from the car. Almirola was complaining of back pain following the accident. Almirola has been air-lifted to the University Kansas Medical Center for observation.
Logano and Patrick were treated and released from the Infield Care Center.
"All of us took a hard hit. Something broke on the car - I don't know what it was. I noticed it going in (to the turn) and tried to back off but you're going 215 (mph). I took a hard left. I just hope everyone is OK. I hooked Danica. I haven't seen the replay (until now). don't know what happened. The right-front popped and I took a hard left. I hope Aric is alright. That's the last thing you want to see is a big hit like that for anyone.
"It came out of nowhere. Everything was fine and I just took a hard one. I'm praying for Aric right now. I hate to to be the part that started it but there was nothing I could have done. Something broke and we tore up a lot of cars."Viz Media announced at its Otakon panel on Friday that it has licensed Inio Asano's manga Goodnight Pun Pun (Oyasumi Punpun) and will publish the first volume in 2016.
In the story, Punpun is an ordinary young boy whose age of innocence has reached its end after his father is arrested for spousal abuse. With his uncle looking after him Punpun grows into adulthood facing a series of events which change him, for better or worse, forcing him to contemplate just what it means to be an adult.
Asano ended the series in Shogakukan's Weekly Big Comic Spirits magazine in November, and Shogakukan published the series in 13 compiled volumes. The manga received a Jury Recommendation at the 13th Japan Media Arts Festival Awards in 2009.
Viz Media has published Asano's previous series Solanin and What a Wonderful World!, and Fantagraphics Books published Asano's Nijigahara Holograph horror manga.
Viz Media also announced that it will publish Takeshi Obata's art book Blanc et Noir in 2016. The book will get just one printing in hardcover.
The Japanese version shipped in Japan in 2006. Obata drew the art for Death Note and Hikaru no Go. Since putting out the art book he has provided art for Ral Ω Grad, Bakuman., All You Need Is Kill, and Gakkyu Hotei: School Judgment.When French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni, sit down for dinner with the Obamas in the White House family dining room March 30, it will be a rare occasion for Barack Obama: a private, personal, perhaps even chatty evening with another world leader.
Fourteen months into the Obama presidency, one striking feature of an American president who took office to a swooning world is the absence of any strong personal ties – or even a go-to working relationship – with any other world leader. Where Ronnie had Maggie, and Bill and even George W. had Tony, Mr. Obama has no one leader. Instead, the former law professor has what seems to be a preference for big-themed foreign speeches (think Cairo; Prague, Czech Republic; Moscow; Accra, Ghana) and policy gatherings (his UN nuclear summit, the Pittsburgh Group of 20 economic summit, a White House nuclear nonproliferation summit in May) bereft of the warm and fuzzy.
A dinner chat with Sarkozy
Even the Sarkozy dinner seems to be more an amendsmaker than a familiar, "Hey Sarko, why don't you come on over for dinner and some one-on-one conversation?" When the Obamas were in Paris last year, Obama turned down a dinner invitation to the Elyseé Palace, ostensibly so he could take Michelle out for a private night on the town.
Obama's cool, all-business demeanor with his global peers is all the more striking because it follows the polar-opposite style of George W. Bush. President Bush's policies were widely reviled overseas, and he was not particularly articulate. But he strove to forge personal links with a few key leaders. He cultivated Tony Blair's friendship on Iraq, and he developed a hierarchy of visit venues – White House, Camp David, his Texas ranch – that signaled where a leader stood in his estimation. He walked hand in hand with the Saudi king, and even tried massaging German Chancellor Angela Merkel's shoulders – although the latter gesture fell particularly flat.
Bush's comment about "looking into his soul" upon meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested a desire to know and understand the leader, whereas Obama has yet to find his soul mate on the world stage – and may not be inclined to find one.
No special relationship
"It really is striking about Obama: Most presidents have had a special or close relationship with a foreign leader they could turn to," says Thomas Henriksen, a US foreign-policy scholar at the Hoover Institution in Stanford, Calif. "But it appears to be his nature or personality, the so-called no-drama-Obama thing."
Others link the dearth of leader-level friendships to Obama's personality as well.
"There is a stylistic difference from George W. Bush that is notable," says Stephen Hess, an expert on the US presidency at the Brookings Institution in Washington. "Obama turns out to be much more cool, in McLuhanesque terms of cool and hot," he adds, referring to the Canadian media philosopher Marshall McLuhan.
The question is, does it matter? Mr. Hess is inclined to play down the importance of what he surmises may be a media fixation, saying leaders in the end act on behalf of their own countries. "Each head of state is ultimately and overwhelmingly operating based on interests" – his own and his country's, he says.
Hess, who served in the Eisenhower White House, recalls that President Eisenhower had "a deep affection" for British Prime Minister Anthony Eden. "But when it came to the Suez crisis [of 1956], he had to cut [Eden] down at the knees. Friendship or no," Hess adds, "he did what he had to do."
But others say leader-to-leader friendships can provide important moral support, a valuable sounding board outside the White House cocoon – and have bucked up more than one president in a moment of crisis.
Thatcher stiffened Bush's backbone
"When Margaret Thatcher told the first President Bush, 'Now don't go wobbly on me George,' it might have stiffened his backbone a little precisely because it was a friend saying it," says Hoover's Mr. Henricksen, referring to a remark the British prime minister famously made to Bush in the run-up to the Gulf War.
Henricksen also notes that French President Sarkozy, who has tried in more ways than last year's spurned dinner invitation to cultivate a close relationship with Obama, has refused to send additional troops to Afghanistan despite the American president's request.
"Who knows if Sarkozy would have made the same decision if he hadn't suffered some of these slights on the part of Obama," he says. "What it comes down to is that relationships do matter."
Some foreign-policy experts see something even deeper in Obama's aloofness toward European leaders in particular.
Is Obama interested in Europe?
"There's a general concern among European leaders that America under Obama is not interested in Europe," says Reginald Dale, a senior fellow in the Europe program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies here. "More striking still is a dawning perception that Obama is the first [postwar] American president not to take on the role of leader of the West," Mr. Dale says. "He's just president of the United States."
But those deeper concerns start with what might seem to be the mundane, Dale says – the lack of a rapport with any Western leaders, a White House "regret" that attending a US-Europe summit later this spring will not be possible, Obama's focus on Asia and his declaration in Tokyo last year that he sees himself as America's "first Pacific president."
Dale says he still has ringing in his ear the words of a senior European diplomat, who recently told him, "[Obama] talks to his enemies. Why can't he talk to his friends?"
Those words struck Dale as a cry of concern rooted in Obama's neglect of America's core allies. "Obama is demonstrating a different vision of the world by paying significantly more attention to China, Russia, and also India and Brazil," he says. "Even in a multipolar world you'd think it would make more sense to have a community of Western allies defending their own interests," he adds, "but you're not going to do that by snubbing your old friends."The iconic Sam the Record Man sign will go back on display near its original Yonge St. home later this year, Ryerson University announced Wednesday. Ryerson, which is responsible for the process of restoring and reinstalling the famous piece of Toronto history atop the Toronto Public Health building on the east side of Yonge-Dundas Square, has now chosen a company to do the refurbishment.
The neon sign that formerly graced Sam the Record Man on Yonge St. will be installed on a nearby building later this year, Ryerson University said Wednesday. ( Andrew Stawicki / Toronto Star file photo ) An artist rendering of what the Sam the Record Man sign would look like after it's restored hanging above Dundas Square. ( Ryerson University ) An artist rendering of what the Sam the Record Man sign would look like after it's restored hanging above Dundas Square.
Sunset Neon will start working this spring, and move the sign to its new home over the summer. The neon sign, a 15-metre by 11-metre behemoth featuring two large records with spinning lights, hasn’t been on public display since 2008, when it was taken down from the former site of the late Sam Sniderman’s Toronto music shop on Yonge St. a block north of Dundas St.
Sam Sniderman, also known as Sam the Record Man, is shown here in a Feb. 6, 1976 Toronto Star file photo. ( Graham Bezant )
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“We’ve had a stellar day today,” his son Bobby Sniderman told the Star’s Laura Beeston. “I just really couldn’t have asked for more. It looks great. It’s a great location. I think this will really be a positive thing for anyone whoever went in the store or bought a record and has great memory of Sam’s. “My father would be really thrilled. He would be very, very happy. It was one of his life-long desires. This site is a better home for it.”
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The store’s former location is now home to Ryerson’s Student Learning Centre. When the university bought the site, council designated the sign a piece of city heritage, making Ryerson responsible for its preservation. Ryerson was originally supposed to display the sign on its modern, glassy new building. But after it had already been stored away at an undisclosed location, the school said the sign would clash with the design of the Student Learning Centre, and asked to be released from the agreement.
A rendering of one possible location of the Sam the Record Man sign at Yonge-Dundas square.
Council asked for a new plan, and in 2014, backed a proposal to place the sign on top of the Toronto Public Health building on the east side of Yonge-Dundas Square — a spot just around the corner from its original home. Although there was some concern the building could be sold, council voted to ensure that any future sale would include an agreement to preserve and maintain the sign.
In February, 2016, Ryerson began restoring the long-beloved sign to its former glory, and opened up the process for bids to install it.
Then Ryerson president Sheldon Levy in front of the old Sam The Record Man storefront in 2008. The store’s former location is now home to Ryerson’s Student Learning Centre. When the university bought the site, council designated the sign a piece of city heritage, making Ryerson responsible for its preservation. ( Aaron Lynett )
“We are very pleased to announce the iconic Sam the Record Man signs, with their spinning neon discs, will once again illuminate downtown Toronto,” said Ryerson president and vice-chancellor Mohamed Lachemi. “We’re very thankful to the City of Toronto and the Sniderman family for their ongoing support and patience.”
Sunset Neon is a Hamilton-based company that also created the signs on Ryerson’s downtown campus. Other clients include Dairy Queen, the TIFF Lightbox and Mobilicity.
Read more about:Whether you are looking to work remotely or meet up with a friend, finding cool cafes in Bangalore with free WiFi can be tough. Using WiFire you’ll be able to connect at all Starbucks locations around the city, but there are also many hidden gems worth checking out.
From upscale bistros to student-friendly hangouts, here is our list of the top 10 cafes in Bangalore with free WiFi:
1) Cup O’ Joe (Koramangala)
Source: Towntrends
Take advantage of the pleasant Bangalore weather with Cup O’ Joe’s open-air rooftop. Known for its reliable WiFi and proximity to plenty of other great restaurants in Koramangala, Cup O’ Joe is a common hangout spot for both students and young professionals in the area.
Address: 483, 1A Cross Road, Koramangala 5th Block
2) Cuppa (Indiranagar)
Source: Cuppa
Just off the main vein of 100 Feet Road, Cuppa is a laid-back coffeeshop that boasts an impressive list of finger foods and international espressos. The outdoor section is more social and allows smoking, so most people looking to get work done will sit indoors.
Address: 73, 3rd Main, Defence Colony, 100 Feet Road, Indiranagar
3) Cafe Buzzinga (Whitefield)
Source: Thrillophilia
This open-air cafe is situated within a charming plaza just off of Old Airport Road. Upon entering, you immediately notice its brightly-colored walls and trendy outdoor seating in the shade of a large tree. Definitely one of Bangalore’s best outdoor cafes.
Address: Lake View Farm, Next to Shell Petrol Station, Ramagondanahalli, Whitefield
4) The White Room (Church Street)
Source: Chowhound
In the ground floor of the upscale High Gates Hotel, The White Room is a posh English-style restaurant and cafe on one of Bangalore’s most happening streets. In addition to free WiFi, they offer excellent continental food options and an extensive list of fine coffee and tea.
Address: #33, High Gates Hotel, Church Street
5) Coffee on Canvas (Koramangala)
Source: TripAdvisor
Tucked away in a corner of Koramangala, Coffee on Canvas has a friendly ambiance and an open layout that provide a relaxing coffeeshop experience. Lounge around in bean bags, play board games with friends and grab a snack at affordable prices.
Address: 84, ST Bed Layout, 4th Main, Koramangala 4th Block
6) Art Blend Cafe (HSR Layout)
Source: GroupTable
This quaint cafe nestled in the bylanes of HSR Layout used to be a house, creating an environment that makes you feel right at home as you enter. With art decorating the walls and friendly staff, it is a great place to stop by for a free WiFi connection and a bite to eat if you’re in the neighborhood.
Address: 659, 24th Main, 22nd Cross, 2nd Sector, Near Parangi Palya Bus Stop, HSR Club Road, HSR Layout
7) Caffe Pascucci (JP Nagar)
Source: GroupTable
Its decor and menu are inspired by a modern Italian cafe, without the crazy Italian prices! Both its JP Nagar and Jayanagar branches are relatively quiet, which makes them a great place to peacefully get some work done over a cup of espresso and authentic Italian food.
Address: 690/A, 15 Cross Road, 14th Main Road, Phase II, J P Nagar, Jeewan Griha Colony, 2nd Phase, J P Nagar
8) The Yogisthaan Cafe (Indiranagar)
Source: Yogisthaan Cafe
Yogisthaan is a peaceful cafe attached to a yoga studio and bed-and-breakfast in the leafy side-streets of Indiranagar. Its menu features a wide array of tasty organic food, from fresh smoothies to healthy sandwiches, and it has plenty of comfortable seating (including a hammock) to sit back and enjoy the ambiance.
Address: 89, 11th Cross, 1st Stage, Indiranagar
9) Atta Galatta (Koramangala)
Source: Telegraph India
If you want to escape the noise of the city, Atta Galatta is the perfect place. The cozy bookstore-cum-cafe offers cheap coffee and a variety of tasty baked treats from their in-house bakery. It also has a large selection of books to read, as well as frequent arts events and community workshops to enjoy.
Address: 134, KHB Colony, Koramangala 5th Block
10) Matteo Coffea (Church Street)
Source: Matteo Coffea
This large coffee shop in the heart of Central Bangalore offers a comfortable resting place for shoppers at the nearby Commercial Street. With free WiFi for the first two hours and plenty of space to spread out, Matteo Coffea is a great place to nestle into a comfortable chair and enjoy the afternoon.
Address: 2, Church Street, Bangalore
Check out the WiFire app to automatically connect at these 10 cafes and many other public WiFi hotspots around the city — no passwords or filling out webforms. Happy surfing!
WiFire on Android is transforming public WiFi experiences and the app will shortly be available on iOS as well. Sign up as a beta tester and experience an exclusive preview of WiFire on iOS.He left his job at a pharmaceutical company in the capital's Mirpur area one and a half months ago to set up a yaba factory himself.
A chemist and a graduate in chemistry, Jasim Uddin wanted to be rich overnight. But he ended up in jail, as he along with his four accomplices was arrested on Wednesday, detectives said.
The four others are -- Syed Tarikul Islam Sumon, 27, a former colleague of Jasim; Ali Akbar, 28; Zubayer Hossain Jewel, 28; Kirti Azad alias Tutul, 37.
The 32-year-old man from Comilla's Laksham had collected equipment necessary to produce the contraband pills, detectives said, adding that Kirti Azad rented a flat at Mirpur-2 to set up a factory there.
Tipped off, a team of Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police raided the flat at night and arrested them along with 500 pieces of yaba tablets, and seized yaba-manufacturing equipment and chemicals, said Abdul Baten, joint commissioner (DB) of DMP.
Briefing reporters at the DMP media centre yesterday, the police official said the arrested people had a target to produce 50,000 pieces of yaba tablets per hour.
“But the factory was busted before it could go into production. It was a major attempt to produce yaba in the city,” he said.
Though the contraband pills are smuggled into the country from Myanmar through Teknaf border, drug traders tried several times to set up factories in the capital.
In August 2014, detectives arrested four alleged yaba traders who tried to bring in equipment to set up a factory in the capital's Banasree area. In October 2007, Rab arrested Amin Huda, known as one of the top drug barons in Bangladesh, and busted his factory in Gulshan.
A DB official preferring anonymity told The Daily Star that Jasim, who completed masters in chemistry from a private university in Chittagong, made the whole plan six to seven months ago.
He convinced his trusted former colleague Sumon who managed the three others, said the official.
Jasim collected one of the machines for Tk 3 lakh from a pharmaceutical company in Comilla where he worked until he got a job in Dhaka eight years ago, the official added.
Police said the value of the equipment seized from the flat is worth Tk 10 lakh. The money was given by a businessman whom the police are now looking for. The equipment was made in China but assembled in Bangladesh.
Police, however, did not reveal the identity of the businessman.
The seized equipment would be sent to a laboratory for chemical tests, police said.
“They had a plan to sell the pills at lower than street price, as they wanted to manufacture the tablets in the country instead of bringing those in from Myanmar facing difficulties,” a police official who interrogated them told The Daily Star.
DB officials said except Jasim, the four others were unemployed.
A case was filed with Mirpur Police Station under the Narcotics Control Act yesterday.
A Dhaka court yesterday granted a three-day police remand for Jasim, a two-day for Sumon and a one-day remand each for three others.Mad Men wrapped up the first half of its seventh season last weekend. I had a long conversation with the series creator, Matthew Weiner, who also co-wrote and directed the final episode, about, well... all sorts of things. Read on if you’re curious about Weiner’s thoughts on directing musicals, Stanley Kubrick, Mark Twain, computers, cave paintings, Neil Armstrong, and writing the very final episode of the series, which he just completed but which, alas, we will have to wait until next year to watch. Apologies in advance, however, dear reader: I forgot to ask about the symbolism of Ginsberg's nipple.
__ A lot of attention has rightly been paid to Robert Morse’s performance in, but I wanted to ask about directing it. As far as I know, you’ve never directed a musical number before, right?__
Matthew Weiner: Right!
*VF Hollywood:*There were a couple of really nice touches in [Bert Cooper’s musical number] (http://www.vanityfair.com/vf-hollywood/robert-morse-mad-men-dance), like the way, as Bert starts singing, a secretary crosses in front of him, just going about her business, like on a completely separate, normal plane from this fantasy that’s developing behind her.
I wanted the reality to be broken in a really gentle way. So I had the dancers crossing like they were just extras on the show and then Bobby singing the first piece a capella and then easing into the dancing and the music. Then at the end, there’s the moment of getting back to reality, when there’s another cross [right after the office door shuts on Bert at the end of his number]. I used to have a secretary cross and one of the writers from behind the monitor ran out to me and said it should be a guy. There was something about that man walking through it, and our sound crew really beefed up his footsteps, that really brought Don back to reality
There was also one particularly nice camera movement, where you dolly back as Bert and the dancers moved down the hallway. That was a nice little MGM moment.
I like using traditional form, because I don’t want the camera to distract. And when you do a musical number like this my feeling is, you want to see that somebody—especially, honestly, somebody Bobby’s age [83]—you want to see he’s really dancing. You don’t want it to be like cutting away to someone else’s hands when a character is supposed to be playing the piano.
There wasn’t that much real estate [on the set] but we wanted to have a little bit of a musical flourish [with the camerawork] because we figured this is in Don’s mind, and Don knows the [movie musical] form that he’s seeing. But I didn’t want to have streamers and top hats like that. I wanted it be very much in the world that we’re in, so just slightly pushing back to cover Robert, captured that. I don’t know if I first saw it in West Side Story—you remember them snapping their fingers and walking toward the camera?—but anything coming towards you in a dance number is very exciting.
Or Singin’ in the Rain. I always feel like the camera itself was dancing with Gene Kelly.
Oh, Singin’ in the Rain! My god, yes. But let’s not get out of control here. [Laughs] I’m at the tinker-toy version of that!
I want to talk about 2001: A Space Odyssey, which was referenced in the season’s fourth and fifth episodes. That’s probably my all-time favorite film, certainly the one I’m most obsessed with.
It’s important to me too. I’ve got to tell you, the title of that episode is “The Monolith.” It’s such a cool thing to me that people even know what the titles of episodes are. When I started off in TV, the only time you’d hear titles was at awards shows. But anyway, Erin Levy, who wrote that, likes 2001, but she did not intend a reference in that manner. She just meant monolith literally, as a big stone object that people pray to. When I talked to her about it, like, “Oh, 2001,” that wasn’t what she was thinking. She was like, “Oh, right.” But the idea that the computer is this big thing is great. I was perfectly happy with that [parallel]. The HAL callback for the computer room in episode 5, from Ginsberg’s point of view [where he lipreads, or thinks he lipreads, Jim and Lou’s conversation], that to me is about somebody who has seen the movie. Ginsberg has seen the movie.
By Michael Yarish/AMC
I was amused by the implications of that scene, because in my reading of the movie—not that this is original to me—but HAL is the only character in the film who has any recognizably human emotions. So I thought it was interesting that you gave Ginsberg HAL’s point of view in that shot, because it implied to me that Ginsberg too, even though he’s nuts, is maybe feeling more than other people show, that he’s the one with some real passion.
That’s a very beautiful version of that story. But I look at HAL, and I love that movie—but that’s a horror-movie moment. That moment is the ultimate paranoia of the killer. It’s right before the act break, and it’s got that scary musical interlude, with Ligeti music. To me, it’s all paranoia. But yeah, HAL does have feelings. Watching that movie with little kids—I have four boys—I thought they would really be bored by it because it’s so slow and deliberate and it doesn’t have an obvious structure because it’s in so many pieces. But it became one of their favorite movies. And I’ve watched each one of them over the years, as they’ve gotten to a certain age, become very interested in it a way that’s very fascinating. My youngest is 10 now, and he saw it last year and he’s very into space travel and astronomy actually, and I said to him, “What do you think the ending meant? What do you think that was?” And he said, “I think that he became something else.” And I was like, Oh my god, I think that’s what it is.
Well, that brings me back to the season’s 2001-ness, because aside from the computer, I thought the “Monolith” episode was talking about Don’s own transition, becoming a new man, or at least a new and improved Don.
I wanted to say a couple things with that episode. Number one, the people at the time are completely aware that the computer is a symbol. It hasn’t been said in a while because we love our computers so much and we love our phones so much and there’s so much entertainment on them, but [with the computer] there has been a reconfiguring of the hierarchy of humanity where we are under that. And I’m not being a Luddite, I’m just saying there was a re-conception of the world as the computer came in. And everyone at the time was quite aware of it. It’s not just from science fiction movies. The computer is immediately seen, as a guy says in the show, as a metaphor for what people were afraid of.
What is more interesting to me is that we were also trying to tell the story of The Mysterious Stranger [Mark Twain’s final, unfinished novel in which Satan’s nephew comes to Earth and Twain evinces a fairly pessimistic view of human nature], which is, the devil comes and gives you what you want, but you have to accept the limitations that come with that. The Mysterious Stranger was never finished by Twain—there’s like 50 versions of it. But there is one beautiful scene that’s in all of them where the mysterious stranger is playing with humanity. And we loved the idea that Don was being tempted by something he was not part of anymore—a new business, a success, just the old Don. Alcohol. And he had a chance and he calls the right person [Freddy Rumsen, who gives Don a verbal kick in the ass] and he doesn’t mess it up.
Let’s talk about the last episode and the moon landing. You really emphasized how precarious and dangerous and touch-and-go it was in the moment.
That’s what I get to do on the show—just remind people that no one knew it was going to work. And it was strange because there was a race to [get to the moon], they knew that was the mission, and yet they did not know what the surface of the moon was. In fact, on the audio, the first thing Neil Armstrong does, when he’s still on the ladder, he dips his toe in the sand and he says it feels solid and powdery. They didn’t know if it could be quicksand and they would be swallowed up in it. They didn’t know if they would make it back. There’s a great memo you can find somewhere on line, from William Safire [then a White House speechwriter], that he wrote for Nixon and Agnew of what they should say if the mission didn’t work out. I love that we get to recreate that part.
But the part that I’m proudest of in the way we did the moon landing is that it was a chance to recapture that sound [of the actual moon-landing transmission] and those tableaus of so many people watching TV together. Obviously it’s super personal—I was four years old; what do I remember?—but the one at the Francis house, with the kid on the floor stretched out, was so evocative to me of my childhood.
Maybe too evocative. I think I had that kid’s striped pants.
It was fun to do it without any music [on the soundtrack], with just the characters watching. It’s one of the things about the big historical events that we cover on the show, where I’m like, Am I really going to be the 800th person to deal with this moment? And then I say, you know, the characters are going to live through it, and because we know them, we’re going to get a moment.
The cast really nailed it, conveying the awe and wonder people felt, but I would think, from an actor’s standpoint, that’s actually really hard to pull off, sitting on a couch and just reacting to something for so long.
We do everything we can to help them, and I believe in actor’s imaginations, but there are no empty suitcases on Mad Men. We actually showed them the footage and I shot a lot of those scenes and played [Debussy’s] “Clair de Lune” while they were watching it. I have an a capella version of “Clair de Lune” I played over the shots, and it gives the actors all unique expressions and emotions. They can fake it—we did a couple of takes where I didn’t play the music—but it really did give a mood to the scene.
I understand you’ve just finished the script for the series finale—the final final episode.
I wrote the finale over Memorial Day weekend. I had an outline that the writer’s room and I had been working on for the past four or five weeks, so that always makes it easier to actually get it done, but it was great to finish it. I’ll be tweaking it and directing and working through that, so it’s not complete release because it’s not really done until it goes on the air. But yeah…. [long pause] it was a pretty strange experience. I don’t really have words for it. It hasn’t sunk in. Just the idea that you’re finished with writing for a while in itself is mind-blowing. It’s my first little piece of withdrawal from the ridiculous miracle that was getting to do this show. But now I have all the anxiety of, is this the right ending?
I read in an interview with Jon Hamm that several years ago you told him you knew what the final scene or image of the show would be. Did you stick to that?
Yep. That’s what we did. You’ll see if it’s that interesting when you get to it, or if it’s anything particularly remarkable, but yeah. I sort of knew where Don’s story was going when I started [the show], in a way, but what would actually be the manifestation of the last few minutes of the show, or what the lasting image would be, that was something that came to me between seasons 4 and 5, like right during my negotiations [with Lionsgate and AMC to continue the show, which turned nasty at one point]—that terrible negotiation—and I told Jon about it when I knew we were going back to work. And I followed through on it! You have to take my word for that.EXCLUSIVE: Vince Vaughn will move from the HBO series True Detective to Hacksaw Ridge, the fact-based movie that Mel Gibson is directing about Desmond Doss, the first Conscientious Objector in American history to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Vaughn joins Andrew Garfield and Sam Worthington in a film that will shoot in Australia.
Garfield plays Doss and the story unfolds during WWII and follows the soldiers of the 307th Infantry, 77th Army Division, 1st Battalion, Company B as they train for battle. The story begins at a base camp in South Carolina and follows the recruits as they learn basic wartime survival skills before being deployed to Japan where they come face to face with the action at the Battle of Okinawa. Vaughn will play Sgt. Howell, a non-commissioned officer from Alabama whose job is to make sure the soldiers are ready for battle. Although he tries to instill fear in his soldiers by pushing them to their limits both physically and mentally, it is clear that he really cares about them and will do whatever it takes to keep them alive. Having a member who refuses to shoot and kill the enemy contradicts everything the sergeant has learned about war.
Deadline revealed last November that Gibson would return to directing on the project, which IM Global’s Stuart Ford has been selling. The film is produced by Bill Mechanic and David Permut, with Terry Benedict and Steve Longi the co-producers. Robert Schenkkan and Randall Wallace wrote the script.
The role keeps Vaughn on the drama track he has traveled lately with the second season of Nic Pizzolatto’s second season of the cop anthology series True Detective. Vaughn is repped by WME.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — There is still no proof the so-called Davao Death Squad exists.
This was among the findings of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights and the Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs after they conducted six legislative inquiries on alleged extrajudicial killings.
A copy of the report's 19-page executive summary was obtained by the media late Wednesday.
LOOK: Senators who signed the joint committee report which says there's no proof of state-sponsored killings, no 'Davao Death Squad' pic.twitter.com/c65q06dFHE — CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) December 8, 2016
The Senate panels also dismissed the testimony of witness Edgar Matobato, who claimed that President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the vigilante group to kill criminals when he was Davao City mayor. The senators said there isn't enough evidence to prove the existence of the Davao Death Squad.
Watch: Alleged Duterte hitman faces Senate
According to the report, Matobato's testimonies were riddled with lies and inconsistencies.
For instance, Matobato claimed he was a member of the military's Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU) and Civilian Home Defense Unit (CHDF) before Duterte recruited him to the "Lambada Boys," which he said eventually became the Davao Death Squad.
But the CAFGU and CHDF have no records of Matobato as a member, the report noted.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines also denied Matobato's claim he was a scout ranger, the report said.
SPO3 Arthur Lascañas, the policeman Matobato alleged as a leader of the DDS, also belied Matobato's stories during the October 3 hearing.
The family of former House Speaker Prospero Nograles vehemently denied they had bodyguards who were killed by the DDS because of politics, the report added.
In a September 22 hearing, Matobato flip-flopped on Duterte's alleged role in the killing of a certain Sali Makdum, who Matobato said was an international terrorist. Matobato said he was just confused.
The senators also said Matobato could not have worked for the Duterte family.
"Why would Mr. Matobato be assigned to the Mayor's family, if he was indeed a hitman? He would be a political liability and high security risk since vengeful people he was purportedly ordered to kill could put his wards in more danger. This just does not make sense," the report read.
It said Matobato should be investigated.
The Senate panels, however, expressed disappointment that no face-to-face confrontation happened between Matobato and the witnesses he implicated because Senator Antonio Trillanes IV withdrew Matobato from the hearing.
This offended senators, including Senator Manny Pacquiao who said it was very "insulting" for the Senate and for Filipinos.
The Senate panels accused Trillanes and De Lima of "unparliamentary behavior" during the hearings. At one point, De Lima walked out of the Senate Session Hall when she was accused of concealing information |
I want to do is hop on my bike and race off and proclaim that to others. I'm just mad about the idea and I'd really appreciate your help.
And you can follow my progress here:
Blog: And you can follow my progress here:Blog: Romantic, But Fugitive On Twitter: @RJPEsquire
This fund raising will go toward the essential tools I'll need to fulfill my mission. I will need a strong, reliable touring bicycle, with storage units, which will cost about $2000. I'll need basic camping and survival gear, such as a tent and a sleeping bag, as there will be at least a few nights when I'll have to camp out, which will cost about $400. I'll need a durable, and reliable smart phone, and net book, so that I can do continual blogging of my tour, as well as be able to communicate and coordinate with people, and for navigation, which will altogether cost about $2000. This will be a very spare, bare-bones operation. I'm only seeking what I absolutely need to complete my 9 month tour fruitfully and safely.Blog Archive Oct 15 - Oct 22 (1) Aug 13 - Aug 20 (1) Jun 4 - Jun 11 (2) May 28 - Jun 4 (1) May 7 - May 14 (1) Mar 19 - Mar 26 (1) Mar 12 - Mar 19 (1) Dec 11 - Dec 18 (1) Dec 4 - Dec 11 (1) Nov 6 - Nov 13 (1) Sep 4 - Sep 11 (1) Aug 28 - Sep 4 (1) Aug 7 - Aug 14 (1) Jul 31 - Aug 7 (2) Jul 17 - Jul 24 (2) Jul 10 - Jul 17 (2) Jul 3 - Jul 10 (4) Jun 26 - Jul 3 (1) Jun 19 - Jun 26 (1) Jun 12 - Jun 19 (2) Jun 5 - Jun 12 (2) May 29 - Jun 5 (3) May 22 - May 29 (1) May 8 - May 15 (2) May 1 - May 8 (3) Apr 24 - May 1 (1) Apr 17 - Apr 24 (2) Apr 10 - Apr 17 (2) Apr 3 - Apr 10 (4) Mar 27 - Apr 3 (3) Mar 20 - Mar 27 (4) Mar 13 - Mar 20 (4) Mar 6 - Mar 13 (2) Feb 7 - Feb 14 (2) Jan 24 - Jan 31 (2) Jan 17 - Jan 24 (1) Jan 10 - Jan 17 (3) Jan 3 - Jan 10 (3) Dec 27 - Jan 3 (3) Dec 20 - Dec 27 (1) Dec 13 - Dec 20 (2) Dec 6 - Dec 13 (1) Nov 29 - Dec 6 (3) Nov 22 - Nov 29 (2) Nov 15 - Nov 22 (4) Nov 8 - Nov 15 (1) Nov 1 - 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Mar 16 (2) Mar 2 - Mar 9 (3) Feb 24 - Mar 2 (3) Feb 17 - Feb 24 (2) Feb 10 - Feb 17 (7) Feb 3 - Feb 10 (1) Jan 27 - Feb 3 (2) Jan 20 - Jan 27 (3) Jan 13 - Jan 20 (5) Jan 6 - Jan 13 (4) Dec 30 - Jan 6 (4) Dec 23 - Dec 30 (1) Dec 16 - Dec 23 (1) Dec 9 - Dec 16 (3) Dec 2 - Dec 9 (4) Nov 25 - Dec 2 (5) Nov 18 - Nov 25 (2) Nov 11 - Nov 18 (3) Nov 4 - Nov 11 (1) Oct 28 - Nov 4 (2) Oct 21 - Oct 28 (1) Oct 14 - Oct 21 (5) Oct 7 - Oct 14 (1) Sep 30 - Oct 7 (2) Sep 23 - Sep 30 (3) Sep 16 - Sep 23 (5) Sep 9 - Sep 16 (3) Sep 2 - Sep 9 (4) Aug 26 - Sep 2 (11)Mr. McCain’s choice of Ms. Palin — and the resulting jolt of energy among Republican voters — appears to have caught Mr. Obama and his advisers by surprise and added to concern among some Democrats that the Obama campaign was not pushing back aggressively enough against Republican attacks in a crucial phase of the race.
“Our ads have been pretty tough. I just have different philosophy: I’m going to respond with the truth,” Mr. Obama told a voter on Friday, responding to a question about whether Democrats would suffer the same fate they have in previous presidential campaigns. “I know there are a lot of Democrats and some independents and some Republicans who really want change and are getting really nervous because they have seen this movie before.”
The new tone is also to be presented in television interviews with local stations in five swing states, backed up by the new ads and appearances throughout the country by supporters. Anotheradvertising theme will be pay equity for women, an issue that has particular resonance as the campaigns battle for female voters.
Despite the shift in intensity, Mr. Obama’s aides said they were confident with the course of the campaign. They said that, other than making some alterations around the edges, particularly in response to Mr. McCain’s effort to seize the change issue from Mr. Obama, they were not planning any major deviation from a strategy that called for a steady escalation of attacks on Mr. McCain as the race heads toward the debates.
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That response is characteristic for a campaign that has presented itself as disciplined and unflappable and is reminiscent of the way Mr. Obama’s campaign reacted a year ago when it came under fire from allies who said it was not being tough enough in going after Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.
“We’re sensitive to the fluid dynamics of the campaign, but we have a game plan and a strategy,” said Mr. Obama’s campaign manager, David Plouffe. “We’re familiar with this. And I’m sure between now and Nov. 4 there will be another period of hand-wringing and bed-wetting. It comes with the territory.”
Still, Democrats outside the campaign suggested Mr. Obama should be urgently working to regain control of the message.
“The Obama message has been disrupted in the last week,” said Representative Artur Davis, Democrat of Alabama. “It’s a time for Democrats to focus on what the fundamentals are in this election.”
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Phil Singer, who was a press secretary for Mrs. Clinton in her primary campaign against Mr. Obama, said, “The Obama people need to reboot and figure out ways to make the McCain-Bush argument newsworthy again.”
The uneasiness among Democrats is the result of a confluence of factors in the week since Mr. McCain accepted his party’s nomination in St. Paul. The selection of Ms. Palin became the defining event of Mr. McCain’s convention, revving up the conservative base and drawing the spotlight from Mr. Obama.
Mr. McCain’s increasingly aggressive campaign has sought to put Mr. Obama on the defensive in each news cycle, using any development at hand, like Mr. Obama’s colloquial comment this week about putting “lipstick on a pig,” to keep attention from Democratic messages about the economy and the similarities between Mr. McCain and Mr. Bush.
Several quick polls taken after the Republican convention have suggested that Mr. Obama has lost some support among white women and independent voters. Polls taken so close to major political events are notoriously unreliable, but Democrats remember what happened in 2004, when Republicans used the period right after Senator John Kerry’s nomination to undercut him with a series of attacks.Neoliberal policies created a disaster in the country now shredded by austerity measures. The Syriza party and the Greek left have much work ahead if they are to build a just and sustainable economic and social order.
When the global financial crisis of 2008 reached Europe’s shores sometime in late 2009, the eurozone, with its faulty design and distinct neoliberal policymaking framework, experienced its first major crisis since the introduction of the euro as a single currency; the danger of an imminent collapse was suddenly all too real. From the beginning, there were warnings about the dire consequences of introducing a single currency into a region with sharp economic and cultural differences, but the European political elite turned a deaf ear on the skeptics.(1) European business interests were too big to be compromised over concerns about future financial busts or speculations about the risk of adopting a foreign currency without the backing of a federal treasury and a central bank acting as lender of last resort. Indeed, like the owner of the Titanic who told the captain to go full speed although several warnings had been received about icebergs ahead, European policymakers at the time could not resist the temptation to launch euro as a cash currency in spite of the fact that the Eurosystem was built on a weak institutional foundation. And they compounded the error by allowing highly problematic candidates to join the union, thereby violating the principles of optimal currency areas.(2)
Unfit to Join the Euro
The first crack in the EU wall occurred in Greece, the weakest link of the currency union. Economically, socially and culturally, Greece was ill prepared to join the euro when it did back in 2001, but the country managed nevertheless to do so mainly because of its legacy of contribution to the development of Western culture.(3) The nation’s domestic political and economic elite were eager to join Euroland not just because of the perceived benefits, but also because they were very much in need of a psychological boost: if you are weak and marginal, and incapable of change and improvement, joining a group of strong and rich nations gives you the illusion that you are on a par with them.(4) Hence the hilarious statement of then Greek Finance Minister, Yannos Papantoniou, who described the joining of the euro as “‘an historic day that would place Greece firmly at the heart of Europe,”‘ or the equally laughable statement of then prime minister Costas Simitis, who propounded that “we all know that our inclusion in EMU (European Monetary Union) ensures for us greater stability and opens up new horizons.”
Apparently, both of these political midgets felt that what shapes a nation’s economy is its currency, not its productive base, technological know-how, human skills, etcetera. Be that as it may, the euro produced, for the most part, a rocky ride for Greece (GDP increased, but both public and private debt levels reached new heights while competitiveness declined significantly) that ten years later crashed against the brick wall erected by international credit markets when they refused to extend further lending on account of the country’s massive fiscal deficit and humongous public debt burden. And perhaps not without coincidence, both of the aforementioned euro cheerleaders ended up having reigned over the longest unbroken period of political corruption in the modern period of Greece, courtesy of neoliberal “socialist” governance.(5)
When the global financial crisis erupted, the Greek economy had already entered a downturn phase, with GDP expansion having slowed down in 2008. The industrial sector, in fact, had entered a phase of recession as far back as 2005. In 2008, the industrial production indicator had fallen by 4.2 percent and reached a 10 percent decline in 2009.(6) Yet, when the crisis initially reached Greece, everyone was in an apparent and inexplicable state of denial, including leading EU officials. Thus, in October 2008, Kostas Karamanlis, then Greece’s prime minister and leader of the conservative New Democracy party, declared in a speech to his cadres that the Greek economy was largely “shielded” from the effects of the economic crisis thanks to the structural adjustments his government had initiated. And his main political opponent, PASOK leader George Papandreou, assured the citizenry that “there was plenty of money around” and that, if elected, his government would exhibit “‘the political will”‘ to find money for the toiling population, just as it had been found for the bailouts of the banks. But the most problematic example of unwillingness on the part of leading public officials to recognize the trouble that lay ahead for Greece came from the EU chiefs themselves: thus, EU Commissioner Joaquín Almunia announced as late as February 2009 that “the Greek economy is in better condition compared with the average condition in the Eurozone, which is currently in recession.”(7)
Why were the Greek and EU political elites unable and unwilling to face up to the gravity of the Greek situation before things got out of hand? This question remains vital as the Greek economic crisis is now turning into a humanitarian crisis and EU leaders continue to ignore the pressing reality of the situation, intent on pushing forward with the destructive policies of austerity and fiscal adjustment.
But Greece’s sovereign debt crisis did not come out of the blue. It may have been precipitated by the financial global crisis of September-October 2008 (the deficit had climbed to 15.4 percent of GDP, although there are accusations made from a former employee of the Greek Statistical Authority, Zoe Georganta, a professor of economics at the University of Macedonia, that the official figures for the 2009 budget deficit had been inflated by the Papandreou government in 2010 in an apparent attempt to legitimize the harsh austerity measures that came along with the bailout plan orchestrated by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund (IMF); an inquiry is now underway by Greek prosecutors). But it had long been in the making. It was, in effect, a time bomb waiting to explode. The Greek economic model of growth was highly flawed: growth was not based on economic fundamentals; income tax rates were always very low, tax evasion massive, and Greek governments ran a continual deficit – building up an immense stock of national debt consistently well over 100 percent of GDP.
The Triple Nature of the Greek Crisis
Still, the Greek crisis must be seen as something much more than the simple outcome of corrupt government practices, although corruption, including tax evasion, is a major component of the economic ills facing the country today. It is the story of a kleptocratic state and a parasitic capitalist elite who got caught in the web of the eurozone’s flawed design when the US financial crisis of 2007–2008 hit Europe’s shores.(8) It is also the story of an economy that did not meet the prerequisites for entering an alleged optimum-currency area, nor did it make much attempt to fit in properly. But it is also the story of the general failure of the global neoliberal project, the financialization of the economy and free-market orthodoxy.(9) Indeed, how else could eurozone countries with such dissimilar economies – Greece, a statist and highly corrupt economy; Ireland, a poster-child for neoliberal capitalism; Spain, a faithful follower of EU dictates about deficits and debt – end up suffering the same fate?
The reason is rather simple: because they all orbited the same central entity, the black hole of European neoliberal capitalism. As such, political and ideological differences between social democratic and conservative political parties have long ago vanished. Thus, in Greece, Spain, Portugal and elsewhere, “‘social democratic”‘ governments long ago discarded even the pretext of being agents of progressive reform.(10) Hence the ease with which such governments went along with the EU/IMF dictates in imposing unprecedented cuts and austerity measures that have drastically reduced the standard of living for the working people in their respective countries. In sum, the Greek crisis:
stands as a severe fiscal and public debt crisis (during the 1980s and 1990s, annual government expenditures exceeded revenue by an average of more than 8 percent of GDP, while the national debt exceeded 100 percent of GDP) stemming from the deep and long-term structural problems of the Greek economy and the deformities of the domestic political and cultural system
represents a European crisis due to the intricate trade and financial ties between Greece and the other eurozone member-states, and
reflects the deadly failure of the neoliberal project, which has become institutionalized throughout the EU’s operational framework, all while the IMF remains the world’s single most powerful enforcer of market fundamentalism.
At the heart of the neoliberal vision is a societal and world order based on the prioritization of corporate power, “free” markets, and the abandonment of public services. The neoliberal claim is that economies would perform more effectively, producing greater wealth and economic prosperity for all, if markets were allowed to function without government intervention. This claim is predicated on the idea that “free” markets are inherently just and can create effective, low-cost ways to produce consumer goods and services. Subsequently, an interventionist or state-managed economy is wasteful and inefficient, choking off growth and expansion by constraining innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit.
This is the version of neoliberalism developed by Milton Friedman and the Chicago School and usually associated with the Pinochet regime in Chile, and, later, with the free-market policies of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan – an ideological revolution that was long in the making but that gained ascendancy over Keynesianism with the appearance of stagflation.(11) And it is by far the most dangerous ideology of our time (12), spreading havoc with its “economics of social disaster.”(13)
In April 2010, with the bond vigilantes having woken up as a result of Dubai’s debt crisis in late 2009, Greece was shut out of the international bond markets and – facing the prospect of a default – sought refuge under an EU/IMF financial rescue scheme. Months prior, the Papandreou government (14) had approached the IMF to extend its “‘technical know-how and experience”‘ to the EU by administering a dose of shock therapy. Greece needed to be “rescued,” and the Europeans needed not only the Fund’s expertise but also to add an element of legitimacy to the austerity experiment that was about to be performed on a peripheral member-state. In this context, the invitation to the IMF to join in the operation on an ailing European patient served multiple purposes.
The neoliberal quacks were quick to rush to judgment about the roots of the Greek crisis – allegedly, a bloated public sector that wasted too many resources on lazy, unproductive citizens and hindered the potential of the private sector – and lost no time in recommending brutal austerity measures. What if the facts did not fit this narrative? Indeed, all the available data showed that the Greek public sector, while inefficient and corrupt, was actually smaller than the public sector of many other European nations; that Greeks worked on average more than most other Europeans; and that even Greek productivity in the years leading up to the crisis compared favorably with that of Germany.(15) And what if there were huge imbalances in the eurozone, with the core states running huge surpluses and the peripherals running huge deficits?(16) Greece was judged to be solely responsible for the sad state of its fiscal condition in the age of the euro and had to be punished, both as penance for its sins and as a warning to its southern cousins that the same fate awaited them if they didn’t put their own fiscal houses in order.
It is this cynical, brutal perspective that led to Greece becoming an unwilling test subject for the EU’s neoliberal vision and kept Germany’s game going when things got rough in Euroland. Most of the German banks were overexposed to Greek debt and nearly insolvent. The May 2010 bailout of 110 billion euros (with a usurious interest rate of 5 percent) was orchestrated by the EU and the IMF – the twin monsters of neoliberal capitalism – in an apparent attempt to have Greece keep up with its debt payments to foreign banks: hence the rejection of even the slightest consideration of a debt restructuring, even though this would have been the quickest and safest way to allow Greece some breathing room. Helping its economy recover through the coordinated implementation of a large-scale development plan would also have been appropriate in a proper economic and monetary union. Indeed, such moves could have secured the confidence of international bond investors in the euro’s sustainability and might even have prevented contagion in the rest of the periphery. They would certainly have prevented the spread of an otherwise avoidable contagion from the periphery to the center, which is clearly underway as of last year. But with the adoption of punishment as policy, contagion in the periphery became inevitable, and with the deficit economies in the periphery wrapped in an austerity straightjacket, the surplus economies of the center were bound to feel the effects of their insane and brutal policies. The economies of both Germany and France contracted in the last quarter of 2012. GDP in the eurozone as a whole fell by 0.5 percent last year, and, more significant, 2012 will go down in history as the first year since 1995 in which no quarter produced growth.(17)
The Catastrophic Effects of Austerity
Indeed, as a policy, the |
and the Rothbardian branch. Twenty-eight years ago, Lew Rockwell was told in no uncertain terms that his efforts would be sabotaged by the existing libertarian establishment if he tried to name his new institute after Ludwig von Mises who was labeled as "too radical." Rothbard’s eventual inclusion in the effort only solidified the animosity toward what is now the Rothbard school.
So this latest controversy has roots that run deep, and the Journal’s story has already reignited some animosity between the two branches. However, as someone who is not part of a libertarian think tank and who doesn’t have time to have an opinion on every little intralibertarian debate, the first question that crosses my mind with controversies like this is: "Should I even care about this?"
The answer is yes and no. Given the Journal’s target audience, this piece will have little effect on the mass movement that is libertarianism and which draws upon Rothbardian economics for its intellectual muscle. One the other hand, the Journal piece serves as a signal to its readers who crave respectability that the Hayekian school is the safer more relevant school of Austrian Economics. Those Rothbardians can be ignored. They’re conspiracy theorists and fringe types, after all. Boettke himself hinted at this in a January 2010 blog post.
The proper response here is to not excommunicate fellow travelers, of course, but to simply point out the truth that the driving force behind today’s movement to finally rein in the power of our massively irresponsible, abusive and bankrupt government is the radical, consistent and principled legacy of Ludwig von Mises, Murray Rothbard and Ron Paul.
Respectability has its limits, and it is likely that there was never a successful libertarian movement led by the established and respectable members of society. The Cobdenites of the Anti-Corn Law League, the Jeffersonians, and the classical liberal reformers of every age know that if they wait for the approval of the respectable ones, they’ll likely be waiting a very, very long time.
The Best of Ryan McMakenThe BC Liberal government is plotting a course toward an early test of its strength in the legislature, working to rewrite its budget with enough appeal to opposition MLAs – specifically, Green MLAs – to allow it to survive a vote in the House as early as June.
Whether Premier Christy Clark snags a bare majority on the final ballot count by Elections BC next week, or if she is left seeking to lead a minority, her government will be redrafting this year's fiscal plan in the coming weeks. It will be British Columbia's first Green-influenced budget since the emerald-hued pages that made up the budget that introduced the province's carbon tax in 2008.
Ms. Clark's Liberal Party currently holds 43 of the legislature's 87 seats on the preliminary count from the May 9 election, but with 180,000 absentee ballots yet to be tallied, her government could edge up to a majority – or lose ground – when the final numbers are in on May 24. The NDP, at 41 seats, is close enough to toppling the Liberals that its co-operation is highly unlikely. It is the Greens, with three seats, who are poised to be in a position to influence the balance of power.
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Related: Who's running B.C. now? The election and minority government explained, and what happens next
The Premier's office intends to appoint a cabinet in June and then to recall the legislature quickly. Her government would need to introduce a Throne Speech which would require a vote of confidence from the House. However Ms. Clark appears intent on testing the strength of her new government with a new budget as well. If she does not have enough support, the government would collapse and John Horgan, the NDP Leader, would have a chance to try to put one together.
Ms. Clark has indicated that she expects she will need to work with Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver and his caucus to govern even if the Liberals could pick up enough seats for a majority. While negotiations continue about what that collaboration might look like, it is unlikely the Greens, fresh from an electoral breakthrough, would jump into any formal coalition arrangement. Instead, the best the Liberals can hope for in a minority scenario is an agreement with the Greens to support the pending throne speech and budget.
Because the election interrupted the process of passing a budget in the spring, the province does not have a fiscal plan in place. The government has the authority to spend money that should last until September, but if Ms. Clark can pass a new budget, that would get the government through any immediate crisis of confidence.
Mr. Weaver has indicated he wants electoral and campaign-finance reform as a minimum price for Green support for either the Liberals or the NDP. Neither of those demands are budget items.
To win budget support from the Greens, the Liberals will likely be looking at new spending on education, as a starting point, and possibly some tax changes.
The Green platform outlined more than $1.1-billion in new spending in the current fiscal year, most of it for increased support for education from early childhood through to postsecondary. The fiscal plan tabled by the Liberals in February included a surplus of $295-million plus a forecast allowance of $350-million. There is enough fiscal room to adopt some of the Green's wishes, but some tax hikes would still be at least on the table for consideration.
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The Greens want a comprehensive program for early-childhood education and free daycare for working parents with children under the age of 3. The Liberals once promised to phase in junior kindergarten, a program that was shelved. Reviving that could go a long way toward satisfying the Greens.
As well, the Greens wanted more spending on schools, beginning with $220-million this year – on top of the $330-million in additional funding committed by the BC Liberals to address the recent court ruling on class size.
The Greens told voters it is time to return to a more progressive tax system where the wealthiest pay more for programs for the most vulnerable. They proposed to increase income tax rates for those earning more than $108,460 annually by 1 per cent this year. The Liberals could meet them halfway by restoring a high-income tax bracket that expired in 2015 – a measure that brought in $200-million over the course of a full year.
The Greens proposed to raise the corporate income tax by one percentage point, from the current rate of 11 per cent, a measure that would net an estimated $200-million annually. The Liberals have opened the door to corporate tax hikes before and a 1-per-cent hike would put B.C. on par with Alberta's rate.
Ms. Clark had promised voters to continue the freeze on the carbon tax, but Mr. Weaver wants to raise it by $10 a tonne each year for four years beginning next January, and to widen the scope of the tax.
The Greens would also end the freeze on welfare rates as part of a transition to a livable income. The Liberals have frozen the rates for the past 10 years.Are Russia's Usable Reserves Running Dangerously Low?
Russia is heading toward a serious financial squeeze next year, despite the confident statements of President Vladimir Putin. The official figures accounting for Russia's international reserves show a dramatic decline in international reserves, but an examination of the numbers reveals that the situation is far worse than the Kremlin says, raising serious questions about the sustainability of Russian reserves in the future.
It is not hard to understand the reasons for Russia's problems. Under Putin, Russia has been pursuing a policy of state and crony capitalism and protectionism, which has brought the economy to stagnation. Second, Russia's military aggression against Ukraine has unleashed severe international financial sanctions against Russia, which have stopped financial inflows and will reduce investment and growth for years to come. Third, the global commodity boom is over, and oil prices have finally started falling. Given that markets usually overshoot, oil prices are likely to fall far and for long.
A careful analysis of the numbers tells the story. On November 6, Bloomberg reported that Russia's usable international reserves were only $244.5 billion. The article appears to have had a sound basis, but the situation has grown much worse since then.
Both the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) and the Russian Ministry of Finance publish timely and detailed reserve statistics, and their transparency is credible. The latest reading by the CBR is that Russia's total international reserves amounted to $421 billion on November 7. That sounds quite reassuring, but these reserves fell from $524 billion on October 31, 2013. Thus Russia has lost $103 billion of reserves in one year (figures 1 and 2).
Figure 1 Russian International Reserves (October 31, 2007 to October 31, 2014)
Source: Central Bank of Russia, International Reserves of the Russian Federation.
In addition, four substantial components should be deducted from the total. First, Russia has a large volume of gold valued at $45 billion. Second, it holds $12 billion with the International Monetary Fund and in the form of special drawing rights (SDR). This is not cash, so the sum of $57 billion should be deducted, coming down to $364 billion, still a substantial amount.
Unlike many other countries, Russia counts its two sovereign wealth funds as shares of the CBR reserves, which is a doubtful accounting practice. Two such funds, the National Wealth Fund and the Reserve Fund, are both controlled by the Ministry of Finance, giving the CBR no direct access to them. Any allocation from them would require government approval. One can argue that such approval poses no great obstacle in Putin's authoritarian Russia, but while Russia is not a very legal state, it is highly legalistic, and Putin might not want to lose these funds, which have explicit restrictions on their use.
Figure 2 Russian International Reserves July–November 2014
Source: Central Bank of Russia, International Reserves of the Russian Federation.
For example, the mission statement of the National Wealth Fund (NWF), which holds $82 billion, reads that it “is a part of federal budget assets. NWF is dedicated to support [the] pension system of the Russian Federation to guarantee long-term sound functioning of the system. [The] Fund's primary assignments are to cofinance voluntary pension savings of Russian citizens and to balance [the] budget of Pension Fund of the Russian Federation.” In practice, much of the money is spoken for by all kinds of infrastructure projects. Igor Sechin, the ambitious CEO of Rosneft, the giant oil company, wants to appropriate $49 billion of the NWF to refinance Rosneft's wasteful purchase of another oil company, TNK-BP. The NWF cannot be considered usable reserves. Not counting them brings the total down to $282 billion.
Next in the items in the international reserves comes the Reserve Fund of $90 billion. Its mission statement starts: “The Reserve Fund is a part of the federal budget assets. The Reserve Fund is dedicated to ensure financing of the federal budget expenses and maintaining federal budget balance in case oil and gas budget revenues decline.” In practice, much if not most of these funds are deposited in state banks and not available. This money cannot be considered readily available international reserves. Deducting the Reserve Fund reduces Russia's usable international currency reserves to $192 billion.
Why is this figure dangerously low? Reserves need to be measured in relation to current account balance and foreign financial commitments. The standard minimum level of reserves is three months of imports. In 2013, Russia's imports amounted to $341 billion, requiring $85 billion of reserves. Russia easily passed that measure. Moreover, in 2014 imports have plummeted with the lower oil price and thus exchange rate.
The Russian corporate sector has foreign exchange liabilities of roughly $150 billion a year. Considering that the US and European Union (EU) financial sanctions imposed in July have virtually stopped all credits to Russia, there will be no significant refinancing. The only relief from these liabilities is the current account surplus that is likely to be $60 billion.
The picture suddenly becomes worrisome if one looks at the near future. In one year, Russia's international reserves are likely to shrink by $90 billion (foreign repayments of $150 billion minus a current account surplus of $60 billion), if nothing extraordinary happens, leaving Russia with only some $100 billion of usable reserves in late 2015, possibly covering four months of imports.
But last July, Russia had a total foreign indebtedness of $730 billion. The state sector cannot refinance, and the private sector wants to pay back its foreign currency debts as fast as possible because of the falling ruble, whose exchange rate has slumped 30 percent versus the US dollar so far. The situation looks like a house of cards and Russians know such dangers all too well from 1998. Anybody in Russia with an understanding of international risks realizes the necessity of moving all free cash out of rubles and out of Russia as soon as possible, and many Russians are doing so. The CBR expects a capital flight of at least $120 billion this year.
But this outflow will lead to a dangerous spiral of falling oil prices and a falling ruble exchange rate. Both are down by 30 percent this year in relation to the dollar, and there is no reason for the depreciation to stop, producing a rise in inflation. Inflation has risen to 8.5 percent this year and is set to exceed 10 percent in the first quarter of 2015. The highly competent CBR leadership is well aware of the problem. It is raising interest rates aggressively, most recently by 150 basis points to 9.5 percent, but that increase is not stopping depreciation or capital outflows because all economists expect further oil price declines and an ever worse business environment.
The CBR cannot fix the exchange rate. That was the mistake of 2008–09, when Russia lost $200 billion in three dark winter months until it let the exchange rate float (figure 1). Currently, the CBR has reduced credit in order to strengthen the exchange rate, well aware of money flowing out of the country if it tries to stimulate the economy in any way. But the consequence is that both consumption and investment are drying up, which is certain to cause the economy to stagnate and eventually shrink.
The CBR cannot solve problems it has not caused, and these problems are now becoming so severe that the CBR cannot even mitigate them. The causes are outside its control—namely, as earlier mentioned, crony capitalism, protectionism, the effect of sanctions, and the decline in oil and commodity prices.
Putting all these factors together, Russia appears likely to end up in a serious international financial squeeze in the second half of 2015. The Kremlin can do many things to avoid being cornered, but considering its economic policy in recent years reform of the Russian economy or a change in its attitude toward Ukraine appears unlikely.Dear Home Secretary Amber Rudd,
I am very concerned by the draft Investigatory Powers Technical Capability Regulation.
This proposal would compromise my personal security, and the safety of all residents of the United Kingdom.
I ask that you drop the demand that tech companies remove electronic protections, otherwise known as encryption.
The recent ransomware attack on the NHS shows exactly why companies need to be able to develop secure software without any backdoors that can be exploited by malicious actors.
We all deserve to be kept safe by strong encryption. Do not weaken everyone’s security by creating backdoors that hackers and malicious actors can exploit. Encryption is necessary for our personal privacy, for the security of our banking and online communications, and to protect journalists, lawyers, and the integrity of our national infrastructure. Strong encryption means unbreakable encryption.
I ask instead that the UK takes steps to set strong international standards on privacy. This legislation deserves a full and open public debate, embracing accountability for our security agencies.
Thank you.
[Your Name and Email Address Will Appear Here]Thank you to those who attended TASK-CV and made it a success! Below please find the VisDA challenge presentations from workshop organizers and from the top performing teams in each track.
We are pleased to announce the 2017 Visual Domain Adaptation (VisDA2017) Challenge! It is well known that the success of machine learning methods on visual recognition tasks is highly dependent on access to large labeled datasets. Unfortunately, performance often drops significantly when the model is presented with data from a new deployment domain which it did not see in training, a problem known as dataset shift. The VisDA challenge aims to test domain adaptation methods’ ability to transfer source knowledge and adapt it to novel target domains.
Caption: An example of a deep learning model failing to properly segment the scene into semantic categories such as road (green), building (gray), etc., because the input image looks different from its training data. Unsupervised Domain Adaptation methods aim to use labeled samples from the train domain and large volumes of unlabeled samples from the test domain to reduce a prediction error on the test domain. [1]
The competition will take place during the months of June -- September 2017, and the top performing teams will be invited to present their results at the TASK-CV workshop at ICCV 2017 in Venice, Italy. This year’s challenge focuses on synthetic-to-real visual domain shifts and includes two tracks:
Participants are welcome to enter in one or both tracks.
Classification Track
In this challenge, the goal is to develop a method of unsupervised domain adaptation for image classification. Participants will be given three datasets, each containing the same object categories:
training domain (source) : synthetic 2D renderings of 3D models generated from different angles and with different lighting conditions
: synthetic 2D renderings of 3D models generated from different angles and with different lighting conditions validation domain (target) : a photo-realistic or real-image validation domain that participants can use to evaluate performance of their domain adaptation methods
: a photo-realistic or real-image validation domain that participants can use to evaluate performance of their domain adaptation methods test domain (target): a new real-image test domain, different from the validation domain and without labels. The test set will be released shortly before the end of the competition
The reason for using different target domains for validation and test is to evaluate the performance of proposed models as an out-of-the-box domain adaptation tool. This setting more closely mimics realistic deployment scenarios where the target domain is unknown at training time and discourages algorithms that are designed to handle a particular target domain.
Segmentation Track
In this challenge, the goal is to develop an algorithm that can adapt between synthetic dashcam views and real dashcam footage for the semantic image segmentation task. The training data will include pixel-level semantic annotations for 19 classes. We will also provide validation and testing data, following same protocol:
training domain (source) : synthetic dashcam renderings along with semantic segmentation labels for 19 classes
: synthetic dashcam renderings along with semantic segmentation labels for 19 classes validation domain (target) : a real world collection of dashcam images along with semantic segmentation labels for the corresponding 19 classes to be used for validating the unsupervised semantic segmentation performance
: a real world collection of dashcam images along with semantic segmentation labels for the corresponding 19 classes to be used for validating the unsupervised semantic segmentation performance test domain (target): a collection of real world dashcam images, different from the validation domain and without labels. The test set will be released shortly before the end of the competition
Prizes
We are excited to announce prizes for the top performing teams! The winners in both the classification and segmentation tracks will receive:
1st place: $2,000
$2,000 2nd place: $500
$500 3rd place: $250
Browse Data
If you would like to browse sample images from each of the datasets currently available please use the links below:
Classification challenge:
Segmentation challenge:
Download
Please follow the instructions outlined in the VisDA GitHub repository to download data and development kits for the classification and segmentation tracks. Training, validation and testing data are now available to download. We have also included baseline models and instructions on training several existing domain adaptation methods.
The DevKits are currently in beta-release. If you find any bugs, please open an issue in our GitHub repo rather than emailing the organizers directly.
You can get the tech report describing dataset and baseline experiments from arxiv. If you use data, code or its derivatives, please consider citing:
@misc{visda2017, Author = {Xingchao Peng and Ben Usman and Neela Kaushik and Judy Hoffman and Dequan Wang and Kate Saenko}, Title = {VisDA: The Visual Domain Adaptation Challenge}, Year = {2017}, Eprint = {arXiv:1710.06924}, }
Evaluation
We will use CodaLab to evaluate submissions and maintain a leaderboard. To register for the evaluation server, please create an account on CodaLab and and enter as a participant in one of the following competitions:
If you are working as a team, please register using one account for your team and indicate the names of all of the members on your team. This can be modified in the “User Settings” tab. See the challenge rules for more details.
Please refer to the instructions in the DevKit ReadMe file for specific details on submission formatting and evaluation for the classification and segmentation challenges.
Rules
The VisDA challenge tests adaptation and model transfer, so the rules are different than most challenges. Please read them carefully.
Supervised Training: Teams may only submit test results of models trained on the source domain data and optionally pre-trained on ImageNet. Training on the validation dataset is not allowed for test submissions. Note, this may be different from other challenges. In this year’s VisDA challenge, the goal is to test how well models can adapt from synthetic to real data. Therefore, training on the validation domain is not allowed. To ensure equal comparison, we also do not allow any other external training data, modifying the provided training dataset, or any form of manual data labeling.
Pretraining on ImageNet: If pre-training on the ImageNet ILSVRC classification training data, only the weights can be transferred, not the actual classifiers for specific objects, i.e. participants should not manually exploit correspondences between ImageNet output labels and labels in the data. Please indicate in your method description which pre-trained weights were used for initialization of the model. Teams who place in the top of the “no ImageNet pretraining” track will receive special recognition.
Unsupervised training: Models can be adapted (trained) on the test data in an unsupervised way, i.e. without labels. Adaptation, even unsupervised, on the validation data is not allowed for test submissions. Note, we have released the validation labels to facilitate algorithm development.
Source Models: The performance of a domain adaptation algorithm greatly depends on the baseline performance of the model trained only on source data. We ask that teams submit two sets of results: 1) predictions obtained only with the source-trained model, and 2) predictions obtained with the adapted model. See the development kit for submission formatting details.
Leaderboard:The main leaderboard for each competition track will show results of adapted models and will be used to determine the final team ranks. The expanded leaderboard will additionally show the team's source-only models, i.e. those trained only on the source domain without any adaptation. These results are useful for estimating how much the method improves upon its source-only model, but will not be used to determine team ranks.
FAQ
Can we train models on data other than the source domain? Participants may elect to pre-train their models only on ImageNet. Please refer to the challenge evaluation instructions found in the DevKit for more details. Do we have to use the provided baseline models? No, these are provided for your convenience and are optional. How many submissions can each team submit per competition track? For the validation domain, the number of submissions per team is limited to 20 upload per day and there are no restrictions on total number of submissions. For the test domain, the number of submissions per team is limited to 1 upload per day and 20 uploads in total. Only one account per team must be used to submit results. Do not create multiple accounts for a single project to circumvent this limit, as this will result in disqualification. Can multiple teams enter from the same research group? Yes, so long as each team is comprised of different members. Can external data be used? The allowed training data consists of the VisDA 2017 Training set. The VisDA 2017 Validation set can be used to test adaptation to a target domain offline, but cannot be used to train the final submitted model (with or without labels). Optional initialization of models with weights pre-trained on ImageNet is allowed and must be declared in the submission. Please see the challenge rules for more details. Are challenge participants required to reveal all details of their methods? Participants are encouraged to include a brief write-up regarding their methods when submitting their results. However, this is not mandatory. Do participants need to adhere to TASK-CV abstract submission deadlines to participate in the challenge? Submission of a TASK-CV workshop abstract is not required to participate in the challenge. The top-performing teams will be invited to present their approaches at the workshop, even if they did not submit an abstract. When is the final submission deadline? All results must be submitted by September 29th at 11:59pm ET. On CodaLab, this is equivalent to September 30th at 3:59am UTC.
Workshop
The challenge is associated with the 4th annual TASK-CV workshop, being held at ICCV 2017 in Venice, Italy. Challenge participants are invited to submit abstracts to the workshop, but this is not required for challenge participation. If you wish to submit an abstract, please see the TASK-CV website for deadlines. The top performing teams will be invited to give a talk about their results at the workshop during a special session.
Organizers
Sponsors
Kate Saenko (Boston University), Ben Usman (Boston University), Xingchao Peng (Boston University), Neela Kaushik (Boston University), Judy Hoffman (Stanford University), Dequan Wang (UC Berkeley)
References
[1] FCNs in the Wild: Pixel-level Adversarial and Constraint-based Adaptation, Judy Hoffman, Dequan Wang, Fisher Yu, Trevor DarrellAlex Sproul reads about it in his Facebook feed.
Sheryl Sims senses it when she walks down the street.
They are three Americans from three different demographic groups living in three different states. And they believe the same thing: Racism is a big problem.
Their voices are just a few in a country of more than 322 million people. But they are far from alone.
In a new nationwide poll conducted by CNN and the Kaiser Family Foundation, roughly half of Americans -- 49% -- say racism is "a big problem" in society today.
The figure marks a significant shift from four years ago, when over a quarter described racism that way. The percentage is also higher now than it was two decades ago. In 1995, on the heels of the O.J. Simpson trial and just a few years after the Rodney King case surged into the spotlight, 41% of Americans described racism as "a big problem."
Is racism on the rise in the United States? Has our awareness changed? Or is it a problem that's been blown out of proportion?
There's not a one-size-fits-all explanation for the shift. The survey of 1,951 Americans across the country paints a complicated portrait, highlighting some similarities across racial lines and also exposing gaps that seem to be growing.
But this much is clear: Across the board, in every demographic group surveyed, there are increasing percentages of people who say racism is a big problem -- and majorities say that racial tensions are on the rise.
'A different story'
It caught Debora Aust by surprise.
The 48-year-old white woman from Sterling Heights, Michigan, says she didn't expect racism to get worse.
"It always seemed like it was getting better, like our generation was going to be better than previous generations," says Aust, who participated in the CNN/KFF poll. "But the TV started telling us a different story, with all of these shootings by cops."
For Aust, whose father and uncle both work in law enforcement, the news stories she's seen about unarmed African-American men being shot by police have hit home. The officers should be held accountable, she says.
"What's not helping is the police are getting off with a slap on the wrist.... If it was me, and I was black, and this was happening in my community, I would be furious," she says.
The case of Walter Scott, who was shot in April by an officer in North Charleston, South Carolina, sticks out in her mind. The trial hasn't started yet. The officer's attorney says he plans to plead not guilty, and that race has nothing to do with the case. But Aust has already made up her mind.
"I mean, give me a break, he wouldn't have done that if the man was white, and that's the problem," she says.
It's gotten worse, not better, since the 2008 election of President Barack Obama, says Ellis Onic. The 56-year-old engineer in Balch Springs, Texas, who's African-American, points to the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin and this year's Charleston church massacre as examples. Time and time again, Onic says, the justice system has failed.
"The white man has had his way for so long, they don't think of it as racism. They think that's just the way it is.... We have a long way to go, because the justice system is not right. Justice is corrupt," he says. "That's why she has the blindfold over her eyes and the scale slightly tilted, so you know that it can go either way."
Jim Bruemmer sees things differently.
The white, 83-year-old retired advertising executive in St. Louis, who participated in the CNN/KFF poll, says media coverage alleging racism -- particularly when it comes to law enforcement officers -- has been overblown.
"I am troubled by the bias I see in the media, that seems to spend all its time talking about the bad policemen and the bad white people and ignoring the crime and the disastrous conditions that are occurring in large segments of the black youth," he says.
Bruemmer says he's had to look no further than a suburb of St. Louis to see that firsthand.
"The belief is so universally held among the people I know, that the whole Ferguson thing was a farce," he says, "that'hands up, don't shoot'was baloney, that the police officer behaved in a very proper manner and saved his own life, possibly."
Growing racism?
Gauging changes in racial attitudes is complicated, says Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, a professor of sociology at Duke University. Bonilla-Silva has a phrase he uses to describe the situation he sees today: "new racism."
"After the 1960s and early 1970s, somehow we developed the mythology that systemic racism disappeared," he says.
Racism remained, according to Bonilla-Silva, but became more covert.
"The main problem nowadays is not the folks with the hoods, but the folks dressed in suits," he says.
"New racism," he says, has been decades in the making. But something has changed in recent years -- access to cell phones and social media.
Communities of color across the country can more easily connect, according to Bonilla-Silva, and people are picking up on patterns that scholars have long discussed.
"People are doing Sociology 101. They can connect Walter Scott, the assassinations of black folks in a church, the slamming of a girl in a school," he says. "And then it's across the nation. People are then connecting the dots and saying, 'No more.'"
Growing awareness?
While the trend of a growing percentage of people viewing racism as a big problem in recent years was true across racial lines in the CNN/KFF poll, the share who see it as a problem is notably higher among blacks and Hispanics.
About two-thirds of blacks (66%) and Hispanics (64%) said racism is a big problem, while just over four in 10 (43%) whites said the same. Hispanics are much more likely now to say racism is a big problem than they were in 1995, when less than half responded that way. Among blacks, the share who said racism was a big problem dropped from 68% in 1995 to 50% in 2011, and now has climbed back to 66%.
Majorities across races said tensions between racial and ethnic groups in the United States have increased in the past 10 years. Roughly a quarter said tensions have stayed the same.
Sometimes the way people view racism can play out like a referee's call in a baseball game, says Glenn Adams, a professor of psychology at the University of Kansas who has studied perceptions of racism
JUST WATCHED Race and Reality In America Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Race and Reality In America 00:30
"Is the guy out or safe? Well, it depends who you're rooting for," he says. "Sometimes it's clear in either direction, but we tend to see it how we want to see it."
It's likely the level of racism in the United States is more or less the same, Adams says.
"What's changed," he says, "is that more people are aware of it."
Knowledge of history, having friends who've experienced racism and personal background are all factors that can contribute to a greater awareness of racism, he says. And now, he says, there's likely another factor at play.
"People are more aware of it because of the videos of police violence and the media attention. Now, the media report on it," Adams says. "Black folks tended to know about this before. Now white folks are starting to know about it more.... Now, with this kind of evidence, people have to re-evaluate their sense of what is true and what is not true, so it becomes a little bit harder for people to deny."
The same goes for repeated incidents of racism on college campuses, Bonilla-Silva says, like the chant that shuttered a fraternity at the University of Oklahoma and the noose found hanging at Duke this year.
It's impossible to dismiss cases as isolated events, he says, when similar situations at schools and other institutions keep happening again and again.
"The fact that it keeps happening tells you that the problem is not a problem of bad apples," he says, "but perhaps the problem is the apple tree."
'We're all kind of in the same boat'
Because of his complexion, sometimes people think Rick Gonzales is Italian. Sometimes they think he's Mexican or Middle Eastern. The experience, he says, has made him question the meaning of race.
"It's obviously a label. Something tells me that we're all kind of in the same boat, yet we're separated somehow. We're given different names," says Gonzales, a 49-year-old truck driver from San Antonio, who participated in the CNN/KFF poll.
Gonzales' mother is from Mexico and his father is from the United States. He says he feels that for people in power -- most of whom are white -- it's advantageous to pit groups against each other. And to him, it seems like no matter what, darker-skinned people are at a disadvantage. That, he says, is why race -- and racism -- remain big problems.
"The ones that are usually getting the short end of the stick are the so-called minority... but we're the majority, because we're always the ones who are struggling," he says.
Sheryl Sims, an African-American, 59-year-old retired teacher in Atlanta who participated in the CNN/KFF poll, says that for her, racism is something she senses when she walks down the street in her neighborhood.
"It's just the way people will shun you," she says, "or turn their head when you walk by."
Photos: Love in the face of racism: Being an interracial family Photos: Love in the face of racism: Being an interracial family Karen Garsee and her family canoeing on Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas. Hide Caption 1 of 9 Photos: Love in the face of racism: Being an interracial family Chris plays basketball with Kaylee and helps her dunk the ball and make the game-winning shot, Garsee says. Hide Caption 2 of 9 Photos: Love in the face of racism: Being an interracial family Kaylee got new skates for her birthday and Chris is helping her put them on in this photo. Hide Caption 3 of 9 Photos: Love in the face of racism: Being an interracial family "I have never liked carnival rides, Karen Garsee says. "However, Chris loves them and now that Kaylee is older and very brave they go on all the rides together, which definitely takes the pressure off of me." Hide Caption 4 of 9 Photos: Love in the face of racism: Being an interracial family Daniel and Natalie Martinez-Vlasoff pose with their three children in their home in Los Angeles in 2014. The couple welcomed a fourth child in November. Hide Caption 5 of 9 Photos: Love in the face of racism: Being an interracial family Shortly after moving into their Los Angeles home, the kids wanted to break the house in while wearing Hawaiian sarongs, Natalie says. Hide Caption 6 of 9 Photos: Love in the face of racism: Being an interracial family The family dressed up as "Adventure Time" characters for Halloween in 2014. Hide Caption 7 of 9 Photos: Love in the face of racism: Being an interracial family Kristin and Eric Njimegni pose with her family during their wedding reception in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, on December 2013. Hide Caption 8 of 9 Photos: Love in the face of racism: Being an interracial family Kristin and Eric Njimegni take a selfie in the rain. The couple met in Moscow while studying and working abroad. Hide Caption 9 of 9
Things were worse 50 or 60 years ago, Alex Sproul says. But now, the 24-year-old, who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and participated in the CNN/KFF poll, says he sees racism lurking under the surface.
From wage inequality to accessibility to jobs, Sproul says he feels minorities are still at a disadvantage.
Sproul describes himself as mixed race -- Mexican-American and white. He says several events in recent years have made him feel racial tensions are on the rise.
One of them, he says, was the 2009 shooting death of Oscar Grant, an unarmed African-American man who was fatally shot by a police officer on a Bay Area Rapid Transit platform. Sproul says he first learned about the case when he was scanning his Facebook feed and saw posts from friends.
"You kind of see more of these situations, or extremes," he says. "I don't know if maybe it was going on before and there was no coverage, or if it's happening with greater frequency."
Too much hype?
Bruemmer, the retired advertising executive in St. Louis, says he sees racism as a big problem -- but not for the reason you might think.
Too often, he says, leaders play the race card rather than addressing what he sees as the real issue behind many of the problems popping up in society today: broken families, particularly in the black community |
in in one trip—thus also giving your visit the rhythm of one of his films.) There stands, as we enter the second floor, the Scorsese family dining room table, around which the director’s parents, Charles and Catherine, sat during the shooting of his touching family documentary Italianamerican (1974). Surrounding it is a wall of family photos, as well as pictures of his parents from the sets of productions like Goodfellas (1990) and The Age of Innocence (1993), in which they had memorable cameos.
Scorsese and his parents in Italianamerican. Photo courtesy of Sikelia Productions/Deutsche Kinemathek (Berlin).
Continue just a few paces and you’re suddenly in a section called “Brothers,” where images of Scorsese and his brother, Frank, as well as longtime friend Robert Uricola, hang alongside pictures of the filmmaker with his frequent acting collaborators Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, and Leonardo DiCaprio. “Brothers are the focus in many of Scorsese’s films, whether as blood relations or in a figurative sense,” the exhibition text reminds us. In addition to images and footage, here we also see documents related to character interactions in the movies: script pages from
(1988) detailing the relationship between Jesus and Judas, or a letter from writer Nicholas Pileggi explaining the differences between De Niro’s and Pesci’s characters in
(1995). (The exhibition also features sections devoted to such Scorsesean themes as “Men and Women,” “Lonely Heroes,” and, of course, “New York.”)
Every Scorsese picture is an immersive maze of style, story, and character. This exhibition is no different, but the character is the director, and the way the show blends cinema and reality seems to be a comment on the way the filmmaker’s biography has been marked by a constant blurring of the boundaries between art and life. Not only has Scorsese often cast himself, his family, and his friends in his films, but you can also sense his thematic preoccupations—obsession, belonging, sacrifice, violence—running throughout his life. The wiseguys and crooks who strut and brood across the frames of his films are variations on the figures he’s met in the real world; so are the priests and self-negating loners. They are also, on some level, manifestations of himself: Scorsese clearly finds a personal connection to all his characters, even the basest ones. We love to talk about the violence and stylization in his films; we don’t talk enough about their empathy.
The exhibition, initially organized by Berlin’s Deutsche Kinemathek–Museum für Film und Fernsehen, was curated and designed by Kristina Jaspers and Nils Warnecke, who approached Scorsese five years ago with the idea. The director had to take some time to think about it—not just because a lot of the material would be personal artifacts, but also perhaps because he didn’t want to give the sense that his career was in any way at or near an end; his one condition for the curators was that the exhibit not be organized in linear fashion. (Later, addressing Melbourne’s Australian Centre for the Moving Image on the occasion of the exhibition’s opening there, Scorsese remarked, “It’s kind of odd, actually, seeing your whole life splayed out in front of you in all these different rooms, for better or worse... Even now, at age seventy-three,, we’re still discovering what cinema is or what it could be. There’s so much yet to do.”) Museum of the Moving Image chief curator David Schwartz says that originally, because it had been so hard getting Scorsese to say yes to the project in the first place, there was some doubt as to whether the exhibition would ever travel beyond Berlin. But eventually, with the director’s blessing, it made its way to Australia, as well as to Italy, France, Austria, Belgium—and eventually his hometown, where MoMI was a natural choice. “He’s been here a few times,” Schwartz recalls, “most memorably for a private 70 mm screening of 2001: A Space Odyssey for his daughter Francesca. He wanted her to see it the right way, so he had a print shipped and they came in on a weekend morning.”
Publicity materials for Scorsese’s New York–set films. Photo courtesy of Thanassi Karageorgiou/Museum of the Moving Image.
It makes sense, of course, that this exhibition would eventually come to New York. The city is a constant presence throughout the artifacts on display—and not just in the “New York” section. There are images of Scorsese as a child in Little Italy, and with his schoolmates at Washington Square College, and from his years as a film student at NYU. On-set photos from films like
often reveal a little piece of the city in the background. Even when he’s not in New York, Scorsese is often trying to conjure it: we see images of the sets for
(2002), which reimagined nineteenth-century Manhattan at Cinecittà Studios in Italy, and a matte painting from
which re-created Gilded Age New York in Pennsylvania, as well as location plans for
which—despite being one of the most recognizably “New York” movies ever made—was mostly shot in Los Angeles. One of the exhibition’s biggest items is a giant map of the city, marking all the different spots where Scorsese’s films take place. In fact, this is one area where MoMI’s expertise came in handy: “In all the other versions of this map at other museums,” Schwartz explains, “New York City meant Manhattan only. So we actually had to add Queens and Brooklyn.” One imagines that the Corona, Queens–born Scorsese would appreciate the addition.
Besides finding a way to fit the massive installation into a more modest space—MoMI is big, but it doesn’t have quite as much free exhibition space as other venues that have hosted this show—the museum also added some new materials, including a separate section featuring artifacts from Scorsese’s latest, Silence. Among these: concept sketches, storyboards, and props, including a small crucifix that plays a key role in the film. The Silence material is sparse and set apart from the main exhibition; the film was still in production when the show made its earlier stops. But looking at these pieces, you sense how much this somber drama set in medieval Japan fits within the rest of his oeuvre—from its lonely hero and immaculate period re-creations to its depiction of the mysteries of faith.
For anyone who has heard Scorsese discuss his nearly three-decade-long obsession with making Silence, one item feels like a real piece of history: the director’s own much-marked copy of Shusaku Endo’s 1966 novel, with an inscription from Paul Moore, the Episcopal bishop of New York, who famously gave it to Scorsese after the premiere of The Last Temptation of Christ. “Some of my favorite artifacts are the books that he’s marked up,” Schwartz observes. “We have a copy of Luc Sante’s Low Life [which was used as research for Gangs of New York] where there are Post-it notes on almost every page! You really get a sense of the way that Scorsese does research and how much he loves reading.” While it’s usually not possible to make out what’s written on these pieces of paper and in margins throughout the exhibition, the sheer volume of them makes it clear that Scorsese is constantly thinking and jotting down notes. I find myself imagining him reading a book the way some of his characters speak—quickly, aggressively, always catching the smallest details.
Scorsese’s copy of the novel Silence. Photo by Bilge Ebiri.
Schwartz adds that MoMI also emphasizes the audiovisual aspect of such exhibitions more than other venues. “In a lot of other exhibitions in other museums, you’ll see that the monitors are fairly small and understated,” he says. “Our tendency is to go in the other direction. We’ll utilize projections and bigger monitors, because we like to foreground the finished products of the films themselves, which to us are ultimately the most important thing.” That comes with its own pitfalls with regard to Scorsese, however. “You have this hushed, elegant space, but you also have all this footage with audio where people are cursing each other,” Schwartz chuckles. Signage around the exhibition warns visitors of the strong language. It’s pretty much impossible to make it through the place without hearing Joe Pesci yell “fuck” several times.
The director’s cinephilia understandably gets its own section, filled with posters for such Scorsese favorites as The Red Shoes and 8½ and props from his collection—including the bouquet of flowers used in Hitchcock’s Vertigo. In fact, cinephilia, not unlike New York, appears throughout the exhibition like an animating spirit. A dog-eared copy of Richard J. Anobile’s 1974 book on Hitchcock’s Psycho, which Scorsese consulted heavily during the making of 1980’s Raging Bull, appears in a section dedicated to editing. A note nearby in Scorsese’s own hand, dated 1981, explains how the director and his longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker looked at the shower scene in Hitchcock’s masterpiece while creating the final fight between Jake LaMotta and Sugar Ray Robinson in their film, using it to guide both the rhythm of the cutting and the shot selections. Watching the two scenes side by side, you can see how Robinson’s punches recall Norman Bates’s jabbing knife, and how the simple image of blood dripping down a pair of bare legs can convey so much ferocity.
Raging Bull storyboard. Photo: Marian Stefanowski, courtesy of Deutsche Kinemathek (Berlin).
The foregrounding of clips and montages will make sense to anyone familiar with Scorsese’s career: this is a director who lives and breathes movies, and who—when he’s not actually making his own films—seems to spend much of his time restoring, presenting, and championing others’ work. His commitment to the art form has manifested not just in documentaries like
(1995),
(2001), and
(2010), but also in his very public efforts to preserve international cinema’s past through The Film Foundation and other organizations. In light of this, it’s touching to see how young he was when the movie bug bit him. Included here are the eleven-year-old Scorsese’s colorful, comic-book-like storyboards for an imaginary Roman historical epic called
(including title cards that read “A MarSco Production... in 75mm Cinemascope”). Looking at the dark-bearded figures that a young Marty drew, it’s hard not to be reminded of the director’s own bearded visage during his wild golden years in the seventies and eighties. He has always been, in some ways, both protagonist and creator—the godlike presence behind the lens and the very human subject before it.Much of the information in this article came from Gary Fine's superb sociological examination of RPGs, entitled "Shared Fantasy".
Like all good histories, we begin with a famous genius who sets the ball rolling. In this case, it is the incredible visionary, H. G. Wells. For not only was Wells the grandfather of science fiction, he was also the grandfather of war-games. Which makes him, if you like, the great-grandfather of role-playing games. War-games have pretty much existed for as long as there have been wars. The idea of simulating battles without the personal hazards can be traced back to ancient Sumer, more than four thousand years ago. Chess and Go, two of the oldest games in the world, arose from war-games. Contemporary war games originated in Prussia, at the turn of the 19th century. The game, Kriegspiel (War Game), introduced the ideas of arranging markers on a "sand table", and using a dice to determine any random elements in the battle. After the Franco-Prussian war, the English came up with their own version, and they began to be used wisely by armed services to train in tactics and predict military outcomes It was Wells, however, who first opened up the games for the amateur. In 1915, he published a set of amateur wargaming rules in a book entitled Little Wars, now seen as the "wargamers bible". Wells was also the first to suggest that miniature figures be collected to represent respective forces, to add flavour, and a sense of involvement, to the game. Though the book was popular, wargames did not really take off until, in 1953, Charles Roberts released the first commercially available "board" war game. Though it was a slow starter, Roberts eventually went on to form the Avalon-Hill Game Company, now one of the worlds biggest game companies. Spark to a Flame In fact, in the 60s and 70s, wargaming enjoyed a peak of popularity that it has yet to recapture. It seems all those young people who werent doing LSD and listening to Bob Dylan were playing a hell of a lot of wargames. Soon, it was no longer a game, it was an industry. A huge, well-established and well-defined fanclub, with its own congregations, publications and jargon was evolving, just as it was for science-fiction fans at about the same time. By the late sixties, there was a strong and stable sub-culture for wargamers, a supportive environment that was beginning to foster much creativity and experimentation among its members. It was just this sort of exploration that was to be the fuel for the role-playing fire. But a spark was still required. And what a spark it was: The Lord of the Rings.Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., accused presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee of applying a double standard by planning to construct fencing around this summer's Democratic convention.
"It's interesting that the Democratic National Committee will have a wall around their convention to keep unapproved people out while at the same time, their presumptive nominee, Hillary Clinton, pushes for open borders policies that are even more radical than President Obama's," Alabama's junior senator said in a statement. "She would refuse to deport dangerous criminal aliens until after they have been convicted of committing heinous crimes against Americans, close detention centers, issue even more extreme executive orders than Obama, and increase Syrian refugees five-fold. Her proposed policies make no sense, decimate the rule of law, further reduce wages for poor Americans, and increase the risk of terrorism and criminal behavior."
The Secret Service agent in charge of security at the convention in Philadelphia told NBC Philadelphia that plans include "no-scale fencing" at the Wells Fargo Center -- the convention site -- and XFinity Live! -- an adjacent dining and entertainment complex.
"Security is a necessity in this increasingly dangerous world. Clinton and the DNC don't hesitate to use walls and guns for protecting themselves and their elite friends," the senator said. "I say it's time to provide such protection to the at-risk people like Kate Steinle [who was killed by an illegal immigrant in California], and Clinton not understanding this will lead to her defeat."
Secret Service Special Agent James Henry said the security plans for the convention, being held July 25-28, haven't been finalized.
"We're not quite there to talk about the perimeter yet," Henry said. "We're probably a couple weeks away from finalizing that. But expect some closures."Channel 5 have today announced that they will be broadcasting the FIA Formula E Championship for the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons. Channel 5 will broadcast all Formula E events live, with sister channel Spike broadcasting the qualifying sessions. Practice sessions will air on Channel 5’s online social media accounts.
Channel 5’s Mark Sharman said: “Formula E is a fantastic opportunity for Channel 5 to offer live motorsports to our audience. The sport is up and coming, utilising the very top tech and new and engaging ways to incorporate fans into the high octane action.”
Ali Russell, Director of Media at Formula E, said: “We are delighted that Channel 5 will be our new broadcast partner in the UK. It was very important to us that the championship was on free-to-air TV, and we have been very impressed by the enthusiasm and commitment Channel 5 has demonstrated to the series and I believe this is an excellent arrangement for our many British fans.”
The season kicks off on October 9 with coverage live from Hong Kong with Channel 5 showing every race up until New York on July 29 & 30. Formula E will complement Channel 5’s existing sport programming including EFL highlights, Test Cricket programming and boxing.— A lawsuit stemming from an incident considered to be a major black mark against Newark’s acting police director will cost the city more than $50,000, officials said today. Roberto Lima, editor of Newark’s Brazilian Voice newspaper, was awarded $55,000 plus legal fees in response to a civil suit he filed for wrongful arrest in 2008. Lima claimed Samuel DeMaio asked Gerald Carlos, a photographer for the newspaper, if he had a "green card" after Carlos discovered a body in the East Ward in 2007. Lima also claimed DeMaio ordered officers at the scene to seize Carlos’ camera and later handcuff him at a police precinct to stop him from publishing photos of the body in the newspaper. The "offer of judgment" was announced by the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which aided Lima with the lawsuit. "The actions taken by Newark police that day were a clear violation of Mr. Lima’s First Amendment rights as a journalist," said Baher Azmy, a Seton Hall law professor who also works with the ACLU-NJ. "Police cannot arrest innocent journalists to suppress stories that they may not like or may embarrass them." Lima said he feels vindicated. "Justice has been served and hopefully they have learned a lesson," he said, referring to the police. "Hopefully they will respect us more and they learn about journalists first amendment rights." DeMaio, who declined comment yesterday, was reprimanded by then Attorney General Anne Millgram for the "green card" remark because it violated a directive prohibiting police from asking crime witnesses about their immigration status. He has repeatedly denied ordering officers to seize Lima’s camera or handcuff him, and said he only asked about Carlos’ green card to identify him. DeMaio, 44, was named Newark’s top cop in May, after Garry McCarthy left to become superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. At that time, several council members and civil rights advocates said the incident with Lima validated calls for DeMaio’s internal affairs record to be opened. City officials said the incident has no bearing on DeMaio’s ability to run the department. "Acting Director DeMaio continues to have the support of the administration and we are confident in his leadership and ability to lead our police department," city spokeswoman Anne Torres said. West Ward Councilman Ronald Rice Jr. said while he believes DeMaio has done well as acting director, the court agreement could affect his confirmation hearing next month. "I think it’s definitely a factor," he said. "I think he should voluntarily open his records in lieu of the settlement."
Related coverage:
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•Sport and statistics go hand in hand. Statistics help us to analyse what see and learn in a single sports event, a season, and throughout time. Statistics also afford us a method of comparing the past and the present.
When the existing formula one points scoring system was introduced at the beginning of 2010, the new system was so different from the former systems that comparing the feats of drivers throughout time had been massively skewed. For example, earliest points scoring system only paid 8 points for a win. This was increased to 9 in 1961 and to 10 points in 1991 until the current point system was introduced. The points for a win has now been increased to 25 for a win. The number of drivers scoring points in a race has also increased from 5 in the 1950s, to 10 since 2010.
The points scored statistic is one of the best for comparing driver throughout history as most drivers at some time in their careers will score points. Not all will score wins, pole positions or fastest laps, so the comparison between drivers who were not elite is less meaningful there.
So here at the Qualifying Lap, we’ve undertaken to go back through the record books and place all the results of all grand prix drivers into the modern points scoring system to see how things would look. Now obviously there are some limitations. For example, drivers prior to 2010 that were fighting over tenth place in a grand prix would throw caution to the wind in an effort to try and score points, which would have resulted in many crashing out. The 2010-2013 F1 driver might be content to take the one point that is on offer for that position and would drive more conservatively to the finish. Teams also built more reliable cars now, and don’t stretch the equipment a far as possible in order to mar the car as fast as possible. This greatly increased the amount of vehicles breaking down, resulting in a loss of points for drivers. But putting such limitations aside, the adjusted point scoring table (as I like to call it) makes for very interesting reading.
No prizes for guessing which driver is on top, that’s Michael Schumacher with a total of 3872 points. Of the current F1 drivers, Fernando Alonso is third with 2206 points having just moved ahead of Rubens Barrichello and Ayrton Senna over the last two years, Kimi Raikkonen is seventh of all time with 1705 points, and Jenson Button is ninth on 1609.5 points. Other current drivers in the top 100 include Lewis Hamilton (14th, 1288), Sebastien Vettel (15th, 1244), Felipe Massa (16th, 1231), Mark Webber (17th, 1159), Nico Rosberg (57th, 542) and Hekki Kovalainen (83rd, 281).
For your information, here is the top 25:
1 Michael Schumacher 3872
2 Alain Prost 2481.5
3 Fernando Alonso 2206
4 Rubens Barrichello 1892
5 Ayrton Senna 1859.5
6 David Couthard 1725
7 Kimi Raikkonen 1705
8 Nelson Piquet Sr 1638
9 Jenson Button 1609.5
10 Nigel Mansell 1490
11 Gehard Berger 1391.5
12 Mika Hakkinen 1368
13 Niki Lauda 1257
14 Lewis Hamilton 1288
15 Sebastian Vettel 1244
16 Felipe Massa 1231
17 Mark Webber 1159
18 Riccardo Patrese 1114
19 Jackie Stewart 1099
20 Ralf Schumacher 1092
21 Damon Hill 1091
22 Carlos Reutemann 1085.5
23 Jean Alesi 1033
24 Emerson Fittipaldi 1003
25 Graham Hill 996
(Image copyright The Times)
AdvertisementsUpdate: Kudos to Murat and Rudy Huyn for pointing me out on a missing return; that would cause the NotSupportedException to be raised all the time… I’ve fixed the code by inverting the if condition.
Update 2: Just noticed that GDR2 is also supported, as the code below will also work in devices with it! :)
Windows Phone 8 made it possible to take a screenshot of your screen at any time, just by pressing the Windows and Power button at the same time.
Sure, this is a really cool feature and can be quite handy from time to time, but it can become a security concern for some specific scenarios, not to mention a way to copy someone else’s graphical designs!
Since Windows Phone 8 update 3 (GDR2) there is now a hidden feature that allows you to disable the Screenshot functionality on a page by page basis: the PhoneApplicationPage.IsScreenCaptureEnabled!
This is a hidden property that requires Reflection in order to access and modify it’s state. The following extension methods will help you with that:
public static class PhoneApplicationPageExtensionMethods { public static bool CanSetScreenCaptureEnabled ( this PhoneApplicationPage page ) { return Environment. OSVersion. Version >= new Version ( 8, 0, 10322 ); } public static void SetScreenCaptureEnabled ( this PhoneApplicationPage page, bool enabled ) { var propertyInfo = typeof ( PhoneApplicationPage ). GetProperty ( "IsScreenCaptureEnabled" ); if ( propertyInfo == null ) { throw new NotSupportedException ( "Not supported in this Windows Phone version!" ); } propertyInfo. SetValue ( page, enabled ); } public static bool GetScreenCaptureEnabled ( this PhoneApplicationPage page ) { var propertyInfo = typeof ( PhoneApplicationPage ). GetProperty ( "IsScreenCaptureEnabled" ); if ( propertyInfo == null ) { throw new NotSupportedException ( "Not supported in this Windows Phone version!" ); } return ( bool ) propertyInfo. GetValue ( page ); } }
The first step is to call CanSetScreenCaptureEnabled() from inside your PhoneApplicationPage to check if the Windows Phone version is at least Windows Phone 8 update 3 (version 8.0.10322) as that is the minimum required version for this to work!
If it is, we can then use the GetScreenCaptureEnabled() and SetScreenCaptureEnabled() extension methods to change the property value!
Here is a sample usage code to disable screenshot functionality:
public partial class MainPage : PhoneApplicationPage { public MainPage () { InitializeComponent (); if ( this. CanSetScreenCaptureEnabled ()) { this. SetScreenCaptureEnabled ( false ); } } }
If you do try to take a screenshot after that code, this is what will happen:
The same result will happen from the application switcher screen:
Nowadays, privacy has become the #1 concern in everything we do, and I’m sure this is a really useful information for a bunch of apps out there (looking at you 6snap and all other Snapchat apps ;) )so we all know and love Hamilton, right? but unless you’re following blogs that are part of the fandom, you might not know that there are unofficial cast recordings of songs that were cut from the official soundtrack. they’re hard to track down; i’ve only listened to 6, but legend has it there’s as many as 11. after hearing some of them (Congratulations, One Last Ride, and the Adams Administration, specifically) i found myself wondering why these masterpieces would ever be cut from the show ( other songs, like No John Trumball, are more understandable ).
to figure out why some songs were kept and some were cut, i started thinking about how each one changed the show, contributed to it, or detracted from it. to quote one of Alexander’s lines from Non-Stop: “Let’s go.”
this song would have come between The Reynolds Pamphlet (track 37) and Burn (track 38). immediately, there is a lot to like: it showcases Angelica Schuyler’s strong will with the delightfully sassy repetition of “kinda stupid” and the colorful metaphors that precede it. wordplay is a well-known way to appeal to Broadway audiences, and Angelica’s conflation of Alexander being “kinda stupid” and his actions being a particular “kind of stupid” is no exception. however, it is precisely these delightful elements that make the song so inappropriate. in the official soundtrack, The Reynolds Pamphlet flows directly into Burn, maintaining a serious tone throughout. Congratulations disrupts this flow and greatly dilutes the emotional impact of Eliza’s Burn, a conflict that drives much of the emotion in Stay Alive (Reprise) and It’s Quiet Uptown. additionally, Congratulations is enjoyable largely because of Angelica’s (for lack of better phrasing) unapologetic badassery, but the price is that her character is portrayed as unnecessarily antagonistic. this is the last song Angelica sings in the show (not including It’s Quiet Uptown, in which she only sings about Alexander and Eliza, not herself). to end Angelica’s relationship with Alexander so negatively in Congratulations would not give the audience a good sense of closure. Angelica’s line “I’m not here for you” represents her much more positively. instead of spiteful, she’s portrayed as the protective, loving older sister the audience remembers from Satisfied. by cutting Congratulations but inserting that line (and basically the entire last minute of the song) into Burn, Angelica and Eliza’s emotions are portrayed more powerfully.
this song is actually a different, even longer version of One Last Time (track 32), which is already one of the longest and slowest songs in the show. the first difference most listeners will notice is that it goes into depth about the Whiskey Rebellion, which is actually a subplot concerning Washington and Alexander that appeared in the Off-Broadway version of Hamilton. it was cut from the Broadway run because it added complexity and length to the show, but not much else. the loss of the subplot also erased the meaning from Jefferson’s line in Cabinet Battle #1 that foreshadowed it: “Imagine what gon’ happen when you try to tax our whiskey.” however, it was probably a good decision to remove the Whiskey Rebellion from a musical whose soundtrack alone is almost an hour and a half long. like Congratulations, One Last Ride has some entertaining moments. notably, when it reprises the bridge of Right Hand Man:
[Washington’s lines are italicized; Alexander’s are bolded] You are outgunned! What! Outmanned! What!
Outnumbered, outplanned! Pay your fucking taxes!
Put your guns down on my command- Hand ‘em over!
This is Hamilton, my right hand marPWUH PWUH PWUH PWUH! is it entertaining? definitely. is it relevant? not in the slightest.
in fact, it makes Alexander seem infantile. throughout Hamilton, Alexander’s character arc is one of growth and maturity. in My Shot, the first diegetic song in the show, Alexander is boyish, a little naïve, and full of youthful vigor (just listen to how he says, practically giggling, “oh sure, sir!” to Burr, or how he generally interacts with the other four revolutionaries). compare that to Best of Wives and Best of Women, one of the very last songs, and Alexander’s character arc becomes clear. unfortunately, One Last Ride comes too late in the show for this infantilism to be permissible; One Last Time seems like the all-around more appropriate choice.
this song, like the previous, is a longer version of another song: The Adams Administration (track 34). the only difference is that Alexander’s “response” has actual substance; specifically, it’s one minute of Alexander rapping non-stop (pun intended). however, the decision to cut his response did more than just make the show a minute shorter. the song adds complexity and details regarding John Adams which frankly have no impact on the plot or emotional moments of the show. the only relevance John Adams has in Hamilton is when he fires Alexander, a moment that marks the beginning of Alexander’s downward spiral (which brings about the events of the next four songs). in the unofficial recording of The Adams Administration, Alexander makes a multitude of good points against John Adams. “the man’s irrational, he claims that I’m in league with Britain in some vast international intrigue,” as well as every other line that condemns Adams for spending time in Boston instead of actually doing his job, all give Alexander credibility. they tell the audience that Alexander is in the right. as a result, the beginning of his downward spiral in the next song, We Know, feels like it’s coming out of the blue (because it was just in the last song that Alexander was the paragon of rationality, right?) in the official soundtrack version of The Adams Administration, the response Alexander gives seems more irrational, so the transition into his downward spiral is more cohesive and feels more natural. additionally, there’s something beautiful in the succinctness of “Hamilton publishes his response: SIT DOWN, JOHN, YOU FAT MOTHERFU@&#%!!!” that the longer rap cannot quite encapsulate. in the end, i think it’s fair to say that we love all of the songs of Hamilton, whether they’re from the official soundtrack or bastard orphan sons of a whore and a scotsman. that being said, the unofficial recordings clearly have good reasons to be omitted, and it’s probably for the best that they were. instead of looking down on these rejected songs, we should celebrate them, cherishing them as precious secrets that we lucky few have stumbled across. perhaps one day, many years from now, the curtain will go up on a Broadway revival of that classic hit Hamilton, and the audience will hear Angelica Schuyler say, “Congratulations.”
Elijah Lang
Theater 110
Works Cited
Miranda, Lin-Manuel. Hamilton: An American Musical. 2015.
Miranda, Lin-Manuel. Hamilton: Unofficial Recordings. 2015.
(For your listening pleasure, the 6 unofficial recordings I’ve heard)SYDNEY will get its first axe throwing venue in St Peters but some residents are not happy about it - particularly since the venue will be next to a pub.
Company Maniax has been given the green light by Marrickville Council to set up the recreation facility in a warehouse space in St Peters on Mary St, with the first axe expected to be thrown in June.
Some residents had expressed concerns about public safety, but Maniax co-owner Renee Shilling told council that a contemporary version of the sport had taken off in Toronto in Canada, while there were plans to set up 35 new venues across the US in the next two years.
“There is significant precedent internationally that is it a legitimate and safe sport,” she said.
media_camera The space inside the axe throwing business in St Peters. Picture: Carly Earl
The company is offering private events for three hours for $50 per person, where there is individual coaching and target practice before a tournament is played by the group, while league competitions would be run for eight weeks from Monday through to Wednesday.
And Maniax expects it will become the new fun activity for bucks, hens and birthday parties while those eager to compete in the sport able to join a league.
COULD AXE THROWING TAKE OFF IN AUSTRALIA?
ROZELLE COMMUNITY BACK ON THEIR FEET AFTER FIRE EXPLOSION
But resident Carolyn Day told council she was concerned that alcohol would be easily available as the axe throwing venue was right next door to Willie the Boatman brewery.
“You don’t need alcohol consent on site when you have a bar next door. Drinking and throwing axes is a real concern,” she said.
media_camera The axes that will be used by people who participate in the sport. media_camera The targets for the axe throwing.
With council officers recommending approval of the development, a majority of councillors were also in support of the application.
Independent Cr Victor Macri said no drinking was allowed on the premises and patrons would always be supervised.
“It’s a sport - throwing a tomahawk - it’s just a different type of sport... I’d much rather have this in my street than people shooting arrows in a park as the axe throwing is contained in a building,” he said
media_camera Maniax owners Adam Schilling and Steve Thomas are opening up the axe throwing business in St Peters. Picture: Carly Earl
Greens Cr Melissa Brooks understood there was public anxiety about the facility being located next to a bar, especially considering the sport was untested in an Australian environment, but said there were detailed plans in place to ensure safe management of the site.
Independent Cr Morris Hanna and Greens Cr David Leary both voted against the development due to safety concerns.
There will be a six-month trial period of the venue’s opening hours, which are from 10am to 10pm most nights.
Maniax also has plans to expand its venture in the next two years, Mrs Shilling said.
media_camera Bronwyn White, Joan Stigliano, Jon Okeby. St Peters residents are concerned about a DA going to council at next Tuesday's meeting.
AXE THROWING RULES
● Targets are arranged in groups of two and a block of wood is securely fixed to the floor about 4.6m from the target, where the axes are thrown from. Axe handles are no longer than 40cm in length.
● A game takes place between two competitors at a time in each target lane, with single or double handed overhead throws only. No underarm throwing is permitted.
● If the axe lands in or on the innermost circle, it scores a five; the next ring is worth three; and the outer ring is a one. On the line counts as the next highest score — however more than half the axe head must be on or in the line.
● If the axe lands anywhere else on the target, a zero is scored.
● Each game consists of three rounds of five throws.
● On the fifth throw of each round, either competitor can opt to throw for the “snatch”, which is either of the two small painted dots towards the top of each target, and is worth seven points.
● On the fifth throw of each round, the competitor who is winning that round will throw first.
● If there is a tie in a round, a sudden-death throw will take place, with one extra axe being thrown per competitor
● Either competitor may go for the snatch in this sudden death round, but must verbally announce their attempt before the throw.Will robots one day destroy us? It’s a question that increasingly preoccupies many of our most brilliant scientists and tech entrepreneurs.
For developments in artificial intelligence (AI) — machines programmed to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence — are poised to reshape our workplace and leisure time dramatically.
This year, a leading Oxford academic, Professor Michael Wooldridge, warned MPs that AI could go ‘rogue’, that machines might become so complex that the engineers who create them will no longer understand them or be able to predict how they function.
AlphaZero taught itself chess in just four hours and thrashed a grandmaster using moves never seen before in the game's 1,500 year history
Yes, it’s a concern, but a ‘historic’ new development makes unpredictable decisions by AI machines the least of our worries. And it all started with a game of chess.
AlphaZero, an AI computer program, this month proved itself to be the world’s greatest ever chess champion, thrashing a previous title-holder, another AI system called Stockfish 8, in a 100-game marathon.
So far, so nerdy, and possibly something only chess devotees or computer geeks might get excited about.
But what’s so frighteningly clever about AlphaZero is that it taught itself chess in just four hours. It was simply given the rules and — crucially |
. “A lot of us,” Ripken quipped, “had a bad week that day.”Ripken would not have many more bad weeks for Rochester; on Aug. 10 of that year, he was called up to Baltimore, marking the beginning of a 21-year career."This book is so funny. Read it and you'll 100% find love--if you're into that kinda thing...happiness or whatever."―Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel
"Laura and Ben's absurdist look at dating is both hilarious and heartfelt. A great read, even for this old married lady."―Kristen Bell
"Funny as hell, no joke! Definitely worth $14.98."―J.J. Abrams
"If I were banished to a deserted island and could only take one book it wouldn't be this one because there would be no one to use all these smart, valuable, and hilarious tips on."―Blake Griffin
"I'm obsessed with this book! Using profanity and profundity to find love? Sign me up!"―Sophia Bush
"This book is fun, funny, and so helpful! I'm reading it during a date right now and it's going great! We're having dinner and we're vibing hard! Now he's paying for dinner, and we're in the cab going back to his place! Now we're in his place, sealing the deal! Awesome!"―Megan Amram
"Read this book if you like laughing and you don't want to die alone."―Judy Greer
"Though the book is full of stick-figure drawings and silly dialogue and scenarios, the message is clear: people don't know proper dating etiquette anymore. It's a modern-day problem, and this book is one reminder that single folks can always be better people about it, so long as they pay attention and try."―W magazine
"This illustrated guide to dating tips and rules will prepare you for anything that comes your way in the dating department."―BuzzFeed
"A collection of hilarious dating tips that will comfort anyone who's ever had a terribly confounding experience on a date."―Elite Daily'There are a million mistakes you can make', says world-renowned tenor Jonas Kaufmann of Verdi's late, great opera Otello. 'You need people who really watch you and say "No! Wait! Careful!". If this doesn’t happen you just fall into the traps.'
Kaufmann is back at the Royal Opera House this summer to sing the title role in The Royal Opera's major new production directed by Keith Warner. In the years since his Covent Garden debut in 2004 in Puccini's La rondine, he has become a firm audience favourite and much in-demand around the world. Why then, has he waited until now to tackle one of the repertory's top roles, and why has he chosen to do so in London?
'I can’t tell you exactly the amount of offers I got for this part... You need an enormous amount of experience. It’s not so much the technical side of singing the role, but the challenge of losing yourself in the craziness of this character and pushing yourself to a limit where your voice might be harmed. I waited very long and I finally realized, "If I don’t do it now, when then?". It has to be done under the best possible circumstances. The Royal Opera House has always been a place where I’ve felt very at home and the acoustic is good – it's not too big but still has a glory.
'Otello is the perfect Verdi opera. It starts, the curtain opens and you’re thrown right into it. A lot of actors are very jealous of opera singers in operas like Otello because we have this carpet of emotions. You don’t have to do it from scratch. The audience is already captivated – you just have to go and harvest.'
One of the key drivers however, was the involvement of Music Director Antonio Pappano, who will be conducting the opera:
'I wanted to do this first Otello with him', says the tenor. 'If he doesn’t come to my place – to Munich – I have to come to London!'
On 28 June, the production will be relayed live to cinemas as round the world as part of the ROH Live Cinema Season. But Kaufmann, despite being seen up close in high definition on the silver screen, approaches performing for cameras the same way that he does for those watching in the back row of the auditorium:
'I’ve been asked many times if I would change for a live relay and I always answer "Not a hair". I've experienced both being on stage and being in the audience. I can see immediately if someone is honest on stage or not – not only in opera but in all art forms. Acting isn't pretending to be someone, acting means slipping like a glove into this character and just living it.
'If you’re able to do that, you don’t need to change anything because the natural gestures, movements and positions read regardless of distance. You can see the back of somebody and you know their mood if it’s done in the right way... There are opera houses where the audience is miles away and still it works – you know exactly the situation and the mood.'
And for a famously intense performer, Kaufmann is focused on the nuanced balance of emotion required:
'I think Karajan once said that we are seeking controlled ecstasy... I want to convince the audience that I am this other person. Nevertheless, deep inside there must be control. But playing on the edge is fantastic.'
Otello runs 21 June—15 July 2017. Tickets are still available for some performances.
The opera will be relayed live to cinemas around the world on 28 June 2017. Find your nearest cinema and sign up to our mailing list.
This production is staged with generous support from Rolex, and with generous philanthropic support from Lord and Lady Laidlaw, Mrs Susan A. Olde OBE, Mrs Aline Foriel-Destezet, Alfiya and Timur Kuanyshev, Mr and Mrs Baha Bassatne, John G. Turner & Jerry G. Fischer, Ian and Helen Andrews, Mercedes T. Bass, Maggie Copus, Mrs Trevor Swete, Beth Madison, John McGinn and Cary Davis, the Otello Production Syndicate, The Royal Opera House Endowment Fund and an anonymous donor.Before you go back to school, the Illinois Family Institute wants to remind Christian parents everywhere how they can go after those damn teachers who challenge students’ thinking.
No joke. Laurie Higgins‘ piece is entitled “Challenge teachers, not books” (PDF). Because, as we all know, teachers who discuss banned books are the real problems with our schools.
Parents can object to teachers rather than texts. Here are some suggestions for parents who are fed up with the subtle and not so subtle messages that activist teachers of a liberal bent work into their classroom teaching…
My favorite piece of advice to parents has to be this one:
Students usually know who the liberal, activist teachers are. Liberal teachers develop reputations, often as the “cool” teachers.
NOOO! NOT THE COOL ONES!
Umm… I work with students (unlike anyone at IFI). If you talk to them, then you know that they never say, “Mrs. Whatever is cool because she’s a liberal activist.”
The cool teachers, in their minds, are the ones who can teach effectively. The ones who make you work harder because you want to do well in their classes. The ones who remember what high school was like and can empathize with students’ struggles. The ones who challenge students’ thinking from all sides and make them see things in different ways.
The cool teachers are not the ones who wear their personal politics on their sleeves and make conservative Christian students feel like shit. Those teachers — if they existed — would be just as unpopular as any who promote their Christianity in the classroom (which, by the way, IFI is perfectly fine with, seeing as they thought teacher Bradley Johnson was just presenting “diverse viewpoints that include God’s place in American history and culture” when he hung Christian banners in his classroom).
And I think Higgins is going after me again, because she has it out for triangles, the devil’s favorite shape:
If parents have children who have already gone through the school or have already completed a year or more, they should ask those children and/or their friends or friends’ parents which teachers are known for bringing their politics into the classroom or who displays a “Safe Space” sticker, the inverted pink triangle, the rainbow flag, or the lower case Greek letter “lambda” on their desk, classroom door, or wall.
No lambda?! Oh no! Conservatives are now going after Physics and Chemistry classes, too!
Maybe I should replace all the x’s in my math equations with lambdas, just to freak IFI out. Or rearrange my desks in the shape of a triangle…
And what’s the problem with “Safe Space” stickers? Is IFI that afraid to let LGBT students know that they have nothing to fear in the classroom? Would they rather those students feel isolated, abnormal, and lost? Because that’s how they tend to feel now, in large part thanks to the propaganda pushed by evangelical churches. It’s disgusting how much contempt IFI has for teachers who make minority students feel loved and accepted.
Parents can go to their middle school and/or high school websites and find out which teachers sponsor gay and straight alliances and liberal political activist groups (e.g. AWARE).
Finally, this step borders on crazy:
Why? What would it matter? Teachers are legally allowed to be sponsors of those groups. If the GSA needed a faculty sponsor, I’d step up. If an atheist group ever formed at my school, I’d sponsor that, too. And if a Christian group couldn’t find a sponsor, I’d bite my tongue and help them out because they also have a right to meet after school and discuss their beliefs.
Just because teachers are sponsors of religious or political groups doesn’t mean they endorse the groups nor does it mean they espouse those views in the classroom.
But IFI won’t say that. They know damn well that the Equal Access Act says exactly what I just did — that teacher sponsorship of a club isn’t the same as endorsement, that political/religious student groups have a right to form in schools, that expressing concern for bullied students ought to be encouraged instead of condemned, etc. — but instead of explaining all that in a balanced way, they just try and scare Christian parents into thinking that liberal teachers ought to be avoided at all costs. (And, presumably, that IFI needs money to keep fighting this fictitious battle.)
…
This is the unfortunate (for them) position IFI has put itself in. They have to make up problems to solve because no real ones exist. Anything they accuse liberal teachers of doing, they know Christian teachers have done the exact same things in a much more egregious way.
For example, IFI wants to stop things like the student-led Day of Silence (for LGBT students and their allies) because it’s an example of “politicizing the classroom.” But that argument gets them nowhere because conservative Christians already promote the “Pro-life Day of Silent Solidarity” in the classroom, and IFI has never said a word against that event whatsoever.
They want to rail against liberal teachers — even ones like me, who keep our religious beliefs out of the classroom — but they’re silent when it comes to Christian teachers who proselytize instead of teaching. And you can bet that happens far more often.
They’re hypocrites who refuse to acknowledge it and school districts know better than to take them seriously.
That’s why IFI has to make up fake enemies. That’s why they go after atheist teachers and English departments and pink triangles and lambda symbols. Because the teachers who preach atheism or Islam or Hinduism in the classroom don’t exist. Preaching instead of teaching is something certain Christians do, not the rest of us.
And if you’re a Christian and you agree with me, then say something about it to them. Stop being silent. It’s not like they care what atheists have to say.
On the brighter note, IFI staffers won’t be teaching in any public schools this fall.
But I will be.
Me and my evil, liberal, hippie, godless, proof-loving, triangle-drawing, “cool” ways.Former Internationals Willie Mason and Timana Tahu will make a stunning return to representative football as rivals after the Knights team-mates were today named as ‘coach’s selections’ for next month’s Harvey Norman Rugby League All Stars in Brisbane.
Newcastle and NRL All Stars Coach Wayne Bennett chose Mason to make his All Stars debut alongside Adam Reynolds (Rabbitohs), James Tamou (Cowboys), Billy Slater (Storm) and Tim Grant (Panthers), while Tahu was chosen by Laurie Daley for his Indigenous All Stars side featuring seven newcomers. The others are Raiders’ trio Reece Robinson, Jake Foster and Jack Wighton, Aidan Sezer (Titans), Joel Romelo (Bulldogs) and Dane Nielsen (Warriors).
Indigenous All Stars captain Johnathan Thurston and Broncos NRL All Stars selection Ben Hannant joined Bennett and Daley in Brisbane today for the announcement of both squads for the fourth annual Harvey Norman Rugby League All Stars match to be played at Suncorp Stadium for the first time on February 9.
More than 40,000 Rugby League fans have had their say via two online voting stages to select a representative from each of the 16 NRL Clubs in the 20-man NRL All Stars squad, while fans could choose from all of Rugby League’s best Indigenous talent for Daley’s Indigenous All Stars.
Following the closing of the public online voting on Monday, Bennett was able to select two extra players alongside automatic selections Benji Marshall (New Zealand captain) and Cameron Smith (Australian captain); while Daley could pick three extra players in addition to automatic selection (as captain) Thurston.
Bennett’s other ‘coach’s selection’ is the Storm’s Cooper Cronk, while Daley also chose Wighton and Nielsen.
Daley said: “We certainly have some strike-power in our team and when you look at the calibre of players we have, I think fans will be excited at the style of footy we will play.
“The NRL All Stars is a formidable side with big, powerful, class players in key positions, but I know how determined our team is to perform well and I think we have a squad capable of achieving something special.”
Bennett said the public had selected him a balanced side that would be capable of playing the exciting brand of football that had become synonymous with the All Stars game.
“There is no doubt the fans will be in for an entertaining game with the great mix of talented and exciting backs and powerful forwards in both teams, as well as the blend of experience and youth,” Bennett said.
“Just as important as the game though is the whole week of All Stars activities and community events and I commend the players for their ongoing commitment to the All Stars concept which continues to help make a real difference to the lives of many Australians.”
The 2013 NRL All Stars team is:
Player (* = All Stars debutants) Club Billy Slater* Storm Akuila Uate Knights Shaun Kenny-Dowall Roosters Josh Morris Bulldogs Brett Morris Dragons Benji Marshall, (C) (automatic selection) Wests Tigers Adam Reynolds* Rabbitohs James Tamou* Cowboys Cameron Smith (automatic selection) Storm Ben Hannant Broncos David Taylor Titans Anthony Watmough Sea Eagles Paul Gallen Sharks Interchange Robbie Farah Wests Tigers Tim Grant* Panthers David Shillington Raiders Feleti Mateo Warriors Jarryd Hayne Eels Coach’s Selections Willie Mason* Knights Cooper Cronk Storm
The 2013 Learn Earn Legend! Indigenous All Stars team is:
Player (* = All Stars debutants) Club Ben Barba Bulldogs Reece Robinson* Raiders Justin Hodges Broncos Greg Inglis Rabbitohs Blake Ferguson Raiders Johnathan Thurston (C) Cowboys Scott Prince Broncos George Rose Sea Eagles Travis Waddell Uncontracted Andrew Fifita Sharks Joel Thompson Raiders Greg Bird Titans Nathan Peats Rabbitohs Interchange Ryan James Titans Aidan Sezer* Titans Joel Romelo* Bulldogs Jake Foster* Raiders Coach’s Selections Dane Neilsen* Warriors Timana Tahu* Knights Jack Wighton* Raiders
The Queensland Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games, the Hon. Jann Stuckey MP, extended her congratulations to the players on their selection today and welcomed the event to the State’s capital for the first time.
“The votes are in and with such talented athletes on both sides, the 2013 Harvey Norman Rugby League All Stars match at Suncorp Stadium is an event not to be missed by fans,” Ms Stuckey said.
“Broadcast to an estimated 1.5 million people, the fourth annual 2013 Harvey Norman Rugby League All Stars will showcase our State’s capital as a premier holiday and event destination.
“The Newman Government recognises the important role events play in delivering economic and social benefits to the communities in which they are held and we are proud to support this event through Tourism and Events Queensland.”
Results
2010 Indigenous All Stars 16 def NRL All Stars 12
2011 NRL All Stars 28 def Indigenous All Stars 12
2012 NRL All Stars 36 def Indigenous All Stars 28
2013 Harvey Norman Rugby League All Stars Ticket Categories and Prices
Tickets for the 2013 Harvey Norman All Stars match are available through Ticketek outlets, on 132 849 or www.ticketek.com.au. New Zealand customers can call 0800 842 538 or +61 132 849.
Categories Cat 1 Cat 2 Cat 3 Adult $90.00 $50.00 $20.00 Pensioner $80.00 $45.00 $18.00 Junior $70.00 $40.00 $16.00 Family (2A+2J) $265.00 $150.00 $60.00
The Harvey Norman Rugby League All Stars is supported by Tourism and Events Queensland as part of a growing calendar of sporting, cultural, regional and business events across Queensland.Gay teacher Nikos Giannopoulos’ displayed his LGBTQ pride as he sported a rainbow pin and clutched a lacy fan in an official photo with President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump. And now the Rhode Island teacher of the year’s bold stand for LGBTQ rights has gotten global attention after the image went viral on Facebook.
Giannopoulos, who teaches 11th and 12th graders at Beacon Charter High School for the Arts in Woonsocket, visited the White House with other teacher of the year winners in April. He received the photo of his moment with Trump this week and immediately posted it to Facebook.
Giannopoulos said he wore the pin “to represent my gratitude for the LGBTQ community that has taught me to be proud, bold, and empowered by my identity — even when circumstances make that difficult.” He brought the fan that day to “celebrate the joy and freedom of gender nonconformity.”
“When I met the president as Rhode Island’s state teacher of the year, I did not know what to expect,” he wrote in the Facebook post. “After a lengthy security process, we were welcomed into the Roosevelt Room where we each met Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. Shortly thereafter, we walked into the Oval Office. The man seated at the desk read prepared remarks from a sheet of paper and made some comments about CEOs and which states he ‘loved,’ based on electoral votes that he had secured. He did not rise from his seat to present the national teacher of the year with her much-deserved award, nor did he allow her to speak.”
He wanted to speak to the president, but none of the teachers got the chance.
The teacher had wanted to tell Trump that “queer lives matter and anti-LGBTQ policies have a body count.” He also wanted to tell the president how the LGBTQ community is hurt by “politicians callously attacking our right to love or merely exist,” Giannopoulos added.
But he revealed to NPR that Trump was happy for him to pose with the fan for the official photo. “Absolutely go for it,” he recalled the president saying. Trump said that he looked “very stylish” with his fan as the teachers gathered around the president, Giannopoulos told Yahoo.
Giannopoulos said when he thinks of the day he met the president, he “will not remember the person seated at the desk.” He’ll remember the students he has taught and the other teachers with him that day, Giannopoulos added ―including one who presented Trump with letters from her refugee student, “pleading with him to hear their voices.”Sen. Wendy Davis, D-FortWorth, sits at her desk after the Texas Senate passes an abortion bill, Friday, July 12, 2013, in Austin, Texas. The bill, signed into law by Gov. Rick Perry (R), sets stringent new rules on abortion. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
As the push to impose new abortion restrictions gains momentum across the country, it's worth keeping this key fact in mind: geography matters.
Both polling and moves by legislatures across the country have made it clear that sharp regional differences, as well as partisan ones, help determine which states are rewriting their abortion laws and which ones aren't. While Americans consistently support keeping abortion legal in all or most cases, these numbers change significantly depending on the state. And the partisan divide is even wider, which makes a major difference when one party controls the governorship and the legislature.
Twenty-two states have adopted abortion restrictions this year, according to the nonprofit Guttmacher Institute, which tracks the issue: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and Utah.
Americans living these states split about evenly on abortion's legality, with 46 percent saying it should be legal in all or most cases and 50 percent saying it should be illegal in a Washington Post-ABC News poll released last week. By contrast, over six in 10 in states with no new restrictions said abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Nearly two-thirds of Democrats in the poll said abortion should be legal in all or most cases (65 percent), while 58 percent of Republicans said it should be illegal.
Mirroring the Post-ABC data, in all but four of the states with new restrictions -- Maryland, Montana, Pennsylvania and Virginia -- support for abortion in all or most cases was below 50 percent in a 2007 large-scale survey by the nonpartisan Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
The list also includes four of the five states where abortion support was lowest in the Pew Forum poll: Mississippi, Utah, Arkansas and Louisiana.
A Pew Research Center poll released Monday also found a growing regional divide on the issue. While overall attitudes in the United States remained largely unchanged, with 54 percent of all Americans saying abortion should be legal in all or most cases and 40 percent saying it should be illegal in all or most cases, those living in New England and the South have widely varying views on the issue, and they've grown further apart.
Pew Research surveys since 2012 find opposition to legal abortion is highest in the South Central region -- 52 percent there say it should be illegal in all or most cases. This region is also the only area of the country where opposition has risen significantly since Post-ABC polls in the mid-1990s, when 45 percent said abortion should generally be illegal. By contrast, New England continues to rank as the region where support for legal abortion remains highest -- 75 percent in surveys since 2012 and 70 percent in 1995-96.
And in North Carolina -- where Gov. Pat McCrory (R) signed a sweeping bill Monday limiting abortion access -- a majority of the voters who put him in office think abortion should be illegal.
Overall, North Carolina voters are slightly less supportive of abortion rights than the rest of the country, but most still think it should be legal in most or all cases. The network exit poll last fall found 53 percent saying abortion should be “legal in all cases” or “legal in most cases,” compared with 40 percent who took the opposite view. About twice as many said it should be "legal in all cases” than “illegal in all cases,” 25 vs. 13 percent. Nationally, a larger share of voters, 59 percent, said abortion should generally be legal.
Fifty-six percent of McCrory’s supporters, by contrast, said in that same poll abortion should be illegal in most or all cases.
This partisan divide was evident In an April Elon University poll as well, where 42 percent of North Carolinians said the state’s laws should make access to abortion more strict; 37 percent said they should be less strict and 9 percent about the same. Republicans, who control all branches of government in the state, supported stricter abortion laws by more than 3 to 1.
Clement is a survey research analyst with Capital Insight, the independent polling group of Washington Post Media.ESPN Insider's Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton return to provide the kind of discussions that are happening in front offices around the NBA -- where scouts and statistical experts are breaking down NBA draft prospects using their "eyes, ears and numbers."
Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns is the second-highest-ranked big man on Ford's Big Board (No. 3). However, his numbers aren't dominant. Why does he warrant a high draft ranking? Insider's NBA draft experts weigh in on that as well as other topics, including NBA comps for Towns, other bigs in the 2015 draft class who could flourish at the next level, and players who have recently emerged as draft sleepers.
Why is Karl-Anthony Towns ranked so high on the Big Board?
Chad Ford: While Big Board No. 1 Jahlil Okafor is a more dominating presence offensively, Towns has been equally good defensively for Kentucky this season. He's an elite shot-blocker and a very good rebounder who has the agility to get out and guard both 4s and 5s at the NBA level. He's a much more fluid athlete than Okafor, which I think largely accounts for his superior defense.Ron Paul's 2012 campaign has won the majority of Washington's delegates to the Republican National Convention, and a number of other states are expected to follow suit, pointing to a hectic convention in which Mitt Romney's path to the nomination may face a major insurgent opponent.
Washington is now the third state, after Iowa and Minnesota, in which Ron Paul has locked up at least half of the state's nominating delegates. In order to be officially entered in nomination at the Tampa, Fla., convention, he needs to secure half or more of the delegates in five states, and as of Thursday, he looks poised to grab a majority of delegates in other states like North Dakota and Maine in coming weeks.
Ron Paul's 2012 campaign has taken an unorthodox tack, hoping to draw state delegates to his camp rather than simply winning the popular vote. As such, he is stacking up delegates who once backed Newt Gingrich, Herman Cain, Rick Santorum and other fallen candidates.
And the strategy is not unprecedented. Warren G. Harding pulled off a surprise win at the 1920 Republican convention, where he eventually won the nomination despite heading in with the fewest delegates of any remaining candidate. And Harding went on to sweep into the White House.
Even Fox News said this week that Paul's presence on the ballot at the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa looks inevitable at this point.
And if he makes it onto the ballot, Ron Paul's 2012 campaign has the chance to throw a wrench in the nominating process, proving all the critics wrong by having a huge impact on the Republican race instead of just fizzling out as has long been predicted.
Even if he doesn't end up with the GOP nod, Paul may be able to influence the proceedings in Tampa by changing the conversation and revamping the strategy in order to target Paulites and others who don't agree with Romney's policies.
The libertarian Texas congressman could also continue to remain relevant by running on a third-party ticket, an option he has not ruled out.In an interview with, Mohammad Reza Javadi Yeganeh said that a 10 volume- book series on the negative characteristics of Iranians will soon be released.Head of the Institute of Culture, Art and Communications continued: “The series is published by the Social Council of the country and the first volume is dedicated to the introduction and generalities. The second volume reviews the positive features and the other eight volumes cover the negative characteristics of Iranians.”He said that by a look at these travelogues one can note that when Iranians are involved in revolutionary or group actions their positive features are better noticed by foreigners.About the time covering this 10-volume series, he explained that the foreign travelogues cover the period starting from the era of Pythagoras onward, i.e. from the year 500 A.D. to 1978. He also said that the compilers of the series stressed that all what was available in Persian sources must be covered.Javadi Yeganeh pointed out that on the basis of Schwartz system of values, 100 negative characteristics of Iranians have been noted, and he also reminded that the positive features of Iranians include hospitality, courtesy, warmth, compliments and so on, whereas incompetent rulers and strict views towards the minorities are considered among their negative characteristics.Don’t trust people when they tell you how much time they spend watching video on their smartphones and tablets. The ratings company learned that lesson the hard way after it changed the way it measures average monthly viewing from surveys to actual observations. The old numbers were off by a factor of — wait for it — 538%, TV station trade group TVB points out this morning. Using surveys, Nielsen‘s widely followed quarterly Cross-Platform Report last year put the monthly mobile video viewing average in Q4 at 5 hours and 23 minutes. But the new report, out yesterday, quietly restated that to just 1 hour — growing to 1 hour and 23 minutes a month in the last three months of 2013. “This disparity is an important reminder of the dangers inherent in trusting consumers’ claimed behavior and calls into question many recent studies that have proclaimed the demise of traditional media based on self-reported approximations of time spent with digital devices,” TVB Chief Research Officer Stacey Lynn Schulman says.
The differences by demographic are equally startling. Nielsen now says that African Americans averaged 1:20 in mobile video watching a month at the end of 2012 vs 6:15 reported last year. The 2012 Q4 monthly number for Hispanics fell to 1:30 from 5:58. And Asians last year spent 1:17, not 6:20. Nielsen doesn’t highlight the change in the table with its new numbers, although it notes toward the end of the report — in a discussion of methodology — that due to the change to its new Electronic Mobile Measurement system “data should not be trended to previous quarters’ published editions.” Online video services including Google, AOL and Yahoo are eager to win advertising dollars now spent on TV. No wonder, then, that TVB says Nielsen’s new latest measurement study shows that TV usage “has increased from 154 hours and 8 minutes per month in Q4’10 to 155 hours and 32 minutes per month in Q4’13.” It didn’t mention that the new figure is down from last year when it was 156:24.On his never-ending quest to solidify himself as the most likable human being to ever walk the planet, Kyle MacLachlan sat down with Variety and gave a post mortem interview regarding Twin Peaks: The Return. The bulk of the talk revolves around the actor’s joys, trials and tribulations bringing multiple characters to life. But when he started discussing the now infamous season finale, it became a “just like us” scenario:
Was Sunday night the first time you saw it? Yeah, every episode I’ve watched as it’s aired. I didn’t see anything beforehand. Which I enjoy doing, I look forward to it. Though I’m kinda like, ah yeah, what does that mean? I got nothing. I have no answers.
Marry me, Kyle MacLachlan. But then the constant David Lynch collaborator elaborated a bit on their process together:
Did it surprise you, watching the finale? You’re talking about the last sequence, right? I had a sense, filming that sequence. It’s always interesting to film with David, and then to watch it. Because his edits — he always changes things a little bit for the tempo, the rhythms he chooses to have. Although I will say that he shot very economically, very precisely. So oftentimes we would do a couple takes from a couple different angles and that was it. And he said that’s it, and we’d move on. He’s fully in control as a director, I think that’s absolutely in control. Precisely what he wanted. He’s pretty impressive. I had a feeling that the final thing was going to be one of those, sort of, hair on the back-of-your-neck-goes-up moments, and people are going to like — if they’re in the middle of a bite of pie, the pie’s going to drop off the fork. It was just unexpected and what, and your mind sort of spins backwards, it was one of those kinds of moments. I felt like that was what was going to happen. And indeed, that was my experience. I was like whoa. Just like, whoa.
First off, why did none of us think to invite Kyle MacLachlan to our viewing parties? Imagine sitting with Dale Cooper and getting his theories on what just happened in real time. My mind is exploding right now.
No Twin Peaks interview (which you really should go read in full, as it’s a fun, quick piece) would be complete without a little cryptic weirdness, and MacLachlan (being Lynch’s crowned prince) does not disappoint. When asked for his take on what it all means, MacLachlan elaborated, leaving the chat on a perfect note:
Everything else will be what David decides it will be.
I’m gonna miss this fucking show so much.With the resurgence of Deep Ellum and the recent razing of buildings in downtown Dallas, I’ve been thinking about the old Union Bankers building on Elm Street and Good Latimer and did a little reading on it*.
The building was erected in 1915 and designed by Dallas’ first African American architect, William Sydney Pittman. It was created as the Knights of Pythias Temple, but is now often referred to as the Union Bankers building due to the sign left by its last occupants. From the time it was built until 1939, the building served as a hub for Dallas’ black middle class. It was a place to socialize, engage in culture and community, and do business. It also housed offices for African American doctors, dentists, and lawyers.
In the late 50’s it was acquired, painted white, and turned into an office building for The Union Bankers. It wasn’t long after the decision in the 80’s to turn the building into an historic landmark that the owners decided to leave.
Though the Pythias Temple currently has an owner, it remains unused. I’m not sure who owns the building, or what plans he or she has for it, and it’s certainly not my place to demand something be done. But I can’t help but dream up ideas for this structure that essentially serves as a reminder of Deep Ellum’s roots.
If I owned the building, or had anywhere near enough money to do this, I would like to see it cleaned up (not too much change- just get rid of the rot and crud inside) and make into a music hall/museum. The bottom floor could be a bar/venue at night and the upstairs could serve as a “Deep Ellum specific” museum during the day. Or maybe just a restaurant/museum. I think it would be a great way to get people acquainted with the history of this neighborhood before they venture out into the activities, dining, and nightlife that it offers.
Perhaps if people had the chance to see old pictures of Deep Ellum and read about the musicians and skilled professionals who have lived here and influenced this place, they might be more inclined to preserve the structures and overall feel of the area.
I’m sure plenty of people have their own ideas of what the building could become. What are your opinions? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
If you’re interested in reading a more detailed history of the building and its previous owners, check out this interesting article from the Dallas Observer written in 2007.
*Please feel free to correct me for any inaccuracies in the history. I pulled this information from various online sources.The Board of Library Trustees (BOLT) will hold a special session Thursday May 7 at 6:30 p.m. to make a final decision on a community proposal to rename the South Branch library after a local activist.
At its April 22 meeting, BOLT considered the petition to rename the branch at 1901 Russell Street after the late Tarea Hall Pittman, a black civil-rights leader and radio host who lived nearby. The five members heard impassioned speeches from community members and ultimately voted 3-2 against a motion to suspend the library naming policy, which would have allowed them to vote on the proposal.
Two of the trustees who voted against the motion, Julie Holcomb and Jim Novosel, were up for reappointment at the April 28 council meeting.
At that meeting, Councilman Laurie Capitelli pushed the item to the June meeting to allow for further discussions about the name change.
“I realize that there are a lot of people here tonight to support Ms. Pittman and I think probably a lot of frustration in the audience coming from last Wednesday’s meeting,” he said. “I think people of goodwill are reaching out to one another. I think we’re going to find a path forward.”
At the public special meeting this week, BOLT will vote on changing the library naming policy, which went into effect in 2012, and make a final decision about the proposal to name the branch after Pittman, said Director of Library Services Jeff Scott.
The current policy says all libraries should be named after their geographic locations, except in “rare instances” where there is strong consensus, the new name is uncontroversial, and the honoree has “dedicated a substantial amount of energy, time, resources, leadership and/or volunteer service to improve and benefit” the library, among other criteria.
There is also a requirement that the petitioning group has to pay the costs associated with the name change.
The proposed policy change would lift that rule and “would remove the requirement that the individual in question have a connection with the library,” Scott said in an email.
The effort to rename the South Branch is being led by Charles Austin, who lives across the street from the library and collected over 2,000 signatures in support of his cause. Council unanimously endorsed the name change in February. [Efforts to reach Austin for a |
term costs of running away from your problems: each quit makes you less attractive to future employers. A neoclassical agent would optimally balance these concerns. An agent with self‐control issues might repeatedly give in to the temptation to quit until he becomes almost unemployable4.
IV. THE POOR DEVIATE MORE Behavioral economics tells us that individuals have judgmental biases and suffer from self‐control problems. Giving a person more choices therefore has the potential, contrary to basic microeconomics, of predictably making that person worse off. From this general principle, we can deduce that when government assistance expands the choice sets of the disadvantaged, it can make recipients worse off. In other words, behavioral economics provides a ‘possibility theorem’ for welfare policy: expanding opportunity sets may backfire. At minimum, then, this counsels against summarily dismissing theories about the welfare state's perverse effects. But we can go further. Existing literature provides good reasons to think that the deviations of the poor from the standard neoclassical model are especially pronounced. Their judgmental biases are more extreme, and their self‐control problems more severe, than those of the rest of the population. Standard neoclassical theory is unusually likely to mislead us when we analyze policies intended to assist the disadvantaged. 4.1. Quantitative Evidence Behavioral economists frequently highlight certain kinds of behavior – like over‐eating, drinking, smoking, drug use, and retirement planning – to make their case. It is not hard to lengthen the list to include crime, unprotected sex, and other traditional ‘social pathologies.’ What is rarely emphasized in the behavioral literature, though, is that deviant behavior is much more pronounced among the poor. Take drinking. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (1997) finds that ‘9.4 percent of workers in the $9,000–$19,999 income group reported heavy alcohol use, while only 2.1 percent of workers in the highest income bracket ($75,000 and more) reported heavy alcohol use.’ Or consider obesity. Cutler, Glaeser, and Shapiro (2003, p. 97) report that obesity generally declines markedly as education rises. During 1971–75 period, this was true for both genders: 24% of women and 15% of men without high school diplomas were obese, versus 7% of women and 8% of men with college degrees. In the 1988–94 period, 38% of women with less than high school educations were obese, versus 20% with college degrees. (Male obesity rates however no longer show a substantial educational pattern.) Given the strong correlation between education and income, there is little doubt that the poor have more trouble maintaining a healthy body weight. Parallel results holds when we examine smoking and drug use. According to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (2002): … 35 percent of persons with total combined family incomes of less than $9,000 reported smoking cigarettes during the past month compared with 29 percent of those from families with incomes between $20,000 and $39,999 and 19 percent of those from families with incomes of $75,000 or more. Similarly: an estimated 15.4 percent of unemployed adults (aged 18 and older) were current illicit drug users in 2000, compared to 6.3 percent of full‐time employed adults and 7.8 percent of part‐time employed adults using illicit drugs. Recent sociological work confirms that the poor also deviate more in their sexual behavior. Manlove et al. (2000) report that risk of birth throughout adolescence is decreasing in income. Similarly, controlling for family background, Sucoff and Upchurch (1998) found that black teenagers living in ‘underclass’ and ‘working class’ neighborhoods were more likely to have sex at earlier ages and more likely to give birth as teenagers. The National Survey of Family Growth (1996) reports that out‐of‐wedlock births occur far more frequently among the poor – only one in seven unmarried mothers have incomes above $25,000; four out of every ten unmarried mothers have incomes below $10,000. To take a final social pathology, the poor are also prone to criminal behavior – a ‘career option’ notorious for its fleeting benefits and long‐run costs. A Special Report of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (Harlow 1998, p. 4), to take only one example, explains that ‘Jail inmates reported low incomes. Almost half reported incomes of less than $600 a month – at most $7,200 annually – in the month before their most recent arrest.’ It is tempting to assume that criminals turn to crime because of their low earnings, but only 15% of the inmates reported receiving illegal income. Some of the most common offenses – including assault, drug possession, and drunk driving – are rarely lucrative. Indeed, as Levitt and Dubner (2006, pp. 79–104) document, even crime that pays rarely pays well; despite occupational risks, drug dealers often earn about the minimum wage. Objectively speaking, crime is an ineffective way to escape poverty. But it is easy to see the appeal of crime to those who overestimate their chance of becoming a gang leader, or who simply have poor impulse control. One could try to minimize this evidence. Yes, the poor have a higher average incidence of pathological behavior, but the deviation is only in the tails, not the median. The absolute level typically remains far below 50%. In the behavioral literature, however, serious problems are normally seen as extreme manifestations of continuous tendencies. From this standpoint, if you see a sub‐population with higher level of extreme behavior at the tails, you should also infer a higher median. Extreme behavior is only the tip of the iceberg; the more you see above the water line, the more you can infer lies beneath it4. 4.2. Accounting for the Deviation Why would the poor be more prone to violate neoclassical assumptions? Perhaps the simplest mechanism is general intelligence. The average IQ of the poor is well below normal, which accounts for much of their earnings gap. (Herrnstein and Murray 1994, Jensen 1998) Measured intelligence also correlates negatively with illegitimacy, child abuse, smoking, and accidents (Herrnstein and Murray 1994, pp. 161–3, 179–81, 207–10, 214). All of these patterns can be plausibly interpreted as amplified departures from neoclassical assumptions. Take illegitimacy. Herrnstein and Murray suggest the following causal model: The smarter the woman, the more likely that she deliberately decides to have a child and calculates the best time to do it. The less intelligent the woman is, the more likely that she does not think ahead from sex to procreation, does not remember birth control, does not carefully consider when and under what circumstances she should have a child. How intelligent a woman is may interact with her impulsiveness, and hence her ability to exert self‐discipline and restraint on her partner in order to avoid pregnancy. (1994, p. 179) In other words, lower intelligence amplifies judgmental biases and lack of self‐control. Less intelligent women are more likely to systematically underestimate the probability of pregnancy from unprotected sex. This leads them to take risks they would avoid if they understood the true numbers. Herrnstein and Murray also appear to say that it is more difficult for them to control their own behavior; the less intelligent have a stronger tendency to make choices that they will come to regret. Crime is another interesting case. Herrnstein and Murray acknowledge the standard human capital account of the link between low intelligence and crime: ‘If, for example, people of low intelligence have a hard time finding a job, they might have more reason to commit crimes as a way of making a living’ (1994, p. 240). But they also offer an alternate account based on judgmental bias: A lack of foresight, which is often associated with low IQ, raises the attractions of the immediate gains from crime and lowers the strength of the deterrents, which come later (if they come at all). To a person of low intelligence, the threats of apprehension and prison may fade to meaninglessness. They are too abstract, too far in the future, too uncertain. (1994, p. 240) Warner and Pleeter (2001) provides direct evidence that lower IQ amplifies behavioral anomalies4. During the 1990s, the U.S. military offered benefit packages to induce voluntary separation. The benefit package could be taken as an annuity or a lump‐sum payment. In line with much of the behavioral literature, Warner and Pleeter find that actors use discount rates far in excess of the market interest rate – usually taken as a sign of judgmental bias, lack of self‐control, or both4. The present value of the lump sum was far less than the annuity – with a break‐even discount rate greater than 17%– but most separatees chose the lump sum. What is noteworthy from the standpoint of the current paper is that individuals with lower measured intelligence were significantly more likely to select the lump sum. This remains true after controlling for education, experience, family size, wage, field of specialization, and more. Thus, separatees' anomalous behavior becomes visibly more pronounced as their intelligence falls. An intriguing study by Kruger and Dunning (1999) reaches the much more general conclusion that self‐serving bias is decreasing in objective ability. In other words, the least competent individuals overestimate themselves the most. As Kruger and Dunning put it: … overestimation occurs, in part, because people who are unskilled in these [social and intellectual] domains suffer a dual burden: Not only do these people reach erroneous conclusions and make unfortunate choices, but their incompetence robs them of the metacognitive ability to realize it. (p. 1121) Since the poor are below‐average on most of the standard measures of ability – including education and intelligence – we should expect their self‐serving bias to be especially severe. Other research bears out this prediction. McClendon and Wigfield (1998) for example finds that in the face of poor objective performance, underachieving black children remain convinced that they are good in both math and science. The ‘culture of poverty’ literature offers a (potentially complementary) alternative to Herrnstein and Murray's general intelligence story. Banfield (1968) remains an insightful introduction. Generalizing from a large ethnographic literature, Banfield identifies contrasting sets of upper, middle, working, and lower class values (1968, pp. 48–54). He argues that lower class values, transmitted from generation to generation, are an important cause of poverty. As Banfield starkly puts it: [T]he lower‐class individual lives moment to moment. If he has any awareness of the future, it is of something fixed, fated, beyond his control: things happen to him, he does not make them happen. Impulse governs his behavior, either because he cannot discipline himself to sacrifice a present for a future satisfaction or because he has no sense of the future. He is therefore radically improvident: whatever he cannot consume immediately he considers valueless. His bodily needs (especially for sex) and his taste for ‘action’ take precedence over everything else – and certainly over any work routine. (1968, p. 53) A high discount rate may well be part of the story, but reducing it to that alone seems forced. Indeed, when Banfield elaborates, his account is almost explicitly behavioral: ‘the individual's orientation toward the future will be regarded as a function of two factors: (1) ability to imagine a future, and (2) ability to discipline oneself to sacrifice present for future satisfaction’ (1968, p. 47). The former strongly suggests judgmental bias; the latter, lack of self‐control. Mayer's (1997) is a more recent contribution to the culture of poverty literature. She concludes that even doubling the income of the poor would have little effect on long‐term poverty. Instead, the primary determinants of success are parental characteristics and attitudes, such as honesty, diligence, and reliability – the very attitudes Banfield maintains that the poor are lacking. Finally, Glaeser (2006) suggests a third explanation for why the poor deviate more: the rich have more motivation and resources to make themselves rational: But there are many reasons to think that incentive effects will be much stronger in the real world than in the laboratory. In experiments, individuals have few tools with which to improve their reasonings, and their only real method of responding to incentives is to think harder. Outside of the lab, people have access to advisers, books, the Internet, and more time. Their willingness to spend time and money to use these resources will surely depend on the stakes involved in the decision. (2006, p. 140) Since the rich have both higher stakes and more resources, Glaeser's analysis predicts that their choices will be more rational (though admittedly, their higher opportunity cost of time cuts the other way).
V. POLICY IMPLICATIONS Moral hazard is the traditional neoclassical argument for limiting government assistance. As programs become more generous, behavioral distortions increase. Ultimately, the marginal dollar transferred costs donors much more than a dollar, so if you put any weight on donors' welfare, there comes a point when you say ‘enough.’ The behavioral perspective advises us to superimpose further costs onto this calculus: We must consider the cost to the recipients as well as the cost to the donors. Once we acknowledge that the disadvantaged not only deviate from neoclassical assumptions, but deviate to an unusually strong degree, there are at least arguably expansive implications for policy. Behavioral issues do not trump all other considerations, but they do push us in certain directions. Most obviously, if government assistance to the disadvantaged amplifies the ill effects of their judgmental biases and self‐control problems, it strengthens the case for reducing the size of welfare benefits, limiting their duration, restricting eligibility, and even abolition. The more ‘generous’ programs are, the more likely they are to harm their ostensible beneficiaries further down the road. But due to self‐control problems, many people will accept the benefits anyway. They are just too tempting to turn down. Moreover, recipients will generally overestimate their own ability to pursue their long‐run interests while on the dole: ‘Other people may live in the present and grow increasingly unemployable, but not me.’‘Other single moms may be unable to care for their children and pursue a career, but not me.’ Behavioral economics also puts affirmative action in a new light. If students overestimate their own academic abilities, you could help the ‘beneficiaries’ of affirmative action by curtailing or ending preferential admissions. Even in the absence of affirmative action, self‐serving bias leads students to pursue overly risky academic strategies: ‘Other kids may get in over their heads, but not me.’ Expanding their set of risky choices with preferential admissions makes the problem worse. While this is not an ironclad argument against affirmative action, it is an additional cost of the policy that most analyses neglect. Neoclassical economics would have to label our reasoning ‘paternalistic.’ As Sunstein (2000, p. 46) observes, behavioral economics is at least ‘anti‐anti‐paternalist.’ It opens up the possibility of hurting people by expanding their choice set, and helping them by shrinking their choice set. This theoretical result is plainly symmetric. If expanding labor market choices above the laissez‐faire level makes the poor worse off, then reducing them below the laissez‐faire level might make the poor better off still. One might interpret laws against vagrancy or truancy in this light – as an attempt to correct for agents' self‐control problems when they weigh the benefits of leisure today against the future benefits of human capital acquisition. Imagine graphing socially optimal policy as a function of the severity of agents' deviation from neoclassical assumptions (Figure 2). For mild deviations, the optimal adjustment would presumably only be to slightly curtail the generosity of government assistance. As deviations from neoclassical assumptions becomes greater, though, the long‐run harm of a given level of assistance rises, and the optimal level of generosity accordingly falls. For severe biases, simple refusal to help will not suffice, and optimal policy would have to restrict even the choice set remaining to the poor under laissez‐faire. Figure 2 Open in figure viewerPowerPoint Deviations from Neoclassical Assumptions and Optical Policy So the behavioral perspective definitely argues for different government policies, but not necessarily for less government. There is however a contingent factor that pushes in favor of laissez‐faire: the fixed costs of government programs. As long as any form of intervention – whether positive (e.g. giving the poor money) or negative (e.g. forbidding vagrancy) – has fixed costs, there exists a discrete range over which laissez‐faire is optimal (Figure 3). If, ignoring fixed costs, the optimal policy involves only mild government action, then taking fixed costs into account, the optimal policy is no government action at all4. Figure 3 Open in figure viewerPowerPoint Deviations from Neoclassical Assumptions and Optical Policy with Fixed Costs Thus, there is a contingent connection between behavioral economics and conservative and libertarian pleas for laissez‐faire. At the same time, the behavioral approach pushes against laissez‐faire along other policy dimensions. Consider regulation of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. From a standard neoclassical perspective, consumption of these substances is an unambiguous social benefit. The textbook case for restriction or prohibition therefore hinges on externalities – externalities which many economists have called into question. The standard rationale for taxes on cigarettes, for instance, is that smokers do not pay the full social cost of their habit because government picks up a share of their medical expenses (Grossman et al. 1993, Hay 1991, Manning et al. 1989, 1991). This argument has been debunked by economists who point out that smokers also die younger, and that the savings from earlier death outweigh the costs of smoking‐related medical treatments (Viscusi 1994). From a behavioral perspective, one can construct a quite different case for taxes on tobacco. We must consider not just the costs smokers impose on non‐smokers, but also the costs that smokers impose on themselves. Smokers often lament that lack of self‐control prevents them from kicking their habit (Survanovic et al. 1999, Wertenbroch 1998, Akerlof 1991, Winston 1980). Overconfidence arguably exacerbates their plight: young smokers may form a plan to quit when they turn forty, thinking ‘Unlike others, I can stop anytime I want.’ Using taxes to raise the price of cigarettes could therefore actually help smokers. By increasing the upfront cost of the habit, you could make them ‘act as if’ they accurately adjusted for its long‐term consequences. Moreover, insofar as the poor suffer from more pronounced biases than other segments of the population, what is usually seen as a defect of cigarette taxes – their regressive impact – is actually a benefit! The more severe people's deviation from neoclassical assumptions, the larger the gap between their choices and their welfare. A constant per‐pack tax presumably matters more to low‐income smokers. Thus, cigarette taxes probably have the largest effect on the tobacco consumption of those who, left to their own devices, tend to do themselves the most harm. To repeat, behavioral considerations do not trump conventional neoclassical cost‐benefit analysis. One could admit that consumers of heroin would generally be better off consuming no heroin, but still reject the efficiency case for prohibition by pointing to indirect effects of street violence and adulteration. What the behavioral perspective teaches us is that the standard neoclassical framework neglects some of the benefits of prohibition. Whether or not these forgotten benefits tip the scales depends on how close the contest was to begin with. It is wise to pursue paternalistic reasoning cautiously (Glaeser 2006). There is a risk of redefining all behaviors you disapprove of as ‘self‐control problems,’ and all beliefs you disagree with as ‘judgmental biases.’ The danger you pose to yourself is probably trivial compared to the danger of living under the veto of a randomly selected behavioral economist. A risk‐averse policy‐maker should think long and hard before directly ordering the poor about for their own good. But curtailing the generosity of existing programs is a low‐risk, straightforward way to modify policy to take account of behavioral concerns. Incidentally, our analysis is equally relevant for private charity. Concerned altruists have to consider the possibility that less fortunate would be better off if they helped them less. This suggests a new spin on the long‐standing distinction between the ‘deserving’ and the ‘undeserving’ poor (Himmelfarb 1991). You might conceive of the deserving poor as those who are clear‐headed and disciplined enough to benefit from financial assistance. The undeserving poor, conversely, can be seen as those too far from the rational actor model to mechanically benefit from higher income. Philanthropists with ‘hard heads and soft hearts’– to use Alan Blinder's (1987) phrase – must face the harsh reality that they may be unable to help those who will not help themselves.
VI. CONCLUSION To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper to analyze the connection between behavioral economics and what Tyler Cowen calls the ‘traditional conservative critique of the welfare state.’ Most detractors of the welfare state have turned to neoclassical economics for intellectual support. Few promoters of behavioral economics have stopped to consider its implications for poverty policy. Our paper aims to reverse both of these trends. Some of the most common complaints about the welfare state are, from a strict neoclassical perspective, senseless. But from the standpoint of behavioral economics, they are quite coherent. Moreover, even though behavioral economists have given policy towards the disadvantaged short shrift, this turns out to be a topic where behavioral findings are especially relevant. A variety of sources indicate that ‘the poor deviate more.’ If the average person violates neoclassical assumptions, the average welfare recipient violates them to a markedly greater degree. Some of the policy implications are straightforward: behavioral economics provides additional reasons for less generous government assistance along a number of margins. If the people the government wants to help do not fully account for the negative long‐run effects of accepting help, they are better off if the government does the accounting for them. Other policy implications are less obvious. Specifically, it is theoretically possible for government to help the disadvantaged by reducing their choice set below the laissez‐faire level. The traditional conservative critique of the welfare state is fundamentally paternalist. Once you accept the idea that you can hurt people by giving them more choices, you cannot dismiss the idea that you can help them by taking some of their choices away. In practice, of course, the latter is much more costly and intrusive than the former (Glaeser 2006). There are important implications for future research. The behavioral literature has documented that the average person frequently violates neoclassical assumptions. But it rarely investigates variation in the tendency to violate neoclassical assumptions4. Casual empiricism and limited formal evidence suggest that the poor do deviate more. A great deal more could be learned at low cost if new behavioral studies collected information on participants' income and education to test for heterogeneity. One of the main contributions of behavioral economics has been to subject the fundamental assumptions of economic theory to empirical scrutiny. Textbook micro is useful in a great many contexts, but behavioral economists have found some blind spots. In this paper, we have argued that common sense doubts about the efficacy of the welfare state are often isomorphic to some of the main blind spots behavioral economists have discovered. On a homework problem in intermediate micro, you can eliminate poverty with lump‐sum transfers. In the real world, matters are not so simple.A Special Place in Hell
Author: Closet Fetishist
Written: February 14th, 2016
"And women who don't vote for Hillary, well there's a special place in hell for them," says Madeleine Albright on the TV; my girlfriend watches the news, I'm only half listening from the kitchen counter.
"Hey hun," my girlfriend asks.
"Yeah?"
"Who are you voting for?"
I don't even look up, "Uh...not sure, I was leaning Bernie."
"You're kidding, right? That Socialist?!"
"Uh, yeah, I mean, I guess; he seems good."
"Yeah if you want a loser running against Trump."
"I mean...maybe, what...why are you so fired up about this?"
"Because it's important!"
"Is it really? Or is it just some prearranged, orchestrated shit put on for our entertainment, like wrestling?"
"You think politics is like wrestling?"
"I...I mean maybe; sometimes."
"You better vote for Hillary in the primary, I'm not even joking," my girlfriend got really serious all of a sudden.
"I just don't know about her policies; she kinda embodies corruption, ya know?"
She just stares at me, almost blankly but I can see the rage in her eyes; "I...I mean, it's not that big of a deal, right?"
She stands and approaches me; she grabs my ear and tosses me from the chair onto the ground which I hit with a loud thud.
"Ah fuck! What the fuck?!"
She stands over me and squats down before lowering her wet, gray sweat panted ass onto my face.
"I said you better fucking vote for Hillary; got me, bitch?"
"Fuck you!"
She presses her ass over my face. BRRRRRRRRRrrrrraaauuuuuuuppppp! And she holds it there as the toxic gas she released wafts quickly up my nostrils and stings the inside of my head with the foul aroma. I cough and choke on her wind.
"Now, who are you going to vote for?"
Was I seriously going to abandoned any sort of political integrity and just...
PRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrpppppppppp!
"Hillary!" I shouted as the hot gas blasted across my face.
"Good," my girlfriend said as she sat down, sealing me in with her last fart.
I fight hard to try to get out from under her but she remains firm.
BRRRRRRRRRrrrrrppppppp!
She farts again, but I already said what she wanted!
"You better fucking follow through on voting for her; and I will find if you didn't and, when I do, farts will be the least of your worries, understand?"
I try to nod, my face still buried under her butt. I muffled out "Yes," as well from her under.
She gets up without even looking back and takes her place back on the couch, watching TV.
I struggle on the ground, gasping for breath amongst the tainted air particles around me. I look over to her through teary eyes but she doesn't even glance, engrossed, almost sucked in by the TV.
At the polling place, my girlfriend is right behind me but I go into the private voting booth and feel a sense of relief; she can't see me here.
I look down at the ballot, the Democratic choices; Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders.
My hand floats over the option for Bernie when my girlfriend's ass appears in my mind, blowing a massive, hot fart all over my face and holding me there until I pledged to vote Clinton.
Quickly, almost shuddering, I select the option for Clinton and leave the booth, completely defeated.
My girlfriend is already done as well, she sees me exit the booth and smiles despite my empty expression.
She puts a hand on my shoulder lovingly, she whispers in my ear, "See, wasn't that easy; and now I don't have to punish you for your foolish, stupid opinions."
Somehow I felt dirtier right then more than when she farted on me.
That's when I noticed, other couples together, voting; the women looking proud, most of the men looking completely demoralized and broken.
Had it happened to all of them?
My girlfriend is on her phone as we head outside but she turns to me, "You hear, Hillary already has 85% of the vote; she's totally gonna win this state!"
I smile as genuinely as I can as my girlfriend hugs me. We keep walking; as we do I notice a couple in the alley, the man against the wall. The woman reaches up and slaps him hard, he almost falls to the ground despite her being a few feet shorter than him.
I hear her bark at him, screaming in his face, "Who are you voting for?!"
My girlfriend didn't seem to notice the loud exchange in the alley. The man's lips moved but I couldn't hear his response; I could take one good guess as to what he had answered though.Halberd Halberd Interesting Facts and information about Medieval Halberd used in warfare during the Middle Ages
Description of the Halberd
Halberd training
The Makers and Making of the Halberd
The maintenance of the Halberd Medieval Weapon Halberd A weapon used in the Middle Ages ( Medieval period ) by a Foot Soldiers Middle Ages Weapons Middle Ages Index Description of Halberd
The weapons used during the Middle Ages include the Halberd. The description of the Halberd which provides basic facts and information about the weapon is as follows: Halberd - A pike fitted with an axe head. This weapon had a broad, short axe blade on a 6 foot pole with a spear point at the top with a back spike
This lethal weapon of the Middle Ages always had a hook or thorn on the back side of the axe blade for grappling enemies on horseback
Definition - The word 'halberd' is derived from the German words halm ( meaning staff), and barte (meaning axe).
Used as a versatile weapon against knights on horseback. The weapon was constantly developed and refined to include metal rims over the shaft making it more effective against swords. The pole increased in length to become more effective against pikes
Halberds were used for close contact and medium distance fighting - the length of the poles determining the weapon type
The weapon struck with force could apply significant injury to a knight in armor
The hook or thorn was used for grappling the target's armor or the reins of a warhorse
The weapon was used as a grappling or cutting weapon and capable of cutting off the limbs of an enemy in one stroke
Halberds were particularly effective against knights wearing plate armor and for reducing the effectiveness of the shield
The axe head could apply significant injury to a knight in armor, or a knights horse. Horse armor was developed to counteract such injuries but the sheer force applied from a long pole was extremely effective against horses. The Medieval horse, called a Destrier was the favored horses of knights in the Middle Ages
Soldiers who used halberds were also armed with a dagger and a sword to enable them to battle enemies who had been unhorsed. This weapon was far too unwieldy to use in close combat
Type or group of weapons - Polearm - A group of pole-mounted weapons. Were all variations of poles measuring between 4 and 14 feet long with different 'heads' - spikes, hammers, spears, axe etc The Middle Ages was an extremely violent era in history featuring battles in both Europe and the Holy Land when the crusades, and the crusaders who fought them, were numerous. Feudal Lords and Knights used such weapons as the Halberd in different types of warfare. The quest for power led to invasions of lands and territories which had to be fought for. Siege warfare, waged to win a castle or a walled town or city, was a frequent occurrence during the Middle Ages. Warfare during the Middle Ages, or Medieval era called for a variety of weapon expertise. Knights and men-at-arms ( foot soldiers, or archers ) used different types of weapons. The Halberd was predominantly used by a Foot Soldiers. The weapons used were dictated according to status and position. The weapons, armor and horse of the Knight were extremely expensive - the fighting power of just one knight was worth 10 ordinary soldiers. Halberd Training
Skill in the use of Medieval weapons and understanding the strategy of Medieval Warfare was necessary and a played a vital part in Medieval life. The training required by a Foot Soldier, or infantry to use the Halberd : Training method - The training methods practised in the use of the Halberd were directed towards fighting armored knights on horseback
Soldiers were trained in various manoeuvres to Strike, Swing, Cleave and Takedown their enemies by effective use of the hook or thorn
Training method - The training method practised in the use of the halberd was based on strength, agility and accuracy in hitting the target
A "hit" was scored in Medieval weapons training by making light contact with a defined target area The Makers and Making of the Halberd
This Medieval weapon was made by a blacksmith. This weapon was cheap and easy to produce. The materials required to make this weapon were: Iron
Steel Langets were added to strengthen this type of weapon. These were metal strips riveted to the the shaft of polearms to reinforce the torque against the head, and to provide protection to the potentially weak point between the weapon-head and the shaft. Blacksmiths are usually associated with making weapons in a village smithy but blacksmiths were an important part of a fighting army, making new weapons and repairing and the maintenance of old weapons. Halberd
Each section of Middle Ages Weapons provides interesting facts and information about Medieval warfare in addition to the Halberd. The Sitemap provides full details of all of the information and facts provided about the fascinating subject of the Medieval period of the Middle Ages! Halberd Middle Ages era, period, life, age and times
Middle Ages Castles, Knights, Crusaders, Crusaders and Weapons
Interesting Facts and information about Medieval Halberd used in warfare during the Middle Ages
Description of the Halberd
Weapon Training methods
The makers and making of the weapon Halberd The Halberd - History of Halberd - Interesting Information about Halberd - Halberd Facts - Halberd Info - Middle Ages Weapon - Middle Ages Weapon - Middle Ages Wepon - The Halberd - Halberd History - Information about Halberd - Halberd Facts - Halberd Info - Knights weapon - Crusaders Weapon - Wepon - Training - Use - Makers - Crusades - Castle - Castles - Armor - Siege - Weapon training - The Halberd - History of Halberd - Information about Halberd - Facts - Halberd Info - Middle Ages Weapon - Middle Ages Weapon - Middle Ages Wepon - Halberd History - Information about Halberd - Facts about Halberd and Info - Knights weapon - Crusaders Weapon - Wepon - Training - Use - Makers - Crusades - Castle - Armor - Siege - Weapon training - Written By Linda Alchin © 2017 Siteseen Cookies Policy AdChoices By Linda Alchin Privacy StatementReds lining up targets to solve problem position
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By Greg Stobart | Northern CorrespondentOf all Liverpool's ambitions for the summer transfer window, the need for a new left-back will be the most pressing.Director of football Damien Comolli and manager Kenny Dalglish know the squad needs three or four players who are ready to immediately challenge for the first-team.But it won't be hard for them to find a left-back to improve on their current options, with Glen Johnson and Danny Wilson being forced to play out of position.Summer signing Paul Konchesky struggled and was subsequently shipped out on loan to Nottingham Forest in January.The Reds have most recently been linked with a raid on city rivals Everton for Leighton Baines, who joins the likes of Jose Enrique, Fabio Coentrao and Emilio Izaguirre on the club's shortlist.Here,takes a look at the left-backs Liverpool are looking at ahead of the summer transfer window...Jose EnriqueNewcastleSpanish£8 millionAsconfirmed last month, the Spaniard is right at the top of the Reds' list of targets and there have even been strong rumours on Merseyside that a deal is as good as done.Newcastle want at least £10m for the 25-year-old, but Enrique's contract expires at the end of next season and buying clubs will have all the power in negotiations.Liverpool face stern competition from other clubs, with Italian giants AC Milan particularly keen on a player who is recognised first and foremost for his solid defensive attributes.The former Valencia star has made no secret that he sees his future away from Newcastle and linked up well with Andy Carroll when the Geordie was on Tyneside.Leighton Baines26EvertonEnglish£12mBaines has caught the eye this season with some sensational attacking displays for Everton – and the interest from Liverpool is genuine.As a lifelong Liverpool supporter, Baines would be interested in a move across Stanley Park, where Kenny Dalglish has been highly impressed by his attacking talents.But Everton are determined not to sell the 26-year-old to their bitter rivals and will price Liverpool out of the market for the player they signed from Wigan in 2007.Baines has interested other clubs across Europe, but made it clear he was not keen in a move to Bayern Munich when the German club made an approach in the January transfer window.Fabio Coentrao23BenficaPortuguese£22mThe Portuguese star is rated as one of the best full-backs in the world and that makes him the most expensive on the market this summer.Liverpool have a long-standing interest in Coentrao, but the feeling is that they have too much work to do in the transfer market to spend in excess of £20m when cheaper alternatives are available.The 23-year-old is renowned for his tenacity, energy and endless attacking runs, which would perfectly suit Liverpool's style of play since Dalglish took over.He is widely expected to leave Benfica this summer, with Real Madrid the most likely option and Barcelona and Manchester United also known admirers. Manchester City and Bayern Munich could also challenge for his signature.Benoit Tremoulinas25BordeauxFrench£8mTremoulinas is an attacking left-back who has been providing assists for fun in French football and has caught the eye of a number of clubs.Former Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson was interested in the 25-year-old and director of football Damien Comolli has continued to keep tabs on his progress.Tremoulinas is versatile and also able to play in midfield – but there are questions over how he could cope defensively in the Premier League.He has attracted interest from Italian sides AC Milan and Juventus but Marseille are favourites to land him in the summer.Taye Taiwo25MarseilleNigerianFree TransferThe Nigerian defender has decided to quit Marseille after seven years at the club and will |
s All Boats'
Hayter emphasized the age-old saying that A rising tide lifts all boats, noting that the total value of the digital currency market has climbed lately.
Earlier today, the total market capitalization of these currencies surpassed $176 billion, according to CoinMarketCap. This put them very close to their all-time high of nearly $180 billion.
Gavin Yeung, founder and CEO of digital asset management firm Cryptomover, also spoke to this overall trend.
He asserted that Litecoin, in particular, has benefited from the recent growth of digital currency markets.
Hedging Bitcoin's Downside Risk
Another explanation that analysts offered for Litecoin's recent gains is investors hedging against a potential decline in Bitcoin.
Preparing for such a drop would make sense, as the latter currency has surged more than 500%this year.
Investors may be using Litecoin as a hedge in case Bitcoin suffers a correction, said Yeung.
Iqbal Gandham, UK Managing Director of social trading platform eToro, offered similar commentary, emphasizing the potential consequences of the hard forks that Bitcoin is scheduled to experience in the coming months.
"I feel investors are looking at alternatives to Bitcoin in case the forks create too much chaos."
While several analysts singled out the aforementioned factors as helping push Litecoin higher, one expert pointed to an alternate explanation.
Impact Of Mining
A growing number of miners have been moving away from Bitcoin Cash and instead mining Litecoin, noted Yazan Barghuthi, project lead at blockchain firm Jibrel Network.
Mining comes down to profitability, he emphasized, so miners may simply be seeing more stable returns with Litecoin.
Traders are reacting to this shift and purchasing Litecoin, Barghuthi asserted.
ForbesA 22-year-old man accused of killing a Muslim teenager with a baseball bat in Virginia on Sunday is an undocumented immigrant who entered the United States illegally, federal authorities said on Tuesday.
The man, Darwin Martinez Torres, who was charged with murder in the death of Nabra Hassanen, 17, is believed to be from El Salvador, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman said. The agency said it issued a so-called detainer on Monday with the Adult Detention Center in Fairfax, Va., where Mr. Martinez is being held without bail, to keep him in custody in the event that he could be released.
ICE, which said it had no previous encounters with Mr. Martinez, did not say when he came to the United States, how old he was at the time and whether he arrived with anyone else. Minors in El Salvador have fled that country in recent years, often traveling north through Mexico, to escape violent gangs. Under President Barack Obama, the White House expanded a humanitarian program to admit Central American refugees fleeing dangerous conditions.Photo
Breast cancer survival is, over all, three years shorter for black women compared with white women, mostly because their cancer is often more advanced when they first seek medical care, new research shows.
While cancer researchers have known for two decades that black women with breast cancer tend to fare worse than white women, questions remain about the reasons behind the black-white divide. The new report, from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, begins to untangle some of the issues by using an analytic method to filter the influence of demographics, treatment differences and variations in tumor characteristics, among other things.
The findings, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, suggest that while a significant number of black women still get inferior cancer care, the larger problem appears to be that black women get less health care over all, and that screening and early detection campaigns may have failed to reach black communities.
Using data from Medicare patients tracked in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database, the researchers analyzed 107,273 breast cancer cases, which included 7,375 black women. The larger number of cases involving white women allowed researchers to find nearly perfectly matched controls against which to compare the outcomes of black women with breast cancer.
The findings were striking. Over all, white women with breast cancer lived three years longer than black women. Of the women studied, nearly 70 percent of white women lived at least five years after diagnosis, while 56 percent of black women were still alive five years later.
The difference is not explained by more aggressive cancers among black women. Instead, the researchers found a troubling pattern in which black women were less likely to receive a diagnosis when their cancer was at an early stage and most curable. In addition, a significant number of black women also receive lower-quality cancer care after diagnosis, although those differences do not explain the survival gap.
“Something is going wrong,” said Dr. Jeffrey H. Silber, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and the director of the Center for Outcomes Research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, which studies disparities in health care. “These are huge differences. We are getting there too late. That’s why we are seeing these differences in survival.”
The data show that black patients are twice as likely to never receive treatment. The records of 12.6 percent of black patients did not show evidence of treatment, compared with 5.9 percent of whites.
Black patients were also more likely to have at least a three-month delay in receiving treatment. Among black and white women with similar tumors, 5.8 percent of black women had not started treatment after three months, compared with just 2.5 percent of whites.
One notable finding of the report is that while the introduction of new treatments has improved the outcome for both white and black breast cancer patients since 1991, those improvements have not narrowed the survival gap between the two groups.
But solving disparities in cancer care would not immediately have a major effect on overall survival for black women, the study showed. If black women began receiving exactly the same quality and level of breast cancer treatment as white women, that would lengthen their lives by two to three months, the study showed.
However, two additional years of life could be gained among black women if their breast cancers were detected earlier and if their health were better over all, as is the case with white women with breast cancer. Among the black women studied, 20 percent received a diagnosis of Stage III or IV disease, when the cancer is far less likely to be cured. Among the white women, only 11.4 percent had late-stage disease.
One reason may be that the black women studied were less likely to seek medical care for any reason.
Although all the patients in the analysis had Medicare coverage, blacks were significantly less likely than white women to have seen a primary care doctor in the 6 to 18 months before diagnosis, and they had far lower rates of cholesterol and colon cancer screening. Black women also had far lower rates of breast cancer screening — 23.5 percent had been screened 6 to 18 months before diagnosis, compared with 35.7 percent of white women. Black women with breast cancer were, over all, in poorer health than white women. Of the black women studied, 26 percent had diabetes, compared with 12.6 percent of white women.
“These patients have insurance,” Dr. Silber said. “We need to improve screening for these women and improve their relationships with a primary care provider.”
In an accompanying editorial, the authors, who included Dr. Jeanne S. Mandelblatt of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Georgetown University’s Lombardi Cancer Center, said the rigorous study offered “additional clues to the black-white differences in breast cancer outcomes.”
However, the authors wrote that the report may still understate the effect of lower-quality cancer care for black women, in part because some treatment data are missing from the database it used.
“Ratings of patient-physician communication and trust have been related to black women’s, but not white women’s, patterns of chemotherapy use,” the authors wrote. These findings further reinforce “the idea that black women may have different cancer care experiences than white women.”Want to know which are the most expensive ties in the world? The modern necktie can be traced back to the early seventeenth century, when it gained its original name: cravat. Over the centuries the design and purpose of this piece of neckwear has changed and evolved into the accessory of formal wear and office attire we know nowadays as the ‘tie’. In fact, neckties have become an essential fashion item of menswear, and designers have pushed the limits very far, creating the most expensive ties in the world, which can single-handedly make or break an entire outfit.
The ties on our list were conceived by renowned designers with bold ideas, who are highly regarded around the world. Some of them arrived in the fashion industry by chance, others after years of studying. If fashion is your cup of tea, you’ll probably enjoy our list on the 5 Most Elite Fashion Schools in The World.
Let’s take a look at the current countdown and find out which are the most expensive ties in the world.
10. Ralph Lauren’s Black Label Tie
Solid Knit Silk, Herringbone Knit Cashmere, Polka-Dot, Geometric, Striped, Solid Peau de Soie… any Black Label design by Ralph Lauren costs $155. This exclusive tie is made in Italy and is 100% silk. Although it is quite simple, it has a superior quality that ensures a smooth and even knot.
Those impressive ties are only the first on our list of the most expensive ties in the world. Keep reading to reveal the rest.
9. Turnbull & Asser
In 1980, the Prince of Wales issued a Royal Warrant to this British manufacturer as ‘shirtmakers’. Holding a Royal Warrant is a big deal, and such firms are strongly committed to delivering excellent products of the highest standards. Striped, spotted, sikud, patterned, slim or paisley, every necktie made by Turnbull & Asser costs between $190 and $195.
8. The Charvet
Charvet Place Vendôme is a legendary shirt maker and tailor, and the first shirt shop in the world (founded in 1838). The quality offered by this French fashion company is superb, and so are its ties. As a matter of fact, charvet has become a synonym of a specific silk fabric used for ties. To purchase one of this exclusive neck pieces you need around $250.
7. Tokyo Tie by Ermenegildo Zegna
This exclusive tie, of a limited and special edition, costs $260. It has a beautiful print of the renowned Mount Fuji and is made out of pure silk. Unfortunately enough for you tie collectors and enthusiasts out there, this product is currently “out of stock” on the online shop of the Italian fashion house.
6. Roberto Cavalli
One of the ties in the 2014 collection of this Italian fashion designer came with a price tag of $1,050. The piece was 100% pure silk and had a fantasy pattern. Roberto Cavalli is known for his bold and exotic prints, a clear example of Mediterranean design.
5. Christian Lacroix Fantasy Pattern
For $1,150 you can purchase a 100% silk tie conceived by thia famous French fashion designer. The reason behind such an expensive price is the quality of the silk, and the patterns in which the fabric is cut. This tie is as peculiar as it is pricey.
4. Stefano Ricci’s Formal Crystal Tie
In Stefano Ricci’s current collection there are several Formal Crystal ties, ranging from $360 to $1,775. Naturally, what makes the price of these 100% silk satin ties so different is the amount of Swarovski crystals each piece is ornamented with.
3. EMPA Gold Tie
With this $8,500 gold tie we enter the big league of cravats. After ten years of research, the textile experts at Empa in St Gallen were able to create a thread resulting from a mixture of silk and 24-carat gold. The gold tie project proves that state-of-the-art technology can aid fashion progress as well (though it also makes that fashion quite expensive, at least in this case).
2. Stefano Ricci’s Diamond Plated Tie
At a selling price of $30,000, this Stefano Ricci tie is one of the most expensive and over-the-top neckties ever created. This is much more than an accessory; it’s a designer item with a special importance, and even a piece of jewelry. Of course, at this price and exclusivity, the diamond plated tie is not meant for the everyday man.
1. The Suashish Necktie
The most expensive tie in the world is also the most impressive and luxurious one ever made. This $220,000 tie is the result of the work of the Satya Paul Design Studio who teamed up with the Suashish Diamond Group to create a piece of the utmost extravagance. The necktie is made of pure silk, and fashioned from 150 grams of gold, and 271 diamonds.Republican challenger Mike McFadden will pay to rebroadcast his first debate with Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., in an unusual campaign tactic that reflects the longshot GOP challenger's satisfaction with his inaugural debate performance.
McFadden's campaign announced Friday that it had bought one hour of airtime Saturday afternoon in the Twin Cities TV market to replay the debate. It will pay $5,000 for the broadcast, according to a local CBS affiliate.
During the debate, which was held at 8 a.m. in Duluth Oct. 1, McFadden aggressively portrayed Franken as partisan and criticized him for being too close to President Obama, mentioning repeatedly that Franken voted with Obama 97 percent of the time.
“Senator Franken has gone to great lengths to keep his head down, but that’s not going to stop us from ensuring that Minnesotans have a chance to see this debate,” McFadden said in a statement announcing that the debate would be re-aired. “As I mentioned several times in the debate, Senator Franken has voted with President Obama 97 percent of the time, putting his party before the people of Minnesota. Once again I’ll be using this debate to show Minnesotans where Senator Franken and I differ and how I’ll approach the important issues facing this nation.”
The campaign said that both candidates' answers would air in their entirety, although some of the moderators' questions would be cut down to meet time constraints.
McFadden, an investment banker, trails first-term senator Franken in the polls by an average of 11.5 percentage points, according to RealClearPolitics. The two candidates are slated for two more debates before the Nov. 4 election.Americans have only a few days left to sign up on the Obamacare exchanges, yet most of the uninsured don't know the deadline.
Six in 10 uninsured adults are not aware that open enrollment ends March 31, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll released Wednesday. Half of the uninsured surveyed said they will remain without coverage this year.
The survey results show that the massive outreach campaign undertaken by the Obama administration and its allies have not penetrated through the ranks of the American public.
More than 40% of those polled said they didn't know that federal subsidies were available to help cover premiums. More than half were not aware that the law expanded Medicaid. The uninsured often cite cost as the top reason why they don't obtain coverage.
The survey results come as the Obama administration agreed to give some applicants more time to complete the process. Traffic to the federal exchange site and call center, which are handling enrollment in 36 states, are approaching record levels, officials said. Some 1.2 million people visited healthcare.gov on Tuesday, and more than 500,000 called the help line the first two days of this week.
Those who start the sign-up process before March 31 but become stymied by technical difficulties can finish picking a plan after the deadline. They must attest on the application that they could not complete the process by the deadline, but officials will not double-check that these folks are indeed eligible to pick their plans after March 31.
"We won't close the door of those who tried to get covered and were unable to do so through no fault of their own," said Julie Bataille, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. "Those who were in line or had technical problems with the website can quickly come back and sign up as soon as possible."
Bataille would not specify how much time consumers will receive to complete the process, saying only that it may take a few days or a week or so.
Officials provided similar leeway to those signing up in late December who wanted coverage to begin on Jan. 1. At that time, 20,000 people took advantage of the extended enrollment period.
Several states running their own exchanges, including Nevada and Minnesota, have also said they will allow applicants to pick plans after March 31 as long as they've started the process before the deadline.
Americans who have life changes, such as the loss of a job, during the year will be able to obtain coverage even after open enrollment closes.
Those who remain uninsured in 2014 face a penalty of $95 or 1% of income, whichever is greater. Open enrollment for 2015 begins Nov. 15.Image copyright AFP Image caption Satinah, seen in a picture held up by her sister-in-law, was convicted of murdering her employer
Indonesia will pay $1.8m (£1m) in blood money to prevent an Indonesian maid being executed in Saudi Arabia.
The maid, known as Satinah, was due to be beheaded in the next few days after being found guilty of murdering her female employer seven years ago.
A campaign in Indonesia by the 41-year-old's family and supporters had raised some of the money needed to compensate the victim's family.
The Indonesian government has now decided to provide the rest.
Execution due
Satinah hit her female boss, Nura al-Garib, in September 2007. Her employer fell into a coma and died later in hospital.
After the attack, Satinah fled with nearly 40,000 riyals ($10,700), but was caught.
In her defence, she claimed that her employer had treated her badly. Satinah said she had only hit her boss because she had grabbed her hair and banged her head against a wall.
The campaign to raise the blood money in Indonesia involved politicians, celebrities and civil society organisations.
The victim's family reduced the amount needed but, just days before the execution was due to take place, not enough had been raised.
An Indonesian official told the BBC that the government had then decided to pay the remainder. He said that Satinah now faces a retrial.
But not everyone in Indonesia supports the move. Some do not believe public money should be used to spare someone convicted of murder.Turkish youth suffering from knowledge deficit: Sociologist
ISTANBUL-Hürriyet Daily News
Turkish people, including the young, prefer to watch TV than sit alone with a book, says Nilüfer Narlı (R), speaking at the campus coffeshop of Bahçeşehir University, as some students are busy playing backgammon. Daily News Photo, Emrah Gürel
TURKISH YOUTH RETURNING TO STREETS Turkish youth underwent an apoliticization after the 1980 military coup, but the youth have become more politicized since the mid-2000s, sociologist Nilüfer Narlı said.
“The youth are back on the street. They are organizing opinion groups among themselves,” she said.
In contrast to the clear ideological lines between the right and left that characterized pre-1980 youth politics, however, Narlı said the present-day divisions were not so sharp.
“In the research that I conducted with Professor Selçuk Şirin, released in 2011, we observed the appearance of hybrid identities and ideologies. One student may say, ‘I am an Islamic person, but I vote for the Republican People’s Party [CHP],’ while another one may say, ‘I am a Kemalist but I am also Muslim.’ We observed the bridging of different identities and values, which is an important and healthy process for reconciling conflicting values,” Narlı said.
Who is Nilüfer Narlı?
Nilüfer Narlı chairs the Department of Sociology and is a professor of political sociology at Bahçeşehir University.
Narlı’s research and teaching interests include Islamist movements, political participation among Muslim women, irregular patterns of migration in the Balkans, the European Union’s harmonization reforms, the military and good governance in Turkey. She has undertaken several research projects on issues including the impact of computer teaching and learning, and a project called “Governance and the Military: Perspectives for Change in Turkey,” for the Centre for European Security Studies.
She served as a conflict resolution trainer at seminars held by the Southeast Europe Leadership Initiatives for Women in the Balkans in 2000 and 2001. She was a member of the Turkish delegation to the 50th and 51st Sessions of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women in 2009 and 2010.
She is the author of several publications, including the 1991 book “Unveiling the Fundamentalist Woman: A Case Study of Malay Undergraduates.”
The findings of a recent poll on Turkish youth have begun to ring alarm bills amid an acrimonious societal debate over a controversial education bill that will affect the learning of future generations.“The poll tells us that Turkish young people are still very inward-looking,” a sociologist said of the poll conducted by SETA, according to which only 10 percent of Turkey’s youth have ever been abroad, and only 41 percent speak a second language.The idea of “inward-looking” youth does not coincide with Turkey’s vision of itself as a global player, according to Professor Nilüfer Narlı of Bahçeşehir University. “ Turkish youth lack knowledge,” she told the Daily News in a recent interview The most striking finding is that only 10 percent of those polled have been abroad. This shows that Turkish youth are still very inward-looking. A person may not have been abroad, but can speak a foreign language, can communicate with those in other countries via social media, can read the foreign press and become familiar with foreign culture. But the problem there is that only 41 percent say they speak a second language, and this figure may in fact be lower, since in certain parts of Turkey, Kurdish or Arabic [which are local languages] could be cited as a second language. In research about the use of the Internet, we found out that many people cannot use the Internet because they cannot read English. There are more people in Egypt who have been to America than there are in Turkey.Turkey has a young population and this is an asset. But for it to be a real asset, the youth need to be equipped with the information, capabilities and vision required by the dynamics of the global economy.We need a young population that can contribute to knowledge-based production, but our young people are not equipped for knowledge-based production.Looking at macroeconomic trends, Turkey is in a phase of agricultural and industrial revolution, while at the same time moving toward becoming an information-based society. That brings with it many contradictions.It does not. As a regional power, Turkey’s soft power is increasing. It is using this soft power for instance through television series (that are broadcast abroad). In order to use its soft power in a more effective way, it needs young people to be involved, but the poll’s findings about Internet usage are really worrying. Let me add that there is also a gender gap issue: Girls cannot go to Internet cafes everywhere in Turkey, and even at home, girls can use the computer and the Internet only after the boys do. Schools need to provide computer and Internet services. There has been some progress made on that front, but much more needs to be done.“Kurtlar Vadisi” harbors ultranationalist messages and conspiracy theories. If Turkish youth view the world through the lens of “Kurtlar Vadisi,” and if they do not know a foreign language so they can read different sources, then their assessments about Turkey and the world will be very local, as well as superficial, because they are based on distorted input. I came across youngsters who would tell me, “Oh, this subject was covered on ‘Kurtlar Vadisi.’” Based on that TV series, on fiction, a student develops an opinion of Turkey’s relationship with the United States, Israel or the European Union, when he or she should form an opinion based on reading newspapers or academic articles.Global competition requires global vision, but Turkish youth are not even in command of the local culture. They should read history and Turkish authors. But Turkish young people do not have a habit of reading. We can only prepare to compete globally when we combine the richness of local culture with universal knowledge.In societies that are inward-looking, it is easier to manipulate people. They lack the comparative outlook when they face a social or political issue. Radical trends find fertile ground in these societies. In addition, they become ethnocentric. The tendency toward xenophobia becomes stronger, and the society becomes less tolerant of differences.But do places exist where young people can play sports? Especially for those from lower socioeconomic groups, there is no means to support hobbies. All they can do is stay at home and watch TV. When girls are unemployed, they especially stay at home. Interestingly, men that go to coffee shops watch TV, and they watch series or women’s programs. I came across that phenomenon many times.In certain ways there are huge gaps. Obviously those coming from higher-income families have more means to enjoy a better education and learn foreign languages. But the common ground is watching TV series. In Turkey in general, people don’t want to be alone with a book, they just want to watch TV series.We saw very bright kids, but also kids who, despite all the means they have at their disposal, restrict their worlds to their iPhones. I came across a student whose family supported her in going to Paris through an EU student exchange program. I asked her enthusiastically which museums she visited, and which French movies she saw. “I did not have much time. At night I was usually busy catching up with Turkish TV series on the Internet,” she said.In the past only a very small minority had the chance to go abroad. Young people are not making use of all the opportunities they are being provided with. But this is an international phenomenon. Youth are in a period of cultural stagnation.Their knowledge of general culture is very low. Some don’t know anything about very essential issues. Some have never learned about some prominent Turkish thinkers. I was told that a student who was interning at a newspaper was told to go to the archives and find information on a Turkish thinker who had passed away – that is, that she should find a book on the person. The student went asking for the person himself, ignorant of the fact that he was dead. In Turkey people receive an average of 6.5 years of schooling. Ours cannot become an information society at that rate.NEW DELHI: With technology helping and gambling being legal in the UK, around Rs 2,000 crore will be wagered on Sunday's Champion's Trophy final between Indian and Pakistan, according to estimates by the All India Gaming Federation AIGF ).India appeared to be a clear favourite of bookies on Friday but not by a large margin. For instance, if one bets Rs 100 on India, and Virat Kohli's team wins, one will get back around Rs 147, according to Betfair. On the other hand, if Pakistan wins, one will earn around Rs 300.“It has been estimated by many studies that roughly a total of Rs 2 lakh crore is wagered on all matches that India play throughout the year,“ said Rolland Landers, CEO of AIGF. “And since this is the first time India and Pakistan will be meeting in the final of a cricket tournament in around 10 years, the bets are high.”The outcome of the match is just one part of the betting exercise. One can also gamble on many other aspects of the game, such as 10-over score by each team or even total scores by both. Although gambling is illegal in most parts of the country, Indians can lay their bets through UK websites through their international credit cards and e-wallets, said Landers.Card descriptions
English English 2 Level 4 monsters
Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; equip 1 Warrior-Type monster from your hand to this card. This card gains ATK equal to the combined ATK of the monsters equipped to it by this effect. German German 2 Monster der Stufe 4
Einmal pro Spielzug: Du kannst 1 Xyz-Material von dieser Karte abhängen; rüste diese Karte mit 1 Monster vom Typ Krieger von deiner Hand aus. Diese Karte erhält ATK in Höhe der Summe der ATK der Monster, mit denen sie durch diesen Effekt ausgerüstet ist. Italian Italian 2 mostri di Livello 4
Una volta per turno: puoi staccare 1 Materiale Xyz da questa carta; equipaggia 1 mostro di Tipo Guerriero dalla tua mano a questa carta. Questa carta guadagna ATK pari alla somma degli ATK dei mostri equipaggiati ad essa da questo effetto. Portuguese Portuguese
Uma vez por monstros de Nível Uma vez por turno : você pode desassociar Matéria Xyz deste card; equipe 1 monstro do Tipo Guerreiro da sua mão a este card. Este card ganha ATK igual à soma do ATK dos monstros equipados a ele por este efeito Japanese Japanese レベル４モンスター×２
１ターンに１度、このカードのエクシーズ素材を１つ取り除いて発動できる。手札から戦士族モンスター１体を装備カード扱いとしてこのカードに装備する。このカードの攻撃力は、この効果で装備したモンスターの攻撃力分アップする。 Korean Korean 레벨 4 몬스터 x 2
1턴에 1번, 이 카드의 엑시즈 소재를 1개 제거하고 발동할 수 있다. 패에서 전사족 몬스터 1장을 장착카드로 취급하여 이 카드에 장착한다. 이 카드의 공격력은, 이 효과로 장착한 몬스터의 공격력만큼 올린다.One of the things that surprised me most during the writing of my book Stop Worrying! There Probably is an Afterlife was the topic of end-of-life experiences (ELEs), and in particular death-bed visions (DBVs). I devoted an entire chapter to this fascinating topic – phenomena that occur in the final days and hours of someone’s life, covering everything from DBVs to coincidences at the time of death, the room of the dying suddenly becoming illuminated, and sudden recoveries from coma.
And yet, while near-death experiences are often covered by the media, and have had many best-selling books written about them, ELEs are very much the poorer cousin, with very little coverage in books and media. And yet, once I dug into the topic, it was every bit as fascinating as the NDE literature. When I spoke to palliative care physician Michael Barbato about this strange disconnect, he suggested that the fundamental difference might be that with NDEs, we have a returned ‘hero’ (that is, as the subject of the archetypal “hero’s journey”), while with end-of-life experiences the subject actually does pass away, unable to continue talking about what happened to them. From my book:
In a small study he carried out in the 1990s, Barbato found that about 20 to 30 percent of patients reported a death-bed vision. But he points out that this is “almost certainly an underestimation” of the number of experiences, as his study only included reports from the patient or next-of-kin. “I, like many, suspect the incidence of death-bed visions increases as death approaches, but loss of consciousness or sheer fatigue get in the way of these visions being shared”, Barbato notes. “This number may therefore be the tip of an iceberg, with many, and possibly the majority, of death-bed visions going unnoticed”. Those who report a near-death experience, Barbato points out, live to tell their story. Those who have a death-bed vision though may not get the opportunity to report their experience, being too sick or unconscious in the lead-up to their death. But even if they do, Barbato says, many in the caring profession label it as delirium and the experience goes unrecognised. “The medical profession (including palliative care) has contributed to the ‘poorer-brother’ status of death-bed visions [relative to the NDE] by not acknowledging their occurrence,” he opines. “When I first submitted an article to an International Palliative Care Journal some 15 years ago on death-bed visions, their reply was ‘this is not for us’ – code for ‘it’s too fringy’.”
It is rather sad that ELEs have not had the same coverage as NDEs, because when you look at the literature, and listen to experiencer accounts, it is obvious that these are profound and deeply moving experiences. “For those who have a death-bed vision, the experience is very real, personally significant and almost always helps them as they transit from life to death,” Michael Barbato told me. These experiences also have a significant impact on family and carers attending the dying, as this wonderful, moving selection of interviews with hospice nurses shows:
Those who have read my book will notice many of the factors discussed in the chapter on end-of-life experiences: how patients seem to straddle the boundary between the realms of the living and the dead, how patients’ experiences are often embedded within symbolism of traveling or being assisted on their way, and the appearance of previously-deceased family members as guides to the next world.
For more on these fascinating topics, see the entire chapter on end-of-life experiences in Stop Worry! There Probably is an Afterlife (available as Kindle eBook or as a paperback).
You might also like:Along with mentally ill patients and homeless teens, state budget dollars will also help a retired Navy destroyer.
The USS Turner Joy, docked in Bremerton, will receive $300,000 from the state’s supplemental capital budget.
The funding will go towards repairing the ship’s hull.
The USS Turner Joy was involved in the Gulf of Tonkin incident during the Vietnam War.
It has been renovated into a museum.
The Bremerton-area lawmakers who helped secure the funding said money for the project is coming from the state's capital budget, used to pay for construction projects.
Rep. Jesse Young, R-Gig Harbor, said preserving the ship will help tourism and the safety of boats in the Bremerton marina.
He said the money cannot be used for education or other state services.
Young said the destroyer serves as a breakwater for the marina, acting as a barrier between the sailboats in the marina and Puget Sound.
He said constructing a new breakwater to replace the destroyer has been estimated as costing $3 million.
Copyright 2016 KINGSCP-1113
SCP-1113 in its passive state. Note the addition of the female figurine to the existing top.
Item #: SCP-1113
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: Due to it posing no risk when in a passive state, SCP-1113 can be stored in a secure box in a standard containment room. If required for testing it may be signed out for use by Level 3 researchers and above. Any testing involving D-class mortality must be approved in writing by a member of senior staff prior to commencement.
Description: SCP-1113 is a small spinning top comprised of a hollow bronze base, heavily oxidised and showing small flecks of blue from having been previously painted. The upper section is a porcelain figurine of the upper body of a woman, painted with enamel and with a blue and brown blouse made of a rough cotton. It is spun by means of wrapping the string around it and then pulling firmly to rotate the top at speed. The figurine is attached to the bronze segment by a clear resin-like glue concurrent with the apparent age of the manufacture (c.1915). The bronze component has been estimated by thermoluminescent dating to have been cast around 50 BCE (± 40 years). There are imperfections in the alloy and tooling marks on the inside of the top that suggest that the bronze has been retooled and was formerly used in a different construction.
When SCP-1113 is spun by hand the person doing so does not age or suffer any degeneration to their body due to the effects of aging or illness for as long as the top is spinning. Tests using automated robots spinning the top suggest that it will spin for anywhere up to fourteen hours when spun with sufficient force (using levels of force within realistic limits of human strength). Any wounds caused before or during the top being spun remain present and are not affected in any way. The individual is still mortal to life-threatening injury while the top is being spun.
The top came to the attention of the Foundation in ████ when alerted by a member of the London Metropolitan police force with connections to the Foundation. He reported that it had been taken as evidence from a house in Brighton, UK which had been entered by Sussex police after reports by neighbours of an unpleasant smell. On forcing their way into the house they discovered the corpse of a man who was estimated to be around 70 years old. His body was on the floor with one arm stretched out under the sofa. Officers found the spinning top at the back of the sofa. His right palm showed heavy callouses at the base of all the fingers and a wound approximately 1cm deep across the centre of the palm which appeared to be cauterised through burning or friction. Estimates suggest that it would take many weeks of constant friction between the string and palm to cause such extensive damage. There was also severe damage to the right shoulder socket and extreme dislocation caused by the arm being overextended in attempts to reach the spinning top.
Although there was very little personal information found in the flat the body was identified as belonging to Richard Mark Piper, from a 19██ driving license and a birth certificate found in the flat giving the deceased's date of birth as 24/12/18██. Further information may be found in the supplemental materials, consisting primarily of a set of journals found at the home of the deceased and the police witness reports from neighbours.
Supplemental Materials 1113-2C: Fragment from Journal of Richard Mark Piper (errors author’s own): ██ January, 19██: It definitely works. I mean, I’m not sure how, but every time I start the top spinning, it’s like my hands are opening, expanding like a parched man given a cantene of water. If I’d had this sooner I could have helped win this damn war.
I wonder how it works, it’s magnetism perhaps, or some of that crystal howkum. Howkum? What am I saying? I’m writing this using a fountain pen with my wonderful, working hands! ██ April, 19██: The people at the club are always asking how I look so good for my age. They think I’m a 60 year old that looks 50 and they’re impresed, imagine if they |
either this month as part of a draft deal, or before next year’s trade deadline, there will be plenty of interest.
“I want the Pacers to succeed, but I have a hard time seeing how he stays there,” Davis said. “He could go back to L.A. and help rebuild the Lakers, try to be part of something special. Or go to Boston, or Toronto, an Eastern team that has a chance to knock Cleveland off. Or if I was him, I’d also think about the (Los Angeles) Clippers if they can get him and they can keep Chris Paul. That might be a great deal for the Clippers that’s not great for the Pacers. But maybe the Pacers can get Blake Griffin, do something crazy like get Carmelo Anthony, then find a two-guard. Now you’re trending upward. But right now, they’re not really in the topic of discussion to me, as far as being a contender.
Former Pacer Antonio Davis is now an analyst for ESPN. He has a few ideas for the Pacers. (Photo: Joe Faraoni/Provided by ESPN)
“The Pacers’ message to Paul George should be, if you know you’re not interested in staying, please let us know now, so we can help you go somewhere you want to go, and we can get back what we need to start this rebuilding process. You’re not going to get back a Paul George, but if you get a couple of young guys and a draft pick, you’re heading in the right direction.”
Davis also thinks the NBA finals will be over shortly, meaning every team will soon be in the offseason.
“I do not see it going farther than five games,” Davis said before Game 3. “Golden State has bought into doing whatever it takes to win.”
Follow IndyStar reporter CliftonBrown on Twitter: @CliftonGBrown.We have searched 21 deg2 of the Herschel/SPIRE data of the HerMES blank field survey6 at wavelengths 250–500 µm for ‘ultra-red’ sources with flux densities S 250µm < S 350µm < S 500µm and S 500µm /S 350µm > 1.3, that is, galaxies that are significantly redder (and thus, potentially at higher redshift) than massive starbursts discovered thus far. This selection yields five candidate ultra-red sources down to a flux limit of 30 mJy at 500 µm (>5σ and above the confusion noise; see Supplementary Information section 1 for additional details), corresponding to a source density of ≤0.24 deg−2. For comparison, models of number counts in the Herschel/SPIRE bands suggest a space density of massive starburst galaxies at z > 6 with S 500µm > 30 mJy of 0.014 deg−2 (ref. 7).
To understand the nature of galaxies selected by this technique, we have obtained full frequency scans of the 3-mm and 1-mm bands towards HFLS 3 (also known as 1HERMES S350 J170647.8+584623; S 500µm /S 350µm = 1.45), the brightest candidate discovered in our study. These observations, augmented by selected follow-up over a broader wavelength range, unambiguously determine the galaxy redshift to be z = 6.3369 ± 0.0009 based on a suite of 7 CO lines, 7 H 2 O lines, and OH, OH+, H 2 O+, NH 3, [C i] and [C ii] lines detected in emission and absorption (Fig. 1). At this redshift, the Universe was just 880 million years old (or one-sixteenth of its present age), and 1″ on the sky corresponds to a physical scale of 5.6 kpc. Further observations from optical to radio wavelengths reveal strong continuum emission over virtually the entire wavelength range between 2.2 µm and 20 cm, with no detected emission shortward of 1 µm (see Supplementary Information section 2 and Supplementary Figs 1–11 for additional details).
Figure 1: Redshift identification through molecular and atomic spectroscopy of HFLS 3. a, Black trace, wide-band spectroscopy in the observed-frame 19–0.95-mm (histogram; rest-frame 2,600–130 µm) wavelength range with CARMA (3 mm; ‘blind’ frequency scan of the full band), the PdBI (2 mm), the JVLA (19–6 mm) and CSO/Z-spec (1 mm; instantaneous coverage). (CARMA, Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy; PdBI, Plateau de Bure Interferometer; JVLA, Jansky Very Large Array; and CSO, Caltech Submillimeter Observatory.) This uniquely determines the redshift of HFLS 3 to be z = 6.3369 based on the detection of a series of H 2 O, CO, OH, OH+, NH 3, [C i] and [C ii] emission and absorption lines. b–o, Detailed profiles of detected lines (histograms; rest frequencies are indicated by corresponding letters in a). 1-mm lines (m–o) are deeper, interferometric confirmation observations for NH 3, OH (both PdBI) and [C ii] (CARMA) not shown in a. The line profiles are typically asymmetric relative to single Gaussian fits, indicating the presence of two principal velocity components at redshifts of 6.3335 and 6.3427. The implied CO, [C i] and [C ii] line luminosities are respectively (5.08 ± 0.45) × 106 L sun, (3.0 ± 1.9) × 108 L sun and (1.55 ± 0.32) × 1010 L sun. Strong rest-frame submillimetre to FIR continuum emission is detected over virtually the entire wavelength range. For comparison, the Herschel/SPIRE spectrum of the nearby ultra-luminous infrared galaxy Arp 22020 is overplotted in grey (a). Lines labelled in italic are tentative detections or upper limits (see Supplementary Table 2). Most of the bright spectral features detected in Arp 22020,21 are also detected in HFLS 3 (in spectral regions not blocked by the terrestrial atmosphere). See Supplementary Information sections 2–4 for more details. Full size image Download PowerPoint slide
HFLS 3 hosts an intense starburst. The 870-µm flux of HFLS 3 is >3.5 times higher than those of the brightest high-redshift starbursts in a 0.25-deg2 region containing the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF)8. From the continuum spectral energy distribution (Fig. 2), we find that the far-infrared (FIR) luminosity L FIR and inferred star formation rate (SFR) of 2,900 M sun yr−1 of HFLS 3 (where M sun is the solar mass) are 15–20 times those of the prototypical local ultra-luminous starburst Arp 220, and >2,000 times those of the Milky Way (Table 1 and Supplementary Information section 3). The SFR of HFLS 3 alone corresponds to ∼4.5 times the ultraviolet-based SFR of all z = 5.5–6.5 star-forming galaxies in the HUDF combined9, but the rarity and dust obscuration of ultra-red sources like HFLS 3 implies that they do not dominate the ultraviolet photon density needed to reionize the Universe10.
Figure 2: Spectral energy distribution and Herschel/SPIRE colours of HFLS 3. a, HFLS 3 was identified as a very high redshift candidate, as it appears red between the Herschel/SPIRE 250-, 350- and 500-µm bands (inset). The spectral energy distribution of the source (data points; λ obs, observed-frame wavelength; ν rest, rest-frame frequency; AB mag, magnitudes in the AB system; error bars are 1σ r.m.s. uncertainties in both panels) is fitted with a modified black body (MBB; solid line) and spectral templates for the starburst galaxies Arp 220, M 82, HR 10 and the Eyelash (broken lines, see key). The implied FIR luminosity is × 1013 L sun. The dust in HFLS 3 is not optically thick at wavelengths longward of rest-frame 162.7 µm (95.4% confidence; Supplementary Fig. 12). This is in contrast to Arp 220, in which the dust becomes optically thick (that is, τ d = 1) shortward of 234 ± 3 µm (ref. 20). Other high-redshift massive starburst galaxies (including the Eyelash) typically become optically thick around ∼200 µm. This suggests that none of the detected molecular/fine-structure emission lines in HFLS 3 require correction for extinction. The radio continuum luminosity of HFLS 3 is consistent with the radio–FIR correlation for nearby star-forming galaxies. b, Flux density ratios (350 µm/250 µm and 500 µm/350 µm) of HFLS 3. The coloured lines are the same templates as in a, but redshifted between 1 < z < 8 (number labels indicate redshifts). Dashed grey lines indicate the dividing lines for red (S 250µm < S 350µm < S 500µm ) and ultra-red (S 250µm < S 350µm and 1.3 × S 350µm < S 500µm ) sources. Grey symbols show the positions of five spectroscopically confirmed red sources at 4 < z < 5.5 (including three new sources from our study), which all fall outside the ultra-red cut-off. This shows that ultra-red sources will lie at z > 6 for typical shapes of the spectral energy distribution (except those with low dust temperatures), whereas red sources typically are at z < 5.5. See Supplementary Information sections 1 and 3 for more details. Full size image Download PowerPoint slide
Table 1: Observed and derived quantities for HFLS 3, Arp 220 and the Milky Way Full size table
HFLS 3 is a massive, gas-rich galaxy. From the spectral energy distribution and the intensity of the CO and [C ii] emission, we find a dust mass of M d = 1.3 × 109 M sun and total molecular and atomic gas masses of respectively M gas = 1.0 × 1011 M sun and M Hi = 2.0 × 1010 M sun. These masses are 15–20 times those of Arp 220, and correspond to a gas-to-dust ratio of ∼80 and a gas depletion timescale of M gas /SFR ≈ 36 Myr. These values are comparable to lower-redshift submillimetre-selected starbursts11,12. From the [C i] luminosity, we find an atomic carbon mass of 4.5 × 107 M sun. At the current SFR of HFLS 3, this level of carbon enrichment could have been achieved through supernovae on a timescale of ∼107 yr (ref. 13). The profiles of the molecular and atomic emission lines typically show two velocity components (Fig. 1 and Supplementary Figs 5 and 7). The gas is distributed over a region of 1.7 kpc radius with a high velocity gradient and dispersion (Fig. 3). This suggests a dispersion-dominated galaxy with a dynamical mass of M dyn = 2.7 × 1011 M sun. The gas mass fraction in galaxies is a measure of the relative depletion and replenishment of molecular gas, and is expected to be a function of halo mass and redshift from simulations14. In HFLS 3, we find a high gas mass fraction of f gas = M gas /M dyn ≈ 40%, comparable to what is found in submillimetre-selected starbursts and massive star-forming galaxies at z ≈ 2 (refs 15, 16), but ∼3 times higher than in nearby ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) like Arp 220, and >30 times higher than in the Milky Way. From population synthesis modelling, we find a stellar mass of M * = 3.7 × 1010 M sun, comparable to that of Arp 220 and about half that of the Milky Way. This suggests that at most ∼40% of M dyn within the radius of the gas reservoir is due to dark matter. With up to ∼1011 M sun of dark matter within 3.4 kpc, HFLS 3 is likely to reside in a dark-matter halo massive enough to grow a present-day galaxy cluster17. The efficiency of star formation is given by ε = t dyn × SFR/M gas, where t dyn = (r3/(2GM))1/2 is the dynamical (or free-fall) time, r is the source radius, M is the mass within radius r and G is the gravitational constant. For r = 1.7 kpc and M = M gas, this suggests ε = 0.06, which is a few times higher than found in nearby starbursts and in giant molecular cloud cores in the Galaxy18.
Figure 3: Gas dynamics, dust obscuration, and distribution of gas and star formation in HFLS 3. a, b, High-resolution (FWHM 0.35″ × 0.23″) maps of the 158-µm continuum (a) and [C ii] line emission (b) obtained at 1.16 mm with the PdBI in A-configuration, overlaid on a Keck/NIRC2 2.2-µm adaptive optics image (rest-frame ultraviolet/optical light). The r.m.s. uncertainty in the continuum (a) and line (b) maps is 180 and 400 µJy per beam, and contours are shown in steps of 3σ and 1σ, starting at 5σ and 3σ, respectively. A z = 2.092 galaxy (labelled G1B) identified through Keck/LRIS spectroscopy is detected ∼0.65″ north of HFLS 3, but is not massive enough to cause significant gravitational lensing at the position of HFLS 3. Faint infrared emission is detected towards a region with lower dust obscuration in the northeastern part of HFLS 3 (not detected at <1 µm). The Gaussian diameters of the resolved [C ii] and continuum emission are 3.4 kpc × 2.9 kpc and 2.6 kpc × 2.4 kpc, suggesting gas and SFR surface densities of Σ gas = 1.4 × 104 M sun pc−2 and Σ SFR = 600 M sun yr−1 kpc−2 (∼0.6 × 1013 L sun kpc−2). The high Σ SFR is consistent with a maximum starburst at near-Eddington-limited intensity. Given the moderate optical depth of τ d < ∼1 at 158 µm, this estimate is somewhat conservative. c, d, Peak velocity (c) and FWHM velocity dispersion (d) maps of the [C ii] emission are obtained by Gaussian fitting to the line emission in each spatial point of the map. Velocity contours are shown in steps of 100 km s−1. High-resolution CO J = 7–6 and 10–9 and H 2 O 3 21 –3 12 observations show consistent velocity profiles and velocity structure (Supplementary Figs 5–7). The large velocity dispersion suggests that the gas dynamics in this system are dispersion-dominated. See Supplementary Information sections 3 and 5 for more details. Full size image Download PowerPoint slide
The properties of atomic and molecular gas in HFLS 3 are fully consistent with a highly enriched, highly excited interstellar medium, as typically found in the nuclei of warm, intense starbursts, but distributed over a large, ∼3.5-kpc-diameter, region. The observed CO and [C ii] luminosities suggest that dust is the primary coolant of the gas if both are thermally coupled. The L [Cii] /L FIR ratio of ∼5 × 10−4 is typical for high radiation environments in extreme starbursts and active galactic nucleus (AGN) host galaxies19. The L [Cii] /L CO(1–0) ratio of ∼3,000 suggests that the bulk of the line emission is associated with the photon-dominated regions of a massive starburst. At the L FIR of HFLS 3, this suggests an infrared radiation field strength and gas density comparable to nearby ULIRGs without luminous AGN (figures 4 and 5 of ref. 19).
From the spectral energy distribution of HFLS 3, we derive a dust temperature of T dust = K, ∼10 K less than in Arp 220, but ∼3 times that of the Milky Way. CO radiative transfer models assuming collisional excitation suggest a gas kinetic temperature of T kin = K and a gas density of log 10 (n(H 2 )) = cm-3 (Supplementary Information section 4 and Supplementary Figs 13 and 14). These models suggest similar gas densities as in nearby ULIRGs, and prefer T kin ≫ T dust, which may imply that the gas and dust are not in thermal equilibrium, and that the excitation of the molecular lines may be partially supported by the underlying infrared radiation field. This is consistent with the finding that we detect H 2 O and OH lines with upper level energies of E/k B > 300–450 K and critical densities of >108.5 cm−3 at line intensities exceeding those of the CO lines. The intensities and ratios of the detected H 2 O lines cannot be reproduced by radiative transfer models assuming collisional excitation, but are consistent with being radiatively pumped by FIR photons, at levels comparable to those observed in Arp 220 (Supplementary Figs 15 and 16)20,21. The CO and H 2 O excitation is inconsistent with what is observed in quasar host galaxies like Mrk 231 and APM 08279+5255 at z = 3.9, which lends support to the conclusion that the gas is excited by a mix of collisions and infrared photons associated with a massive, intense starburst, rather than hard radiation associated with a luminous AGN22. The physical conditions in the ISM of HFLS 3 thus are comparable to those in the nuclei of the most extreme nearby starbursts, consistent with the finding that it follows the radio–FIR correlation for star-forming galaxies.
HFLS 3 is rapidly assembling its stellar bulge through star formation at surface densities close to the theoretically predicted limit for ‘maximum starbursts’23. At a rest-frame wavelength of 158 µm, the FIR emission is distributed over a relatively compact area with 2.6 kpc × 2.4 kpc physical diameter along its major and minor axes respectively (Fig. 3; as determined by elliptical Gaussian fitting). This suggests an extreme SFR surface density of Σ SFR ≈ 600 M sun yr−1 kpc−2 over a 1.3-kpc-radius region, and is consistent with near-Eddington-limited star formation if the starburst disk is supported by radiation pressure24. This suggests the presence of a kiloparsec-scale hyper-starburst similar to that found in the z = 6.42 quasar J1148+5251 (ref. 25). Such high Σ SFR are also observed in the nuclei of local ULIRGs such as Arp 220, albeit on scales two orders of magnitude smaller. A starburst at such high Σ SFR may produce strong winds. Indeed, the relative strength and broad, asymmetric profile of the OH 2Π 1/2 (3/2–1/2) doublet detected in HFLS 3 may indicate a molecular outflow, reminiscent of the OH outflow in Arp 22021.(UPDATED) Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez also admits he fathered'many' children out of wedlock
Published 4:58 PM, March 30, 2017
(UPDATED) Despite being a married man, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez justified having a girlfriend by saying extramarital affairs are common these days.
Reporters asked Alvarez on Thursday, March 30, to admit whether he has a girlfriend, following reports that his feud with Davao del Norte 2nd District Representative Antonio Floirendo Jr stemmed from a spat between their respective lovers. (READ: Graft complaint vs Floirendo not about feuding girlfriends – Alvarez)
"Eh Diyos ko naman! Kayo naman eh. Sino ba'ng walang girlfriend?" said Alvarez, who then went on to laugh over his own statement in a phone interview. (Oh my God! Come on. Who does not have a girlfriend?)
Alvarez refused to say how long he and Jennifer Maliwanag Vicencio have been in a relationship, saying, "'Yan ang secret (That's a secret)."
Sources said Vicencio is frequently seen with the Speaker, even going with him during official trips out of the country.
She was even photographed sitting adjacent to Alvarez inside a private plane when the Speaker and Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas accompanied President Rodrigo Duterte to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Vientiane, Laos.
According to Alvarez, he and his wife Emelita are no longer staying together.
"Matagal na po kaming 'di magkasama," said Alvarez. (We have not been together for a long time.)
Several lawmakers and netizens have called out Alvarez, saying he could be disbarred for having an extramarital affair. But the Speaker is unfazed.
"Kung meron silang nakikitang ethical issues, ipapa-disbar ako for having a girlfriend? Eh 'di go ahead, mag-file ng complaint! Baka walang matirang abogado!" added Alvarez, laughing.
(If they see some ethical issues so as to disbar me for having a girlfriend, then go ahead, they can file a complaint! But we might run out of lawyers!)
Alvarez's daughter, Finance Assistant Secretary Paola Alvarez, came to her family's defense. She told Cathy Binag, Floirendo's live-in partner, to "stop dragging" the Alvarez family into her "personal issues."
Binag has claimed that Alvarez's girlfriend did not like the idea of the Speaker's wife and daughters supposedly confiding in Binag and Floirendo over his womanizing.
In a separate dZMM interview, Alvarez also admitted having many children out of wedlock.
"Nung first marriage ko, meron akong dalawang anak. 'Yung second, 4. Tapos meron pa, dalawa," said Alvarez. (In my first marriage, I have two children. With the second, I had 4. Then I have another two kids.)
"Meron po [akong anak sa labas], marami. Pero hindi sa relationship ko ngayon," he added. (I have many children out of wedlock. But not with my relationship right now.)
The Speaker added he would rather tell the truth than lie.
"Okay na 'yung magsabi ng totoo. Mahirap 'yung magsinungaling. Magbuhol-buhol pa tayo," said Alvarez. (It's better for me to tell the truth. It's hard if I lie. Things might get complicated.) – Rappler.comThe center of the Gospel is that a new nation has been inaugurated. This new nation has its own citizenship, its own politics, and its own ruler. This nation is called the Kingdom of God. The danger is that this nation and the nation of the world you live in are rivals. This danger got a lot of the early church killed. The message of Jesus was treason. It still is… we’ve just forgotten.
Here at Rival Nations we are exploring what it truly means to live in the Kingdom of God: the subject that Jesus talked about more than any other. What are the lies that prevent us from seeing the truth?
Hopefully you will be challenged to rethink what it means to follow Jesus.
START HERE EXPLORE TOPICS THE LOGO IS WEIRDIt’s hard to think of anyone more deserving of an American visa than Mohammad Janis Shinwari.
On April 28, 2008, a team of U.S. Army combat advisers left the small base they shared with Afghan troops in Ghazni Province and went out on a mission in Taliban country. Ghazni was then the most violent place in Afghanistan. First Lieutenant Matt Zeller was riding in the second of three vehicles. He had been in Afghanistan for ten days. Zeller’s team had been briefed upon arrival in Afghanistan by Major General Robert Cone, who was in charge of training the Afghan Army and police. “How many of you were in Iraq?” Cone had asked the new arrivals. “This isn’t Iraq. In Iraq, we do everything we must to win. Here, we do everything we can.”
The American advisers stopped in the district center to assess the local police station and found a mud-walled, bullet-pocked structure manned by Afghan cops who hadn’t been paid in five months. Zeller and his group were working with maps and satellite imagery from the period of Soviet occupation, and on the way back to the base they got lost. They stopped to ask directions of an Afghan farmer, who directed them down a dirt road. Within two minutes, a tremendous explosion hit the lead vehicle. Zeller assumed that the soldiers and the Afghan interpreter in it were dead—they had run over a pressure plate that detonated an anti-personnel mine stacked on top of two anti-tank mines—but the vehicle, known as an MRAP, or Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected, saved their lives. The MRAP was wrecked, and Zeller wanted to destroy and abandon it and get back to the base with his wounded comrades (they all had horrific concussions), but on the radio their battalion commander ordered him to wait for a tow truck. Americans weren’t going to leave ruined monuments to military failure lying around Afghanistan like the Soviets: If you don’t come back with that vehicle, the message was, don’t come back. (The tow truck didn’t arrive for another eight hours.)
Zeller had his team get out of the vehicles, take up defensive positions, and wait to get shot. They were on a sloping hillside at the edge of a village. Within an hour, forty-five Taliban fighters inside the village and on the surrounding ridge ambushed the Americans with mortar fire, rocket-propelled grenades, and automatic weapons. Zeller was briefly knocked unconscious three times. An hour into the fight, he was out of grenades and running low on bullets.
“I thought, This is where I die, April 28, 2008,” Zeller told me. “I die on this stupid piece of hillside because they won’t let us leave a melted-down fourteen-ton paperweight.”
A call for help reached the Quick-Reaction Force back at the base, where Janis Shinwari worked as an interpreter. He was born in Jalalabad, in 1978, which meant that Afghanistan had been at war for his entire life. In 1996, his family had fled to Pakistan to escape the rule of the Taliban, then returned, in early 2002, after their overthrow. Shinwari learned English from watching American movies; he liked the accent, and went to work for the U.S. military in 2006. He was a good shot and went out on missions armed—essentially, he was part of the combat team. “I was a trusted person,” Shinwari told me yesterday on the phone from Afghanistan. “They took me to all the dangerous missions when they knew we were going to meet the Taliban. One C.O. said, ‘You are one of us. We take you like our own team.’ ”
Shinwari grabbed his personal AK-47 and joined the rescue mission. On arrival at the firefight, he found Zeller, whom he’d met only the week before, lying alone on a grave in a dirt cemetery, fifty feet away from the vehicles, firing his machine gun. “He was in the first line,” Shinwari said. “That was the kill zone.”
Zeller was dimly aware that someone had jumped into his foxhole. Then, right behind his head, he heard a burst of AK-47 fire. A hundred and fifty yards behind him, two Taliban had crept around a building and were about to shoot him in the back, when Shinwari took aim and killed them before dragging Zeller back to the vehicles.
“Thank you for saving my life,” Zeller remembers telling him. “You’re a hell of a shot. I’m glad you’re on our side.”
Zeller was awarded a Purple Heart for his bravery. But it was Shinwari’s action that most impressed him, and a few days later he asked his new Afghan friend, “Why are you on our side?” Shinwari, whose wife was pregnant with their first child, explained that he wanted his family to have a better life, which meant keeping the Taliban out of power.
“What if that doesn’t work out?” Zeller asked. Shinwari answered that he would then have to leave Afghanistan again.
Interpreting at village meetings or during interrogations of Taliban prisoners, Shinwari made no effort to hide his face. Zeller once asked him why. “I want them to know me,” Shinwari said. “I don’t scare for them.” He was a striking man, tall and long-haired, and it seemed that everyone in Ghazni knew who he was, and inevitably his name made it onto a Taliban death list. He began getting threats in the form of “night letters”—his head would be cut off, one said. At the end of 2008, as Zeller prepared to leave Afghanistan, he told Shinwari, “You’re a brother, you’re family. Whatever I can do to get you to the U.S., I will.” Shinwari assumed that the Americans would stay in Afghanistan forever, so after Congress passed a law creating visas for Afghans who worked for the United States in Afghanistan, he didn’t apply for one. But, for his own safety, he asked to be transferred to Camp Blackhorse, a base in Kabul, where he began living in the interpreters’ village, visiting his wife and two children just once or twice a month.
In 2011, Shinwari realized that the Americans were going to leave some day, after all, and maybe soon. He applied for a Special Immigrant Visa. Zeller wrote a letter of recommendation and agreed to be the family’s sponsor. Then, like thousands of other Afghans who took the almost suicidal risk of working for the U.S., and like thousands of Iraqis in the same position, Shinwari waited. He couldn’t have known that in February, 2011, the entire S.I.V. program had ground to a halt in Washington, because two Iraqi refugees in Kentucky—neither had had anything to do with the Americans in Iraq—were arrested on terrorism charges. The issuance of visas to Iraqis and Afghans who were already as thoroughly background-checked and fingerprinted and retina-scanned and polygraphed as any applicants in the world, and who had already passed up numerous chances to kill Americans in their own countries, stopped. The White House, the State Department, Homeland Security, and the intelligence agencies tried to come up with a new vetting formula. The interagency gears barely moved. Shinwari waited a year, two years.
This past July, he got word that Camp Blackhorse would shut down in November. After that, it will be turned over to the Afghan Army, with no Americans around, which will mean that the Afghan interpreters will no longer be safe. When he got the news, Shinwari was responsible for managing two hundred interpreters, and every single one of them had applied for an S.I.V. He sent a message to Zeller, who was working as a consultant in Northern Virginia and serving in the Army reserve, telling him what was happening. He signed off,
brother I sent that form i don’t know if you got it or no salam
Zeller, who had also been waiting patiently in the belief that a man so obviously deserving of a visa would soon receive one, thought, The hell with this, I can’t stand it any more. He contacted his representatives in Congress, and Senator Tim Kaine wrote a personal letter to the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. He started a petition on Change.org, and within a week it had received a hundred thousand signatures. He alerted various media outlets.
And, on September 3rd, Shinwari was suddenly informed that he and his family had been approved. He went to the American Embassy, where an immigrant visa was glued to his passport. He quit his job at Camp Blackhorse, said goodbye, and, after seven years of service to the U.S. Army, received a certificate of appreciation. He sold his house, his mattresses, his dishes, his car, his TV, and his radio—almost all his worldly goods—and moved his family to his father-in-law’s house for the two-week interval before the flight to Virginia, “because I thought I was going to a new country and starting a new life.”
This past Saturday morning, around eleven Kabul time, Shinwari got a phone call from the Embassy. “There is some problem with your visa,” an official said. “Can you bring it back today?”
“What kind of problem?”
The official wouldn’t say. Shinwari went to his computer and checked the status of his case. His and his wife’s applications had reverted from “ready” to “administrative processing” (his two children were still listed as “ready,” but yesterday they, too, went back to “administrative processing”). He called Zeller to report that his visa had been revoked. Zeller urged him not to present his passport at the Embassy, because the visa page would be stamped “cancelled,” and then he would return to bureaucratic limbo. Shinwari, with no job or possessions, no future, went into hiding. He wondered if some Taliban had sent an anonymous e-mail to the embassy to sabotage his case at the last minute.
Of the eight thousand seven hundred and fifty visas created for Afghan interpreters, just a thousand one hundred and fourteen have been issued. In the five years of the Iraqi S.I.V. program, eight thousand out of twenty-five thousand have gone through. So far this year, the number for Iraqis is down around three hundred sixty. As of September 30th, the Iraq program is scheduled to end, with thousands of visa slots unfilled. In July, the House passed a bill that would extend the program, with an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 420-3, nothing short of miraculous in this Congress. But the bill won’t come to the Senate floor until December, and, meanwhile, it stands to die in the House, where Republicans just passed a budget whose single priority is the defunding of Obamacare. Iraqis who attached their fates to the U.S. government in Iraq stand to be casualties of a U.S. government shutdown in Washington.
I asked Becca Heller, of the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project, why so few visas have been issued. “It’s not nefarious,” she said. “It’s just a total lack of political will.” Kirk Johnson, who founded The List Project to Resettle Iraqi Allies, has just published a searing account of his years working on this issue, “To Be a Friend Is Fatal.” In it, he writes, “I have yet to meet an Iraqi interpreter who can’t rattle off the names of several slain colleagues. If George Bush or Barack Obama had been willing to exercise leadership, many of them would have been saved, but instead bureaucracies under each president’s control continue to regard these friends as potential enemies. They do this, they say, to protect us against terrorists, who hate us for our values.”
America seems poised to replicate its shame from Iraq in Afghanistan. Matt Zeller has spent the days since Saturday frantically trying to get someone in the U.S. government to explain what happened to his friend Janis Shinwari. An official at the Kabul Embassy referred him to an e-mail address, from which he received this reply:
The Refugee Processing Center only handles resettlement benefit processing for SIV applicants; we do not issue visas and cannot provide information on the status of an applicant’s visa. We encourage Mr. Shinwari to follow-up with the embassy regarding his visa status. Kind regards
After hearing from a human being at the State Department, Zeller wrote back and vented his frustration: “Does he have to totally reapply? Is his packet back in the abyss that is Administrative Review/Security Adjudication? Is he forever ineligible for a US visa? He may just be a name and number to the broader government, but to me, he is family. He saved my life.”
Above: Zeller and Shinwari. Photograph courtesy of Matt Zeller.Filmed in more than twenty states, The House I Live In tells the stories of individuals at all levels of America’s War on Drugs. From the dealer to the narcotics officer, the inmate to the federal judge, the film offers a penetrating look inside America’s criminal justice system, revealing the profound human rights implications of U.S. drug policy.
The screening will be followed by a conversation with the director, writer, and producer of the documentary, Eugene Jarecki, and Judge Andre Davis, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. David Simon, creator of The Wire, will introduce the film.
The House I Live In is the winner of the 2012 Sundance Festival Grand Jury Prize for Documentary.
This event is co-sponsored by the Maryland Film festival and is part of OSI-Baltimore’s Talking About Race Series which continues to explore the many different facets of this complex subject.
This event is free and open to the public.: Ever feel the urge to smash some familiar faces in? Who doesn't! The All Star Pack DLC is now available for FREE and it lets you kill, maim, and humiliate special guest stars from Orcs Must Die, Payday 2, The Escapists, Saints Row, Broforce, and other beloved franchises |
protecting religious rights.
The Texas senator has made protecting religious liberty central to his presidential bid, labeled Trump’s comments as “a stark illustration” of why conservatives in the state, which votes next Tuesday, shouldn’t trust him.
“He thought that men should be able to go into the girls’ bathrooms if they want to,” Cruz said here to building applause. “Grown adult men — strangers — should not be alone in a bathroom with little girls. And that’s not conservative. That’s not Republican or Democrat. That’s basic common sense.”
Cruz then turned it on Trump, who has promised audiences that he could tone down his brash demeanor and act more presidential.
“I guess he’s showing us what that looked like,” Cruz said. “I am waiting with anticipation for the new baseball caps: “Make PC Great Again.’ ”
Trump had been asked specifically earlier by host Matt Lauer: “If Caitlyn Jenner were to walk into Trump Tower, and wanted to use the bathroom, you would be fine with her using any bathroom she chooses?”
“That is correct,” Trump said.
The real estate mogul also rejected the idea that buildings should provide a third bathroom for transgender people, saying that would be “discriminatory in a certain way” in addition to prohibitively expensive.*'What if?'... 'Then What?'
— Tobias Revell (@tobias_revell) August 27, 2013
Critical design is like the Velvet Underground. It doesn't sell a lot of records but it'll inspire a whole generation of amazing bands.
I've been mulling over a couple of ideas over the past few months and have spent a lot of time talking at and to people about them. In fact in some ways, my activity over the summer has been insidiously geared towards having discussions about these ideas with different types of people to try and frame them. This, then, is a sort of progress report that starts frayed and ties up towards the end. Partly to write these things down for my own benefit and also to invite response.For the last few months I've been calling myself a critical designer and futurist. Before this I generally framed myself as an artist and designer, this was always something of a cop-out to me and I was aware that over time I'd have to narrow it down. Both critical designer and futurist will attract derision of some sort or another but it's important to have a grounded point from which I can defend it. 'Artist' was dropped after reading some of Dr Matt Malpass'papers on framing critical design in the design world.The question of working out whether the critical design approach is actually having impact is something that seems to be becoming more and more common. I've certainly been called up on several times over the summer. We're now at a stage where critical design is in the mainstream media and discussed widelyof academic and design circles. This may not be a quantifiable metric of success but certainly a strong marker that the aim of the practice to engage the 'public' - in the broadest possible sense - has succeeded.There are wider questions about the measuring of'success' and what this means; if a discipline targeted at critiquing and redefining the very criteria by which we measure'success' should in turn, be measured by the same criteria.Once we've issued the provocation and people have their critical questions toolkit - theyit - it's a very rare instance that anything happens with these provocations. How does this practice of provocation introduce change?There's a widely held faith that there might be some sort of trickle-down mechanism at play where critical design filters down to other fields. My friend Carlos J. Gómez de Llarena put this faithful position forward perfectly when we were teaching at the UrbanIXD summer school this year (I paraphrase):At Improving Reality I laid out some brief theories around protest territories. Historically, if you found that your own ideologies ran into conflict with another set of ideologies; that of the state, your community, your religion, thenyou ran away. Diaspora and exoduses were the ways in which ideological differences were physically enacted on the earth. War, of course, is the other major physical enactment of ideological conflict but really, until the post-industrial era very few wars were ideological in nature. Most wars were fought for the acquisition of part of the zero-sum Earth; resources or territory, people or security. Barring religious conflicts, themselves usually founded in lust for wealth, ideology played a minor role.Then the modern world becomes an ideological conflict itself. Not just the Cold War and the various proxy wars but also the internalisation of conflicting ideologies. With the global hegemony that followed the collapse of the empires and technologically-accelerated territorial conquest by industry in attempt to stave off the terror of the zero-sum world there was nowhere for an exodus to go. Mass securitisation of internal conflict began after the growth of the labour movement and continued up into the kettling tactics of protest we have today.What do I mean by internalisation? Once there was no longer somewhere else to go, or someone else to blame for whatever problems beset your state, ideological conflicts became no longer manifest in exodus and war but in revolution and protest. Naturally, states were terrified. A huge amount of resource was put into internal securitisation across the world to secure the status quo of power and prevent revolution. This power needed a way for the people to feel that they were exercising their right - to vent their frustration - without allowing them to fundamentally change anything. So the state constructed safe spaces for protest. A space with clearly defined limits of what is and what is not acceptable, a safe space that's structured and controlled.Look at the indenti-kit protest march above. It would have been organised online, where someone would have been making advertising revenue and money from hosting material. It would have been planned at the guidance of police and civil authorities. EvenI don't want to undermine the power that popular protest has, or as I did accidentally at Improving Reality, to undermine the basis of the Occupy movement. They're important and highly visceral ways of exercising desire for change. My criticism is that they'reThe thing we have to consider is who and what we are protesting against. I won't regurgitate the stacktivism or infrastructure fictions ideas. Chances are, that if you're here, you know them already but there's a general idea that the very shape of global geopolitics has changed in the last 20 years or so and the people in charge are not who we thought they were. To re-word a great Dylan Moran gag:(Please replace Google with whatever or whoever you like to satisfy your own biases.) The point stands that the entities constructing and steering our futures, or what they often like to callfuture - with all the baggage of powerlessness and inevitability that that wording brings - aren't states, and they work on a completely different geopolitical strata:When Edward Snowden leaked the details of the PRISM program to the world press, he wasn't revealing anything. We already knew, at some very fundamental level that a vast apparatus existed to observe and harvest us and our 'data'. Whether through decades of dystopic training or the simple maths of adding ruthless western capitalism and it's history of paranoia to enabling technology we knew that these things were happening. I wrote some time ago about the fact that the rebalance of power enacted by the PRISM revelations is different to what is easily read - they forced us to react. Snowden issued a call for action, and the world failed to respond. I now have a term for this retreating reaction -. When faced with something so large and unfathomable as PRISM or climate change, the most common reaction is to accept or pretend it's not happening and move on.So why this response? 'There's no town square for Google' wasn't just a tweetable bite. We have no space in which we can protest, in which we can occupy and configure a conflict besides or in front of the thing we wish to protest and air our grievances against. For both the new geopolitics and the threat of climate change, there is no common language, no common space, no commons.The Athens Wireless Metropolitan Network is something I bring up a lot as an example of 'technology as a territory.' If what we're lacking is a territory for protest, for conflict or for change, then the Athens network is at least a glimpse of how we might create one. It's a mesh network of around 2500 peer-to-peer nodes built as an alternative to the Internet in Greece. It was built partly in response to the poor quality of the connections in Athens, partly after government shutdowns at the height of the protests and is now quickly picking up users after the NSA revelations. What we have here is not the drive to move into alternate territory - to buy a different product, to boycott a service - but to actually build a new one based on entirely different foundational principles.What we need is a territory and a language. Perhaps those can even be the same thing. Design already has a language and the reason that critical design works is it uses the same language of the things it's critiquing. The design language is a finely honed and perfected communication tool. And here we have seen examples of how technology can give us a territory. So I come to my question to which these ideas seem to lead to:To me this seems to be the 'then what' after the 'what if?' We don't want to be in a position where we become solutions peddlars, but it's important to move beyond provocation and into how this young but established toolkit can potentially be used to enact real change. The form that these platforms or territories might take is unknown to me as yet.I also make assumptions in this question that are up for debate: I assume that state and legal frameworks are now incapable or not inclined to deliver change that people want. I assume that capitalism (the best-worst idea) has failed and that there is a general consensus that the current status quo is intolerable. I also assume that we as humans don't want to make other humans suffer and yet conflict is the most powerful agent of change - therefore it is desirable to maintain conflict without hurting people.I'm also wary of just accelerating fear, whether over surveillance or climate change, or whatever crisis might face us. I believe that it's not enough to wait for x to happen then respond - that the reality of making decisions that will form futurerequires the gravity and visceral nature of that crisis to be accelerated forward (or backward) into the present in order that it can be 'played' with or turned over by the various conflicted parties. However this might invite superfluous conflict just because they can happen in this'safe space' that is the designed conflict territory.This is a good place to stop. There are other frayed edges to this thinking that need to be better formulated and discussed. There are things coming up in the next year which will give me some space to play with these ideas outside of my own head or conversations and I'll try and issue some updates as conversations and things evolve.Heterosexuality is not inevitable.
You don’t have to put up with men’s shit, ever.
Stop loving the dudes, stop putting your energy into them, stop settling. They will never make you truly happy at best and at worst will ruin your life beyond any redemption.
Instead think of all the other things you could be putting your time and energy into. How much you can achieve, what positive choices you can make for yourself.
Women often respond to hearing that they don’t have to be heterosexual with fear and exclamations that they aren’t attracted to women.
You don’t have to date women, unless you want to. Heterosexuality is an institution designed to squeeze out as much of your energy and emotional labor as possible. Simply refuse to capitulate to this system.Enlarge By Franz Jantzen, Supreme Court of the United States Washington lawyer Beth Brinkmann says people "feel transported" by "the trappings: the velvet curtains, the engravings, all the history in the chamber." Digg
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Facebook WASHINGTON At a recent Senate hearing, when Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy was arguing against cameras in the courtroom, he referred to the court's peculiar customs. It was a little-noticed remark that spoke volumes about the institution. "We have a language," Kennedy said, "and ethic and etiquette, a formality, a tradition that's different than the political branches; not better, not worse, but different." Is it ever. In many ways, the justices, who return to the bench today after a two-week recess, live in a bygone era: one of elevator operators, ceramic spittoons, white quill pens and government lawyers in elegant gray morning coats. "When my clients come into the room," says Washington lawyer Beth Brinkmann, a former assistant U.S. solicitor general, "they are impressed with the trappings: the velvet curtains, the engravings, all the history in the chamber. You just feel transported." It's rare for lawyers to have the opportunity to argue at the court of last resort, which hears about 70 cases a year. It's also rare that visitors to the nation's capital have a chance to hear oral arguments, which are held six days each month. The cases are aired in an atmosphere of elaborate ritual, tradition and courtesy. Spontaneity is so foreign that when then-chief justice William Rehnquist added four gold stripes to the sleeves of his black robe in 1995, it made national news. With its hushed-voice, starched-collar ways, the court contrasts with the hustle and bustle of the halls of Congress across the street. Business is not done with an electronic "send" button. Each of the nine justices has a messenger who delivers draft opinions and personal notes to the other chambers. Sit up straight! During oral arguments, lawyers sit in a special section, inevitably all in dark business suits and typically with knees together and hands clasped on lap. If a lawyer drapes an arm over a chair or sprawls casually into a nearby empty seat, a court police officer taps him or her on the shoulder to make sure the lawyer straightens up. Next to the justices' nine high-back, black-leather chairs are green ceramic spittoons — used these days as waste baskets. As a memento for the lawyers who argue before the court, white quill pens are placed at their table. The special language of the high court is evident from the start. When the justices process into the courtroom (in set order of seniority), no one calls out, "All rise," as happens at trial. Instead a marshal intones, "Oyez, oyez, oyez! … God save the United States and this honorable court." By custom, the first thing a lawyer at the lectern to argue a case must say is "Mr. Chief Justice, and may it please the court." When Chief Justice John Roberts was an advocate, he would write that phrase at the top of his legal pad, in case he suddenly drew a blank. "There is nothing like the formality, and even the rigidity, of the process," says Washington lawyer Laurence E. Gold. "When you step up there (to the lectern), you know you have the assigned time of 30 minutes and not a second more. There's no spontaneity. You don't want to breach any of the unwritten rules of place, whatever they are." The modern world In this decidedly old-fashioned setting of no cameras, no tape recorders and no cellphones, the justices regularly face cutting-edge issues. To get up to speed, they rely on briefs filed by the parties to a case, and they have their own way of digesting newfangled concepts. In a complicated dispute this term over rules for when the modification of an invention can win a patent, Justice Stephen Breyer complained that the test may be flawed and offered his own possibly patent-worthy idea: "I have a sensor on my garage door at the lower hinge for when the car is coming in and out, and the raccoons are eating it. So I think of the brainstorm of putting (the sensor) on the upper hinge." "How can I get a patent?" he asked, suggesting that the idea might not qualify but that maybe it should. A few months later, when the justices were hearing a dispute over whether sending a master version of software overseas for copying can violate U.S. patent law, the justices easily waded into the modern jargon of source codes. At one point, Justice Antonin Scalia did reach back to the legend of the great Persian queen storyteller as he referred to the "golden," or master version disk at the core of the case. "I hope we can continue calling it the 'golden disk.' It has a certain Scheherazade quality that really adds a lot of interest to this case," Scalia remarked. Spectators laughed — not uproariously but appropriately. Share this story: Digg del.icio.us Newsvine Reddit Facebook Enlarge By Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy testifies on Capitol Hill March 8, in Washington, D.C. Kennedy pointed out the court's peculiar customs at a recent Senate hearing. With its hushed-voice, starched-collar ways, the court contrasts with the hustle and bustle of the halls of Congress across the street. Conversation guidelines: USA TODAY welcomes your thoughts, stories and information related to this article. Please stay on topic and be respectful of others. Keep the conversation appropriate for interested readers across the map.Spouge is a style of Barbadian popular music created by Jackie Opel in the 1960s. It is primarily a fusion of Jamaican ska with Trinidadian calypso, but is also influenced by a wide variety of musics from the British Isles and United States, include sea shanties, hymns and spirituals. Spouge instrumentation originally consisted of cowbell, bass guitar, trap set and various other electronic and percussion instruments, later augmented by saxophone, trombone and trumpets.[1] Of these, the cowbell and the guitar are widely seen as the most integral part of the instrumentation, and are said to reflect the African origin of much of Barbadian music.
Two different kinds of spouge were popular in the 1960s, raw spouge (Draytons Two style) and dragon spouge (Cassius Clay style). The spouge industry grew immensely by the end of the 1970s, and produced popular stars like The Escorts International, Blue Rhythm Combo, the Draytons Two and The Troubadours, Desmond Weekes. Desmond Weekes, the former lead singer of the Drayton Two claims the 1973 album Raw Spouge to be "the only 100 per cent spouge album ever produced". The album topped the charts in a number of islands, including St. Kitts, St. Lucia and Dominica.
In 1950, Opel sang with a band at Coconut Creek Club, St James and his Jackie Wilson like voice soon made him popular. He appear on some local shows with well-known overseas performers, and Jackie Opel the supporting act usually became the star performer as he vigorously performed every note and "out shone" the star. During this time Ska the forerunner beat to the reggae was popular in Jamaica and calypso was popular in Trinidad. So Jackie Opel and his band the troubadours developed the Spouge beat which was to be Barbados' answer to Ska in Jamaica and Calypso in Trinidad. Spouge became so popular that every local band and singer in Barbados and throughout the Caribbean recorded their music using the Spouge beat. Spouge's popularity spread throughout the Caribbean to the extent that the Spouge beat became even more popular than Ska or Calypso.
Unfortunately, after six years the art form declined to the extent that today very little Spouge is played on the airwaves. Spouge is only played on Jackie Opel's Birthday, Independence Day, Heroes Day and Errol Barrow Day. Spouge has declined from other reasons:
The man who created Spouge died in a car accident on March 9, 1970 at the age of 32. It is believed that if Jackie Opel had lived he would have been the one to further develop and market the beat around the world. The Barbados media does not promote Spouge to the extent that it can. Over the years, foreign artists and their music have consistently been given priority over local music. In the popular years of Spouge it is believed that it suffered from "over play" which served to make it a beat that people eventually grew tired of.
In 2002 Caribbean Records Inc released a CD entitled Vintage Spouge with hits on it such as "Gimme Music" by Mike Grosvenor, "Any Day Now" by Richard Stoute and a cover of Sam Cooke's "You Send Me", sung by spouge creator Jackie Opel.
References [ edit ]
^ Millington, pg. 820 Millington lists the American and British influences as including Welsh, Scottish and Irish elements, "transmitted through literature and poetry (Shakespeare and Milton), rhymes, folk songs, sea shanties, classical music, hymns, and other songs of praise (all of which have) been constantly available, providing entertainment, edification and general education to all people of Barbados. North American love songs, parlor songs, African-American spirituals and folk hymns, and hillbilly music have also contributed to a cultural mixture in which the love of a song, the expression through movement, and demand for theater continue to be of paramount importance".flickr Writer: Eric Daniel
Returning Starters – Offense: 7 Defense: 5
Preview: Arizona really came out of nowhere last season to reach the Pac-12 title game while also getting to double digit victories. Rich Rodriguez continues to prove himself as a top flight head coach when the program he’s with is fully behind him. Now Rich Rod will look to have some staying power at Arizona much like he had during his time with West Virginia.
A successful Rich Rodriguez team always starts on the offensive side of the ball. The Wildcats return 7 starters including QB Anu Solomon who’s the first holdover the Wildcats have had at the position since Rodriguez joined the fray. Solomon wasn’t perfect behind center during his freshman campaign, but that’s nitpicking for a guy who threw for 3,793 yards and 28 TDs. RB is also a position of strength with sophomore Nick Wilson returning after rushing for 1,375 yards during his freshman season. Arizona is loaded with depth, talent, and experience at WR headlined by Cayled Jones and the O-line is set for success other than the center position.
Arizona’s three man front is led by Reggie Gilbert who was awarded a 5th year. LB is the strength of the Wildcats’ defense with Pac-12 DPOY Scooby Wright coming off an incredible year where he racked up 163 tackles and 14 sacks. The Wildcats needed to replace 3 starters in the secondary, but the backend of the defense has potential with some new faces in the mix. Two former receivers are in the mix at corner with Denson and Neal.
Prediction: Arizona might very well be one of the more overlooked teams again in the Pac-12 coming into the season. The Wildcats certainly have enough talent returning to make a play for the Pac-12 title. If the Wildcats can get back UCLA and Stanford to open conference play, then it’s very possible this team could go into their road game against USC 9-0. It would be a surprise, but anything short of a return trip to the conference title game would have to be considered a disappointment for a program with rising expectations.
Projected Record: 10-2 (7-2)The NFL is down to its final dynamic dozen, the 12 playoff teams that will battle to become Super Bowl LII champions.
Who’s a golf fan to pick?
We’ll leave the stat-crunching and deep-dive analysis to those who know football best. Here, we make it simple. We’re ranking the contenders based on the quarterback with the best game.
The best golf game, of course.
12. Cam Newton
During an interview with Golf Digest, Newton admitted he's "not a great golf player." Golf player? Sorry, Cam. Have to give you the No. 12 seed for that one.
T-9. Tyrod Taylor, Case Keenum, Nick Foles
We searched and searched and couldn't find any mention of these three quarterbacks playing a round of golf or mentioning golf in an interview. In fairness, we'll give them each a No. 9 ranking and hopefully we'll have some more info on their golf game if they return to the playoffs next season.
8. Marcus Mariota
The third-year quarterback for the Tennessee Titans seems to get out on the course fairly regularly, but isn't hanging up the helmet for a set of irons anytime soon. During an interview with the Titans in 2016, he broke down the matches he played in Oregon and continues to play with his center at Tennessee.
“My center back at Oregon used to beat me (in golf), too. I just need to get better. I am not very good. What do I shoot in 18 (holes)? Hopefully under 100. If it’s under 100, it’s a good day.”
7. Jarrod Goff
The second-year quarterback out of Cal has the L.A. Rams in the playoffs in their first year back in Southern California. But living in one of the finest places in the country to golf year-round hasn't translated to much of a game for Goff. He participated in the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship but finished third from last ahead of Derek Fisher and Charles Barkley.
As he said to the NFL Network, "I hope to be better at golf when I'm done playing football, not while I'm playing." Fast forward to the 2:26 mark to hear Goff talk more about his experience at the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship.
6. Blake Bortles
Bortles has the Jags back in the playoffs for the first time since 2007. Living in Florida and having a couple of longer offseasons seems to have helped the lefty -- just like Phil, he's a left-handed golfer but throws right-handed -- develop a pretty strong golf swing. He's participated in the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship and even showed off some trick shot ability striping a righty driver left-handed a reported 220 yards.
5. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
Drew Brees is one of the most ruthless competitors on this list. He’s an expert at eluding tackles and picking apart defenses with his arm. He’s teed it up at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and with a handicap last known around 9, he can hold his own against many on this list. Hopefully, he took some of this advice from Peter Kostis to help straighten out his drive and shave a few more strokes off his score.
4. Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs
Smith owns a very respectable game. He’s spent some time competing in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am as well as the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship and holds around a 6 handicap. If the trend here is that the more successful you become as a quarterback, the better your golf game gets, he could be tops on this list before you know it.
3. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
Big Ben is tough to tackle on the football field, and the guy can flat out hit a golf ball. He’s reportedly carried a handicap as low as 0.4 but more recent reports have that up near a 7 now. Roethlisberger has played in many celebrity pro-ams. Most notably, he shot an 81 in a pre-US Open competition in 2009 at Bethpage Black. We probably would card an 81 just walking to the first tee box the way that course was set up that year.
2. Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Brady is arguably the best quarterback in the league. He might be the best golfer, too, but not on our list. He got his start working in the clubhouse at a few Michigan golf courses before being selected in the sixth round of the NFL Draft (and proceeding to win five Super Bowls). He’s teed it up with some of the top golfers in the world, too. He's been coached by Jordan Spieth. He holds around an 8 handicap and is a regular at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Most popular? It's probably his to lose. But there's one golfer in this year's playoffs that stands above the rest.
1. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
MORE: Golf Q&A with Falcons' MVP quarterback Matt Ryan
Matt Ryan has played several times in the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship and carries around +1.2 handicap. He has the Falcons back in the playoffs seeking redemption for last year's dramatic Super Bowl loss. We could say a lot of great things about his swing, but this video of him making a par 5 look elementary says it all. If you’re picking your Super Bowl champion based on the golfing pedigree of their quarterback, the Falcons are your team.The sergeant major of the Marine Corps issued a letter to all Marines on Friday trying to explain his recent congressional testimony in which he said Marines preferred better equipment over high pay and that lowering pay raises would improve discipline.
Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps Micheal Barrett said his words were misreported, which caused Marines to believe he doesn't care about their quality of life and level of pay.
"Recent reporting of my testimony may have left you with a mistaken impression that I don't care about your quality of life and that I support lower pay for service members. This is not true," Barrett wrote in the letter.
However, he maintained that the growth in pay and benefits must be slowed down in order to ensure the Corps can pay for better equipment.
"Nobody wants less.... But if we don't slow the growth of our hard-earned generous compensation/benefit entitlements that we have enjoyed over the past decade, we don't have sufficient dollars for what we need -- investment in our warfighting capabilities and our wonderful Marine and family care programs," Barrett wrote.
The top enlisted Marine's letter comes following a backlash from Marines who responded harshly to Barrett's statement to Congress saying he supported the proposal for a 1 percent pay raise for service members. The 1 percent raise would be the lowest raise in years for troops and would fail to keep up with inflation.
Barrett is only the latest Pentagon leader to tell Congress that pay and benefits need to be either reduced or slowed down. Pentagon brass have made the case that personnel costs must come down to maintain readiness. The service secretaries and chiefs have repeatedly pointed out that pay and benefits represent the fastest-growing portion of their budgets.
The sergeant major of the Marine Corps' testimony especially stood out because he told Congress last Wednesday that lower pay would improve discipline within the Corps.
"I truly believe it will raise discipline," Barrett told the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel. "You'll have better spending habits. You won't be so wasteful."
Barrett told lawmakers that Marines have "never had it so good" in his three decades of service when describing the benefits packages and level of pay.
"If we don't get a hold of slowing the growth, we will become an entitlement-based, a health care provider-based Corps, and not a warfighting organization," Barrett said.
In Friday's letter, Barrett told Marines that now is a time that requires sacrifice and selflessness.
"The responsibilities put on your shoulders are great -- from standards and discipline, to giving orders to kill, to risk being killed yourself. I know that you will continue to be selfless. I know you will continue to sacrifice for one another. I know you will continue to succeed during these times and the tough times that lay ahead," Barrett wrote.
The top enlisted Marine had explained that Marines would prefer funding directed toward ensuring they had the latest equipment and highest level of training rather than worrying about pay and benefits. He said Marines don't ask him about pay or retirement packages, they ask him about the mission.
"Marines don't run around [asking] about compensation, benefits, retirement modernization. That's not on their minds," Barrett told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday. "As I walk around to talk to the thousands [in] audiences, they want to know into whose neck do we put a boot next. They want to know about what new equipment are we getting."
Marines and their family members have unleashed a wave of anger on social media and statements from advocacy groups following Barrett's comments to Congress.
"I also don't recall anyone asking me or my fellow comrades if we wanted to take a pay cut," a Miltiary.com reader wrote in the comments section of an article about Barrett's comments to Congress.
Like other Pentagon officials who have lobbied for the reduced pay raise for service members, Barrett was unable to provide any data other than personal interactions to support their conclusion that service members are more worried about equipment and training versus pay.
Lawmakers have pushed back, asking military officials why they are making these recommendations without waiting for the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission, which is expected to turn in its review and recommendation a year from now.
-- Michael Hoffman can be reached at [email protected] new image from a telescopic camera orbiting Mars shows NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity at work on "Murray Ridge," without any new impact craters nearby.
The Feb. 14 view from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is available online at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA17941. Rover tracks from Opportunity, as well as the rover itself, are visible.
A rock, dubbed "Pinnacle Island," appeared in January 2014 next to Opportunity where it had been absent a few days earlier. After that, researchers using HiRISE planned this observation to check the remote possibility that a fresh impact by an object from space might have excavated a crater near Opportunity and thrown this rock to its new location. No fresh impact site is seen in the image. Meanwhile, observations by the rover solved the Pinnacle Island mystery by finding where the rock had been struck, broken and moved by a rover wheel.
Murray Ridge is part of the western rim of Endeavour Crater, an impact scar that is billions of years old and about 14 miles (22 kilometers) in diameter.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Opportunity mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.
For more information about Opportunity, visit http://www.nasa.gov/rovers and http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov.
News Media Contact
Guy Webster 818-354-6278Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, [email protected], have you guys heard about all this snow we’re having here in Buffalo? It’s been pretty crazy. We’re a hearty bunch here at KegWorks, and it’s not like we haven’t seen this stuff before, but at some point, enough is enough, you know what I mean?
Well, if Mother Nature won’t cut us some slack, we’re just going to have to take matters into our own hands and find a way to channel a little bit of tropical paradise amidst the lake effect flurries that have left half our fair city snowbound.
Luckily, we’ve got just the tool to help us out.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet Beachbum Berry’s Navy Grog Ice Cone Garnish Kit!
Alright, I hear you. “What is a Navy Grog?” “Who is Beachbum Berry?” Let me give you the short answers…
Jeff “Beachbum” Berry is a legend in the island-loving world of tiki party culture. He’s the author of several must-have books regarding tiki lore and a true aficionado of all things tropically alcoholic.
A Navy Grog is also a legend in the island-loving world of tiki party culture, but in a different way. This delicious rum cocktail is rumored to have been Frank Sinatra’s favorite whenever he visited the world-renowned tiki haunt, Don the Beachcomber’s (specifically, their Palm Springs location).
This potent elixir combines three kinds of rum with all kinds of deliciousness to kick you in the pants and transport your brain to some sandy oasis that isn’t covered in feet of snow. Here’s the recipe:
1 oz White Cuban or Puerto Rican rum,
1 oz Dark Jamaican rum
1 oz Demarara rum
3/4 oz Fresh lime juice
3/4 oz White grapefruit juice
1 oz Honey syrup mix (1 part honey dissolved into 1 part warm water)
3/4 oz Club soda
Shake rum, juice, and syrup in a cocktail shaker filled with ice until thoroughly chilled. Strain into a large double-old-fashioned glass or a tiki mug, prepared with an ice cone. Top with club soda and garnish with the fruits of your choosing.
But the best part of the Navy Grog? The one-of-a-kind ice cone that turns this from an ordinary Polynesian punch into a festive party in a glass. The ice cone sits directly inside your glass, and you feed the straw right through its frozen center into the heart of the luxurious liquid it’s chilling. And with Beachbum Berry’s Ice Cone Garnish Kit, you can create your own authentic ice cones with ease.
Just pack the metal cone with shaved ice.
Use the metal rod to poke a straw hole through the center.
Place it in the freezer for a few hours and voila! You’ve got yourself a beautiful, drink-perfecting ice cone that will make your tiki party the envy of anyone in a Hawaiian shirt.
Whether it’s snowing by you or not, doesn’t a little taste of sunshine and cool island breezes sound like a wonderful idea? Grab your Navy Grog Ice Cone Garnish Kit today and get ready to sip on something that will make your soul smile!Having attempted the synopsis above for those who didn't read the entire thread and are commenting here: I think it's important to realize some pertinent and important information.
Let's take the title of the thread, for instance: Though the legend of "vampirism" was not strictly addressed on this thread, that I read anyway, I think it worth noting. Vampires, or their legend, are creatures invested and dependent upon human blood for survival. This is why, on many levels, members participating on the thread, were wary, especially after viewing a website that combined videos with attributes I listed already, and their stated mission of a development of an "anti-language," not understood by those around them, but not "of them.
It more than implies an objectification of those innocent of their motivations, w hich were never quite clear, nor easily discernible, by anyone's interaction with them, as Brotherman has elucidated.
One must guard one's mind. One no longer has to be a doctor, nor rocket scientiest, nor genuis on any level to understand we live in times where there are folks with agendas, preying upon |
issue according to Steam Support's Troubleshoot the issue according to Steam Support's Knowledgebase
Steam fails to launch or log in [ edit ]
For network connectivity issues, see the Troubleshooting Network Connectivity support article or the Network/Connection Issues category.
General troubleshooting[4] General troubleshooting Restart the computer. See this support article: Steam Client Troubleshooting
Game fails to launch or function properly [ edit ]
Launch the game after each individual step to see if the issue is resolved.
Unable to download any games [ edit ]
Steam CEG protected games crash or freeze the system (AMD Bulldozer CPU) [ edit ]
Might also just have them slow down.[9]
Update your [12][9] Update your BIOS to the latest version Should it still lack the required > 06000626 microcode[10], bios modding, µcode injection or Orochi-CEG might still be tried Possibly affect Bobcat processors too[11]
Other information [ edit ]
Change the language of a game [ edit ]
Instructions Instructions Right Click on the desired game in the Library. Select Properties, the Language tab, then select the desired language. Notes Changing a game's language might not be possible while the game is already open. It's also possible to change the language by editing the language parameter of the relevant appmanifest_<app-id>.acf. For some games this can allow additional options not available through the UI, such as with Child of Light.
The Only update this game when I launch it option does not allow playing without updates; the only way to avoid updates is by playing in Offline Mode.[13] Some developers make earlier versions available under the Betas tab in the game's properties in the Steam client. Once selected and downloaded, this alternate version can be played without further updates. It is possible to download older game versions and play the older version indefinitely (unless external game-specific services prevents it) if it is stored in another location than the download or game folder.
Download older game versions [ edit ]
This requires either a full or partial download, and free space to allow it, of the older version of the game. The download does not overwrite existing game files. The files are automatically downloaded to a subfolder of the install folder of Steam, regardless of what Steam Library Folder the latest version of the game might be installed in. There's no way to monitor or throttle the download progress without using external third-party tools.
Locate and download the manifest of the older version[14] Locate and download the manifest of the older version Search for the game on SteamDB. Switch to the Depots tab and open the depot(s) with the required files to downgrade. On the pages of the aforementioned depot(s), switch to the Manifests tab and take note of the manifest IDs of the desired version. Open the Steam Console by executing steam://nav/console in e.g. the browser/explorer address bar, ⊞ Win + R, etc. Enter download_depot <app-id> <depot-id> <target-manifest-id> <delta-manifest-id> command with relevant info: <app-id> is the App ID as specified on SteamDB. This can also be found in the link to the store page of the game on Steam; e.g. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2620/Call_of_Duty/ where 2620 is the app id.
is the as specified on SteamDB. This can also be found in the link to the store page of the game on Steam; e.g. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2620/Call_of_Duty/ where is the app id. <depot-id> is the ID of the depot(s) noted in step 2.
is the ID of the depot(s) noted in step 2. <target-manifest-id> is the manifest ID of the desired older version, as noted in step 3.
is the manifest ID of the desired older version, as noted in step 3. <delta-manifest-id> is the manifest ID of the currently installed manifest ID (meaning the latest manifest ID unless already downgraded previously). This value can be omitted, but if it is present then Steam will only download the difference between the delta manifest ID (the currently installed version) and the target manifest ID (the older version), thereby forgoing having to re-download the whole game. If executed properly the console will say: Downloading depot <depot-id> (<download-size> MB)... No download size will be mentioned if <delta-manifest-id> was used. Wait for the download to complete. Do not close Steam or shut down the computer as this will terminate the download! When the download is finished the following line will be printed in the console: Depot download complete : "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\content\app_<app-id>\depot_<depot-id>" (<total-num-of-files> files, manifest <manifest-id>) Open indicated download folder. You can now move the contents of the folder to a more proper location. If <delta-manifest-id> was used the downloaded files needs to be copied over the contents of the existing install folder (or a copy thereof), overwriting existing files. Otherwise the downloaded files will remain incomplete and be missing all files that were identical between the two versions. Notes Move the older version to a folder separate from the regular version to prevent Steam from removing the older version when a new update is released. Some games might require a steam_appid.txt file containing the app ID and nothing else before they can be launched from another location.
Copying a game from a different computer [ edit ]
Instructions [citation needed] Instructions Go to <Steam-folder> /SteamApps/common/ on the computer where the game is installed. Look for the folder that fits the game you want to copy and move it to the same location on the target computer. Go to steampowered.com in your browser and visit the game's store page in the Url bar of your browser you'll see store.steampowered.com/app/<app-id>/, where <app-id> is a number that uniquely identifies the game on Steam. Grab the <Steam-folder> /SteamApps/appmanifest_<app-id>.acf file that fits the <app-id> from the store page and copy it to the same location on the target computer. Close and restart Steam. The game should now show up in your Library and be ready to play. (Optional) If the game doesn't run or if it came from a different OS, right click on the game in your Library and choose Properties ; then go to the Local Files tab and click on Verify integrity of game cache…. This will trigger Steam to repair the installation.
Add Microsoft Store games as non-Steam games [ edit ]
Use [citation needed] Use UWPHook
For manual configuration, see this forum post.
Speed up loading of web pages in Steam [ edit ]
Disable Steam's link filter [ edit ]
Use [citation needed] Use disablesteamlinkfilter
Downloading game files with SteamGet [ edit ]
SteamGet is a script created by Ryan C. Gordon (aka Icculus) which requires SteamCMD to work. What it does is that it will download all the files from the selected game you own in your account without requiring you to rely Wine to do that or use the SteamCMD itself as this script makes its task more simple. This can be very useful if you wish to use the game files for the source port of the game or an open source engine.
Optimize PulseAudio to audio in Steam games [ edit ]
Edit daemon.conf[15] Edit daemon.conf Open daemon.conf file from /etc/pulse/ as root and add the following text: # Start as daemon daemonize = yes allow-module-loading = yes # Realtime optimization high-priority = yes realtime-scheduling = yes realtime-priority = 9 # Scales the device-volume with the volume of the "loudest" application flat-volumes = no # Script file management load-default-script-file = yes default-script-file = /etc/pulse/default.pa # Sample rate resample-method = speex-float-9 default-sample-format = s24-32le default-sample-rate = 192000 alternate-sample-rate = 176000 exit-idle-time = -1 # Optimized fragements for steam default-fragments = 5 default-fragment-size-msec = 2 # Volume deferred-volume-safety-margin-usec = 1 Save the file and run both pulseaudio -k and pulseaudio --start to restart PulseAudio or just reboot the system.
Use Native Steam runtime mode [ edit ]
Improves the performance for both games and the software itself.
Basic [ edit ]
Install Use Native Runtime. Install Linux Steam Integration and enable
Advanced [ edit ]
On a 64-bit system you must install the 32-bit version of these libraries: openal, nss, gtk2, gtk3, libcanberra, gconf, dbus-glib, libnm-glib, libudev0-shim and libappindicator-gtk2 (so the tray icon would work). Some games may still require some additional libraries to work. You can use this page to learn which ones are needed for the specific software regardless of the linux distribution you are using. Most of the Ubuntu-based distros may already include them.
While the current Steam package already includes required libraries to work, they are sadly outdated as they are from Ubuntu 12.04. However, Valve included an option to force Steam to use the libraries used in your system, also known as Steam Native mode. This can be done by adding STEAM_RUNTIME=0 before the command for launching Steam.
It's best to create a separate executable file for it in order to allow easily switch between the Runtime and Native.
Create a Steam Native executable script Create a Steam Native executable script Open or go to /usr/bin in Terminal and type sudo nano steam-native Copy and paste this script: #!/bin/sh export STEAM_RUNTIME=0 # Workaround for dbus fatal termination related coredumps (SIGABRT) # https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues/4464 export DBUS_FATAL_WARNINGS=0 # Override some libraries as these are what games linked against. export LD_LIBRARY_PATH="/usr/lib/steam:/usr/lib32/steam" exec /usr/lib/steam/steam "$@" Exit while saving the file with Ctrl + X and accept while leaving the name intact. Type sudo chmod +x steam-native to mark the script as executable
Once done, you will be able to run Steam Native with the steam-native command on Terminal, you can add it to the Start/Program Menu if you wish, but it is also best to add it's.desktop file as well, so it'd be available and automatically added.
Create a Steam Native Desktop script Create a Steam Native Desktop script Open or go to /usr/share/applications or $XDG_DATA_HOME/applications (recommended, usually represents ~/.local/share/applications ) in Terminal. Type nano steam-native.desktop. Remember to prefix this with sudo if editing within a system folder such as the first one mentioned in step 1. Copy and paste this script Exit while saving the file with Ctrl + X and accept while leaving the name intact.
Arch Linux-based distributions only require installing steam-native-runtime package which will automatically install required repositories and automatically set everything for you, once you install Steam.Looking at recent spy shots of the fourth-generation Mazda Miata, it's obvious this sporty little roadster will grow in size compared to the current model, but it's also going on a diet. At the Tokyo Motor Show Auto Motor und Sport sat down with Mazda executive Kiyoshi Fujiwara, who gave a little more insight into the Miata's redesign.Fujiwara said that they're aiming for a curb weight of a tonne (metric ton), which is 1,000 kilograms or right around 2,200 pounds, for the next-generation Miata. This would make the roadster at least 300 pounds lighter than the current NC Miata, but still about 200 pounds heavier than the original NA.There is no indication as to how Mazda will go about removing that much weight from the bigger car, but with as popular as the power retractable hard top (PHRT) model is on the current car, the new Miata may ditch this feature to lose its weight. Improving the power-to-weight ratio appears to be a key goal of the Mazda team, so we also wouldn't be surprised to see a more powerful engine underneath the longer hood.The US Open Cup has only had a Fourth Round (prior to the Quarterfinals) 11 times in the Modern Era (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2012-18).
The first indoor game in US Open Cup history took place in the Fourth Round. On July 20, 2004, the Minnesota Thunder hosted the Los Angeles Galaxy at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minn. The Thunder upset the Galaxy that day 1-0, in front of 5,505 fans. Defender Chris Brunt scored the game-winning goal in the 21st minute.
Only 7 PDL teams have advanced to the Fourth Round, all but one have faced MLS teams
2018: FC Golden State Force (lost 3-1 at Los Angeles Galaxy)
2016: Kitsap Pumas (lost 2-0 at Seattle Sounders FC)
2014: Laredo Heat (lost 1-0 at Houston Dynamo)
2014: Orlando City U23s (lost 3-0 at Portland Timbers)
2012: Michigan Bucks (lost 2-1 AET vs. Dayton Dutch Lions)
2006: Carolina Dynamo (lost 4-2 vs. Houston Dynamo)
2005: Des Moines Menace (lost 6-1 vs. Kansas City Wizards)
2003: Fresno Fuego (lost 3-1 vs. Los Angeles Galaxy)
Only 6 USASA teams have advanced to the Fourth Round
2018: NTX Rayados (lost 5-0 at Houston Dynamo)
2017: Christos FC (lost 4-1 at D.C. United of MLS)
2016: La Maquina (lost 4-1 AET at Los Angeles Galaxy of MLS)
2015: PSA Elite (lost 6-1 at Los Angeles Galaxy of MLS)
2014: PSA Elite (lost 5-0 at Seattle Sounders of MLS)
2012: Cal FC (lost 5-0 at Seattle Sounders of MLS)
2006: Dallas Roma FC (lost 2-0 at Los Angeles Galaxy of MLS)
Only 1 NPSL teams have advanced to the Fourth Round
2018: Miami United FC (lost 3-0 vs. Orlando City SC)
In 2006, only teams from Major League Soccer emerged from the Fourth Round.
The Chicago Fire have never lost a Fourth Round game (7-0-2, 2-0 PKs)
Major League Soccer began playing in the tournament in the Fourth Round for the first time in 2014 as part of an expanded format.
The attendance record in the Modern Era was set in 2013 when Sporting Kansas City (MLS) hosted Orlando City SC (USL PRO) at Sporting Park in front of an announced attendance of 15,981. Thanks to that figure, the record for Fourth Round average attendance was broken with 6,887 across the eight games. Sporting Kansas City later broke their own record in 2015 when they hosted and defeated Saint Louis FC (USL) 1-0 on June 16, 2015 in front of an announced crowd of 19,298. FC Cincinnati shattered that record in 2017 when they drew 30,160 to Nippert Stadium to watch them upset the Columbus Crew (MLS), 1-0.
In 2014, with Major League Soccer not entering the tournament until Round 4, a record three amateur teams (Laredo Heat, Orlando City U23s, PSA Elite) advanced beyond the Third Round, followed by five amateur teams reaching the Fourth Round in 2015.
Notable upsets in the Fourth Round
2003: Wilmington Hammerheads (PSL) 4:1 Dallas Burn (MLS)
2003: Seattle Sounders (A-League) 1:0 San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)
2004: Charleston Battery (A-League) 1:0 Metrostars (MLS)
2004: Rochester Raging Rhinos (A-League) 1:1 New England Revolution (MLS) (ROC advances on PKs 3-1)
2004: Richmond Kickers (PSL) 2:1 DC United (MLS)
2004: Minnesota Thunder (A-League) 1:0 Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS)
2005: Rochester Raging Rhinos (USL-1) 3:1 Metrostars (MLS)
2005: Minnesota Thunder (USL-1) 4:1 Colorado Rapids (MLS)
2006: None
2012: Harrisburg City Islanders (USL PROro) 3:1 (AET) New York Red Bulls (MLS)
2012: Charlotte Eagles (USL PRO) 2:1 (AET) San Antonio Scorpions (NASL)
2013: Carolina RailHawks (NASL) 3:1 (AET) Chivas USA (MLS)
2013: Orlando City SC (USL PRO) 1:0 Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
2014: Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL) 2:1 Real Salt Lake (MLS)
2014: Carolina RailHawks (NASL) 1:1 (3:2 PKs) Chivas USA (MLS)
2014: New York Cosmos (NASL) 3:0 New York Red Bulls (MLS)
2014: Rochester Rhinos (USL) 1:0 DC United (MLS)
2015: Charlotte Independence (USL) 1:0 New England Revolution (MLS)
2015: New York Cosmos 2:2 (4:3 PKs) New York City FC (MLS)
2016: New York City FC (MLS) 0:1 New York Cosmos (NASL)
2016: D.C. United (MLS) 0:0 (3:4 PKs) Fort Lauderdale Strikers (NASL)
2017: Columbus Crew (MLS) 0:1 FC Cincinnati (USL)
2017: Miami FC (NASL) 3:1 Orlando City SC (MLS)
2017: Sacramento Republic FC (USL) 4:1 Real Salt Lake (MLS)
2018: Louisville City FC (USL) 3:2 New England Revolution (MLS)
2018: Nashville SC (USL) 2:0 Colorado Rapids (MLS)
2018: Sacramento Republic FC (USL) 2:1 (AET) Seattle Sounders FC (MLS)The rise of nationalistic Hindu sentiment notwithstanding, India’s beef sector will continue to be one of the country’s bright spots of agribusiness and will continue to lead the global beef trade in volume, according to Fitch group firm BMI Research.
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“India specialises in the production of cheap and abundant buffalo meat and will continue to lead the global beef trade in volume, amidst increasing demand for inexpensive meat in Asia and the Middle East,” BMI Research said in a report.
However, India’s reliance on illegal trade routes to China makes the sector vulnerable to a potential crackdown on smuggling, it added.
The report noted that after more than a year since the implementation of a ban of cow slaughter and consumption in the Indian state of Maharashtra on growing opposition to cow meat nationally, the country’s beef sector remains one of the faster growing agribusiness markets.
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“India’s beef sector will continue to be one of the country’s agribusiness bright spots despite the rise of nationalistic Hindu sentiment,” it said.
Low local consumption of beef has also allowed the country to record very large exportable surpluses, as only 50 per cent of production is consumed locally, compared with 80 per cent in Brazil, according to the report.
“We forecast beef meat production to grow at a steady 4 per cent annually over 2016-2020, to reach 5.1 million tonnes at the end of that period,” BMI Research said in the paper.
India, which overtook Brazil as the world’s largest beef exporter in 2014, will maintain a head start over its competitors in terms of exportable supply in the coming years as the country will record a surplus of 2.2 million tonnes on average over 2016-2020, compared with 2 million tonnes for Brazil and 1.5 million tonnes for Australia, the report said.
Looking ahead, beef production growth will be mainly driven by the domestic growth in the dairy sector and by steady demand in the international market, BMI Research said.
The paper highlighted that a significant part of India’s beef trade is done through illegal channels, as live cattle is exported to Bangladesh (prohibited by the Indian government) and frozen meat reaches China via Vietnam (which is prohibited by China).
Therefore, it said, India’s beef market is at a high risk of a change in trade regulation or a crackdown on illegal trade. In particular, China could seal the fate of India’s exports; exports to Chinese markets would boom should the 2013 Memorandum of Understanding over beef trade between the two countries be finally enacted after years of negotiations.
The paper observed that although the national outlook is enticing, some individual states will fall behind in terms of beef production in the coming years, mainly due to cultural factors and local politics.
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Several India states mainly controlled by the BJP and large producers of beef meat, including Maharashtra and Haryana strengthened the legislation against cattle slaughter to include all types of cattle (male, female, at all age).144 SHARES Share Tweet Email *
IGM crew sent us a huge set of pictures from all of the members recent work. Check out the burners!
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Trek / Kasel / WallsUniversity of Miami Professor Joe Uscinski is an expert on conspiracy theories, having published American Conspiracy Theories in 2014 with co-author Professor Joseph Parent. The book’s less about outlining every single wild speculation out there and more of an examination of why people buy into these suspicions.
Today, Uscinski’s work couldn’t be more relevant. The 2016 Election was marred by the rampant presence of fake news and conspiratorial allegations about election rigging from Donald Trump. Even after the election, the new era of untruths has continued with Kellyanne Conway’s “Bowling Green Massacre”, President Trump’s insistence that millions of illegal voters cost him the popular vote, and claims that liberal billionaire George Soros is secretly funding anti-Trump protests.
Inverse caught up with Professor Uscinski to chat about the prevalence of these wild theories all across American politics, the reasons Trump can’t seem to let go of even his more ridiculous claims, and why theories of conspiracy are ultimately for the losers.
There are a lot of allegations that George Soros has been funding anti-Trump movements. What’s going on with these theories?
These ideas have been around for a while and exist on both sides. You have this fascination on the right with Soros. Anytime anything happens, they blame it on him and say he’s secretly funding protests or riots or whatnot. You have the same thing on the left with the Koch brothers. Both sides think that the other party is a puppet of someone with nefarious intent and it’s nothing new. We saw this play out with the protests at Berkeley about Milo Yiannopoulos’s appearance. People on the left, like Robert Reich, went on CNN and said that Milo was behind the protests just to bring attention to himself and make the left look bad.
In the book you wrote with Professor Joseph Parent, one of the things you touched on was how conspiracists are outsiders and often people not in a position of power. Obviously, Trump is in a position of power but we’re seeing him doing things like accusing the media of not covering terrorist attacks — is this something new to America?
Well, beating up on the press is nothing new, and it has a long history. You could go back to Spiro Agnew’s attack on the media during the Vietnam War where he called them a bunch of “nattering nabobs of negativism.” Normally, conspiracy theories are for losers. They resonate most when they are lobbed by the people out of power towards the people in power. But it is strange to have a president who tries to use conspiracy theories as much as Trump does.
President Trump recently indicated that he was considering executive action to address his own false claims of widespread voter fraud.
But what’s important to recognize is that his conspiracy theories are getting a ton of pushback. It’s not like the media says, “Oh my god, we need to investigate this, he might be right.” It’s, “This is ridiculous. He’s a crazy conspiracy theorist.” This conversation that you and I are having is proof of that. No one’s taking his rhetoric seriously. We’re all trying to understand why he’s saying conspiracy things.
I’ll give you a good example: right after the election, two conspiracy theories were floated about the result. One was by Trump, which was put out in a tweet that said he would have won the popular vote if not for 3 million illegal voters.
In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2016
The other one was by Jill Stein where she raised more than $8 million to do a recount on the premise that Russians hacked the voting machines, and Hillary Clinton’s campaign supported these efforts. One flew under the radar and was considered completely okay. The other was considered an awful attack on our democracy and our electoral process.
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So what’s the difference?
It’s okay when you’re a loser to say that the election was rigged. But when you’re a winner it’s heresy, it’s anti-democratic. That’s because conspiracy theories are for the losers, not for the winners. We’ve seen examples of this in the past. When Bill Clinton got in trouble in 1998, Hillary Clinton went on television and said his troubles were due to a vast, right wing conspiracy that was out to get him. I mean, that became a joke. In 2012, Barack Obama opened up his election campaign with a commercial that said that “secret oil billionaires” were out to get him.
That commercial hit the ground with a thud. Nobody thinks that the most powerful person on the planet is the victim of a shadowy conspiracy. The fact that the media is pushing back against Trump’s conspiracy theories — and recognizing them as such — tells you that conspiracy theories are for the losers.
A recent Public Policy Polling poll found that about one-third of Trump supports really do believe that Soros is funding protests. Do you think Trump has awakened something or tapped into something that other presidents haven’t when they’ve tried to do these things?
He may have. Here’s the thing: Trump only got 40 percent of his party’s vote in the primary. That’s the same amount Bernie Sanders got. They were both running their campaigns based on a conspiracy theory. For Trump, it was that political elites did not have the best interests of regular Americans at heart, and they were selling out the country to global interests and foreigners. For Sanders, his was that the 1 percent has taken over everything. Trump was only able to win because he was running against 22 candidates rather than one. That’s why we are where we are. There’s no reason to think that conspiracy theories have more staying power. I like the results of the PPP polls because they’re so interesting, but I do think that they overestimate. They asked a question a few years ago where they said, “Do you believe that reptilian overlords control the planet?” And 4 percent said yes. That would mean that there are millions and millions of people who buy into this reptilian thing. I think that’s an overestimation. But to be honest you’re going to have 40 to 50 percent of each party say yes to pretty much any conspiracy theory that demonizes the other side.
Do think that Trump’s engaging so much in this sort of thing is because he’s insecure about having lost the popular vote?
Oh, I’m sure. I don’t think he’d be talking about the popular vote if he had won it. So in this way the conspiracy is still for losers. He won the presidency. He lost the popular vote. He’s not saying the electoral college is rigged, he’s saying the popular vote was rigged. He’s picking and choosing what is and what isn’t.
Although, before the election, he did say that the electoral college was potentially rigged.
Assuming he lost, yeah. Him and Sanders both. Anytime they won it was fair and just and anytime they lost it was rigged. That’s just human nature. When we polled people in 2012, we asked partisans “If your candidate doesn’t win, do you think the outcome would have been due to fraud?” 65 percent said yes. When we asked people after the election, “Do you think the outcome was due to fraud?” the outcome was almost cut in half. Only Republicans believed that the result was fraudulent because they were the ones who lost. And we’re seeing the same thing now. You ask Republicans and Democrats “Did the Russians hack the voting?” 50 percent of Democrats said yes in a recent YouGov poll. Very few Republicans said yes. Both winners and losers try to write history to their advantage. When they’ve won they say it’s because the outcome was correct, fair, and just, and losers lost because they were cheated.Rumor watch: The hoaxes and fake news debunked during Harvey
Hoax: Joel Osteen on a yacht A fake news story from the Christian satire site The Babylon Bee "reports" that Lakewood Church pastor Joel Osteen was sailing through the flooded streets of Houston after Hurricane Harvey on a luxury yacht titled the S.S. Blessed. The article was intended as a joke, but some readers were fooled. less Hoax: Joel Osteen on a yacht A fake news story from the Christian satire site The Babylon Bee "reports" that Lakewood Church pastor Joel Osteen was sailing through the flooded streets of Houston after Hurricane... more Photo: The Babylon Bee Photo: The Babylon Bee Image 1 of / 20 Caption Close Rumor watch: The hoaxes and fake news debunked during Harvey 1 / 20 Back to Gallery
Before then-Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the Texas coast, rumors and hoaxes began flying around social media.
And while some, like the viral photo of the freeway shark, were harmless, others could have had more serious consequences than making a Fox News host look silly.
Stories about cities shutting down services, fake evacuations and false emergency numbers were quickly shut down by media organizations and government officials.
PHOTOS: Here is what Chron readers are seeing on the ground
Mayor Sylvester Turner spoke out about the rumor posts on Friday and encouraged residents to follow mainstream news organizations, the National Weather Service and the Office of Emergency Management for updates on the storm.
"False forecasts and irresponsible rumors on social media are interfering with efforts by the city of Houston, and its government and news media partners, to provide accurate information to the public about the expected effects of Tropical Storm/Hurricane Harvey," Turner said in a Friday statement.
"Rumors are nothing new, but the widespread use of social media has needlessly frightened many people today."
See some of the debunked rumors from Tropical Storm Harvey in the gallery above.NEW DELHI: Preferring social welfare to legal technicality, the Supreme Court has held that even if a woman is disentitled to maintenance from her husband during the period of separation after deserting him, she will be entitled to it after divorce if she is unable to sustain herself.The judiciary has resorted to Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code irrespective of the religion of married couples, including in the Shah Bano case by the SC in 1985, to grant alimony to women during pendency of divorce proceedings or those facing destitution after divorce.However, sub-section (4) of Section 125 provides three circumstances when a woman is not entitled to maintenance: if she is living in adultery, refuses to live with the husband without sufficient reason or if the couple, by mutual consent, decide to live separately.The SC faced a dilemma when Manoj Kumar, through advocate Nisha Priya Bhatia, challenged a judgment of the Himachal Pradesh HC, which had ordered him to pay an alimony of Rs 3,000 per month to Champa Devi despite the divorce being granted on ground of desertion.Bhatia argued, and the bench appeared to accept it for most part of the proceedings, that when a woman during subsistence of marriage was not entitled to alimony under Section 125(4) of CrPC if she had wilfully deserted her husband, how could she, after divorce being granted on ground of desertion, be entitled to alimony. “Grant of alimony in such a case would be in the teeth of Section 125(4),” she said.The bench appeared to have made up its mind when it told Champa Devi’s counsel Anil Nag, “If Section 125(4) was not there, we could have said whatever is the fault of the woman, she is entitled to maintenance to prevent destitution, especially when the state is not obliged to maintain her. But the legislation categorically says if it is adultery or desertion by free will, then she is not entitled to maintenance.”From a hopeless position, Nag rallied to save the day for Champa Devi by citing an earlier SC judgment which had stressed on social welfare intent of the legislation to prevent destitution of divorced women. Nag said a divorced woman had an indefeasible right to get maintenance irrespective of the ground for dissolution of marriage.The SC in its March 2000 judgment had said, “As a wife, she is entitled to maintenance unless she suffers from any of the disabilities indicated in Section 125(4). In another capacity, namely, as a divorced woman, she is again entitled to claim maintenance from the person of whom she was once the wife. A woman after divorce becomes a destitute. If she cannot maintain herself or remains unmarried, the man who was once her husband continues to be under a statutory duty and obligation to provide maintenance to her.”This retrieved Champa Devi from the jaws of being denied alimony. The bench upheld the Himachal HC order granting her alimony and said it would not interfere in the grant of alimony to divorced women under all circumstances, a logic that had consistently been the thread of SC rulings for last 25 years, to uphold the social welfare intent of the legislation which was to prevent destitution among divorced women.NOIDA: The 24-year old Kenyan woman who faked assault on her by a group of locals in Greater Noida on Wednesday morning only to withdraw her case a day later, will be "quietly" sent back to Kenya.According to the Association of African Students in India (AASI) the decision to send her back to Kenya was taken by the Kenyan Embassy "The Kenyan Embassy is angry with Maria Burendi as she lied to them. She will be sent back and a decision to this affect will most likely be taken by Tuesday," Charles Kennedy, vice-president AASI said.The woman confirmed to TOI that her papers are being worked on.According to sources, as the Kenyan authorities have asked for her return, India will not deport her which will entail official intervention.They added that India does not want to deport her given that it shares good ties with Kenya. Kenya will quietly take her back which is being facilitated by India.The woman had alleged that on Wednesday morning, her Ola cab was stopped by a group of 10-12 locals, who beat her up.However, the cabbie and the receipts of the Ola drive confirmed that there was no such incident.The Kenyan Embassy had later decided to withdraw the case even as the AASI sought an apology from the Indian community for using the names of Indians for the assault.Rift Puzzles Guide
This guide strives to offer walkthroughs for completing all of Rift's puzzles. This is a work-in-progress, so expect new information to be added often. Click a link below to view the walkthrough for that zone's puzzles.
Please do not steal our work. We work very hard on these guides. We would never think about stealing your work, so please don't steal ours. Thank you.
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List of Zones
Lake of Solace Puzzles
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Scarlet Gorge Puzzles
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Moonshade Highlands Puzzles
Droughtlands Puzzles
Iron Pine Peaks Puzzles
Shimmersand Puzzles
Stillmoor Puzzles
In Rift, there are puzzles and cairns. For puzzles, there is one in every zone. Puzzles can be completed by both factions, regardless of zone. The challenge is just simply reaching the puzzle in enemy territory.
Puzzles typically involve some type of challenge that you must solve. For example, |
it.
ISIS, by contrast, doesn’t believe in borders or recognize the validity of the modern nation state. Instead, Barnett says, they want to conquer as much territory as they can and subsume it into their self-proclaimed caliphate.
“ISIS uses hostages either to extract money or to demonstrate its terrifying character to intimidate the West into leaving ISIS alone to dominate the Islamic world,” he says. “The Taliban uses hostages to raise money and to seek recognition as a legitimate and effective partner in international affairs.”
The Haqqani network, the Taliban affiliate that is holding the Colemans, kidnaps and keeps Western hostages for an even more prosaic reason: the hefty ransoms they can receive in exchange for their freedom. I’ve spent significant time in Afghanistan, and US military officials there repeatedly described the Haqqanis as skilled fighters who operated more like a criminal gang — several, separately, likened them to the Sopranos — than a terror network.
The group got its start battling the Soviet Union, but grew steadily more radical in the runup to the 9/11 terror attacks. When US forces swept into Afghanistan, the Haqqani network morphed into Washington’s most effective battlefield adversary, using advanced weaponry from Pakistan to kill hundreds of US troops and maim thousands more.
To fund its operations, the group has set up what amounts to a vast criminal enterprise that includes both mafia-style extortion rackets targeting ordinary Afghans and Pakistanis and ongoing attempts to kidnap foreigners for money. It’s a lucrative way of raising money: When the Taliban snatched 19 South Korean missionaries in 2007, the group’s leaders said Seoul paid $20 million for their freedom. More recently, Taliban leaders told the Daily Beast in 2011 that France paid a ransom of tens of millions of dollars to buy the release of two French hostages.
The fact that the Taliban sees hostage taking as a moneymaking enterprise is why so many involved in the Coleman case believe she could be free by now. The talks US military negotiators held with a representative of the Haqqani network — confirmed by two people with direct knowledge of the matter — represent one of the biggest missed opportunities.
The Haqqani representative told the military personnel that they’d be willing to free the hostages in exchange for a ransom of $150,000, a relatively paltry sum for cases involving missing Americans. The US military personnel passed the representative’s contact information to the FBI, but the agency never pursued what appears to have been the most promising avenue to date for bringing the Coleman family home, according to the two sources. The FBI declined to comment.
Unlike ISIS, the group has also shown a willingness to keep hostages alive for years while negotiating over the terms of their release. Bergdahl says he was tortured brutally during his years in captivity after trying to escape, but some other hostages have said their captors provided them with food, water, and medical attention. In a video plea to the Taliban in June 2016, Coleman’s parents thanked the group for “extending its hospitality to and providing Caity and her family with care.”
Put another way, hostages held by the Taliban and its Haqqani affiliates — like Bergdahl — have a good chance of returning home; those held by ISIS don’t.
“This family should have come home years ago,” says a former official involved in the Coleman case
The Bergdahl trade was enormously controversial, with an internal government watchdog later concluding that the Obama administration broke the law by releasing the Taliban prisoners without giving Congress proper notice. The Colemans and the families of those held by ISIS were outraged that the Obama administration, after saying for years that it wouldn’t swap prisoners for the hostages, had done exactly that.
“We were told that the US government will not exchange hostages — period,” Jim Coleman told Circa News in November. “But they did.”
Controversy aside, the former senior US military officer who was directly involved in those talks told me that he thinks the US was right to negotiate with the militants.
Instead, he has a blunter and far more devastating critique: Washington could have gotten a better deal, one that also included Coleman and the other missing Western hostages.
“It should have been the five Taliban prisoners for Bergdahl, Warren Weinstein, Caitlan Coleman, Josh Boyle, and their son,” the former officer said, noting that Coleman’s second son hadn't been born at the time of the possible prisoner swap. “We could have gotten everybody out. Caitlan and her kids should be home by now.”
The Pentagon thought it had a deal to free Coleman and her children. The State Department killed it.
On June 11, 2015, a highly decorated member of the US Special Forces took a seat in a packed committee room on Capitol Hill and told the lawmakers that the military had been extremely close to an agreement to free the Colemans and the other Western hostages, only to see it all collapse because of bureaucratic infighting within the Obama administration.
Lt. Col. Jason Amerine was so venerated within the military that the Army’s “Real Heroes” line had made a literal action figure showing him firing a machine gun. A Purple Heart winner, he had also received the Bronze Star for leading the elite team of US Special Operations Forces that protected Hamid Karzai in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks while the future Afghan president worked to cement his political standing within the country.
In his testimony, Amerine said he led a highly secretive group of US troops working to bring back seven Western hostages held in Afghanistan and Pakistan, a group that included both Bergdahl and Caitlan Coleman. The US had been talking to the Taliban about a so-called “5-for-1” swap of the five militants held at Guantanamo Bay for Bergdahl, but Amerine said there was a better option available. Under what he termed the “1-for-7” deal, the US would have freed a captive Afghan drug lord named Haji Bashir Noorzai for the entire group of American and Canadian hostages.
Amerine told the lawmakers that his team was talking to the Noorzai tribe about the details of the deal and believed they could get the Taliban on board. Then, he said, Washington got involved.
“In the end when the Taliban came to the table, the State Department said it must be the ‘5-for-1,’” Amerine said.
Bergdahl was freed; the other hostages were not. Noorzai, a man sometimes called the Pablo Escobar of Afghanistan, is serving his sentence in a high-security prison in California. Coleman, Boyle, and their children remain in Taliban hands.
The State Department declined to comment.
Almost half of the Americans kidnapped since 2001 have been murdered. That’s more than any other country.
Two weeks after Amerine’s testimony on Capitol Hill, President Obama held a private meeting with the Foleys and other families of current and former hostages. He then took to the podium of the White House’s Roosevelt Room and conceded that Washington hadn't been doing enough to bring their loved ones home. That, he said, was about to change.
“These families have already suffered enough, and they should never feel ignored or victimized by their own government,” he said. “I acknowledged to them in private what I want to say publicly — that it is true that there have been times where our government, regardless of good intentions, has let them down. I promised them that we can do better.”
Obama then laid out what amounted to the furthest-reaching changes to American hostage policy in decades. The US government itself would still not pay ransoms, but Obama said that this administration would no longer threaten to prosecute families who paid money to hostage takers on their own.
Obama also said the US would work to better coordinate its hostage-recovery efforts by creating a “fusion cell” within the FBI that would include officials from the State Department, Pentagon, and CIA. The move was meant to ensure that potential deals to free missing Americans didn't fall between the cracks because of bureaucratic divisions and rivalries, as happened with the potential agreement to bring Coleman, Boyle, and their children back home.
Families had also long complained they had no single point of contact within the government to reach out to for updates; Obama responded by creating the first presidential special envoy on hostage affairs, a new position housed within the State Department.
“They really did pretty much everything we and the other families had been asking for,” Diane Foley said. “It was like they were trying to make amends.”
American hostages die in captivity far more often than those from other Western countries
Still, it’s hard to gauge how well the new efforts are paying off. US officials say the fusion cell has helped recover 100 hostages, a quarter of whom were once held by terror groups. That may not be as heartening a statistic as it seems, however. The US won’t break down where those hostages had been held; given past history, it’s reasonable to assume that most came from Latin America or Africa, where criminal gangs have spent decades kidnapping Americans but quickly ransoming them back through intermediaries like Kroll Associates.
Even with the changes, meanwhile, American hostages die in captivity far more often than those from other Western countries. In mid-January, a New America Foundation report found that 41 of the 90 hostages murdered by their kidnappers between 2001 and 2016 were Americans. (British captives made up the next biggest group, with 14 citizens killed by their captors.) In one particularly jarring statistic, 14 of the 15 Americans taken hostage by ISIS or its close allies were murdered or died in captivity. Of the 16 continental European hostages held by the group, by contrast, 14 were released.
“American hostages have suffered disproportionately bad outcomes compared to other Western hostages,” it found.
The report attributed the disparity, in large part, to Washington’s “strict adherence” to its policy of not making any concessions to groups holding Americans captive. It found that one of the key justifications for that approach -- that paying ransoms would encourage groups to nab more Americans -- doesn’t hold up to scrutiny.
“Citizens of countries that make concessions such as ransom payments do not appear to be kidnapped at disproportionately high rates,” the report found.
There’s also the open question of whether Trump supports the Obama administration’s hostage-related policies and will keep them in place. The fusion cell will survive automatically unless the new president actively dismantles it, but Trump would need to appoint a new special envoy for hostage affairs and, more broadly, decide whether to continue subtly encouraging families to try to strike deals with ISIS and other hostage takers on their own.
Then again, the new president — a man who prides himself on dealmaking and will be looking for some early PR wins — could also decide to plunge headlong into the case and pressure the Afghan and Pakistani governments to free whichever prisoners or make whatever other compromises necessary to bring the family back home. Trump could find a willing partner in the Taliban, who closely follow US politics and might decide that the early days of a new and unproven administration offer their best opportunity in years to maximize what they would get in exchange for Coleman, Boyle, and their children.
For her part, Diane Foley told me she’s requested a meeting with Trump or members of his transition team, but hasn’t heard back.
Caitlan Coleman’s parents dream of one day holding their grandchildren. It’s not clear if they’ll get the chance.
Jim and Lynda Coleman live in a modest farmhouse in the small town of Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, population 2,130. They broke years of near silence in June 2016 with a videotaped message to the Taliban thanking the militants for keeping their daughter and grandchildren alive and begging for their safe return.
“We desperately want to be with and hold our daughter and grandsons,” James Coleman said in the video, timed to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. "As a man, father, and now grandfather, I am asking you to show mercy and release my daughter, her husband, and their beautiful children."
One month later, the couple spoke to the online news service Circa News about the case and shared a letter they’d received from their daughter that detailed the birth of her second child and begged them not to forget her.
"I pray to hear from you again, to hear how everybody is doing," she wrote in a letter dated November 2, 2015, that was also addressed to her sister, Claire. "Give my love to each member of the family, and share this letter with everyone. Claire, as silly as it sounds, I wish you were here with me. Mom, I'd love to hear about all your cooking in delicious detail."
There has been no public response from the Taliban, who have never been in direct contact with the Coleman family. More than a month after the release of the most recent video, it’s not clear if Coleman and her children are any closer to being freed. Jim Coleman told me that it was unsettling and jarring to see his grandchildren for the first time on a video released by his family’s captors, but was heartened by the fact that his daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren all looked relatively healthy.
"I thought they looked like a couple of normal, healthy little American boys whose faces were dirty because they were messing around like little boys do,” he told me.
The former senior military official has also remained optimistic. He said the Taliban are probably growing weary of having to bear the costs of feeding, housing, and providing medical care to Coleman, Boyle, and their children into the indefinite future. He also believes the militants are so highly attuned to public opinion inside and outside of Afghanistan that they’re acutely aware of how much their image would suffer if either Coleman or her children were to be hurt or killed while in their custody.
The likeliest scenario, he said, is that one of the family gets sick enough that the Taliban announces they’re being released on humanitarian grounds. Alternatively, a group that has for years shown a willingness to deal might finally agree to either a ransom the family could afford to pay or the type of modest political concessions — like the freeing of lower-ranking Taliban prisoners — that the US or Afghan governments would be willing to make.
“This is criminal for them, not political, so they have every incentive to keep the family alive and safe,” he said. “There should be a way to strike a deal, but think of all of the time that’s been wasted. That’s the part that eats at me: It didn’t need to drag on this long. This family should have come home years ago.”
Editors: Jim Tankersley, Lauren Williams
Graphics: Javier Zarracina
Copy editor: Tanya Pai
Video: Yochi Dreazen, Liz Scheltens
Project manager and producer: Susannah LockeFebruary 5, 2013 4 min read
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
When running your own business starts to feel like more than a full-time job, one of the first things to take a hit is sleep. While sacrificing a good night's rest might seem to be par for the course for entrepreneurs, too little shuteye could soon hurt your business.
You may believe you can function on less sleep than you need, catch up on the weekends or compensate by drinking more coffee. If only it was so simple. Here are five common beliefs about sleep and why they aren't really so:
Sleep is just a way to let your brain rest.
People often think the brain is resting when they sleep, but it is actually more active at night than during the day, says Jim Maas, author of Sleep for Success: Everything You Must Know About Sleep But Are Too Tired to Ask, (AuthorHouse, 2010) and CEO of Sleep for Success, a consulting business based in Fort Worth, Texas. During sleep, your cardiovascular system and brain are doing a lot of work when it comes to creativity, critical thinking and memory. For example, short-term memories get registered and stored in the brain during sleep. "There's a physical change in the brain that happens only as a product of adequate sleep," Maas says.
Related: 5 Simple Daily Habits to Practice This New Year
I can get used to sleeping less.
If you believe you can condition yourself to operate on less sleep, you're wrong. When you are chronically sleep deprived, your mental performance declines, says Phil Gehrman, assistant professor of clinical psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the Penn Sleep Center. "We lose the ability to accurately judge how impaired we are." A 2003 study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Medical School found that chronically reducing sleep time to six hours or less per night hurt cognitive performance as much as staying awake for as many as two nights straight. "You're going to lose the ability to focus; you have a greater likelihood of making mistakes; and you'll have greater risk taking behavior," says Michael Breus, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based sleep specialist and author of The Sleep Doctor's Diet Plan (Rodale 2011).
I can catch up on the weekends.
Recent studies show that if you don't get enough sleep during the workweek, sleeping in on the weekend won't easily make up for it. If you lost about two hours of sleep for five nights straight, Gehrman says, you would need to tack an extra 10 hours onto two full nights of sleep. And that's highly unlikely. Without that much extra sleep on the weekend, you will start the next week just as depleted as you were at the end of the previous week, he says. What's more, even if you did catch up on your sleep on the weekend, it won't undo the damage done in terms of lost productivity.
Related: A Healthier 2013: High-Profile Entrepreneurs Reveal What's in the Fridge
Coffee is a substitute for lack of sleep.
There's no doubt that caffeine is a potent antidote for drowsiness. It inhibits adenosine, the chemical in the brain that makes us feel sleepy, but it can only go so far. Coffee might help you feel more awake, but your body doesn't get the same nourishment from caffeine that it gets from sleep. This means your thinking speed and ability to move through problems and situations will still be impaired, says Breus. "It keeps you awake and moving around, but it doesn't replace the need for sleep," he says. "Your body doesn't heal; your memory doesn't get better." What's more, besides making you jittery, excessive caffeine can also cause you to feel even sleepier than before when it starts to wear off, Gehrman says.
Sleeping longer will make me gain weight.
You might think being in bed for longer will make you less active and cause weight gain, but the opposite is true. A 2011 University of Chicago study found that lack of sleep affects metabolism and can lead to obesity. Ghrelin and leptin, the hormones in your brain that cause you to feel hungry, actually increase in your body with less sleep, Maas says. And when we are tired and sleep deprived, we tend to have cravings for high-fat, high-carbohydrate foods, Gehrman says.
Related: How to Maintain Your Post-Vacation BlissPolice have closed large sections of the training venue of Australia's Olympic shooting team after an investigation found it was unsafe, projectiles were leaving the range, lead was "raining down" on buildings with people inside, and shooters were illegally using full metal jackets.
Victoria Police's Licensing and Regulation Division conducted the investigation after receiving a number of complaints about safety standards at the Melbourne International Shooting Club in Port Melbourne.
Police have closed large sections of Melbourne International Shooting Club. Credit:Melbourne International Shooting Club (MISC) / Facebook
The venue, which includes 25-metre and 50-metre ranges, hosted shooting events at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and is the training venue for the Australian pistol shooting team ahead of the 2020 Olympic games.
In a finding made public on Friday night, Acting Inspector Andrew Armstrong said the investigation found serious safety concerns and poor management by the committee of the Todd Road complex.About
If you've never taken an advanced course in the geosciences... then it's likely that you've never seen an image like the one below.
Hornblende and Plagioclase in Thin Section
This is an image of a geological thin section, which represents the crystalline matrix and composition of a particular rock type. In the past, the only way to see properties such as these would have been to place a paper thin slice of rock onto a polarizing or petrographic microscope, which is distinguished from the more usual biological microscope in that it is equipped with a rotating stage and two polarizing filters - one below the sample and one above it.
Petrographic Microscope
The problem is, polarizing microscopes are expensive and the reason why you've never seen images like those shown in the video is because access is limited to geology students and research professionals.
This is a problem considering that many of the most intimidating subjects can be taught and understood in the context of geology. The Andes of South America are mostly made from a rock called Andesite, which contains minerals such as Plagioclase, Pyroxene and Hornblende. These minerals can be further broken down into compounds containing elements such as Calcium, Sodium, Iron, Silicon, Aluminum and Oxygen; only to name a few. This demonstration is one logical approach to instructing young students about atoms.
Similarly, much of what we know about evolution comes from fossils found in the rock record. These rocks contain minerals, structures and other depositional features that provide information about the origin and time of formation. Seeing these features is a thruway to plate tectonics, which is one of Earth's greatest natural examples of popular mechanics and physics.
So for reasons we're obviously passionate about, we wanted to develop a low-cost solution to the petrographic microscope that would allow students in primary and secondary schools to experience information that has never been available to them in the past.
Petrographic Analyzer
That's why we've created the Petrographic Analyzer. The Petrographic Analyzer can be used in conjunction with any stereoscope or hand lens. It also allows the user to polarize the slide and rotate the stage. The analyzer is internally illuminated for basic observation applications. This makes observing the sample easy to do with any existing stereoscope, but also provides flexibility when imaging. For example, images can even be taken with a camera phone.
For more professional applications, the observer will never lose context of the sample. This is important for quantitating your observations and provides more flexibility when examining the sample. The windows in the side of the analyzer permit the use of external light sources such as fiber optic lights and other camera flashes. Since all of the light is deflected off of a white surface, the light is diffuse enough to allow for extremely high resolution imaging.
50x Pyroxene and Chlorite
The above is an image of Pyroxene and Chlorite at 50x magnification. It yields details beyond clay scale and down to 1 micron in size.
Currently, the analyzer is a 3D printed hardware component with a magnetic base, which stabilizes the apparatus on any stand. The polarizer itself is detachable and can be fixed onto any lens, a stereoscope or placed directly on top of the stage for observation purposes.
A realistic sense of where the project stands — including what’s been accomplished so far, and what work remains to be done -
A patent has been filed for the Petrographic Analyzer and the product is currently ready for petrographic and micro-structural analysis. It functions as it should and will work with any existing optical devices you have in the lab.
The Petrographic Analyzer Works With:
Hand Lenses
Cell Phone Cameras
Digital Camera
USB Microscopes
Stereoscopes
DSLR Cameras
Macro Lenses
Focus Stacking Gear
It is currently less than elegant because it's printed on a 3D printer, but still looks quite professional. Support through Kickstarter will help us rebuild the device from Aluminum, which will be anodized and painted black.
A demonstration of the product’s current core functionality, and give backers an insight into the internal workings of your creation
The key innovation is a closed box containing overhead light sources (A), which aimed towards the basal diffuser (B) in order to reflect light. This type of illumination is softer and more even than direct illumination, which is standard in all microscopes. This method of illuminating slides and thin sections reduces glare that is produced by the light source and yields better quality images when used with external optical, observational and imaging devices (F).
Light Path
The basal diffuser (B) is a matte white surface that absorbs and reflects light towards the polarizer (18) and UV or other transparent filter (16), which act as the primary stage (C) of the apparatus. The stage assembly (C) contains rotating rings that secure the polarizing filter and UV filter and further allows the independent or joint rotation of these filters. Rotation is achieved manually by hand, but future models will be motorized. This enables the user to see extinction angles that further elucidate characteristics that help to identify the various components within a sample. For example, the mineral quartz turns white, gray and black depending on the degree of rotation, which is called undulose extinction.
The analyzer (20) is located anywhere between the sample (E) and the observer, external optical, observational and imaging devices (F). This analyzer (20) is mounted directly on top of the UV or other transparent filter (16), handheld or mechanically mounted in the empty space (D) or mounted directly onto external optical, observational and imaging devices (F). The analyzer (20) contains a rotating ring that secures the polarizing filter and is capable of being independently rotated. This allows the observer to examine distinctive optical properties such as pleochroism, extinction angles, etc. Pleochroism is when certain colors and features turn on and off within certain minerals, tissues, solutions, etc. and further enable the observer to identify each of the various components comprising sample E when observed with cross polars. For example, the mineral olivine appears transparent without cross polars and appears bright, blue, purple and green with a wavy texture when observed with cross polars.
The entire assembly from (16-20) is capable of being manually rotated by hand because certain researchers use precise angles to further distinguish and characterize optical properties that are critical to know for purposes relating to oil and gas exploration, mining and scientific research. The ability to manually rotate (16), (18), and (20) simultaneously and independently from one another allows the researcher to be more efficient when using devices like the Macropod by Macroscopic Solutions (www.macroscopicsolutions.com).
Close-up photos and/or video demos to show the product details and functions
**Demos in the Video**
Petrographic Macropod
Sample Images can be found here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/107963674@N07/sets/72157646870953988
The help we're seeking from this campaign will fund three total phases:
Phase 1) The first phase is to enable automatic rotation of the stage and polarizers. This allows every degree of rotation to be photographed automatically so that researchers may easily and accurately document pleochroism and extinction angles within certain crystals.
Phase 2) The second phase includes design changes that will make the analyzer more elegant and robust. We intend to produce the analyzers from aluminum, which allows for smoother mechanics and provides a much sturdier platform.
Phase 3) The third phase is less of an improvement to the technology, but more of an improvement towards availability. The analyzer will be priced low enough to reach students in the primary and secondary education levels but, the supply of thin sections and samples are extremely low.
We kindy ask you to please donate any old or unused thin sections lying around that no longer serve your purpose. We will assemble all donations and put together kits of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks and thin sections and then donate them to anyone purchasing the analyzer for educational purposes. Even if your thin sections are missing labels, we will take the time to identify the samples for you.
Please Mail All Samples to:
Macroscopic Solutions
1 Technology Dr
Tolland, CT 06084
On behalf of Macroscopic Solutions, we thank you for your generous support as we continue to strive to inspire discovery and support the education of our students pursuing fields in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. We strongly believe that observations such as these remind our students about the curiosities they have surrounding our natural world!
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Geological Thin Section Slides https://www.earlytech.com/earlytech/item?id=543Image copyright BFI Image caption Betty Balfour stars in the film as a chorus girl who falls in love with a struggling young author
A lost masterpiece of British silent cinema has been discovered in the Netherlands.
Love, Life and Laughter, written and directed by George Pearson, was made in 1923 and had been one of the British Film Institute's 75 Most Wanted films.
Starring Betty Balfour, Britain's most successful silent actress, it told the story of Tip Toes, a chorus girl who falls for an impoverished author.
The BFI says it hopes to screen the 90-minute film in the UK later this year.
Only one other complete film by Pearson survives which makes this a particularly significant discovery British Film Institute
The film had been gathering dust in a small cinema in the Netherlands for more than 80 years.
In 2012, when the building was about to be redeveloped, an employee at a local television station took a number of film canisters to EYE, the Dutch film museum.
Love, Life and Laughter was eventually found while the contents were being catalogued.
"This is a major discovery, featuring Betty Balfour, the biggest female star of the silent period," said Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI.
"It is also a rare survival of the work of George Pearson, one of Britain's most talented directors of this time, whose First World War drama Reveille is another film on the BFI's most wanted list."
Image copyright BFI Image caption The film's male lead, Harry Jonas, was a newcomer to film
When Love, Life and Laughter was released in 1923, many critics were still sceptical about the value of cinema, and British cinema in particular.
Pearson was an exception, often compared favourably with Dickens, whom he loved - and he advocated film in numerous articles and public lectures, calling it the "lingua franca of the human eye".
Love, Life and Laughter The story is but a simple exposition of the oldest, yet ever youngest desire of the human heart, the achievement of earnest ambition. The incidents tell in picture form of the striving of a boy and girl, themselves symbolical of every boy and girl, against the odds of the world. The Boy and Girl laugh and weep, succeed and fail, move onward and forward to an inevitable destiny, and to a climax which should live long in the memory. Original publicity material, 1923
Only one other complete film by Pearson survives, making the discovery of Life, Love and Laughter "particularly significant", said the BFI.
Until now, the only trace of its existence was a collection of six production stills held in the BFI archive, along with a publicity leaflet and a fully illustrated campaign booklet.
The latter includes a flowery synopsis of the film, which begins: "There was once a happy little chorus girl who lived alone in a garret; and there was a lonely boy in the attic above who wrote tales nobody wanted - except perhaps the girl.
"One day he started to write the strange story of their two lives."
The chorus girl was played by Balfour, known as the "Queen of Happiness" for her ebullient comic performances.
She starred in a series of films as the recurring character of Squibs, a Cockney flower girl working in Piccadilly Circus, which were also directed by Pearson in the 1920s.
Indeed, Squibs was so popular that in the Netherlands, Life, Love and Laughter was re-titled Squibs als Tip-toes; De Koningin van de Music-halls (Squibs as Tip-Toes; the queen of the music-halls).
Image copyright BFI / Getty Images Image caption Balfour was known as Britain's answer to US star Mary Pickford (right). She went on to star in Alfred Hitchcock's Champagne.
Contemporary reviews of the film singled out the actress for praise, with The Times calling her "the cleverest comedienne playing in British films".
The Evening News predicted: "What few people there are who have not fallen beneath the spell of her pretty face, clever comedy, and sympathetic interpretation of human feelings must surely be captured now."
However, not every aspect of the film was so well received, with The Times scolding Pearson for "a sudden anti-climax, which leaves the principal characters about to 'live happily ever after', in spite of every indication to the contrary".
The newspaper also praised the title cards as being "humorous and in the best of taste". However, these do not survive in the newly-discovered print, which features intertitles in Dutch.
The film's success was somewhat overshadowed in 1924, when screenwriter Susan Schofield sued Pearson, claiming he had stolen the story from her unmade script The Ragpicker.
The claim was eventually dismissed at London's High Court, where Mr Justice Astbury ruled that, despite "many resemblances" between the two scripts, the defendant had not been able to prove that Mr Pearson had prior knowledge of her screenplay.eForms Outage
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Please direct questions to the ATF Customer Support Help Desk at 1-877-875-3723 or [email protected] highlights Trump describes Syria attack as "affront to humanity"
Tillerson calls on Russia to reconsider support for Assad
Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump has described the chemical attack that killed more than 70 people in Syria as a "heinous" act that had changed his views on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Speaking at a White House press conference, Trump said the attack had "crossed a lot of lines for me" and that it could not be tolerated.
Trump did not offer any details of how US strategy on Syria would change, and he did not directly criticize Russia, which has stood by Assad in the face of worldwide condemnation of the attack.
JUST WATCHED Syrian describes losing 25 relatives in attack Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Syrian describes losing 25 relatives in attack 02:15
But Trump said details of the attack had affected him profoundly. "Yesterday's chemical attack, a chemical attack that was so horrific in Syria against innocent people, including women, small children and even beautiful little babies, their deaths were an affront to humanity," Trump said, speaking in the Rose Garden alongside Jordan's King Abdullah.
"These heinous actions by the Assad regime cannot be tolerated. The United States stands with our allies across the globe to condemn this horrific attack and all other horrific attacks, for that matter."Latest versions of phones and mobile operating incorporate more fun and features for users. This is also true for latest versions of iPhones like iPhone 5, 6 and iOS 8. But fun and features do not come for free but cost battery. Latest versions of games and heavyweight apps are hungry to eat battery of your iPhone and iPad. Apart from these some sophisticated features also run out your battery on these devices quickly.
Scanty carefulness and tweaks can save a large amount of valuable battery on your iDevices. Top 10 Tips to Save Battery on iPhone and iPad (iOS 8) which you could own in an easy way we are presenting here.
We are writing this article having focused to save battery life on the latest version of iPhones and iPads having iOS 8. If you are implementing these tips to other versions optimise your device according to device support and compatibility.
Recommended:
Find Missing Photos on iPhone after Upgrading to iOS 8
Guide to Download and install iOS 8 on iPhone, iPad
1. Uninstall the Apps eating more battery power on iPhone and iPad
On iPhone or iPad heavyweight apps suck more battery. Few apps are so battery eaters that they drain even in 3-4 hours. All you need to do is to recognize such apps and remove. How will you do that?
Tap on Settings iPhone Lock Screen.
iPhone Lock Screen. Then go to General.
. Hit on Usage.
Tap on Battery Usage.
Scroll down to the screen. Under this section will view all apps and how much battery they are using. Here you are able to determine that which app is eating more battery power and which apps you need to remove.
Trace the specific apps and uninstall them from your device.
How to Uninstall Apps from iPhone or iPad (iOS 8)
Top on the app and stay tapped for few seconds. All apps on the screen start trembling and nutating.
Press on the Cross Mark at the corner of the app which you want to remove.
2. Enable Reduce Screen Motion
Reduce motion is a feature on iOS 8 which uses a parallax effect to produce depth sense of on Homescreen and other screens. Reduce Screen Motion checks few elements like motion transition on iPhone and iPad. It consumes a large amount of battery on your device. So enable reduce screen motion on your device.
How to Enable Reduce Screen Motion on iOS 8
Tap on Settings.
. Go to General.
. Tap on Accessibility.
If Reduce Motion is off then it is right, else Tap on Reduce Motion.
Move the slider from ON to OFF.
3. Plug in Your Device before downloading Apps, Games or Large Files
When you download apps on your device it starts draining the battery. You might have noticed Downloading apps and games or large files on an iPhone or iPad how much minimizes the battery level. During downloading things arouses and runs every component like the processor, hard drive, driver, software etc of the device. These components directly get power from battery. What is the result you could imagine? So plug-in your device power source when start downloading apps, games and large files.
Although downloading single and small volume app do not put much impact but if you are careful it would be a bonus for your iPhone |
taking a position with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
"I'm just really excited to sing with him again because it was an amazing experience back then," Pacheco said. "I've just been imagining how amazing it's going to be singing these songs and having the choir behind me. It's going to be something else."
The concert honors the Mormon pioneers who found the end destination to their westward trek on July 24, 1847, when they entered the Salt Lake Valley.
Both Pacheco and Stirling will be premiering new songs and arrangements during the concert.
Stirling worked with Wilberg to transform one of her original works into an orchestral arrangement. Stirling also created an arrangement of the song "Praise to the Man" for the violin that she described as an "Irish fiddle" piece.
"It was really fun and such an honor to work with Mack Wilberg," she said.
For Stirling, this opportunity is another way to share her faith. Stirling, who served a mission in New York City, said she has always been open about her faith and has seen music as a way to share it.
"(Music) makes it accessible to anyone," she said. "That's what I love about the Mormon Tabernacle Choir."
While all tickets were distributed weeks ago in a lottery, interested parties may still have a chance to see the concert.
For the first time, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is broadcasting a live stream of the Saturday concert from its website at 8 p.m.
Those interested in attending the concert in person can also attempt to get last-minute standby tickets. The standby line will form at the north gate of Temple Square at 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Whether watching from home or the Conference Center, viewers are in for a spectacular performance, according to Pacheco.
"I probably can't do justice to how excited I am. Because I really have been looking forward to this for a long time. And so I just hope that a lot of people are able to attend," Pacheco said. "I really think that it's going to be a magical evening and I hope that I am able to capture that moment alongside the (choir)."
Both Pacheco and Stirling will perform with the choir one more time during Sunday's "Music and the Spoken Word" at 9:30 a.m.It’s been 11 years, so let’s take stock of where we are now by using the early 20th century poet, Rudyard Kipling’s The Gods of the Copybook Headings as an illustration of the issues facing the people of today. The simple fact that Kipling’s work can so seamless showcase current world problems, despite having been written nearly a hundred years ago (1919), speaks volumes.
Stanza 1: As I pass through my incarnations in every age and race,
I make my proper prostrations to the Gods of the Market Place.
Peering through reverent fingers I watch them flourish and fall,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings, I notice, outlast them all.
For clarification, a copybook was a book used by schoolchildren to practice their penmanship. Usually at the top of each page there was a maxim, or common sense proverb, that the pupil would copy on the blank lines below. Though copybooks are still considered part of the Prussian education model used by the US, they are less common. Through the duration of the poem Kipling refers to two types of gods; the Gods of the Copybook Headings, those gods of common sense and logic, and the Gods of the Market Place, which symbolize utopian ideals and deception.
Stanza 2: We were living in trees when they met us. They showed us each in turn
That Water would certainly wet us, as Fire would certainly burn:
But we found them lacking in Uplift, Vision and Breadth of Mind,
So we left them to teach the Gorillas while we followed the March of Mankind.
That water will wet us, and that fire will burn is common sense, in the same way that people now say, “The Earth is round.” The honesty and truth of reality, Kipling explains wasn’t enough for man. People wanted to buy into what the politicians were selling, swept up in social programs, and messianic promises. Two quotes that reflect this indulgence in hysteria come to mind.
The first quote is taken from Barack Obama as he accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for President, in June of 2008. “I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless. This was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal. This was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on Earth.”
The second quote is from a less famous source, Peggy Joseph, an attendee of an Obama Rally. Going so far as to take her daughter out of school that day so she could accompany her to the rally, she explained how great it would be once Barack Obama was elected, “I won’t have to worry about putting gas in my car. I won’t have to worry about paying my mortgage. You know, if I help him, he’s gonna help me.”
The Gods of the Copybook Headings would probably point out to Peggy Joseph that gasoline now tops $4 a gallon, and that Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac, the largest mortgage holders in the United States thanks to the Federal Government, are currently under investigation for bilking consumers.
Stanza 3: We moved as the Spirit listed. They never altered their pace,
Being neither cloud nor wind-borne like the Gods of the Market Place,
But they always caught up with our progress, and presently word would come
That a tribe had been wiped off its icefield, or the lights had gone out in Rome.
Stanza 3 is a great reflection of the adage, “History repeats itself.” Green laced communism is now popular among the world’s youth (Lenin’s so called, Useful Idiots), and the aged flower children of the 1960’s. This is truly a remarkable feat, given that even with the most conservative arithmetic, the Gods of the Copybook Headings would tell you that in the last century alone communism resulted in the deaths of 100 million people (100,000,000). Such a high number like that is deemed abstract in the minds of the populace, so to put the figure another way, if that amount were converted to dollars, then the weight in pennies would be 275.6 tons.
Again, 100 million is an extremely conservative estimate. That number doesn’t take into account those that were tortured, or faced daily hunger and inhumane living conditions. Yet, Marx’s dream is still given credence by those in society that feel the compulsion to believe that, “This time it will work.”
Stanza 4: With the Hopes that our World is built on they were utterly out of touch,
They denied that the Moon was Stilton; they denied she was even Dutch;
They denied that Wishes were Horses; they denied that a Pig had Wings;
So we worshipped the Gods of the Market Who promised these beautiful things.
The lines here about wishes being horses, and pigs having wings are the epitome of those illogical promises made by government. A classic example is Keynes’ Theory of Economics, which is currently being shoved into the veins of the American economy (Solyndra, GM, etc.).
The Gods of the Copybook Headings would send the Obama Administration to review F.A. Hayek’s Road to Serfdom, to refute Keynes’ love of state-intervention, where a government picks winners and losers, in an attempt to defile the Free Market. Even the concept of a truly “free” market hasn’t been practiced in decades.
Another key to Stanza 4 is the tag line of, “These beautiful things,” which harkens back to the populace’s acceptance and trust of their governments. This naivety and apathy is especially common in the US, where a biased media continues to convince the masses that two plus two is five, ala George Orwell’s 1984.
Stanza 5: When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace.
They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease.
But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: “Stick to the Devil you know.”
Stanza 5 is the best case for the 2nd Amendment (the right to keep and bear arms). The Gods of the Copybook Headings would point US Attorney General Eric Holder and Big Sis Janet Napolitano both of whom are trying their best to circumvent the US Constitution in order to ban guns, to countries like Great Britain, where violent crime has risen four fold. Staying Stateside, one could look at President Obama’s old running ground of Chicago, where a zero-tolerance policy on handguns equates with the deaths of 10 to 20 people each weekend.
Why such high numbers? Well, logically crime is usually conducted by criminals. Johnny Q. Public as a law abiding citizen, won’t have a gun, but Chris Criminal, being a criminal doesn’t care about following laws, so he’ll have one. This leaves an unarmed society at the mercy of scoundrels.
Furthermore, history has taught us that one of the first actions of a dictatorial government, or one slated that way, is to limit and regulate the use of weapons among the populace. This harkens back to the Thomas Jefferson quote, “The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government… When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”
Stanza 6: On the first Feminian Sandstones we were promised the Fuller Life
(Which started by loving our neighbor and ended by loving his wife)
Till our women had no more children and the men lost reason and faith,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: “The Wages of Sin is Death.”
At the recent Republican National Convention, Code Pink dressed up as parts of the female anatomy to protest what they declared as a War on Women. Code Pink is a perfect reflection of false feminism. Feminism at the onset was about celebrating a woman’s right to pick her own destiny, without the need to be beholden to others. Within only a few years, that morphed into condemning women who didn’t fall into the rank and file beliefs of Neo-Progressives. If a woman chose to stay home and raise a family, to be a wife and mother, she was quickly labeled an oppressed idiot.
Neo-Progressives, like Margret Higgins Sanger, laid the ground work for gendercide as they pushed young women (compelled into the right of passage known as the Sexual Revolution, in order to prove they were ‘true’ feminists) into Planned Parenthood. Sex-selective abortion is still carried out at Planned Parenthood to this day.
Stanza 6 also mentions the concept of a ‘fuller life,’ on par with Erica Kane’s Having It All. Women today are told that they should have advanced degrees, be captains of industry, run the PTA, wear a double zero, have double D breast cups, no wrinkles, perfect hair, manicured nails, 2.1 children, a happy husband, and to also maintain a mc-mansion household, while baking Brazilian butterscotch chip cookies from scratch. These women are also advised to vote Democrat, or else.
Stanza 7: In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all,
By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul;
But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: “If you don’t work you die.”
Stanza 7 also plays into the promises of modern socialists, and vocalizes the error of trying to redistribute wealth. If Peter, whom works hard day in and day out, knows he has to give a portion (if not all) of his income to Paul, the person whom does nothing, why would Peter continue to work? This same case can be applied to taxing the prosperous. If the incentive to succeed is taken away, or penalized, then people won’t see the need to even try.
The line in Stanza 7, “Though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy,” marks the tragedy of inflation. The more dollars out in the market, the less they’re worth. An example of this can be gold prices after the Head of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, began monetizing US debt through QE1 and QE2, despite having previously sworn he’d never do that. As the US moves to QE3, the price of gold is expected to top $2500. When that $2500 is compared to the price of gold in 1993 ($380) it’s easy to see the severity of the issue.
Stanza 8: Then the Gods of the Market tumbled, and their smooth-tongued wizards withdrew
And the hearts of the meanest were humbled and began to believe it was true
That All is not Gold that Glitters, and Two and Two make Four
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings limped up to explain it once more.
The lies of politicians and the Gods of the Market Place never last, and eventually the truth cracks through, resulting in famine, poverty, under-employment, and war. It is through these moments of panic, the populace is able to awaken, to surface and see the errors brought on by their complicity and naivety. An example of mass movements like this would be America’s First Great Awakening, facilitated by George Whitefield. On a smaller scale, some scholars believe that the Tea Party is the onset of America’s Third Great Awakening.
Stanza 9: As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man
There are only four things certain since Social Progress began.
That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire,
And the burnt Fool’s bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire;
Despite the hope of a great awakening, there are still those in society that are convinced that they need a powerful State to guide them, and to offer safety nets. What society doesn’t realize is that they are being guided to the Zyklon B showers, and those safety nets, are in reality ensnaring them into servitude. Such people worship at the altar of the Fabian Socialists, Progressives, and Nanny Staters, like New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whom is now telling New Yorkers what they can, and cannot eat.
Stanza 10: And that after this is accomplished, and the brave new world begins
When all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins,
As surely as Water will wet us, as surely as Fire will burn,
The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return!
Stanza 10 echoes a simplified version of the Old Testament, where the Israelites are in a constant cycle with God. God presents miracles to them, and they promise to worship and follow only him. Then life goes on, and Baal seems to be a better way for them to go, an easier lifestyle. Then the Israelites suffer and call out to God to save them. God swoops in, and the process starts all over again.
The line, “When all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins,” is an excellent definition of welfare state enslavement. The incoherent ramblings of, “This time it will work,” are always extinguished when the Gods of the Copybook Headings return.
Will it be with terror and slaughter this time? Given where on the path we fall now, it’s hard to believe differently.Women We Love: New World Hyoyeon Has Met
10 years spent as SNSD,
World Hyoyeon experienced,
World she will meet going forward.
The moment a celebrity enters a shoot location, the atmosphere for that day is determined. The first moment that a celebrity walks in shows what their normal personality is, what their current mood is like, how the shoot today will go in a condensed way.
Hyoyeon’s entrance was perfect. She arrived not 1 minute late. As soon as we greeted her, she responded, “Hello, I’m Hyoyeon”. This greeting was amusing. Normally, they don’t introduce themselves like “I’m Chanyong”. She has lived 10 years as a pro entertainer known as ‘SNSD Hyoyeon’, a name derived from her own name. That truth is carved into her greeting.
Hyoyeon kept shooting something using a machine that was like a selfie stick. She said it was video footage that would go into Hyoyeon’s reality show <Hyoyeon’s Ten Million Likes>. “We did <Hyoyeon’s Million Likes> last year and between Korea and China, it received 3-6 million views. So this year, we gave it too big a name of ’Ten Million’”. She spoke up to here and laughed. With Hyoyeon’s unique sexy low voice, Hyoyeon had a talent for creating a friendly atmosphere as she mixed in jokes and laughs into the conversation.
Hyoyeon continued her story. “There are more episodes and the broadcast time has lengthened. I am showing my real life story this time too. There is always a camera in my hands. Sometimes after my schedules, I bring it along when I go to drink a glass of beer with friends and film it. PD-nims knows how to edit it well. I film almost everywhere I go, so my real self is shown.”
People who are not shy have a fresh feeling about them like a T-shirt dried in sunshine. Hyoyeon had this. “If I dance wearing heels, my feet hurt. It’s toughest when filming music videos. On stage, it ends after about 3 minutes and 30 seconds so you can take it off right away, but you film several cuts in a music video. When we film, we say ‘Let’s film this and toss it away’. Because it hurts so much.” Even after saying this, she made polite sounds of laughing that sounded like ‘hehehehehe’. A cute sound of laughter that is both honest and sheepish. Speaking with Hyoyeon is a repeating a cycle that puts you in a good mood.
There are variety of things she does to make others laugh. Making others laugh is also a skill, there are people who show an explosive side of themselves, or there are people create the atmosphere themselves for others because laughing together is enjoyable. Hyoyeon is the latter. Her intentions were deep. “A shoot like this is one where everyone moves, from hair, makeup to stylist, just for me. So I don’t think I should have low energy. Since everyone is meeting for the first time for this, I like making everyone laugh and putting them in a good mood. The atmosphere can change depending on how I am, so I need to lead by example, first of all.” If every celebrity could be like this, it would be nice…
Hyoyeon was humble. “This is something I felt while promoting. I think my personality is gradually changing over time. I only learned this after being active for almost 10 years. It was awkward at times.” 10 years. Weren’t there tough times? “There were. When people’s reactions weren’t the same as my thoughts. I would unveil a side of me after preparations and hard work, and I had a certain image in my head, and if that wasn’t reflected well, or if people didn’t react as much. I think those were the slumps. In the early days of SNSD, wherever we went, it was always SNSD. There was a different member who became a hot topic from time to time. Someone at debut, someone during ‘Tell Me Your Wish’. We prepared together but the member who receives the spotlight is predetermined. It could be upsetting.”
Even if we don’t know that an improved person will do well, but a person who does well is always improving. Hyoyeon was like that too. “Whenever I was upset, I watched those friends and learned, recognizing ‘People like this side of this friend’. My mind changed. When I was in a slump, I didn’t monitor. My appearance wasn’t what I had in mind. But one day, I had the thought of ‘I can’t do anything if I keep going like this’. (Even if I don’t get the reaction I want) This is a side of me I created after working hard, so I thought I need to fix what I don’t think is right. Even if I don’t like the side of me that is being shown, I need to see it and try hard to fix it. So after working hard and it was fixed, there was a huge sense of satisfaction. And that’s how I changed gradually. I was able to enjoy it more and more. I started to really enjoy from ‘I Got a Boy’ onward.” It’s Hyoyeon’s coming-of-age drama.
Hyoyeon said she still sometimes listens to ‘Into the New World’. “It’s my favourite song. Even now, many people say that when they listen to ‘Into the New World’, they get a feeling of a new world unfolding before them. When I listen to it, it improves my mood. I think of it from time to time, so I listen to it. It reminds me of performing then too. How were we so powerful, and so bad at controlling our strength. How did we not cope with energy like that.”
Hyoyeon 10 years ago was a girl who worked hard, and couldn’t even enjoy it when she was #1 on a music program for 9 weeks. “After receiving an award, she had to go to work on the next thing, and that kept repeating.” She wanted to be a performance-centric singer, but she was a girl who hated it when her company made her wear a tennis skirt. “I couldn’t understand why they made me wear a skirt after telling me to do powerful dances”. 10 years later, she is now able to comfortably say, “When I wore a skirt, I could’ve just danced sufficiently but I don’t know why I danced so powerfully then”. Over time, Hyoyeon has become a cool woman.
That girl from 10 years ago is now a celebrity with global recognition. During the <Esquire> shoot, the short video she uploaded in real time has comments from fans all over the world. Daily life filmed herself with a camera becomes a broadcasting station’s content through <Hyoyeon’s Ten Million Likes>. Past the uncertainty and overcoming a mental slump, she has become an even bigger star. And more important than anything else, she stood on stage alone, having created music that has the colour that she wants. The powerful performance she wanted to do 10 years ago, she assesses, “It’s the picture of myself that I wanted to draw. I think I was able to express a lot of that” and she was able to make her music. A feel-good story no matter who hears it.
Over time, the type of guy she likes has changed. “Before, how they dressed was important. When we walk together, I thought I liked guys who looked cool. Now, their human-like side is most important. Personality. Their work or things like that are not important. But sense of responsibility, getting back up when they fall, traits like that are important. It’s okay if they don’t earn money now. But a person with a goal and attitude of ‘I can do it’. It can take a long time. But they can’t give up.”
There is a definite loveable side of Hyoyeon. She laughs easily, considers others’ mood, tries to be a good influence to others, is always thankful, finds joy in making others’ laugh. Hyoyeon must have been embarrassed after telling stories where she was proud of herself, because she laughed heartily several times. Of those words, there was one where she said, “People who have experienced my humane side are not able to escape it”. We think we know what she meant by those words.
Scan Source: EveryDay HyoDayA British local council has voted to boycott products made in Jewish squatter colonies in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian West Bank, one of the first such moves by an elected body in the UK.
The boycott resolution, adopted by Leicester City Council on 14 November, cited Israel’s continued breach of international law, the Geneva Conventions, UN resolutions and its occupation of Palestinian territories, Friends of Al-Aqsa, a UK-based non-profit-making body, reported.
“Leicester is a city renowned for its tolerance, diversity, unity and its strong stance against all forms of discrimination,” said the text of the motion.
The move was welcomed by pro-Palestinian groups, including Leicester-based Friends of Al Aqsa (FOA), which called it a “step in the right direction”.
“Israel has been dehumanising Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip for decades while profiting from their resources and labour,” said the FOA’s chairman, Ismail Patel.
“I hope other councils and organisations in the country will follow Leicester’s example and say no to the continued oppression of Palestinians,” he added.Elon Musk and his team of experts in Tesla are not just focusing on the future of electric and hybrid cars. The tech company has a huge project underway and it's all going to happen in Kauai, Hawaii.
JB Straubel, CTO at Tesla, and Hawaii Gov. David Ige launched a partnership with the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) to launch a project tagged as Solar City. The project aims to power Hawaii with renewable energy from the sun.
According to Business Insider, the Tesla initiative has a whopping 54,978 solar panels. Tesla also installed 272 of its commercial battery, the Powerpack 2, to help Hawaii citizens use energy at night. KIUC has signed a contract with Tesla to buy 1 kilowatt hour of electricity for a reduced price.
It can be remembered that before the acquisition of Solar City, Tesla and KIUC actually agreed in February 2016 to use Tesla's Powerpack to bring 20 years of power to Kauai. This means the project has actually been in the works for quite some time.
SolarCity is projected to reduce the usage of fossil fuels by approximately 1.6 million gallons annually, which will allow Tesla to gradually help the region to transition slowly into solar energy.
Interestingly, this is a good indication of Tesla's push towards solar energy after it acquired SolarCity last 2016. It can also be remembered that Ta'u in the American Samoa was also powered by Tesla's Powerpacks.
The project shows that Tesla is moving away from simply being "that company" with electric cars and actually be a leader in renewable energy. It has unveiled a myriad of power-saving technologies, both used in cars and as separate products. For instance, its solar roof is a unique product that Tesla is capable of providing efficient solar energy saving capabilities without sacrificing aesthetic.Minister for Research and Innovation, Mr Seán Sherlock, T.D. has announced new funding to help support Ireland’s most promising young research talent to become fully independent researchers. The funding which is being awarded by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) will help ensure that Ireland’s most talented young researchers can be encouraged to remain in Ireland, while also helping to attract excellent young researchers from other countries to base themselves here.
Dr Karen English has been awarded €519,997 funding through SFI’s Starting Investigator Research Grant Programme. The research focuses on cell therapies with the capacity to dampen inflammation and the immune system. The ultimate goal of the research is to further understand how cell therapies suppress immune responses and translate these findings for the successful application of cell therapy to control and dampen immune responses in organ transplantation and other inflammatory disorders.
Dr. Ozgur Bayram (€597,630) and Thomas Naughton (€611,421) were both awarded funding under SFI’s Career Development Award Programme. Dr Bayram’s research will focus on fungal development and secondary metabolite production in various Aspergillus species, including Aspergillus nidulans (a model organism) and Aspergillus flavus, which produces food contaminating aflatoxin causing disease and poisoning when ingested by humans and animals.
Thomas Naughton’s project is on the capabilities and limits of an optical technique called digital holography, which can be used for sensing, processing, and display of three-dimensional objects, both large and small. In the case of micro-organisms such as human cells, indicators of cancer can be visible with a digital holography microscope at a significantly earlier stage than with other visible light microscopes.
As well as the three lead scientists, the projects will involve six other researchers at Maynooth.
ENDSNASA engineers answer Mars mission questions in Reddit Q&A
Updated
NASA is planning to send humans to Mars in the next thirty years.
But, what kind of fuel will they use to get there, what will they do if they find life and why are they going?
Engineers from NASA and its partners Orbital ATK, Boeing, Aerojet Rocketdyne and Lockheed Martin took part in an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit to answer questions about the project.
Here are eight things you might not have known about the Mars mission and the scientists behind it.
What kind of fuel and how much of it will be needed to get there?
The type of fuel is really dependent on which part of the propulsion system you are looking at.
For example, the core stage uses liquid hydrogen and oxygen. The boosters use solid propellant. Solar electric propulsion systems are being strongly considered for in-space propulsion.
How much fuel again depends on the type of propulsion, but suffice it to say it's millions of pounds to get out of earth orbit and thousands and thousands to transit to Mars. - Mark Tobias, Orbital ATK
This may sound silly, but are there any plans in case life is found underground during the mission that may compromise the safety of the crew? How long would an emergency evacuation take?
NASA takes planetary protection very seriously. Any indication of extant life from robotic precursor missions will severely limit approach by future human crew or robotic rovers.
We won't mess around until we are sure it is safe. - Joe Cassady
Any chance you can do better than first manned landing by 2039?
Current funding plans enable the 2039 landing. There are no technology barriers to landing in 2033 or 2035. - Rick Bottomley and Darby Cooper, Boeing.
What is one thing you don't understand and completely blows your mind?
The multiverse. I can't imagine that somewhere in a parallel universe there is another me who is sitting on a beach instead of doing a Reddit! - Bill Pratt, Lockheed Martin
I wish there was only one thing I didn't understand. I'd like to know why Mars lost its atmosphere, its magnetic field, and its liquid surface water... could this happen to us on Earth? That's why I think we need to explore Mars. - Joe Cassady, Aerojet Rocketdyne
Women. And I've been married for 29 years. - Andy Schorr, NASA
In the movie The Martian, a large storm forced the crew to evacuate. Would it not be a good idea for the crew to dig and build an "underground bunker" for them to store important instruments and seek shelter in case a similar event took place?
The Martian was fantastic for scientific and engineering accuracy, but, the wind storm was the largest glaring error, thankfully over quickly and easily forgiven.
The atmosphere is so thin on Mars that a windstorm as portrayed is not possible.
Even at 100 miles per hour, the wind of Mars would be equivalent to around a 10 miles per hour Earth breeze in terms of aerodynamic pressure.
So, a windstorm alone would not need such serious action to be taken. But the dust devils seen in the movie are very real phenomena captured by rover cameras! - Nujoud Merancy, NASA
Are there any fears of contaminating Mars by landing a manned mission, especially if there are plans to produce water and oxygen, or is that the plan - to colonise Mars by cultivating aerobic bacteria and plants to kick-start an ecosystem
Great question! With the recent discovery of flowing water this issue is a hotly debated topic. Any human mission will take along our "bugs". If we explore, we will impact the Martian environment in a limited way.
If we colonise, we will have to change the Martian environment to survive. - Joe Cassady
I'm interested in doing stuff like this when I grow up. What classes should I take in high school and what major should I pursue to get a career in this field?
Much of what we do at NASA involves engineering and science. You should consider taking as many science and math courses as possible such as physics, chemistry, biology, earth science, algebra, trigonometry, statistics and my favorite, calculus.
These classes will help you prepare for a degree in science and/or engineering.
Internships in science and engineering are also a great way to learn more about a potential career. - Shawn Quinn, NASA
What's the main purpose of going to Mars? Is it for human expansion or military advancement? Also, is Mars the best destination for our first mission? Was it picked due to distance or actual factual data supporting [its] ability to be able to harbor life?
The reasons for human space travel can be very personal and well as practical. History teaches us that nations who have stopped exploring fade from the world stage.
Meeting the challenge of exploring and overcoming the risks associated with it make us better and world leaders.
In this journey, we develop a whole cadre of technology that benefits everyone, even here on earth. - Mark Tobias
Topics: science-and-technology, space-exploration, spacecraft, united-states
First postedIrvine, CA – Irvine developer Quicksilver Software, Inc. has been in the custom software business here for more than 30 years. Founded by three programmers from Mattel Electronics when that company folded in 1984, the company develops games, educational software, military training and more.
New publishing channels such as Steam Greenlight and the Apple App Store are allowing independent developers to create and market products on their own for the first time, transforming the software business. Quicksilver has already published one game on its own and is proud to announce the Kickstarter campaign for its new title, Hunt: The Unknown Quarry.
After just one day, the project is already 1/3 funded, and the team looks forward to hitting our goals and more in less than 30 days. Quicksilver’s own Jeremy Lennert, a wellknown name in the board game world who previously publishing games like Darkest Night and For The Crown, is programming this online multiplayer version of his game in Unity along with other talented programmers, project managers and artists on the Quicksilver team. We’ll have live demos of actual gameplay to show in no time and look forward to the support of individuals who enjoy challenging, unique games. For more details, check out the video below:
Find out more and help us achieve our dream here on our site.BioShock series creative director Ken Levine has signed on to pen the screenplay for Logan's Run, a long-in-development remake of the 1976 sci-fi film of the same name, reports Deadline.
The remake has been in development at studio Warner Bros. in various forms under directors Bryan Singer (X-Men, Superman Returns) and Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, Only God Forgives). Deadline reports that Levine's screenwriting duties won't pull him away from BioShock Infinite developer Irrational Games, which is currently in development on downloadable content for the game.
The original theatrical version of Logan's Run is based on the 1967 book by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. Set in the year 2116, Logan's Run depicts a dystopian future in which the maximum allowable age is 21 (or 30 in the film version, which is set further into the future). The eponymous Logan serves as an exterminator, a "Sandman," hunting down "Runners" fleeing from the state-imposed execution until he finds himself on the run.
Levine has a background in writing for film and theater, a pursuit he followed before joining Looking Glass Studios to work on games like System Shock 2 and Thief. For more on Levine's Hollywood aspirations as a screenwriter and playwright, read our in-depth feature on BioShock's creative director.
In an email, Levine confirmed that he was working on Logan's Run, telling Polygon he was "excited about it," but couldn't provide additional details.An Oregon man faces charges after authorities say he urinated on passengers on a flight from Anchorage to Portland, Oregon.
Jeff Rubin, 27, was arrested early Friday after JetBlue Flight 47 arrived at Portland International Airport, KOIN-TV reported.
A police report says passengers and airline employees told officers Rubin had been sleeping for most of the flight. About 30 minutes before landing, they said, he stood up and began urinating through the crack between the seats in front of him — and onto the passengers sitting there.
The report says he lost his balance and fell backward, splashing urine on passengers, seats and luggage.
The cabin remained pretty calm, said Suzanna Caldwell, an Alaska Dispatch News reporter who happened to be sitting two rows in front of Rubin.
"It's not like anyone was screaming. I didn't even realize anything had happened until the flight attendants came up to me and told me police were going to come onboard," she told the Anchorage newspaper for a story on its website Friday.
Caldwell, who said she was not urinated on, said officers had to wake up Rubin when they got on board since he appeared to have fallen asleep again.
An officer then began interviewing passengers.
"At one point, the officer was like, 'Who got peed on?'" Caldwell said.
Rubin spent about five hours in jail and was released on his own recognizance. He faces charges of criminal mischief and offensive littering.
Rubin did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.Which former player is Djokovic coached by? Boris Becker Stefan Edberg Ivan Lendl Mats Wilander Correct! Wrong! -
How many Grand Slam titles has Djokovic won? 7 9 11 13 Correct! Wrong! -
What is Djokovic’s nickname? Novak Djokovic celebrates winning the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells after defeating Milos Raonic; Getty Images Joko Jolly Nova Nole Correct! Wrong! -
Djokovic won his maiden Grand Slam title at which tournament? Australian Open French Open Wimbledon US Open Correct! Wrong! -
What is the name of Djokovic’s son? Sergey Stefan Srdan Sufjan Correct! Wrong! -
What result |
in confusion…or in disgrace and bankruptcy for both sides.
Like the bad Pharaoh, the feds saved nothing. Now, they have to try to work their Keynesian magic on credit. This puts them in a weak position; like a government that wages war on borrowed money. They can continue their campaign only as long as lenders allow them. They can’t wage the war as effectively as they’d like. Then again, maybe they can’t lose it as spectacularly as they might.
For the moment, their credit is still good. The bond market foresees an inflation rate of less than 2%. Bankers, taking money from the government, are happy to lend it back to them.
But the forces of the correction are giving up little ground. While stocks rally, the real economy remains in a funk.
“Sharp drop in start-ups,” is a news headline from yesterday. New business start-ups are a major source of new jobs. Bad omen.
Even glamour publisher Conde Nast is forced to make cutbacks. It has told employees that they may not spend more than $1,000 a night when they are traveling.
A Pimco economist says savings rates are still going up…and may exceed 8%. This represents hundreds of billions of dollars taken out of the consumer economy. Oddly, while it makes the slump worse, it also helps finance the government’s battle against it. Savers buy US debt (albeit indirectly).
So, the battle is still going on…and the outcome is still in doubt.
Our own Addison Wiggin was interviewed by The Daily Bell on his beginnings at Agora (working on an old laptop on a desk he shared with your editor in Paris), whether or not the West can save itself – and on this ‘war’ between inflation and deflation.
On the latter, here’s what Addison had to say:
“‘Deflation now, inflation later’ is a mantra we’ve adopted at The Daily Reckoning. The Federal Reserve, through it’s program of quantitative easing, is busting the seems of it’s own balance sheet in order to fight a deflationary trend in the West. At some point, the tide will shift. Mr. Bernanke assures the world he’s watching inflationary indicators like a hawk. We have our doubts whether those indicators will do him any good. As Paul Volcker, the great inflation slayer of the early 1980s, said when we interviewed him for I.O.U.S.A. ‘Once inflation gets started, it’s very hard to stop. And there’s a strong flavor of that at the moment.’
[To read Addison’s full interview, see here.]
“Global trade rose at its fastest rate in more than five years in July,”The Financial Times reports, “suggesting the economic recovery is feeding through into commerce.”
“I’ve been worried about the effects of protectionism in shutting off different markets and making a weak economy even worse off,” says colleague Chris Mayer. “Commodity markets especially need open markets to function well. The EU, for example, just put a 40% tariff on Chinese made steel pipe. That’s not good for steel pipe demand and hence, the steel makers and the commodities that go into steel. If we see widespread adoption of such measures, we’d have to re-think some things.
“But so far, it looks like we’ve got a recovery of some kind in global trade. When I look at the global economy, many of the bright spots stem from surging trade along old trade routes (such as China and Arab world).”
Racehorse prices are in freefall, says a report out yesterday. But collectible cars are still doing well.
Yesterday, we saw someone drive by in a huge, gaudy pink Cadillac from the 1960s. It had magnificent fins and enough chrome to stagger a blind man. In it were a middle-aged man and woman, looking very comfortable and proud. They were traveling in style…in a rolling sculpture.
Old cars are not only holding their values, they’re still going up. But not all old cars. Detroit’s muscle cars have been falling in price for the last three years. Not very green?
Until tomorrow,
Bill Bonner
The Daily ReckoningAlmost a year since former NSA contractor Edward Snowden's leaked information was first revealed to the world, US officials today confirmed to CNN a new leaker is responsible for providing additional secret documents to The Intercept. The Intercept is an investigative website cofounded by Glenn Greenwald, the reporter to whom Snowden entrusted the bulk of his documents, and it has recently been publishing a series on the inner workings of the US government's terror watch list. Just today, The Intercept published a new article based on leaked information indicating that 40 percent of the 680,000 total people listed on the watch list have "no recognized terrorist group affiliation."
The documents, which The Intercept reported were leaked by someone within the intelligence community, further show that the separate "no fly" list banning people from air travel has expanded under President Obama to include 47,000 names, the highest number since the list was created in 2001. The new information raises the question of why 280,000 names remain on the terrorist watch list if there isn't evidence linking them to specific terror groups. Are all of these people potentially homegrown terrorists, or are they part of groups that the government hasn't identified yet, or perhaps they have shown interest in terror groups but haven't joined them?
"no recognized terrorist group affiliation."
The Intercept doesn't have answers and doesn't try to speculate, but it points out that per the leaked documents, both the terror watch list and the no-fly list are actually subsets of an even larger database known as the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment (TIDE), which contains over a million names. Various agencies can add names to TIDE, including the CIA, NSA, and FBI. The Intercept also notes that TIDE is shared with the military and some police departments, including the NYPD. In a controversial move, one of the government agencies responsible for managing the TIDE database reportedly provided information on it to the Associated Press ahead of the publication of the The Intercept's article, in an apparent effort to obtain more favorable coverage.
Perhaps most worrisome of all for those concerned about violations of privacy and government overreach, the documents obtained by The Intercept clearly show that the TIDE database contains at least 730,000 biometric files on some of the people listed, including 118,000 face images and 29,000 iris scans. The newly revealed information comes on the heels of The Intercept's publication of information from a leaked 2013 rulebook for placing suspects on the watch list. Glenn Greenwald himself said as early as July 4th that another leaker was releasing information, but today marks the first time US officials have confirmed it.The corruption allegations levelled at French club Racing 92 could be a sign of things to come in world rugby, says professional player-turned-journalist John Daniell.
In 2012 I was tipped off about a story at Racing Metro, a French rugby club I used to play for, now renamed Racing 92 and home to half a dozen former All Blacks including Dan Carter. The Parisians, who’ll be playing in the European final this weekend, had bullied and/or bribed three of its Fijian players out of playing for their country at the Rugby World Cup in 2011. Fiji, after igniting the tournament in 2007, were woeful in 2011, handicapped by defections from key players.
Racing might not have been the only offenders but they were the worst. If the accusations stacked up, consequences for the club could have – should have – been serious: probably relegation but possibly expulsion from the national union. Jacky Lorenzetti, the multi-millionaire property developer who owns Racing, denied the allegations and threatened to sue if they were printed. I was freelancing and, with the threat of litigation not being a great selling point, I struggled to find a home for the piece until I pitched it to the Independent. Happily, they had a bigger dog: their owner is ex-KGB oligarch Alexander Lebedev. The Independent ran the story across a number of pages.
I was reminded of this story last month, when Declan Hill, a Canadian journalist and academic specializing in match-fixing and corruption in sport, came to New Zealand to scare the crap out of us on behalf of Sport New Zealand. Mission accomplished, up to a point – in some reporting the looming threat was so dire (“New Zealand can’t escape a tsunami of match-fixing spreading its tentacles”) it sounded like Sharknado. Just how seriously should we be taking this?
The intertwining of sport and money has bled into global consciousness so pervasively over the last couple of decades that it’s become the new normal. Broadcasting deals and player salaries churned upwards constantly even through the GFC and there’s no sign of the trend stopping. The average wage in UK football’s premier league is up more than one thousand percent from 1995-2015; over the same period, Wimbledon prize money is up 500 percent, Major League Baseball 350 percent. French rugby’s Top 14 took just 15 years to increase salaries tenfold while here in New Zealand the jump in rugby money has been relatively sober – but off a high-ish base – with salaries for Super Rugby and the All Blacks multiplying just two-three times. Meanwhile, a parallel betting industry has mushroomed, now worth somewhere north of $US1 trillion and rising exponentially.
New Zealand’s small population and relative lack of money has insulated us to some extent. We don’t yet have self-selecting gazillionaires picking up a team as an expensive vanity project, stacking it with the best their money can buy, then selling it back to us at exorbitant prices while the media spruik it as an important part of our cultural identity. That said, there was a whiff of sulphur when the NZRU – who aren’t perfect but, to be fair, run a pretty good organisation by any standards – signed a landmark deal with AIG, a corporation whose witlessly piggish behaviour was at the heart of global economic meltdown. Steve Tew had to browbeat former legends into conditional acceptance. Commercial reality and all that.
Lou Vincent? That was in another country, and besides, Cairns was found not guilty. Which, of course, is a story in itself. By 2010 even I had heard the rumours – and I was in France, not exactly a hotbed of cricketing gossip. The ICC couldn’t investigate because it was somehow out of their jurisdiction, which sounds like a fairly spectacular loophole for inaction. And that’s the key issue – across the board, sports governing bodies have proven consistently poor at policing their own patch, producing a series of alleged cock-ups so broad and deep that it requires wilful credulity not to see them as conspiracies.
There’s a lot of low-hanging fruit here but let’s namecheck a few of the big ones. FIFA, home of the world’s biggest sport, is now a standing joke, the awarding of the World Cup to Qatar for 2022 a ludicrous, deadly farce. The Olympics: it’s hard to know where to start but Michael Johnson reckons the current shambles in Olympic athletics is worse than FIFA, so argue amongst yourselves.
The Tour de France isn’t something we tend to worry about but it does claim to rival the Rugby World Cup for the world’s third biggest sporting event, so to recap: In 1998 French customs officers – not cycling’s own watchdogs – arrested a trainer at the Belgian border carrying all sorts of drug paraphernalia. The story was uncontainable and we got the Festina affair, a watershed moment after which, the world was told everything will be different, never again, and so on. The following year Lance Armstrong began a remarkable seven-year string of victories. When he was eventually busted – again, no thanks to the Tour de France authorities – the powers that be couldn’t nominate a replacement winner because anyone who was anywhere near the podium had either been found guilty of doping or was under serious suspicion. Still, the strength of fans’ suspension of disbelief – or capacity for forgetfulness and forgiveness, or collective thirst for Kool-Aid – is such that the Tour still pulls in the punters.
The role of the media in all this is crucial. Dylan Cleaver, writing in the Herald, described Declan Hill as “[making] a living connecting the dots between organised crime and sport. These are not little dots, but big flashing lights that most sports administrators and journalists choose to ignore. There’s a reason for that: it’s hard work, it can get messy … and it’s dangerous.”
But the media doesn’t tell us all the behind-the-scenes shenanigans – what filters out is just the tip of the iceberg. Perhaps more like the tip of the tip of the iceberg.
*
Racing Metro’s Jacky Lorenzetti didn’t sue.
Still, the club blustered away, denying everything and even forcing ex-coach, and former All Black, Simon Mannix into a garbled climbdown about his statements on an IRB radio show (yes, the delicious irony was that the accusations were first made public via the governing body itself). The IRB – now World Rugby – tried very hard to put the genie back in the bottle, releasing statements that sounded hard line but whose net result was to throw up a smokescreen behind which they could avoid having to investigate the claims.
Let’s face it, it would have been a terrible look. The Fijians had had a disastrous World Cup campaign in 2011. Wales, a team with whom they drew 16-16 in Cardiff just nine months earlier, spanked them 66-0 after the withdrawal of a number of top flight players who chose to make themselves available to their rich clubs rather than their poor country. While the Fijians were being slaughtered in New Zealand, their countrymen were helping Racing – and others – pick up vital points in the French championship. Not exactly match-fixing, but not a hell of a long walk from it either.
If the allegations were true (they are) an example might have to be set and the punishment could have had Racing relegated from the top flight, putting a fairly serious dent in their plans to build Europe’s largest covered stadium in the financial district of Paris. Arena 92 is a gargantuan property development on prime real estate that, thanks to a sweetheart deal with the local council presumably based on public interest (link in French), is likely to make the already very rich Lorenzetti – equally Chief Executive of the stadium development and primary investor – even richer. (The All Blacks were invited to open it. Mercifully, they can’t make it (link in French).)
Given the weight of Lorenzetti and his political backers in Paris, an inquiry might have been uncomfortable for Bernard Lapasset, the French head of World Rugby and the chair of the Paris bid for the 2024 Olympics. The IRB/World Rugby raised the evidential bar to the point where the Fijian rugby authorities – previously unwilling to put their own players in a difficult situation with their employers – had to make a complaint to their French counterparts, without which there could be no official action from the IRB.
The Fijians, after initial reluctance, did exactly that. The French stonewalled for months. Media interest dwindled. Then, in February 2013, Fijian Prime Minister/military dictator Frank Bainimirama took in a game at Racing – the details of which appear to have been mysteriously wiped from the internet – sitting next to Lorenzetti. There’s been no more talk of an inquiry.
There’s a happy ending of sorts to this particular story. The IRB/World Rugby, who studiously ignored the direct contravention of the spirit and the letter of their laws until it was repeatedly pointed out that this was happening right under their nose, had a quiet word in the ears of rich European clubs. The second tier unions were able to assemble decent squads for RWC 2015.
*
I had a moan about the IRB cover-up – dubbed Fijigate by the press – to some grizzled sports journos who laughed and said it was nothing they hadn’t seen before. I met with some officials from high profile world sports organizations who were dumb/brave enough to talk to me, after they’d made it clear that this was all off the record. They admitted their sports were rotten – or at least had rotten elements. Well before the revelations earlier this year, they knew match-fixing in tennis was a serious issue; the cycling bloke had a terrifying story involving cover-ups and payoffs that led all the way to the Russian mafia and kickbacks at the Sochi winter Olympics.
Yes, they agreed it would be good if something could be done to clean this up, but they weren’t going to be blowing any whistles and they were pretty sure no-one else would. I must have looked a little crestfallen. One of them tried to cheer me up. “You’re from New Zealand” one of them told me. “Your views on this are…” He searched for the right phrase, until, eventually: “a little fresher than ours.”
In some circles, naivety is considered charming. But I hadn’t thought they were that fresh. Having started my own rugby career in New Zealand, I spent 10 years in France playing rugby professionally – three years at Racing, among others – and I adapted to the culture well enough to take to eye-gouging with a moronically self-justifying when-in-Rome attitude. In hindsight, it was indefensible. At the time, my team was fighting to avoid relegation, we had to win a game and, as far as I was concerned, everyone was doing it.
One of the great things about sport is how it makes us lose perspective. It’s a wonderful feeling to lose yourself in a game, convinced that your whole being revolves around the outcome. In the pursuit of victory, sometimes we do things we shouldn’t – when that happens, if we can get away with it we might think we’re clever, but deep down we know instinctively it isn’t right.
Unless, of course, every time someone gets away with it, the breach is overlooked and the practice of cheating becomes standard practice. The whole point of having some kind of authority watching the game is that they enforce the rules. When it comes to sport, integrity, fairness and discipline aren’t just useful talking points for marketing campaigns, they’re the bedrock of the whole culture. Without them, there’s not much more than a hollowed-out husk whose values have been eroded from the inside.
The guy calling our views “fresh” had a point. Environments normalise behaviour. France rugby had something of the Wild West about it but I would never have dreamed of eye-gouging in New Zealand. Declan Hill describes New Zealand as a “low corruption environment”. Sport plays a pretty big role in our national identity: kids love it and we’re good at it. It would be a shame to get to the point where rich arseholes hijacking it is par for the course, and it would be nice if we could avoid the match-fixing apocalypse.
Just keeping sport clean within our own borders is unlikely to be enough; success has become synonymous with prioritising money and power at the top level of too many sports around the world. Turning a blind eye to self-serving cheats at official level is bound to leach through into the attitudes of players and athletes here at home. The front line against graft has to be held by the authorities themselves.
Organised greed has an annoying habit of being effective – particularly when watchdogs are asleep. Sport New Zealand was trying to do the right thing by having Declan Hill alert us, but in the end talk is cheap. Action is the only thing that can make a difference – it’s no use bleating about lost innocence if you haven’t had the courage to clean up the mess in front of you. FIFA and the IOC are such big beasts that we’re unlikely to turn them around but we do have a legitimate claim to leadership in one sport: Sport New Zealand persuading the NZRU and World Rugby to have another look at an inconvenient truth in Paris would be a start. Fingers crossed it isn’t outside their jurisdiction.Born to Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu, a prominent scientist in Rapture, Asuka's earliest days were careless and happy. But ADAM had already made it's way into Rapture society and Kyoko became obsessed with its applications and addicted to it's use. While leading a division of NERV scientists developing the EVA model Big Daddies her mind began to slip away, eventually ending in an attempted murder-suicide of her and her daughter. Luckily for Asuka, her madness had driven her to instead believe a small doll was her daughter instead. Asuka was then pushed out to the Little Sisters Orphanage, where she was subjected to the Little Sister experiments and eventually pair bonded to the very EVA unit her mother had been working on. Her ADAM production and efficiency in "recycling" ADAM has earned her the classification as a "Second Child", near top tier in efficiency.EVA 02 was originally going to be the model for all future Big Daddy productions, but the Protector Program was found to be a more effective tool than the pair bonding system and the model designs were scrapped to older, cheaper models for the new production line, since all Big Daddies could protect any Little Sister instead of needing a one to one ratio that could only operate in pairs. Still, EVA 02 remains a more adept tool at protecting it's charge, capable of a much more powerful Absolute Terror Field and fighting with the ferocity of a crazed beast.Gaston Means was a con man with a specialty for impersonation before coming to Rapture, but once he was there he took his art to new heights. Using ADAM he was easily able to change his appearance with the help of crooked doctors like Jon Brinklie who were always looking for a well paying customer. He was soon the scourge of the city with no one able to identify the man's ever-shifting appearance. The spree started dwindling when Gaston himself started forgetting who he was, his new personality blending those of his many impersonations. He did still have one thing that was clear to him though - his constant use of ADAM had created a dependency that he had to satisfy, and he'd become anyone or anything to do just that.I had come up with blending the worlds of Neon Genesis Evangelion and Bioshock a while ago (and even posted a few concept doodles), but it wasn't until last weekend when I finally stopped to think what the Angels would be in this new world, and I dove in head first, headcannoning ALL THE THINGS. I'm actually rather in love with all of it now.Anyway, these are all just first rough passes really - the first designs that came to me as I drew, so apologies for them being a bit unrefined.Eva 2 was the second design I did back a year or whatever ago when I first thought up EvaShock. Because if there's Evangelion in Bioshock of freaking COURSE the Evas have to be the Big Daddies (well, possible gender aside anyway?). Eva 2 was actually really hard to design. Spent an entire day just trying to think up just what the hell it'd be, but I do love how it came out. By the By, you can check out it's full design here!: fav.me/d80ql26 And if Eva 2 was a Big Daddy it's only natural that Asuka is its Little Sister. Honestly not too much thought went into that decision, but Asuka's sweet personality that can turn on a dime to horrid rage is really amusing to imagine in a Little Sister.Gaghiel... I don't even, honestly! Thing is a freaking alien shark thing, so adapting it to a human was a braintwister. Better than that though was coming up with a backstory! I was just staring at this mound of flesh yelling I DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU ARE HOW CAN I TELL WHAT YOU WERE!? But I think I resolved it quite nicely!Both parties are about to nominate pathological liars, but only one seems to be in agony over it. Why aren't Democrats freaking out about Hillary Clinton?
The two major political parties both seem to be on the verge of choosing as their presidential candidate a pathological, sociopathic liar who is obsessed with wealth and power. Yet only one party seems to be in real agony over that possibility.
Donald Trump’s lies are frequent, brazen, and well-documented. That was on display in his recent press conference when he claimed that various Trump-branded businesses are still going strong — except that they aren’t. What he called “Trump water” is produced by another company and merely relabeled for distribution at his resorts. Same thing with the supposed “Trump magazine” he handed out to reporters. My favorite detail is that the “Trump steaks” he touted were conspicuously branded by their actual maker, “Bush Brothers.” I presume that’s a different set of Bush brothers, not Dubya and Jeb. To be fair, the Trump Winery is still in business, but he only bought it in 2012. Give it time.
A British reporter who did an unflattering television special on Trump in the 1990s, and spent years afterward being harassed by him, describes his approach with a bit of British slang that ought to make the leap to America this year: “blagging.” It means bragging by lying about yourself.
Yes, all politicians lie. But Trump does it with a regularity, a brazenness, and a contemptuous indifference to even the appearance of propriety that marks him as more than an ordinary politician. He has the personality of a sociopath, the kind of person who lies for fun or just to keep in practice.
Voting for Trump isn’t a matter of calculation, it’s a matter of conscience.
This is one of the things that has fueled the #NeverTrump movement, which as you might have guessed, started on Twitter. It’s a movement of Republicans who vow never to support Trump, even if he wins our party’s nomination. It’s not that we’re purists who don’t understand the idea of voting for the lesser evil. We’ve done that before. But voting for Trump is not a matter of pragmatic calculation. It’s a matter of conscience, and we just can’t bring ourselves to do it.
From that perspective, what I find interesting is that there seems to be no corresponding #NeverHillary movement. If you want to talk about a politician who lies systematically and without compunction, well, do you recognize any of that? So why aren’t Democrats recoiling at their choice, too?
I don’t say that as an excuse to feel superior to Democrats — certainly not in this year, given how a lot of my fellow Republicans are voting. It’s a real question: why aren’t they concerned that they’re about to nominate someone who is actually famous for her aversion to the truth?
In the Museum of Political Lies, the Clintons have their own wing.
In the Museum of Political Lies, there will be a whole wing dedicated to the Clintons. There is already a well-established set of Clinton Rules for dealing with scandals, which were famously summed up as “It’s not true, it’s not true, it’s not true, it’s old news.” Deny the scandal repeatedly and vociferously, then accept it as true but dismiss it as irrelevant on the grounds that it has already been thoroughly discussed. Repeat as necessary. Then there’s my personal favorite version of the Clinton Rules. Clinton scandals are never about the Clintons. They’re always about their critics’ weird “obsession” with the Clintons. When I Googled “Maureen Dowd Clinton Rules,” searching for the link above, more than half the results were about Maureen Dowd’s “21-year long campaign against Hillary Clinton,” as Media Matters put it. You see, it’s not about Hillary, it’s about Maureen Dowd — and what’s wrong with her, anyway?
The wider concern with Hillary is the same as with Trump: that her goal is to become the ultimate “crony capitalist,” based on the way the Clintons have already cashed in on their political prominence to the tune of a hundred million dollars. While she campaigns to become the standard-bearer of a populist, anti-capitalist party, Hillary has a history of giving speeches to big Wall Street firms in exchange for fees so absurdly high they only make sense as a version of influence-peddling.
So why aren’t Democrats freaking out and desperately searching for an alternative? To be sure, there may well be Democrats who feel Hillary is unacceptable, but why is it not an existential crisis for their party the way it is for the Republicans?
Bernie is what ‘honesty’ looks like in a Democrat: being an outright socialist.
Well, it is a crisis in a way, and that explains the challenge mounted by Bernie Sanders, who represents what “honesty” looks like in a leader of the contemporary Democratic Party: being an outright socialist. But that also explains why Sanders has not overtaken Clinton. He is correctly viewed as too far out there to be a viable, electable alternative.
Which brings us to the bigger issue: the left is more accustomed than the right to sacrificing scruples for the sake of power — or at least, it is more used to doing it openly. If your ideological goal is greater government control of the economy (and just about everything else), then wielding government power is an indispensable first step. You have to win before you can even discuss what it is you’re going to do with the levers of power. So it’s no surprise that the left has developed whole theories about gaining, keeping, and wielding power. Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals” — basically a guideline to dirty tricks, smear tactics, and intimidation — is something that all of the leaders of the left were brought up on. Barack Obama taught these theories as his first job out of college, and a young Hillary Rodham corresponded extensively with Alinsky.
A movement steeped in this power-above-all approach is going to be more inclined to accept a deeply dishonest candidate on the grounds that “he may be an SOB, but at least he’s our SOB.” Or “she,” mutatis mutandis.
But we’re catching up. A lot of people who are backing Trump seem to know on some level that he’s full of it. But they don’t care that he’s an SOB, because they think he’s their SOB. They’re on the verge of accepting a worldview in which there is nothing but a raw scramble for power by strongmen whom we support because they’re on our side, not because of their principles or character.
We’re all playing by the same rules now, but they’re not the rules of a republic.
The whole thing is summed up in leftist protesters disrupting one of Trump’s rallies — and Trump threatening to send his supporters to disrupt Sanders’ rallies. At this rate, we’re going to end up with rival gangs fighting it out in the streets before 2016 is over, sort of like this. With the rise of Trump, we’re all playing by the same rules now, and they’re not the rules of a republic.
But maybe we just have to wait for #NeverHillary. It’s possible that part of the reason most Democrats aren’t in full-blown rebellion against Hillary is because they have so few alternatives. Many Republicans are livid about Trump’s electoral success because we started this election cycle with an abundance of better choices. But after eight years of Obama and a string of Republican victories on the congressional and state levels, Democrats have emptied out their bench, leaving only a handful of senior statesmen (very senior) and not much up-and-coming young talent.
If Trump gets the Republican nomination, Democrats may find that their own aversion to Trump outweighs any qualms they have about Clinton. Heck, that’s true even for some #NeverTrump Republicans, who are contemplating going full Mugwump and voting for Hillary.
But if Republicans somehow manage to head off Trump and deny him the nomination, Democrats will face a moment of choice. They will have to decide whether they want to give the highest office in the land over to a remorseless opportunist. And who knows? That could end up making a big difference.
Let’s hope, for our sake as well as theirs, that we all have a choice about that come November.
Follow Robert on Twitter.On a high following Garbage’s triumphant new album, the unapologetic frontwoman talks pricking pomposity, Rihanna and the insanity of sexual double standards
Taken from the autumn 2016 issue of Dazed: If you believe what you read in the 90s, Shirley Manson enjoys golden showers, is ‘sex on a stick’ and looks like Tina Turner on rhino tranquilisers when she lip-syncs. She’s also not the kind of girl you’d want to take home to your mother, more the kind of woman who’d serve cold rat to her crippled and imprisoned sister for a laugh. “It wasn’t even slightly undermining terminology,” laughs Shirley Manson, recalling the obscenity of what the press (read: middle-aged music schlubs) have written about her. “Looking back, I didn’t say or do anything particularly wild or crazy. I’m actually pretty fucking together. It was just a way for people to undermine me, but that’s life.” People tend to be intimidated by icons. The crazier the rumour, the greater the icon – and the bigger the threat. There’s no doubt that Manson is both. For three decades, the (formerly) flame-haired Garbage frontwoman has refused to compromise, subverting stereotypes and writing her own narrative in an industry still dominated by men. Manson, who began as an alternative voice for a generation of disaffected kids, has emerged as a true role model, speaking out against sexism and ageism while articulating the change she wants to see. “I’ve always felt that the truth is powerful, even though it’s sometimes difficult to stomach,” says Manson. Today, the Edinburgh-born musician is back in her adopted hometown of LA (“I just love the dark, seedy underbelly of Tinseltown”) for a few days before heading out on tour with Garbage to promote their new album, Strange Little Birds. Here, she talks orgasms, Marilyn Manson, and giving as good as she gets.
You’ve always spoken so openly about sex. I remember reading that you bought a bright orange Fender guitar because you wanted it to match your pubic hair, which is amazing. Shirley Manson: That’s true, I liked the colour of it. (laughs) I think I’m a truth-seeker, I’ve spent my entire life that way and I’m not entirely sure why. I think that when you’re seeking the truth, you want to explode all the bubbles. You see them and you just want to take a pin and burst them. I think I was probably bright and realised that sex was being used in an exploitative fashion – it was being appropriated and used in power-play. I didn’t like the power it had over me, so I decided to destroy it. Did growing up in a ‘nice girls don’t talk about sex’ type of environment impact that? Shirley Manson: Yes, I think it’s only recently that I’ve become more and more outraged about the inequality regarding female sexuality. I guess it was spurred by the onslaught of celebrities who were posting photographs of their bums on social media. I wanted to examine what that meant. As ape-like as it was, it did make me very aware of how we weren’t encouraged to think of ourselves as sexual in any way, shape or form in my generation. In the 70s and 80s, it was seen as shameful that women had any kind of sex drive. If we did, we were called ‘sluts’ and ‘whores’, and really, really frightening terminology was used to describe any woman who had any sexual desire whatsoever. I’m grateful that I was rebellious as a young person and fought back against that. “I realised that sex was being used in an exploitative fashion. I didn’t like the power that it had over me, so I decided to destroy it” — Shirley Manson Totally. Shirley Manson: Now I’m really angry about it. Why is it that the entire sexual experience is couched in completely patriarchal terms? Why are we not expecting to have orgasms every time that we step up to the plate? Why is it a joke among women that we are somehow expected to fake an orgasm? I think women really need to start redrawing the playground in that regard. It’s important that we are sexually fulfilled – why should we be ashamed of our sex drives? Why shouldn’t the sexual act be pleasurable? It’s taken me a long time to get to this point where I’m truly outraged by it. I think of my teenage self and how we were almost conditioned by the idea that if we got into bed with somebody, as long as the male orgasm was achieved, there was success! It’s insanity. I’m grateful, particularly to Rihanna, who I think has changed the game in terms of how we view sexual women. To me, she feels completely equal with a male counterpart on a sexual level. She’s not being coy, she’s not playing power games, she’s not titillating and she’s not using her feminine wiles in a dangerous, dishonest way. I wish I’d had somebody like that when I was growing up.
Photography Michael Hauptman, fashion Emma Wyman
What was your introduction to feminism? Shirley Manson: Well, I read the Shere Hite report (on female sexuality) when I was 14. My best friend Jane gave it to me and that’s where I discovered the female orgasm. I’d never, ever heard of it before and my mind and body were literally blown by this discovery. (laughs) What happened next? Shirley Manson: I became very loud. We had a teacher who was very much like Miss Jean Brodie, who had a clique of girls. It really was like that movie, where she sort of developed our confidence and our curiosity and introduced us to sex in literature. It was crazy. I got involved in a drama group and a band and became a professional show-off. I was quite insufferable, truth be told. I wanted to embarrass people with my body. I would be in rooms constantly showing my tits off… I’m so grateful that social media didn’t exist back then. There’s one thing that I have to ask because I’ve heard rumours and wasn’t sure if it was true – about your boyfriend’s cornflakes? (Manson reportedly shit on an ex-boyfriend’s cereal. If someone treats you like shit…) Shirley Manson: That is true. “I’m grateful, particularly to Rihanna, who I think has changed the game in terms of how we view sexual women” — Shirley Manson Amazing! What’s the craziest rumour you’ve ever heard about yourself? Shirley Manson: My favourite one is that I’m related to Marilyn Manson. It’s amazing because I’d love for him to be my brother! There’s always a myriad of things written about anybody in the press. Things get exaggerated, completely taken out of context or people |
. Between 1946 and 1948, USPHS and Guatemalan medical doctors exposed 1,308 Guatemalan prisoners, psychiatric patients, soldiers, and sex workers to diseases like syphilis, gonorrhea, and chancroid. Records show that the U.S. scientists involved in those experiments did not treat the majority of Guatemalans nor did they receive informed consent from their subjects.
A former soldier for the Guatemalan military, Ramos is today 90 years old and resides with his family in a mountain village two hours by truck from the nearest health clinic. He and his family members complain of health problems they believe resulted from the syphilis contracted during the experiments. To date, they have received no help or assistance from the U.S. or Guatemalan governments as reparations for the experiments. In fact, Ramos himself paid for the only medication he received from a private clinic.
While Guatemalans continue to suffer the harmful effects of experiments conducted 70 years ago, the country still serves as a laboratory for the global pharmaceutical industry. Although these days the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and multinational pharmaceutical corporations require that researchers demonstrate their compliance with international regulations by using consent forms in human-subject experiments, local physicians say that ethical problems persist in research practices and the number of clinical trials continues to grow.
Dr. Manuel Gatica, a gastroenterologist who has participated in clinical investigation in Guatemala and works for the Guatemalan Institute of Social Security (IGSS), says not much has changed since the syphilis experiments. “Guatemalans are still being used as guinea pigs in medical experiments,” he told me in an interview in his private clinic in Guatemala City. “The researchers are not injecting them with any disease, but they are exposing them to medications that they are not familiar with.”
Pharmaceutical research grew rapidly in Central America during the 1990s. The upsurge in clinical trials in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) like Guatemala followed the ratification of two agreements: the Good Clinical Practice Guidelines from the International Conference on Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use in 1996 and the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) in 1994. These agreements sought to protect primarily U.S.-based pharmaceutical companies by standardizing regulatory practices to ensure the integrity of trial results, and tied trade agreements to intellectual property rights. Pharmaceutical companies have taken advantage of the fact that LMICs, in most cases, cannot provide universal healthcare to citizens. The companies pursue research in these countries in part because their populations have far less exposure to medications that might confound or bias study results. That bodily history is a benefit to corporations working to comply with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards that recommend using trial participants who are not taking other drugs.
According to the NIH-managed website ClinicalTrials.gov, which began collecting data on human-subject experiments in 1997, more clinical trials sponsored by pharmaceutical and biotech companies have been conducted in Guatemala since 2005 than in any other Central American country (252 trials were registered in Guatemala. Panama has the second highest number of clinical trials registered at 219, followed by Costa Rica at 144.) While Costa Rica was once a hub for pharmaceutical research in Latin America, drug trials were suspended there following controversy over clinical trials sponsored by the U.S. National Cancer Institute on a vaccine for the human papilloma virus (HPV). The controversy emerged due to problems with informed consent and non-compliance with local regulations. In short, pharmaceutical companies have increasingly turned to Latin America, particularly Mexico and Brazil, in addition to Guatemala, seeking opportunities to comply with enrollment requirements set by the FDA while keeping research costs down.
Guatemala’s problems with healthcare delivery drive some local physicians to say that clinical research itself is unethical. “The elephant in the room is that in this country there is no access to basic healthcare,” said Dr. Joaquin Barnoya, an Associate Professor in Public Health Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis who has a medical practice and also conducts public health research in Guatemala. “Before we start doing clinical trials on new drugs, we need to ensure that Guatemalans have access to healthcare, in general.”
Following the 2010 public revelation of the sexually transmitted infections (STI) experiments, Barnoya argued in a local newspaper that Guatemala does not have the infrastructure in its healthcare system, nor the educational training in clinical or epidemiological research in its universities, to sufficiently support and critically evaluate pharmaceutical industry trials. His comments set off a firestorm of controversy on the Internet, primarily from local physicians who are collaborating with pharmaceutical companies on clinical research and who claim that the drug trials conducted in Guatemala comply with international standards.
What many Guatemalan physicians who have collaborated with the drug industry do not address is how a lack of access to healthcare can operate as a coercive factor that pushes Guatemalan patients to consent to clinical trials. In fact, many Guatemalans feel compelled to participate in clinical trials in order to simply get ahold of necessary treatments—even if those drugs are still being tested. Public hospitals and health clinics consistently run out of essential medicines. This is particularly difficult for the estimated 75 percent of Guatemalans who still live below the poverty line – although people who can pay for private health services also have difficulty obtaining treatments.
Such problems have only been accentuated in recent years by U.S. trade policy. In particular, Guatemalans’ ability to obtain affordable drugs has been limited by the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which stipulates countries must adhere to intellectual property rights as outlined in the TRIPS agreement. These regulatory measures restrict the production and sale of generic drugs. The high cost of antiretroviral therapy to treat HIV infection has been an especially contested issue in Guatemala, as trade agreements with the United States limit access to more affordable drugs for those who need them most. In 2005, when the CAFTA agreement generated heated debates in Guatemala over access to healthcare and medication, then-U.S. Ambassador John Hamilton published a newspaper editorial warning that Guatemala would be excluded from the benefits of the trade deal if they did not adhere to the intellectual property clause.
Not only do Guatemalans lack basic medical treatments, but government regulations have failed to ensure that drugs will be available once the clinical trials end. Sanofi, a French multinational pharmaceutical company, is currently recruiting Guatemalan participants for a study on a drug, known as Alirocumab, which treats chronic cholesterol problems but has been criticized for its high cost. Sanofi did not respond to questions regarding whether participants would be granted continued access to the drug once the clinical trial ends.
Other drugs that have been tested are not on the World Health Organization (WHO) Essential Medicines List, which WHO updates every two years and specifies safe and cost-effective medications that countries need to meet basic health-care standards. The Pan American Health Organization pools the economic resources of member countries to purchase these essential medicines at a lower cost. In addition to research on drugs considered not critical to Guatemalans’ health needs, sometimes the tests involve placebos—an experimental design issue that has caused an outcry from many ethicists who argue that all participants should receive the best form of medical intervention available.
Guatemalans who lack medical attention and medications consent to clinical trials seeking free treatments, but it is not clear that they understand these studies and the implications for their own health. The consent process in a country where approximately 25 percent of the overall adult population cannot read or write—and that number is even higher among indigenous populations and women—poses a marked challenge to researchers. Despite these problems, physicians report that they have received certification with the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance to conduct clinical research in little more than a day. Although doctors are required to take a course in which they learn about using consent forms, researchers who have completed the course say typical practices do not emphasize how to obtain informed consent, meaning that participants rarely understand the purposes of the study in which they are taking part. The course also instructs researchers to translate consent forms into indigenous languages, but doubts persist about whether or not participants who have had little exposure to medical research fully understand the purposes of the clinical study.
Part of this apparent lack of ethical rigor can be explained by the fact that the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance’s certification course for conducting clinical trials was designed by the same man who wants to attract foreign investment from pharmaceutical companies themselves. Dr. Leon Arango owns the Centro de Investigación y Docencia en América Latina (Center for Research and Teaching in Latin America, CIDAL)—a Contract Research Organization (CRO) in Guatemala. The main purpose of CROs is to ensure that clinical trials are conducted in an efficient and cost-effective manner. They contract with pharmaceutical and biotech companies to conduct local management of clinical trials and oversee the recruitment of researchers and trial participants. On its website, CIDAL markets the appeal of Latin America as a region by highlighting its “treatment naïve” population, “strict but expeditious regulations,” and strong doctor-patient relationships. The first of these marketing claims holds a cynical truth: populations in Latin America are “treatment naïve” because they generally cannot afford to pay for medications. Guatemalan bodies and “efficient” regulations are both highly desirable.
Arango also served as a consultant in developing Guatemala’s regulatory framework (Normativa para la Regulación de Ensayos Clínicos en Humanos) to oversee clinical trials, produced in 2007. On paper, the regulatory system adheres to international guidelines for medical research, but Arango acknowledged in an interview for this article that the approval process has problems. He complained that the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance is incompetent and stymies the local approval of clinical trials. He also said that the government is not conducting the routine audits of the independent committees charged with conducting an ethics review of the studies. Repeated attempts to interview a government representative overseeing medical ethics for this article were denied.
Arango also said that the pharmaceutical companies bring drugs into the country that patients would not otherwise be able to obtain. He appeals to pharmaceutical companies to continue to provide drugs to participants in clinical trials, if they are proved effective after research ends. But without regulations enforcing this measure in Guatemala, corporations are the ones who decide whether to shoulder the expense of providing continued treatments to participants—or not.
To be sure, the vast majority of local physicians do not participate in clinical investigations—doctors interviewed for this article estimated that only five percent of Guatemalan health professionals overall are involved in pharmaceutical research. The doctors who do participate in clinical research reap significant benefits. Dr. Gatica, for example, said that one of his colleagues drives five cars and pharmaceutical companies bring researchers to international conferences where they are rewarded generously with cruises and expensive meals.
But even so, such researchers take a backseat to the foreign collaborators. Only rarely are Guatemalan physicians the first author in journal papers. For example, in the July 2016 edition of the industry-funded publication, Current Medical Research and Opinion, a Guatemalan researcher was the last author in a study that investigated a combination drug therapy for hypertension. The first two researchers worked directly for Merck & Co., a U.S.-based pharmaceutical company that is one of the largest in the world. Virtually all Guatemalans serve pharmaceutical companies and foreign scientists in a subordinate position.
The doctors are doing maquila,” said Dr. Carlos Vassaux, a cardiologist who served as the doctor for the U.S. Embassy for a number of years. In calling international pharmaceutical research maquila, Vassaux equated it with the low-cost, poor-paying assembly lines operated south of the U.S. border. “They receive a protocol and the results belong to the company, not to you,” he said. “You don’t even know what happens to those studies.”
One reason why Guatemalan doctors are not participating more directly in research is that the universities do not train medical students in clinical investigation and ethics. The University of San Carlos, the national university in Guatemala, is strapped with ongoing budgetary and bureaucratic constraints. Most of the faculty at the school only work part-time while keeping up with their private medical practices.
Physicians interviewed for this article are not, in principle, opposed to clinical research. They believe that such investigation should be part of medicine. But many say such research should only be conducted in cases where there are no other drugs available for the condition and when the participants are granted complete transparency about the study.
The scandal at the IGSS a year ago demonstrated that the highest offices of government are willing to compromise the health and lives of Guatemalans through contracting with pharmaceutical companies. A year ago, La Comisión Internacional contra la Impunidad en Guatemala (The International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala, CICIG), revealed that in 2014, the IGSS changed its dialysis supplier to a pharmaceutical company called PISA. IGSS employees, businessmen, and the head of the Bank of Guatemala took kickbacks of at least 15 percent from the contract. These dialysis treatments resulted in the deaths of thirteen Guatemalans. The President of the Board of IGSS, Juan de Dios Rodríguez, was arrested along with seventeen public officials and collaborators. In fall 2015, this scandal sparked widespread protest in Guatemala as part of efforts to force President Otto Perez Molina to step down from office.
During the protests, medical doctors from major public hospitals were leaders in denouncing government corruption. Dr. Jamie Cáceres of San Juan de Dios Hospital said that the government has literally robbed the people of basic healthcare services. He distributed a pamphlet in an August 2015 protest that drew thousands of Guatemalans to the capital; the pamphlet read, “We don’t have medicine, we don’t have diagnostic exams, we don’t have plastic bags for the trash…”
Before President Jimmy Morales assumed office in winter 2016, several media outlets published reports that the Guatemalan government would provide reparations to victims of the 1940s STI experiments. But the victims have still not been compensated. Guatemala’s efforts to persuade the United States to fund a bioethics center, similar to the one it founded at the Tuskegee University, have also not materialized.
Dr. Barnoya had hoped that revelations about the STI experiments would spur conversation about the practice of medicine and research in Guatemala, but he said that the topic has largely been forgotten. Following the international outcry about the STI experiments in Guatemala in 2010, the victims of these experiments also believe that they have been forgotten.
“We are only here because of the pure will of God,” said Benjamin Ramos, the oldest son of Federico Ramos Meza. “We are paying our taxes, but we have been abandoned by the central government.”
Lydia Crafts is a PhD Candidate in History at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.Like pumpkin pie and military shooters, Professor Layton has become something of a yearly fall tradition for American gamers. Over the past five years, the folks at Nintendo of America have released five entries in Level-5's delightful puzzle series.
These games have mostly blended together in my mind: ask me to tell you why intrepid heroine Emmy stars in the latest one but not the first few, for example, and I'll happily admit that I have no clue. But if Professor Layton games continue to be this much of a pleasure to play, if they keep giving us the sort of clever puzzles and sharp writing that the latest entry has to offer, to Level-5 I say this yearly tradition is A-OK.
The newest Professor Layton game is called Miracle Mask, and it's the first Professor Layton game for the Nintendo 3DS. (Previous games were all on its predecessor, the DS). In some ways Miracle Mask is the same as all of the games that came before it. In many ways it's very different.
The biggest and most apparent change involves the way you interact with Layton's mystery-packed world. While in previous games you used the DS's bottom screen to prod behind jars and open drawers, scouring the environment for puzzles and clues by touching each area you wanted to investigate, Miracle Mask switches this up entirely. You'll now drag your stylus along the system's bottom screen to move a cursor around the top, then tap when your cursor lands on something you want to look at. Environments on the top screen are no longer flat and static; as you navigate, you can see different angles of each room or street and you can even magnify suspicious areas to get a new perspective.
At first I found this irritating. Why change a system that worked perfectly before? Why do I have to slide my stylus around the screen instead of just tapping what I want to look at? Why is this making me so dizzy?
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By the second chapter I had gotten over this. I don't know that this new interface is more intuitive or helpful than the old one, but it works. The camera can be a little sensitive, and the controls are kind of finicky, especially as you're starting to get adjusted to them, but the whole thing isn't too hard to get the hang of.
WHY: The characters are great, the story is lovely, and the puzzles are wonderful.
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Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask
Developer: Level-5
Platforms: 3DS
Release Date: October 28
Type of game: Puzzler
What I played: Completed the game in 10 hours and 54 minutes. Solved 82 puzzles. Earned 2,728 Picarats.
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My Two Favorite Things
That "I'm a genius!" rush of endorphins that hits when you piece together a tricky puzzle without using any hint coins.
Professor Layton is one suave badass.
My Two Least-Favorite Things
Getting used to the strange new UI, which can be a little finicky.
Backtracking!
Made-to-Order Back-of-Box Quotes
"The real puzzle is why Professor Layton's top hat never falls off." —Jason Schreier, Kotaku.com
"By far a better yearly tradition than going to the dentist." —Jason Schreier, Kotaku.com
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The second-biggest change is that everybody is now rendered in glorious 3D. The eponymous Professor Layton, his sidekick Luke, and everybody else in the world is presented in smooth, blocky, three-dimensional fashion when they're not participating in anime cut-scenes. It's a first for the series, and certainly not a bad one.
"The world is full of puzzles!" one exuberant character shouts near the beginning of Miracle Mask. In Layton, as you might already know, this is both figurative and literal. Puzzles are both challenge and currency, sometimes offered up as a reward to the Professor for helping a boy find his mother, other times hurled at you by a pair of crooks who want nothing more than to bleed Layton's wallet dry. Puzzles are the lifeblood of this world.
And the puzzles in Miracle Mask are some of the best I can remember in any Layton game. Some play around with the 3DS's three-dimensional screen, like one brain-teaser in which you have to count a number of people waiting in line for some store opening, but they are all obfuscated by a sign. You can turn on the 3D so that the sign pops to the foreground and the people behind it are easier to distinguish. It's one of the best uses of 3D—usually a vestigial feature—I've seen to date.
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Many puzzles require you to interact with the system in unorthodox ways, but there are fewer trick answers than in previous Laytons. Some of the old standbys are still around—you might get very sick of dividing chess boards into sections, for example—but overall I was rather surprised by just how many new twists and types of puzzles there are in Miracle Mask. Pleasantly surprised.
And speaking of surprise, there's one chapter that changes everything up with an Indiana Jones-style adventure that... well, you know what—I won't spoil it for you. It's very cool.
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So as you roam around the city of Monte d'Or, the glitzy desert oasis that takes center-stage for most of Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, your goals are twofold: 1. To solve as many puzzles as humanly possible; 2. To figure out the mystery behind the Masked Gentleman.
The Masked Gentleman, you see, is a dapper, enigmatic, shrouded gentleman (or maybe lady?) who spends his spare time terrorizing the people of Monte d'Or with what he calls "dark miracles." Sometimes he'll turn a bunch of people into stone. Or fly above the city, making people levitate and disappear. Dark miracles! (If you are at all familiar with Layton, you are perhaps starting to suspect that these may not actually be acts of magic or miracle. Good instincts.)
Unraveling this mystery involves revisiting one particularly harrowing moment in Professor Layton's past, and a good chunk of Miracle Mask takes place 18 years before the game. For three chapters you get to play Hershel Layton the college student, as he smokes pot, binge drinks, and chases tail. Well, okay, that might not be true. He just solves puzzles. But it's fascinating to see the shaggy-haired, less confident version of the Professor, and the flashback chapters are just as good if not better than the normal ones.
If you've ever played a Professor Layton game, you pretty much know what you're getting with Miracle Mask: a tear-jerking story accessorized with beautiful music, clever dialogue, and oodles of puzzles both simple and baffling. Even when Miracle Mask shakes up the formula, it's still got that Layton feel.
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This is not a bad thing. As far as video game comfort food goes, I'll take charming puzzlers over first-person shooters any day. Even after hours and hours of what seems to be an endless deluge of Layton games, I still get a rush from seeing that red exclamation point that means I'm about to discover a new puzzle. I'm still hooked on the "Holy shit, I'm smart!" moments that you can only really get by working out the answer to a tricky brain-teaser.
Nintendo also promises that Miracle Mask will get free downloadable puzzles every day for the next year. The next year! Everyone loves to throw around that infamous Reggie Fils-Aime quote-turned meme, "My body is ready." Between yearly Layton games and daily puzzle downloads, I think Reggie should give us a new version. My mind is ready.Signage for the 'Give Me Three' Campaign (Photo by melissssaf via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
Beginning September 16, the "Three Feet For Safety" Act will legally require drivers to give cyclists three feet of room when passing. If three feet are not available, motorists must slow down and wait until they can safely pass. Those who do not could receive a $35 fine, which shoots up to $220 if a violator injures the cyclist.
Leland Tang of the California Highway Patrol says that in addition to writing the citations, they'll be ensuring that cyclists follow road rules as well, according to L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky's site.
The three feet buffer was explored back in 2010 at the Bicycle Summit held by then-Mayor Villaraigosa, launching the "Give Me Three" campaign. Governor Brown vetoed earlier drafts of the bill in 2011 and 2012, but a simpler version was finally signed by Brown in September of 2013, KTLA reports.
This is the first law that gives a specific safe distance in the state of California, but California is not the first state to enact it. Twenty-four others states have a similar three-feet passing law, and Pennsylvania requires that drivers give cyclists four feet. If you're curious, the National Conference of State Legislature has a list of each state and their specific laws (or lack thereof) here.Macro brewers no longer own canned beer. More and more craft breweries are adding cans to their lineups because they’re cheap, they travel well, and they keep damaging light from hitting the beer inside. So the switch is good for the brewer, good for the beer drinking traveler, and good for the beer. But is it good for the Earth?
When it comes down to it, the most environmentally friendly way to drink a beer is to ride your bike to the nearest brewery and drink straight form the tap. That’s not always possible, and with so many beer options out there, no one should be limited to just one local brewery. So environment-loving people are stuck between two options: cans or bottles.
Putting taste and style aside, here are the environmental pros and cons for bottles and cans.
The Case For and Against Bottles
Glass bottles are recyclable, and the typical bottle is made with between 20 and 30 percent recycled material. They also are made with silica. Silica is industrial sand and gravel with a high silicon dioxide content. According to the United States Geological Survey, silica is abundant and its mining “usually has limited environmental impact.”
That side of bottled beer sounds great, but there’s one major problem: Glass is heavy. Glass bottles have a larger carbon footprint when it comes to transportation. They also take a large amount of thick cardboard packaging to make sure the fragile glass bottles don’t break. According to Slate, transporting a bottle emits 20 percent more greenhouse gases than a can.
The Case For and Against Cans
You probably know this already, but cans are a lot lighter than bottles. That means they have a smaller carbon footprint than glass (as noted above), but also that they take less cardboard to hold and transport. Furthermore, cans are made with much more recycled content than glass bottles. According to The Aluminum Association, cans are typically made with 70 percent recycled content, and people recycle their cans 20 percent more often than they recycle glass.
The major downside to cans comes from making new aluminum. Aluminum producers need to mine bauxite, which is a clay mineral made up of aluminum hydroxide, iron, titanium, sulphur, and chromium. Bauxite mining is a scorched-earth operation in which massive equipment tramples local terrain and breaks into the Earth while spewing dust into the atmosphere. No matter how good recycling gets, new aluminum will always be a part of the equation.
Neither option sound appealing to you? Maybe it’s best to just stick to the local taps, then.The Toyota Prius has earned top honors for the second year in a row in Consumer Reports' ranking of the best-value new cars.
The product-testing organization said Wednesday that the Prius, which retails for $29,230, "has the right combination of performance, reliability and low estimated five-year ownership costs of 47 cents per mile."
To create its rankings, Consumer Reports tested over 200 vehicles currently on the market, looking at road-test scores, reliability and five-year owner-cost estimates. The Honda Fit, this year's runner-up, held the number-one spot in the Consumer Reports ranking for four years running before it was unseated by Toyota's (TM) Prius last year.
Related: BMW, Mercedes take different roads on electric cars
The top-performing vehicle among luxury cars was the Lexus ES 300h, while the Honda (HMC) Ridgeline TRS won out among pickups. The Subaru Legacy 2.5i Premium took the top spot among midsized cars.
Related: Which car has the best fuel economy? Take our quiz.
Coming in at the bottom of the ranking was the Nissan Armada SUV, which gets only 13 miles per gallon of gas and generated a large number of complaints from Consumer Reports subscribers.OPINION:TO MY dying day, I will not accept the findings of the Mahon tribunal report.
I know that these findings in relation to me are wrong and inaccurate.
I am incredulous that the tribunal can make such findings when I know I have not done anything dishonest.
I have been in close contact with my legal team and I am looking at all options as to how I can, and I will, vindicate my good name.
I know that some people might be of the view that I should just accept these findings and try to move on with my life.
Such advice might be well-intentioned, but it would be very hard to allow this blemish to remain on my character.
I never took a corrupt payment from anyone and I told the truth to the Mahon tribunal about
my finances and the difficult personal circumstances I found myself in.
The Mahon tribunal is not a court of law.
And it is not infallible.
Over the course of the tribunal, I had to take High Court challenges to some of the things it tried to do which were unlawful.
I did this reluctantly and as a last resort and I won all of those cases.
I was also among a large group of citizens who had been victims of a serious breach of constitutional justice when it emerged that the tribunal tried to prevent the disclosure of Mr Gilmartin’s lengthy catalogue of prior inconsistent statements.
While this is a matter for the tribunal, I am saddened that there has never been an explanation or even an expression of regret for those breaches and the costs and delays that flowed from the breaches. I believe the tribunal’s final report should have addressed this matter.
The tribunal has cost millions of euro and in making its final report it carried with it an enormous weight of public expectation.
Given the fact that I served as taoiseach for almost 10 years, I can understand how an impression might have been created that a trawl of my finances and lifestyle should be at the heart of the inquiry. This, of course, is not the case.
I was not involved in the zoning of Quarryvale and I never received a penny from Owen O’Callaghan.
I did not accept a bribe in regard to Quarryvale or anywhere else. And I did not take corrupt payments.
The tribunal does not make a finding of corruption against me.
Nor could it, because I never received an improper payment in my life.
My finances were chaotic, but they are most certainly not corrupt.
I am sorry if that has caused any confusion or worry in people’s minds.
As I have previously said, all of these issues arose in a period when my family, personal and professional situations were rapidly changing and I made the best decisions I could in the circumstances in which I found myself.
I was in the process of bringing my marital separation to a conclusion; I was occupying a busy ministerial office with the enormous workload and punishing schedules that went with it; I was a busy TD in a large and demanding constituency; and I was a senior officer and later leader of this State’s largest political party, at a time when that party was working to rebuild itself. Through all of this I was the father of two young children; in a new relationship; and maintaining long-standing friendships.
The unorthodox nature of my financial affairs has allowed the tribunal to cast doubt on the veracity of the evidence I gave them.
I was honest with the tribunal and I gave it truthful evidence and I wholeheartedly reject any suggestion that I did otherwise.
I am saddened to resign from Fianna Fáil.
It is a real emotional wrench.
The party has been an integral part of my life for 40 years.
I always worked hard and did my level best for Fianna Fáil and for the wider public.
I have the greatest of respect for the membership of the Fianna Fáil party right across the country.
I spent many years working to unite the Fianna Fáil party after years of factions.
I have tendered my resignation because I do not want a debate about me to become a source of division in Fianna Fáil.
I am a resilient person and in public life you learn to take knocks, but I am deeply wounded by this tribunal report.
The Irish people are kind and compassionate. I deeply appreciate the gesture of all those who have contacted me wishing me well and remembering me in their thoughts and prayers.Derrick Rose is not having a good day.
Hours after being fined $25,000 by the NBA for comments he made following Monday's frustrating win, the Bulls star was rear-ended on the Kennedy Expressway.
Rose was in his 2011 Bentley going southbound on Interstate 90 at Ogden Avenue when he was struck by a Saturn, driven by Charles Tratwein of Dundalk, Md., state police said.
Tratwein was not injured and Rose, who missed a few games last month because of back spasms, refused treatment at the scene. Rose told first responders that he would be checked by his own doctor at a later time.
Via email, the Bulls told NBC Chicago: "He is fine."
Tratwein was cited with failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash.
Rose is the second professional Chicago athlete to have car crashes in the last month. Blackhawks star Jonathon Toews last month crashed his Mercedes Benz into an elevated train post.BY MAXIM TRUDOLYUBOV
Russian and American media covering last week’s Asia-Pacific summit in Vietnam treated their respective audiences to two very different plots with barely overlapping storylines. Whereas the U.S. media focused on what President Donald Trump said about his Russian counterpart and the U.S. intelligence agencies, the Russian media presented a tense narrative of a summit meeting between Trump and Putin that almost fell through but went on to a happy conclusion, all obstacles notwithstanding.
Moscow wanted the two presidents to meet to bank a foreign policy profit in Syria. The previously agreed-on joint statement on Syria indeed contained some important, if not tectonic, advances in the two countries’ joint antiterrorist action in the region. But all of these news items were drowned out by the tidal wave of media coverage focused, inevitably, on the most toxic aspects of the relationship between the two countries.
As most of the English-speaking readers are familiar with the American media coverage, I hope to provide a glimpse into the kind of treatment Russian media outlets were giving the latest installment of the Putin-Trump saga.
High Hopes
On learning that the White House was not confirming a formal sit-down with Trump, the Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov did not hide his dismay. “We have heard about President Trump’s willingness to meet President Putin, a willingness that Trump has himself voiced. How am I supposed to know what Trump’s ‘pen-pushers’ think about the possibility of a formal meeting? I cannot be responsible for that. Ask the American side,” Lavrov, a man not known to mince his words, responded when asked last Friday about the prospects of a formal tête-à-tête between Putin and Trump.
It was Russia’s turn to serve as a formal organizer of a meeting but the American side proved recalcitrant, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “The Americans showed no flexibility, and unfortunately did not offer any other alternative proposals. That is why the meeting could not happen,” Peskov added.
But that was far from the full story as told by Russian media. Voskresnoe Vremya (Sunday Times), a weekly news roundup on Channel One, Russia’s major nationwide television channel, told a tale of an intense struggle for an opportunity for the two presidents to at least cross paths. The fact of the meeting was the sole subject of an entire ten-minute segment that led the show.
After playing a brief clip of President Putin threatening (jokingly) to punish his protocol team for failing to accommodate a meeting with Trump the presenter of Voskresnoe Vremya went on to say that Vietnam, as organizer, had tried to save the day and, intervening subtly, had directed Putin and Trump to stand next to each other during the summit’s first photo opportunity. “This is how Putin and Trump, for the first time in Vietnam, found themselves close to each other,” the presenter said.
The show then jumped into a brief flashback to the Vietnam War and lingered on the story of John McCain, whose warplane, the presenter reminded the watchers, was shot down fifty years ago in Vietnam. “McCain, then a young U.S. pilot, is now a U.S. senator and a fierce opponent of a relationship with Russia,” the audience was told. “Back in 1967 he tried to bomb Vietnam. He survived but he remembered our rockets that the Vietnam military of the time used to repel aerial attacks.” Documentary shots of a young uniformed McCain flickered on the screen.
The program then played an interview with Jake Morphonios, a campaign manager and a journalist whose formal affiliation is unclear and who describes himself as a “geopolitical investigator” on his Twitter profile. Morphonios went on to say that the Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov was right to point out that it was the officials who surround Trump who tried to prevent the two leaders from meeting. “John Kelly in particular is obstructing many projects of cooperation between the two presidents,” Morphios was heard saying in the Voskresnoe Vremya segment. “Those within the DC establishment, what you would call the swamp, are seeking to prevent the two men from meeting and collaborating together on things that could bring about meaningful solutions to significant world problems facing our two nations,” said Morphios, in a part of the same recording he himself posted on his YouTube channel.
I am sorry for the long recounting, but this is a taste of what Russia’s media routine sounds like, every day of every week (you be the judge as to whose media circus is better). Similarly dramatic stories of Putin and Trump trying to meet against all odds were told, among others, by NTV, another major national television channel and Moskovsky Komsomolets (MK), a general interest Moscow daily with a nationwide reach. “Vladimir Putin needed all his cool of a professional intelligence officer when the U.S. unexpectedly cancelled a meeting between the two presidents,” the MK wrote, and then related a story full of suspense and sudden breakthroughs.
Inevitable Disappointment
Putin and Trump shaking hands was all over Russian media, presented as a triumph. The Kremlin clearly looked forward to that meeting. Putin’s preceding consultations with the leaders of Iran and Turkey, as well as Russia’s and U.S. joint, if awkward, statement, allow us to conclude that Russia is seeking a way out of Syria, Alexander Shumilin, head of the Center for Analysis of the Greater Middle East Conflicts at the Institute of the U.S. and Canada, told the newspaper Vedomosti.
Shumilin saw two major takeaways from the Syria statement. The forces loyal to Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad and an international coalition supported by the United States are ready to work together rather than fight each other. The second important takeaway is Russia’s readiness to go on and concede priority to the Geneva peace process rather than to the Astana process, the one that Moscow itself earlier initiated. The statement also confirms the two sides’ commitment to maintaining the agreed-on de-escalation zones and withdrawing all foreign forces from the zone immediately bordering Israel.
These are all meaningful results that give hope of continued hard diplomatic work that might in the end lead to a peaceful solution in Syria. Moscow has shown some sensible flexibility while still insisting on the general success of its approach to Syria. The meeting that did not happen could have been a symbolic coup for Moscow. The U.S. side denied it, and Lavrov’s anger was explicable: he had invested a lot in this very real |
compatible alternative by Pace. Serial interfaces were also available from third-party vendors such as KDS Electronics and Cirkit.
Software [ edit ]
BASIC and operating system [ edit ]
Locomotive BASIC on the Amstrad CPC 464
Like most home computers at the time, the CPC has its OS and a BASIC interpreter built in as ROM. It uses Locomotive BASIC - an improved version of Locomotive Software's Z80 BASIC for the BBC Microcomputer co-processor board. It is particularly notable for providing easy access to the machine's video and audio resources in contrast to the POKE commands required on generic Microsoft implementations. Other unusual features include timed event handling with the AFTER and EVERY commands, and text-based windowing.
Digital Research's CP/M operating system was supplied with the 664 and 6128 disk-based systems, and the DDI-1 disk expansion unit for the 464. 64k machines shipped with CP/M 2.2 alone, while the 128k machines also include CP/M 3.1. The compact CP/M 2.2 implementation is largely stored on the boot sectors of a 3" disk in what was called "System format"; typing |CPM from Locomotive BASIC would load code from these sectors, making it a popular choice for custom game loading routines. The CP/M 3.1 implementation is largely in a separate file which is in turn loaded from the boot sector. Much public domain CP/M software was made available for the CPC, from word-processors such as VDE to complete bulletin board systems such as ROS.
Other languages [ edit ]
Although it was possible to obtain compilers for Locomotive BASIC, C and Pascal, the majority of the CPC's software was written in native Z80 assembly language. Popular assemblers were Hisoft's Devpac, Arnor's Maxam, and (in France) DAMS. Disk-based CPC (not Plus) systems shipped with an interpreter for the educational language LOGO, booted from CP/M 2.2 but largely CPC-specific with much code resident in the AMSDOS ROM; 6128 machines also include a CP/M 3.1, non-ROM version. A C compiler was also written and made available for the European market through Tandy Europe, by Micro Business products.
Roland [ edit ]
In an attempt to give the CPC a recognisable mascot, a number of games by Amstrad's in-house software publisher Amsoft have been tagged with the Roland name. However, as the games had not been designed around the Roland character and only had the branding added later, the character design varies immensely, from a spiky-haired blonde teenager (Roland Goes Digging) to a white cube with legs (Roland Goes Square Bashing) or a mutant flea (Roland in the Caves). The only two games with similar gameplay and main character design are Roland in Time and its sequel Roland in Space. The Roland character was named after Roland Perry, one of the lead designers of the original CPC range.
Schneider Computer Division [ edit ]
Schneider Computer Division logo
Schneider CPC6128 with visible micro ribbon connectors at the top (back) side
Schneider CPC Demo Tape Presentation Compact Cassette came with the CPC464
In order to market its computers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland where Amstrad did not have any distribution structures, Amstrad entered a partnership with Schneider Rundfunkwerke AG, a German company that - very much like Amstrad itself - was previously only known for value-priced audio products. In 1984, Schneider's Schneider Computer Division daughter company was created specifically for the task, and the complete Amstrad CPC line-up was branded and sold as Schneider CPC.
Although they are based on the same hardware, the Schneider CPC models differ from the Amstrad CPC models in several details. Most prominently, the Schneider CPC464 and CPC664 keyboards featured grey instead of coloured keys, but still in the original British keyboard layout. To achieve a German "QWERTZ" keyboard layout, Schneider marketed a small software program to reassign the keys as well as sticker labels for the keys.[24] In order to conform with stricter German EMC regulations, the complete Schneider CPC line-up is equipped with an internal metal shielding. For the same reason, the Schneider CPC6128 features micro ribbon type connectors instead of edge connectors. Both the greyscale keyboard and the micro ribbon connectors found their way up into the design of later Amstrad CPC models.
In 1988, after Schneider refused to market Amstrad's AT-compatible computer line, the cooperation ended. Schneider went on to sell the remaining stock of Schneider CPC models and used their now well-established market position to introduce its own PC designs. With the formation of its German daughter company Amstrad GmbH to distribute its product lines including the CPC464 and CPC6128, Amstrad attempted but ultimately failed to establish their own brand in the German-speaking parts of Europe.[25][26]
Community [ edit ]
The Amstrad CPC enjoyed a strong and long lifetime, mainly due to the machines use for businesses as well as gaming. Dedicated programmers continued working on the CPC range, even producing graphical user interface (GUI) operating systems such as SymbOS. Internet sites devoted to the CPC have appeared from around the world featuring forums, news, hardware, software, programming and games. CPC Magazines appeared during the 1980s including publications in countries such as Britain, France, Spain, Germany, Denmark, Australia, and Greece. Titles included the official Amstrad Computer User publication,[27] as well as independent titles like Amstrad Action,[27] Amtix!,[27] Computing with the Amstrad CPC,[27] CPC Attack,[27] Australia's The Amstrad User, France's Amstrad Cent Pour Cent and Amstar. Following the CPC's end of production, Amstrad gave permission for the CPC ROMs to be distributed freely as long as the copyright message is not changed and that it is acknowledged that Amstrad still holds copyright, giving emulator authors the possibility to ship the CPC firmware with their programs.[28]
Influence on other Amstrad machines [ edit ]
Amstrad followed their success with the CPC 464 by launching the Amstrad PCW word-processor range, another Z80-based machine with a 3" disk drive and software by Locomotive Software. The PCW was originally developed to be partly compatible with an improved version of the CPC (ANT, or Arnold Number Two - the CPC's development codename was Arnold).[29][30] However, Amstrad decided to focus on the PCW, and the ANT project never came to market.
On 7 April 1986 Amstrad announced it had bought from Sinclair Research "...the worldwide rights to sell and manufacture all existing and future Sinclair computers and computer products, together with the Sinclair brand name and those intellectual property rights where they relate to computers and computer related products."[31] which included the ZX Spectrum, for £5 million. This included Sinclair's unsold stock of Sinclair QLs and Spectrums. Amstrad made more than £5 million on selling these surplus machines alone. Amstrad launched two new variants of the Spectrum: the ZX Spectrum +2, based on the ZX Spectrum 128, with a built-in tape drive (like the CPC 464) and, the following year, the ZX Spectrum +3, with a built-in floppy disk drive (similar to the CPC 664 and 6128), taking the 3" discs that Amstrad CPC machines used.
Production Timeline [ edit ]
See also [ edit ]CLOSE Lafayette Mayor-President Joel Robideaux said the failure April 29, 2017, to renew two property taxes for the jail and parish courthouse may result in a $10 million cut to the parish budget. Claire Taylor
Lafayette Mayor-President Joel Robideaux (Photo: File)
The Lafayette Parish general fund "is going bankrupt."
That statement came Tuesday from Burton Kolder of Kolder, Champagne, Slaven and Company CPAs, as he presented the annual audit of Lafayette Consolidated Government for the fiscal year that ended Oct. 31.
Much of the parish budget revenue was dedicated by voters for a specific use and fund. For instance, if one fund, such as the parish libraries, has a substantial nest egg, that money cannot be used for drainage.
"You can't do that. It's illegal," Kolder said.
READ MORE: Will failed jail, courthouse taxes hurt parish drainage?
Officials could use parish general fund money if the drainage fund doesn't have enough money, but the general fund is quickly being depleted. Sales tax collections in the parish fell more than $1 million between the 2014-15 and 2015-16 fiscal years, Kolder said.
As of Oct. 31, the end of the 2015-16 fiscal year, the parish fund balance was $1.7 million, down $2.1 million from the previous fiscal year.
He called the situation, "pretty much a critical stage."
At the end of the 2014-15 fiscal year, the parish general fund had enough money in reserve to operate 80 days, Kolder said. By Oct. 31, it had only 22 days' worth of funds left. And it has even less today, Chief Financial Officer Lorrie Toups said.
Governments, Kolder said, are required to have at least 60 days in reserve. Toups, who worked in the New Orleans area during Hurricane Katrina, where governments had no income coming in for six weeks, said she strives for a 90-day reserve.
RELATED:Parish budget faces $10 million in cuts with failed tax renewals
Voters in April failed to renew two parish property taxes to fund the parish courthouse complex and the jail. Officials may bring those issues back to voters in November, before they expire.
Budget preparations are under way for the 2017-18 fiscal year that begins Nov. 1.
"I like to fix things," Councilman Kevin Naquin said. "But I can tell you, I don't know how you fix it."
Kolder replied, "The only thing I can see you can do is reduce services," including shutting down part of the jail and reduce services at the parish courthouse.
In contrast to the parish general fund, the city of Lafayette is in healthier financial shape. Property taxes increased by about $1 million in the past fiscal year, Kolder said, while sales tax collections fell about $1.1 million. The city general fund had a $6.8 million balance at the end of October 2015 and $5.3 million on Oct. 31, 2016.
The city also has 202 days' worth of money in reserve, three times more than required, he said.
OTHER NEWS:
4,000 may lose garbage service in Lafayette Parish
SMILE advisory meeting turns heated
Read or Share this story: https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/2017/05/17/lafayette-parish-going-bankrupt/101790030/Iran on Tuesday said that a request by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect the Parchin military base near Tehran would be possible if the country's right to a nuclear program were acknowledged.
"We are ready to reach a comprehensive agreement with the IAEA, including acknowledgment of Iran's legitimate rights, and in that case also the inspection of Parchin could be one of the agreements," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told reporters in Tehran.
In addition, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said it was reported that Iran is converting some of its higher-grade enriched uranium into reactor fuel.
"This work is being done and all its reports have been sent to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in a complete manner," Ramin Mehmanparast was quoted as saying on Tuesday by state news agency IRNA.
He was responding to a question on news reports that Iran has converted some of its 20-percent-enriched uranium into fuel for the Tehran Research Reactor, IRNA said.
Diplomats accredited to the IAEA in Vienna told Reuters that Iran had apparently resumed converting into fuel small amounts of higher-grade enriched uranium - a process which if expanded could buy time for negotiations between Washington and Tehran on its disputed nuclear program.
The possibility of Iran converting enriched uranium into fuel - slowing a growth in stockpiles of material that could be used to make weapons - is one possible way in which the nuclear dispute between Iran and the West could avoid hitting a crisis by the summer.
Tehran could otherwise have amassed sufficient stock by June to hit a "red line" set by Israel after which it has indicated it could attack to prevent Iran acquiring enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon.
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A team from the IAEA, headed by chief Herman Nackaerts, will resume talks in Tehran on Wednesday to press for authorization to visit the Parchin base, where atomic weapon parts have allegedly been tested.
While Iran insists its nuclear projects are solely for civil purposes, the West is concerned that the Islamic state would use its atomic technology for a secret weapons' program.
Last week Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei strongly rejected proposals for direct talks with the United States, effectively quashing suggestions for a breakthrough one-on-one dialogue on the nuclear standoff and potentially other issues.
Washington has indicated in the past that it's prepared to talk directly with Iran on the nuclear issue, but so far nothing has come of it. Meanwhile, the wider talks between Iran and world powers have made little headway. Three rounds last year ended in stalemate with Tehran pushing for a roll back of Western sanctions in exchange for any key concessions on its nuclear program.
The West and allies fear that Iran's uranium enrichment labs could eventually produce weapons-grade material. The Islamic Republic claims it only seeks nuclear fuel for energy reactors and medical applications.
Last week Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei strongly rejected proposals for direct talks with the United States, effectively quashing suggestions for a breakthrough one-on-one dialogue on the nuclear standoff and potentially other issues.
Washington has indicated in the past that it's prepared to talk directly with Iran on the nuclear issue, but so far nothing has come of it. Meanwhile,the wider talks between Iran and world powers have made little headway. Three rounds last year ended in stalemate with Tehran pushing for a roll back of Western sanctions in exchange for any key concessions on its nuclear program.
The West and allies fear that Iran's uranium enrichment labs could eventually produce weapons-grade material. The Islamic Republic claims it only seeks nuclear fuel for energy reactors and medical applications.
Satellite imagery of Iran's Parchin military complex, taken on December 9, 2012. DigitalGlobe - ISISColumbus officials say a type of algae again is affecting drinking water. This algae is called Anabaena, and it is the same algae that made water from Hoover Reservoir taste and smell like pond water in December 2013 and January 2014, said George Zonders, a water department spokesman. The city is treating the water with disinfectants and extra powdered-activated carbon, which kills the algae and filters it out, but makes the water taste and smell bad.
Heavy rain and farmland runoff are causing algae problems all over Ohio.
One type of algae has made drinking water in parts of Columbus taste foul and smell funky, while another type is building up in Lake Erie and is predicted to stretch between Toledo and Cleveland by summer�s end.
Anabaena algae that formed in Hoover Reservoir after heavy downpours have washed into the public water supply at one of Columbus� water-treatment plants, and the city is fighting the influx with costly chemicals.
�The amount of (algae) is similar to the last few summers. The difference this year is timing and rainfall,� said George Zonders, a spokesman for Columbus� water department.
>> Video: Algae in Hoover Reservoir
>> Columbus on lookout for toxic algae in water supply
>> Algae update: Fixing bad-tasting drinking water already expensive
>>Toxic algae in Hoover Reservoir cost city $723,000
>> Columbus tries to fix water�s odor, taste
And on Thursday, Lake Erie scientists announced that this year�s algae bloom there could grow nearly as large as the colossus that formed in 2011. That type of algae is called microcystis, and it produces a liver toxin that can sicken people and kill pets.
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most-severe bloom in the lake�s recorded history, scientists expect this summer�s bloom to score an 8.7.
The Erie bloom likely will peak in September, said Craig Stow, who creates aquatic ecosystem models for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration�s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory.
Microcystis algae can grow so thick that they create an oxygen-deprived �dead zone� in the shallow, central part of the lake, where no fish or aquatic creature can survive.
Anabaena plagued Hoover Reservoir in December 2013 and January 2014, too, Zonders said. Some restaurants then served bottled water instead of tap.
That algae also can produce a neurotoxin harmful to people, pets and farm animals.
The city is treating the water with disinfectants and extra powdered, activated carbon. The process kills the algae, but it results in smelly, foul-tasting water.
The city started getting calls on Monday about the water from the Hap Cremean Water Plant, which serves about 500,000 people north of I-70.
Last year, the city spent more than $1 million to treat water at Hap Cremean after anabaena algae tainted the supply. Zonders said the funky taste and smell will go away within a day or two.
Both microcystis and anabaena feed on fertilizers that flow into waterways from farms, lawns and golf courses, and from manure or broken septic systems.
In May, scientists said that they thought the Lake Erie algae bloom might be smaller than average this year. Until then, rain wasn�t much of an issue. But this June was among the wettest on record.
That washed manure and fertilizer into the Maumee River � Lake Erie�s largest single source of phosphorus, which feeds algae. Rain also led to runoff from farms and homes into the watershed around Hoover Reservoir.
Zonders said that once algae formed in the reservoir, high water sent them over the dam there and toward the Hap Cremean Water Plant�s intakes.
Scientists from NOAA, Ohio State University, Heidelberg University and other sites create the Lake Erie algae forecast to help tourists, municipal water plants and lake residents understand the problem.
In August, Toledo officials shut down the drinking-water supply for more than 400,000 people in the area because of a particularly thick algae bloom on western Lake Erie. The fix cost millions of dollars.
�Last summer�s Toledo water crisis was a wake-up call to the serious nature of harmful algal blooms in America�s waters,� said Jeff Reutter, senior adviser to the OSU Sea Grant program and Stone Laboratory. �This forecast once again focuses attention on this issue and the urgent need to take action to address the problems caused by excessive amounts of nutrients from fertilizer, manure and sewage flowing into our lakes and streams.�
For years, Reutter and other scientists have advocated cutting the amount of phosphorus that gets into Lake Erie by 40 percent.
Ohio environmental officials have allocated $150 million in grants and interest-free loans to help Ohio cities fight algae toxins. The state gave university researchers $2 million to find science-based answers to Lake Erie�s algae woes.
Chris Winslow, interim director of Stone Lab, said on Thursday that cutting phosphorus is key, but finding the best way to do it could take time.
�We need to recognize that this isn�t going to happen overnight, and what�s in place to reduce these (phosphorus) loads is going to take five, 10 years to accomplish,� he said. �We can�t have individuals who rely on Lake Erie for drinking water unable to access that water.�
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@larenschieldTucked away on residential streets, in the middle of Toronto neighbourhoods are farmhouses hundreds of years old. These stone houses and log cabins would have looked out over acres and acres of forest and farmland when they were first built. Now, they sit next to modern bungalows, busy roads and coffee shops. They each represent a tiny piece of the country swallowed up by the city. John Cox House, 1795 — Broadview Ave. in Riverdale
Two houses on Mavety Rd. which were at one time a single house which fronted the opposite direction circa 1880. ( RICK EGLINTON / TORONTO STAR )
Then: The former village of York was parceled out in 200-acre land grants with the goal of creating farms that could grow food to supply the city. John Cox got the parcel of land next to John Scadding’s and built a south-facing log cabin. It would have looked out over rolling land freshly cleared of forest, and mud tracks instead of roads. Gerald Whyte of the Riverdale Historical Society says the Cox house is the oldest continuously inhabited dwelling in Toronto. Being made of wood, most farm cottages burned down or were knocked down by new land owners to build something more substantial. “Being this close to the city you’d think it would be part of the city, but it never really was,” says Whyte. “For over 200 years this has been sitting here from when nothing was around it, to look at it.” Now: Don Procter and his wife began looking for a house about 12 years ago. He’d read about the Cox house and become intrigued. She suggested driving by an interesting Riverdale home she’d heard about — it turned out to be the same one and there was a “For Sale” sign out front. It was obviously destiny. Procter says friends tried to discourage them from buying what was then a slightly rundown, mildly mouldy house. But he got a heritage grant to fix up the place and renovate it in period style. He put in “six over six” paned windows and an addition constructed out of an 1850 log cabin that was dismantled in Port Hope and reconstructed here. During renovations, Procter exposed the original log wall and a brick door frame that is now at floor level but would have been the exit from the basement. Keele House, 1880 — Mavety St. in The Junction
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Then: The Toronto Turf Club established its headquarters on the quiet estate of William Conway Keele in what was then the Toronto suburb known as Carlton, according to the West Toronto Junction Historical Society’s David Wencer. The very first Queen’s Plate horse race was run on a mile-long track on the property in 1860. About 20 years later, William Conway Keele died and his son, Charles, built the house now on Mavety Ave. It would have been in view of the racetrack and wooden stands. Now: You’d never know this was a historical gem. The home has been visually split into two with two separate addresses. One side is red brick, the other yellow stucco with just a small connecting passage in between. The best glimpse of its history is gained by sneaking down the laneway and looking up. The old brick window frames and bargeboards are intact. From the front, the house looks like any other on the street. Jacob Ross House, 1855 — Stayner Ave. in North York Then: Jacob Ross built the red brick home on his 200-acre farm in 1855 and sold it to John Anderson in 1886. Anderson and his wife, Rosamunde, raised pigs and grew hay and wheat on the property east of the Humber River. Madeleine McDowell, of Heritage York, has several notes and letters written by Rosamunde. “For years my husband drew his loads of hay to the hay market down near the waterfront at Queen and Spadina,” reads one of the handwritten notes. “We took our wheat to be ground into flour to Lambton Mill.” Now: The large brick house has two entrances; the former main entrance faces perpendicular to the street. “That was all open” until about 5 years ago, says McDowell. “When you looked at it, it was obviously the old farmhouse.” Now, Stayner Ave. is a busy residential street with many two-storey houses on narrow lots.
William Devenish House, 1845 — Victoria Park Ave. in Scarborough Then: Built in 1845, the home stood on a 200-acre lot that Devenish had to clear of pine so that he could farm and look after his wife and 11 children. "Life was very lonely as there were few other settlers. In order that he might have a neighbour, Devenish is reported to have offered another settler, named Folgie, a lifelong lease on 100 acres on his farm for one shilling a year. The deal was quite simple and William had secured a neighbour," says Rick Schofield of the Scarborough Historical Society.
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Now: A wishing well sits in front of the house, which now faces busy Victoria Park Ave. The fieldstone house is small and set back from the road, but sticks out nevertheless from the surrounding small brick bungalows. William Thomson House, 1848 — St. Andrews Rd. in Scarborough Then: The large house made of grey fieldstone was built into the side of a hill for protection from the bitter northwest winds. “The main west facade is single-storey and is divided into five bays, symmetrically arranged about the central entrance. The east facade is exposed at two levels, with five windows across the top and two windows on each side of the central doorway that leads into a large room with huge fireplace, which no doubt served as the original kitchen,” says Schofield. Now: The home was one of the first in Scarborough to gain heritage designation. Drive in from McCowan Rd. past St. Andrew’s Church and the cemetery and the leafy trees and a narrow winding road give the impression that you’re leaving the city. At the end of St. Andrew’s, the William Thomson House is set back from the road with a driveway leading up to what would have been the side of the old house. Tall trees and a fence almost completely hide it from the traffic whizzing by on Brimley Rd. Elm Bank, 1833 — Jason Rd. in Beaumonde Heights Then: John Grubb built the large stone house in 1833 with stone brought up from the Humber River valley. He arrived in Canada at age 50 with eight children in tow. There is a smaller house in front of the main building that was built between 1802 and 1820, but no one really knows who built it, says current resident and Grubb descendant Michael Fitzgerald. “They were basically farmers doing the various crops,” says Fitzgerald. The property was home to a distillery on the Albion ridge and Grubb, originally a builder from Scotland, also presided as reeve and magistrate over the court at Thistletown. Now: Grubb (and then Grubbe) descendant Fitzgerald — “That’s my great-great-great-grandfather, three greats, on my mother’s side” — has been living on the property for 35 years. He rented it from his grandmother while in university and never left. Fitzgerald had the house officially designated a heritage site four years ago, which he says may devalue the property, but won him an award from the Etobicoke Historical Society. The good-sized (for 2011) lot backs onto the Humber Valley. A large back porch (which likely used to be the front porch) provides a shady place to sit and enjoy the view. “It’s got great vibes. It’s always been a great party house,” says the lucky owner.All-Star Batman is by far one of the most anticipated comic books of the year. The all-new series not only brings in comic book legend John Romita Jr. on art duty, but it’s also Scott Snyder’s first endeavor with Batman since the conclusion of he and artist Greg Capullo’s epic 51-issue run.
Considering the new format – with a new artist on each arc – and a new direction that puts Batman outside of Gotham there’s plenty to talk about. We discuss All-Star Batman with Snyder and Romita Jr., talk about a modern Batman, globalization, movie directors, and more! You can read our review of All-Star Batman #1 here.
AiPT!: Scott, how does your previous DC work inform us about All-Star Batman and what you’ll be doing with it?
Snyder: Well, I think, above all, the challenge when you’re working on a series like Batman, is to do something that challenges you personally. I had a teacher with a very important motto: write a story that you would like to pick up today that would change your life and it doesn’t matter if it’s the best, funniest or the smartest but it has to be personal to you.
So, on some level I try to approach Batman where, for each arc, if I only had one chance to write this character this would be the story that matters to me. With All-Star Batman, I approached it the same way, saying, “Well what’s something I’ve never done on the book that I want to try and I can do differently?”
From another standpoint, it was about creating a story that’s maybe more deeply personal or more intimate. So it has this interesting blend, I hope — where on the one hand it’s almost this over the top bombast, high octane kinetic action but it’s very deeply about, at least for me, whether we are the makeup of our personal demons, our uglier parts, or whether we have the potential to be heroes we hope we can be.
There’s nothing more high octane than Batman with a chainsaw! From All-Star Batman #1
And that between Batman and Two-Face it’s very high stakes. As they travel the country they have to figure out whether or not we as individuals, as a community – are we more prone to our heroic or villainous impulses?
AiPT!: Would you say it’s going for a road trip vibe?
Snyder: Oh yeah.
AiPT!: Does taking Batman out of Gotham make him harder to write?
Snyder: It was really liberating actually.
It’s funny, because mentally when I started working with John my first thought was, or when I started thinking of doing this format, I kept thinking “Well I’ll do a big Two-Face story in Gotham, I’ll do all these villains of Gotham.”
This was over a year ago, but when I started getting down to brass tacks on it and how to tell the story I realized that I’ve done so many stories with a relationship between Gotham, Batman, his villains, and the communities in Gotham itself; it almost felt too easy. So then it became, well what kind of story justifies taking him outside of Gotham? Then I realized that the core of what I wanted to do here was largely about Two Face’s belief that deep down we are selfish, ugly creatures; which was the perfect take as a catalyst to get us out of Gotham because a trip not only forces you out of a familiar situation but it also forces you to sort of look at yourself from very different angles and it gives you this different perspective. There’s a kind of stark loneliness to this arc where Batman is completely isolated, vulnerable, and on the other hand I think it lends itself to — not to get too abstract with this — the story is very much about this moment in time. It’s not overtly political and I’m open about my political beliefs in social media, but it’s not what I bring to Batman.
“Taking him out of Gotham underscores a more modern Batman, or a Batman of this moment”
Snyder goes on to speak about how All-Star Batman is influenced by global threats of today.
Snyder: What I’d bring instead is a more general experience from my kids. This moment being one where I think a lot of us are terrified because of the challenges that are facing us, not just as individuals on a personal level, but seemingly insurmountable problems with globalization or institutionalized discrimination – these things that we’re all suddenly connected to; villains or people that are threatening us because of ideologies and there’s this constant sense of overlap and crowding and the planet is heating up and there’s nervousness that we’re all sort of in an elevator together somehow. And what Batman says is, that’s potential for greatness. The world changes – and those are tremendous challenges – but those challenges present opportunities for the best of the human character, but Two-Face says, “No no no no, it’s the end of the times and we’re just waiting to finally give up the goat; throw off these silly fallacies and kind of become these selfish, wonderfully evil creatures that we’ve always wanted to be. So, let’s revel in it.”
So in that way I think taking him out of Gotham underscores a more modern Batman, or a Batman of this moment where we’re out in the middle of nowhere and it’s very much like villains are particular to Gotham, but they’re not, they can come to your town, to your place, to your little home in the middle of nowhere, because they do every day now. We’re all concerned with things that are national and global problems. We’re hoping a hero will show up.
Disturbing realities come face to face with Batman. From All-Star Batman #1
AiPT!: This seems like a perfect time for this comic to come out; we have politicians accusing each other of lying and having a very different public face than their private face and in All-Star Batman Two-Face seems to be bringing up this idea of “Who is our true self?”
You probably wrote this when the Republican and Democratic debates were going on which was what 6, 7 months ago?
Snyder:Yeah, pretty much, yeah.
AiPT!: So I imagine this was all influencing you. It’s great when you’re reading a comic and it’s clearly speaking to you — it’s aware of the fact that things are going on in the world that are potentially changing your children’s future.
Snyder: Yeah very much, the whole idea is sort of, again, not necessarily overly political, because I think I’m pretty vocal about my beliefs — but Batman isn’t necessarily a place I go to fight so much on a soap box because I feel like beliefs are baked into the DNA of the story. I try to go for certain more personal convictions that have less to do with particular political policies like hot button issues, but I do have a general sense of – I think – anxiety or hope about the climate or the zeitgeist of trying to encourage certain things that are general – I think – tenets of the human character instead of pushing people one way or another on a particular issues. That said, I think that’s what Batman’s exemplars lead in a post 9/11 world.
AiPT!: Interesting.
Snyder: I think the work Greg and I did on the character sort of helped to bolster that sense of Batman being less about Gotham and provincial issues that I grew up with.
In the city there was very much a sense of it being sort of plagued by gangs and graffiti and urban sort of rot and corruption in government that were very New York-esque problems; which meant Batman needed to take back the city and scare bad people away. That was extremely effective, but nowadays I feel like he’s much more about – instead of obscuring bad people into the shadows – it’s about inspiring good people to be brave and come out into the light in that sense of, not just taking back your city but standing up to bigger, more abstract, retractable problems when it comes to things that aren’t going to be easy to solve or punch. In some way we were always trying to be in conversation with things that are keeping us up at night, you know, but that said at the same time again, we want him to be a hero for everyone and for it to be a story about the best element of the human character versus the worst, as opposed to it being about any one political issue.
AiPT!:You used flashbacks a lot…
[A click is heard then…]
John Romita Jr. Hey, sorry I’m late.
AiPT!: You used flashbacks very intentionally in the first issue of All-Star Batman. I was curious why you used that tool or if you have rules about using that literary device? Will it be an element present in future issues?
Snyder: Yes, 100%, I’m using them strategically here because what I wanted to do was create an issue that felt like you were dropped in the middle of action always from the beginning and Two Face says, “No I’m a mirror of the times right now. I’m a reflection of things that people are most afraid of.” One idea I had was to structure the issue in this kind of mirror format where it moves backwards in time–breaking a literary convention and kind of doing flashbacks deeper in flashback and deeper in another flashback–(something I always taught people not to do) and then it comes back to the present. So like a ‘V’ shape in terms of time it’s almost like like you’re looking closer in a mirror and then coming back into the present. So the second issue has a similar format, and then in the third issue it begins to fall away because as you look deep enough [in a mirror] you don’t want to look anymore so it becomes more present tense as it goes on.
AiPT!: John, you’ve had quite a year drawing Batman. By my count you drew five variant covers that featured Batman, including Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade and now you have All-Star Batman. Has drawing the character changed or developed in any surprising ways for you?
Romita Jr.: I honestly, I’m not conscious of doing anything differently. I’m kind of reactive as opposed to being proactive. There is a distinct difference between Last Crusade and I was going with the flow, fortunately the writers are both distinct, strong, fantastic writers so if I have any problems with anything there’s always someone to ask and then there’s the editors and so on. So no, there’s no attempt at doing anything differently other than doing as well as I can. There’s such a history of artists that have done this character, it would be pretty presumptuous of me to say, “Well I’m going to do the best in the history of this character.” That’d be kind of tough. Whenever it comes out on time–I call it deadline style–I’m happy. If Scott is happy, the editors are happy, the DC folks are happy…if a few readers are happy, I’m happy.
A beautiful cover (and also a panel) by John Romita Jr.
Snyder: They posted a preview this morning of the book and–you’re not really on social media but I wanted to show you the love for your art–you and [All |
Glaze 1 cup granulated organic sugar (200 g)
1/2 tsp arrowroot powder (1 g)
1/2 tsp cream of tartar (1 g)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice or rice milk, as needed Servings: cookies Units: Metric US Imperial Instructions Add water to flax seeds in a small bowl and set aside. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy using a stand or hand mixer. Beat in gelled flax seeds and vanilla. Whisk together the sorghum flour, oat flour, almond meal, and salt in a medium bowl. Add flour to large mixing bowl, stirring just until blended. Chill or freeze the dough in four pieces, covered with plastic wrap. Keep dough cold while working with it, rolling out a little at a time. Use a lot of brown rice flour on your surface, rolling pin, hands, and cutters to keep the dough from sticking. Use a thin palette knife or metal spatula to move the cookies once cut. If using patterned cutters, dust the top of each cookie with more flour before pressing in the pattern. Preheat oven to 350F/180C/gas mark 4. Bake on cold light-colored ungreased baking sheets, 2" apart, for 12-15 minutes. Let cool five minutes, then remove with a thin metal spatula to wire racks to cool completely. Glaze if desired. Store a days’ worth of cookies on a plate, uncovered. Freeze additional cookies and thaw as needed. Or store the dough in the freezer and bake them fresh. Glaze Place the first three ingredients in your blender and blend until a fine powder. Use 1/4 C. of powdered sugar mixture in a separate bowl, add a few drops of rice milk or lemon juice at a time, stirring until it reaches a thin glaze consistency. Brush over cookies with a pastry brush. Glaze can be colored with natural food coloring if desired. Recipe Notes Per cookie (if making 36): 97 calories
6 g fat
0 g cholesterol
61 mg sodium (45 mg if salt omitted)
14 mg potassium
10 g carbohydrate
1 g fiber
4 g sugars
1 g protein
11 Weight Watchers Points Plus I buy certified gluten-free oats from Bob's Red Mill and grind them myself in the Vitamix. If you cannot eat oats, I can't promise that another substitution will work in this recipe.The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) that their scientists have successfully transmitted 1.8 kilowatts of power wirelessly to a receiver 170 feet away.
The distance isn’t large but it is a small proof of concept that will be essential if the agency’s Space Solar Power Systems (SSPS) program is ever going to be a reality.
“This was the first time anyone has managed to send a high output of nearly two kilowatts of electric power via microwaves to a small target, using a delicate directivity control device,” a spokesman for the agency told AFP.
The idea behind JAXA’s SSPS program is to have microwave emitting solar panels in a geosynchronous orbit, 22,300 miles from Earth.
The idea behind space based solar power was originally introduced, fictionally, by Isaac Asimov in 1941 in the short story Reason. As a non-fiction concept it was originally described in 1968 and patented by American aerospace engineer Peter Glaser in 1968.
Starting in 1978 the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and NASA explored the technology under the Satellite Power System Concept Development and Evaluation Program. Given the prohibitive cost of the program however, it was cancelled by Ronald Reagan in 1986.
Since that time, Japan has been the only country to seriously pursue the idea. According to statements by JAXA’s Yakuyuki Fukumuro “.. in Japan, probably reflecting our nation’s shortage of energy resources, SSPS research was started early, and has since been pursued by many universities and JAXA.”
Even after years of research, however, Japan still has a long way to go.
“When transmitting power by microwaves, a significant technological challenge is how to control the direction, and transmit it with pinpoint accuracy from a geostationary orbit to a receiving site on the ground. Transmitting microwaves from an altitude of 36,000 kilometers to a flat surface 3 km in diameter is like threading a needle. In my opinion, Japan currently has the most advanced technology to do this,” said Fukumuro.
Solar power from space obviously has many advantages. In space, without the interference of the Earth’s atmosphere, weather, and magnetic field the solar panels could receive sunlight 99 percent of the time and function at about 144% of the maximum attainable solar intensity available anywhere on Earth.
Because the planned receiving platform is at sea, it would also take up no significant real estate which could be put to other purposes.
The concept is especially appealing in Japan. Currently the country receives most of it’s energy from fossil fuels and nuclear plants, which have become increasingly unpopular in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
“Although, Japan depends on imported energy resources today, if we can establish SSPS technology, it may even become possible for us to become an energy exporter. We would like to continue to lead the world in SSPS technology development, so that Japan will be able to play a major role as a contributor to the world’s energy supply,” said Fukumuro.
An overview of the SSPS design being explored by JAXA can be found in an April, 2014 article at IEEE Spectrum.
In addition to technological questions there are concerns over both cost and safety to be addressed. Many are uncomfortable with the idea of beaming high energy microwaves to Earth. The technology would have to be adapted to a point where the orbiting solar panels never missed their target. It is also unclear what effect events such as solar storms might have on the transmission of energy.
It is also likely that, if the technology ever reaches the point of feasibility, that the country will have to find international partners before it can be implemented.
Building the massive solar array in space could be as large a project as the International Space Station. That project began construction in 1998 and still sees regular repairs, burgess and expansions today. It also involved the cooperation of the United States, the Russian Federation, Canada, Japan and 11 members of the European Union.
According to a Jaxa Spokesperson “it could take decades before we see practical application of the technology—maybe in the 2040s or later.”If there’s one Linux company that has seen lots of ups and downs it’s the Paris-based Mandriva S.A. They have a great distribution, but as a company, they’ve always been on shaky grounds. First a rumour, now confirmed: the company has put itself up for sale – which, as the community points out, isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
DistroWatch highlighted the news, but tuxmachines.org already covered it the day before. The gist of the story, originating from the French Mandriva forums, is that the financial situation has deteriorated rapidly this year, and selling the company is the only remaining option. Two candidates are mentioned: the London-based lightapp Ltd, and Linagora from France.
The news is confirmed by Linagora itself, who posted a statement on their website, in French. My French is good enough to understand what the statement says; Linagora is looking to strenghten its position in France and the rest of the world, and is in negotiations with Mandriva regarding an acquisition. Heck, even if you’ve never studied French, you should get the gist here.
“LINAGORA est un acteur majeur de l’innovation et de l’édition Open Source et, est ainsi à la recherche de toutes les opportunités pour développer et renforcer sa position de leadership en France et dans le monde,” the statement reads, “A ce titre, des discussions sont en cours avec Mandriva pour étudier le rachat d’une partie des actifs de la société.”
This doesn’t have to be a bad thing, the Mandriva community points out. “Folks, just because they’re looking to sell doesn’t mean it’s necessarily bad,” writes ruel24, “Honestly, Mandriva has never had a business sense about them. They make a great distro, and always have. What they lack is capital and direction, and hopefully someone will provide both.”
Time will tell. Luckily, this is an open source company, so the Mandriva distribution will still be developed by the community no matter what the corporate future brings.An official report by the United Nations Committee Against Torture released Friday found that the United States has a long way to go if it wants to actually earn its claimed position as a leader in the world on human rights.
Following a lengthy review of recent and current practices regarding torture, imprisonment, policing, immigration policies, and the overall legacy of the Bush and Obama administration's execution of the so-called 'War on Terror,' the committee report (pdf) found the U.S. government in gross violation when it comes to protecting basic principles of the Convention Against Torture, which the U.S. ratified in 1994, as well as other international treaties.
This was the first full review of the U.S. human rights record by the UN body since 2006 and the release of the report follows a two-day hearing in Geneva earlier this month in which representatives of the Obama administration offered testimony and answered questions to the review panel. The report's findings do not reflect well on the U.S., a nation that continues to tout itself as a leader on such issues despite the enormous amount of criticism aimed at policies of torture and indefinite detention implemented in the years following September 11, 2001, the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq that followed, and the global military campaign taking place on several continents and numerous countries that continues to this day.
In addition to calling for full accountability for the worst torture practices that happened during the Bush administration, the panel also demanded the Obama administration end the continued harsh treatment of foreign detainees at its offshore prison at Guantanamo Bay on the island of Cuba. As Reuters notes, the panel's report criticized what it called a continued U.S. failure to fully investigate allegations of torture and ill-treatment of terrorism suspects held in U.S. custody abroad, "evidenced by the limited number of criminal prosecutions and convictions".
According to the report:
The Committee expresses its grave concern over the extraordinary rendition, secret detention and interrogation programme operated by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) between 2001 and 2008, which involved numerous hum an rights violations, including torture, ill - treatment and enforced disappearance of persons suspected of involvement in terrorism - related crimes. While noting the content and scope of Presidential E.O. 13491, the Committee regrets the scant information pr ovided by the State party with regard to the now shuttered network of secret detention facilities, which formed part of the high - value detainee programme publicly referred to by President Bush on 6 September 2006. It also regrets the lack of information pr ovided on the practices of extraordinary rendition and enforced disappearance; and, on the extent of the CIA’s abusive interrogation techniques used on suspected terrorists, such as waterboarding.
As The Guardian reports:
Many of the harshest criticisms are reserved for the Bush administration’s excesses between 2001 and 2009. But the committee is critical of how the current US government has failed, in its view, to clean up the mess that was created in the wake of 9/11. SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Help Keep Common Dreams Alive Our progressive news model only survives if those informed and inspired by this work support our efforts
In particular, it wants to see the US acknowledge torture as a specific criminal offence at the federal level, thereby removing possible loopholes in the law. It also urges the US Senate select committee on intelligence to publish as quickly as possible its report into the CIA’s historic detention and interrogation programme that has been caught up in political wrangling for months.
“The Obama administration needs to match its rhetoric with actions by supporting full accountability for torture,” said Jamil Dakwar, director of the ACLU's human rights program, in response to the report. “As a start, that means allowing the release of the Senate’s torture report summary without redactions that would defeat report’s primary purpose, which is to expose the full extent of government abuse. It also means ensuring a top-to-bottom criminal investigation of the torture that occurred.”
The report says that though the U.S. has tough anti-torture statutes on the books, it has not gone far enough in some areas to guarantee that no loopholes exist and has done far too little to allow redress for violations that have already occurred. In terms of recommendations, panel's report "calls for the declassification of torture evidence, in particular Guantanamo detainees’ accounts of torture" and said the U.S. "should ensure that all victims of torture are able to access a remedy and obtain redress, wherever acts of torture occurred and regardless of the nationality of the perpetrator or the victim. "
In addition to criticizing other policies related to military engagement abroad, the committee slammed the U.S. for many of its domestic policies, including prolonged solitary confinement of those in prison; charges of "prolonged suffering" for those exposed to "botched" state executions; heavy-handed and discriminatory policing practices in the nation's cities; the treatment of juveniles in the criminal justice system; and serious problems with its immigration enforcement policies.
As protests related to the shooting death of Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri continue this week, the UN panel specifically referred to the "frequent and recurrent police shootings or fatal pursuits of unarmed black individuals."
Speaking with reporters, panel member Alessio Bruni said, "We recommend that all instances of police brutality and excessive use of force by law enforcement officers are investigated promptly, effectively and impartially by an independent mechanism."
“This report – along with the voices of Americans protesting around the country this week – is a wake-up call for police who think they can act with impunity,” said ACLU's Dakwar. “It’s time for systemic policing reforms and effective oversight that make sure law enforcement agencies treat all citizens with equal respect and hold officers accountable when they cross the line.”Two radical Muslim clerics have been identified as influential online cheerleaders for fighters seeking to topple the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, in a pioneering academic study published on Wednesday.
Researchers based at King's College London reveal how social media is being harnessed by a network of radical preachers to inspire and guide British and other western Muslims waging jihad in Syria.
By examining tweets and Facebook postings used by certain rebels, people who follow the conflict from abroad and the two clerics, the academics say they have been able to provide a "unique and unfiltered window into the minds" of western and European foreign fighters in Syria.
The information allowed the analysts to identify a "set of new spiritual authorities" who have the largest followings. The report says they are the American-based cleric Ahmad Musa Jibril and the Australian preacher Musa Cerantonio. Both speak English and are based in the west.
Although there is no evidence to suggest these individuals are physically involved in facilitating the flow of foreign fighters to Syria, or that they are co-ordinating their activity with jihadist organisations, they are playing the role of cheerleaders. "It is clear that they are important figures whose political, moral and spiritual messages are considered attractive to a number of foreign fighters," the researchers conclude.
"Syria may be the first conflict in which a large number of western fighters have been documenting their involvement in conflict in real-time, and where – in turn – social media represents an essential source of information and inspiration to them," the report, a product of a year-long study, concludes.
The King's College team were able to assemble a database which now includes the online profiles of 190 western and European fighters, most of whom are affiliated to the two most prominent groups fighting the Assad regime – Jabhat al-Nusrah or the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (Isis).
Overall, the researchers estimate, there are about 11,000 foreign fighters in Syria, and about 2,800 are European or western. Anti-terrorist investigators in the UK believe about 400 Britons have gone to Syria to wage jihad, and have raised concerns about what might happen if and when they return.
A total of 12,000 people have "liked" and receive updates from Cerantonio on Facebook and he is "more explicit in his endorsement of violent jihad" than Jibril, according to the researchers at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) at King's College.
A picture posted on the Facebook site of Musa Cerantonio. Photograph: Guardian
In one post from last December seen by the Guardian Cerantonio called for assassinations and war against the US. "If we see that Muslims are being killed by the tyrant leaders of the USA then we must first stop them with our hands (ie by force). This means that we should stop them by fighting them, by assassinating their oppressive leaders, by weakening their offensive capabilities etc … This is not something that is beyond us at all," he wrote.
Referencing the work of terrorist cells, he said: "A small group of believers was able to bomb their warship (the USS Cole), destroy their embassies, attack their military and financial headquarters, they were able to fight their soldiers and to significantly weaken them and bring them closer to defeat … What then if the entire Ummah [Muslim community] stood up to do so?!"
Though sporadically critical of them, Cerantonio describes the Isis group, which is closely affiliated to al-Qaida, "as the best forces on the ground in Syria".
Australian Federal Police (AFP) said they were aware of Cerantonio's Facebook page but would not confirm whether they were investigating him or not.
Speaking about Cerantonio, the AFP added that they continue to "assess material placed on social media that may be in breach of Commonwealth laws".
An AFP spokeswoman said: "The AFP would like to remind the community that it is an offence to travel to a foreign state with the intent of engaging in hostile activity, or to provide financial support to individuals or groups involved in either side of a foreign conflict."
Michigan-born Jibril, 42, is a convicted fraudster who spent eight years in a high security US prison and has previous associations with radical preaching. When he was sentenced in 2005, the FBI said in court documents that he was running a radical Salafi website, which carried "a library of fanatically anti-American sermons by militant Islamic clerics".
Though he does not openly incite his followers to violence, Jibril, the King's College report says, started tweeting support for the Syrian rebels 13 days after he was released from prison.
In one Youtube sermon he says: "When your brothers in Syria speak, everyone today needs to shut their mouth and listen, because they're proving themselves to be real men."
He is popular on Facebook, where his personal page boasts more than 145,000 subscribers to his posts.
The study says Jibril is now the most "liked" personality on Facebook among the foreign fighters they tracked and is followed by 60% of foreign jihadists in Syria on Twitter.
Within hours of the death in Syria last December of Ifthekar Jaman, from Portsmouth, Jibril sent a message of condolence via a series of direct messages on Twitter to a member of his family.
Uploaded to the family member's public timeline, the messages read: "I didn't know him [Ifthekar] but when I read of him today it made me weep, may Allah be with you and may Allah grant him ferdous [the highest level of paradise]!
"Give my salam, love and respect to all the family. If I was there it would be a great honor to visit you all." The message was retweeted 97 times and favourited 141 times.
A second tweet of Jibril's in February praised another dead British Syrian jihadist known as Abu Layth.
Jibril described the 20-year-old Manchester man, Anil Khalil Raoudi, as a "great brother" and also wished him entry into paradise. According to the academics' report, the two clerics complement rather than compete with each other. When asked by the Guardian if he incited others to violence and possible acts of terrorism Cerantonio replied: "I do not doubt that I have called upon all believers, whether young or old, to respond to the commands of God."
In answers to questions from other media outlets Cerantonio said: "Our aim must be to unite the ranks of all Muslims … as one nation under the leadership of a Khalifah [spiritual and political head] who rules by Allah's Law."
Jibril did not respond to questions put by the Guardian or requests for an interview.
Shiraz Maher, of the ICSR, said the report represented the first empirical analysis of "what's important for foreign fighters" in the Syrian context. Cerantonio and Jibril represented a new breed of "virtual" preachers, he said. "We never intended to write the report in the way it was written, we just crunched the numbers and these two came out top and the evidence suggests that these two people are very important to people in their 20s who are invested and interested in the Syrian conflict.
"Neither of them has a mosque or a traditional constituency in the way that a radical preacher like Abu Hamza used to have who still had a base to operate from.
"These guys have become totally borderless, virtual clerics who operate solely more or less through the internet and on popular media, Youtube, and in the case of Cerantonio, through international TV stations as well."
Additional reporting by Jonathan RobinsonA vast new study of changes in global wildlife over almost three decades has found that low levels of effective national governance are the strongest predictor of declining species numbers – more so than economic growth, climate change or even surges in human population.
The findings, published in the journal Nature, also show that protected conservation areas do maintain wildlife diversity, but only when situated in countries that are reasonably stable politically with sturdy legal and social structures.
The research used the fate of waterbird species since 1990 as a bellwether for broad biodiversity trends, as their wetland habitats are among the most diverse as well as the most endangered on Earth.
An international team of scientists and conservation experts led by the University of Cambridge analysed over 2.4 million annual count records of 461 waterbird species across almost 26,000 different survey sites around the world.
The researchers used this giant dataset to model localised species changes in nations and regions. Results were compared to the Worldwide Governance Indicators, which measure everything from violence rates and rule of law to political corruption, as well as data such as gross domestic product (GDP) and conservation performance.
The team discovered that waterbird decline was greater in regions of the world where governance is, on average, less effective: such as Western and Central Asia, South America and sub-Saharan Africa.
The healthiest overall species quotas were seen in continental Europe, although even here the levels of key species were found to have nosedived.
This is the first time that effectiveness of national governance and levels of socio-political stability have been identified as the most significant global indicator of biodiversity and species loss.
“Although the global coverage of protected areas continues to increase, our findings suggest that ineffective governance could undermine the benefits of these biodiversity conservation efforts,” says Cambridge’s Dr Tatsuya Amano, who led the study at the University’s Department of Zoology and Centre for the Study of Existential Risk.
“We now know that governance and political stability is a vital consideration when developing future environmental policies and practices.”
For the latest study, Amano worked with Cambridge colleagues as well as researchers from the universities of Bath, UK, and Santa Clara, US, and conservation organisations Wetlands International and the National Audubon Society.
The lack of global-level data on changes to the natural world limits our understanding of the “biodiversity crisis”, say the study’s authors. However, they say there are advantages to focusing on waterbirds when trying to gauge these patterns.
Waterbirds are a diverse group of animals, from ducks and heron to flamingos and pelicans. Their wetland habitats cover some 1.3 billion hectares of the planet – from coast to freshwater and even highland – and provide crucial “ecosystem services”. Wetlands have also been degraded more than any other form of ecosystem.
In addition, waterbirds have a long history of population monitoring. The annual global census run by Wetlands International has involved more than 15,000 volunteers over the last 50 years, and the National Audubon Society’s annual Christmas bird count dates back to 1900.
“Our study shows that waterbird monitoring can provide useful lessons about what we need to do to halt the loss of biodiversity,” said co-author Szabolcs Nagy, Coordinator of the African-Eurasian Waterbird Census at Wetlands International.
Compared to all the “anthropogenic impacts” tested by the researchers, national governance was the most significant. ”Ineffective governance is often associated with lack of environmental enforcement and investment, leading to habitat loss,” says Amano.
The study also uncovered a relationship between the speed of GDP growth and biodiversity: the faster GDP per capita was growing, the greater the decline in waterbird species.
Diversity on a localised level was worst affected on average in South America, with a 0.95% annual loss equating to a 21% decline across the region over 25 years. Amano was also surprised to find severe species loss across inland areas of western and central Asia.
The researchers point out that poor water management and dam construction in parts of Asia and South America have caused wetlands to permanently dry out in counties such as Iran and Argentina – even in areas designated as protected.
Impotent hunting regulations can also explain species loss under ineffective governance. “Political instability can weaken legal enforcement, and consequently promote unsuitable, often illegal, killing even in protected areas,” says Amano.
In fact, the researchers found that protected conservation areas simply did not benefit biodiversity if they were located in nations with weak governance.
Recent Cambridge research involving Amano suggests that grassroots initiatives led by local and indigenous groups can be more effective than governments at protecting ecosystems – one possible conservation approach for regions suffering from political instability.
Reference
Amano, T et al. Successful conservation of global waterbird populations depends on effective governance. Nature; 20 December 2017; DOI: 10.1038/nature25139Image copyright AP Image caption Mr Mugabe reverted to wearing a previous cap, also thought to be too small, for the October ceremony
A University of Zimbabwe official has been suspended for allegedly supplying President Robert Mugabe with an ill-fitting graduation cap.
Assistant registrar Ngaatendwe Takawira caused embarrassment for university administrators by procuring a cap which was too small for the 92-year-old leader, according to her suspension letter, quoted in local media.
Ms Takawira denies the allegations.
The president's office is not thought to have made a complaint.
The decision to suspend Ms Takawira was probably taken by university authorities keen to appease the president and not from any genuine anger on his part, says the BBC's Brian Hungwe in the capital Harare.
Driver 'turned away'
Academics first noticed that the so-called "cap of knowledge" was not sitting properly on the president's head while he was presiding over a graduation ceremony in 2014, our correspondent says.
The university then arranged for new caps to be designed for Mr Mugabe in time for this year's ceremony, our reporter adds.
But a driver sent with the new selection of caps for Mr Mugabe to try was turned away by security guards at the president's office, a government source, who did not wish to be named, told the BBC.
As a result, the president did not manage to have a fitting before this year's graduation ceremony on 2 October.
Ms Takawira is now challenging the university's disciplinary action in the country's labour court.CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) - The motto of the Chicago Police Department is to "Protect and Serve." However, the latest allegations involving at least two officers with more more than 20 years experience is that they were doing anything but that.
Instead, they are accused of sex-trafficking a 14-year-old girl and there may have been other victims as well.
On Thursday at the Police Board Meeting, Superintendent Garry McCarthy made no comment about the investigation.
Sources say the officers were first caught with child pornography, but as Internal Affairs investigators looked further into the case, they uncovered additional evidence the officers had been using some online web pages to advertise the girl, or girls, for prostitution.
The alleged pimping activities were being conducted while the officers were off-duty, according to a police source.
At least two officers have since been stripped of their police powers and reassigned administrative duties pending the outcome of the investigation. They have not been charged, so we are not naming them.
Because of the nature of the case, and for integrity reasons, Chicago Police have brought in the FBI to help in the investigation.The Trojan Cockroach spent many years in a basement. (Photo: Daniel Pillis)
Most robots, when their creators are done with them, meet one of two fates. Either they’re stashed away, in some corner of a lab, closet or basement, or they’re cannibalized to make another robot. A robot part can cost tens of thousand of dollars, and some robotics researchers, who tend to be focused on the future, rather than the past, do not hesitate to eviscerate an old robot to create a new one.
“We have open labs here, and anybody can pretty much touch anything,” says Chris Atkeson, a robotics professor at Carnegie Mellon University. “If late at night someone decides ‘I need that,’ there’s nothing to stop them from going at it.”
Atkeson, though, has kept his robots. (“I’m a hoarder,” he says. “I save everything.”) Lately, he has been thinking about how to save other robots, particularly those created in the ‘70s and ‘80s, when the field was taking off. He has begun planning for what could be America’s first dedicated Robot Museum, and acquiring vintage robots for an eventual collection.
The Trojan Cockroach in its heyday. (Photo: Courtesy of Daniel Pillis)
The idea for a museum started, indirectly, with the Trojan Cockroach.
The Trojan Cockroach spent years, disassembled, in a basement in Pittsburgh, where its creator had stashed it. Ivan Sutherland had made the robot—a six-legged machine that could walk and carry the weight of a human being—as a sideline, in the 1980s, because he thought it’d be fun.
One day Sutherland’s son got in touch with Carnegie Mellon, where the Cockroach was created. The family was moving, and he wanted to know: Did the Robotics Institute want his father’s robot?
Atkeson thought they ought to save it, and so the Cockroach returned to Carnegie Mellon in parts. Atkeson shoved it into a basement hallway, where, in the spring of 2015, Daniel Pillis found it.
Pillis is a graduate student and artist-in-residence at the Robotics Institute, and he was drawn to the robot. The Cockroach had an alien quality to it, and a startling aesthetic. When he came across it, strewn along 15 feet of hallway, his first thought was: Where can I put this? How can I use this?
“I thought it was garbage,” he says. “I was ready to just pick it up.”
But then Pillis found out more about Sutherland—how he had created a pioneering computer graphics program, how he had worked with one of the founders of Pixar on an early version of virtual reality—and felt like he had learned a secret, an entry in the history of robotics and computer graphics that he wanted to share.
Soon, the robot was in his studio. He took it apart, and started cleaning it. His mom had restored old cars, and his dad owned a junkyard, so it had always been natural for him to take apart machines and figure out how they worked. He got in touch with Sutherland, who started overseeing the project, and in January of 2016, the Trojan Cockroach went on display at the university.
It still couldn’t walk. But, after many years, it had escaped the basement.
A part of the Cockroach on display. (Photo: Daniel Pillis)
Atkeson had started thinking about preserving the history of his field after robotics pioneer Joseph Engelberger died, at the end of 2015, and Pillis’ work prodded him to take action. California has a computer history museum, and some early robots live there. But there is no dedicated robot museum.
Over the past few months, Atkeson has been getting in touch with colleagues who might have saved the robots they made in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Some of what he’s heard are “horror stories”—a robot that was saved for decades before being thrown out, another that was lent to students who took it apart, another that was destroyed in a flood.
Already, though, he’s saved one early robotic arm. When he contacted the creator, he was told the order had just been given to scrap one of the earliest version ever made. But the deed had not been done, and that particular robot was spared.
An early robot arm. (Photo: Courtesy of Chris Atkeson)
Atkeson says he’ll soon have collected about 20 robots, and is thinking the next step could be creating a virtual museum, so that people can see and interact with them. One day, if there were funding for it, the robots could get a dedicated physical space of their own, where no grad student could steal their insides.
“I have an ex-student who is a science fiction writer,” says Atkeson. “He reminded me that it’s important to have robot museums, because, in many science fiction stories, that’s where you get the part to resuscitate some old thing and save the day.”
Robot museums are also, he notes, the place where an old robot awakens and goes on a rampage. But, to save the history of robotics, that may be a risk worth taking.If you’re a student of the privacy and tech law worlds (or you just read Ars) then you’re probably familiar with last year’s Supreme Court decision, United States v. Jones. Earlier this year, the nine justices unanimously agreed that placing a GPS tracking device on a suspect’s car without a warrant was unconstitutional. That decision continues to have ripple effects throughout the privacy law world, and likely will for years to come.
However, as we pointed out in our January 2012 coverage, the justices disagreed amongst themselves about why it violated the Fourth Amendment, which protects citizens against unreasonable searches and seizures. One wing of the court found that installing the GPS device was an unwarranted physical trespass on private property and therefore illegal. The minority wing found the practice unconstitutional as it violated the doctrine known as “a reasonable expectation of privacy.”
In Jones, the Supreme Court found the act of installing the GPS tracking device was a Fourth Amendment search, and doing so without a warrant in that case was unconstitutional. However, the court did not consider the question of whether a warrant—and probable cause—is always required when the government uses a GPS device. In a new case, known as United States v. Robinson, the government argues that an officer’s mere “reasonable suspicion” of wrongdoing is enough to justify the placement of a GPS tracking device on a suspect’s car without a warrant. Earlier this year, a federal magistrate judge in Missouri agreed, allowing evidence collected by the GPS device to stand.
Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed an amicus brief in the case, which is still being argued before the United States District Court in the Eastern District of Missouri. The ACLU argues that Jones bolsters its position that “[t]his Court should adhere to the Supreme Court’s long-standing directive that warrantless searches are presumptively unreasonable and hold that defendant’s Fourth Amendment rights were violated.”
It is highly unusual for an outside group to file an amicus brief in a criminal case at such an early stage, but the ACLU appears to believe Robinson is a serious violation of criminal procedure warranting its attention.
In this case, the magistrate judge’s acceptance of the GPS device might indicate the district court judge could also allow this evidence at trial. That may potentially pave the way for a federal appeals court ruling. A future appeals court decision could turn on precisely this point: what, if any, legitimate circumstances exist in which law enforcement may affix a GPS tracking device without first obtaining a warrant?
Defendant argued to suppress GPS evidence
The case involves a man named Fred W. Robinson of St. Louis, charged with improper use of public funds between 2006-2010. Robinson allegedly falsified documents that allowed him to receive a paycheck from the City of St. Louis. During the course of the investigation, starting in 2009, the FBI began an investigation of Robinson and started observing him, his car, and his property to find out he was, in fact, an employee of the city. By January 2010, the FBI put a GPS tracking device on Robinson’s car without a warrant, leaving it running 24 hours a day for nearly two months. Robinson was indicted on federal fraud charges in 2011. As the ACLU points out, the duration of GPS surveillance was twice as long as the case in Jones.
Robinson’s attorneys argued, among other things, that the collection of evidence by the GPS device was an unreasonable search and should be suppressed.
In March, the United States Attorney (the prosecutor in the case) argued in a response (PDF) that “neither a warrant nor probable cause should be required where the agents have reasonable suspicion,” and that a “requirement of a warrant and probable cause would seriously impede the government's ability to investigate leads and tips on drug trafficking, terrorism, and other crimes. Law enforcement officers could not use GPS devices to gather information to establish probable cause, which is often the most productive use of such devices.”
The defendant’s pretrial motion was denied in May by the federal magistrate judge (PDF).
“In this case, the investigating agents had reasonable suspicion to believe that defendant had engaged in and was engaging in criminal activity, namely, submitting false time sheets to be paid for work not performed,” wrote US Magistrate Judge David D. Noce.
“Prior to installing the GPS tracking device, Agent Comeau interviewed four long-time former employees of the Treasurer’s Office, Curtis Royceton, Dan Parsons, Ben Philips, and Harold Miner, each of whom provided information supporting the investigating agents’ suspicion.”
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, earlier this year, Agent Comeau said during a pretrial hearing that “in 17 years with the FBI, she had never had occasion to install a GPS tracking device before, but it was approved by prosecutors and her supervisors, based on case law at the time |
trains, such as plug-in hybrid or gasoline hybrid electric, increase modestly from 18 percent of new sales in 2012 to 22 percent in 2040," the report states.
Last year, around 14.5 million vehicles were sold nationwide. If the EIA's numbers pan out (and overall vehicle sales stay about the same), fewer than 300,000 EVs and plug-in hybrids will be sold in 2040. That's bad news for the Obama administration, which has long hoped to see 1 million EVs and plug-in hybrids on the road by 2015.
While these estimates are a buzzkill for EV proponents, taking the longview puts things into perspective. The internal combustion engine has been around for over a century, it's dirt cheap and technological advances like direct injection and old tricks like turbocharging keep increasing efficiency. And as much as we like cars with cords, the technology is hampered – at least in the eyes of many consumers – by range and cost concerns. It's difficult to predict the future, of course, but the odds of a major battery tech breakthrough in the next decade remain slim.
The numbers laid out by the EIA jibe with those in last year's report, suggesting the long-term adoption of electric vehicles in all their guises – battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell – will be far slower than advocates would have you believe. The good news is that although we'll still be using lots of gasoline, the average fuel economy of all vehicles sold in the United States will rise from 21.5 mpg last year to 37.2 mpg by 2040 as gas prices will only rise to $3.90 a gallon (adjusted for inflation), compared to the previous forecast of $4.40.READER COMMENTS ON
"The Day After: About Those Voting Machines..."
(29 Responses so far...)
COMMENT #1 [Permalink]
... Ernest A. Canning said on 11/7/2012 @ 3:31 pm PT...
Here's one more: Crawford, TX: "George W. Bush accidentally voted for Barack Obama." Witnesses say that poll workers refused his request to redo his vote as it would violate state law. Bush was then “ambushed” by Suzanna Everett of the Waco Times. "Mr. President," she asked, "Fox News is reporting that you've accidentally voted for Barack Obama. Would you care to comment?" Bush said he did, but blamed it on "the incompetence of the folks who designed the ballot." He claimed that the screen was "maladjusted," adding: "You shouldn't put the senators and the congress people and the presidents all jumbled together like that. It's too crowded. Just confuses folks."
COMMENT #2 [Permalink]
... Floridiot said on 11/7/2012 @ 6:05 pm PT...
Herman Cain hadda voting problem too... Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has denied reports that he sexually harassed a volunteer poll worker at his local polling station today. The 66 year old retired Godfather's Pizza CEO admits he propositioned a 33 year old part-time nurse, but says everything was above board: "All I said was 'Honey you can pull my lever anytime'. Now how is that sexual harassment? Sexual harassment is when you force someone to pull your lever. All I did was extend an invitation."
COMMENT #3 [Permalink]
... C. Burkey said on 11/7/2012 @ 6:34 pm PT...
So the GMO Labeling initiative in California lost. I came over here *just in case* you had something to say about that, Mr. Bradblog. I'm having a really hard time believing people wouldn't pass that labeling law. Where can I get some info? Who's talking about this? Where is the conversation? Is there any conversation? Or am I the only person wondering? I mean, I thought you were from California, and I've been wondering about those Inka-Vote machines in L.A. County. But you don't seem to talk about California at all. Every time I come over here it's all about everywhere else.
COMMENT #4 [Permalink]
... CambridgeKnitter said on 11/7/2012 @ 8:18 pm PT...
The W misvoting story is a hoax. Such a waste of a good story, but it's just a joke.
COMMENT #5 [Permalink]
... lori said on 11/7/2012 @ 8:33 pm PT...
Any word about MN's 6th district having problems? It blows my mind that Bachmann won again. How can someone who is visibly nuts and a national laughingstock get that many votes? Starting to wonder if the 6th district has a high concentration of Christian Bipolar Narcissists - people who could look at her and think "yeah, she's totally normal."
COMMENT #6 [Permalink]
... GWN said on 11/7/2012 @ 9:41 pm PT...
@Lori, Bachmann does have the same office address as Dominion Voting System, just saying. The International Observers concerns...
"accuracy of voter lists, the transparency of campaign finance, recount procedures and access for international election observers.
Eight states denied OSCE observers; Alabama, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas. Two, Alaska and Tennessee, offered restricted access which the OSCE refused. http://www.theglobeandma...-us-vote/article5072524/ Shhh Brad's sleeping.
COMMENT #7 [Permalink]
... Brad Friedman said on 11/7/2012 @ 10:04 pm PT...
C. Burkey - Well, ya know, there are 50 states, more than 4000 voting jurisdictions and several thousand races and ballot initiatives across all of them yesterday. Meanwhile, I'm just one guy. That said, we've got lots of stuff here about California and even the crappy inka-a-vote system here in L.A. Hit the ol' search button amigo!
COMMENT #8 [Permalink]
... dixie blood said on 11/8/2012 @ 5:25 am PT...
For the first our district was using optical scanners to count paper ballots. What bothers me is that the poll workers were recording the ballot number for each voter. That makes me think that my vote is not confidential and private anymore.
COMMENT #9 [Permalink]
... Tomcat said on 11/8/2012 @ 5:46 am PT...
My hope is we can get paper trail and a voters paper receipt in EVERY state before any more elections are conducted. I just hope most others feel the same way. Also I would like to see 5 years of tax returns be released to be required to run for president
COMMENT #10 [Permalink]
... Tomcat said on 11/8/2012 @ 5:53 am PT...
I have been wondering today what the chances that (Anonymous) is responsible for the election not being stolen. They warned Rove not to pull anything and maybe that scared Ohio and Florida from the now famous voter shift seen in earlier elections.
COMMENT #11 [Permalink]
... Arias said on 11/8/2012 @ 8:12 am PT...
I'm glad to see some Romney voters appeared to have problems with machines flipping to Obama. That could make this issue get a little more traction if the other side starts demanding transparency too.
COMMENT #12 [Permalink]
... Alex said on 11/8/2012 @ 2:02 pm PT...
It seems like the problems this time around were again, more at the local level. The voting problems were the ones we have seen in the past voting machines not working in highly Democratic polling areas, some vote flipping, and some supression problems. Voter supression was not as bad as it could have been because of the courts system. I have not heard of a statewide attempt to alter the election. Because of the attitude and speculation by the right I thought there was going to be something bigger than local tinkering. Rove was surprised that Ohio didn't go his way. He is usually more reserved and arrogant about his expectations. He was more upset than I have ever seen him. But he wasn't the only one. I was seriously concerned that there would be a major national attempt to alter the election results through hacking computers. The right's overly arrogant speculation could have been that they had been drinking their own Kool-Aid, but I think they had reason to believe it would turn out the way they predicted. Brad, how much do you think Anonymous played in allowing the results to occur the way it did?
COMMENT #13 [Permalink]
... Orangutan. said on 11/8/2012 @ 2:28 pm PT...
FBI Forensic Computer Crime Experts Asked To Investigate Romney-Owned Machines The Green Party is asking the FBI to send in forensic computer crime experts to investigate the software Romney-owned Solamere has put into Cincinnati, Ohio and other swing state voting machines.
COMMENT #14 [Permalink]
... GWN said on 11/8/2012 @ 2:53 pm PT...
The link is not working Orangutan.
COMMENT #15 [Permalink]
... HapperBolic said on 11/8/2012 @ 4:16 pm PT...
Husted's Last Minute 'Cold Feet' patch
COMMENT #16 [Permalink]
... cgeye said on 11/8/2012 @ 9:31 pm PT...
Hon, Election Protection just hit the big time --- this season's main arc, on SCANDAL? The ongoing coverup of the murder of a programmer who died because of his secret code for voting machines. Yes, *way*.... http://www.tvovermind.co...via-pope-is-living-foul/
COMMENT #17 [Permalink]
... Karen said on 11/8/2012 @ 10:39 pm PT...
The Bachmann election is likely legit...we have all paper ballots in MN and we audit randomly selected precincts 2 weeks after election regardless how lopsided races are. bachmann is in very Red district a newbie Dem with nonAmericans recognition got to within 1 percentage point. That means lots o lots of Repubs voted for a Dem, can't be fun for them. When MN recounted Franken Coleman election by hand, tallies came out very simarily but were a net pick up for Feanken due to machines tending to undervote Dems a tich (bad marks machine doesn't pick)
COMMENT #18 [Permalink]
... Karen said on 11/8/2012 @ 10:53 pm PT...
In MN Franken Coleman election, Coleman was up 200 some votesa after end of coma swing and certified results, by end of hand recount, Franken was up about 50. After a series of challenges ate asked ballots and are view of improperly rejected ansentee ballots, Franken ended up winning by 200+ votes after that was all sorted thru. So machine count in a big state wide race was off by about 250 votes comaores to hand recount, mostly due to undergoes machine rejected but humans could understand. In Bachmann race, right now she is up by 4000+ votes in a much smaller race....if standard canvassing yields a much closer tally, then maybe recount in order.
COMMENT #19 [Permalink]
... Karen said on 11/8/2012 @ 11:02 pm PT...
In MN Franken Coleman election, Coleman was up 200 some votes after end of canvassing and certified results,, then, by end of hand recount, Franken was up about 50. After a series of challenges improperly rejected absentee ballots, Franken ended up winning by 200+ votes after that was all sorted thru. So machine count in a big state wide race was off by about 250 votes compared to hand recount, mostly due to undervotes machine rejected but humans could understand. This is with statewide 3 million votes cast. In Bachmann race, right now, she is up by 4000+ votes in a much much smaller race....if standard canvassing of Bachmann race yields a much closer tally, then maybe recount in order.
COMMENT #20 [Permalink]
... Floridiot said on 11/9/2012 @ 6:32 am PT...
With this many people voting and totally not prepared for the volume of voters, the only solution I can see is Compulsory Voting and with it voter registration.
I know Brad don't like this next part because of potential vote buying, but everyone is going to have to get their ballots mailed to them and turn them in in person. Otherwise they're going to insist on internet voting, which is waay worse IMO. By mail also, it gives the voter time to study the candidates/issues.
I haven't figured out how to keep our vote private either way, without the potential for GOP ballot fraud.
All I know is if we make it too costly no matter how it ends up, they will go to internet voting.
COMMENT #21 [Permalink]
... C. Burkey said on 11/9/2012 @ 8:13 pm PT...
Thanks Brad. I did do the search as you suggested, and learned about what happened when you voted in 2008 and then wrote to the acting L.A. County Registrar. Sounds like it didn't go very well. If there's anything more recent, I couldn't find it via the search function. I summarized things in a post at my site: http://exiledinhollywood...oters-say-no-to-gmo.html Jon Rappoport has a post about the GMO initiative. As it turns out, a number of votes in L.A., OC and two other counties have not even been counted; however, Monsanto's tallying up a win against 37 already. And several people I talked to said they voted against it because it would "make food cost more." Here's Rappoport's article: https://jonrappoport.wor...op-37-on-election-night/
COMMENT #22 [Permalink]
... C. Burkey said on 11/9/2012 @ 8:33 pm PT...
From the Rappoport report: I spoke with Erin Madigan White, media relations manager at AP. I asked her whether AP had made the projections for Prop 37 to media outlets. She emailed me the following tidbit. It was not quite an answer to my question, but it was illuminating: “To clarify: AP does not make ‘projections,’ but bases our reporting on counting real votes from every precinct. As our story notes specifically, ‘With all the state’s precincts reporting, Proposition 37 failed 53.1 percent to 46.9 percent.’” When someone gives you this kind of sleight-of-hand maneuver, it’s called a clue. Let’s start with this phrase: “With all the state’s precincts reporting.” The precincts were all reporting PARTIAL results. Even today, there are 3.3 million votes in CA still to be counted. This tells you that AP was lying. That’s right. Let’s call it what it was. They were lying about “all precincts.” It was an intentional con.
COMMENT #23 [Permalink]
... riverat said on 11/9/2012 @ 11:18 pm PT...
#8 Dixie Blood. Back in the 1970's & 80's I voted on numbered paper ballots but the numbers were on perforated tabs that we'd tear off and hand to the poll worker just before depositing our ballot in the box. They were numbered for auditing. By numbering all ballots you could account for every single one between the unused ones and the torn off tabs and the tab count should equal the number of ballots voted. You should ask your local elections office (part of the county clerks office for me) how voter privacy is maintained with with the numbered ballots and they should have a good answer for you. If not make some noise.
COMMENT #24 [Permalink]
... Kathy said on 11/12/2012 @ 5:27 am PT...
Do you think Romeny's ORCA registration system used on election day by his on the ground staff would have been used to cast votes at the last minute for those that did not show up in States were Romney owned voting machines? Is this why Rove reacted why he did on FOX News? I would also like to comment that Romney met with Petraous in August, Benghazi happened Sept 11, then it was made an election issue. Romeny would have done anything to become President. I think both Romney and Petraous got their hands caught in the cookie jar and that they are being able to walk away, save face. is this good for the American People?
COMMENT #25 [Permalink]
... Mark Adams said on 11/20/2012 @ 11:15 am PT...
Great blog. Is Karl Rove headed for the slammer? I just saw this and thought that you might want to read it:
http://jobsanger.blogspo...foiled-by-anonymous.html
COMMENT #26 [Permalink]
... Mark Adams said on 11/20/2012 @ 11:18 am PT...
UGH! Copy and paste didn't work for the comment #25 earlier post
http://jobsanger.blogspo...foiled-by-anonymous.html
COMMENT #27 [Permalink]
... Mark Adams said on 11/20/2012 @ 11:19 am PT...
COMMENT #28 [Permalink]
... Mark Adams said on 11/20/2012 @ 11:19 am PT...
2012/11/theft-of-election-foiled-by-anonymous.html
COMMENT #29 [Permalink]
... Mark Adams said on 11/20/2012 @ 11:21 am PT...© Joe Fionda
Drone operators refer to children as "fun-size terrorists" and liken killing them to "cutting the grass before it grows too long," said one of the operators, Michael Haas, a former senior airman in the Air Force
Haas said operators become acculturated to denying the humanity of the people on their targeting screens. "There was a much more detached outlook about who these people were we were monitoring, he said. "Shooting was something to be lauded and something we should strive for."
The killings, part of the Obama administration's targeted assassination program, are aiding terrorist recruitment and thus undermining the program's goal of eliminating such fighters, the veterans added.. Haas also described widespread drug and alcohol abuse, further stating that some operators had flown missions while impaired.In addition to Haas, the operators are former Air Force Staff Sergeant Brandon Bryant along with former senior airmen Cian Westmoreland and Stephen Lewis."We have seen the abuse firsthand," said Bryant, "and we are horrified."The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Beyond the press conference, the group also denounced the program yesterday in an interview with the Guardian and in an open letter addressed to President Obama.At the press conference, Bryant said drone killings of civilians is exacerbating the problem of terrorism. "We kill four and create ten [militants]," Bryant said. "If you kill someones father, uncle or brother who had nothing to do with anything, their families are going to want revenge."The Obama administration has gone to great lengths to keep details of the drone program secret, but in their statements today the former operators opened up about the culture that has developed among those responsible for carrying it out.The deaths of children in strikes was rationalized by many drone operators, Haas said, with minors in the targeted warzones described as "fun-size terrorists" and their potential deaths in strikes likened to "cutting the grass before it grows too long."Drone operators, he said, would frequently get intoxicated using bath salts and synthetic marijuana to avoid possible drug testing and in an effort to "bend that reality and try to picture yourself not being there." Haas said he knew at least a half-dozen people in his unit who were using bath salts and that drug use had "impaired" them during missions.The Obama administration's assassination program has come under increasing scrutiny in recent months. This October, The Intercept published a cache of classified documents on the program leaked by a government whistleblower that showed how the program killed people based on unreliable intelligence, that the vast majority of people killed in a multi-year Afghanistan campaign were not the intended targets, and that the military by default labeled non-targets killed in the campaign as enemies rather than civilians.The operators said that they felt increasing urgency to speak out in the wake of the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris last week; they believe drone assasinations have fed the rise of the extremist group Islamic State, which has claimed responsibility for the attacks.Westmoreland said of drones that "In the short term they're good at killing people, but in the long term they're not effective., but you also have expats who are watching what's going on in their home countries and seeing regularly the violations that are happening there, and that is something that could radicalize them."In their open letter to Obama, the former drone pilots made a similar point, writing that during their service they "came to the realization that the innocent civilians we were killing only fueled the feelings of hatred that ignited terrorism and groups like ISIS," going on to describe the program as "one of the most devastating driving forces for terrorism and destabilization around the world."At the press conference today, the pilots echoed these sentiments. "It seems like our actions of late have only made the problems worse... The drones are good at killing people, just not the right ones," Bryant said. "Have we forgotten our humanity in the pursuit of vengeance and security?"Internal displacement across Africa is almost always attributed to civil strife or full-blown wars.
But a new report from the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center suggests natural hazards stemming from environmental change forced a record 1.1 million from their homes in 33 African countries in 2015. Floods were the key displacing factor, destroying thousands of buildings and homes, damaging roads and bridges, upsetting food and irrigation systems, and disrupting education and health services. The environmental displacement was acute across the entire continent, affecting those in Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Malawi and Nigeria, and displacing more than 14 million people between 2009 and 2015.
The report, the first to collect and present comprehensive data from Africa, also painted a damning picture of internal displacement. Coupled with those fleeing conflict and violence, Africa had a total of 12.4 million people who were living in ongoing displacement in 21 African countries. The figure stood for an average of 9,500 people who were uprooted from their homes on a daily basis. The number of IDPs was also more than double the continent’s 5.4 million refugee population.
“Africa is in the throes of an internal displacement crisis,” the report, launched with the support of the African Union in Addis Ababa said.
Fresh conflicts in Sudan and South Sudan, besides the ongoing insurgency in northeast Nigeria with Boko Haram accounted for large displacement too. Globally, violence as a cause for flight in the continent was only second to those raging in the Middle East. More than 736,000 people fled conflicts in Nigeria; 100,000 in Libya; 210,000 in CAR; 90,000 in Somalia: all signifying a critical challenge for national government and humanitarian agencies.
Development and business projects also uprooted millions of people from their homes. In conjunction with private entities, governments have in some cases forced people off their lands, sometimes with no commitment to safeguard residents from the adverse consequences that come with relocation. These evictions have taken place in countries like Nigeria and have also sparked protests in countries like Ethiopia. Those evicted also faced worsening health situations, restricted mobility and the loss of their social support networks.
All these situations happened despite the ratification of the Kampala Convention, the signature African law adopted in 2009 and signed by 40 countries, so as to protect and assist internally displaced persons. The IDMC report also noted that lack of data and knowledge limits many African countries from analyzing trends and identifying effective policy options to tackle displacement and its key factors.
“Monitoring internal displacement has improved in recent decades, but there are still too many gaps in our knowledge,” Maya Sahli Fadel, the AU special rapporteur on refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, and IDPs, said. “For two of the key drivers of displacement in Africa, drought, and development projects, we lack even the most basic information.”New data has raised questions about who the police target for drug tests.
Over the past year there has been a 320 percent increase the number of people charged with drug driving offences in NSW, with young people and residents of low-income areas making up the bulk of the arrests, according to new data released by the state’s crime statistics agency.
The data from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) shows that 9,800 people faced drug driving charges in NSW last year, compared to just 2,300 the year before. The BOCSAR report also acknowledges that “it seems likely that the increase in charges is a reflection of increased law enforcement activity rather than an increase in actual drug driving.”
This means that the huge increase in arrests isn’t actually the result of more people taking drugs and driving, but instead it’s the result of a significantly ramped up police effort to drug test drivers. So who are the cops testing?
A couple of weeks ago Junkee reported on accusations from the NSW Greens that police drug tests were targeting the poor. The police currently test for drugs more likely to be used by younger Australians from low-socioeconomic backgrounds like cannabis and methamphetamine, but they don’t test for cocaine or benzos (which were statistically much more likely to cause accidents).
Well, according to the new data, the overwhelming majority of drug driving offenders are young, with 72 percent of those charged aged 18 to 39. The geographic areas with the highest number of offenders per capita are the Richmond-Tweed area on the NSW North Coast and the south-west suburbs of Sydney.
The median income in the Richmond-Tweed area is $36,000 per year, well below the national median income of $45,000. Youth unemployment in the area is over 17 percent, 5 percent higher than the state average.
People living in Richmond-Tweed are 46 times more likely to be convicted of drug driving offences than those living on Sydney’s North Shore. The North Shore, Northern Beaches and Inner West all have far lower levels of drug driving offences according to the BOCSAR data. They also have median incomes well above the national average.
The Greens feel that this new data backs up their argument. “These extraordinary discrepancies can’t be explained by differences in the level of drug driving,” the NSW Greens justice spokesperson, David Shoebridge said.
“There is no question that the police are targeting drug driving tests against those parts of the state that are less wealthy. It’s more class warfare from the Coalition government. South west Sydney and the regions are facing a surge in drug driving convictions while residents in areas of privilege are getting a free ride.
“This confirms why the Greens are so opposed to the flawed roadside drug testing regime. It targets the poor, doesn’t test for impairment and fails to pick up cocaine and benzos. Mobile drug testing isn’t about road safety, it’s just another part of the failing war on drugs being fought by police against people without money or influence,” he said.
Junkee contacted NSW Police over these earlier allegations, and were referred to the Centre for Road Safety. They did not respond to our inquiries.
–
Feature image via YouTubeChildren from all socio-economic backgrounds are suffering the effects of an unhealthy diet. Are we doing enough?
"Salt is a silent killer," says Professor Graham MacGregor of St George's Hospital, London, the cardiovascular specialist I spoke to when researching my OFM story about the hidden dangers in middle-class children's diets. "When you eat more salt, you retain more fluid" – an extra 1.5kg of liquid that is "sloshing around inside you and putting your blood pressure up, then suddenly, oops, you've had your stroke or heart attack and you're dead."
High blood pressure accelerates atheroma – the build-up of furry deposits in the arteries that causes strokes and heart attacks. Disturbingly, the early signs of "atheroma streaking" are found during post-mortems on children who have died in accidents – some of them as young as three or four years old.
Not all of these are children raised on the calorie-rich fast food often blamed for the ticking timebomb of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and even cancer. It's all too easy to criticise the diet of people represented in programmes such as Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food, but the problem is much broader. My focus was on kids who eat a diet of things like breakfast cereals, toast and Marmite, croissants, cereal bars, pasta with sauce, ham sandwiches and sausage and mash – in other words, a typical middle-class child's diet.
Salt is hidden in all manner of seemingly healthy foods, as are sugar and refined carbohydrates that pile on calories but offer little in the way of nutrition.
Hence the government's £275m Change4Life campaign, aimed at tackling obesity (and by implication all the above diseases) in every section of society, launched in January with TV advertisements by Aardman Animations, the creators of Wallace and Gromit.
"We want families to engage with the campaign and understand that obesity is not someone else's problem," said public health minister Dawn Primarolo at the launch - but I'm not sure I would have really noticed the Change4Life campaign if I hadn't been researching this story.
Was the campaign prominent enough? Has it changed the way you shop, cook or live? Was it a big enough investment? Overweight and obese people cost the NHS £4.2bn a year to treat, and the cost to the wider UK economy is £16bn, so in that context £275m doesn't seem a lot. The bigger joke is that £200m of it was put up by food companies such as Kellogg's and Pepsico, manufacturers of some of the least healthy foods for children.
Their initiatives focus more on sport and activity than they do on diet. Pepsico (Pepsi, Walkers, Tropicana) is promoting "active play", Kellogg's has a Swim4Life programme and Asda a Bike4Life initiative. It all calls to mind the Cadbury's Get Active campaign of 2003, which offered £9m-worth of sports equipment to schools in return for tokens on sweet wrappers.
"If you make chocolate, you are not going to put money into any campaign that directly tells people not to eat chocolate," says Dr Ian Campbell, a Nottingham GP and medical director of the UK charity Weight Concern. "You will put it into promoting physical activity to negate the harmful effects of eating too much chocolate. It is the only choice these companies have."
Dr Campbell even believes the food industry unwittingly sabotages the government's efforts to get the healthy-eating message across. "You drive past a bus stop and there is a lovely billboard promoting the Change4Life concept," he says. "Immediately beside it is one from a company offering a 99p burger. Any impact is almost negated by the efforts from the other side."
Is it wrong to blame manufacturers for peddling unhealthy food to children when it is we, their parents, who demand convenience foods because we are too time-poor or career-obsessed to cook? And are the food companies and the government genuinely at odds, or is there a comfortable alliance between them?Berlin Tempelhof Airport (German: Flughafen Berlin-Tempelhof) (IATA: THF, ICAO: EDDI) was one of the first airports in Berlin, Germany. Situated in the south-central Berlin borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg, the airport ceased operating in 2008 amid controversy, leaving Tegel and Schönefeld as the two main airports serving the city, with the new Berlin Brandenburg Airport still under construction as of 2019.
Tempelhof was designated as an airport by the Ministry of Transport on 8 October 1923. The old terminal was originally constructed in 1927. In anticipation of increasing air traffic, the Nazi government began a massive reconstruction in the mid-1930s. While it was occasionally cited as the world's oldest operating commercial airport, the title was disputed by several other airports, and is no longer an issue since its closure.
Tempelhof was one of Europe's three iconic pre-World War II airports, the others being London's now defunct Croydon Airport and the old Paris–Le Bourget Airport. It acquired a further iconic status as the centre of the Berlin Airlift of 1948-49. One of the airport's most distinctive features is its massive, canopy-style roof extending over the apron, able to accommodate most contemporary airliners in the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s, protecting passengers from the elements. Tempelhof Airport's main building was once among the top 20 largest buildings on earth; in contrast, it formerly had the world's smallest duty-free shop.[3]
Tempelhof Airport closed all operations on 30 October 2008, despite the efforts of some protesters to prevent the closure.[4] A non-binding referendum was held on 27 April 2008 against the impending closure but failed due to low voter turnout. The former airfield has subsequently been used as a recreational space known as Tempelhofer Feld.[5] In September 2015 it was announced that Tempelhof would also become an emergency refugee camp.[6]
Function [ edit ]
Tempelhof was often called the "City Airport". In its later years, it mostly had commuter flights to other parts of Germany and neighbouring countries; but it had in the past received long-haul, wide-bodied airliners, such as the Boeing 747,[7] the Lockheed L-1011 Tristar[8] and the Lockheed C-5A Galaxy.[9] The first of these three first appeared at Tempelhof on 18 September 1976, when Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) flew in Boeing 747SP Clipper Great Republic to participate in the static exhibition of contemporary military, non-combat and civil aircraft at the annual "Day of Open House" of the United States Air Force (USAF) at the airport.
The Galaxy had its first appearance at Tempelhof on 17 September 1971, when an aircraft of the USAF's 436th Military Airlift Wing flew in from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, United States, to participate in that year's "Day of Open House" static exhibition. These events respectively marked the debut at Tempelhof of the largest aircraft in commercial airline service at the time and the then-largest aircraft overall.[10]
It had two parallel runways. Runway 09L/27R was 2,094 metres (6,870 ft) long and runway 09R/27L was 1,840 m (6,037 ft). Both were paved with asphalt. The taxiway was in the shape of an oval around these two runways, with a single terminal on the northwest side of the airport.
Other possible uses for Tempelhof have been discussed, and many people are trying to keep the airport buildings preserved.[11] In September 2015, in the midst of the 2015 European migrant crisis, it was announced by the Berlin state government that Tempelhof would become an 'emergency refugee shelter', holding at least 1,200 people in two former hangars.[6]
History [ edit ]
Adolf Hitler at Zentralflughafen Tempelhof-Berlin, 1932
The site of the airport was originally Knights Templar land in medieval Berlin, and from this beginning came the name Tempelhof. Later, the site was used as a parade field by Prussian forces, and by unified German forces from 1720 to the start of World War I. In 1909, Frenchman Armand Zipfel made the first flight demonstration in Tempelhof, followed by Orville Wright later that same year.[12] Tempelhof was first officially designated as an airport on 8 October 1923. Deutsche Luft Hansa was founded in Tempelhof on 6 January 1926.
The old terminal, originally constructed in 1927, became the world's first with an underground railway. The station has since been renamed Paradestraße, because the rebuilding of the airport in the 1930s required the airport access to be moved to a major intersection with a station now called Platz der Luftbrücke after the Berlin Airlift.
As part of Albert Speer's plan for the reconstruction of Berlin during the Nazi era, Prof. Ernst Sagebiel was ordered to replace the old terminal with a new terminal building in 1934. The airport halls and the adjoining buildings, intended to become the gateway to Europe and a symbol of Hitler's "world capital" Germania, are still known as one of the largest built entities worldwide, and have been described by British architect Sir Norman Foster as "the mother of all airports". With its façades of shell limestone, the terminal building, built between 1936 and 1941, forms a 1.2 kilometre long quadrant. Arriving passengers walked through customs controls to the reception hall. Tempelhof was served by the U6 U-Bahn line along Mehringdamm and up Friedrichstraße (Platz der Luftbrücke station).
Zentralflughafen Tempelhof-Berlin had the advantage of a central location just minutes from the Berlin city centre and quickly became one of the world's busiest airports. Tempelhof saw its greatest pre-war days during 1938–1939, when up to 52 foreign and 40 domestic flights arrived and departed daily from the old terminal while the new one was still under construction.
The new air terminal was designed as headquarters for Deutsche Luft Hansa (moved in 1938), the German national airline at that time. As a forerunner of today's modern airports, the building was designed with many unique features, including giant arc-shaped aircraft hangars. Although under construction for more than ten years, it was never finished because of World War II. For passengers and freight, the 1927-built terminal stayed in use until 24 April 1945.
The building complex was designed to resemble an eagle in flight with semicircular hangars forming the bird's spread wings. A 1 mi (1.6 km)-long hangar roof was to have been laid in tiers to form a stadium for spectators at air and ground demonstrations. Norman Foster called Tempelhof "one of the really great buildings of the modern age".[13]
World War II [ edit ]
The airport in 1937, at the 1927-built terminal building.
Fearing Allied bombing of airports, all German civil aviation was halted on 2 September 1939, but gradually restarted from 1 November.[14] However, the 1927-built terminal remained closed to all civil aviation, and all |
refuse to allow our existence to resemble a mindless act of chance.
One has to take a somewhat bold and dangerous line with this existence: especially as, whatever happens, we are bound to lose it. Why go on clinging to this clod of earth, the way of life, why pay heed to what your neighbor says? It is so parochial to bind oneself to views which are no longer binding even a couple of hundred miles away.
Orient and Occident are chalk-lines drawn before us to fool our timidity.
I will make an attempt to attain freedom, the youthful soul says to itself; and is it to be hindered in this by the fact that two nations happen to hate and fight one another, or that two continents are separated by an ocean, or that all around it a religion is taught that did not yet exist a couple thousand years ago?
All that is not you, it says to itself.
No one can construct for you the bridge upon which precisely you must cross the stream of life, no one but you yourself alone. There are, to be sure, countless paths and bridges and demi-gods which would bear you through this stream; but only at the cost of yourself: you would put yourself in pawn and lose yourself. There exists in the world a single path along which no one can go except you: whither does it lead? Do not ask; go along it.
Who was it who said: ‘a man never rises higher than when he does not know whither his path can still lead him?
But how can we find ourselves again? How can man know himself? He is a thing dark and veiled; and if the hare has seven skins, man can slough off seventy times seven and still not be able to say: ‘this is really you, this is no longer outer shell’.
Moreover, it is a painful and dangerous undertaking thus to tunnel into oneself and to force one’s way down into the shaft of one’s being by the nearest path.
A man who does it can easily so hurt himself that no physician can cure him. And, moreover again, what need should there be for it, since everything bears witness to what we are, our friendships and enmities, our glance and the clasp of our hand, our memory and that which we do not remember, our books and our handwriting.
This, however, is the means by which an inquiry into the most important aspect can be initiated.
Let the youthful soul look back on life with the question: what have you truly loved up to now, what has drawn your soul aloft, what has mastered it and at the same time blessed it? Set up these revered objects before you and perhaps their nature and their sequence will give you a law, the fundamental law of your own true self. Compare these objects one with another, see how they constitute a stepladder upon which you have clambered up to yourself as you are now; for your true nature lies not concealed deep within you, but immeasurably high above you, or at least above that which you usually take yourself to be…”
–Nietzsche, “Untimely Meditations“Queensland's Chief Justice Tim Carmody offers conditional resignation amid infighting with judiciary
Updated
Queensland's Chief Justice Tim Carmody is ready to quit amid dysfunction and infighting with senior members of the judiciary, but says his resignation is conditional on judicial reform.
However, a law academic says Justice Carmody's conditional resignation could set a dangerous precedent.
Justice Carmody said his resignation would be in the best interest of Queenslanders, and Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath thanked him for putting the judiciary before himself.
A condition of Justice Carmody's resignation would be that the State Government undertake a reform agenda, including a judicial commission.
He said reform would bring about "improvements Queenslanders need and expect".
Justice Carmody said he believed those who were resisting change campaigned to force him out.
"I am willing to resign on just terms, not for them, not because of them, but to break the impasse," Justice Carmody said in a statement.
I have never seen, in 40 years of practising a judge retiring early and saying 'I will retire early only if the government of the day brings in a policy change that I want'. Terry O'Gorman, Australian Council of Civil Liberties
"These recent revelations shine light on serious cultural and structural problems within the judiciary.
"These problems had their origins and were festering long before I was appointed to bring in needed reforms.
"Those resistant to change and modernisation have made it their primary goal to force me out, seemingly at all costs."
Justice Carmody said his resignation would be conditional on a clear and meaningful reform framework.
"I am willing to do so [resign] only on just terms and if I am confident action will be taken towards improvements Queenslanders need and expect," he said.
Over the next week, Justice Carmody wants a round table meeting to discuss reform and on Friday he will present his vision for change.
"I deeply hope that this vision will be accompanied by a mandated, bipartisan, action plan," he said.
Carmody is 'definitely playing politics'
However, QUT law professor Mark Lauchs said Chief Justice Carmody's departure could set a dangerous precedent.
"One of the problems is it creates a precedent that the judiciary can, of its own volition, coerce not just the Chief Justice but any judge to resign and that's not very good - that's a bad precedent to set in society," he said.
Professor Lauchs said if the Chief Justice resigned, there was no guarantee any of his demands would be met.
"There's no set of rules in relation to it - the Act doesn't say a judge will resign on the circumstances that they can then use it as leverage to change policy - that's just something he can do by playing politics, so he's definitely playing politics," he said.
Australian Council of Civil Liberties president Terry O'Gorman said Justice Carmody was making the state look like "Hicksville again".
"The rest of Australia are looking at Queensland and saying 'what on earth is going on?' Are they still in the 1970s and 1980s?" he said.
"To tie his departure to in effect force the Government to introduce a policy change that the Government has said it is not interested in - judges can't do that - again shows the inherent unsuitability of the man to hold judicial office.
"I have never seen, in 40 years of practising a judge retiring early and saying 'I will retire early only if the government of the day brings in a policy change that I want'."
Queensland Council for Civil Liberties president Michael Cope said Justice Carmody should not attach any conditions to his resignation.
Mr Cope said the former LNP government bore ultimate responsibility.
"He had disqualified himself from this appointment by his political comments, particularly in support of the previous government's bikie laws. He should never have been appointed," he said.
"His appointment then placed the other judges in a situation where the only way they could protect the institution of the court was to go public with their concerns about his behaviour once he was appointed."
Government ready to meet on reform agenda
A resignation would solve a significant legal dilemma for the Queensland Government, which has limited power to remove a judge.
So far, the Government has not wanted to interfere in the stoushes.
Ms D'Ath, who confirmed Justice Carmody approached her in mid-April about his intention to resign, said she would be happy to meet him over his reform agenda, but said the Government would have the final say.
"When it comes to making policy decisions around court structures, that is a government decision," she said.
Ms D'Ath said the department was looking at what form a judicial commission could take, but it was not decided yet if it was in the interest of the state.
She said the Palaszczuk Government already indicated before the election that there would be a protocol for judicial appointments.
Justice Carmody enjoyed a meteoric rise under the former government, selected over long-serving judges.
"The former LNP government... failed to properly consult in relation to the appointment," Ms D'Ath said.
"[I want to introduce a protocol] to make sure there is integrity in the system, and make sure appointments are seen as strong appointments based on their merits and there isn't political interference."
Ms D'Ath would not comment on whether Justice Carmody had been bullied, or misstepped.
Furthermore, Ms D'Ath said he would not be brought before Parliament to explain his actions.
"I consider that a significant gesture on his part to put the court's interest before himself," Ms D'Ath told 612 ABC Brisbane.
"It would be silly to sit here and say the conduct across the judiciary has been beneficial to the courts and the public perception in recent months."
It has been a rocky road for Justice Carmody since he was announced as the state's top judge 10 months ago.
The state's second most powerful judge, Court of Appeal President Justice Margaret McMurdo, said she would not sit with him on any case, and Justice John Byrne is reported to have secretly recorded a conversation with him.
In July 2014, Justice Carmody was promoted under the former Newman government from Chief Magistrate to Chief Justice, despite never serving on the Supreme Court.
He has suffered a barrage of criticism from the judiciary and legal fraternity since his elevation and took a month's sick leave from last Monday for a bad back.
Justice McMurdo is standing by her decisions during the "unseemly saga" and would not say whether Justice Carmody should go.
"All the decisions I've made have been principled and based on the correct thing to do as I've perceived it," she said.
"I stand by them."
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, government-and-politics, state-parliament, judges-and-legal-profession, qld, brisbane-4000
First postedAs the dust settles from the government shutdown and debt-ceiling standoff, and while John Boehner and Ted Cruz figure out what’s next from out the wreckage, at least one man on the right is giddy. “I feel like I’ve been up for three straight weeks,” says Robert Costa, the National Review’s Washington editor and star blogger, who has been in the thick of it all as the government edges up to economic destruction. He’s not even tired. “I don’t feel like I need to exhale,” he says, the end finally in sight. “Whenever things get hot, that’s when I love it.”
He has reason to: Costa has been celebrated by his colleagues and subjects alike as a must-read this month, his reporting from behind the closed doors of Republicans in Congress held up as indispensable, a shining beacon of the form in which a man tirelessly asks questions and prints the answers without fluff or bluster. He’s been called “the most important reporter in the country,” “omnipresent,” and “the only winner here.” (Costa and his team got so many scoops about the GOP’s constantly changing strategy that congressional leadership warned members about leaking to the National Review, a fact also reported by the National Review.) Since Monday, he’s gained more than 7,000 Twitter followers, and seemingly tweeted as many times.
But he shrugs it all off. “It’s just been more of the same,” Costa says (although he did make sure to e-mail this writer a story called “Robert Costa’s Moment”). “Report, report, report. That’s all I do.”
He’s been at it for a while, if only held up as a national star for a few days. In high school, Costa wrote music and concert reviews for his local paper, the Bucks County Courier Times in Pennsylvania, but he was in a story before he really started writing them. Along with his classmates, “Bob” — he uses “Robert” as a byline to avoid confusion with Bob Costas — was featured in Wonderland: A Year in the Life of an American High School, a book by Michael Bamberger.
Active in student government and interested in politics, Costa was painted as an overachieving people-pleaser, but not quite a sycophantic Eddie Haskell type. “His father, a lawyer, had a business card, the junior-class president saw how useful it was, so he ordered some for himself,” Bamberger writes. “His card read: Bob Costa, Pennsbury High School.”
“If you have that level of earnestness, you’re never going to be one of the cool kids,” Bamberger recalls now that his subject is all grown-up. (They’re still in frequent touch.) “Being eager is the worst thing you can possibly be.” But Costa was not “Über-in-your-face” about it, Bamberger says. “Most people have this instinct to try so hard to impress the other person, but he doesn’t. You can have that at an obnoxious level — he doesn’t cross the line.”
Photo: Win McNamee/2013 Getty Images
It’s served Costa well with members of Congress, whose trust he’s gained by working hard and shooting straight. “What I try to do is understand the language of conservatism,” he says. “A tea party rally has political meaning and depth to it beyond being a spectacle. Once in a while, of course, it has its circus-like moments, but it is a serious strain of America, of the political conversation.”
His ability to take all sides seriously may have earned him as many ins as having the National Review on his business card. “Most Capitol Hill reporters don’t understand the conservative mind-set or why someone would be a Republican,” says Tim Carney, senior political columnist at the Washington Examiner. “This gave Bob a huge leg up. Simultaneously, most conservatives don’t engage in shoe-leather reporting. This gives him a second leg up. Two legs up!”
From high school, where Costa is remembered for leading a successful campaign to get a pre-fame John Mayer to perform at prom — Costa “knew the lyrics of songs Mayer had not even recorded yet,” writes Bamberger — he attended Notre Dame, where he ran the TV station and wrote for the school paper. He interned for George Stephanopoulos and Charlie Rose, landed a fellowship at The Wall Street Journal’s editorial page, and got a master’s in politics from Cambridge in less than a year. (He wrote his thesis on Churchill.)
All the while, his politics were still developing. “I was a Bob Casey Democrat in high school — pro-life, went to public school, and listened to jam bands,” he says. “But I was 18-years-old when I graduated.” That year, he stumbled into a job as a strategist on the special election campaign of Republican Mike Fitzpatrick, who won a seat in the House, and “it was only after then that I even knew what the National Review was.”
In 2009, Costa was named the first-ever William F. Buckley fellow after the magazine founder’s death, but with the support of editor Rich Lowry pursued reporting instead of the polemical style of a movement publication. “From Day One, I’ve never written a column or an editorial. In four-plus years,” he says. At 23, “I was not comfortable even aspiring to be Buckley or George Will, but I felt comfortable aspiring to be a solid reporter.”
Now 28, that view separates Costa from most of his contemporaries, who grew up broadcasting their opinions online and feeling important for it. “There’s something old-fashioned about Bob,” says Bamberger. “Even though he’s plugged in to social media and popular music. He’s much more like those old-timers on the Sunday morning talking shows in Brooks Brothers and a striped tie. He has a middle-aged-man take on all of life.”
“I’m just not very comfortable always sharing my views and making an argument. I’ve never been that kind of guy,” says Costa. “I have my own views, but every day I try to wipe the board clean. Basically, I’m a middle-of-the-road guy who’s mostly conservative, who loves to report.”
His preference to lay out what lawmakers say, sans much analysis, has earned Costa some criticism from tea partiers who think he’s a shill for the Establishment, while others to the left have seen him as making excuses for the Ted Cruzes of the world. “His thing is not passing judgment one way or the other,” says Philip Klein, a conservative writer at the Examiner. “People know they can talk to him.”
Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images2013 Getty Images
“There aren’t actually that many people who take the time to understand who these guys are and what their motivations are as individuals,” says Slate political reporter Dave Weigel, another colleague without a bad word to say about Costa. (Others describe him as “amiable, “keen,” and “generous.”) “There are [reporters] who pop up when there’s a problem,” says Weigel. “He tries to understand them at all times.”
The tack is rare outside of the mainstream media, especially at conservative outlets, where “for most people, media is columns and editorials,” says Costa, “and it has been the core for decades.” Instead of simply pandering with a “team mentality,” Costa has used the doors his platform opens and added the basics of reporting as a novel concept, which has only begot more access.
“My political hero is Robert Caro, not any politician,” says Costa. “With his Johnson books he chronicled power. I try to get beyond the glib quote and get inside the cloak room to find out who’s using power and why. That’s not a partisan pursuit.”Naughty Dog
Although the upcoming N. Sane Trilogy is an exciting prospect, one thing that Crash Bandicoot fans have been craving just as long for is a remake of Crash Team Racing.
CTR is a beloved racing gem in the eyes of many PlayStation fans, featuring the Crash franchise's zany characters, upbeat music and inventive level designs, all making it a joy to play. Awesome gameplay features such as the Adventure mode and a tighter focus on drifting and weaponry made it feel very distinct from other kart racers like Mario Kart.
Because of this, and despite a number of sequels from a number of developers, many fans have waited years for one that truly felt like a worthwhile continuation. With the impending release of the N. Sane Trilogy, itself a remake of three classic Crash Bandicoot games, the hope for a revisit to CTR is higher than ever.
For Crash Team Racing to be the best experience it can be, there are several things that Vicarious Visions need to implement, alongside things they need to completely avoid. It's a given that the remaster should have graphics similar to the N. Sane Trilogy, and the following essential features would make 'Crash Team Racing HD' the perfect remaster.The American Society of Cinematographers has selected Denzel Washington as the recipient of its Board of Governors Award.
Washington will be presented with the honor on Feb. 4 during the 31st ASC Awards at Hollywood and Highland’s Ray Dolby Ballroom. The organization presents the accolade to individuals in the industry whose body of work has made “significant and indelible contributions” to cinema.
The organization said in a statement, “It is the only ASC Award not given to a cinematographer, and is reserved for filmmakers who have been champions for directors of photography and the visual art form.”
Washington made his directorial debut with “Antwone Fisher” in 2002 and directed “The Great Debaters” in 2007. He directed and produced “Fences,” written by August Wilson and based on his Pulitzer Prize-winning play. The movie will be released on Christmas Day. Washington also reprises his original Tony Award-winning role alongside Viola Davis.
“Denzel Washington is an amazing director and actor, and a conscious force in these challenging times,” said ASC president Kees van Oostrum. “A true artist is empowered by the era they live in, and he expresses an awareness of the world around us through his work. It is that strength of character that we honor with the ASC Governors Award.”
Related Michael B. Jordan to Star in Denzel Washington's 'Journal for Jordan' Cinematographers Praise Academy Reversal: 'We Thank You for Your Show of Respect'
Washington has starred in more than 50 films and television shows. He received his first Academy Award for the historical war drama “Glory” in 1989 and a second for crime thriller “Training Day” in 2001. He was nominated four other times for “Cry Freedom,” “Malcolm X,” “The Hurricane,” and “Flight.”
Washington is a recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award, which was presented to him at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards earlier this year. He received a Golden Globe nomination on Monday for “Fences.”
Previous recipients of the ASC Board of Governors Award include Ridley Scott, Barbra Streisand, Harrison Ford, Julia Roberts, Christopher Nolan, Warren Beatty, Francis Ford Coppola, Sally Field, Morgan Freeman, Ron Howard, Sydney Pollack, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg.This is part 2 of my conversation with the Fedora Project Leader, Matthew Miller. If you haven't read part 1 yet, I recommend starting there first.
Bryan Luduke: There are a lot of Linux distros out there with big, lofty goals. Expand into phones and tablets and television; Take over the world and be the king of desktop computer market-share. That sort of thing. If you could summarize the long term goal of Fedora... what would it be? How do you, as the Fedora Project, measure your own success?
Matthew Miller: “We do have very lofty goals, but they're not necessarily tied to having Fedora directly installed everywhere or having the Fedora brand plastered on everything. We want a world where free and open culture is widespread, we want people to work together as the default, and we want users to control their own computing destiny — that's the long-term vision. It's bigger than just Fedora as king of something.
With our basic charter as a leading-edge distribution, Fedora isn't right for every situation. If you need a support lifetime of over a decade, Red Hat makes an amazing enterprise distribution which happens to be fed from Fedora work. Every time someone installs RHEL — or CentOS — that's Fedora success. And, it's not just the direct derivatives; whenever Fedora pioneers technology that helps Linux and open source advance overall, that's a win.
Of course, we do want the operating system we produce to be directly successful as well. It's not as much fun to make something no one really actually uses, and it can't be a meaningful incubator for new technologies without real users. We can't just be someone else's perpetual beta, so Fedora success definitely includes attracting users, too.
For a long time, our basic approach was to make something we felt was awesome, and offer it with a sort of "here, we made a great operating system — here's all the stuff in it, and we hope you like it". And, to be bluntly honest, that wasn't working very well. We were making better and better technology, but our user numbers were on a slow decline.
So, we've taken a renewed interest in marketing as a real discipline — and it's really paying off, as we're seeing our metrics for Fedora operating system use take off. To measure that use, we have a number of indirect tools. Fedora doesn't do any direct or invasive tracking, so there's no way of getting an exact count. It's more like those wildlife surveys where you do some sampling and try to figure out from there. One thing we track is daily unique connections to our system which serves out security and bugfix updates, and from that, we can see a steep upward curve since we started the new http://getfedora.org, with different Fedora Workstation, Fedora Server, and Fedora Cloud editions.
Obviously, we want that to continue. And, we're working on new initiatives to measure community involvement. That's just starting out, but I think it's a really important way to look at our success. Last year, we had over 2,000 individuals contribute to some of the easy-to-measure parts of the project, like wiki edits, software package updates, and testing of those updates.
+ MORE FEDORA: Understanding the Fedora Next initiative through LEGO (kind of) +
I'm planning to expand that to other areas of the project too — translations, user support and help, design work, and so on. I can go into pretty geeky details on these numbers, if you like, but the overall idea is that having a healthy, growing community is a way we think about our success, too.
Oh, and about phones and tablets — simply put, I don't think it's an area where we can win. It's a really hard area to even break into, and you need both the engineering and big deals with big hardware vendors, and for phones, all sorts of regulatory stuff, and having done it once, you have to then do it all over again. It just doesn't seem like the best use of our limited resources. I do wish everyone working on this a lot of luck, though — I certainly do want to see free and open source software win on mobile as well as the desktop and server room.
What is it about Fedora that makes it 'leading edge'? Is that anything like the 'bleeding edge' that people have with some rolling release distros?
By 'leading edge', I mean that we are part of innovation in open source and operating system software, not just integrating already proven solutions. On the desktop side, you can see that in our investment in Wayland, which is a next-generation graphics stack designed to replace the X11 display protocol traditional with Linux systems. On the server and cloud side, we’re exploring how all the buzz around containers will actually change what users will expect from an OS in the future. For example, check out Project Atomic and Fedora Atomic Host, which is specifically optimized for containerized applications.
On a much more mundane but practical level, we try to be leading simply by having a fast refresh cycle, getting updated versions to users quickly. For example, we tend to have new upstream Linux kernel releases out to users within a matter of weeks, and always follow the latest. With some software, like the kernel, this is usually all positive, but for other software where the developers might not take as much care with compatibility, it can be a little rough. That’s where the risk of “bleeding” comes in, and because we actually want to avoid getting our users covered in nicks and cuts, we try to keep big changes for major releases, so we can communicate in advance about what to expect.
A rolling release model isn’t really about being leading or fast. It just means that there are no major releases or release dates — just a single supported version and an ongoing series of updates. This actually lends itself better to slower distributions that aren’t experimenting or quickly adopting new things, because if there is big change under the rolling release model, users don’t get to schedule it for themselves. They get what’s there when the developers decide it’s ready. If that happens all the time, no wonder it feels like bleeding.
So, rather than doing that, we’re focusing on making updates between supported Fedora releases as painless as possible. With Fedora 24 Workstation, for example, whole-release updates are going to be built into the Software application, right next to the current security updates and bugfixes. You’ll get a notification that it’s available, but can take the next half year or so to decide if you’re ready to take it, and you’ll still get those security fixes for the older release in the meantime.A Himalayan Salt Lamp is made from chunks of salt crystal rock that are taken from the salt mines found in underground caves in the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains. The Himalayan Salt Lamp makes use of the minerals that have been preserved for millions of years, releasing their special properties through the introduction of heat from an electric bulb. These special properties emitted from the salt lamp are responsible for promoting the health and wellness of individuals via ionization of the air and the eradication of pollution. Himalayan Salt Lamps consist of negatively charged ions that act on the contaminants in the air by neutralizing them and weighing them down so they can no longer circulate. When this occurs, individuals can breathe more easily and many ailments and allergies that frequently afflict them begin to diminish. In addition, the light from Himalayan Salt Lamps aid in relaxation and meditation, and also helps energize your whole body.
The folks at Himalayan Salt Shop sent us a small (5-7 pound) Himalayan Salt Lamp to experience for ourselves. The salt lamp gives off a calming amber glow while releasing negative ions to help clean indoor air. As you can see in the image below, it looks a bit different when it is not on as well as when its on in a lighted space and on in the dark. It makes for a good light at night, giving off enough light to see what you need to while the glow it emits is quite soothing and gives a sense of peace.
Himalayan Salt Shop has generously offered two of our readers a small (5-7 pound) Himalayan Salt Lamp each to experience their soothing beauty and natural air cleaning properties in their own home.
For entries you can join our mailing list, visit our Facebook page, visit the Himalayan Salt Shop Facebook page, follow us on Pinterest, follow Himalayan Salt Shop on Pinterest, leave a blog post comment, tweet about the giveaway once a day, and share on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Pinterest once a day. Each option is an additional entry. If you are already signed up for our mailing list or following us, no worries. Just use that option to enter and you’ll still be entered but please note: You must enter via Rafflecopter for all entry options to be entered into the drawing. All entries will be verified so please be sure to follow each entry option you select as described or you will be disqualified.
Good luck to all!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Giveaway is open to US residents and will run thru February 26, 2016. Winners will be notified by email within 48 hours of drawing and will be sent a small (5-7 pound) Himalayan Salt Lamp from Himalayan Salt Shop to the address provided. Winner must reply within 48 hours of notification or prize will be forfeited and a new winner chosen.
Visit the Himalayan Salt Shop website, connect with Himalayan Salt Shop on twitter, Himalayan Salt Shop on Facebook, and with Himalayan Salt Shop on PinterestLet's take a look around the hockey world and see how Leafs prospects are faring in their playoff campaigns...
Frederik Gauthier - Rimouski Océanic: Gauthier's Océanic punched their ticket to the third round of the Quebec League playoffs with a five game series win over the Gatineau Olympiques. He sits third on his team in points with 11 in nine games and is a plus-seven in that span. He was held pointless in game four against Gatineau — it was the first time he didn't record a point this playoffs.
Carter Verhaeghe - Niagara IceDogs: Verhaeghe's IceDogs were eliminated in six games by the Oshawa Generals in the OHL playoffs. The Niagara captain recorded a pair of goals in game five and finished his playoff campaign with six goals and 14 points in 11 playoff games. He finished the playoffs second in Niagara scoring.
Dakota Joshua - Sioux Falls Stampede: Joshua finished the Stampede's first round series in a three-way tie for their scoring lead with six points in five games as they defeated the Sioux City Musketeers. He recorded the game-winning goal in game five and was a plus-3 with 18 penalty minutes over the course of the series. Sioux Falls will now take on the Tri-City Storm.
Toronto Marlies: The Toronto Marlies clinched a playoff spot last Friday and swept their three weekend games with wins at Milwaukee, Rockford and Chicago respectively. The Marlies finished their season on a seven-game winning streak and will now face the Grand Rapids Griffins, AHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings, in the first round of the AHL playoffs. Game one will take place at 3:00 p.m. on April 25 at Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto.
Orlando Solar Bears: The Solar Bears trail the Florida Everblades by a 2-1 margin in their ECHL playoff series. Orlando earned a 5-2 win in game three thanks to a 48 save performance from Leafs prospect Garret Sparks. The clubs will face off for game four on April 23 in Orlando.Fox News inadvertently revealed last week that Justin Bieber is actually a reptilian alien bent on world domination.
The proof? Just watch this video. Bieber's eyes totally change.
As the poster on YouTube eloquently put it: "Boom... I always though that stuff was BS. But COME ON!"
For those unfamiliar with the diabolical plot, a species of reptilian humanoids has long controlled the planet by adopting human form and infiltrating powerful positions. The so-called "theory" was popularized by "so-called" conspiracy theorist David Icke.
During the stress of courtroom proceedings in Miami, Bieber clearly lost control of his shape shifting powers for just a moment. Some heroic Fox editor must have this and risked his very life to bring the footage to air. Usually, Fox is one of the greatest boosters of known reptilians like Mitt Romney, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld.
Either that, or the whole thing was just a video compression artifact. BUT THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT YOU TO BELIEB.
Also on HuffPostFodesinbeed Annodue Biographical information Homeworld Pollillus[1] Physical description Species Troig[2] Gender Male Height [2] 1.96 meters Eye color Red (beed) [2]
Green (fode) [2] Skin color Green (beed) [2]
Red (code) [2] [Source]
Fodesinbeed Annodue, better known as Fode and Beed, was a Troig Podracing announcer. Both heads acted as separate beings, with the red head named Fode and the green head named Beed. During races, Fode and Beed would provide color commentary; Fode would speak in a Galactic Basic drawl while Beed would provide information in Huttese.[3]
Contents show]
Behind the scenes Edit
Fode and Beed first made their appearance in Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, and appeared in subsequent media related to The Phantom Menace and podracing. They were portrayed by comedians Greg Proops and Scott Capurro respectively. During pre-production, attempts were made to have them appear in make-up with the rest of their bodies covered in blue suits for compositing later. Ultimately the marriage of their live-action performances with CGI was not realistic enough, and the character became fully computer generated. At that point, Proops and Capurro were playing Beed and Fode respectively. The reason for the reversal of their roles remains unknown. The first Fode and Beed action figure used the original actors' faces.
Appearances Edit
Non-canon appearances Edit
Sources Edit
Notes and references EditUnits can now equip a variety of weapons greatly adding to the variety of play. Each new weapon has different characteristics but first let me say a little about the new mechanics.
Posted by Ionising on Apr 3rd, 2014
At long last I was able to spend some time working on the weapons system in Isomer! This has been something I've wanted to do since the start of the year, if not sooner, but other development priorities kept coming up and it was not until this build (0.8.4.1) that I was able to devote the majority of my development time to this task. I'm really pleased with the results, units can now equip a variety of weapons greatly adding to the variety of play. Each new weapon has different characteristics but first let me say a little about the new mechanics.
Each weapon has a number of extra attributes as can be seen from the unit weapon selection screen above. New in this build are 'rate of fire' which relates to how quickly the weapon cools down between shots, the number of'shots per blast' that each weapon emits - some weapons like the scatter rifle fire lots of smaller projectiles making them great for clearing small areas. Each weapon now has an 'accuracy' rating which is used in the overall hit/miss calculations alongside the skill of the unit. Lastly, each weapon has a set number of shots before the unit must pause to reload (the magazine size), the reload speed will also vary depending on the complexity of the weapon.
So as you can see, there's a big difference between the new weapons with some being rapid firing autocannons and others having a lower rate of fire but blasting out a number of projectiles in a shotgun like fashion. There are also dangerously accurate and heavy hitting sniper weapons available to both sides, and of course you can loot and use enemy weapons should you wish to!
As an added quirk, enemy units can loot alien weapons from your fallen units and may swap their own equipped weapon if they like the alien one better!
Not only are there many new weapon mechanics, but the Lancer weapon types finally appear (they've been in the code since before the first public alpha build but disabled), Lancer weapons deal slightly less damage than Blaster weapons, however the power of the weapon blast is not degraded by the armour rating of the enemy unit the weapon blast hits! That makes these weapons very useful against enemy Heavy units.
This build sees the start of the equipment store with weapons being bought from the supply ship and looted from enemies. This concept will be built on for the next update which shall greatly improve trade, economy and the supply ship mechanic. It will also be able to sell looted weapons in the next build and biomass will play a much bigger role in the game, becoming the primary currency as well as a resource. Much is planned for 0.8.5.1, but I'll talk more about this in the future.
Games saved in this build will be not able to be played in previous versions due to a bump in the save file schemas.
The full change log is below:
New: Added lots of new weapons.
New: Added magazine size and weapon reloading cool down mechanics.
New: Added ability for weapons to fire more than one projectile per blast.
New: Added weapon stats information to unit stats view.
New: Added updated sound effects for weapons.
New: Added ability for enemy units to have a random weapon (based on their class and rank) on spawn.
New: Added unit weapon and equipment selection screen.
New: Added special case for AI when looting from alien corpses. If the enemy unit determines the weapon is worth pilfering they will take it and use it instead of their own.
New: Added healing animation when health is looted from corpses.
New: Player can now loot weapons from corpses.
New: Bumped game options schema. Games saved with this version/revision will not work in previous builds.
New: Added automatic upgrade for older save games to include new schema elements.
New: Added hints relating to new weapon mechanics.
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about all the things he longs to eat. “Before, I had everything to eat, everything. I was happy, at ease. Now you can’t even have one cake.”
School is more or less permanently out. With teachers’ salaries going unpaid, Ahmed’s school in Taiz has been closed since May. “When they get salaries, they teach,” he said.
Combined with the lack of government wages – unpaid since August 2015 – it means that families are living on little more than bread and oil. As a result, 70% of the population is in need of humanitarian aid.
Even before the restrictions on aid made earlier this month, seven million Yemenis were facing famine. Save the Children warned on Friday 24 Novemberof 600 new cases of starving children under the age of five every day as a result of the tightened blockade. On 20 November Famine Early Warning Systems Network, an international body, predicted imminent mass famine across Yemen if key ports remained closed.
Ahmed’s father has been looking for work since 2015, a search that has divided his family. His two brothers, two sisters and both parents now live on the other side of the frontline, over the mountain ridge. Ahmed has stayed in A’unqba to help look after his grandparents and two aunts.
Saudis must lift Yemen blockade or ‘untold’ thousands will die, UN agencies warn Read more
Despite his baby voice, Ahmed appears older than his years. “When the war started I came here and I didn’t want to return back because of the fighting and the Houthis,” he said. “They harass you for your ID and say to you, ‘What are you doing here? You are Daesh, even if you’re a child,” he added, referring to the derogatory term widely used for Islamic State. “I will return back to my family when the war stops, God willing.”
Nama Ali, 50, lives on the other side of the conflict, in the Houthi-controlled governorate of Al-Raymah. After fleeing the conflict in her home town of Yareem, she now lives in a tent in Takareer with her children and grandchildren. Al-Raymah, just south of the blockaded port of Hodeidah, has been at the epicentre of the highest death rate from a cholera epidemic that has swept the country since April. One million suspected cases are expected by the end of the year. In Takareer the women have no choice but to continue to use the local well, their only water source, which has already infected more the 200 people with cholera.
Oxfam warned on Saturday of a fresh spike in the spread of the disease, with eight million people expected to be without running water within days as fuel supplies run out due to the continuing blockade on northern ports.
“The punishment of ordinary civilians is never justified. These are real people whose lives are being callously jeopardised in other countries’ war games. Yemen can’t take much more. Unless the blockade is lifted, millions already in crisis will face a fresh catastrophe,” Shane Stevenson, Oxfam’s director in Yemen said in a statement.
The primary source of income for families in Takareer used to come from wages sent from abroad. Before the war most of the men from the village worked in construction or herding goats in Saudi Arabia. Forced to return when the Saudi intervention began, now their income comes from felling trees to make charcoal to sell in the local markets, as no one can afford to pay the inflated prices for cooking gas.
“No salary means no money, means no food,” says Nama, whose lifestyle in a town had not prepared her for the job of fetching and carrying water from a well in the later years of her life. “The children don’t have shoes any more, their feet are like rocks.”
Facebook Twitter Pinterest A Yemeni child suffering from diphtheria receives treatment at a hospital in the capital Sanaa. Photograph: Mohammed Huwais/AFP
Education is an issue on this side of the conflict line as well. The lack of schooling for her daughters is one of Nama’s greatest concerns for the future of her children. Their school in Yareem was bombed by a Saudi coalition airstrike. “My daughter was in the sixth grade and now she doesn’t go to school,” she said.
Nama has seen previous conflicts in Yemen, the civil war between north and south in 1994, and the long-running North Yemen civil war that lasted eight years from 1962. But those more isolated conflicts had less of an impact on the wider population. “This time everyone is affected wherever they are, even if it’s a long way from the fighting,” she said. “In this war thousands of women and children have been killed, look what they have done to Yemen,” she said in reference to the Saudi-led coalition’s military intervention.
Inevitably, as the conflict grinds on, the depth of suffering in rural areas is deepening, with more civilians fleeing the cities. At least 66% of the population was estimated by the World Bank to live in rural areas in the year before the war escalated in 2015. The proportion is now much larger. “All the men returned to the village when they lost their jobs and there was fighting in the city. We also have displaced people living here from other areas,” said the sheikh of A’unqba, Ali Hussein.
What began as a power struggle between two presidents: the old, Saleh, and the new, Hadi, has since been usurped by the battle for supremacy between Saudi Arabia and the perceived threat of Iran. The Houthis, who began as a revivalist movement of Zaydi Shias in the 1990s, later became politically allied to Iran. But after fighting six wars with the state under Saleh’s rule between 2004 and 2010 they increasingly became viewed by the Saudis as a proxy for the Tehran government.
Evidence of that alliance was scarce before the Houthis’ takeover of Sana’a in September 2014. But following their own military intervention, Saudi suspicions have become self-fulfilling. Although the extent of the Iranian involvement or any degree of control over the Houthis remains unclear, the rebel group’s progressive military capabilities and weapon-making skills now bear a startling resemblance to those of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and Hezbollah. Reports of Iran’s Al-Quds Force, the external arm of the Revolutionary Guard, providing military trainers and expertise to the Houthis, have also surfaced since 2014.
The war has been appropriated as a proxy conflict in a much larger regional struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran, making the prospects for millions of civilians bleak. Aid agencies have declared Yemen the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, compounded by the worst cholera outbreak in modern history. For those in remote rural locations on either side of this divided country, it adds up to a future of more hunger and disease.
“My wish is for the simple comforts and health for my husband, my children, and my family,” said Nama. “And not to be worn out by this war any more.”SYDNEY, June 4, 2008 – The Asia Society AustralAsia Centre hosted the Australian Prime Minister the Hon. Kevin Rudd MP at its 11th Annual Dinner, the most prestigious event on the Centre's calendar. The dinner attracted an audience of more than 550 leaders which included senior representation from business, politics, and academia.
Prime Minister Rudd called this century the "Asia Pacific Century" and said there was a need for strong and effective regional institutions "that will underpin an open, peaceful, stable, prosperous, and sustainable region" and to address "collective challenges that no one country can address alone." Stressing that Australia needs to anticipate and shape, rather than "simply reacting" to the "historic changes" in the region, Rudd outlined a bold vision for the formation an Asia-Pacific community by 2020—a regional institution operating on the principle of cooperation, spanning the entire Asia-Pacific region (including the United States) and "able to engage in the full spectrum of dialogue, cooperation, and action on political matters and future challenges related to security."
The prime minister also announced the appointment of the Centre's founding director, Richard Woolcott AC, who as the special envoy will take Australia's proposal to the Asia-Pacific leaders. Woolcott commented that "this fits neatly into the concept of greater middle-power diplomacy. If the US or China or Japan or some other big power were to suggest it, other nations might be apprehensive and back away. It's better for a middle power like Australia to take the initiative."
The prime minister hailed the AustralAsia Centre and the Asia Society for their efforts in enhancing understanding of the Asia-Pacific region and singled out the Asia Society's Williamsburg Conference for particular mention. He also praised the AustralAsia Centre's presence in Australia, noting how important it is for Australia to have the international forum that the AustralAsia Centre provides.
Listen to an excerpt
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd: "A vision for an Asia-Pacific community" (5 min., 20 sec.)
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Listen to the complete speech (32 min., 20 sec.)Help support my website by going to Patreon here! You can be in the comic, see extra drawings and doodles, and you can see every comic I post early there too!
The holiday season is always super busy. People are crowding around, interrupting you helping someone else, demanding expired coupons be honored, and those are just the normal customers. Some of them are the type that you only see once a year. They aren’t too familiar with retail establishments, or shopping for that matter but they are determined to do it no matter how oblivious they are. Some don’t know the author or title of the book, but there are ways to handle that. Some treat you like YOU’RE the idiot, and that’s never very enjoyable. Others don’t quite comprehend what a book STORE is, while others think that because you’re a bookseller here you are a bookseller for everything, even Amazon.
The bright side is that we only have one month left to deal with these morons.Playing the Game
Each copy of Fate Foretold contains a deck of 60 Fate cards, 6 Sigil cards, and the instruction quick-start guide. That’s all you need to play- no pens, no dice, no tokens or note pads: just the deck and some friends! Pledge allegiance to kings, gain a spell from a witch, heed warnings in constellations, and use the power of the Four Horses of the Apocalypse to bring ruin to your enemies and emerge as the victor! You can play Fate Foretold in your kitchen, around a campfire, in your dorm, in a park, at a party, or anywhere else you can imagine.
The best part about Fate Foretold is its endless replayability. Games are shaped as much by the players as the cards themselves, and with each card being unique, no two games will ever be alike!
Comprehensive Rules Card Gallery Reddit ForumAdvocates for people with disabilities say their clients are being used as pawns in the fight against abortion. (Virginia Carter)
INDIANAPOLIS - Legislation in Indiana would bar doctors from performing abortions for women who want them because the fetus has a genetic abnormality such as Down Syndrome, or because of the race, color, national origin, ancestry, or sex of the fetus. The legislation passed this session and is on the governor's desk.
Kim Dodson, executive director of Arc of Indiana, an organization that advocates for the rights of children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, said that normally ARC would stay out of politics. However, she said, she feels that lawmakers are using the disabled as pawns.
"That's where I really got disgusted 'cause I really felt like people with disabilities were being exploited and used to move forward an organization's political agenda," she said, "not based on facts, but because they want to let this conservative religious values in the Legislature."
Gov. Mike Pence has stressed his opposition to abortion, calling himself pro-life.
The bill also requires a woman to listen to the fetal heartbeat 18 hours before an abortion and requires that women who undergo the procedure pay for the burial or cremation of the fetus.
Abortion already is highly restricted in Indiana, said Kelly Baden, direcror of state advocacy for the Center for Reproductive Rights. She called this measure callous and outrageous, and said it's unconstitutional and won't stand up in court.
"Doctors are opposed to this. Women are opposed to this bill," she said. "I know there's been outcry even among anti-abortion women politicians in the Legislature, and really anyone who understands our constitution or believes in our constitutional right to privacy."
Indiana would become the second state with a ban on abortion because of genetic abnormalities. North Dakota lawmakers approved a similar law, but it doesn't have a practical impact because the only abortion clinic in the state does not perform such procedures. Dodson said it's a private issue that shouldn't be dictated by people with an agenda.
"Conversations occur between a doctor and a woman who is faced in that situation about what options are," she said, "and I think it needs to remain a conversation with a medical professional, not with 150 legislators who don't have experience in this area."
Dodson said lawmakers failed to put their time, energy and support toward actions that would improve the lives of Indiana's most vulnerable citizens.
The legislation is online at iga.in.gov.
Veronica Carter, Public News Service - INSteve Crampton, a Religious Right activist who is running for a seat on the Mississippi Supreme Court, said last month that the U.S. is at risk of becoming a “slave nation” if attacks on “religious freedom” and the “rule of law” continue. He in particular praised the Alabama Supreme Court’s resistance to the U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down gay marriage bans.
Crampton told Cleveland Right to Life’s Molly Smith that the federal government is “running roughshod over states and their rights” and that “it’s essential, if we’re going to preserve our liberties as our founders intended, that states reassert themselves.”
“One of the seminal issues, I believe, in our day, in our state of Mississippi as elsewhere, is how far does the federal government go constitutionally in basically ordering the states around,” he said. “And I think the big example that we have, maybe the most glaring one nationally right now, is what’s going on in Alabama, where the state Supreme Court has issued very fine opinions and very studied analyses of the issue of same-sex marriage and whether the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Obergefell opinion is actually binding on a state that was not a party to that lawsuit and that had, as Mississippi has, its own state marriage amendment that unequivocally protects marriage as between one man and one woman.”
“So, long and short of it is,” he continued, “all of our freedoms, I think, today are grave risk, in particular religious freedom. I believe it is under attack as never before in our nation’s history. And because religious freedom is the first freedom, it’s foundational, if it goes, everything goes. So it’s a time when either we stand up or we shut up and become almost a slave nation. Because the rule of law is at grave risk.”When appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live Thursday night, Bernie Sanders let out his frustrations over his Democratic opponent acting like the primary race is over. After watching a clip of a Hillary Clinton interview in which the former secretary of state claimed she has already secured the Democratic nomination, Sanders called Clinton out for her "arrogance." The Vermont senator was obviously upset that Clinton disregarded his candidacy for president and insinuated he had already lost when he's very much still in the race.
Kimmel showed Sanders a CNN interview between Chris Cuomo and Clinton, during which she said, "I will be the nominee for my party, Chris. That is already done in effect. There is no way that I won't be." After some loud grumbles, Sanders responded: "Just a tinch arrogance there I think."
He went on to explain that his primary victories in many states prove that the battle isn't over yet. "Unfortunately, the people of Indiana a couple weeks ago, the people of West Virginia, the people of Oregon — who gave us a pretty good victory — don't quite agree with Secretary Clinton's assessment," he told Kimmel Thursday. "And I kind of think that on June 7, the people of California will have a message for Secretary Clinton. Don't count your chickens."
Sanders maintains that he won't drop out until a clear winner is named at the Democratic National Convention this summer, although he's trailing Clinton's delegate count. He explained his delegate situation to Kimmel, saying he's slightly behind his opponent in terms of pledged delegates, which he calls the "real delegates," meaning he needs to win big in California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, and South Dakota June 7. "In terms of superdelegates we are way, way behind," Sanders said, pointing out that hundreds of superdelegates pledged their support for Clinton before the race even began. "I just think that's patently absurd and undemocratic and kind of dumb," he said.
The presidential hopeful also brought up the most recent national NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll that showed him beating Donald Trump by 15 points in a general election, while Clinton only outperformed the presumptive GOP nominee by three points. "If the Democrats want the candidate who is most likely to defeat Trump, and beat him badly, I think you're looking at the guy," Sanders told Kimmel.
Because of that poll and others that suggest he could beat Trump by a wider margin, Sanders thinks Clinton should check her arrogant attitude. It's not over until the party officially names a nominee.
Jimmy Kimmel Live on YouTube
Images: Jimmy Kimmel Live/YouTubeWant to make some play money that feels real? Then read on!
When I was a little girl I used to love playing shops with my sister and my two absolutely love playing it too. They hold hands and go around collecting shopping in their little baskets before coming to me to scan it. Then they ask how much and pretend to give me money. Well they did until I made this play money, now they count it all up and pay me for real.
We’ve had some of the plastic coins before but they didn’t look very exciting and all ended up lost so I wanted to make some that actually felt like real money.
I made a trip to a hardware store and found some of these metal washers in all different sizes and knew they would be perfect. They were really cheap too.
I also came across these paint color cards and thought they would be perfect for decorating them.
You will need:
– Metal washers
– Colored card
– Mod Podge / Watered Down PVA
– A Permanent Marker
– Glue Gun / Superglue
I have made a video tutorial at the bottom showing you exactly what I did but I basically cut around the size below to make a circle for the size above if that makes sense?!
For the smallest I drew around then just cut a bit extra off to make it smaller.
Each coin will need to cut out circles, one for each side.
I stuck one side on with Mod Podge and left to dry then stuck the other side on with a glue gun, you could also use superglue. My OH has just watched the video and couldn’t understand why I didn’t use either a glue gun for both sides or Mod Podge for both sides so I told him I would come back and share my reasons!
A glue gun on both sides would have mean the card being too raised as it’s such thick glue and Mod Podge on both sides wouldn’t have been strong enough to last very long. So this way the glue from the glue gun stuck to the other side of the card through the hole in the middle but the edges of the card were also stuck down with the Mod Podge!
Then I wrote the money value on with a permanent marker before sealing with another layer or Mod Podge.
I need to make another batch now for all the smaller values like 1p / 2p etc.
Here is the video showing you how I did it, excuse my terrible roots and the messy background! I need a studio, and a trip to the hairdressers 😉
Like this: Like Loading...Getting four knocks in one day is memorable for even the best hitters.
Getting four knocks in one day is memorable for even the best hitters.
:: RARE FEATS ::
But getting a hit of each kind -- a single, double, triple and homer -- in the same game? That's something special.
How special? It's only happened once in postseason history, when the Red Sox's Brock Holt achieved the feat against the Yankees in the 2018 American League Division Series.
It's a rare enough occurrence that no Marlins hitter has accomplished the feat, meaning that they have more World Series championships as a franchise than players who have hit for the cycle.
And the Padres, who have been around since 1969, didn't have their first cycle in team history until 2015 -- nearly five decades into their existence.
"It's hard to believe," Matt Kemp said after completing San Diego's first cycle. "All those great hitters that have been here, like Tony Gwynn and all those guys, haven't been able to get a hit for a cycle. I'm just glad to be able to do it."
Here is a complete list of every player to hit for the cycle, broken down by franchise:
Angels
• Mike Trout, May 21, 2013 Watch >
• Chone Figgins, Sept. 16, 2006 Watch >
• Jeff DaVanon, Aug. 25, 2004 Watch >
• Dave Winfield, June 24, 1991 Watch >
• Dan Ford, Aug. 10, 1979
• Jim Fregosi, May 20, 1968
• Jim Fregosi, July 28, 1964
Astros
• Brandon Barnes, July 19, 2013 Watch >
• Luke Scott, July 28, 2006 Watch >
• Craig Biggio, April 8, 2002 Watch >
• Jeff Bagwell, July 18, 2001 Watch >
• Andujar Cedeno, Aug. 25, 1992 Watch >
• Bob Watson, June 24, 1977
• Cesar Cedeno, Aug. 9, 1976
• Cesar Cedeno, Aug. 2, 1972
Athletics
• Mark Ellis, June 4, 2007 Watch >
• Eric Byrnes, June 29, 2003 Watch >
• Miguel Tejada, Sept. 29, 2001 Watch >
• Eric Chavez, June 21, 2000 Watch >
• Mike Blowers, May 18, 1998 Watch >
• Tony Phillips, May 16, 1986 Watch >
• Elmer Valo, Aug. 2, 1950
• Sam Chapman, May 5, 1939
• Doc Cramer, June 10, 1934
• Jimmie Foxx, Aug. 14, 1933
• Pinky Higgins, Aug. 6, 1933
• Mickey Cochrane, Aug. 2, 1933
• Mickey Cochrane, July 22, 1932
• Frank Baker, July 3, 1911
• Danny Murphy, Aug. 25, 1910
• Nap Lajoie, July 30, 1901
• Harry Davis, July 10, 1901
• Harry Stovey, May 15, 1888
• Chippy McGarr, Sept. 23. 1886
• Henry Larkin, June 16, 1885
• Lon Knight, July 30, 1883
Blue Jays
• Jeff Frye, Aug. 17, 2001 Watch >
• Kelly Gruber, April 16, 1989 Watch >
Braves
• Freddie Freeman, June 15, 2016 Watch >
• Mark Kotsay, Aug.14, 2008 Watch >
• Albert Hall, Sept. 23,1987 Watch >
• Bill Collins, Oct. 6, 1910
• Johnny Bates, April 26, 1907
• Duff Cooley, June 20, 1904
• Herman Long, May 9, 1896
Brewers
• Christian Yelich, Sept. 17, 2018 Watch >
• Christian Yelich, Aug. 29, 2018 Watch >
• George Kottaras, Sept. 3, 2011 Watch >
• Jody Gerut, May 8, 2010 Watch >
• Chad Moeller, April 27, 2004 Watch >
• Paul Molitor, May 15, 1991
• Robin Yount, June 12, 1988 Watch >
• Charlie Moore, Oct. 1, 1980
• Mike Hegan, Sept. 3, 1976
Cardinals
• Mark Grudzielanek, April 27, 2005 Watch >
• John Mabry, May 18, 1996 Watch >
• Ray Lankford, Sept. 15, 1991 Watch >
• Willie McGee, June 23, 1984 Watch >
• Lou Brock, May 27, 1975
• Joe Torre, June 27, 1973
• Ken Boyer, June 16, 1964
• Ken Boyer, Sept. 14, 1961
• Bill White, Aug. 14, 1960
• Stan Musial, July 24, 1949
• Johnny Mize, July 13, 1940
• Joe Medwick, June 29, 1935
• Pepper Martin, May 5, 1933
• Chick Hafey, Aug. 21, 1930
• Jim Bottomley, July 15, 1927
• Cliff Heathcote, June 13, 1918
• Tommy Dowd, Aug. 16, 1895
• Tip O'Neill, May 7, 1887
• Tip O'Neill, April 30,1887
Cubs
• Mark Grace, May 9, 1993 Watch >
• Andre Dawson, April 29, 1987
• Ivan De Jesus, April 22, 1980
• Randy Hundley, Aug. 11, 1966
• Billy Williams, July 17, 1966
• Lee Walls, July 2, 1957
• Roy Smalley, June 28, 1950
• Babe Herman, Sept. 30, 1933
• Hack Wilson, June 23, 1930
• Jimmy Ryan, July 1,1891
• Jimmy Ryan, July 28,1888
D-backs
• Aaron Hill, June 29, 2012 Watch >
• Aaron Hill, June 18, 2012 Watch >
• Kelly Johnson, July 23, 2010 Watch >
• Stephen Drew, Sept. 1, 2008 Watch >
• Greg Colbrunn, Sept. 18, 2002 Watch >
• Luis Gonzalez, July 5, 2000 Watch >
Dodgers
• Cody Bellinger, July 15, 2017 Full story >, Watch >
• Orlando Hudson, April 13, 2009 Watch >
• Wes Parker, May 7, 1970
• Gil Hodges, June 25, 1949
• Jackie Robinson, Aug. 29, 1948
• Dixie Walker, Sept. 2, 1944
• Babe Herman, July 24, 1931
• Babe Herman, May 18, 1931
• Jimmy Johnston, May 25, 1922
• Tom Burns, Aug. 1, 1890
Giants
• Pablo Sandoval, Sept. 15, 2011 Watch >
• Fred Lewis, May 13, 2007 Watch >
• Randy Winn, Aug. 15, 2005 Watch >
• Jeff Kent, May 3, 1999 Watch >
• Robby Thompson, April 22, 1991 Watch >
• Chris Speier, July 9, 1988 Watch >
• Candy Maldonado, May 4, 1987 Watch >
• Jeffrey Leonard, June 27, 1985
• Dave Kingman, April 16, 1972
• Jim Ray Hart, July 8, 1970
• Don Mueller, July 11, 1954
• Harry Danning, June 15, 1940
• Sam Leslie, May 24, 1936
• Freddie Lindstrom, May 8, 1930
• Mel Ott, May 16, 1929
• Bill Terry, May 29, 1928
• Ross Youngs, April 29, 1922
• Dave Bancroft, June 1, 1921
• George Burns, Sept. 17, 1920
• Chief Meyers, June 10, 1912
• Sam Mertes, Oct. 4, 1904
• Mike Tiernan, June 28, 1890
• Roger Connor, July 21, 1890
• Mike Tiernan, Aug. 25, 1888
• Dave Orr, Aug. 10, 1887
• Dave Orr, June 12, 1885
Indians
• Rajai Davis, July 2, 2016 Watch >
• Travis Hafner, Aug. 14, 2003 Watch >
• Andre Thornton, April 22, 1978
• Tony Horton, July 2, 1970
• Larry Doby, June 4, 1952
• Odell Hale, JUly 12, 1938
• Earl Averill, Aug. 17, 1933
• Bill Bradley, Sept. 24, 1903
Mariners
• Adrian Beltre, Sept. 1, 2008 Watch >
• John Olerud, June 16, 2001 Watch >
• Alex Rodriguez, June 5, 1997 Watch >
• Jay Buhner, June 23, 1993 Watch >
Marlins
None
Mets
• Scott Hairston, April 27, 2012 Watch >
• Jose Reyes, June 21, 2006 Watch >
• Eric Valent, July 29, 2004 Watch >
• John Olerud, Sept. 11, 1997 Watch >
• Alex Ochoa, July 3, 1996 Watch >
• Kevin McReynolds, Aug.1, 1989 Watch >
• Keith Hernandez, July 4, 1985
• Mike Phillips, June 25, 1976
• Tommie Agee, July 6, 1970
• Jim Hickman, Aug. 7, 1963
Nationals
• Trea Turner, April 25, 2017 Full story >, Watch >
• Cristian Guzman, Aug. 28, 2008 Watch >
• Brad Wilkerson, April 6, 2005 Watch >
• Vladimir Guerrero, Sept. 14, 2003 Watch >
• Brad Wilkerson, June 24, 2003 Watch >
• Rondell White, June 11, 1995
• Tim Raines, Aug. 16, 1987 Watch >
• Chris Speier, July 20, 1978
• Tim Foli, April 21, 1976
Orioles
• Felix Pie, Aug. 14, 2009 Watch >
• Aubrey Huff, June 29, 2007 Watch >
• Cal Ripken Jr., May 6, 1984
• Brooks Robinson, May 15, 1960
• George McQuinn, July 19, 1941
• Ski Melillo, May 23, 1929
• Baby Doll Jacobson, April 17, 1924
• George Sisler, Aug. 13, 1921
• George Sisler, Aug. 8, 1920
Padres
• Wil Myers, April 10, 2017 Full story >, Watch >
• Matt Kemp, Aug. 14, 2015 Watch >
Phillies
• David Bell, June 28, 2004 Watch >
• Gregg Jefferies, Aug. 25, 1995 Watch >
• Johnny Callison, June 27, 1963
• Chuck Klein, May 26, 1933
• Chuck Klein, July 1, 1931
• Cy Williams, Aug. 5, 1927
• Sam Thompson, Aug. 17, 1894
• Lave Cross, April 24, 1894
Pirates
• John Jaso, Sept. 28, 2016 Watch >
• Daryle Ward, May 26, 2004 Watch >
• Jason Kendall, May 19, 2000 Watch >
• Gary Redus, Aug. 25, 1989
• Mike Easler, June 12, 1980
• Richie Zisk, June 9, 1974
• Willie Stargell, July 22, 1964
• Gus Bell, June 4, 1951
• Ralph Kiner, June 25, 1950
• Wally Westlake, June 14, 1949
• Wally Westlake, July 30, 1948
• Bill Salkeld, Aug. 4, 1945
• Bob Elliott, July 15, 1945
• Arky Vaughan, July 19, 1939
• Arky Vaughan, June 24, 1933
• Max Carey, June 20, 1925
• Kiki Cuyler, June 4, 1925
• Pie Traynor, July 7, 1923
• Dave Robertson, Aug. 30, 1921
• Honus Wagner, Aug. 22, 1912
• Chief Wilson, July 3, 1910
• Fred Clarke, May 7, 1903
• Fred Clarke, July 23, 1901
• Fred Carroll, May 2, 1887
Rangers
• Carlos Gomez, April 29, 2017 Full story >, Watch >
• Adrian Beltre, Aug. 3, 2015 Watch >
• Shin-Soo Choo, July 21, 2015 Watch >
• Alex Rios, Sept. 23, 2013 Watch >
• Adrian Beltre, Aug. 24, 2012 Watch >
• Bengie Molina, July 16, 2010 Watch >
• Ian Kinsler, April 15, 2009 Watch >
• Gary Matthews Jr., Sept. 13, 2006 Watch >
• Mark Teixeira, Aug. 17, 2004 Watch >
• Oddibe McDowell, July 23, 1985
• Jim King, May 26, 1964
Rays
• Evan Longoria, Aug. 1, 2017 Full story >, Watch >
• B.J. Upton., Oct. 2, 2009 Watch >
Red Sox
• Brock Holt, Oct. 8, 2018 (Game 3 of ALDS) Full story >, Watch >
• Mookie Betts, Aug. 9, 2018 Watch >
• Brock Holt, June 16, 2015 Watch >
• John Valentin, June 6, 1996 Watch >
• Scott Cooper, April 12, 1994 Watch >
• Mike Greenwell, Sept. 14, 1988
• Rich Gedman, Sept. 18, 1985
• Dwight Evans, June 28, 1984
• Fred Lynn, May 13, 1980
• Bob Watson, Sept. 15, 1979
• Carl Yastrzemski, May 14, 1965
• Lou Clinton, July 13, 1962
• Bobby Doerr, May 13, 1947
• Ted Williams, July 21, 1946
• Bob Johnson, July 6, 1944
• Bobby Doerr, May 17, 1944
• Leon Culberson, July 3, 1943
• Joe Cronin, Aug. 2, 1940
• Moose Solters, Aug. 19, 1934
• Roy Carlyle, July 21, 1925
• Tris Speaker, June 9, 1912
• Patsy Dougherty, July 29, 1903
• Buck Freeman, June 21, 1903
Reds
• Eric Davis, June 2, 1989 Watch >
• Frank Robinson, May 2, 1959
• Harry Craft, June 8, 1940
• Heinie Groh, July 5, 1915
• Mike Mitchell, Aug. 19, 1911
• Tom Parrott, Sept. 28, 1894
• John Reilly, Aug. 6, 1890
• Bid McPhee, Aug. 26, 1887
• John Reilly, Sept. 19, 1883
• John Reilly, Sept. 12, 1883
Rockies
• Charlie Blackmon, Sept. 30, 2018 Full story > Watch >
• Nolan Arenado, June 18, 2017 Full story >, Watch >
• Michael Cuddyer, Aug. 17, 2014 Watch >
• Carlos Gonzalez, July 31, 2010 Watch >
• Troy Tulowitzki, Aug. 10, 2009 Watch >
• Mike Lansing, June 18, 2000 Watch >
• Todd Helton, June 19, 1999 Watch >
• Neifi Perez, July 25, 1998 Watch >
• Dante Bichette, June 10, 1998 Watch >
Royals
• George Brett, July 25, 1990 Watch >
• Frank White, Aug. 3, 1982
• Frank White, Sept. 26, 1979
• George Brett, May 28, 1979
• John Mayberry, Aug. 5, 1977
• Freddie Patek, July 9, 1971
Tigers
• Carlos Guillen, Aug. 1, 2006 Watch >
• Damion Easley, June |
last night played havoc with my sleep - with the caffeine and all. If that happens again, I guess I'll have to moderate my cookie intake. Why does eating junk have to feel so good? You know, so and so on his so and so TV show said that if you drink in order to modify your mood (example, to "make you happy," or to "have fun," then that means you're addicted.) I guess I'm addicted to junk food, because every time I consider how to have fun, it ALWAYS seems to HAVE to involve food; and I don't mean that I shouldn't go out to eat when having fun, it's just food is the part I seem to look forward to the most (apropos, I still can't wait for my splurge, mm mmm mmmm!)
Leftover pasta with sauce calories - 290
Banana calories - 90
Chicken portabella sandwich calories uh-oh. 1500/1600 (Oh boy, I went to a sandwich place today which is NOT subway; you know what that means: no calorie information. I went ahead and ate my sandwich anyway. It wasn't until afterward that I really gave it some thought and realized that the bread alone (it was deliciously fried in butter) was probably around 800 calories. The rest of the sandwich (actually, it was like 2 sandwiches - even though it's "one" cut in half) was probably 700 or 800 (for a total of approx. 1500/1600) calories, so I'm in trouble. Because of that I've probably already reached my calorie limit for today (or more.) I'm going to go ahead and have a light dinner anyway and see what happens. Maybe I'll see a pound increase over the next couple of days. For the future though, when I eat there, I'm going to take half the sandwich home and eat it the next day (and count them as 800 calories each.) We'll see, I may find the discipline to shave off 200 calories the next 2 or 3 days.
I have to say, I feel a calm that I haven't felt since before I started dieting, though. That's tough; you wonder why it is that eating the right amount of food should cause you to feel anxious, unfulfilled and deprived. The only thing I can come up with is, again, we're surrounded with pleasure food 24/7 whether it be commercials, smells, billboards, etc. It's like if you were single and surrounded by absolutely drop-dead beautiful people (the sex that you prefer, of course), but you weren't able to get close or start a relationship with any of them. How about the feeling you get when you're around someone who's broken your heart? That's obviously far more intense than simple food cravings; nonetheless, I've been in that situation (of being around an "ex") and the feelings I experienced are definitely from the same ilk as those that food cravings come from. How do you solve the ex problem? You go somewhere your ex isn't. Unfortunately, that's the only solution I can find for diminishing the food cravings too: don't be around pleasure food when you shouldn't have it.
For dinner I had:
Stir-fried chicken calories - 300
Easy digest beans - 180
Salad (Romaine, mushrooms, tomato, Alfalfa Sprouts salad dressing) calories 80
10/19/2009 - 207 lbs. Boy, am I hungry for my splurge. 2 more pounds.TWO MORE POUNDS!!! (Three days in a row of course.)
2 Oatmeals calories - 260
Orange calories - 50
Tuna Sub calories - 530
BBQ Baked Lays - 140
2nd Orange calories - 50
1 Apple calories - 80
Beans & Potatoes calories - 380
Fish calories - 80
4 Cookies 150
4 more cookies 150
Popcorn 100
10/18/2009 208 lbs.
3 sheets Graham calories 200
Rest of Pad Thai (340 grams) 700
Grapes 290 grams calories 200
10 Almonds 60
Popcorn 100 Shrimp 230
Spaghetti 118 + 29 grams 250
Cheese 25
Sauce 180
10 Almonds 60
10/17/2009 - 207 lbs. (Today marks exactly 1 month since I started dieting, and 207 marks exactly 8 lbs., which I was informally going for (per month, that is.) The scale displayed 205 several times this morning, but I posted 207 because that came up several times too - less pressure that way :)
Banana calories - 90
Coffee + Bagel + cream cheese approx. calories - 450
Smart Ones Fettucini calories - 340
Chocolate calories - 100
10 almonds calories - 60
3 Crab rangoons and 1/2 dish of pad thai (saving rest for tomorrow's lunch. That's a good way to do it: when you go out, ask for a to-go box as soon as they bring your meal and put half in the box.)
10/16/2009 - 208.5 lbs.
1 triple frosted chocolate cookie - 190
1/2 pumpkin frosted cookie - 90
1 banana - 90 Orange - 50
6 Candies - 100
Smart Ones enchiladas calories - 290
Swiss Cheese - 90 Orange - 50
Peach calories - 38 Weaner - 40
Ravioli with sauce - 390
Salad w/ 2 servings oil calories - 240
1/2 chocolate bar - 145
4 grasshopper cookies - 150
10/15/2009 - 208.5 lbs.
2 Oatmeals calories - 260
Grapefruit calories - 100
Sushi (with rice) calories - 450
Banana calories - 80
Triple-frosted chocolate cookie calories - 190
2 wraps calories - 260
2.5 servings Shredded Chicken calories - 150
Swiss Cheese - calories - 90
Refried beans - calories - 90
cookie calories - 190
cookie calories - 190
10/14/2009 - 208.5 lbs.
1 oatmeal calories - 130
Grapefruit calories - 100
Smart Ones enchiladas calories - 290
2 eggs calories - 120
15 almonds calories - 90
Swiss cheese calories - 90
1/2 sheet graham cracker calories - 33
6 Candies calories - 100
Cheetos calories - 120
2 low cal buns calories - 200
2 Turkey Burgers calories -320
Mayo calories - 40
1.5 Sheets Graham calories - 100
10/13/2009 - 209 lbs. Well, I guess the rooster's here. I like to think though that it's because I had to get up at 7:30 a.m. after having gotten up considerably later in the last couple days; it was the Weekend + Colombus day - and I was sick, so I was really trying to kick the bronchitis. I think it's just about gone :)
I have to say, today is the first day I've felt constant cravings, and I believe (and this is part of the plan) that it has to do with my wife being gone for two days (I miss her) and the fact that I didn't get eight hours of sleep; that causes the body to create more grehlin which sends signals to the brain to tell you you're hungry. Got to get some sleep tonight!
2 oatmeals calories - 260
Banana calories - 80
Grapefruit calories - 100
Shrimp marinara (L.C.) - 180
15 Almonds - 90
2 Eggs calories - 120
Swiss cheese - 90 (You know what, I scrambled the 2 eggs, mixed the 15 almonds in with it and put pieces of swiss cheese all over the top. With a little salt and pepper it was quite good.)
Orange calories - 50
3 candies calories - 50
Tuna Sub calories - 530
Blueberries calories - 90
3 sheets graham crackers calories - 200
WW chocolate ice cream cone calories - 140
10/12/2009 206.5 lbs. at 7:30 a.m. I was solidly at 209.5, and then at 10:00 a.m. I was solidly at 206.5 (no matter how many times I retried.) Boy, that sleep really is good for you! Or my mistakes in the last couple of days will come home to roost eventually. The pendulum is swinging all out'a whack!
Tuna sub at subway calories - 530
BBQ Lays Chips calories - 140
2nd half of blueberry chocolate bar calories - 220
Banana calories - 80 Chicken in swiss cheese and sauteed veggies in oil - most likely rest of calories.
10/11/2009 206.5 lbs. (at 4:36 a.m. it was 208 and at 7:30 a.m. it was 209.5; then at 10:30 it was solidly 206.5)
3 eggs calories - 180 Forgot about this - I put it in late. LIST, LIST, LIST.
2 burgers calories - 540
2 buns calories - 200
banana calories - 80
Almonds (10) calories - 60
Blueberries calories - 70
Cocktail tomatoes - I don't count calories for stuff like tomatoes, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans and similar stuff, b/c it doesn't seem to affect my weight. We'll see; if it does, I'll have to make adjustments.
Cooked Pasta 118 g calories - 200
Pesto (31 grams) calories - 150
Chicken calories - 120
Salad (Romaine, tom. Mush. Alfalfa Sprouts, Mung Bean Sprouts 2 servings of oil) calories - 240 Dark blueberry chocolate calories - 220
10/10/2009 208 lbs. (It flickered once at 206.5 and then at 209.5, but it settled the rest of the time at the nice compromise of 208. How do you like them pendulums? Boy, if I'm really that close to 205, it means that soon I can have my meal + dessert splurge. Woooohoooo. I plan on having 2 baskets of chips and salsa, a grilled chicken salad with as much fattening ranch dressing as possible - I actually enjoy the grilled chicken salad more than the other main dishes - and then for dessert I will get a large package of oreos, 2 scoops of my favorite ice cream at my favorite ice cream place, and a pint of Ben & Jerry's. Wooohoooo!
Again though, that's not going to happen tomorrow or the next day, but after I've hit 205 three days in a row.)
7 Turkey Bacons calories - 245
2 Bananas calories - 160
2 Oranges calories - 100
Bread 56g calories - 200
Almonds 30 (28g) (So 1 = 6 cals)
Grapefruit calories - 100
3 Crab rangoons -?
Pad Thai calories -? I saved a lot of calories for dinner today, but together these may have been too much; we'll see :(
10/9/2009 - 209.5 lbs. (Well, when I first got on the scale it displayed 208 three times, but I couldn't believe it, so I retried and it showed 210.5 a couple times, and finally 209.5 a couple of times; that was a fair compromise. The good news:
Yahoo came out with an article about 8 foods that fight fat; I ran right out, and I bought all but 1 of those (I couldn't find soy beans.) I used a couple of them in today's diet. Bad news: I messed up yesterday; I forgot that I had salad, so I have to add 120 cals for the oil - just goes to show, you have to have a list. It turns out I'm not succeeding in removing 200 cals a day, but hopefully replacing my food with Yahoo's fat-fighting food will help.) 2 oatmeals calories – 260
Apple calories – 80
Orange calories – 50
Organic Lentil Soup calories - 360
2 98% fat free wieners calories – 80
Ravioli with sauce calories - 350 (about)
Almonds calories - 360
2 Swiss cheese slices calories - 180
Salad (Romaine + tomatoes + mushrooms + Brussel Sprouts and oil) calories - 120
Grapefruit calories - 100
Bread 15g calories - 60
10/8/2009 - 208 lbs. (Well I managed to stick to 1750, so it sort of made up for yesterday. Unfortunately I feel a little heavier today - and the jorts didn't feel they fit as comfortably, so although my weight is lower, I'm concerned that it may go up tomorrow.)
2 bananas calories - 160
2 oatmeals calories - 260
1 0range calories - 50
Baked chicken (L.C.) calories - 240
Another orange calories - 50
3 Sheets Graham crackers calories – 200
Popcorn calories - 100
Grapefruit calories - 100
Orange chicken calories - 590
Salad (Romaine, mushrooms, tomatoes oil) calories - 120
10/7/2009 - 208.5 lbs. (OK, so I'm guessing this is a solid example of a pendulum down-swing. The pendulum demons want me to think that I'm losing so that I'll run out and stuff my face till I can't see my feet, but I know better. P.S. - try to ignore the bad hair day - I stayed home from work today because of my constant bronchiole coughing, so that's bed-head you see there.
On a positive note, I will say that the shorts (or "jorts") seem to be buttoning much more easily.
As you can see below, I went 65 cals over today's goal (1800), so I'll have to either deduct more tomorrow, or deduct for 3 days rather than 2. I can't wait to resume excersizing - this bronchitis is killing me!
2 eggs + 1 egg white calories - 175
2 bananas calories - 160
Grapefruit calories - 100
Organic Lentil Soup calories - 360
2 98% fat free wieners calories – 80
Bread calories - 200
Cheese - 70
Salad (Romaine+Tomatoe+Mushrooms+ 1 tblsp Olive oil) calories - 120
1/2 lb. 93/7 hamburger calories - 320
Baked beans calories - 280
10/6/2009 - 210.5 lbs. You know, I'd like to think the "rest of the chili" was 800 calories, but as I scarfed it down, I realized that traditional chili doesn't have elbow macaroni, and since I used a generic chili posting somewhere online to obtain my calorie count, I'm probably waayyy off. No wonder I feel so satiated. (Sigh). Guess I'll be cutting off 200 cals a day for the next 2 days (and I'm sure my weight will go up.)
Buddig beef calories - 90
bananas calories – 160
Organic Lentil Soup calories - 360
2 98% fat free wieners calories – 80
Grapefruit calories – 100
Apple calories – 80
Popcorn calories – 50
Oatmeal calories - 130
Rest of chili calories - 800? (Read above, I guess I may be in trouble...)
10/5/2009 – 210 lbs. (the first weigh in displayed a 212, and the next couple showed 208.5. Naturally I wanted to take that one, but I tried again for good measure and the next couple were 210, so I posted that as a compromise.)
OK, my diet hasn't instantly improved (sorry, Redditers), but at least I'm starting to track protein. I am bringing 90 grams of sandwhich meat with me tomorrow to work (has 10 grams of protein) and then I'll have my usual fruit afterwards - that way I'm not just having fruit in the morning. My wife made amazing chili tonight, so I had that and stuck to approximate calories. I will do eggs and raisins and I did get lentils, so I'll be eating that for lunch tomorrow - I'm really looking forward to that.
2 Oatmeals calories – 260 (Protein 6g)
2 bananas calories – 160
Smart Ones Chicken Parmesan calories – 290 (Protein 26g)
2 Oranges calories – 100
Apple calories - 80
Chili calories - 600
Bread calories - 200
Banana Bread calories - 300
10/4/2009 - 209 bls.
Notice the great lighting? That's my little sister's doing; you're absolutely right, sis, day time lighting does make a big difference. Also, notice I'm finally buttoning my shorts! My belly's hanging over, but at least I can button them. I'm sure that's partly due to the fact that I didn't wait till the end of the day this time to take the pictures.
BY THE WAY - IF YOU CLICK THE PICTURE, YOU GET A LARGER VIEW
(Something interesting happened this morning - it has actually also happened many times before, when I've dieted in the past; I woke up briefly at around 7:30 a.m. and decided to weigh myself: I was 210.5 lbs. Now, because I'm still 100% sick, I went back to sleep. I then got up again at 11:00 a.m., re-weighed myself and this time, although it flickered once at 210.5, several consecutive weighs displayed a solid 209 - even after moving the scale around. Like I said, this phenomenon has happened to me in the past. Whenever I would not get enough sleep (I need more now that I'm sick), I'd either stay at the same weight, or actually gain weight. I wonder if proper sleep helps the body to not retain water, for some reason. This is part of my plan, by the way: proper sleep.
Pancakes with butter & Syrup calories - 450
Oatmeal calories - 130
2 Bananas calories - 160
Salad (Romaine, mushrooms & tomatoes) oil calories - 160
Steamed veggies calories - 100
Pork patties calories - 453
Baked beans calories - 250 ca.
4 1/2 sheets graham crackers calories - 300
10/3/2009 - 209 lbs.
(I'm not getting excited, especially after last night's splurge. This is probably a down pendulum swing. Let's see how high it swings tomorrow or the next day.)
1 Oatmeal calories - 130
2 Bananas calories - 160
Grapefruit calories - 100
L.C. calories - 340
Grapes (290 grams) - 200
Grilled Chicken breast - 2 or 300 calories
Green beans,
brocoli,
Salad ( spinach, chick peas, carrots, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, ham chips and french salad dressing) probably rest of calories, but maybe not quite.
10/2/2009 – 210 lbs. (5 bl. mark)
Today I have something new to introduce: "splurge meal/dessert." It really only works if you plan on losing about 8 bl.s or more - otherwise the splurge meal would set you back too much. You'll understand as you read on.
You've probably heard people talk about rewarding themselves at certain points in their diet; well, I'm one of those people. The mistake most make, though, is rewarding themselves based on a time-frame. If you say "I'm going to splurge every Friday," and you don't actually lose any weight, then the splurges will cause you to gain weight. If you do lose weight, but say only one pound, then the splurges would cause you to stay about the same weight.
I on the other hand have decided to base my splurges on weight-loss milestones. Every 5 bls. I get to splurge - but only for a meal (and dessert) or just a dessert. Here's what I mean: I want to lose 30 bls. at least, so I am dividing it into six 5-pound weight goals. At each 5 bl. loss I get to splurge for either a meal and a dessert, or just a dessert (I reserve the 10 bl. losses for the meal+dessert splurges.) In other words:
at 210 bls. = dessert splurge (today)
at 205 bls. = meal + dessert splurge
at 200 bls. = dessert splurge
at 195 bls. = meal + dessert splurge
at 190 bls. = dessert splurge
at 185 bls. = meal + dessert splurge
The other mistake people make is giving themselves a full day splurge rather than just a meal+dessert or just dessert splurge. I think a full day splurge is a bad move.
Having said all this, I do have to concede that I cheated: when I reach each 5 bl. mark, I need to have reached it for three days running before I splurge (Today's only the first day I reached it.) That's because of what I call my weight pendulum theory: if you look at my weight postings, you'll notice that sometimes they swing up and down as much as 2 or 3 pounds in just one day. Overall though, the mean of my weight steadily decreases; it acts like a swinging pendulum moving slowly down a slope. That's something a lot of people don't realize. They either get discouraged by the sudden upsurge, or too cocky by the sudden plunge in weight, and they let if affect their diet. If you can remember that your weight will swing up and down every day, then that should help you have the patience to wait and view it from an overall, broader time frame. you need to keep the swinging weight pendulum in mind, in order to stay on a steady course with your diet.
1 Multi vitamin
3 Fish Oils
2 bananas calories - 180
1 Grapefruit calories - 100
1 Orange calories - 50
3 Sheets Graham crackers calories – 200
Pasta with red sauce – 250 (about)
6 Claeys candies calories - 100
2 Oatmeal Packets calories - 260
Cooked Pasta 118 g calories - 200
Beef 4 ounces calories - 160
Sauce calories - 80
About four brownies calories - a lot (splurge dessert)
(Today's the first day I didn't have my highly coveted salad - romain, mushrooms, tomatoes and 1 tblspn olive oil. I was just too tired and hacking to put it together. But I did enjoy my brownies.)
10/1/2009 – 210.5 lbs.
Yup, I'm definitely sick. I have bronchitis, I just hope it's on the out'n out. The problem with getting sick is that now I have to stop exercising, so let's see how that affects my weight-loss.
1 Multi vitamin
3 Fish Oils
2 Bananas calories – 180
Sliver of Lisa P.’s pie – 100
6 Claeys candies calories – 100
L.C. – calories 290
3 Sheets Graham Crackers Calories – 200
Apple calories – 80
Popcorn calories – 100
Peas calories - 100
Cooked Pasta 118 g calories - 200
Sauce - 50
Meat calories - 90
Salad (0il) - 120
Turkey Burger - 160
2 Squares Chocolate - 150
9/30/2009 – 210.5 lbs.
HOORAY! Now THAT’S what I like to see. P.S. I’ve been feeling a little under the weather lately; last week I was getting over a mild bout of bronchitis, and then on Thursday, Sep 24, I got the flu shot and I think that may have thrust me back a couple steps because now the bronchitis seems to be edging back again. Starting an exercise regime (and a diet, for that matter) can often contribute to getting sick too. Also – and probably most importantly – the weather has gone through a drastic change recently.
2 Bananas calories - 180Organic Lentil Soup calories - 3602 98% fat free wieners calories - 80Another 98% fat free wiener - 40Popcorn calories - 1001 grapefruit calories - 1001 Orange Calories – 506 Claeys candies calories – 1001 Apple calories - 80Salad, Meat (90) + Oil (160) - 250Shrimp with scampi - 2751/2 Grilled cheese - 2002 squares of chocolate calories - 150
1 Multi vitamin
3 Fish Oils
2 Oranges calories – 100
2 Bananas calories – 180
1 Apple calories - 80
6 Claeys candies calories – 100
Organic Lentil Soup calories - 360
2 98% fat free wieners calories – 80
Popcorn calories - 100
Frozen vegetables calories - 100
Turkey Burger - 160
Southwest Style Rice - 230
Digestive Health - 90
Salad (Oil) - 120
Chocolate - 150
9/28/2009 - 212.5
Exercise: Treadmill: Speed-Walked 2 plus miles;
burned 300 cals; 33 minutes
Exercise: 8 lower back exercises
Exercise: Ab Exercises; Ab Exercises 2
Exercise: "Chair ups"; "Push-ups against the couch"
I went over on calories today because I wasn't diligent enough in counting BEFORE eating. The ravioli took me by surprise. Again, hopefully the exercising will help.
Nice hair...NOT!
(Oops...am I slipping?)
1 Multi vitamin3 Fish Oils2 bananas - 1801 grapefruit - 100Tuna Sub, 6-inch Classic sandwich (Subway) Calories: - 530Baked Lays BQ Chips - 1403 candies - 50Ravioli - 412.50Honey Ham - 90Sauce - 200Salad Oil - 1202 Corn on the cobbs - 3001 Multi Vitamin3 fish oils3 Sheets Graham Crackers - 2002 eggs - 160Salad; Oil 120Potato Salad 70g 100Baked Cheetos 120Frozen Veggies - 100DQ Small Fudge Sundae ca. 300Grilled Chicken salad with ranch dressing (not fat-free) - a lot!6 chips with salsa1 banana
Saturday 9/26/2009 – 210.5
Exercise: Treadmill -Speed-Walked 2 plus miles; burned 250 cals; 32 minutes
Exercise: First time - I tried these 8 lower back exercises
I obviously went over today. Hopefully the exercise will smooth it over.
1 Multi Vitamin
3 fish oils
2 Apples - 160
Ice cream - 250
Cake - 50
Cheese slice - 25
2 98% fat free wieners - 80
Chicken salad - 204
3 Graham sheets - 200
Steak dinner (6 0z) 900
Baked potato w/some sour cream ca. 300
Garlic Bread - 200
Ice Cream - 100
Friday 9/25/2009 – 210.5
1 Multi vitamin
3 Fish Oils
1 Apple 80
Peas in a pod – 50?
Apple – 80
Pear – 50
L.C. – 290
3 Sheets Graham Crackers 200
6 Candies 100
Ice cream and cake 400
Subway Tuna 530
BBq Chips Baked Lay - 140
Popcorn - 100
9/24/2009 – 212.5
Exercise: Treadmill - Walked 2 plus miles; burned 220 cals; 40 minutes
Exercise: Treadmill - Walked 2 miles; burned 200 cals; 33 minutes (knees feeling a bit tender, so put down incline to "0")
Treadmill - Walked 2 miles; burned 240 cals; 35 minutes
1 multi vitamin3 Fish OilsBanana 90Swedish meatballs lean cuisine 300Graham Crackers 200Banana 90Pear 503 Scrumptious Candies 50Frozen Veggies - 100Mexican soup - 4 cups - 6003 Graham Cracker "Sheets." 2001 Vitamin3 fish oils2 bananas 180 (Subway) Serving Size: 223g; Calories: 280, Total Fat: 4.5g, Carbs: 46g, Protein: 18g 280Plus a bite of my wife’s Club Sub 50Pear 506 delicious candies 100Orange 50Pad Thai - quite a bit (plus had a little of wife's) probably rest of daily calories1 Vitamin3 fish oils2 Bananas 180Orange 5012 Candies 200L.C. 200Brownie 100Pear 50Popcorn 1002nd Brownie 100Mexican Soup 450More Mexican soup 300Sherbert 1501 Multi Vitamin3 fish oils2 Bananas 1802 Apples 160 (Subway) Serving Size: 1 6-inch sub / 250g; Calories: 530, Total Fat: 31g, Carbs: 45g, Protein: 22gBQ Chips 140Grapefruit 100Candies 1002 Brats 540Sorbet 200Salad - the oil = 2101 Vitamin3 fish oilsGrilled Chick Salad Mr. Smiths ca. 5002 Bananas 1801 Grapefruit 100Apple 80Chicken Primavera:1 Chicken breast 2501/2 tblspn cornstarch 151/2 Cup half-and-half Cream 160 (1 US cup = 16 Tablespoons)1/6 Cup white wine ca. 50Sorbet ca. 300Popcorn 1001 Vitamin3 fish oils2 Turkey Burgers 3202 Eggs 1602 Bananas 180Milk 20Brownie 100DQ Sundae w/Pecans 3501 brat 2702 Corn on the cobbs 300container of raspberries w/whip cream?Sliver of Ruby's pie – ca. 100Banana – 901 Vitamin3 fish oilsSubway Tuna 530BQ Chips 140Banana Shake 228Frozen Veggies 100Brownie 100Cheese 251 portion Spaghetti?Ice Cream bar 1001 Vitamin3 fish oils2 Bananas 1802 Apples 160L.C. 6 pointsPopcorn 100Crackers 250 calsCheese 25Spaghetti 1 large portion – probably quite a bit
Labels: a detailed daily weight-loss planUkraine’s New Bill Treats Bitcoin as Financial Asset and Encourages Mining
Two bills to provide legal frameworks for cryptocurrencies including bitcoin have now been submitted to the Ukrainian parliament. The latest one proposes recognizing them as financial assets. It also defines cryptocurrency derivatives, as well as proposes simplifying taxation and reducing electricity tariffs for mining activities.
Also read: Putin Orders the Issue of Russia’s National Cryptocurrency – the Cryptoruble
Two Bills Submitted to Parliament
Following the first bill on cryptocurrency which was submitted on October 6, the second bill has been submitted to the Ukrainian parliament. Entitled “On the stimulation of the market of cryptocurrencies and their derivatives in Ukraine,” Bill No. 7183-1 was submitted last week.
In the new bill, the head of the Parliamentary Committee on Financial Policy and Banking, Serhiy Rybalka, proposes to recognize cryptocurrency as a “financial asset,” The Financial Club reported. “It makes no sense to reinvent the wheel and invent new rules for it. The most effective model is the adaptation of cryptocurrencies to the already existing legislation,” the publication quoted him saying. “That is why we propose to recognize cryptocurrency as a financial asset.”
Ain publication elaborated:
According to this document, state bodies are responsible for monitoring cryptocurrency exchanges. Cryptocurrency exchanges will be required to obtain a license for their activities. They have the right to open accounts in cryptocurrency both for citizens of Ukraine and for non-residents.
Taxation and Other Terms
The second draft law also calls for “reduced tariffs for electricity and the simplest taxation” in order to “stimulate the ‘extraction’ and turnover of cryptocurrencies,” The Financial Club detailed. Rybalka further “proposes not to tax cryptocurrency investments,” the publication added, noting that the bill proposes a 2% fee when cryptocurrencies are exchanged for hryvnia.
In addition, the bill calls for the National Financial Services Commission to be the primary regulator of cryptocurrencies. In the first bill, it was proposed for the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) to act as the regulator of the crypto market.
While the second bill contains the definition of cryptocurrency derivatives, neither bill contains references to initial coin offerings (ICOs), explained Orlovsky Maxim, Head of Bitcoin Foundation Ukraine. Furthermore, the first draft law does not mention AML and KYC procedures for cryptocurrency operations, while the second one suggests for them to be determined by the central financial regulator as part of their licensing requirements, he added.
Cryptocurrencies Not Prohibited
Even though there is not yet a regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies in Ukraine, cryptocurrencies including bitcoin are not prohibited by law. The Ukrainian finance minister Oleksandr Danylyuk wrote on his Facebook page on Monday that his ministry is working with the NBU and other financial regulators to formulate the right regulation for them. He wrote:
There are many open issues and in Ukraine the status of cryptography is not defined by law, but this does not mean that cryptocurrency is prohibited. Ukraine should monitor world trends and not miss a chance to use new technologies and innovations in the financial sector.
What do you think of this bill’s proposals? Let us know in the comments section below.
Images courtesy of Shutterstock.
Need to calculate your bitcoin holdings? Check our tools section.by Brett Stevens on January 29, 2016
Many of our readers will be familiar with Daryl Withycombe from his periodic writings on this site. He believes that modern society will collapse from environmental factors and return to its pre-agrarian rots. To get the full story on this interesting perspective, we talked with him at length.
What is wrong with modern society and what should take its place?
It destroys the Earth and makes people miserable.
A way of life that can maintain some sort of equilibrium with its environment, something humans have proved themselves utterly incapable of since the start of the Holocene.
How does modern society destroy our environment and our happiness?
Humans have figured out how to access an energy gradient through the use of as fossil fuels, which no other species has been able to utilize. This has a variety of dramatic effects. Our society begins to resemble the mice experiments of Calhoun.
More broadly, humans are faced with the problem that our ability to utilize technology allows us to change our environment faster than the process of evolution allows us to genetically adapt to said changes. As a simple example, Australian Aboriginals can be forced to transition from an ancestral diet to a modern Western diet composed of processed foods, within one lifetime.
The environmental problems should be quite obvious. According to ecologists, compared to other carnivores of our size our population is about 2470 times more dense than you would expect. Comparing us to herbivores on the other hand, would leave a normal population size for our species at about 48 million.
You can reduce the environmental impact of humans by forcing us into dense overpopulated cities, but this merely worsens the other problem, the inability for humans to live lives in accordance with our psychological nature. We did not evolve as ants and thus for us to inhabit the city is inevitably a recipe for misery. Ellul saw the city as the supreme rejection of God.
Someone who observed our species from far away would look at us and see that around 10.000 until 6.000 years ago we began to suddenly transform into an eusocial insect-like organism, that builds large colonies where it stores food. It is in fact quite common to witness practice of agriculture among eusocial species. There are even some ants who practice something comparable to animal husbandry with aphids.
We even began to display signs of growing reproductive specialization. A minority of individuals became dedicated to the purpose of reproduction. It’s quite common to read accounts of aristocratic women who gave birth to 23 children or more, effectively transforming into human incubators. They could continually give birth as they did not breastfeed their children themselves which mandates a period of infertility lasting roughly two years, but had specialized worker ants for this.
Then at the start of the industrial revolution 200 years ago, we began to transform into something entirely different, more akin to cells in the body of a global organism, as most humans are no longer even remotely engaged in the process of food production. Our policy-makers ideal is to have a college educated population, continually engaged in abstract labor. The idea of man as a participant in nature was seemingly abandoned long ago.
How would we get to the future you desire?
It’s somewhat naive to assume that we can decide the course of our own species, rather than being subject to physical and economic laws. We’ll get there when civilization has exhausted its ecological niche.
This is what every other life form seems to do, it multiplies until it has changed the environment it inhabits to such a degree by depleting its energy source and/or spreading its waste products, that some combination of other lifeforms ends up better capable of thriving in the resulting landscape.
I also don’t think it’s a good question to ask yourself what you can do to change |
would be the most scarred,” Rainier says. “You didn’t gain your beauty until you were scarred.”
Taken as art, tattoos unite disparate cultures, says Skip Pahl, who displayed Rainier’s photographs at California’s Oceanside Museum of Art. The images attracted an unusually diverse group of museumgoers: Samoan immigrants, surfers, gang members, U.S. Marines and devout Latinos, all of whom have their own tattoo aesthetic. The exhibition was accompanied by a runway show in which tattoo artists paraded their most exquisitely inked customers.
After visiting the Mentawai last year—a trip previously thwarted by security concerns after September 11, 2001, and by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami—Rainier says his tattoo portfolio is at last complete. His own epidermis remains thus far unimproved, but that’s about to change: “I said to myself once the project is over and done that I will pick an artist and a design,” he says. “I’m at that point now.”
Having spent 20 years exploring the power and permanence of tattoos, however, he’s finding the selection very difficult: “We live in a culture where everything is disposable, and it’s like, ‘wow, that’s forever.’ ”
Abigail Tucker is the magazine’s staff writer. Photographer Chris Rainier is working on a book about traditional masks.A decades-old folk tale surrounding a deranged murderer killing those who celebrate Valentine's Day turns out to be true to legend when a group defies the killer's order and people start turning up dead.
Angela Baker, a traumatized and very shy young girl, is sent to summer camp with her cousin. Shortly after her arrival, anyone with sinister or less than honorable intentions gets their comeuppance.
Little Billy witness his parents getting killed by Santa after being warned by his senile grandpa that Santa punishes those who are naughty. Now Billy is 18, and out of the orphanage, and he has just become Santa, himself.
On Christmas Eve, an escaped maniac returns to his childhood home, which is now a sorority house, and begins to murder the sorority sisters one by one.
If this movie doesn't make your skin crawl... It's on TOO TIGHT
It's time for Christmas break, and the sorority sisters make plans for the holiday, but the strange anonymous phone calls are beginning to put them on edge. When Clare disappears, they contact the police, who don't express much concern. Meanwhile Jess is planning to get an abortion, but boyfriend Peter is very much against it. The police finally begin to get concerned when a 13-year-old girl is found dead in the park. They set up a wiretap to the sorority house, but will they be in time to prevent a sorority girl attrition problem? Written by Ed Sutton <[email protected]>
Did You Know?
Trivia This film holds the honor of being the first seasonal slasher film (a horror movie taking place during a holiday) in horror movie history and would later be followed by Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th (1980), Prom Night (1980), Mother's Day (1980), Graduation Day (1981), My Bloody Valentine (1981), Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) which is another Christmas horror movie, and April Fool's Day (1986). This film holds the honor of being the first seasonal slasher film (a horror movie taking place during a holiday) in horror movie history and would later be followed by Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th (1980), Prom Night (1980), Mother's Day (1980), Graduation Day (1981), My Bloody Valentine (1981), Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) which is another Christmas horror movie, and April Fool's Day (1986). See more
Goofs About seven minutes into the film, when "the moaner" calls, you can very clearly see the boom mic at the top of the frame as everyone gathers around the phone to listen. About seven minutes into the film, when "the moaner" calls, you can very clearly see the boom mic at the top of the frame as everyone gathers around the phone to listen. See more
Crazy Credits A telephone is continously ringing throughout the final credits. A telephone is continously ringing throughout the final credits. See more
Alternate Versions The film was released 3 different times (ntsc format)on DVD and each disc features a different aspect ratio. The first DVD edition from Critical mass (25th anniversary) used the proper full frame format (the film was shot this way). The second DVD release from Critical Mass (listed as being just a special edition) uses a 1:75:1 aspect ratio, it was also noted that director Bob Clark approved of this ratio. The latest DVD special edition from Critical Mass (December, 2006) uses an over-matted 1:85:1 ratio. This 1:85:1 over matted ratio also appeared on the special edition laserdisc that was released by Warner Bros. a few years back. The film was released 3 different times (ntsc format)on DVD and each disc features a different aspect ratio. The first DVD edition from Critical mass (25th anniversary) used the proper full frame format (the film was shot this way). The second DVD release from Critical Mass (listed as being just a special edition) uses a 1:75:1 aspect ratio, it was also noted that director Bob Clark approved of this ratio. The latest DVD special edition from Critical Mass (December, 2006) uses an over-matted 1:85:1 ratio. This 1:85:1 over matted ratio also appeared on the special edition laserdisc that was released by Warner Bros. a few years back. See moreFrank Seravalli TSN Senior Hockey Reporter Follow|Archive
Brayden Schenn arrived for the Philadelphia Flyers’ morning skate at Air Canada Centre on March 29, 2012 and heard the whispers.
Flyers legend Eric Lindros was in the dressing room, gearing up for a surprise on-ice appearance.
“I was a rookie that year. All of the guys were giving it to me, telling me Lindros was there for a tryout,” Schenn recalled Thursday. “They told me he was going to take my job.”
Little did Schenn — or any of the Flyers — know.
Two months earlier, the Flyers tried to coax Lindros, then 38 and five years removed from the NHL, out of retirement for one last run at a Stanley Cup.
Now that ‘Big E’ will finally be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday, the statute of limitations has long since expired on a story that would have sent reverberations throughout Philadelphia and the NHL.
“Yeah, I did place a call to Eric in 2012 to see whether he would consider coming back,” Flyers president Paul Holmgren said Thursday. “He looked that good at the outdoor alumni game. I thought he could help our team.”
Holmgren wasn’t exactly sure on the timing of the offer, but it was definitely after the Flyers-Rangers alumni game at Citizens Bank Park on December 31, 2011.
It didn’t seem like an outlandish idea. Part of Holmgren’s thinking came from watching Jaromir Jagr, who is one year older than Lindros, rack up 54 points that season on a line with Claude Giroux and Scott Hartnell after a three-year hiatus in Russia’s KHL.
“I told him ‘You wouldn’t have to be the guy here. We have Claude, he is our guy,’” Holmgren said. “I figured even if he was a power play guy, stood in front of the net, played 10 or 12 minutes a game, that he could still be a significant factor.”
Holmgren, then the Flyers’ GM, told Lindros he would have a month or two to get in shape. The plan was for Lindros to be in the Flyers’ lineup for the last chunk of the regular season, followed by the playoffs. The Flyers knocked off the Pittsburgh Penguins in an epic first-round series that spring.
One problem: Lindros immediately declined. Holmgren told him to think it over for a few days. He checked in with Lindros four or five days later. The answer was still no. The story died right then and there.
By the time Lindros showed up to skate with the team – in full equipment and his usual Flyers practice jersey – two months later, it was simply because Lindros wanted to have fun on Air Canada Centre ice again. He wasn’t there to take Schenn’s spot.
“Clearly [Holmgren] had really bad seats in that baseball stadium and he couldn’t see what was going on on the ice all that well,” Lindros said, laughing, in an interview Wednesday. “I don’t know how serious Paul was about that, but he kept talking about cap space and things like that and I was like ‘You’re out of your mind. You’re out of your tree.’”
The Flyers on the ice with him that day didn’t think Holmgren was out of his tree.
“If I can play, why not?” Jagr told the Philadelphia Daily News on March 29, 2012. “He would have to lose some pounds. Maybe 20. But that’s easy to do.”
Giroux idolized Lindros growing up in Hearst, Ont., and still vividly remembers that one 30-minute skate. He was stunned to learn Thursday there was actually a conversation of a comeback.
“He could still shoot the puck. Big body, huge shot,” Giroux said. “It was pretty cool to be out there with him. If anyone could have come back and played after that long, it’s him.”
Now 43, happily retired and raising three young children in Toronto with his wife, Kina Lamarche, Lindros said he never seriously considered a comeback. He has admitted repeated concussions changed the way he played the game - cutting his career to 760 games.
Lindros still skates twice a week, just not anywhere near an NHL level. He said he “realized there was more to life than playing the game.”
“The players are so quick, so fast, so explosive. It’s a completely different game,” Lindros said. “It’s interesting to see the guys that are coming up now have grown and played the game with the rules that are currently completely different than the ‘90s.”
Lindros joked that the “sands of time” caught up to him, as they do us all. That his dominant game — a unique package of size, speed and skill hardly matched before or since — is still applicable to today’s game is really the ultimate tribute to his now Hall of Fame legacy.
“I think he could still play today, just from a sheer size standpoint,” Holmgren said. “The impact he made on the game was incredible. This was long overdue.”
Contact Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @frank_seravalliPrime minister makes surprise announcement outside No 10, saying she has delivered stability after the Brexit referendum result • Theresa May announces UK general election - live
Theresa May has said she wants to hold a snap general election on 8 June, despite repeatedly claiming that she was against the idea of an early vote.
In a surprise statement outside Downing Street on Tuesday morning, the prime minister claimed that opposition parties were jeopardising her government’s preparations for Brexit.
“We need a general election and we need one now,” she said. “I have only recently and reluctantly come to this conclusion but now I have concluded it is the only way to guarantee certainty for the years ahead.”
May claimed the decision she would put to voters in the election, the announcement of which was a tightly guarded secret known only by her closest aides, would be all about “leadership”.
May's general election announcement annotated Read more
The prime minister may have been swayed by recent polls that placed the Conservatives 21 points ahead of Labour despite a policy blitz by Jeremy Corbyn’s party. She will hope to boost a slim working majority of 17 in order to help pass both domestic and Brexit-linked legislation.
In her statement, May said her government was trying to deliver on last year’s referendum result by making sure Britain regained control and struck new trade deals.
“After the country voted to leave the EU, Britain needed certainty, stability and strong leadership. Since I became prime minister the government has delivered precisely that,” she said, but claimed that other political parties had opposed her efforts.
This is no general election, it’s a coup – MPs have a duty to stop Theresa May | Anne Perkins Read more
“The country is coming together but Westminster is not. Labour have threatened to vote against the final agreement we reach. The Lib Dems have said they want to grind the business of government to a standstill. Unelected members of the House of Lords have vowed to fight us every step of the way.”
The prime minister later repeated her suggestion that she was taking the decision reluctantly, arguing that she had decided to go for the election last week. “Before Easter I spent a few days walking in Wales with my husband, I thought about this long and hard and came to the decision that to provide for that stability and certainty, this was the way to do it,” she told ITV’s political editor, Robert Peston.
She added that she was asking the British people to put their trust in her. Pressed on the notion that it was more about personal and party interest than for the sake of the country, she disagreed. “This is a decision that I’ve taken reluctantly in the national interest,” said May, arguing that a decisive election victory would strengthen the government’s hand in Brexit negotiations.
Under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, May cannot call an election directly, but she said she would lay down a motion in the House of Commons. This will require two-thirds of MPs to back it. The Commons vote will follow a 90-minute debate on Wednesday, after Prime Minister’s Questions and any urgent questions or ministerial statements, May’s official spokesman said.
Play Video 1:01 'I welcome the opportunity': Jeremy Corbyn on 8 June general election
Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the Labour party, said he welcomed the decision, suggesting his MPs would back the Commons motion.
“I welcome the prime minister’s decision to give the British people the chance to vote for a government that will put the interests of the majority first. Labour will be offering the country an effective alternative to a government that has failed to rebuild the economy, delivered falling living standards and damaging cuts to our schools and NHS.
“In the last couple of weeks, Labour has set out policies that offer a clear and credible choice for the country. We look forward to showing how Labour will stand up for the people of Britain.”
Currently, the Conservatives have 330 MPs, giving the party its working majority of 17. Labour has 229, the SNP 54, and the LibDems 8. Minor parties and independents hold the remaining seats, in a 650 strong Commons.
Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, said that the country was more divided than it ever had been during his lifetime. “That represents a complete failure by Theresa May to bring the country together behind a bold and confident future for Britain outside the EU,” he said.
“Every step of the way Labour has sought to put the national interest first and to build a national consensus around our future relationship with the EU – not as members, but as partners.
“That is why Labour did not frustrate the article 50 process in parliament. It is why Labour has set six tests for the final Brexit deal that would deliver the best possible deal for everyone in Britain, whether they voted remain or leave.
“This general election is a result of the prime minister’s failure to build a national consensus. It is also an opportunity for Labour to set out an inclusive, progressive and ambitious future for Britain.”
One of Corbyn’s backbench Labour critics, Tom Blenkinsop, who represents Middlesbrough south and east Cleveland, said he would not be standing for re-election.
The Lib Dems will hope to turn the election into a second referendum on the type of Brexit being pursued by the government, but Labour’s more nuanced position on leaving the EU will make it difficult for them to follow suit.
The Lib Dem leader, Tim Farron, said: “This election is your chance to change the direction of our country. If you want to avoid a disastrous hard Brexit, if you want to keep Britain in the single market, if you want a Britain that is open, tolerant and united, this is your chance. Only the Liberal Democrats can prevent a Conservative majority.
A senior Lib Dem source said the party had been preparing for a snap general election since before the referendum, with 300 candidates selected and many in place for over a year, particularly in the south-west. Battle buses have also already been reserved. Farron is this week visiting Cornwall, a key battleground for the party, and is expected to make a speech about the election later on Tuesday.
Catherine West, the Labour MP for Hornsey and Wood Green and shadow Foreign Office minister, said: “I welcome the opportunity to highlight the gross failings of the Conservative government since 2015 and their Lib Dem partners in their first term.
“The country has been badly let down by the ruthless and ideological decisions made by the government across the NHS, social care, education and the economy.”
The MP said that she voted not to trigger article 50 but wanted Labour to hold the government to account on Brexit through the campaign to ensure environmental protection, economic security and workers’ rights.SALT LAKE CITY — State and federal geologists say there's enough coal in the state to keep the coal mining industry running for 55 years, but few think that is a realistic projection given environmental pressure, increasing regulations and the pace of shrinking national demand.
Utah, like other U.S. coal-producing states, has turned its sights on ramping up foreign exports to meet demands in other countries, particularly to developing nations hungry to plug into a cheap form of electricity.
The move is controversial from a philosophical and environmental standpoint among opponents who decry the public health impacts of fossil fuels. But coal-producing communities say it is a matter of their survival.
"Nobody likes to relocate to a ghost town," said Carbon County Commissioner Jae Potter. "This buys us some time."
Potter's Carbon County, along with Emery, Sanpete and Sevier counties, are behind the successful push to invest $53 million for 49 percent access in a planned bulk terminal off San Francisco Bay at Oakland. The covered terminal would be built on land that once housed an Army base and is now owned by Oakland City.
No money has exchanged hands in the proposal — which still requires another $200 million to become a fiscal reality — but the financing mechanism approved by the Utah Legislature this month and endorsed by Gov. Gary Herbert stoked howls of protest from critics who described it in unsavory terms like "scheme," "shell game," or even "money laundering."
The funding mechanism established in Senate Majority Whip Stuart Adams' SB246 involves a three-way transfer of money.
This is how it will work. In the fiscal year that begins July 1, $26 million will be taken from a transportation sales tax fund and put into an enterprise fund for the export terminal. The same amount in mineral lease revenue — the money earned from oil and gas extraction and industries like coal mining and then returned to originating counties — will be transferred from the Community Impact Fund to a newly created account to spend on transportation projects.
The $26 million already set aside at the Community Impact Fund in a long-term infrastructure account will be repaid by the counties via a 30-year-loan at 2 percent interest, which is the fund's standard loan and repayment terms. The same transfers happen in fiscal year 2018 for $27 million.
"There is no risk to taxpayers' money," Adams said. "If I give you a $10 bill to hold on to for 10 minutes, and then exchange it with you for two $5 bills — all that has happened is the money has been changed."
Adams and the Community Impact Fund Board Chairman Keith Heaton said swapping funds to pay for community needs when there may be federal strings or limitations attached is not an unusual state practice, especially for transportation projects. Critics questioned the use of community impact funds in an out-of-state project, but Potter said that is why they ran the measure by lawmakers' scrutiny — for public accountability and legal review by the Legislative Office of General Counsel.
"Someone told us if this was such a good idea, we should run it through the Legislature," he said.
For the counties involved, it remains a local investment, he said.
"That has what has been the big lie, that this is a waste of taxpayer dollars," Potter said. "This is a trading of dollars that have already been set aside and paid to the counties because of mineral development."
Coal-fired opposition
Some California politicians, the Oakland mayor, the Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign and the "Keep it in the Ground," movement are trying to block Utah's planned export of coal. Earthjustice filed a lawsuit, and then withdrew it with a right to re-file as the city conducts a public health and safety review of the proposed terminal and rail shipments.
Hundreds of people packed an Oakland City-hosted meeting last fall, including opponents to the proposal and project developers who say the $250 million project will support an annual payroll of $120 million and provide transport for 20 different bulk commodities.
Sen. Loni Hancock, D-California, is running several bills which aim to stop the export of coal from what some say would be the West Coast's largest coal export facility if built. They are scheduled to be heard in a committee hearing in early April before the California Legislature.
Tapping local sentiment, the Sierra Club in the Bay Area did its own poll that showed 76 percent of Oakland voters are opposed to exporting coal from San Francisco Bay.
Bill Corcoran, Western director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign, said the railway transport of coal to the export terminal poses an immediate public health impact, adding more toxins to an area already "hammered" by industrial pollution.
The Sierra Club, in its campaign to stop the terminal, shows uncovered coal cars on its website and describes how toxic coal dust would result in more hospital trips for children with asthma.
The trains, however, would be covered and unloaded in a covered terminal that its developer, Terminal Logistic Solutions, said is designed to meet or exceed all California state environmental regulations. The project, the company adds, has to meet more than 660 mitigation mandates and conditions of approval with the city and the Port of Oakland.
But Corcoran said the export of Utah coal from California is fundamentally wrong.
"California has positioned itself as a leader in addressing climate change and Oakland as a city is committed to address climate change," he said. The idea that the "dirtiest fuel we use to produce electricity," would be shipped out of Oakland is an affront to the city's own aspirations and to the state more broadly, he said.
On the Utah front, the fight to stop the terminal includes Tim Wagner, a former Sierra Club staffer who now serves as executive director of the Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment. He lobbied against Adams' bill on Capitol Hill, arguing among other things that it is a bad investment.
"It makes no financial sense whatsoever. Coal markets all across the planet are in a complete decline, with no sign of them coming back," he said. "I don't care if the Utah Legislature wants to throw $53 billion at this proposal, it is not going to revive the coal industry in this state."
A 2014 report on Utah coal issued by the state's Rural Planning Group predicts that for coal to thrive, a scenario has to play out that includes slowing advancement in renewable energy technologies and some sort of major disruptive and unfortunate accidents when it comes to the production and use of the cleaner natural gas. The market considers coal to be the lowest risk, highest return energy source and a major catastrophic event — such as war — keeps coal as an indispensable power source.
Those conditions are a tall order and Utah's coal country is facing very real and dramatic reductions of domestic demand. In Utah it is projected to be at 28 percent, caused by the 2015 closure of the Carbon power plant and the transition of the Intermountain Power Plant in Millard County moving to natural gas by 2027.
"That leaves us with a cliff coming that says, 'Hey, what do we do?" Potter said.
Why the port?
The report notes that there are three major hurdles Utah's coal industry needs to overcome in the years ahead and key among them is limited port capacity that constrains selling coal to markets abroad.
Last year, Utah exported nearly $169 million worth of coal to four foreign countries. Mexico was the top destination, receiving $143 million worth of coal.
Derek Miller, president and chief executive officer of World Trade Center Utah, said transportation is half the battle in getting Utah products to foreign markets, and the other half is port access.
"I think it will be a significant benefit to have these rights at this port," Miller said. The terminal would also provide a route for Utah grown hay, as well as salt and soda ash.
Miller said those other commodities don't have the same environmental constraints as Utah's coal, which he predicts may see an increased demand globally because it burns more efficiently and has a low sulfur and low mercury content.
"As you see environmental standards get higher in China and other markets, our coal would have a competitive advantage under those circumstances."
Coal critics cite China's sputtering demand for coal as the death knell for the industry, but the International Energy Agency predicts slowed, but continued growth in coal demand through at least 2020.
Jason Hayes, associate director of the American Coal Council, said coal — despite its critics — remains the cheapest form of reliable electricity and produces far fewer carbon emissions than open burning or incinerating dung, practices common in developing countries.
Major utility companies in Japan and South Korea, too, have indicated at coal conferences they're hungry for the U.S. commodity, Hayes added.
"They told us very plainly if we build port capacity on the West Coast and we ship it, they will buy it."
About 7 percent of Utah coal is currently shipped to foreign markets, so more port capacity would significantly expand that share.
An eight-week study by Deloitte Consulting that spanned the United States, South America, parts of Europe, Asia, Australia and South Africa concluded that deeper penetration into international markets could provide new revenue opportunities for savvy U.S. Coal producers.
While coal has traditionally been a "swing" option for excess coal, the study noted that some markets are "ripe" for expansion.
The four counties hope to export about 5 million tons of coal to foreign recipients.
"This extends our viability with the market," Potter said. "It gives us time to not only transition, but it gives our people hope. It provides us with a future and time for us to transition to other things. Without time to get that in place and attract those other companies, we'll all be living on the Wasatch Front."What it’s like to live in countries with highest white population as a non-white person? Do residents of these countries show tolerance towards their non-white fellow citizens? Is white population on the decline in these countries? Do governments encourage the inclusion of non-white population into society? These are some questions we will try to answer as we present you countries that have ranked as the whitest in the world.
Overall taken, whites are still privileged – they are richer, have better access to education, job market, and health care compared to other races. Still, individual differences between countries regarding racial tolerance aren’t negligible. While in some countries whites believe in a society that is built upon the principle of equality, in others racial incidents, even in parliament, are almost part of everyday life.
While ranking countries by whiteness, we had a similar problem as when we created the list 11 countries with highest black population outside Africa. What do terms “white” and “white population” mean, or more precisely, who identifies as white? US Census Bureau defines white as “a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa”. However, this definition might change very soon, as organizations that represent people from the Middle East and South Africa emphasize that people they are representing can’t identify with the label white. For this reason, we didn’t include countries from the Middle East on this list, although, if we followed Census Bureau’s definition, Iran would found a place.
To create the list of countries with highest white population we used multiple sources. While census in countries like the US includes questions about respondent’s race, most European countries don’t collect data on its citizens’ racial identity. So we relied on CIA Factbook, which gives an ethnic profile of all countries in the world. For instance, Factbook describes the population of Poland in the following way: “Polish 96.9%, Silesian 1.1%, German 0.2%, Ukrainian 0.1%, other and unspecified 1.7%”. To estimate the number of white residents we summed up percents of white ethnical group and got the number of around 38 million. Additionally, we used other rough estimation we could find. Besides the number of white residents, we also look into racial tolerance in this countries using as a source European Value Survey (EVS), World Value Survey 2005-2009 (WVS 2005-2009) and World Value Survey 2010-2014 (WVS 2010-2014).The Nightmare Before Christmas is a 1993 Disney/Touchstone stop-motion animated film directed by Henry Selick and produced/co-written by Tim Burton. The film tells the story of Jack Skellington, a living skeleton from Halloween Town who finds a door to Christmas Town.
Contents show]
Idea Behind the Film Edit
The genesis of The Nightmare Before Christmas started with a Poem by Tim Burton. He wrote it during his time as a Disney animator in the early 1980s. With the success of Burton's short-film "Vincent" in 1982, Disney started to consider The Nightmare Before Christmas as either a short-film or 30-minute television special. Over the years, Burton's thoughts regularly returned to the project, and in 1990, Burton and Disney made a development deal. Production started in July 1991 in San Francisco in Skellington Productions. Walt Disney Pictures decided to release the film under their Touchstone Pictures banner because they thought that the film would be "too dark and scary for children."
Plot Edit
In a magical place called Halloween Town, all of the town's citizens have gathered to celebrate their holiday and success after terrifying the world. However, Jack Skellington, the pumpkin king and most-acclaimed citizen of the town, a de-facto leader, has become tired of this holiday and no longer sees the point of scaring people. The night after the celebration he takes a long walk through the forest with his ghost dog Zero (who has a glowing pumpkin for a nose), where he finds doorways to other holidays. Intrigued by one showing a bright green tree with decorations, Jack opens the door and falls down a hole leading into Christmas Town. Amazed by the snow, color, and wonder he sees, Jack becomes fascinated with Christmas. Jack returns to Halloween Town and shows the citizens examples of Christmas items. He shows them Christmas trees, stockings, and the whole routine of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The townspeople are excited, but Jack worries they don't fully grasp the concepts he's trying to explain to them. In the crowd is Sally, a ragdoll brought to life by the town scientist Dr. Finkelstein. She is secretly in love with Jack and too is awestruck by Christmas, but sees a vision of a burning Christmas tree and worries it is a bad sign. She informs Jack of her vision but he simply shrugs it off his shoulders and goes ahead in his plan.
Jack secludes himself in his lab, leaving the citizens of Halloween Town in troubled thoughts of what Jack is up to and if he's okay, and performs various experiments on Christmas-themed items in an attempt to find a way to explain it to his citizens. Jack's obsession escalates as his experiments fail, and he ultimately comes to the conclusion that not only could he imitate Christmas perfectly, but that he could improve upon it, and announces to the town they are taking over Christmas. Jack rallies the town to begin making Christmas presents, hires Dr. Finkelstein to animate skeletal reindeer for a sleigh, and charges Sally with knitting him a red and white Santa coat. As Christmas approaches and both Halloween Town and Christmas Town prepare for Christmas, Jack puts three tricks-or-treaters (Lock, Shock and Barrel) in charge of kidnapping Santa Claus from Christmas Town, but warns them not to include their master Oogie Boogie in any of their affairs. On Christmas Eve, everything is almost set when the three return with Santa. Jack tells Santa to "take the night off" and has the three take Santa back to their lair to keep him contained for the night. Instead, the three send Santa to Oogie Boogie, who plots to gamble with his life at stake.
Sally attempts to stop Jack by creating a thick fog, but Jack uses Zero's glowing red nose to light the way and directs the dog to the head of the sleigh. Jack takes off around the world and begins to deliver his terrifying presents with disastrous results, though he mistakes their screams for joy. A warning is put out on the news of a Santa Claus impersonator, and the citizens of Halloween Town rejoice, believing their Christmas a success. Sally rushes to save Santa Claus, but is captured by Oogie Boogie as well. Artillery cannons fire on Jack, destroying his sleigh, and both the police and the people of Halloween Town assume him dead. Waking up in a graveyard, Jack realizes his plans have ruined his Christmas, but is newly inspired about Halloween. Jack tears off his Santa suit and declares himself the pumpkin king again, then hurries back to Halloween Town to release Santa.
Jack enters Oogie Boogie's lair just as he's about to kill Santa and Sally. He is able to pull open a stitch in Oogie Boogie's clothing (for his skin is made out of cloth) and all the bugs that are inside Boogie's body start to fall out, rendering him helpless. Jack apologizes to Santa, who then races off to fix Christmas. Jack confronts Sally about her attempt to save Santa and realizes her feelings for him, as Lock, Shock and Barrel lead the Mayor to find Jack. Santa Claus is shown flying around the world, giving out real presents and removing the evil toys Jack had given out. Jack returns to his townpeople as Santa flies overhead. Santa and Jack wish each other "Happy Halloween" and "Merry Christmas" as Santa brings snow to the town. The residents of Halloween Town begin playing in the snow, and Jack follows Sally out of town. She climbs and sits atop a snow covered hill, and Jack joins her singing. They sing to each other and realize that they were meant to be together. As their hands touch, they embrace and kiss each other as Zero looks on. Then Zero flies up into the night, transformed into a star.
Cast Edit
Main article: List of Actors
Production Edit
Burton wrote a three-page Poem titled "The Nightmare Before Christmas" when he was a Disney animator in the early-1980s. Burton took inspiration from television specials of "Rudolph," "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" and the poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas." Rick Heinrichs and Burton created concept art and stroyboards, with Heinrichs also sculpting character models. "Back then, I would have done anything to get the project off ground" Burton explained. "There was a lot of talk of either a short film, like 'Vincent' or a TV special, but it went nowhere. I also wanted to have Vincent Price as narrator." Burton showed Henry Selick, who was also a Disney animator in the early-1980s, the material he and Heinrichs developed.
Over the years, Burton's thoughts regularly returned to the project. In 1990, Burton found out that Disney still owned the film rights, and the two committed to produce a full-length film with Selick as director. Disney was looking forward to Nightmare "to show capabilities of technical and storytelling achievements that were present in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit." Nightmare marked Burton's third film in a row to have a Christmas setting. Burton could not direct because of his commitment to Batman Returns and he did not want to be involved with "the painstakingly slow process of stop-motion." To adapt his Poem into a screenplay, Burton approached Micheal McDowell, his collaborator on Beetlejuice. McDowell and Burton experienced creative differences, which convinced Burton to make the film as a musical with lyrics and compositions by frequent collaborator Danny Elfman. Elfman and Burton created a rough storyline and two-thirds of the film's songs, while Selick and his team of animators began production in July 1991 in San Francisco with a crew of 200 workers. Joe Ranft worked as a storyboard artist.
Elfman found writing Nightmare's 10 songs as "one of the easiest jobs I've ever had. I had a lot in common with Jack Skellington." Caroline Thompson still had yet to be hired to write the screenplay. With Thompson's screenplay, Selick stated, "there are very few lines of dialogue that are Caroline's. She became busy on other films and we were constantly rewriting, reconfiguring and developing the film visually." The work of Ray Harryhausen, Ladislas Starevich, Edward Gorey, Charles Addams, Jan Lenica, Francis Bacon and Wassily Kandinsky all influenced the filmmakers. Selick described the production design as akin to a pop-up-book. In addition, Selick stated, "When we reach Halloween Town, it's entirely German expressionism. When Jack enters Christmas Town, it's an outrageous Dr.Suess setpiece. Finally, when Jack is delivering presents in the 'Real World,' everything is plain, simple, and perfectly aligned."
On the direction of the film, Selick reflected, "It's as though Burton laid the egg, and I sat on it and hatched it. He wasn't involved in a hands-on way, but his hand is in it. It was my job to make it look like 'a Tim Burton film,' which is not so different from my own films." When asked on Burton's involvement, Selick claimed, "I don't want to take away from Tim, but he was not in San Francisco when we made it. He came up five times over two years, and spent no more than eight or ten days in total." Walt Disney Studios contributed with some use of second-layering traditional Animation. Burton found production somewhat difficult because he was directing Batman Returns and in pre-production of Ed wood.
Deleted Scenes Edit
Original Opening: The original opening of the film only got to the storyboard stage. It involved a day by day wall callender starting at December and flipping through the days and holidays until it reaches Halloween with a jack o lantern. The camera then zooms into it's eye and the opening titles play. This opening can only be found on |
has accompanied the fighting of the past month, Israel TV Channel 2 reported the military as saying it had killed 900 Palestinian fighters in Gaza, nearly half the 1,867 dead reported by Palestinian officials.Israel Radio said the defence establishment had a list of 600 names of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other fighters killed during Operation Protective Edge.England cricket star Moeen Ali is being investigated by the International Cricket Council after wearing wristbands that featured the slogans “Save Gaza” and “Free Palestine” during the second day of the third test against India at Southampton.
Moeen, who has raised funds for charities helping those affected by the three-week conflict with Israel, has the backing of the England and Wales Cricket Board.
“As far as we are concerned, he has not committed any offence,” an ECB spokesperson said on Monday.
“It is now up to the ICC to decide whether he will face any action.”
Ali sported the bands while batting during England’s first innings, and the all-rounder has risked disciplinary action under the ICC Code of Conduct.
It states: “Players are not permitted to wear, display or otherwise convey messages through arm bands or any other items affixed to clothing or equipment unless approved in advance by the player or team official’s Board.
“Approval shall not be granted for messages which relate to political, religious or racial activities or causes.”
This story "English Cricket Star Wears 'Save Gaza' Wristband" was written by Reuters.Emily Lakdawalla • December 17, 2015
Worth the wait: First public release of Rosetta science camera images of comet 67P
Finally! It has been a long wait, but so worth it: the Rosetta OSIRIS science camera team has delivered the first pile of data from the rendezvous with comet 67P to ESA's Planetary Science Archive. I have spent a good chunk of the last three days playing with the data, and it's spectacular. Most cameras that have been sent to the outer solar system have detectors that are about 1000 pixels square; the OSIRIS detectors are 2048 by 2048, and breathtaking in their detail.
The data release covers the period up to September 16, 2014. This was during Rosetta's approach to the comet and the very beginning of its global mapping phase. During this time, Rosetta approached from a distance of 40,000 kilometers to only 29 kilometers away.
ESA provides a really cool browse tool that lets you get a feel for what's in the data. You can browse all of the Rosetta data from both OSIRIS science cameras and the Navcam engineering camera at this site. But, geek that I am, I want more information at a glance, so I set out to build my own browse pages to the data. Here they are, for your pleasure:
One of the first things people want to do with archival science data is to create color images from several black-and-white images captured through different-color filters. It turns out to be very hard to do such color processing with this data set, because the comet spins fast and is very lumpy. The perspective shifts from one image to the next, making it extremely difficult to align the different channels. Fortunately, there are experts like Daniel Macháček who can handle the challenge:
ESA / Rosetta / MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS / UPD / LAM / IAA / SSO / INTA / UPM / DASP / IDA / Daniel Macháček Color portrait of 67P Rosetta took the photos for this portrait of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko on August 6, 2014, from a distance of 115 kilometers, with its OSIRIS science camera. When fully enlarged, it has a resolution of just 2.2 meters per pixel. There is very little color variation across the surface, but the "neck" region is slightly bluer than the two lobes. Rosetta took the photos for this portrait of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko on August 6, 2014, from a distance of 115 kilometers, with its OSIRIS science camera. When fully enlarged, it has a resolution of just 2.2 meters per pixel. There is very little color variation across the surface, but the "neck" region is slightly bluer than the two lobes.
Another fun image processing activity is to create animations from time-series of images, like this absolutely stunning one assembled by "Herobrine." If you click the image, it'll enlarge to 840 pixels wide and 11 megabytes; follow the link in the caption, and you'll get it at 1920 by 1080 and 63 MB -- but believe me, it is very, very worth it.
ESA / Rosetta / MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS / UPD / LAM / IAA / SSO / INTA / UPM / DASP / IDA / "Herobrine" Spinning comet This animation is available in 1920 x 1080 resolution; click here to download it (warning: 63 MB). It consists of 30 images of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko taken by Rosetta's wide-angle camera at 1-minute intervals. Stars move past in the background; most of the dots that are not stars are likely cosmic ray hits. However, there are a few dots that move on straight lines from one image to the next, which are particles moving in the space around the comet. (They are visible only in the fully-enlarged version.)
This is also a good example of how much jet detail there is in long-exposure images. The images I have uploaded to my index pages are all 16-bit, meaning that there is rich information available in the shadows if you open them in an image processing program like Photoshop that can handle 16-bit data.
There is a lot of fun to be had making mosaics, like this one assembled by Justin Cowart. It is 3500 pixels square -- again, worth enlarging to enjoy all the detail.
ESA / Rosetta / MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS / UPD / LAM / IAA / SSO / INTA / UPM / DASP / IDA / Justin Cowart High-resolution mosaic of the surface of comet 67P Four frame OSIRIS-NAC mosaic acquired on September 5, 2014. All images were acquired through the instrument's green filter. At the time, Rosetta was at an altitude of 40km, and the comet at a distance of 512,690,000 km from the Sun. Four frame OSIRIS-NAC mosaic acquired on September 5, 2014. All images were acquired through the instrument's green filter. At the time, Rosetta was at an altitude of 40km, and the comet at a distance of 512,690,000 km from the Sun.
I found it frustrating that there was so much motion from frame to frame that color image processing is difficult, but there's a silver lining to that cloud. Parallax between similar images allows you to generate 3D views. So every time Rosetta captured a color imaging sequence -- multiple photos right after each other taken through different filters -- it also captured stereo data. For the color imaging during the closest, global mapping phase, I found that I could take the first and last photo from pretty much any imaging sequence and turn it into a depth-rich 3D view. Here's one:
ESA / Rosetta / MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS / UPD / LAM / IAA / SSO / INTA / UPM / DASP / IDA / Emily Lakdawalla Hatmehit regio in 3D Rosetta captured the images for this 3D view of Hatmehit regio on comet Churymov-Gerasimenko on September 13, 2014 as a part of a color global map of the lumpy comet. Rosetta was 30 kilometers away from the center of the comet at the time. More formats: Left stereo | Right stereo | Flicker gif
Here's another:
ESA / Rosetta / MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS / UPD / LAM / IAA / SSO / INTA / UPM / DASP / IDA / Emily Lakdawalla Over the shoulder of 67P More formats: Right stereo | Flicker gif More formats: Left stereo
I made both of those 3D images by grabbing a pair of pictures nearly at random from the color observations that OSIRIS performed with its narrow-angle camera during the global mapping phase. There are dozens of possible stereo pairs available to play with, and yet the OSIRIS team has only released a week's worth of data from the global mapping phase. The nearly 5,000 images in this data release are only a tiny taste of what's to come.
It took me three days to write this post because I ran into several issues while creating the image browsing pages. First among them was a lack of metadata tables providing useful information on when and from what distance and why OSIRIS images were taken, but fortunately BjörnJónsson's IMG2PNG software can spit out text-formatted metadata as it's processing images, and I used that to build my own table of metadata. The second problem is that the three cameras -- OSIRIS narrow-angle, OSIRIS wide-angle, and Navcam -- have data that is flipped or rotated in different ways. I ended up having to process the entire data set multiple times in order to orient all the images in the same direction and take out the mirror-flipping of the OSIRIS narrow-angle camera data. But that's all done now, so if you browse my data pages you'll find 16-bit data in all their glory, all oriented the same way. (Having said that, it's quite likely that in the process of flipping and rotating 8,000 pictures, I made mistakes. Caveat emptor.)
I have barely scratched the surface of the OSIRIS public data set -- and yet, the data that have been released so far are, at a minimum, 15 months old. Hopefully this is just the first of many stunning data releases for Rosetta OSIRIS.
And now, to go process more 3D views of our solar system's best-studied comet....
Emily Lakdawalla Senior Editor and Planetary Evangelist for The Planetary Society
Read more articles by Emily LakdawallaRobert Huth has played just four minutes in the Premier League for Stoke this season
Leicester City have signed Stoke City defender Robert Huth on loan until the end of the season.
The 30-year-old made 187 appearances for the Potters after joining the club for £5m from Middlesbrough in 2009.
"I'm not expecting to walk into the team," he told Leicester City's YouTube channel. "I will need to prove my worth and hopefully I can do that."
The German is currently serving a two-game Football Association ban for comments made on social media.
He will miss the Foxes' Premier League match against Crystal Palace at the King Power Stadium on Saturday, but will be available for the trip to Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal on 10 February.
Huth, who started his professional career at Chelsea in 2002, won the Premier League twice in his four years at Stamford Bridge.
Meanwhile, Stoke have also allowed two of their younger players go out on loan.
Under-21s right-back Elliot Wheeler has joined Conference strugglers Nuneaton Town on a three-month youth loan, while winger Adam Thomas has moved to Conference North play-off hopefuls Hednesford Town for a month.Labour Hame editor Duncan Hothersall says the ties that bind the Labour family across the UK are growing fragile and fractious, and a crisis of co-operation needs urgently to be addressed. An abridged version of this article was first published on LabourList.
A few weeks ago I took part in a panel discussion entitled How does Labour represent a multi-nation democracy? at the Progress Annual Conference in London. I wasn’t the only first-time attendee – Jeremy Corbyn was there too, to give the keynote address. It was an interesting, comradely day.
But we are facing a crisis of co-operation in our party between Scotland and the rest of the UK. There is, from what seems to be a significant element of Labour’s national voice, at best a failure to listen to, and at worst a fundamental dismissal of, Scottish Labour’s views and experience. There is a creeping tendency to see Scotland as ‘other’ despite the bruising referendum delivering a clear outcome of solidarity. There is a fatalism in assessments of the recent Scottish election results. And there is an insidious and dangerous misconception that the SNP are our ideological allies, and therefore to be admired, and even embraced.
In an article in Labour Uncut, Kevin Meagher asks Why aren’t we furious with the Scottish party? (Note that the “we” implicitly excludes his fellow members in Scotland, who he goes on to describe as a “steaming turd”.) It’s unclear from what experience of Scotland or Labour campaigning here he draws his insight. But in damning his Scottish colleagues, he also explicitly praises our opposition, endorsing their core messages and criticising us for being part of the Better Together campaign.
More significantly in the New Statesman, Keiran Pedley makes the extraordinary, tone-deaf argument that To govern again, Labour must do a deal with the SNP and focus on England. Apart from anything else this suggestion is one giant arithmetical error, because there is only one deal the SNP want, and if they get it then the total number of seats they deliver for a future Labour-led government is zero. But the suggestion is also an appalling capitulation that suggests throwing under the bus not only Labour activists in Scotland, but the half million Labour voters who have stayed with us.
Most critically of all, both these articles, and the many other comments that echo similar themes, betray a fundamental misunderstanding of who the SNP are and what they stand for. The SNP are not social democrats. They fought the Scottish election on a platform of eagerly passing on Tory austerity rather than using the powers they demanded to make different choices. They joined forces with the Tories in the Scottish Parliament to vote down Labour’s progressive budget amendment. The leading think tank IPPR Scotland analysed the major parties’ tax plans and showed that the SNP’s economic policy barely deviates from George Osborne’s austerity budget.
And the SNP’s past record is not that of the centre left party some see them as either. They trumpet free university tuition as their key left-wing credential, but the reality for students, especially those from the poorest backgrounds, has been more debt and less attainment. And the glaring truth is that free university tuition, which favours the better off, has been provided at the cost of 150,000 college places. (By the way – this is another instance of the SNP following Tory policy.) And that’s before we look at the slashed funding for schools which is leading to fewer teachers, crowded classrooms and lower attainment. The very people who need the most support are being denied it.
These are not social democratic policies or admirable outcomes, and the SNP is not a party Labour should look to as an ally or an inspiration. It is the party of Scottish nationalism. It wears whatever clothes it must to achieve its single aim of independence. Sometimes it might look like our friend from a distance, but in close-up its strategy is designed to destroy and supplant Scottish Labour in order to win independence. The SNP is executing a “kill Labour” strategy in Scotland. It is the opposite of an ally.
And while we’re exploding myths, let’s just be clear that Scottish independence is not a fun idea for lefties to dream about the creation of a new Utopia. It is a threat to the wellbeing of working people, the people our movement stands with and stands for. We stood against independence because we stand for solidarity and because nationalism acts against social justice. And if you think what matters more is who stood next to us while we made that argument, you’re simply buying our opponents’ spin.
Far too often, comrades who have a national platform think they know better than us on the basis of how Scottish politics is broadly presented in the media, rather than from personal experience or understanding. One MP told me at the Progress conference that I should listen to people who know how to win elections. I have news for him: he was sitting next to one.
We are a movement. We should have each other’s backs. So why, after urgent and repeated entreaties not to, did the Fabian Society press ahead during the stress of an existential-threat election campaign with publishing and heavily promoting Kez’s throwaway “it’s not inconceivable” line on a hypothetical post-Brexit independence? Why did an organisation at the heart of our movement insist on hyping that up and delivering the single most damaging press story of the Scottish Labour election campaign?
To major on that was both inaccurate and dismissive of every other statement Kez and others have made. The Scottish Labour Party couldn’t be clearer that we will defend Scotland within the UK as that’s the right thing to do both practically and ideologically. I ask myself if the Fabian Society would have done to Sadiq Khan what they did to Kezia Dugdale, and I find it very hard to imagine they might.
I’m afraid that too much of the comfortable centre of our national party has so little grasp on the reality of Scottish politics that not only can it not see when it is being damaging, it still thinks it knows better even when we are shouting down the phone at it.
And this is our own fault, for letting the ties between us and the exchanges of understanding become so threadbare. We must remember that gone are the days when 40 MPs and their staff took Labour insight up and down the East and West Coast main lines twice a week. We need urgently to reinforce the sharing of knowledge and insight across our UK party. We all have much to learn from each other about the similarities and differences in our challenges and opportunities.
One thing a trip to Scotland might teach is that Kezia Dugdale is absolutely right in this fifth Scottish Parliament session to pitch Scottish Labour’s tent firmly in the ground of non-constitutional politics. It is brave and it makes long-term sense. It means engaging with those who sincerely seek social justice and were persuaded into thinking independence could deliver it. It means tirelessly and methodically demonstrating that social justice does not depend on where powers sit but on what we do with them.
And if it means getting sand kicked in our face for a time by our constitutionally obsessed opponents in the SNP and the Tories, so be it. Such is politics. But when the people calling Scottish Labour a “steaming turd” are our own comrades? When Scotland is written off as lost forever by our own people? Our family urgently needs reminded of what common cause means.
Labour exists to build solidarity and achieve more together than we can alone. That doesn’t mean we must all speak with one voice, but it does mean we should seek out and respect the different parts of our party across the UK. And crucially it means we should listen to the folk who know their patch, and trust their insight, not belittle or override it from the centre.
Scottish Labour is not a cypher for internal squabbles. We are not disposable and we are not about to give up. We are your comrades, and we need you to listen.In a new article in an academic math journal, the NSA’s former director of research says that the agency’s decision not to withdraw its support of the Dual EC_DRBG random number generator after security researchers found weaknesses in it and questioned its provenance was a “regrettable” choice.
Michael Wertheimer, the former director of researcher at the National Security Agency, wrote in a short piece in Notices, a publication of the American Mathematical Society, that even during the standards development process for Dual EC many years ago, members of the working group focused on the algorithm raised concerns that it could have a backdoor in it. The algorithm was developed in part by the NSA and cryptographers were suspect of it from the beginning.
Then, in 2007, well into the life of Dual EC, researchers at Microsoft delivered a talk at a conference that detailed the potential for a backdoor in the algorithm. Still, both the NSA and NIST, which approves technical standards for the United States government, stood by the algorithm. Dual EC was mostly forgotten until late 2013 when allegations emerged that the NSA may have had a secret $10 million contract with RSA Security that prompted the vendor to make Dual EC–which was then known to be weak–the default random number generator in some of its key crypto products. NIST last year removed Dual EC from its guidance on random number generators.
“I wrote about it in 2007 and said it was suspect. I didn’t like it back then because it was from the government,” crypto pioneer Bruce Schneier told Threatpost in September 2013. “It was designed so that it could contain a backdoor. Back then I was suspicious, now I’m terrified.”
NSA should have ceased supporting the dual EC_DRBG algorithm immediately after security researchers discovered the potential for a trapdoor Tweet
The NSA came under heated criticism for the Dual EC episode, and now one of the agency’s top officials has said it was a mistake for the NSA not to have withdrawn its support for the algorithm after the weaknesses were raised years ago.Image copyright Syrian Arab Red Crescent
A mother has given birth to conjoined twins in a part of Syria that has seen some of the war's heaviest fighting.
Nawras and Moaz, who are joined at the chest with protruding intestines, were born in the city of Douma in July.
They have now been safely transferred by ambulance to a children's hospital in nearby Damascus.
Syrian doctors had appealed for help from the World Health Organization, saying the twins would die if they were unable to undergo surgery.
Image copyright SYRIAN ARAB RED CRESCENT
The twins travelled with their mother and aunt and are said to be in good health.
People have have offered their prayers on a Syrian Red Crescent Facebook post, with one saying "God bless you and protect you".
Image copyright SYRIAN ARAB RED CRESCENT
Douma is just north of Damascus and has seen heavy fighting and prolonged shelling since the war began, making it hard for humanitarian aid to reach it.
The local branch of Syrian Arab Red Crescent (one of 82 across the country) however, has continued working in the area and managed in the last 18 months to get supplies through to needy people.
They also provide an ambulance service, general first aid, social support and even food for the residents of the area.
They shared these images on their Twitter and Facebook accounts to raise awareness of the ongoing war in Syria and their appeal to raise funds to continue their work there.
Conjoined twins - the facts
Conjoined twins develop from a single fertilised egg and are therefore always identical and of the same sex
It is unknown why the embryo does not complete the process of separating into identical twins
Records over the past 500 years have shown around 600 sets of conjoined twins survived infancy - more than 70% of these were female
Despite medical advancements, surgical separation is still very rare today
Read more: What is it like to live a conjoined life?
Produced by The BBC's UGC and Social News teamNearly a year ago at CES 2014, Sony CEO Kaz Hirai announced PlayStation Now, a cloud-based gaming service that would lets users access PlayStation 3 games without requiring a PS3. The service has thus far been available only on Sony devices, but the company confirmed today that it will bring PS Now to Samsung Smart TVs at some point in 2015.
Like other services available on Samsung’s web-connected sets, PS Now will be accessed via an app downloaded through the TV’s Smart Hub.
The only piece of Sony equipment you’d need would be a DualShock4 controller. Sony says that users of the PS Now TV app will enjoy the full functionality of the service — including online multiplayer, and cloud-saved games — which currently offers rental access to a library of around 200 PS3 games.
“[O]ur vision has been to open the world of PlayStation to the masses by offering the service on the devices they use every day,” said Masayasu Ito, Executive Vice President of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. in a statement. “Partnering with Samsung is a key step toward realizing this vision, as we can reach a broader audience of consumers who may not own a PlayStation console to show them why gaming with PlayStation is such a unique and amazing experience.”
While Sony has always said that it would make PS Now available on non-Sony TVs, the company has a long history of attempting to make its products as proprietary as possible. So it’s interesting to see Sony choose a major competitor like Samsung for its first PS Now partner. It’s a bit of an acknowledgement that Sony is no longer the market leader it once was in home electronics and that it will need the help of industry foes like Samsung to increase its share of the video game business.
No specific timeframe has been given for when the Samsung app will launch, or whether it will be available on current-generation Smart TVs or only newer sets from Samsung.
Some of those details will hopefully be made clearer in a couple weeks when we get our hands on the Samsung app at CES 2015.While no one has gotten sick, based on concerns about possible contamination, state officials in Colorado acted quickly to issue a recall on some marijuana-containing products. From the Denver Post:
A popular Denver-based brand of marijuana-infused edibles was recalled by the Denver Department of Environmental Health on July 17 because of the “possible contamination from unsanitary equipment” and “use of equipment not intended for food manufacturing,” according to the department’s Public Health Inspections Division. […] The Department of Environmental Health verified that there haven’t been any reports of illness yet, but a food safety inspection was the reason for the recall.
While it may seem counter-intuitive, this is actually a good example of one of the many lesser discussed benefits of legalizing and regulating marijuana. This is how it makes marijuana safer.
Unlike the black market, products are now being inspected and if there is a potential problem discovered it is actually possible to issue a recall to swiftly contain the situation.
Even though the plant is relatively safe, being improperly handled can make it dangerous. In 1981 there actually was a nationwide Salmonella outbreak linked to contaminated marijuana. As we can see where marijuana is legal, regulated, and inspected this type of problem would likely be stopped well before it even developed or it could be quickly recalled.
Jon Walker is the author of After Legalization: Understanding the future of marijuana policy
Photo by Dank Depot under Creative Commons licenseAll electric G20 3 Series spied for first time
• 318d: non-US, B47, 148hp, manual and automatic, RWD.
• 320d: non-US, B47, 188hp, manual RWD, automatic RWD and xDrive.
• 330d: non-US, B57, 262hp, automatic RWD and xDrive (xDrive possibly delayed intro).
• 320i: non-US, B48 168hp 1.6L or 181hp 2.0L depending on the market, automatic RWD and xDrive (xDrive possibly delayed intro).
• 330i: all markets, B48, 255hp, automatic RWD and xDrive (non-US xDrive possibly delayed intro).
• M340i: all markets, B58, 385hp, automatic RWD (US only) and xDrive, delayed intro.
• 330e: all markets, B48+electic motor, 248hp, automatic RWD and xDrive (xDrive US only), delayed intro, with US possibly having to wait longer than Europe.
BMW G20 3 Series
BMW G20 3 Series
BMW G20 3 Series
G20 M340i Drops Major Camouflage
G20 3 Series Drops Major Camouflage
BMW 3 Series G20 in Cold Climate Testing
BMW 3 Series (G20) Hybrid Spied Showing Interior
G20 3 Series Production Headlights and Taillights
BMW 3 Series (G20)
BMW 3 Series (G20) M Sport Prototype
BMW 3 Series (G20) Prototype
BMW 3 Series (G20) Interior Spied
Longer wheelbase
Wider track
Lower center of gravity
Lighter weight
Better brakes
Adaptive suspension
Switchable anti-roll bars
xDrive with quicker torque distribution
Active steering
Torque vectoring
OLED / Laser Lighting
Semi-autonomous driving
BMW 3 Series (G20) Hits the Nurburgring
BMW 3 Series (G20) Spied!
Latest spy video of the G20 M340i on the Nurburgring.Spied for the first time today was the full electric G20 3 Series prototype. Telltale signs include a vanity (nonfunctional) grille and skinny tires, as well as the legally required "Electric Test Vehicle" sticker. And while it shows an exhaust, they're reportedly fake and left on the vehicle to deceive.We do not yet have numbers on the range for the electric 3 Series, but considering its competition range from 200-300 miles per charge, that's the likely range we'll see.Our photographer also observed a Tesla 3 being used by the BMW test crew to evaluate.Scott26 shares this preproduction G20 M340i close-up with BIMMERPOST.Ahead of this Sunday's press embargoed G20 3 Series preproduction drive reviews, here are the first official camouflaged G20 photos released by BMW. The official G20 3 Series reveal will come next month.Our latest G20 info (from future model info compilation by ynguldyn) reveals the following about the next gen G20 3 Series:• Production begins November 2018• B47 and B58 engines• 48V electrical system• G20 model list as it stands now (other models are possible, but no earlier than late 2019):Follow all our G20 3 Series updates @ http://www.bimmerpost.com/category/3-series/ The G20 3 Series has been spied inside and out in the latest sighting. For a preview of what the exterior styling will look like, have a look at our recent renderings Here's a look at the G20 prototypes spotted today - M Sport and standard models.The G20 3 Series prototype has now dropped major camouflage! See here are two prototypes - a standard model and the M340i. Visible now is the front fascia shape, headlight shape, kidney grille shape, side body character lines, tail light shape, rear bumper shape (with vents on the M340i's M Sport bumper)!The G20 3 Series has now been spied undergoing cold climate testing.Here is the latest video of the G20 M340i testing at the Nurburgring.This G20 3 Series prototype has been spied wearing the same production LED headlights, tail lights and camouflage as the last sighting, but it provides us the most revealing look at the interior yet. Seen for the first time is the full digital instrument panel and the new style shifter fashioned after the new F90 M5 shifter. The center air vents have been lowered, new air vents sit atop the dash, iDrive control knob moved forward, and new angular door handle pulls.The lowering of the center air vents also lowers the position of the iDrive screen (perhaps for a more integrated look) as well as allowing for air vents to be added to the top of the dashboard. And if that's the edge of the iDrive screen we see extending all the way to the gauge display hood, then expect a much larger screen than the current version.According to our future models crystal ball, the 2019 3 Series (G20) will come to US as 330i, 330e and M340i (in choice of sDrive or xDrive for all models). The B48TU engine that will power the 330i will receive a small power increase to 255hp.The G20 will come with a host of cool toys. The instrument panel seen in these photos is the same one from the upcoming 8 Series, a special differential will be included with the M Sport Package, ambient light, laser lights (even for US cars), significantly improved autonomous driving capabilities, remote engine start, and much more.The G20 3 Series has finally revealed some production parts as we now get our first look at the production LED headlights and tail lights. These headlights feature a closed loop design. It remains to be seen whether these are intended for the base model, with higher end models featuring the current open L-shaped styling.And while we now see the lighting elements of the production tail lights, their overall shape is still obscured by the camouflage.Latest spy pics from: http://www.caranddriver.com/news/201...py-photos-news This G20 3 Series was spotted up close and persona in the desert, wearing way too much clothing for its environment. As seen in the photos, camouflage panels and fake front/rear bumpers are still affixed to the car, hiding its final design underneath. There is also some looks at the interior, revealing the new iDrive knob and some peeks at the center console.The 2019 BMW M340i (G20) has been recorded while testing on the Nurburgring. For the next generation G20 3 Series, the 340i will become the M340i and continue being powered by the B58 engine, with a small power bump expected.The G20 3 Series is currently undergoing winter testing in Scandinavia and our spies have had a chance to get up close and personal with it. Here's a long and very close-up look at the G20 prototypes.Our new prediction has the updated B48 TU 4 cylinder turbo engine being introduced with the G20 3 Series when it's revealed in 2018.This is likely the first look at the G20 M Sport prototype. The larger front bumper camouflage covers the M Sport bumper underneath, but we spot larger brakes, a trunk spoiler lip, rear diffuser, and lower suspension. This is also the first look at finished exhaust tips on the G20.The G20 3 Series has now moved beyond the cobbled together mule stage and this prototype shows us what to really to expect from the next gen 3 Series' styling - more svelte than the mule had led us to believe.Here's a first look at the G20 3 Series interior. From what we can see so far, the G20 interior is evolutionary, maintaining a similar center stack design and layout as in the F30. The biggest changes seen so far are the part physical / part digital instrument panel, and a more upright iDrive screen which appears to be positioned higher than the F30 screen.The G20 3 Series has now been spotted testing on the Nurburgring, still wearing its initial heavy camouflage.Some updated info regarding the 2019 3 Series model lineup from our Upcoming BMW model pipeline info thread 2019 3 series (G20) will have mostly the same model designations we have today on F30, with just some relatively small changes:- 320i will get the B46 engine- 328d will get B47 and become 330d (which RTW (rest-of-the-world) model itwill correspond to is unknown atm)- 340i will be called M340i (a small power output bump is virtually guaranteed).RTW G20 will cover the range from 318i to M340i and from 316d to M340d.What uncanny timing that the first G20 3 Series prototype is spotted on the opening day of the Detroit auto showSpotted testing in Germany, this early G20 prototype wears heavy camouflage. The headlight shape is still purposely obscured by the camo but the kidney grille shape can be seen. The grilles appear both taller and more rounded than the current F30 grilles. As with recently introduced BMW models, the G20 loses the controversial high-hoodline, with the hood now meeting the top of the kidney grilles once again. The tail light shape cannot yet be seen since this prototype wears fake round tail lights often seen on early BMW prototypes.The split dual exhaust indicates that this is the 340i model.The G20 3 Series will be built upon the CLAR platform, which will underpin all models from the 3 Series and higher. Expect the same models and variants as the current generation 3 Series. The G20 should be available in 2018.Rumored details and technologies for the G20 include:Opinion writer
THE MORNING PLUM:
There is probably no better illustration of the scam President Trump’s tax plan would perpetrate on working- and middle-class people than its provision repealing the estate tax. Getting rid of it would benefit a tiny slice of high earners and their families — including Trump’s family, who could save as much as $1 billion once Trump moves on to delivering an accounting for his life to his maker.
Yet Trump has absurdly sold estate-tax repeal as a huge boon to “millions” of small businesses and even to “the American farmer.”
Trump will now introduce a new trope to his pitch for estate-tax repeal: He will claim it helps truckers.
The president is set to deliver a speech touting his tax plan Wednesday afternoon in Pennsylvania that will be attended by hundreds of truckers, whom Trump will describe as “hard-working men and women” who are “the lifeblood of the economy.” The Post reports that Trump will tout his plan as a benefit to truckers by arguing that lower taxes on manufacturers will boost growth and demand for trucking.
But that’s not all: One administration official says Trump will sell estate-tax repeal as beneficial to family-owned trucking companies that pass on assets from one generation to the next.
I spoke this morning to David Cay Johnston, a veteran tax reporter who has written numerous books on how the wealthy game the tax system to their advantage. When I ran this claim about the estate tax by Johnston, he burst out laughing and dismissed the assertion as “absurd” and a “scam.”
As it is, Trump has already dissembled madly about estate-tax repeal. His recent claim that “millions” of small businesses and farms would be helped was neatly debunked by the Post fact-checking team. As the Tax Policy Center points out, estates with a gross value of under $5.49 million are exempt from the estate tax; more than two-thirds of taxable estates come from the top 10 percent of earners and nearly one-fourth come from the top 1 percent. This means that in 2017, only 80 taxable estates would have qualified as farms and small businesses.
Johnston ran the math for me on trucking companies. His conclusion: The number of trucking businesses that would be helped by estate tax repeal is likely to be around 30 or lower, and that’s being “very generous,” he said.
Johnston, who also runs DCReport.org, reached this conclusion by using 2016 Internal Revenue Service data, which he says shows that there was a total of 1,263 closely |
stage at the Tour de Langkawi, two stages at the Tour of Croatia, and a stage at the Tour of Utah. The team finished 66th in the Europe Tour rankings.
Guardini failed to win in 2017 with UAE Team Emirates but has taken 39 sprint victories during his seven-year career. The move to Bardiani-CSF is a chance to get his career back on track, with the team expected to create a lead-out train to help him.
25-year-old Senni won the Colorado Classic stage race in August but steps down a level to become one of the team leaders at Bardiani-CSF in 2018.
Roberto Reverberi again manages the team with his son Robert, with Stefano Zanatta and Claudio Cucinotta as directeurs sportifs.
Bardiani-CSF will hold their first get-together in Montecchio Emilia in early December.She’s dressed in yellow, she says „Hello,
Come sit next to me you fine fellow.“
Young MC – Bust A Move
Tutti Frutti – Soft and Chewy steht auf der Süssigkeitenwerbung, die das knallgelbe T-Shirt der Frau vor dem Lebensmittelgeschäft ziert, und sie lächelt lustvoll dem Betrachter entgegen. Sie sieht nicht eben wie Angela Merkel aus, und entspricht auch nicht dem Frauenideal ihres Menschrechtspartners Erdogan: Sie ist jung, emanzipiert und ein türkischer Popstar, dessen Werbung vor dem Geschäft zu sehen ist. Versprochen wird nach ihrem Konzert in München auch eine “After Show Party”, die vermutlich ein leicht anderes Bild muslimischer Frauen liefern dürfte, als es sich die moderne deutsche Feministin vom Schlage einer Manuela-Gina-Lisa Schwesig mit Verschleierungsverständnis vorstellen will. Irgendwas mit Sex und Flirten und ausgelassener Lebensfreude. Kurz, ich befinde mich vor dem multiideologischen west-östlichen Lebensmittelgeschäft, dessen Besitzer als Kommunist aus der Türkei floh, nun überzeugter Anhänger der CSU ist, und darin keinen Widerspruch sieht. Da hängen solche Plakate auch mal neben Reiseangeboten nach Mekka.
Ich besorge, was zu besorgen ist, und an der Kasse sind zwei Männer aus Schwarzafrika vor mir. Sie reden erregt auf Englisch auf die Dame an der Kasse ein, die nur türkisch und deutsch spricht, und nach einigen weiteren Fehlversuchen, die ich für arabisch halte, wenden sich beide Parteien an mich und fragen, ob ich vielleicht dolmetschen kann. Es geht nicht um Merkel oder Erdogan, was man bei der Aufregung vielleicht hätte vermuten können, sondern um etwas bedeutend Wichtigeres: Bohnen. Bohnen orientalischer Art, die ganz anders als unsere grünen Bohnen sind, denn diese Alternative mögen die Herren aus Schwarzafrika nicht. Nach ihrem Geschmack gehören zum Huhn orientalische Bohnen, und von denen haben sie schon alle erworben, hätten aber gern noch mehr. Es geht also darum, ob es noch in der Nähe ein anderes türkisches Geschäft gibt, das solche Bohnen führt. Aufgrund der Gentrifizierung – die Söhne und Töchter der ersten Generation der Lebensmittelhändler betreiben längst Edeka-Märkte, die kaum mehr Kolonialwaren orientalische Waren führen – ist das hier einer der wenigen Läden, die geblieben sind.
Das ist nicht gut, denn zum Huhn gehören nun mal Bohnen, und so fragen sie mich, wann sie denn mit der nächsten Lieferung rechnen dürfen: Dienstag lautet die Antwort, leider nicht eher, aber Dienstag ganz bestimmt und gern auch mehr als üblich. Alle Augen leuchten wieder, alle sind zufrieden, und als wir nach draußen gehen, fragen mich die beiden Herren noch, ob hier denn wirklich keiner englisch spräche. Ich erkläre ihnen, dass die Lingua Franca hier in Deutschland auch für Zuwanderer aus aller Welt nun mal Deutsch sei, und viele des Englischen nicht mächtig wären – insofern, füge ich erzieherisch hinzu, wäre Deutsch schon gut, wenn man hier dauerhaft durchkommen wollte. Nononono, sagt einer, das sei nicht beabsichtigt, Deutsch hätten sie versucht und das sie viel zu schwer und außerdem würden sie auch nicht bleiben wollen, sondern lieber nach England.
Offensichtlich wurde in ihrem Heim das Memo nicht verteilt, dass in der Öffentlichkeit positive Aussagen über die Insel nach dem Brexit zu unterbleiben haben, wenn man weiterhin als guter Europäer gelten will. Eigentlich sollte der Deutsche auch wieder Fähnchen schwenkend auf Plätzen aufmarschieren, das Heil im Anschluss anderer Länder sehen, und sich im Internet beteiligen, wenn es darum geht, mit Hashtags andersdenkende Volksgenossen auf europäische Linie zu bringen: Man macht sich momentan wenig Freunde, wenn man an Europa herumkrittelt, oder sogar beim Brexit mit dem Selbstbestimmungsrecht der Völker kommt, obwohl es in der offenen Gesellschaft gar kein Volk mehr gibt, sondern nur noch Leute, die unterschiedlich lang hier sind. Jedenfalls, die beiden Herren sind nicht aus Neigung hier im schönen Bayernland, sondern aufgrund der aktuellen Reiseprobleme auf die Insel, die sie klar bevorzugen. Ich schwöre, ich habe an dieser Stelle auch das gesagt, was man sagen muss, um ein guter Europäer zu sein: Dass sie Insel nach dem Brexit abzustürzen droht und man nicht weiss, was dann aus diesem Land wird.
Dabei habe ich aber ein paar Punkte übersehen, die mir nun erklärt wurden: England habe nun mal ein britisches System, und das sei besser. Man würde dort Englisch sprechen und hätte daher keine Probleme. In England gibt es eine angesehene nigerianische Gemeinschaft, an die sie Anschluss suchen würden. Ausserdem seien die Winter milder als hier in Deutschland. England sei großartig. Vermutlich muss man in England auch nicht bis Dienstag auf die richtigen Bohnen warten und Angst haben, dass die Gentrifizierungswelle früher oder später auch den letzten orientalischen Laden in einer bayerischen Kleinstadt platt macht. So ist das, wenn man in der besten aller möglichen Welten, im Zentrum des wirtschaftlichen Aufschwungs, in der führenden Boomregion mit Vollbeschäftigung steht und versucht, deren Vorteile zu erklären: Zwei Nigerianer erklären einem, dass man von Commonwealth und seinen Vorzügen keine Ahnung hat.
Das hat mir sehr zu denken gegeben. Ich mein, ich tue das wirklich nicht oft. Ich gehe über die Argumente deutscher Minister gnadenlos hinweg wie über Ex-Stasileute von Holm bis Kahane, und Denken ist nicht so wirklich meine Sache, das strengt nur, an und die ganze Klugheit ist im Gegensatz zu einem Hektar Acker eh weg, wenn man stirbt. Aber eigentlich wollte ich mein Soll an Britenkritik dadurch erfüllen, dass ich der Leserschaft Ratschläge beim Erwerb hoffentlich bald günstiger Silberkannen erteile. Ich hatte schon gute Ideen, mit welchen alten Skandalen ich die Unterschiede der vielen Georges erkläre, die die Briten haben. Ich wollte erzählen, welche Lügen ich mir ausgedacht habe, um die Inschriften auf meinen Kannen von Erstbesitzern, mit denen ich nie etwas zu tun hatte, in die gloriose Geschichte meines Clans zu integrieren. Wie man das halt so macht in unserem alten Europa, denn es gibt sogar ihre Freunde bespitzelnde Stasis, denen nach der Wende die jüdische Identität wieder eingefallen ist, und damit beliebt bei echten Ministern sind. Jedenfalls, ich wollte auch meine ironischen Noten zu den neuen deutschen Ressentiments gegen Engelland beitragen, aber ich habe es mir anders überlegt.
Vielleicht liegen wir nämlich falsch und sind in unserer eigenen Sichtweise des aufsteigenden Landes gefangen. In unserer Sicht ist das Vereinigte Königreich eine frühere Weltmacht, die immer weniger mit unserem Aufstieg mithalten konnte. Ein zweimaliger Sieger der Weltkriege, der nach 1945 verhängnisvolle Fehlentscheidungen getroffen hat, von Strukturkrisen gebeutelt wurde und es nicht verstanden hat, eine neue Rolle zu finden, die zu den neuen, globalen Verhältnissen passte. In der Epoche, in der es für Deutschland nur nach oben ging, ging ein koloniales Weltreich verloren. Gemessen an den Erfolgen der deutschen Wirtschaft schaut es dort wirklich düster aus. Diese deutsche Arroganz muss man sich erstmal leisten können, und mit der dominierenden Rolle in der EU kann sich Deutschland das auch leisten, solange nicht Le Pen, Beppe Grillo oder die Visegradstaaten in Machtpositionen kommen. Unsereins ergötzt sich an Nachrichten, der Brexit könnte jeden Briten 5000 Pfund pro Jahr kosten.
Vielleicht gibt es global aber auch noch eine andere Sichtweise. Vielleicht komt man global mit dem sanften britischen System des “indierct rule” viel besser zurecht als mit der Statthalterschaft, die die Deutschen in Griechenland und Zypern während der Finanzkrise praktiziert haben. Möglicherweise ist es für Inder, Pakistanis und viele andere aufsteigende Nationen wirklich leichter, sich mit den Briten allein zu verständigen, als mit diesem seltsamen Gebilde EU und seiner Bürokratie, das bei weitem nicht so dauerhaft und stabil wie die britische Demokratie – bei all ihren Fehlern – ist. Wir tun so, als sei es das Schlimmste der Welt, wenn wir Verbindungen reduzieren. Möglicherweise finden sich andere, die gern bereit sind, die von uns aufgegebenen Positionen einzunehmen. Vielleicht wollen sie sogar in der Nähe der EU sein, ohne dafür in der EU selbst sein zu müssen. Und vielleicht können sie auch besser mit dem britischen Nationalgefühl umgehen, als mit den von einer Europafahne nur mühsam überdeckten Nationalinteressen vieler Länder, von denen manche interessant sind, und andere möglicherweise schon bald wieder freiwillig an der Seite Putins.
Und gemessen an den Zuständen in dieser Welt jenseits von Deutschland ist die Insel immer noch ein vergleichsweise guter Ort, um zu leben, und gesegnet mit einer Sprache, die jeder leicht lernen kann. Deutschland hat den FC Bayern, Mercedes und des Ruf der Perfektionisten, aber damit kommt man in der restlichen Welt nicht sonderlich weit. Die Briten dagegen waren die dominierende Nation, und ihre Kolonien haben viel von ihnen gelernt und übernommen. Es muss einen Grund geben, warum sich zwei Nigerianer von mir mit dem festen Vorsatz verabschieden, früher oder später in einem Land anzukommen, das man nach übereinstimmenden Meinungen vieler Leitartikler nur verlassen kann. Wir sehen bei den Türken immer nur Kopftücher und Erdogan und die Tradition von Scharia und Islam, und nie sexy Frauen mit knallgelben T-Shirts und sexuell mehrdeutigen Sprüchen. Vielleicht machen wir bei den Briten den gleichen Fehler, und betrachten immer nur die abgewirtschaftete Insel, die in den letzten Jahrzehnten mit uns nicht mithalten konnte, statt als das Zentrum einer alten Weltkultur, die bis heute prägend wirkt, und das nicht im Mindesten in einer schlechten Art und Weise.
Also, was ich noch sagen will: Kaufen Sie mit ihren Euro noch schnell Silberkannen, denn was man hat, das hat man, und man kann es auch wieder reexportieren, wenn die Gefahren innerhalb der EU dazu geführt haben, dass der Euro global nur noch als “Brüsseler Peso” bekannt ist.(The following is an extended video transcript of my interview with Dungeons & Dragons developer Mike Mearls)
Todd Kenreck: What is the new book you are announcing today and why is it important to the history of D&D?
Mike Mearls: We're announcing a new D&D product, a book coming out this spring. It is called Tales from the Yawning Portal (out March 24 in local game stores and April 4 everywhere else) It's a collection of seven of the most famous dungeons from Dungeons & Dragons history. They're all collected in one hardcover book. The idea behind it is not only do you want to capture some of the most famous dungeons from the game's history, but we also wanted to give a selection of adventures that you could in theory start at Level 1 with the first dungeon and play all the way up to Level 15 by playing the adventures one after another. We want a nice broad range of levels to give DMs (Dungeon Masters) content they can drop into their campaigns, either to extend something, say if you finish Storm King's Thunder and your character's Level 10 or 11, there's adventures in there that you can start playing, or if you just want something that's a little sidetrack from your current campaign.
The adventures span almost every edition. The first two, for low-level characters, there's the Sunless Citadel and the Forge of Fury, and if you played Third Edition you might remember those as the first two adventures released for the 3.0 version of the game. Then beyond those two, when you get more into mid-levels, we have a couple of adventures from AD&D. If you played back in the early '80s and late '70s, you might recognize some of these titles.
There's White Plume Mountain, there's Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan, and then there's a newer adventure, actually we drew from the period when we had announced Fifth Edition, we were doing playtests. There's an adventure called Dead in Thay, which featured this really huge dungeon and everyone who played it thought the dungeon was great, but it was kind of part of a broader campaign. We decided to just take the dungeon from Dead in Thay and place that in this book. It's this enormous sort of mad house built by the Red Wizards of Thay, so this kind of gives you a chance to dive into a classic mad wizard's dungeon.
To cap it off, if your characters have made it to 13th, 14th level, and hopefully you're not too attached to them because the final adventure in the collection is the Tomb of Horrors. The original and the deadliest dungeons ever made updated to Fifth Edition, as are all the adventures.
Those are the ones that will take you through the mid-levels, and then the upper tiers of play we have two very classic adventures, two of my favorites. Going back to AD&D, late '70s, we have the eclectic Against the Giants.
Todd Kenreck: What makes you guys decide to come back to these classic adventures beyond powerful nostalgia?
Mike Mearls: We were thinking with Dungeons & Dragons, it's got 40 plus years of history now behind it. We were thinking... It's almost like with a band. We have all these new fans coming in, so we kind of thought of this as a greatest hits album. We want to get some of the really obvious, "Hey, everyone's heard of White Plume Mountain," then also a few things that might be a little more obscure but we know people who've played them really enjoyed them like Dead in Thay, and then a couple that if you haven't been a fan since the beginning, if you've been a fan since Third Edition, you might not think of something like Forge of Fury as on the same level as Tomb of Horrors in terms of being a classic, but we look at the sales numbers we see that that adventure sold tons and tons of copies right on the same level as those AD&D adventures. There's an entire generation out there for whom that was their first D&D experience. We kind of see these all being very foundational to the game.
It's kind of our chance to take stuff that forms the culture of the game, update it to the game, to the current version of the game, new maps, new art, things like that. Kind of remastering some of our greatest singles and collecting them all in one album.
Todd Kenreck: For those who are in Fifth Edition, what new is going to be introduced? Are we going to see some new monsters, character classes, prestige classes?
Mike Mearls: Yeah. Some of the product we have, it's really... This book is aimed at DMs, so there are a number of new monsters. We've updated creatures that appear in the adventure to Fifth Ed rules. One of the things we tried to do, in fact it's kind of a goal we always have when we do a print product, is there are some of the monsters that are in the adventure. If they're in the Monster Manual, you'll get enough stats to reference them from the Monster Manual. But if it's a creature from a source, say like Volo's Guide to Monsters, we actually give you the full monster stats. This is the only product you need. If you just buy this book and you have the core books, you have everything you need. You don't have to worry about buying, say Volo's, to have the full monster stats. There are a number of monsters that haven't shown up in Fifth Ed before that are in those adventures and those have all been updated. A number of the NPCs have been updated, especially the Third Edition adventures. They tended to use a Duergar wizard as a an enemy, things like that. We've updated those guys to Fifth Ed and converted them all over.
If you have the core books this is the only book you need to run an entire campaign from Levels 1 to 15 and pass through some of the most classic dungeons in D&D's history.
Todd Kenreck: Is there a favorite aspect to this?
Mike Mearls: I think for me, one of the most enjoyable parts of it was renewing the new maps, taking those classic maps from back in the... especially in the '70s and '80s, but even the Third Edition adventures had basically fairly simple black and white maps. It was nice to go back, and with our current approach to maps and our current cartographers, work with them to basically remaster those maps. I think of that concept of remastering, the maps are kind of what stands out to me because now they're full color, we include some of the details from the different chambers and areas, trying to make them more readable. It's kind of a trip for me too because I ran almost all of these adventures back before I started working here. It's kind of fun to take something that I interact with, say 16 years ago, as a player, as a Dungeon Master, and then rebuild it for a new audience.
Todd Kenreck: Why the title referencing the Yawing Portal?
One of the fun things about the adventure was, we kind of thought how do we come up for a reason for why all of these adventures will be put in one place? We thought we could just publish Adventure Compendium Number 1 or something like that and that would work, but we wanted to do something that was a little more interesting. We thought to ourselves these adventures were originally placed in a variety of different settings in D&D's history. Some were in Greyhawk, some weren't really attached to a setting, some were in the Realms. We thought if there was any place where you could go to hear stories of these dungeons, it would be the Yawning Portal in Waterdeep in the Forgotten Realms. The idea is that while obviously most people who go to the Yawning Portal are natives of the Forgotten Realms, there are still sometimes either playing the travelers, or adventurers who've been to other worlds. That's where powerful adventurers congregate and talk.
So, kind of just like Mordenkainen spells have moved from world to world, so too have stories of these dungeons been told time and again across the different worlds of D&D. The idea is that if you're an adventurer, if you're in the Yawning Portal late at night, this might be the kind of story, like the Tales of the Tomb of Horrors or something like that, that'd be the kind of thing that if you can get Durnan, the barkeep of the Yawning Portal, actually get him to talk to you... He's not exactly the most friendly guy. This might be the kind of story he'll tell you about. Either he's heard about it or somehow maybe he's experienced it firsthand. It's kind of this idea that the Yawning Portal is, even across the different worlds of D&D, it's probably one of the most known and most frequented places for adventurers of all types.
Todd Kenreck: The art looks like it has a very specific context this time?
Mike Mearls: Sure. The artwork, what we did was we went back and all the adventures someone in the department had played. What we tried to do was capture really critical moments of the adventure, things that were really memorable, and either things that maybe there was art originally in the adventure that we could update or things that maybe haven't been caught in art before that we wanted to feature. For instance, there's one piece of art in Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan, you have the chance to play this ancient sport that the Aztec-inspired culture that built the tomb... There's sort of a trap you can trigger where you have to play a game against these spirits. That, for me when I played through, it was a really memorable, cool part of the adventure, so we captured that in one of the new pieces of art, showing the ball when the trap activates. There's a ball you have to smack into a goal. It starts to levitate and float around, so we captured that.
That's sort of the fun part about working on these adventures is. Usually when you're making a new adventure you have an idea based on the playtesters about what's interesting and iconic, but you are kind of guessing. With these adventures since we already know, it's kind of fun to go back and go, "All right, we know this is one of the traps or NPCs that people will talk about," or people have talked about when they played it. It made going through the art a little easier for us rather than instead of trying to figure out what we think would be cool or memorable. We know that ahead of time. Having played through all these adventures, it's fun being able to bring them to life based on my memories of them and seeing them. I keep using the word "remaster" but that's how I kept thinking of it, updating it to modern publishing standards.In this April 12, 2013, file photo, House Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies subcommittee Chairman Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., listens during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. Wolf says he will not seek another term after more than three decades in Congress. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/Associated Press)
A mainstream Republican backed by the party establishment faces a grass-roots conservative with a proclivity for controversial statements. As the GOP battles itself, Democrats hope to capitalize.
That scenario played out in Virginia in 2013 and in a handful of high-profile races around the country in recent elections. Now it may unfold again in Washington’s back yard, in the marquee race to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.).
The battleground district, which stretches from McLean to the Shenandoah Valley and whose seat has not been vacant for more than three decades, has attracted a host of potential contenders from both parties.
Though the field remains in flux, the two most certain GOP candidates so far are Del. Barbara J. Comstock (Fairfax), who has deep ties to prominent state and national Republican figures, and state Sen. Richard H. Black (Loudoun), who is known for a conservative grass-roots following and a history of inflammatory remarks about social issues.
Local Republicans officials won’t decide until Jan. 23 whether to pick their nominee through a primary or a convention. The latter method yielded controversial lieutenant governor nominee E.W. Jackson last year, who beat several better-funded candidates at a convention and then got trounced by Democrat Ralph S. Northam in November.
Richard H. Black R-Loudoun, on the floor of the House of Delegates. (CINDY BLANCHARD/AP/Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Divisive primaries have also helped cost Republicans multiple Senate seats around the country in recent years, as conservative GOP candidates in Delaware, Nevada, Colorado, Indiana and a few other states beat establishment favorites and went on to lose in the general election.
A Comstock vs. Black matchup could draw notice beyond the borders of the 10th District.
“Among the hard-core grass roots, Comstock and Black are very well known and generate lots of passion,” said David Wasserman, who tracks House races for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. “Both have worked their grass roots very hard over the years. Comstock in particular has long had an eye toward Congress.”
Comstock officially entered the race Tuesday morning, saying she was running “because I believe my strong record as a commonsense conservative leader is what is needed in Congress.” She said her priorities would include “repealing and replacing Obamacare” and keeping the military strong.
Comstock, who runs her own public relations firm and has served in the state House since 2010, has a wealth of personal and fundraising connections to draw on. She spent several years working in Congress — including as an aide to Wolf — and served as a Justice Department official in the George W. Bush administration.
Black has formed an exploratory committee and said Saturday he was “increasingly likely to enter the race.”
Black was elected to the Virginia Senate, representing parts of Loudoun and Prince William counties, in 2011, and he also served in the state House from 1998 through 2006. He has a strong core of conservative supporters, particularly in Loudoun.
But Black has also drawn negative attention. During House debate on a 2002 bill to lift Virginia’s ban on prosecuting spousal rape, Black said: “I do not know how on Earth you could validly get a conviction of a husband-wife rape where they’re living together, sleeping in the same bed, she’s in a nightie, and so forth, there is no injury, there’s no separation or anything.”
Black also made headlines in 2003, when he handed out plastic fetuses on the House floor during debate on an abortion bill. Last month, he told the Prince William Times that he believed polygamy was “just more natural” than homosexuality.
“When you talk about polygamy, at least it functions biologically,” Black told the paper.
The National Republican Congressional Committee likely won’t wade into a contested nomination race. But privately, national and state GOP strategists said they are aware of Black’s background and hope the nod goes to someone else.
Black dismissed the idea that his foes — from either party — would be able to use his past comments against him.
“I don’t think that those issues are likely to be the predominant ones in the race,” Black said. “The Democrats have sort of a tried-and-true routine of trying to make social issues always the most prominent thing.”
Mitt Romney narrowly won the district in the 2012 presidential race, and Ken Cuccinelli II did the same in the 2013 governor’s race, even as both Republicans lost statewide. So the GOP begins any contest with a slight edge.
“A candidate like a Dick Black would enhance Democrats’ chances of winning, but it’s not guaranteed,” Wasserman said.
The GOP field may well be larger than just two people. Frederick County Board of Supervisors chairman Richard C. Shickle said Monday he is “likely to run.” Several other Republicans are considering entering the race, including Winchester attorney Beau Correll, former 11th District candidate Keith Fimian, Del. James M. LeMunyon (Fairfax), Del. J. Randall Minchew (Loudoun), and former Prince William County Board of Supervisors member John Stirrup.
Artur Davis, the former Democratic congressman from Alabama who is now a Republican living in Northern Virginia, recently ruled himself out of the race, saying “the process of competing for a partisan nomination wouldn’t exactly allow me to run a campaign focused on building common ground.”
Another potential candidate, home-schooling advocate and Patrick Henry College chancellor Michael Farris, said he is “highly unlikely” to run.
The entire GOP field is relatively conservative. The Family Foundation, a Richmond-based conservative advocacy group, gave Black a 100 percent “pro-family” score for his 2012-13 voting record. Comstock and Minchew both scored 89 percent, while LeMunyon’s rating was 74 percent.
Most members of the 10th Congressional District Republican committee, which will decide the nomination method, are believed to prefer a convention. But some Virginia Republicans worry that conventions tend to favor the most conservative — not necessarily the most electable — candidates, like Jackson.
Democrats in the district also face a choice. Their current field includes Fairfax County Board of Supervisors member John W. Foust, Fairfax lawyer Richard Bolger and Leesburg architect Sam Kubba.
Foust was the favored candidate of national Democrats before Wolf announced his retirement. Now the outlook is more uncertain, and Karen Kennedy Schultz, a Shenandoah University professor who ran an unsuccessful bid for state Senate in 2007, is believed to be considering the race. Schultz did not respond to a request for comment.
Schultz is getting encouragement from Emily’s List, the group that backs pro-abortion rights women candidates. Virginia’s congressional delegation is all-male.
Foust has locked up endorsements from several Virginia Democrats, including U.S. Rep. James P. Moran Jr. and state Senate Democratic leader Richard L. Saslaw (Fairfax). Many of them backed Foust before Wolf’s retirement made it an open-seat race.Cleveland, Ohio (CNN) The head of Cleveland's largest police union is calling on Ohio Gov. John Kasich to temporarily tighten the state's gun laws during this week's Republican National Convention following Sunday's shooting in Louisiana that killed three officers and wounded at least three others.
"We are sending a letter to Gov. Kasich requesting assistance from him. He could very easily do some kind of executive order or something -- I don't care if it's constitutional or not at this point," Stephen Loomis, president of Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association, told CNN. "They can fight about it after the RNC or they can lift it after the RNC, but I want him to absolutely outlaw open-carry in Cuyahoga County until this RNC is over."
So-called "open carry" gun laws in Ohio allow for licensed firearm owners to wear their weapons in public. With the exception of a small "secure zone" inside and around the Quicken Loans Arena, residents, delegates and protesters are legally permitted to walk around the city -- including within its 1.7 square mile regulated "event zone" -- with any firearm not explicitly banned by the state.
Kasich, responding to the request, said: "Ohio governors do not have the power to arbitrarily suspend federal and state constitutional rights or state laws as suggested."
"The bonds between our communities and police must be reset and rebuilt -- as we're doing in Ohio -- so our communities and officers can both be safe. Everyone has an important role to play in that renewal," he said.
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, who will attend and speak at the RNC, backed Kasich during an appearance Monday on CNN's "New Day."
"The governor just can't automatically just do away with open carry," she said. "There's a constitution, there's statutes, there's laws and he has to obey those.... I take the police union's concerns very seriously. But the governor doesn't have, according to him, the executive power to do that."
Loomis also said officers here would begin ramping up inspections and oversight over anyone who is holstering a weapon entering the downtown area, where the Republican convention is scheduled to begin on Monday.
"We are going to be looking very, very hard at anyone who has an open carry," he said. "An AR-15, a shotgun, multiple handguns. It's irresponsible of those folks -- especially right now -- to be coming downtown with open carry AR's or anything else. I couldn't care less if it's legal or not. We are constitutional law enforcement, we love the Constitution, support it and defend it, but you can't go into a crowded theater and scream fire. And that's exactly what they're doing by bringing those guns down there."
The first key test for law enforcement comes Monday, as the convention opens, when Citizens for Trump and Black on Black Crime, Inc., which has marched in the past with Black Lives Matter-affiliated protestors, are among the many groups that are set to protest.
Citizens for Trump is scheduled to hold a rally expected to attract more than a thousand people to Settler's Landing Park, less than a mile from where Republican delegates will be gathering at the Quicken Loans Arena.
"We've hired special forces teams for security," the group's executive director, Tim Selaty, told CNN last week, declining to specify who would provide that extra security. "The Secret Service is well aware of what we're doing and they're going to be provided with everything they need to work in tandem with the local local law enforcement."
Alfred Porter Jr., president of Black on Black Crime, Inc., a four-decade-old anti-violence group, told CNN it would not alter a planned demonstration Monday in Cleveland's downtown Public Square.
"Nothing has changed because I still feel the same way, our message will still be the same," Porter said on Sunday afternoon. "We refuse to let anybody who has a simplistic or violent or hateful message stop the type of message that we have been sending out for accountability. Our message is not to go out there and start murdering police officers."
Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson, who is not in Cleveland, told CNN, "The movement began as a response to violence and a call to end violence. And that call remains as true today as they did yesterday and it will tomorrow."
The Cleveland Police Department did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Convention CEO Jeff Larson said that organizers remained confident in the security measures currently in place and did not expect Kasich to take any new action.
"The open carry laws in Ohio haven't changed recently, it's been in effect for quite some time, they've had a number of big events that have taken place with open carry without any issues," he told reporters Sunday afternoon. "They've been planning their security around that issue."
The union has also reached out to Police Chief Calvin Williams, asking that officers -- some of whom have been positioned alone and without vehicles -- be grouped together on their patrols, especially outside of the downtown security zones.
"We're going to be doing things differently (after today's attack)," Loomis said. "Right now, the chief of police thinks it's a good idea to have one officer without a car standing at a post in various intersections all around the city? Thirty blocks from downtown? I had a guy last night standing out there by himself without the benefit of protection of a police car. Or partner. That is absolute insanity to me. There is no reason for that. We are going to demand that the police chief -- at a minimum -- make sure that we have three officers working together, watching each other's backs."The agony of polar bears shown in a picture
The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is the planet’s largest carnivore, it can exceed 2.5 metres in length and 800 kg of weight. The bear pictured by Kerstin Langenberger in an island of the Svalbard archipelago, in the Arctic Ocean, is a pale caricature of the majestic plantigrade. The picture by the wildlife photographer shows an undernourished and exhausted animal, which unsteadily wanders on a thin layer of ice. The image, with its great expressive power, reminds us our responsibilities by documenting climate change consequences. Due to an increase in global temperature, arctic ice is melting, literally liquefying polar bears’ habitats, and forcing them to travel long distances, even swimming, in search of food. These conditions force the animals to go through longer periods of fast, and many bears, exhausted by hunger and strain, don’t survive. The survival of the species, classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List, is at risk. According to estimates, there are some 20-25 thousand individuals, whose future is always more uncertain. Bears normally roam the pack ice in search of seals, their favourite preys. However, arctic ice is disappearing, becoming thinner and thinner year after year. Due to climate change, sea ice melts earlier in spring and ices up later in autumn. According to data collected by scientists in Hudson Bay, Canada, for each week of advance of ice melting, bears lose 10 kg of weight, struggle to feed cubs, and visibly show severe health conditions. This is what exactly happened to the unlucky mammal protagonist of Langenberger’s picture. The German photographer published the image on Facebook with a sad comment. "For tourists and wildlife photographers, the main reason to come to Svalbard is to see polar bears. And yes, usually we find them: beautiful bears, photogenic bears, playfull or even at a kill. At first glance, everything is as |
one of China's biggest cities. To aid him in his search, Chen carries around with him a poster with pictures of his son, detailing the incident and hoping that someone will be able to point him in the right direction.
Image: weibo
Chen told Yangcheng Evening News: "No matter how hard or how much I have to suffer, I will never give up looking for my son."
Image: weibo
Chen and his wife are now appealing to the media for help in locating their son.
Child abduction cases in China are in part fueled by families desperate for a male heir to carry on the family name.
[h/t: Daily Mail]
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.Eight former directors of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said in an open letter published Tuesday (PDF) that they’re worried the Obama administration is abandoning the war on drugs by allowing Colorado and Washington to legalize marijuana.
“Our earlier attempts to have the Attorney General announce that he will enforce the Controlled Substances Act in Colorado and Washington have fallen upon deaf ears,” former DEA administrator Peter Bensinger said in an advisory sent to Raw Story. “Sadly, at this point we can only conclude that it is probably not Eric Holder’s decision.”
All eight former DEA chiefs — John Bartels, Peter Bensinger, Robert Bonner, Thomas Constantine, Asa Hutchinson, John Lawn, Donnie Marshall and Francis Mullen — addressed their letter to Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), who will question Attorney General Eric Holder during a Wednesday session of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Bensinger, who ran the drug war under the Ford, Carter and Reagan administrations, added that if the Obama administration fails to sue officials in Washington and Colorado to stop legalization in its tracks, it essentially means Holder “is willing to abandon his responsibilities as the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the United States.”
The letter coincides with a statement by the United Nations’ International Narcotics Control Board, which urged the Obama administration on Tuesday to stand up for America’s international obligations to uphold marijuana prohibition.
Critics of marijuana prohibition, on the other hand, point to the social harms caused by criminalizing millions of people around the world every year for using a substance that’s less harmful than society’s intoxicant of choice, alcohol. A 2010 study published in the medical journal Lancet ranked alcohol as the most harmful inebriating drug of all, even above heroin and crack cocaine. Tobacco, similarly, was ranked roughly as damaging to society as cocaine.
Despite the latest science on drug abuse and the potential medical value of marijuana-based drugs, the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 considers marijuana to be a Schedule I drug with no medical value whatsoever. That scheduling means the U.S. government considers the herb to be more dangerous than substances like oxycodone, morphine and opium.
DEA officials who signed the letter to Leahy and Grassley also warned that officials in Colorado and Washington who engage in the legalization rulemaking process are committing felony crimes.
“Indeed, those who carry out the Colorado and Washington legislation are aiding and abetting violation of federal law, itself a felony under federal law,” former DEA administrator Robert Bonner wrote. “This may not be the perfect storm, but it can only lead to the perfect train wreck. That is why we are urging Attorney General Holder, as he did in the case of the Arizona immigration law, to file a lawsuit challenging the Colorado and Washington laws without delay.”
Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, sees things differently. “The former DEA chiefs’ statement can best be seen as a self-interested plea to validate the costly and failed policies they championed but that Americans are now rejecting at the ballot box,” he said in an advisory. “They obviously find it hard to admit that – at least with respect to marijuana – their legacy will be much the same as a previous generation of agents who once worked for the federal Bureau of Prohibition enforcing the nation’s alcohol prohibition laws.”
The Department of Justice has not announced whether any such lawsuits are forthcoming, continually saying that a review of the matter is underway. President Obama, who’s admitted to smoking marijuana as a young man, has previously said he does not support drug legalization of any kind, but as a state senator in Illinois in 2004 he called the war on drugs “an utter failure” and backed removing criminal penalties for small marijuana possession offenses.
It’s not clear if Obama’s views have evolved since then. Nevertheless, Obama said in December that he does not support legalization “at this point,” but added that the government has “bigger fish to fry” than adults who consent to using marijuana in states that permit it. His administration, however, has doggedly pursued merchants that sell marijuana in states that have legalized the drug for medical use.
——
Photo: Solphoto / Shutterstock.com.Reader momoses' desktop is the answer to an often-requested customization—turning his Mac desktop into a lookalike for the computer display in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
The desktop is a combination of:
GeekTool for system stats.
Weather is added via Lynx and GeekTool.
icalBuddy for calendar events.
Bowtie for controlling and displaying iTunes information.
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Great job, momoses!
Want to create your own OS X desktop customization? Check out our guide to monitoring your Mac and more with GeekTool to add basic system stats and information, then learn how to add current weather and a desktop calendar with GeekTool.
Once you've created your own beautifully tweaked (and hopefully productive) desktop, post it over in the Lifehacker Desktop Show and Tell Flickr Group complete with a description of the programs and tweaks you used (and preferably links as well!), and we just might feature it here.
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OSXSTNG Desktop [Flickr]So you think it's hard being a parent in today's society? Try having a newborn in a one-room house you built out of mud and rocks! Actually, my brother-in-law Abe and his wife Josie, are doing just that, and he tells me that little Leo fits quite nicely into their off-the-grid lifestyle. And they're happy to share the details of how they're getting off the grid so others can benefit from their experiences.
While the topics they cover may not fit into the normal definition of "geeky" technologies, learning how to harness your own energy from the sun and the wind, building shelters out of compressed earth, and creating aquaponic systems (the practice of growing vegetables and fish together in a man-made ecosystem) seem pretty darn cool and geeky to me.
If this sort of thing intrigues you, Abe and Josie have just updated their Vela Creations website with a ton of useful info and resources on things like wind-power, solar power, water storage, grey water, composting and much, much more. They are truly "walking the walk" when it comes to getting off the grid and trying to live their lives using sustainable means, and they are documenting all of their projects and research in the hope that others will be inspired to adopt more sustainable lifestyles. I know reading their site has inspired me to get back to that water collection system project I've been talking about for too long now...Facebook's stock continues to suck harder than a Northwestern University freshman on a 5-foot bong in his profile pic. And the fallout from the most hyped IPO in history bursts not just the illusion that Facebook is actually worth $100 billion, but the idea that Facebook is different than any other corporation hell-bent on making as much money as possible for a handful of very wealthy people.
The lead-up to last Friday's Facebook IPO was an orgy of web 2.0 populism. Started by a Harvard undergrad in his dorm room, Facebook was poised to become the largest tech IPO ever. And its value stemmed from our stuff—our status updates, pictures and pokes! This was the major driver of the outlandish hype surrounding Facebook's IPO; the sense that the public would finally get a chance to share in the spectacular success of the company we helped build.
It seemed like the entire planet was going public, as journalists rushed to interview random Facebook users for their thoughts, as if they mattered. People who never made it past the paywall of the Wall Street Journal followed the Facebook stock debut on Friday like the score in an NBA game. And this is because when Facebook was listed, our own lives were literally put on sale; in fixating on Facebook's ever-climbing valuation we were obsessing over ourselves. There was almost a bit of Occupy Wall Street about the whole thing—the public offering of the 99%.
Now, as Facebook's stock falls for a third straight day it's clear we weren't worth as much as a lot of people thought. But the details behind the deal also also make it clear that ordinary people will never meaningfully share in Facebook's vast success, no matter where the needle on the Wall Street Journal's awful Mark Zuckerberg Wealth-Tracking Widget finally lands.
It turns out that the insiders who did the Facebook deal withheld some important information that showed it wasn't such a good deal after all. Analysts at three of the major underwriters, including Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, significantly reduced their forecasts for Facebook's revenues just before the IPO, according to Reuters. They did not widely publicize this information via, say, a Facebook status update. They quietly shared it with their buddies at hedge funds and other big investment firms, many of whom cut back on their investments accordingly. Meanwhile, the general public continued to froth at ever-climbing valuations.
"Facebook was whispering in the ears of the lead managers of its investment banks, on the understanding that the results of those whispers would remain available only to select clients until after the IPO was over," writes Reuters' Felix Salmon. This doesn't seem to be illegal, just shady as hell. (The SEC says it may look into the allegations, which are detailed in full on Business Insider.)
Even without secret tips from their banker buddies, the whole game was rigged in favor of insiders from the start—even more than usual for Wall Street. In the New Yorker, John Cassady explains how major investors had already made huge profits trading Facebook for months on secondary markets before the company went public, rendering the IPO a farce. These investors had already slurped up Facebook's value and moved on before the shit-show began. "Ordinary investors were largely cut out of the wealth-creation process, and well-connected investment firms took their place," writes Cassady.
(Incidentally, now that Facebook's tanking, Morgan Stanley and the other banks that underwrote the deal have a good shot at making a profit by short selling millions of Facebook shares that had been created just for them under an arcane financial move known as the "Greenshoe option." Nice deal, if you can get it.)
These maneuvers show once again that Facebook's lofty ideals are at odds with how it functions in reality. For a company built on sharing and transparency, Facebook's IPO was uniquely private and opaque. For a company which Mark Zuckerberg boasted in a letter to investors "was not originally created to be a company. It was built to accomplish a social mission," Facebook sure as hell acted like a company in helping to enrich insiders at the expense of public investors.
So, Mark Zuckerberg screwed Facebook investors in the IPO like he's screwed Facebook users on privacy. (Hours before the IPO, Facebook was hit with a $15 billion lawsuit over privacy violations.) This would be just a hilarious coincidence, except for the vast amounts of money he's made doing both.
Image by Jim Cooke.Six viewers complained that scene from Peter Capaldi’s first full episode as the Doctor was ‘gratuitous’ and ‘unneccessary’
The controversial “lesbian-lizard” kiss in Saturday’s Doctor Who episode will not be investigated by the media regulator, which said it “did not discriminate between scenes involving opposite sex and same-sex couples”.
Six people complained to Ofcom after Saturday’s series opener, Peter Capaldi’s first full episode as the Doctor, in which lizard woman Madame Vastra kissed her human wife, Jenny Flint.
The pair, played by Neve McIntosh and Catrin Stewart, shared a kiss as they were forced to hold their breath as they hid from killer droids, prompting complaints from some viewers that it was “gratuitous” and “unnecessary”.
A spokeman for Ofcom said: “Ofcom can confirm it received six complaints about a kiss broadcast in an episode of Doctor Who on Saturday 23 August.
“Having assessed the complaints, we can confirm that they do not raise issues warranting further investigation. Our rules do not discriminate between scenes involving opposite sex and same sex couples.”
Capaldi’s full debut as the 12th actor to take the lead role in Doctor Who was watched by a peak audience of 7.3 million viewers and had its biggest ratings for a series opener for four years.
The episode, set in a Victorian London menaced by a tyrannosaurus rex in the Thames and clockwork robots harvesting human organs for spare parts, attracted 6.8 million viewers, a 32.5% share of the audience.
Generally well received by critics, it was the best audience for the opening episode of a Doctor Who series since predecessor Matt Smith’s debut on Easter Saturday in early April 2010, when 8 million viewers tuned in.
Euan Ferguson, in his review of the new series in the Observer, said the kiss was a number of firsts in the show. “The first Doctor ever to have won an Oscar. Also, if not the first televised human-lizard kiss, then certainly the first televised human-lizard lesbian one.”
• To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly “for publication”.
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A 17-year-old boy is in custody after police say he planned to launch a large-scale attack on students and faculty at Newberg High School in Yamhill County.
(Photo courtesy of M.O. Stevens)
A Newberg High School student detailed his growing obsession with shooting up his school and planned to "personally kill at least 100 people" in a large-scale attack, police said Tuesday.
The 17-year-old boy listed 20 student and faculty targets in a journal, according to a probable cause affidavit released by the Newberg-Dundee Police Department. The journal included a crude but detailed campus map that indicated where bombs would be placed, gates would be chain-locked and plans to isolate people in a "kill zone."
Police arrested the teen and one other student March 3, the same day school district officials became aware of the potential attack, Capt. Jeff Kosmicki said in a prepared statement Tuesday.
The journal contained a chilling to-do list, including plans to first "take out" the school resource officer, as well as acquire guns, masks, bombs, knives, chains, locks and "lots of ammo," the affidavit said. He also tried to access a safe where his mother kept a firearm and obtain weapons from other people, the police document showed.
He initially planned to launch the attack on the last day of school, the affidavit said, but changed his mind after realizing that many students would not be on campus. He set a 70-day timetable to ensure the "most number of students would still be at school."
Investigators talked to about 30 students, teachers and counselors, Kosmicki said. "We take the safety and security of our schools very seriously, and no one has a right to threaten that safety," he said.
The 17-year-old is being held at the Yamhill County Juvenile Detention Facility on accusations of attempted assault and attempted unlawful use of a weapon, District Attorney Brad Berry said Tuesday afternoon. The Oregonian/OregonLive is not identifying him because he is minor.
The other student could not be tied to the threat and was not charged, he said.
The school draws its 1,445 students from the cities of Newberg and Dundee, and parts of rural Yamhill, Clackamas and Washington counties.
Claudia Stewart, Newberg Public Schools communications coordinator, could not comment on specifics of Tuesday's developments, citing the ongoing investigation.
"Because the police and the DA's office have released this information, we are now working to follow-up with parents and staff," she said Tuesday.
"The school district will begin disciplinary action as soon as the students are released from custody."
-- Tony Hernandez
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503-294-5928
@tonyhreports“This ‘next man up’ is real,” Bidwill said, referring to the team’s roster depth and its ability to play well despite injuries. “And what we’ve done with a third-string quarterback is amazing.”
If the Cardinals continue to defy the odds this month, they could become the first team to host a Super Bowl. The game will be played in Glendale on Feb. 1, a fact not lost on Bidwill, who pushed hard for its to return to Arizona despite logistical hiccups the last time it was here, in 2008.
Whether the Cardinals make it to the Super Bowl for the second time in franchise history, Bidwill’s profile in the N.F.L. is sure to rise. Last month, Commissioner Roger Goodell appointed him to lead a committee of nine owners that will oversee the N.F.L.’s enhanced personal conduct policy, a prominent role given the scope of the domestic violence crisis that engulfed the league this season.
Goodell needs Bidwill to help him dig out of the legal and public relations quagmire that followed his mishandling of the scandals involving Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson and even Jonathan Dwyer, a Cardinals running back who was charged with assaulting his wife and put on the team’s reserve list. Dwyer has not played since.
Image Bidwill was a ball boy when the Cardinals played in St. Louis. Credit Nick Cote for The New York Times
Bidwill has a unique skill set. Before joining the Cardinals’ front office in 1996, he was a prosecutor in the United States attorney’s office in Phoenix, where he worked in the violent crimes unit. Goodell hopes Bidwill will help keep the league’s policies up to date.
The committee will review the conduct policy annually and suggest revisions as needed. It will also work with the as yet unappointed disciplinary officer, who will penalize players for off-field violations, something Goodell used to do.
“We really need to have someone with expertise who will take the commissioner out of the process” of meting out penalties, Bidwill said a day after the Cardinals lost at home to the Seahawks. “The personal conduct policy hadn’t been reviewed since 2007, so we’ll look at it so it won’t go unchanged for years.”The party lost 40 of its 41 MPs in the 2015 general election, and Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP is riding high. Can a 34-year-old newcomer (who didn’t even vote until she was 23) turn things around?
It’s five minutes before the week’s big event in the Scottish parliament, and the scene suggests a kind of politics much more modern than the hoary Westminster version. The debating chamber is an airy space, all wood panels and bright lights, seemingly purpose-built for TV broadcasts. Members – known as MSPs, or members of the Scottish parliament – have their own little desks on which they can carefully arrange their paperwork. There is none of that “right honourable member” stuff, nor a speaker sitting on a throne and dressed in a gown; if something goes down well, it’s met with applause rather than a massed, “Hear, hear.” And, as if decisively to confirm that we are in the 21st century, each of the major party leaders, arranged in a semi-circle from right to left, is a woman: the Tories’ Ruth Davidson, first minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, and Labour’s new(ish) leader Kezia Dugdale.
Today is first minister’s questions, a half-hour ritual with a running order loosely based on what happens in the House of Commons. The big issue this week is an official report into a scandalous run of events back in July this year, when Scottish police – who were amalgamated into a single force by the SNP government in 2013 – failed for three days to respond to reports of a car crash on the M9 that killed 28-year-old John Yuill, and thereby contributed to the death of his 25-year-old partner Lamara Bell, who left behind two children.
At first, the impression of a gentler kind of politics just about holds. But less than 10 minutes in, as Dugdale talks about “systemic failings” and asks Sturgeon if she still has confidence in her justice minister, desks are being banged, while jeers erupt. The speaker – or, rather, presiding officer, who is also a woman – issues her fourth shout of “Order!”, which momentarily stills the noise; but within a minute or so, it all goes off again.
Sturgeon responds to Dugdale’s attacks with Olympic-level condescension: “Perhaps she was so busy reading her script for the next question, she forgot to listen to my answer,” she says, to more desk-banging. The first minister has a solid assurance that comes with experience and power, and somehow manages to give the suggestion of a swagger while standing stock-still; Dugdale, whose demeanour is a little cautious, capably holds the line, but there is still something of the rabbit in the headlights about her.
Twenty minutes later, I am in a meeting room done out with Labour party election posters when in comes Dugdale, her weekly test over and done with. Today is the day she comes into work early, and has an early-morning bowl of porridge as part of her preparation; this evening, by way of marking the fact that the pressure is off for another seven days, she will “eat pizza and drink beer” in a weekly ritual she says is non-negotiable.
I ask how it went, and she pulls a half-grimace. “It kind of puts to bed any suggestion that how we do politics in the Scottish parliament is vastly different from Westminster,” she says. “It’s still very combative – quite fiery exchanges.”
Is that to say that when things are like they were today, Dugdale doesn’t like it?
“Erm… I don’t enjoy it. I endure it. I recognise it’s part of my job, but that’s 10 minutes of my week.”
Does she think Sturgeon enjoys it?
“Erm… yeah, I think she probably does. She’s 16 years a politician. It’s taken her a long time to build up the skills and the credibility, and polish the talents that she clearly has. She’s at the top of her game, and this is a chance to show those skills off.”
And how long does Dugdale give herself before she gets to that point?
“Look, I’m acutely aware that I’ve just been an MSP for four and a bit years,” she says. “You know? I’m 34 years old. There’s a lot about life, a lot about politics, that I’m still learning. A lot of the things I’m doing as leader, I’m doing for the first time. But there are things I do know a lot about, and there are lots of things I’m incredibly passionate about: education, tackling poverty, female inequality. And on that stuff I’m 100% on my game. But I think it probably does take a wee bit of a while. She’s had 12 years more than I have.”
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Kezia Dugdale on Nicola Sturgeon: ‘She’s at the top of her game, and this is a chance to show those skills off.’ Photograph: Murdo Macleod for the Guardian
There is another obvious difference between the two of them. Sturgeon is the leader of a party whose domination of Scottish politics sometimes defies belief. Dugdale, by contrast, has easily the most difficult job in British politics. Optimists in her party describe the task she faces using words such as “revival” and “renewal”; in the eyes of her opponents, she has the unenviable task of trying to resurrect a political corpse.
***
At May’s general election, over Britain as a whole, Labour got its second-lowest share of the vote since 1983. Some recent UK-wide opinion polls suggest that the supposedly white-hot excitement sparked by Jeremy Corbyn pushed up the party’s support by only a couple of percentage points.
But in Scotland, Labour’s position is truly awful. The party introduced Scottish devolution, and ran the country for the Scottish parliament’s first eight years, before the Scottish National party took power in 2007 and set off on the road to last year’s independence referendum. Labour led the no side to victory and briefly rejoiced, but it had been losing support to the Nationalists since the middle of the last decade; in the referendum’s aftermath, it soon became clear that the way Labour had conducted itself during the independence vote had made things even worse.
The crude version is that, by campaigning alongside the Tories for the survival of the UK, Labour decisively alienated a huge chunk of its Scottish support. Pro-independence voices were able to portray Labour as a kind of occupying force taking its orders from Westminster – something that reached its hilarious peak when party figures travelled up to Glasgow en masse from London and marched through the city’s streets accompanied by a quick-thinking rickshaw driver who blasted out the Imperial Death March from Star Wars on his in-vehicle speakers.
A slightly more sophisticated take might add that, when hundreds of thousands of them voted yes, once-loyal Labour voters suddenly realised they could defy the party and feel good about it. So it was that, in May, Labour lost 40 of its 41 Scottish MPs. To add to the pain, current polling for next year’s Scottish parliament elections puts the SNP on around 53%, suggesting that Labour could lose all of its constituency MSPs – leaving it reliant on the top-up “list” seats used to make the Scottish parliament more proportional.
When Dugdale was elected to her job with 72% of the vote, she became the Scottish party’s sixth leader in eight years. Her predecessor, the former cabinet minister Jim Murphy, under whom she served as deputy, lasted exactly six months. But she has made it clear that the revolving door approach is at an end, and she intends to see the party through at least two Scottish elections (and, by implication, the 2020 general election). In the last month, there have been signs of both the SNP’s lustre of invincibility at least occasionally fading, and of Dugdale scoring a few political hits on such issues as education and tax credit cuts. The basic intention is to portray the Nationalists as friends of the wealthy.
Before I meet Dugdale, I spend time talking to another serving MSP and a couple of former MPs who lost their seats in May’s deluge. Gemma Doyle, a former MP who lost the once-safe seat of West Dunbartonshire on a mind-boggling 35% swing to the SNP, traces Labour’s crisis to the 2007 Scottish elections. “That was a really key moment,” she says. “The SNP only beat us by one seat. But instead of saying, OK, that was a massive failure; we need to do something different and radical, it was business as usual. And we just slid farther and farther down. In 2007, the electorate sort of slapped us round the face and said, ‘We’re not happy with you.’ In 2011, they came back with a baseball bat and said, ‘You didn’t listen last time – now we’re going to beat the shit out of you.’”
This was the year of the Scottish elections, when the SNP won 69 seats in the Scottish parliament to Labour’s 37, and the extent of Labour’s woes was glaringly revealed.
“That year, there was one telling moment where I knew it was dire,” says Neil Findlay, a high-profile MSP who stood for the Scottish party’s leadership in 2015 and enthusiastically campaigned for Corbyn through the summer. “It was in my own village: a mining village where I was a councillor for nine years. I know almost everybody. We went to the door for the candidate, and I spoke to a relative of a guy who was a Labour councillor. Previously, he would have had posters up and all the rest of it. And he said, ‘I’m not sure this time, big man.’ And I thought, ‘Jesus Christ, if he’s not sure, we are fucked.’ That smacked me in the face.”
Findlay talks to me for over an hour, in an office that contains a bust of Karl Marx and a poster featuring that revered leftwing icon, Tony Benn. He puts his party’s decline in the context of deep changes that also apply south of the border: the decline of heavy industry and the waning influence of institutions that once glued swaths of Labour’s Scottish vote together, such as the trade unions and the church. He says the Scottish party suffered from the bad feeling sown during the Blair years. And he talks about the way that, from the 1990s onwards, the SNP got its act together. “They hired some of the most able strategists and media operators. The team they had was top-notch.”
Findlay also voices his pain about the referendum. “I think the Labour approach was disastrous. You can’t spend 30 years telling people that the Tories are the biggest bunch of bastards ever, and then be seen to campaign on the same platform as them. To me, that was just madness.”
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Kezia Dugdale at the Women 50:50 conference. Photograph: Murdo Macleod for the Guardian
In Glasgow, I have coffee with Margaret Curran, Labour’s shadow Scottish secretary under Ed Miliband, who had an early taste of the SNP’s growing dominance when she lost a 2008 Westminster byelection in Glasgow East – the kind of place where the party once weighed the vote rather than counting it. She won back the constituency for Labour in 2010; but after the referendum, she knew everything had changed, something she traces not just to the vote on independence, but to the economic crash of 2008 and the MPs’ expenses scandal. “By February this year I was absolutely certain,” she says. “You could tell.” Curran lost her seat in May, thanks to a 31% swing to the SNP.
Some of the party’s plunge in Scotland, she says, was down to its failure to get to grips with the social media that SNP supporters use in their droves. “I would go on the doorstep and talk to people for 15 minutes,” she says. “Blah blah blah. And then they’d go and have an hour’s conversation on Facebook that would completely contradict everything I’d said, and we had no counterargument.”
When the general election came round, she thought Labour would hold four or five Scottish seats at most. On election night, she was at the vast count in a Glaswegian arena where it was announced that Labour had lost every seat in the city. “I was completely hyper: it was actually a good laugh at points,” she says. “One of our activists, who’s a nurse, found a packet of paracetamol and said, ‘Has somebody gone and topped themselves?’ By that point, it was just gallows humour. But it was hard.”
In the midst of an early evening downpour, I drive to Anniesland, an area of Glasgow five miles out of the city centre. In 2011, the SNP took the local Scottish parliament seat from Labour by a mere seven votes; four years later, at the general election, the swing here from Labour to the SNP was 31%. In the cafe of the giant local Morrisons, I meet Bill Butler, the area’s former MSP – who is standing again for the 2016 elections, and says he will “fight for every vote” – and a group of local Labour members, who range in age from 20 to 44.
They talk about what happened in May as “devastating” and trace it back as far as 1999; Butler says that by 2015 he was struck by the large number of ex-Labour supporters who “had completely switched off”. But they also say there are reasons to be cheerful: Labour membership, they say, actually went up after the referendum, and since Corbyn stood for the leadership the local party’s numbers have doubled, from around 250 to 500. But no one gets too carried away: Labour’s big aim now, says 23-year-old Paul Cruikshank, is simply “for people to listen to us”.
“People are still scared to declare that they’re a Labour supporter,” 20-year-old Eva Murray says. “That’s carried on since the referendum. They’ll tell you quietly they’re voting for Labour, but that’s it.” Among other things, she’s talking about the hostility to Labour that regularly bubbles up on Twitter and Facebook. “And the fact that the SNP didn’t condemn that until very late on didn’t help.”
This is another aspect of Scottish politics that sometimes gives it an unpleasantly macho, downright nasty flavour. One pro-independence blogger recently tweeted the hope that “an aeroplane delivering dirty needles” might crash into Labour’s solitary Westminster MP. You need only have a look at Kezia Dugdale’s Twitter feed, on which even her laying of flowers at the French consulate after the massacre in Paris was met with a political sneer (“Dugdale does not – and never will – speak for the Scottish people”) to get a sense that even if this behaviour is restricted to a tiny minority, it still sometimes sits on the edges of Scottish politics like an unwanted drunk at a party.
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Facebook Twitter Pinterest Dugdale didn’t vote until she was 23, and had joined the Labour party before she set foot in a polling booth. Photograph: Murdo Macleod for the Guardian
In the lead-up to the referendum, Dugdale says, she saw flashes of what was coming. “I was well aware that there would be a consequence for the Labour party,” she says. “I can remember speaking to a Times journalist at a lunch, saying that the rhythm of events I could see was: Scotland voting no, but then being almost angry with itself, despite feeling it was the right thing to do – and the way to articulate that anger being to kick out at the Labour party. That was before the referendum.”
She decided to run for the leadership, she says, a few days after Murphy resigned in response to the awfulness of the general election result. “I worked out that I did have a plan; I did know at least how to start to rebuild. And my whole political career had been on fast-forward, so why not take that step?”
Her CV was a mixture of standard-issue political stuff and a few details that set her apart. Dugdale studied law at Aberdeen University, but largely hated it. “I vividly remember going into my first class, on the Scottish legal system – 250 people in a lecture theatre, all banked up the stairs – and it just made me so conscious of all these privately educated kids. They all had their schools’ sporting gear on. I just felt hugely out of place. I knew within the first few weeks of starting that I didn’t want to be a lawyer.”
After graduation, and a spell on the dole followed by a run of waitressing jobs, she was eventually hired as the campaigns and welfare adviser at Edinburgh University’s Students Association, before getting a job as an aide to a Labour MSP.
Amazingly, Dugdale did not vote until she was 23; indeed, she had joined the Labour party before she set foot in a polling booth. Politics, she says, had “just passed me by, if you can believe that”. Looking back, though, there were early signs of what she calls her “value set”: before university, for instance, she wrote a sixth-form dissertation on the murder of Stephen Lawrence. She still keeps it in her office: “I’m desperate to meet Doreen Lawrence, to show her. I got the school prize for it, being a bit of a geek like that.”
Dugdale lives in the Duddingston area of Edinburgh, directly next to the greenery of Holyrood Park. One former political colleague I speak to describes her basic mindset as “Edinburgh Labour”: metropolitan and middle-class, as opposed to the kind of Scottish politics rooted in the trade unions. She has said she has “no life outside of politics, unless I orchestrate it”. The last film she liked was the Bond movie Spectre; somewhat alarmingly, she says her all-time favourite band are those merchants of innocuous plod-rock, Stereophonics.
Dugdale is not from a Labour family. An only child, she was brought up first in the 25,000-population town of Elgin and then in Dundee. Her parents, who divorced when she was 15, were both teachers and, she has said, “sometimes look at me like a zoo exhibit, wondering how I ended up here”. Her mother Gillian remains a floating voter, while her father Jeff is a Tory turned Nationalist who now loudly speaks his mind on Twitter. At least once, he has had a pop at his daughter: during her brief stint as deputy leader, she tweeted about false reports that Nicola Sturgeon had told the French ambassador she wanted David Cameron to remain prime minister; he rather grimly tweeted, “Check facts before opening mouth, Kezia.” Lately, he has called the constitutional bond between England and Scotland a “zombie union”, and elegantly described Westminster as “the motherf**ker of all parliaments”.
She reacts to this latter bon mot with uproarious laughter. “He’s a really interesting character. He’s a late convert to the SNP. He’s one of those people that kind of journeyed the whole referendum story – voting yes, being very angry at the result, being one of those 100,000 people that joined the SNP post-referendum, now becoming the kind of activist and voice that he is.”
Does she ever tell him to tone it down a bit?
“No! He’s entitled to say what he wants. I can’t ask him not to articulate that. In the same way, he sure as hell can’t tell me what to say or think.”
One of the other curious aspects of Dugdale’s recent history is the fact that, during the general election campaign, she helped Ed Miliband prepare for the so-called “challengers’ debate”, featuring all the UK party leaders apart from David Cameron and Nick Clegg, by repeatedly impersonating Nicola Sturgeon. One account, in fact, says she “almost developed Stockholm syndrome”.
“I did it a lot,” she says. “I did it lots of different ways, because there are lots of different Nicola Sturgeons. There’s the one you saw today, which is very |
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Important Notes on CallbackAn electronic cigarette in smoke. (iStock)
One in four middle school and high school students report that they have been exposed to secondhand smoke from e-cigarettes in the past 30 days, according to a new study by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The finding translates to about 6.5 million youths exposed. Some of the students had smoked e-cigarettes themselves during that time, but 4.4 million were not users. More than 1 million were exposed to secondhand smoke only from e-cigarettes, the study concluded.
The U.S. surgeon general reported last December that exposure to secondhand aerosol from electronic cigarettes is harmful because of the possible toxic substances, such as nicotine and heavy metals, they contain. Nicotine exposure can be particularly dangerous because it can affect adolescent brain development.
“We know that secondhand e-cigarette aerosol is not harmless, and it’s critical to protect our nation’s youth from this preventable health risk,” said Brian King, deputy director for research translation in CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health and a co-author of the new study. It was published in JAMA Pediatrics.
[Surgeon general calls youth e-cigarette smoking ‘a major public health concern’]
E-cigarette use among young people is a growing concern in the United States, with the surgeon general finding a 900 percent increase from 2011 to 2015. That jump makes e-cigarettes the most commonly used form of tobacco among children and adolescents in the United States, surpassing cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco and other conventional products.
Flavor is one of the most common reasons young people give for using e-cigarettes, according to the surgeon general's report. But some chemicals used for e-cigarette flavoring can be harmful to health, King said.
“One example is diacetyl, which is known to produce the buttery flavor in popcorn, and studies have linked inhalation of diacetyl to a severe respiratory illness,” King said. The ailment is commonly known as popcorn lung syndrome.
The CDC study drew on data from the 2015 National Youth Tobacco Survey. It found that secondhand exposure to e-cigarette aerosol was greater for girls (nearly 27 percent) than boys (22 percent). Fifteen percent of black students reported being exposed, compared to 27 percent of white students.
Youth who used e-cigarettes or conventional tobacco products are most likely to be exposed to secondhand smoke because of the company they often keep. “People who use multiple tobacco products are also in social environments with others who use e-cigarettes or other tobacco products,” King said.
[Health leaders call for immediate action to curb smoking in the U.S.]
To protect children from exposure to secondhand smoke from smoked tobacco products and aerosol from e-cigarettes, states and communities can consider modernizing smoke-free air policies to include e-cigarettes, he said.
“These policies can address the use of such products in indoor environments, and there has been considerable momentum across the country in the past few years,” he said. Eight states and 500 communities currently cover e-cigarette aerosol in their smoke-free policies, he said.
To decrease all forms of tobacco product use among young people, King recommends “access restrictions that prohibit youth who are less than a specified age from purchasing e-cigarettes, as well as educational campaigns that warn about the risks of e-cigarette use and secondhand aerosol exposure among youth.”
The latest report confirms certain trends, said Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, and raises serious issues about how many youths are using e-cigarettes and being exposed to potentially harmful aerosol.Microsoft has been collecting detailed maps of the United States over the past two years and the project is reaching its conclusion this week. The Global Ortho Project kicked off in the Spring of 2010 with an ambitious promise to map every square inch of the Continental United States and Western Europe at 30cm resolution. Microsoft is announcing today that the US side of the project is complete, providing high-resolution imagery across Bing Maps.
Over the past several months we've seen hundreds of terabytes of new high-resolution imagery added to Bing Maps across the United States, Europe, Australia, and elsewhere. The software maker has been collecting imagery using specially modified aircraft and an Ultracam camera to capture data that would stretch around the world 999 times or to the moon 104 times. The results are stunning, with the high-resolution imagery providing clearer aerial views and Bing's Bird's eye feature for a unique perspective from above.
Although the imagery is all available on Bing Maps, we asked a company spokesperson about any future integration with Nokia's Maps — but Microsoft isn't discussing its plans. Nokia Maps will play a large role in Windows Phone 8, with the service becoming the default mapping experience for Microsoft's mobile operating system. Ultimately, it will be interesting to see how Microsoft and Nokia handle their shared services and integrate the best parts of both map systems. For now though, Microsoft is pushing ahead with its Western Europe maps which it hopes to have complete by the end of the year.Yahkee Johnson is 5-foot-7 and weighs 161 pounds — soaking wet, in a parka, with sand in his shoes.
Just kidding about that last part… I think.
Suffice to say, Johnson is not a big running back. But he plays big. Sure, the Hampton senior is a threat to bounce a run to the outside, as you’d expect. But he doesn’t handle his business like a traditional scat back.
Johnson takes goal-to-go carries when the box is its heaviest, and he won’t be afraid to stick a short yardage run inside when the Pirates take on a daunting SC State front seven on Saturday in Orangeburg, SC.
Watch Hampton vs. SC State LIVE on FloFootball!
Johnson ran for 4,510 yards and 66 touchdowns at L.C. Bird High School — and notched a school record 23 100-yard games. That’s bell-cow volume.
He earned All-American honors at Nassau Community College while piling up 1,910 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns during his two seasons on campus.
In Johnson’s first season at Hampton, the Richmond, VA, native handled double-digit carries eight times and eclipsed 100 total yards six times — including 168 yards on 19 touches at Delaware State.
This season, with Shai McKenzie serving as a more frequent complementary back, Johnson leads the Pirates in rushing yards (610), total yards (764), and rushing touchdowns (5). He rushed for 132 yards and three scores vs. Livingstone on Sept. 16 and rolled up 138 total yards at Savannah State on Oct. 7.
In short, the diminutive Johnson is the focal point of the Hampton offense — not just speed guy to be sprinkled in where convenient.
If SC State hopes to snap a three-game skid, the Bulldogs will need to bottle up Johnson. And that has proven to be a task that is much easier said than done.A new NASA-developed, laser-based space communication system will enable higher rates of satellite communications similar in capability to high-speed fiber optic networks on Earth.
The space terminal for the Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD), NASA's first high-data-rate laser communication system, was recently integrated onto the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. LLCD will demonstrate laser communications from lunar orbit to Earth at six times the rate of the best modern-day advanced radio communication systems.
"The successful testing and integration of LLCD to LADEE is a major accomplishment," said Donald Cornwell, LLCD mission manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "It demonstrates that this new technology is robust and ready for space. This is the first time NASA has had such a communication system pass all its tests and be certified flight ready."
The LLCD mission will use a highly reliable infrared laser, similar to those used to bring high-speed data over fiber optic cables into our workplaces and homes. Data, sent in the form of hundreds of millions of short pulses of light every second, will be sent by the LADEE spacecraft to any one of three ground telescopes in New Mexico, California and Spain.
The real challenge of LLCD will be to point its very narrow laser beam accurately to ground stations across a distance of approximately 238,900 miles while moving. Failure to do so would cause a dropped signal or loss of communication.
"This pointing challenge is the equivalent of a golfer hitting a 'hole-in-one' from a distance of almost five miles," said Cornwell. "Developers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Lincoln Laboratory have designed a sophisticated system to cancel out the slightest spacecraft vibrations. This is in addition to dealing with other challenges of pointing and tracking the system from such a distance. We are excited about these advancements."
The LLCD mission will also serve as a pathfinder for the 2017 launch of NASA's Laser Communication Relay Demonstration (LCRD). That mission will demonstrate the long-term viability of laser communication from a geostationary relay satellite to Earth. In a geostationary orbit the spacecraft orbits at the same speed as Earth, which allows it to maintain the same position in the sky.
Engineers believe that future space missions will be able to use laser communication technology with its low mass and power requirements, to provide increased data quantity for real-time communication and 3-D high-definition video. For example, using S-band communications aboard the LADEE spacecraft would take 639 hours to download an average-length HD movie. Using LLCD technology that time would be reduced to less than eight minutes.
Prior to shipment from MIT, the LLCD spaceflight hardware was subjected to a rigorous set of flight test simulations such as the strong vibrations expected from a Minotaur V rocket, the launch vehicle for the LADEE mission. The LLCD hardware also had to withstand simulated extreme temperatures and other conditions it will experience within the harsh environment of space. Throughout this stringent battery of tests, LLCD maintained its critical alignment and stable pointing accuracy.
Flight and ground station hardware for LLCD was designed and built at Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Mass. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and the European Space Agency are developing the ground stations in California and Spain, respectively.
"This is an exciting time for space communications," said Cornwell. "We are about to make a leap in communications ability that is unmatched in NASA's history."
###
The LLCD mission management team resides at Goddard under the sponsorship of the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The LADEE mission is managed by Ames under the sponsorship of NASA's Planetary Science Division within the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters.
NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington funds LADEE, a cooperative effort led by Ames, which is responsible for managing the mission, building the spacecraft and performing mission operations. In addition to managing the LLCD payload, Goddard is responsible for managing the science instruments and the science operations center. NASA Wallops Flight Facility has the responsibility for launch vehicle integration, launch services and launch range operations. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., manages LADEE within the Lunar Quest Program Office.
The LADEE mission, on which LLCD is a hosted payload, is scheduled to launch in August 2013.Interesting:
Jon used a desktop computer attached to a GPS satellite simulator to create a fake GPS signal. Portable GPS satellite simulators can fit in the trunk of a car, and are often used for testing. They are available as commercial off-the-shelf products. You can also rent them for less than $1K a week -- peanuts to anyone thinking of hijacking a cargo truck and selling stolen goods.
In his first experiments, Jon placed his desktop computer and GPS satellite simulator in the cab of his small truck, and powered them off an inverter. The VAT used a second truck as the victim cargo truck. "With this setup," Jon said, "we were able to spoof the GPS receiver from about 30 feet away. If our equipment could broadcast a stronger signal, or if we had purchased stronger signal amplifiers, we certainly could have spoofed over a greater distance."
During later experiments, Jon and the VAT were able to easily achieve much greater GPS spoofing ranges. They spoofed GPS signals at ranges over three quarters of a mile. "The farthest distance we achieved was 4586 feet, at Los Alamos," said Jon. "When you radiate an RF signal, you ideally want line of sight, but in this case we were walking around buildings and near power lines. We really had a lot of obstruction in the way. It surprised us." An attacker could drive within a half mile of the victim truck, and still override the truck's GPS signals.The Senate early Friday morning voted down the GOP's best shot at repealing parts of Obamacare, thanks in large part to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who was one of three Republicans to vote against it.
"No" votes from McCain and Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska were enough to sink the bill, but McCain's vote was easily the most surprising to senators in both parties.
After meeting with GOP leaders and Vice President Pence, McCain walked onto the Senate floor and voted "no."
There were gasps in the chamber, and Democrats started to cheer and applaud until Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., waved at them urgently to stop.
On Tuesday, Trump praised McCain for returning to the Senate just a week after being diagnosed with brain cancer. But on Friday morning, Trump said the three Republicans who voted against the bill "let the American people down."
So great that John McCain is coming back to vote. Brave - American hero! Thank you John. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017For those who want to learn how to troll the Internet, take a lesson this week from Slate’s Matt Yglesias. While suggesting the Republicans have lost “purity” on tax cuts, the writer compared GOP budget leader Paul Ryan (R-WI) to virginal teenagers who experiment with anal and oral sex as a means to keeping their “promise ring.” As one would expect, this analogy did not go over very well, especially with conservative social media users.
Yglesias tweeted the article, entitled “Taxation Without Penetration,” with a teaser line: “Here’s how Paul Ryan is like a girl doing oral and anal to keep her promise ring.”
Here’s how Paul Ryan is like a girl doing oral and anal to keep her promise ring: http://t.co/8XpdMZPj2e — Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias) December 11, 2013
In the piece, the economics writer posited that Ryan’s bipartisan budget deal has plenty of tax increases, but because of a desire to keep the “promise ring” with anti-tax warriors like Grover Norquist, the GOP has filled the deal with a “set of meaningless distinctions” like “fees” instead of “taxes.”
“If horny teenagers are smart enough not to make big life choices according to semantics and technicalities, then members of Congress should pull themselves together and do the same,” he concluded. “Rigid opposition to raising revenue has failed as a governing ideology. That’s what Ryan is tacitly admitting with this deal. Now he needs to admit it to himself.”
The mockery was swift…
…and didn’t always fall down predictably partisan lines:
I just want to personally thank @MattYglesias for being a great women's ally and a liberal role model. http://t.co/CTBk1strjL — Andrea Grimes (@andreagrimes) December 11, 2013
That’s just a tiny sampling. One needn’t dig very deep to find more of the mockery and anger in response to Yglesias’ tweet/article. Just take a peek here.
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>> Follow Andrew Kirell (@AndrewKirell) on Twitter
Have a tip we should know? [email protected] Public Relations proposal goes hand-in-hand with our business development strategy as we share with the media the different partnerships and integrations we execute. Public relations directly supports business development, since joint promotion is a central source of value Dash provides to potential partners with whom we are negotiating. Public relations also enables Dash to extract more benefit from the partnerships as we announce them.We have a road-map of additional announcements planned and we believe it is therefore essential to retain a professional PR firm to represent Dash in both the digital currency and mainstream media. After careful consideration, we have selected Wachsman PR as our PR partner for the next phase of our growth.Wachsman PR is a highly professional firm located in New York that enjoys a strong reputation in the digital currency industry and has demonstrated a high level of professionalism the market has come to expect of the Dash project. Wachsman PR represents many high-profile crypto clients such as Kraken, Purse.io, Overstock's T0 and many others.Though Wachsman PR is reputable in the industry, they agreed to provide Dash an opportunity to preview their services rather than simply relying on their track record and referrals. They agreed to conduct a trial month of PR services for Dash ahead of us officially hiring them (which we are now planning to do) for a longer-term agreement.Based on our experience thus far, we highly recommend proceeding with a contract. Wachsman PR staff have all been professional and impressive. They have provided insights and advice on how to extend our reach into mainstream media, helped shape, revise and prepare our d10e presentations and handouts, and have prepared a longer-term PR strategy. They also aren’t afraid to tell us when they disagree with us… They don’t say “yes” to everything we suggest, and tell us what they think is a better approach along with the reasons why. In short, they are adding tremendous value. In just two weeks they have done two press releases with us and obtained an impressive amount of media placements for the project, which I’ve outlined below.We would like to hire Wachsman PR for an initial four month engagement starting September 1st. The cost of the proposal is $6,000 per month and the entire four month contract will cost $24,000. As a portion of the funding ($880) is already set aside from the July budget “PR - Fall Campaign Pre-Funding”, we will only need an additional $5,120 to fund the initial month’s services. However, as protection against currency fluctuation between now and August 5th, we would like to request the full $6,000 and carry any balance forward to September to be used for the same purposes.It's a case of out with the new, and in with the old as London-based bitcoin exchange Netagio allows you trade bitcoin for real gold, which it stores in a secure vault in the Swiss mountains.
Netagio, which opened in December 2013, has announced that it will now offer customers the chance to trade in real gold bars along with sterling, US dollars and euro.
Bitcoin is seen by some as a realistic alternative to gold in terms of long-term investment, and was even called Gold 2.0 by the Winklevoss Twins who are made major investments in the cryptocurrency.
Netagio, which stores most of its customers bitcoins in offline 'cold' wallets, says the gold its customers buy will be just as secure.
Customers who turn bitcoins into physical 100g gold bars are assured that those bars will be insured and stored in a maximum-security vault in "one of the world's most secure storage facilities in the mountains of Switzerland."
Armed guards
This vault will be protected by armed guards and embedded hundreds of metres within the rock, with Netagio confidently saying "the gold is safe from all known civilian and military risks."
Customers who want to move from the old to the new can also use Netagio to convert their gold bars into bitcoin, though they will need to deliver 100g gold bards to the exchange before their account is credited with the equivalent in bitcoin.
Simon Hamblin, managing director at Netagio said:
"Gold is one of the world's oldest currencies and now our customers can trade it for one of the newest - bitcoins. We're offering customers the chance to exchange bitcoins for gold and vice versa, with the reassurance that Netagio has incredibly safe, state-of-the-art storage solutions for both."
As well as gold, Netagio customers can now also trade bitcoins for three national currencies - British pounds, euro or US dollars.Yi He, a renowned cryptocurrency evangelist and OKCoin’s co-founder, today joined Binance.
Binance is a new Shanghai-based digital asset exchange overarched by Changpeng Zhao’s Beijie Technology. It has been amazingly appreciated by the crypto-community for offering zero-fee trading and surprisingly faster processing speeds of up to 1.4 million transactions/second. And now with Yi He holding an important position in the company, Binance has already been bringing upside momentum to the value of its in-house token, BNB.
Yi He is indeed one of the most respected and influentials persons in the Chinese Internet industry. Her involvement in OKCoin as a co-founder and the vice president until 2015 prompted the Bitcoin company to reach its prime. It was under her watch when OKCoin’s market share in the Chinese market jumped to 60%. During the same period, she was also interviewed by many mainstream media channels.
That being said, the Chinese cryptocurrency market can expect the same performance from Binance in the near-term future.
Upon leaving OKCoin at the end of 2015, Yi joined Yixia Technology, a 20billion RMB company, as their Vice President where she skillfully supervised the company’s and its subsidiaries’ product management and marketing operations. Yixia Technology has now become the leading company in Chinese mobile video market. Its famous products include Miao Pai, Xiao Ka Xiu, and Yi Zhi Bo.
The very next year, in 2016, Yi launched “Yi Zhi Bo”, a China-based live broadcasting platform which turned out to be the biggest broadcasting startup that same year.
Yi’s statements from her latest blog post reflect her commitment to the cryptocurrency industry as a whole. A translated excerpt:
“Cryptocurrency is known for more and more people now, and the whole blockchain asset industry has completed the whole translation from trading to application. The government of Japan has admitted the legalization of Bitcoin as a payment method. Australian Securities Exchange is considering use blockchain instead of clearing and settlement system; Ethereum introduced smart contract and open-source underlying system. This world is crazier than what you think, and I am part of this crazy world. Therefore, I would like to go back to my battlefield, join Binance, in order to complete my mission.”Gay men in straight relationships: The website helping those who 'fall out of the closet'
Updated
Michael O'Hanlon was your typical Australian man — married, three kids, living in the suburbs with a corporate job.
"Mortgage, four-bedroom house, the whole catastrophe," as he jokingly describes it.
He loved his wife and his children but by the time he reached his early 40s, he reluctantly realised he could no longer live with the huge secret he had been hiding for years.
He was gay.
"It was after the year 2000 actually, I remember being very unhappy around that time," he said.
"New Year's Eve, on deck for Y2K, thinking what the hell am I doing? You know, I've got to change my life somehow."
He said "a lot of us fall out of the closet", and the catalyst to his divorce was his wife reading a journal entry about his attraction to another man.
"I wrote about somebody I had fallen for at my work and my then wife read my journal, and that was Christmas and we had sort of separated by Easter," he said.
He is still close friends with his wife, who he rings several times a week. He said his two sons and daughter find it quite fashionable to have a gay dad.
Website provides safe space
Mr O'Hanlon said he sought out a Commonwealth-funded support group for gay and married men years before coming out, but could not make the leap.
"I thought 'hmm, that's what it looks like, these are other people in my situation', then I ran back and hid in the closet for another six years. It's a long process," he said.
Ultimately the forces keeping his sexuality a secret, such as a lack of gay role models and a strict Catholic mother, were overpowered by the need to be honest to himself and others.
Mr O'Hanlon is just one of many Australian men who have struggled to come out to their wife. He is now in his 60s and has left the corporate world to become a visual artist.
He used to help run a successful Melbourne support group for such men, but it was eventually shut down due to dwindling numbers.
Now to fill the gap, a website has been created called DALE (Digital Acceptance Learning and Empowerment) to give men like Mr O'Hanlon a safe place to share their feelings and get help from others, particularly those from regional areas or ethnic minorities.
'A pretty big population'
Caleb Hawk from the Victorian AIDS Council, which helps run the DALE project, said so far the site had attracted about 70 registered users and 10,000 unique visitors.
"One of the researchers that was looking at this population has done some modelling to actually suggest that there might be up to 17,000 men in Australia who are same-sex attracted and living in a heterosexual relationship or lifestyle," he said.
"When you think about that in the grand scheme of things that's actually a pretty big population for no service provision whatsoever targeting them."
Beyond Blue is leading the project with $200,000 of funding over two years from the annual Movember fundraising campaign to improve men's health.
Website visitors are being surveyed about their experience of anxiety and depression, as part of a broader research project at the University of New South Wales.
Mr Hawk said there was a knowledge gap when it came to same-sex attracted men living with wives or girlfriends.
"They've been very, very difficult to reach traditionally, and very few services have kept going really," he said.
"The only one standing is GAMMA [Gay and Married Men's Association] NSW providing face-to-face services."
He said about half of the men accessing the site had identified as bisexual, with an even mix of people from right across Australia.
But funding for the website will eventually run out, and Mr Hawk is hopeful governments will come on board and support its continued development.
Topics: lgbt, community-and-society, sexuality, melbourne-3000, vic
First postedHe was by some margin the most eagerly-anticipated signing of Inter’s summer transfer campaign, but Dalbert Henrique’s first three months in Italian football have not exactly been as successful or spectacular as most would have hoped (and expected).
The Brazilian was supposed to be the man who resolved the Nerazzurri’s long-standing problems in the left-back department once and for all, but so far he has been little more than a privileged spectator as Luciano Spalletti’s side have taken the 2017-18 Serie A season by storm, sitting just two points off the top of the table as November draws to a close.
Having been signed for a fee that could rise as high as €26m, Dalbert has made just six appearances in 14 games this season with a combined total of 283 minutes played, remaining an unused substitute in each of Inter’s last seven outings. His last game-time of any sort came all the way back on 1 October, when he came on for the final 5 minutes of Inter’s match away to Benevento.
Despite this, the 24 year-old does not regret the move he made in the summer and remains optimistic that he can make a success of his time at Inter, while also harbouring ambitions of breaking into the Brazilian national team in the near future.
Those were some of the subject matters that he discussed in an interview with France Football this week, which you can have a read of below.
Until very recently you were working in a supermarket, and now you’re playing in one of the best leagues in the world. Do you ever stop to think about that?
“It’s all happened very quickly. I’m fulfilling the dream that I had as a child. At the moment I’m playing in a very important club, but I have no intention of taking things slowly: I want to make a mark in Inter’s history and I also want to play for the Brazilian national team.”
Why did you decide to come to blows with Nice this summer [to force through a transfer to Inter against their will]?
“There are certain opportunities that only come along once. When I received Inter’s offer this summer my first thought was for my family; I wanted to guarantee them a safe and prosperous future. Then I started thinking about myself. I said to myself that this would have been an extraordinary experience for me, which could give me more visibility.
When I arrived at Nice the first thing I told the club was that I wanted to play for the Seleçao; playing for Inter gives you a better chance of being noticed and being called up. It’s a shame not everybody at Nice understood my decision.”
How did your team-mates at Nice react to what was going on?
“They were on my side. Had they been in my position they would have done the same as me. Some of them didn’t understand, but I had no choice, it was the only way I could succeed in getting my move. Nice didn’t respect my will and they didn’t show any sign that they were counting on me; it was because of these conditions that we ended up at loggerheads. At times I felt guilty about it but it was a necessary act. My conscience is clear.”
Did President [Jean-Pierre] Rivère disappoint you?
“The President is an understanding man. He understood where I was coming from but he also wanted to protect the interests of the club, which is normal. What disappointed me most was the lack of consideration the club gave me. They didn’t want to sell me, they wanted me to stay, but in that case they needed to nurture me, or at least entertain the possibility of improving the terms of my contract.
Instead they just told me: ‘you’ll come back from your holidays, you’ll train as normal and everything will be fine.’ They didn’t want to talk to other clubs but at the same time they didn’t offer me anything - that’s what convinced me to leave Nice.”
How did the supporters take your departure?
“Badly. In their eyes I’d been a traitor and they booed me in the match against Ajax [Nice’s Champions League qualifying tie that Dalbert played in before leaving]. That really got to me. I wouldn’t mind going back to Nice in the future, but I don’t think it’ll be possible. I gave everything for that shirt and I didn’t like seeing the fans get so annoyed.
Before I left for Inter I received a lot of threatening messages from them. They told me they wanted to break my legs, while some wanted to see me die. They even wrote to my wife on social networks. I saw all of their anger and it really struck me; it hurt me, and I hope it passes eventually.”
Are you still following Nice this season?
“I watch their matches whenever I can. I have a lot of friends there, such as Dante, and I hope they can do well.”
For sure the most revealing part of this interview is the part about his desire to establish a place in the Brazil squad, and how playing for Inter will hopefully give him enough visibility to achieve that.
While nobody can reproach Dalbert for wanting to represent his country - especially when the national team he is hoping to break into is the most prestigious national team of them all - I can’t exactly say that he has endeared himself to me with these comments.
What doesn’t sit entirely comfortably is that they give the impression that Dalbert has come to Inter for Brazil more than he has come to Inter for Inter. He’s excited at the thought of playing for this club, but when push comes to shove what interests him is nailing down a place in the Seleçao, which he believes can be achieved more easily by being here, because more people watch Inter than Nice.
We’re being used, basically.
Call me quixotic, but I’d like to think that the no. 1 priority of all of our players is Inter. We all know how much pride South American footballers in particular take in representing their country, but I don’t think the likes of Miranda, Matias Vecino or Mauro Icardi see us as a vessel through which to gain international recognition. Players should want to come to Inter because, well, it’s Inter; not because the club’s name can help you generate publicity for yourself back at home.
Perhaps I’m reading too much into Dalbert’s comments, but they do make you wonder if he’s willing to die for the cause in the same way that everybody else has been so far this season. The only way to earn international call-ups is by giving 100% for your club, staying humble and constantly looking to improve yourself in training; they’re not going to arrive just because you play for Inter.
#Spalletti: "Santon has played for Italy in the past, let's not forget that. Dalbert? Dalbert will turn up tomorrow and train even harder than he has already because evidently what he's done so far hasn't been enough. and then we'll see" — Serpents of Madonnina (@SerpentsOfInter) November 19, 2017
Spalletti’s comments after Inter’s game with Atalanta last Sunday hinted at a potential lack of determination or commitment from Dalbert, which is preventing him from making his way back into the starting XI. This interview would seem to fit nicely with what he said.
Whatever the issue has been so far, let’s hope Dalbert can force his way to the front of the queue soon, because it’s in everybody’s interests for him to do so.Reddit has just announced that they are now accepting Bitcoin as payment for their premium Reddit Gold service. As Reddit describes it, “reddit gold adds shiny extra features to your account that are made possible thanks to support from people like you,” including filtering specific subreddits, the ability to see more subreddits and comments per page, new comment highlighting, the ability to save comments, turn off ads, exclusive access to a “super-secret members-only community that may or may not exist” and, last but not least, a trophy. There is also an option to “gift” Reddit Gold to someone else, which is often used as a way of rewarding particularly good posts – sort of like a more official version of Bitcointip.
The payment processor that Reddit has chosen to use is Coinbase, a service which also recently made headlines for passing a 30-day volume of $1 million with its trademark Bitcoin exchange service which allows users to buy and sell bitcoins directly from their bank account. Coinbase has now also introduced an array of merchant tools which allow anyone to easily integrate Bitcoin acceptance into their site at no charge (although Coinbase’s standard 1% fee does apply if the merchant wishes to have the bitcoins automatically converted into USD).
The news came unexpectedly, as although the Bitcoin community did make repeated requests for Reddit to accept Bitcoin for their paid service in 2012, since December it seemed as though the cause was, at least for the time being, hopeless and the community’s requests have since died down. Now, it turns out that Reddit was in fact listening to the Bitcoin community’s requests all along, and their Bitcoin acceptance platform has now finally been unveiled. According to Alexa, Reddit is the 135th most visited site in the world, putting it as the second most prominent Bitcoin acceptor after WordPress, which comes in 22nd, and ahead of the Internet Archive, which places 232nd. This also introduces the new largest company to have dealings with Bitcoin through its subsidiaries: Advance Publications, with a revenue of $7.63 billion, taking over from Wuala‘s parent company LaCie, with a revenue of $500 billion. For Bitcoin, this comes as yet another great step forward. In 2011, nearly all serious businesses stayed away from Bitcoin, particularly wary of the reputation that the currency had during its fledgling days. Now, with every passing month larger and larger businesses are becoming willing to accept it. In November, WordPress. Now, Reddit. Given how secretive Reddit has been with their Bitcoin acceptance plans until today, the next company to step forward may come from a place where we least expect it.CW superhero series “The Flash” is adding two more DC Comics characters to its heroic roster.
The executive producers announced at Comic-Con on Saturday that the characters of Jay Garrick and Patty Spivot will appear on the series in season two, which will also feature Zoom as the big bad for the year — allowing the show to bring in characters from DC Comics’ Earth-2. Wally West will also make his debut at some point in season two, with an actor yet to be cast.
Comic-book aficionados know Jay as the first character to hold the mantle of The Flash, making his debut in the 1940s. Teddy Sears (“Masters of Sex”) will play the early speedster on the CW series. Eagle-eyed “Flash” fans may have spotted Jay’s iconic winged helmet in the season one finale. In the show, Jay is a mysterious figure who arrives in Central City to warn Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) and his team at S.T.A.R. Labs of an impending danger that he alone cannot hope to stop.
“Having Jay Garrick come onto the show was one of our earliest ideas,” executive producer Andrew Kreisberg said in a statement. “It is so exciting, as we rush into season two, that we finally get to bring the Crimson Comet to life. We couldn’t imagine anyone more suited to play the original Flash than Teddy.”
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Patty will be played by Shantel VanSanten. A more recent comics addition than Jay, Patty is a police officer and science enthusiast who catches the eye of Barry Allen. Patty is obsessed with metahumans and partners with Det. Joe West (Jesse L. Martin) this season but has no idea that her new crush is The Flash.
“We were huge fans of ‘The Messengers’ and are excited to have Shantel join us to help complicate Barry Allen’s love life in season two,” Kreisberg said.
“The Flash” panel at San Diego Comic-Con revealed further tidbits about the upcoming season, which will pick up “a few months” after the events of the season one finale. Gustin admitted that Barry will struggle with his role as a hero after the events of last season. “We find Barry dealing with some extra tension. He knows that Eddie [Rick Cosnett |
resource, not privatized, not owned by one man but instead used by many. The metaphysics is the same on the Left and on the Right: the sexuality of the woman actualized is the sexuality of the whore; desire on her part is the slut’s lust; once sexually available, it does not matter how she is used, why, by whom, by how many, or how often. Her sexual will can exist only as a will to be used. Whatever happens to her, it is all the same. If she loathes it, it is not wrong, she is.
What Dworkin is describing here is wimmin’s status as “commodities” in a sexual sense. The institution of marriage and that of “prostitution” are–in one sense–ultimately the same; distinguishable only by the moral compass of the right wing, or by the period of exclusivity and number of owners. The “left-wing” notions of “freedom” that Dworkin notes here were thrown out into the open, directly challenging the alternative “right-wing” method for sexual domination. In this sense, the modern view of sexuality does not really challenge the basic notion of what womynhood is: the state of being owned, used, or valued solely on the basis of existence as a sexual thing for men. What we have is merely a new interpretation of the old premise. In this way, wimmin can be freed from the kitchen, freed from the bedroom, and freed from the laundryroom, yet with ultimately no real consequence to their character. They are still wimmin, they still are valued as wimmin and in this line of thinking their responsibility, their social utility, is based on their ability to be sexually available to men; whether monopolized or democratized.
Dworkin also writes that:
The new pornography industry is held, by leftist males, to be inherently radical. Sex is claimed by the Left as a leftist phenomenon; the trade in women is most of sex. The politics of liberation are claimed as indigenous to the Left by the Left; central to the politics of liberation is the mass-marketing of material that depicts women being used as whores. The pimps of pornography are hailed by leftists as saviors and savants. Larry Flynt has been proclaimed a savior of the counterculture, a working-class hero, and even, in a full-page advertisement in The New York Times signed by distinguished leftist literati, an “American Dissident” persecuted as Soviet dissidents are. Hugh Hefner is viewed as a pioneer of sexual freedom who showed, in the words of columnist Max Lerner, “how the legislating of sexuality could be fought, how the absurd antiplay and anti-pleasure ethic could be turned into a stylish hedonism and a lifeway which includes play and playfulness along with work.” Lerner also credits Hefner with being a precursor of the women’s movement. On the Left, the sexually liberated woman is the woman of pornography. Free male sexuality wants, has a right to, produces, and consumes pornography because pornography is pleasure. Leftist sensibility promotes and protects pornography because pornography is freedom. The pornography glut is bread and roses for the masses. Freedom is the mass-marketing of woman as whore. Free sexuality for the woman is in being massively consumed, denied an individual nature, denied any sexual sensibility other than that which serves the male. Capitalism is not wicked or cruel when the commodity is the whore; profit is not wicked or cruel when the alienated worker is a female piece of meat; corporate bloodsucking is not wicked or cruel when the corporations in question, organized crime syndicates, sell cunt; racism is not wicked or cruel when the black cunt or yellow cunt or red cunt or Hispanic cunt or Jewish cunt has her legs splayed for any man’s pleasure; poverty is not wicked or cruel when it is the poverty of dispossessed women who have only themselves to sell; violence by the powerful against the powerless is not wicked or cruel when it is called sex; slavery is not wicked or cruel when it is sexual slavery; torture is not wicked or cruel when the tormented are women, whores, cunts. The new pornography is left-wing; and the new pornography is a vast graveyard where the Left has gone to die. The Left cannot have its whores and its politics too.
“Sex-positive feminism”, or in other words Dworkin’s “Left”, sought to position itself at the forefront of the evolution of patriarchy into something befitting the needs of modern political economy. It is distinctly liberal with its dismissal of collective struggle in favor of individualism and store-bought conception of wimmin’s liberation, and distinctly First Worldist with its complicity in furthering patterns of international exploitation with explicit or implicit support for sex tourism. With the global division between what has become the “marketplace of the world” in the First World, and the “storehouse and factory of the world” in the Third World, there is the perfect environment for new patriarchal relations to be the further advanced by liberal political movements. For example, ‘kink’ as a rather new development in contemporary “late-capitalist” sexuality, has been totally marketized. Established as an entirely new industry with its own marketable subculture, it has fed into the larger system of consumer gratification which is possible only in the First World at its current scale. Although these things of course exist in all corners of the globe, the epicenters of their development in the Third World have been fostered around the “sex-tourism” hotspots, which are built to serve the colonialist and child-hungry men of the west. The way that this correlates with the accusation of First-Worldism on the part of the liberal and “sex-positive” feminists of the global north is in the manner by which they extol these developments of “individual liberty” as being congruent with the needs for wimmin in the global south to achieve liberation, in total denial that this system constructed in the First World not only requires the subjugation of the south to accomplish, but further it has not produced any less of a violent and patriarchal society in the First World.
But to really delve deeper into what “sex-positive feminism” is at its core, we can look to defenses or explanations of the principles of “sex-positive feminism” from the proponents of it themselves. They all tend to converge toward the same basic argument, that of the centrality of the issue of “s–t shaming” [hereafter “sex shaming”]. For example, one such explanation of the basic tenets states that:
Essentially, sex-positive feminists argue that people should be able to engage in various sexual acts and have various sexual preferences free of shame as long as those preferences and acts are safe and consensual. By achieving sexual liberation, women cannot be shamed for their natural desire for sex which consequently mitigates social oppression. Slut-shaming [sic] is a common issue which sex-positive feminists aim to combat. A succinct definition of slut-shaming by Alon Levy is “the implication that if a woman has sex that traditional society disapproves of, she should feel guilty and inferior”.
The problem here is not whether sex shaming exists or not–it certainly does–the problem is in trying to understand how sex shaming relates to certain historical processes, what the role of sex shaming is in modern society, and how centering our understanding of liberation on decontextualized persynal choice as the supposed alternative to “sex shaming” actually covers up anti-womyn violence.
Men will find almost any reason to try and prove that “she really wanted it”, including sex shaming. In this way there are actually two distinct types of sex shaming: one born from an antiquated disagreement with modern sexual developments, and one born from rape culture. The problem arises when these two types are conflated and the whole thing is identified as the central principle of modern sexuality. When the enemy is identified as “traditional [old] society”, rather than every manifestation of patriarchy [new or old], we become little more than inadvertent accomplices for the modernization of patriarchy. When we ignore that the construction of narratives about promiscuity are either an artifact of a dying culture or a servant to the higher cause of rape culture, in favor of an analysis that identifies “sex shaming” as an autonomous social dynamic, we’re not actually getting to the root of the problem.
Within the framework of modern patriarchal sexuality, the male camp even has disagreements over sex shaming when it comes to the advancement of rape culture. Particularly illustrative, with over four times the amount of upvotes than the competition, the top-rated definition of “s–t shaming” on Urban Dictionary defines it as:
An unfortunate phenomenon in which people degrade or mock a woman because she enjoys having sex, has sex a lot, or may even just be rumored to participate in sexual activity. Often it’s accompanied by urban legends such as the common virgin misconception that the vagina becomes larger or looser with use — in fact, sex has no effect on vaginal size. However, since most people would rather women be MORE sexually active than less, slut shaming is counterproductive to the aims of most men and quite a few ladies. Guy 1: Ha ha Megan had sex with two guys, she’s such a SLUT! Guy 2: You idiot, do you want her to stop having sex? We should be encouraging this. Your slut shaming will simply discourage more women from sleeping with us and we will be virgins forever.
However ‘free’ and ‘liberated’ sexual attitudes have become in the last century, the fundamental nature of our sexual paradigm–that of the eroticization of dominance–remains intact. Subordination through victorian monogamy is now complimented by the wonderful new possibility of subordination through kinky polyamory. Such is the extent of capitalist ingenuity, the breadth of choice offered of the market, the grandiosity of bourgeois freedoms. A great deal of feminist activity has been wasted advancing the logic of capitalist society, rather than fighting for a sexuality truly orthogonal to patriarchy. No doubt new forms of capitalist sexuality are still to come, and no doubt “sex-positive” feminists will be on the front lines. Just as the overthrow of colonialism and the transition to neo-colonialism struck nerve with the “traditional” elements of white capitalist society, modern “sex-positive” feminism also excites some degree of hatred and scorn from “traditional” male capitalist society, yet still ultimately remains united with the basic principles of the system. In contrast, the roots of a modern revolutionary feminism lie in the identification of changing sexual mores as “progress” only in the bourgeois sense.
When not exalting liberal notions of “free speech” and decrying “censorship”, almost all criticisms of so-called “sex-negative” feminist analysis converge toward sneered accusations of “right-wing puritanism”. Typifying this, an article entitled Pornography and the Sex Censor by Cathy Crosson, published in the theoretical journal of the U.S.-based trotskyist organization Solidarity, describes the work of the (apparently overly inhibited) Dworkin and MacKinnon as: “deeply conservative”, “gender-hating”, “anti-sex”, “authoritarian”, and “Victorian feminism”. It also reproduces the conclusion of Nadine Strossen’s book Defending Pornography that “the procensorship feminist philosophy is a carbon copy of the right-wing view of sexuality and gender roles”. In the reduction of all disagreement to the simple issue of “prudery”, we observe that “sex-positive” feminism is blinded by the dynamic between new and old sexuality. It demonstrates a failure to comprehend the possibility of any criticism of sexuality that identifies male domination regardless of the historically superficial characteristics produced by and for each unique patriarchal social formation.
Any theory must be tested through its explanatory capacity, and our understanding of the political economy behind modern sexual development gives us the tools to answer Crosson’s attempt at an empirical criticism:
[It] is empirically false that sexual materials cause violence and sexism in any important sense. No reputable scientific evidence supports such a causal link. The cross-cultural evidence against the notion that pornography causes violence and discrimination is particularly compelling. Strossen cites numerous studies indicating that if anything, censorship of sexual expression correlates negatively with gender equality. Saudi Arabia strictly bans pornography, and China, where death sentences are imposed for trafficking in pornography and women are subjected to forced abortions, is hardly a model of women’s liberation. On the other hand, the cultures most tolerant of erotic materials-such as Denmark and Sweden-have achieved greater gender equality than any of the more sexually repressive societies in the West.
In the ‘old capitalist’ societies of the imperialist metropoles, capitalist sexuality has had a comparatively long time to develop. However, in ‘new capitalist’ societies of the periphery where capitalism is younger, the proliferation of “gender egalitarianism” (according to bourgeois standards) is less advanced. Along with the need for markets built around sex to be expanded (and for sexual attitudes to follow), all wimmin need to be sent out of the home where they can contribute to the economy in a way that is directly visible to capital by producing surplus value or helping in the realization of surplus value stolen through imperialism in varying degrees. Crosson is unable to identify the historical causes behind the differing political conditions of sexuality throughout the world, and thus mistakes the correlative relationship between “progressive” attitudes towards pornography and other “gender egalitarian” practices, as a causative relationship. Capitalist ‘underdevelopment’ causing attendant sexual ‘underdevelopment’ does not mean that pornography is an anti-patriarchal force for feminism; only that the complete marketization of society is still in progress. Opposition to ‘new sexuality’, contraception, and other stunted examples of equality within the limits of the left-liberal paradigm all correlate together, because these things form a web of mutually reinforcing and internally consistent set of practices for a sexuality that serves a specific mode of production. As Angel Archer points out:
The ideology of liberal democracy—of capital—has the tendency to equalize all work. For profits to be accumulated from trade in commodities (which are the product of applied labor-power), labor-power in the abstract must necessarily have the ability to be freely bought and sold—to be commanded by capital. The kinds of arbitrary restrictions on civil rights opposed by porn viewers—such as preventing some women from working outside their homes—do not follow the long term logic of the accumulation of capital. Porn viewers, consuming media which is a technologically advanced product of sexual labor, therefore tend to hold ideologies which are more advanced from the perspective of capital’s ability to extract value from gendered labor.
In short, “sex-positive” feminism represents an incredibly stunted view of liberation imported from the advancement of capitalist culture and industry.The Winnipeg Jets have never won a division title, and it’s been over ten years since the Atlanta Thrashers claimed one.
With a playoff spot still on the to-do list for the Jets, projecting a division title would seem premature. For the Jets, however, 2017-18 represents their best opportunity yet to claim the Central crown.
Stop laughing for a minute and bear with me.
By all accounts, there are division titles in the Jets’ future. They are a young, up-and-coming team with their best years ahead of them and their best players all entering or well short of their primes. While their claim on the 2019 Stanley Cup is shaky, they seem destined for big things, as long as they can keep the core together.
Now, as much as the future may be bright, it seems too early to predict the Jets topping the ultra-competitive Central. Yet it can be done. This article will make no guarantees on the subject, but based on factors both internal and external, the Jets could do it this year.
Lots of things will need to go right for the Jets, and here and there some things may need to go wrong for their opponents. By no means, however, is a Central Division title a pipe dream.
While the Iron is Hot
The Jets look better on paper than they have since they arrived in Winnipeg, and maybe even in franchise history. The playoffs are no longer a distant goal but an expectation. As good as the team looks on paper, there are six other teams competing for the division’s top spot, and if those teams all ice their best rosters, the Jets won’t earn that distinction.
However, the Central has never looked so wide open and chaotic. The Jets should strike while the iron is hot because their competition may never be this spread out again.
Chicago Blackhawks
For starters, the Chicago Blackhawks won the Central Division and the Western Conference last season, but a playoff sweep at the hands of the Nashville Predators exposed some holes. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are now on the wrong side of 30.
The offseason was unkind to the Blackhawks. Trading Artemi Panerin and Niklas Hjalmarsson is debatable, but whether you believe the Hawks got equal value for them or not (many do not), they received no immediate value in trading Trevor van Riemsdyk or Scott Darling. And depth on defense is a concern.
Taking a look at the Blackhawks offseason moves pic.twitter.com/liebfou0lG — DL (@davelozo) July 17, 2017
As for the depth up front, no team that has Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane will struggle, but the unexpected and bizarre loss of Marian Hossa hurts. Perhaps the Hawks’ inexhaustible farm system could alleviate the loss, but there’s no denying this offseason has hit the Blackhawks where they live.
But then, we’ve said that before, haven’t we?
Colorado Avalanche
As for the Colorado Avalanche, no one is entertaining the idea of them becoming division champions. Even the most optimistic observers have them barely squeaking into the playoffs. That is assuming everything goes right.
The Avs made a few token moves this offseason, good ones by and large, but not drastic ones. Expect this to be a rebuilding year for them.
Dallas Stars
Dallas is the Central’s most improved team in the offseason but they also had the most room for improvement. The additions of Alexander Radulov and Martin Hanzal improve what was already impressive forward depth. In goal, Ben Bishop is an undeniable upgrade.
Dallas’ defense, however, remains a question mark. At forward they’re one of the few teams in the NHL with the horses to match Winnipeg, but their D falls well short of the Jets. Can the Stars outscore their defensive woes?
Dallas will lose every game 6-7, but it will be entertaining. https://t.co/zZCT3eXLWt — Frank The Turtle (@LavysTurtle) July 3, 2017
If the Stars were competing for the title of “most entertaining team” they’d be in the running. As for the Central they, like the Jets, are a darkhorse candidate.
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild will be largely the same team they were in 2016-17: deep at all positions, but wildly inconsistent.
As older players like Zach Parise and Mikko Koivu begin to wind down, younger players like Charlie Coyle and Nino Niederreiter will continue to step up.
The Wild will be one of the tougher challenges the Jets face if they’re to win the Central, but they can be beaten. Much like the Blackhawks, they had tough playoffs last year that exposed some weaknesses. And if Devan Dubnyk were to be hurt at any point, the Wild would be a mess.
Nashville Predators
All right, how could anyone doubt a team fresh off a Stanley Cup Final appearance and with one of the best defense corps in the NHL?
Poking holes in the Predators is going to be tough and unpopular, but they have lost James Neal, Colin Wilson and (as of now) Mike Fisher up front. Nick Bonino and Scott Hartnell are unlikely to replace them adequately. The biggest worry with the Preds? The dreaded Stanley Cup Finals hangover. Well, that and, like the Wild, the Preds are an injury to their goalie away from being in real trouble.
But, also like the Wild, the Preds promise to be tough competition for whoever challenges for first in the Central.
St. Louis Blues
The Blues finished right in the middle of the Central Division’s playoff spots last year, and this year seems to promise more of the same.
I have to give the Blues credit for somehow swindling the Philadelphia Flyers out of Brayden Schenn early in the offseason. His five-on-five troubles are eyebrow raising, but if he puts up the kind of numbers he did last season in St. Louis, the trade will look pretty good.
St. Louis has some depth concerns, something I never thought I’d say about them two years ago. There’s a clear drop-off from Vladimir Tarasenko to their next best forwards. After Schenn, Alex Steen and Jaden Schwartz there’s another drop-off.
Debate amongst yourselves what the loss of Ryan Reaves will do to the team, but when your big offseason signing is Chris Thorburn you may not have done your best to stay competitive. However, give full credit to the Blues for signing Colton Parayko, but the Blues’ defense is no longer the pillar of strength it was during the years they sat atop the division.
And in goal? Well, Jake Allen was brilliant at times but shaky at others, and Carter Hutton is not going to alleviate much of the pressure. The Blues are talented but vulnerable.
Opportunity for Winnipeg
The purpose here was not to slag or underestimate the Jets’ division rivals. Rather, the aim was to point out that none of these teams is flawless or can really be called the undisputed favorite. The Central is wide open. Make no mistake, the Jets are not the favorites either. If they’re going to win, everything is going to have to go right.
Remember the incredible season Mark Scheifle just put up? He’ll have to do that again or even better. The 36 goals Patrik Laine sniped as a rookie? He’ll need to equal or better those totals. Nikolaj Ehlers is going to need to keep moving forward. So is Kyle Connor. Blake Wheeler, Bryan Little and Mathieu Perreault, the wily vets, will need big years. All of these players will need to stay healthy.
Tyler Myers will need to play a full season the way he played in his 11 games last year. And neither Jacob Trouba nor Josh Morrissey, both still young, can afford any sort of step back. And the help the Jets brought in via free agency will need to live up to their contracts.
In goal, one or both of Steve Mason and Connor Hellebuyck will need to have huge nights and occasionally steal games. And, this most of all, Paul Maurice and his coaching staff will need to implement a system that works with the speedy young talent they have up front, rather than holding them back.
That’s an awful lot of factors that need to go well, but looking at them, nothing is unrealistic. The Jets have never been in a better position going into a season, and the mighty Central Division has never looked so open. Perhaps the young Jets can take advantage and sit atop the division a few years ahead of schedule.Share
We are a couple weeks into Spring Training and still a month from the start of the season, so it is not too early to speculate on the final roster. With all the questions about our new lord and savior Brock Stassi in my Good Phight Mailbag, I decided to revisit the 40 man roster and how it dictates the roster decisions. My goal here is not to predict a final roster, but to outline the consequences to decisions.
I see 22 spots locked up on the Phillies 25 man roster right now.
Starting Lineup (8): Rupp, Joseph, Hernandez, Galvis, Franco, Kendrick, Herrera, Saunders
Bench (3): Knapp, Altherr, Blanco
I don’t know if Knapp really is a better option than Hannigan, but to take the veteran the Phillies would need to waive a player and force Knapp into a bad place in AAA. Altherr is the only player other than Herrera who can play center field.
Starters (5): Hellickson, Eickhoff, Buchholz, Nola, Velasquez
Relievers (6): Neris, Gomez, Benoit, Ramos, Neshek, Rodriguez
Ramos has been better than anyone who could beat him out for a spot. While Burnett and Cesar Ramos could argue they are equal to Joely Rodriguez, the Phillies would essentially have to waive Rodriguez if he didn’t make the team and that isn’t worth it for a journeyman spot.
Beyond the major league roster there are some locks to go to the minors. The first category is the elite level guys who just don’t have room in the majors right now. The other is the newly added players, as none of them have done anything in the past few weeks to have the Phillies decide to expose them to waivers if they weren’t going to expose them to the Rule 5 draft.
Veteran 40 maners (4): Thompson, Eflin, Alfaro, Quinn
New 40 maners (10): Appel, Anderson, E. Garcia, Lively, Pinto, Pivetta, Tirado, Valentin, Cozens, Williams
Now if you have done the math that is 36 spots on the 40 man roster locked up and 3 spots on the major league roster to be filled. That leaves these guys.
The Others: L. Garcia, Asher, Morgan, Goeddel
I think the Phillies have Asher a step above the other 3, but I have him over the locks because he is the most expendable of the players who have been around a while. So now we have the spots to fill on the major league roster. Luckily enough, the three bench players already locked in give us a C, SS, and CF as well as two switch hitters and a righty bat, so the two bench players can come from any positions. As for the bullpen, a lefty would get more priority but it doesn’t look like it needs to be a lefty. So here are the contenders (*40 man roster)
Hitters: Hannigan, Florimon, Gomez, Stassi, Coghlan, Nava, Perkins, Valentin*
Pitchers: Morgan*, Asher*, Garcia*, Beato, Mariot, Ramos, Murray, Burnett
We already know the Phillies need to clear 1 spot to complete the major league bench, and I feel safe saying that spot is Luis Garcia’s. So let’s lay out some scenarios.
Do No Harm:
In: Valentin, Stassi/Coghlan/other, Morgan/Asher
Out: L. Garcia
If the Phillies only want to waive one player they have take Jesmuel Valentin on their bench and carry one of the 40 man pitchers as a reliever. It is not ideal for Valentin’s development or putting the best Phillies team on the field, but Valentin has hit enough and has the defensive flexibility to make it justifiable. The modified version of this plan is to waive Morgan for a left handed reliever.
I am Sorry Tyler Goeddel:
In: Coghlan, Stassi/other, Morgan/Asher
Out: L. Garcia, Goeddel
Goeddel needs a year in AAA, but with the Phillies outfield depth and his poor spring, he could find himself on the outside looking in. It is almost certain he would be claimed on waivers given that he has 3 options still remaining, so I see a trade for cash considerations happening. Once again you could swap Morgan out for a non-roster lefty.
Who Needs Two Lefties?:
In: Coghlan, Stassi/other, Asher
Out: L. Garcia, Morgan
The Phillies get to keep Tyler Goeddel to evaluate in AAA. The cost is that they only get one major league lefty and Alec Asher is the long man. It isn’t what Mackanin is looking for, but it might be the best management of resources.
Burn It All Down:
In: Coghlan, Stassi/other, Ramos/Burnett
Out: L. Garcia, 2 of Goeddel/Asher/Morgan
The Phillies just waive three players and take a team north with some age on it. The likely survivor here is probably Asher, though he has the highest chance of being flipped for something that is not horrid and not on a 40 man roster.
In the end the math is simple, but the decision may not be. If someone is hurt short term then the roster becomes near unworkable.Philadelphia Union today announced that the club has acquired Algerian international and World Cup veteran goalkeeper Rais Mbolhi. Mbolhi, 28, recently led Algeria to the knockout round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup for the first time in his country’s history. His 11 save performance in the round of 16 against eventual champion Germany helped push the game into overtime. Though Algeria eventually lost 2-1, Mbolhi earned Man of the Match honors. The goalkeeper will be eligible to play for the Union upon receipt of his ITC. Per MLS and club policy, terms of the deal will not be disclosed.
A citizen of both France and Algeria, Mbolhi earned call-ups to the French U-17 and U-18 National Teams before making his debut for Algeria in 2010. He starred for Algeria in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, keeping a clean sheet in his debut against England. Mbohli was also in net against the United States, the game in which Landon Donovan's famous goal in the 91st minute sent the United States to the knockout stage. That goal was the lone goal conceded by Mbohli in the tournament, though Algeria unfortunately did not advance past the group stage.
Mbohli comes to the Union from CSKA Sofia, one of the top teams in the Bulgarian A Football Group. He began his career in France with Marseille and made stops in Greece and Japan before signing on with Slavia Sofia in Bulgaria in 2009, where he garnered the League’s Best Goalkeeper honors. In 2010, Mbolhi was loaned to CSKA Sofia. Over the next three seasons he made appearances for Krylia Sovetov in Russia and Gazelec Ajaccio in Corsica before returning to CSKA Sofia in 2013.
Additionally, the Union have also waived goalkeeper Brian Holt.
Player: Rais Mbolhi
Pronunction: Rye-ees M-Bowl-e
Position: Goalkeeper
Height: 6-3
Weight: 176 lbs
Date of Birth: April 25, 1986
Age: 28
Hometown: Bordj Bou Arreridj, Algeria
Birthplace: Paris, France
Last Club: CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria)1. This is not a pox-on-both-your-houses situation. The Republicans planned this shutdown and carried it out.
Last Monday, on the eve of the shutdown, Rachel Maddow showed the tapes of one Republican candidate after another making campaign speeches about shutting down the government and being cheered for it. That never happens on the Democratic side. No Democratic candidate for Congress tells his crowds he’s going to shut down the government and expects to get a cheer. Rachel summarized:
What is happening tonight is happening tonight because this is what Republicans want to do. This is what they promised to do. … Elect Republicans and they will burn the place down and they will laugh while they do it and have a great time.
The Daily Beast’s David Freedlander talked to a number of Republican donors from the banking industry, who said Rep. Walden (chair of the National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee, which wants their money) told them “We have to do this because of the Tea Party.” (An NRCC spokesman denies Walden said that.)
Jonathan Chait traces the Republicans’ post-2012-defeat strategy to a meeting in January.
If you want to grasp why Republicans are careening toward a potential federal government shutdown, and possibly toward provoking a sovereign debt crisis after that, you need to understand that this is the inevitable product of a conscious party strategy. Just as Republicans responded to their 2008 defeat by moving farther right, they responded to the 2012 defeat by moving right yet again. Since they had begun from a position of total opposition to the entire Obama agenda, the newer rightward lurch took the form of trying to wrest concessions from Obama by provoking a series of crises.
The first element of the strategy is a kind of legislative strike. Initially, House Republicans decided to boycott all direct negotiations with President Obama, and then subsequently extended that boycott to negotiations with the Democratic Senate. (Senate Democrats have spent months pleading with House Republicans to negotiate with them, to no avail.) This kind of refusal to even enter negotiations is highly unusual. The way to make sense of it is that Republicans have planned since January to force Obama to accede to large chunks of the Republican agenda, without Republicans having to offer any policy concessions of their own.
2. This “budget” showdown has nothing to do with the budget. Both sides agree on the spending number that should be in the continuing resolution.
That’s because Democrats agreed to the Republicans’ number. In other words, the only genuine concession in this process has come from the Democrats. John Boehner could have taken that concession, passed a continuing resolution to avoid the shutdown, and then called a press conference to declare victory. Instead he shut down the government.
3. The threat not to raise the debt ceiling is unprecedented, except for when these same Republicans made the same threat in 2011.
Posturing about the debt ceiling is perennial: “Look how profligate the party in power is. They’ve run up so much debt we have to raise the ceiling.” But making a credible threat not to raise the debt ceiling unless your legislative demands are met? No. That is an absolutely new tactic in American politics.
Slate’s David Weigel goes through all the alleged examples of the Democrats threatening the debt ceiling. In 1981, Tip O’Neil tried to get President Reagan to promise that Republicans wouldn’t use a debt-ceiling vote against incumbent Democrats in the next election cycle (i.e., no policy demands), but passed it in plenty of time. In 1984, a Democratic committee chair blocked a debt ceiling bill for one day, seeking defense spending cuts. He was roundly criticized for “brinksmanship” and backed down.
That’s it. Dozens of other times Democratic majorities in Congress have passed debt-ceiling increases proposed by Republican presidents without making an issue of it.
If Democrats accepted the tactic Republicans are using, the September, 2007 debt-ceiling increase would have been an opportunity for Nancy Pelosi to demand deficit-reducing changes like a repeal of the Bush tax cuts or an end to Iraq War. But that didn’t happen, because Democrats don’t operate by extortion.
4. Republicans have redefined he words negotiate and compromise.
ThinkProgress’ Judd Legum summed up the Republican “negotiation”:
Can I burn down your house?
No
Just the 2nd floor?
No
Garage?
No
Let’s talk about what I can burn down.
No
YOU AREN’T COMPROMISING!
In a real compromise, both sides give something and both sides get something. So far, the Democrats have been offered nothing.
In the 2011 crisis, President Obama repeatedly tried to negotiate a “grand bargain” with Speaker Boehner that would knock trillions off the long-term deficit. That failed, and the “supercommitte” negotiations that were supposed to replace the sequester failed, on the same point: Republicans insisted there could be no tax increases in the deficit reduction plan. Zero. During one Republican presidential debate, the candidates were asked whether they would accept a 10-to-1 ratio of spending cuts to tax increases. All said no.
Since April, Harry Reid has been trying to form a conference committee so that the House and Senate can work out a budget compromise. The Republicans have refused to appoint their conferees, preferring to wait until they had the “leverage” of a government shutdown and debt default. The point here is exactly what Chait said above: to extort concessions out of the Democrats without offering any concessions of their own. “OK then, half the ransom” is not a concession, no matter what Ted Cruz says.
5. The principle at stake is majority rule.
I talked about this in detail last week. Speaker Boehner wants to tell the story that the shutdown represents a disagreement between two branches of government that have conflicting popular mandates: The public elected President Obama, but it also elected a Republican House of Representatives.
That’s not what this is about at all. If it were, Boehner could bring the Senate’s clean continuing resolution to the House floor for a vote and defeat it. He can’t do that, because given the chance the people’s representatives would pass it. In blocking that resolution, Boehner does not represent the majority of the House, he only represents “the majority of the majority”, i.e. a minority.
The entire give-us-what-we-want-or-we’ll-burn-the-house-down strategy is against all American ideals of democracy. The constitutional way to pass a law (or repeal a law you don’t like) is to do what the Democrats did to pass ObamaCare in the first place: Win not just a majority in the House, but also a substantial majority in the Senate (to overcome a filibuster, which the Founders never envisioned), and win the White House (to avoid a veto). The Republicans can’t do that, because they are a minority. (Even their House candidates collectively got a million fewer votes than the Democrats in 2012.)
6. Don’t believe the leak that John Boehner won’t allow a debt-ceiling default.
Thursday the NYT quoted multiple anonymous Republican congressmen saying that Boehner had told them he wouldn’t allow a default. But Matt Yglesias points out that Boehner has been saying such things all along, while also saying the opposite.
Boehner’s position, dating back to 2011, has been twofold. On the one hand he says that failing to raise the debt ceiling would be catastrophic and that he favors avoiding catastrophe. On the other hand he says that he requires unrelated public policy concessions in order to agree to a measure that he himself says he supports.
It is, in other words, the classic suicide hostage strategy: Do what I want or I’ll detonate the bomb strapped to my chest. This has always been Boehner’s position.
For example, on Friday Boehner said:
I don’t believe that we should default on our debt. It’s not good for our country. But after 55 years of spending more than what you bring in, something ought to be addressed. I think the American people expect if we’re going to raise the amount of money we can borrow, we ought to do something about our spending problem and the lack of economic growth in our country.
In other words, he wants concessions. And notice: Boehner doesn’t suggest doing something about the deficit, which has a revenue side. He only wants to discuss “our spending problem”. So he’s seeking spending cuts with no tax increases, the same no |
conference in Aix-en-Chapelle to bring the war to an end. The process was advanced by the capture of Maastricht by the Maréchal de Saxe on 10 April 1748. Britain, pressed by the threat of a French invasion of rest of the Netherlands, urged a quick settlement, despite objections from Austria and Sardinina. The Treaty was quickly negotiated and signed by all the parties in September and October 1748. Louis was also eager for a quick settlement, because the naval war with Britain was extremely costly to French maritime trade. The proposition of Louis was surprisingly generous; in the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, Louis offered to return all of the territories he had conquered in the Netherlands to the Austrians, Maastricht to the Dutch, Nice and Savoy to the Sardinians, and Madras in India to the English. The Austrians would give the Duchy of Parma and some other territory to the infant Spanish King, Philippe, while Britain would give France Louisburg and the island of Cape Breton, both in Nova Scotia. France also agreed to expel the Stuart pretender to the English throne from its territory.[50]
The end of the war had caused celebration in Paris, but the publication of the details of the treaty on 14 January 1749 caused dismay and anger. The Stuart pretender to the British throne refused to leave Paris and was acclaimed by the Parisians. He was finally arrested on 10 December 1748, and transported by force to Switzerland. The French military commanders, including De Saxe, were furious about giving up the Spanish Netherlands. The King's defense of his action was practical: he did not want the Netherlands to be a permanent source of contention between France and other powers; he also felt that France had already reached its proper borders, and it was better to cultivate its prosperity rather than make it larger. His basis was also religious; he had been taught by Fleury that the Seventh Commandment forbade taking the property of others by fraud or violence. Louis often cited a Latin maxim declaring, "if anyone who asks by what means he can best defend a kingdom, the answer is, by never wishing to augment it." He also received support from Voltaire, who wrote, "It seems better, and even more useful for the court of France to think about the happiness of its allies, rather than to be given two or three Flemish towns which would have been the eternal object of jealousy."[51] The King did not have the communication skills to explain his decision to the French public, and did not see any need to do so. The news that the king had restored the Southern Netherlands to Austria was met with disbelief and bitterness. The French obtained so little of what they had fought for that they adopted the expressions Bête comme la paix ("Stupid as the peace") and Travailler pour le roi de Prusse ("To work for the king of Prussia", i.e. working for nothing).[52]
Queen, children, and the first mistresses [ edit ]
Between 1727 and 1737, the Queen gave birth to two sons and eight daughters. The first son, born 4 September 1729, became the dauphin and heir to the throne, though he did not live to rule. The second son, the Duke of Anjou, born in 1730, died in 1733. Only the two oldest daughters were raised at Versailles; the others were sent away to be raised at the Abbey of Fontevrault. The first-born daughter, called Madame Premiere, was married to the infant Philip of Spain, the second son of Philip of Spain and Elisabeth Farnese.
Louis had been very much in love with the Queen, and they were inseparable in the early years of his reign, but as his family grew and the Queen was constantly pregnant or exhausted by her maternities, he began to look elsewhere. He first became attached to one of the ladies of the Queen's court, Louise Julie de Mailly, who was the same age as he and from an ancient noble family. Without courtship or ceremony he made her his mistress and raised her to the rank of Duchess. The Duke of Luynes commented on the King's behavior: "The King loves women, and yet there is absolutely no gallantry in his spirit."[53] In 1738, after the Queen lost an unborn child, her doctors forbade her to have relations with the King for a time. The King was offended by her refusal and thereafter never shared her bed. Acknowledging that he was committing adultery, Louis refused thereafter to go to confession and to take the sacrament. The Cardinal de Fleury tried to persuade him to confess and to give up his mistress, but without success.
In 1740, the King turned his attentions to the sister of Louise-Joulie, Pauline-Félicité, the Marquise de Vintimille, who was married. Pauline-Félicité became pregnant by the King at the end of the year. Both the child and mother died in childbirth. The King went into mourning and for a time turned to religion for consolation.[54] When the King had finally recovered his spirits, the Countess of Mailly unwisely introduced the King to her youngest sister, Marie Anne de Mailly, the recent widow of the Marquis de Tournelle. The King was immediately attracted to Marie-Anne; however, she insisted that he expel her older sister from the Court before she would become his mistress. The King gave in, and on 4 October 1742, Marie-Anne was named a Lady of the Court of the Queen, and a month later the King ordered her older sister to leave the Court and to live in Paris. The King made his new mistress the Duchess of Châteauroux. The King's relationships with the three sisters became a subject of gossip in the court and in Paris, where a popular comic poem was recited, ending: "Choosing an entire family – is that being unfaithful, or constant?"[55]
In June 1744, the king left Versailles for the front in order to take personal command of his armies fighting in the War of the Austrian Succession. This otherwise popular move was marred by the king's indiscreet decision to bring along Marie-Anne de Mailly. In August, the king fell gravely ill in Metz. Death appeared imminent, and public prayers were held all across France to ask God to save the king from death. The king's chaplain refused to give him absolution unless the king renounced his mistress, which he did; Marie-Anne left the court but was reunited with the King a few months later. The king's confession was distributed publicly, which embarrassed him and tarnished the prestige of the monarchy. Although Louis' recovery earned him the epithet "well-beloved" from a public relieved by his survival, the events at Metz diminished his standing. The military successes of the War of the Austrian Succession inclined the French public to overlook Louis' adulteries, but after 1748, in the wake of the anger over the terms of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, pamphlets against the king's mistresses were widely distributed and read.
Madame de Pompadour [ edit ]
Madame de Pompadour
Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, better known as Madame de Pompadour, was the most famous and influential of the mistresses of Louis XV. She was the illegitimate daughter of a Paris fernier-general, and was married to a banker, Charles Guillaume Lenormant d'Étoiles. She was noticed by the King following one of his hunts, and formally met him at a costume ball celebrating carnival in 1745. By July, she was the King's mistress and was formally given the title of the Marquise de Pompadour. For the next twenty years she was the King's confidante and advisor, helping him choose or demote ministers. Her opinions led to the downfall of some very competent ministers, including Machault d'Aurnouville and the Marquis d'Argenson, and to the promotion of a number of incompetent military commanders. Her most successful choice was the promotion of The Duke de Choiseul, who became one of the King's most effective ministers. She ceased to be the King's mistress in 1750 but remained his closest advisor. She was promoted to Duchess in 1752, and Dame of the Queen's Palace in 1756, and was an important patron of music and the arts, as well as religious establishments. She remained close to the King until her death in 1764. He was devastated and remained in seclusion for several weeks after she died.[56]
Debut of the Seven Years' War [ edit ]
The peace achieved by Louis with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle lasted only seven years. At the end of August, 1755, Marie Therese, the Empress of Austria, discreetly wrote a letter to Louis XV, which was passed by the Austrian ambassador in Paris to Madame de Pomapadour for delivery to the King. She proposed a secret alliance between Austria and France, to meet the threats of the growing power of Prussia, which was still formally an ally of France, and Britain.[57]
In the New World, conflict had already begun between Britain and France. The French colonies were at an enormous demographic disadvantage; there were less than 70,000 French colonists spread over a territory from the Saint Lawrence River to the Great Lakes extending down the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys down to Louisiana (named for Louis's grandfather, Louis XIV); compared with 300,000 in the British colonies. To defend its territories. France had constructed Fort Duquesne to defend their frontier against the Americans; Britain sent the young George Washington with a small force to construct his own fortification, Fort Necessity, nearby. In 1752, after the killing of French envoy, Joseph Coulon de Jumonville, the French sent reinforcements and compelled Washington and his men to withdraw.[58]
The undeclared French and Indian War followed, with Britain treating the French colonies as an enemy. In 1755, the British seized 300 French merchant ships. In January 1756, Louis sent an ultimatum to London, which was rejected by the British government. A few months later, on 16 January 1756, Frederick the Great of Prussia signed the Treaty of Westminster, allying himself with Britain. Louis responded immediately on 1 May 1756 by sealing a formal defensive treaty with Austria, the first Treaty of Versailles, offering to defend Austria in case of a Prussian attack. This was a complete reversal of France's historic conflict with Austria, which had been underway for nearly two hundred years, and it was shocking to many in the French Court.[59]
Louis declared war on England on 9 June 1756, and success seemed certain. A French fleet in the Mediterranean defeated the British at the Battle of Minorca of 1756, and captured that island. The French army greatly outnumbered the British and Prussians on the continent. The French army won the surrender of the British forces of the Duke of Comberland at Closterseven. Another French army invaded Saxony and Hanover, the ancestral home of King George II. However, the best French commander, Maurice de Saxe, had died two years after the War of the Austrian Succession, and the new French commanders, Charles, Prince of Soubise, the Duke D'Estrees and the Duke de Broglie detested each other, and were rarely willing to cooperate.[60]
In August Frederick of Prussia made a lightning strike into Saxony and on 5 November 1757, though outnumbered by the French nearly two to one, decisively defeated the army of the Prince de Soubise at the Battle of Rossbach. The new British Prime Minister, William Pitt, named a new commander, Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, and the French armies were gradually pushed back to the Rhine, and defeated again at the Battle of Crefield on 23 June. Thereafter, Britain and Prussia held the upper hand, tying down the French army in the German states along the Rhine.[61]
British naval supremacy prevented France from reinforcing its colonies overseas, and British naval squadrons raided the French coast at Cancale and Le Havre and landed on the Ile d'Aix and Le Havre. In 1759 the British seized Martinique and Guadeloupe in the West Indies, and captured Port Louis and Quebec. A series of naval defeats forced Louis to abandon plans for invasion of Britain. In India, the French colony at Pondicherry was surrounded by the British, and surrendered the following year. On 8 September 1760, Montreal surrendered, bringing to an end French rule in Canada. Martinique fell to the British in 1762.[62]
Assassination attempt [ edit ]
On 5 January 1757, as the King was getting into his carriage in the courtyard of the Grand Trianon Versailles, a demented man, Robert-François Damiens, pushed through the King's guards and attacked the King, stabbing him in the side with a small knife. The King's guards seized Damien, and the King ordered them to hold him but not harm him. The King walked up the steps to his rooms at the Trianon, where he found he was bleeding seriously. He summoned his doctor and a priest, and then fainted.[63] Louis was saved from greater harm by the thickness of the winter clothing he was wearing. When the news reached Paris, anxious crowds gathered in the streets. The Pope and the Empress of Austria and King George II, with whom France was at war, sent messages hoping for his swift recovery. Damien was tortured to see if he had accomplices, and was tried before the Parlement of Paris, which had been the most vocal critic of the King. The Parlement demonstrated its loyalty to the King by sentencing Damiens to the most severe possible penalty; On 28–29 March 1757 Damien was executed on the Place de Grève in Paris by drawing and quartering, following which his body was burned on a bonfire. The house where he was born was burned down, his father, wife and daughter were banished from France, and his brothers and sisters were required to change their name.[64][65] The King recovered physically very quickly, but the attack had a depressive effect on his spirits. One of his chief courtiers, Duford de Chervrny, wrote afterwards: "it was easy to see that when members of the court congratulated him on his recovery, he replied, 'yes, the body is going well', but touched his head and said, 'but this goes badly, and this is impossible to heal.' After the assassination attempt, the King invited his heir, the Dauphin, to attend all of the Royal Council meetings, and quietly closed down the chateau at Versailles where he had met with his short-term mistresses."[66]
Rebellion of the Parlements [ edit ]
The Parlements were assemblies of nobles in Paris and older regions of France, whose members served as magistrates and judged civil cases. Their members included both hereditary nobles and wealthy citizens who had purchased their seats. Several of the Parlements, such as those of Rouen and Provence, had been in existence for centuries, and saw themselves as the legitimate governments in their provinces. As Louis reorganized the government and appointed his own intendants in the provinces, the authority and prestige of the Parlements decreased, and price of the seats dropped. In Franche-Comté, Bordelaise and Rouen, the Parlements refused to follow the decrees of the royal intendants. When the intendants attempted to assert their authority and collect taxes from all classes, the Parlements went on strike, refusing to proceed with the judgment of civil cases. The civil justice system came to a halt. In 1761, the provincial Parlement of Normandy in Rouen wrote a protest to the King, explaining that the King had the exclusive power to tax, but the Parlement had the exclusive right to collect the money. The King rejected the explanation and overruled the Parlement, banished some of his most provocative Parliament members to their estates. For the rest of his reign, the Parlements swore allegiance to the King, but took every opportunity to resist his new taxes and the King's authority. This was one of the seeds of resistance to the King's authority that was to turn into a Revolution less than thirty years later.[67]
Achievements and dismissal of the government [ edit ]
The Comte d'Argenson served as the Minister of War from 1743 until 1747. He was an advocate of the continuation of the absolute monarchy in the style of Louis XIV. He was responsible for creating the first school for engineers in France at Mézières (1749–50); thanks to the trained engineers, France had the finest system of roads and bridges in Europe. He also established the military academy, the École Militaire, and, following the model of the Prussians, established military training camps and exercises, and helped rebuild French military power.[68]
Machaud D'Arnouville was brought into the government with the sponsorship of d'Argenson, but the two men gradually became rivals and enemies. D'Arnouville was the Controller of Finances from 1745 to 1754, then Minister of Navy from 1754 to 1757. He was the creator of the unpopular "Vingtieme" tax (1749), which taxed all citizens, including the nobility, at the same rate, and also freed the prices of grain (1754), which initially greatly increased agricultural production. The fluctuation of grain prices would eventually become a factor in the French Revolution.[69]
On 1 February 1757, the King abruptly dismissed both d'Arnouville and d'Argenson, and exiled them to their estates. The King held them responsible for not preventing the assassination attempt, and their government displeased Madame de Pompadour.
Government of the Duke de Choiseul (1758–1770) [ edit ]
Louis named the Duke de Choiseul as his minister of foreign affairs on 3 December 1758, following the recommendation of Madame de Pompadour. In 1763, he became Minister of War, giving the role of minister of foreign affairs to his cousin, the Duc de Praslin. A few months later, he also became the Minister of the Navy, and became the most influential and powerful member of the government. In the council and circles of government, he was the leader of the philisophe faction, which included Madame de Pompadour, which sought to appease the Parlements and the Jansenists. On the diplomatic front, he negotiated a "Family Pact" with the Bourbon monarch of Spain (1761); negotiated the Treaty of Paris in 1761, and completed the integration of Lorraine into France (1766) upon the death of the King's father-in-law Stanisław Leszczyński, Duke of Lorraine. He incorporated Corsica into France (1768), and negotiated the marriage of his grandson, the future Louis XVI with Marie Antoinette (1770).
His most notable accomplishment was the reform modernization of the French military, based on the lessons learned during the Seven Years' War. Under Choiseul, the government, rather than the officers, took the responsibility of training, giving uniforms, and training soldiers. The artillery was standardized, and new tactics, based on the Prussian model, were adopted and taught. The Navy in 1763 had been reduced to just 47 vessels and twenty frigates, three times smaller than the British Royal Navy fleet. He launched a major shipbuilding program to construct eighty vessels and forty-five new frigates, which would allow the French fleet, combined with the allied Spanish fleet, to outnumber the Royal Navy.[70]
Suppression of the Jesuits (1764) [ edit ]
Louis XV in 1763
In 1764, at the urging of the Parlement, Madame Pompadour and his foreign minister, the Duc de Chosieul, Louis decided upon the Suppression of Jesuit Order in France. The Jesuits in France numbered 3,500; they had 150 establishments in France, including 85 colleges, which were considered the best in France; their graduates included Voltaire and Diderot. The Confessor of the King, by a tradition dating back to Henry IV, was a Jesuit. Agitation against the Jesuits began in 1760 in the provincial Parlements, where the Gallicans, supporters of a specifically French version of Catholicism, were strong. The complaint against the Jesuits was that they were independent of the authority of the King and the hierarchy of the church in France. The Jesuits had already been expelled from Portugal and its colony of Brazil in 1759, because of conflicts with the government and church hierarchy there.[71]
In France, the Parlements had taken the lead in attacking the Jesuits. On 12 February 1762, the Parlement of Rouen declared the Jesuits outside the law, forbid them to hold public positions or to teach, and demanded that they take an oath repudiating their beliefs. Between April and September 1762, the Parlements of Rennes, Bordeaux, Paris and Metz joined in the condemnation, followed in 1763 by Aix, Toulouse, Pau, Dijon and Grenoble. By the end of the year only the Parlements of Besançon, Douai, and the governments of Colmar, Flanders, Alsace and Franche-Compté, plus the Duchy of Lorraine, run by the Queen's father, the former King Stanislas, permitted the Jesuits to function.[72]
The campaign against the Jesuits divided the royal household; his son the Dauphin, his daughters and the Queen supported the Jesuits, while Madame de Pompadaour, whose influence in the court was criticized by the Jesuits, wanted them gone. The indecisive King declared two years later that he had made the decision against his own feelings. The Jesuits departed, and were welcomed in Prussia and in Russia. The departure of the Jesuits weakened the church in France, and especially weakened the authority of the King, who, like a constitutional monarch, acted on behalf of the Parliament against his own beliefs.[73]
Resistance from Parlements [ edit ]
Under the government of Choiseul, the Parlements of several French provinces continued to swear obedience to the King, while refusing to obey his intendents or to accept his new taxes. The Parlement of Franche-Comté in Besançon refused to collect the vingtieme tax imposed by the King to finance the war, claiming that only the Parlement could impose taxes. The King's government immediately dismissed the leaders of the Parlement and confined them to their residences. The Parlement of Normandy immediately supported that of Besançon; it wrote a remonstrance to the King on 5 July 1760, declaring that the Parlements represented all classes: "One King, one law, one Parlement; the law of the kingdom is a sacred pact of your alliance with the French nation; it is a kind of contract which destines the King to reign and the people to obey. In truth, no one except God can compel you to obey this sacred pact... but we can ask you, with respect, with submission... to keep your promises." This was too much for the King. He responded on 31 January 1761 that the Parlement's complaint "contained principles so false and so contrary to my authority and with expressions so indecent, particularly in connection with my Chancellor who only explained to you my wishes... that I send your letter back to you."[74] The Parlement members of Besançon remained in exile.
The Parlement of Bordeaux went even further in its resistance to the royal government; in 1757 it brought accusations of corruption against the members of the government of the city of Bergerac, named by the Royal Council of the King. When the Royal Council blocked the pursuits of the Parlement, the Parlement wrote a protest to the King, declaring, "Sire, your Parlement cannot recognize any intermediate power it and your person; no, your Council has over the Parlement no authority, superiority, or jurisdiction."[75]
Finances and the brief ministry of Silhouette [ edit ]
The prolonged war drained the treasury of the Kingdom; France paid not only for its own army, but subsidized the armies of its allies; in 1759 France paid 19 million livres to its allies, an amount which Choiseul reduced by one-third in 1761.[76] His new finance minister, Étienne de Silhouette imposed new taxes aimed at the wealthy; taxes on horses, carriages, silk, paintings, coffee and furs, and other luxury goods. The new taxes were extremely unpopular with the aristocracy and wealthy; Silhouette was dismissed after eight months, and his name became the common expression for paper cutout made from a shadow, which, like his ministry, lasted only a moment.[77] The King announced that he was giving his silver service to the mint, to be melted down and made into money.[78]
The new Controller of Finances, Henri Bertin, a protege of Madame Pompadour named on 23 November 1759, reduced the luxury taxes of his predecessor, and instead proposed a broadening of the tax base to include those classes which had long been excluded, and a new survey of the wealth of the nobility. Once again the Parliaments rebelled. When the Lieutenant General of Normandy appeared before the Parliament to register the decree, it refused to register or collect the new taxes. The same scene was reproduced in the other Parlements. Once again the King yielded to Madame de Pomapdour and her allies; the new decrees were withdrawn, Bertin was moved to a different position, the tax rolls were not enlarged, and no new taxes were collected; the debt remained.[79]
Diplomacy – end of the Seven Years' War [ edit ]
The war with England continued, despite the death of King George II on 25 October 1760; the British Prime Minister William Pitt rejected French proposals for suggestions for negotiations. On 15 August 1761, France, Spain, Naples and Parma, all ruled by monarchs of the Bourbon family, signed the first "Family Pact" with a system of reciprocal guarantees of support if one or the other were attacked. At the same time, they signed a secret treaty with Charles III of Spain engaging Spain to declare war on England if the war was not over by May 1762. Learning of this pact, William Pitt wanted to declare an immediate war on Spain, but the new British King, George III, rejected the idea. The military forces of Frederick the Great in Prussia had been nearly exhausted in the long war against the combined forces of Austria and Russia; but Frederick was saved by the sudden death of the Tsarina Elizabeth in 1762, and her replacement by Peter III of Russia, a fervent admirer of the Prussian King.
Choiseul had taken over direction of the French navy as well as the army in October 1761, and he pressed for an offensive to bring the war to a successful end. He persuaded the Parlements and the chambers of commerce of the major French cities to sponsor the construction of warships, and rebuilt the French Navy. The French army launched a new offensive against the Prussians and Spain, as promised by its agreement with France, launched an invasion in Portugal, an ally of Britain. However, once again the French initiatives were not enough. The French offensive in Hesse-Kassel was defeated by the Prussians, the Spanish army in Portugal made little progress, and the British took the opportunity to land on Martinique and to invade Spain's colony Cuba. Choiseul decided it was time to end the war. The preliminary negotiations opened at Palace of Fontainebleau on 3 November 1762, and ended hostilities between England, France and Spain. The final treaty was signed in Paris on 10 February 1763. As a result of the War, France gave up its minor possessions in the West Indies; Marie Galante, Tobago and La Desiderade, but received back Guadaloupe, Martinique, and Santa Lucia, which, because of their sugar plantations, were considered of more value than all of its territories in Canada; France kept only the Iles of Saint Pierre and Miquelon. The valley of the Ohio, and the territories along the west bank of the Mississippi River were ceded to Spain. Louis formally ratified the treaty on 23 February, on the same day that his statue was unveiled on the Place Louis XV (today the Place de la Concorde)[80]
Deaths of mistress, son and wife [ edit ]
Madame de Pompadour by François-Hubert Drouais (1763–64)
The winter of 1763–64 was particularly harsh; Madame de Pompadour contracted pneumonia, and died on 15 April. The King was deeply affected, but, strictly observing court protocol, he did not attend her funeral, because she was too far below his rank, and, though mourning, carried on court business as usual. Maneuvering immediately began within the court to replace Madame de Pompadour; a leading candidate was Duchess of Gramont, the sister of Choiseul, but the King showed no interest in a new mistress, and in February 1765 he closed down the Parc-aux-Cerfs, where he had previously met his petites maitresses.[81]
The resistance of the Parlements to the King's authority continued. The Parlements of the provinces began to quarrel with the Parlement of Paris over which more truly represented the nation. In March 1764, the Parlement of Navarre in Pau, the smallest province, refused to accept the taxation authority of the Grand Council of the King. This time the King took action, arresting and replacing the President and leading officers of the Parlement, and replacing them with officers loyal to the King. The Parlements of Toulouse, Besançon and Rouen protested, but the King persisted. In 1765 the Parlement of Brittany in Rennes denied the authority of the King's officers to impose taxes without its permission, and went on strike. The King summoned the Parlement to Versailles, where he had his lecture read to them. This had little effect; when the King had his decree to the Parlement posted on the walls of Rennes, the Parlement ordered that the posters with the King's proclamation be taken down. The King issued letters of cachet that forbade the Parlement members to leave Rennes, but the judicial system remained on strike.[82]
The end of 1765 brought another personal tragedy; his son and heir Louis contracted tuberculosis. He travelled with the King to the Palace of Fontainebleau. The King distracted himself by secluding himself with the astronomer César-François Cassini de Thury and making astronomic calculations, while the doctors tried, without success, to treat his son. The Dauphin died on 20 December 1765. The succession was assured, since the Dauphin had a son, the future Louis XVI, who was of age to rule, but the death put him into a deep depression. He drafted his own will, writing: "If I made errors, it was not from a lack of will, but from a lack of talents, and for not having been supported as I wished to have been, particularly in matters of religion."[83]
The Queen was deeply affected by the death of the Dauphin in 1765, then the death of her father in 1766, and then her daughter-in-law. She died on 24 June 1768.[84]
The "Flagellation" of the Parlement [ edit ]
In January 1766, while the King was still mourning the death of the Dauphin, the Parlement of Brittany issued another rejection of the King's authority to collect taxes. When he ignored it, both the Parlement of Rennes and the Parlement of Rouen wrote him again, complaining that he was ignoring "the oath that you took to the nation when accepting the crown." When this part of the letter was read to the King, he interrupted the reading and declared that this accusation was false; he had taken an oath to God alone, not to the nation. On 3 March 1766, with only a few hours notice, he traveled in person from Versailles to the meeting of the Parlement of Paris at the Palais de la Cité and appeared before the members. In his message, read to them by one of his ministers, he declared, "It is in my person alone that sovereign power resides...To me alone belongs the legislative power, without dependence and without sharing...The public order emanates entirely from me...Confusion and anarchy are taking the place of legitimate order, and the scandalous spectacle of a contradictory rivaling my sovereign power reduces me to the sad necessity to use all the power that I received from God to preserve my peoples from the sad consequences of these enterprises."[85] The speech, immediately termed "the flagellation", was published in official press, and circulated to all levels of government. It became his political testament. The conflict between the Parlements and King was muted for a time, but not resolved.[86]
Madame du Barry [ edit ]
After the death of the Madame de Pompadour, several women in the court sought to replace her, including the Duchess of Gramont, the sister of the Duke of Choiseul, the King's chief minister. However, the King's favor turned to Jeanne Bécu, the comtesse du Barry. She was thirty-three years younger than the King. She was the illegitimate daughter of Anne Bécu, a seamstress.[87] She was raised by the Dames de Sacre-Coeur, and had various jobs as a shop assistant and designer of dresses before she became the mistress of a self-proclaimed count, Jean du Barry. She began to hold a salon, which attracted writers and aristocrats. Since Jean du Barry was already married, to give her legitimacy he arranged for her to become engaged to his brother, Guillaume, a retired soldier. They were married on 1 September 1768, and then, without spending the night with her, Guillaume retired to his home in Languedoc.[88] Through her acquaintances with the nobility, she was invited to Versailles, where the King saw her and was immediately attracted to her. He invited her to Fontainebleau, and then asked her to live in the Palace of Versailles. Her appearance at the Court scandalized the Duke de Choiseul, but pleased the enemies of the Duke within the Court.
For du Barry to be presented at Court, she had to be formally presented by a member of the nobility. The elderly Contesse de Béarn was persuaded to make the presentation for large fee, and she was presented on 22 April 1769. None of the ladies of the Court attended, and de Choiseul himself, to show his displeasure, hosted a large reception the following day, which all the Court, except du Barry, attended.[89]
The King soon installed her in the Palace of Versailles, and in 1771 gave her the new Pavillon de Louveciennes. Choiseul sowed a strong dislike for DuBarry, as did Marie Antoinette, who arrived in Versailles and married the Dauphin on 16 May 1770. She described the Comtesse as "The most stupid and impertinent creature imaginable". However, the King kept du Barry close to him until the final days before his death, when he sent her away before he made confession. The presence of du Barry at the court scandalized the high members of the Aristocracy. Outside the Court, the opponents of the King in the Parlements used her presence to ridicule and attack the King. She was the target of dozens of scandalous pamphlets accusing her of every possible immoral act.[90] Decades later, during the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution, the Comtesse was targeted by the Jacobins as a symbol of the hated old regime; she was guillotined on 8 December 1793.[91]
France enlarged: Lorraine and Corsica [ edit ]
The borders of France were enlarged for the last time before the Revolution by two additions; The Duchy of Lorraine, ruled by The King's father-in-law, Stanislas, reverted to France after his death, and officially was joined to the kingdom 27–28 March 1766. The acquisition of Corsica was more complicated. The island formally belonged to the Republic of Genoa, but an independent Republic of Corsica had been proclaimed in 1755 by Pasquale Paoli, and the rebels controlled most of the island. The Republic of Genoa did not have the military forces to conquer the island, and permitted Louis to send French troops to occupy the ports and major cities, to keep the island from falling into British hands. When the war ended, the island was formally granted to France by Treaty of Versailles on 19 May 1768. Louis sent the army to subdue the Corsican rebels; the army on the island eventually numbered twenty-seven thousand soldiers. In May 1769 the Corsican rebels were defeated at the Battle of Ponte Novu, and Paoli took refuge in England. In 1770 the island formally became a Province of France.[92]
Commerce, agriculture and the "Starvation Pact" rumor [ edit ]
Two men had an enormous influence on the economic policies of the King. François Quesnay was the best-known economist in France. He was the King's doctor, and treated Madame de Pompadour, but was also a celebrated economic theorist, whose collected writings, "Tableau Économique" (1758), were avidly read by the King and his Court: Louis referred to him as "my thinker." His students included The Marquis de Mirabeau and Adam Smith. He was a critic of government regulation, and coined the term "bureaucracy" (literally "A government of desks"). The other was his disciple, the Minister of the Commerce of the King, Jacques Claude Marie Vincent de Gournay. The two men advocated removing as many restrictions as possible from the economy, to encourage greater production and trade. De Gournay's famous expression, laissez faire, laissez passer ("it be done, let it pass") was later adopted as the slogan of a whole school of free market economics.[93]
De Gournay and Quesnay proposed in particular the liberalization of agricultural markets, which were strictly controlled, to encourage greater production, competition and lower prices. Following the doctrines of Quesnay and de Gournay, Louis's controller of finances, Henri Bertin, created a new Society of Agriculture and an Agricultural Committee within the government, comparable to those existing to support commerce. In May 1763 |
and use the experience I’ve gained so far throughout my career and hopefully it translates over here.”
Hermida, who last appeared in the majors with the San Diego Padres in 2012, is eager to get started. He’s had a pretty good start to the spring and was hitting.333 with a pair of home runs through his first 10 games. He’ll likely find himself hitting fifth as the DH (a role he may share with two-way star Shohei Otani), behind All-Stars Daikan Yoh and Sho Nakata, when the regular season begins next week.
Hermida spent 2014 with the Nashville Sounders, the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. He got word Japan was an option around Thanksgiving and, after talking it over with his wife, decided to take the plunge.
“I talked to some people who had played over here before and just kind of got the sense of how it was,” he said. “I’d thought about it for a couple of years and knew it could potentially be an opportunity at some point. I was excited when the opportunity presented itself. I just thought it was the right time in my career.”
Hermida is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, and went to Wheeler High School in nearby Marietta. In 2002, the Florida Marlins took him with the 11th pick of the amateur draft. Baseball America rated him as the No. 4 prospect in the game in 2005, and he was a regular for the Marlins in 2007, hitting.296 with 18 home runs and 63 RBIs in 123 games.
He didn’t quite remain on that level over the next two seasons, hitting.253 with 30 home runs and 108 RBIs over that span. From there he bounced around some, playing for the Boston Red Sox and Oakland A’s in 2010, the Cincinnati Reds and the Padres in 2011 and the Padres in 2012.
“Everybody’s career path is different at the end of the day,” Hermida said. “It’s definitely not how I thought it would be drawn up. But I wouldn’t change it for the world. It’s definitely helped me grow as a baseball player and a person, going through ups and downs and the trials and tribulations or a career. Definitely had some hard times, and some times that were smooth sailing. But it is what it is, and I think it helps create who you are as a baseball player and a person.
“You learn it’s a business. You learn there’s always somebody behind you. You learn about yourself and what it takes for you to become a successful baseball player on a daily basis.”
Hermida says the Fighters have “a great group of guys” and that the atmosphere in the clubhouse isn’t all that different from that in the U.S., just a lot of new names and faces to remember.
“My Japanese is a little rusty,” he joked, “but a lot of guys kind of get what you’re saying. It’s a pretty young team. Everyone knows when to have a little bit of fun and knows when to get serious and play the game. It’s been a very smooth transition. Basically the same thing as the States, a lot of guys having fun playing baseball. Just a different language floating around more often than not.”
While Hermida is adjusting to the long practices in Japanese baseball, there has been at least a little time to explore his new home in Sapporo and get a small taste of Japanese culture.
“Going to eat at restaurants is always the fun one,” he said. “Trying to order, trying to figure out what you want to eat and trying to figure out what everything is, and figure out what I’m eating.
“There’s not quite as much downtime as you’d think, between the long days at the field and everything. I haven’t gotten to venture out too much, but I’m looking forward to a little bit more coming up.”
Just don’t ask him to try natto, a Japanese dish consisting of fermented soybeans, just yet. It’s a favorite among many of his teammates, but Hermida passed when they offered him a taste.
“I don’t know if I can go that route,” he laughed. “I saw those, and I’m going to pass on those.”Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called upon his coalition allies in the country to support plans for a constitutional change that he hopes would end the separatist conflict raging in the east.
Poroshenko used a flag-raising ceremony in Kyiv on the eve of Ukraine’s Independence Day to call on all political parties to overcome their doubts and vote in favor of constitutional amendments that would grant special status to separatist-minded parts of eastern Ukraine.
"My direct call to all political forces, in the first instance to those who are together in the parliamentary coalition, is to come together now for the sake of Ukraine," he said.
Proposed amendments
The proposed amendments, which have split Ukraine lawmakers, are scheduled to receive a first vote in parliament on August 31. The proposal would need 226 votes to garner a second reading.
Several coalition allies are under pressure -- particularly from militant paramilitary groups that oppose giving any ground to Russian-backed separatists.
Security is tight in Kyiv for Monday's Independence Day festivities, which include a march by soldiers serving on the front line.
Poroshenko is also to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande to discuss measures taken since a cease-fire agreement was reached in Minsk, Belarus, earlier this year.
More than 6,500 people, including hundreds of civilians, have been killed in the conflict.
Rebels
Pro-Russian rebels took up arms in the east after Russia annexed Crimea in March 2014 in response to the overthrow of a pro-Moscow president in Kyiv by street protests a month earlier.
While both sides have withdrawn large numbers of heavy weapons from the conflict zone, in line with the Minsk agreement, sporadic clashes still occur.
In the past 24 hours, one Ukrainian soldier was killed and four others were wounded in fighting west of the rebel-held city of Donetsk, a Kyiv military spokesman said Sunday.
Both sides regularly blame each other for the cease-fire violations.
Kyiv and Western governments, which have imposed sanctions on Russia, say there is irrefutable evidence of Russian involvement in the separatist resistance. Moscow denies it is providing men or arms.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The arrival of HMS Westminster is a "symbolic moment" given the current dispute, as Tom Burridge reports
Royal Navy warship HMS Westminster has docked in Gibraltar, a day after Spanish fishermen protested off the British territory about a concrete reef put there by its government.
Its visit is part of a long-planned deployment of a number of vessels to the Mediterranean and the Gulf.
It has arrived at a sensitive moment for British-Spanish relations.
Spanish fishermen say the reef hampers their right to fish. Gibraltar says they should not be fishing there.
HMS Westminster, a Type 23 frigate, is accompanied by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships Lyme Bay and Mounts Bay.
Gibraltarians waving union jacks gathered on the quayside to watch HMS Westminster come in.
Image caption Spanish fishermen, and the Gibraltarian and Spanish police, weaved among each other on Sunday
Andrea Jones, 46, works for an online gaming company and has lived in Gibraltar for 12 years.
"I think the Gibraltarians are a bit more passionate at this moment in time," she said. "We are used to Spain being disgruntled about one thing or another. This time they have taken it that little step further."
Retired Royal Gibraltar Police officer Michael Sanchez, 53, said he would like to see British warships off Gibraltar more often.
"It is getting to be out of control, it is not a spat any more," he said. "It's a normal deployment but we need bigger assets to show them."
'Breach the cordon'
HMS Westminster and the two support vessels form part of a task force - called Cougar 13 - of four Royal Navy warships and six other vessels which set sail for the Mediterranean from Portsmouth and Plymouth last week.
The ships are scheduled to dock at various ports in the Mediterranean en route to the Middle East, with one warship visiting the Spanish naval base at Rota near Cadiz.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Chief Minister of Gibraltar Fabian Picardo: "I'm hopeful common sense will prevail."
The Ministry of Defence said Cougar 13 would see the ships carry out exercises with "a number of key allies".
The Royal Gibraltar Police said Sunday's protest by "about 38 Spanish fishing boats and seven or eight pleasure craft" lasted for about an hour.
Chief Inspector Castle Yates said that, when the boats crossed into Gibraltarian waters, police and the Royal Navy set up a cordon and "corralled" them.
"They tried to breach the cordon several times but they were not successful," he said.
The Spanish government has accused Gibraltar of creating the reef, which consists of 70 concrete blocks, "without the necessary authorisation" in "waters that are not theirs".
It has said that, in building the reef - which is located off the western end of Gibraltar Airport's runway - Gibraltar is contravening environmental laws and damaging Spain's fishing industry.
Spanish fishing nets are in danger of catching on the concrete reef blocks, it says.
But Britain has said it was trying to encourage sea-life to flourish.
In response, Spain has imposed tougher checks at the border in recent weeks, leading to lengthy delays. It said the checks were necessary to tackle tobacco smuggling.
Britain, meanwhile, has accused Spain of breaking EU free movement rules.
Spain disputes UK sovereignty over Gibraltar, a limestone outcrop near the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula, which has been ruled by Britain since 1713.
In recent years the dispute has taken the form of a clash over fishing rights. Both Spain and Gibraltar have claimed jurisdiction over the waters off the Rock, and both sides have complained about incursions into what they claim are their waters.GFS model simulations showing a tropical system over Florida August 27-28 during the beginning of the Republican National Convention (StormVistaWxModels.com)
Before anyone gets alarmed or excited, consider forecasts of the path and intensity of tropical systems this far out have essentially no skill. As our tropical weather specialist Brian McNoldy said earlier: “In the 5-7 day period and beyond, weather details become fairly unpredictable.”
If this model defeats the long odds against it and is somehow right, organizers say they’re ready for the possibility of a hurricane Isaac during the convention according to a report from ABC News:
The Republican National Convention, Secret Service and federal, state and local authorities have been planning for a “multitude” of hurricane scenarios for “well over a year,” said Bryan Koon, Florida’s emergency management director. RNC spokesman James Davis would not give details of those plans, saying only that they are “focused completely on having a great convention.”
Since 1852, the Tampa area been hit by 27 hurricanes including 6 during the month of August the ABC News report said.
Colorado State University Tropical Meteorology Project has developed a tool that shows the historic probability of a named storm affecting the region around Tampa is 20 percent in any given season. The odds of a direct hit near Tampa is around 3 percent.
Jeff Masters of wunderground, who wrote a detailed blog post on the risk of a storm hitting Tampa during the convention, says the risk of a highly disruptive the storm that would trigger evacuations during the convention itself is smaller:
“[H]istory suggests that the odds of a mass evacuation order being given during the 4-day period that the Republican National Convention is in town are probably around 0.2%,” he wrote.
But if powerful hurricane did strike the Tampa Bay region - either during the convention or some other time - the effects could be devastating.
Climate Central’s Andrew Freedman ranked Tampa-St. Petersburg the most vulnerable U.S. city to hurricanes ahead of Miami and New Orleans. He noted 125,000 people live below 6.5 feet above high tide, which a large storm surge could overwhelm.
“In St. Petersburg alone, there are more than 45,000 homes that lie below 6 feet in elevation, and would likely be vulnerable to a storm surge of that magnitude or greater,” Freedman wrote.
View Photo Gallery: The United States broke a 118-year heat record in July, and the world has been beset by extreme weather in recent weeks — floods, drought, typhoons, hurricanes and Arctic ice melt — raising concerns of scientists and policymakers. Here are examples of wild weather:
For the most part, the Tampa region has dodged the bullet with landfalling storms in recent years. While a number of storms have brushed the area, the last direct hit from a hurricane occurred in 1946 (a category 1 storm). Not since 1921 has a major hurricane (category 3 or higher) struck the region. The storm of October 20-21, 1921 produced a 10.5 feet storm surge which would cause massive flooding today, including at the convention site.
The bottom line is that Tampa is “due” in a sense to deal with a destructive hurricane. But the odds of a direct hit at any given time are very small.
European model simulation of where tropical disturbance or potential “Isaac” could be in 9 days, as illustrated by the different circles. (StormVistaWxModels.com/Matt Rogers)
The various members of the European forecast model “ensemble” (shown to the right) provide a fair representation of where this system might be in 9 days - essentially anywhere from the western Gulf of Mexico to the central Atlantic. There’s a huge spread.
In other words, this disturbance could harmlessly turn out to sea, even if it ever earns the name Isaac and becomes a formidable storm.
Inauspiciously, several storms beginning with the letter “I” have caused trouble along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts in the last decade, namely Isabel (2003), Ivan (2004), Ike (2008), and Irene (2011). The World Meteorological Organization retired all of these storms due to their toll on life and property.
The odds of a hurricane smacking Tampa during the convention may be long, but chances are if it does, another I-named storm will deliver the blow.Advertisement
Costa Rican authorities have launched an investigation after a mob of irresponsible tourists and locals prevented sea turtles from laying their eggs along the country’s Pacific coast.
Crowds swarmed the Ostional Wildlife Refuge, in northwestern Guanacaste, and disrupted the nesting ritual for a number of olive ridley sea turtles, which are listed as a vulnerable or threatened species.
As they gathered in the hundreds, the visitors stood in the turtles’ way as they swam ashore and even placed children on top of them to snap keepsake photos, causing many of the creatures to return to the sea without laying their eggs.
Costa Rican authorities have launched an investigation after a mob of holidaymakers prevented sea turtles from laying their eggs
Crowds of tourists swarmed the Ostional Wildlife Refuge, in northwestern Guanacaste, and disrupted the nesting ritual
As they gathered in the hundreds, the visitors stood in the turtles’ way as they swam ashore and even placed children on top of them
Costa Rica's government allows locals, through community co-operatives, to harvest eggs laid by the first wave of sea turtles
Other tourists touched the turtles, stood on top of their nests and snapped photos with flash cameras, according to the Union of Workers of the Ministry of Environment and Energy.
The union has blasted the tourists and said an investigation will take place to find out why the crowd was not held back over the weekend and how to control visitors in the future so not to interfere with the nesting.
Refuge administrator Carlos Hernandez said he had never seen that many people at the beach, and that some visitors had entered through unauthorised access points, The Tico Times reported.
Although the turtles arrive in large numbers almost every month, September and October are peak times, and tour operators have tried to cash in by offering additional tours to watch the turtles lay their eggs, the newspaper reported.
The tourists' actions caused many of the creatures to return to the sea without laying their eggs on a beach on the Pacific coast
Tourists were blasted for touching the turtles, standing on top of their nests and snapping photos with flash cameras
The report suggested park rangers were overwhelmed by the number of tourists and unable to control the massive crowd on the four-mile stretch of beach, with only two guards on duty as they received help from three national police officers.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, Ostional Wildlife Refuge is one of the two most important areas in the world for olive ridley sea turtle nesting.
Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles generally arrive once a month and remain for three to five days at the beach, the WWF said.
Refuge administrator Carlos Hernandez said he had never seen that many people at the beach, where the turtles nest regularly
Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles generally arrive once a month and remain for three to five days at the beach, the WWF said
The report suggested park rangers were overwhelmed by the number of tourists and unable to control the massive crowd
Ostional has been a protected area since 1982, and is the only place in the world where it is legal to harvest and sell sea turtle eggs
Ostional Wildlife Refuge has been a protected area since 1982, and it is the only place in the world where it is legal to harvest and sell sea turtle eggs, according to Costa Rican officials.
Authorities monitor the harvesting of eggs left behind by the first wave of turtles, with the government saying the first wave was often destroyed by turtles arriving later or by high tides.
Locals, through community co-operatives, are legally permitted to collect a percentage of the eggs from the first three days of each nesting period (known as an arribada) for sale or consumption.
Costa Rica’s government says the program, developed with scientists in the 1980s, has helped to increase the sea turtle population, and income from the sale of eggs has been used to pay the guards who patrol the beach and fund research.
Unlawful egg collecting still occurs, and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the long-term collection of eggs and killing of adults on nesting beaches is the principal cause of the species' historical, worldwide decline.
The government agency said: 'Because arribadas concentrate females and nests in time and space, they allow for mass killing of adult females as well as the taking of an extraordinary number of eggs. These threats continue in some areas of the world today, compromising efforts to recover this species.'So it’s December already again, and your best friend in the whole world is having her annual holiday party! It’s really important to her—it’s the only big party she throws, and she obsesses about it every year.
You’re free that night, right? She needs you there because it wouldn’t be a party without you! And you’re gonna bring that gluten-free dairy-free vegan dip again, right? ‘Cause it was soooo good.
Well, duh. Of course you’re going to her party. You can’t not go. You’ll make sure you’re free, and you’ll bring the dip—that’s what friends are for. The party is always really fun and kind of insane, and people always go out for breakfast afterwards. It’s gonna be good.
Fast-forward: it’s 9 p.m. on December 14th and you’ve spent an hour on the dip, carefully arranging little gluten-free crackers and veggie sticks on the tray. You’re clean-showered—your hair looks great, you smell fresh to death and you’ve got your most killingest outfit on.
You head over to your BFF’s. As you walk up the two flights of stairs, tray carefully in hand, you can hear the party already, the laughing, the music. Ahhh your bestie always throws such a great party. You’re filled with fondness for her, suffused with happiness, excited for what the evening will bring. You open the door and…
OH SWEET GOD SORRY WRONG APARTMENT THIS IS CLEARLY THE SEVENTH CIRCLE OF HELL.
Everyone is at this party.
EVERYONE.
It took years, but it’s finally happened: you’ve swung the door open to discover that all the queer circles you’ve ever hung out with have merged.
Your social life used to look like this:
Now it looks like this:
This is it; you’re at the end of the line—you officially know every ghey in your city.
Friends. Friends of friends. Roommates of friends of friends. Exes. Crushes. Ex-flings. Acquaintances you always, always see out dancing but never actually meet. They’re all here, goddammit, and there’s nowhere to hide—there’s an awkward encounter waiting to ambush you in every room.
I know you’re busy freaking out and looking for the vodka, but don’t worry, bb! Mama has already been there, and that’s why I’ve made you this:
The Official and Totally Scientific Guide to Managing All the Heavily Interlinked Queers in Your Life This Holiday Season
You see, everyone is connected. Everyone in the whole world. But when you take “everyone in the whole world” and narrow it down to “people your approximate age who live near-ish to you in your city and are also connected to the queer community,” things tend to get a whole lot more connected, a whole lot more quickly.
Now, some people are connected by one degree, like you and your best friend. Some people are connected by two degrees, like you and your best friend’s roommate. And some people are connected by three or more degrees, which is how come you see both that one girl with blue hair from OkCupid and that boi who works at the co-op giggling together over the hummus rightthissecond.
And sometimes being heavily connected to everybody is awesome! Sometimes it just means you get more friends!
But sometimes… it leads to some seriously awkward encounters.
Deep breaths. We got this. Deep, calming breaths.
We’re gathered here today to talk about some of the more difficult encounters you might face at this, your own personal holiday horror party.
Get ready, hunnybun, cause here comes:
1. Your Raw, Painfully-Recent Ex from a Serious Relationship
OH MY GOD YOU CANNOT EVEN DEAL WITH THIS RIGHT NOW WHERE CAN YOU HIDE. There they are: the person you just got out of a serious relationship with, the person you didn’t really want to end it with, the person who just moved out a few months ago. They took the good coffee maker and left the cat. You cried for days, weeks. You went through every picture and played every song you two ever fucked to while sobbing and eating vast amounts of complex carbohydrates. So many feeeelinnggggs aggghhh.
Why she’s here: You and your painfully-recent ex joyfully merged all your friends when you were together—her friends are your friends, and vice-versa. Your Serious Ex is good friends with everyone you know, and when you corner your best friend in the kitchen while holding a cheese spreader in a threatening manner, she sheepishly admits that she “couldn’t not invite your ex—we’re all friends, it would hurt their feelings!” (Plus she knew you wouldn’t come if she told you your ex was coming. Plus you told her last week you were totally over it so she thought you were over it.)
Plan of action: AVOID AVOID AVOID. If your ex situation is so painful and raw that you are literally still picking the pieces of your heart out of your teeth and it took several months of bawling on friends’ couches and Facebook-blocking to get into this enlightened, on-the-mend state, then going and talking with your ex is the worst idea ever, sugarplum. Think of all the work you’ll be undoing! Espesh when you see how much they’ve been working out…fuck.
Ok. Maybe, if you want…say hi to The Ex. Then vanish every time they enter any room you’re in. It’s ok. Really. Take care of yourself—don’t worry about what anyone else at the party thinks. It’s not like every faggette in the room doesn’t know what’s going on, anyway. #inthefolds
2. Your Raw, Painfully-Recent Ex from a Serious Relationship’s…Date
HOLY FUCK YOUR EX BROUGHT A DATE. WHO EVEN IS SHE OMG IT’S THAT DITZ FROM HER JOB.
Are they fucking? Do you think they’re fucking? DO YOU??
Plan of Action: AVOID AVOID AVOID, unless you are forced into an introduction. If this happens, be nice (it’s not her fault you are going through the worst breakup of your life) and act normal—you are careless and carefree, the light of the party, and you couldn’t care less that she might be fucking on your beautiful, beautiful ex who understood you better than anybody and thought it was cute when you laughed so hard you sharted that one time. Be nice to your ex’s date, even if you are dying inside, because guess what? You’re both queer, and you’re going to see each other again. Probably next week, when someone else has a party.
3. The Bad OkCupid Date
It was a bad date. Well, not that bad, just…boring and a waste of time, and you guys didn’t ever click, or really even have much to say to each other.
Also she talked about her sister obsessively in an odd way. Also she “forgot her wallet.”
Also you hated her stupid winter hat shaped like a monkey. WTF YOU ARE A GROWN WOMAN YOU DON’T GET TO WEAR CLOTHES FOR TODDLERS. Ok shut up, shut up, it was a bad date.
Plan of Action: Say hi, be nice, don’t talk shit about her, and go about your merry way. She’s not interested in you, you’re not interested in her, and you can see the knit monkey hat peeking out from the pile of coats in the bedroom. Different strokes, sugarcube.
4. Your Secret Crush
HOW. HOW ARE THEY EVEN HERE. Unaware, you walk past your secret crush, freeze like a startled moose, and look up to see your best friend watching you knowingly, with a smug look on her face. Christ on a bike, are you that transparent?
Your secret crush seems to know everyone at the party already, confirming your opinion that they are the white-hot burning secret center of the universe, and they are laughing with their stylish friends and wearing what is quite possibly the most attractive plaid shirt you’ve ever seen. And I mean you’ve seen some plaid shirts.
Plan of Action: Try to breathe normally. Try to act normally. Try to figure out how your secret crush is at this party. Who did they come with and how are you connected to them???
Let us cross our fingers and pray to the Goddess that one of your good friends knows your secret crush well, and can give you all the vital information. (Ok there are actually only two pieces of information to know: IS YOUR SECRET CRUSH SINGLE AND WOULD THEY MAYBE GO FOR YOU?)
Maybe later, when you’ve pulled yourself together and mopped your lathered brow, you can try joining the conversational group your secret crush is in and making a devastatingly witty comment. Maybe you can even try…talking to them one-on-one. I know.
5. The Casual Fling You Never Thought You’d See Again
So it was Pride and it was late and you were really drunk and she was suddenly there on the dance floor, grinding up on you, and you made out and it was hot, and then you blew off your friends and went home with her and woke up in the middle of the night and puked as quietly as you could in her bathroom—it’s possible she didn’t even hear you.
In the morning you two snuggled briefly, were friendly with one another, and both pretended you had somewhere to be. You exchanged numbers as you parted. You said you’d call. You were brunching with your friends by 11.
You never called; you don’t know why.
That was six months ago.
Plan of Action: Go say hi if she sees you, dum-dum! Here is a nice person you hung out with intimately, however briefly, and you had a nice time and it was six months ago. There is no need to be awkward or horrified she’s there—she does have a life, somehow, that did not end when you didn’t call. She had your number, too—it is entirely possible that neither of you felt anything more than, “Yay, I got laid” about the whole encounter. In which case: maybe you have a new friend?
6. The Girl You’re Sort-of-Kind-Of? Dating? (Sometimes?)
She came! You weren’t sure if she would. She looks great tonight, what is that, glitter eyeliner? You guys haven’t seen each other in over a week, and you haven’t really been texting much, but maybe she’s busy? It’s the holidays etc.
You know, she’s really cute. You’re happy to see her and the sex was fine-veering-towards-pretty-good, but you don’t have anything nailed down, and it feels really casual, and sometimes she responds to your texts unbelievably late, like we’re talking three days late. But she’s here now! That might mean something! Your friends all like her too, but no one really knows what’s going on with you guys—especially you.
Plan of Action: Depends. Do you really like her? Do you want to move forward into something solid with her? Or…do you want to keep things in the casual, nebulous zone? Sometimes that’s nice.
Go talk to her, doi. Find out what she’s thinking for the night. Did she come here thinking of this party as a date? Were you hoping, if she came, that she’d go home with you? Or does she seem happy to flit among all the queers, talking with everyone and not really paying you much mind? Anything could be happening here.
7. Your Best Friend’s Shitty Ex Who Is Really Bad for Her
Surprise surprise—they are never going to go away. I know they’re unpredictably mood-swingy and teetering, if not cartwheeling the fuck over, the line of being an alcoholic, and that they made your best friend cry on a regular basis and that they once bashed the door of her car in by kicking it during a fight, but here they are again, cute curly hair and zip-up hoodie, sitting smiling on her couch and drinking PBR and greeting you like they’re not a psychotic motherfucker.
Plan of Action: Be cordial and keep your distance. You are not friends with this person, and you don’t have to be, but you don’t have to start something, either. Go find your best friend—does she even know her shitty ex is here?
If she doesn’t and freaks out, help her figure out how to get them out of her apartment. If she does know, give her your most scathing look of reproach, the one that burns like an untreated bladder infection, and remind her She Is Someone Who Is Worthy Of, and Deserves, Love, Respect, and Happiness. Then threaten to make a scene.
8. Your Distant-Past Ex
She fits you like an old glove. You spent years together, broke up horribly, and now…a lot of time has passed. Everyone’s moved on. You haven’t seen her in ages, but it’s almost like a relief to see her, this person who once knew you so well. You smile at her, wave, and discover something: what happened doesn’t matter anymore. You’d…you’d like to be friends. Real friends.
If this is maturity, you will take it, especially if immaturity meant creating a fake Twitter account to follow her and make trolly comments every time she talked about Doctor Who.
Plan of Action: You’ll know what to do, bbcakes. A big hug would probably help. Maybe she can even help you with the LANDMINES walking around the room, waiting to RUIN YOU at every turn. Hole up in a corner and talk shit together—it’s what we queers do best!
Happy holidays, faggettes, and remember:
Under no circumstances should you agree to play Spin the Bottle at this party.Russia is delaying production of its new fifth-generation PAK DA strategic bomber, a senior Russian defense official has announced.
Speaking at the Samara-based Kuznetsov Plant of the United Engine Corporation, a Russian defense company, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov told reporters that production of the PAK DA has been delayed in order to resume producing Tupolev Tu-160M2 bomber.
“According to the plans, serial production of the [Tu-160] aircraft new version [the Tu-160M2] is to be implemented starting from 2023,” Borisov said.
When asked whether this would shift the timeframe of the PAK DA strategic bomber, Borisov confirmed that it would. “The PAK DA project will be somewhat shifted beyond [2023, when it is currently to begin entering service], otherwise there is no sense in it,” Borisov said.
(Recommended: The Soviet Union's Insane Plan to Crush NATO in Battle )
As The National Interest previously noted, back in May Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that Russia had decided to resume production of the Soviet-era Tu-160 nuclear bomber, which NATO refers to as Blackjack.
Russia later revealed that the decision to restart production of the Blackjack bomber was made directly by Russian President Vladimir Putin. “The supreme commander [president of Russia] and the Russian defense minister have taken a decision on reviving production of the Tu-160M aircraft,” Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev, the commander-in-chief of Russia’s Air Force, said in late May.
The decision to restart production on the Tu-160 was made in part because of production delays in the PAK DA.
(Recommended: America and Russia Test New Tactical Nuclear Missiles )
However, Bondarev previously denied that the decision to restart production of the Tu-160s would delay delivery of the fifth-generation PAK DA bombers, as both would be produced simultaneously. "Of course, we have no right to do it otherwise," he said in response to a question about whether the two planes could be produced at the same time.
Borisov’s comments last week seem to directly contradict that, as the PAK DA bomber program will experience more delays in direct relation to the decision to restart the Tu-160 bomber production.
Borisov also recently told Vladimir Putin that other aspects of Russia’s military modernization program will experience delays as a result of international sanctions. “The objective reasons for the failure to meet state defense procurement orders include restrictions on the supply of imported parts and materials in connection with sanctions, discontinuation of production and the loss of an array of technologies, insufficient production facilities," Borisov told Putin by phone, according to a transcript made available by the Kremlin.
The Moscow Times reported that the programs that have experienced a delay as a result of sanctions include: “production of Navy guard ships, Beriyev Be-200 amphibious aircraft, Vikhr anti-tank missiles, remote control and radio monitoring equipment for Igla surface-to-air missiles, and weapon launch systems for Tupolev-160 strategic bomber planes.”
It’s also possible that the PAK DA strategic bomber will never seen the light of day. After all, the newly produced Tu-160 strategic bombers will incorporate a number of upgrades that will give them some of the capabilities envisioned for the PAK DA.
The new Blackjacks are also expected to have a service life of around 40 years, which will give Russia some breathing room with regards to the aerial leg of its nuclear triad. Amid tightening budgets, its possible Russia could scrap the whole PAK DA program in general in order to make room for other more pressing defense needs. At this time, however, this all remains speculation.
Zachary Keck is managing editor of The National Interest. You can find him on Twitter: @ZacharyKeck.Half a world away from two deadly U.S. Navy accidents, sailors on America's massive USS Nimitz aircraft carrier reflect on the shipmates they knew who are gone. Their commanders want to make sure the same thing doesn't happen again.
The wrenching deaths of sailors, drowned this week while trapped in their bunks on the USS John S. McCain, have reverberated around the American fleet. The Navy has found the remains of two of 10 who were declared missing after the ship crashed into an oil tanker, and the search goes on for others in coastal waters off Singapore. Just in June, seven sailors died when another destroyer, the USS Fitzgerald, hit a container ship off Japan.
Out in the blazing Persian Gulf heat on the Nimitz's flight deck, fighter jets line up to launch for surveillance, intelligence and bombing missions in Iraq and Syria. Up to 10 times a day, a wave of aircraft blasts into the sky to support the U.S. military's fight against the Islamic State group in Raqqa, Syria, and Tal Afar, Iraq.
But those battle flights off the Nimitz will soon pause for a day.
Adm. John Richardson, the top U.S. Navy officer, has ordered that ships around the world stop and retrain, relearn and focus on proper procedures and safety precautions to prevent more collisions or mishaps.
"It's important for all of us to take a knee," said Rear Adm. Bill Byrne, commander of the carrier strike group that includes the Nimitz and six other ships in the Persian Gulf and surrounding region. "It makes all of us appropriately ask ourselves, `Are we ready if it happens to us?"'
In response to the McCain and Fitzgerald accidents, Richardson, who is chief of naval operations, removed the commander of the Navy's 7th Fleet and ordered all ships to pause while they ensure safe operations. Among the questions they're supposed to answer: Are sailors standing watch with vigilance? Are they communicating with commanders when problems arise? Are commanders responsive or asleep at the wheel?
There has been a renewed focus on even the simplest of things, Cdr. Dave Kurtz, executive officer of the USS Nimitz, said. These include asking sailors if they have a safe, rapid way out when they're in their bunks, or if anything is blocking their path.
The Navy hasn't said on what day the pause in operations will happen.
And the Nimitz is in a unique situation, conducting combat operations in two countries. A large ship like an aircraft carrier can't simply be shut down for a day, so the pause will have to be planned and coordinated carefully.
"We have to find a way to do the pause," Kurtz said. "It's important to do it."
Byrne said the entire air wing will try to do it all in one day. He said the wars make it difficult for the wing to just |
).
And as I mentioned in my previous post, the public option polled at 70% and where did that get us? And the assault weapons ban polls in the 70th percentile as well – so why is it so hard to get it reinstated?
Corruption is one good reason. Big Pharma, big insurance, and a lot of other lobbyists didn’t want real health care reform. It doesn’t benefit their profits for us to pay less for more efficient care. They’d rather continue charging us a 500% markup on the same drugs they sell in Europe for 1/5th the cost. And the same goes for gun control. Votes are bought and sold, and members of Congress are threatened and defeated, for not toeing the lobby line. It doesn’t matter if the public is on your side if you let the other guy make it more lucrative for politicians to support him and more dangerous for them to support you.
That’s why I’m a firm believer in in-your-face activism. You take a nascent support in the public, whip it into a frenzy, and use it as a cudgel (or carrot) against your target, be they a politician or a corporation.
The one thing you don’t do is sit back with binders full of apathy because 70% of the public is on your side.Photo by the author.
To those who think biking alone in the city may seem perilous, biking with kids in the city can seem downright reckless. But there are lots of options to bring the kids safely along with you as you bike around the city.
From bakfietsen to Xtracycles, Kidical Mass DC, WABA, DDOT Safe Routes to School are presenting The ABC’s of Family Biking to show off and demonstrate kid-friendly bike options this Saturday, 11 am to 2 pm at the Capitol Hill Montessori School at Logan, 215 G Street NE.
Whether they are add-ons to an existing bikes, such as bike seats and trailers, or full cargo bikes, like longtails and boxbikes, a number of products can help you and your kids explore new parts of the city together and perhaps even create a new daily commuting routine.
As the organizer of Kidical Mass DC, I love to share the ins-and-outs of biking with kids. Biking around DC with my son during the past 2 years has been more fun than I ever could have imagined. It’s a joy for both of us because my son loves that we can pull over on the road whenever we see anything interesting. And I get a very real thrill that unlike other parents in the area, I don’t have to worry about hunting for parking when I’m dropping him off at daycare. Plus, by using the bike to run everyday errands with him in tow, I’m teaching him that bikes are a safe, useful, and normal way of getting around.
I’ve learned a lot about the different approaches to biking with kids and think that with the right knowledge, nearly any parent can share the delights of cycling with their own children. Below is a summary of some of the most common cycling options for parents who have kids aged from infancy to early school age, listed in order of cost.
Bike Seats ($)
If you want to try biking with your children without making a big investment in gear, aftermarket bike seats are a great first step. Easily adaptable to a variety of bike types and brands, relatively cheap, and offering the intimacy of having your child within arm’s reach during the whole ride, bike seats that bolt onto either the front stem or rear rack of your bike are a great economical choice.
The most commonly-seen bike seats bike seats are Topeak’s rear seat (ubiquitous in bike shops) and the iBert front-mounted seat, a neon green contraption that is outstanding for its ability to fit onto a broad range of bike types and sizes.
I have used both front and rear seats and there are pluses and minuses to both. Front seats are unbeatable for staying in contact with and monitoring the comfort of your child. Your child gets to see everything that’s going on around him or her, and drivers can’t miss the fact that you’re child is with you.
A front seat’s main disadvantage, in my view, is that they’re only usable for 2 or maybe 3 years because most have a maximum weight limit of 35 pounds. Rear-mounted seats, though, will hold kids weighing up to 50 pounds. Kids riding behind cyclists are also a little more protected from the weather than kids riding on the front of the bike.
You should keep a few considerations in mind before you head out to the local bike shop. First, what kind of handlebars does your bike have? Front-mounted seats go best with upright or mountain-type handlebars. Also, some front-mounted seats only work with certain stem diameters and otherwise require adaptors to be used.
Additionally, make sure your kickstand is sturdy and well-balanced enough to handle the additional weight of a child on your bike. You might even want to look into aftermarket centerstands like this one available from Velo Orange to provide more balanced support for your bike.
One more consideration: I strongly recommend using a mixte, loop, or other step-through frame if you’re going to bike with a child on the back of your bike. It makes it easier to get on and off your bike without kicking your child in the face (ask me how I know!).
With a price point of $100 to $200, child seats are the most economical way to start biking with kids if you already have an appropriate bike.
Front seats:
Rear seats:
Topeak*
Yepp Maxi* (includes option for mounting without a rear rack)
Peanut Shell*
Trailers ($$)
For many years, trailers were the ultimate bike accessory for the hard-core, year-round cycling parent in the United States. They attach to nearly any kind of bike, include canopies to keep out the cold and rain, can carry a significant amount of cargo, and can accommodate a broad age range of passengers. Many trailers also convert to strollers, meaning that parents can potentially address two needs with a single tool.
Photo by ajfroggie on Flickr.
If you’re on a limited budget and need to invest in a single kid-hauling accessory that will carry your child from an infant (in a car-seat, of course) to school-age, trailers are probably your best bet. There is also a strong resale economy for trailers, so it’s usually easy to either find a used trailer online or sell your own trailer when you’re finished with it.
The two big names in the trailer world are Burley and Chariot. Made in the U.S.A. and Canada respectively, Burley and Chariot offer trailers in a wide range of sizes and weights at prices ranging from $300 to close to $700 depending on the size and features. Thanks to its many years in the business, Burley has a fantastic customer support system that offers replacement parts even for models that haven’t been made in five or more years. Chariot produces a similar fleet of trailers but focuses more on the multi-sport market: they offer conversion kits for walking, jogging, and even skiing to increase the versatility of their trailers.
Trailers:
Longtails ($$$)
A recent innovation, longtails are a great compromise between the speed and maneuverability of a regular two-wheeled bike and the cargo capacity of a boxbike. The original longtail is Xtracycle’s Free Radical. The Free Radical is a frame extension that bolts on to an existing bike frame in the place of the rear wheel, moving the rear wheel back and adding an extended platform to the back of the bike.
Since first developing the Free Radical, Xtracycle has continued to refine its design and has spawned several variations on the original concept of bikes with extended tails. The company partnered with Surly to design an all-in-one longtail bike, the Big Dummy, that incorporates the longtail concept in a single frame and is therefore sturdier and able to handle larger loads. Recent other variations have included Xtracycle’s Radish (a lighter-weight, step-through frame), the Yuba Mundo, and the Kona Ute.
Photo by the author.
Longtails are a great way to carry multiple children at the same time or to carry older kids. Even after they outgrow bike seats and trailers, kids can perch on the rear decks of these versatile bikes. With a little creativity, you can even fit three kids at a time on a longtail.
Longtails are relatively lightweight for their cargo capacity and, though even a simple FreeRadical conversion kit costs more than some trailers, are a great investment for their ability to accommodate many different combinations of cargo and kids. FreeRadicals are about $500 while other longtail styles can cost from $1,100 to $2,000.
Longtails:
Boxbikes ($$$$)
The true SUVs of the cycling world, cargo trikes and bakfietsen are low-maintenance, weatherproof, nearly bombproof kid-hauling machines. Both types of cargo bikes feature a dramatically extended front end with a large, sturdy front box mounted on the frame. Cargo trikes have one rear wheel and two front wheels on either side of the box while bakfietsen (the Dutch plural for “boxbike”) have one rear wheel and one front wheel that sits in front of the box. Some bakfietsen sport a box large enough to comfortably accommodate even four children, or two children, a dog, and a bunch of groceries.
Photo by the author.
Equipped with weather canopies, plenty of cargo space, built-in seats with seatbelts, and sometimes even integrated lighting systems, boxbikes are the ultimate turn-key option for families who want to make a full commitment to going car-free or extremely car-light. They often feature fully enclosed shifting and braking systems for maximum weatherproofness, so keeping these bikes outside shouldn’t be a problem. This is especially important for those without dedicated garage space. Many boxbikes have chain guards while some even include full chain cases for the ultimate maintenance-free drivetrain.
As you might expect, all these features come with a price. Boxbikes typically start at $2,700 and, depending on capacity and other factors, can increase in price to $4,000 or more.
Of course, that’s about 10 times more than most people would ever dream of paying for a bike. But $4,000 is about one-third the cost of the very cheapest car you can purchase new. Plus the annual maintenance costs for the boxbike are practically nil. More than any other family biking tool, boxbikes are designed to serve as true car replacements, giving that price tag a different context and making them a worthwhile investment. Additionally, considering how much space car seats take up in the back seat of a sedan, a cargo trike or bakfiets could even carry more children than your typical family sedan!
Bakfietsen:
Cargo trikes:
If you want to explore these options further, be sure to stop by the ABC’s of Family Biking this Saturday. Thanks to several helpful bike shops and a cadre of enthusiastic (evangelical, even) parent cyclists, we will be demonstrating many of the types and brands of bikes and bike equipment described above.
* available in local shops, either in-stock or by special orderGeorge Peter John Criscuola (born December 20, 1945), better known by his stage name Peter Criss, is a retired American musician and actor, best known as a co-founder, original drummer, and occasional vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss. Criss established The Catman character for his Kiss persona. In 2014, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Kiss.[1] Contents
Early years Edit
Criss was born in Brooklyn, New York, the oldest of five children of Loretta and Joseph Criscuola. His father's family came from Scafati, Salerno, Italy. He grew up in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.[2][3] He was a childhood friend of Jerry Nolan, who would later find success as the drummer of the New York Dolls.[4] Criss was an avid art student and a swing aficionado.[5] While playing with bandleader Joey Greco, Criss ended up studying under his idol, Gene Krupa, at the Metropole Club in New York.[6] This turned into an active musical career as he went on to play jazz and rock with a number of bands in New York and New Jersey throughout the 1960s.[citation needed]
Chelsea Edit
Criss was involved with a number of bands throughout the mid-to-late 1960s. It was during this time that Criss joined Chelsea, who had a two-album deal with Decca Records; the group released a self-titled album in 1970. They never recorded a second album, and in August 1971 became Lips (a trio consisting of Criss and his Chelsea bandmates Michael Benvenga and Stan Penridge). By the spring of 1972, Lips was just the duo of Criss and Penridge.[citation needed] In 1973, Pete Shepley and Mike Brand recorded an unreleased album which included post-Chelsea Michael Benvenga, and pre-Kiss Peter Criss and Gene Simmons as session musicians. It was titled Captain Sanity.[7][8]
Kiss Edit
Departure from Kiss Edit
In 1978, Criss was injured in a serious car crash.[12][not in citation given] On the 1979 release Dynasty, he only played on his own composition, "Dirty Livin'",[13] and did not play at all on Unmasked (1980). Anton Fig, who also played on Ace Frehley's 1978 solo album, was hired as session drummer for Dynasty and Unmasked.[citation needed] Gene Simmons has said Criss was fired; Paul Stanley discussed Criss' departure in several interviews, including the commentary on Kissology 2. Ace Frehley in his 2011 book, No Regrets, also stated that Criss was fired during a band meeting in which Frehley was outvoted by Simmons and Stanley. A spoken word CD released in 1999 titled 13 Classic Kiss Stories, features Bill Aucoin (Kiss' first manager) where he also discusses Criss being "let go". Criss, however, has maintained that he quit the band. The video for "Shandi" was shot in one day, and Peter was out of the band at that time; Stanley said of the shoot, "We shot a video for the song 'Shandi' after the decision to let Peter go had been confirmed. He came to the video shoot knowing it was the last time he would appear with KISS. At the end of the day, he took his makeup case with him and left. It wasn't tearful, but it was a big moment. Peter was leaving. We had fired him, and this was the last time we were going to see him in the band".[14] Criss officially left Kiss on May 18, 1980. As a result, Kiss postponed the European tour until the end of August, thus giving the band enough time to find a replacement drummer, who they found in Brooklyn-born Eric Carr.
Solo career Edit
In March 1980, Criss began recording his second solo album, Out of Control. Released later in the year, the album was a commercial failure, despite remaining a favorite with Criss fans. The follow-up album, 1982's Let Me Rock You, which contained one song written by Gene Simmons, was a similar failure. The album cover featured Criss without his Kiss makeup, but was not released in the U.S. at the time.[citation needed] For the rest of the 1980s and early 1990s, Criss was involved with a number of bands, each usually lasting less than a year. One of them was The Keep, which featured ex-Kiss guitarist Mark St. John. Criss also played with Balls of Fire from the spring of 1986 to December 1986, with Jane Booke on lead vocals, Bob Raylove on bass and JP (John Pakalenka) on guitar, who currently plays for Buckner Funken Jazz in Denver, Colorado. Balls of Fire played only 7 shows before Criss left the band to enjoy his daughter Jenilee growing up.[15] Another was the Criss Penridge Alliance, essentially Peter Criss and Stan Penridge with the 1970s jazz rock fusion band Montage (Mike Hutchens - guitar,[16] Allen Woody - bass (Govt Mule, Allman Brothers Band), John Moss - drums and Tony Crow - keyboards) who rehearsed 39 songs including from the first 3 Peter Criss solo albums, and played around 10 shows in total.[17] While Kiss was promoting their upcoming release Crazy Nights, Criss appeared on the syndicated radio program Metal Shop and discussed his time in Kiss from a more positive perspective than before; he promoted the book he was writing at the time, an autobiography to be titled A Face without a Kiss. He also mentioned his dream of one day opening up his own recording studio and starting his own record label, to be called Catman Records. He briefly reunited with former Kiss bandmate Ace Frehley on Frehley's 1989 album Trouble Walkin' (singing and playing percussion on one track).[citation needed] In the early 1990s, Criss assembled a band named "Criss", which would feature future Queensrÿche guitarist Mike Stone. This band released the Criss EP in December 1993 and the Cat #1 album in August 1994.[18]
Return to Kiss Edit
In 1995, Criss appeared at the official Kiss Konvention in Los Angeles that led to the Kiss live performance that was recorded for MTV Unplugged. In April 1996, Kiss held a press conference to announce a reunion tour with all four original members. The 1996–97 Alive/Worldwide Tour was an enormous success, and the reunited Kiss released a studio album, 1998's Psycho Circus.[citation needed] Criss only played drums on one track on the album ("Into the Void", Ace Frehley's one lead vocal track), although Criss did have one lead vocal (a track called "I Finally Found My Way", written by guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley and Bob Ezrin) and a co-vocal taking turns in the verses with the rest of the band for the song "You Wanted the Best".[citation needed]
Second and third departures Edit
Tensions arose once again between Criss and Kiss. On October 7, 2000, at the end of the band's show in North Charleston, South Carolina, Criss destroyed his drum kit on stage.[19] Though fans thought it was part of the act, it was in reality an act of frustration on Criss' part.[20] It was his last show on the tour, as he left over a contract dispute and was replaced by Eric Singer in 2001. He rejoined the band in late 2002 and appeared on the Kiss Symphony: Alive IV DVD and CD before departing from Kiss again in March 2004. The band had opted not to renew his contract following the Rocksimus Maximus Tour. He was once again replaced by Singer, who assumed the "Catman" persona.[citation needed] Criss said of Kiss performing with replacements for Ace Frehley and himself: No matter who they get to put stuff on their face, it ain't us. You can take the mask off the Lone Ranger and put it on someone else, but it ain't the Lone Ranger.[21]
Personal life Edit
Acting Edit
Discography EditFrom Emma Elliot Frier at the Federalist:
Politicians in the Netherlands are discussing the possibility of legalizing euthanasia for healthy people. The proposed “Completed Life Bill” would allow any person age 75 or over who decides their life is “complete” to receive euthanasia. It doesn’t matter if they are otherwise perfectly healthy. More.
Reality check: Once the idea that doctors can cause death is accepted in principle, death on demand for everyone at all ages is inevitable. Then letting the health care system run down will take care of the rest of the problem: In the age of high tech, most European countries can get by with many fewer people.
See also: Dutch now offer euthanasia for alcoholics Progressive globalist governments do not need high-maintenance Western populations. They have ‘bots, techs, and unfree peoples around the globe. And we are all “the fetus” now.
and
Scary Quebec euthanasia stats… but so? How did we think progressive governments would pay for all the social transformations they envision?The interesting result was that some of the rebuttals were quite insightful, and resulted in me making changes to the argument that I would make if I had to present it again. Judging by the literacy and intelligence of some of the respondents, most of them probably wouldn't need Mechanical Turk as a source of income, so I assume most of them fit the profile of this Salon.com writer and are doing it just for fun. Hell, you can find enough people on UseNet and Slashdot who will argue with you just for free.
But there were a few reasons I found this preferable to the conventional ways of gathering interesting rebuttals to your own reasoning. If you send out a sample argument to all of your e-mail buddies, you will probably get some useful replies, but they may start to think you're a little weird for asking them to evaluate your thought processes, especially if you do it over and over. Post an opinion on UseNet or Slashdot, and you may have to wade through a lot of crap to find the useful responses (while others may consider your post to be part of the crap that they have to wade through). And in both cases, there's the potential embarrassment of what you're asking for -- the risk of seeming so uncertain about your own opinions that you want other people to check your work for you. (I actually think that being uncertain about your own beliefs is a virtue, but it doesn't seem to be one that our culture prizes very highly.) Using Mechanical Turk addresses most of these problems; even though you're still admitting to total strangers that you might be wrong and asking them to shoot you down if they can, at least the evidence of your insecurity won't turn up when your next employer or Internet date does a Google search for your name. ("Damn it, I want a man who doesn't question his bumper stickers!")
So, while I didn't find it useful enough that I would run every opinion through the Mechanical Turk machinery to see what feedback I could get from it (I'm not paying a bunch of them to proofread this article), I did like enough to recommend it to people for certain arguments in certain settings. The main kinds of arguments that I would try out on the Mechanical Turk service would be about abstract philosophical or moral questions on issues that have been around forever, like abortion or the death penalty -- topics so explosive that you'd risk making your friends very uncomfortable if you test-marketed your arguments on them, and which would seem almost rude to post about in a public forum because the debate topics have been around for so very, very long. But on Mechanical Turk, $1 is apparently enough to get people to ignore the awkwardness and the exhaustedness of the topic and to focus on what you ask.
And what was the argument that I used to test it out? Perhaps the geek crowd will feel more sympathy with this than the general public does. Basically it was that the conventional wisdom behind allowing adults to smoke, but banning cigarettes for people under 18, is wrong. Either you can believe that smoking should be permitted for everybody, or that it should be banned for everybody, but there is no consistent set of assumptions that could lead you to conclude that smoking should be banned for people under 18 but allowed for everyone else. You have two groups of people under consideration -- people under 18 who smoke, and people over 18 who smoke. What possible reason could there be for wanting to protect the health of the people in the first group, but not the people in the second group?
The problem with the conventional reason for smoking age restrictions -- "Younger people have worse judgment, so they are more likely to smoke" -- is that if this is true, all that means is that the first group of people will be proportionally larger, relative to the total population of people in their age range. But even after that assumption, you're still left with two groups of people, who exhibit the same continued bad judgment with regard to smoking cigarettes. Treating the two groups differently, is a bit like saying we should have lighter sentences for female murderers than for male murderers, just because men are more likely to commit murder.
And yet this conclusion did give me pause, so this is a classic example of an argument where you'd want someone to check your work. Off I went to create a Human Intelligence Task (HIT) on Mechanical Turk simply asking people to read the argument and respond. In the first round, most responders missed what I thought was the point of the argument, and responded with some variation of "Minors are more likely to smoke because they have worse judgment", without addressing the question of why the two groups of smokers should be treated differently. A few people responded with variations of "We've always done it that way" (referring to similar restrictions on alcohol, pornography, etc.); fair enough, it just reminded me that if I asked the question again I'd have to say I didn't consider any argument valid that boiled down to "We've always done it that way".
But then came some more interesting responses. One worker replied that I was wrong to assume that the effects of a cigarette were "the same" on adults and minors because cigarette smoke has been shown to be more damaging to developing tissues. OK, that was worth a dollar. On the other hand, that just means that there is some number N cigarettes that would be just as harmful to an adult, as 1 cigarette would be to a minor, so you're still left without a consistent reason for why you'd let the adult buy those N cigarettes but prevent the minor from buying 1 cigarette. Then another user called me out on the opening line of my original argument, "There is no reason to ban cigarettes for minors but not for adults." He said, quite correctly, that I had only attempted to debunk the most commonly given reason, but it was wrong to conclude that there was no such reason.
So, this led me to another idea for how to present an argument and solicit feedback on Mechanical Turk: in the form of a series of mathematically precise statements, each one following from the previous ones. The new HIT was to ask users if they disagreed with the conclusion, and if they disagreed, then to identify the first statement that they disagreed with. The idea was that each statement would follow logically from the ones before it, so identifying any statement as the "first" one that they disagreed with, would be tantamount to a self-contradictory paradox.
Now, whether or not you want to use this format when running an argument past the Turk workers, depends on what your goal is. If you want to really find out if your own argument is valid, then breaking it down mathematically is one approach. On the other hand, if you already believe your own argument, and you're just trying to find the most persuasive way of phrasing it, then you may not learn anything useful by breaking it down into a series of mathematical steps, because that's probably not going to be the format of our final persuasive essay.
Anyway, the new mathematical format of the argument was (slightly reworked from what I posted on Amazon):
Government should ban smoking by people under 18, because of the harmful health effects. If that's true for the entire group of underage smokers, then it's also true for each individual smoker under 18. In other words, even if only one person under 18 smoked in the entire country, it would still be justified for the government to ban them from smoking. Whatever bad health effects are caused by the average person under 18 smoking 1 cigarette, there is some number N cigarettes that would cause the same bad health effects in the average adult who smoked them. If banning 1 person under 18 from smoking 1 cigarette is justified (even if they were the last smoker on Earth), and the health effects would be the same for an average adult who smoked N cigarettes, then banning 1 adult from smoking those N cigarettes would also be justified (again, even if they were the last smoker on Earth). If banning 1 person over 18 from smoking would be justified, then the same logic would apply to every person over 18, which would imply banning smoking for all people over 18. Hence, if you believe that smoking should be banned for people under 18, then the same logic would lead to a ban on smoking for people over 18 as well.
The response from a lot of workers who responded to this HIT was that... I lost them. Each of them identified the first statement in the list that they disagreed with, as required by the HIT, but many commented that the whole thing was phrased confusingly. There was no clear winner for the first statement that people disagreed with, but several people picked #3 and #4, arguing some version of "People under 18 have less developed judgment." (I still say that doesn't matter, because you're talking about comparing a person under 18 who smokes, with a person over 18 who smokes, and their judgment in both cases is the same, etc.) So this particular experiment failed -- it didn't make it easier to persuade people by formulating the argument as a series of steps, and it also didn't lead to any agreement on what was the Achilles' Heel of the argument itself.
However I think the general idea, of using Mechanical Turk to find sparring partners, may be useful to a lot of people. If you were interested in publishing some kind of persuasive argument, you could use an Amazon HIT to have readers compare several different versions of the same argument and identify the one that they thought was most convincing. If you were feeling more philosophical and simply wanted to know if your argument was correct, you could pay people to look for flaws in it (and here is where the mathematical phrasing could come in handy). If you're crafting an argument for public consumption, you could even have HIT workers build up your argument for you -- start with a position and have them come up with reasons supporting that position -- although to me that feels like a cheapening of the debate process that crosses the line, because you're not even trying to reason your way to a conclusion, instead starting with the conclusion you want and then working backwards (not that this isn't what a lot of debaters do anyway!). My own interest would be to see next if certain types of arguments are more likely to persuade people who are more mathematically inclined (by asking respondents to indicate how well they did at math in school). Perhaps arguments with flowery language are more likely to appeal to people who were English majors, while arguments spelled out as a series of logical steps are more likely to appeal to people who look at things in a mathematical way (also known as the "real" or "right" way of looking at things).
Maybe my preference for the controlled, user-reimbursed process of "debating" that is enabled by Mechanical Turk, has to do with a lifelong focus on bottom-line results: Decide what the result is, and judge the process by how well it brings about that result. I don't think debate and discussion should be like soccer, valued for the fun and the exercise; I think a good debate should actually get somewhere, persuading the participants or the listeners of a new point of view that builds on their old one, or else the debate has failed. If paying HIT workers kills the "spirit" of a good debate but helps achieve the goal, then so much the better. On the other hand, we'll never run out of people who enjoy the process of debating and arguing for its own sake, and will continue to debate things into the ground without anybody paying them. Hey look, here come some of them now!...Some mobile networks in India offer their customers discounted data during late evening, off-peak hours, and now YouTube has announced a new feature designed to make the most of that. The company recently announced Smart Offline, which automatically downloads videos to a smartphone overnight so that they can be watched anywhere — even without a data connection — the next day.
This comes a year after YouTube launched offline video saving in India, a feature that requires a subscription to YouTube Red in the United States. Airtel, the largest provider by subscriber count in India, and Telenor, which ranks eighth, are the first two companies that've signed on to support Smart Offline. YouTube says it's open to expanding the feature to the rest of India's numerous mobile networks.
To try out the new feature, users must be connected to the cellular data network (the option won't appear when on Wi-Fi) and tap the grey arrow that saves clips offline. On participating carriers, users will then see a prompt giving them the ability to schedule the download for later that evening. "When you wake up the next morning, your videos will be ready for you to watch offline and on the go, with no buffering," Jessica Xu, a YouTube product manager, wrote on the company's India blog. The latest version of YouTube's mobile app is required, as well.Naturalist George Merryweather offered a gruesome new instrument at London’s Great Exhibition in 1851: He imprisoned 12 leeches in a ring of bottles, which he capped with whalebone levers. (The bottles were arranged in a circle so that the leeches “might see one another and not endure the affliction of solitary confinement.”) When a storm approached, the agitated leeches would climb the bottles, trip the levers, and ring a bell. The more agitated this “jury of philosophical councilors,” the more frequently the bell sounded, and the more likely a storm.
After a year of experiments, Merryweather claimed great success — among other feats, the “leech barometer” foretold the disastrous storm of October 1850 51 hours before it took place. “I may here observe,” Merryweather wrote, “that I could cause a little leech, governed by its instinct, to ring Saint Paul’s great bell in London as a signal for an approaching storm.”
He proposed that the government install stations around the British coast, and nominated engineer William Reid to be inspector-general of leeches and meteorologist James Glaisher his second-in-command. Inexplicably, they turned him down. “After this,” opined Chambers’ Journal, “the Snail Telegraph looks not quite so outrageous an absurdity.”The Obama administration is preparing to release convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, according to U.S. officials, some of whom hope the move will smooth relations with Israel in the wake of the Iran nuclear deal.
Such a move would end a decadeslong fight over Pollard, who was arrested on charges of spying for Israel in 1985 and later sentenced to life in prison. The case has long been a source of tension between the U.S. and Israel, which has argued that a life sentence for spying on behalf of a close U.S. partner is too harsh. For decades, Israel has sought Pollard’s early release only to be rejected by the U.S.
Reuters Jonathan Pollard is pictured, six years after his 1985 arrest.
Now, some U.S. officials are pushing for Pollard’s release in a matter of weeks. Others expect it could take months, possibly until his parole consideration date in November. Some U.S. officials strongly denied Friday there was any link between the Iran deal and Pollard’s prospective release, saying that any release decision would be made by the U.S. Parole Commission.
A White House spokesman referred questions to the Justice Department, where a spokesman declined to comment on a matter which may be before the Parole Commission.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been a vocal opponent of the deal struck between Iran and six world powers to curb Iran’s nuclear program. Discord between Israel and the U.S., longtime allies, has led to a deteriorating relationship that is the stormiest it has been in decades.
An expanded version of this report appears at WSJ.com.
Want news about Asia delivered to your inbox? Subscribe to MarketWatch's free Asia Daily newsletter. Sign up here.North Korea’s latest test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Tuesday showed that the country now has the capability to strike the entire United States — and there’s little America can do to stop it.
The test revealed just how dramatically North Korea’s missile program has advanced over the past year, and how much more of a threat the country now poses to the US. In April, Pyongyang tested a missile that blew up just seconds after launch. Tuesday’s missile, however, flew more than 10 times higher than the International Space Station, and was in the air for 54 minutes before landing near Japan.
The North Korean missile advances are happening despite pressure from the international community, which continues to slap economic sanctions on the country. President Donald Trump is expected to impose new financial restrictions on Pyongyang Wednesday, just one week after the US increased penalties when it put North Korea back on the state sponsors of terrorism list.
On top of that, North Korea tested its most powerful nuclear bomb ever on September 3, and it may have stockpiled up to 60 nuclear weapons. Making matters worse, the US military believes North Korea already has the capability to “miniaturize” a nuclear weapon and fit it onto that missile, which it could then use to hit major US cities like Washington, DC.
Taken together, it looks like there’s little Trump can do to stop North Korea’s march toward a missile that can carry a nuclear weapon to the American mainland. And even more alarming, it’s not clear that he or the US military could stop a missile if North Korea were to fire one at the US.
We’re still not 100 percent sure whether North Korea can hit the eastern US with a nuke
The test demonstrated that North Korea now has ballistic missiles that can hit all of the mainland US. What North Korea hasn’t been able to show conclusively yet is that it has the ability to hit all of the mainland US with a nuclear-tipped ballistic missile.
There is reason to think North Korea still has some work to do before it gets there. After all, launching nuclear missiles that can strike targets thousands of miles away is hard. I mean, it is literally rocket science.
To hit a target with a nuclear-tipped ICBM, the nuclear-tipped part has to be able to survive the journey up into space and back down through Earth’s atmosphere without disintegrating or detonating, and make it all the way to its target on the other side of the globe. That’s pretty hard to do, and the North Koreans haven’t yet demonstrated that they’ve figured out how to do that part.
Some experts believe they can. “What more evidence do we want: 200 kilotons going off in Palm Beach?” Jeffrey Lewis, an expert on North Korea’s |
anding Invar to eliminate any remaining thermal effects. Other experimenters from around the world increased accuracy, eliminated possible side effects, or both. So far, no one has been able to replicate Miller's results, and modern experimental accuracies have ruled them out.[A 33] Roberts (2006) has pointed out that the primitive data reduction techniques used by Miller and other early experimenters, including Michelson and Morley, were capable of creating apparent periodic signals even when none existed in the actual data. After reanalyzing Miller's original data using modern techniques of quantitative error analysis, Roberts found Miller's apparent signals to be statistically insignificant.[A 34]
Using a special optical arrangement involving a 1/20 wave step in one mirror, Roy J. Kennedy (1926) and K.K. Illingworth (1927) (Fig. 8) converted the task of detecting fringe shifts from the relatively insensitive one of estimating their lateral displacements to the considerably more sensitive task of adjusting the light intensity on both sides of a sharp boundary for equal luminance.[14][15] If they observed unequal illumination on either side of the step, such as in Fig. 8e, they would add or remove calibrated weights from the interferometer until both sides of the step were once again evenly illuminated, as in Fig. 8d. The number of weights added or removed provided a measure of the fringe shift. Different observers could detect changes as little as 1/300 to 1/1500 of a fringe. Kennedy also carried out an experiment at Mount Wilson, finding only about 1/10 the drift measured by Miller and no seasonal effects.[A 32]
In 1930, Georg Joos conducted an experiment using an automated interferometer with 21-meter-long (69 ft) arms forged from pressed quartz having very low thermal coefficient of expansion, that took continuous photographic strip recordings of the fringes through dozens of revolutions of the apparatus. Displacements of 1/1000 of a fringe could be measured on the photographic plates. No periodic fringe displacements were found, placing an upper limit to the aether wind of 1.5 km/s (0.93 mi/s).[16]
In the table below, the expected values are related to the relative speed between Earth and Sun of 30 km/s (18.6 mi/s). With respect to the speed of the solar system around the galactic center of about 220 km/s (140 mi/s), or the speed of the solar system relative to the CMB rest frame of about 368 km/s (229 mi/s), the null results of those experiments are even more obvious.
Recent experiments [ edit ]
Optical tests [ edit ]
Optical tests of the isotropy of the speed of light became commonplace.[A 35] New technologies, including the use of lasers and masers, have significantly improved measurement precision. (In the following table, only Essen (1955), Jaseja (1964), and Shamir/Fox (1969) are experiments of Michelson–Morley type, i.e. comparing two perpendicular beams. The other optical experiments employed different methods.)
et al. (2003).[30] Figure 9. Michelson–Morley experiment with cryogenic optical resonators of a form such as was used by Müller(2003).
Recent optical resonator experiments [ edit ]
Over the last several years, there has been a resurgence in interest in performing precise Michelson–Morley type experiments using lasers, masers, cryogenic optical resonators, etc. This is in large part due to predictions of quantum gravity that suggest that special relativity may be violated at scales accessible to experimental study. The first of these highly accurate experiments was conducted by Brillet & Hall (1979), in which they analyzed a laser frequency stabilized to a resonance of a rotating optical Fabry–Pérot cavity. They set a limit on the anisotropy of the speed of light resulting from the Earth's motions of Δc/c ≈ 10−15, where Δc is the difference between the speed of light in the x- and y-directions.[31]
As of 2009, optical and microwave resonator experiments have improved this limit to Δc/c ≈ 10−17. In some of them, the devices were rotated or remained stationary, and some were combined with the Kennedy–Thorndike experiment. In particular, Earth's direction and velocity (ca. 368 km/s (229 mi/s)) relative to the CMB rest frame are ordinarily used as references in these searches for anisotropies.
Author Year Description Δc/c Wolf et al.[32] 2003 The frequency of a stationary cryogenic microwave oscillator, consisting of sapphire crystal operating in a whispering gallery mode, is compared to a hydrogen maser whose frequency was compared to caesium and rubidium atomic fountain clocks. Changes during Earth's rotation have been searched for. Data between 2001–2002 was analyzed. ≲ 10 − 15 {\displaystyle \lesssim 10^{-15}} Müller et al.[30] 2003 Two optical resonators constructed from crystalline sapphire, controlling the frequencies of two Nd:YAG lasers, are set at right angles within a helium cryostat. A frequency comparator measures the beat frequency of the combined outputs of the two resonators. Wolf et al.[33] 2004 See Wolf et al. (2003). An active temperature control was implemented. Data between 2002–2003 was analyzed. Wolf et al.[34] 2004 See Wolf et al. (2003). Data between 2002–2004 was analyzed. Antonini et al.[35] 2005 Similar to Müller et al. (2003), though the apparatus itself was set into rotation. Data between 2002–2004 was analyzed. ≲ 10 − 16 {\displaystyle \lesssim 10^{-16}} Stanwix et al.[36] 2005 Similar to Wolf et al. (2003). The frequency of two cryogenic oscillators was compared. In addition, the apparatus was set into rotation. Data between 2004–2005 was analyzed. Herrmann et al.[37] 2005 Similar to Müller et al. (2003). The frequencies of two optical Fabry–Pérot resonators cavities are compared – one cavity was continuously rotating while the other one was stationary oriented north–south. Data between 2004–2005 was analyzed. Stanwix et al.[38] 2006 See Stanwix et al. (2005). Data between 2004–2006 was analyzed. Müller et al.[39] 2007 See Herrmann et al. (2005) and Stanwix et al. (2006). Data of both groups collected between 2004–2006 are combined and further analyzed. Since the experiments are located at difference continents, at Berlin and Perth respectively, the effects of both the rotation of the devices themselves and the rotation of Earth could be studied. Eisele et al.[2] 2009 The frequencies of a pair of orthogonal oriented optical standing wave cavities are compared. The cavities were interrogated by a Nd:YAG laser. Data between 2007–2008 was analyzed. ≲ 10 − 17 {\displaystyle \lesssim 10^{-17}} Herrmann et al.[3] 2009 Similar to Herrmann et al. (2005). The frequencies of a pair of rotating, orthogonal optical Fabry–Pérot resonators are compared. The frequencies of two Nd:YAG lasers are stabilized to resonances of these resonators.
Other tests of Lorentz invariance [ edit ]
7Li-NMR spectrum of LiCl (1M) in D 2 O. The sharp, unsplit NMR line of this isotope of lithium is evidence for the isotropy of mass and space. Figure 10.Li-NMR spectrum of LiCl (1M) in DO. The sharp, unsplit NMR line of this isotope of lithium is evidence for the isotropy of mass and space.
Examples of other experiments not based on the Michelson–Morley principle, i.e. non-optical isotropy tests achieving an even higher level of precision, are Clock comparison or Hughes–Drever experiments. In Drever's 1961 experiment, 7Li nuclei in the ground state, which has total angular momentum J=3/2, were split into four equally spaced levels by a magnetic field. Each transition between a pair of adjacent levels should emit a photon of equal frequency, resulting in a single, sharp spectral line. However, since the nuclear wave functions for different M J have different orientations in space relative to the magnetic field, any orientation dependence, whether from an aether wind or from a dependence on the large-scale distribution of mass in space (see Mach's principle), would perturb the energy spacings between the four levels, resulting in an anomalous broadening or splitting of the line. No such broadening was observed. Modern repeats of this kind of experiment have provided some of the most accurate confirmations of the principle of Lorentz invariance.[A 36]
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Notes [ edit ]
^ Among other lessons was the need to control for vibration. Michelson (1881) wrote: "... owing to the extreme sensitiveness of the instrument to vibrations, the work could not be carried on during the day. Next, the experiment was tried at night. When the mirrors were placed half-way on the arms the fringes were visible, but their position could not be measured till after twelve o'clock, and then only at intervals. When the mirrors were moved out to the ends of the arms, the fringes were only occasionally visible. It thus appeared that the experiments could not be performed in Berlin, and the apparatus was accordingly removed to the Astrophysicalisches Observatorium in Potsdam... Here, the fringes under ordinary circumstances were sufficiently quiet to measure, but so extraordinarily sensitive was the instrument that the stamping of the pavement, about 100 meters from the observatory, made the fringes disappear entirely!" ^ Michelson (1881) wrote: "... a sodium flame placed at a produced at once the interference bands. These could then be altered in width, position, or direction, by a slight movement of the plate b, and when they were of convenient width and of maximum sharpness, the sodium flame was removed and the lamp again substituted. The screw m was then slowly turned till the bands reappeared. They were then of course colored, except the central band, which was nearly black." ^ If one uses a half-silvered mirror as the beam splitter, the reflected beam will undergo a different number of front-surface reflections than the transmitted beam. At each front-surface reflection, the light will undergo a phase inversion. Because the two beams undergo a different number of phase inversions, when the path lengths of the two beams match or differ by an integral number of wavelengths (e.g. 0, 1, 2...), there will be destructive interference and a weak signal at the detector. If the path lengths of the beams differ by a half-integral number of wavelengths (e.g., 0.5, 1.5, 2.5...), constructive interference will yield a strong signal. The results are opposite if a cube beam-splitter is used, because a cube beam-splitter makes no distinction between a front- and rear-surface reflection. ^ Sodium light produces a fringe pattern that displays cycles of fuzziness and sharpness that repeat every several hundred fringes over a distance of approximately a millimeter. This pattern is due to the yellow sodium D line being actually a doublet, the individual lines of which have a limited coherence length. After aligning the interferometer to display the centermost portion of the sharpest set of fringes, the researcher would switch to white light. ^ Thirring (1926) as well as Lorentz pointed out that Miller's results failed even the most basic criteria required to believe in their celestial origin, namely that the azimuth of supposed drift should exhibit daily variations consistent with the source rotating about the celestial pole. Instead, while Miller's observations showed daily variations, their oscillations in one set of experiments might center, say, around a northwest–southeast line.
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Experiments [ edit ]Dozens of people have watched the public beheading of a Sudanese man in a Saudi Arabian carpark after he was found guilty in a secret trial of being a sorcerer.Shocking vision of the execution has emerged, showing Abdul Hamid Bin Hussain Bin Moustafa al-Fakki crouched on his knees and blindfolded as he awaits his death.The vision shows the executioner delivering the single blow that decapitates the man.Abdul Hamid is understood to have been arrested in 2005 after he was entrapped by a man working for the Mutawa'een (Islamic religious police)He was asked to concoct a spell that would cause the officer's father to leave his second wife.Mr Hamid reportedly carried out the curse in exchange for 6,000 Saudi Arabian riyals (about $1500).In a secret trial, where he was not allowed legal representation, he was sentenced to death by the General Court in Medina in March 2007.Mr Hamid, who was killed on September 20, is believed to have been the 44th person executed in Saudi Arabia this year - and the 11th foreign national.Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International's Director for the Middle East and North Africa, heavily criticised the killing."Abdul Hamid's execution is appalling as is Saudi Arabia's continuing use of this most cruel and extreme penalty," he told The Daily Mail.The charity campaigned on Mr Hamid's behalf.Four-time Bathurst 1000 winner Greg Murphy is the latest high-profile name to sign up for next month’s Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.
The Kiwi, who is without a full-time V8 Supercar drive for the first time in 15 years, will tackle the race alongside Ivan Capelli and Jim Manolios in Trofeo Motorsport’s Corvette Z06.R.
Murphy replaces Rod Wilson in the line-up, with the former V8 Ute Series winner having stepped out of the car to focus on his role as the Pirelli tyre distributor.
Murphy will have his first drive of the Corvette in a test run at Phillip Island today, and says he’s looking forward to the experience.
“It’s been some years since I drove a GT car and I’m a huge Corvette fan, so this is a dream come true,” he said.
“Now that I’m not driving full-time in Supercars, I’ve finally got a chance to get in and drive some great cars.
“The SuperTourer I’ve been racing in New Zealand has the same LS7 powerplant (as the Corvette), so I know how good the engine is, and the car has an outstanding pedigree. I’m really looking forward to getting out there.”
Although Murphy has not previously competed in the Bathurst 12 Hour, he won the second of the two 24 Hour races held at Mount Panorama in the early 2000s, driving a purpose built Holden Monaro alongside Jason Bright, Todd Kelly and Peter Brock.
“I’m under no illusions about how hard the 12 Hour will be having completed the event twice over in 2003, but I don’t expect it will be too different from the 1000,” he said.
“You just have to keep out of trouble until the final stint and within sight of the leaders, and be ready to attack.
“That sounds good in theory, but with what looks to be a phenomenal entry list, it isn’t going to be easy, so we’ll be out to learn as much as we can on Friday and Saturday and drive smart early on Sunday so that we’re in the right position on Sunday afternoon.”
Manolios added his excitement at having Murphy on board in a tie-up that could see the Kiwi return for other multi-driver Australian GT Championship events later in the year, including the season finale in New Zealand.
“Greg will provide the team with a consistent element with which to help us move the car up the grid,” said Manolios.
Other names well known to V8 Supercars fans that will join Murphy in the February 10 race include Craig Lowndes, Shane van Gisbergen, Tim Slade, Lee Holdsworth, Steven Johnson and Alex Davison.
CLICK HERE to view the full entry list
The full race will be video streamed live on Speedcafe.com.Alright, last of the mane 6 is done! I didn't have any issues with Twilight's base design, so a lot of the changes for Twilight are just additions.Low res once again due to future plans and possible changes.I think Twilight's design was my favorite overall as far as colors. There was only one color added to her palette but the way they used it was pretty nice. But of course, NOT ENOUGH STARS /shotAlso, I've figured out what i'm doing with the backgrounds, I'm in the middle of editing them at the moment.Just one more left. :3Let me know what you guys think, and as always, enjoy.Updated Post: fav.me/d7p0j94 More Rainbow Power:Applejack: fav.me/d7mr31k Fluttershy: fav.me/d7mlswt Pinkie Pie: fav.me/d7mjll6 Rainbow Dash: fav.me/d7n12ab Rarity: fav.me/d7mvtxf Spike: fav.me/d7qaorp Vinyl Scratch: fav.me/d7npflqAndy Parrish, Rep. Michele Bachmann's (R-Minn.) former chief of staff, is stepping forward to confirm allegations that Bachmann's campaign made improper payments to Iowa State Sen. Kent Sorenson (R).
Parrish, who until now has been known only as "Witness A," has agreed to testify in front of the Iowa Senate, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
According to the Des Moines Register, Parrish will tell officials that Bachmann was aware of financial arrangements at the center of three ongoing ethics investigations, and has emails that detail the payment arrangement. After serving as Bachmann's chief of staff, Parrish worked on her Iowa campaign.
The former Bachmann operative will corroborate Peter Waldron's claims that the congresswoman's 2012 presidential campaign violated finance laws. Waldron, a former Bachmann adviser, filed an official complaint with the Federal Election Commission in January.
“The time has come to confirm that ‘Witness A’ is Andy Parrish, and he’ll be providing an affidavit with supporting material that completely supports the representations previously made by Peter Waldron,” Parrish's attorney John Gilmore said, according to the Star Tribune.
According to the Associated Press, Sorenson continues to deny that he accepted unethical payments and doesn't believe Parrish has evidence that would corroborate Waldron's claims.Please, STOP CALLING US “Gypsies”, and please STOP CONFUSING us with Irish & Scottish Travellers and the Yenish! (Please read this if you want to learn more about hour history: Christopher Quinn's answer to Who are the Roma people? Also, please read this: If Gypsies descend from India why are they usually really pale? — NEWS FLASH: Actual Romani aren’t pale!)
Anyway, the correct answer to this question: EVERYONE HAS IT PRETTY BAD, but if I had to make an argument for why we Roma and most other Romani just may have it worse, then I present to you the following:
We’ve lived in Europe for just a little over 1,000 years and are on average—due to 500 years of slavery we suffered in the Balkans and select parts of Central & Eastern Europe—50% White European, and yet are still treated as purely Brown outsiders!!!!!
We make up 10% of Europe’s population, and yet people confuse us with people who aren’t at all genetically, culturally or historically connected to us, (i.e., Irish & Scottish Travellers, Yenish and European hippies and hipsters), and treat us as some incredibly small minority group seen as “undeserving” of Europe’s resources
Over 2 million Romani, (almost entirely Roma and Sinti ), were killed in the Holocaust, making us the most disproportionately killed people in the Holocaust and WWII. And yet, we’ve never been properly apologized to, compensated, memorialized or written about in any serious capacity or widely (or appropriately) taught about in schools!
And yet, we’ve never been properly apologized to, compensated, memorialized or written about in any serious capacity or widely (or appropriately) taught about in schools! Seriously, over 85% of us were killed, and no one cares! All people do is call us “Gypsies” and deliberately under-report our death toll!
We were the most experimented upon group by Mengele and other Nazi “scientists” and “doctors”!
and other Nazi “scientists” and “doctors”! We were forced to clean blood, discarded clothing/belongings and severed limbs of other concentration camp victims!
We are the only people in the world who have a highly derogatory exoynm ( i.e., racist misnomer ) used as a slur against them, but then simultaneously, as a dumb slang term and buzzword for people who have nothing to do with us!
i.e., racist misnomer Slurs for us, including “Gypsy” in its various translations, have become synonyms for “poor”, “trashy”, “inferior”, “thieving”, “vagabond”, “carny” and “criminal”
Politicians, reporters and pundits openly call us “animals”, “murderers”, “rapists” and “thieves”, and do so without any backlash, let alone any fear of consequence. These racist mistruths are then echoed by celebrities and both Right and Left Wing activists
We are the most sex-trafficked people in Europe
We are the most disproportionately incarcerated people in Europe
We are the most segregated and impoverished people in Europe. (In Italy we’re placed on different buses ; in Romania we’re forced into sub-par housing, and in Hungary, our youth are automatically placed in underfunded classrooms designed for severely disabled children, despite our students often not needing any type of special education! And our living conditions are so horrible and our access to food is so limited in these nations, you’d think we were natives of a Third World Country!!!!!!!! )
. (In ; in, and in, despite our students often not needing any type of special education! And our living conditions are so horrible and our access to food is so limited in these nations, you’d think we were natives of a ) Because we’re denied basic medical services, we have the highest rates of infant and maternal mortality
Also, because of people’s refusal to provide us with adequate medical services, (if any), our children’s have high rates untreated health issues, especially complications stemming from pregnancy and delivery-related trauma
especially complications stemming from pregnancy and delivery-related trauma Obviously, we also have the least amount of access to health insurance
Also, because of being denied medical attention, some of us have difficulty retrieving birth certificates, which in turn affects the processes of claiming citizenship and obtaining necessary identification documents such as passports and driver’s licenses, despite being natural born, multi-generational citizens with often very strong indigenous ancestry
Even those of us who can prove our identities via home address and birth certificate, we are still denied access to things such as passports and state-issued I.D.’s such as driver’s licenses
Our censuses are severely skewed because Gadje ( non-Romani ) lie about being us and/or we’re grouped in with ignorant people who falsely adopt the racist “ Gypsy identity ” such as Travellers & Yenish!
non-Romani We are constantly Whitewashed, Blackwashed, etc. and are still, to this very day, made into offensive costumes and cartoons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We are the least understood and least seriously discussed group in Europe
People around the world constantly lie about our supposed religious backgrounds to greater distant us from other native Europeans and Brown populations
We’ve never had an actual world leader of confirmed, considerable Romani-descent and any prominent leaders with Romani heritage haven’t been publicly open about it. And, in reality, any such ancestry would most likely be very distant/remote and probably be unbeknownst to everyone, if there were ever to be a world leader of Romani descent
We’ve had our music ( Sinti Jazz a.k.a. “ Gypsy Jazz”, various Eastern European & Balkan Folk, and Flamenco ) stolen from us and turned into stupid YouTube and elevator music and MISLABELED as either [non-Rom] French, Spanish, Italian and Irish, as well as African-American and Latin-American
( a.k.a., various Eastern European & Balkan, and ) We experience some of the highest rates of police brutality
We are the most disenfranchised and suppressed of any voting group
Incidents of police brutality do not make the news, as no one cares when members of law enforcement openly abuse us!!!!
We only live in “camps” and “illegal settlements” because most communities will not allow us to integrate. Many of our communities have existed long before modern property and real estate laws
Some of our lands are destroyed and then sold off to non-natives who, in turn, transform them into farms, dumps or gentrified communities!
We have the least amount of role models. (The two most famous openly Romani people are Django Reinhardt and Bob Hoskins, and that’s about it for world-renowned musicians, artists and celebrities of confirmed— full or considerable—Romani-descent)
(The two most famous openly Romani people are and, and that’s about it for world-renowned musicians, artists and celebrities of confirmed— full or considerable—Romani-descent) There are no Romani-versions of Albert Einstein, Mark Ronson, Andrew Garfield, Idris Elba, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Alexandre Dumas, Cyril Hanouna, Adil Rami or Tahar Rahim
Albert Einstein, Mark Ronson, Andrew Garfield, Idris Elba, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Alexandre Dumas, Cyril Hanouna, Adil Rami or Tahar Rahim We have no real major holidays for our heroes or ethnic “history months” like in the U.S. and some parts of Europe and we certainly don’t have our own religious holidays, (because we don’t have an actual set religion), but even if we did have our own religion, no European nation would honor it by marking it on a calendar and they sure has heck wouldn’t let us openly observe it. (All we have is what are essentially two Holocaust Remembrance Days…)
or like in the U.S. and some parts of Europe and we certainly don’t have our own religious holidays, (because we don’t have an actual set religion), (All we have is what are essentially two Holocaust Remembrance Days…) There are no billionaire Romani in Europe or any other parts of the world, but there are many billionaires of European Jewish, Sub-Saharan African, Arab and other Western Asian & North African descent across the globe, especially in Europe, North America and South America
Police cases involving our murders often go unsolved and improperly investigated, (if ever investigated at all!)
, (if ever investigated at all!) An alarming percentage of our White European ancestry comes from us being victims of rape during times of slavery and genocide
We have the lowest rates of education completion and employment. (It’s perfectly legal to discriminate against us in both schools and the workforce!)
(It’s perfectly legal to discriminate against us in both schools and the workforce!) We are the most deported people, despite all being natural born, multi-generational European, which is really disturbing when you consider that most of us are legal citizens of E.U. countries
Most racially or ethnically-motivated hate crimes in Europe are Antiziganist ( “Anti-Gypsy”/Anti-Romani )!!!!!!
“Anti-Gypsy”/Anti-Romani For centuries, we’ve had our cultures and languages outlawed!
Annually, a startling number of innocent Romani people are murdered at the hands of White Europeans
We are the most forcibly separated and internationally adopted people in Europe. (I had to be adopted by White Americans because no one in Europe wanted an orphaned “filthy Gypsy” baby )
(I had to be adopted by White Americans because ) Random, exaggerated or completely fictionalized aspects of our culture are prominently featured on stupid reality shows featuring non-Romani people!
In the rare instances in which we are violent and disruptive to the point of seriously endangering ourselves or others and actually committing serious criminal offenses, liberals don’t come to our defense the same way they do the struggling minority populations in major world cities
the same way they do the struggling minority populations in major world cities Many of us assume slave-labor positions in Chinese-owned & operated sweatshops in countries such as Hungary
No major Roma/Romani organizations are actually founded or operated by actual Rom (Imagine if the NAACP was started and run by a White person from Canada and if no Black person had ever been in charge of it)
(Imagine if the was started and run by a White person from Canada and if no Black person had ever been in charge of it) One of our most famous Holocaust victims was misidentified as Jewish and used as Israeli propaganda. (Even once, fairly early on, people found out she wasn’t Ashkenazi, but rather actually Sinti, Israeli and European Jews still continued to use her tragic death for political gain… Seriously, just look up Stella Steinbach )
(Even once, fairly early on, people found out she wasn’t Ashkenazi, but rather actually Sinti, Israeli and European Jews still continued to use her tragic death for political gain… Seriously, just ) We are the only group without any major donation efforts—no one is donating to us, even when we the U.N. publishes reports about the destruction of our communities and the squalor that too many of us are forcibly reduced to live in. Even after instances of mass violence, no one donates to us and no one is willing to set-up ways to help us. The few prominent people who do donate do it for publicity!
We have never positively trended on Social Media and there are no movements to help us
Even Black and other Brown people are very openly and comfortably racist towards us…
and other are very openly and comfortably racist towards us… Pew Research Center reports have shown time-and-time again that we are the most despised people in Europe, despite being the most isolated and arguably one of the most peaceful groups! (And that goes for Romani of all national and religious backgrounds!)
despite being the most isolated and arguably one of the most peaceful groups! (And that goes for Romani of all national and religious backgrounds!) We have some of the lowest rates of alcoholism and drug addiction in the world and yet racist constantly insist that we’re the “Native Americans of Europe,” which in and of itself is extremely racist towards indigenous North Americans
We don’t have our own country. Jewish people, (namely Ashkenazi, Sephardi and local Mizrahi) have Israel and Sub-Saharan (Black) African people have the U.S. (this country is literally Black & White), virtually all of the Caribbean, and nearly all of Africa, including countries in the North which have non-Black indigenous populations. And Arabs obviously have Saudi Arabia, as well as many parts of North Africa, Europe, the Middle East and other areas of Western Asia. The Roma and other Romani have nothing; just sizable communities throughout what most ignorant Americans and Western Europeans consider to be the “lesser” parts of Europe
Members of various international human rights groups as well as members of both the United Nations and the European Union acknowledge us as one of the most vulnerable groups, (if not the most vulnerable group), in Europe and one of the most abused peoples in the entire world!
and the All other groups receive better funding and support than us, including newly arrived refugees and asylum-seekers and spoiled Americans who decided to move to Europe
Some of us are also Jewish or Muslim and are abused even more than if we were just one thing and those of us who are Christian (Protestant, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, etc.) are often forced to worship separately from Europe’s other Christian populations, which is even worse when you considered that we don’t really have any legitimate houses of worship to use as alternatives
We lack an actual platform to defend ourselves!!! Europeans of all different colors refuse to allow us to go on T.V. and properly defend ourselves! You’ll never see an actual Romani person as a guest panelist or moderator discussing “The Gypsy Problem”!
We were not only only just enslaved by Christian Europeans, but also by Arabs and other Western Asians, Black and Brown Africans, Black Americans, European Jews and were oppressed by White Europeans of all backgrounds, (namely the Romanians, Germans, British, Spanish and Portuguese), long before most other historically oppressed groups. (Seriously, look up the sale and trade of Roma and Iberian Kale sex slaves to Arab and Turkish monarchs; look up the selling of Roma and Romanichal slaves to Black and ingenious people in the Americas; look up the slavery of Iberian Kale in Africa; and look up the slavery of Roma in Romania by both Jewish and Christian Romanians.)
(namely the Romanians, Germans, British, Spanish and Portuguese) (Seriously, look up the sale and trade of Roma and Iberian Kale sex slaves to Arab and Turkish monarchs; look up the selling of Roma and Romanichal slaves to Black and ingenious people in the Americas; look up the slavery of Iberian Kale in Africa; and look up the slavery of Roma in Romania by both Jewish and Christian Romanians.) Romani have mixed with many groups and so many famous people of all backgrounds love and support us, but not enough to actually help us. When was the last time you saw a celebrity speak out on our behalf and not back-down when pressured by the media and the public?
We are one of only a very small selection of groups that don’t get any media coverage in America. Anderson Cooper and John Oliver aren’t talking about us and when anyone covers us here in the States, be it Tucker Carlson or a racist CNN documentary, the content presented is almost always entirely negative and alarmingly false
Even when Antiziganists aren’t attacking us, people who mistake us for being “bi-racial” (half-Black/half-White), dark-skinned Jewish, Middle Eastern/North African, Latin-American/Hispanic and Pakistani, still attack us! (That, or they confuse said groups with us and attack them!) [ South Americans, Central Americans and Mexicans visiting Europe are frequently mistaken for “Gypsies” by citizens in countries like Spain, Italy, Romania, the Czech Republic and England, and are often attacked or berated for being “dumb” and “filthy Gypsies”.]
(That, or they confuse said groups with us and attack them!) [ JUST READ ALL OF THE FALSE, RACIST THINGS BEING WRITTEN ABOUT US ON HERE! (Seriously, look at many of the other responses to this question and others like it!!!)
Please, if you’re interested in learning more about the prejudice we face, read this: Christopher Quinn's answer to Why do Gypsies refuse to integrate?
THE ONLY OTHER PERSECUTED GROUP IN EUROPE THAT I CAN THINK OF THAT WOULD QUALIFY AS A RUNNER-UP WOULD BE THE SAMI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Please research them!)It took two words, Legends and Leaders, to humble one of the most powerful men in college sports.
Despite the public outcry, the Big Ten's research indicates fans like Legends and Leaders. Courtesy Big Ten
Actually, it took tens of thousands of words written and spoken about Legends and Leaders to make Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany think twice about what his league had done.
The reaction to Legends and Leaders, the names the Big Ten selected for its new football divisions in December 2010, was, with a few exceptions, scathing. Legends and Leaders became national punch lines for a conference that had already absorbed more than a few body blows.
Chosen to "reflect Big Ten traditions and values" and acknowledge the league's past (Legends) and future (Leaders), the division names instead were called confusing, arrogant, too similar-sounding, ambiguous and, yes, lame.
"We've had enough experience with names and expansion and development of divisions that we know that you rarely get a 90 percent approval rating," Delany told WGN Radio in Chicago shortly after the announcement. "But to get a 90 percent non-approval rating was really surprising. It showed that we didn't connect with our fans in a way that we wanted to. It's humbling, to say the least."
Despite the initial backlash and concerns about sustainability, the Big Ten decided to hold off on changing the names. Delany wanted to let them "breathe a bit" and reassess after the 2011 season.
The league hired an independent market research firm to survey Big Ten football fans about Legends and Leaders during the season. The goal was not only to see who liked the names and who didn't, but whether the names could connect with fans and, ultimately, if the names would remain.
Surveys were distributed on game weekends at 10 Big Ten stadiums this past fall, as well as at the league's inaugural football championship in Indianapolis. Fans completed the surveys online.
The results are in, and ESPN.com got the first chance to see them.
Bottom line: Legends and Leaders will remain through the 2012 football season.
Here's the part that will surprise some folks: Many Big Ten fans seem to want it that way.
Of the 516 fans surveyed, 57 percent either liked the division names "somewhat" or "very much." About 35 percent disliked the names somewhat or very much, while only 8 percent were neutral.
The study found that fans warmed up to the names as the season went along and saw them as unique and reflective of Big Ten history.
Time seemed to work in the Big Ten's favor, as approval increased as the season played out. Courtesy Big Ten
It also found that despite strong awareness of the names -- 91 percent of respondents knew about Legends and Leaders -- many fans felt they were confusing. The confusion went away for some when the names were explained through public service announcements and other marketing ventures.
The chief complaint, even among some fans who liked the names, was that they didn't know which teams went in which divisions. Unlike other leagues, the Big Ten decided not to use directional designations, even vague ones like Great Lakes and Great Plains, because it created the divisions based on competitive balance rather than geography.
Yet despite some drawbacks, the names seem to be catching on a year after being panned.
"When the names came out, people were confused," said Brian Powell, owner of The Brand Explorers, a Houston-based firm that conducted the study. "People scratched their heads and said, 'I don't know what they mean. I don't know how they came about. I don't |
Dungeon Defenders, and Studio Wildcard, the start-up game dev behind Ark, which launched in Early Access last year on both Steam and Xbox One. In a lawsuit filed against Wildcard in December of 2015, Trendy alleges that their former creative director, game designer Jeremy Stieglitz, breached his contract and has been secretly working on Ark since he resigned from his position in 2014.
In court filings obtained by Kotaku this week, Trendy’s lawyers allege that Stieglitz had violated contractual agreements not to compete with his former company and “not to solicit Trendy employees.” They also accuse Wildcard of “tortious interference” with those contractual agreements, claiming that these acts “have had a devastating impact on Trendy’s business” and arguing that Ark is directly competing with Dungeon Defenders both for players and developer talent.
The lawsuit, which is ongoing, is filled with allegations about Stieglitz and his involvement with Ark: Survival Evolved. Wildcard’s leadership has denied that Stieglitz played a major role in the game’s creation, but Trendy argues otherwise, and they’ve filed for “injunctive relief and damages” in the Eighth Judicial Circuit of Florida. On April 27, the court will hear arguments on Trendy’s most recent motion, which asks for a temporary injunction until the case is settled. If granted, the injunction could temporarily halt development on Ark: Survival Evolved and even force Wildcard to pull the game from Steam as the lawsuit continues.
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While Wildcard has not yet filed briefs in its own defense, the studio did ask the court to dismiss Trendy’s allegations, calling them “irrelevant, immaterial, impertinent, and scandalous.” The court has not yet responded to this motion for dismissal.
Studio Wildcard co-founder Jesse Rapczak told us last week during an interview at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco that Stieglitz has “consulted” on Ark. Jeremy’s wife, Susan Stieglitz, is another co-founder of Wildcard.
Stieglitz and Trendy have a controversial history, much of which is documented in the lawsuit.
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Three years ago, Trendy employees reached out to Kotaku to complain about working conditions at their studio. They said they were forced to work excessive overtime, to the tune of seven days a week, and they claimed they were too scared to complain. They were worried about retribution from their creative director, Stieglitz. In June 2013, we published an article about these claims.
Within the next day, Trendy took action. They moved Stieglitz off the team he’d been leading, and by the end of the year they’d created a new imprint of the company for him called NomNom Games, to helm development on the online shooter Monster Madness. According to an employment letter dated September 23, 2013, Stieglitz’s new role would both maintain his current title of Chief Technology Officer at Trendy and grant him the new position of president at NomNom Games. The reshuffling didn’t last long. On April 4, 2014, Stieglitz sent an e-mail to the upper management at both Trendy and their main investor, Insight Venture Partners, with the subject “Might need to leave.”
In the e-mail, which is filed in court documents, Stieglitz wrote that while he was excited about the potential for the game that would eventually be called Dungeon Defenders Eternity, he no longer felt comfortable with some of his co-workers. “Over the past couple weeks I’ve been in a lot of meetings with the various Trendy leads,” he wrote, “and I’ve come to realize what I had originally thought when we formed NomNom, which is that after the slander leveled against me by certain people at Trendy, I can’t really trust or work with these individuals ever again. It’s just not psychologically possible for me, no matter how I might try to forget or ignore.”
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Stieglitz went on to suggest that either Trendy fire several people (whose names he listed in the e-mail) or find a way for him to seamlessly leave the company. He also asked if, as part of terms for an amicable departure, Trendy could lift the non-compete agreement he had signed as part of his original contract, which prevented him from engaging in “competitive activities” for three years after the termination of his employment.
Eventually, they came to an arrangement. On June 23, 2014, Stieglitz signed paperwork that would tie him to Trendy for the next two months, until August 15. As part of this deal, which was also filed in the court documents, Trendy agreed to knock down the non-compete agreement from three years to one. It would have then ended in August of 2015. Stieglitz also agreed to offer a 20% interest on game development work for the next five years to Trendy’s investor, Insight, and to give them first right of refusal on the remainder of that interest.
That’s when things got really messy. In their lawsuit, Trendy alleges that Stieglitz approached employees that summer, while he was still working at the studio, in an attempt to poach them for a new venture. This violated the non-interference agreement Stieglitz had signed, Trendy argued. On August 18, 2014, just days after Stieglitz officially left the company, Trendy’s lawyers sent him a cease and desist letter, excerpted here:
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Trendy alleges that Stieglitz then called them to say he “would not engage in such contractually prohibited conduct again.” Trendy claims Stieglitz then continued to violate the non-compete agreement, helping launch Studio Wildcard and recruit Trendy employees to work on what would soon become Ark: Survival Evolved. In the lawsuit filings, Trendy offers a list of six people who they say were poached by Stieglitz. (Linkedin profiles reveal that some of these people left Trendy for Wildcard within the past two years, as did several developers who are not listed in the suit.)
Trendy also alleges that the Stieglitz and Wildcard “misappropriated Trendy’s proprietary information, intellectual property and trade secrets for the development and launch of Ark: Survival Evolved,” specifically referring to technology that they allege Stieglitz developed while at Trendy and then later used for Ark: Survival Evolved.
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Much of Trendy’s case revolves around a single question that remains unanswered: Just how much of Ark: Survival Evolved is Jeremy Stieglitz’s work? Wildcard’s leadership has played down his role, telling Kotaku’s Nathan Grayson in an interview at GDC last week that Stieglitz has simply “consulted” on Ark, but that he would soon be joining the studio.
“Jeremy and I have worked together for a long time,” Wildcard co-founder and former Microsoft technical art director Jesse Rapczak said when we asked if Stieglitz was one of the game’s development leads. “I went to college with him. He has consulted on the game a little bit. He’s joining us, if not already, then soon. We don’t have a title of lead developer, though, because of the type of game this is. We are kind of flat with our structure. The team itself makes a lot of decisions about the game in concert with the community.”
Even before this lawsuit, I had been curious about the team behind Ark: Survival Evolved. In mid-2015, around the time Ark first launched on Steam Early Access, I got several tips about Stieglitz’s involvement with the game. One anonymous tipster claimed in an e-mail that Stieglitz was Ark’s lead designer. Not long afterwards, a source who had worked with Stieglitz told me they’d heard the same thing, and that the game showed signs of Stieglitz’s handiwork. When I reached out to Wildcard in August of last year, months before Trendy’s lawsuit, the studio’s CEO Doug Kennedy brushed me off. I’d asked him if Stieglitz was involved with the game, but he wouldn’t answer. (Stieglitz has not returned requests for comment.)
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Lawyers for Trendy raise the point that Jeremy Stieglitz’s wife and studio co-founder, Susan Stieglitz, used her maiden name (Susan Browning) in registration forms for Wildcard but her married name (Susan Stieglitz) for her other business, a bakery in Gainesville, Florida. Trendy alleges that this was to mask her connection to Jeremy, writing in a motion that “Susan, however, is not a software engineer or designer—she is in the business of selling cupcakes.”
Susan Stieglitz tweeted yesterday that she was being deposed about this issue:
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Throughout 2015, lawyers for Trendy and Insight continued to contact Stieglitz. In July, they sent him another cease-and-desist letter, and then in December, they threatened litigation. On December 18, 2015, Trendy’s lawyers wrote to Stieglitz: “Insight is well aware that you have been involved in the formation of Wildcard Properties, LLC d/b/a Studio Wildcard and the development of Ark: Survival Evolved. While Studio Wildcard may be operating in ‘stealth mode’ to mask your involvement, as some in the gaming community have observed, your wife is listed on the corporate records for this entity and we have learned from multiple sources that you have played a significant, if not controlling, role in Studio Wildcard.”
Shortly afterwards, Trendy sued. Wildcard has not yet filed any briefs in their own defense, other than a motion to dismiss the case based on their issues with Trendy’s various legal filings. Wrote Wildcard’s lawyers: “Trendy’s Complaint reads more like a salacious tabloid story than a short and plain statement of the ultimate facts allegedly showing Trendy’s entitlement to relief, as required by the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure. Many of the allegations are disparaging and included simply to be provocative. They are irrelevant, immaterial, impertinent, and scandalous. As such, these allegations should be stricken.”
The company behind Ark has not yet specifically addressed the allegations levied against them. Representatives for Wildcard declined to comment on this story, saying they couldn’t talk about ongoing litigation.A Day's A Day The World Around — But Shorter On Saturn
Enlarge this image toggle caption NASA NASA
Researchers have answered a question that has been nagging them for years: Exactly how long is a day on the planet Saturn? The result (10 hours and 32 minutes or so) was published this week in the journal Nature, and could teach scientists more about the giant, ringed planet.
A day is simply how long it takes a planet to spin all the way around. On Earth, one rotation takes 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds — though combined with the planet's motion around the sun, we earthlings experience 24-hour days.
Measuring a day on rocky planets like Earth is fairly simple, according to Ravit Helled, a planetary scientist at Tel Aviv University in Israel: "You can, you know, identify a mountain or a stone or whatever it is, and just check how long it takes it to come back."
Those tricks don't work on Saturn because it's a gas giant, which means its surface is deep below layers of clouds.
When the Voyager spacecraft first flew by in the 1980s, it estimated the day using the planet's magnetic field. That showed the day was 10 hours and 39 minutes long. But in 2004, another mission called Cassini arrived at Saturn and measured a different value: 10 hours and 45 minutes.
Six minutes makes a big difference. The speed at which Saturn's rocky core rotates determines how fast the winds blow above. It also changes estimates of the planet's internal structure.
"If you want to understand, you know, giant planet formation and the origin of the solar system, these 10 minutes or six minutes are actually quite crucial," Helled says.
So she and her colleagues set out to make a better estimate of Saturn's day. They looked at the planet's gravitational pull and combined that with estimates of the core's density. After some tricky statistical analysis, they found that a day on Saturn is 10 hours, 32 minutes and 45 seconds — more or less.
"We have an uncertainty of 46 seconds, but it's much better than the 15 minutes' uncertainties that we had until now," she says.
Helled eventually wants to use the technique to learn the length of days on planets outside the solar system — though, she adds, scientists will need quite a few Earth days to figure out exactly how to accomplish that.VIDEO: College students think free handouts are the way to achieve American Dream
The American Dream has traditionally been seen as a promise that hard work will lead to success, but many college students today seem to think that government can replace the need for individual effort.
Campus Reform recently visited California to ask some UCLA students about the American Dream, and while the definitions they offered were fairly typical, some of their prescriptions for achieving the Dream were borderline fantastical, as this video shows.
We began by asking them, simply, “What is your definition of the American Dream?”
While it is hardly a foreign concept to most people in this country, several students had difficulty coming up with an answer at first, though all were eventually able to dredge up a brief description, even if some were seemingly retrieved from a memory vault that had been locked up tight since grammar school.
“I mean, it’s being successful; doing well; working hard,” one student ventured. Another student was less equivocal, saying, “It’s about getting money, you know?”
Campus Reform next asked the students whether there is any presidential candidate that they feel would best help them to achieve the American Dream, and given the tenor of their previous responses, even we were surprised at just how often the name Bernie Sanders was repeated.
“I’m for Bernie Sanders,” one woman began to answer, but then suddenly reconsidered, deciding that, in fact, “I love Bernie Sanders.”
Naturally, we asked the students what they find so appealing in Sanders’ candidacy, and the most common response, by far, involved his proposal to make higher education tuition-free.
“His educational plans … full funding for college education … I think college being free would give a lot of people opportunities,” said one student.
Another student, clearly struggling to recall her reasoning, stammered out, “uhhh … the tuition thing,” her face lighting up with recognition as the answer dawned upon her.
Others didn’t even bother with specifics, instead citing a vague sense that Sanders somehow represents an antidote to the current problems facing society.
“At this point, we need somebody who can really push forward radically,” one student asserted. “I feel like he can relate, a little bit,” added another, presumably referring to Sanders’ ability to relate to college students. Still another said, with a hint of gleeful rumination, that he supports Sanders because “he wants to kind of destruct capitalism.”
One female student, when pressed to explain her enthusiastic endorsement of Sanders, haltingly conceded, “I, I couldn’t … I don’t know … I couldn’t name something.”
Not everyone was quite so enthusiastic, though. One group of students gave him a particularly lukewarm endorsement, saying, “I mean I guess Bernie Sanders … If we had to pick, we’d say Bernie Sanders.”
Another female student that spoke to Campus Reform actually even rejected Sanders for being too moderate, saying she supports “neither” party’s candidates, opining instead that “I think the revolutionary leader Bob Avakian, who is the Chairman of the Revolutionary Communist Party is the biggest hope for humanity.”David Moyes was appointed Real Sociedad manager on Nov. 10, six months after being sacked by Manchester United.
David Moyes turned to the official and did the universal sign for "are you blind, pal?" making a pair of glasses with his hands, lifting them to his face and peering through in disbelief. The referee sent him off. His eyes widened and he turned, jogged across the running track, vaulted over the barrier, and nimbly climbed into the stands where the supporters sat, taking up an empty seat a few rows up from the front. He was still wearing a look that said "that guy, eh," the hint of a smile creeping across his face.
Leaning forward, a fan offered him an orange packet. Slow-motion action replays and exhaustive analysis suggests that it was a packet of Doritos, or maybe "Gusanitos," wriggly little worms -- the snack turned staple diet that looks like little pieces of polystyrene and pretty much tastes like them too. Moyes looked at him, an "aye, go on then," dipped his hand in and pulled one out, popping it into his mouth and nodding in appreciation. Mmmm, not bad.
Another fan reached across, this time with a packet of tooth-breaking corn snacks. "Kikos," they call them. This time Moyes held up a hand, declining graciously. That would be going too far. Across the way someone said something and Moyes gave a little wink. And when the full-time whistle went soon after, he said goodbye as they cheered him, some trying to pat him on the back. They liked what they saw.
Everywhere, Real Sociedad fans were talking about him. One phrase, which translates roughly as the "f---ing master," got repeated, over and over. Moyes was the man.
He'd won them over, all right. It was just a pity that he hadn't won the tie... or that many games. A 2-2 draw vs. Villarreal saw la Real lose 3-2 on aggregate. Moyes has not enjoyed facing the Yellow Submarine: Villarreal beat la Real 4-0 in the league and now they had knocked them out of the Copa del Rey, a competition he had said he aspired to win and his team's best chance of a return to Europe. Real Sociedad are 12th but remain just three points off the relegation zone, 13 off the final European place. They will win nothing this season. Survival looks like being their only target.
Real Sociedad Real Sociedad Villarreal Villarreal 2 2 FT Leg 2 Aggregate: 2 - 3 Game Details GameCast
Lineups and Stats
Since Moyes took over, Real Sociedad's record reads: played 11, won 3, drawn 6, Lost 2. One of the wins and one of the draws came against Second Division B side Real Oviedo, whom they beat in the last round of the Copa del Rey. Another of the wins was against FC Barcelona, which is impressive indeed, but then Real Sociedad have beaten Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona this season -- under three different managers (the others were Jagoba Arrasate, who was sacked, and Asier Santana, la Real's B team coach who filled in until Moyes' arrival).
It may not have been the start that the most optimistic dreamed of, especially after la Real got their first clean sheet of the season in his first game, drawing 0-0 at Deportivo, and in his second they got their second, hammering Elche 3-0 at home, but Moyes is popular.
At Deportivo, he stepped onto the pitch to help his team take a quick free kick and create a chance, offering a dismissive and slightly mischievous "calm down" to Deportivo's assistant coach as he went mad on the touchline, pointing the finger and shouting at him. And Wednesday night cemented his status as a man whose side the fans are on, someone who will stand up for his team, someone they can embrace and someone with whom they are starting to feel a connection. A foreigner, sure, but there is something British about the football in the Basque Country, and besides, here's a foreigner whom they feel "gets" them.
Fans in San Sebastian has embraced the arrival of Moyes, believing he understands their ambitions.
They forgive Moyes his mistakes as just the natural product of a new manager coming into a new environment. Yes, people giggled at his "uno, dos, tres," but the reaction from most was "good on him for trying." The effort has been appreciated, as has the fact that he has been open, honest and he has sought to embrace them too.
The perfect example was his presentation. The first time he mentioned his new club he wrongly called them just "Sociedad," as pretty much any British person would do. You could almost see him kicking himself. From then on, every mention was the correct "la Real." He had learned that, and it mattered to him. He has talked about adapting to Spain and to la Real, but not to the detriment of his own personality or opinions.
When he has spoken up, looking out with the eyes of the newcomer noticing the little and not-so-little differences, they have welcomed his words. Here was more evidence. When he complained about the Copa del Rey kickoff times, insisting that he wouldn't take his kids, they agreed, and they agreed again on Wednesday when he noted that Spain is the league with the highest number of cards in Europe and said "this is a cup tie and those who come to the game want to see action, not the referee constantly dipping into his pocket."
At last, they thought, someone who says it like it is; someone with personality.
Personality alone is it not enough of course, but personality goes a long way -- and it goes beyond gestures like these. It is a key part of the package. The president felt that Real Sociedad needed someone with ascendancy over a squad that had become too comfortable. He pushed and pushed for Moyes, even as the Scot seemed unconvinced, even as others had given up.
After the passivity of Arrasate, who watched unmoved, barely flinching as the team slid into crisis and mediocrity before his eyes, fans believed they needed someone with clear ideas and leadership. Someone with a plan and the ability to carry it out, and in Moyes, they see that man. It may sound harsh on Arrasate but in Moyes, they see a manager -- a real, genuine manager, not just a bloke on the bench.
Arrasate aside, watching Moyes coach you certainly see that man too. The training pitch is his natural habitat, where he constantly corrects and encourages. He participates, man-marking his players and talking them through every move, pushing, shoving and cajoling... and it is they, not he, who tire first. There is an intensity, professionalism and seriousness about them that was not there before.
At Zubieta, Real Sociedad's training ground, Moyes teaches, organises and observes. He has not liked everything he has seen -- the squad's physical condition has alarmed, for a start, as has its lack of balance -- but he has identified weaknesses and sought to remedy them. Real Sociedad's second-half collapses are being addressed: "We have to play well for 90 [minutes], not 45 or 70," Moyes said. Put bluntly, they were not fit; now, they are starting to reach the energy levels the manager demands.
That is just one example of how Moyes is slowly building a clearer picture, analysing constantly -- and that alone represents progress.
Moyes' record is average, but standout wins such as a 1-0 triumph vs. Barcelona suggest la Real are making progress under him.
Although he arrived on his own, Moyes's assistant Billy McKinlay has now joined him. He has shifted the shape of the side and changed the goalkeeper. They are more intense, better organised, quicker on the break and defensively stronger. One defeat in his seven league games, none in the last four, is a reflection of that. Moyes has talked about building carefully but steadily, about getting key parts of the team right, constructing foundations and then adding other elements.
There will be more changes, from the way they train to the way they travel to games, but it will be an evolution, not a revolution. Alterations will be made at Zubieta, but in time. Radical changes, imposed immediately, are likely to be counterproductive and in any case are impossible, the manager thinks.
Moyes has admitted that he wants to make signings too. He wants an athletic, powerful midfielder who can defend and also drive the team on. He knows that there is little money and will prioritise getting the right signings in the summer; he knows that any moves during this window are likely to be loans but he has remained steadfast in his insistence that new players are necessary.
And while it is his coaching that is impressive, he arrived explicitly as a manager -- these will not be decisions left solely to the sporting director, Loren Juarros. Instead, it will be Moyes who chooses. "About time," say supporters who are on his side and who, like the Scot, will be watching to see how strongly the president backs him. It is an opportunity to prove that he can identify a player and identity and resolve flaws in his side (and naturally, the market he best understands is the English one).
He may make mistakes, of course. But his predecessors have too and, if Moyes makes mistakes, he is also here to correct them. Most supporters see far greater, far more significant, errors lying elsewhere. They look at the flaws at la Real and identify other fathers. They would agree that it is necessary to go into the market, and that is in itself significant.
This is a good squad with good players in it, one that aspires to a far higher position than the one they occupy now, but in the summer the planning was poor and the physical preparation was close to disastrous. Moyes inherited a decent side but he inherited a debilitated one too; the more critical fans saw that, which is why those that were most negative before are the most positive now.
Judgments on him will be made next year, when it is his squad, with his players, his model and his team, and there are glimpses already of where he might head. Right now, most supporters are convinced that where he is heading is in the right direction, even though on Wednesday night they headed out of the cup. La Real lost, but Moyes won them over. That and a pair of glasses, a seat in the stand, a crafty wink and a quick nibble on a wriggly worm.
Sid Lowe is a Spain-based columnist and journalist who writes for ESPN FC, the Guardian, FourFourTwo and World Soccer. Follow him on Twitter at @sidlowe.It is not often that a player committing to join Toronto FC's academy is going to move the needle. Normally the process is just a matter of a local kid coming to the annual tryout and earning a place and there is little reason for any fanfare what-so-ever.
TFC's academy is still in its infancy and any talent it has been able to produce may just have had more to do with the GTA being stocked with talented soccer players than anything that they have really been doing right. They are nothing like the legendary academies of the soccer world where they are brining in talent from all over the World at young ages and grooming them into the sorts of players they want. In fact, thanks to the rules put in place by MLS there is little room for academies to go out and recruit talent since players in the academy system are not signed to any form of contract.
With all that in mind, Toronto FC have officially made an addition through their academy that is worth moving the needle. Over the summer months they had a one of the top Jamaican youth internationals on trial with them and he will now join the academy on a full time basis starting in January.
That top Jamaican prospect is Martin Davis who has represented his country at the U-17 and U-20 levels in recent years. He was part of the Jamaican team that went up against Canada for a spot in the U-17 World Cup back in 2014. Canada won that game 4-2 to book their place in the World Cup but despite the loss several Canadian players noted Davis as being one of the most talented players on that Jamaican squad.
Along with representing his country at the youth level, Davis has had some trial stints in Europe as catching the eye of various clubs. Martin has developed his game over stints with Valencia CF and Levante having left for Spain as a 14-year-old.
Now the midfielder is set to join Toronto FC having been invited to begin training with the senior team starting on January 12th. The 17-year-old did so well with the academy over his visit this summer that he is now going to get the chance to make the move permanent.
It will be interesting to see what squad Davis winds up being a member of once he arrives in Toronto. The creation of the new USL Pro side might just open the door even wider for Davis as it could give him a chance to continue his development at a higher level than he might otherwise have been exposed to in Jamaica. He could also wind up playing with the League 1 Ontario team as a member of the Senior academy squad.
The arrival of Davis in TFC's development system gives them another talented midfielder in a pipeline that is already quite well stocked in that area. The team has Manuel Aparicio and Chris Mannella already signed to home grown contract, they have young players in the first team in Jonathan Osorio and Kyle Bekker, and they have the likes of Mark Anthony Kaye, Dylan Sacramento, and Anthony Osorio all making their way up through the academy. Add in the potential to sign Michigan State standout, Jay Chapman, and it is an area of the field stocked with young talent. Davis would just make that pool just a little bit deeper.
What Davis brings is not the typical skill set that you see from most CONCACAF players. When you watch him play you can see the influence of his time training in Spain as he is strong on the ball, quick with his feet, and always looking for the next pass and the keep the ball moving. He does not have the size or pace to rely on physical skills so instead he relies on being a smart player and playing the game at a high pace.
Davis has spent most of his playing time on the wing in recent seasons. He started out as a striker when he headed to Spain but was moved to the wing during his time there and it seems to be a position that suits his style of play and has allowed him to flourish.
The addition of Davis might not be the biggest move that Toronto FC make this offseason but if he continues to develop it could prove to be one of the wisest in the long run. He is the kind of player that TFC should be looking to add to the roster of their USL Pro team with an eye towards eventually giving them a shot in the first team.
The rules in place for academies and even Canadian USL Pro sides make it difficult to bring in international talent like Davis but in this case the Jamaican midfielder has one thing on his side. Davis's father happens to be Canadian so the young midfielder has a Canadian passport to go along with his Jamaican citizenship. That means that he would count as a domestic player for Toronto FC's system in the eyes of both MLS and USL Pro.
So for now Davis will be joining the senior academy team but if he can continue to develop on his current trajectory it should not be long before he is making the step to the next level.Harold Camping prepares for a taping of his show Open Forum in Oakland, Calif., Monday, May 23, 2011 (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Hey, what are you doing tomorrow? Dentist appointment, lunch with your boss, seeing a movie? Forget it. We told you ages ago there was only one thing you needed on your schedule for October 21, 2011: The End of the World.
The date was selected by Harold Camping, a Bay Area rapture advocate (rapturist?) who also previously predicted the world would be ravaged by the Almighty on May 21, 2011. When nothing happened, and we all awoke, still here, still having to pay our bills and eat some breakfast and go to work, Camping, a radio evangelist, came up with a handy explanation a few hours later, after a whole lotta prayin':
"On May 21[...] this is where the spiritual aspect of it really comes through. God again brought judgment on the world. We didn't see any difference but God brought Judgment Day to bear upon the whole world. The whole world is under Judgment Day and it will continue right up until Oct. 21, 2011 and by that time the whole world will be destroyed."
Got it? All this time we have been under "judgment" and tomorrow we, uh, get our sentence.
Mind you, even the very, very, very faithful have doubts: Camping himself seems to be working in words of uncertainty in his current prediction, according to SF Gate, who note the ailing, elderly minister has said tomorrow's big event is "maybe" the big event:
"I do believe we're getting very near the very end," Camping, 90, said during a podcast recorded earlier this month and posted on his Family Radio website. "Oct. 21, that's coming very shortly, that looks like it will be, at this point, it will be the final end of everything."
Now, there is another school of thought—that the impending arrival of NASA's UARS satellite back to earth, smashed into a gazillion pieces upon re-entry, is a sign of the end of the world. Those who think December 21, 2012 (yeah, that's right, a whole other camp says we have another year-ish to live in sin before our fiery demise) is the actual Judgment Day poo-poo this, though:
UARS satellite crash is the beginning of the End of the World? Not likely say most. The debris will be rather small, and there has been no historical damage from space junk re-entering earth’s atmosphere in the past. Still believers of the coming Rapture and Judgment Day on October 21, 2011 may seen this as a sign of the End of the World. The sky is falling. You can almost hear the words fall from Harold Camping’s lips.
Judgement Day smackdown!
Here, Taiwanese video mavens Next Media Animation take on the October 21/Camping/Satellite Debris hot topic:
If you got on board with the hype in the spring over the May 21 Judgment Day (hey, there was an impressive PR campaign for that) but suffered a let down with the rest of us, you still have a few hours to ready yourself for the end of days. Or you could just proceed as usual. Your call! (Or IS it????!!!)There are no effective available treatments for sufferers of Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most aggressive and devastating form of brain tumor. The disease, always fatal, has a survival rate of only 6-18 months.
Now a new Tel Aviv University study may offer hope to the tens of thousands diagnosed with gliomas every year. A pioneer of cancer-busting nanoscale therapeutics, Prof. Dan Peer of TAU's Department of Department of Cell Research and Immunology and Scientific Director of TAU's Center for NanoMedicine has adapted an earlier treatment modality -- one engineered to tackle ovarian cancer tumors -- to target gliomas, with promising results.
Published recently in ACS Nano, the research was initiated by Prof. Zvi R. Cohen, Director of the Neurosurgical Oncology Unit and Vice Chair at the Neurosurgical Department at Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer. The Israeli Cancer Association provided support for this research.
Trying a new approach to gliomas
"I was approached by a neurosurgeon insistent on finding a solution, any solution, to a desperate situation," said Prof. Peer. "Their patients were dying on them, fast, and they had virtually no weapons in their arsenal. Prof. Zvi Cohen heard about my earlier nanoscale research and suggested using it as a basis for a novel mechanism with which to treat gliomas."
Dr. Cohen had acted as the primary investigator in several glioma clinical trials over the last decade, in which new treatments were delivered surgically into gliomas or into the surrounding tissues following tumor removal. "Unfortunately, gene therapy, bacterial toxin therapy, and high-intensity focused ultrasound therapy had all failed as approaches to treat malignant brain tumors," said Dr. Cohen. "I realized that we must think differently. When I heard about Dan's work in the field of nanomedicine and cancer, I knew I found an innovative approach combining nanotechnology and molecular biology to tackle brain cancer."
Dr. Peer's new research is based on a nanoparticle platform, which transports drugs to target sites while minimizing adverse effects on the rest of the body. Prof. Peer devised a localized strategy to deliver RNA genetic interference (RNAi) directly to the tumor site using lipid-based nanoparticles coated with the polysugar hyaluronan (HA) that binds to a receptor expressed specifically on glioma cells. Prof. Peer and his team of researchers tested the therapy in mouse models affected with gliomas and control groups treated with standard forms of chemotherapy. The results were, according to the researchers, astonishing.
"We used a human glioma implanted in mice as our preclinical model," said Prof. Peer. "Then we injected our designed particle with fluorescent dye to monitor its success entering the tumor cells. We were pleased and astonished to find that, a mere three hours later, the particles were situated within the tumor cells."
A safer, more promising approach
Rather than chemotherapy, Prof. Peer's nanoparticles contain nucleic acid with small interference RNAs, which silence the functioning of a key protein involved in cell proliferation. "Cancer cells, always dividing, are regulated by a specific protein," said Prof. Peer. "We thought if we could silence this gene, they would die off. It is a basic, elegant mechanism and much less toxic than chemotherapy. This protein is not expressed in normal cells, so it only works where cells are highly proliferated."
100 days following the treatment of four injections over 30 days, 60 percent of the afflicted mice were still alive. This represents a robust survival rate for mice, whose average life expectancy is only two years. The control mice died 30-34.5 days into treatment.
"This is a proof of concept study which can easily be translated into a novel clinical modality," said Prof. Peer. "While it is in early stages, the data is so promising -- it would be a crime not to pursue it."Alejandro Jodorowsky’s El Topo just might be the weirdest, most bizarre, genre-bending film we’ve ever seen. This 1970 mystical western-disguised, symbol-ridden epic exploration of spirituality, religion and self-realization practically disappeared not long after it had its premiere, and has been kept in hiding thanks to a legal dispute between Jodorowsky and |
he's been starting at right guard for Cleveland. For what it's worth, Pro Football Focus ranks Greco ranks 25th out of 80 guards.
Patterson has been disappointing for the Vikings ever since Minnesota drafted him with the No. 29 pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. He's been rumored to be on the trade block for what feels like a long time now, and the fact that he's only been targeted twice this season certainly adds fuel to the fire. The 24-year-old Patterson has some talent. He's not just limited to being a receiver. He can also be used as a rusher, and he showed a lot of potential as a kick returner as a rookie. The Eagles need a skill player who can makes plays so maybe Patterson is worth the risk. Then again, there are reports the Vikings haven't actually made him available.
Remember that dude who randomly had a huge game for the Seahawks in the Super Bowl last year? Well, yeah, that was Chris Matthews. And he's reportedly available. Matthews hasn't been much of a factor in Seattle's offense this year since he's been the fourth receiver. He's only been targeted six times in 123 snaps played. Acquiring Matthews would involve hoping to get lucky on a low cost flyer.Photos by Éric Lluent
The Chinese State is giving 300 million ISK to further Northern Lights research in North Iceland, reports RÚV.
The purpose of the money is to expand the current Aurora Observatory in Reykjadalur, North Iceland. Although construction and the running of the observatory will be conducted by Icelanders, the bill is being footed by the Chinese state and technology provided by the Polar Research Institute of China (PRIOC).
Scientists told RÚV last year, when the Chinese first became involved with Northern Lights observation in Iceland, that monitoring aurora can aid in the prediction of space weather.
The land on which the observatory sits is being leased to PRIOC via the company Arctic Portal fronted by Halldór Jóhannsson. Halldór works on the behalf of many Chinese investors, including businessman Huang Nubo who attempted to buy, then lease land in Iceland in 2012.
Pascal Heyman, former Deputy Director of the OSCE said in a recent interview withAkureyri Vikublað that Icelanders should be wary of what the Chinese want to achieve with the Aurora Observatory.
“The Chinese do not do anything without good reason. That the Chinese want to come here and research the sky above Iceland looks suspicious. We know that they are interested in the Arctic and that they have acquired land all over the world. Icelanders should tread carefully,” said Heyman.
Heyman went on to say that the Chinese could use the technology in the observatory to monitor NATO airspace.
There is however, no proof of foul play.Ryan Giggs is getting the old Princess Diana treatment from the Daily Star. By which I mean, no day passes without a front page headline mentioning the Manchester United footballer.
Daily Star, 21 June
This is today's example. In a lengthy analysis, the Tabloid Watch blogger points out that the paper has had a Giggs' splash every day since 6 June.
It appears like a sorry attempt to ramp up sales by continuing to embarrass the man with increasingly far-fetched stories that manage to be both pathetic and sordid.
Getting sex and Giggs into a headline is good enough for this tacky Richard Desmond title. By the way, he's the publisher who boasted recently in a TV interview that he "made" another footballer (David Beckham). So, presumably, he is happy to break one. Here's another "story":
Daily Star, 20 June
No, I can't work out what that jumbled collection of words means in reality. It isn't actually a story at all. And that's par for the course because almost all the other splashes aren't provable stories either. Then again, that's not the point, is it?
Tabloid Watch also points to an editorial last Friday, Ryan Giggs kids the victims, that is laced with hypocrisy:
"It's easy to forget there are little children at the centre of this scandal. Innocents on both sides of the family whose lives have been ripped apart."
And who is making sure that the little children - plus their friends and neighbours - are reminded of the scandal day after day?
Here's another example. Note the way in which Giggs forms the key headline reference even though he has nothing to do with the the substantive story itself, such as it is.
Daily Star, 10 June
Tabloid watch concludes: "Despite churning out this inaccurate, misleading, utterly tedious drivel day after day, the Daily Star still manages to be the fourth best-selling daily newspaper in the UK.
"But is the 15.9% fall in sales between April 2010 and April 2011 a sign that their readers are getting tired of being treated like fools?"
And before any commenter points out that, with 702,000 sales, the Star outsells The Guardian (263,000), I answer: so what?
Big hat tips: Tabloid Watch/The Media BlogThe Buddhist calendar is a set of lunisolar calendars primarily used in mainland Southeast Asian countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand as well as in Sri Lanka and Chinese populations of Malaysia and Singapore for religious or official occasions. While the calendars share a common lineage, they also have minor but important variations such as intercalation schedules, month names and numbering, use of cycles, etc. In Thailand, the name Buddhist Era is a year numbering system shared by the traditional Thai lunisolar calendar and by the Thai solar calendar.
The Southeast Asian lunisolar calendars are largely based on an older version of the Hindu calendar, which uses the sidereal year as the solar year. One major difference is that the Southeast Asian systems, unlike their Indian cousins, do not use apparent reckoning to stay in sync with the sidereal year. Instead, they employ their versions of the Metonic cycle. However, since the Metonic cycle is not very accurate for sidereal years, the Southeast Asian calendar is slowly drifting out of sync with the sidereal, approximately one day every 100 years. Yet no coordinated structural reforms of the lunisolar calendar have been undertaken.
Today, the traditional Buddhist lunisolar calendar is used mainly for Theravada Buddhist festivals, and no longer has the official calendar status anywhere. The Thai Buddhist Era, a renumbered Gregorian calendar, is the official calendar in Thailand.
Structure [ edit ]
Thailand's version of the lunisolar Buddhist calendar
The calculation methodology of the current versions of Southeast Asian Buddhist calendars is largely based on that of the Burmese calendar, which was in use in various Southeast Asian kingdoms down to the 19th century under the names of Chula Sakarat and Jolak Sakaraj. The Burmese calendar in turn was based on the "original" Surya Siddhanta system of ancient India (believed to be Ardharatrika school).[1] One key difference with Indian systems is that the Burmese system has followed a variation of the Metonic cycle. It is unclear from where, when or how the Metonic system was introduced; hypotheses range from China to Europe.[note 1] The Burmese system, and indeed the Southeast Asian systems, thus use a "strange" combination of sidereal years from Indian calendar in combination with the Metonic cycle better for tropical years.[2]
In all Theravada traditions, the calendar's epochal year 0 date was the day in which the Buddha attained parinibbāna. However, not all traditions agree on when it actually took place. In Burmese Buddhist tradition, it was 13 May 544 BCE (Tuesday, Full moon of Kason 148 Anjanasakaraj).[3] But in Thailand, it was 11 March 545 BCE, the date which the current Thai lunisolar and solar calendars use as the epochal date. Yet, the Thai calendars for some reason have fixed the difference between their Buddhist Era (BE) numbering and the Christian/Common Era (CE) numbering at 543,[4] which points to an epochal year of 544 BCE, not 545 BCE. In Myanmar, the difference between BE and CE can be 543 or 544 for CE dates, and 544 or 543 for BCE dates, depending on the month of the Buddhist Era (as the Buddhist calendar straddles the Gregorian calendar—currently from April to April). In Sri Lanka, the difference between BE and CE is 544.[5]
BE Year Equivalent
CE Years Equivalent CE
Year
(Thai Solar) 0 544–543 BCE 1 543–542 BCE 543 1 BCE – 1 CE 544 1–2 CE 1–2 CE 2483 1940–1941 1940 (Apr–Dec) 2484 1941–1942 1941 2556 2013–2014 2013
Month [ edit ]
Types [ edit ]
The calendar recognizes two types of months: synodic month and sidereal month.[6] The Synodic months are used to compose the years while the 27 lunar sidereal days (Sanskrit: nakshatra), alongside the 12 signs of the zodiac, are used for astrological calculations.[7] (The Burmese calendar also recognizes a solar month called Thuriya Matha, which is defined as 1/12th of a year.[8] But the solar month varies by the type of year such as tropical year, sidereal year, etc.)
Waxing and waning [ edit ]
The days of the month are counted in two halves, waxing and waning. The 15th of the waxing is the civil full moon day. The civil new moon day is the last day of the month (14th or 15th waning). Because of the inaccuracy of the calendrical calculation systems, the mean and real (true) New Moons rarely coincide. The mean New Moon often precedes the real New Moon.[6][7]
Type Days Description Waxing 1 to 15 from New Moon to Full Moon Full Moon 15 Full Moon Waning 1 to 14 or 15 from Full Moon to New Moon New Moon 15 New Moon
Number of days per month [ edit ]
As the Synodic lunar month is approximately 29.5 days, the calendar uses alternating months of 29 and 30 days.[6]
Sanskrit Pali Burmese Khmer Lao Sinhala Thai[9] No. of
days Gregorian
(approx.) Chaitra Citta Tagu ( တန်ခူး ) ចេត្រ
(Chaet) ຈິຕ Bak (බක්) Chittra (จิตร) 29 March–April Vaisākha Visakha Kason ( ကဆုန် ) ពិសាខ
(Pisak) ວິສາຂະ Vesak (වෙසක්) Wisakha (วิสาข) 30 April–May Jyaiṣṭha Jeṭṭha Nayon ( နယုန် ) ជេស្ឋ
(Ches) ເຊດ Poson (පොසොන්) Chettha (เชษฐ) 29 [30] May–June Āṣāḍha Āsāḷha Waso ( ဝါဆို ) អាសាឍ
(Asath) ອາສາລະຫະ Æsala (ඇසළ) Asanha (อาสาฬห) 30 June–July Śrāvaṇa Sāvaṇa Wagaung ( ဝါခေါင် ) ស្រាពណ៍
(Srap) ສາວະນະ Nikini (නිකිණි) Sawana (สาวน) 29 July–August Bhādrapada or Proshthapada Poṭṭhapāda Tawthalin ( တော်သလင်း ) ភទ្របទ
(Phuttrobot) ພັດທະຣະບົດ Binara (බිනර) Phatthrabot (ภัทรบท) 30 August–September Āśvina Assayuja Thadingyut ( သီတင်းကျွတ် ) អស្សុជ
(Assoch) ອັດສະວະຍຸດ Wap (වප්) Atsawayut (อัศวยุช) 29 September–October Kārttika Kattikā Tazaungmon ( တန်ဆောင်မုန်း ) កត្តិក
(Katdeuk) ກັດຕິກາ Il (ඉල්) Kattika (กัตติกา) 30 October–November Mārgaśirṣa Māgasira Nadaw ( နတ်တော် ) មិគសិរ
(Meukesae) ມິຄະສິນ Undhuvap (උඳුවප්) Mikkhasira (มิคสิร) 29 November–December Pauṣa Phussa Pyatho ( ပြာသို ) បុស្ស
(Buss) ປຸສສ Dhuruthu (දුරුතු) Putsa (ปุสส) 30 December–January Māgha Māgha Tabodwe ( တပို့တွဲ ) មាឃ
(Meak) ມາດ Navam (නවම්) Makha (มาฆ) 29 January–February Phālguna Phagguṇa Tabaung ( တပေါင်း ) ផល្គុន
(Phalkun) ຜັກຄຸນ Mædhin (මැදින්) Phakkhun (ผัคคุณ) 30 February–March
Month numbering [ edit ]
Various regional versions of Chula Sakarat/Burmese calendar existed across various regions of mainland Southeast Asia. Unlike Burmese systems, Kengtung, Lan Na, Lan Xang and Sukhothai systems refer to the months by numbers, not by names. This means reading ancient texts and inscriptions in Thailand requires constant vigilance, not just in making sure one is correctly operating for the correct region, but also for variations within regions itself when incursions cause a variation in practice.[10][11] However, Cambodian (Khmer) month system, which begins with Margasirsa as the first month, demonstrated precisely by the names and numbers.[12]
Month Khmer, Lan Xang, Sukhothai and Old Burmese Kengtung Chiang Mai Caitra 5 6 7 Vaisakha 6 7 8 Jyestha 7 8 9 Ashadha 8 9 10 Sravana 9 10 11 Bhadrapada 10 11 12 Asvina 11 12 1 Karttika 12 1 2 Margasirsa 1 2 3 Pausa 2 3 4 Magha 3 4 5 Phalguna 4 5 6
Year [ edit ]
The Buddhist calendar is a lunisolar calendar in which the months are based on lunar months and years are based on solar years. One of its primary objectives is to synchronize the lunar part with the solar part. The lunar months, normally twelve of them, consist alternately of 29 days and 30 days, such that a normal lunar year will contain 354 days, as opposed to the solar year of ~365.25 days. Therefore, some form of addition to the lunar year (of intercalation) is necessary. The overall basis for it is provided by cycles of 57 years. Eleven extra days are inserted in every 57 years, and seven extra months of 30 days are inserted in every 19 years (21 months in 57 years). This provides 20819 complete days to both calendars.[13] This 57-year cycle would provide a mean year of about 365.2456 days and a mean month of about 29.530496 days, if not corrected.
As such, the calendar adds an intercalary month in leap years and sometimes also an intercalary day in great leap years. The intercalary month not only corrects the length of the year but also corrects the accumulating error of the month to extent of half a day. The average length of the month is further corrected by adding a day to Nayon at irregular intervals—a little more than seven times in two cycles (39 years). The intercalary day is never inserted except in a year which has an intercalary month.[7] The Hindu calendar inserts an intercalary month at any time of year as soon as the accumulated fractions amount to one month. The Burmese calendar however always inserts the intercalary month at the same time of the year, after the summer solstice while the Arakanese calendar inserts it after the vernal equinox.[14]
Burmese [ edit ]
The actual Burmese calendar year consists of 354, 384 or 385 days.
Month Regular year Small leap year Big leap year Tagu 29 29 29 Kason 30 30 30 Nayon 29 29 30 Waso 30 30 30 2nd Waso n/a 30 30 Wagaung 29 29 29 Tawthalin 30 30 30 Thadingyut 29 29 29 Tazaungmon 30 30 30 Nadaw 29 29 29 Pyatho 30 30 30 Tabodwe 29 29 29 Tabaung 30 30 30 Total 354 384 385
Note: The Arakanese calendar adds the intercalary day in Tagu, not in Nayon.
Cambodian, Lao and Thai [ edit ]
The Cambodian, Lao and Thai lunar calendars use a slightly different method to place the intercalary day. Instead of it in a leap year as in the Burmese system, the Thai system places it in a separate year. Thus, the Thai small leap year has 355 days while the Thai great leap year has 384 days.[10]
Month Regular year Small leap year Big leap year Caitra 29 29 29 Vaisakha 30 30 30 Jyestha 29 30 29 Ashadha 30 30 30 2nd Ashadha n/a n/a 30 Sravana 29 29 29 Bhadrapada 30 30 30 Asvina 29 29 29 Karttika 30 30 30 Margasirsa 29 29 29 Pausa 30 30 30 Magha 29 29 29 Phalguna 30 30 30 Total 354 355 384
New Year's Day [ edit ]
Since the main purpose of Buddhist calendar is to keep pace with the solar year, the new year is always marked by the solar year, which falls at the time when the Sun enters Aries.[6] The date, which at the present falls on the 17th of April, has slowly drifted over the centuries. In the 20th century, the New Year's Day fell on April 15 or 16th but in the 17th century, it fell on April 9 or 10th.[15] Thailand and Cambodia no longer use the traditional lunisolar calendar to mark the New Year's Day.
Tradition Date in 2013 Notes Burmese 17 April Varies; will keep on drifting away Khmer 14 April Varies from 13th to 14th of April Thai 13 April Fixed to the solar calendar
Year cycle system [ edit ]
Animal year cycle system [ edit ]
Cambodian and Thai systems give animal names to the years from a cycle of 12.[16] The practice also existed in Burma in the Pagan period but later died out.[17]
Year Animal Khmer Lao Thai 1 Rat ជូត (Choot) ຊວດ (Suat) ชวด (Chuat) 2 Ox ឆ្លូវ (Chhlov) ສະຫລູ (Salu) ฉลู (Chalu) 3 Tiger ខាល (Khal) ຂານ (Khan) ขาล (Khan) 4 Rabbit ថោះ (Thoh) ເຖາະ (Tho) เถาะ (Tho) 5 Naga រោង (Rorng) ມະໂລງ (Malong) มะโรง (Marong) 6 Snake ម្សាញ់ (Msanh) ມະເສງ (Maseng) มะเส็ง (Maseng) 7 Horse មមី (Momee) ມະເມັຽ (Mameh) มะเมีย (Mamia) 8 Goat មមែ (Momae) ມະແມ (Mamae) มะแม (Mamae) 9 Monkey វក (Vork) ວອກ (Wok) วอก (Wok) 10 Rooster រកា (Roka) ລະກາ (Laka) ระกา (Raka) 11 Dog ច (Char) ຈໍ (Cho) จอ (Cho) 12 Pig កុរ (Kol) ກຸນ (Kun) กุน (Kun)
Ten-year cycle system [ edit ]
In Cambodia, there is the sequence of year, which numbered from one to ten, used to identify a particular year, called "Sak" (Khmer: ស័ក) that means "era". It begins with a prefix "Aek, tor or trei", which means one, two or three respectively (using numerals that were derived from the Sanskrit language) then the suffix "Sak" is added to each prefix so as to form a word of the year. Cambodian use the Sak system to differentiate the twelve animal years that return every twelve year by including the ten-year system along with the animal year system. For instance, in 2017, the ten-year and animal year fall in the year of Rooster, Nuppasak (era 9), Buddhist Era of 2561 (based on Cambodian lunar calendar).[12]
Numbers Names in Khmer Transliteration 1 ឯកស័ក Aeksak 2 ទោស័ក Torsak 3 ត្រីស័ក Treisak 4 ចត្វាស័ក Chattvasak 5 បញ្ចស័ក Panchasak 6 ឆស័ក Chhorsak 7 សប្តស័ក Sabpasak 8 អដ្ឋស័ក Ardthasak 9 នព្វស័ក Nuppasak 10 សំរឹទ្ធិស័ក Samrethisak
Accuracy [ edit ]
The Southeast Asian Buddhist calendars use lunar months but try to keep pace with the solar year, by inserting intercalary months and days on the Metonic cycle (in the case of the Burmese calendar, on a modified Metonic cycle). However, the solar year as defined by the Buddhist calendars is really a sidereal year, which is nearly 24 minutes longer than the actual mean tropical year. Therefore, like all sidereal-based calendars, the lunisolar calendars are slowly drifting away from the seasons.[18] The calendars are drifting one day approximately every 60 years and 4 months.
The accumulating drift against the seasons means the New Year's Day which used to fall on 22 March (near the vernal equinox) in 638 CE now falls on 17 April in 2013 CE. There is no known internationally concerted effort to stop this drift. Thailand has moved its "Buddhist Era" to the Gregorian calendar under the name of Thai solar calendar. In Myanmar, Burmese calendarists have tried to deal with the issue by periodically modifying the intercalation schedule in the Metonic cycle. One major downside of this approach is that it is not possible to publish future calendars more than a few years (often even a year) ahead.[note 2]
History [ edit ]
The Buddhist Era was first introduced to Southeast Asia along with Buddhism in the early centuries CE. It was not a separate calendar but simply a year numbering system that employed the organization and calculation methods of the prevailing lunisolar calendars in use throughout the region. In the early centuries CE, the reference civil calendar of the Buddhist calendar prevalent in Southeast Asia was the Saka Era (Mahāsakaraj Era), which is said to have been adopted by the Pyu state of Sri Ksetra in 80 CE. The Saka Era was gradually replaced by the Burmese Era or Culāsakaraj, first in Myanmar in 640 CE,[19] and in other Theravada kingdoms of Southeast Asia between the 13th and 16th centuries.[note 3] Theravada Buddhist tradition also recognizes pre-Buddhist Anjana Sakaraj (Añjana's Era) since the events of the Buddha's life are recorded in that era.[3]
Name Epochal date Notes Anjana Sakaraj 10 March 691 BCE Said to have been started by the Buddha's maternal grandfather King Añjana
Used to date the events during the Buddha's lifetime Buddhist Era 13 May 544 BCE
11 March 545 BCE 544 BCE in Myanmar; 545 BCE in Thailand Śaka Era 17 March 78 CE Civil calendar Burmese Era (Culāsakaraj) 22 March 638 Civil calendar
The tradition of using different reference calendars continued in Siam in 1912 when King Vajiravudh decreed that the Buddhist Era would now track the Thai solar calendar, the Siamese version of the Gregorian calendar with the New Year's Day of 1 April. Therefore, the Thai Buddhist Era year of 2455 began on 1 April 1912 (as opposed to 15 April 1912 according to the lunisolar calendar[20]). The Thai Buddhist Era was further realigned to the Gregorian calendar on 6 September 1940 when Prime Minister Phibunsongkhram decreed 1 January 1941 as the start of the year 2484 BE. As a result, the Year 2483 was only 9 months long, and the Thai Buddhist Era equals that of the Common Era plus 543 years.
Current usage [ edit ]
The lunisolar calendar is used to mark important Buddhist holidays. Many of the holidays are celebrated as public holidays.
Computer Support [ edit ]
Since the release of Java 8, the Buddhist calendar is supported in the new Date and Time API.
See also [ edit ]
Notes [ edit ]
^ (Ohashi 2001: 398–399): Astronomers of ancient India certainly knew of the Metonic cycle, and may have introduced the concept to Southeast Asia. However, the Metonic cycle, which employs tropical years, is incompatible with sidereal based Hindu calendars, and thus was not (and still is not) used in Hindu calendars. Chatterjee (1998: 151) suggests that the Metonic system was introduced to Burma by Europeans. Ohashi (2001: 398–399) rejects Chatterjee's hypothesis saying that "no other trace of European influence is found in South-East Asian astronomy." Instead, Ohashi (2001: 401–403) suggests that China may have been the source of the Metonic cycle. ^ less accurate than the version still prevalent in the rest of Southeast Asia. The Konbaung court also modified the Metonic cycle, which did more to re-synchronize the calendar with the seasons than the less accurate solar year. (Irwin 1909: 26–27): In the mid-19th century, the Burmese Konbaung Dynasty tried to address the issue by introducing a new calculation methodology. However, the new solar year it chose was actually 0.56 second a yearaccurate than the version still prevalent in the rest of Southeast Asia. The Konbaung court also modified the Metonic cycle, which did more to re-synchronize the calendar with the seasons than the less accurate solar year. ^ (Eade 1989: 11): The earliest use of the Burmese calendar in lands part of present-day Thailand dates to the mid-13th century. (Smith 1966: 11): Ayutthaya adopted the Burmese calendar in the 16th century.
References [ edit ]
Bibliography [ edit ]5 Tips for Resolution Sorcery
New Years is upon us, and many people, myself included cannot resist the urge to make resolutions. I talk a lot about goal setting in Strategic Sorcery, but resolutions are not just goals, they are the goals that go against the grain of our habitual tendencies, our prior experiences, and even sometimes societies will. In short a proper resolution is a goal that requires special resolve. While the energy of new years is great for making resolutions, linking yourself to the renewal of new years necessarily links you to everyone else who is making resolutions – thus the huge boost of pep and determination. Unfortunately since studies show that about 92% of people FAIL at keeping their resolutions – you are also linked to those failures.
I have kept resolutions in the past, and failed at resolutions in the past. Here are 5 pieces of advice for succeeding at your New Years Resolution.
1. AVOID IDENTITY COLLAPSE:
This is the big one. When we link our identity to our success of failure at a certain thing, we risk collapsing that identity at the first sign of failure or fatigue. If you are quitting smoking and have built yourself up as a “non-smoker” from that day forward, then a week later when you light up, that identity collapses and you revert back to smoking full-stop.
You can avoid identity collapse by simply acknowledging from the outset that there will likely be falls from grace. That you are a person in a process, not someone who suddenly changed overnight.
2. DON’T BE EASY ON YOURSELF:
Of course, if you follow the above, it can lead you into a trap of being easy on yourself. The keys to avoid this are specificity and accountability.
Be specific about what you want to attain. Not just that you don’t smoke, but how long and how are you weening yourself. Not just that you lose weight but how much, and through whgatr means? What gets measured gets managed.
Accountability is scarier because you are putting yourself on the line to someone else. You are choosing a person, or a group of people to report to. Someone who will KNOW if you failed. Some people suggest giving them money to donate to a horrible cause should you fail, but this is a little over-board to my mind.
3. ONE THING AT A TIME.
Remember, resolutions are not just goals. You should have many goals for the new year: financial, romantic, social, magical, etc; but you should only have ONE resolution. Don’t make resolutions to lose weight, save money, quit smoking, take up yoga, and have better sex in 2017. Pick one, or two at the max. Thats it.
4. SET UP YOUR LIFE TO SUPPORT YOUR RESOLVE:
Studies show that people who succeed at resolutions are those that spend the least amount of willpower on it. They spend the least amount of willpower by controling their environment and the people they surround themselves with. Keep only good food in the house. Make sure you don’t carry extra money that you can buy junk food or smokes with. Automate your savings and investments from your direct deposit or bank account directly. Most of all manage the company you keep: spend more time with those that support your resolve, and less with those who don’t. Avoid those who would undermine you as much as possible. This may involve distancing yourself from friends for a while. but it is what it is. Make your environment support your goal, don’t expose yourself to the triggers and materials that will have you breaking your resolution.
5. USE SORCERY.
Not just a spell to lose weight or quit smoking (that results in dysentery or lung cancer) but STRATEGIC Sorcery. Make a plan that will work without magic, then use Sorcery to make sure that it does. That’s the essence of how its done.As a civilian in 1956, Shel Silverstein took another job as a cartoonist, this time with Playboy magazine. There he went on to draw many cartoons and write many articles, his first being “Confessions of a Button Down Man.” During this time, he also became known as a songwriter. Johnny Cash made the song “A Boy Named Sue,” written by Silverstein, number one in 1969.
Shel Silverstein grew up in a relatively low-class area in Chicago and quickly developed an interest in writing and drawing. He attended the University of Illinois for a year as an art student before attending the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. In September 1953, he was drafted into the Army and served in Korea and Japan. While there, he worked as a cartoonist for Stars and Stripes, a U.S. military publication.
Shel Silverstein was born Sheldon Allan Silverstein on September 25, 1930 in Chicago IL. He was widely known as an award-winning children’s author and illustrator, but was also a composer, folk singer, playwright, and prolific writer and poet. His best-known works are The Giving Tree, Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, and Falling Up.
While Shel Silverstein had many talents, his best-known works are his children’s books. In 1963 he wrote and illustrated his successful children's debut, Uncle Shelby’s story of Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back. It was The Giving Tree, written in 1964, however, that made Shel Silverstein a household name. The simple story of a tree who gives and a boy who takes has had wide appeal for both children and adults. The Giving Tree was not without controversy, however, as its simple premise opens itself up to a wide variety of interpretations. Some of these interpretations assert that the book has religious implications, for example, while others accuse it of being anti-feminist.
Once an author creates a book that causes so much controversy, the same is sure to follow in subsequent works. This was true with Where the Sidewalk Ends: Poems and Drawings (1974), The Missing Piece (1976) and The Missing Piece Meets The Big O (1981), which also continued to generate critical praise while upholding the popularity of Shel Silverstein and his work. The controversy has sometimes even led to the banning and challenging of his books in schools and libraries. A Light In the Attic, published originally in 1981, is the most famous for this, having been challenged because it supposedly “promotes disrespect, horror and violence.” The book made it on the American Library Association’s (ALA) list of “The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000.”
Aside from writing his immensely popular children’s books, Shel Silverstein was known as somewhat of a Renaissance Man. He wrote and assisted in writing several plays, most notably The Lady Or The Tiger Show (1981) and the screenplay for the movie Things Change (1988). He wrote and composed music and lyrics for many artists and released his own country album, The Great Conch Train Robbery, in 1980. Throughout his life he also continued working as a reporter and a cartoonist.
Shel Silverstein published another acclaimed book of poetry and drawings, Falling Up, in 1996, three years before his death. He passed away on May 10, 1999 in Key West, Florida, leaving his estate to his son Matthew. Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook was published after his death in 2005, once again to critical praise.“This is how I am, how I’ve always been. Trouble and danger come looking for me, like I’m some kind of magnet. It probably would have turned out even worse if Miyabi hadn’t come along to give me a new path. That’s why I’m gonna keep doing this job. New paths, new possibilities. Besides, this is what I am. A collector.”
– Kyouma Mabuchi, Dimension W (Ep. 12)
The Toonami Trending Rundown for May 14 |
I've presented here, you should join my Secret Information Club.
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In the meantime, what do you think?U.S. Rep. Steve King gave his seat to the "lives of more than 55 million aborted babies" at the president's final State of the Union Address in defiance of Obama's push for stricter gun laws.
U.S. Rep. Steve King gave his seat to the "lives of more than 55 million aborted babies" at the president's final State of the Union Address in defiance of Obama's push for stricter gun laws.
MSNBC / YouTube
All of the leading Republican presidential candidates have taken a hardline stance against stricter gun laws. They’ve also taken a stand on eroding reproductive rights.
It came as little surprise to political observers that after the White House announced Michelle Obama would set aside a chair in her guest box at the president’s final State of the Union address in memory of “victims of gun violence who no longer have a voice,” many prominent Republicans used it as an opportunity to talk about their opposition to abortion rights.
Presidential hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) had this to say:
If I’m elected POTUS, there’ll be an empty seat for the over 50 million unborn children killed since Roe #Stand4Lifehttps://t.co/BgBy8yYKYd Get the facts, direct to your inbox. Subscribe to our daily or weekly digest. SUBSCRIBE — Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) January 8, 2016
The issue escalated on Tuesday, when U.S. Rep. Steve King (R-IA), a prominent anti-choice legislator and Cruz backer, responded to Obama’s gesture by setting aside his own chair for the “lives of more than 55 million aborted babies.”
In lieu of attending the State of the Union speech, King said he would be in the members’ chapel “praying for God to raise up a leader whom he will use to restore the Soul of America.”
Send me your #ProLifePrayers. I will offer each of them in the Members chapel during #LastSOTU. — Steve King (@SteveKingIA) January 12, 2016
King denounced Obama’s policies on reproductive rights and joined the chorus of Republican voices who mocked Obama for shedding tears at his speech last week announcing executive actions to expand background checks on gun purchases.
“President Obama’s first official act, immediately upon his inauguration was to sign an executive order to accelerate abortions world-wide,” King said in a statement, referring to Obama’s reversal of a Bush-era policy that banned the United States from funding international family planning providers that offered abortions or abortion counseling. “The first tears we have seen him shed in seven years were for the victims of the tragic Sandy Hook School shooting. As far as we know, Obama has never shed a single tear for even one of the more than 9 million babies aborted under his watch.”
In light of King’s voting record on gun policies, this kind of comparison comes off as hypocritical, as advocates have argued in recent years.
He supported an amendment that would prohibit federal funds from being used to strengthen or enforce gun restrictions in Washington, D.C.; he voted yes to a 2011 bill that would have required states to recognize permits issued by another state authorizing the concealed carry of a firearm; and he voted yes to 2003’s Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which keeps gun manufacturers free from liability when crimes are committed with their products.
Other attempts to reform gun laws, such as those requiring waiting periods for gun purchases, have little hope of passing in states with GOP-controlled legislatures, where women often face forced waiting periods before having an abortion. In Missouri, where state Rep. Stacey Newman (D-St. Louis) has proposed one such bill, toddlers had shot more people than in any other state in 2015. In 31 of the 43 nationwide shootings by toddlers, the toddler found a gun and accidentally shot him or herself, according to a Washington Post investigation.
Many Republicans jumped at the chance to criticize the president when he was overcome with emotion while talking about the first-grade victims of the Sandy Hook massacre. GOP lawmakers are now trying to use it as leverage in the abortion debate. As clinic violence escalates, many Republicans have remained quiet or have condemned the violence without recognizing the anti-choice rhetoric that advocates believe has fueled the attacks.
Some prominent anti-choice activists and politicians used the deadly shooting at a Colorado Springs clinic as an opportunity to equate abortion and gun violence. Just hours after the shooting, anti-choice group Personhood USA released a statement that included equivocal condemnation of violence.
“Personhood USA absolutely opposes all abortion-related violence, against born and unborn people,” Personhood USA’s Jennifer Mason said in the statement. “That said, the media is failing to report that innocent babies are killed in that very building every day that they are in business. Please join me in praying that the people inside, along with the babies in their mothers’ wombs, are released safely.”
Former Arkansas governor and GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee after the Colorado Springs shooting compared the killings to what he believes happens inside the Planned Parenthood facility.
“There’s no excuse for killing other people, whether it’s happening inside the Planned Parenthood headquarters, inside their clinics where many millions of babies die, or whether it’s people attacking Planned Parenthood,” Huckabee said on CNN’s State of the Union.
Actor and reproductive rights activist Martha Plimpton explored that hypocrisy of anti-choice legislators who oppose gun regulations in an October 2015 op-ed in the Guardian.
“For the personhood of embryos, they draft legislation. For the safety of living, playing, laughing children, they do nothing,” Plimpton wrote. “The potential dreams of a not-yet-sentient organism are paramount – not because it is a human life, as demonstrated by their lack of commitment to actual living humans, but because it is inside of a woman.”A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Tuesday introduced major reforms to the National Security Agency along with extensions to three expiring provisions of the Patriot Act.
The negotiated legislation from House Judiciary Committee leaders — including Chairman Bob Goodlatte Robert (Bob) William GoodlatteIt’s time for Congress to pass an anti-cruelty statute DOJ opinion will help protect kids from dangers of online gambling House GOP probe into FBI, DOJ comes to an end MORE (R-Va.) and Sens. Patrick Leahy Patrick Joseph LeahySenate plots to avoid fall shutdown brawl Booker wins 2020 endorsement of every New Jersey Democrat in Congress The Hill's Morning Report - Can Bernie recapture 2016 magic? MORE (D-Vt.) and Mike Lee Michael (Mike) Shumway LeePush to end U.S. support for Saudi war hits Senate setback The Hill's Morning Report — Emergency declaration to test GOP loyalty to Trump The Hill's 12:30 Report: Trump escalates fight with NY Times MORE (R-Utah) — would enact the largest changes to America’s intelligence powers in more than a decade.
“As several intelligence-gathering programs are set to expire in a month, it is imperative that we reform these programs to protect Americans’ privacy while at the same time protecting our national security,” Goodlatte said in a joint statement on Tuesday along with the other House authors, Reps. John Conyers (D-Mich.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Jim Sensenbrenner Frank (Jim) James SensenbrennerGreedy tort bar tarts up the CREATES Act Congress must take the next steps on federal criminal justice reforms Time to protect small businesses from internet sales tax rush MORE (R-Wis.), the original author of the Patriot Act.
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As the June 1 deadline for Congress to act on the Patriot Act nears, the effort sets up a battle with lawmakers on both sides of the spying debate.
In June, three provisions of the Patriot Act are set to lapse, including the controversial Section 215. The NSA has relied on that provision to justify its bulk, warrantless collection of U.S. phone records, which include “metadata” about which numbers people call and when, but not the actual content of their conversations.
To prevent those provisions from lapsing, which intelligence officials say would handicap the government's ability to track terrorists, some lawmakers have sought a way to extend them while also reforming the NSA program.
The new bill, called the USA Freedom Act, would effectively end the NSA’s phone records collection.
Instead, it would require agency officials to obtain the records from private phone companies after securing a court order. It would also add a new panel of experts to the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, allow U.S. tech companies to disclose more about the information they are forced to hand over to the government and impose limits on the FBI’s use of “national security letters,” which is one way the government obtains companies’ records.
“It enhances civil liberties protections, increases transparency for both American businesses and the government, ends the bulk collection of data, and provides national security officials targeted tools to keep America safe from foreign enemies,” the four House lawmakers said.
In a fact sheet circulated among lawmakers, backers touted the bill as a stronger version of legislation that easily passed the House last year.
While last year’s bill could have allowed for the NSA to request records in categories as large as an entire area code, the new bill narrows that “specific selection term” that agents can use for searches. It also gives companies more ways to report about government orders they receive and forces the government to disclose more information.
Last year, a stronger NSA reform bill backed by Leahy and others came just two votes shy of overcoming a procedural hurdle in the Senate, in a major setback for critics of the spy agency.
The new legislation would renew three expiring portions of the Patriot Act until December 2019.
It’s “the product of intense and careful negotiations,” Leahy said in a statement. “The USA Freedom Act is a path forward that has the support of the administration, privacy groups, the technology industry — and most importantly, the American people.”
Lawmakers were originally scheduled to both introduce the legislation and move it through the House Judiciary Committee last week. However, concerns from senior Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee forced a delay.
Now that it has apparently received the Intelligence panel's blessing, however, the legislation could move quickly to the House floor.
The House Judiciary Committee plans to consider it Thursday morning, the panel announced on Tuesday.
Still, it could meet opposition both from hawks concerned about weakening American security and from civil libertarians who oppose reauthorizing the Patriot Act without more sweeping changes.
The American Civil Liberties Union quickly came out against the bill, saying it does not go far enough.
“The disclosures of the last two years make clear that we need wholesale reform. Congress should let Section 215 sunset as it’s scheduled to, and then it should turn to reforming the other surveillance authorities that have been used to justify bulk collection,” said Jameel Jaffer, the group’s deputy legal director.
Other civil liberties groups are split over their support.
Last week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellHouse to push back at Trump on border Democrats block abortion bill in Senate Overnight Energy: Climate protesters storm McConnell’s office | Center-right group says Green New Deal could cost trillion | Dire warnings from new climate studies MORE (R-Ky.) unveiled legislation to reauthorize the law without making any changes.
While critics of the NSA’s powers criticized McConnell's move, it attracted a fair amount of support among hawkish members of the Republican Party.
Sen. Richard Burr Richard Mauze BurrHillicon Valley: Senators urge Trump to bar Huawei products from electric grid | Ex-security officials condemn Trump emergency declaration | New malicious cyber tool found | Facebook faces questions on treatment of moderators Key senators say administration should ban Huawei tech in US electric grid Five tantalizing questions about Mueller’s investigation MORE (R-N.C.) — the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee who co-sponsored McConnell’s bill — said that the effort was largely meant as an opening position ahead of the upcoming legislative fight.
At the other end of the spectrum, he said, was the USA Freedom Act.
— Updated at 3:56 p.m.PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A water main break caused a major disruption for commuters in the North Hills after crews had to shut down McKnight Road for hours this morning; but part of the busy thoroughfare is back open to traffic again.
McKnight Road was closed to traffic between Siebert and Peebles Roads; but PennDOT re-opened the southbound lanes of the roadway around 9:30 a.m.
According to Jim Struzzi from PennDOT, one northbound lane is also now open; but two northbound lanes are still closed for now.
Struzzi says those northbound lanes “will remain closed until repairs are completed.”
Approximately 40,000 vehicles travel on the busy roadway every day, so the closure has been causing a major disruption for drivers.
Crews also responded to another water main break on nearby Perry Highway; and police have been busy dealing with the traffic issues caused by the restrictions.
Officers were also dispatched to alert parents and kids that their school buses may be late or even unable to reach the stops.
The North Hills School District announced that students in the Johanna/Teal Trace area and Waldorf Apartments would not have bus service this morning. In addition, the district warns that other buses will likely be running late.
Ross Park Mall also shut down with the earlier closure of McKnight Road; but the mall reopened at 10:30 a.m.
At this point, though, it is still not clear when the road will completely reopen to traffic.
Stay with KDKA for more on this developing storyImage copyright Getty Images Image caption The EU is not convinced Apple is paying a fair rate of tax on what it sells
The European Commission will set out its case on Tuesday against Apple's tax arrangements in Ireland.
The report is part of a broader EU investigation into tax policies in Ireland, Netherlands and Luxembourg.
The Commission is examining whether these countries have unfairly favoured multinational companies including Apple, Fiat and Starbucks.
The EU will make its case that Apple's tax arrangements with Dublin amount to illegal state aid.
On Tuesday, the Commission will also outline its reasons for launching an investigation into Fiat Finance and Trade, which is resident for tax purposes in Luxembourg.
The Commission will argue that backroom tax deals it believes were struck between Apple and the Irish government and Fiat and the Luxembourg government could constitute a breach of EU regulations on state aid.
'Not state aid'
"Ireland is confident that there is no breach of state aid rules in this case and has already issued a formal response to the Commission earlier this month, addressing in detail the concerns and some misunderstandings contained in the opening decision," Ireland's Department of Finance said.
Ireland's corporate tax rate is set at 12.5%, but Apple enjoys an effective rate of tax of 2%, due to the way it channels overseas sales through its subsidiaries.
Ireland's flexible approach to tax is designed to attract investment and jobs to the country. But other European countries say their treasuries lose out, as corporations funnel profits through Irish registered companies that are not resident for tax anywhere.
Apple has denied that the company agreed any special tax arrangements with Dublin.
"There's never been anything that would be construed as state aid," Apple's chief financial officer, Luca Maestri, told the Financial Times newspaper.
Apple says it pays all the tax it owes.
'No selective treatment'
Under EU law, state financing for individual companies is heavily restricted. However, previously, tax arrangements have not been considered.
In June, when the Commission announced it would be conducting in-depth investigations into Fiat's tax affairs in Luxembourg, Starbucks' in the Netherlands and Apple's in Ireland, Joaquin Almunia, vice-president for competition policy, said state aid rules should be applied to taxation.
"Under the EU's state aid rules, national authorities cannot take measures allowing certain companies to pay less tax than they should if the tax rules of the member state were applied in a fair and non-discriminatory way," he said.
When the inquiry was first announced in June, Apple said: "We have received no selective treatment from Irish officials.
"Apple is subject to the same tax laws as scores of other international companies doing business in Ireland."
Payback?
Commission spokesman Antoine Columbani confirmed that the outline of the case against Ireland's tax policy towards Apple would be made public on Tuesday.
"The decision will set out the Commission's reasons for opening an in-depth investigation," he said.
Following publication in the Commission's Official Journal in a few weeks' time, interested parties will have one month to submit responses.
Once the Commission has reached a judgement the EU has the right to recover illegally granted state aid from the company in question. This could amount to billions of euros if Apple is found to have received benefits it was not entitled to.
The EU's move comes as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development begins a broader crackdown on aggressive tax avoidance by multinational companies.The Sherlock writer and actor responds to claims that the Holmes of the BBC series has become too much like James Bond
With reference to your recent article (Sherlock is slowly and perversely morphing into Bond. This cannot stand, theguardian.com, 3 January), and with apologies to AC Doyle:
Here is a critic who says with low blow
Sherlock’s no brain-box but become double-O.
Says the Baker St boy is no man of action –
whilst ignoring the stories that could have put him in traction.
The Solitary Cyclist sees boxing on show,
The Gloria Scott and The Sign of the Fo’
The Empty House too sees a mention, in time, of Mathews,
who knocked out poor Sherlock’s canine.
Is Sherlock worse for too much action? Gatiss sends his verse reaction Read more
As for arts martial, there’s surely a clue
in the misspelled wrestle Doyle called baritsu.
In hurling Moriarty over the torrent
did Sherlock find violence strange and abhorrent?
In shooting down pygmies and Hounds from hell
Did Sherlock on Victorian niceties dwell?
When Gruner’s men got him was Holmes quite compliant
Or did he give good account for The Illustrious Client?
There’s no need to invoke in yarns that still thrill,
Her Majesty’s Secret Servant with licence to kill
From Rathbone through Brett to Cumberbatch dandy
With his fists Mr Holmes has always been handy.
Mark Gatiss
London
• Join the debate – email [email protected]
• Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/lettersFounded by Richard Thomas, Jr, and his wife Deborah Brooke Thomas. in 1794, Brookeville is a historically significant 19th-century rural settlement in Upper Montgomery County, Maryland, approximately 18 miles north of the District of Columbia. Covering approximately 60 acres, the Town consists of 55 individual properties and has an estimated population of 135 residents.
In August 1814, during the War of 1812, British forces captured and burned Washington, DC. Residents escaped the attack by heading north. In the Town of Brookeville, they were given food and shelter.
As the sun set on August 26, 1814, a weary James Madison rode into the Town of Brookeville. The President of the United States had been on the move for nearly three days since he left Washington ahead of the British troops marching to capture the city. In Brookeville, the President found a small but prosperous industrial town overflowing with other refugees from Washington. After a night spent at the home of leading residents Caleb and Henrietta Bentley, Madison and his attendants returned to Washington the next morning. His stay made the Town “U.S. Capital for a Day”, a title the Town still proudly claims today.Two ex-CIA officers are also employed on the show as producers
rumors about the agency and educate viewers on the history of the 'PDB'
The CIA has been live-tweeting the show to
On the new political drama State of Affairs, Katherine Heigl plays a CIA analyst dealt the heavy responsibility of keeping the president informed on the biggest national security issues of the day, which she compiles in a folder called the President's Daily Brief.
But the CIA says paper briefs are SO last administration.
The spy agency has been live-tweeting State of Affairs every Monday night, using the show's plot to dispel rumors and educate viewers on the history of the 'PDB' and how it comes together today.
In several scenes on the show, Heigl's character Charleston Tucker is seen talking the president, played by Alfre Woodard, through the daily brief printed out on sheets of paper in a leather folder. The CIA says the PDB hasn't been printed out for years. Instead, President Barack Obama and other key policy makers view their daily brief in tablet form.
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Mistakes: On new show State of Affairs, Katherine Heigl (left) plays a CIA analyst who delivers the daily brief to the president, played by Alfre Woodward (right). The CIA has been live-tweeting the show to debunk myths
A modern president: President Obama no longer kills trees to read his daily brief. Instead, he and other key national security policy makers view the document on a tablet, the CIA revealed
In another episode, Heigl is seen meeting in person with other CIA agents, which the agency says is actually dangerous since enemies can target both parties in one place.
One way agents get around meeting face to face is by staging 'dead drops' in which they hide information to be picked up by the other party. The CIA then tweeted a picture from their museum, showing an old dead drop spike, a hollow device that was pushed into the ground for concealment.
A CIA spokesman told TMZ that State of Affairs is helping 'counter popular myths and misconceptions about the agency', and that social media is the perfect way to give Americans more information as the show plays in real time.
Secret weapon: State of Affairs has been getting a boost of authenticity from two ex-CIA officials currently employed on the show as produces. Rodney Faraon, pictured above, worked on the daily briefing team for the Clinton and second Bush Administrations
Personalized: Woodward's character on the show looks over her daily brief in paper form. The CIA says the PDB has been formatted to each president's standards. President Obama just prefers to read his on an iPad
However, most of what is seen on the show is likely in line with how the CIA really works, since two ex-agents are producers and Heigl revealed that the show is also working with the agency.
'We are delving into stuff in a way no one else can do because we are actually working with CIA guys who are telling us stuff,' Heigl said in a preview for the show.
Former CIA counterterrorism head Henry Crumpton and Rodney Faraon, who was a member of the daily briefing team in the Clinton and second Bush Administrations, are both producers, bringing their years of working in the CIA to the show.
'Everything I've seen so far has been authentic,' Faraon said in a preview.
Living history: The President's Daily Brief has been prepared for the commander-in-chief for the last 60 years. Above, President Lyndon B Johnson looks over his daily brief with Lady Bird and their first grandchild
Changes: On the left, the first PDB ever (then known as the Daily Summary), prepared for President Truman on Feb 15, 1946. On the right, the more compact form of the daily brief compiled for President John F Kennedy. During the Kennedy Administration, the daily brief was changed to the President's Intelligence Checklist or 'PICL' which was pronounced 'pickle'. It was made small enough to fit in the president's jacket pocket
And for a super-secret spy agency, the CIA appears to maintain a semblance of transparency with their Entertainment Industry Liason office, which consults with the film and television industry on productions depicting the agency.
According to the CIA's website, the goal of the Entertainment Industry Liason is to ensure 'accurate portrayal of the men and women of the CIA' by 'answering questions, debunking myths, or arranging visits to the CIA'.
The CIA also provides stock images of it's Langley, Virginia compound and in some cases even permits filming at headquarters.A ComicsAlliance favorite for his super inky, wildly expressive style in Dark Horse books like Abe Sapien: The Devil Does Not Jest, B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth, and Conan the Barbarian, James Harren is going to make his 2000 AD debut next month in a story starring Judge Dredd. An arguably heroic, tough-as-nails and ultra-violent policeman/judge/executioner in a nightmare fascist dystopia, Dredd is the perfect vehicle for Harren's graphic talents. As such, writer Rob Williams envisioned the seven-page story -- in which Dredd enters the mind of a catatonic Psi Judge -- specifically for Harren to draw, and you can get a first look at the results below. 2000 AD editor Matt Smith gave us the crucial info about Harren and William's short:
Rob had been talking with James about doing a Dredd story together. Rob asked me if I was up for the two of them doing something together, and when I gave the thumbs up he wrote the script for 'Save Him' specifically for him, knowing James's forte was big monsters. The post-Day of Chaos story starts with Dredd being brought before a catatonic psi-cadet called Salas, whose only words have been Dredd's name. Dredd has never met the cadet before, and while he's in the room with him things get very weird indeed... James has had great fun taking apart the city, cramming seven pages with as much destruction and action as possible! After Guy Davis and Dave Stewart's fantastic work for the Judge Dredd Megazine in 2010, it's great to see another BPRD artist bring their flair to 2000 AD.
(click images to enlarge)
"Save Him" will appear in 2000 AD Prog 1819 (Progs are like issues), on sale February 13 and available digitally via 2000 AD's website and apps.Data collected by the Hamilton 68 dashboard consistently reveals this dichotomy, with a mixture of red-meat content that is promoted to satiate the target audience and geopolitical content that is promulgated to serve Moscow’s foreign policy agenda. It is a strategy that draws on a basic theory of social psychology: people are far more likely to be persuaded by views that come from inside rather than outside their social networks. It is also a strategy that takes advantage of America’s open, democratic information environment — the very kind of environment the Kremlin has worked so hard to dismantle within Russia.
While this tactic has long been used in the real world by intelligence operatives to recruit assets or to exert influence over targeted populations, the anonymity and reach of social networking tools in the digital world has made the process easier, cheaper, and possibly more effective. No longer is advanced tradecraft required to execute a successful influence operation; now, basic cultural and linguistic skills, along with an understanding of trending algorithms, is all that is needed for Kremlin-oriented accounts to insinuate themselves into more organic social networks, including in the United States. And once an account has established its in-group credentials, it can then present the Kremlin’s views on a range of issues — not as an outsider, but as a trusted member of the tribe.
The objective of Kremlin influence operations, part of a larger set of tactics and strategies known as active measures, is to make the target population more amenable to Kremlin wants and desires. They achieve this either by gaining a sympathetic hearing of their views, or failing that, by keeping us busy fighting among ourselves. The Kremlin seeks both to sow discord and create chaos in Western societies and rally support for, or limit opposition to, its geopolitical agenda. One method for achieving that objective is to try and meet particular segments of the U.S. population half way — promoting content and focusing on issues of interest to the target audience some of the time, while presenting Kremlin-friendly views of issues of greater concern to Russia the rest of the time. The strategy, in essence, is to establish credibility and trust within a specific population by expressing support for “shared” social or political views, and then to use that credibility to promote the Kremlin’s more clearly defined goals and interests.
The Limits of Influence
While influence can be challenging to measure, we know what it is, and also what it is not. Influence is not mind control. Influence is not puppet mastering. It is a nudge or a shove, usually in the direction someone is already predisposed to lean. No amount of influence can change hardened views; therefore, it is imperative that an influence operation target an audience whose views are, at the very least, malleable. The Kremlin knows this, of course, and thus strategically targets segments of the population — whether on the far left or the far right — that are the most likely to be persuaded.
In the context of the United States, Moscow has, at various points, courted both sides of the political spectrum. During the early stages of the 2016 presidential campaign, for example, the Kremlin sought to influence supporters of upstart candidates in both parties — a fact supported by recent revelations that show that Russian-financed ads and active measures targeted audiences on the left as well as the right. As with most Russian active measures, early attempts were indiscriminate and often unsophisticated. Of course, we know that the Kremlin eventually tried to influence the outcome of the election, and did so with a clear preference for one of the two main candidates. It is important to stress, however, that this move was strategic and not ideological. Simply put, the Kremlin likely viewed Donald Trump as the candidate who would best serve their interests — whether that meant a loosening of economic sanctions, a weakening of transatlantic ties, or a worsening of divisions within the United States — and targeted audiences accordingly.
While the Kremlin succeeded to the extent that their preferred candidate now resides in the White House, they overplayed their hand, exposing enough of their active measures that the president they helped put in office began his term politically weakened. But Moscow’s unabashed targeting of Donald Trump’s core supporters was, and is, about more than influencing the election or improving bilateral relations. This is evidenced by the fact that the Kremlin-influence network on Twitter has not stopped targeting supporters of President Trump, especially those who identify more with POTUS than the GOP, and who conflate the president and his interests with those of the United States. With hopes dashed for warmer relations with the United States, the obvious question is what does Moscow hope to gain from their position of influence within that network? One answer is that their traction within far-right ecosystems allows them to sow discord and deepen the preexisting divisions within American society. But the more strategic answer involves garnering support for, or neutering opposition to, Moscow’s key foreign policy priorities, namely in Syria and Ukraine.
Unsurprisingly, Syria and Ukraine are the two geopolitical topics that most frequently appear on the Hamilton 68 dashboard. Between September 23 and September 29, for example, over 30 percent of the top URLs that appeared on the dashboard featured stories about Syria or Ukraine, with all of them presenting a decidedly pro-Kremlin and/or anti-American narrative. Moscow’s objective in sharing these views is clear. The critical question, of course, is whether the Kremlin’s efforts have worked, both in terms of influencing opinions within the targeted audience as well as shaping the broader public debate. While that question is unanswerable, it is clear that Moscow sees the alt-right as the audience most likely to support their policy goals, both in regards to the two aforementioned conflicts as well as in their skepticism of internationalism, especially in relation to the EU and NATO.
The Kremlin’s consistent amplification of far-right narratives should therefore be viewed as a strategic targeting decision, rather than recruitment of an ideological ally. The Kremlin ultimately cares about influence, not an audience’s orientation. If two different candidates had emerged from the 2016 U.S. primaries, Kremlin-oriented accounts could very well be engaging different audiences with a different message. As political winds inevitably shift in the United States and Europe, it is essential to stress that any audience that is seen as useful and corruptible is a potential target for future Kremlin influence operations.German Bitcoin exchange bitcoin.de and Fidor Bank have announced a new “Bitcoin Express” option for Fidor Bank customers to buy and sell bitcoin instantly on the exchange.
The new option addresses the delays involved in exchange transactions. Bitcoin exchanges like BitStamp, which are not licensed banks, must often wait hours or even days for a transaction to be cleared by an external bank. But because Fidor Bank is fully licensed, it is able to provide a direct interface to the mainstream banking system, eliminating transaction delays.
As a result, holders of a “Fidor Smart Giro Account” are now able to purchase bitcoin directly from a bank account and receive bitcoin immediately after the purchase. They can also sell bitcoin to another Smart Giro Account holder and have the money instantly credited to their account. Since the money is always in the user’s bank account, customers don’t have to worry about the possible insolvency – or dishonest behavior – of an external exchange operator.
The Smart Giro Account is a full bank account with all the standard features, including interest on credit balances and a low-cost credit card. The latter is, in practice, equivalent to a card that can be recharged with bitcoin.
Oliver Flaskämper, board member of bitcoin.de, said, “That is not only good news for all Bitcoin fans, but also good news for fintech companies based in Germany. “
Fidor Bank CEO Matthias Kroener commented: “The prompt conducting of [Bitcoin transactions] from one bank customer to another bank customer enhances security massively. As such Fidor Bank is setting a further milestone in digital banking.”
In related news, Fidor Bank disclosed plans to expand to the U.S. market. Kroener praised U.S. authorities’ open and pragmatic middle-of-the-road approach to Bitcoin regulation.
Kroener is persuaded that traditional U.S. banks are losing their appeal, especially among younger generations, because they don’t offer the innovative services that today’s tech-savvy consumers demand.
“The reason that a lot of very successful fintech startups are happening in the U.S. is not only because there are so many talented people setting up those businesses. It is also because there is a huge gap in innovative services.”
Fidor Bank is known as a modern Internet Bank and an early adopter of new trends in fintech with innovative services for connected consumers. Fast Company named Fidor Bank one of the world’s top 10 most innovative companies of 2015 in personal finance, and described it as a social bank that leverages cutting-edge technology to respond to customer wishes.
Fidor Bank’s fintech community website invites developers, notably dubbed “Pirates of Banking,” to become “part of reshaping the post-crisis banking industry through cutting-edge technology instead of doing the minimum to be compliant.” The deployment of innovative fintech services in the U.S. market could boost the mainstream acceptance of Bitcoin and the digital economy as a whole.Son of Abraham Cumberbatch (1754-1796), grandson of Abraham Cumberbatch ne Carleton (1726-1785) and nephew of Laurence Trent Cumberbatch (d. c. 1829: other sources show 1833/4), Edward Carleton Cumberbatch (d. c. 1821) and John Trent Cumberbatch (d. c. 1821). Married (1) Charlotte daughter of Robert Burnett Jones 31/10/1805 at St George Hanover Square (2) Caroline Chaloner daughter of William Chaloner (and sister of Robert Chaloner MP) 13/04/1819 at Tonbridge. His son with Charlotte Jones, Abraham Carlton Cumberbatch (HBM consul in Turkey), left £30,000 on his death in 1875.
Will of Abraham Parry Cumberbatch of [the Broad House in the parish of] Hellingly Sussex proved 19/12/1840. In the will, which is long, he left his house for life to his wife Caroline, and his Cleland estate and the land known as Lammings [?] in Barbados, excluding the £5388 10s 2d in reduced annuities he had received as Slave Compensation, in trust to secure an annuity of £500 p.a. to his widow Caroline and £3500, £4000, or £5000 for his surviving younger children depending on how many of them there were up to 6. He entailed his estate for the benefit of his eldest son Abraham Carleton Cumberbatch. He left the income from £2000 to his daughter Elizabeth wife of Rev. Henry Chicheley Michell of Lymington and placed his personal estate, including the £5388 10s 2d subject to the annuity of Elizabeth Susannah Jones, in trust.On the eve of SEC Media Days, it’s only appropriate to share every team’s media guide cover for 2017.
The conference used to hand out every team’s media guide in a box during check in. Imagine having to lug all 14 back to your office afterwards. Been there. However, the SEC changed that in recent history by handing out electronic copies.
The graphic game for every program has certainly improved, and it’s just a small part of the arms race of college football.
And this year, there are some great ones. South Carolina’s and Texas A&M’s covers are my favorite.
So, without further ado, here is every SEC football team’s media guide cover for this year:
SEC Media Guide Cover
Alabama Crimson Tide
Arkansas Razorbacks
Auburn Tigers
Florida Gators
Georgia Bulldogs
Kentucky Wildcats
LSU Tigers
Ole Miss Rebels
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Missouri Tigers
South Carolina Gamecocks
Tennessee Volunteers
Texas A&M Aggies
Vanderbilt CommodoresGilbert Brown and Ashton Gibbs made two free throws each in the final 30 seconds after Pittsburgh (No. 23 ESPN/USA Today, No. 25 AP) staged a frantic rally to tie it in regulation, then weathered three exhausting overtimes and West Virginia's own comeback to beat the Mountaineers (No. 4 ESPN/USA Today, No. 5 AP) 98-95 on Friday night.
"I was talking today about this game, how it's always a great rivalry and a classic," Brown said. "And it was."
Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker scored 24 points each for Pitt (19-6, 8-4), which tied Georgetown and West Virginia for third place in the Big East by avenging a 19-point loss in Morg |
navigate a simplified interface, occasionally using voice. With the introduction of remote controls comes a number of different ideas for what that means. On Android TV there are many different ways to control the device. We took a straw poll of readers on the site to see how they interact with their devices.
Device Remote
64% of users primarily used the remote that came with the device. Some Android TVs, such as the Nexus Player, include a small Bluetooth remote which contains a few buttons for navigation. There is also a microphone which can capture a user’s voice when prompted.
Gamepad
14% of users primarily used a gamepad. Android works natively with a number of game controllers, such as the Snakebyte:VR. This can usually provide a much better gaming experience by giving one a more ergonomic object to hold and more buttons for richer games. Most do not have a microphone, although the gamepad for the NVIDIA Shield does let you record audio and make voice searches.
Android TV Remote App
With the Android TV Remote App on Android or iOS, you can control your TV from your phone. The app is limited in functionality, but about 19% of users still use it. It lets you navigate and make voice searches, and has the advantage of being on your person already.
Mouse & Keyboard
Android TV contains all of the functionality of the Android OS, including built-in support for keyboard and mice peripherals. It’s easy to pair a keyboard using Bluetooth or just over USB. Searching can be a lot easier than trying to use the on-screen keyboard.
Mice don’t work especially well in Leanback apps. Technically they do work, although not as well as using a remote (or even the arrow keys on a keyboard). Still, if you have sideloaded a lot of non-Leanback apps, this may be a better solution. It’s the primary use for 3% of users.
Conclusion
Android TV is available on a number of different devices from many OEMs, giving users choice over what features and hardware they want. Along with the hardware of the device itself, there’s many ways to interact with the device. While the included remote was the most popular, one cannot discount the many other types as well.
Are there any other thoughts on controlling your TV? Let us know in the comments below.
A new poll is going up asking you what activities you do on your Android TV. This one will be available for a few weeks.
Nick Felker Nick Felker is a student Electrical & Computer Engineering student at Rowan University (C/O 2017) and the student IEEE webmaster. When he's not studying, he is a software developer for the web and Android (Felker Tech). He has several open source projects on GitHub (http://github.com/fleker) Devices: Moto G-2013 Moto G-2015, Moto 360, Google ADT-1, Nexus 7-2013 (x2), Lenovo Laptop, Custom Desktop. Although he was an intern at Google, the content of this blog is entirely independent and his own thoughts. More Posts - Website Follow Me:As surfers, we’ll go to great lengths to catch the best waves possible. All it takes is a hunch that there’s a swell coming and a buddy who has “this one spot” that he knows will be firing. Sometimes you get skunked. Other times you get the best waves of your life. And sometimes these perfect waves come at a cost. In this edit, Harry Bryant, Jackson Baker, and Joe Van Dijk freeze their asses off as they score ideal conditions on King Island, begging the question, “Are these the best beachbreaks in Australia?”
A trip to King Island you'd likely want to attend
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By signing up you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.Well, I think it’s time for my year-end review. It’s been a fantastic year with much to look forward to as we move to the next, but before I move on completely, allow me to relive a few of my favorite moments from 2013 with you!
[And see also my Best of 2012]
My first blog post of 2013 was called Quality Time With My Bro (one of my most popular posts to date), wherein you saw what is now my famous “I know I’m going to win” look.
But what can I say? I love winnin’.
And continuing with my brother Oakley, 2013 saw the introduction of Robin – the new accomplice to BATDOG!
As seen in my post, ‘BATDOG & Robin – The Goofy Brother Rises’.
But it was also the year that BATDOG himself revealed an important upgrade to his outfit – the body suit!
But besides fighting crime together, Oakley and I also spent some quiet time just kicking back and relaxing – doing my all-time favorite activity of fishing!
He didn’t enjoy it as much as I do, but it was fun to see him react to my excitement.
2013 was also the year that I went to the book store and Dad got hit on by a gay guy. That wasn’t one of his favorite moments of 2013, but it was one of mine!
At the very beginning of 2013, I visited the dentist as part of a new routine to ensure I always have a pearly white smile.
As it turned out, the human dentists are just as much quacks as the vets, so I had to take matters into my own hands paws.
And it was in February of 2013 that I introduced Chef Crusoe, who graced us with his deliciously funny recipes and quickly became one my most favorited alter egos!
As seen in my post, Chef Crusoe: Carrot Cupcakes.
And if there are ever any kitchen injuries, there’s now a “doctor in da house” for whenever any unfortunate situations arise.
I’m talking about Dr. Crusoe!
His medical practices might be a little unconventional, but he’ll make you feel better – even if it’s just with a smile.
2013 was the year I won Best Active Living Blog at the Petties! I aimed for Funniest Pet Blog, but ended up winning Best Active Living Blog – which I can’t complain about.
Mum says I’m as funny as I am active. If that’s true then based on my incredible athleticism, I must be one hilarious guy.
Not to worry though, because I took home the award for Best Pet Blog of 2013 at the Bloggies! And now I’m running for the 2014 one (nominate me here).
2013 was the year you were all so lucky enough to have had the pleasure of being introduced to Captain Crusoe (he’s kind of a big deal).
Not to mention First Mate Oakley!
And if you’re wondering how Captain Crusoe is a captain with only 3 stripes on his shoulder, keep in mind the 4th stripe is on his nose (and shaped like an anchor).
Now what would 2013 be without me making good use out of my stilts?
For cheese of course.
And how could I forget this magical moment Mum and I shared together in this field full of sunshine!
2013 was also the year I adopted Vine – the 6 second video-based social network. Good thing too, because I’m at 120,000 followers and counting! So if you aren’t already following me on Vine, please do!
My most popular Vine video:
2013 was definitely not short on the babes though. In the summer, I hosted my first ever Sexy Ladies Wiener (Pool) Party.
Hashtag SLWPP.
Pictures are one thing, but the video version is another! Check it out on YouTube here.
That pool party also introduced me to two lovely ladies – Gogo & Zoey (on my left and right above, respectively). In fact, I even invited them over for a Double Doggy Date together.
(Dinner made by Chef Crusoe).
I also attended a few wiener dog races in 2013 in 2013 to defend my title from 2012!
I didn’t win “all” my races, but nonetheless I came home with a handful of awards and trophies – one of which was shared with my brother Oakley for ‘Best Costume’.
2013 was a very important year in that it was the year I squashed my beef with wire haired dachshunds (for the most part).
I invited this rescue wire hair over for a little interview and time together, where I soon determined The Truth About Wired Hairs – they aren’t all that bad!
But it was in the later half of 2013 that things started to get really exciting.
Firstly, all that fishing of mine paid off when GoPro called me up and asked me to film some footage of me fishing specifically for them to use in a fishing web commercial (and possibly TV).
That went very well, and I’m now the star of my very own GoPro YouTube video.
Then right around Halloween, I received some long-time-due appreciation for my comprehensive wardrobe of outfits and costumes. It started with being published in a UK newspaper, then Mum and Dad were interviewed on CBC News and other websites, and finally I received my own magazine spread!
So with so many happy times in 2013, was there anything I could improve on?
Well, admittedly 2013 didn’t have as many vacations as it should have. My upcoming Caribbean sailing trip was supposed to happen in November but was delayed until April 2014.
I did however manage to get down to Florida to practice my swimming.
It was here that I swam with manatees! And yes, I got it all on video, and it’s been my most popular YouTube video yet! (Besides my GoPro video that is).
What else could I have done more of? Well, lots of people tell me I need to share more of my text conversations…
Heck, do I have to publicize every part of my life? Even my text messages aren’t safe from being the subject of comedic content!
Plus, what better way to finish the year than me proposing to a lucky lady on behalf of one of my fans?!
So to wrap up the past year, I’d say 2013 was the year of “video”, the year of appreciation to my self-made fame, the year of Oakley taking some of my spotlight, and as always – the year of sexy ladies.
And so fans, I pose the question to you – what did you enjoy about my adventures in 2013 and what would you like to see in 2014?
Keep winnin’,
~ Crusoe
If you liked my photos from 2013, then you’ll love my 2014 calendar, which is back in store! (Hurry, quantities limited)
My New Book! Featuring my worldly travels far and wide, from Europe to Mexico and more, and the whole story of my surgery and recovery! Rated 5 stars on Amazon! Get Yours!
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comments100 Incredible Lectures for History Lovers
January 20th, 2010
By Pamelia Brown
Ironically, one of the best places to learn about the past is with the technologies of the future, as web lectures abound from renowned lecturers and college campuses around the world. Here you’ll find 100 of these lectures that will help you indulge your history enthusiasm by learning about everything from the fall of the Berlin wall to ancient Egyptian history and just about anything in between.
World History
Explore the history of civilizations around the world through these lectures.
European History
Take a look and listen to these lectures to learn about the history of European nations.
American History
These lectures will help you learn more about the history of the United States from the Revolutionary War to the tumultuous 60s.
Art History
See and hear about some of the artwork that has reflected distinctive periods in history through these lectures.
U.S. Presidents
These lectures will let you take a closer look at individual American presidents.
Ancient and Medieval History
Head back to the beginnings of civilization with these lectures.
Conflict History
Explore the history of world conflicts through these lectures.
Cultural History
In these lectures you will be able to learn more about cultural movements and more.
Miscellaneous
These lectures touch on a wide range of historical subject matter.
Leave a ReplyMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption More than 1,000 people have been killed according to police, as Caroline Hawley reports
More than 1,000 people have been killed in Nepal's deadliest earthquake for more than 80 years, police say.
The 7.8 magnitude quake struck an area of central Nepal between the capital, Kathmandu, and the city of Pokhara.
There were also victims in India, Bangladesh, Tibet and on Mount Everest, where avalanches were triggered.
The government has declared a state of emergency in the affected areas, and help has been offered by countries around the world.
Little information has emerged from the epicentre, where extensive damage has been reported, and there are fears the death toll could rise yet further.
The Nepalese information minister has told the BBC that 1,500 people had been killed in the disaster, but that the true casualty figure would probably be much higher.
Thousands of people are spending the night outside their houses, following a series of aftershocks.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Minister Minendra Rijai says there has been "massive damage" around the epicentre of the quake
Offers of aid:
The US is sending a disaster response team and has released an initial $1m (£0.7m) according to the US aid agency USAid
India has sent several aircraft, carrying medical supplies and a mobile hospital, as well as a 40-strong disaster response team, including rescuers with dogs
The UK is sending an eight-strong team of humanitarian experts
Pakistan is sending four C-130 aircraft carrying a 30-bed field hospital and army doctors and specialists; urban search-and-rescue teams equipped with radars and sniffer dogs; and food items, including 2,000 meals, 200 tents and 600 blankets
Norway has promised 30 million krone (£2.5m; $3.9m) in humanitarian assistance
Germany, Spain, France, Israel and the European Union are also pledging to send aid
Image copyright EPA Image caption People sleep outside on a street in Kathmandu
Image copyright AFP Image caption People clear rubble in Kathmandu's Durbar Square
Image copyright AP Image caption Historic landmarks were wrecked in the earthquake
Many more people are trapped under rubble. Local television pictures showed rescuers in Kathmandu desperately digging through the rubble with their bare hands in search of survivors. Many historic buildings in the capital were also destroyed.
Image copyright ALAMY/EPA Image caption Kathmandu's landmark Dharahara tower before and after the earthquake
Eyewitness: Sandesh Kaji Shrestha, Kathmandu
Kathmandu has been very badly affected by the earthquake. Some areas are completely destroyed.
I am in the Thamel area and the Hotel Budget has been completely demolished with more than 50 guests inside.
I have been helping to pull people and bodies out of the rubble, along with my friend. We pulled a child out with its grandmother earlier. They did not survive.
I am most sad. It has been a very bad experience and a terrible and very difficult day.
There are not enough rescue teams here. The hospitals are out of control. We need help.
Nepal Eyewitness accounts quake: 'I was so frightened'
Challenges of Nepal's quake relief operation
Quake levels Nepal landmarks
The quake triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest, killing at least 10 people, and another five in Tibet, officials and reports say.
At least 40 people have been killed in India, Indian officials say, with one death also reported in Bangladesh.
It is the worst earthquake to strike Nepal since one in 1934 which killed some 8,500 people.
World's deadliest recent earthquakes
Iran, 2003: More than 26,000 people killed in 6.6 earthquake near the city of Bam
More than 26,000 people killed in 6.6 earthquake near the city of Bam Indonesia, 2004 : Devastating 9.1 earthquake and ensuing tsunami off the Sumatran province of Aceh kills more than 230,000 people in a dozen countries
: Devastating 9.1 earthquake and ensuing tsunami off the Sumatran province of Aceh kills more than 230,000 people in a dozen countries Pakistani-administered Kashmir, 2005 : 7.6 earthquake near Muzafferabad kills about 100,000 people
: 7.6 earthquake near Muzafferabad kills about 100,000 people China, 2008: Nearly 90,000 killed in 7.9 earthquake in eastern Sichuan province
Nearly 90,000 killed in 7.9 earthquake in eastern Sichuan province Haiti, 2010: More than 220,000 people killed in 7.0 magnitude earthquake
Are you in the area? Are you affected by the earthquake? If it is safe to do so, you can share your story by emailing [email protected]
If you are willing to speak with a BBC journalist, please leave a contact number.
You can send a picture, video or message to our WhatsApp number +44 7525 900971
You can email your pictures, video or audio to us at [email protected]
You can upload picturesWe have to accept the fact that criminals could be anywhere in our neighborhoods and anyone could be a victim. Potential criminals can be around you and the ones who have the potential to commit a crime are the ones who have committed the same crime before. As a concerned individual about your family’s and your neighbors’ safety, you need to find ways to provide protection.
Anyone can easily detect if someone had past crimes by performing a comprehensive background check. You can do a free background check on anyone anonymously by using online resources and online background check pay services. To do a free search you will be limited to your local area for their crime records, but you won’t be able to access national without paying a fee. When it comes to the safety of one’s family, however, most people want to find the best national criminal background check online they can. Fortunately, there are some good ones that are very affordable.
Free resources in performing a free background check includes online police report archives, arrest reports, online government services, and other criminal records sites available in your state, county, and city. At this writing, most of these are free in your own state, however that can change at any time. Even government sites need funding to pay for the expenses of keeping the site and database accurate. Finding such critical information can be accessed by using Google, Yahoo, or any search engines and links to the search results.
A record seeker may take a lot of time and effort in searching for different kinds of police and arrest information about a person being investigated. With a lot of links to click and study plus the confusing irrelevant search matches, one investigation may take days to finally finish, and still you can’t be sure of the reliability of results. That’s another good reason to pay for a reliable site that you know will return an accurate report. You don’t want to accuse someone unfairly when they may not even be guilty.
Ultimate protection from doing a free background check needs more reliable tools and these tools are found on the Internet. They include the background check companies and websites that are ready for access to any individual or business for an affordable fee. With a comprehensive report, they manage to deliver information in a very organized and useable way, especially for personal investigations, screening purposes, and other reasons people have for wanting to check someone’s criminal history.
Probably one of the most critical types of criminal report that could be run by a neighborhood is that of checking for any sex offenders that may be living close by. One caveat, though, if you find someone that lives closer than what makes you comfortable. Please check what type of sex crime they have been convicted of.
Unfortunately, the sex offender registry includes people who were teenagers at the time and were caught having sex with an underage partner, who in reality, may have only been a year or so younger than they were. But parents and zealous prosecutors push for a conviction, and a young person has that label and stigma for the rest of their life. So check to be sure it is a real criminal you’re looking at.New Warhammer 40,000: Choosing Your Army
Creating an army in the new Warhammer 40,000 is a lot of fun.
There are as many ways to go about this as there are Warhammer 40,000 players out there; some of you will pick you army based on your favourite models, some based on a particularly inspiring bit of lore or background you’ve read, and some because you like the way certain units behave on the battlefield. For most of us, it’s a bit of all of the above.
Choosing an army in the new edition of Warhammer 40,000 can be as simple or as easy as you like. At the most basic level, you can just put whatever models you have in your collection on the table and get rolling – this is the very essence of open play.
For a little more balance and structure, you can use Power Levels. These can be found on the datasheets of every unit and give a rough approximation of its relative effectiveness. Power Levels are ideal for narrative play and allow you to very quickly work out which force is more powerful so you can either add or take away a few units to balance it or play a mission that calls for forces of different sizes (like a siege or a glorious last stand).
The final mechanism for selecting an army is to use points, most commonly associated with matched play. These will be familiar to anyone who plays the game today and are designed to balance your force for use in the 12 Eternal War and Maelstrom of War missions.
While Power Levels are purposefully an approximation of a unit’s effectiveness, points are, if anything, more granular than they have ever been, with each individual item costing a certain amount.
The best way to show this is with a quick example. We’ve used a Drukhari force, lead by an Archon (classic).
This army is 1000 points and is Battle-forged using the Patrol Detachment. It is typical of what you might expect from an army of this size.
We have an HQ choice, a mix of units kitted out to deal with both Infantry and Vehicles, Transports and a Flyer to back them up. The points for each model, gun and item of equipment add up to give the army’s total cost in points.
One thing you’ll probably notice is that vehicles generally tend to cost more points in this edition. Though you’ll find that their increased flexibility and durability means that they are certainly well worth taking. (This is especially true of Drukhari ones, which can now not only ram enemy units but fly out of combat and still shoot you!)
Another thing you’ll likely see much more of is vehicles and squads with mixed weapons. So, in this case, those splinter rifles the Kabalites are carrying can be targeting squishy infantry targets while the heavier guns in the squad can hunt larger prey. It means you might not need dedicated anti-infantry or armour units as much if you’ve spread that killing power around your army.
This army is a fairly typical Drukhari force, but the new edition opens up a whole range of new options. Previously, a lot of the more extreme army builds were only available to certain armies through formations, but now anyone can use them! There are Detachments available that focus on each of the nine battlefields roles, which gives you loads of options for building a force, even within a Battle-forged list.
Ever fancy a whole army of tanks? How about a Penitent Engine crusade? Or an entire swarm of flying Tyranid monsters? Or an army of speed-mad Ork bikers and buggies?
They all sound awesome.
The options are endless, the choice is yours.Over 7000 furries are going to Pittsburgh this weekend for Anthrocon, the annual convention for people who dress like wolves, dragons and combination wolf-dragons. The convention includes a public parade, which last year featured 2100 participants. Anthrocon rep John Cole gave the Incline some etiquette tips for interacting with furries. The advice boils down to two rules of thumb: Don't be invasive, and remember that fursuits are hot as hell.
Photo by AoLun
It's OK to ask furries questions, says Cole, but remember that they're people with feelings. Plus, some prefer not to talk. Ask to take pictures, and ask if you can ask further questions. If you have kids, teach them not to crowd anyone or touch them without their permission.
Walking in a parade is gruelling even in breathable clothes, and fursuits are not ideally suited to hot weather (it is currently summer in the US). People in full costume are often hot and dehydrated, inside a costume that limits vision and coordination. So while they might look indestructible, the people inside those suits are pretty vulnerable. Be considerate. Open doors for them and warn them about hazards.
Furries are not, let's say, widely trusted by the public, so they're very careful about interacting with children and even adjusting their body language to look friendly. Anthrocon has a thorough attendee code of conduct. Like most adults, many furries like to have sex, but they aren't any more obsessed with it than the rest of us. So if you grill them about their sexual perversions, they're not the ones who will come off bad. Just respect them like you'd respect any person, even a person who's pretending to be an animal.Continue Reading Below Advertisement
The Jungle was shut down in 2014, but San Jose is currently trying to figure how to house the 7,000 homeless people in the area. Like most cities, the area has its fair share of people with mental problems and drug issues who just can't keep it together in mainstream society. But Silicon Valley's homeless population also includes bus drivers, carpenters, medical clerks, and caterers who can't afford San Jose's average rent of 2,633 clams per month.
So, what's a working man or woman who can't afford to move to Middle America do? Some of the bus drivers who shuffle Apple's workers between their suburban homes and glitzy offices end up sleeping in their cars between shifts. Others don't have cars, so they opt for the next best thing: sleeping on a bus every night.
Nhat V. Meyer / Bay Area News Group
Nhat V. Meyer / Bay Area News Group
Which is absolutely the most depressing case of taking your work home we've ever heard.
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San Jose has one bus that runs 24 hours a day: It's called Line 22, and for $8, anyone can ride "Hotel 22" from Santa Clara to San Jose, over and over again, until morning. Some of the bus' nightly "residents" include people who have lived in the area since the town was full of orchards and ranches. One guy on the bus used to work as a chef at Microsoft. Everyone brings blankets, because this is as good as it gets when the shelters are full and you're stuck choosing between sleeping in the alley, a hobo camp, or staking out the best awning on a sidewalk on a rainy night.
So it's entirely possible that, as you're reading this, someone who contributed to the technology supporting your device is currently sleeping on a bus because they have nowhere else to go at night. But at least we're seeing a united public response to this humanitarian crisis from the tech sector, right?
The Guardian
Welp.Too many appeals to support food pantries come across like those ASPCA ads with the skinny big-eyed dogs and cats; but this isn't about pity, it's about justice. The video shows Long Island Food Not Bombs arranging to feed and clothe its community on the day before Thanksgiving. What's so great about it is that it isn't sullied by condescension: everyone is helping everyone else.
The Nonprofiteer thinks this should serve as an example to the members of Congress who cut Food Stamps in the fall and are now readying an agriculture bill which maintains subsidies enabling agribusinesses not to grow food while eliminating food support for families and individuals.
Doubtless there's a community group in your neighborhood fighting the good fight to keep people fed, clothed and sheltered, and doubtless it could use your help in these last days of the old year. And in the first days of the new, as well.
Type your email address in the box and click the "create subscription" button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.A global health research center at the University of Washington has found that while there's a global decrease in maternal mortality rates, the rate in the U.S. is rising (The Huffington Post).
We're ranked 60th in the world, below every other developed nation, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. The country's maternal mortality rate has gone up by 6.1 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births since 1990 — rising from 12.4 per 100,000 live births to 18.5. That's a 1.7 percent increase.
That's triple the rate of the U.K.'s maternal mortality rate, and eight times Iceland's. While deaths from hemorrhage, sepsis, and abortion are down, deaths from previous health complications exacerbated during pregnancy — congenital heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and kidney problems — are up.
This indicates that the rising rates have nothing to do with medical technology or advancements we haven't made, but instead they're due to simple oversight. "Many of these deaths can be prevented, and that's what makes it a human rights issue. We're not waiting for a medical breakthrough — what we're waiting for here is the political will to save these women's lives," says Rachel Ward, director of research for Amnesty International and author of 2011 report Deadly Delivery: The Maternal Health Care Crisis in the USA.
RELATED:
20 Things Nobody Tells You About Giving Birth
Follow Anna on Twitter.
Photo Credit: GettyThis aerial picture shows David's palace and the Byzantine farmhouse that was build on top of it.
Archaeologists say they've uncovered two royal buildings from Israel's biblical past, including a palace suspected to have belonged to King David.
The findings at Khirbet Qeiyafa — an fortified hilltop city about 19 miles (30 kilometers) southwest of Jerusalem — indicate that David, who defeated Goliath in the Bible, ruled a kingdom with a great political organization, the excavators say.
"This is unequivocal evidence of a kingdom's existence, which knew to establish administrative centers at strategic points," read a statement from archaeologists Yossi Garfinkel of the Hebrew University and Saar Ganor of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).
The IAA announced the finds as a seven-year long excavation at the site is wrapping up. The government agency and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority have halted the planned construction of a nearby neighborhood, hoping to make the site a national park. [In Photos: Archaeology Around the World]
Garfinkel has previously said Khirbet Qeiyafa could be the site of Shaaraim, a biblical city associated with King David in the Bible. Shaaraim means "two gates" and two gates have been found in the fortress ruins. Others researchers, meanwhile, have claimed this site might be Neta'im, another town mentioned in the book 1 Chronicles in the Old Testatment.
Prior radiocarbon analysis on burnt olive pits at the site indicated that it existed between 1020 B.C. and 980 B.C., before being violently destroyed, likely in a battle against the Philistines. Much of the palace was further wrecked 1,400 years later when a Byzantine farmhouse was built on the site.
The archaeologists found a 100-foot-long (30-meter-long) wall that would have enclosed the palace, and inside the complex they discovered fragments of ceramic and alabaster vessels, some of them imported from Egypt. The researchers say the building was strategically located to overlook the city and the Valley of Elah.
"From here one has an excellent vantage looking out into the distance, from as far as the Mediterranean Sea in the west, to the Hebron Mountains and Jerusalem in the east," the archaeologists said. "This is an ideal location from which to send messages by means of fire signals."
The excavators also found a pillared building measuring about 50 feet by 20 feet (15 m by 6 m) that was likely used as an administrative storeroom.
"It was in this building the kingdom stored taxes it received in the form of agricultural produce collected from the residents of the different villages in the Judean Shephelah," or Judean foothills, the archaeologists said. "Hundreds of large store jars were found at the site whose handles were stamped with an official seal as was customary in the Kingdom of Judah for centuries."
Follow Megan Gannon on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on LiveScience.com.
Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Senior's move to cornerback showing promise for Rams
FORT COLLINS — The topic was an on-going joke during the 2015 season. Now it has become Jordon Vaden's reality at Colorado State.
It started simply enough with a special teams drill, where Vaden — then a wide receiver — was doing pretty good at stuffing gunners on kick coverage. Then defensive coordinator Tyson Summers joked to Vaden he may want to consider a position change. And on and on it went.
It was funny to Vaden, who continued to ask during the offseason — jokingly — when the Rams were going to let him play some defense, play some cornerback.
The answer was this spring, and there was no punch line. It was an honest-to-goodness position change. It has also invigorated the start of what is his final season for the Rams.
"I kind of feel like a freshman again," said Vaden, who is running with the top defense. "I always come out for spring and training camp really hyped. I just love the game, and being on the field and stuff, so practice is always fun. Having a new challenge and learning a new position is something that gives you a little extra juice every day."
The reasoning behind the move definitely made sense. At 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, his size and length were intriguing to the defensive staff. The other numbers — a lack of depth at cornerback — made for a clearer bottom line.
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Vaden's career as a wideout was a bit of a rollercoaster, too. As a redshirt freshman, he showed promise with 22 catches for 255 yards and three touchdowns. A year later, those numbers dipped to 5, 42 and 0. As a junior last year, he had 11 receptions for 184 yards, his spot on the depth chart was rather uncertain.
When the joke became serious, he was all for it. He said he likes the challenge of a new position, but also the promise of being able to help the Rams out in a larger role.
Now all he has to do is get up to speed.
For him, it's all about the technique. Then, once he learns something, he has to believe himself he actually knows it as well as he thinks. Throughout the spring, you can see him going up to cornerbacks coach Terry Fair trying to reaffirm what knowledge he's gaining.
"It's not just doing it how he wants it, but how he wants it to look," Vaden said. "Being smooth in and out of transitions and breaks and in my press and in my back-pedal, all those types of things. Making it look how he wants it to look. A lot of corner is just almost the look. Playing with swag, playing with confidence and learning as you go, trying to catch on as much as you can."
His former position mates are coming away impressed, as are the quarterbacks on roster. Players from both sides have commented how Vaden's reach and his speed to break have made for smaller passing windows. While he's still making mistakes in the process, head coach Mike Bobo felt Vaden held up well during the first scrimmage, making the declaration that the switch was permanent through spring camp.
"He played the whole scrimmage with the ones. He did have a couple of pass interference calls, but I thought one was probably questionable," Bobo said. "Two, he did snatch a jersey that had an interception called back. But there were no deep balls thrown on him and he did an nice job defending. Where the nemesis of the second defense was the deep ball in the air, Vaden did a nice job on a couple of opportunities."
Bobo cautioned he still has much to learn, and he wants to see Vaden gain more confidence and trust what he sees. Vaden agrees, noting being a former receiver helps him in some regards, crosses him up in others.
Such as he knows at certain depths what a receiver may or may not do, how they'll break, how they'll use their hands. Yet he also grasps the complexity of the Rams' offense and how diverse it can be, leading him to second guess at times.
What nobody is questioning is Vaden's attention to detail and trying to make the move benefit him and the team.
"I think Jordon is doing an outstanding job of getting extra help, meeting with me, being as attentive as he possibly can in meetings, and he will get better because he wants to get better at the position," Fair said. "I think what he can do, his skill set, his size, his length, his speed, his ability, he loves to compete. He wanted to play the position as well, and that certainly makes it a lot easier when the kid is on board to do so."
Running with the top defensive unit has given Vaden some confidence, but he said it also shows him daily how much more he needs to learn to keep the job. He realize the competition will increase in the fall, making it his goal to continually work throughout the summer to be the player he and the Rams hope he can be at the spot.
To him, it's all about his eyes. Having them in the right spot, using the right technique and putting it all together, again and again. It comes down to reps he said. The more he gets, the better he'll become.
"I'm always up for a new challenge, learn a new position and help the team in whatever I can," Vaden said. "I was definitely excited. It was just better for the team, and I think I can play the position and play the position well and help the team |
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